Category: Elmwood Park

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Sen Bob Menendez donor Bigica pleads guilty to FECA violation

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Photo by Boyd Loving Menendez at Ridgewood REORG

Sen Bob Menendez donor Bigica pleads guilty to FECA violation

A Bergen County man admitted today to conspiring with his brother to violate federal election law in connection with contributions to a federal campaign committee, U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman announced.

Benedetto Bigica, 45, of Elmwood Park, N.J., pleaded guilty to an Information charging him with one count of conspiring to violate the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA). (PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/62761/menendez-donor-bigica-pleads-guilty-feca-violation

 

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State revenues beat projections for December but still $426M short for the year

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Christie last year in Elmwood park

State revenues beat projections for December but still $426M short for the year
Tuesday January 15, 2013, 10:30 PM
BY  JOHN REITMEYER
STATE HO– USE BUREAU
The Record

For the first time this fiscal year, tax collections have met Governor Christie’s revenue targets, helping to trim a shortfall that now stands at $426 million.

But with six months left in the fiscal year, and with continuing uncertainty about federal funding for the superstorm Sandy recovery, it’s unclear whether the modest tax-revenue gains mark a new, positive trend for New Jersey’s finances.

The state Department of Treasury released tax collection data Tuesday that indicated revenues came in about $25 million over Christie’s budget targets for the month of December, modest growth fueled largely by strong income-tax collections.

Many experts predicted an unusual income tax bump in December as a consequence of the fiscal cliff negotiations in Washington, D.C., and the expectation that federal tax rates would increase for the wealthy in 2013. New Jersey income tax collections ended up besting budget estimates by 14 percent in December, according to Treasury.

But it’s unclear whether state income tax collections will keep the same pace through April or drop off. Democratic lawmakers warned a “substantial” revenue shortfall remains in the Republican governor’s $31.7 billion budget.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/State_revenues_beat_projections_for_December_but_still_426M_short_for_the_year.html

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Christie calls on South Jersey chamber for support, says Trenton spending must stop spending

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Christie at Elmwood Park

Christie calls on South Jersey chamber for support, says Trenton spending must stop spending

Gov. Chris Christie delivered a stinging rebuke to Democratic legislators and called on business leaders to back his agenda at a speech to the Chamber of Commerce Southern New Jersey today.

“Now I’ve been pretty nice up until this point. That ends today,” Christie said to a crowd of 550 at the Crowne Plaza Cherry Hill. “I am tired of them lying to the public and that’s what they’re doing.”

Christie criticized a series of bills introduced by Democratic legislators, including the Residential Foreclosure Transformation Act, sponsored by Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak (D-Union), and a bill establishing a state council for responsible fatherhood, sponsored by Assembly members Troy Singleton (D-Mount Laurel) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Trenton). He said the measures were unfunded and would lead to tax increases.  (Kitchenman, NJBIZ)

https://www.njbiz.com/article/20120927/NJBIZ01/120929864/Christie-calls-on-South-Jersey-chamber-for-support-says-Trenton-spending-must-stop

 

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N.J. towns blame state for part-timers on pension rolls

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N.J. towns blame state for part-timers on pension rolls

Part-time work for the New Jersey towns of Leonia, Saddle Brook and Elmwood Park helped attorney Brian Giblin rack up pension credits worth $33,143 a year, even after a 2007 state law made contractors like him ineligible.

Giblin was among five attorneys singled out in a July 17 audit by Comptroller Matthew Boxer that found 202 people improperly enrolled in the state pension system. The potential cost of retirement payments to those attorneys, engineers and other professionals is at least $1.9 million annually, Boxer said, and probably much more because his office surveyed only 159 of New Jersey’s more than 1,000 towns and school districts.   (Young, Bloomberg)

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-07/n-j-towns-blame-state-for-part-timers-on-pension-rolls.html

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>Payouts for unused sick days vary in North Jersey towns

>Payouts for unused sick days vary in North Jersey towns


Here’s a breakdown of data provided by Christie’s office for the obligation in each town in Bergen County:

