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  • OUR 121th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 05-2011 SEVENTY FIVE CENTS …An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunityiiss areara rear gistgitterededd trattra ddema ark lkkl iicenc nsedsed
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PAGE INDEX Regional ........ 2-3 Editorial ........ 4-5, 14 Community ... 6-7, 13 Obituary ........ 6 Education ...... 16 Sports ............ 9-12 Real Estate .... 10-13 Classifieds .... 15 A&E .............. 17-18 Police Blotter...6 OUR 121th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 05-2011 SEVENTY FIVE CENTS (908) 232-4407 [email protected] Thursday, February 3, 2011 USPS 680020 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 www.goleader.com Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus ©2011 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker ® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. *Gross Commission Income ©201 ©201 201 201 01 01 01 01 ©2011C C C C 1C C C C 1 Co 1 Co 1 Co 1 Co 1 1 Cold ld ld ldwe ldw ldwe ldwe ldwell ll B ll B ll B ll B B ll B ll B l k k k k k k k k k k k k k k anke k ke ke ke nke nke nke ke ke e a e e anke anke anke a anke anke e e e e anke e e e e e anke anke e anke R rR R r Re r Re r r r r r r Re r Re r r r al al E lE E E al E l a al E t stat t tt stat stat LL L L LL e LL e LL L e LLC C C C C. C C. 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O O O O Own Own Own Own Own n Own Own d d d d ed a ed a ed a ed ed a e e ed a dO d O dO dO dO O nd O dO O nd O nd O nd O dO O O nd O nd Oper pera pera era pera ra p pera pe pe pera d td ted t t ted ted b N N N b N N by N by N by N by NR RT L RT L RT L RT L RT RT L RT L RT LLC LC LC LC LC. LC. *G *G *G *G * *G G *G * *G G G Gro ro ro ro ro ro ro ross ss s ss s ss s ss s C C C C C C C C C C Com om o om om om om m m i i i i i m mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi mi miss ss ss ss ss ss ss ssi i i i io o io o io io io io ion n n n n n n I I I I In In In In In In Inco c co co co co co om m me me e e e e me me e e me e Westfield - West | 600 North Avenue West, Westfield | 908-233-0065 | www.coldwellbankermoves.com/westfieldwest 2010 TOP 50 SALES ASSOCIATES Elizabeth Bataille Ranked 27th & 45th for Units & GCI* Carol Tener Ranked 29th for GCI* Ranked 30th for GCI* Joyce Taylor l l l liz iz iz iz z z b b b b b ab ab ab ab ab a et et t t eth h h h h h h h h h B B Ba Ba Ba Bata a ta a ail il il il i il l i l l o or r U Un Unit its s & & GC GC GCI I C C Ca Ca C C ro rol l l l T Te Tene ne er r r 29 29 9th th f f or or G G I CI CI 30 30 th th f f or or G G I CI CI Jo J J Jo J yc y yc y e e T Ta l l l l l l l l l yl yl l l l l lor or or o o or o or o o o o is honor recognizes the Top 1% of 3,700 sales associates throughout New Jersey and Rockland County, NY. Anthony J. Scutti, Former Chief, Dies WESTFIELD – Former Westfield Police Chief Anthony J. Scutti died on Tuesday at his home. Mr. Scutti had been a member of the Westfield Police Department for over 41 years, beginning as a patrol- man in 1959. He was appointed po- lice chief in 1986. During his years with the police department, he served the community by re-establishing the Neighborhood Watch Program, introducing a Retail Theft Program for the local merchants and estab- lishing a bicycle patrol unit. Additionally, Mr. Scutti served as president of the Union County and the New Jersey State Associa- tions of Chiefs of Police. He also was active in the Westfield UNICO chapter and was named its Man of the Year in 1990. The Westfield Rotary in 2000 pre- sented him with the Charles P. Bailey Humanitarian Award. Arrangements are under the di- rection of the Dooley Colonial Home, 556 Westfield Avenue in Westfield. See obituary on page 6. Betsey Burgdorf for The Westfield Leader QUIET BEFORE THE STORM...Heavy gray skies and a deep covering of snow add to the picturesque scene near Westfield Town Hall. The clouds served as a warning for the impending snow, which would drop more than 16 inches on the area. Betsey Burgdorf for The Westfield Leader NOT A SOUL IN SIGHT...Frosty seems to be the only one smiling about the mix of rain and snow that brought the area to a standstill last Wednesday, January 26. Much to the disappointment of area merchants, E. Broad Street was empty that afternoon as residents avoided the slushy mess by staying home. Photo courtesy of Nick and Linda Karter LOVERS’ QUARREL...These love birds appear to be discussing whose idea it was not to fly south for the winter. TOP VOLUNTEER…Mountainside Councilman Glenn Mortimer, right, holds up a Congressional resolution presented to him by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th), left, for being named Union County Republican Committee Volunteer of the Year. Also pictured is Mr. Mortimer’s wife, Joanne. See story on page 3. Towns Concerned Over Sale Of Golf Courses and Development Westfield Council Sets Municipal Pool Rates for Coming Year By LAUREN S. BARR Specially Written for The Westfield Leader WESTFIELD — At Tuesday night’s public Westfield Town Coun- cil meeting, the council passed an ordinance on final reading setting “not to exceed” limits for member- ships to the Westfield Memorial Pool, which also established new member- ship categories for families of five or more and families of four or less. This new ordinance will allow the council to raise fees solely by resolu- tion in the future. In conjunction with the ordinance, a resolution was passed setting the fees for 2011. Resident families of five or more will pay $450; families of four or less, $360; husband and wife or parent and child (under 18), $270; individual, $180; senior citi- zen, $90; a family with childcare (five or more), $630, and a family with childcare (four or less), $540. According to Third Ward Council- man Mark Ciarrocca, the increases this year are the first in a “few years” for the pool and are “fairly nominal.” The council also passed two reso- lutions approving the demolition of homes at 1150 Central Avenue and 861 Boulevard. During the public discussion por- tion, Central Avenue residents Maria Carluccio and Adina Enculescu again voiced their complaints regarding the placement of a pedestrian crossing signal on Ms. Enculescu’s front lawn. Both Mrs. Carluccio and Ms. Enculescu asked why the town’s on- call traffic safety engineer, Gordon Meth, has not been asked to attend a meeting to answer their questions. The question also was asked of Mayor Andrew Skibitsky by Second Ward Councilwoman Vicki Kimmins, as it might “quell some of the concerns.” Mayor Skibitsky responded that Mr. Meth would not be asked to a meeting, as it would cost the town money to have him come, and that this has become a “political” issue. Third Ward Councilman Dave Haas said that he would also like to have Mr. Meth come to a meeting. Coun- cilman Haas said that while he was at the community meetings held sev- eral years ago regarding the light and its location, he now has questions he “did not think of” at that time. Councilman Haas said that while he did see drawings depicting the location of the light away from the intersection of Clover Street and Cen- tral Avenue, Mr. Meth told him that the location (of the light) was changed by Louis Berger Group, who is the engineering firm employed by Union County. While Central Avenue runs through the town and the project was endorsed by the town council via resolution several years ago, the roadway is under Union County ju- risdiction and the project is being undertaken by the county. Mayor Skibitsky said that, despite a petition containing over 100 signa- tures to have the light moved to Cen- tral and Clover, he “hasn’t changed his opinion.” He said that after the light is activated and has been in use for at least 90 days, the council will talk to the police department, cross- ing guard and review all of the data. Resident Greg Kasko, who retired from the Westfield Police Depart- ment following a lawsuit with the town, criticized the town for not shov- eling the sidewalk in the area of the County Hires Consultant For New Ice Skating Rink CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 By PAUL J. PEYTON Specially Written for The Westfield Leader AREA – Facing a combination of declining membership and increased debt, two private golf courses in Union County are on the selling block and may be converted to housing devel- opments. The Westfield Leader has learned that Shackamaxon Golf and Country Club, located on Shackamaxon Drive in Scotch Plains, has received at least five bids for its 145-acre property, including at least one from a devel- oper. The club hired Troon Golf, a private golf course management en- tity, last year to manage the golf course. According to the New Jersey Tax Assessors’ website, the club paid $254,000 in property taxes to Scotch Plains last year. Shackamaxon General Manager Rich Riffle confirmed the property is for sale, but declined to respond to further questions, referring all inquir- ies to Rob Schwartz, the club’s presi- dent, who did not return a call to The Leader. The club dates back to 1916. Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Malool said the township is taking steps to look at whether the site could be- come the new home for the township municipal building on Park Avenue and library on Bartle Avenue, thus freeing that space up for redevelop- ment of the township’s business dis- trict, located off Route 22. According to a statement issued Friday afternoon by the township, “The development of the Shackamaxon Golf and Country Club property by a developer for residen- tial housing would serve only to ex- acerbate an already overburdened school system and further tax exist- ing municipal services and infrastruc- ture already stretched to capacity.” Mayor Malool said the property is currently zoned for single-family homes, one acre in size. She said once the township council is desig- nated as the town’s redevelopment agency, any proposals for Shackamaxon would have to be ap- proved by the agency. The process will be brought before the planning board, which has been instructed to “examine the viability of relocation sites,” including Shackamaxon, for the town hall and library. If the board agrees with the township, the council would then hire a professional plan- ner to create a redevelopment plan. “I’m concerned on what could be developed there and its impact on our infrastructure, particularly our schools,” Mayor Malool told The Leader. Councilman Kevin Glover told The Leader the township and its residents need “full disclosure” and “transpar- ency” regarding the development of the largest downtown property. “This (sale of Shackamaxon) was moving at light speed. We needed to slow it down,” Mr. Glover said. He CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 By PAUL J. PEYTON Specially Written for The Westfield Leader ELIZABETH – The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders last week hired Rink Management Cor- poration of Mechanicsville, Va., at $17,800, to perform a feasibility study for building a new ice-skating rink at Oak Ridge Park in Clark. The county is looking to construct a new rink at Oak Ridge Park to replace the Warinanco Rink in Roselle as part of its master plan for the park. Officials have said Warinanco would need $5 to $10 million in mainte- nance improvements to continue as a rink. Rink Management promotes itself as the largest operator of ice-skating facilities in the country. It operates facilities in Dallas, Houston, Provi- dence, R.I., Lancaster and York, Pa., as well as Newburgh, N.Y. Its only facility in New Jersey is Ski Campgaw in Mahwah. County officials are looking for the study to be completed in a few months. The rink is part of the Oak Ridge Park master plan. The county has bud- geted $6 million in its capital budgets through 2012 for the Oak Ridge plan. “When we put the rink in there (Oak Ridge), now it becomes some- thing that can sustain itself for the next 20 or 30 years. It’s going to bring money back to the operations. It can be a profit center (for the county),” said Armando Sanchez, director of golf operations. He said the county’s goal is to hire an outside management firm to man- age the rink’s operation, similar to Illinois-based KemperSports, which was brought in last year to manage the county’s two golf courses. Mr. Sanchez said Rink’s proposal was one of five bids received, which ranged up to $35,000. Two of the bids were dismissed for not meeting the requirements of the county’s request for proposals (RFP). At last week’s meeting, several county residents said they did not see the need for the feasibility study. Kenilworth resident John Bury re- sponded, “It seems that you have already decided. I don’t see much use for that (feasibility study).” “These guys are just going to come in and give some rinky-dink report and you are going to do what you want or what you are told to want,” Mr. Bury said. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Mountainside Council Reviews Snow Budget By MANDY L. RUSSELL Specially Written for The Westfield Leader MOUNTAINSIDE — The snow removal budget was a topic of discus- sion at Tuesday night’s Mountainside Borough Council meeting. The meet- ing itself was abbreviated due to the ice storm underway that evening. This winter has been a more ex- pensive one than past New Jersey winters, and snow removal does not come without a cost, it was noted during discussions. Since January 1, Mountainside has expended more than $123,000 in snow removal and has outstanding salt bills estimated at $31,000. “There is really no way around it,” Mayor Paul Mirabelli said. “It has been a difficult winter for everyone, and snow removal is just part of it; we are not the only ones paying for it,” he added. The mayor told the council that the hit will not seem as bad with the help of the reserve money the borough has left over from previous winters when it did not use the funds, or these funds were not needed. The mayor con- firmed that the borough had $68,000 in the reserve from previous years. Last week, the plow trucks had to go back out and move some of the snow piles out of the way. They cut down piles that were angled too high in intersections so they did not create a driving hazard. “If we get much more snow, I don’t know where the trucks are going to put it all; we are beginning to run out of room,” Mayor Mirabelli said. In other news, the council agreed to continue to donate $300 to the annual Governor Livingston High School Project Graduation. The pro- gram funds a party for all the gradu- ating seniors where buses shuttle the students to a party where there is no drugs or alcohol present. The stu- dents are brought back around 5 a.m. from the event. This program was started to help prevent students from abusing drugs or alcohol on gradua- tion night, and to eliminate the pres- ence of those substances. CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

