To the Editor: 

As the end of my term of office as mayor of Rutherford draws near I wish to thank the residents of our beloved borough for giving me the opportunity to get to know them and to serve them. I wish to thank those  I appointed to our many volunteer committees and those I served with as colleagues on the dais for their commitment to Rutherford.  I wish to thank those devoted to serving the borough--our volunteers in our fire department, ambulance corps, our recreation department and our borough employees.

 It was a privilege to serve and run with men of great integrity like Councilman Ray Frazier and Councilman Richard Reyes. I  give Mayor-Elect John Hipp and Council members-elect John Sasso and Rose Inguanti my best wishes as they embark on their journey of service to the residents of Rutherford.

 To all Rutherford residents I wish the comfort and joy of a Happy Holiday season and peace in the New Year.

  Mayor Bernadette P. McPherson

Rutherford

Iraq War needs better press

To the Editor:

As an Iraq War veteran I am thrilled with the progress occurring in Baghdad and Al Anbar province, as a result of the surge. In Baghdad shops and markets are open late again, children are playing soccer in the parks. In Al Anbar province foreign Al Qaeda forces have been chased out, captured or killed with the help of local residents. Insurgent groups have been co-opted by concerned citizen groups, helping U.S. forces learn the enemy’s tactics and taking charge of checkpoints.

With such positive momentum, it’s a shame that the same media outlets that, for too long, have force-fed us nothing but bad news on their front pages and our television screens are terribly inconsistent in covering all of the good news with the same prevalence. All of my fellow Iraq War veterans that I remain in contact with are hopeful that the progress we’re seeing in Iraq will begin to get the prominent coverage it deserves.

Vince Micco

Rutherford

Hope for more changes

To the Editor: 

The outcome of the Rutherford local election I hope is a sign that the new administration will bring a fiscal responsibility that cannot be solved with real estate tax increases that put undue burden on many homeowners. I also hope that the administration brings back the very popular Sunday library hours that was a huge success last year. It is unconscionable to me that with the increased tax burden thrown on the town that the prior administration reduced the funding to keep this library open on Sunday. I understand that the Rutherford library is heads above any library in this area and even without the Sunday hours its accessibility was second to none but why cut something that is enjoyed by many of us who feel there is an alternative to watching 22 grown men run into each other otherwise called football. I would also like to point out the library staff at the Rutherford library is as knowledgeable, patient, and understanding as you will find.  They go way beyond my expectations and are a valuable resource that I feel the new administration will realize and hopefully bring back the Sunday hours.

 An article that also caught my attention focused on the below average rating the local high schools received with regard to the arts in education programs available to the students. This is extremely disturbing in light of the fact the cultural center of America is a mere 10 miles away. One of the most popular events at most high schools and even elementary schools is the annual school musical.  This event is well attended and has a  high student participation rate. Living in Lyndhurst if a particular school is not sponsoring some kind of cultural event most students past the age of six find almost no alternative but to participate in some sporting event. Sports participation is fine but there should be a balance in one's life and many of these towns should be more pro active in this area. I know that Lyndhurst has many bus trips to Manhattan during the year to see a Broadway show but looking close most of these are either on a weekday night or for the Wednesday matinee.  Why can't the town organize a trip for a Saturday or Sunday matinee during the spring or even the summer? This would give many students an opportunity to participate in an experience that I find lacking in Lyndhurst. My daughter was lucky enough when attending Lyndhurst High School last year that there were teachers who organized school trips to museums in Manhattan and the response was very favorable for the students who went on these trips. The one recurring comment was that for many this was there first time that they visited a museum and for some their first time in Manhattan. I was a little surprised by this but outside a school experience the only push you see in Lyndhurst is how many sports do you participate in. I would like to see the town take a more progressive attitude in the arts and with the funds the town is receiving for football parking how about allocating some of this to the arts.

 My last point is with all the changes in the local governments that happened at the last election and with Lyndhurst having decided they are now Democrats I leave you with the words of the American essayist Will Rogers who was asked are you a member of any organized political party and he answered I am not I am a Democrat.  Good night Gracie.

 John Tyskewicz

Lyndhurst

District 36 Reps must support local merchants

To the Editor:

The Xanadu project has been forced upon East Rutherfordians. The impact of Xanadu will mean increasing traffic on roads that are already overburdened and engaged in gridlock during peak hours. In addition, the environmental impact will mean increasingly polluted air from carbon dioxide emissions. Furthermore, East Rutherford Place may be held liable for the cost of increased police, fire, and emergency services at the Xanadu site and surrounding area. Nevertheless, there is one thing the Xanadu project will not provide for East Rutherford: Increased business for local merchants.

Based on its population, East Rutherford already has the maximum number of liquor establishments allowed by law, mostly via local restaurants. Yet, the State is going to allow upwards of 20 additional licenses to be granted at the Xanadu site for a fee of $2,000 per year. However, the value of a liquor license in East Rutherford has been estimated as upward of $650,000.

At present, at least one bill is being discussed in the Assembly that will address this issue. Local establishments believe this bill, A3280, will not serve them. The bill has previously been passed in the Senate as S2040, but may require revisions, once the Assembly bill is marked up and passed.

East Rutherford will not benefit from the Xanadu project; the consequences will only be negative. It is up to the State legislature to address this issue. Those who represent East Rutherford in the State Legislature must do what is right, and now.

There will be no later excuse for members of the State Legislature to say they did the best they could. The history of the Xanadu project is worse than that of Encap. It will drain local and state resources and benefit large corporations at the expense of the community.

