In a “State of the Town” speech at a Town Council meeting a week ago Tuesday, Mayor Dennis Elwell celebrated not only the successes of his first year in office, but reflected on those things he believed made the town’s 100th year memorable.
Birthday celebrations, he said, showed that Secaucus even after 100 years is “truly alive.”
“While we celebrated 100 years of our past in the year 2000, we also laid the groundwork to assure Secaucus’ future as we begin the next hundred years,” he said before the nearly 200 people who came to witness the swearing in of reelected councilmen Mike Grecco, Robert Kickey, and Fred Constantino on Jan. 9. “Where it is important to remember the past and where we came from, it’s even more important to set a course for the future – to know where we are going.”
In a reviewing the year, Elwell said he had kept promises he had made when he first took office, such as containing the cost of government while still managing to increase services. He said that in preparing for the upcoming budget, town officials are using the same care as they did in 2000. Among the other accomplishments, Elwell cited preservation of open space and controlling development. He took particular note of the town’s purchase of the Old Mill property of Mill Ridge Road, which is slated to become a nature center. He also noted that with the help of Assemblyman Anthony Impreveduto (D-32nd Dist.), the town will be fixing up the oldest part of Secaucus, Schmidt’s Woods.
In helping to control flooding, the town succeeded in developing a $2.5 million flood control study, a flood mitigation plan, and may soon have a new rainwater pumping station near the Hackensack River. Elwell said the town has built 1.5 miles of berms and dikes to hold back high tide waters from vulnerable flood-prone areas. Elwell also noted that there was state recognition for Mike Gonnelli as the Public Works Superintendent of the Year.
In addition, roads have been an issue in the year 2000. As a result of a court action forcing the town to take over 11 roads previously owned by Hartz Mountain Industries, Secaucus had to maintain 33 percent more road space, cleaning the roads, repairing them, and plowing the snow from them. The town also launched the largest street repair program in the town’s history.
Although he has criticized the school board for recent raises given to its upper staff, Elwell said the year 2000 saw a new level of cooperation between the town and the schools, which included the purchase of property for a parking lot and the town government’s efforts to help get the schools’ $6.5 million expansion bond passed. “Last year, we converted the old public works storage garage at Humboldt and Centre into a new recreation center,” Elwell said. “And this year, we will construct a new library.”
Elwell also said the town has made significant strides towards cleaning up the contamination near the former Keystone Metal Finishers site. The town has also beefed up its police force and provided the officers with newer cars.
“I look forward to continuing our work to make Secaucus an even better place,” he concluded.
Back to council business
Also at the Jan. 9 meeting, the council passed a resolution establishing salary ranges for employees in the Department Head Union.
Thanks to the changes, Alan Bartolozzi, tax collector, will receive a salary of $67,999 by 2003. The other salaries are: Arlene Catton, court director, $61,438; Linda Carpenter, purchasing agent, $69,426; Michael Gonnelli, superintendent of public works, $100,589; Joseph Monteleone, construction code official, $80,152; Vince Prieto, director of the Office of Inspections, $79,592; Charles Schumacher, director of Communications, $60,072; James Terhune, Tax Assessor, $105,501; and Karyn Urtnowski, $76,561.
In a separate resolution, the council agreed to add two previously not included positions to the Department Head Union: court director and the director of the Office of Inspections. These salaries were included in the resolution settling contracts with the union.
The council also agreed to establish salaries for non-union administrative employees for the year 2001. This finalizes contract agreements that give an average increase of 3.5 percent.
As a result, Town Administrator Anthony Iacono who will receive $81,500. Chief Financial officer Margaret Barkala will receive $71,181. The two are the highest paid employees in this group.
The council also set salaries for Department of Public Works supervisors for the year 2001. The Town Council approved a resolution naming substitute municipal prosecutors and public defenders.
Iacono said that a state supreme court decision had ruled that municipal prosecutors and public defenders may not practice privately in superior court in the district where they are employees. So each court must submit names of regular and well as substitutes.
According to the ruling, municipal prosecutors and public defenders may not represent private clients in superior courts in the same county in which they work. This was the result of a case filed in 1998. The state supreme court ruled that this could become a conflict of interest because of the increasing role municipal court officials play in cases heard before the superior court, and thus could impair a defendant’s right to a fair trial.
Mayor names council liaisons
The council approved assignments of liaisons to various town agencies. Councilman Robert Kickey was named liaison to the Department of Public Works. Additional appointments were: Councilman Fred Constantino to the Recreation Department, Councilman John Reilly to the police and fire departments, councilman Mike Grecco to the Environmental Advisory Committee, and Councilman Robert Kickey to the Office of Emergency Management.
Kickey thanked Grecco for giving up this last seat in order for Kickey to get it.
Councilman John Bueckner, who is not politically allied with Elwell, failed to get named as a liaison. He said that last year he had asked Mayor Elwell to include him as a liaison, urging him to have an administration of inclusion.
“Last year, when he made the liaison appointments, I reminded Mayor Elwell that when we were both independent candidates we had fought to get included.,” Bueckner said. Bueckner said he hoped this would not be the case at the Jan. 23 meeting when the major is expected to appoint people to various committees.