Selecting the person who will lead your town is a tough decision and should be—the biggest issues facing the country play out on the local level. This year’s mayoral candidates are Mitchell Brown, a physician and attorney, James Davis, incumbent mayor, and Jason O’Donnell, former Assemblyman, firefighter and Bayonne Public Safety Director. The winning candidate will need more than 50 percent of the vote to win. If no candidate reaches 50 percent, a runoff election will be held between the top two vote-getters.
Readers are encouraged to speak directly with the candidates, call their offices, tweet at them, and engage in any way they can. Meanwhile, the Bayonne Community News has been reporting for almost a year on the candidates, the issues, and what citizens demand from their leaders. Below is a synopsis of what you’ll need to know before you go to the polls.

Taxes

Because local governments are responsible for funding public schools, the historically contentious issue of taxes is more prominent in local elections than in national ones.
Candidates this year are divided on tax issues that concern housing and development. Even if residents support new development, how will the new housing be financed?
Mayor Davis has employed payments-in-lieu-of-tax (PILOT) agreements for developers that create direct streams of revenue for the city over 15-30-year time frames. Normally, those who own property, or develop it, pay a local property tax based on the assessed value of the property – 40 percent of which goes to fund the local school district. In Bayonne, five percent of PILOT revenue is allocated for the school district, another five percent goes to the county, and 90 percent goes directly into the city coffers.
Jason O’Donnell argues that because PILOTs pay only five percent of the payments to the school district while serving to increase Bayonne’s population, the district’s resources will be further limited and could bring higher property taxes down the line. Davis, meanwhile, argues that closing the city’s structural deficit should take top priority. To a city in a $17 million structural deficit hole, the use of PILOTs to help plug the hole is a viable option but will have to pass muster with voters to continue.
Dr. Mitchell Brown, while supportive of development, has a different view than the other two candidates. While focusing on fiscal responsibility, Brown argues that too many resources are allocated to police and fire departments, shortchanging other initiatives.
Candidates disagree on what financial effect these redevelopment policies will have on Bayonne over time, what kinds of projects should be prioritized to receive the incentive, and what the developers’ responsibilities should be to the city’s education, infrastructure, and construction workers.
On these fiscal concerns, Davis says that you fix the structural deficit with development, O’Donnell argues that Davis has given out too many PILOTS to residential projects, and Brown claims that Davis has attracted low-level businesses that attract unskilled labor.

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The biggest issues facing the country play out in local elections.
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Parking

The city council proposed a change in parking rules to allow residents to legally park in front of their driveways with permits the council initially said would cost $50 per year, per household. They later cancelled the fee. In response, O’Donnell proposed a ten-point parking plan that poses solutions to longstanding parking problems.
O’Donnell has been a vocal opponent of driveway permits, supporting the current informal system in which residents trust neighbors to park only in front of their own driveways. His plan promotes public-private parking garages, such as the one behind Barnabas Health on Broadway, and a practice of requiring developers who cannot or do not meet parking requirements to pay into a fund for the city to purchase land for purposes of parking.
Davis’s proposals include introducing a mobile payment option for municipal parking and putting up more signage on the streets for drivers to find parking. Davis has relied on developers sticking to parking codes by constructing onsite parking, often in indoor garages on the premises.
Brown, who recognizes a need to curb commercial vehicles parked overnight and drivers with handicap placards occupying too much space on Broadway, has criticized his opponents for not doing enough to address parking issues in the past.

Clean streets

O’Donnell charges that the streets are dirtier than ever, encouraging the public to take pride in cleanliness and advocating for garbage cans on every block. Davis trumpets his clean up initiatives, such as the one on Earth Day, and vows to issue another referendum on side-street cleaning. Brown claims he doesn’t see a lot of dirt, but reiterates that some funds dedicated to police and fire could be better used to keep the city clean.

