Carlos Tamara was the first boxing champion to come out of North Bergen since James J. Braddock during the Great Depression.
Tamara, the recently crowned IBF Junior Flyweight Champion, was honored at the North Bergen Town Hall when Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the Board of Commissioners presented him with a proclamation for his achievement at their April 28 meeting.
Tamara moved to North Bergen from Sincelejo, Colombia. After learning boxing at 15 years old as a way to protect himself, he went on to represent his country in the 2004 Greece Olympics before turning pro. He trained in Miami before coming to New Jersey.
“We never really anticipated a second [world champion] and then this occurred and we’re really proud.” – Mayor Nicholas Sacco.
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“He feels very comfortable because his neighbors, his trainers, his friends, everyone has taken him in,” Tamara said through one of his trainers, who translated for him. “He has a big family here and they’ve really taken him in with open arms.”
Tamara said that it was his dream to become world champion, and that he couldn’t even believe what it took for him to get to this point.
He will defend the title on May 29 in Argentina, but then his main goal after receiving his IBF belt, after it is made for him, is to return to Colombia. His two daughters, ages 6 and 4, are awaiting him and are the reason for everything he worked for, he said.
“We never really anticipated a second [world champion], and then this occurred, and we’re really proud,” said Sacco.
UEZ zone’s fate
Since the township does not know the future of its Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ), the funds from which are currently frozen at the state level by Gov. Christopher Christie, they have decided to renew their UEZ office’s location for a one-year lease only. The UEZ program is a statewide initiative that allows businesses to collect sales tax at 3.5 percent, which is deposited into the state’s UEZ “Assisted Fund” and usually sent back to the municipalities and used for anticipated programs and projects. The funds were held back by the Christie administration a few months ago in an effort to close a multi-billion dollar state budget deficit.
The township had signed a four-year contract for the office in 2004. North Bergen will pay $1,300 a month for the office at 7616 Broadway. The building is owned by Tulsi Real Estate.
Although the UEZ funds are frozen, the township passed two resolutions anyway, asking the state Urban Enterprise Zone Authority for funds.
The first is an application for their “Anticipated UEZ Assistance,” totaling $399,993, which usually helps fund the municipal budget.
In another, the township applied for $1.5 million for the proposed 91st Street and Tonnelle Avenue shopping center designated left-hand turn lane, which is the town’s half of what the project is estimated to cost. The developer Vornado Realty Trust has already agreed to pay the rest.
Refinancing debt
The commissioners passed a resolution applying to the state’s Local Finance Board to refinance their debt. According to Township Administrator Christopher Pianese, in four years the annual amount they pay on their bonds in each budget, which is normally around $7 million, will drop to $3.5 million.
“The idea is to take some of that savings now,” said Pianese.
He said the decision to refinance their bonds was due to the economy and their recent losses in state aid.
What about Tonnelle Avenue?
Resident Herbert Shaw asked the council why the township’s Municipal Utilities Authority refused to answer how much sewage was released into the Hackensack and Hudson Rivers after last month’s rain storms.
“First of all, we are not the Municipal Utilities Authority,” said Sacco.
Shaw also questioned how long the state’s road widening and drainage work will continue on Tonnelle Avenue.
Sacco said the state had last said the project would be complete in April of last year, and that now he is being told that it will be done in December 2010, but that they will not receive their left-hand turn lane into the Vornado development too soon.
Shaw also asked why more North Bergen Police officers weren’t guiding traffic.
“We were given an “X” amount of dollars until the end of the project [for a] certain amount of men each day, and were maxing that out as is,” said Pianese.
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.