Incumbent mayor James Cassella a Republican will face sitting Democrat Councilman Gary Viccaro on Nov. 7 for the mayor’s seat. Two incumbent Republicans Joel Brizzi and Ed Ravettine, will run against two Democrats, Richard DeLauro and Carol Coronato.

Joel Brizzi (R)*

Running for: Borough Council

Family: Married to Jamie (Castiblanco) with one daughter, Raquel Alexa, and one son, Joel Taylor "JT." Father Louis and siblings, John and Lisa.

Education: Graduate of Becton Regional High School in 1983. Graduate of William Paterson College in 1988 with a bachelor of arts in business administration.

Employment: Owner of "The Water Store" in East Rutherford

Residence: Lifelong resident

Background: Councilman since 1996. Served on East Rutherford Public School Renovation Committee, East Rutherford Rent Leveling Board, Member of the East Rutherford Recreation Committee, Chairman of Recreation, Co-Chairman of Recycling, former Chairman of DPW and Police Department and Co-chair of Summer Concert Series. Coached East Rutherford Babe Ruth Baseball, T-Ball and softball and sponsor of East Rutherford Little League and Youth Soccer. He was Man of the Year of the Italian American Police Society in 1997 and president of the Italian American Forum in Lodi from 1995 to 1998. He is a parishioner of St. Joseph Church in East Rutherford.

James Cassella (R)*

Running for: Mayor

Age: 61

Family: Wife, Janice (Zazula), no children

Education: Graduated from Felician College and attended Fairleigh Dickinson University

Employment: With General Time for 35 years, now works as assistant executive director for the Rahway Valley Sewage Authority

Residence: Lifelong resident of East Rutherford

Background: Twelfth year as mayor, 11 years on borough council, four years on board of education and past president. Formerly coached recreation football and a member of the Drug and Alcohol Awareness Committee

Carol Coronato (D)

Running for: Borough Council

Age: 61

Family: Married 34 years, one son

Education: East Rutherford High School. Classes at the American Institute of Banking. Currently attending Felician College with 3.92CUM GPA.

Employment: Administrative assistant to a regional vice president at Wachovia Bank.

Residence: Lifelong resident of East Rutherford

Background: Former member and vice president of the East Rutherford Board of Education, chaired Project Gradiation for Becton Regional High School Class of 1994, former member and past secretary of the Parents Association, served as a team mother for various recreation and high school sports, member of CERT (Community Emergency Response Team), member of the Property Owners of East Rutherford, involved in the Women’s Political Organization and past treasurer, Municipal Committeewoman for East Rutherford, District 36 of Bergen County, former member of the North Jersey Business Volunteer Council, as a member representing Wachovia accepted Pinnacle Award at the fifth annual Good Business Awards reception.

Richard DeLauro (D)

Running for: Borough Council

Age: 63

Family: One daughter and one granddaughter. Divorced.

Education: Attended college in Nebraska, graduated from Montclair State. Graduated East Rutherford High School. Carlstadt grammar school.

Employment: Supervisor of custodial staff at the Bergen County Prosecutors Office in Paramus. Worked as head custodian for Becton Regional High School for 9.5 years.

Residence: 47 years in East Rutherford. Raised in Carlstadt.

Background: Served on the borough council for 18 years. He was a Little League and recreation football coach.

Edward Ravettine (R)*

Running for: Borough council

Age: 50

Family: Married to wife Patti Colbath with one daughter Amy Rae, age 9. Son of Louis and Pam. Brother of Patricia, Louis, David and Peter.

Education: Graduate of Becton High School class of 1974. Attended the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Employment: Retired businessman. Formerly owned Stinger’s restaurant in East Rutherford.

Residence: Born and raised in East Rutherford. Family in East Rutherford for over 65 years.

Background: Councilman since 1999 and served as president and co-chairman of the Summer Concert Series. Currently the public works chairman. Served as president of Board of Education in 1989 and Served on the East Rutherford Public Schools Renovation Committee. Elected to the Kipp Center Hall of Fame in 2007 for fundraising.

Gary Viccaro (D)

Running for: Mayor

Age: 49

Family: Wife, Maria

Education: Graduate of Paramus High School, attended Bergen Community College, apprentice for five years with the Sheet Metal Worker's Union.

