Category: Harrington Park NJ
Harrington Park Home Destroyed by Early Morning Fire
photos courtesy of Harrington Park Volunteer Fire Department
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Harrington Park NJ, just after 5am this morning, the Harrington Park Volunteer Fire Department Battalion 2 North Box Alarm was activated for a reported house fire in the Borough. Units arrived on scene to find a fully involved house fire and a second alarm was struck. 24 Ladder was first due and immediately went to work with an aggressive exterior attack of the fire. The fire was placed under control an hour and a half later ,around 6:30am.
Continue reading Harrington Park Home Destroyed by Early Morning Fire
Harrington Park Police Department has received multiple calls about coyote sightings in the Highland Field Area
Bergen Prosecutor’s Office Looking into Head-on Collision on Old Hook Road
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Harrington Park NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the ongoing investigation of a serious motor vehicle collision that occurred at approximately 6:56 a.m. on Wednesday, January 2, 2019. The investigation is being conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti, and the Harrington Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Albert Maalouf.
On Wednesday, January 2, 2019, the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office received information that a head-on collision had occurred on Old Hook Road in the Borough of Harrington Park, west of Schraalenburgh Road. All three parties involved were reported to have suffered injuries with two of the parties sustaining serious injuries.
An investigation revealed that a 2016 Honda Odyssey operated by a 34-year-old female from Norwood, NJ, crossed over the double yellow line and struck a westbound 2016 Toyota Highlander head-on. The operator of the Toyota, a 74-year-old male from Englewood, NJ, was transported to Hackensack University Medical Center for treatment of his injuries. The operator of the Honda, along with an 8-year-old female passenger from Norwood, NJ, were both transported to Hackensack University Medical Center where they are currently listed in critical condition.
Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the cause of the collision is still under investigation, and would also like to thank the Harrington Park Police Department for its assistance in this investigation.
NJ TRANSIT BUS ROUTES FROM RIDGEWOOD TO DETOUR AS ROUTE 495 LANE CLOSURES SET TO BEGIN
August 1,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, To accommodate the lane closures necessary as part of the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s (NJDOT) rehabilitation of the Route 495 Bridge over Routes 1&9 and Paterson Plank Road in North Bergen, several NJ TRANSIT local bus routes will require detours.
The Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL) will be maintained weekday mornings (6 a.m. – 10 a.m.) throughout the construction.
Beginning Friday night, August 10, the 31st Street ramp from Kennedy Boulevard to Route 495 westbound will be closed with traffic detoured onto Paterson Plank Road, directly affecting NJ TRANSIT’s local service on 18 bus routes requiring detours in the afternoon and at night. A week later, on Friday, August 17, one lane of Route 495 in each direction will be closed, limiting the roadway capacity and causing severe congestion. The construction requiring detours is anticipated to last approximately two and a half years.
· Buses will operate their regular routing westbound along 31st Street through Union City the entire span of the day.
· All current Union City bus stops on 31st Street will be served, including both Bergenline Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard.
· Between 6 a.m. and 1 p.m. on weekdays, all NJ TRANSIT Buses using the 31st Street ramp will follow regular routes and continue to have access to Route 495 westbound.
· All buses between 1 p.m. and 6 a.m. the next morning will continue to use the 31st Street ramp but will be detoured onto Paterson Plank Road.
· Delays through Union City are anticipated due to increased traffic volume, and customers should plan accordingly for these delays.
Buses may encounter conditions that result in significant delays in the outbound direction during both the morning and evening peak periods.