Public transit

Davis takes credit for moving ferry transport forward, part of MOTBY development. O’Donnell charges that the ferry is too expensive for most residents, calls a proposed gondola “fantastical,” and promotes more capacity on the light rail. As mayor, Brown would commission studies to examine the issue.

Supporting local business

While O’Donnell touts better use of the UEZ, Brown counters that the UEZ is ineffective; he wants to impose higher standards on business owners to maintain the appearance of their buildings. Davis maintains that the development he’s championed will attract up-and-coming business people.

Water infrastructure

In a rare instance of agreement, Davis, O’Donnell, and Brown all concur that the contract with Suez Water needs to be renegotiated because of ever-rising water rates and that something needs to be done about the amount of plastic that’s clogging the city’s century-old sewage system.

Community engagement

Davis continues to tout the Hometown Fair and the UEZ’s initiatives to beautify Broadway as efforts that will encourage public interaction. O’Donnell pushes programs that are sustainable all year round, and Brown proposes themed fairs, classes and adult education, and a functional community center. Davis supports the community-center concept but hasn’t been able to get funding or find public land.

Wards

Davis and O’Donnell are each running a slate of five city council candidates – one from the First, Second and Third Wards, and two at-large candidates. All five sitting council members are running on Davis’ slate, while a slew of newcomers has joined O’Donnell. Meanwhile, Zoning Board Chairman Mark Urban is running independently for Third Ward city council.
The Third Ward is the only ward in which three candidates are vying for the same seat, which requires more than 50 percent of the vote to win. If no candidate reaches 50 percent, a runoff election will be held.
While issues facing Bayonne affect every resident, each ward experiences those problems slightly differently. For instance, uptown residents in the Third Ward experience different parking issues that those of First Ward residents due to the many commuters from the west side of Bayonne and Staten Island flocking to the light rail stations. Meanwhile, many residents in the East Side neighborhood in the Second Ward have been vehemently vocal about their opposition to large-scale development in the neighborhood, which they fear could bring more traffic, increased parking problems, and a change in community culture.
The First Ward, which includes Bergen Point, has a whole other set of issues. For instance, the Bayonne Bridge construction project has negatively affected the quality of life in the construction area over the last few years. But Bergen Point is mostly looking ahead and considering how to maximize the use of the redesigned Dennis Collins Park. Potential for a linear park under the Bayonne Bridge also has residents excited.
The mayoral candidates have addressed many other issues, such as improving waste management and revitalizing parks and recreational facilities. Visit hudsonreporter.com. to check out past Bayonne Community News reporting on the election and to view the mayoral debate held at the Hudson Reporter office on April 10.

Election Day

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.
To find your polling location and to follow live election results, call the Hudson County Board of Election at (201) 369-7740, visit its website at hudsoncountyclerk.org, or email countyclerk@hcnj.us.
Hudsonreporter.com will be updating the website to reflect the most updated polling results.

The Candidates

Mayoral Candidate James Davis
Campaign office: 717 Broadway
Phone: (201) 858-6010
Website: teamdavis2018.net
Email: bayonnedems1@gmail.com
Facebook: Davis for Bayonne
Twitter: @DavisforBayonne

The Davis Slate
Ballot positions:
2A: Incumbent mayor James Davis
4B: At-large candidate, Sharon Ashe-Nadrowski, tech career
8C: First Ward candidate, Thomas Cotter, motorcycle rider
8C: Second Ward candidate, Sal Gullace, private contractor
10C: Third Ward candidate, Gary La Pelusa, proprietor of landscaping business
5B: At-large candidate, Juan Perez, former NJ State Trooper and Hudson County Sheriff

The O’Donnell Slate
1A: Mayoral candidate, Jason O’Donnell
7B: At-large candidate, Melissa Enriquez-Rada, realtor and insurance agent
9C: Second Ward candidate, Kevin Kuhl, proprietor of Kuhl’s Tavern
8C: Third Ward candidate, Matt Klimansky, National Guard veteran
9C: First Ward candidate, Sharma Montgomery, Air Force veteran
6B: At-large candidate, Dan Ward, educator and chair of BHS History Department

