Editorial:

The Bocchino fiasco.

An unqualified embarrassment for NA homeowners!

Last October North Arlington Democrats made Jim Bocchino's support of EnCap and long association with Len Kaiser were centerpieces to a landslide victory that resulted in the re-election of Democratic Councilmen Steve Tanelli and Mark Yampaglia.

Democrats won because they reminded voters that "backsliding" to the days of Kaiser Machine running the community isn't a very good idea given that record of dismal failure, squandered host fees and high taxes.

The people agreed. Read More

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NA Democrats kick-off local campaign for council

Granell, DiBlasi stress local issues and local campaign!

NORTH ARLINGTON - Council President Al Granell and Councilman Sal DiBlasi kicked off their re-election efforts with a cocktail reception at The Euro Club on Tuesday, June 23rd.

Granell, who won a democratic primary three years ago with Sal DiBlasi and then Councilman Pete Massa, who was elected mayor. They are facing Republicans Jon Kearney and Chris Johnson. The council is currently controlled 4-2 in favor of the Democrats who have won six of the last seven elections for local office. Read More

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Retired Patronage Employee Replaces His Ex-boss Kaiser on State Agency

Two-time council loser earns Democratic support for seat on embattled state agency!

NORTH ARLINGTON - While North Arlington voters rejected him twice for a seat on the North Arlington Council, longtime Republican insider and Kaiser loyalist James Bocchino was appointed to fill the unexpired term of the former mayor who resigned November 6th of last year.

Bocchino, an unsuccessful candidate for council in 2006 as well as 2008 was an ardent supporter of EnCap as late as last November who called for talks with the bankrupt developer days before the election in which he and former councilman James Herrmann were handily defeated by Councilmen Steve Tanelli and Mark Yampaglia. Read More

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Mayor, Council making efforts to turn borough look around with grant money

NORTH ARLINGTON – In an effort to leverage state and federal grant money to make borough improvements, Council President Al Granell, as redevelopment liaison, said that this summer’s workload includes several road, drainage and recreational renovations and upgrades. The project is being funded by a $57,609 federal grant. Read More

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NJMC renews baler permit

The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission (NJMC) lost money on it its last year of operation. Waste Management was hesitant to continue to operate it when it signed on for another six-month stint in July 2007. Only two towns, Lyndhurst and North Arlington, used it before it closed on Dec. 31, 2008. Then why did the commission recently move to renew its permit? Read More

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Letters:

Dear Editor:

As we enter the summer months before a more specific discussion of the issues come the fall, it's a good time to look back on the accomplishments we've had as a community in the worst of economic times.

After years of controversy and litigation, EnCap is finally behind North Arlington.

The construction of Arlington Valley will not happen and homeowners have beaten down the challenge to urbanize this community into an extension of Hudson County. Read More

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BOARD OF EDUCATION VOTES TO ACCEPT $361,000 CUT FROM MAYOR & COUNCIL, DEFEATED BUDGET WILL HAVE NO TAX HIKE!

Granell led effort to cut surplus shaves $160 from anticipated tax bill

BOE votes 3-2 to layoff one staffer & reject original resolution to cut just surplus!

NORTH ARLINGTON - In a strange turn of events, the North Arlington Board of Education voted 3-2 to reject the Mayor & Council's resolution to cut just surplus and provide tax relief to homeowners while voting 3-2 to layoff one staffer while cutting less in excess funds.

Trustees Kathy Kartanowicz and Sharon Granell urged the board to accept the Mayor & Council's finding of just cutting surplus to end the defeated budget stand-off. Read More

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Council says no to school tax increase

The North Arlington mayor and council could reduce the borough's Board of Education tax increase to zero. At a special meeting on May 15, the borough council approved a resolution to take money out of the Board of Education's surplus funds to prevent a 3.7-percent tax hike on the average bill, which would have increased taxes by $160 for the average homeowner.

According to the resolution, the projected fund balance for the end of the year would have been $1,713,000. Of this, the school board proposed to take $300,000 and apply it toward the budget. The mayor and council want an additional $422,000, for a total of $722,000 to go toward tax relief.

This would eliminate the projected tax increase and reduce the tax levy, according to the resolution. Read More

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Will the NA Board of Education accept the Mayor & Council's recommendations to use surplus dollars to cut school taxes?

BOE to meet Thursday to decide fate of budget, McDermott will cast the deciding vote to raise taxes or cut them!

NORTH ARLINGTON - The Board of Education postponed a vote Monday night to accept the Mayor & Council's resolution to reduce school spending by applying surplus funding to the proposed 3.7% tax hike rejected by the voters last month with 56% of the vote!

