Kulish, Brewer lead council

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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The mayor vs. council, and its legal army

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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