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The Hillside Township Council last night elected 3rd Ward Councilman John Kulish as its president and 1st Ward Councilman Edward Brewer as vice president.
KULISH |
Councilman-at-large Leonard Gilbert did not seek another term as council president, just as he had promised last week.
Neither Kulish — a registered Republican allied with the Democratic machine — nor Brewer are up for election next year. Could this be a plan to keep the at-large candidates, whose terms expire next spring, under low profile to avoid taking the blame for this year’s (and last’s) property tax increase?
As expected, the two independent council members, the 2nd Ward’s Shelley-Ann Bates and the 4th Ward’s Gerald “Pateesh” Freedman, were not appointed to any council committees.
It has long been a show of force by the majority party on the council and Board of Education to excluded opposition members from committees, although the practice seems a bit odd. First of all, being on a committee isn’t fun. It means extra work and extra meetings. Secondly, all final decisions are made by the full council or school board, not by a committee. And finally, not being on any committee sure makes it a lot easier to sit back and be the critic.
In any event, President Kulish told Freedman and Bates not to be concerned about the lack of assignments, promising them they’d be kept busy “up to their necks” in the upcoming year.
In other news:
Richard Bauch, of Democratic moneybag firm Schenck, Price, Smith & King, and Kathy Hatfield are in as Personnel Attorneys
Robert Renaud was reappointed as Special Tax Appeal Attorney
Steve Rogut is the Bond Attorney
Samuel Manigault is the Public Defender
Francis McIntyre is in a Special Township Attorney for the Board of Health
Harbor Consultants are still the Township Engineers
Ed Kologi and Michael Simitz are Special Township Attorneys
Daniel McCarthy is Special Township Attorney
Robert Varady, a resident of King Street, is the ABC attorney
Diane Rowe was reappointed as Deputy Township Clerk
Supee, Clooney and Co. are the auditors again
Anthony L. Acampora, M.D., who Kulish noted was his doctor, was appointed to complete all pre-employment physicals
Hugh Keffer is the night prosecutor and Lara DiFabrizio is the day prosecutor
Adam Samiec was brought on again as an engineering consultant.
Appointments to boards included the usual suspects:
Local Assistance Board: Rev. Nancy Ruckert and Ann Kaufman
Board of Health: Alan Zimmerman, Rosemary McClave, Debbie Stroud
Zoning Board of Adjustment: Joe Miskiewicz, Nagy Sileem, Chales Watts
Swimming Pool Commission: Paula Reico
Community Recreation Advisory Council: Frederick Bloomfield
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With so many lawyers on the township payroll — and one more seeking to join it — it was only a matter of time before Hillside’s township government tried suing itself.
Mayor Karen McCoy-Oliver this week threatened to take the Township Council to court to settle the question of who has the authority to appoint the township attorney: she or the council.
Under Hillside’s mayor-council form of government, the mayor makes appointments subject to council approval and oversight — a point the the council stresses.
But the mayor, who attended this week’s council meeting for the first time in about 18 months, insists it’s up to her, and offered Marc Garfinkle as candidate for Township Attorney.
The township already retains eight other lawyers. That’s EIGHT.
One — Acting Township Attorney Christine Burgess, whom the mayor appointed in May but urged to resign in June after more bitter disagreements with the council. The council criticized Burgess after she was appointed, but sang her praises after she tried to resign. The council has kept her on to finish work she supposedly started.
Two — “Legislative research officer” Craig Dowd, who the council appointed in 2006 to snub then Township Attorney Dwayne Warren, an ally and cousin of the mayor. Dowd is probably who the council wants as attorney. Dowd makes $45,000 per year in this role.
Three — Daniel McCarthy, of Rogut, McCarthy LLC, serves as the attorney specializing in economic development and planning. He earns $125 an hour, not to exceed $17,500 for the year. Mr. McCarthy also serves as bond attorney at $20,000 per year.
Four — Bruce Bergen, of Krevsky, Silber, Brown & Bergen, was appointed special township attorney in July for a total of $15,000.
Five — Francis McIntyre, of McIntyre & Kirshenbaum, is special township attorney for the Board of Health at $8,500 per year.
Six — King Street resident Robert Varady, of LaCorte Bundy Varady & Kinsella, is the ABC attorney at $15,000 per year.
Seven — Richard Bauch, of Schenk, Price, Smith & King, is the contract negotiations attorney for a total of $65,000 per year.
Eight — Michael Simitz, of Kologi & Simitz, was appointed this month on an “as needed basis,” just in case a “conflict” prevents the township attorney (whoever that is) from doing his or her or their job. He will get $125 an hour, not to exceed $17,500 for the year.
It should be noted that Hillside’s municipal tax went up 6 percent this year.
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On the campaign trail she promised to be an independent voice in Town Hall — and on her first day on the job, 2nd Ward Councilwoman Shelley-Ann Bates did just that.