AFFECTED BUS ROUTES
The following bus routes will be detoured between 1 p.m. and 6 a.m. daily during construction:
No. 87 Jersey City-Hoboken
No. 107 South Orange-New York
No. 108 Newark-New York
No. 111 New York-IKEA-Jersey Gardens
No. 124 Secaucus-New York
No. 127S Ridgefield-Union City-New York
No. 129 Secaucus-Union City-New York
No. 144 Elmwood Park-Hackensack-New York
No. 160 Elmwood Park-Wallington-New York
No. 161 Paterson-Passaic-New York
No. 163 Ridgewood-New York
No. 167 Harrington Park-Teaneck-New York
No. 190X Paterson-Rutherford-New York
No. 190 (local) Paterson-Rutherford-New York
No. 191 Willowbrook-Montclair-New York
No. 192 Clifton-New York
No. 195 Willowbrook-Cedar Grove-New York
No. 199 Clifton-Lyndhurst-New York
The following bus routes do not require a detour, but are expected to be impacted by delays due to increased traffic congestion:
No. 83 Hackensack-Jersey City-Journal Square
No. 85 Mill Creek-Harmon Meadow-Hoboken
No. 127 (regular) Ridgefield-Union City-New York
No. 320 Mill Creek-North Bergen Park & Ride-New York (a detour will be necessary in later stages and information will be provided in advance)
FOUR CHARGED WITH MULTIPLE COUNTS OF BURGLARY IN BERGEN
file photo by Boyd Loving
July 19,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrests of AASIM BOONE (DOB: 11/02/82; single; and unemployed) of 198 Waldo Place, Englewood, NJ, JOSLIN HARRINGTON (DOB: 11/13/85; single; and employed as a cafeteria worker) of 724 18th Avenue, Apt. 1, Irvington, NJ, JUSTIN DAHZY (DOB: 02/20/1999; single; and unemployed) of 44 Preston Street, Bogota, NJ, and VALERIE JOYNER (DOB: 07/08/1991; single; and employed as an aide at a residential care facility) of 19 Schirra Drive, Wanaque, NJ. The arrests are the result of a month-long investigation by a special task force comprised of members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office and the Englewood, Englewood Cliffs, Hackensack, Teaneck, Tenafly, Oradell, Paramus, and Rochelle Park Police Departments.
As a result of the investigation, Aasim BOONE, Joslin HARRINGTON, Justin DAHZY, and Valerie JOYNER were arrested on Monday, July 16, 2018 and charged with multiple counts of burglary and theft.
In June 2018, the Hackensack Police Department contacted the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Special Investigations Squad and provided information that led detectives to a rental vehicle being used by BOONE and others to commit numerous residential burglaries throughout Bergen County and to the formation of the task force. After tracking the vehicle in question and using multiple law enforcement databases, a historic timeline was produced in connection with the multiple burglaries that occurred.Through witness interviews, surveillance, video and other law enforcement investigative techniques, search warrants and arrest warrants were issued.
As a result of information obtained during this investigation, several arrest and search warrants were executed for the individuals and locations involved in this coordinated criminal enterprise. On July 16, 2018, members of the task force arrested BOONE, HARRINGTON, DAHZY, and JOYNER at various locations in Bergen County and Essex County. They were charged with residential burglaries in Bergen County , in the towns of Paramus , Hackensack ,Teaneck , Tenafly, Oradell and Englewood .
Bergen County Prosecutor Announces the Formation of the Bergen County Safe Schools Task Force
may 23,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announces the formation of the Bergen County Safe Schools Task Force. The Task Force will take a multi-disciplinary approach to the issue of school safety, with the primary focus on developing best practices for prevention and response to potential school shooting situations.
According to Acting Prosecutor Calo, “The Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office (“BCPO”) and all of Bergen County Law Enforcement place the highest priority on the safety of our children, our schools, and school personnel.” He also noted that the BCPO has been at the forefront of the effort to ensure the safety of our schools and communities. For example, in 2013, the BCPO introduced a School Security Initiative comprised of officers from various Bergen County municipal police agencies. To further this effort, the BCPO sponsored training by Texas A & M University Engineering Extension Service (“TEEX”). As a result of that training, 56 police officers and 41 school security professionals were certified to conduct risk and vulnerability school assessments. Since then, Bergen County has coordinated the security assessments of 165 public and 56 private schools. The BCPO has also partnered with Bergen County municipal law enforcement agencies, the New Jersey Department of Education, and the New Jersey State Police to conduct unannounced visits to local schools to monitor and provide technical assistance for the enhancement of their lock-down procedures. To date, these unannounced visits have involved 66 schools from 42 school districts.
