Menza to be sworn is as mayor after winning recount

June 26, 2009 | 17 comments so far, add yours here comment

Joseph Menza will be sworn in as Hillside’s new mayor on July 1 after winning a last-minute recount last week by seven votes.

Menza, who won the runoff election against Councilman Jerome Jewell earlier this month by just one machine vote and several absentee and provisional ballots, will take office at noon on Wednesday, July 1 at the municipal building.

The recount, which was requested by Jewell, resulted in Menza losing one paper vote, which officials said was invalid because of extra markings.

While Menza won the mayor’s office, the council remains under the control of the Hillside Democratic Committee by a veto-proof 5-2 margin.

The council is already flexing its partisan muscle by scheduling the annual organization meeting for 6 p.m. on July 1, four hours after the swearing-in ceremony. In the past, and in most communities, newly elected officials are sworn in during the organization meetings.

Filed under: » Mayor/Council '09, Township Hall
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Ethics ruling against former school board member read at meeting

June 26, 2009 | No comments so far, leave yours here comment

The state ethics commission decision ruling that former Hillside school board member Elbert Smith be suspended for six months for ethics violations was read publicly at a recent board meeting and the decision must be posted at the board office where public notices are usually displayed, officials said.

In April, Smith lost his bid for re-election, thereby making his suspension moot. Smith had appealed the ruling but the state commissioner of education backed the School Ethics Commission’s determination that Smith overstepped his bounds as a school board member to undermine the high school principal, who was his wife’s boss.

MORE:
• State ed. commissioner upholds ruling against school board member

Filed under: » In the Schools
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It’s over — for Jewell; provisional votes solidify Menza win

June 11, 2009 | 42 comments so far, add yours here comment

STAR-LEDGER:

After counting provisionals, the unofficial vote totals in Tuesday’s runoff for mayor showed Menza receiving 1,710 votes, eight more than Jewell, an incumbent councilman and Newark police detective who garnered 1,702 votes. MORE

Filed under: » Mayor/Council '09
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Menza scores upset in mayor’s race

June 10, 2009 | 30 comments so far, add yours here comment

STAR-LEDGER

The third time appeared to be the charm for businessman Joseph Menza, who upset Jerome Jewell Jr., the candidate backed by the Hillside Democratic Committee, to become mayor of Hillside last night by a margin of only six votes. . .

The township race attracted statewide attention, with gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker making campaign calls on behalf of Menza and Jewell, respectively. . . MORE

Filed under: » Hillside Votes '09, Mayor/Council '09
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Menza has razor-thin lead over Jewell

June 9, 2009 | 14 comments so far, add yours here comment

Realtor Joseph Menza is leading Councilman Jerome Jewell by just six votes in Tuesday’s runoff election for mayor and three at-large council seats.

Menza, however, was not able to carry his council runningmates, meaning the Democratic committee will still control all but two seats on the seven-member council.

People in the Menza camp are attributing the council defeat to the “Deo vote.” Councilman Frank Deo, who ran with Jewell, seems to have been popular in some of the same districts Menza won.

The fight, which has included a four-way race for mayor in last month’s nonpartisan election, may not be over. Jewell and the Hillside Democratic Committee may contest a handful of provisional ballots, or votes recorded on paper rather than in the voting machine because of discrepancies with the voter rolls.

Deo leads the council race with 1706, while Angela Garretson got 1663 and President Carlisle got 1571.

On the Menza slate, Joseph Puglise got 1529, George Cook III got 1503 and Jean Miller got 1460.

Filed under: » Hillside Votes '09, Mayor/Council '09
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Jewell declines to explain $10,400 contribution

May 31, 2009 | 66 comments so far, add yours here comment

Mayoral candidate Jerome Jewell declined a challenge by rival Joseph Menza to address why his campaign received a $10,400 political contribution from something called the Democratic Governors Association and $5,000 from USPO in Elizabeth.

Menza campaign manager John O’Shea told PolitickerNJ: “One might ask what possible interest could the National Democratic Governors Association have in little Hillside. Once it’s determined who the USPO is, a determination of the reason for their involvement can also be made.”

Jewell and Menza face off in a runoff on Tuesday, June 9. Menza has been endorsed by the two other mayoral candidates who fell short in the May vote, former school board member Andre Daniels and Councilwoman Shelley-Ann Bates.

Filed under: » Hillside Votes '09
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Teen Spring Challenge at W.O.K on Friday

May 28, 2009 | No comments so far, leave yours here comment

Walter O. Krumbiegel Middle School will host a Teen Spring Challenge at the school at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 29.

There will be special presentations by Hillside resident Greg Hines, author of “The Boy Who Wanted Too Much” and record producer and owner of HardKandy Records Inc., as well as district substance abuse coordinator Melba Mullins, also of the Hillside Municipal Alliance.