Campaign Office: 510 Broadway
Phone: (201) 858-8457
Website: Odonnell4bayonne.com
Email: jason@odonnell4bayonne.com
Facebook: Team O’Donnell
Twitter: @AsmODonnell

3A: Mayoral candidate, Mitchell Brown
Email: drbrown4mayor@gmail.com
Office: 758 Broadway

Independent Council Candidate

9C: Third Ward candidate, Mark Urban, Bayonne Zoning Board Chairman

Rory Pasquariello can be reached at roryp@hudsonreporter.com.

We stand corrected

Two recent columns and one news story that appeared in The Hudson Reporter contained factual errors. The columns and story were about an alleged rape by a campaign worker in Phil Murphy’s gubernatorial campaign.

Katie Brennan has accused Albert J. Alvarez of allegedly raping her in April 2017 in Jersey City after a campaign event. Alvarez has denied the charge, claimed the encounter was consensual, and has not been charged with a crime.

The errors appeared in a news story on Jan. 24 by Al Sullivan and in his columns on Feb. 7 and 14.

The column speculated on Feb. 7, stated as fact on Feb. 14, and amplified on material reported in a Jan. 24 news article – erroneously in all cases – that someone in the office of Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez had communicated with Peter Cammarano, Gov. Murphy’s soon-to-be-chief of staff, about pending charges against Alvarez and, later, that Cammarano had a role in the decision that no charges would be filed.

Testimony by Cammarano before the Legislative Select Oversight Committee indicates this was not true. Another issue raised in the Feb. 7 column – suggesting someone in Suarez’s office kept her in the dark about the case, yet had the political savvy to communicate with the governor’s chief of staff – was based on that error of fact. Cammarano has testified he was not in contact with Suarez or anyone in her office.

His testimony was corroborated by Murphy’s Deputy Chief of Staff Justin Braz, a friend of Brennan, who also testified before the same committee that he told Cammarano about the pending charges based on information from Brennan.

Do you make Great Chili?

Or do you simply love to eat it?  Whether you’re a master chili chef or a connoisseur of this hearty Mexican dish, this is a night you won’t want to miss.  On Friday, March 1 The City of Bayonne, The Bayonne Chamber of Commerce and the Bayonne UEZ are hosting Bayonne’s 2nd Annual Chili Cook-off.

Tickets for the event are $30 per person and include a variety of Mexican cuisine, beer, wine and soda, and of course, chili.  Following the success of last year’s event, the festivities will include music by DJ Mumbles, country line dancing with Albert Fao, salsa lessons by Javier Martinez of Latin Groove Dance Academy, and prop photos by Rocheny Photography.

The event will be held at Marist High School Gymnasium, 1241 Kennedy Boulevard and will start at 6:30 pm.

If you would like to enter your restaurant or organization in the contest, call the Bayonne UEZ at 201-858-6357. To purchase tickets or for information on sponsorship opportunities, visit the Bayonne Chamber of Commerce website, BayonneChamber.org.  A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Bayonne Fire Canteen.

Two arrested in connection with shots fired; one shooting still under investigation

Two shootings over a one-week span on the same midtown block appear to be unrelated. The Bayonne Police Department arrested a 36-year-old Bayonne resident in connection with a shooting on the evening of Feb. 13 in the area of West 18th Street between Avenue C and Kennedy Boulevard. No injuries were reported in the shooting and no gun was recovered. Another shooting on the same block on Feb. 11 that injured a 36-year-old remains under investigation by the detective bureau.

Police arrested a 31-year-old Jersey City resident on Feb. 15 in connection to a Dec. 28 report of shots fired on West 30th Street. Both arrests resulted in weapons charges.

The last couple of weeks have been especially traumatic for that neighborhood. In addition to the two shootings, three houses burned down on Andrew Street between Avenue C and Kennedy Boulevard on Feb. 2, displacing dozens of people.