Allendale – no obligation

Alpine – total obligation, $850,523.00; obligation per taxpayer, $1,169.46

Bergenfield – total obligation, $701,579.00; obligation per taxpayer, $83.44

Bogota – total obligation, $398,360.00; obligation per taxpayer, $162.76

Carlstadt – no obligation

Cliffside Park – total obligation, $100,000.00; obligation per taxpayer, $13.27

Closter – total obligation, $1,704,092.00; obligation per taxpayer, $549.02

Cresskill – total obligation, $319,192.00; obligation per taxpayer, $107.24

East Rutherford – total obligation, $1,101,518.00; obligation per taxpayer, $172.98

Edgewater – total obligation, $1,480,618.00; obligation per taxpayer, $266.69

Elmwood – total obligation, $2,004,685.00; obligation per taxpayer, $324.27

Emerson – total obligation, $400,926.00; obligation per taxpayer, $148.38

Englewood – total obligation, $5,353,655.00; obligation per taxpayer, $576.40

Englewood Cliffs – total obligation, $2,150,583.00; obligation per taxpayer, $793.98

Demarest – no obligation

Dumont – no obligation

Fair Lawn – total obligation, $1,635,758.00; obligation per taxpayer, $132.70

Fairview – total obligation, $1,473,045.00; obligation per taxpayer, $444.53

Fort Lee – total obligation, $9,225,587.00; obligation per taxpayer, $706.40

Franklin Lakes – no obligation

Garfield – total obligation, $2,692,885.00; obligation per taxpayer, $373.63

Glen Rock – total obligation, $1,004,087.00; obligation per taxpayer, $238.49

Hackensack – total obligation, $18,875,368.00; obligation per taxpayer, $1,030.51

Harrington Park – total obligation, $594,486.00; obligation per taxpayer, $356.08

Hasbrouck Heights – total obligation, $237,175.00; obligation per taxpayer, $55.77

Haworth – total obligation, $489,559.00; obligation per taxpayer, $370.61

Hillsdale – total obligation, $201,417.78; obligation per taxpayer, $56.48

Ho-Ho-Kus – total obligation, $1,283,024.58; obligation per taxpayer, $847.04

Leonia – total obligation, $551,626.93; obligation per taxpayer, $195.06

Little Ferry – total obligation, $227,896.00; obligation per taxpayer, $66.81

Lodi – no obligation

Lyndhurst – no obligation

Mahwah – total obligation, $2,033,561.94; obligation per taxpayer, $175.99

Maywood – total obligation, $140,840.00; obligation per taxpayer, $40.81

Midland Park – no obligation

Montvale – total obligation, $468,626.00; obligation per taxpayer, $129.63

Moonachie – total obligation, $552,913.00; obligation per taxpayer, $272.68

New Milford – total obligation, $2,738,820.00; obligation per taxpayer, $578.04

North Arlington – total obligation, $80,000.00; obligation per taxpayer, $17.53

Northvale – total obligation, $847,361.00; obligation per taxpayer, $402.78

Norwood – total obligation, $282,132.00; obligation per taxpayer, $135.63

Oakland – no obligation

Old Tappan – no obligation

Oradell – no obligation

Palisades Park – total obligation, $1,591,795.00; obligation per taxpayer, $328.29

Paramus – total obligation, $575,800.00; obligation per taxpayer, $38.45

Park Ridge – total obligation, $772,804.00; obligation per taxpayer, $230.36

Ramsey – total obligation, $2,425,192.27; obligation per taxpayer, $373.12

Ridgefield – no obligation

Ridgefield Park – total obligation, $678,973.00; obligation per taxpayer, $157.71

Ridgewood – total obligation, $7,203,566.23; obligation per taxpayer, $861.41

River Edge – total obligation, $733,050.20; obligation per taxpayer, $197.51

River Vale – total obligation, $1.00; obligation per taxpayer, $0.00

Rochelle Park – no obligation

Rockleigh – no obligation

Rutherford – total obligation, $3,620,854.00; obligation per taxpayer, $569.54

 Saddle Brook – total obligation, $1,295,495.00; obligation per taxpayer, $202.96

Saddle River – total obligation, $412,800.00; obligation per taxpayer, $318.05

South Hackensack – total obligation, $539,525.00; obligation per taxpayer, $320.47

Teaneck – total obligation, $4,379,922.16; obligation per taxpayer, $335.08

Tenafly – no obligation

Teterboro – total obligation, $94,299.77; obligation per taxpayer, $42.01

Upper Saddle River – total obligation, $986,895.00; obligation per taxpayer, $338.73

