Last week, the North Bergen commissioners’ meeting reached international levels as the town passed a resolution to support a Cuban human rights activist.
On Wednesday, Mayor Nicholas Sacco and the North Bergen commissioners passed a resolution to publicly support the Nobel Peace Prize nomination of Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet, president of the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, a non-governmental human rights organization founded in Havana, Cuba.
Biscet was expelled from the Cuban National Health System in February 1998 because of his activism against abortion. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007 by President George W. Bush for his struggle for human rights.
“That’s what’s going on down there, and people don’t realize it.” – Mayor Nicholas Sacco
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The town hopes that their support will give credibility to Biscet, who is one of 241 candidates currently under consideration by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
A representative of the Union of Cuban Political Prisoners was given the standard five-minute window to express his gratitude for the resolution during the public portion of the meeting.
“We really appreciate that you helped recognize it,” said Eduardo Ochoa of the Union. “He [Biscet] had been in and out of prison for many years.”
“The stories go on and on,” said Sacco in reference to the imprisonment of Cuban human rights activist. “That’s what’s going on down there, and people don’t realize it.”
“We want to give him a statue in front of the Cuban government,” said Ochoa, who described the government as “all-oppressive” and “controlled by [Fidel] Castro.”
“If we can recognize him internationally,” said Ochoa, “he will not be sent to prison every time that he opens his mouth.”
Other business
Also at the meeting, an ordinance was adopted for a special emergency appropriation for severance pay for recently laid off and retired town employees. “[We] have many people retiring suddenly,” said Sacco.
The town is contractually obligated to pay the employees severance pay. The ordinance allotted a maximum of $1.6 million for the recently departed employees.
Also, Mayor Sacco and the commissioners passed a resolution to participate in the Hudson County Improvement Authority’s Renewable Energy Program, designed to “expand the use of renewable energy resources available,” according to the resolution.
The program will help the town install equipment and facilities in order to cut down on energy costs in the future.
Also at the meeting, the town passed a resolution to award a contract to Stan’s Sport Center, Inc., of Hoboken, to supply North Bergen with sporting goods and equipment for the Department of Parks. The grand total cost of the contract was $267,000.
Other resolutions included adding a bus stop at Woodcliff Avenue and Palisade Avenue, on the westbound side.
A bus has been stopping there until recently. Since the town never adopted a resolution designating it as a bus stop, the bus stopped picking up passengers.
“It was never formally there,” said Sacco. “The bus company stopped going and said it was our fault.”
The town also passed several resolutions to charge property owners for clean-up costs after they failed to lessen the accumulation of litter, debris, and other hazards on their premises. The clean-ups, which were performed by the Department of Public Works, averaged $941 per property.
Stephen LaMarca may be reached at slamarca@hudsonreporter.com.