Reval info sessions

Information sessions on the upcoming citywide property revaluation will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 21 at the 4th Street Senior Center on 16 West 4th Street, and on Feb. 25 at Nicholas Oresko School on Avenue E and 24th Street.

A citywide property revaluation has been in the works since 2016 when the Hudson County Board of Taxation ordered Bayonne to conduct its first reval since 1991. The reval was originally ordered to be completed by January of 2019, but the deadline was put back in order to give time for the Bayonne tax assessor’s office to complete new digital and physical tax maps. Now, the reval is set to take place in 2020. In the fall, the Bayonne City Council approved a third-party vendor to conduct the reval.

Lifelong Staten Island resident first driver to cross reopened Bayonne Bridge

The Bayonne Bridge marked another milestone after the “Raise the Roadway” project raised the bridge to allow larger container ships underneath to access NJ ports. Francis Cardamone, a lifelong Port Richmond resident, was the first of the public to drive his car over the recently reopened Bayonne Bridge, now with two 12-foot lanes of traffic in each direction. He was also the first to cross the bridge when it opened one lane in each direction in February of 2017.

“For me it was a matter of civic pride…the bridge has been a part of my existence growing up,” he told Staten Island Advance Media in February of 2017.

Bayonne, France mayor welcomes migrants

In defiance of the French president, the mayor of Bayonne, France made national headlines by sheltering people emigrating from Africa, through Spain and into France. The mayor wants the migrants to pass through, but insists that while they are in Bayonne, they should live “in a condition of dignity,” according to the New York Times. “I don’t think I can do less.”

Unlike Bayonne, NJ, a peninsula far from any border, Bayonne, France is only 22 miles away from Spain. Making matters worse, Italy has clamped down on immigration, leaving many without options other than Spain and France.

Bayonne resident Patrick Bonner has long known Bayonne, France as the “other” Bayonne. He wrote in a feature story in the winter edition of Bayonne: Life on the Peninsula about his vacation to the French basque country.

Murphy tells Amazon NJ is ‘open for business’ for HQ2

New Jersey officials have been “courting” Amazon to set up shop in Newark “for some time” even after the company announced it would launch its second headquarters in Queens and a suburb of Washington, D.C., according to ROI-NJ. “We have reminded the folks there that we are still here,” said Gov. Phil Murphy. “And we really never stopped.” Last week, Amazon backed out of the plan to build a second headquarters in Long Island City and said it is not currently looking for another location. Bayonne submitted its own proposal for the former Military Ocean Terminal Base, which did not make it on Amazon’s list of finalists.

Drivers could face new parking taxes in six cities

The NJ Assembly transportation committee approved a bill on Feb. 14 that enables Newark, Jersey City, Edison, Paterson, Elizabeth, and Woodbridge to collect a special 3.5 percent tax on parking fees in order to fund initiatives to “improve pedestrian access to mass transit stations,” according to NJ Spotlight. Republicans criticized the spending alongside bills funding wastewater management and the arts. State sales tax can be imposed on fees charged for “parking, storing or garaging a motor vehicle” with some exclusions, according to the Division of Taxation. Residential parking, employee parking at employer-owned facilities, and all municipal parking, including metered parking, are generally excluded.

How social media can put police in a bind

In the North Jersey edition of The Record, Aberdeen’s new police chief gave advice for posting about (alleged) emergencies on social media: “Be responsible. And if you’re not certain of the facts, then don’t put it out there.” Misinformation wastes resources, he said, as was the case in last year’s investigation into non-credible threats against the Aberdeen school district. Similar threats have disrupted the Somerville and Bayonne school districts in the last year.

