JohnPinho

<font size="3"><font face="Times New Roman"><font face="Verdana">Governor Elect Chris Christie addressed a group of elected and town officials at the New Jersey League of Municipalities Convention in Atlantic City today. If anyone in Harrison thought that the Governor Elect was not serious that cuts are coming, he made it clear that it is no longer about what's in it for me. N.J. Governor-elect Christie tells local officials to expect 'a continued period of pain' View the full article

DailyHarrison.com has on its front page an article entitled "Pinho Blasts Mayor's Move" with a great picture of Mayor McDonough, United States Senator Robert Menendez and State Senator Richard Codey at the Red Bulls Stadium. It got my attention and I am sure the attention of others. It is not my intention to "blast" Mayor McDonough. I have a great deal of respect for Mayor McDonough and all politicians (and what they have to do on a daily basis) to blast any one of them. I believe that Mayor McDonough's intentions when he set out to "Redevelop" Harrison were genuine. Remember, I was there at the beginning of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency as one of initial Commissioners. Unfortunately, the Mayor's good intentions were sidetracked. Harrison residents will pay for the poor planning. There however is still hope that things can be turned around for the better. The achilles heal in the McDonough's Administration is that those close to him are "Yesing" him every opportunity they can looking out for their own self interests. In other words, instead of expressing their opinions they are agreeing with the Mayor so long as it does not effect them. That has made for some poorly thought out decisions. The repeal of the Parking Lot Ordinance is such a decision. The Town's outside counsel is happy with the proposed decision as his firm will be billing the town thousands of dollars per month to defend the litigation that will be filed the day after the town passes the ordinance. Mayor McDonough has always been cordial and respectful to me. I have always done the same. We may disagree but its not personal. I have been involved in several campaigns for and against Mayor McDonough and his team and I respect what he has accomplished both politically and personally. I have even a higher regard for the person who hand picked Mayor McDonough to be the nominee to succeed him in the Mayor's seat, the late Mayor Frank E. Rodgers. Rodgers obviously is a very tough act to follow. You do not get elected every two years for over forty years unless you have touched people's lives in a genuine way. My parents have a Frank E. Rodgers sign protected with clear plastic hanging in their basement. My father has stated on occasion that he is going to hang it on the porch someday so people can vote for Frank E. Rodgers again. Rodgers would fix this mess. It struck me the other day that McDonough was repealing the Parking Ordinance devised by Mayor Frank E. Rodgers to generate some income for Harrison from daily commuters. What would Mayor Rodgers think of all that has transpired since he stepped down as the longest sitting Mayor in the United States. Would he happy that the Guyon Industrial Complex had been torned down and a soccer stadium was built without a property lease in place that would generate enough revenue to pay the interest on the bond that insured the stadium would be built? Would he be happy that one of the few green spaces in town, the John F. Kennedy Stadium along the Passaic River, was sold to a developer to build housing and they have failed to complete the project as promised? Would he be happy that long time business and property owners were evicted and had to fight to receive proper compensation from outside developers and now the "redevelopers" are stalling, changing plans, and asking for more assistance? Would he be happy that the salary ordinance for the town of Harrison has a parking meter attendant making more than most Harrison Police Officers? Would he be happy to see Mayor McDonough and council members walking out of town meetings when simple questions are asked? Mayor McDonough and his team must ask themselves, What would Mayor Rodgers do? Mayor Rodgers would first call Governor-elect Chris Christie to congratulate him on his election victory and offer his best wishes. He would then call Governor Corzine and express his dismay at his loss and offer any assistance he could give to Governor Corzine in the future. He would then have his secretary call me and arrange a visit to his office on the Third Floor of town hall. As soon as I sat down in the sinking guest chair, he would ask about my parents. "How are they doing? Please let them know I was asking about them." He then would ask about "my lovely wife". Mayor Rodgers knew what was important: Family. Mayor Rodger's extended family was the people of the Town of Harrison. He touched countless lives in varying degrees. Rodgers would then ask me why I was upset with him. He would then listen. Listening is a lost art. Why am I upset with Mayor McDonough? Simply put he has lost his way. Harrison is not about outside "Redevelopers". Harrison is about folks like my parents who are blue collar hardworking individuals who moved to Harrison for great police protection, a good education for their children, great garbage collection services, thorough and efficient Department of Public Works and great neighbors of various ethnic cultures. Look around and you will see that all of these services are suffering despite ever increasing property taxes. The residents cannot afford town employees to get pay raises. The residents cannot afford to have the police department understaffed. The residents cannot afford more money being handed to redevelopers in the form of concessions. Mayor McDonough must take decisive action to save Harrison. Mayor McDonough must be Harrison's leader. Tough decisions must be made in the face of the nation's worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and in the face of some questionable decisions and deals made by his administration. If it sounds like I am blasting the Mayor, forgive me. I am simply trying to get his attention before it is too late. If more of his friends told him the truth and lent him support Harrison would be a lot better in the years to come. View the full article

Joe Wood has posted video of the November 17th Special Meeting on his website. You can follow this link to his HarrisonMeetings website. Joe has broken the meeting into three parts. I am very impressed by Joe Wood's maturity and instinct at council meetings. It is not easy to stand up and ask questions and make statements at a Harrison Council meeting. The overreaction Council members Larry Bennett, James Doran, Francisco Nascimento and Mayor McDonough had to Joe's simple questions on how the elected officials managed to make a 4 p.m. meeting given their work schedules demonstrates the tactics used to stop public questions at Harrison council meetings. Councilman Steve McCormick's statement that this is Harrison's form of democracy says it all. View the full article