The $25.4 million dollar spending package constructed by school officials vastly over estimated budgetary expenditures for grades 9-12 by $394,452 and the overall cost of Health Benefits by $356,378 in an audit conducted by Hodulik & Morrison, PA. The firm specializes in municipal auditing and are public school accountants here in the state of New Jersey. The firm was retained because the board's auditor is the same as the municipality's and that could have caused a conflict of interest according to Council President Albert Granell, the chairman of the borough's finance committee. Read More

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Citing surplus, council erases school tax hike

The Borough Council on Friday erased a 4 percent tax hike proposed by the school board, citing $1.2 million in anticipated surplus for the upcoming academic year.

The $25.4 million spending plan initially proposed by the board raised concerns about how its members could justify an increase of any level.

"I’m questioning the process itself — how this gets put together, how you can propose a 3.7 percent tax increase when there is money in the budget to begin with," Councilman Albert Granell said. Read More

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BREAKING NEWS:

Zero Tax Hike

Independent Audit finds over $700,000 in surplus funds in defeated school budget, Mayor & Council vote to eliminate school tax increase and provide a "zero" tax increase!

Councilman Al Granell leads the way in finding hundreds of thousands of dollars in budget "overestimates" to provide real tax relief for NA homeowners! 

NORTH ARLINGTON - At a special meeting of the North Arlington Mayor & Council and Board of Education Friday, the governing body voted 4-0 with two members absent to reduce the defeated school board budget by nearly $370,000 and thus providing homeowners with a zero school tax increase (click here).

Republican Rich Hughes joined Democrats Mark Yampaglia, Al Granell and Steve Tanelli in supporting the initiative. Council members Joe Bianchi (R) and Sal DiBlasi (D) were absent for this afternoon joint session. Read More

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Post-election bitterness

There are those who seem to forget America is a democracy and elections are in fact, for the people!

Someone needs to give school board President George McDermott a refresher course in government, history and politics.

McDermott, known for his self-serving rhetoric and little attention to detail seems determined to extend his successful campaign for re-election. Read More

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North Arlington Independence Day

April 28 will from now on be declared a new Independence Day for North Arlington. That was the day that Superior Court Judge Jonathan Harris ruled that North Arlington was free from the foolish and destructive development that has come to be known as EnCap.

The judge’s ruling ends five years of turmoil that was visited upon our community by a group of greedy developers, who at first enthralled us with their vision of turning the Meadowlands into a lush golf Mecca, and disgusted us with the reality of a monstrous high-density housing development rising from the landfills overlooking the Hackensack River. Read More

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"Put me in coach, I'm ready to play"

Jad Dombrowski gets his instructions from his coach in his first game at the newly renovated North Arlington Little League Field located on River Road. Jad's Dad is Jim Dombrowski, a former member of the North Arlington Board of Education and current member of the borough's Recreation Commission.

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School Board Reorganizes:

McDermott re-elected president of BOE by 3-2 vote

Auditor makes specific request for records regarding 2009-10 defeated budget!

NORTH ARLINGTON - George McDermott, who was re-elected in a close contest last week for a second term failed to receive the full confidence of his colleagues when he was chosen again to serve as president by a vote of three yes and two no. Read More

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Editorial:

Was EnCap worth the fight?

Borough finally out from under the thumb of the NJMC to chart it's own redevelopment course!

Was it worth it?

The years of legal fees, headaches and controversy?

North Arlington went into the fight against EnCap alone and emerged a winner - alone.

There were no allies. No help from the NJMC. No help from the governor. No help from the legislature or the county.

No help from anyone.

North Arlington was on it's own - and despite the odds won this battle to stop Arlington Valley and EnCap. Read More

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Rent-free days numbered for after-school program

$37,125 for twenty hour per week director, Barbara Kaiser

"I want to know why they use school facilities at no cost" - Mayor Peter Massa

The school board budget has been voted down for the second time in three years. The budget will now go to the mayor and council for review. Even before the budget was defeated, Mayor Peter Massa questioned why the North Arlington Educational/Athletic Foundation, the non-profit group whose central mission is to run an after-school care program for North Arlington students, did not pay rent for use of the schools. Read More

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Time for Mr. McDermott to govern.

Budget defeat will be first step in fixing North Arlington's beleaguered schools.

Those who did vote in Tuesday's school elections (less than 1,200) sent a "mixed message" of sorts to the Board of Education and those who run our local schools.