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  • PAGE INDEXRegional ........ 2-3Editorial ........ 4-5, 14Community ... 6-7, 13

    Obituary ........ 6Education ...... 16Sports ............ 9-12

    Real Estate .... 10-13Classifieds .... 15A&E .............. 17-18

    Police Blotter...6

    OUR 121th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 05-2011 SEVENTY FIVE CENTS (908) 232-4407

    [email protected], February 3, 2011USPS 680020

    Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J.Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890

    www.goleader.com

    Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus

    ©2011 Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. Coldwell Banker® is a registered trademark licensed to Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. An Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Owned and Operated by NRT LLC. *Gross Commission Income©201©20120120101010101©2011 CCCC1 CCCC1 Co1 Co1 Co1 Co11 Coldldldldweldwldweldweldwellll Bll Bll Bll BBll Bll Bl kkkkkkkkkkkkkkankekkekekenkenkenkekekeea eeankeankeankeaankeankeeeeeankeeeeeeankeankeeanke Rr RRr Rer Rerrrrrr Rer Rerrr alal El EEEal Elaal E tstattt tstatstat LLLLLLe LLe LLLe LLCCCCC. CC. CCC ldC ldColdColdldoldColdldold llllllwellllwellwellwell BBBBanBan Bankkkerkerker®®®® iisisiss is a rea rea ra rea r i tgisttgisttgistgg ddddderederedederedered tttratratratra traddddddemaademademademadema kk lrk lrk lrk lrk lrk lrk liicenicenicenicenncicenicen ddseddsedsedsedsed sed to CCCCCCto Cto Cto CCCto CCt Cto lloldldoldwoldwoldwwoldwooldooldwdwolddww llllllellellellellell elll B kkB kkkB kB kBaBBaankanknkBanknkBankkBankBBankBankkBankBankBankBankaaBankBankBankBankBankk RRRRRRRerer Rer Rer Rer Rer Rer Rr Rer Rer Rer Rr Rer Rerere Rer Rer Rer Rer Rer RRer R lllllllealealealeallealealealealealealealeaeealeal ealealeal eal EEE tE ttEstaEstaEstaEstaEstasttaEstaEstaEstaEstaEstaEstaEstaEstaEstaEstastEsta Lt LLLLLLLLte Lte Lte Lt LLLte Lte LLte Lte Lee Lte Lte Lte Lte Lte Le LLt Lte Letetett LCLCLCLCLCLCLCLCLCLCLC.LC. LC. CCCLCLLC. LC.LC. LC. CCLLLCC A EA EA EA EEAn EAn EAn EAn EEAn EAAn EAn EAn EAn EAAn En EAn EnAn EnAn EAn EAAn EAAn Enn llllllqualqualqualqualqqualqualqualqualqualqualualqualauaqualqualqualqualqqqualuqu lqual OOOOOOOOOppOppOppOppOppOppOppOppOpppOpppOppOp Oppp Opp Opp OpOp OppO ppp ortuortuoortuuorturtuortuorturtuuutortuortuortuortuor itnitynnitynnitynitynitynitynnitynitynnn CCCComComCommComComComCommommmm ComComComComomommpanypanypanypanypanypanynpanypapapanynyypanpanpanaanypaanypa EEEEqEEqEqEq Eq. Eq.. Eq lllualluauauallluauualual l HHHHHousHoHousHouusHHousousiingingingiing OOOOOOppoOppoOppopp ttrtunrtunrtuntunrtunrtunititityityity.ity.ity.ity.y OOOOOwnOwnOwnOwn OwnnOwnOwn dddded aed aed aeded aeeed a d Od Od Od Od OOnd Od OOnd Ond Ond Od OOOnd Ond Operperaperaeraperarapperapepepera dt dtedtttedted b NNNb NNby Nby Nby Nby NRRT LRT LRT LRT LRTRT LRT LRT LLCLCLCLCLC.LC. *G*G*G*G**GG*G**GGGGrorororororororossssssssssssss CCCCCCCCCC Comomoomomomommm iiiiimmimimimimimimimimimissssssssssssssssiiiiiooiooioioioioionnnnnnn IIIIInInInInInInIncoccococococoommmemeeeeememeeemeeWestfield - West | 600 North Avenue West, Westfield | 908-233-0065 | www.coldwellbankermoves.com/westfieldwest

    2010 TOP 50 SALES ASSOCIATES ��������������

    Elizabeth Bataille

    Ranked 27th & 45th for Units & GCI*

    Carol Tener

    Ranked29th for GCI*

    Ranked30th for GCI*

    Joyce Taylor llllizizizizzz bbbbbabababababa etetttethhhhhhhhhh BBBaBaBaBataataaaililililiilli ll

    oorr UUnUnititss && GCGCGCII

    CCCaCaCC rorollll TTeTeneneerrrr

    29299thth f fffforor G G ICICI 30300thth f fffforor G G ICICI

    JJJoJJJoJJJ ycyycy ee TTa lllllllllylyllllllorororooorooroooo

    This honor recognizes the Top 1% of 3,700 sales associates throughout New Jersey and Rockland County, NY.

    Anthony J. Scutti,Former Chief, Dies

    WESTFIELD – FormerWestfield Police Chief Anthony J.Scutti died on Tuesday at his home.

    Mr. Scutti had been a member ofthe Westfield Police Department forover 41 years, beginning as a patrol-man in 1959. He was appointed po-lice chief in 1986. During his yearswith the police department, he servedthe community by re-establishingthe Neighborhood Watch Program,introducing a Retail Theft Programfor the local merchants and estab-lishing a bicycle patrol unit.

    Additionally, Mr. Scutti servedas president of the Union Countyand the New Jersey State Associa-tions of Chiefs of Police. He alsowas active in the Westfield UNICOchapter and was named its Man ofthe Year in 1990.

    The Westfield Rotary in 2000 pre-sented him with the Charles P.Bailey Humanitarian Award.

    Arrangements are under the di-rection of the Dooley ColonialHome, 556 Westfield Avenue inWestfield. See obituary on page 6.

    Betsey Burgdorf for The Westfield LeaderQUIET BEFORE THE STORM...Heavy gray skies and a deep covering of snow add to the picturesque scene near WestfieldTown Hall. The clouds served as a warning for the impending snow, which would drop more than 16 inches on the area.

    Betsey Burgdorf for The Westfield LeaderNOT A SOUL IN SIGHT...Frosty seems to be the only one smiling about the mixof rain and snow that brought the area to a standstill last Wednesday, January 26.Much to the disappointment of area merchants, E. Broad Street was empty thatafternoon as residents avoided the slushy mess by staying home.

    Photo courtesy of Nick and Linda KarterLOVERS’ QUARREL...These love birds appear to be discussing whose idea itwas not to fly south for the winter.

    TOP VOLUNTEER…Mountainside Councilman Glenn Mortimer, right, holdsup a Congressional resolution presented to him by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th),left, for being named Union County Republican Committee Volunteer of theYear. Also pictured is Mr. Mortimer’s wife, Joanne. See story on page 3.

    Towns Concerned Over Sale OfGolf Courses and Development

    Westfield Council Sets MunicipalPool Rates for Coming Year

    By LAUREN S. BARRSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

    WESTFIELD — At Tuesdaynight’s public Westfield Town Coun-cil meeting, the council passed anordinance on final reading setting“not to exceed” limits for member-ships to the Westfield Memorial Pool,which also established new member-ship categories for families of five ormore and families of four or less.This new ordinance will allow thecouncil to raise fees solely by resolu-tion in the future.

    In conjunction with the ordinance,a resolution was passed setting thefees for 2011. Resident families offive or more will pay $450; familiesof four or less, $360; husband andwife or parent and child (under 18),

    $270; individual, $180; senior citi-zen, $90; a family with childcare(five or more), $630, and a familywith childcare (four or less), $540.

    According to Third Ward Council-man Mark Ciarrocca, the increasesthis year are the first in a “few years”for the pool and are “fairly nominal.”

    The council also passed two reso-lutions approving the demolition ofhomes at 1150 Central Avenue and861 Boulevard.

    During the public discussion por-tion, Central Avenue residents MariaCarluccio and Adina Enculescu againvoiced their complaints regarding theplacement of a pedestrian crossingsignal on Ms. Enculescu’s front lawn.

