Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Sunday, June 3, 2018
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Who's running for school board in Weehawken?
Three incumbents battle for seats against two challengers
Hudson Reporter, 1-Apr-18
by Hannington Dia
The Weehawken Board of Education will hold its annual elections on April 17. Three incumbents are running to keep their three-year spots on the nine-person board. They are up against two challengers this year.
The incumbents include Board President Richard Barsa and board members Jennifer Bolcar and Meg Carson. Their challengers are Monika Sikand and Elizabeth Chan.
Mayor Richard Turner is supporting the three incumbents, he said. "They’ve done a fantastic job, the whole board.”
Richard Barsa
Board President Richard Barsa is running for his 10th term. A Weehawken High School graduate, as is his son, Barsa is running again because he wants to help the district continue its upward trends.
“Our kids have coding and computer science in every school,” Barsa said. “We have made tremendous progress.” Though he is happy with the district's technological advancements, Barsa also feels it could still do better in giving students skills to become contenders in the digital age.
“Our children need to master 'hard and soft skills' so that they can connect and compete in a dynamic global economy,” Barsa said. “The days of memorizing facts and 'doing school' to just pass a test are over.”
To that end, the district has introduced career academies where graduates work on a career-focused set of courses, he said.
Jennifer Bolcar
Jennifer Bolcar will be running for her first official term this year. She was appointed to a vacancy on the board last year. She has children in the Daniel Webster and Theodore Roosevelt schools.
“I am excited about the direction our schools are taking,” Bolcar said. “I want to be a part of the continued growth and transformation.”
Bolcar was also enthusiastic about the district's blended learning program and student strides. “Our AP participation is skyrocketing and our children are becoming more engaged,” she said. “I think it is important to keep this momentum going.”
Bolcar does see a few issues.
“Adjusting to the increased use of technology has been a learning curve for some of our students and parents,” she said. Today, “as a parent, reviewing your child's progress might mean sitting down at your laptop or smartphone now, as opposed to reviewing paper worksheets.”
But though some students and parents aren't entirely tech savvy yet, Bolcar believes their growing pains are necessary.
Meg Carson
Like Bolcar, Carson was also appointed to the board through a vacancy, so this will be her first time running. She has a son in the sixth grade and a daughter in third grade at the Roosevelt School.
She has been heavily involved with the PTA and helped run activities with students such as gardening. Carson is an educator at New York's Museum of Natural History and a science and music teacher at Kaplan Co-Operative Preschool in Hoboken.
“Most of my adult life has been spent working with children so it made sense for me to work with my local school board,” Carson said.
As her colleagues did, Carson lauded the schools' improvements, and just feels that there's more room for further improvements.
Monika Sikand
A Weehawken resident since 2005, Monika Sikand is confident in the district. “If the district had irreconcilable weaknesses I would not be sending my kids to Weehawken schools,” she said.
So why is Sikand running to replace one of the three incumbents? She, like them, wants to improve the schools by bringing her “strengths, skills, and our community’s voice” to the board. And while she applauds what the district has done, she has some ideas of how to build on that, if elected.
“Perhaps, we need to take a look at the guidelines for class size and current student–teacher ratio in the classrooms,” she said.
She also wants to see expanded summer internship opportunities and strengthened career and college guidance counseling for high school students.
Sikand also feels that the evaluation system for programs, events and teachers' professional development could be strengthened.
As Weehawken High School has seventh and eighth grade students, she would like to evaluate this setup to see if it is optimal for those students.
Sikand is an assistant professor at the City University of New York (CUNY), as well as an adjunct faculty at the Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.
“My own experiences in education and service to my college in CUNY can help me better understand the insider challenges in administration and make improvements utilizing our strengths,” she said.
A mother to a Pre-K student and second grade kids in the district, Sikand also volunteers much of her time to after school activities at Daniel Webster School.
She is a native of India and immigrated to this country in 2005, the same year she moved to Weehawken.
Elizabeth Chan
Local designer Elizabeth Chan—the second challenger to the incumbents—would like to see better communication between students, teachers, and parents.
Chan, who has one daughter at Daniel Webster, and another seven-month old daughter, said she would push for a student mentorship program if elected.
“Some of these kids don't know what they want to do with their lives moving forward,” she said. Chan would also be interested in a food education program to bring awareness about healthy eating. “I'm a big advocate for healthy, clean living,” she said. “It would be great to see about making our own food.” The high school is working to place a greenhouse atop its roof, which helps, she said.