New law mandates panic alarms in schools

Gov. Phil Murphy has signed into law a bill that requires public schools to own an active-shooter panic alarm, according to The Record. The bill was introduced after the Newtown shooting, and recently renamed for Alyssa Alhadeff, a former resident of Woodcliff Lake who was killed in the Parkland massacre last February. Each alarm will cost $1,000 to $5,000 to per school, so the total cost for the state’s 2,500 public schools will be between $2.5 million to $12.5 million. Bayonne’s 12 schools may cost between $12,000 and $60,000.

Civil asset forfeiture reform bills clear committee

A package of bills designed to create fairness and transparency in civil asset forfeiture cleared a NJ Assembly committee last week. Assemblyman Nicholas Chiaravalloti, who represents Bayonne and parts of Jersey City, and Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, who represents Jersey City, sponsored the package, along with Lisa Swain and Nancy Pinkin.

One bill would establish a “Fairness in Asset Forfeiture Proceedings Task Force” that would study “the nature, extent and consequences of the lack of legal representation of certain New Jersey residents in asset forfeiture proceedings.”

A second bill would “revise procedures for certain asset forfeiture proceedings and requires criminal conviction for forfeiture of certain seized property.”

“It is not fair if someone is deemed innocent of committing a crime, yet their property said to be related to that crime is taken away from them, never to be returned,” said Chiaravalloti in a press release. “If there was no foul play, it is only right that these individuals have their property returned to them.”

Two more bills urge the NJ Supreme Court to study lowering court fees in civil asset forfeiture cases and to establish forfeiture reporting and transparency requirements.

“Oftentimes, court filing fees cost more than the money seized by law enforcement, and, as a result, many people do no defend their rights to civil action to seek back their seized property,” said McKnight. “It is important to determine if this is the best practice to put in place to encourage our residents to pursue their civil rights.”

The bills come after a recent American Civil Liberties Union-New Jersey (ACLU) report that showed between January and June of 2016, approximately 1,860 civil forfeiture cases initiated by county prosecutors in NJ resulted in the state gaining more than $5.5 million, 234 cars and a home. The report showed that most of the 1,860 cases were in low-income areas and defendants in only 50 of those cases appeared in court to challenge the forfeiture. The report also notes that public defenders are prohibited from representing defendants in civil matters.

$650K grant for construction of ferry terminal

A proposed passenger ferry terminal in Bayonne took another step forward last week when Mayor James Davis and U.S. Representative Albio Sires announced Bayonne as the recipient of a $650,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant to help with the construction of a terminal on the former Military Ocean Terminal Base (MOTBY).
The award comes after the city agreed in March to lease a piece of land from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for $2 million over 10 years. The site of the potential ferry would be about a half mile east of the 34th Street Light Rail station on the southern shore of the base.
Then in April, the Bayonne City Council issued a request for proposals for a ferry operator. NY Waterway, the only private ferry operator in Hudson County, is the most likely company to respond.
The grant comes from the USDOT Passenger Ferry Grant program (49 U.S.C. 5307(h)), which, according to the USDOT website, “provides competitive funding for projects that support passenger ferry systems in urbanized areas. These funds constitute a core investment in the enhancement and revitalization of public ferry systems in the nation’s urbanized areas.”
Mayor James Davis said in a press release, “Commuter ferry service is a game changer for Bayonne, and this federal grant is another step forward for our city toward a brighter future with millions in new tax revenue and an opportunity for our community to thrive.”

Plans to move Polish JC statue draws criticism from Davis

A member of the Polish senate went on a Polish radio station last week, calling the effort by Jersey City government to move a 34-foot statue at Exchange Place three blocks away “scandalous.” The statue, erected in 1991, is called the “Katyn Memorial,” and depicts a Polish soldier being stabbed in the back. It memorializes 20,000 Polish victims of a 1940 massacre carried out by the Soviet secret police.
Mayor Steven Fulop, in response, called the senator a “known anti-Semite” and stuck to his guns about his decision to move it three blocks west – the location originally designated in 1986 when it was gifted to Jersey City from Poland.
Meanwhile, Mayor James Davis offered Bayonne as a landing spot for the monument. It wouldn’t be the first time Bayonne would adopt a Jersey City monument. The Teardrop Memorial, gifted to the United States by Russia, was originally planned for Jersey City, but it now it stands as one of Bayonne’s greatest destinations.
“As mayor I would be proud to have it at one of our many wonderful parks, maybe at Rutkowski Park which is named in honor of one of Bayonne’s most prominent Polish-American leaders,” Davis said last week.