In 2017, the BCPO totally overhauled Bergen County law enforcement’s active shooter policy and training curriculum. Together with Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino and the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association, the BCPO trained every police officer in Bergen County in these new response protocols. Additionally, the BCPO, in conjunction with the Bergen County Sheriff’s Department, instituted the Regional SWAT Team’s mobile patrol, which puts specially trained and equipped officers on routine patrol throughout Bergen County for a more rapid and effective response to emergency situations, such as active shooter calls.
In addition to law enforcement’s efforts, many Bergen County school, mental health, and private sector professionals have been hard at work to address the dangers presented by active shooter situations. It is the goal of this newly formed task force to bring all of these professionals together under one umbrella to identify and implement best practices to address this problem in Bergen County.
The Acting Prosecutor has appointed Senior Assistant Prosecutor Martin Delaney, the Prosecutorial Chief of Investigations, as Executive Director of the Task Force. Assistant Prosecutor Delaney, who oversees all of the BCPO’s specialized prosecutions, has deep experience in crime prevention and response and serves as Legal Advisor to the Regional SWAT Team. Other members of the Task Force are drawn from the law enforcement, educational, mental health and business communities. These members and their affiliations are as follows: Chief Robert Anzilotti, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office; James J. Tedesco III, Bergen County Executive; Michael Saudino, Bergen County Sheriff; Park Ridge Police Chief Joseph J. Madden, President of the Bergen County Police Chiefs Association; Joseph Zarra, Interim Executive Bergen County Superintendent of Schools; Joseph Masciandaro, President/CEO of CarePlus New Jersey; Harrington Park School Superintendent Adam Fried, Ed.D., President of the Bergen County Association of School Administrators; Saddle River Police Department Sergeant Timothy Gerity, President of the New Jersey Association of School Resource Officers; Jonathan Miller, Bergen County Association of School Security Professionals; Julien Neals, Esq., Bergen County Counsel and Acting Bergen County Administrator; Mary Amoroso, Bergen County Freeholder Pro Tempore; Matt Zames, former Chief Operating Officer of JP Morgan Chase and board member of Tomahawk Strategic Solutions; Agent William Stallone, Risk Mitigation Planner/Critical Infrastructure Coordinator, Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.
The Acting Prosecutor stated with reference to the Task Force members, “These busy professionals have committed themselves to study and advise our school districts on best practices to prevent school violence and to keep our children safe. Part of that effort is identifying dangerous individuals and situations and addressing them before they turn into tragedies. The Task Force will also advise on the best law enforcement responses to violent situations.”
The Task Force is charged with making its initial recommendations by October 2018. However, the Acting Prosecutor emphasized that he envisions the Task Force as an ongoing endeavor to provide ever increasing safety to our schools and children.
Serial Caller Arrested After 19 municipal police departments in Bergen County Recieved Threats
March 27,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Hackensack NJ, Acting Bergen County Prosecutor Dennis Calo announced the arrest of ANGEL SARIOL (DOB: 3/30/1972; single; and employed as a custodian) of 22-24 Ward Street, Apartment 2H, Hackensack, NJ, on charges of Terroristic Threats and False Public Alarm. The arrest is the result of an investigation conducted by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office under the direction of Chief Robert Anzilotti and members of the Rochelle Park Police Department under the direction of Chief Robert Flannelly.
From Monday, March 19, 2018, through Wednesday, March 21, 2018, members of the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit received information from no fewer than 19 municipal police departments in Bergen County about a substantially similar series of phone calls that they received during that three-day period from an anonymous caller. During many of these calls, the unknown caller stated that police officers from those towns would be murdered. The ensuing investigation, led by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office Cyber Crimes Unit and Rochelle Park Police Department, revealed that Angel SARIOL used technology to disguise his calling line identity and placed the phone calls.
As a result of the investigation, Angel SARIOL was arrested in Hackensack on Thursday, March 22, 2018 and charged with one count of False Public Alarm, N.J.S.A. 2C:33-3B, a 2nd degree crime; one count of Terroristic Threats During a State of Emergency, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-3A, a 2nd degree crime; and one count of Terroristic Threats, N.J.S.A. 2C:12-3A, a 3rd degree crime. Angel SARIOL was remanded to the Bergen County Jail pending a hearing in Central Judicial Processing Court on March 23, 2018.
