Although he didn’t live in Hudson County, fallen Hoboken Planning Board attorney Michael Pane left an undeniable imprint on the landscape of this area.
Pane, 60, who died of undisclosed causes at Princeton Hospital Sunday, was often referred to as New Jersey’s most prominent governmental law expert in many of the state’s most respected publications.
In 1978, Pane established his own law firm in Hightstown, in Mercer County, and served as general and special counsel to local government bodies and municipal boards throughout the state. Based on his strong record of land use issues, the Hoboken Planning Board had recently hired the respected attorney to serve as its lawyer.
Pane had graduated with honors from Princeton University and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School. He was the past president of the New Jersey Institute of Municipal Attorneys, and he authored the New Jersey Lawyers’ Reference, New Jersey Government Law, a three-volume treatise. He also served as editor of the New Jersey Institute of Municipal Attorneys’ Quarterly Law Review and published many articles. At least 15 New Jersey state and federal courts have cited his works in published decisions.
A Hudson County connection
Almost everyone involved in land use law or municipal government in Hudson County knew and respected Pane as a true expert of the law. In 2001, he enhanced his reputation when he successfully argued against a 43-story project that was slated for the Jersey City/Hoboken border commonly called Millennium Towers.
Pane elegantly argued the case on behalf of two local citizen groups, the Coalition for a Better Waterfront and the Riverview Neighborhood Association. The groups contended that the buildings would block views from Jersey City Heights and snarl traffic at the already-congested border. Pane argued that the holdover status of so many Jersey City Planning Board members gave former Mayor Bret Schundler, who aggressively pushed this project through the approval process, undue influence over a board that is supposed to be independent.
In his ruling, the Superior Court judge agreed, stating, “Without fixed terms of office, members are reduced to an ‘at will’ status, serving at the pleasure of the mayor.”
It was a stunning victory, especially considering the uphill battle most citizen groups face against government bodies. “On the Millennium Towers case, he was brilliant,” said Ron Hine, formerly of Coalition for a Better Waterfront, and now the executive director of the Fund for a Better Waterfront. “I know we wouldn’t have won without him. What’s most impressive is that he started a small, almost country practice, and ended up becoming the state’s leading expert on municipal law.”
Pane’s performance in the case, and many others, prompted the Hoboken Planning Board to hire him as its attorney. He also had been investigating a controversial construction project that the Stevens Institute of Technology was building near the waterfront. Pane concluded that Stevens was overstepping its bounds for what it had been allowed to build. “I had a tremendous amount of respect and admiration for Mr. Pane,” said Hoboken Mayor David Roberts Thursday. “He had the unique gift of being about to navigate through all the different philosophical forces that exist in Hoboken. He was a great advocate of working together, and because of that he was often the glue that kept the pieces together, especially when dealing with so many diverse groups of people.”
Words of respect and admiration flowed freely this week as local community leaders remembered Pane. “He was truly a legend,” said Planning Board member and City Councilwoman Carol Marsh. “He was the most professional and ethical person I have ever met. He was amazing, so calm, but also so funny and good-hearted. Every time I talked to him I learned something new.”
Councilman Tony Soares, who also fought the Millennium Towers project, said that many people in New Jersey and Hoboken respected Pane’s skills and passion. “It’s a significant loss to the city Hoboken,” said Soares. “I just want his family to know that he is going to greatly missed and want them to know how much he helped activists throughout the region. We really appreciated what he did and what a wonderful man he was.”
Pane received numerous awards and distinctions. Born in New Brunswick, he lived in Highland Park before moving to East Windsor. Surviving him are his wife, Frances; a son, Michael; a daughter, Natalia, and a sister, Elissa.