    Both Mrs. Carluccio and Ms.Enculescu asked why the town’s on-

    call traffic safety engineer, GordonMeth, has not been asked to attend ameeting to answer their questions.The question also was asked of MayorAndrew Skibitsky by Second WardCouncilwoman Vicki Kimmins, as itmight “quell some of the concerns.”

    Mayor Skibitsky responded thatMr. Meth would not be asked to ameeting, as it would cost the townmoney to have him come, and thatthis has become a “political” issue.

    Third Ward Councilman Dave Haassaid that he would also like to haveMr. Meth come to a meeting. Coun-cilman Haas said that while he was atthe community meetings held sev-eral years ago regarding the light andits location, he now has questions he“did not think of” at that time.

    Councilman Haas said that whilehe did see drawings depicting thelocation of the light away from theintersection of Clover Street and Cen-tral Avenue, Mr. Meth told him thatthe location (of the light) was changedby Louis Berger Group, who is theengineering firm employed by UnionCounty.

    While Central Avenue runsthrough the town and the projectwas endorsed by the town councilvia resolution several years ago, theroadway is under Union County ju-risdiction and the project is beingundertaken by the county.

    Mayor Skibitsky said that, despitea petition containing over 100 signa-tures to have the light moved to Cen-tral and Clover, he “hasn’t changedhis opinion.” He said that after thelight is activated and has been in usefor at least 90 days, the council willtalk to the police department, cross-ing guard and review all of the data.

    Resident Greg Kasko, who retiredfrom the Westfield Police Depart-ment following a lawsuit with thetown, criticized the town for not shov-eling the sidewalk in the area of the

    County Hires ConsultantFor New Ice Skating Rink

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

    By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

    AREA – Facing a combination ofdeclining membership and increaseddebt, two private golf courses in UnionCounty are on the selling block andmay be converted to housing devel-opments.

    The Westfield Leader has learnedthat Shackamaxon Golf and CountryClub, located on Shackamaxon Drivein Scotch Plains, has received at leastfive bids for its 145-acre property,including at least one from a devel-oper. The club hired Troon Golf, aprivate golf course management en-tity, last year to manage the golfcourse. According to the New Jersey

    Tax Assessors’ website, the club paid$254,000 in property taxes to ScotchPlains last year.

    Shackamaxon General ManagerRich Riffle confirmed the property isfor sale, but declined to respond tofurther questions, referring all inquir-ies to Rob Schwartz, the club’s presi-dent, who did not return a call to TheLeader. The club dates back to 1916.

    Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Maloolsaid the township is taking steps tolook at whether the site could be-come the new home for the townshipmunicipal building on Park Avenueand library on Bartle Avenue, thusfreeing that space up for redevelop-ment of the township’s business dis-

    trict, located off Route 22.According to a statement issued

    Friday afternoon by the township,“The development of theShackamaxon Golf and Country Clubproperty by a developer for residen-tial housing would serve only to ex-acerbate an already overburdenedschool system and further tax exist-ing municipal services and infrastruc-ture already stretched to capacity.”

    Mayor Malool said the property iscurrently zoned for single-familyhomes, one acre in size. She saidonce the township council is desig-nated as the town’s redevelopmentagency, any proposals forShackamaxon would have to be ap-proved by the agency. The processwill be brought before the planningboard, which has been instructed to“examine the viability of relocationsites,” including Shackamaxon, forthe town hall and library. If the boardagrees with the township, the councilwould then hire a professional plan-ner to create a redevelopment plan.

    “I’m concerned on what could bedeveloped there and its impact on ourinfrastructure, particularly ourschools,” Mayor Malool told TheLeader.

    Councilman Kevin Glover told TheLeader the township and its residentsneed “full disclosure” and “transpar-ency” regarding the development ofthe largest downtown property.

    “This (sale of Shackamaxon) wasmoving at light speed. We needed toslow it down,” Mr. Glover said. He

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

    By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

    ELIZABETH – The Union CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders lastweek hired Rink Management Cor-poration of Mechanicsville, Va., at$17,800, to perform a feasibility studyfor building a new ice-skating rink atOak Ridge Park in Clark.

    The county is looking to constructa new rink at Oak Ridge Park toreplace the Warinanco Rink in Roselleas part of its master plan for the park.Officials have said Warinanco wouldneed $5 to $10 million in mainte-nance improvements to continue as arink.

    Rink Management promotes itselfas the largest operator of ice-skatingfacilities in the country. It operatesfacilities in Dallas, Houston, Provi-dence, R.I., Lancaster and York, Pa.,as well as Newburgh, N.Y. Its onlyfacility in New Jersey is Ski Campgawin Mahwah.

    County officials are looking for thestudy to be completed in a few months.The rink is part of the Oak Ridge Parkmaster plan. The county has bud-geted $6 million in its capital budgetsthrough 2012 for the Oak Ridge plan.

    “When we put the rink in there(Oak Ridge), now it becomes some-thing that can sustain itself for thenext 20 or 30 years. It’s going to bringmoney back to the operations. It canbe a profit center (for the county),”said Armando Sanchez, director ofgolf operations.

    He said the county’s goal is to hirean outside management firm to man-age the rink’s operation, similar toIllinois-based KemperSports, whichwas brought in last year to managethe county’s two golf courses.

    Mr. Sanchez said Rink’s proposalwas one of five bids received, which

    ranged up to $35,000. Two of the bidswere dismissed for not meeting therequirements of the county’s requestfor proposals (RFP).

    At last week’s meeting, severalcounty residents said they did not seethe need for the feasibility study.

    Kenilworth resident John Bury re-sponded, “It seems that you havealready decided. I don’t see much usefor that (feasibility study).”

    “These guys are just going to comein and give some rinky-dink reportand you are going to do what youwant or what you are told to want,”Mr. Bury said.

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

    Mountainside CouncilReviews Snow Budget

    By MANDY L. RUSSELLSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

    MOUNTAINSIDE — The snowremoval budget was a topic of discus-sion at Tuesday night’s MountainsideBorough Council meeting. The meet-ing itself was abbreviated due to theice storm underway that evening.

    This winter has been a more ex-pensive one than past New Jerseywinters, and snow removal does notcome without a cost, it was notedduring discussions. Since January1, Mountainside has expended morethan $123,000 in snow removal andhas outstanding salt bills estimatedat $31,000.

    “There is really no way around it,”Mayor Paul Mirabelli said. “It hasbeen a difficult winter for everyone,and snow removal is just part of it;we are not the only ones paying forit,” he added.

    The mayor told the council that thehit will not seem as bad with the helpof the reserve money the borough hasleft over from previous winters whenit did not use the funds, or these funds

    were not needed. The mayor con-firmed that the borough had $68,000in the reserve from previous years.

    Last week, the plow trucks had togo back out and move some of thesnow piles out of the way. They cutdown piles that were angled too highin intersections so they did not createa driving hazard.

    “If we get much more snow, I don’tknow where the trucks are going toput it all; we are beginning to run outof room,” Mayor Mirabelli said.

    In other news, the council agreedto continue to donate $300 to theannual Governor Livingston HighSchool Project Graduation. The pro-gram funds a party for all the gradu-ating seniors where buses shuttle thestudents to a party where there is nodrugs or alcohol present. The stu-dents are brought back around 5 a.m.from the event. This program wasstarted to help prevent students fromabusing drugs or alcohol on gradua-tion night, and to eliminate the pres-ence of those substances.

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

  • Page 8 Thursday, February 3, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A Watchung Communications, Inc. Publication

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    2011Our 39th Annual Edition

    Photo courtesy of Jennifer SchildgeLABOR OF LOVE...Westfield kids take a moment to pose with a happy additionto their pack after taking advantage of the piles of snow to make a life-sizesnowman.

    Photo courtesy of George RogersPLAY TIME...Area children enjoy the snow at Echo Lake Park last Thursday asschools were closed for the second snow day of the school year.

    Benjamin B. Corbin for The Westfield LeaderSCOOP, DUMP, REPEAT...The Westfield Department of Public Works re-moves piles of snow from the north side train station parking lot. The snow isdumped at the Westfield Conservation Center, as well as local parks, which arebecoming filled to capacity.

    Courtesy of Peggy RothbaumGOOD SAMARITANS...Through the efforts of Furniture Assist, donations offurniture, appliances and other household items are loaded onto U-haul trucks tobe delivered to area families in need. Furniture Assist accepts donations fromindividuals, as well as organizations, and deliver it free of charge. Pictured, leftto right, are: Dawson and Sandy Yeoman and Antonio Alexander, who gener-ously volunteer their time to help the cause. To donate to Furniture Assist or formore information, visit furnitureassist.com or e-mail [email protected].

    Betsey Burgdorf for The Westfield LeaderBLANKET OF SNOW...Commuters who parked at the Fanwood Train Stationhad to dig out their cars at the end of the day after yet another snow storm hit thearea January 26.

    Photo courtesy of Raymond LordSNOW STOPPING HIM...Residents and downtown employees are finding itdifficult to navigate the meters and pay stations in town. This Westfield ParkingEnforcement officer shares that sentiment as he finds it difficult to reach themeter.

    said while he favors helping the down-town business climate while creatingadditional commercial tax ratables,any plan must make financial sensefor the township to go forward.

    Sources have said the club’s debt isin excess of $8 million.

    Roselle Golf Club, a nine-holecourse located on 58 acres offRaritan Road in Roselle dating to1917, has an agreement to sell itsproperty to developer M.L. Ehrlich,who plans to build 1,600 apartmentunits. The sale agreement is contin-gent on development of the land forhousing.

    The club’s attorney, John Schmidtof Lindabury, McCormick,Estabrook, and Copper, P.C., ofWestfield, told The Leader the clubmade the decision to sell due to de-clining membership and a high taxrate. He said membership hasdwindled from 175 members whenhe joined in 1998 to 109 today, “andthe club has not been able to bring innew blood.”

    Mr. Schmidt said unlike other golfclubs in the area, which are taxed asgolf properties, Roselle pays approxi-mately $320,000 per year in taxesunder a residential tax base. “Wehave been forced to sell because thetaxes are just overbearing,” he said.“[The club] is taxed as though it wasresidential housing.”

    Mr. Schmidt said the borough’s

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    Sale of Golf Courses

    pedestrian crossing signal. He also toldthe mayor that his letter in last week’sThe Westfield Leader “missed the point.”When Mayor Skibitsky asked Mr.Kasko if he would answer some ques-tions, Mr. Kasko replied that he would“do so with (his own) counsel.”