Demand is high for industrial space in NJ

The square footage of space for which industrial leases were signed in the first quarter of the year dropped in New Jersey by 27 percent, according to the Wall Street Journal. That doesn’t mean that space is sitting vacant. Quite the opposite. The demand for space is exceeding the supply, and as a result rents have increased by nearly 12 percent, according to the real estate services firm JLL.
That trend is no different in Bayonne, where Ports of America recently sold 90 acres of land on the former Military Ocean Terminal Base, currently occupied by 20th Century-era warehouses, to Lincoln Equities Group for the construction of 1.6 million square feet of new industrial warehouses by 2021. What entity will lease the warehouse is unknown, but the buyer said that it expects 2,700 permanent jobs to come from the site.

After years of fighting Christie, state workers to ratify contract

The 32,000 state employees who are members of the Communications Workers of America, who have been working without a contract since 2015, have ratified a new agreement, according to NJ Advance Media. Hundreds of Bayonne residents are CWA union members. The workers will receive two raises of 2 percent each and retroactive bonuses for longevity that had been withheld by the Christie administration. The contract expires in June 2019, and negotiations are under way for the next deal.

Murphy signs bill allowing property taxes as charitable gifts

Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law on Friday legislation that allows NJ homeowners to treat their property taxes as charitable gifts, according to the Associated Press. The Legislature passed the measure after the federal tax overhaul, which puts a $10,000 cap on property tax deductions, was signed by President Donald Trump.
Under New Jersey’s law, school districts and towns may set up charitable funds to which taxpayers can make donations instead of paying property taxes. The federal tax law does not cap the amount of deductions for charitable gifts.

Port Authority police superintendent abruptly retires

Port Authority Police Superintendent Michael Fedorko retired Monday, a move coming at the same time that his department is under investigation over claims that radio host Rush Limbaugh received a police escort, NJ.com reports. Fedorko, 73, had been the Port Authority’s director of public safety since 2009 and was paid more than $220,000 a year. Edward Cetnar will be acting superintendent. The Port Authority’s inspector general has been investigating reports that Limbaugh was given a rush-hour police escort from Newark Liberty International Airport to a charity gala in Manhattan.

Costco officially signs Bayonne lease

RD Management LLC, one of the nation’s largest privately held real-estate development and management organizations, and partner JMF Properties, a NJ development company specializing in transit-oriented projects, urban retail centers, and commercial office parks, announced a lease signing with Costco Wholesale, the anchor at Harbor Pointe Marketplace.
The development partners broke ground recently on Costco Wholesale, which is scheduled to open in fall 2018 and will include a Costco gas station with 18 gas pumps. The retailer will occupy 150,000 square feet of the 240,000-square-foot property. Residential and additional retail developments are also currently underway nearby.
Currently, Costco Wholesale operates 727 warehouses worldwide and employs more than 200,000 people. During the 2016 fiscal year, the company reported total sales of $116.1 billion.

NJ Attorney General creates unit to investigate data privacy

State Attorney General Gurbir Grewal announced Monday that his office will have a new unit to investigate Facebook and issues related to data privacy. The unit will be involved in enforcement of laws that protect state residents’ online data privacy.