Mayor Raymond McDonough and six of eight council members voted this afternoon to introduce Ordinance 1223 which will repeal Town Ordinance 886 that was adopted on March 2, 1993 to regulate Public Parking Garages in the Town of Harrison. The Ordinance was the only item on the agenda. Several attorneys representing owners of existing parking lots in the Redevelopment Zone were at the meeting. The meeting was moved from the Third Floor Conference room to the Second Floor council chambers because there were not enough seats in the Conference room to accommodate all attendees. At the public session, there were several attempts by the attorneys attending the meeting to speak about the Ordinance. With varying success, the attorneys made several points objecting to the repeal of the Ordinance which appears to be an attempt to eliminate other parking garages in the Redevelopment Zone in effect eliminating any competition to the town's new Public Parking Garage. Mayor McDonough stated that the public would have an opportunity to speak on the Ordinance at the public comment session to be held on December 1, 2009. The attorneys stated that they will be in attendance. Daily commuters may find their way to Harrison's Town Hall since their daily parking rate will undoubtedly be effected by the elimination of all parking garage competition in the Redevelopment Zone. It is fairly clear that Mayor McDonough seeks to eliminate all other public parking garages in the Redevelopment Zone. Since there are no public parking garages outside the Redevelopment Zone, the new Public Parking Garage will be the only place commuters can park. The latter appears on the surface to be a brilliant move on the part of Mayor McDonough. The parking lot owners apparently were not anticipating such a move and have been caught off guard. The preamble to Ordinance 1223 sets forth the rationale for eliminating surface parking lots, "Due to the amount of land taken-up by surface parking lots, which is not beneficial for the Town, the Plan requires structured parking (i.e. multilevel parking garages) in lieu of surface parking lots in the redevelopment zones" In other words, the Redevelopment Zone plan provides that there is a better use for the land than its current use as surface parking lots. Litigation will undoubtedly result if Ordinance 1223 is adopted. The Redevelopment Plan provides for a scheme of construction. The plan does envision converting areas occupied by surface parking lots into buildings. However, can a municipality outlaw by elimination of an Ordinance the current use of a property. If Ordinance 866 is repealed, parking lot owners will still be able to use their properties to park cars. The surface parking garages would be grandfathered in as a permitted use. So eliminating Ordinance 866 signed by then Mayor Frank E. Rodgers will deregulate parking lots and therefore eliminate the means by which the town enforces the collection of a parking tax and conduct of parking garage owners. I commend Mayor McDonough for his valiant attempt to think outside the box but the repeal of Ordinance 1223, in my opinion, will not achieve the goal of making the Town of Harrison more revenue. The repeal of Ordinance 866 will cost the town of Harrison loss of parking tax revenue, increase legal fees paid to attorneys, and cause chaos and resentment by longtime surface parking garage owners and commuters. The lack of transparency in the manner that the Town of Harrison operates makes it difficult to really know what exactly Mayor McDonough is attempting to accomplish. View the full article

Mayor Raymond McDonough canceled the regular November 5th Mayor & Council meeting stating that the Special meeting of October 26, 2009 had dealt with all pending town business. Apparently, Mayor McDonough was mistaken or he was simply misleading the public. Mayor McDonough has scheduled yet another Special Meeting. This meeting is set for 4 p.m. on Tuesday, November 17, 2009. Yes, you read it correctly 4 p.m. The last special meeting was for 6 p.m. and a crowd of vocal residents showed up so, the Mayor has moved the meeting to 4 p.m. to insure their is no public input to "close down some parking garages". Well, it isn't exactly clear what will be on the Agenda for the Special Meeting because the Agenda on the town's website simply states AN ORDINANCE REPEALING ORDINANCE NUMBER 886 REGARDING PUBLIC PARKING LOTS IN THE TOWN OF HARRISON. The proposed Ordinance, however, was not provided. From what Mayor Raymond McDonough stated in passing at the Harrison Redevelopment Meeting, the Ordinance has to deal with the anticipated opening of the new Parking Deck next to the PATH station. It appears that the Mayor is going to close down some other parking lots to insure that there is enough cars patronizing the public parking garage. In a prior posting, Parking Deck Unlikely to Turn a Profit, I set out my rationale as to why the parking garage was unlikely to turn a profit. Mayor McDonough, I am guessing is trying to prove me wrong by insuring that the Parking Deck is filled to full capacity by eliminating the competition and/or increasing the parking tax (or both). Why would Mayor McDonough schedule another Special Meeting and set the time for 4 p.m. rather than 7 p.m. ? Because he is used to doing it. How can the part time Councilmembers get off from work to attend? The majority do not have to take off work. Councilman/Superintendent of Harrison Schools James Doran gets off at 3:15 p.m. Councilman/Harrison High Maintenance Supervisor Michael Dolaghan gets off at 3:15 p.m as well. Councilman/Vice Principal Francisco Nascimento also gets off at 3:15 p.m. Councilman/Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission Employee Larry Bennett leaves early or get some time off. Councilman/Board of Education employee Jesus Huaranga also gets off at 3:15 p.m. A 4 o'clock meeting makes perfect since for these elected officials. Why wait around till 7 p.m. for a meeting when you can get it over with at 4 p.m.? Mayor McDonough does not expect a large crowd at Tuesday's Special Meeting. The Agenda for the meeting states that it will be held in the 3rd Floor Conference Room at the Harrison Town Hall. View the full article