Acting Prosecutor Calo states that the charges are merely accusations and that the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and would like to thank the Rochelle Park Police Department, Hackensack Police Department, Hasbrouck Heights Police Department, Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office, and Union City Police Department for their assistance with this investigation. In addition, Acting Prosecutor Calo would also like to thank all the agencies that provided investigative leads in this matter, including:
Wood-Ridge Police Department
Hasbrouck Heights Police Department
Paramus Police Department
Park Ridge Police Department
Wyckoff Police Department
Elmwood Park Police Department
Maywood Police Department
Rochelle Park Police Department
Waldwick Police Department
Ho-Ho-Kus Police Department
Saddle River Police Department
Harrington Park Police Department
Woodcliff Lake Police Department
Hackensack Police Department
Oradell Police Department
Demarest Police Department
Saddle Brook Police Department
River Edge Police Department
Weehawken Police Department (Hudson County)
America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani helping out on the New Jersey Campaign Trail
November 5,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Glen Rock NJ, the campaign seemed to finally heat up this weekend with America’s Mayor Rudy Giuliani endorsing the GOP District 39 ticket, Senator Cardinale, Assemblyman Auth and Holly Schepisi and helping us raise additional money last night.
District 39 – (Bergen and Passaic) Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake.
Giuliani also endorsed and campaigned with Kelly Greco Langschultz for NJ Senate. Kelly Landschultz of New Milford is the Republican candidate for Senate, with William Leonard of Glen Rock and Christopher B. Wolf of Saddle Brook the GOP Assembly candidates
District 38 – (Bergen and Passaic) Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Glen Rock, Hasbrouck Heights, Hawthorne, Lodi, Maywood, New Milford, Oradell, Paramus, River Edge, Rochelle Park, Saddle Brook .
District 39 Campaign Heats Up As Assemblywomen Schepisi’s Attorney Sends Democrats a Cease and Desist Letter
November 2,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
River Vale, NJ , Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi has had enough ,on Facebook she says , “Sometimes you have to fight back. When you have no platform, positions or plans, you lie about pretty much everything. This isn’t “politics” as usual. It’s intentionally and maliciously defaming someone in an effort to destroy a person’s reputation.”
Schepisi Attorney Gibbons PC Director Thomas J. Cafferty fired off a letter on behalf of the incumbent Republican Assemblywoman to the Committee to Elect Linda Schwager, Jannie Chung and Annie Hausmann.
Cafferty stated in the letter that the Democrats have published, or have caused to be published, various political advertisements containing false and defamatory statements about Schepisi, including: (1) an advertisement dated October 13, 2017, which contains fictitious quotes regarding the Sandy Hook shooting that are falsely attributed to his client; and (2) an advertisement dated October 27, 2017, which depicts images of men with machine guns and includes the statement “Auth and Schepisi have headlined events hosted by the head of a domestic terrorist militia.”
“On behalf of Ms. Schepisi, I hereby demand that you and any and all of your employees, representatives and/or agents, immediately cease and desist the publication of the above-referenced advertisements and any and all other false and defamatory statements about Ms. Schepisi,” Cafferty wrote. “I also insist that you retract the above-referenced advertisements and any and all other false and defamatory statements that you have published about Ms. Schepisi in at least as prominent a location and in the same manner as the original advertisements were published, with a copy to me.”
The attorney also warned about the sanctioning of an unprivileged, false and a defamatory statement concerning his plaintiff, communicated to a third party with the requisite level of fault and which causes damage. See Govito v. W. Jersey Health System, Inc., 332 N.J. Super. 293, 305-06 (App. Div. 2000).
“he level of fault when the statement concerns a public official or public figure, like Ms. Schepisi, is actual malice, which is the knowledge of falsity or reckless disregard for the truth,” Cafferty said. “Durando v. Nutley Sun, 209 N.J. 235, 249 (2012). In other words, the actual malice standard is satisfied when the publisher of the statement entertained serious doubts as to the truth of that statement. St. Amant v. Thompson, 390 U.S. 727, 731 (1968).”
The attorney noted that Schepisi advised the Democrats on multiple occasions that the statements contained in their advertisements are false.
