UC sues landlord and ‘Ground Zero Mosque’ imam
Union City found its way into the national media spotlight this week after filing a lawsuit on Monday in state Superior Court against Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, a resident of North Bergen and local landlord, for alleged code violations in two apartment buildings he owns in Union City.
Rauf is the imam at the center of the controversy over plans to build an Islamic cultural center and mosque near Ground Zero in lower Manhattan.
According to several published reports, the lawsuit charges that Rauf hasn’t addressed complaints by tenants and orders from the city to correct the alleged violations.
The suit identifies Rauf as sole officer of building owner Sage Development LLC. One building has been vacant since a 2008 fire. The other contains 16 apartments.
According to published reports, during a court hearing on Wednesday it was revealed that after a Sept. 7 inspection which determined imminent hazards, cops have been paid overtime to monitor two of the buildings owned by Rauf in the event of fire because the alarms and sprinklers are inoperable and Rauf did not respond to an order to hire a private fire patrol.
Union City lawyers asked the court to place the two buildings into receivership so that rents could be used to fix dozens of violations, including the inoperable alarms and sprinklers. However, Judge Thomas Olivieri gave Rauf’s lawyers until Sept. 23 to produce plans and evidence of the landlord’s efforts to address all building violations.
If they do not comply, Rauf would then face possible loss of control over the apartment buildings.
In an article last week, The Reporter spoke with Union City officials about their recently formed Quality of Life Task Force which was created to investigate and identify apartment buildings whose owners have not dealt with repeated complaints about code violations from tenants.
However, this week, Union City spokesman Mark Albiez did not return numerous calls for comment on the lawsuit.
Some Union City residents have questioned why the timing of this action against Rauf’s properties has not become an issue in several of the published reports in New York and national media.
One resident told The Reporter that problems in Rauf’s buildings have existed for over 10 years and Mayor Brian P. Stack has been in office since 2000, and questioned why the lawsuit is only being brought now that the larger controversy of the mosque at Ground Zero is looming.
Bayonne Town Center to host 3rd Annual Art Show
On Saturday, Sept. 25, the Bayonne Town Center will host the 3rd Annual Outdoor Art Show on 23rd Street between Broadway and Church Lane. Local artists as well as the Hudson Artists of NJ will display their work from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Artists who would like to display their art work should submit the following information to the Bayonne Town Center at 8 East 22nd St., Bayonne, NJ 07002: Name, Address, Type of Artwork, Telephone number and whether or not a table will be needed to set up work. A refundable deposit of $10 is required and registration needs to be completed before Sept. 20. In case of rain, the art show will be held in St. Michael’s Parish Hall. For more information, call the Bayonne Town Center at (201)-339-9409.
Realty board fund-raiser benefits hospital, scholarships
The Liberty Board of Realtors will hold “Who Wants to be a Liberty Idol?” finals on Saturday Sept. 25 at 7 p.m. at The Elks Club, 48 Ames Ave, Rutherford. The two largest recipients from the community service fund-raiser are Hoboken University Medical Center’s Pediatrics Ward and a scholarship at Hudson County Community College. The $45 per person includes buffet, beer, wine and soda. Contact Margaret Watson (201) 970-4593 or Carolyn Cavallaro at (201) 851-3012, mwatson@patinarealty.com or cavallaroc@aol.com to attend, or offer your sponsorship. No donation is too small to help make a difference.
UC and WNY Democratic Committees place second and fourth in fundraising
According to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission, the North Bergen Democratic Municipal Committee raised the highest campaign donations in the state during 2009 at $668,830.
Union City First received second place at $365,912, while the West New York Democratic County Committee raised $167,355, putting them in fourth place.
Executive Director Jeffrey Brindle said that nearly $4 million in donations were raised by municipal political party committees in 2009.
He also said that the ELEC’s larger searchable database of almost $40 million donations would now include municipal political party contributions, which can be found through an online access search at www.elec.state.nj.us/publicinformation/searchdatabase.htm.
“New Jersey is now one of the few states in the nation to provide online access to municipal donations,” said Brindle.
PMC releases dates for October health screenings
Throughout the year, Palisades Medical Center’s staff takes an active role in local communities by partnering with North Hudson Community Action Corporation, Christ Hospital School of Nursing, and Hudson Perinatal Consortium, Inc. to provide free health screenings and education programs. Free blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, heart rate, body mass index/BMI, peak flow and pulse oximetery screenings will be offered on the following dates at the following locations in October:
Oct. 3 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Holy Family Church, 530 35th Street in Union City; Oct. 10 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Assembly of God Church, 51st and JFK Blvd., in North Bergen; Oct. 17 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Joseph/St. Michael Church, 1314 Central Ave. in Union City; Oct. 31 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at St. Anthony Church, 615 8th St., in Union City.
For more information, please call Joanne Riggs at 201-854-5793.
Hudson Regional Health Commission MRC in search of volunteers
September is Emergency Preparedness Month, a great time to consider becoming a medical reserve corps volunteer, according to the Hudson Regional Health Commission Medical Reserve Corps (MRC).
Medical Reserve Corps units are made of locally based volunteers (with and without a medical background) who can assist their communities during emergencies, such as an influenza epidemic, a chemical spill, or an act of terrorism.
MRC volunteers include medical and public health professionals such as physicians, nurses, pharmacists, mental health professionals, dentists, veterinarians, and epidemiologists. Other community members, such as interpreters, chaplains, office workers and legal advisors, can fill other vital support positions.
Hudson Regional Health Commission MRC volunteers share a minimal amount of time attending meetings and free trainings. They are also invited to participate in local public health exercises to practice their knowledge and skills.
Hudson County’s Emergency Management, police, fire, EMS and public health professionals are working hard to identify, train and respond to emergencies that could impact those who live and work here, but more help is needed.
For more information on the Hudson Regional Health Commission, visit the Hudson Regional Health Commission website at www.hudsonregional.org and click on “Medical Reserve Corps” on the menu bar on the left. Interested individuals can also contact Annie McNair, Hudson County MRC Coordinator, at (201) 223-1133 or mrc@hudsonregionalhealth.org.