Waldwick – total obligation, $1,214,624.00; obligation per taxpayer, $324.61

Wallington – no obligation

Washington – total obligation, $567,071.00; obligation per taxpayer, $162.59

Westwood – – total obligation, $1,060,665.00; obligation per taxpayer, $247.79

Woodcliff Lake – no obligation

Wood-Ridge – total obligation, $1,417,724.00; obligation per taxpayer, $425.22

Wyckoff – no obligation

https://blog.northjersey.com/thesource/1768/payouts-for-unused-sick-days-vary-in-north-jersey-towns/

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>Michelle Dombrowski weds Jason Jacoby

>Michelle Dombrowski weds Jason Jacoby

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2011  
COMMUNITY NEWS (ELMWOOD PARK EDITION)

Michelle Dombrowski, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Dombrowski of Lodi, was united in marriage to Jason Jacoby, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Jacoby of Lodi, on July 9 at St. Francis de Sales Church in Lodi. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. Jack Baron. A reception followed at Il Villaggio in Carlstadt.

…The bride is a fourth-grade teacher for the Lodi Board of Education. The groom is a firefighter/EMT in the Village of Ridgewood….

https://www.northjersey.com/community/announcements/131732858_Michelle_Dombrowski_weds_Jason_Jacoby.html

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>Elmwood Park examines police chief’s overtime earnings

>Elmwood Park examines police chief’s overtime earnings

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2011  
BY HANNAN ADELY
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

Elmwood Park Police Chief Donald Ingrasselino has collected nearly $30,000 in overtime since 2010 for work on drunken-driving enforcement operations, a review of payroll records shows.

Between Jan. 1, 2010, and Oct. 6 of this year Ingrasselino was paid $29,436 for his role in DWI operations in addition to his annual salary, which was $205,000 in 2010.

Borough officials are investigating whether the chief was entitled to that pay, and whether other department heads have improperly received overtime pay.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/131377763_Police_chief_s_OT_pay_reviewed.html

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>Lisa Mulligan weds Ridgewood firefighter and EMT Justin O’Connor

>Lisa Mulligan weds Ridgewood firefighter and EMT Justin O’Connor

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2011
COMMUNITY NEWS (ELMWOOD PARK EDITION)

Lisa Mulligan and Justin O’Connor were married May 14 at St. Leo’s Church in Elmwood Park. The ceremony was officiated by the Rev. Jim Moran. A beautiful reception followed at the Il Villaggio in Carlstadt.

https://www.northjersey.com/community/announcements/130759443_Lisa_Mulligan_weds_Justin_O_Connor.html

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>Valley Health System Awards Stringer/Featherstone Scholarships to 18 Local Students

>Valley Health System Awards Stringer/Featherstone Scholarships to 18 Local Students

Eighteen students have been awarded scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year from the Valley Health System Stringer/Featherstone Nursing Scholarship Award Program. Kay Yeomans serves as Chairman of the Scholarship Award Committee.

The Valley Health System Stringer/Featherstone Nursing Scholarship Program was established to provide financial assistance to qualified applicants.  Specifically, the program is for students who intend to pursue a nursing program in an educational institution accredited by the National League for Nursing or other qualified accrediting agencies leading to licensure or a degree in nursing.

To be eligible for a Stringer/Featherstone Nursing Scholarship, the applicants had to meet certain qualifications, including enrollment in an accredited nursing program, recommendation by the guidance counselor or dean/chairman of a college nursing program, indications of self-help on the part of the applicant, financial need, and residency within in the geographical area serviced by Valley Health System and its affiliates.

This year’s four new recipients are listed here with their hometowns and academic institutions they plan to attend.  They are: Zachary Carroll of Chestnut Ridge, Ramapo College of New Jersey; Rachel Greenfield of North Haledon, Belmont University; Christi Jenisch of Pompton Plains, Liberty University; and Jillian Brooke Kaltman of Fair Lawn, University of Pennsylvania.

Kay Yeomans also announced the renewal of the Stringer/Featherstone Nursing Scholarships for 14 of last year’s awardees.  They are: Eileen Alvarez of Fair Lawn, Felician College; Colleen E. Briggs of Tuxedo, Ramapo College of New Jersey; Michelle Galeazzi of Park Ridge, Catholic University of America; Sarah Hespe of Park Ridge, Fairfield University; Kayla Jimenez of Paramus, Felician College; Heather Kutler of Passaic, Felician College; Melissa Lancaster of Wyckoff, University of Scranton; Dana Nangle of Elmwood Park, Rutgers University; Amanda Parisi of Oakland, Ramapo College of New Jersey; Jodi Ann Pino of Prospect Park, William Paterson University; Alyssa Rittinger of Midland Park, William Paterson University; Marian Shumilova of Paramus, Ramapo College of New Jersey; Nina Shulgach of Allendale, College of New Jersey; and Christine Van Lenten of Allendale, University of Scranton.

