December 15, 2005 Hawthorne Press Adnan Zakaria named to Prospect Park Council Adnan Zakaria, a mechanic with Drake's Bakery, was named to the open seat on the Prospect Park Council last week. The vote on December 5 was to fill the vacancy created by the appointment of former Councilman Mohamed Khairullah to mayor. Former Councilman Thomas Jefferson spoke out at the special meeting, questioning why he hadn't been considered for the spot. Jefferson and former Councilman Herb Perez were both removed from their seats in July while they were on active duty with the National Guard. Jefferson's tour began in the fall of 2004 and he returned home from Iraq on November l. Perez is still serving with the military police in Germany. Former Mayor Will Kubofcik initiated their removal citing the difficulty in getting a quorum during their absence. "It's a shame I had to leave one war and come home to another," Jefferson told The Press, "It's a shame, after what the Council did to me and Herb Perez that they wouldn't even consider my application." Jefferson said he submitted a letter asking to be reconsidered to each council member at the beginning of November. "I served my community," he said about his five and half years on the governing body. "I served my country the front lines. It bothers me that the County Committee didn't even submit my name for consideration." Besides Zakaria, the Democrat Municipal Committee submitted the names of Moshim Mahmood and Jose Pantoja for the council seat. Former Councilman Len Lembo also submitted a letter of interest. Jefferson said he expects to seek re-election to his council seat in the 2006 election. December 8, 2005 Hawthorne Press Manchester Student Charged With Three Counts of Aggravated Assault A Manchester Regional High School student was charged with three counts of aggravated assault after a November 21 incident at the school. Around 12:57 pm, 18-year-old Andre Jaramillo was allegedly intoxicated and came into the school cafeteria. According to the police report, Athletic Director Bob Finamore told the student to come to the office and Jaramillo then punched Finamore in the face. Two other counselors attempted to help calm the student and during the confrontation. The Prospect Park youth bit Cindy Miller in the chest and Manny Rodriquez in the left forearm. After being subdued, the student was transported to St. Mary's Hospital for evaluation and then released to his parents. He was arraigned in Municipal Court and released on his own recognizance. November 10, 2005 The Record Prospect Park Appoints Mayor by Paul Brubaker It was simple and unceremonious, and when it was over the borough had its first Arab-American mayor. At a special meeting Wednesday night, the Borough Council appointed Democratic Councilman Mohamad Khairullah on a 4-0 vote to serve out the remainder of former Mayor Will Kubofcik's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2006. "We're here to work for the people and that's what we're going to do," Khairullah said after thanking his supporters in the public and on the council. Then Khairullah announced a three-point agenda for the upcoming year in which he intends to reduce municipal expenses, create more community activities, improve quality of life and improve service for taxpayers. "I look forward to a positive and productive year," he said. That year begins today with a meeting with all municipal departments at 3 p.m. Kubofcik resigned on Oct. 11 due to his family's relocation to Bloomingdale, which he had announced in July. Had Kubofcik stepped down before Sept. 1, the borough's voters would have chosen his successor in a special election. Instead, the council made the decision from a list of three Democratic nominees. As a sitting council member, Khairullah could not participate in the selection process nor could Councilman Hassan Fahmy, another nominee who did not attend the meeting due to work obligations. The third candidate was former Councilman Leonard Lembo, who addressed Khairullah, the man to whom he lost the appointment in the council chambers Wednesday night. "I have one word for you," he said. "Congratulations." However, not everyone was in a congratulatory mood. Abigail Perez, wife of former Councilman Herb Perez, refused to applaud with the majority of the audience. Herb Perez, who had been Khairullah's running mate, and former Councilman Thomas Jefferson were removed from the council in July because of meetings they missed while they were on active duty in the National Guard. "I came for my husband. I'm here in place of him," she said. Helen Donahue, a regular at council meetings, asked Khairullah if he would replace a message supporting American troops that had been removed from the front of the municipal building. "Absolutely," Khairullah said. Late last week, an anonymous bulk mailing was sent to borough residents and newspapers that denounced Khairullah for voting in favor of removing Perez and Jefferson and for a statement he made at a pro-Palestinian rally in 2004. He also was criticized for an alleged aggressive assault charge against his wife. The charge was later dismissed. Khairullah's appointment as mayor creates a vacancy on the council. Just as with the mayoral vacancy, the Passaic County Democratic Committee has 15 |days to present a list of three candidates to the council, which will make its decision within 30 days. November 10, 2005 Hawthorne Press Appointed councilmen retain their seats In the Prospect Park Council race, Republicans gained ground but not enough votes to win any seats on the governing body. Democrats Randall Lassiter and Richard Esquiche were returned to the Borough Council with 664 and 655 votes respectively. For an unexpired seat, Radhammes Capellan won over William Willemsen 684 to 418. Esquiche, Lassiter and Capellan were each appointed to seats this year. Lassiter replaced former Councilman Pat Tirri, who resigned when he moved out of town. Esquiche and Capellan replaced two councilmen, who are on active duty in the Armed Forces, after the Borough Council voted to oust them from their seats. On the Republican slate, Thomas Magura garnered 413 votes and Lois Hubbard, 408. "Last year we lost by 500 votes," said Magura about Tuesday's closer margin. The local GOP candidates also received higher totals than the gubernatorial and freeholder candidates on their ticket. November 9, 2005 Herald News
Flier is called bias crime
by Paul Brubaker
Fliers that denounced
Councilman Mohamed Khairullah as unpatriotic and a criminal were
anonymously sent to borough residents last week.
The Borough Council is to consider appointing him or one of two other nominees as mayor tonight. The borough has had an acting mayor since Will Kubofcik resigned Oct. 11 because he and his family were moving to Bloomingdale. The council must appoint a replacement to complete Kubofcik's term, which ends Dec. 31, 2006. The council will choose from three Democratic candidates who applied for the position. Khairullah, one of the candidates, said he believes the fliers constituted a bias crime. "This is a criminal act that needs to be investigated," Khairullah said. Capt. Frank Franco, the highest ranking officer in the Police Department, received a copy of the mailing Monday and said he wasn't as certain whether the law had been violated. "I'm not sure if this is a political ploy. If it turns out to be a bias incident, it will certainly be investigated," he said. Franco added that as of Tuesday, Khairullah had not filed a complaint with the Police Department. The message, delivered in a white envelope with no return address, was written in English and Spanish. It characterized Khairullah, a Muslim, as "a betrayer living among us" who would "try to poison our thoughts about our great country" and had ties to people responsible for the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. It also referred to a charge against Khairullah, alleging the aggravated assault of his wife and father-in-law was related to a Nov. 24, 2002, domestic violence incident. That case was moved to Totowa Municipal Court to avoid a conflict of interest, said Heide Mulcahey, deputy court administrator. The matter was disposed of May 12, 2003, for reasons that remain confidential because it was a domestic violence case, Totowa Municipal Court staff said. Some of the recent mailings included a copy of the arrest warrant issued against Khairullah for the 2002 incident, which has borough officials concerned. "We're looking into that part of it," Franco said. The mailing has unsettled residents and borough officials. "Everyone in town got one, apparently," said Helen Donahue, who received the mailing Friday. "I haven't been able to sleep about this. I can't believe that someone would attack a person in such a way," said acting Mayor Esther Perez, who said she received 15 telephone calls over the weekend about the mailing. "I told people not to believe it," she said. After the council work session on Monday, which Khairullah did not attend, there were some unlikely sources of sympathy. "I felt bad for him. What they did was just brutal," said former Councilman Pasquale "Pat" Tirri, a Khairullah political foe. "A publication like that will backfire on whomever propagated it," said Leonard Lembo, another candidate for the mayoral appointment. On Tuesday, Khairullah said he had sent his own flier to the borough's Muslims, which stated he was aware of the situation and encouraged them to vote Democratic on Election Day. A more public response to the mailing will be released within