The Harrison Redevelopment Agency authorized tonight the payment of three invoices from PSE&G totaling over $698,000.00 for "buydown of poles, brackets and shrouds and ... cost of construction" for street poles and lights along Guyon Avenue, Cape May Street, and South Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. The Resolution was passed without discussion by the Commissioners or input from the public. The preamble to the Resolution stated that "pursuant to the Rider to the Redevelopment Agreement between the Agency and Advance at Harrison LLC ("Advance") the Agency is responsible to reimburse Advance for the "Stadium's Pro Rata Share" of Infrastructure costs, up to a maximum of $8,000,000". Councilman Steve McCormick attended the meeting as a member of the public and attempted once again to ask Town Attorney and Redevelopment Agency attorney Greg Castano (Sr.) about the legality of the Agency's policy of not allowing members of the public to ask questions or speak at Redevelopment Agency meetings. Councilman McCormick video taped the meeting and plans on putting the video up on the web in the future. There were no other members of the public at the meeting. As a former Redevelopment Agency Commissioner, the meeting brought me back to a more simpler time when I naively thought that my appointment to the Agency was in recognition of my contributions to the Harrison community and my professional achievements. As a Commissioner, I toke my job seriously and asked for Agenda documents, actual bills and to be provided same on a Friday afternoon rather than at the Tuesday meeting so I could review those documents over the weekend. When I found errors in billing or thought it inappropriate to pay for an item, I raised my concerns and expressed my opinion. Ultimately, my naivete resulted in my not being re-appointed. Mayor McDonough did not even send me a letter thanking me for my service. As I sat in the audience at Redevelopment meeting in a room on the Second Floor above the Harrison Department of Public Works (DPW) on Essex Street, my thoughts reflected on how public money is being spent without any input from the public. If an elected public official cannot ask questions about the Redevelopment at the Redevelopment Agency Meeting and is told to "put it in writing", where are the checks and balances. If the public came to this out of the way location to attend a "Redevelopment Meeting", they would not be able to ask a question. Mayor McDonough and the other Commissioners passed a resolution to that effect and apparently see nothing wrong with the policy. What are they afraid the public will ask or comment upon? Well, maybe the fact that the Harrison Redevelopment Agency (or should I say the Harrison taxpayers) should not be footing the bill for new street lights for the Advance Group and/or Red Bulls without first having them pay their contractual portion of the cost. From the documents I reviewed it appears that the Agency is making a direct payment in advance to PSE&G before they even order the poles and lights. Advance did not pay for the lights. The Resolution states that its a reimbursement which is not accurate. Other questions come to mind: Are these temporary telephone pole lights or permanent decorative lights. Why can't PSE&G foot the bill for the street lights since the town would be paying for the electricity making PSE&G some additional revenue? The public may never know because the Agency's silence policy prevents anyone from asking. If you go to the Town Council meeting and ask, Mayor McDonough will direct you to go to the Redevelopment Agency to ask. Unfortunately, unless you "put it in writing" you won't be able to ask at the Agency meeting. Mayor McDonough who sits on the Agency Board will not give you his opinion. The cone of silence surrounds the Redevelopment Agency decisions. Now we know why it's in such a remote location. By the way, there is a Special Meeting of the Mayor & Council for this coming Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 4 p.m. Tell your boss that you have to leave early because Mayor McDonough has scheduled another Special Meeting. Do not worry about the blank stare you get from your boss, you do not need your job after all. Mayor McDonough canceled last Thursday's Regular Meeting because all the town's business had been handled at a Special October 26, 2009 town meeting. McDonough was apparently wrong. According to Mayor McDonough, shutting down some parking garages is on the Agenda. View the full article

From what I understand, an arbitrator awarded retroactive pay raises. In effect, the town workers will get their pay raises for each year. That is a significant expense in terms of salary, taxes, and pension contributions. In my opinion, the Harrison property taxpayers simply cannot afford it. What can the Mayor do about it? He must communicate to all town employees the reality of the economic meltdown about to happen. As much as I personally would love to give all town workers pay increases and all taxpayers pay increases, it is financially impossible. There is record unemployment and foreclosures. To have a job at this time is more important than getting a pay raise. Many in private industry are getting pay cuts (not increases). My wife is among those individuals. Companies are also eliminating matching contributions to retirement plans. The reality must be explained to town workers as nicely as possible. It is a tough pill to swallow but an extremely important one if Harrison is going to survive. With respect to the top earners, they should be volunteering to reduce their salaries to assist their fellow town employees and Harrison's property taxpayers.

At his first post-election public appearance, Governor Elect Chris Christie stated that his administration will be auditing costly school districts. While visiting the Robert Treat Charter School in North Newark, Christie stated, "We have to figure out ways to make some priority judgments either tohave more of that money find its way into the classroom and or some ofthat money to find its way back to the taxpayers," The Robert Treat Charter School was founded by Steve Adubato, Sr. and his considered a model for urban education. Christie mentioned the Robert Treat Charter School throughout his campaign for Governor as an example of how a Charter school education could benefit the children of New Jersey. The Harrison School District is likely to be one of the first districts to be audited by the Governor elect. Harrison receives state funding as an Abbott District but has shown little progress in improving the education of Harrison's children. Children are starving to be challenged and long for a good education. The New Jersey Supreme Court's mandate in Abbott to fund urban schools on par with more affluent suburban schools was well intended but immediately hijacked by many school administrations with much of the additional funding not improving student education. According to the New Jersey Department of Education, Harrison School District spends $16,898.00 per student. The best private schools in New Jersey do not charge that much in tuition. To review a copy of the School Board's budget, click here. As a product of a Public School Education and an alumni of the Harrison Public School system, I understand the importance of maintaining the ideal of a good public school system. However, Governor Elect Chris Christie's support of private charter schools combined with auditing of public school districts is exactly what is needed to improve our public schools. Administrators must be held accountable for the money earmarked to improve our public schools. Politics should not be a significant part of our children's education. In Harrison, politics plays a significant role in who is hired by the Board of Education and directly impacts the educational process. It is not unique to Harrison but nonetheless should not play a significant role in any school district. It will be interesting to see what an audit of the Harrison School district reveals. View the full article