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>NJ Woman Gives Birth Along Garden State Parkway

>NJ Woman Gives Birth Along Garden State Parkway

ELMWOOD PARK, N.Y. (WPIX) — As a New Jersey man and his wife, who was entering labor, drove along the Garden State Parkway Monday morning, their incoming baby decided he was not going to wait until they arrived to Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.

Out of time, the anxious couple was forced to pull onto the shoulder of the parkway just near Route 80 at around 6:30 a.m. where they called 911, state police said.

more: https://www.wpix.com/news/wpix-baby-born-garden-state-parkway,0,3937179.story

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>Desperate state and municipalities look to balance budgets off the backs of New Jersey Drivers

>Desperate state and municipalities look to balance budgets off the backs of New Jersey Drivers

Happy Memorial Day Weekend: Drive Carefully this weekend Police are out in force looking to raise revenue at any cost !

https://www.northjersey.com/news/95207219_Traffic_cops_hard_at_work_this_weekend.html

The Route 4 bus stop in River Edge isn’t the only North Jersey site usually targeted for extra police attention. Here are a few others:

* The Palisades Interstate Parkway to the New York border and Route 23 from Wayne to Hardyston.

* Route 3 through Clifton.

* Broadway through Elmwood Park and Fair Lawn and Route 46 ramps in Elmwood Park.

* River Road through Garfield.

* Route 4 west at Farview Avenue in Paramus and at Grand Avenue in Englewood.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/95207219_Traffic_cops_hard_at_work_this_weekend.html

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>Troop 4 Invites Cub Scouts in Ridgewood to an Open House on Wednesday, February 10th.

>RIDGEWOOD, NJ—Despite celebrating their 100th anniversary this month, the Boys Scouts of America have come on hard times here in Ridgewood. With six cub scouts packs and only two Boy Scout troops, many young scouts are falling by the wayside. However, recently, a group of Eagle Scouts have come together to help revive the traditions and values that formed the foundations of their lives and are in the midst of reorganizing and rebuilding Troop 4.

On Wednesday February 10th from 7:00p.m. to 8:00p.m., at the West Side Presbyterian Church on 6 South Monroe Street, Troop 4 will hold an open house for cub scouts looking to continue in scouting.

Under new leadership from experienced Eagle Scouts, Troop 4 hopes to set a new standard of excellence within the scouting community.

“With the other Troops in Ridgewood meeting Tuesday’s and Thursday’s, there are many kids that are looking to join scouting but can’t make those meeting nights,” said Anthony Chirdo, District Executive for Northern New Jersey Council of the Boys Scouts of America. “It’s good to see Troop 4 reorganizing with new, young leaders, all in their mid-twenties, who are willing to meet on Wednesday nights to take in some those kids.”

Between 2001 and 2002, six scouts from Troop 56 in Elmwood Park achieved the monumental Eagle Scout rank. After several ceremonies attended by local congressmen and women, mayors, chiefs of police, and numerous community members, these scouts went off into the world where they received bachelor’s and master’s degrees in such fields as Engineering, Political Science, Accounting, History, Writing and Information Systems.

Now these eagles have flown home.

“We all started as Tiger Scouts with Pack 8 in Elmwood Park and just kept going,” said Anthony Scotelaro, one of the new leaders of Troop 4. “Through scouting we created this great bond and friendship that helped us push through those tough times when we wanted to quit because of sports or one of us got a car or whatever.”

“If it wasn’t for that bond maybe half of us or none of us would have become Eagles and maybe none of us would have even graduated college.”

For scouts who sign up with Troop 4 at Wednesday’s open house they will receive a free copy of the Boy Scout handbook. They will also get to meet and talk with several members of the troop’s new leadership, view an Eagle Scout memorabilia display, and learn more about the goals of the new troop.

“We definitely encourage parents to get involved with the troop,” said Scotellaro. “We want parents and family to realize that everyone is invited to get involved to help these young scouts advance toward Eagle and become self sufficient young men.”

