Lyndhurst had pure justification to end the deal. EnCap had not held up its part of the bargain in finishing the construction of recreation fields for the township’s children, fields that were guaranteed to be ready for the start of this spring’s sports programs. Mayor Richard DiLascio has said he will not consider talking to EnCap or its successor (as it appears now, Donald Trump), until a check is handed over to finish the fields.

Rutherford’s mayor-elect, John Hipp, said he will make it one of his first priorities as well when he takes office in January to seek counsel and determine what legal steps are needed to get the borough out of its deal.

Here’s a little word of advice for the two towns as they move forward with Donald Trump or any other developer that sees gold in the Meadowlands: hold your ground. Although Hipp says housing will not be allowed under his rule and DiLascio would prefer ratables such as commercial property over a housing element, anything is possible as the future has always been unpredictable territory. We all want the landfills that have polluted our majestic backyard for decades to be cleaned, but let’s be careful what we sacrifice. There are lessons to be learned from how we have handled EnCap in the past.

This should be considered a starting over point: a time, if need be, to go back to the negotiating table and get what our towns deserve from developers. These developers aren’t here to remediate our land out of the goodness of their own hearts; they need to develop to make money.

First, hold the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission’s feet to the fire. The NJMC is the zoning authority for the district: make them prove to the public that the landfills can be remediated and that something can feasibly be built without putting the residents or employees that will live and work there years in the future in harm’s way.

Next, if a developer wants to talk to you about building in your town, assess what your residents and your town needs and insist on having it. You don’t owe a developer anything now. Insurance backers are nearly guaranteed to complete the landfill closure and EnCap has all but totally defaulted. If Trump or someone else comes here to build demand, he subsidizes you. The town does not subsidize him. Insist on proper school impacts, service upgrades and a fair tax plan that does not leave you holding the bag.