Chris Christie's victory last night means that it will not be business as usual in Harrison. Governor Jon Corzine was in many ways a benefactor for the Town of Harrison. Mayor Raymond McDonough's close Democratic ties with Governor Corzine provided assess and funding for the town of Harrison. Christie is not likely to be so kind. Harrison receives both Abbott District money, Distressed City Funding and its share of Extraordinary Aid from the State of New Jersey. With a looming interest payment of $3.5 million due in 2010 for the $40 million dollar Red Bulls Bond and retroactive pay increases to town employees, any loss of funding can be devastating to Harrison's taxpayers. At the Special Council meeting held on October 26, 2009, a resident asked the Mayor on several occasions what his plan was to reduce the property tax burden. Mayor McDonough had no plan. McDonough lamented that the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 had stalled the redevelopment and that the current economy was stalling the project. McDonough's plan to decrease property taxes through Redevelopment has hit a huge brick wall. The wall is almost as thick as the 20 foot foundation walls of the demolished Guyon Building. McDonough did reveal that he had a conversation with Peter Cocoziello, President and CEO of Advance Realty (Advance), the designated developer of the property in front of the Red Bull's Stadium. Peter Cocoziello had promised to start vertical construction on the project designated as the RiverBend District. McDonough however could not provide any details on the nature of the vertical construction. Daily Harrison has picked up on a Advance Press Release and published an article entitled Infrastructure work at the Riverbend District. The press release sounds great but after reading it carefully the release simply states the obvious. The sewers, sidewalks and lights will be installed in front of the Red Bulls Stadium. The Harrison Planning Board previously modified its agreement with Advance allowing them to install temporary blacktop sidewalks and telephone pole street lighting. Advance will therefore be completing temporary horizontal improvements. Obviously, the nation's economic downturn has effected the viability of the Riverbend District project. Advance has delayed construction but promises in the same release that: "Phase I of vertical construction at the Riverbend District is scheduledto begin in 2010 and will feature more than 800,000 square feet ofretail space, including an anchor grocery and retailers, a 16-screencinema and notable restaurants; a 175-room hotel and a 350-room, fullservice hotel with 25,000 square feet of conference space; a wellnesscenter; corporate and boutique office space; and approximately 1,900for sale and rental residential units." The Press Release does not specify when in 2010 the Advance plans on starting the vertical construction on the property or when it plans to complete construction. Horizontal construction paid for by taxpayer bonding is nice but Vertical construction paid for by a redeveloper which will eventually lead to some income for Harrison is much better. Mayor McDonough must be proactive in heading off a large and devastating property tax increase. McDonough must realize that taxpayers are on the verge of panic over ever increasing property taxes. If the last three council meetings are any indication, it is clear that McDonough can no longer ignore the poor financial condition Harrison finds itself in. The sooner the Mayor takes the bull by the horns the more likely he will be able to avoid a devastating property tax increase. As unpopular as it may be, the Mayor must ask town employees to defer arbitrator awarded pay increases for two years. There is record unemployment. Many residents find themselves unemployed and with ever increasing expenses. Mayor McDonough could demonstrate with such a request of town employees that he is serious about weathering this economic storm without imposing an additional property tax burden on homeowners. Union leaders should be very conscious of the current economy and seriously consider the deferral proposal. Many private sector employers have implemented wage freezes to avoid layoffs. One's current salary is better than no salary. A deferred pay increase will enable Harrison to weather the current economic storm. Once the vertical construction is complete tax revenues will be available to pay the salary increases without overwhelming property owners. Mayor McDonough's legacy will be determined in the action he takes in the next few weeks. Let's see if he has the ability to make some difficult but necessary decisions. Let's hope he doesn't make only "political" decisions but makes some unpopular but necessary "business" decisions. Harrison's future and his legacy hang in the balance. View the full article

The Associated Press and New Jersey Network (NJN) has projected that Chris Christie will be the next Governor of the State of New Jersey. In July, I endorsed the candidacy of Chris Christie in a piece entitled Why Corzine Should Lose. As a long time Democrat, I expressed my feelings about Governor Jon Corzine. My piece was spurred on by a visit from President Obama to New Jersey to campaign on behalf of Governor Corzine. Here is what I wrote back in July: "My wife’s a Republican. I’m a Democrat. She said the other day to me that she knows that it will be the first time in a long time that I will be voting for a Republican come November. She is right. Corzine does not deserve my vote. Every decision he makes is political. I want a Governor who makes decisions on what is good for the average citizen and not what appears to be politically convenient. An example of the latter is his caving to the New Jersey Public Employees Union Leaders who threatened to picket a Corzine campaign rally at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange where Vice President Joe Biden was going to be the Guest of Honor. Biden had stated that he would not cross a Union picket line to attend the campaign event. The Union Leaders knew that Corzine would buckle under the pressure and give in to their demands. A real Governor would have told the Union Leaders go ahead and picket the Vice President of the United States. To Vice President Biden, Corzine should have said that is your personal choice, the rally will go forward either way. I ask you to seriously consider who you want to be the next Governor of the State of New Jersey. I voted for Obama and I'm voting for Chris Christie. Join me." As President Obama and Governor Corzine were attending a campaign rally at the Prudential Center in Newark, I was in my office in the Ironbound Section of Newark working. As I traveled out of the Ironbound, I was confronted by some unusual traffic as a result of the President's visit. In my heart, I knew that the President's visit was not going to make a difference. I am glad that many of my fellow Democrats joined me in voting for Chris Christie. Congratulations Mr. Christie. The work to make New Jersey better begins right after the celebration. View the full article