Employment: Owner of Bagel Bistro in North Arlington

Background: Twice elected to the Borough Council, former president of the River Renaissance Condo Association. Also a member of threee labor unions: Retail Clerks Local 1262, Teamsters Local 617, and Sheet Metal Workers Local 28. Involved in the Sierra Club, Passaic River Coalition, and other organizations dedicated to animal welfare and ecology.

Officials across the political spectrum agree the borough has outgrown its police station and court facilities. How do you believe the borough should go about funding and constructing additional space for municipal
operations?

Brizzi: First of all I don't believe this should be a political issue. We have been looking into a new police headquarters for over two years but there are many considerations to weigh – not the least of which is cost. Our opposition has clouded the issue by making unrealistic proposals unsupported by any hard facts. Earlier this year, I, as police commissioner made a half-hour Power Point presentation to the council laying out all options for a police and court complex. At the time, the Sequa property seemed the most promising site for the complex. However, since that time, negotiations between the developer and the property owner have stalled. There are also contamination issues on the site as well. This mayor and council will make a decision soon as to the best option for the borough taxpayers. If the Sequa site does not work out, there are alternatives.

Cassella: The first concern is taxpayers. We need a plan that makes sense to taxpayers and we can’t rush into a new building right now. Certainly we are cramped for space at the current municipal building, but operations are not being impaired and services are still being provided to the public. As the borough starts receiving more revenue from Xanadu and Giants Stadium, we will be in a better position to afford a new police station without burdening taxpayers.

Coronato: I have been in favor of purchasing the Sequa property from the very beginning. The current administration told us that they did not have the money to purchase this property, but has continually bonded since then. One of the most important things that needs to be addressed is our infrastructure, and this includes a police station and municipal complex. A person's body runs from the inside out. It would work the same for our
town, the Police, Fire, EMT and the DPW, without them our town would be in shambles. It is a duty, as their employers, to provide a safe and proper work place.

DeLauro: A few years back, the Democrats and Republicans differed about the Sun Chemical property. A developer wanted to sell the property to the town to build a $9.5 million police station on the Sequa property. The Democrats were against it, the Republicans were for it. We suggested purchasing the whole property to put a complex with a police station and DPW. So far, neither has been done. The suggestion I made was to own the old Gallow Property, where the recycling center is. We could purchase the three properties and there we could have done a municipal complex. I still think that could be looked at. It doesn’t necessarily mean we have to do all these projects at once. One of the things I think they missed the boat on is to get an impact fee or a developer fee to purchase the property for us.

Ravettine: We’ve been working on this project for three years. We have some answers to a location, but we haven’t been getting the full support of the council. It is still on ongoing quest to build it. We’re forced to build a new police station because of the Xanadu project and the Giants/Jets stadium project. Of course, the PILOT program will come into play to help finance the construction of the police building and municipal court.

Viccaro: I was an early advocate of buying the Sequa property for construction of a new municipal complex, anchored by a state-of-the-art police headquarters. Instead, the Cassella Republicans insisted on bonding and borrowing for projects all over town. This has buried our taxpayers in a mountain of debt. Meanwhile, they came up with an illegal scheme to give a $9 million no-bid contract to a developer that wants to build even more residential units in our overcrowded community.

I remain dedicated to building a new police station at the Sequa location with funds available through the borough's existing bond capacity. I will also insist that Xanadu pay for all the municipal service it requires, starting with this central law enforcement and judicial facility. Instead of flushing away potential revenue as the incumbent has done, East Rutherford needs a mayor who will work for the people.

Brizzi: Our mayor and borough attorney have hammered out a very good agreement from the Sports Authority/Xanadu. We will start receiving payments next year and after the five years the borough will getting $16 million per year in revenue from both entities.

Contrary to the erroneous assertions of our opponents, the State of New Jersey does not pay property taxes in the normal manner in which homeowners and businesses do. We all agree they should be taxes. However there is recent case law on this matter (Town of Holmdel vs. The State of New Jersey) over the PNC Arts Center in which Holmdel’s claim that it should be able to tax the center even though it is on state property was denied by the court.

I believe our agreement with Xanadu will allow the borough to actually receive more tax revenue from in Lieu of Taxes than if we taxed Xanadu like other properties. Here is what I mean:

I would also like to see the state pay more attention to our road infrastructure needs and to the traffic Xanadu will bring.