days, he said. November 3, 2005 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park Council Election Three appointed Democrats face challenge from Republican Slate Three of the six seats on the Prospect Park Council are currently held by three members who were appointed earlier this year. Next Tuesday voters will decide whether Councilmen Randall Lassister, Richard Esquiche and Radhammes Capellan get elected to the seats they now hold or whether the Republicans will gain some representation on the all-Democrat Council. Lassiter, Esquiche and Capellan are running on the Democrat ticket. The Republican slate includes Thomas F.X. Magura, Lois Hubbard and William Willemsen. Lassiter is the executive assistant to the president of Passaic County Community College and a senior pastor at a Paterson church. Esquiche works at St. Michael's Hospital, Newark in the medical records division. He served in the National Guard for nine years. Capellan, a mechanical engineer at Ed Gravenhorst, Lincoln Park, is president of the Dominican Association of Paterson. Magura, a former councilman, works part-time in the Bergen County Special Services District. Both he and Willemsen currently serve on the Board of Education. Willemsen is a special education teacher in Paterson and has been on the Haledon Ambulance Corps for 20 years. Hubbard, president of the Republican Club, is a former BOE member and now works as a secretary in the public school. At issue in this year's campaign are the perennial issues of spending and taxes. Republicans criticize the all-Democrat Council for frivolous spending, increasing taxes 75%n since 1999 and raising the municipality's bonded indebtedness to $4 million. Paid
health benefits at issue
All three Republicans pledge not to take paid health benefits and
question how much it costs to offer this perk to council members.Magura says borough policy "created when I was in office, says an employee has to work 30 hours to be eligible for benefits. Not one of them spends 30 hours on the job." Capellan says he only takes the dental plan which isn't offered at his job. Lassiter takes benefits but Esquiche refused them. Democrats defend bonding for capital projects as necessary long-term spending to make improvements. At issue is hundreds of thousands spent for streetscape improvements on North 8th Street and to re-do the tennis courts at Hofstra Park. "I support the improvement of Hofstra Park, says Capellan. "I play basketball there." He says people may not use the tennis courts because they're in disrepair. Magura counters that the tennis courts haven't been used for 30 years, saying it was a waste of money to allocate funds for this purpose. Esquiche says, "We're trying to be financially responsible and to make the community better." As for the streetscape on North 8th Street, Democrats say the brick payers and lighted trees present a good image for the town and will attract more business. "It hasn't brought in any new business at all," says Willemsen. More
recreation needed
Both sides agree that Prospect Park needs more recreation for children
and programs for seniors in one of the county's most densely-populated
communities.The hiring of a recreation director resulted in a day camp at Hofstra Park this summer, according to Esquiche. Magura counters that the $50 per week cost resulted in decreased participation. "We don't even have a baseball or softball program any more," says Willemsen, noting that Prospect Park always maintained a viable volunteer recreation program. They criticize spending $12,000 for a rec. director. Democrats say they are in the talking stage to create a community center at a nearby church. Hubbard suggests utilizing the school for more programs rather than incurring the expense of running a recreation center. Neither party's candidates favored the proposed development on North 8th Street to convert factories for housing units. "I didn't support the idea," says Capellan. "It would have brought too much congestion. It would have meant more cars and more trouble for the residents." Magura says the best option may be to raze the two structures, calling for an environmental impact study. As for how to develop the site, both agree that it could bring new ratables. Capellan suggests a franchise like Dunkin Donuts or Quiznos. Hubbard says a bank, financial institution or medical center would be a more attractive ratable. On quality of life issues, both sides say the police department is an important asset to the community. Willemsen notes that with its blue laws, Prospect Park is a nice quiet town on Sundays. "I like the police and the way they work," says Capellan. Esquiche says that with all the diversity in Prospect Park, the Latino population compresses about 40%. Since he is bilingual, he says he can help inform those who don't speak English. Republicans say their opponents were put in office by appointment not by the voters. "Their signs say `re-elect' but none of them were ever elected," says Willemsen. Magura says the GOP slate has deep roots in the community, totalling 110 years as residents while the opposition candidates are all newcomers. Democrats says they represent the newer residents of differing ethnic backgrounds. Since Mayor Will Kubofcik stepped down after the date that would trigger an election, the Borough Council's six members will get to elect the interim mayor who will serve until the end of 2006. "It should be the public to vote," says Capellan. November 3, 2005 Herald News Ex-councilmen Open An Online Sounding Board by Paul Brubaker Two former councilmen - one who hopes to be appointed as the next mayor - have started an Internet discussion group about all things related to the town, but not everyone wants to join the conversation. Former Councilman Pat Tirri, who resigned from the council in March, launched myprospectparkforum.com, which boasts on its home page that it is "a place that is designed to get the people of Prospect Park to discuss issues of concern to them." Tirri said he personally pays for the site's operation, although he wouldn't disclose how much it costs. Helping Tirri as an administrator to the Web site is former Councilman Leonard Lembo, one of three Democrats who could be chosen by the Borough Council to serve the remainder of former Mayor Will Kubofcik's term, which ends in December 2006. Councilmen Mohamad Khairullah and Hassan Fahmy are the other contenders for the mayoral appointment. Tirri and Lembo said the forum fills a need in a borough that doesn't have the "luxury" of council meetings being carried on a public-access cable television channel. Residents now have a platform that isn't tethered by time constraints, as with a council meeting's public hearing, Lembo said. "You can be long-winded and not get short of breath," he said. Tirri said the "real beauty" of the forum is its accessibility. "It allows people to log on anytime of the day or night to vent frustrations, voice concerns, raise ideas," he said. About 40 of the borough's more than 5,700 residents have joined the online conversation since it began on Oct. 11 - coincidentally, the day of Kubofcik's resignation. The identities of members visiting the Web site are hidden by screen names such as "truedemocrat," "proudamerican," and "spanky." Lembo said the anonymity is another strength of the Web site, in that people can express themselves without fear of retribution. But as unidentifiable writers have waxed politically about local issues, some of the postings have been laced with rumor, innuendo and allegations about officials. "I know there were derogatory remarks toward me and also every other member of the council," said Khairullah, who added he had not seen the Web site. Khairullah dismissed the site as "politically motivated," but Tirri said he is making every effort to moderate the discussions fairly. "I remain neutral on my site. This is not designed to destroy anybody's reputation," he said. But the number of community-based forums in cyberspace is increasing, and so are concerns about defamation and libel, particularly for elected officials. Don Linky, who specializes in Internet-related matters at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute of Politics, said that there is little legal recourse for a person defamed on an Internet forum. "The courts have tended to give a very wide girth to Web publishers," he said. "Every time the government gets into the area of Web regulation, there's usually a very huge lobby arguing for the government to keep its hands off the Web." In October, the Delaware Supreme Court ruled that a city councilman could not use a lawsuit to discover the identity of an anonymous poster without substantial proof that he had been defamed. Part of the basis for the court's decision was that a person could respond to a poster's statements instantly and reach the same audience as the defaming message. But Khairullah said he had no intention of posting retorts to the site. "I'll be wrestling in the mud," Khairullah said. "I'm not going to win even if I explain my positions a million times. I have a lot more important things to take care of." November 3, 2005 Herald News Teachers, Board OK Contract by Paul Brubaker Teachers agreed to pay a larger share for prescription drug coverage in return for higher wages as the Board of Education and teachers union agreed to a three-year contract. Teachers had been working without a contract since June. Under terms of the new agreement, teachers will receive retroactive pay back to June. Current maximum teacher pay for the 2005-06 school year is $86,800. Teacher pay will increase 4.62 percent in the first year, 4.75 percent in the second year and 5 percent in the final year. "Where we were able to meet in the middle should be a lesson for everyone in Passaic County," Paul Jay Birch, a board member on the negotiations committee, said Tuesday. That middle ground was that the board didn't aggressively negotiate for cuts in teachers' medical insurance, and the teachers were willing to accept higher co-pays toward prescriptions, Birch said. Under the new contract agreement, teachers' payments toward prescriptions will increase from $12 to $25 for name brands, from $6 to $15 for generics and from $6 to $10 for mail-order medications. There also were reductions in hourly pay rates for auxiliary duties including tutoring, down from $70 to $65, bedside instruction, from $65 to $60, and library aides, from $70 to $50. The approximately 15 association members at the board's Tuesday night meeting applauded the 6-0 vote with one abstention that ratified the contract. Board member Thomas F.X. Magura abstained because he is a member of an education union through his job at Bergen County Technical Schools and Special Services. Andrea Galazza, co-president of the teachers union, read a prepared statement thanking the board and the administration for the agreement. A majority of the union's 75 members voted in favor of the contract at an after-school meeting on Thursday, Galazza said. Union Vice President Elena Kenny noted that the teachers' salary guide, which starts a new teacher with a bachelor's