Albert Cifelli, the Tax Assessor for the Town of Harrison, stated at the October 26, 2009 Special Council meeting that the town will realize $2.1 to $2.2 Million in property taxes for the new Red Bulls Stadium. Cifelli answering a hypothetical question stated that an improvement valued at $100 million would generated a tax bill of $2.1 million to $2.2 million at Harrison's current tax rate. The Red Bulls stadium once built is suppose to be valued at $100 million. Harrison could use the extra tax money. Once again, residents turned out to the town meeting expressing their concerns above ever increasing property taxes. The influx of new property tax money to the Town of Harrison however may hit a roadblock. The Red Bulls do not own the stadium property. It is not clear whether you can tax a tenant of a property and not the owner of the property. The Town of Harrison bonded $40 million dollars to purchase the property and the Town owns the real estate. In an exchange between Councilman Steve McCormick, Tax Assessor Albert Cifelli, Town Attorney Greg Castano (Sr.), and Mayor Raymond McDonough the public learned that The Red Bulls will pay $150,000 per year to the County of Hudson earmarked to pay down the interest on the Path Station parking garage; the interest due from the Town of Harrison on the Red Bulls bond in 2010 is $3.5 million; the Town of Harrison will receive nothing else from the Red Bulls as there is no other monetary payments or rights received by the Town in its agreement with the Red Bulls; the interest on the Stadium bonds were suppose to be paid by Payment In Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) from the Millenium RiverWalk project; Millenium only built two of the four planned housing units and thus there is a significant short fall in revenue earmarked to make the interest payments on the Stadium bonds. It is not clear where the money to make the Red Bull bond interest payment will come from. Since the bonds are backed by the Town of Harrison, property taxes may need to raised to make the payment. Town Attorney Greg Castano (Sr.), when confronted by Councilman Steve McCormick as to who negotiated the deal between the Red Bulls stated that despite the fact that he was both the Town Attorney and the Harrison Redevelopment Agency attorney that special counsel Charles Astor* represented the town because he was a specialist in stadium contracts. In reviewing other stadium deals, the Town or governmental unit retains the naming rights of the stadium as a means of recouping public monies used to finance the stadium projects. The Town of Harrison did not retain those rights or obtain any other concessions from the Red Bulls (at the time the MetroStars). *Please note: A Google search did not reveal an attorney by the name of Charles Astor who specialized in redevelopment or stadium contracts. The spelling on Mr. Astor's name may be incorrect. View the full article

LIFEembedDrawImage2('72446945','149'); Senator Robert Menendez's mother, Evangelina, passed away Friday night. My condolences to Senator Menendez and his family. The wake will be held on Monday, October 26, 2009 at Leber Funeral Home in Union City from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m to 9 p.m. Her funeral will be held on Tuesday. The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers that a donation be made to the Greater New Jersey Chapter of the Alzheimer's Association. View the full article

Agenda items related to the Harrison Commons project dominate the Harrison Special Mayor and Council for this upcoming Monday, October 26, 2009. The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. (rather than 7:00 p.m.) in the Town Hall located at 318 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, New Jersey. The Agenda is available by clicking here. Be patient as the Agenda is composed of documents totaling over 400 pages. View the full article

Harrison's Mayor Raymond McDonough has scheduled a Special Meeting of the Council for Monday, October 26, 2009 at 6 p.m. Neither the Agenda or the Meeting Notice has been posted to the Town's website as of Wednesday night. As soon as the Agenda is available a link will be provided for everyone's review. I have been critical of Mayor McDonough for scheduling Special Council Meetings at off hours and days. Little notice is provided to residents of these meetings where important decisions are made affecting Harrison's taxpayers. My criticism has not stopped the Special Meetings which are more numerous than the Regular Council Meetings. Mayor McDonough promised that the Harrison Commons resolutions tabled at the Regular October Meeting of the Mayor & Council would be discussed at the next Regular council meeting. At this time, it is not clear whether those resolutions will be discussion at this Monday's Special Council meeting. Stayed tuned. View the full article

The Portuguese-American Newspaper LusoAmericano ran a story entitled Chaos & Agitation At Harrison Council Meeting in today's October 9, 2009 Edition. The full page story was on page four and was accompanied by a picture of the members of the Mayor & Council and the large crowd holding up handmade signs stating With Time of Crisis ? Why ? protesting ever increasing property taxes and special deals and tax abatements for Redevelopers. The article written by veteran reporter and Portuguese television personality, Luis Pires, captured the substance and atmosphere of the meeting. It is refreshing to read an article put together by a veteran news person. The LusoAmericano is read widely by the Portuguese American community both locally and throughout the United States. The picture of the crowd accompanying the article was taken at the time I was addressing the Mayor & Council. It captures the anti-property tax protesters raising their handmade signs and a town employee giving me the thumbs down. I expect that there will be even a larger crowd at the November Mayor & Council meeting. Several protesters came up to me after the meeting and thanked me for asking questions. They promised to be back and wanted to confirm the meetings date which was contained on literature circulated by one of the protestors. Sign up for email notification of new posts on this site or check back frequently because the Mayor has been known to schedule Special Meetings on short notice. He promised that the discussion of the Harrison Commons bonding would be at a Regular Mayor & Council meeting but there have been too many Special Mayor & Council meetings in the past year for me to relax and wait for the next Regular meeting. As soon as I learn of a meeting date, I will post it here. View the full article