Filed under: » Calendar, In the Schools
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Chamber of Commerce looks to honor vets

May 28, 2009 | No comments so far, leave yours here comment

The Hillside Chamber of Commerce will hold their annual Preview of Summer Picnic at the Municipal Pool on Thursday, June 18 at 5:30 p.m.. All members and honorees are invited for free; guests are asked to pay $20 per person. Reservations can be made by mailing your information to the Hillside Chamber of Commerce, Post Office Box 954, Hillside, New Jersey 07205 by June 15.

Chamber president John Kruse and Program Vice President Ann Marie Kostakos have announced that this year the Chamber would like to honor Hillside residents who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Please contact Kruse at 908-964-6659 or Kostakos at 908-351-2600 by June 1, 2009 with the names of any Hillside servicemen or women.

Filed under: » Calendar
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State ed. commissioner upholds ruling against school board member

May 23, 2009 | 3 comments so far, add yours here comment

The state’s top education official last week upheld the School Ethics Commission’s finding that former school board member Elbert Smith violated several school ethics rules and upheld the panel’s recommendation that he be suspended for six months.

The suspension may now be a moot point, however, because Hillside voters last month kicked Smith out of office.

In November, the commission ruled that Smith committed four ethics violations between 2006 and 2007 by overstepping his bounds as a board member and undermining the authority of the principal of Hillside High School, where his wife still works as a teacher, as well as the authority of the superintendent.

Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: » In the Schools
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$orry: State says Hillside must return $426G

May 23, 2009 | 4 comments so far, add yours here comment

The state says the Township of Hillside must return $426,126 inadvertently placed in an Urban Enterprise Zone account over the last three years.

Hillside is not alone. Dozens of other municipalities are being asked to return over $40.2 million that was given to them in error.

Local officials around the state are seething at the money-grab, saying it will affect projects and programs already in the works. Star-Ledger has MORE.

Filed under: » Township Hall
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Hillside to observe Memorial Day with ceremony Monday morning

May 23, 2009 | No comments so far, leave yours here comment

The Township of Hillside will hold a Memorial Day ceremony at 11 a.m. Monday at the Municipal Building to honor veterans whose lives were lost.

The Hillside High School ROTC and Hillside Police Department Honor Guard will participate.

Members of the Township Council and District 29 legislators state Sen. Teresa Ruiz, Assemblyman Albert Coutinho and Assemblywoman Grace Spencer are expected to attend.

A list of servicemen from Hillside who never returned is usually read aloud.

Filed under: » Calendar
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Watchers win another one: No form required for public record request

May 22, 2009 | 1 comment so far, add yours here comment

STAR-LEDGER:

A state appeals court today struck down the use of standardized request forms many towns and counties require citizens to fill out to view public records, saying letters, faxes and even e-mails containing the specific request suffice under the state’s Open Public Records Act. MORE

Filed under: » County Watchers
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Union County plans to keep an eye on itself

May 19, 2009 | 1 comment so far, add yours here comment

STAR-LEDGER:

Union County has created an audit bureau to conduct internal investigations and monitor internal controls for the county government’s 2,000-member work force. . .

Tina Renna, whose website, the County Watchers, bills itself as citizen watchdogs of Union County government, dismissed the new office as “silly.”

Renna said the office will “be used for two things: as a weapon against internal enemies, and as a public relations tool. It’s like putting the fox in charge of the henhouse. How objective can they be?” MORE

Filed under: » County Watchers
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Hillside police gets $150,000 for helping IRS

May 19, 2009 | 11 comments so far, add yours here comment

STAR-LEDGER:

Assigning one Hillside police officer to a federal task force investigating suspicious financial activity has netted the township more than $150,000. . .

Hillside plans to use $100,000 to buy three new police cars for its fleet. “Radio cars are a perishable item,” said Police Chief Robert Quinlan, who said his search for outside sources of funding prompted the department to participate in the effort. “It’s difficult for the township to buy new cars every year,” he said. MORE

Filed under: » Police Blogger
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Newark detective/Hillside resident gets jail for aiding drug ring

May 19, 2009 | 1 comment so far, add yours here comment

ASSOCIATED PRESS:

Suspended Newark police detective Michelle Davis, convicted of aiding a northern New Jersey drug ring, has been sentenced to a year in federal prison for conspiracy and money laundering. . .

In announcing Monday’s sentencing, prosecutors said the 37-year-old Hillside resident helped ringleader Rasheem Small launder money by registering one of his vehicles in her name and writing a check for his home improvements in exchange for cash. . . MORE

Filed under: » Police Blogger
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