    Resident Douglas Miller suggestedthat the town require everyone toremove their cars from the streetsduring snow emergencies to allowfor plowing. He said that in someareas, where cars were plowed in,there are now ice conditions. Mr.Miller suggested that, due to the nar-rowness of some streets created byall the snow, the town should imple-ment one-side-of-the- street parking.

    First Ward Councilman FrankArena said that the council’s publicworks committee is looking into thoseissues, but said that it would be diffi-cult to implement in some areas nearapartments, where there is no placefor residents to move their cars.

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    WF CouncilThe council also agreed that it would

    contribute its financial portions of thefireworks funding for this year’s Fourthof July event. The money is neededbefore April. The sooner officials pay,the better deal they get. MayorMirabelli told the council that, “pay-ing up front allows for a better show.”The council is set to contribute $15,000to the fireworks this year.

    The Mountainside Board of Edu-cation invited Mayor Mirabelli andmembers of the council to attend itsnext BOE meeting. The mayor en-couraged members of the council toattend to show support and listen towhat is going on in their community’sschool system.

    “It will look good if we are there,”Mayor Mirabelli encouraged.

    The council also authorized a grantagreement with the Department ofHuman Services Division of Plan-ning for a Municipal Drug AllianceGrant in the amount of $15,769.

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    MS Council planning board has recommended thatthe developer’s application be reducedto 700 housing units. The property,located across the street from RoselleCatholic High School, is currentlyzoned for single-family housing.

    The attorney said the club’s appli-cation is now back before the RoselleBorough Council for final consider-ation on rezoning the property formulti-housing units.

    Mr. Schmidt said the council isnot bound by the planning board’sdecision, but he does not expect acouncil decision until after the JuneDemocratic Primary Election. If thecouncil approves a zoning change,the next step would be to submit asite plan application before the plan-ning board.

    The county closed Oak Ridge GolfClub in Clark two years ago, saying itwas running a $400,000 deficit, andhired Illinois-based KemperSports torun the two remaining courses, Gal-loping Hill in Kenilworth and AshBrook in Scotch Plains.

    The county is building a new40,000-square-foot, 300-person ban-quet facility at Galloping Hill, whichArmando Sanchez, director of golfoperations for the county, said willopen in 2012. Bids are due on thebanquet hall and an education centeron February 11. The county has alsobuilt a $2.3-million driving range atthe golf course.

    “If you’re going to put the ice skat-ing there, why the feasibility study?”added Garwood resident Bruce Pater-son. “Either you’re going to put theice-skating rink there or you are not.It’s an easy decision. You don’t needto spend $17,000 to come up with ayes or no answer.”

    Mr. Bury disputed financial esti-mates on the county’s golf operationsthat they made a $140,000 profit in2010. He said numbers obtained bythe Union County Watchdog Asso-ciation did not include expenses forthe new driving range at GallopingHill; $168,000 paid to one law firmfor legal expenses incurred for pro-cessing liquor licenses and other le-gal work for the golf courses, or an$800,000 payment to KemperSportsfor construction management.

    He also said employee fringe ben-efits were calculated differently be-tween 2009 and 2010 and payment toKemperSports for construction man-agement was not included.

    “So adding all this in, the golfoperations lost a million (dollars) andprobably more during the year,” Mr.Bury claimed. “The golf operationreally is losing a ton of money sinceOak Ridge (closed).”

    Looking at Oak Ridge, Mr. Burysaid expenses, comparing 2007 to2008, showed costs were “allocatedproportionally among the three golfcourses.” He said utilities costs werelisted at $600,000 in 2008, of which$200,000 was for Oak Ridge. He saidthat line item was zero in 2007.

    On revenue, he said, the $600,000anticipated for the new driving range“turned out to be $310,000” in 2010.

    “It looks like these phony numberscaused you to close Oak Ridge for noparticular reason,” Mr. Bury said.

    In response to those accusations,Al Faella, director of parks and recre-

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    County Ice Skatingation, told The Westfield Leader, “Ournumbers are right and they are accu-rate and we stand behind them.”

    Mr. Sanchez said the golf courseswere mismanaged for over three de-cades. Kathy Villaggio, who handlesfinances and long-term capitalprojects for the department, said thatwhen Oak Ridge was an 18-hole golfcourse, its management was usingcity water instead of well water.

    “You can’t begin to think whatthose water bills were like,” Mr.Sanchez said. “To upgrade it fromcity water to well, it’s a $2- to $3-million project.”

    Tina Renna of Cranford requesteda complete financial accounting forMusicFest for 2008-2010, includingexpenses and revenues. She claimed$250,000 has not been accounted forfrom last year’s festival.

    “Going forward, there should bemore accounting for the MusicFest,”said Mrs. Renna. “Over a milliondollars is being spent and it is reallynot transparent at all.”

    Mrs. Renna also questionedwhether the hiring of Union CountyAssistant Counsel Norman Albert aspart-time prosecutor in Cranford vio-lates county rules.

    County Counsel Robert Barry saidassistant county counsels “are per-mitted to have a private practice aslong as it does not interfere with theirfull-time responsibilities in the Of-fice of County Counsel.”

    Mr. Barry said Cranford holdsmunicipal court Wednesday nights,and thus does not interfere with Mr.Albert’s day job or availability atfreeholder meetings if needed, whichare Thursday nights. Mr. Barry saidMr. Albert would use his county va-cation time should he be needed totestify during municipal trials duringdaytime hours.

    Photo courtesy of Suzanne TaylorPEEK-A-BOO...A vehicle appears to wink at its owner from beneath a heavycovering of snow, which made it almost impossible to find, let alone drive, your car.

    WF Fire Dept. Reports 83 Storm-Related CasesWESTFIELD – As of noon yester-

    day, Wednesday, February 2, theWestfield Fire Department had re-sponded to 83 storm-related incidents.Calls started coming in shortly after 5a.m. Three homes suffered structuraldamage from trees falling onto thedwellings. Terrace Place was hit very

    hard when a large maple tree camedown, bringing down two utility polesand power lines and leaving eight homeson the block without power. Many townroads remain closed due to downedtrees and wires. Approximately 48 resi-dents remain without power, accordingto Fire Chief Daniel Kelly.

  • PAGE INDEXRegional ........ 2-3,14-15Editorial ........ 4-5Community ... 6-7,13

    Obituary ........ 6Education ...... 16Sports ............ 9-12

    Real Estate .... 10-13Classifieds .... 15A&E .............. 17-18

    Police Blotter...6

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    County Hires ConsultantTo Study Ice Rink Proposal

    Scotch Plains Council DebatesAppointments, Many Issues

    Betsey Burgdorf for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesBLANKET OF SNOW...Commuters who parked at the Fanwood Train Station had to dig out their cars at the end of theday after yet another snow storm hit the area January 26.

    By FRED T. ROSSISpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

    SCOTCH PLAINS — The town-ship council haggled over possibleappointments at its conference meet-ing on Tuesday evening, with formalaction on the bulk of them not ex-pected until later this month at theearliest.

    A variety of appointments werebeing considered, from public de-fender and risk manager to healthinsurance broker and township plan-ner. A consensus appeared to bereached to name Casey Woodruff tothe defender’s position. And, aftermuch discussion about whether thecouncil was rushing the appointmentprocess, Maser Associates was namedtownship planner for this year. Itsinitial work will center on rezoningrequests. The thrust of its efforts islikely to be — if the municipal gov-ernment moves forward on redevel-oping the Shackamaxon property —handling the complexities involvedin designating that and other proper-ties as Areas in Need of Redevelop-ment.

    An effort to appoint Pinnacle In-surance as township risk managerwas sidelined after township attor-ney Jeffrey Lehrer raised concernsabout the propriety of naming Pin-nacle given that Rich Duthie, a mem-ber of the township zoning board ofadjustment, is employed by Pinnacle;Mr. Duthie participated in Pinnacle’spresentation last month when thecouncil was interviewing prospec-tive risk managers for 2011.

    Mr. Lehrer said the question toconsider was whether Mr. Duthie“used his position [as a zoning boardmember] to secure a position [as riskmanager]?”

    The council was split as it dis-cussed the matter, with CouncilmanWilliam Vastine saying he had notheard any references during the inter-view process to any quid pro quo onMr. Duthie’s part or any indicationthat he was seeking to take advantageof his zoning board position. DeputyMayor Mary DePaola agreed and fa-vored appointing Pinnacle.

    Councilman Kevin Glover, though,said he was “troubled” by the earlierdiscussions with Pinnacle, which heconsidered to have the least experi-ence in the risk management arena ofall the applicants for the position.Councilman Michael Marcus said hethought Pinnacle was better suited toserve as health insurance broker.

    Mayor Nancy Malool said it was“not easy to ignore an issue broughtup by the township attorney,” andasked Mr. Lehrer, before the counciltakes formal action on the appoint-ment, to research whether other mu-

    nicipalities have faced similar situa-tions.

    The council also failed to come toan agreement on whether to securethe services of Jersey ProfessionalManagement (JPM) to act as facilita-tor, as its has done for the past de-cade, for the shared services coordi-nating council that is comprised ofthe municipal governments fromScotch Plains and Fanwood and thejoint board of education.

    Several council members expressedsome concern about securing JPM’sservices in the wake of some disap-pointments over the firm’s handlingof the separate shared service studythat concluded just over a year ago.Disputes arose over additional pay-ments that JPM sought.

    Mayor Malool emphasized that thestudy dispute should be viewed asdistinct from JPM’s shared servicescouncil efforts, which she defendedas having “produced quite a fewmeaningful partnerships” over thepast 10 years. She said Fanwood andthe board of education both “seevalue” in retaining JPM at an annualcost of $2,200 from each of the threeentities. The mayor said she didn’twant to “ruin the relationship” amongthe three entities and feared that bynot continuing to use JPM’s facilita-tor services, which she strongly de-fended, the relationship will “dwindleaway.”

    In other business, Police ChiefBrian Mahoney briefed the councilon a speed limit reduction proposalon Cooper Road and a traffic study atthe intersection of Route 22 andGlenside Avenue. After receivingcomplaints from residents and mo-torists and in a nod to what Mr.

    Mahoney said were “short site dis-tances” and a narrow roadway, thepolice department is seeking approvalfrom the council to lower the speedlimit on Cooper Road from 35 to 25miles per hour.

    Most of the council backed theproposal, but Councilman Glover saidhe wondered whether a lower speedlimit on Cooper would result in moredrivers using nearby Raritan Road,where the speed limit is 40 miles perhour, thus adding to the traffic on thelatter roadway.