Weehawken schools today
The district has three schools. Daniel Webster serves pre-K to second grade; the Theodore Roosevelt School serves grades 3-6; and Weehawken High School serves grades 7-12. It is also working to acquire the Woodrow Wilson School, which was recently returned to Weehawken after a 19-year shared services agreement with Union City.
Since 2016, the Weehawken School District has become a 1:1 district, meaning every student has access to a Google Chromebook and blended learning programs, mixing traditional teaching with educational apps.
With this in place, Future Ready Schools-New Jersey designated the district as “future ready” last October.
Last year, the district was also named an “Innovative District” by the International Center for Leadership in Education.
That same year, data site Niche ranked Weehawken schools the best in Hudson County, 79th in the state, and in the top 14 percent nationally.
The improvements have shown in student performances. In 2017, the district achieved a 98 percent graduation rate, a 15 percent increase since 2015, according to Superintendent of Schools Dr. Robert Zywicki.
The district's achievements were accomplished on a tight school budget-$26.5 million for the 2016-17 school year. The total budget is $28 million for the 2017-18 year.
Sunday, March 4, 2018
Mayor Turner Seeking 7th Term
Hudson Reporter, 31-Jan-18
By John Heinis
28 years after being elected, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner (see 25 years of Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner) will be seeking another term, his seventh in a row, on May 8th, with two new council hopefuls joining his five-person slate.
“There’s a lot in this town that we have done, and there’s a lot in this town that we continue to do, there’s a lot in this town that we will do, together, as a team,” said 2nd Ward Councilwoman Carmela Silvestri-Ehret, who served on the board of education for 16 years before running for council.
“Because remember, it is a team concept. You do need to have a team that works together and we work together with other teams with the town – and that’s what makes this town so special.”
Turner noted that 2nd Ward Councilwoman Rosemary Lavagnino was on the planning board for 14 years before running on his “Weehawken and You” slate, a slogan that hasn’t changed. She is now a 20-year veteran of the governing body.
“Actually, we have a very strong, sustainable and resilient community. And as Carmela said, we are a team approach, and it’s just not governmental people: it’s also all the residents that form the committees and they help us, make us, what we are today,” added Lavagnino.
New to the team are Raul Gonzalez, a social worker by trade, and Davis Curtis, a retired North Hudson Regional Fire & Rescue captain.
Gonzalez is aiming to replace 3rd Ward Councilman Robert Sosa, also the current deputy mayor, while Curtis looks to succeed Robert Zucconi – a councilman-at-large.
Turner, who first took office on July 1st, 1990, said it’s currently a tough time to govern and is therefore happy to be running with a group of such committed individuals.
“These are really tough times to lead communities … especially a community like Weehawken with development issues .. all day-to-day stuff. Remember, Weehawken is in Hudson County and Hudson County is the densest, per person, per square mile, area in the country,” the mayor said during a press conference earlier this afternoon.
“So you’ve got lots of issues and you need lots of experience to solve some of these problems.”
Turner pointed to keeping taxes stable, maintaining the level of township services and preserving the integrity of the waterfront as top priorities for the next four years.
As of this writing, no one outside of Turner’s slate has filed to run for mayor and/or council.
The Weehawken municipal elections are on May 8th.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Monday, November 7, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Weehawken Attorney: Insurance ‘Paying Every Penny’ of $747k DeCosmis Settlement
Hudson County View, 7-Dec-15
By John Heinis
In light of a $747,000 settlement between Weehawken and Police Lt. Richard DeCosmis, Township Attorney Richard Venino says although it wasn’t the best case scenario, insurance is “paying every penny” in the matter.
“That’s the whole reason for the settlement was approved, that the insurance company is paying every penny of that,” Venino told Hudson County View over the phone last week.
“We have no control when the insurance company gets to that point. They were always very confident in our position, but the case went on for seven years. We’re talking three lawsuits. If any claim in the federal suit is sustained, they can be liable for the attorney’s fees on the other side. That’s a bigger risk than normal.”
“They let us know: ‘We want to settle, do you approve?’ If we say no, that shifts the risk to us. They’re the pros on that kind of stuff,” Venino added.
Hudson County View first reported on the settlement last week, which brought a conclusion to three lawsuits from DeCosmis, as well as pending disciplinary action from the police department against the lieutenant.