degree at $43,000 per year, is "very competitive with other school districts." Board President Al Demarest was just as pleased with it. "In 27 years of negotiations, this salary guide is the best I've ever seen. It's 100 percent fair," he said. October 12, 2005 Herald News Enigmatic Mayor Steps Down by Paul Brubaker A controversial political chapter - marked as much by public antics as it was by testy dialogue - came to an end Tuesday night when Mayor Will Kubofcik stepped down more than a year before the expiration of his term. "I may be gone but I am still involved and I will help in the future," a teary-eyed Kubofcik, 39, said as he read a resignation letter at a Borough Council's meeting. After concluding his remarks, the departing mayor received a standing ovation from his family and others who had gathered in the council chambers. Among those wishing Kubofcik well was state Sen. John A. Girgenti, D-Hawthorne. Kubofcik, a Democrat, first indicated he would step aside in July when he announced that his family was moving to a $900,000 Bloomingdale home with help from producers of a Learning Channel reality show called "Moving Up." If Kubofcik had vacated his seat before Sept. 1, voters would have been able to determine a replacement in the November election. That person would have completed the unexpired term that ends on Dec. 31, 2006. But renovations on Kubofcik's new home prevented him from leaving office any sooner than "mid-October," the mayor said in late August. Hence, the Borough Council will make the decision. Now that Kubofcik has resigned, Council President Esther Perez becomes acting mayor in accordance with local ordinances. State law requires Perez, who is the borough's Democratic leader, to convene a meeting of the Passaic County Democratic Committee within 15 days to nominate three potential replacements. The council will then select the interim mayor within 30 days of the nominations. As mayor of a community with fewer than 6,000 residents, Kubofcik managed to keep the borough, and himself, in the spotlight. In September, the borough became the first Passaic County community to adopt a sex offender residency ban, despite questions about the constitutionality of |the ordinance. In July, Kubofcik removed Herb Perez and Thomas Jefferson from the Borough Council because they had "missed too many meetings." Perez and Jefferson, members of the National Guard, are on active duty overseas. The mayor's action brought criticism from many residents and made Kubofcik the subject of a feature on Comedy Central's nightly political satire romp, "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart." Three years ago, Kubofcik and Jefferson were allies, not only in the political arena, but also on a pudding-filled wrestling mat where they grappled with Haledon councilmen in a benefit to aid nine local families that lost their homes to a fire. The shenanigans were indicative of a man who said in a recent interview that he was both "the class clown and the class president" when he attended Manchester Regional High School. Perhaps another of Kubofcik's curious combinations lay in his being owner/broker of Prospect Realty Inc., and some of the causes he advocated as mayor. For example, Kubofcik championed the conversion of two dilapidated factory buildings on North Eighth Street, across the street from his agency, into 37 apartments. The project was protested by more than 100 residents because of the impact they feared the project would have on parking in the area. It remains before the Board of Adjustment, and Kubofcik has said he will continue his business interests in the community after moving to Bloomingdale. Although Kubofcik's time as mayor may be tinged with controversy, it is a mayoral tenure marked by a significant turn in the borough's political climate. Kubofcik was elected in 1998 as the borough's first Democratic mayor on a platform of "Faith, Family and Future," edging out Republican Antoinette Atie, who would have been the borough's first female mayor. By the time Kubofcik won a landslide victory for reelection in 2002, beating Republican Waeil Dashoka by 629 votes, a Democrat held every council seat ending nearly a century of GOP control. September 29, 2005 The Record Hawthorne man killed in hit-run by Richard Cowen A borough man was struck and killed by a pickup truck as he crossed Wagaraw Road on Tuesday night. Gerry Bakus, 53, was crossing the street in front of Alexis Steakhouse around 8 p.m. He was carrying takeout food from the restaurant when he was struck by a truck driven by Anthony Volino, 35, of Prospect Park, authorities said. Witnesses told police that the driver stopped the truck after the accident, got out and checked on the victim, who was lying on the pavement. He then jumped back in the truck and fled, Passaic County Assistant Prosecutor James Wilson said. Bakus was taken to St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson, where he died, Wilson said. Meanwhile, investigators were able to get a license plate and description of the vehicle from witnesses and contacted Volino at his home. Volino surrendered to Hawthorne police late Tuesday night. He submitted a blood sample to determine whether he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol, Wilson said. Volino was charged with leaving the scene of an accident. He was released Wednesday after posting 10 percent of his $10,000 bail, police said. September 22, 2005 Hawthorne Press Boxer George Khalid Jones Honored Professional boxer George Khalid Jones and his family were honored at the September meeting of Prospect Park Council. Jones, the USBA light heavyweight champion, thanked the residents of Prospect Park for their support. "When I'm running the streets, the police officers give me encouragement," he said about his training. A borough resident for two years, Jones said, "I've been homeless. Fifteen years ago I was on drugs. I didn't learn to read until I was 23 years old. I talk to people about not making the same mistakes." The 38-year-old southpaw will fight Glen Johnson for the IBF Light Heavyweight Title on September 30 in Brooks, California. "I'll make sure Prospect Park, New Jersey is recognized," said Jones, "And that they don't think it's Prospect Park, Brooklyn. Fox News will be mentioning our town." Calling himself a survivor of "life after death," Jones said, "I'm hoping to bring back the number one spot in the world." September 15, 2005 Hawthorne Press Rausch makes Sergeant in Prospect Park Department Ptl. William Rausch was promoted to sergeant in the Prospect Park Police Department Monday night. Rausch, who joined the local police force in 1994, has been a motorcycle officer and is currently on assignment with the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office Narcotics Task Force. "It's been a long time coming," said Mayor Will Kubofcik about the promotion. Captain Frank Franco, who heads the department, said Rausch has an excellent record with narcotics arrests and has been the department's liaison with the county Narcotics Task Force. The officer thanked his family, which includes his wife, two step-daughters and a baby daughter as well as the mayor, the Borough Council, members of the police force and the community for their vote of confidence. August 30, 2005 The Record Ex-coach who dated minor gets probation by Eman Varoqua A former Manchester Regional High School coach was sentenced to three years' probation after he admitted having an inappropriate affair with a 15-year-old female student. Bashir "Billy" Baghdadi, 25, of Prospect Park pleaded guilty to aggravated criminal sexual contact in Superior Court in Paterson. As part of his plea deal, Baghdadi is subject to Megan's Law - which requires offenders to notify police in any towns they live in and subjects them to psychiatric counseling and parole supervision for life. He also agreed last week never to work in public employment again or take a position that requires supervision of those under age 18. Baghdadi said in court that he regretted making bad choices and was remorseful. He had been a coach for the football, track and girls' basketball teams at Manchester, where he was also a teacher's aide. He was hired in May 2000 and resigned on May 13, 2004 - after school officials learned he was dating a freshman student. Baghdadi was a 1998 graduate of the school and was a star on the track and football teams. When hired, he was thought to be a promising teacher. The age of consent for sex is 16, under state law, and 18 when teachers or coaches are involved. Originally, Baghdadi faced charges of sexual assault, which carry sentences of 10 to 20 years in prison. Those charges were downgraded through the plea offer. August 26, 2005 The Record 'Daily Show' gets thumbs up from singing mayor by Paul Brubaker A day after "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" aired Mayor Will Kubofcik singing "She Bangs," he reprised the tune in his North Eighth Street real estate office. Kubofcik said he was "ecstatic" about the Comedy Central political satire program's segment on the controversy surrounding the dismissal of two National Guardsmen from their Borough Council seats while they are deployed overseas. "It met my every expectation. They dealt with a serious subject with a lot of levity," Kubofcik said. "They portrayed me in a good light. I thought it was fair." The segment, aired Wednesday night and repeated on Thursday, included moments such as Samantha Bee, the show's correspondent, telling Kubofcik what people in town were saying about him; she proceeded to read a list of bleeped expletives. The segment also compared the hardships of former Councilman Herb Perez, serving in Germany, and former Councilman Thomas Jefferson, serving in Iraq, with the hardships of Kubofcik moving to a new $900,000 home in Bloomingdale. Perhaps the most provocative moments were when Kubofcik covered the song by Latin pop star Ricky Martin. "The mayor made a fool of himself," said Perez's wife, Abigail, who was also interviewed for the show. "He was out of tune. He was out of step. But that's the mayor." There were other bad reviews. Kubofcik received a phone message from a man in Austin, Texas, who had just seen the show. On Thursday, he played the message on a speakerphone. "It made you look like a poor example to the children of this