Our annual Year in Review issue contains rundowns of top stories in the areas of politics, development, business, entertainment, and sports, and there were several notable stories and events in 2011 that fell into those categories.
But there were other notable stores this year. Here is a look at some of the major news stories that caught our readers’ attention in 2011. Read on for other big stories that fall into major categories.
COUNTYWIDE
Grand Prix to come to city streets – It was announced this year that an international road race will come to Weehawken and West New York in 2013. Each year the race is run on the streets of major cities, streets which will be blocked off during the event. Local officials expect to reap hundreds of thousands of dollars in added business and, so far, complaints from residents regarding the impending event have been minimal.
Tenth anniversary of Sept. 11 attacks – Every town in Hudson County commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The town of Weehawken unveiled a new memorial on the waterfront. Hoboken and Jersey City, which had the most victims of all the Hudson County towns, hosted more than one major event in connection with the 10-year anniversary. New Jersey also debuted Empty Sky, the state 9/11 memorial, in Jersey City’s Liberty State Park.
Hurricane Irene and multiple snowstorms – In August, Hurricane Irene made second landfall on the New Jersey shore, a rare event and one that forced several local towns to announce mandatory evacuations for some of their residents. Hoboken and Jersey City told residents of low-lying areas to leave in advance of the weekend storm. In the end, Hudson County was not hit as hard as other parts of New Jersey.
Similarly, a rare October snowstorm blanketed local towns on Saturday, Oct. 29, causing power outages and downed trees throughout the state. Again, Hudson County was spared the worst damage.
Last winter saw a series of major snowstorms as well, including a blizzard on Jan. 27 that closed schools and wreaked havoc.
More health care for low-income residents – In October, the non-profit North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) opened a brand new dental center in West New York. The center used a $1.2 million federal grant to turn a former 195 square foot office into a 2,400 square-foot suite, which could double the center’s 7,000 annual dental patients. The NHCAC provides screenings and medical services to needy residents throughout Hudson County.
GUTTENBERG
Galaxy Towers continues to make headlines
The Galaxy Towers, a luxury waterfront condominium complex that contains most of the population of Guttenberg, has continually made headlines in 2011.
Perhaps most notable was the residents’ active involvement in a protest of a nearby proposed development. Residents were concerned that developers of the controversial Appleview, LLC condos will build them too close to a gas pipeline, and may remove too much of the Palisade hills. But the project was approved in October by the Hudson County Planning Board (see development story, inside).
Other controversies at the Galaxy included a lawsuit by a former spa employee against the board, and the layoff of 60 unionized longtime employees in August. The former employees are awaiting the results of a hearing before the National Labor Relations Board.
HOBOKEN
FBI investigation of e-mail tampering – It all began with a phone call from Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who had reason to believe that someone in City Hall was intercepting her e-mails and giving them to others.
In May, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents removed computers and other items from the city’s Information Technology office. In November, former Information Technology specialist Patrick Ricciardi surrendered and faced charges that he allegedly intercepted e-mails sent to and from Zimmer.
An FBI criminal complaint alleged that the e-mails had been seen by at least three other people in the city, although no further arrests have been made thus far.
According to an FBI complaint, Ricciardi confessed on May 25 to allegedly setting up an “archive file” that would intercept Zimmer’s e-mails. He appeared in federal court in Newark on Nov. 9 to be read his charges, but has not entered a plea. He faces a potential maximum jail sentence of five years for each count.
Popular teachers denied tenure – At the end of the 2010-2011 school year, the Hoboken Board of Education denied tenure to two popular teachers, theater arts teacher Paula Ohaus and Cheng-Yen Hillenbrand, director of the gifted and talented program.
Ohaus was credited with resurrecting the theater program in 1990, but ran afoul of Schools Superintendent Mark Toback after it was discovered that she had given students rides in her car and had allowed group sleepovers at her home. Ohaus responded that she had received parental consent for these activities and parents often accompanied their children to the sleepovers and outings. Many parents and students rallied to Ohaus’ defense.
The controversy to deny tenure ultimately turned political, with allies of Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer supporting the denial of tenure and other school board members supporting tenure.
Rent control changes/referendum – In November, Hoboken residents voted to keep changes that were made to the city’s rent control ordinance by the City Council earlier in the year.
Hoboken’s rent control law, first enacted in 1973, limits the amount a landlord can raise the rent each year to a few percentage points (depending on economic indicators). There are exceptions built into the law for landlords who make improvements and for other matters. The law currently applies to most apartments built before 1987.
However, a group of property owners believe the law is outdated. For two years, a City Council committee worked on minor changes and unanimously approved them earlier this year. A main change limits the amount of time in which a renter can be reimbursed if he or she discovers that the landlord has illegally jacked up rent. In the past, renters could win triple damages for having overpaid rent for many years. The changes limit the number of years for which they can collect to two. Other changes included rules regarding documentation that landlords must provide.
Believing the changes to be unfair, tenants’ rights activists fought to put the changes on the ballot, hoping to repeal them. But on Election Day, 3,349 residents voted to keep the changes, while 1,563 people voted to repeal them.