Cassella: First you have to realize that when Xanadu is on line and fully operational after five years the borough will receive $16 million a year in revenue from the sports authority and Xanadu which is far more than what will be needed for services.

We will receive additional revenue from Giants-Jets stadium Yes we don't believe they should be tax exempt. However, the notion created by some that the borough is not getting adequate revenue from the Meadowlands is simply untrue in light of the fact that the property is owned by the state and is property tax exempt as it is on all properties owned by the State of New Jersey. The critics are simply not telling the truth. There is no way to force the state to pay full property taxes. Mr. DeLauro and his running mates tried going to court on this matter on a number of occasions, the most recent being a few years ago and were rejected . This tax exemption has been challenged on numerous occasions and each time the results have been the same. Whether we agree with it or not the courts have ruled that they are tax exempt.

Coronato: That is exactly it, we need to have some input. The current mayor and attorney for East Rutherford were the one's who spoke for the town and they have no negotiating skills. East Rutherford should be getting their fair share which would be 100 percent tax because Xanadu is a mega mall. Instead we are again getting PILOT payments which will not even cover the cost we will incur for providing emergency services, EMT, fire and police. What will happen to our residents when the EMTs are spending all their time at the ski slope at Xanadu for people who are injured. Our town will suffer at the expense of Xanadu again.

DeLauro: I always felt that this was a second chance for the borough of East Rutherford to get full taxes from it. They had to negotiate a PILOT project. The mayor is talking about the Giants/Jets stadium. That’s a $500 million project and we should be receiving taxes on that. Xanadu is going to be a $2.2 billion project and I think the taxpayer in Bergen County is getting shortchanged because this is private industry. This is out and out a mega-mall. I haven’t heard anybody speak about the school system. A certain amount of money should be put aside strictly for the board of education. Whether it goes to the borough or the board of education, all of these projects will have an impact. Just as EnCap and the towns negotiated, East Rutherford should do that.

Ravettine: I believe we put together a group of people to represent us in negotiations and I believe they did a great job. There’s some negotiations on sewer connections and pump station negotiations. The Giants/Jets Stadium is still being negotiated. I believe the mayor and their professionals are doing an excellent job to make sure East Rutherford is getting their fair share.

Viccaro: Receiving from the sports complex in exchange for their demands on our municipal services a greater share of our tax revenue would allow East Rutherford to remain one of the lowest tax rates in the state. Unfortunately, either incompetence or corruption on the part of our current administration has prevented residents from enjoying this benefit.

The Cassella administration flushed away our right to collect taxes on 100 percent of the value of property used for private corporations as well as the full charge for sewer hook ups and services. This right was won in a lawsuit, but Cassella renegotiated it anyway.  As I said in a recent news release, I would not have negotiated and would just send them a tax bill.

Brizzi: We need to continue to attract responsible, low impact ratables, such as luxury hotels and business that don't put a significant drain on our services.

We also need to continue to control spending. We have taken an approach to only spend monies on projects that add to property values and the quality of life of the community such as the Park Avenue streetscape, the improved recreation fields, our Fireman’s Park and other parks in town. We do not condone spending lavishly on the needs of special interests.

Cassella: We will continue what we have been doing which has allowed us to have the lowest property taxes in Bergen County. Prudent development and managed growth are a big part of our ability to cut taxes. We have added $48 million in new ratables to the community, thereby expanding the tax base. That new tax revenue allows us to make recreation and infrastructure improvements and stabilize or even cut taxes as we did this year.

Going forward, the key to tax stabilization will be managing the transformation of our older industrial sites to new commercial sites, limited housing development and living within our means. We will make improvements but every department will have to be cost conscious.

Coronato: Of course we want to maintain stable taxes but we are scheduled for a revaluation and will have to visit this issue when the time comes.

DeLauro: We would have to take a look at how our money is being spent because next year, a revaluation is going to take affect. Even though our rate will go down, there will be an increase in what people pay. Our last chance to stabilize the rate is to get additional taxes from Xanadu and the Sports Complex.

Ravettine: As we’ve done in the past, we’re very tight with overtime for employees. We do just not give out appointed jobs to create jobs. We continue to attract good ratables, like the Federal Reserve, Loews and Marshalls. We will continue to bring positive ratables to the town with the least amount of impact on our services.