country. God bless you," the unnamed Texan said. Jefferson's wife, Cathy, was on camera saying that Kubofcik was a "media whore." Immediately after, Kubofcik was seen singing in full voice. "I truly had no idea that he was going to perform like that," Jefferson said on Thursday. "They didn't tell us what the other people [they interviewed] were saying." People in the Municipal Building weren't sharing their opinions about the mayor's performance. Borough employees replied "no comment" when asked about it. Harley Breite, the attorney representing Perez and Jefferson, took some ribbing during his interview, as Bee abruptly asked if she could touch his biceps, which she referred to as "pythons." Breite complied. "That caught me by surprise, but I didn't find that particularly offensive," he said. Breite said that the segment served its purpose in bringing the councilmens' issue to the show's 1.4 million nightly viewers. Both wives agreed to participate on the condition that their husbands would not be disrespected. After seeing the broadcast, they both said "The Daily Show" producers upheld their end of the deal. If some people didn't like Kubofcik's singing, he was fine with it. "Life is too short if you can't laugh," he said. "If I wanted to, I could sit here and be grunting, but life is about attitude." August 11, 2005 The Record Residents swat tennis court upgrade by Paul Brubaker PROSPECT PARK - Anyone for tennis? Not in this borough. That's what residents told the Borough Council after it adopted an ordinance authorizing $399,000 to refurbish Hofstra Park's tennis and basketball courts. While no one objected to a basketball upgrade, residents said improving the tennis courts was out of bounds. "Nobody around here plays tennis anymore," said Helen Donahue, a senior citizen. "They've been used as a dog run for so long, people don't realize they were once tennis courts." But residents raised an even louder racket about the burden that the improvement project places on the borough's debt service. Even though the state and Passaic County will contribute a total of $140,000 toward the improvements, the borough still needs to issue $246,000 in bonds and notes after making a $13,000 down payment. The borrowed money would amount to an extra $17.55 annually for a house assessed at the borough average, the municipality's chief financial officer, Stephen Sanzari, said at a Monday meeting. "I'm more concerned about the cumulative effect," said resident John Vander Molen. "It's not one particular ordinance. It's all of these little things. They add up." "I thought I taught you better math," Janet Guariglia said to Mayor Will Kubofcik, who was Guariglia's student at Prospect Park Public School. "You cannot spend money you don't have," Guariglia said in a maternal tone as she addressed the mayor as "my dear William" and "dear heart." "We have a grant. Let's use the grant and not go over it," she said. That thinking was the basis of Councilman Hassan Fahmy's vote, the only one against the ordinance. "We just had one sale of $1.9 million [in bonds]," Fahmy said. "How much more can we raise our taxes next year?" Although the mayor said he heard "everybody loudly and clearly," he defended the expenditure by pointing to a 1981 photograph on the wall of the council chambers. It depicts the tennis courts when they were new. "It's been 24 years since that tennis court has been touched," Kubofcik said. "We're making an investment in the community." July 29, 2005 The Record Prospect Park's Mayor To Resign by Suzanne Travers Mayor Will Kubofcik said this week that he likely will move to Bloomingdale and resign his post, with more than a year left in his term. As a real estate agent, his face is a familiar one on "For Sale" signs across Passaic County. Now, the mayor's face also is coming to television. Rumors of Kubofcik's impending departure have been brewing in the borough for months, bringing questions about his successor to the fore. As a Sept. 1 deadline looms for Kubofcik to resign in time for a special election, at least two members of the Borough Council and the borough's Republican leader have begun mustering their supporters and say they want the job. In a show biz twist, many of the big political questions gripping tiny Prospect Park depend, in part, on a reality television show. Kubofcik's relocation to Bloomingdale will be filmed for a show on The Learning Channel called "Moving Up," which airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. Each episode chronicles three sets of families as they move, focusing on the renovations. Members of each family assess the decor of their new house, then renovate it to their own liking. Later, the homeowners go back to their old houses to see what changes the new residents have made. "It's a great show," Kubofcik said. "You get to compliment and trash people, and real human nature comes in." The show often contacts real estate agents to ask if they know potential candidates for an episode. Kubofcik, who owns Prospect Realty, a brokerage firm with offices in Prospect Park and Kinnelon, volunteered himself. The show offers steep discounts on furniture, appliances and paint. The mayor said despite the connotations of upward mobility in the show's name, no one should read much into it. "If you see a lot of the episodes of the show, it's just people moving into different houses. It could have been named "Moving Upside Down" - whatever it was, it was a great opportunity," he said. Brian Eley, a spokesman for The Learning Channel, said the episode starring the mayor and his wife, Nuha Matari, will air as the show's season finale Dec. 10. Who will take Kubofcik's place partially depends on when he leaves. That in turn depends on how long the home renovations take, the mayor said. He will rent his current home from its new owners until work on the Bloomingdale house is finished. If Kubofcik moves out of the borough before Sept. 1, Council President Esther Perez would become acting mayor immediately, said Borough Attorney Dennis Murphy. Democrats would have 15 days to submit three names to the Borough Council, which would choose an interim mayor until November elections. If Kubofcik moves after Sept. 1, the council would select an interim mayor to finish out his term, which ends Dec. 31, 2006. "It's a coin toss at this point whether it will be before Sept. 1," Kubofcik said. Waiting in the wings The all-Democratic six-member council has two vacant seats, and three of the four remaining members have expressed interest in becoming mayor. "Definitely, I will run if he's going to resign," Councilman Hassan Fahmy said. "I'm ready to make Prospect Park shine." Perez said she has not made a decision about running, but added, "I know the job. I could handle it." Councilman Mohamed Khairullah,often mentioned as the mayor's choice as successor, would not discuss such speculation. "I hope Will stays," Khairullah said. "I'd like to see him finish out his term." Kubofcik declined to comment on whom he favors to replace him. Even if he has not moved by Sept. 1, Kubofcik could resign by then, so voters could choose his successor. "That's actually a very good possibility," he said in an interview Thursday. Later in the interview, however, he said that as long as he lives in Prospect Park, he'll remain mayor. "I'm an elected mayor. I'm going to serve out as long as I want, because I've been elected to a full term," he said. Former Councilman Pasquale "Pat" Tirri believes Kubofcik's imminent move is the reason the mayor on Monday vacated the seats of councilmen Thomas Jefferson and Herb Perez, who are on National Guard duty overseas. Kubofcik wants to replace them with supporters, said Tirri, who resigned his seat in February after Kubofcik accused him of living outside the borough. Tirri sided with Jefferson, Perez and Fahmy in a dispute with Kubofcik over committee appointments. The mayor "will stop at nothing to ensure that his successor is left with a new bunch of puppets," Tirri wrote in an e-mail. Filling the two council seats with allies would give the council a pro-Kubofcik majority, enabling the mayor to keep his hand in borough politics after he moves and pick his successor, borough Republican leader Tom Magura said. "People can say whatever they want," Kubofcik responded. "It only makes sense to fill those seats, because with me gone it's going to create even more of a void." Kubofcik defended his decision to remove Perez and Jefferson from the council, saying a majority of the six-member council must vote for his successor. Anyone who is running for mayor could not take part in the vote, raising the possibility that the council could not have chosen a new mayor, and the succession issue would have gone to the voters. Kubofcik acknowledged that scenario could be avoided if he were to resign before Sept. 1. "The people ought to have a choice and decide who should be their next mayor," said Paul "Jay" Birch, a school board member and critic of Kubofcik. Financial benefit? Others have suggested Kubofcik stands to benefit financially by stepping down as mayor. Last year, he ended his involvement as broker of two North 8th Street factories so that, as mayor, he could speak against a proposal to turn the buildings into a municipal complex. A private developer is scheduled to go before the Planning Board in August with a proposal to turn the old factories into residential housing. But Kubofcik said he would "absolutely not" get involved with the project again. No matter when he leaves, Kubofcik has pledged to remain involved in the borough. He'll continue to work at his Prospect Realty office on North 8th Street and said that, as a business owner, he'll continue to attend council meetings. "I'll still be here every day," he said. Kubofcik cautioned that "everything is still up in the air," and that the deals to buy a new house and sell his current one could fall through. However, he and Matari made an offer on a house in Bloomingdale that has been accepted by the owner. Last week they requested an inspection required to sell their current home on East Main Street. Kubofcik plans to buy a lakefront home in the exclusive Kampfe Lake Association, one of four private homeowners associations on Bloomingdale lakes. Kampfe Lake consists of 26 houses on one- and two-acre lots in a 150-acre private development. The