“You have, however, ignored Ms. Schepisi. Consequently, you have published these advertisements with reckless disregard for the truth of the statements contained therein and with the requisite knowledge of falsity,” Cafferty wrote. “If you do not cease publication of any and all false and defamatory statements about Ms. Schepisi, I will have no choice but to advise my client of all legal remedies available to her including, without limitation, instituting a lawsuit against you.”
District 39 is Bergen and Passaic counties; Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake .
Assemblywomen Offers Straight talk on Tax Reform
photo of Holly Schepisi and Bob Auth
October 22,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
River Vale NJ, assemblywomen Holly Schepisi reiterates our thoughts on tax reform and the poor position New Jersey is in being one of the highest taxed states in the nation. ” Thinking about property taxes, New Jersey and the federal property tax deduction. New Jersey residents pretty much get hosed in every way possible when it comes to taxes. Residents in the communities I represent and the other residents of Bergen County currently pay about 30 percent of the entire NJ State Budget and receive back less than 3 percent of that money. At the federal level New Jersey only gets back 74 cents for each $1 it sends to Washington, making it the lowes…t reimbursement in the country.”
“As a result of ridiculously unfair school funding formulas, our residents pay the highest property taxes in the nation. The ONLY tax relief our residents have had is the ability to deduct our property taxes from our federal tax returns. Now the US Senate has voted to eliminate this deduction. I wholeheartedly disagree with the Senate Republicans on this issue. However I also put blame at the feet of the NJ Democrats who have controlled the New Jersey legislature for 16 years and our US Senators who have been controlled by the Democrats since 1982 (other than a short several month stint by Jeff Chiesa). How and why do we have the highest property taxes in the nation? Why do we receive the least amount of funding back from the federal government? Why won’t my Bergen County colleagues on the other side of the aisle fight alongside me for fairer funding of OUR residents? We cannot continue doing things the same way in this State. It is reaching a breaking point for our working middle class and our seniors. I hear campaign slogans about suburbs having to “pay their fair share.” We pay well beyond our “fair share” and we all must stand up together and fight back while we still can.”
District 39 – (Bergen and Passaic) Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff Lake .
Assemblyman Robert Auth never forgets he is a small business owner
October 13,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Old Tappan NJ, Bob is an old friend of the Ridgewood blog and he is running for Assembly in District 39. Bob never forgets he is a small business owner . Bob is somone who can fight to set the balance right against ANTI-Business , ANTI-jobs Trenton.
District 39 is (Bergen and Passaic Conties) Bloomingdale, Closter, Demarest, Dumont, Emerson, Harrington Park, Haworth, Hillsdale, Mahwah, Montvale, Norwood, Oakland, Old Tappan, Park Ridge, Ramsey, Ringwood, River Vale, Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Wanaque, Washington (Bergen), Westwood, Woodcliff
Unlike most modern day politicians Bob entered into politics to help the everyday people of New Jersey, like himself. After graduating from New York University, Bob opened a small insurance company with my wife, Elsa. While it was prosperous at first, the state of New Jersey began to pass heavy regulations that placed a burden on insurance companies like his. After all but six of my competitors went out of business because of these new laws I realized that it was very possible that I might also lose everything I had worked so hard for. It was at that point that I decided to reach out to my friend Senator Cardinale to see if there was any way that he could help me. With a little negotiation Senator Cardinale was able to get Allstate Insurance to work with me which stopped me from having to go out of business. Through this experience, I witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both destroy and to aid.
After Senator Cardinale had helped him Bob decided to try and return the favor. Little by little, Bob started to do additional work for him until finally he became an unpaid volunteer aide for him in Trenton. After working for Senator Cardinale for 25 years a seat in the Assembly opened up; and while Bob was hesitant at first to run for office, he realized that this was my opportunity to help people, just as Senator Cardinale had helped him.