    Mr. Mahoney said the townshiphas been in talks with Union Countyabout lowering the speed limit onRaritan Road, which is a county thor-oughfare. Mr. Glover said he favoredholding off on lowering the CooperRoad speed until the Raritan Roadspeed limit is addressed. The rest ofthe council favored the Cooper Roadspeed reduction, but Mayor Maloolurged the police to pursue a similarreduction on Raritan Road as well.

    Calling the Route 22-GlensideAvenue intersection a “problematicintersection” that has been the siteof several fatal car accidents overthe years, Mr. Mahoney said therewere several options to improve theflow of traffic from the GlensideAvenue feeder road and the jughandle across the highway towardsMountain Avenue. He said left turnrestrictions onto the eastbound lanesof Route 22 were one option, withcars being directed instead to crossthe highway and turn-left at Moun-tain Avenue in order to proceed toeastbound Route 22. Better lanemarkings on the roadway and in-creased signage for drivers were alsomentioned as options.

    Betsey Burgdorf for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesSOUL SURVIVOR...A lone student makes her way down an empty Park Avenueduring the January 26 afternoon storm. At 3:30 p.m., the streets were empty asresidents took refuge inside to avoid the afternoon mix of rain and snow.

    Scotch Plains Council Reacts toSale of Shackamaxon, Development

    By FRED T. ROSSISpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

    SCOTCH PLAINS — Reacting tothe planned sale of ShackamaxonCountry Club, the municipal govern-ment will investigate the possibilityof relocating several municipal fa-cilities on the north side of the town-ship — including the municipal build-ing, the library and the public worksdepartment – to the golf course prop-erty on the south side. Several zoningand other land use changes would beconsidered for implementing the pro-posal. The 145-acre ShackamaxonCountry Club property is located be-tween Lamberts Mill Road andMartine Avenue.

    The township council at its confer-ence meeting on Tuesday passed aresolution asking the planning board

    to look into whether the land on whichthe municipal building, the library,the public works department and the95-year-old country club currentlysit should be designated as Areas inNeed of Redevelopment and whetherit would be viable to relocate thetownship buildings at theShackamaxon property, which is cur-rently zoned as an R-1 residential zone.

    Relocating the 37-year-old munici-pal building from its Park Avenuelocation and then selling that land sothat it could be developed for com-mercial use would result in a largetract of property available in the cen-tral business district. Over the years,there have been calls from some quar-ters to move the municipal buildingout of the downtown business districtin order to allow further commercial

    development to take place in the cen-tral business district.

    Both the library on Bartle Avenueand the public works building onPlainfield Avenue are older struc-tures, with the library outgrowing itspresent facility and the public worksfacility in need of renovations.

    Mayor Nancy Malool told TheScotch Plains-Fanwood Times ear-lier this week that the council wantsto “protect what’s going to happen”at the Shackamaxon property. Theconcern is that the property could besold to a developer who could buildclose to 100 homes that would tax analready-crowded school system andan overburdened and financially-strapped township government.(Please see the letter on page 5.)

    The mayor on Tuesday emphasizedthat the resolution, which passed on a4-to-1 vote, is “just the first step inmany steps.” She pointed out that thepublic will have opportunities to pro-vide comment on the proposal as theplanning board investigates the mat-ter. Also, the public will have anopportunity to provide input beforethe township council if the boardultimately recommends moving for-ward with such a project.

    The council spent more than anhour discussing the resolution, withthe mayor saying that the governingbody would be “irresponsible” if itallowed the Shackamaxon propertyto be sold to a developer. CouncilmanWilliam Vastine called it a “once in ageneration opportunity,” and agreedthat an estimated 96 new homes thatcould be built would “overwhelm”the local school district.

    Councilman Kevin Glover, whileinitially expressing a desire for thecommunity to be further informedabout the concept and a wish that thecouncil not “rush” the process, endedup voting to authorize the planningboard to move ahead with its investi-gation because of what he said was a“need to focus on the big picture. Idon’t want to miss this opportunity.”

    Deputy Mayor Mary DePaola, say-ing it was important to her to “safe-guard our residents from overdevel-

    Towns Concerned Over SaleOf Area Golf Courses

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

    By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

    AREA – Facing a combination ofdeclining membership and increaseddebt, two private golf courses in UnionCounty are on the selling block andmay be converted to housing devel-opments.

    The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Timeshas learned that Shackamaxon Golfand Country Club, located onShackamaxon Drive in Scotch Plains,has received at least five bids for its145-acre property including at leastone from a developer. The club hiredTroon Golf, a private golf coursemanagement entity, last year to man-age the golf course. According to theNew Jersey Tax Assessors’ website,the club paid $254,000 in propertytaxes to Scotch Plains last year.

    Shackamaxon General ManagerRich Riffle confirmed the property isfor sale, but declined to respond tofurther questions, referring all inquir-ies to Rob Schwartz, the club’s presi-dent, who did not return a call to TheTimes. The club dates back to 1916.

    Scotch Plains Mayor Nancy Maloolsaid the township is taking steps to

    look at whether the site could be-come the new home for the townshipmunicipal building on Park Avenueand library on Bartle Avenue, thusfreeing that space up for redevelop-ment of the township’s business dis-

    Benjamin B. Corbin for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesFINAL ROUND...The fate of the 145-acre property currently owned byShackamaxon Golf and County Club is the topic of much debated discussion.

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

    Fred T. Rossi for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesIN SESSION...Pictured, left to right, Councilman Kevin Glover, Mayor NancyMalool and Deputy Mayor Mary DePaola discuss the issues at Tuesday’s ScotchPlains Township Council meeting.

    By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Times

    ELIZABETH – The Union CountyBoard of Chosen Freeholders lastweek hired Rink Management Cor-poration of Mechanicsville, Va., at$17,800, to perform a feasibility studyfor building a new ice-skating rink atOak Ridge Park in Clark.

    The county is looking to constructa new rink at Oak Ridge Park toreplace the Warinanco Rink in Roselleas part of its master plan for the park.Officials have said Warinanco wouldneed $5 to $10 million in mainte-nance improvements to continue as arink.

    Rink Management promotes itselfas the largest operator of ice-skatingfacilities in the country. It operatesfacilities in Dallas, Houston, Provi-dence, R.I., Lancaster and York, Pa.,as well as Newburgh, N.Y. Its onlyfacility in New Jersey is Ski Campgawin Mahwah.

    County officials are looking for thestudy to be completed in a few months.The rink is part of the Oak Ridge Parkmaster plan. The county has bud-geted $6 million in its capital budgetsthrough 2012 for the Oak Ridge plan.

    “When we put the rink in there(Oak Ridge), now it becomes some-thing that can sustain itself for thenext 20 or 30 years. It’s going to bringmoney back to the operations. It canbe a profit center (for the county),”said Armando Sanchez, director ofgolf operations.

    He said the county’s goal is to hirean outside management firm to man-age the rink’s operation, similar toIllinois-based KemperSports, whichwas brought in last year to managethe county’s two golf courses.

    Mr. Sanchez said Rink’s proposalwas one of five bids received, whichranged up to $35,000. Two of the bidswere dismissed for not meeting therequirements of the county’s requestfor proposals (RFP).

    At last week’s meeting, severalcounty residents said they did not seethe need for the feasibility study.

    Kenilworth resident John Bury re-sponded, “It seems that you havealready decided. I don’t see much usefor that (feasibility study).”

    CONTINUED ON PAGE 8

  • Scotch Plains - Fanwood Times onlyPage 8 Thursday, February 3, 2011 The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES A Watchung Communications, Inc. Publication

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    2011Our 39th Annual Edition

    Property Taxes Should DropAlong With Home Values

    James M. Foerst

    SCOTCH PLAINS – Is a propertytax appeal right for you?

    In the last five years, home valuesin Union County have dropped dra-matically. As the real estate market isdepreciating, your property taxes havebeen increasing.

    As a taxpayer, you have the right toappeal your property tax assessmentas a means to reduce your real estatetax obligations. As a taxpayer con-sidering an appeal, you should un-

    derstand that you must prove thatyour home’s assessed value is legally“unreasonable.”

    With a successful tax appeal, yourlowered tax assessment will be setfor the three years, which can amountto a considerable amount of savings.The best way to succeed in appealingyour taxes is to present your claim tothe courts through expert tax andlegal advisors with local knowledge.

    James M. Foerst is the principal ofSpector Foerst & Associates and hasbeen assisting families with real es-tate and tax issues for more than adecade in our local community. Mr.Foerst brings with him his experi-ence with local government and themunicipal budget process.

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    Paid Bulletin Boardgoleader.com/express

    Photo courtesy of Suzanne TaylorPEEK-A-BOO...A vehicle appears to wink at its owner from beneath a heavycovering of snow, making it almost impossible to find, let alone drive.

    Courtesy of Peggy RothbaumGOOD SAMARITANS...Through the efforts of Furniture Assist, donations offurniture, appliances and other household items are loaded onto U-haul trucks tobe delivered to area families in need. Furniture Assist accepts donations fromindividuals, as well as organizations and deliver it free of charge. Pictured, left toright, are: Dawson and Sandy Yeoman and Antonio Alexander who generouslyvolunteer their time to help the cause. To donate to Furniture Assist or for moreinformation visit furnitureassist.com or email [email protected].

    “These guys are just going to comein and give some rinky-dink reportand you are going to do what youwant or what you are told to want,”Mr. Bury said.

    “If you’re going to put the ice skat-ing there, why the feasibility study?”added Garwood resident Bruce Pater-son. “Either you’re going to put theice-skating rink there or you are not.It’s an easy decision. You don’t needto spend $17,000 to come up with ayes or no answer.”

    Mr. Bury disputed financial esti-mates on the county’s golf operationsthat they made a $140,000 profit in2010. He said numbers obtained bythe Union County Watchdog Asso-ciation did not include expenses forthe new driving range at GallopingHill; $168,000 paid to one law firmfor legal expenses incurred for pro-cessing liquor licenses and other le-gal work for the golf courses, or an$800,000 payment to KemperSportsfor construction management.

    He also said employee fringe ben-efits were calculated differently be-tween 2009 and 2010 and payment toKemperSports for construction man-agement was not included.

    “So adding all this in, the golfoperations lost a million (dollars) andprobably more during the year,” Mr.Bury claimed. “The golf operationreally is losing a ton of money sinceOak Ridge (closed).”

    And looking at Oak Ridge, Mr.Bury said expenses, comparing 2007to 2008, showed costs were “allo-cated proportionally among the threegolf courses.” He said utilities costswere listed at $600,000 in 2008, ofwhich $200,000 was for Oak Ridge.He said that line item was zero in 2007.

    On the revenue side, he said, the$600,000 anticipated for the new driv-ing range “turned out to be $310,000”in 2010.