house, on East Shore Road, was first listed on the market in April at $949,900. It is now described on a Realtor's internal Web site as "under contract" with an asking price of $879,000, said Nancy Sarfity, a real estate agent with Century 21 in Bloomingdale. Kubofcik's move has been rumored for nearly a year among members of both parties and officials throughout the county and neighboring towns. Kubofcik contends that he was not looking to leave Prospect Park, but came across his dream house as he was testing his real estate firm's Internet search engine. "It defaulted to Passaic County, and it defaulted to B for Bloomingdale. ... This beautiful home popped up. I said, 'Look, this is beautiful. I see myself there for the rest of my life.' And I told my wife to set up an appointment." "It all happened so fast," he said. "Sometimes you believe in fate." Still, he acknowledged that he was a single man when he ran |for council and his first mayoral bid in 1998. Now, he has a wife and two sons, 2½ years and 3 months old. With young children, Kubofcik, who is a friend of Bloomingdale Mayor Craig Ollenschleger, said he is likely to run for the borough's school board. July 27, 2005 The Record TwoVow To Fight Ouster From Council by Suzanne Travers Two borough residents on active National Guard duty in Iraq and Germany said Tuesday that they were furious that the mayor vacated their seats and removed them from the Borough Council. "This is a true outrage what they're doing," Thomas Jefferson said in a satellite phone call from Iraq, where he is driving trucks and purifying water with the 50th Main Support Battalion. "I'm going to find out if it's legal. This is a paying job, and it's just like any other job, you can't just fire people off their job who are deployed by the military." Herb Perez said in a phone interview from Germany that he, too, is investigating his options for a legal challenge. Borough Attorney Dennis Murphy ruled Monday that the councilmen's positions could be declared vacant under a municipal vacancy law because they have missed eight consecutive meetings without being formally excused by the council. "I can't even find words to describe the anger I feel," said Perez, a military police officer in Bamberg, Germany, with the 112th Military Police. "I'm not buying any of it, because the council knew I was going on active duty. I'm not going down that easy." Mayor Will Kubofcik said the councilmen should be replaced because the lack of a quorum at recent meetings has stalled borough business. Both men have been out of the country since January, although Jefferson attended a meeting in April while home on leave. Borough Democrats will meet tonight to select six candidates to submit to the council, which will choose two to fill the open seats at a special meeting Aug. 1. Perez and Jefferson urged Democratic officials to reconsider, although it was unclear whether the decision to declare their seats vacant could be reversed. One member of the Democratic committee, Marilyn Cakl, said Perez and Jefferson should have been allowed to keep their seats despite their absence. "I don't know why [Kubofcik] took so long about taking this stand," Cakl said. "I'm not happy about it, that's for sure." Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, who has previously expressed support for the councilmen, responded to a reporter's inquiry with a statement. "I realize that Mayor Kubofcik is faced with a difficult decision on how to continue running Prospect Park, but I have long held a belief that no one should lose their job for protecting the United States of America," Pascrell said. Perez said he and Jefferson should not be punished for the council's lack of a quorum, saying other members should go the extra mile to make it to meetings. "Everybody may have legitimate excuses, but so do I," he said. "I'm stationed here in Germany, fighting a war on terrorism, protecting you back home. That's my sacrifice." Asked why he should be allowed to keep his seat while he cannot fulfill the responsibilities of his office, Perez said voters and the Democratic committee encouraged him to run in November, even though they knew he would be called for active duty. Perez won reelection by a 3-to-1 ratio over his opponents. He will return to Prospect Park for good in March, he said. Jefferson's wife, Cathy, said she was disturbed the borough relayed the news to the two councilmen Monday by e-mail. She said the support group she attends for family members of deployed guardsmen suggests discretion in calls and e-mails and recommends against sharing bad news from home. "We're told to be very discreet with what we tell them because their minds have to be on their jobs," she said. July 26, 2005 The Record Mayor Rules Two Council Seats Vacant by Suzanne Travers Mayor Will Kubofcik declared the positions of two councilmen serving National Guard duty in Iraq and Germany vacant Monday and said borough Democrats would choose their replacements. The announcement shocked the families of the guardsmen, Herb Perez and Thomas Jefferson, Democrats who have clashed with fellow Democrat Kubofcik over council committee appointments. Local observers wondered why Kubofcik acted now, months after the councilmen were deployed and as he is planning to move to Bloomingdale with a year left on his term. Jefferson, 36, has been serving in Iraq with the National Guard's 50th Main Support Battalion since January, purifying water and driving trucks in Mosul. Perez, 41, has been stationed in Germany as a military police officer, also since January. Kubofcik said he declared the seats vacant because there was no quorum at two recent Borough Council meetings. Four council members must be present to vote on financial matters, and with two of the six council members missing, there was no slack for other members to miss meetings because of vacations, illness or emergencies. Votes this month on a bond ordinance and the municipal budget had to be tabled until August because of absences. Kubofcik last week asked Borough Attorney Dennis Murphy for a legal opinion on whether Jefferson's and Perez's seats could be declared vacant. State law allows for a seat to be vacated if a council member has missed eight consecutive meetings, as both Perez and Jefferson have. Murphy responded that the seats could be declared vacant. No vote by the council is required to formalize the seat vacancies, Murphy said in a phone interview Monday. Cathy Jefferson and Abigail Perez, wives of the councilmen, said they were stunned by the news, which they learned from a reporter. "I will be on his behalf fighting for his seat," Abigail Perez said. Cathy Jefferson was silent for at least 10 seconds. "At this time I don't even know what to say," she said. "I'm actually in shock. I cannot believe. ... It just goes to show what I've been saying all along, that the mayor had it out for my husband. He went out to the public saying he was supporting the men and his actions went to show a totally different thing. I'm really just sick to my stomach." Kubofcik said the borough's Democratic Committee, whose members include Kubofcik's mother and uncle, would compose a slate of six candidates. The Borough Council would then select two for the open council seats. If the committee cannot make a decision within 15 days, the Borough Council will vote on its own candidates, he said. He said that because of vacations, the committee may lack a quorum. Kubofcik said he acted "because it's just getting ridiculous. ... At this point you can see our inability to run the government effectively. There's a reason why there's six council seats." As long ago as August 2004, Perez's absences due to guard duty contributed to a lack of quorum at one regular meeting and one work session. Since January, Jefferson has missed every meeting but one he attended while home on two weeks' leave. Kubofcik first directed Murphy to investigate whether the men legally could keep their seats in August 2004. Murphy's firm researched the matter, but Murphy never issued his conclusions. He declined to comment on discussions he had with the council, citing attorney-client privilege. A year ago, many borough residents, including Kubofcik, said Jefferson and Perez should be allowed to keep their seats while on duty in recognition of their service. Perez was easily reelected in November, but in April, Jefferson returned from Iraq on leave to discover that Democrats had rejected his reelection bid, putting two other candidates on the primary ballot. Jefferson ran anyway, but lost. Now Perez's seat will also be on the November ballot, Kubofcik said. Several residents on Monday said they considered the mayor's actions "a slap in the face" to the councilmen, and that they worried that the news would dampen their spirits. Paul "Jay" Birch, a former councilman and current school board member, said the mayor's move was a ploy to oust opponents, since Perez and Jefferson have opposed Kubofcik in the past. "I don't think that the fact that he can't make quorum has anything to do with two people serving for their country," Birch said. "I only hope that those two people can keep their morale up." July 21, 2005 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park Gets Extra State Aid But Can't Adopt Budget Prospect Park has received word from the state that the municipality was awarded $50,000 in extraordinary aid. Now the Borough Council must amend the 2005 budget and adopt it. When that will happen is anybody's guess. Monday night, the rescheduled monthly meeting for July couldn't be held because of quorum was lacking. Both Mayor Will Kubofcik and Councilman Mohamed Khairullah were absent. With two Councilmen, Herb Perez and Thomas Jefferson, on active duty in the military, that left only three members in attendance, one short of the number for a quorum. An attempt to reschedule this meeting to July 25th was unsuccessful, according to Acting Borough Clerk Yancy Wazirmas, "Some council members will be away," she stated. The next available date is August 1, which is the scheduled night for the monthly worksession. Besides not taking action on the municipal budget, the governing body has had to defer adoption of the cable TV franchise ordinance. A bond ordinance appropriating $399,000 for tennis and basketball court improvements at Hofstra Park has laso