Salvatore Pizzuro

East Rutherford

To the police, fire dept. and EMS

To the Editor:

Another year has come and gone and I want to personally thank all of the police auxiliary, fire department and EMS for the outstanding job they have done and continue to do and every day, They are an asset to our growing community and I am very proud of all them.

I with them and their families all the very best this holiday season and happy and healthy New Year.

Commissioner Robert B, Giangeruso

Director of Public Safety, Lyndhurst

EnCap has a lot to answer for

To the Editor: 

The emergence of developer Donald Trump as a new player in the EnCap saga coupled with the state legislature's call for public hearings only clutters and complicates the redevelopment tragedy here in the Meadowlands.

 While the emergence of the Trump Organization may be a viable alternative to EnCap Holdings as a step in the right direction, the real issue is what will truly change as it applies to Lyndhurst, North Arlington and Rutherford?

 Here in North Arlington, this governing body has been on record in opposition to the Arlington Valley project since 2006. The question is not who is the developer of record, the question is what will be built, who will pay for infrastructure costs and what will be the net benefit to the homeowners of North Arlington?

 As mayor, this is my only concern.

 Since 2006, I have formally requested a federal inquiry into the EnCap debacle.

 As a lifetime law enforcement official and retired North Arlington police officer, I am disturbed as to how a project of this magnitude and cost has gone unmonitored and unchecked by the state of New Jersey. It is my opinion that a credible third party proceed in a formal investigation of the events that have led us to the place we find ourselves today. Hearings by the state legislature at this time are too little and too late.

 This is a classic case of closing the barn door after the horses have already left the stables!

 North Arlington has asked for the state's help in the past only to be denied a fair hearing. We were denied like Rutherford the proper and necessary financial assistance.

 As a councilman, I voted against the Developers Agreement as well as the municipal budgets that appropriated these dollars to artificially decrease the municipal tax rate.

 I was right then and I am right now. I will not mortgage away North Arlington's future to save a flawed agreement with a new developer. The actions by EnCap along with their propensity to litigate and sue the very communities they claim they want to partner with has gone on long enough. The mountains of evidence exposed by The Record is more than enough reason to move forward with a real probe of this embarrassment that is at the root of the 33% tax hike imposed on my community.

 The results of the election were clear and without ambiguity. The people want EnCap out and we in North Arlington want to be able to negotiate our own redevelopment plan in the Meadowlands. Anything less is just irresponsible public policy.

Mayor Pete Massa

North Arlington

Thanks for the support

To the Editor:

I would like to thank the members of the high school community who took the time to call, write or e-mail us after reading about the unusual behavior one of the board members exhibited at the Nov. 14 public meeting at Becton high school. A board member used his digital camera to record images of those staff members who attended and or spoke at that meeting. The importance of having tenure laws for teachers was never more evident after that night. Teachers spoke to support the negotiations process and to encourage the board to make the necessary commitments to the staff that serves the district. No one should have to deal with an elected member that uses intimidation and bullying tactics like the one we saw that evening. Board members are elected by their communities to serve the district and are bound by a Code of Ethics. Desired changes should be brought about only through legal and ethical procedures, board members are not school administrators nor should their actions compromise the board in any way. I believe that the actions of that one board member does not reflect the intent of the entire board, but has put many of our non-tenured teachers in an awkward position. As the president of the Becton Education Association, I sadly must advise all non-tenured staff members not to attend board meetings even if they live in Carlstadt or East Rutherford because this board does not censure its own cohorts. Not one board member contacted me to apologize for this "bizarre" behavior and so I must now follow up with an action to defend our right to speak freely at public meetings so long as we present ourselves in a professional manner.

Again, I would like to thank the parents, administrators, local politicians and community leaders who were quick to comment on the events of Nov. 14. Now maybe the community has gained some insight into why the negotiations proceedings here at the high school (like at the ER grammar schools) takes so long.

Dorothy Maggio

president, Becton Education Association

Education reform won’t work

To the Editor:

Governor Corzine has a plan to revamp education funding. It appears to be just more smoke and mirrors. The sales pitch is "the current model leaves too many children out of luck simply because they live in the wrong ZIP code" Pithy, but meaningless as far as the overburdened property taxpayer is concerned.

Two of the many problems with the plan are the continued reliance upon using a community’s aggregate wealth to determine aid and thinking $400 million to $500 million in increased aid will begin to make a dent in sky-high property taxes. And that is what is driving this so-called reform.

The idea that low-income students living in a wealthy district merit less aid than those in a poor district reveals the inherent contradiction of a needs-based plan governed by a community’s average income. Why should a needy student be penalized because he lives in the wrong ZIP code? Wait, isn’t that what is driving the governor’s thinking? How can he say he is helping those who live in the wrong ZIP code when he is penalizing an otherwise identical child because he lives in the wrong ZIP code? Confused? Our leaders depend upon us not thinking too deeply about these things.

The governor promises more education aid. But he has also guaranteed Abbott districts will not see reductions in aid and might even see an increase. Using $450 million and dividing by 600 districts, you get $750,000 each. That would be 0.6% of the Middletown Twp. education budget and 0.4% of the entire property tax bill. Anymore need to be said?

The real problem with high property taxes is they have nothing to do with ability to pay. Education must be supported entirely by the state with a dedicated income tax. Then funding based on individual student needs would be based solely upon those criteria and it would not matter which ZIP code one lives in.

John C. Hendrickson

Red Bank