In a chaotic meeting of the Mayor and Council, Mayor Raymond McDonough walked out of the council chambers after announcing that he was moving to adjourn the meeting. As the Mayor walked out, a crowd of residents jeered and booed while others expressed approval. A large contingency of town workers were in attendance at the meeting matched by an as large contingency of town residents. Town Clerk Paul Zarbetski advised that the Mayor had taken the vote and had enough votes to adjourn the meeting. This is not the first time the Mayor abruptly ended a council meeting. In June of 2008, the Mayor walked out of a council meeting in a similar manner. On the Agenda tonight were two items involving the Harrison Commons project. The first, a Resolution of the Town of Harrison, in the County of Hudson, New Jersey approving an agreement by and among the Town, the Hudson County Improvement Authority and Harrison Commons, LLC relating to the issuance of Redevelopment Area Bond Anticipation Notes and Providing for the Repayment thereof. The Second item, the introduction of Ordinance 1215 which proposes to authorize the Mayor and Town Council to enter into a Financial Agreement for Certain Property Within the Waterfront Redevelopment Area. Both of these items were removed from the Agenda. Mayor McDonough promised me in the open session of the meeting that these two items would be discussed in the future at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Mayor and Council. The Mayor and Council have in the past scheduled Special Town Meetings at noon and 5 p.m. when the Agenda contained very important items effecting the redevelopment and town finances. The documents attached to the meeting Agenda state that CJUF II Harrison Holding,LLC (CJUF) apparently has obtained financing from PNC Bank, N.A. for the construction of Building 1 in the Harrison Commons project. CJUF the names of three entities on its letter to the town; CJUF II Harrison Holding, LLC, CJUF II Harrison Phase I Urban Renewal Company, LLC and Harrison Commons, LLC. Their mail is directed to c/o the Pegasus Group, 1018 Washington Street, 3rd Floor, Hoboken, New Jersey. The letter states that although financing has been obtained that in addition to the financing Harrison Commons will require public financing in the form of Bonding by the Town of Harrison. The letter states that "in light of the prevailing conditions in the bond market, the Town, the Hudson County Improvement Authority, and CJUF believe that it is not prudent to issues the Supplemental Series D Bonds at this time. Accordingly, in lieu of issuing the Supplemental Series D Bonds at this time, the Town of Harrison would issue bond anticipation notes in an amount not to exceed $8.2 million and make those proceeds available to CJUF. It appears from the information available that the Town is partially funding the building of Building 1 on behalf of Harrison Commons. Harrison Commons is building rental apartments next to the PATH station along Middlesex Street consisting of 253 residential apartments and 14,325 sq ft of ground level retail space. Two additional buildings are proposed. Bond Anticipation Notes are short term financing which are issued for a period not exceeding one year and may be renewed from time to time for two additional years in one year increments with special repayment criteria. My understanding is that short term financing is not traditionally used for this type of project. In my opinion, if the Bonding market is not favorable, the Town should not bond for this project. Harrison Commons should finance the project on their own or wait until the market is more favorable. More troubling than the bonding is the proposed Financial agreement for Long Term Tax Exemption contained in the meeting package. The Long Term Tax Exemption is for thirty-five (35) years from the date of execution of the agreement or thirty (30) years from the following January 1st date following the issuance of the first Certificate of Occupancy. Thirty years is a long time to give someone a property tax exemption. What benefit will the Town of Harrison receive in exchange for its bonding? I welcome anyone who wants to explain the benefit to the taxpayers of Harrison to send me an explanation. I will post it on this site. The proposed agreement also contains a troubling section that states, "Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, if the Entity fails to make any payment of the Annual Service Charge or Land Taxes set forth in this Financial Agreement, the sole remedy of the Town shall be in Rem Tax Foreclosure, and in no event shall the Entity be liable for payment of all or any portion of the Annual Service Charge or Land Taxes." In other words, Harrison Commons LLC and its various CJUF entities could walk away from the project and not be obligated to make the Annual Service Charge. If PNC Bank is in first place with a Mortgage, the Town could foreclose and not recover the necessary funds to pay back the bonds. Why isn't Harrison Commons and its principals personally guaranteeing the payment of the Annual Service Charge which is designed to pay back the Loan (Bonds)? When the average person purchases a home, the bank holds a Mortgage and a Note. The Mortgage insures that you do not sell the house without first paying the amount you owe on the Note. In today's economy, banks are allowing homeowners to sell their house for less than they owe (called a "Short Sale") in order to release the Mortgage on the property. The bank however still holds the Note and can collect the difference between what was owed and what was paid back through the Short Sale. Why should Harrison Commons be any different than an average person when it come to paying back the bond? View the full article