Open call for artworks

Paul Robeson Galleries at Rutgers University – Newark is seeking proposals from artists whose work uses food as a medium or subject matter.
The 2019 Main Gallery, Express Newark exhibition will center on food as a social, political, and bodily phenomenon. Specifically, the exhibition will consider food as a commodity; the relationship between food, death, sex, and the abject; food’s relationship to global economics and geopolitics; food and its likeness as a medium for artistic experimentation; the food chain and the environmental impacts of food production; and food justice.
The exhibition will be on display January – December 2019 and will be accompanied by a catalog. You must be able to loan your work for that period of time.
Apply online at https://form.jotform.com/81145165793158.

‘Hamilton’ actor Christopher Jackson to deliver the HCCC commencement speech

Christopher Jackson, cast member of the Broadway musical “Hamilton,” will deliver the keynote address to the Hudson County Community College Class of 2018 in its 41st annual graduation ceremony.
The college’s commencement ceremonies will take place on Thursday, May 17 at 6 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) in Newark.

Playing fast and loose with worker classification

Gov. Murphy has issued an executive order— his 25th — to create a task force to investigate employee misclassification. That’s when companies intentionally misrepresent workers, classifying them as independent contractors rather than fulltime employees, so the companies don’t have to pay social security and unemployment insurance, and the like. According to NJ Spotlight, the practice costs the state an estimated $9 million every year.

Jersey City Bike Tour will roll June 3

Registration is now open for the 9th annual Jersey City Ward Tour & Festival. “Bike around JC, then party with all the bikey people,” reads the press release. The tour, which takes 2,000 riders on a 16-mile route through Jersey City’s six wards, starts on Sunday, June 3, at 11 a.m. at City Hall, 280 Grove St.
Protected by rolling street closures implemented by Jersey City police, riders will make a clockwise loop around the city at a manageable pace (10 mph at the front) with several rest breaks, and finish between 1 and 1:30 p.m. on the Hudson River waterfront near the foot of Second Street.
The tour is presented in partnership with Mayor Steven M. Fulop, the Jersey City Municipal Council, and the Office of Cultural Affairs.
The Finish Line Festival follows all afternoon until 5 p.m. in and around Lutze Biergarten, featuring live music, food and drink, an expo with community/nonprofit organizations, and more.
Registration for the tour is required and is free, with a $5 suggested donation to Bike JC. Riders must be age 12 or older, and must wear helmets. Younger children may be carried securely on an adult’s bike. The tour is rain or shine.
Bike JC is a citizen-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy organization that aims to make Jersey City streets welcoming for bicyclists by promoting bike-friendly policies, including protected bike lanes, bicycle education, and traffic law enforcement.

Thousands of NJ Hondurans affected by change in immigration status

An estimated 3,700 Hondurans who live in NJ will have to leave the country by January 2020 after the Trump administration removed their “temporary protected status” on Friday, according to NJ Spotlight.
Hondurans were granted the status after Hurricane Mitch devastated their Caribbean nation in 1998, killing more than 7,000 and leaving 1.5 million homeless. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen of the Department of Homeland Security said conditions in Honduras had improved enough to remove the temporary protected status.

State A.G. asks Weehawken to lift ban on out-of-town residents making right turn

NJ Atty. General Gurbir Grewal’s office recently sent Weehawken a letter, asking the town to not enforce a turning ban against out-of-town motorists until the state Department of Transportation completes a review of the area.
The ban had prohibited nonresidents from making a right turn onto Pleasant Avenue from Hackensack Plank Road, weekdays from 3-7 p.m. The town issued the ban because they say non-residents frequently use the turn as a shortcut to Route 495 and parts west. This, officials argued, caused traffic clogs and upset residents.
The letter requested a sit-down with the town and the state Department of Transportation over the ban. Town officials met with the DOT and gave them a tour of the area, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner said. The state agency is currently working on a plan to alleviate traffic at the intersection without needing the ban, Turner said.
Until then, officers are holding traffic at the turn until the intersection is clear, instead of enforcing the ban. However, the mayor says that traffic has greatly improved since the restriction, as nonresidents are using other streets to get around. Officers have yet to issue a ticket.
“I think they understand the problem,” Turner said of DOT efforts to fix it.