“I know for sure that identifying animal prints and tying knots have not been helpful in the rest of my life,” he continued. “But the discipline, the values, the teamwork skills and all those things you gain by doing these activities I know for a fact has been a part or my life and certainly the other guys as well.”

The Boy Scouts of America is one of the nation’s foremost youth programs of character development and values-based leadership training. To learn more about Troop 4’s open house on February 10, please contact: Dan Cappello at 201-458-2955 or drcappello@yahoo.com

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>Oppposition has legitimate arguments in health care debate

>Thursday, August 13, 2009
Last updated: Thursday August 13, 2009, 9:42 AM
BY TIM ADRIANCE
The Record

https://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&aIdx=1&articleID=58911520&aogid=57924476&gid=1906747&gid=1906747&srchType=nws&srchCat=WOTC&trk=news_brkout&goback=.nvr_1906747_1

REGARDING BOTH “Debate, not tirade” (Editorial, Aug. 12) and Jimmy Margulies’ editorial cartoon (“Who needs the government making decisions for me?” Aug. 12), I see hypocrisy on your own editorial page and, dare I say, a “tirade” on your own part.

The editorial states, “Dissent is welcome. Destroying any chance for substantive discussion is not.” But isn’t the cartoon, which paints those who speak out against the administration as mere puppets of “right-wing lobbies,” inflammatory and a clear slap against many of us who comprise an informed and vocal electorate?

With an estimated 400 other citizens, I was at Rep. Steve Rothman’s town hall meeting in Elmwood Park. Although I do not agree with most of Rothman’s position on the health care issue, I do commend him for running a fair and civil – for New Jersey – meeting where everyone was given a chance to speak.

The only “puppets” of lobby groups I saw were the few who were for the administration-proposed plan; they were clearly identifiable because they all had the same professionally printed signs paid for by a lobby group. The majority present were just citizens who have had it with a Congress held in contempt by the people they control. Simply put, the majority opinion at Rothman’s meetings has been, “We do not trust Congress.”

I agree that there are some wild claims made about the House bill, HR-3200. I have read it, and there is much that is wrong and much to fear (health-wise and fiscally). There are no “death panels,” but there is voluntary end-of-life counseling and that counseling may not be done by your own doctor.

Nevertheless, how can we not believe that the very words of one of President Obama’s chief aides on the health care issue, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, brother of Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, do not reflect what is really intended: rationing of health care, among other things?

In a Hastings Center report from 1996, Dr. Emanuel said “communitarianism” should guide decisions on who gets care. He said medical care should be reserved for the non-disabled, not given to those “who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.”

In a June 2008 Journal of the American Medical Association article, he wrote that “savings will require changing how doctors think about their patients: Doctors take the Hippocratic oath too seriously, as an imperative to do everything for the patient regardless of the cost or effects on others.”

Even Obama in his June 24 WABC televised town hall meeting on health care contributed to this discussion. He was questioned about whether there should be a cutoff of surgical options for older people after they have reached a certain age. Obama stated, “Maybe you’re better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller.”

We the people want debate. We want truth. And we want to be governed by our consent. We will not stand silent any longer. We are not pawns of a lobby. We are educated citizens who are simply speaking out in order to preserve freedom and liberty.

Tim Adriance is co-founder and on the leadership committee of the New Jersey Tea Party Coalition, the Bergen County group of New Jersey Tea Parties United, the statewide organization of the regional groups.

https://www.linkedin.com/news?actionBar=&aIdx=1&articleID=58911520&aogid=57924476&gid=1906747&gid=1906747&srchType=nws&srchCat=WOTC&trk=news_brkout&goback=.nvr_1906747_1

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>Fight at Brooklyn Pizza

>I will post a detail article as soon as I get back from the holidays

An Elmwood Park man was charged with making terrorist threats to the pizzeria manager at Brooklyn Pizza.We also were very disappointed with the service and the food at Brooklyn Pizza but stopped short of terroristic threats and just told the manager the place sucks . It is not clear if Mr.Ruzhdi Aliu the man charged will be sent to Gitmo or not for crimes against Pizza .His companion must have thought he was in a Greek restaurant and threw a plate and threatened bodily harm to the same manager. Plates are traditionally thrown at Greek restaurants .Perhaps he’ll be sent to geography classes.