    “It looks like these phony numberscaused you to close Oak Ridge for no

    particular reason,” Mr. Bury said.In response to those accusations,

    Al Faella, director of parks and recre-ation, told The Westfield Leader, “Ournumbers are right and they are accu-rate and we stand behind them.”

    Mr. Sanchez said the golf courseswere mismanaged for over three de-cades. Kathy Villaggio, who handlesfinances and long-term capitalprojects for the department, said thatwhen Oak Ridge was an 18-hole golfcourse, its management was usingcity water instead of well water.

    “You can’t begin to think whatthose water bills were like,” Mr.Sanchez said. “To upgrade it fromcity water to well, it’s a $2- to $3-million project.”

    Tina Renna of Cranford requesteda complete financial accounting forMusicFest for 2008-2010, includingexpenses and revenues. She claimed$250,000 has not been accounted forfrom last year’s festival.

    “Going forward, there should bemore accounting for the MusicFest,”said Mrs. Renna. “Over a milliondollars is being spent and it is reallynot transparent at all.”

    Mrs. Renna also questionedwhether the hiring of Union CountyAssistant Counsel Norman Albert aspart-time prosecutor in Cranford vio-lates county rules.

    County Counsel Robert Barry saidassistant county counsels “are per-mitted to have a private practice aslong as it does not interfere with theirfull-time responsibilities in the Of-fice of County Counsel.”

    Mr. Barry said Cranford holdsmunicipal court Wednesday nights,and thus does not interfere with Mr.Albert’s day job or availability atfreeholder meetings if needed, whichare Thursday nights. Mr. Barry saidMr. Albert would use his county va-cation time should he be needed totestify during municipal trials duringdaytime hours.

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    Ice Rink

    TOP VOLUNTEER…Mountainside Councilman Glenn Mortimer, right, holdsup a Congressional resolution presented to him by Rep. Leonard Lance (R-7th),left, for being named Union County Republican Committee Volunteer of theYear. Also pictured is Mr. Mortimer’s wife, Joanne. See story on page 3.

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    Freeholdertrict, located off Route 22.

    According to a statement issuedFriday afternoon by the township,“The development of theShackamaxon Golf and Country Clubproperty by a developer for residen-tial housing would serve only to ex-acerbate an already overburdenedschool system and further tax exist-ing municipal services and infrastruc-ture already stretched to capacity.”

    Mayor Malool said the property iscurrently zoned for single-familyhomes, one acre in size. She saidonce the township council is desig-nated as the town’s redevelopmentagency, any proposals forShackamaxon would have to be ap-proved by the agency. The processwill be brought before the planningboard, which has been instructed to“examine the viability of relocationsites,” including Shackamaxon, forthe town hall and library. If they agreewith the township, the council wouldthen hire a professional planner tocreate a redevelopment plan.

    “I’m concerned on what could bedeveloped there and its impact on ourinfrastructure, particularly ourschools,” Mayor Malool told TheTimes.

    Councilman Kevin Glover told TheTimes the township and its residentsneed “full disclosure” and “transpar-ency” regarding the development ofthe largest downtown property.

    “This (sale of Shackamaxon) wasmoving at light speed. We needed toslow it down,” Mr. Glover said. Hesaid while he favors helping the down-town business climate while creatingadditional commercial tax ratables,any plan must make financial sensefor the township to go forward.

    Sources have said the club’s debt isin excess of $8 million.

    Roselle Golf Club, a nine-holecourse located on 58 acres off RaritanRoad in Roselle dating to 1917, hasan agreement to sell its property todeveloper M.L. Ehrlich, who plans tobuild 1,600 apartment units. The saleagreement is contingent on develop-ment of the land for housing.

    The club’s attorney, John Schmidtof Lindabury, McCormick,

    Estabrook, and Copper, P.C., ofWestfield, told The Times the clubmade the decision to sell due to de-clining membership and a high taxrate. He said membership hasdwindled from 175 members whenhe joined in 1998 to 109, today “andthe club has not been able to bring innew blood.”

    Mr. Schmidt said unlike other golfclubs in the area, which are taxed asgolf properties, Roselle pays approxi-mately $320,000 per year in taxesunder a residential tax base. “Wehave been forced to sell because thetaxes are just overbearing,” he said.“[The club] is taxed as though it wasresidential housing.”

    Mr. Schmidt said the borough’splanning board has recommended thatthe developer’s application be reducedto 700 housing units. The property,located across the street from RoselleCatholic High School, is currentlyzoned for single-family housing.

    The attorney said the club’s appli-cation is now back before the RoselleBorough Council for final consider-ation on rezoning the property formulti-housing units.

    Mr. Schmidt said the council is notbound by the planning board’s deci-sion, but he does not expect a councildecision until after the June Demo-cratic Primary Election. If the coun-cil approves a zoning change, thenext step would be to submit a siteplan application before the planningboard.

    Union County closed Oak RidgeGolf Club in Clark two years ago,saying it was running a $400,000deficit, and hired Illinois-basedKemperSports to run the two remain-ing courses, Galloping Hill inKenilworth and Ash Brook in ScotchPlains.

    The county is building a new40,000-square-foot, 300-person ban-quet facility at Galloping Hill, whichArmando Sanchez, director of golfoperations for the county, said willopen in 2012. Bids are due on thebanquet hall and an education centeron February 11. The county has alsobuilt a $2.3-million driving range atthe golf course.

    Anthony J. Scutti,Former Chief, Dies

    WESTFIELD -- Former WestfieldPolice Chief Anthony J. Scutti diedon Tuesday at his home.

    Mr. Scutti had been a member ofthe Westfield Police Department forover 41 years, beginning as a patrol-man in 1959. He was appointed Po-lice Chief in 1986. During his yearswith the police department, he servedthe community by re-establishing theNeighborhood Watch Program, in-troducing a Retail Theft Program forthe local merchants and establishinga bicycle patrol unit.

    Additionally, Mr. Scutti served aspresident of the Union County andthe New Jersey State Associations ofChiefs of Police. He was also activein the Westfield UNICO chapter andwas named its Man of the Year in1990.

    The Westfield Rotary in 2000 pre-sented him with the Charles P. BaileyHumanitarian Award.

    Arrangements are under the direc-tion of the Dooley Colonial Home,556 Westfield Avenue in Westfield.See obituary on page 6.

    opment” while supporting the revital-ization of the business community, votedin favor of the resolution.

    Councilman Michael Marcus votedagainst the resolution because he wasdispleased that the public had not beenprovided with ample opportunity to be-come better informed about the conceptbefore the council took action on Tues-day. He failed in an attempt to table theresolution, a move backed by Mr. Gloverbut opposed by the mayor, Mrs. DePaolaand Mr. Vastine.

    Partly in response to Mr. Marcus’desire for additional time to digest theproposal, Mayor Malool pointed to anew state regulation — the Time ofDecision Rule — that, as of May, willforbid a municipality from rezoning anarea once an application to develop ithas been filed with a local land useboard. She explained that the townshipcouncil, in essence, only has threemonths to act on the Shackamaxon prop-erty before its hands will be tied if adeveloper files a development applica-tion. The planning board, she added,faces time constraints due to how legalnoticing of its deliberations and publichearings are filed, meaning that the ear-liest the board will be able to start workon the Shackamaxon proposal will beFebruary 21.

    Mountainside CouncilReviews Snow Budget

    By MANDY L. RUSSELLSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader

    MOUNTAINSIDE — The snow re-moval budget was a topic of discus-sion at Tuesday night’s borough coun-cil meeting. The meeting itself wasabbreviated due to the ice storm un-derway that evening.

    This winter has been a more expen-sive one than past New Jersey winters,and snow removal does not come with-out a cost, it was noted during discus-sions. Since January 1, Mountainsidehas expended more than $123,000 insnow removal costs and has outstand-ing salt bills estimated at $31,000.

    “There is really no way around it,”Mayor Paul Mirabelli said. “It hasbeen a difficult winter for everyoneand snow removal is just part of it. Weare not the only ones paying for it,” headded.

    The mayor told the council that thehit won’t seem as bad with the help ofthe reserve money the borough haveleft over from previous winters wherethey did not use it, or it was not needed.The mayor confirmed that they had$68,000 in reserve from previous years.

    Last week the plow trucks had to goback out and move some of the snowpiles out of the way. They cut downpiles that were angled too high inter-sections so they did not create a driv-ing hazard.

    “If we get much more snow, I don’tknow where the trucks are going to putit all. We are beginning to run out ofroom,” Mayor Mirabelli said.

    In other news, the council agreed tocontinue to donate $300 to the annualGovernor Livingston High SchoolProject Graduation. The program fundsa party for all the graduating seniorswhere buses shuttle the students to aparty where there is no drugs or alco-hol present. The students are brought

    back around 5 a.m. from the event.This program was started to help pre-vent students from abusing drugs oralcohol on graduation night, and toeliminate the presence of those sub-stances.

    The council also agreed that theywould contribute their financial por-tions of the fireworks funding for thisyear’s Fourth of July event. The moneyis needed before April. MayorMirabelli told the council that, “pay-ing up front allows for a better show.”The council is set to contribute $15,000to the fireworks this year.

    The Mountainside Board of Educa-tion invited Mayor Mirabelli and mem-bers of the council to attend their nextBOE meeting. The mayor encouragedmembers of the council to attend toshow support and listen to what isgoing on in their community’s schoolsystem.

    “It will look good if we are there,”Mayor Mirabelli encouraged his fel-low council members.

    The council also authorized a grantagreement with the Department ofHuman Services Division of Planningfor a Municipal Drug Alliance Grantin the amount of $15,769.

    Betsey Burgdorf for The Scotch Plains-Fanwood TimesFANCY FACADE...The entry of a residence on Westfield Road in Scotch Plainsis decorated for Valentine’s Day, adding a welcome burst of color to an otherwisegray winter landscape.

    CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

    SP Council

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    Roselle Mayor Indicted forFiling False Accident ReportROSELLE — Roselle Mayor

    Garrett Smith, 49, was indicted lastweek by a Union County grand juryfor insurance fraud, according to theUnion County Prosecutor’s Office. Healso was charged with filing a falsepolice report and is accused of leavingthe scene of an accident after hitting aparked car at 2 a.m. on Locust Avenuein Roselle on December 25.

    The accident severely damagedboth a parked car and Mayor Smith’svehicle, authorities said. Pieces ofSmith’s vehicle, a 2001 Lincoln TownCar, were left at the scene, UnionCounty Prosecutor Ted Romankowsaid. Investigators also obtained vid-eos from private businesses showingSmith leaving a local tavern at 2:10a.m. on Christmas Day, which is ashort distance from where the acci-dent occurred, Mr. Romankow said.