While Board President George McDermott survived a spirited challenge from a virtual unknown in Debra Altilio (54% to 46%), the school budget was defeated by a far wider margin (56% to 44%). Read More

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Whaddya know: We care about ethics

You may need to rub your eyes and read this a second time, but here goes:

Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney said Wednesday that he squashed an unnecessary $15,000 "stipend'' to a longtime political operative because of "perception problems.'' Voters won't like it "in this climate,'' he said in an interview.

Yes, McNerney, perhaps the most prominent by-product of the Bergen County Democratic machine, is frowning upon a run-of-the-mill insider deal, fearing that it won't sit so well with outsiders – the public.

That's a stark contrast from the dismissive rationale offered by defenders of the pay-to-play status quo, who routinely argue that Jersey voters rarely get lathered up over corruption or ethics reform. But now, McNerney suggests, the climate is changed. Apparently, voters do care. Read More

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ANOTHER BUDGET BUSTER?

NA BOARD OF EDUCATION TO RAISE SCHOOL TAXES ANOTHER 3.7% DESPITE INCREASED STATE AID!

School taxes climb to $4,529 on home assessed at $180k, tax levy jumps $361,464, total school spending now approaching $26 million dollars!

Does anyone care about the plight of homeowners in the worst recession since The Great Depression?

NORTH ARLINGTON - Despite being one of just a few school districts statewide to see an overall increase in  aid, the North Arlington Board of Education led by President George McDermott is calling for yet another increase school taxes which will cost each homeowner on average about $4,529! Read More

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News for immediate release:

Granell to lead NA Democrats

New club president wants to expand membership, build a core of volunteers for the upcoming municipal contests

NORTH ARLINGTON - Councilman Al Granell, the borough's finance chairman and architect of last year's "zero tax" increase was elected president of the North Arlington Democratic Club.

Granell succeeds Ken Ludviksen, who served as president for nearly ten years. Read More

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The following is the opinion of an unsigned author:

Who's going to take responsibility for poor performance?

The obvious answer to this question is educators and administrators. In other words, the teachers and the Board of Education. What the citizens of North Arlington often fail to realize is that these two groups rarely cooperate nor agree on what is best for our #1 concern: the success of our students. Read More

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EnCap developer scraps plans for North Arlington

A major backer of EnCap told a judge on Tuesday that it no longer wanted to build in North Arlington what had been the second phase of the Meadowlands redevelopment project.

The revelation, made in a Hackensack courtroom, seems to end a controversial redevelopment deal that Cherokee Investment Partners and the borough began discussing some eight years ago. The deal set out to turn 115 industrial acres into plots for some 1,600 homes.

Cherokee initially sought a court order that would have forced North Arlington to accept a redevelopment agreement signed by a former administration in 2006. The deal included several taxpayer-backed revenue sources and allowed the use of eminent domain to clear out 16 businesses. Read More

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Crisis in education?

As many as four principals could retire from NA school district in 2009!

BOE could appoint four new school heads by September!

NORTH ARLINGTON - If residents think serving on the school board doesn't have importance, think again.

According to numerous sources in and outside the North Arlington school district, as many as four veteran principals might retire simultaneously giving the current board broad appointment powers that will shape the leadership of the struggling district for decades. Read More

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Why they didn’t file COAH plans

Two hundred and thirty-eight New Jersey towns submitted affordable housing plans to the state as of Jan. 7 to comply with the Dec. 31 deadline set by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH). However, that leaves a number of municipalities who have not complied with the deadline. Here in southern Bergen County, the only exceptions are North Arlington and Carlstadt. Read More

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NA GOP spends $48,830 in losing council effort, Tanelli spends $5,230 in re-election win!

GOP spends $11,620 on cable ads, $1,710 on 36 campaign workers, raises $19,820 or 40% of all contributions are under $300 or less!

Dems spend $1,400 on 24 election day workers, both sides spend a total of $846.19 for food & refreshments to feed their campaign staffs on election day!

NORTH ARLINGTON - The Election Fund of GOP candidates James Bocchino and former Councilman Jim Herrmann spent nearly $50,000 in a losing effort to unseat Councilman Steve Tanelli and Councilman Mark Yampaglia in reports filed with the state's Election Law Enforcement Commission dated December 4th and December 11th of last year. Read More

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NA SECURES $800K FROM NJMC!

MAYOR MASSA APPRECIATES EFFECTIVE LOBBY FROM SARLO, SCALERA AND SCHAER TO DELIVER FOR TAXPAYERS!

Borough Seeks Long Term Solution to the EnCap Fiasco

NORTH ARLINGTON -  Mayor Peter Massa said the state's commitment of up to $800,000 in aid to offset the borough's losses in 2009 due to the possible closing of the trash baler run by the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission is "the best Christmas gift North Arlington could ever receive." Read More

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EDITORIAL:

Who to choose?