Again hope your having a very nice thanksgiving !
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Dispute at Brooklyn Pizza results in multiple arrests

Alleged restaurant row brings charge

THE RECORD
November 27, 2008
Evonne Coutros

RIDGEWOOD — An Elmwood Park man was charged with making terroristic threats to a pizzeria manager in the central business district after he was told that the food he ordered was not available, police said.
Ruzhdi Aliu, 30, was inside Brooklyn’s Brick Oven Pizza on Oak Street around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday when he threatened the restaurant manager with bodily harm, said Ridgewood Police Detective Douglas Williams. His companion, Stephanie Colon, 18, of Bayonne, threw a plate, Williams said.

The manager called police to report two unruly customers. When police caught up with the couple, they were walking down the street. Police charged Colon with giving them a fictitious identity.

Both parties were transported to police headquarters where criminal complaints were signed, police said.

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>Election Day School Closures

>THE RECORD
Monday October 27, 2008
BY JOSEPH AX
STAFF WRITER

At least eight districts in Bergen County have made last-minute decisions to close their schools on Election Day in anticipation of a massive wave of voters.

County election officials have asked most districts to close, warning that a massive turnout for the presidential election could cause serious security and parking problems.

“You’d have hundreds and hundreds of people in the schools, potentially,” said Hackensack schools chief Edward Kliszus, who announced Oct. 15 that his schools would be closed. “On Election Day, the entire school ends up being open to adults that you don’t know. If it’s just a handful of people coming in, that’s one thing, but if you have hundreds.”

School officials in Bogota, Cliffside Park, Elmwood Park, Englewood, Hackensack, Palisades Park, Teaneck and Tenafly also will make Nov. 4 a day off for students and staff, joining dozens of other districts in the county that were already scheduled to be closed to teachers, students or both, election officials said.

Cliffside Park had scheduled a staff-only day but decided to close completely.

“The No. 1 issue is safety,” said John Czeterko, the superintendent of schools in Teaneck. “You get a lot of strangers in the building.”

A sampling of Passaic districts shows that Wayne and Pompton Lakes made decisions early in the school year to close on Election Day. Schools in West Milford, Ringwood, Wanaque, Butler, Pequannock, Lincoln Park and Kinnelon are expected to have classes.

Bergen districts that have decided to take the day off will use one of their allotted emergency days, usually employed for snow days.

Overall, 46 Bergen County districts will either be closed to students or have half days. About two dozen of those districts will ask teachers to stay for staff development, which could limit parking at some schools.

County Superintendent of Elections Patricia DiCostanzo said she and county Superintendent of Schools Aaron Graham hope to persuade as many districts as possible to shut down to avoid possible chaos inside the buildings. Half-days may not be enough of a solution, given the number of voters that could flood polling places early, she said.

“It’s the safest thing to do,” she said. “You can’t lock the doors. You can’t buzz them in. It’s going to be a free-for-all with people walking in.”

The county has seen a spike in registered voters to 544,000 from 483,000 since Election Day last year, an increase of more than 12 percent. The county processed 15,000 new registrations in the first two weeks of October alone.

Those numbers are testament to the level of excitement surrounding the contest between Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The presidential primary earlier this year — particularly on the Democratic side, which pitted Obama against New York Sen. Hillary Clinton — saw a record number of voters statewide.

The Election Day school closings come at an inconvenient time for some districts. The annual teachers’ convention has already ensured that public schools statewide will be shuttered on Thursday and Friday following the election.

“The week is very short,” said Eugene Westlake, the interim superintendent in Tenafly.

Nevertheless, he said, security concerns and the potential disruption to classes convinced him that closing the schools was the proper move.

The last-minute closings could mean some working parents will now have to find child care. In Teaneck, the district is offering limited babysitting service through a youth agency headquartered at the high school.

Not all districts have accepted the county’s recommendations. In Leonia, where two of the three public schools serve as polling places, the board determined that school could remain open.

“We felt we could manage the concerns and keep school going,” Superintendent Bernard Josefsberg said. The district is adding security to prevent any problems, he said.

“Everyone in Leonia knows that parking, even on a normal school day is tight, and that’s not going to change on Election Day. You hope that people will recognize that and plan accordingly.”

Some districts that will remain open on Election Day are trying to accommodate voters. In Glen Rock, for example, teachers will be asked to park elsewhere to free space in school lots.