    Officers, who responded to a 2:14a.m. 9-1-1 call from a private citizenwho witnessed the collision, followeda trail of automotive fluids that led toa garage door at Mayor Smith’s home,Mr. Romankow said.

    Officers knocked on the door to themayor’s home, but received no reply,Mr. Romamkow said. The followingday, December 26, according to pros-ecutors, Mayor Smith moved his carto in front of his Jackson Street homeduring a blizzard.

    The mayor later called police toreport that his vehicle had been struck,alleging that it might have been asnowplow that caused the damage.the mayor subsequently notified hisinsurance company, New JerseyManufacturers Insurance Company,and reported the fraudulent claim of$7,918, according to the indictment.

    He had several additional conver-sations with the insurance companyregarding the fraudulent claim in thefollowing day, authorities said. Aninvestigation by the UCPO’s SpecialProsecutions Unit, the Roselle PoliceDepartment, the crime scene unit of

    the Union County Sheriff’s Depart-ment and an accident reconstructionunit from the Linden Police Depart-ment concluded that Mayor Smithwas responsible for the initial acci-dent and that his claims to the insur-ance company were false.

    If found guilty of the charges, hefaces up to 10 years in prison andwould be ineligible to hold publicemployment in the future.

    “Nothing is accomplished by try-ing to cover up a wrongdoing,” Mr.Romankow said. “Mr. Smith had theopportunity to do the right thing fromthe beginning by stopping and re-porting that he was involved in anaccident. He only compounded hiserror by lying to the police and hisinsurance carrier by falsifying a claim.As a public servant, the people whoelected him deserve the truth.”

    Mayor Smith announced plans onJanuary 25 to seek a third term, ac-cording to nj.com.

    Councilman-at-Large JamelHolley, who announced on January24 that he was going to enter themayor’s race as a candidate, said themayor’s arrest was “truly a sad dayfor the Borough of Roselle. GarrettSmith was ourfirst African-American mayor.” “Mythoughts are with him and his family.At a time like this, wemust stand united, heal each otherand renewour effort for a better fu-ture,” he said.

    Roselle Republican ChairmanRoger Stryeski said Roselle residentsshould not rush to judgment.

    “I believe that the principle of inno-cent until proven guilty should apply[and] that a fair and speedy resolution ofthis matter take place. Our boro hasgone through enough litigation agonyover the last few years and this hastinted the political process. As a recentvictim of a hit-and-run (January 1, 2011),my sympathy goes out to the anony-mous victim of the reported accident.”

    Peek at the Week

    By Paul Peyton of The Leader/Times

    In Politics

    Peyton's

    Christie Seeks $53 Mil. InFEMA Aid for Dec. BlizzardGovernor Chris Christie has for-

    mally requested a severe winter stormdeclaration for financial assistancefrom the federal government for theblizzard that impacted New JerseyDecember 26 and 27.

    The letter seeks a final declarationfor 15 counties impacted by the storm,including Union County, and makes aclaim for $53 million in Federal Emer-gency Management Agency (FEMA)reimbursement aid, including $13million for expenses incurred by NewJersey state government. The stateportion request includes costs incurredby the Department of Transportationand the Turnpike Authority.Facing Termination from Christie,

    PVSA Commissioners ResignGovernor Chris Christie last week

    announced he was starting proceed-ings to remove six of the seven PassaicValley Sewerage Authority (PVSA)Commissioners over a “pattern ofabuse” in which they regularly hiredfriends and relatives at the authority.All six resigned later in the week,including the mayor of Garfield andformer mayor of Belleville. KennethLucianin, a Democratic appointee offormer Governor Jon Corzine, wasnot asked to resign. The announce-ment came the heels of GovernorChristie’s demand, outlined by hischief counsel Jeff Chiesa, that re-quested each of the commissionerssubmit information regarding theirparticipation in hiring practices andcontract awards at the authority.

    The PVSA serves 1.3 millionratepayers in Bergen, Passaic, Hudsonand Essex counties.

    NJ Chamber HoldsTrain Trip Despite Snow

    Despite another 12 to 18 inches ofsnow, the New Jersey State Chamberof Commerce held its 74th annualtrain trip to Washington, D.C. asscheduled last Thursday. Some 700people were on the 11 cars of thechartered Amtrak train which madestops at Newark, Trenton and Phila-delphia. A dinner that night was at-tended by Governor Chris Christie,state lawmakers as well as the state’sCongressional delegation.State Says It Won’t Pay $271 M

    To Feds for Cancelled TunnelAttorneys for the state have told the

    Federal Transit Administration thatNew Jersey will not be paying back the$271 million in federal funds for theHudson River tunnel project that theGovernor cancelled this past fall.Thestate has argued that New Jersey wasentitled to the money which it chose toapply to the tunnel project.

    Former School OfficialsInvolved in Lawsuit

    Former Montville schools super-intendent Gary Bowen has filed alawsuit against Ofira Bondorowsky,former Montville schools director of

    special services, for libel and inten-tional infliction of emotional distressfor allegedly bad-mouthing himthrough an e-mail, according to aAsbury Park Press report.

    Mr. Bowen is currently acting su-perintendent of schools. He left theMontville district in December 2009.

    Malone Steps Down FromAssembly Budget CommitteeAssemblyman Joe Malone (LD-

    30, Bordentown), the top Republicanon the Assembly Budget Committee,announced his resignation from thecommittee as GOP budget officer inorder to focus on his new position asdeputy minority leader. Also resign-ing from the panel was Assembly-man David Wolfe (LD-10, Brick).Assemblymen Gary Chiusano (LD-24, Sparta) and Anthony M. Bucco(LD-25, Randolph) have been namedto fill the vacancies.

    Ocean County GOP ChairmanJoins Trenton Lobbying FirmOcean County Republican Com-

    mittee Chairman George Gilmore hasjoined The Partners of 1868 PublicAffairs group as its legal counsel,politickernj.com has reported. He isa former member of Governor ChrisChristie’s transition team and has beenOcean GOP chairman since 1996.

    According to its website, The Part-ners list itself as a “full-service gov-ernment and public affairs firm” withoffices in Trenton and Washington,D.C. It list the City of Trenton, New-ark City Council, Comcast, EssexCounty Utilities Authority, PSE&G,the New York Jets, Monmouth County,MetroStars, Outback Steakhouse,Passaic County Sewerage Authority,University of Medicine and Dentistry(UMDNJ), and Somerset CountyParks Commission among its clients.

    Group Says Garrett SupportsPolluters Over Kids’ Health

    Heath Care without Harm, whichdefines itself as “an international coa-lition of nearly 500 health care pro-viders, health advocacy and otherorganizations in 52 countries,” lastweek accused Rep. Scott Garrett (R-5th) of supporting polluters over thehealth of children. “More than 750,000New Jersey residents with asthma,including 192,753 children, are at in-creased risk of adverse health conse-quences if Rep. Scott Garrett fromNew Jersey is successful in prevent-ing the U.S. EPA (Environmental Pro-tection Agency) from updating theClean Air Act,” the group said.

    They charged that Rep. Garrett“has received more than $160,000from polluters” and that he has co-sponsored legislation “intended toprevent the [EPA] from limiting car-bon pollution…Rep. Garrett hasagreed to co-sponsor one or more ofthe bad air bills that (would) abolishor otherwise block the EPA’s abilityto set standards to protect publichealth from air pollution.”

    Lance to Hold Town HallMeeting In SP on Saturday

    WESTFIELD — Rep. LeonardLance (R-7) is holding three townhall meetings this week inHillsborough, Warren and ScotchPlains. These events are part of aseries of town hall meetings that theCongressman plans to hold duringthe month of February.

    During these gatherings, the Con-gressman will discuss the importantissues facing Congress and the Ameri-can people. He will take questionsand share his views on the issues suchas the economy, health care, federalspending and rising federal debt.

    Additionally, members of Mr.Lance’s staff will be available to assistresidents who are experiencing diffi-culties with federal agencies, such asthe IRS, Social Security Administra-

    tion, Veterans’ Affairs, the State De-partment or any other federal agency.

    The Warren Town hall meeting willbe held Thursday, February 3, from 6to 8 p.m. in the council chambers ofthe Warren Municipal Building, 46Mountain Boulevard. The ScotchPlains meeting is this Saturday, Feb-ruary 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30p.m. at the Scotch Plains MunicipalBuilding, Council Chambers, 430Park Avenue. The Hillsborough wasscheduled for last night,February 2.

    The events are free and open to thepublic. All residents of New Jersey’sSeventh Congressional District areencouraged to attend. For more in-formation, call Mr. Lance’s districtoffice at (908) 788-6900 or (908)518-7733.

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    GOP Lawmakers Call forAction on Anti-Gang Bills

    TRENTON — On the heels of areport by the New Jersey State Policeshowing 45 percent of municipalitieshave reported some gang activity inthe past year, Republican SenatorsTom Kean, Jr. (LD-21, Westfield),Sean Kean (LD-11, Wall Twp.), andAnthony Bucco (LD-25, Denville)have called for swift consideration ofa package of anti-gang bills pendingbefore the Senate:

    S-420 (Tom Kean), enhances pen-alties for gang criminality and pro-moting organized street crime; S-222(Sean Kean), makes participation ina criminal street gang a fourth-de-gree offense (18 months in prisonand/or $10,000 fine) and S-1729(Bucco), requires membership in agang to be considered by the courtswhen determining a defendant’s bail.

    The State Police’s report showedthat gang activity has been reportedin all 21 New Jersey counties, with1,575 gang units operating through-out the state. The Senators said thatthere is time on the legislative calen-dar to pass these bills prior to the

    Governor’s budget address on Feb. 22.“It is imperative that the law en-

    forcement community be given thetools necessary to wage a smarter waragainst gang activity. Gang membersare typically remorseless thugs whowill only cease their threats to societyif they are behind bars,” Sen. TomKean said. “My bill enhances penal-ties for crimes committed by mem-bers and promoters of street gangs,lengthening the amount of time thejustice system is able to keep theseindividuals locked away.”

    Sen. Sean Kean said, “Gang par-ticipation is increasing across thecountry, including New Jersey, at adiscerning rate bringing about drugs,violence and demoralized neighbor-hoods. For some towns gang activityhas been prevalent for years and forothers it is a more recent develop-ment. We need to come together as acommunity to end this criminal streetbehavior by holding gang membersaccountable for their actions and ad-dressing the issues of why kids joingangs to begin with.”

