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Councilman Leo Battaglia Steps Down Amid Controversy Over Alleged Racial Comments

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, Councilman Leo Battaglia announced he is stepping down from the Hackensack City Council following accusations that he made racially insensitive comments about a high school soccer coach. The alleged incident occurred during a soccer game in Paramus, where Battaglia reportedly made derogatory remarks about Hackensack High School soccer coach Shaun Holder, who is Black.

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Tensions Rise in Hackensack Ahead of May Municipal Election

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Hackensack NJ, the upcoming Hackensack municipal election may be seven months away, but political tensions are already running high. Councilman Gerard Carroll, who is serving his first term after being elected in 2021, claims he was removed from Mayor John Labrosse’s reelection ticket after planning to address a council member’s racially charged comments.

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Judge Rules in City of Hackensack’s Favor in Precedent Setting OPRA Lawsuit Mayor Labrosse: ‘Let’s Stop Wasting Time and Taxpayer Money on Frivolous Lawsuits and Excessive Records Requests’

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

HACKENSACK NJ, In a decision released this week, New Jersey Superior Court Assignment Judge Bonnie Mizdol has ruled in favor of the City of Hackensack in a lawsuit brought by a political opponent of the Mayor and Council, Steven Gelber, who sought to have their “Labrosse Team” Facebook page deemed a government record. Gelber was represented in the suit by Jason Nunnermacker, a former Hackensack School Board President and unsuccessful City Council candidate who lost his re-election campaign in April. The judge disagreed, citing the page’s political nature in both its content and its description and ruling that it is not an official government record subject to the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”).

Continue reading Judge Rules in City of Hackensack’s Favor in Precedent Setting OPRA Lawsuit Mayor Labrosse: ‘Let’s Stop Wasting Time and Taxpayer Money on Frivolous Lawsuits and Excessive Records Requests’