Bates, along with three other ward councilmen who won re-election in May, were sworn in this afternoon in an annual reorganization meeting which tended to spare the niceties between rival factions.
“I can see that my colleague is already making her presence felt,” said 4th Ward Councilman Gerald “Pateesh” Freedman, agreeing with Bates to abstain on the votes to appoint Councilman-at-Large Leonard Gilbert as council president and 3rd Ward Councilman John Kulish as vice president.
SHELLEY-ANN BATES: Newest council member. |
Both Bates and Freedman — no longer the lone independent on the Democratic majority council — said many items on the re-organization agenda were placed there without prior discussion.
“I didn’t get the necessary communication to make an educated vote,” said Bates, who often abstained on votes to appoint top fire department officials, township attorneys and members to local boards and committees.
With Bates on the council, the political makeup of the seven-member body changes slightly. Bates defeated Democratic machine-backed incumbent Deborah Stroud in a June runoff, bringing the total of independents on the council to two. Party Chairwoman Charlotte DeFilippo still maintains a veto-proof five-member majority.
Also sworn in were 3rd Ward Councilman John Kulish and 1st Ward Councilman Edward Brewer.
In May’s nonpartisan race, Kulish eked out a four-vote margin over Joseph Puglise, who ran on a slate with Joseph Menza running in the 2nd Ward and school board member John O’Shea in the 1st Ward.
Freedman creamed former school board members Sip Whitaker, who also ran as an independent, and Beverly Lynn, who ran with unofficial support from the Democratic organization.
In the runoff, Bates received support from the other challengers seeking Stroud’s seat: former mayoral candidate Joseph Menza, Myrna Wiessman and Toy-Ling Washington. Mayor Karen McCoy-Oliver, a Democrat who is now on the outs with the machine, also backed Bates in the runoff.
COUNCIL BRIEFS
Resolutions appointing fire department officials:
- Dominick Naples as Fire Chief effective Aug. 1 at $127,096.
- William Pellettiere as Deputy Fire Chief effective Aug. 1 at $117,682.
- Thomas S. Corso and Jude M. DeLane as Deputy Fire Chiefs at $117,682.
- Thomas Mateer and Jeffrey Albrecht as Fire Captains at $94,460.
- John Pienciak as Fire Captain effective Aug. 1 at $94,460.
- Richard Vonden Steinen as Training Officer at 94,460.
Appointments by resolutions:
- Robert Renaud of Palumbo and Renaud as special tax appeal attorney for a total of $95,000 per year.
- Steve Rogut of Rogut and McCarthy as bond attorney for a total of $20,000 per year.
- Bruce Bergen of Krevsky, Silber, Brown & Bergen as special township attorney for a total of $15,000 oer year.
- Francis McIntryre (sic) of McIntrye & Kirshenbaum as special township attorney for the Board of Health for a total of $8,500 per year.
- Kraig Dowd as legislative research officer in the Township Clerk’s Office at $45,000 per year.
- Harbor Conultants, Inc, of Cranford, as township engineers, at $100,000 per year.
- Robert Varady of LaCorte Bundy Varady & Kinsella as ABC attorney for a total of $15,000 per year.
- Suplee Clooney & Co. as auditors (rate not listed on agenda)
- PMK Group for special engineering services for a total of $40,000.
- Richard Bauch of Schenk, Price, Smith & King as contract negotiations attorney for a total of $65,000 per year.
Board appointments:
- Two-year terms on the Board of Health: Georgette Corvelli, Dr. Irving Carno and Arthur Kobitz and Deborah Stroud for the unexpired term ending une 30, 2008.
- Four-year terms on the Board of Adjustment: Dennis Kobitz, Frank Volturo, Radomir Vlaisavljevic and Richard Semiac as alternate.
- Vivian Monroe as member of Senior Citizens Advisory Council for five-year term.
- Martin Hollander and Joseph Menza as four-year member of Planning Board and
Candace Harris and Andre Daniels as alternates.
- Five-year terms on Recreation Advisory Council: Nicola Drezaj, Gerald Russel and Leonard Dupree.
- A resolution to appoint members to the Board of Swimming Pool Commissioners did not receive a second, and therefore was not voted on. The names submitted by the mayor were: Jeffrey Dykes, Sip Whitaker, Angela Menza, John O’Shea and Amy Ketchem.
Public comments:
- Resident Rudy Brown said if the township can afford to hire “one attorney to look after another” then surely the Council can abolish the municipal pool fees for children.
- Jeffrey Dykes said the Council spends tax dollars “like Monopoly money” and that “taxes are higher than the services that our children receive.” He also agreed with Brown on the pool, claiming he’s seen children at the pool entrance begging families to give them money to be able to afford the $10 fee.
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