been delayed. July 2, 2005 The Record Molestation victim awarded $315,000 by Eman Varoqua A jury awarded $315,000 to a North Haledon woman who sued Prospect Park and a former police officer who molested her. Richard C. Haman, 36, the former Prospect Park police officer, must pay $185,500 to the woman, as well as an additional $50,000 in punitive damages. The jury, in state Superior Court in Paterson, also found on Thursday that the borough is liable and must pay $79,500. "The jury found that there was a blue wall of silence," Terry Bottinelli, the woman's lawyer, said Friday. "Officers knew back to 1995 what was going on and remained silent. No one wanted to be a 'rat' ... and instead we're left with several victims." In July 2001 the North Haledon woman, then 18, came forward with allegations that Haman had raped her at a Haledon apartment while he was off duty. The Passaic County Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation and found other girls who said Haman had molested them. Haman was suspended without pay after the charges were filed in January 2002. He resigned several months later. Haman, a former Wayne resident who now lives in Ocean County, had been the police union local's president and once ran the borough's junior police academy - designed to build trust between children and police officers. Haman pleaded guilty in August 2002 to downgraded charges of criminal sexual contact and official misconduct. Originally he was charged with crimes that could have put him behind bars for 10 years, but a plea deal lowered the degree of the sex crime. He was sentenced to four years of probation and 100 hours of community service and is barred from any type of public employment in the future. He admitted that on several occasions he had sex with a 16-year-old girlfriend in his police car while on duty, and admitted to groping the North Haledon woman against her will. But during the two-week trial in civil court, Haman said the relationship with the North Haledon woman was consensual. "The difficulty being faced going into this trial was that the client pleaded guilty a few years ago," said Thomas Portelli, Haman's lawyer. "A jury is able to hear that, and it's insurmountable to overcome." Portelli said Haman maintains that the relationship was one of mutual consent and said he pleaded guilty to spare his wife and child further embarrassment. But the North Haledon woman staunchly denies that. She came forward "to stop him from doing it to anyone else," she said in a telephone interview Friday. Her mother said the victim was fearful at first to make a complaint, but after considering other girls might be at risk, she filed the accusation. "When a Police Department isn't paying attention to what their workers are doing and they empower them, people need to know," the woman's mother said. "We wanted to stop him in his tracks." Richard Grodeck, the lawyer for Prospect Park, did not return calls seeking comment. Prospect Park Mayor Will Kubofcik said town officials did not know about Haman's misdeeds. "No amount of money can compensate for the emotional suffering the [victim's] family has experienced," Kubofcik said. "I believe it is the officer who was falsely representing Prospect Park that should take 100 percent of the burden. Law enforcement officers are there to protect the borough and the people, not to prey on them." June 3, 2005 The Record Sowing Goodwill Over Paving by Suzanne Travers A year ago, a dirt nature trail, thick with brush, wound through the 20 acres of Hofstra Park. Then, in July, buzzsaws and bulldozers turned the trail into a 40-foot-wide path, littered with uprooted tree stumps. It was that transformation - authorized by town and state officials to create a paved bike path - that riled residents and environmentalists, prompting tears, outrage and suggestions for how to mitigate the perceived destruction in the borough's only park. But now that the completed bike path has a new look - neat black asphalt bordered by fresh sod and fledgling bushes - it's getting a better reception. "It looked horrible when they were cutting all the trees down," said Dennis Schvejda, a Hawthorne resident and conservation director of the Sierra Club's New Jersey chapter. He initially criticized the path and at the invitation of Mayor Will Kubofcik suggested several ways to make the project more sensitive to the environment. Now, Schvejda said, "It looks nice. ... You know that they came through, but you don't see any stumps or any mess." On a walk earlier this week, Schvejda pointed to spirea bushes and a locust tree that were planted along the path as part of the borough's promise to replace lost vegetation with species native to the area. He heard a wood thrush, one of the bird species he worried would be displaced from the park, and saw a hedgehog scurry into its burrow. And he was pleased that after residents' input the borough left a part of the park's original natural trail untouched. Plans are in the works to put up some interpretive signs along the trail identifying plants and wildlife. As the weather has warmed, children and adults have started using the path. Wayne Storms, 45, of Hawthorne, took his first bike ride on the path earlier this week, finding the loop attractive but short. He and a pal have been exploring bike paths, and rode up the path to the border with North Haledon, where they planned to cut through and ride on to Manchester Regional High School. "The path is recently paved, so it's very smooth," said Storms. "It's nice, but it's just too small, unless you go around 40 times. I'm used to ones about 10 miles long." Still, some residents remain concerned about the path's impact. Ilene Potoak, a Cub Scout leader who led wildlife walks on the old nature trail, said despite the new bushes and ground cover that have been planted, the path is no longer the shady refuge the nature trail was. "There's basically no shade," she said. "That was part of the beauty of the path: It was separate from the road. You could cool off in the shade. It was like being in a totally different world - the illusion of a forest. Now you may as well be walking on the road." Schvejda noted that oak and hickory saplings alongside the path would eventually grow into a shady canopy above the path, but agreed that would take "a couple decades." May 19, 2005 Hawthore Press Two Resolutions Pulled; Two-Thirds Vote Lacking One ordinance and a resolution, both requiring a two-thirds vote, couldn't be passed at the May 9th meeting of the Prospect Park Council. The Ordinance, no. 2005-5, is the one establishing a cap bank for the municipal budget. Resolution no. 2005-93 establishing an emergency temporary budget appropriation was also pulled from the agenda. On the seven-member council, five votes are needed for a two-thirds majority. With Councilmembers Herb Perez and Thomas Jefferson on active duty in the service, and with Councilman Hassan Fahmy absent, there were only four members in attendance. "We can put these on an agenda for a special meeting." said Mayor Will Kubofcik, noting that the council also had to meet soon to take action on the defeated Manchester school budget. April 19, 2005 Herald News Guardsman finds service may cost him council reelection bid By Suzanne Travers Rest and relaxation it wasn't. Councilman Thomas Jefferson returned to the borough on a two-week leave from Iraq to discover he also faces a battle on the home front. Despite the prayers and words of support from officials and residents for the councilman, the borough's Democratic committee has rejected supporting his reelection bid. Members of the committee said they did not support Jefferson because his inability to campaign makes him a political liability - a view Mayor Will Kubofcik said he shares. Jefferson, who is doing water purification work in Iraq with the National Guard, said the party committee's decision stems from Kubofcik's drive to squelch political opposition. In the last year, a rift between Kubofcik and Jefferson, as well as several other council members, developed over who has the power to make council committee appointments. "This is my seat, and I feel I should be able to run for it," Jefferson said by telephone before heading back to the war front Monday. After interviewing three candidates, the committee voted unanimously to run political newcomer Richard Esquiche and Councilman Randall Lassiter for two council seats in the party's June primary. In March, Lassiter filled a seat left by Pasquale "Pat" Tirri, who resigned after Kubofcik's allies on the council launched an investigation into whether he was a borough resident. Last week, Jefferson independently submitted his name to run in the primary, which determines which two Democratic candidates will run against Republican candidates in the November election. The seven-member committee that denied Jefferson the party line on the primary ballot includes Esquiche's mother, Yolanda, as well as Kubofcik's mother, Yevkine N. Kubofcik, and the mayor's uncle, Anthony Petrullo. Jefferson believes the committee had decided whom to support beforehand, and that, although the mayor does not have a vote on the committee, he has "all the say-so" when it comes to party backing. "The mayor's not backing me," said Jefferson. "I know that him and I haven't been on the same sheet of paper for awhile, but don't put up a big smokescreen saying you support me and then when it's time to put up and show up you don't." Kubofcik said by telephone Monday that he and the Borough Council have shown Jefferson and Councilman Herb Perez, also on active National Guard duty, "tremendous support." The council has allowed the men to keep their seats while they are serving, even though doing so has meant that, at times, the council lacked a quorum, Kubofcik said. But the mayor said he did not think Jefferson could ably run while he is not in the country. He said the committee supported Perez's reelection bid last November because he was not yet on full-time active duty. Kubofcik said it presents a dilemma: "You want to respect and honor people who are serving their country, but is it fair for the community that they're not here?" Jefferson said the mayor's point is moot, because he will hold his council seat till the end of the year anyway, and will finish his tour of duty in December, in time to begin