Viccaro: Do not be awed by the election-year tax cut gimmick that was designed to fool voters, because taxes have doubled in East Rutherford since James Cassella became mayor. The 19 point- tax hike last year provided part of the surplus that was used to create this scam. Plus homeowners are in for a shocking tax increase when the borough conducts a revaluation, which Cassella has delayed for political purposes.

The three most important issues facing East Rutherford today are dealing with over development, getting our fair share from Xanadu and the new Giant/Jets stadium and eliminating government corruption.  If we effectively respond to these three challenges, taxpayers will be richly rewarded. Instead of addressing the first two problems, my opponent has sold out to developers and given Xanadu a free ride because he got a taxpayer funded $75,000 pension-padding job.

Brizzi: The affordable housing rules in New Jersey serve the interests of no one but lawyers and builders. The state needs to scrap its affordable housing laws and start over. I am 100 percent opposed to any effort by the state to inundate our town with high density, low income housing, especially as a result of the increased need from the construction of Xanadu. The state’s formula regarding housing need for Xanadu is ridiculous. I along with the mayor and Councilman Ed Ravettine will not allow the state to destroy the character of this community by building a mini-city in the meadowlands. Such overbuilding as demanded by the state and the courts will drive up taxes for our homeowners and clog our streets with traffic.

There is a misconception by some borough residents that new affordable housing construction will help our East Rutherford residents. But it will not. The majority of the people in our town that think they could benefit from affordable housing wouldn't qualify for that housing under the state’s income guidelines. And there is no way to guarantee that our residents would get first crack at the housing units. The entire affordable housing system needs to be revisited and a new approach is needed.

Cassella: The affordable housing rules in New Jersey are a mess and need to be reworked from top to bottom. I oppose any effort by the state to inundate our town with high density, low income housing. I will not allow the state to destroy the character of this community. Nor will I allow existing homeowners to be punished by paying more for services and improvements to satisfy the whims of judges and the greed of developers. You cannot create affordable housing by overbuilding and you cannot create it by raising taxes on existing homeowners.

We have to continue to lobby our state legislators to change affordable housing laws that now serve the builders’ interests not the taxpayers’ interests. I would recommend that -- instead of the builders remedy to create affordable housing -- the state institute a revolving loan program to give first-time home buyers and those is real need the opportunity to buy an existing home at below market interest rates. That would be fairer for everyone. Remember people are leaving New Jersey in record numbers. Recent surveys show that 49 percent of the people living in New Jersey want to leave because it is too congested and too costly. Is it any wonder that people want to leave when the state comes up with plans that add to the congestion and overbuilding -- and which only add to tax burden.

Coronato: East Rutherford, as well as surrounding towns, are losing that small town feel because of overdevelopment. Creating the right mix for East Rutherford, one- and two-family homes is our goal. To address the issue of Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), our vision is to create a Senior Housing Development, and an East Rutherford Housing Authority. Seniors who can no longer afford to maintain their homes and wish to stay in East Rutherford will have that opportunity.

DeLauro: For a long time, no one has taken a look at the Master Plan, which controls zoning. The planning board and the mayor and council should start reviewing our Master Plan. We would make suggestions that zoning done in the past should be revisited. Some of our multiple-family units should be rezoned to try and put in one- and two-family units in their spots and some older factories that need to be town down, because the character of our town is going toward Condo City. If elected, the new mayor and council will take a look at the Master Plan. We should have a housing authority and try and put on some pieces of property senior housing. Strictly senior housing, not multiple-use types of things. Under current COAH requirements, we could use senior housing to meet half of our COAH requirements. We then could put affordable COAH housing as we construct one- and two-family homes.

Ravettine: If I were to be re-elected, I would work very hard to find a developer to create affordable housing in East Rutherford for the borough’s citizens. It seems the state doesn’t know what they want. Our borough and the whole area is going to benefit from Xanadu. With Xanadu going in and all these jobs, we have to have so many units and that burden falls on the borough of East Rutherford right now. Judge Harris and the state are trying to work out who should share the burden with the borough.

Viccaro: The Cassella administration has ignored the mandate that East Rutherford provide affordable housing and now we are in jeopardy of having low-income residents forced upon us in even more high density housing.  To avert this possibility, I would seek reparations from the developers that have profited by construction.

We would create an East Rutherford Housing Authority to develop affordable housing for senior citizens who want to remain in town. This would give us some control over the nature of the property and the selection of residents, to give preference to East Rutherford citizens.