Now that the Police Department audit is public, the City Council has a lot of information to digest from police officials, the administration, and residents before considering action on the report’s recommendations, one of which calls for a third of the force to be cut.
The council has also received written responses to the state-issued audit from Police Chief Anthony Falco and Public Safety Director Angel Alicea, although not in enough time to review and comment on them at their meeting last week.
But before the council could begin discussing the recommendations at its meeting this past Wednesday, the public sounded off on the report. (See sidebar below.)
Resident Richard Pasquarelli, who is part of the Hoboken Revolt taxpayer group, demanded individual responses from each member of the council.
“There was nothing nefarious on my part.” – Judy Tripodi
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After Mason put the ball in Zimmer’s court, Councilman David Mello brought it right back to the council. He pointed out it was the council’s job to set the Table of Organization that determines staffing for the department, which would then be implemented by the mayor.
Councilwoman Theresa Castellano said the council needed Zimmer to tell them what to do. She called Zimmer’s previous comments on the audit “wishy washy.”
Councilman Nino Giacchi echoed the sentiments of many police officials, questioning how 60 police officers could adequately patrol Hoboken.
“I can’t jump into this wholeheartedly,” he said, but also noted that the document could provide some leverage for the city in contract negotiations.
Mello said the council could deal with overstaffing in the upper ranks first, leaving for later discussion the issue of how many patrolmen the city needs.
Councilman Ravi Bhalla said he was upset the document was “held” from the council by the state for half a year.
Councilman Michael Russo said he hadn’t reviewed the document and claimed that it was only given to him before the meeting, even though he was e-mailed the document more than a week earlier and it was available on the city website.
Police contract update
The council will review the proposed police union contract at their next regular meeting March 17.
The state Department of Community Affairs has decided that Fiscal Monitor Judy Tripodi no longer has the final say on the contract, she said, according to a legal opinion from the state Attorney General’s Office.
She said her interpretation of her power as set forth by the state’s fiscal takeover was different from the interpretation now presented by new Gov. Christopher Christie’s administration.
Insiders say that recommendations in the audit that might have been included in negotiations, like the extension of the work week to 40 hours, were not addressed by the city.
Bhalla said that a change in work week could save the city $2 to 3 million per year.
Tripodi negotiated the contract on behalf of the city and, after shutting down contact with the press for a week, she discussed the contract issue in an interview last week.
Tripodi admitted that she had a draft of the audit last year, but said it was only “a few pieces of paper” and that she didn’t know if it would be finalized before police contract negotiations were complete.
“I couldn’t rely on that report,” she said. She did say that she knew that the less-than-40-hour work week was problematic for the force.
In negotiations that began early last year, Tripodi said she concentrated on her objectives – like health care givebacks that could save upwards of $1 million per year – and left aside any recommendations in the draft audit.
Tripodi said that if she were to begin negotiations now, she might have taken a different stance.
“A new governor gets elected and the mode has changed completely [as it relates to union matters],” she said. “Perhaps if I started negotiations in this climate [less sympathetic to labor unions] it would have been a whole different ballgame.”
“It’s true,” she said, that the council may decide not to approve the contract she negotiated and go back to the drawing board. But the contract is already two years late, and police have the option to request arbitration rather than return to negotiations.
Tripodi said contract arbitration, like the Fire Department has requested for their own contract, is an unknown right now. “We haven’t seen any arbitration [recently]. The whole climate has changed in three months,” she said.
Tripodi, who expects to be out of her position before the summer, said she did her best on behalf of the city. “There was nothing nefarious on my part,” she said.
The city is advertising for a business administrator, a position that had been filled by Tripodi as state-appointed fiscal monitor.
Other items
Also discussed at Wednesday’s council meeting:
● The council is holding a special meeting on Wednesday, March 10 to discuss the crumbling piers and the possibility of bonding for $12 million to begin repairs. The ends of the piers at the central waterfront have been eaten away by tiny sea creatures.
● On the recommendation of local gadfly Maurice “Moe” DeGennaro, the council decided not to award a $49,000 contract for landscape services, instead asking new Environmental Services Director Jennifer Wenson-Maier to explore using in-house personnel to take care of the park landscaping.
● Council committee recommendations on the city’s Rent Control Ordinance are expected soon, following months of public meeting and deliberation. Advocates for tenants and landlords alike spoke before the council last week, both sides heatedly trying to impress upon the council the importance of their decisions and the costs at stake.
Timothy J. Carroll may be reached at tcarroll@hudsonreporter.com.
Residents speak out on various issues
Several residents spoke last week about the possibility of the city cutting back its police force, and on other issues.
Crossing guard Margaret O’Brien said, “That audit is faulted. It is not from here, and obviously does not come from somebody who lives here. There is plenty of talent here to trust, like our Chief [Anthony] Falco.”
She accused Mayor Dawn Zimmer of “tying” Falco’s hands.
“I know people are complaining about taxes, but some of us are still complaining that there aren’t enough beat cops,” she said.
Conversely, resident Scott Siegel implored the council to start implementing the recommendation immediately.
“If you start cherry-picking [certain recommendations], we’ll have nothing left,” he said.
Former Fire Chief Richard Tremetiedi said the audit may be “a little bit light on Indians,” that being patrolmen, but that he agreed in principle that the department was bloated in the upper levels.
Helen Hirsch, a long-time critic of the city administrations, accused Falco of lacking leadership, “a head [of police] who sits at a desk and doesn’t know what’s going on.” She said police are ignoring their duty to enforce certain parking violations, and claimed that a former police chief told her, “My men don’t like to write tickets.”
Local politico Perry Belfiore took issue with the possibility of $12 million in bonds being issued for pier repairs. He said the council should revise the open space tax fund to allow the money to be spent on repairs to Sinatra Field.
Resident Charlie Mancini thinks someone or some entity should be held accountable for the piers’ collapse, instead of asking for more money from taxpayers. He said the administration was content to “blame shipworms” for poor foresight and possibly poor construction when the piers were built.
Hirsch also spoke about the challenges the city faces bringing City Hall up to compliance for disabled person accessibility. She named a few other municipal buildings that are also very difficult to access for those with disabilities.
“There are other people who don’t even try [to come to these buildings]. I keep trying.”
The council took her complaint seriously and said they would look into it. – TJC