a new term in January. "I know Tom well and he's a hard worker," said Democratic Party Committeewoman Marylyn Cakl, who denied that the mayor called the committee's shots. "We chose the ones that we felt would do the most for the town and have the time to do it and actively would be campaigning and getting funds to do the campaign." "I felt that the opposition, the Republicans, would nail him to the wall," she said. Petrullo said he based his support for Lassiter and Esquiche on "gut feeling," but added, "I could be a little biased because the mayor's my nephew." Thomas Magura, the Republican borough leader and a council candidate, has called for the resignations of Jefferson and Perez on the grounds that the military prohibits soldiers from holding or running for elected office. Jefferson said running for office while on active National Guard duty is "a gray area," but that superiors in Iraq had given him "the green light" to run. April 12, 2005 The Record School board election guide: Prospect Park by Suzanne Travers AT STAKE: Two seats on a seven-member board. CANDIDATES FOR THREE-YEAR TERMS: Radhames Capellan, 45, of North Seventh Street, does commercial refrigeration and electrical work in Lincoln Park. He has worked as an organizer for the Dominican Parade and in 2001-02 was general secretary of the parade committee. Capellan is a member of Hispanics for Better Government, Prospect Park's Democratic Committee and the Partido de la Liberacion Dominicana, a political party in his native Dominican Republic. He and his wife, Olga, have two children, one of whom attends School 1. Thomas F.X. Magura, 62, of North Eighth Street, is a special service assistant at Bergen County Vocational Tech. A lifelong resident of Prospect Park and a graduate of School 1 and Manchester Regional High School, Magura served on the school board from 1992 to 1997. He is a former councilman and the borough's Republican leader. He is single. Nabil Rehim, 54, of Planten Avenue, owns a limousine company. He and his wife, Wendy, have three children, one a graduate and two current students of Prospect Park School 1 and Manchester Regional. He is an active member of the Democratic Party, and has helped with party fund raising. William "Bill" Willemsen,* 49, of North Ninth Street, is a special education resource teacher at School 27 in Paterson. He is an emergency medical technician with the Haledon Emergency Ambulance Association, which he has served as president and vice president. Willemsen also is an evangelical chaplain with the North Jersey chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Firefighters International, which ministers to firefighters and EMTs. He and his wife, Barbara, have three children who attended local schools, including a son in eighth grade at School 1. Budget: The proposed 2005-06 budget of $8,859,064 is an increase of $22,537 over the current year's. It would require a tax levy, including debt service, of $2,411,853, which is $351,283 more than the current school year's levy. Voters will decide on a general fund tax levy of $2,214,567. The proposed tax levy would require a $248 tax increase on a typical home, assessed at $146,000. *denotes incumbent March 10, 2005 Hawthorne Press Tirri Resigns Prospect Park Council; Lassiter Appointed Councilman Pasquale "Pat" Tirri resigned his seat last Wednesday and five days later, the governing body appointed Randell Lassiter to the vacant seat. At a special meeting on Monday, Borough Clerk Allan Susen read a letter from the Democrat Municipal Committee naming three candidates for the vacancy: Joe Fernandez, Edda Ferrette and Lassiter. Councilwoman Esther Perez nominated Lassiter and without discussion, the governing body voted 3-0 to approve his appointment. The new council member was then sworn in and took his seat on the dias. Asked why she nominated Lassiter, Perez replied "He's the best man for the job." No interviews were held for the nominees. Lassiter is the executive assistant to the president of Passaic County Community College and said he had 20 years experience in education. A homeowner in Prospect Park, he is the pastor of the Greater Faith Church of the Abundant in Paterson. He and his wife have one child and are expecting another. Fernandez works in transportation in New York City and Ferretti is a home health aide. After thanking the mayor, council ands borough residents for the opportunity to serve, Lassiter said people "don't need a title to be a leader. They only need a commitment and a passion to serve." Lassiter praised the council for working with the mayor to get things done. "I know it's not a utopia," he said, "I just want to serve and I want to be a team player. I want to be part of the team and things done." Mayor Will Kubofcik said this council seat was vacated by him when he became mayor. Councilman Joseph Pepe was appointed to fill the vacancy; then he resigned. Then Councilman Pat Tirri was appointed and he resigned. The mayor said he expected Lassiter break that pattern. "Mr. Lassiter presents himself well as professional. He exudes energy and enthusiasm," said Kubofcik. The council also voted unanimously name Perez as council president, a position also held by Tirri. March 10, 2005 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park budget up 10.67% The Prospect Park Council introduced its 2005 municipal budget which reflects a 10.67% increase in the tax rate. The budget totals $4,321,543, an increase of $309,983 over the 2004 budget of $4,011,560. Municipal Auditor James Cerulli stated that the fiscal plan is "preliminary" and is not the final version. It calls for a total tax levy of $2,480,515, an increase of $193.40 on the average property assessment of $146,000. According to Cerulli, $525,000 in surplus funds were applied to the budget leaving $204,110 remaining in surplus. Among the factors that are causing the budget to increase are police salaries and wages, up $70,811; $60,451 more for financing capital projects; $35,000 for the special counsel for the Manchester appeal; $23,909 in pension contributions; a $16,039 increase in health insurance costs and $14,851 more for Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission costs. On the revenue side, a $50,000 reduction is factored in for extraordinary aid which Prospect Park received from state in 2004. Cerulli recommended the borough seek state extraordinary aid to supplement the 2005 budget. A public hearing on the budget is scheduled for April 11 at 7:30 pm. February 17, 2005 The Record Veteran Prospect Park cop is promoted to lieutenant by Suzanne Travers Charbel "Charlie" Atie was sworn in as police lieutenant before 80 residents and friends this week at a Borough Council meeting. Atie, 33, joined the force as a special officer in 1991. He had been a sergeant since 1996. Capt. Frank Franco, the department's officer-in-charge, called Atie "my right arm," adding that Atie acted capably when a homicide and a blizzard occurred while Franco was on vacation and Atie was in charge. Mayor Will Kubofcik praised Atie for having "great discipline, responsibility and the respect of the community." The lieutenant's mother, Antoinette Atie, was a Republican councilwoman until she moved out of the borough. She was among those who greeted Atie's promotion with a standing ovation. February 17, 2005 The Record Councilman insists he's a resident by Suzanne Travers Councilman Pasquale "Pat" Tirri was alone on the dais in more ways than one as he sat beside the empty chairs of his two closest allies while the mayor and two fellow members accused him of misrepresenting his residency. The controversy erupted at Tuesday night's Borough Council meeting after Councilman Mohamed Khairullah attempted to adopt an ordinance - not listed on the agenda - that gives the mayor power to make committee appointments. Tirri, the council's president, contends that power is a legislative one and that a council member should make the appointment. But in a move that appeared planned, the ordinance discussion was quickly subsumed by accusations about Tirri's residency. Municipal officials must live in the borough. "My discussion is based on a rumor that you don't live in town," said Khairullah, who, along with Councilwoman Esther Perez, is a staunch supporter of Mayor Will Kubofcik. Despite the all-Democratic council, Tirri leads an opposing camp composed of councilmen Herb Perez, Thomas Jefferson and the more independent Hassan Fahmy. But Jefferson and Herb Perez, who are abroad on active duty with the National Guard, were absent Tuesday, as was Fahmy, leaving Tirri separated from the rest of the council by their empty chairs. "Did you discuss with the borough engineer that you don't live in town?" Kubofcik asked. As Tirri denied that claim, asking for proof to substantiate the rumors and insisting that he lives at the North 17th Street address listed on his driver's license and tax records, Kubofcik turned to Borough Engineer Stan Puszcz of the Totowa firm H2M. The mayor asked if Tirri told the engineer that he lived elsewhere and kept his house as a front to maintain his council seat. "I don't recall," Puszcz replied. "You don't recall?" Kubofcik said. "Then you're basically lying. ... You're a bald-faced liar, and I go on record saying that." As Tirri pursed his lips and gazed upward, the dozen or so residents in attendance appeared disturbed by Kubofcik's questioning, grumbling and rolling their eyes as he spoke. "It's disgusting! And in front of a new resident!" said Herb Perez's wife, Abigail, referring to a woman who had introduced herself during the public portion of the meeting and said she was eager to get involved. Later, another borough resident, Helen Donohue, approached the dais and, shaking her index finger, scolded Kubofcik, Khairullah and Esther Perez for "poor taste" in discussing the matter before the public. "I'm very embarrassed by your behavior," she said. Borough attorney Dennis Murphy outlined the council's options for an inquiry into Tirri's residency: The entire council could meet for a public hearing, or a three-member investigative committee could be formed. They opted for a committee of Fahmy and Esther Perez to be chaired by Khairullah. "Anybody want to come over for a midnight snack?" Tirri asked. February 16, 2005 The Record Man guilty of killing girlfriend by Eman Varoqua