After listening to pleas from the community to do otherwise, the City Council voted unanimously to approve an ordinance renaming the rebuilt 100 Steps after former Ward D Councilman Bill Gaughan. The set of stairs connects Jersey City Heights at the foot of Franklin Street with Paterson Plank Road at the Jersey City-Hoboken border.
At the council’s Jan. 28 meeting, Becky Hoffman, former president of the Riverview Neighborhood Association (RNA), complained that renaming the steps violated customary procedures which would have including public input.
“This has nothing to do with the honoree,” she said, noting that the naming of streets and other public facilities by the council ordinarily followed a process that was ignored in this case.
The recommendation to rename the steps came from Mayor Steven Fulop. Even the two council members, Richard Boggiano and Michael Yun, whose wards encompass the steps, said they were not informed of the naming proposal until a story appeared in the local newspaper.
Hoffman and other members of RNA recommended the stairs be named after the late Maria Tuzzo, a lifelong member of the community who had worked hard to get the steps rebuilt.
Built over a century ago, the steps, originally known at the “Franklin Avenue Steps,” had been torn down in 1993 after they were allowed to deteriorate. The steps were an alternative to a long sidewalk on Mountain Road, a county thoroughfare with a tight hairpin turn surrounded by woods. The steps were supposed to be rebuilt recently in conjunction with a new apartment development nearby called The Cliffs. The restoration was a condition for the developers to obtain a certificate of occupancy.
“Maria Tuzzo was never paid the way public officials are.” – Kern Weissman
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The original estimate for construction was $250,000 and was supposed to be paid entirely by The Cliffs developer. The cost far exceeded that, coming in just shy of $1 million.
Boggiano said the city is currently in the process of billing the developer to get the money back.
Hoffman said historically the steps served as a connection between Jersey City Heights and Hoboken.
She said while she and the other members of the RNA, want the stairs named after Maria Tuzzo, they also wanted the renaming to go through the usual public process. She said if Mayor Fulop gets away with bypassing the process this time, he will do it again.
“This seems to have some sort of political taint to it,” said Vito Brunetti, former president of the RNA, speculating that this was Fulop’s way of winning favor with Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, for whom Gaughan works as chief of staff.
The mayor is mum
Brunetti said the RNA has sought comment from Fulop, but has not received a reply.
While RNA members said they would like to see the stairs named after Tuzzo, they would accept the renaming of the gazebo in Riverview Park for her. The gazebo was destroyed during Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and remains a boarded-up ruins.
Kern Weissman, current president of the RNA, said naming the stairs after Tuzzo would send a positive message to those who provide community service in Jersey City.
“These are people who selflessly work in their neighborhoods, people who dedicate their lives through community service. Maria Tuzzo was never paid the way public officials are. We ask you to name the gazebo after Maria if the stairs can’t be.”
Yun and Boggiano said they would support that.
“But you need to tighten regulation for naming things and follow the process,” Weissman said.
Councilwoman Joyce Watterman warned the RNA that, once established, even the renaming of the gazebo would have to go through that process.
Some supporters
But the choice for naming the stairs after Gaughan had its supporters. City Clerk Robert Byrne, stepping out of his role running the meeting, called Gaughan “a bulldog” for getting the stairs rebuilt. When the developers obligated to build the steps balked at the task, Gaughan was instrumental in obtaining public funding for the project.
Councilman Daniel Rivera also defended the choice.
“For people to come up and taint Bill Gaughan’s name is unacceptable,” said Rivera. “He sponsored many recreation programs and these had a huge impact many, many kids.”
Boggiano said he was conflicted and only reluctantly voted to approve the ordinance.
“This has been an embarrassment for me because I knew nothing about it,” he said. “But I can’t embarrass Bill Gaughan by voting no. We will make sure the gazebo is named after Maria.”
Yun also voted for the measure, but chastised Mayor Fulop, saying that even the mayor should obey the law.
“Bill did a great job, and I do understand the community issue as well,” he said. “I hope this won’t happen again, but I’m voting for it.”
Yvonne Balcer, a longtime critic at council meetings, said she used to take the stairs to get to Hoboken, and remembers how they deteriorated.
“The new ones are pretty nice, and I’m glad he pushed it through,” she said.
Al Sullivan may be reached at asullivan@hudsonreporter.com.