Star Ledger reporters Tom Moran, Brian Donohue and cartoonist Drew Sheneman visited Harrison on Friday. Their visit apparently is not a one time event. It appears that they have visited Harrison in the past. What drew these reporters and cartoonist to Harrison was not an assignment from the Editor to cover a Mayor & Council Meeting, a Redevelopment Meeting or a Board of Education Meeting but something far less controversial. The Star Ledger reporters have visited Harrison in the past but they have failed to file any reports until now. On occasion the Star Ledger has printed articles on the proposed Redevelopment mostly favorable to the redevelopers and to the McDonough administration painting rosy pictures of the new Harrison. The Star Ledger has never covered a Mayor & Council meeting, a Redevelopment Agency meeting or Board of Education meeting. On one occasion almost two years ago, the Star Ledger published a story entitled Little Town A Big Target In Hunt For Corruption which suggested that the town of Harrison was suffering from political corruption, ethical lapses and "curious decisions by political officials". The Star Ledger however never followed up with any article and has failed to send any reporter to cover monthly meetings of the Mayor & Council, Redevelopment Board or Board of Education. Mayor Raymond McDonough denied the allegations contained in the Star Ledger's article and the Kearny Observer carried a front page story with McDonough's denial that there was any criminal investigation of the town. Harrison Town Hall is located just 1.8 miles from the Star Ledger's Headquarters just across the Passaic River. Here is a map from the Star Ledger Headquarters to Harrison's Town Hall. View Larger Map Obviously, the Star Ledger's reporters can easily find Harrison's Town Hall, Board of Education office and the Redevelopment Agency office. But the Editors at the Star Ledger have apparently decided that Harrison is too insignificant to cover. Ironically, one of the reporters who wrote the Star Ledger Little Town A Big Target In Hunt For Corruption Story story, Jeff Whelan, is now working for Governor Jon Corzine's re-election campaign. Whelan retired from the Star Ledger due to the papers downsizing and took a job with Corzine's re-election campaign. Corzine is a big supporter of Mayor Raymond McDonough. One must wonder if Jon Corzine asked Jeff Whelan to apologize to Mayor McDonough for an article that apparently contained accusations that were not true? The point of this article is to point out the obvious: The Star Ledger reporters should take the time out to attend Mayor & Council meetings at a minimum and report the news. Reporter Tom Moran, Brian Donohue and cartoonist Drew Sheneman would find plenty of material to draw from for articles and some political cartoons. And Nino's Restaurant and Pizzeria makes great pizza (and food). For those of us who frequent Nino's Restaurant and Pizzeria in Harrison, we are glad that the Star Ledger reporters have discovered Nino's. Nino's got a mention and a complement from Brian Donohue at the end of his Ledger Live video regarding the First Governor Debate when he stated, "Let's shut up and get to the Pizza from Nino's in Harrison. Sicilian. This is Great stuff." Indeed. It would be even better if I was reading a well written Star Ledger story on Harrison's Mayor & Council meeting sitting at Nino's while I was biting into a Nino's Sicilian slice. The next meeting of the Mayor & Council is this upcoming Tuesday, October 6, 2009 starting at 6:30 p.m. with the Caucus upstairs on the third floor of the Town Hall, 318 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, New Jersey followed by a 7:00 p.m. General Meeting on the second floor of the Town Hall. Any member of the public can attend either the Caucus or General Meeting. Hey, Tom, Brian and Drew, I'll meet your over at Nino's at 5:30 p.m. so we can have a snack before the meeting and discuss the meeting's Agenda. Love to have you at a Harrison town meeting reporting the news. Congratulations to Nino for having such great food (not only pizza) that he got a mention at the end of Brian Donahue's Star Ledger Live video segment. Click on the link below for the video. Ledger Live Video: Corzine, Christie, Daggett and Nino's Pizza from Harrison View the full article

The Observer has apparently decided that it will not publish an article on Harrison's September Mayor and Council meeting. This week's Observer also did not contain any correction of the inaccuracies contained in its article on Harrison Councilman Steve McCormick's filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. As a previous post noted, the Kearny Journal covered the meeting last week. The Observer reporter apparently got paid for attending the meeting but either did not turn in an article or her article was suppressed by the Observer's editor, Celeste Regal. The next Harrison Mayor and Council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. (Caucus) and a 7:00 p.m. (Council meeting) at the Harrison Town Hall, 318 Harrison Avenue, Harrison, New Jersey. The Caucus is held upstairs on the 3rd Floor. There is usually a lot of interesting discussions at the Caucus because the Councilmembers actually discuss agenda items prior to the formal meeting. Usually not many members of the public attend the caucus. The Caucus however is open to the public and if enough members of the public attend the Caucus has to be moved downstairs into the Council chambers because of a violation of the fire code. The Harrison Fire Chief usually attends the caucus and he would be obligated to inform the Mayor and Council of the violation and the necessity to move the meeting. View the full article

Freewheeling meeting is how the Kearny Journal described the September Harrison council meeting. In an prior post Local Papers Silent on Harrison Meeting, I chastised the Observer and the Kearny Journal for not covering the meeting in their respective newspapers despite having reporters at the meetings. Apparently, reporter Rose Duger's article was just being reviewed by the Kearny Journal editor and thus delayed by a week in its publication. My apologies to the Kearny Journal for jumping the gun on accusing them of not covering the meeting. The Kearny Observer however still has not covered the meeting. The Editor and Reporter of the Observer could not find time to edit or write an article on Harrison's meeting but did find time to write a frontpage article about Harrison Councilman Steve McCormick's filing of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and a loan by former Harrisonian Steven Adler. Celeste Regal is now the expert on Bankruptcy. To those of us familiar with Harrison politics, it is clear that Celeste Regal was feed the information contained in the article. Unfortunately, the Observer's credibility is waning. The Observer is suppose to cover the news but both the Publisher and newspaper's Editor seem not to understand their roles. The objective is to report the news and not express opinions or biases in the news articles. The Opinion or Editorial Page is where opinions should be expressed. I am not sure what Celeste Regal's connection to Harrison is but she obviously has a bias towards anything that criticizes the current administration. The article attempted to paint Councilman Steven McCormick and former Harrisonian Steven Adler in the poorest light. If you can stand trying to parse the poorly crafted sentences in her article, Celeste Regal was trying to say that the filing of a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy petition 93 days after Steven Adler lent Councilman McCormick money was an advantage to Mr. Adler. Actually, the provision that Celeste Regal was referring to has nothing to do with the receipt of money 90 days prior to a bankruptcy filing. The provision has to do with the payment (out not in) of money to a Third Party 90 days prior to a bankruptcy filing. Steven Adler is at a disadvantage not an advantage. The 90 day provision is designed so individuals do not pay debts owed to family or friends (preferred debtors) and not other creditors. In addition, the article suggested that not listing the loan from Steven Adler on a Local Finance Board Disclosure form was improper. Last time I checked, the Local Finance Disclosure forms do not require the disclosure of loans. The form requires disclosure of employment and properties owned. Even if the form required disclosure of loans the timing of the loan would only require its disclosure next year. Newspapers play an important role in our democratic society. The Observer has a great potential and has served the West Hudson community well in its long standing news coverage of the area. The failure to report on the Harrison council meeting is not serving the community. Once a local newspaper ceases to serve its community its ceases to have a purpose. Another example of how the Observer is not properly serving its community is the newspapers editorial on how the Kearny Police should have stopped the robbery and murder of Xavier Egovail, the owner of Rachel's Jewelry, in Kearny. In my opinion, Kearny has a very good police department. To suggest that they could have prevented this senseless murder was irresponsible. To suggest that the Kearny police should know by looking at someone that they are a murder and suggesting that individuals be stopped just because of their looks is in violation of both the United States and New Jersey constitutions. If Kearny's police did what the Observer's publisher suggested, Kearny would be subject to suit for violation of an individual's Civil Rights. I am looking forward to next week's Observer to see if the Publisher and Editor Celeste Regal step up to the plate and correct the errors in their Bankruptcy article and publish a story on the September Harrison Council meeting. That would be a way for them to start on the road back toward serving the community. View the full article