So in 2014, against all odds and very tough competition, I won a seat in the assembly. Even after all his time in the New Jersey Legislature I have kept one rule; before Bob votes on anything he must ask himself how would I feel as a taxpayer seeing my own vote? Bob is an Assemblyman because he has witnessed firsthand the power of the government to both impede and to aid, and Bob wants to ensure it will not impede again.
https://www.electrobertauth.com/
Reader says time for Cory Booker to Go
file photo by Boyd Loving
When is Cory Booker going to be taken down? He wants to be known as the former Mayor of Newark, but he really is from the silver spoon community of Harrington Park. He claims to have lived on Hawthorne Avenue in Newark during his tenure in office, but I would be he couldn’t find it on a map. Much less have the intestinal fortitude to get out of the chauffeur driven limousine to enter the home on a regular basis. Pay interns? Surely you gest. Chuck Schumer doesn’t let any cash flow from his nicotine stained fingers.
Memorial Tree Dedicated To 9/11 Victim Mistakenly Cut Down In New Jersey
Editors note: New Jersey in a Nutshell
July 20, 2017 6:40 PM
Filed Under: Huntington Park, Meg Baker, New Jersey
HARRINGTON PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – Maintenance work mistakenly destroyed a memorial tree dedicated to a September 11th victim from Bergen County.
Now, the community wants to know how this could have happened.
Harrington Park has been getting a few upgrades, but in the process, 10 trees got the ax by accident, CBS2’s Meg Baker reported.
Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi Continues to Push for A Sensible Housing Policy for Bergen County
May 7,2017
by Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi
Rivervale NJ, I have been on the front lines fighting for the legislature to do its job and provide a legislative solution to recent Court opinions on affordable housing in the State. Even the NJ Supreme Court agrees that the legislature should do something, anything, on this issue.
As a result of recent court opinions, I drafted bills to stop the costly litigations currently taking place in every municipality so that all interested parties, including the NJ League of Municipalities, the Executive Director of the NJ Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency, the Executive Director of Fair Share Housing, professional planners and members of the legislature can sit together and develop a better way to ensure affordability in this State for all people regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. The current plan to have over 280,000 new affordable units or 1.5 million additional total units in a state that is already the most densely populated with a population growth rate of less than 0.3 percent, along with being one of the States that most people are fleeing, is irrational at best.
My bills have received support from Democratic mayors and councils, Republican mayors and councils and communities that are split between political parties. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue, this is one of the most important issues affecting every community in the State and if we, as legislators refuse to address it, we do not deserve to be legislators.
Unfortunately, many times elected officials are unwilling to step up to the plate to address the more difficult issues for fear of the backlash. It is exceptionally unfortunate that in today’s political climate, the immediate “go to” for those who disagree on an issue is to insinuate the other person is a racist or a bigot or a whole host of other items. Today I found myself just in that place. As a result of my trying to bring all parties to the table to properly address an incredibly complicated and difficult topic, the head of the Bergen County NAACP, provided a letter to the Bergen Record today accusing me of “fear mongering”, “trying to advance my political profile” and alleging that I am affirmatively trying to keep minorities out of our communities. Anyone who knows me knows how totally off base his letter is with respect to how I operate or what I believe. I have reached out to the State NAACP President to request a sit down to openly discuss this issue. If we want our State to succeed we better start having the tough conversations now, while we still can. Wanting to figure out a better way to govern this State is a quality we want in everyone who represents us.
Please call your Mayors and your legislators and ask them to protect our State from ridiculous affordable housing court mandates (which may result in over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ) by supporting A-4666 and A-4667 to stop the Court actions and study the issue while we still can. If you don’t see your town below ask your elected officials why they aren’t fighting for your community.
Here is a current list of towns that have passed resolutions in support of my legislation to provide relief to our communities in the fight against the threat of over 1.5 MILLION new units of housing in NJ. If you don’t see your town on here ASK WHY. Many of our NJ residents are unaware that their communities will be forced to DOUBLE their housing population in just the next 9 years, destroying all existing housing prices.
Closter
Demarest
Dumont
Emerson
Franklin Lakes
Harrington Park
Haworth
Hillsdale
Mahwah
Montvale
Norwood
Old Tappan
Park Ridge
River Vale
Upper Saddle River
Westwood
Woodcliff Lake
Bloomingdale
Wanaque
Wayne
Saddle Brook
Fair Lawn
Oradell
Rochelle Park
Hackensack
Lincoln Park