JERSEY CITY
School Superintendent Charles Epps resigns – As a result of a coup years in the making, longtime Jersey City School Superintendent Dr. Charles Epps announced he will leave the district Dec. 31, opening the door for a national search for a new school superintendent.
Over the last two years school reformers have won control of the Jersey City Board of Education (BOE), thanks in part to the endorsement of Ward E City Councilman Steven Fulop. After the April 2011 Board of Education election, five of the nine seats on the BOE were held by education reformers who favored conducting a national applicant search to replace Epps.
First appointed by the state to be school superintendent when the state had control of the local school system, Epps was a controversial figure during his 10-year tenure. According to his supporters, the Jersey City Public School District made several improvements under his leadership. But his legacy also includes years of low test scores. Under the federal No Child Left Behind Act, most Jersey City schools have failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress, and the district has failed to meet other federal benchmarks.
This month the school board began a series of public forums for parents, teachers, and residents to discuss the superintendent search process.
Property reval begins – In the fall, a controversial property revaluation officially began, leaving many longtime residents and small business owners fearful that their taxes will skyrocket once the reval is completed in 2012.
In a reval, properties are reassessed so that owners pay taxes based on the current market value. Jersey City’s last revaluation was in the 1980s. Most municipalities in New Jersey, including other towns in Hudson County, have gone without a reval for 15 or longer, meaning many property owners are paying taxes based on outdated assessment values. Roughly a third of property owners are paying less than they should be in property taxes, while another third of property owners are paying too much.
Still, many Jersey City homeowners are skeptical of the current revaluation process and fear their taxes are likely to go up while commercial property owners will see a drop. Several homeowners have predicted that people will be taxed out of the city.
NORTH BERGEN
Sacco wins his 6th term as mayor – In May, longtime Mayor Nicholas Sacco and his Board of Commissioners were re-elected, capturing around 83 percent of the vote. In contrast to 2007, Sacco’s team actually had opposition. The opposing Citizens for Change ticket included five residents, one of whom was a former town employee who had filed a suit against the town for emotional distress (the town eventually agreed to a $90,000 settlement, although the lawsuit was thrown out). Both sides in the nasty election accused each other of campaign trickery.
In North Bergen’s form of government, five commissioners run for office and then choose a mayor from among themselves. Sacco, who is also a state senator, was chosen once again.
Park project on North Bergen/Guttenberg waterfront gains steam
In December, Guttenberg and North Bergen officials formally approved a plan to build a waterfront park on River Road. The project will be largely funded through government grants such as the Department of Environmental Protection’s Green Acres Program. Guttenberg agreed to pay 27 percent of the costs associated with construction and maintenance, while North Bergen has agreed to pay the other 73 percent. Percentages were determined by the respective portions of the proposed park in each town.
Among the many facilities in the park will be what officials call an “amphitheater,” a series of large curved steps that lead down to the river’s edge. Guttenberg Mayor Gerald Drasheff hopes the park will be open by spring 2013.
SECAUCUS
Former Mayor Elwell convicted – After a two-week trial, former Secaucus Mayor Dennis Elwell was convicted in July of accepting a $10,000 bribe from FBI informant Solomon Dwek – who presented himself as a developer and offered bribes to politicians as part of a federal sting. A jury concluded that Elwell accepted the money through an intermediary, political consultant Ronald Manzo, who had pleaded guiltyin May, who later testified against Elwell.
A federal jury didn’t believe Elwell’s defense that he thought the money from Dwek was meant to be a campaign contribution, rather than a bribe.
Elwell’s attorneys tried unsuccessfully to have his conviction overturned. His sentencing has been postponed until 2012.
The former mayor had been among 46 religious leaders and public officials arrested in the summer of 2009 as part of the FBI sting operation known as Operation Bid Rig. Among the phony development projects Dwek said he wanted to build was a hotel in Secaucus.
Firefighters not reinstated after harassment controversy – After a seven-month independent investigation, the Secaucus Town Council decided in February – on the advice of legal counsel – not to reinstate three former volunteer fire fighters who had been implicated in the notorious 2004 harassment of a gay couple who once lived in town.
The February decision finally put an end to a long, ugly saga in Secaucus in which the gay couple had charged that they endured violent threats and other harassment at the hands of firefighters assigned to the North End firehouse, which was next door to their home. The couple moved away and won a hefty civil suit against the town in 2008. Three firefighters who had been accused in court testimony of taking part in one particularly violent attack resigned from the Fire Department in 2008 after the couple won their court case. The firefighters, however, claimed they were forced out of the department by then-Mayor Dennis Elwell and his allies on the Secaucus Town Council.
The firefighters began a campaign to be reinstated after Michael Gonnelli – himself a member of the Secaucus Volunteer Fire Department – won the 2009 mayoral election. Their push for reinstatement opened old wounds surrounding the case and divided residents in town. But Mayor Gonnelli said he was determined to end the ongoing rancor surrounding the case and ordered an independent investigation to determine whether the firefighters should be reinstated.