While no vacancy exists for chairman, Bergen Dems scramble around developer and union chief as a possible successor to Joe Ferriero!

While the name Joe Ferriero may be perceived as a lightening rod of controversy within Democratic circles, Ferriero's decade long tenure as chairman of the Bergen Democratic Committee has resulted in the most successful run for Democrats in a "swing" county historically controlled by the GOP.

Currently facing legal woes, Ferriero has taken a leave-of-absence from the day to day duties to this non-paying position to focus on his legal defense. Read More

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Locals: No affordable housing in my backyard

With more than 500,000 jobs lost nationwide in November, and a record number of foreclosures marring the local real estate landscape, getting and keeping an affordable home is a problem for cash-strapped family budgets.

Not everyone agrees on the solution. Read More

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EDITORIAL:

WHEN WILL ENCAP JUST GO AWAY?

It's time for the NJMC, county and state officials to take the side of North Arlington and end this fiasco once and for all!

When will the taxpayers of North Arlington be rid of EnCap once and for all?

It's a question state and regional officials should be asking themselves as all attempts to revive this bankrupt developer from Chapter 11 seem stronger than ever despite the financial hardship this project has placed on North Arlington for the better part of three years with hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees spent to stop something nobody wants! Read More

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EnCap, town in a tug-of-trash over hub

A hearing to decide the future of garbage operations in North Arlington – and $1.6 million in annual revenue and savings for the borough – is expected to begin momentarily.

EnCap is expected to oppose a last-ditch effort to rescue the borough from a financial crisis spurred by the year-end closure of a garbage hub, court papers say. Read More

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Why another law firm?

With the economy in virtual collapse, why is the NA BOE hiring more attorneys instead of using the one they already have?

Is this another example of "petty politics" at the expense of weary taxpayers?

BOE has $3,262,837 in "fund balance" as of June 30 audit, $807,169 in unreserved/undesignated surplus, $1,362,174 in capital reserve!

In a 3-2 vote, the North Arlington Board of Education inexplicably hired the law firm of Adams Stern Gutierrez & Lattiboudre to handle the district's impending collective bargaining negotiations even though that's always been the chief responsibility of the board's attorney of record. Read More

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363,618 hits for November, 32,220 pageviews and 9,155 unique visitors set new traffic records for NA Today!

646 unique visitors on Tuesday, November 4th generated 85,480 hits as NA Today was the #1 source for election results again!

NORTH ARLINGTON - NA Today generated over 360,000 hits for the month of November and set a new site record with over 85,000 hits and 646 "unique visitors" on Tuesday, November 4th. There also 2053 pageviews on this specific day. Read More

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Kaiser resigns foundation post

Wife still after school manager

Former Mayor Leonard Kaiser resigned from his position as president of the North Arlington Educational/Athletic Foundation at a 7:30 a.m. meeting on Nov. 12, the day before federal agents raided his home, according to new foundation president Brian Fitzhenry. During the early morning reorganization meeting, former school board trustee Fitzhenry, who was previously the foundation’s vice president, took over Kaiser’s post. Read More

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BOROUGH SHORTS:

DOWN AND OUT IN NA

After another devastating defeat, where does the GOP go from here?

What will be the fate of the NAEF, politics within the school system?

The New Jersey League of Municipalities held their annual gathering in Atlantic City this week where elected officials and appointed members of boards & commissions meet to discuss the business of local government.

Municipal Engineer Michael Neglia of Neglia & Associates hosts one of the bigger parties for these officials who descend upon Atlantic City to trade stories about government and politics.

According to sources, several North Arlington elected officials attended the party including Mayor Peter Massa as well as Council President Steve Tanelli and Councilman Al Granell. Read More

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Kaiser quit foundation's top post before FBI search

The president of the North Arlington Educational Athletic Foundation resigned from his post early last week just days before federal agents searched his home.

Leonard Kaiser, a former North Arlington mayor who makes almost $150,000 a year as the Bergen County Utility Authority's executive director, said his resignation had nothing to do with the FBI's search last Thursday. Read More

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EDITORIAL:

The $1 Investment in Seniors!

Mayor Massa seeks funds to buy a brand new bus while the GOP wants to buy a "jalopy" from the BOE for $1!

If one ever wanted to really know what North Arlington Republicans think about seniors, all they had to do was read this week's edition of The Leader Newspapers.

Mayor Pete Massa was clear and concise, let's get a new bus. Read More