The front page of tommorow's Kearny Observer will carry a story by Celeste Regal on Councilmembers Steve and Maria McCormick's filing of a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy petition and the listing of a loan by Steve Adler. A Chapter 11 Bankruptcy allows an individual to restructure their debt and pay creditors in an orderly fashion. Unlike a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, a Chapter 11 Bankruptcy does not discharge all debts. Since the McCormicks were elected as the first husband and wife Councilmembers in the town's history, both have fought for a open government in town. Being a politician with integrity is not an easy task. The McCormicks could have easily sold out like many other councilmembers before them. The McCormicks have not sold out. I commend them for not doing so even in the face of some personal financial difficulties. Filing for bankruptcy, even a Chapter 11 reorganization, is not something someone does without a dose of humility. Joining the other members of the council who all have town, county, or state jobs would have been a lot easier and financially rewarding. I am looking forward to the Observer article on the September Mayor and Council meeting that will be published in this week's edition. I also look forward to the Observer reporting on how a large crowd of residents filled the council chambers and how you could feel the nervous tension of residents who are facing continued business as usual by the Mayor and Council despite a financial crisis effecting its residents. Unfortunately, if the nervous tension at this month's Mayor and Council meeting is an indicator, the McCormick's Bankruptcy may be a foreshadow of what Harrison's residents will have to face in the months to come. I have faith that the McCormicks will come out of Chapter 11 Bankruptcy stronger than ever. I am extremely disappointed at the Observer's poor one sided news reporting. The failure of the Observer to cover this month's Mayor and Council meeting is just one incident in a string of prior incidents. View the full article

Despite important agenda items and a large crowd at the Harrison Mayor and Council meeting, both the Observer and the Kearny Journal (a subsidiary of the Jersey Journal) failed to report on the meeting. A reporter from the Observer and the Kearny Journal were present at the meeting. Both reporters had their note pads out taking notes. What happened to the stories? Last week's Mayor and Council meeting was a monumental meeting with a record number of citizens coming out to a town meeting. Their message no more tax increases. The citizens were also protesting the high salaries of various town employees most notably Councilman James Doran who has landed a $200,000+ job as Superintendent of Harrison's school district. The Observer and the Kearny Journal have an obligation to cover the news. The lack of coverage is a disservice to the residents of Harrison. If the reporters for the Observer and Kearny Journal are not going to write articles on the meeting why bother attending. At the meeting, the Mayor and Council voted to approve the installation of surveillance video cameras to be installed along Harrison Avenue and Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. The cost $75,000.00 Harrison's Police Chief Derek Kearns stated that the cameras will help police combat crime but not replace police officers. There was an interesting emphasis on "not replace police officers". A good basis for a short story on the passage of the resolution leading to a discussion of whether Harrison's Police Department is adequately manned. There also could be a comparison between Harrison's proposed system and East Newark's existing surveillance camera system. In addition, the Mayor and Council voted to purchase a van for the Department of Public Works at a cost of over $16,000. Councilmembers Steve and Marie McCormick voted against the purchase. The van is scheduled to replace the van that transports parking meter quarters to Jersey City. Councilman Steve McCormick voiced, once again, the need to bring accountability to the collection of parking meters. Councilman McCormick restated his proposal that at a minimum a centralized parking station be installed to insure that parking meter quarters are not diverted. Several towns and cities have installed these meters. Both Kearny and Newark have implemented these meters. Mayor Raymond McDonough has opposed a centralized parking station opting instead for individual meters. Centralized meters have accounting safeguards to insure that all monies deposited are accounted for. Individual meters do not have the accounting safeguards. There has been no restitution paid to the town by former Department of Public Works Superintendent for the reported $100,000 in quarters he stole from town parking meters. Councilman Steve McCormick stated that he still did not know who determined the amount of $100,000 as the Town Treasurer Beth Higgins had denied providing that amount to the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office. There was also an introduction of an Ordinance to change once again a Financial Agreement with the entities that compose the Harrison Commons project. I urge all the citizens of Harrison to come out to Mayor and Council meetings. I applaud those who came out to the last meeting. It was unexpected but uplifting to those of us who have been attending meetings for sometime now. I also urge you to watch prior council meetings available on Joe Wood's website www.HarrisonMeetings.com to educate yourself on the issues previously discussed. A handful of citizens have been attending council meetings trying to keep the Mayor and Council honest. Join us. View the full article

I don't consider going to a town meeting and asking questions "stirring the pot". I consider it my public duty. I started a website www.yourHarrison.com out of my frustration that Harrison is getting too expensive to live in and when the bond payments come due taxes will cause hardworking residents to lose their homes. Rents can only be raised so much. When I walked into the council meeting on Tuesday, I had no idea that the chambers would be full. It was a beautiful sight to see. The community finally came. They didn't come because of me or the McCormicks. The majority came because they simply can't take it anymore. A handful of residents organized and came out to the meeting. They promise to be back for future meetings. I ask that the good citizens of Harrison come out to the meeting. Even if you don't feel comfortable asking questions, please attend the meeting and stay informed.