DeCosmis alleged that Mayor Richard Turner and the building department engaged in repeated instances of political retaliation, while the police department alleged DeCosmis abused his authority during an incident with a building inspector where both men filed police complaint against one another.
As of this writing, no other media outlet has released a copy of the settlement.
As we previously reported, DeCosmis earned $138,820 in 2014, according to public records – not including overtime – and is entitled to a 15 percent salary increase effective effective October 26, 2016.
Therefore, DeCosmis will earn $159,643 between late October 2016 and late October 2017. His retirement is effective November 1, 2017 and he is on terminal leave until then.
While it can be argued that DeCosmis’ settlement actually earned him over $1 million, given his salary, Venino said it is important to note that the settlement is the result of over seven years of litigation so a significant portion of those figures are likely going towards legal fees.
Another provision of the settlement is that DeCosmis can never work for the Township of Weehawken again.
“It’s in the best interest of the town he does not return to work here. Working here, he has already filed three lawsuits. We can’t let that trend continue, we must eliminate all potential of him continuing litigation,” Venino explained.
“It’s very difficult when people have lawsuits pending for such a long time … disciplining him became a problem. He should’ve been subject to discipline, but since he’s in a lawsuit, it’s this never-ending battle. Difficult for the police to maintain decorum and understanding in the police department.”
Venino also stated that DeCosmis was “hell bent” on filing lawsuits, even though he was in the wrong in certain situations – evidenced by him paying a fine for doing construction on a property without the proper permits.
Louis Zayas, DeCosmis’ attorney in the matter, declined to elaborate on the settlement.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Mayor Turner Takes $90K 6-month Contract with Town of West NY
14-Nov-15, NJ.com
By Laura Herzog
Since Nov. 1, Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner has been working as a consultant in West New York, charged with not just mold remediation, but cutting costs, overseeing other projects, and applying for road-paving and open space funds.
Turner said the $90,000, six-month contract he's landed with the nearby town isn't a conflict of interest, and said it is aimed at saving money.
"I will save West New York more than what they're paying me. We already hit the (roughly $60,000) mark (in savings)," Turner, 65, said. "There's not a question in my mind they'll save more than what they're paying."
He said he already started working for the town this fall, without pay, offering advice on different projects to officials he knows in West New York. Turner also said he is taking a six-month unpaid leave of absence from his other job, as district director for U.S. Congressman Albio Sires (D), to take on this job.
In addition to handling mold remediation, Turner said he will oversee a fix of city hall's "major water infiltration issue," which he said will need costly renovations to repair the damage and prevent further water seepage, likely more than $100,000.
He said he is also managing requests for proposals to find an architectural firm to determine how to seal the outside of the building to prevent more water from coming in, and going out to bid to hire a contractor to fix the roof.
Though Turner called himself an "expert" who could help manage these projects in West New York, several residents said they had questions about his contract.
"The fact that we accept that as a viable reality flies in the face of (rationality)...The reality in which these people live is so skewed and so corrupt," said West New York resident Jon Evans. "Why is this man necessary?"
Turner's appointment seems like political patronage, he said: "(Local politicians) nurture each other, they owe each other, and then they give each other jobs that they're not necessarily qualified to do."
Ronald Scheurle, who recently ran against an administration-backed slate in the West New York school board elections on Nov. 3, said he plans to speak to the town about the contract.
"Turner was a capable business administrator, but I have questions to ask the mayor and the commissioners," he said.
West New York Mayor Felix Roque declined comment on Turner's role.
Turner, who has been the mayor of Weehawken for 25 years and said he is collecting an $8,000 a year salary as mayor, is retired after 25 years of public service in N.J. He noted that his service included spending 1995 to 2006 working in West New York as a business administrator when Sires was the town's mayor. Turner is currently collecting a pension of around $70,000 a year, he said.
He also volunteered as a consultant in West New York for several months when Roque was elected, he said, and Roque and several commissioners approached him this year about the new contract work.
"I work basically 24/7 in one role or another and it all gets done," Turner said. "I have become an expert in how local government works."
Despite the recent resignation of West New York's former business administrator, Turner is not acting in that role, a town spokeswoman said. Turner agreed, and added that his role will come at a cheaper cost than replacing the administrator would.
"They're saving the fringe benefits, and (my contract fee is) less than they were paying the previous administrator (at $196,000 a year)," he said. "This can be indeed more complicated and more intricate (than business administration)."