When the Town Council decided against reinstatement, some residents predicted there would be fallout since the firefighters’ supporters had threatened various reprisals. However, in the 11 months since, no such fallout has occurred.
Since becoming mayor, Gonnelli and his allies on the Town Council have instituted sensitivity training for all Secaucus employees and most municipal volunteers, including members of the volunteer Fire Department.
UNION CITY
Various Union City scandals brought to light
Former Union City Deputy Police Chief Joseph Blaettler, a critic of Union City Mayor (and State Sen.) Brian Stack, brought to media attention several potential scandals in Union City this past year, and at least two of them resulted in an investigation and results.
In June, Katia Stack, who is Union City Mayor and state Sen. Brian Stack’s ex-wife, paid back almost $750 for allegedly using a city vehicle and city gas for personal errands. The previous year, a “Shame on You” segment on FOX news followed Katia, who is the director of Union City’s day care program. The segment reported that Katia was unfairly using city gas for personal and work errands. Mayor Stack responded that he had no knowledge of Katia’s actions and was “disgusted.”
Then, Stack was forced to respond to a bigger scandal. In September, News 12 aired an investigative story maintaining that Chief Charles Everett of the Union City Police Department was paid tens of thousands of dollars each year for off-duty police security outside of his six-figure job. He earned money providing security at city pools and the Jose Marti Athletic Field, for which he earned $45,000 a year. News 12’s investigation alleged that Everett often showed up late and left early for his security work, and it aired a video purportedly showing Everett working out at a police gym during hours he was supposed to be at the field. Union City Mayor Brian Stack directed the city to hire attorney Walter Timpone, whose investigation found that police superiors manipulated the system so they would get the best off-duty jobs instead of offering them to the lower ranked officers.
Everett retired a day before the report was made public.
What’s worse, a followup report on News 12 showed that some of the off-duty work appeared to be billed twice, and alleged that Everett had claimed to have been watching the field during a major blizzard.
The state Attorney General’s Office has followed up with subpoenas of the city, hinting that there may be bigger charges revealed.
But Stack got some good news in December when a state ethics committee voted not to follow up on a complaint originating with Blaettler, who charged that Stack was improperly using his legislative aide – paid for by state taxpayers – as a city spokesman as well. Stack did not deny using his aide in that manner, but said his aide did the extra work for no money as a public service to the city, rather than on state taxpayers’ dime.
WEEHAWKEN
1-month-old baby abandoned at Weehawken High School
A 1-month-old girl was found abandoned in June on the steps of the Weehawken High School. According to Hudson County Prosecutor Edward DeFazio, the baby sustained multiple life-threatening injuries “consistent with trauma” which appeared to be intentional, including a fractured skull. According to Weehawken Public Safety Director Jeff Welz, the baby appeared to be well-nourished otherwise.
The mother, Tamara Reyes, a teacher from Memorial High School on maternity leave, was found a few blocks away allegedly driving erratically. After authorities stopped her, she allegedly admitted to having abandoned the baby.
Reyes was charged with aggravated assault, endangering the welfare of a child, and child abuse. A mother of three, Reyes was incarcerated at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny and had received a psychiatric evaluation at Jersey City Medical Center.
WEST NEW YORK
New mayor, Dr. Felix Roque, quickly makes waves
In May, Dr. Felix Roque, a pain management specialist, engineered a shocking defeat of longtime Mayor (and former Assemblyman) Sal Vega and his Board of Commissioners.
The mayor soon challenged several of Vega’s appointees and policies. In July, Roque alleged that Vega’s appointment of two school board members, Janet Passante, and Alex Locatelli, occurred past the April 15 state-imposed deadline. The two Board of Education members were replaced by Roque’s allies in October.
In August, still within his first 100 days as Mayor, Roque made allegations that certain Town Hall employees were being paid for hours they did not work. Soon, three employees from the Recreation Department were arrested by local police.
Within the same month, Roque alleged that under Vega, there had been a misuse of municipal property, such as using cell phones for personal calls. He also made allegations that a town employee had accumulated over $500,000 in fines for a housing violation from 2009.
Following the replacement of the two Board of Education members, Roque turned his sights on replacing board president Cosmo Cirillo, who had been ordered by the state to step down after it was discovered that his full time job as a clerk with the West New York municipal court conflicted with his board membership. During a school board meeting, members of the board voted Cirillo off. Cirillo, a Vega ally, initially refused to leave the meeting.
Town rallies to help homeless woman after Reporter story
In August, Danyse Johnson, a native of Spokane, Wash., travelled to Hudson County in order to find an affordable apartment with the intention of attending school in New York City. She had received a federal Section 8 voucher, and a federal official told her she could use it anywhere. But after lots of legal red tape and snafus, especially with the West New York Housing Authority, she found herself – along with three kids and a dog – down to her last penny in a local hotel.
After a Reporter story ran, residents and Mayor Felix Roque asked how they could help. In the end, she was able to find her family a home for $1,150 per month, including utilities.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at awright@hudsonreporter.com. Stephen LaMarca may be reached at slamarca@hudsonreporter.com.
To read more of the 2011 Year in review click HERE.