    New Jersey Hall of FameInductees Told for 2011

    TRENTON — Governor ChrisChristie has announced this year’s in-ductees to the New Jersey Hall of Fame.A public vote was held last year.

    Nominees must have resided inNew Jersey for a period of at leastfive years and must have made a“signature contribution to New Jer-sey and beyond,” according to theHall’s criteria. This year’s inducteesinclude John Basilone, the only en-listed marine during World War II toreceive the Medal of Honor, NavyCross and Purple Heart. He fought atboth the Battle of Guadalcanal andIwo Jima and was recently depictedin the HBO miniseries “The Pacific.”

    Also to be inducted are TonyBennett, the legendary singer whohas sold more than 50 million records;former Governor Brendan Byrne,author Mary Higgins Clark, AdmiralWilliam “Bull” Halsey, a five-starNavy Admiral who commanded theU.S. Third Fleet during World War II;former Pittsburgh Steelers runningback Franco Harris; the late LeonHess, founder of Hess Corporationand former owner of the New YorkJets; the late New York Giants ownerWellington Mara; actress QueenLatifah; legendary jazz guitarist John“Bucky” Pizzarelli; businesswomanand television host Martha Stewart,former Washington Redskins quar-terback Joe Theisman, and actors JohnTravolta and Bruce Willis.

    A complete list is available at http:// w w w . n j h a l l o f f a m e . o r g /nombios2011.html.

    Bramnick SponsorsAnnual Food Drive

    WESTFIELD — AssemblymanJon Bramnick (LD-21, Westfield) isagain sponsoring a food drive at hislegislative office to benefit local foodpantries. Donations of non-perish-able food, such as cereals and cannedgoods, can be dropped off at the Dis-trict 21 office at 251 North Avenue inWestfield.

    Mr. Bramnick encouraged dona-tions, explaining local pantries pro-vide food to many emergency shel-ters and needy residents. Often dur-ing the winter months the shelves ofthe food pantries become empty, hesaid.

    Along with cereals and cannedgoods, other items needed by thepantries are: rice, pasta, coffee, tea,peanut butter, jelly, meals in a can,and powdered milk. Last year resi-dents from throughout the districtcontributed more than 600 pounds offood to the drive.

    Donations will be accepted throughMarch 25 at the office, which is open9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday throughFriday. For more information call(908) 232-2073 or [email protected].

  • A WATCHUNG COMMUNICATIONS, INC. PUBLICATION The Westfield Leader and The Scotch Plains – Fanwood TIMES Thursday, February 3, 2011 Page 3

    Union County GOP HonorsMortimer as Volunteer of Yr.

    By PAUL J. PEYTONSpecially Written for The Westfield Leader and The Times

    MOUNTAINSIDE — GlennMortimer, a Mountainside council-man since 1999, was honored withthe second annual volunteer-of-the-year award Saturday from the UnionCounty Republican Committee.

    The award focuses on GOP volun-teer efforts in managing campaigns,getting out the vote, and participationin phone banks to voters. DorothyBurger of Summit won the honor lastyear. The award was presented to thefour-term councilman at a $40 perperson brunch held at L’Affaire FineCatering on Route 22 inMountainside.

    One hundred persons attended theevent including State Senator TomKean, Jr. and AssemblymanBramnick, both of Westfield, andAssemblywoman Nancy Munoz ofSummit, who presented Mr. Mortimerwith Senate and Assembly ceremo-nial resolutions. Rep. Leonard Lance(R-7th) was also in an attendance andpresented Mr. Mortimer with a UnitedStates flag that flew over the U.S.Capitol.

    Local mayors Paul Mirabelli ofMountainside, Nancy Malool ofScotch Plains, Kathi Fiamingo ofKenilworth, Joseph Bruno of Berke-ley Heights, Joseph Accardi of RosellePark and Patricia Quattrocchia ofGarwood also attended. Mr. Mortimersaid about 20 people fromMountainside attended the brunch.

    “I am humbled by the honor,” Mr.Mortimer said.

    Mr. Mortimer said he believes thecounty organization is in better shape

    in county campaign operations in thepast few years.

    “We certainly are a lot more orga-nized than we were,” Mr. Mortimersaid of county GOP campaigns,pointing to the county operation tohelp elect Governor Chris Christiein 2009. “It’s really not about oneperson, it’s a team,” Mr. Mortimersaid.

    He said it’s also not just aboutelections, but about all the friend-ships he has made over the years asan active GOP committee member.Mr. Mortimer, who serves as con-stituent services representative forMr. Lance, has been serving asMountainside’s GOP chairman since2008. He ran for county freeholderin 2006.

    “My biggest responsibility is get-ting people to attend county (GOP)conventions,” Mr. Mortimer said.Republicans select county candidatesat conventions as well as give theUnion County GOP organization linefor Primary Elections to federal andstate candidates.

    Mr. Mortimer thanked his wife,Joanne, for all her help in workingwith him on campaigns, saying itsnot easy to wake up a 6 a.m. “to putout signs and than have them rippeddown.”

    Bramnick SupportsMoving Chamber Trip

    From Wash. to ACTRENTON — Assemblyman Jon

    Bramnick (LD-21, Westfield) said hesupports a plan proposed by Assem-blyman John Amodeo and Assem-blyman Vince Polistina (both LD-2,Northfield) to move the destinationof the annual New Jersey Chamber ofCommerce trip from Washington,D.C. to Atlantic City.

    “Assemblymen Amodeo andPolistina are right on the moneywith their suggestion to move theChamber trip from D.C. to A.C.Their bipartisan proposal will at-tract business leaders from acrossthe state to Atlantic City, whichwill benefit the local economy,” Mr.Bramnick said.

    Assemblyman Bramnick is a co-sponsor of AR-70, a resolution thatencourages the Chamber of Com-merce to change the destination oftheir annual “Walk to Washington”train trip to Atlantic City. The tripwas held last week.

    Forum on ConsolidatingSP, FW Is Rescheduled

    SCOTCH PLAINS — Mountingefforts to consolidate Scotch Plainsand Fanwood will take another stepfurther on Wednesday, March 2, whena public forum will be held to discussways the two towns can save moneyby merging, according a spokesmanfor Connect New Jersey, a non-parti-san, which calls itself a “non-profitorganization that is identifying solu-tions to make Scotch Plains andFanwood run more efficiently.”

    The meeting scheduled for Janu-ary 26 was postponed because of thesnow. This will be the second publicpresentation on the topic, coordinatedby Courage to Connect New Jersey.

    Gina Genovese, the organization’sexecutive director and a Democraticcandidate for state Senate in 2007,made her original presentation on thetopic on October 19.

    The March 2 meeting will takeplace 7:30 p.m. in the multi-purposeroom at the Brunner ElementarySchool, 721 Westfield Road, Scotch

    Plains. Admission is free and the pro-gram is open to the public.

    Ms. Genovese said she will be shar-ing a guidebook that Courage to Con-nect New Jersey finalized earlier thismonth. She said it is a comprehensivemanual that provides step-by-stepmeasures residents can take to formmunicipal consolidation study com-missions and, ultimately, consolidatecommunities.

    The event will be hosted by FredLange, a Scotch Plains resident whocoordinated the October 19 event.Mr. Lange said his ever-increasingtax bill is the reason he is establishinga grassroots movement to combineScotch Plains and Fanwood.

    “Taxes have gone up and we arepaying for duplicate services and in-efficient negotiations when it comesto labor,” Mr. Lange said. “We’ve gotto combine municipalities so we havebetter purchasing power, not only forsupplies, but for labor too. Combin-ing towns creates better efficiencies.”

    Batement Rips COAHAmended LegislationTRENTON – Republican state Sena-

    tor Chris Bateman (LD-16, Somerville)has applauded Governor ChrisChristie’s veto of new affordable hous-ing legislation. “As the original spon-sor of legislation to end the failed Coun-cil on Affordable Housing (COAH), Iwas appalled the Legislature approveda new affordable housing boondoggleeven worse than the currentsystem....Now is the time to get afford-able housing reform right by abolish-ing COAH, protecting municipalitiesfrom frivolous lawsuits and heavyhanded state oversight, and protectingour communities against legally-man-dated urban sprawl,” Asm. Batemansaid.

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    Please join us for our 2nd Annual Special Needs Symposium

    Sunday, February 13 from 12-5 p.m.at the JCC of Central NJ, 1391 Martine Avenue, Scotch Plains

    Keynote presentation by Lindsey Biel, M.A., OTR/L,

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    Kean Supports ReducingN.J. Corporate Tax Rate

    TRENTON — Senate MinorityLeader Tom Kean, Jr. (LD-21,Westfield) said that all legislatorsconcerned about job creation shouldsupport a broad-based reduction inthe corporate tax rate as recently pro-posed by Governor Christie.

    Mr. Kean stated that New Jersey’slarge corporate tax burden is the chiefimpediment to sustainable, permanentjob creation. “A corporate tax rate of 9percent practically shows the door toemployers and the jobs they sustainand create,” Mr. Kean said.

    “One need only look to the closingof Sony’s Pitman plant to understandthe consequences our state faces shouldwe fail to act. Three hundred people inSouth Jersey employed by that facilityare set to lose their livelihoods be-cause it is cheaper to do the work inIndiana. A fact of life in this challeng-ing economy is that job creators willmove to the lowest cost environment.If New Jersey chooses not to compete,we will continue to lose jobs and tal-ented citizens to other states.”

    Governor Christie said he wouldpropose a reduction in the corporatetax rate as part of his annual budgetaddress during a recent interview withCNBC. Citing cost concerns, Sonyannounced earlier this month that itwould close rather than reduce itsworkforce at its South Jersey manu-facturing plant.

    The Pitman factory’s operationswill be transferred to a facility inTerra Haute, Ind. Indiana’s corporatetax rate is 8.5 percent.

    Mr. Kean said that small, targetedtax incentives do not go far enough inspurring job creation at a time ofrecord unemployment.

    “With all due respect to the Major-ity (Democrats), we cannot afford tothink small any longer,” Mr. Keancontinued. “When over 9 percent ofNew Jersey workers cannot find a job,the problem is greater than what canbe solved by tinkering around the edgeswith half measures. The business taxlevy is the most significant factor foremployers in determining whether theywill stay here or go elsewhere. It istime New Jersey get in the game,make our tax rate more businessfriendly, and compete for those jobs.”

    Quijano Named ChairmanOf Homeland Security PanelTRENTON – Assembly Speaker

    Sheila Oliver (LD-34, East Orange)has appointed AssemblywomanAnnette Quijano (LD-20, Elizabeth)as the new chairwoman of the As-sembly Homelan


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