Friday, November 28, 2014
Weehawken Mayor Uses 'mob' Tactics to Intimidate Cop, Attorney Says
NJ.com, 26-Nov-14
By Kathryn Brenzel
A Weehawken police officer says Mayor Richard Turner is trying to intimidate him as well as witnesses in order to
silence his seven-year-old corruption claims against the township.
The attorney for Lt. Richard DeCosmis filed a motion on Nov. 14, claiming that the township is trying to fire DeCosmis from the township police department as "leverage to negotiate a favorable settlement," of his civil rights lawsuit or to drain him of his finances as court proceedings drag on, according to court documents.
The motion, filed in New Jerset federal court by attorney Louis Zayas, seeks to bar the township from firing DeCosmis and from disciplining witnesses who plan to testify in his trial, which will likely begin early next year. Zayas alleges that Turner and his "circle of political cronies" are trying to quash his client's corruption allegations by taking bogus disciplinary actions against DeCosmis and potential witnesses.
“This is outrageous. It’s not a matter of civil proceedings anymore. It’s criminal. It’s a mob,” Zayas said on Wednesday. “Mayor Turner and his political cronies are using government resources to go after those who report corruption.”
An attorney for the township, David Corrigan, called the motion "frivolous."
"These allegations are false. There's nothing to this," he said. "The only person who's trying to intimidate anyone is Mr. DeCosmis for filing this frivolous and false lawsuit."
He added that Zayas is well known for slinging mud at Hudson County officials. (He's represented several clients in litigation against Hudson County towns. He represents Assemblyman Carmelo Garcia in his latest lawsuit against Hoboken.)
"He says outlandish, reckless things to get his name in the newspaper," Corrigan said.
Turner would not comment on the case.
The motion is the latest development in litigation that has spanned seven years. DeCosmis filed his lawsuit in 2007, alleging that he faced retaliation after filing his first corruption lawsuit against the township.
In his 22 years on the force prior to 2007, DeCosmis hadn't faced any major discipline, Zayas said. But since he became involved in litigation against the township, he's faced three major disciplinary charges, the most recent of which claims he took excessive sick leave in 2012, according to the motion.
The motion seeks to bar Weehawken from taking any further action against DeCosmis and any township employee identified as a witness in his lawsuit. It also asks that independent investigators and hearing officers be appointed to review the disciplinary charges, alleging that they are "entirely retaliatory and without any scintilla of legitimacy."
Thursday, October 2, 2014
$120K Settlement with Former Tax Collector!
Former tax assessor said mayor overstepped bounds
By
Weehawken taxpayers will have to pay $120,000 for a legal settlement
with the town’s former tax collector, Joseph Fredericks. The township’s
agreement with Fredericks closed the book on a federal lawsuit in which
he alleged that Mayor Richard Turner overstepped his authority to
control every aspect of Weehawken’s daily operations, including the tax
assessment of certain luxury properties at “higher than legally
permitted rates.”
David Corrigan, Weehawken’s labor attorney,
said Fredericks’ lawsuit was “without merit” and denied that any
improper actions had been taken by Weehawken or its leadership. In
exchange for the settlement, Fredericks retired from the job. Corrigan
said the settlement agreement embodied “extraordinarily favorable terms”
for the township.
In addition, Corrigan noted that Fredericks’
attorney, Louis Zayas, who is based in North Bergen, has a history of
filing exaggerated claims against Hudson County municipalities. Zayas is
handling a number of cases of employees of local towns suing mayors.
But
according to Zayas, the lawsuit demonstrated that all decision-making
power in Weehawken ultimately flows through Turner, in contravention of
the town’s charter.
Turner has declined to speak on the record
about the case. The mayor is extremely popular in Weehawken. After being
appointed township manager by the state to help save the town from near
bankruptcy in 1982, he was elected mayor in 1990 and has held the post
ever since, running unopposed in the last three elections.
Twenty years
Joseph
Fredericks served as the tax collector of Weehawken from 1994 until
2014, when he resigned. In his 2012 complaint filed in federal district
court, Fredericks alleged that he regularly complained of unlawful and
improper activities undertaken by the township and Mayor Turner during
his tenure.
In particular, Fredericks asserted that Turner
interfered improperly in Weehawken’s assessment of property taxes. In a
sworn certification submitted in support of a lawsuit filed by Weehawken
Police Lt. Richard DeCosmis in 2010, Fredericks alleged that Turner had
told Tax Assessor Paul Sadlon to assess luxury waterfront properties at
a rate roughly 35 percentage points higher than was allowed in the
state formula.