Newell Knight admitted Tuesday that he fatally shot one of Paterson's most promising community outreach workers in the heat of a lovers' quarrel. Judith Gonzalez, 22, of Prospect Park had pulled herself out of welfare, got an education and built a loving home for her two daughters. She then began helping Paterson teenagers do the same. But Gonzalez's future was cut short with one bullet on Aug. 9, 2003 - the first killing in the tiny borough of Prospect Park. Knight, 29, pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter and will likely receive a maximum of 30 years in prison when he is sentenced on April 22. Born in Jamaica, Knight came to Paterson in 2002. After serving his sentence, he could be deported if federal authorities choose to do so. Knight and Gonzalez were dating for about six months. The night before the slaying, the pair had danced the evening away at a Paterson nightclub and then stayed at Gonzalez's first-floor apartment on Fairview Avenue. The next morning they began arguing, and a physical struggle broke out. Knight said that's when he pulled out his gun. He said Tuesday in state Superior Court in Paterson that Gonzalez began calling him a "coward" and said, "Go ahead, shoot me!" He fired once, the shot striking Gonzalez above the left eye. He said he saw her fall to the floor, and he left the apartment without checking to see if she was still alive. In a statement Knight gave police in 2003, he claimed, "I feel like Judy set me up for her suicide. She wanted me to kill her." He continues to allege that Gonzalez would bump into other people at nightclubs so Knight would have to pick fights and defend her. And "she was always putting me down, making me feel like a fool." But John Latoracca, Passaic County chief assistant prosecutor, said those claims were not factual. "Ms. Gonzalez was a tough woman who had been through a lot and overcame it all and encouraged many women to stand up for themselves," he said. "She got angry when she saw that gun. That's why she said those things to him. I don't think she ever thought that he would actually do it." Born in Paterson, Gonzalez was a single mother at 13, on welfare and a high school dropout. But in 1996, she wanted to change: She earned her GED and enrolled in parenting and nutrition classes. She worked her way up to assistant director of Oasis, a non-profit outreach program in Paterson for women and children. She also ran a summer camp for First Presbyterian Church in Paterson. She used her own life as an example to talk to other women and teens and help them through problems. Co-workers and friends said they were filled with grief after her death. They called her the "heart and soul" of their mission. Passaic County Sheriff Jerry Speziale said Tuesday through his spokesman that Gonzalez worked hard to help improve society. Not only did Knight take her life, but he took opportunities from many Paterson youths who would have benefited from Gonzalez's work, Speziale said. Gonzalez's body was found 12 hours after she died by a concerned friend who grew worried when Gonzalez wasn't answering her phone. After the shooting, Knight said, he went to the ATM machine, got a haircut and booked a flight to Jamaica. He left the next morning, and authorities found him four months later in a rural shack in south-central Jamaica. If convicted of murder, Knight would have faced life in prison with at least 30 years before parole eligibility. His murder trial was set to start in Paterson on Tuesday, when he signaled his attorney and asked if a plea deal was still on the table. A pool of possible jurors sat in the courtroom awaiting an outcome before being sent away. He had been asked earlier Tuesday morning by authorities if he would take a plea deal, but declined. After Judge Randolph Subryan ruled that a sworn statement Knight gave police would be allowed into evidence, he changed his mind. "All sides were ready to go to trial. Do you understand that?" Subryan asked Knight. "Yes," he replied in a near whisper. January 23, 2005 The Record Funding Formula Confuses Officials by Suzanne Travers Residents and school and borough officials in Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park struggled last week to make sense of the state education commissioner's new funding formula for Manchester Regional High School. "Everyone is trying to look at the ruling and figure out what it means," said Jeanette Makus, business administrator for the Manchester school board, who must use the new formula to develop the budget for the coming school year. Commissioner William Librera issued a new cost apportionment scheme to fund the regional high school last week, after the state Supreme Court's August order requiring North Haledon to remain in the district and the commissioner to develop an "equitable" funding formula for the school. The portion of the Manchester School budget paid by taxpayers is currently divided among the three towns based solely on their taxable property values. Under the new formula, each town's contribution to the school will be based on both property values and a fixed cost for each student it sends. The changes will be phased in over four years. For the 2005-06 school year, 90 percent of the tax will be based on property values, the other 10 percent on student enrollment. By the 2008-09 school year, two-thirds of the each town's school tax will be determined by property values and one-third by the number of pupils it sends. The new formula means a decrease in North Haledon's share of the district's taxes and increases for the other two towns. Various aspects of the commissioner's ruling have prompted questions and confusion. The new formula, to be phased in over four years, relies on multiple unknown factors - state aid, enrollment, future school budgets - that make it impossible to accurately predict the impact the formula will have on the towns' regional school taxes. Some residents have also wondered about the legal basis for the ruling, since state law requires all other regional districts to base their funding formulas on property values. Makus, who must submit the 2005-06 school budget to the state by the end of February, said Thursday that she called county schools officials to ask whether she must revise Manchester's enrollment figures to accommodate the new formula. Normally she sends enrollment numbers to the state by Oct. 15, but the new formula says they will be determined as of Feb. 1, she said. "Right now all of us have questions about what the commissioner said," North Haledon Mayor Randy George told a group of 120 seniors in a fiery half-hour speech on the ruling at Friday's meeting of the Golden Age Club. "It's all so much mumbo-jumbo that I'm not sure anybody can figure it out." George said the borough's finance officer estimated the regional school tax for North Haledon residents would drop about $100 a year for the next three years - far less than the $823 the borough hoped for, he noted. In Haledon, Mayor Ken Pengitore said that the borough would enlist financial analysts to make sense of the ruling. Depending on how severe the tax impact is in Haledon, the borough will decide whether to join North Haledon and Prospect Park's anticipated appeals of the formula. In Prospect Park, Board of Education member Lois Bridge said she was "not unhappy" with the formula but said she did not understand the legal basis for the commissioner's ruling. Librera acted at the direction of the state Supreme Court, which ordered him to find an "equitable cost apportionment scheme" for Manchester while leaving it up to the commissioner to determine what was "equitable." In his letter outlining the formula, Librera cited a state statute now defunct that allows regional school districts to divide costs based on property values, the number of students each town sent to the school or a combination of the two. He said he based Manchester's formula on that "third option." But the statute he cited was amended in 1975 to require regional districts to apportion costs based on property values so that towns with higher tax bases pay more of school costs. "I'm glad it didn't go per-pupil, but I'm just a little confused that there's exceptions to the law," Bridge said. "We're going to have to pay more in taxes and I guess that was just the way the system went," she continued. "But the law still hasn't changed to make that happen. The law says it still goes by ratables. So we're the exception to the law?" When asked for clarification on the formula's legal basis, a spokesman for the commissioner said Librera typically does not comment on rulings and that his decision "speaks for itself." In a telephone interview the day of the ruling, Librera defended the formula as appropriate for Manchester alone. "Every regional district is different. This was the equitable solution given the circumstances of the three towns," he said. Despite Librera's insistence that the ruling applies only to Manchester, officials and residents in all three towns continued to wonder how such a limited scope could withstand challenge. Bridge called for state legislators to change the law for funding regional districts; George said the state should stop funding public education with property taxes. In spite of their unanswered questions, many residents responded to the formula with opinions they formed on the issue years ago. "Oh no, it's not going to be adequate," Edith Halloran, a North Haledon resident and longtime advocate for a per-pupil formula, said of the formula. "We voted on this a number of times, and we all want it equal." North Haledon students make up about 16 percent of the current student body. In Haledon and Prospect Park, however, residents said North Haledon shouldn't have to pay less for Manchester just because many North Haledon students attend parochial or private schools. "They should pay their share based on the number of students who are eligible to go to Manchester, not the ones that actually go," said Haledon resident Karen Colletta. The formula goes into effect in the budget for the coming school year. Some residents, like Bridge, say they are tired of the long legal battle, but most are prepared for the fight to continue. As George told the Golden Age Club: "We're going to sue until we can't sue anymore." |
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