Hugh
McGuire, Weehawken’s former real estate appraisal expert, also said
that Turner had pushed for higher added assessments, in a deposition in
the DeCosmis case. (DeCosmis was suing the township for what he said was
a longtime pattern of harassment against him).
According to the
complaint, Fredericks said he brought his concerns to Director of
Finance Richard Barsa and Town Manager James Marchetti numerous times.
In response, Fredericks alleged, Marchetti would always shrug and say
“It’s not up to me” or “What do you want me to do?”
Corrigan said
any allegations of illegally high taxes were plainly false. “The mayor
and council play a role in setting the tax rate, and frankly the tax
rates in Weehawken are moderate and that’s why [Turner] has been
reelected so many times.”
Back pay payback
In the
complaint, Fredericks said that when he gave a sworn certification for
Richard DeCosmis’s lawsuit against Weehawken in September 2010, this
triggered a barrage of retaliatory measures against him.
He said
the funding he had been given annually to attend tax collection seminars
and conferences was allegedly cut. Barsa allegedly required that all of
Fredericks’ future correspondence be approved by him or Weehawken CFO
Lisa Toscano.
Fredericks said he was allegedly excluded from
across-the-board raises given to Weehawken employees in 2010 and 2012.
In addition, Fredericks alleged that he was never paid the extra salary
he had been promised for taking over management of Weehawken’s tax
abatement program starting in 2009.
Finally, Fredericks said he
was told by Marchetti in a meeting that he was overpaid and that his
salary should be reduced. All of these actions taken together created a
hostile work environment, according to Fredericks.
Zayas said his
client had never been disciplined in his decades of service prior to
the retaliation that followed his deposition in the DeCosmis suit.
Mayors and managers
Behind
the allegations is a broader accusation about the level of influence
Turner exerts over the governance of Weehawken. According to Zayas,
Turner controls the town’s government in direct violation of Weehawken’s
municipal charter.
The township of Weehawken is organized as a
council-manager form of local government under New Jersey’s Faulkner
Act. The mayor serves concurrently as a councilperson-at-large, but
retains relatively few mayoral powers in addition to his legislative
responsibilities. A town manager appointed by the Township Council
serves as the chief executive of Weehawken, overseeing the day-to-day
operations of the government.
The Faulkner Act under which
Weehawken’s government is chartered forbids council members from seeking
“individually to influence the official acts of the municipal manager,
or any other officer… or to interfere in any way with the performance by
such officers of their duties.”
Corrigan said Turner has never
acted improperly as the mayor of Weehawken. “If he had ever done
anything improper, he would not be reelected,” said Corrigan.
Corrigan
confirmed that Turner had been involved in discussions with the tax
collector and tax assessor regarding the town’s tax rate, but said this
activity was not illegal, and directly benefited the city.
“There
is nothing that would preclude the council from working with a tax
collector to do what’s best for the town,” Corrigan added.
According
to Corrigan, Turner “lent his expertise…to ensure that taxes are
uniform and productive for all” and should be applauded “rather than to
be besmirched for working regarding the tax rate.”
Settlement terms
In
his settlement agreement with the city, Fredericks received a $15,000
salary increase back-dated to 2011 and 153 1/2 days of paid terminal
leave. Weehawken’s insurance company paid Fredericks $30,000 and Zayas
$45,000 in attorney’s fees.
According to Corrigan, Fredericks was making around $117,000 per year prior to his salary increase.
The
settlement granted to Fredericks is also notably smaller than the
amount of damages requested in the lawsuit. In a 2012 NJ.com article,
Zayas said that his client was seeking $1 million in punitive damages
and $250,000 in back pay.
In exchange for the payments,
Fredericks agreed to retire immediately once the agreement went into
effect and give up all future claims against Weehawken. The township
admitted no liability for the claims advanced in the lawsuit, which the
agreement described as “doubtful and disputed.”
The agreement was approved by the Township Council on May 14, 2014.
Since
Fredericks’ departure, said Corrigan, Weehawken’s tax collection has
been overseen by a part-time outside contractor at significant cost
savings to the town. When the town ultimately hires a new tax collector,
Corrigan said he or she would receive a significantly lower salary than
Fredericks, in part due to Fredericks’ seniority.
“I think we’re going to recoup the money within a year,” said Corrigan.
Saturday, August 23, 2014
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