November 8, 2006 The Record Prospect Park Democrats win easily by Karen Keller Democrats swept the election in the county's smallest borough, winning all four Borough Council seats and also holding on to the mayor's office. Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, 31, will be mayor for the next four years. He received 754 votes, compared with 466 by 63-year-old Republican challenger Thomas F.X. Magura. The four winning candidates Tuesday were incumbents Esther Perez, Adnan Zakaria and Hassan Fahmy and newcomer Amer Haobsh. Perez had 789 votes and Fahmy 760 in a race over losers William Willemsen (417 votes) and Lois Hubbard (399). Zakaria won, 730-448, over Custodio Rodriguez for a one-year unexpired term; and Haobsh won, 726-423, over Karl Hoffman for a two-year unexpired term. Khairullah was appointed mayor a year ago, when former Mayor Will Kubofcik moved to Bloomingdale. The high school teacher is divorced with one child. He moved to the United States from Syria when he was 16 years old. Perez, 47, is the council president. She was born and raised in Paterson, is married with two children and works as a bilingual instructional assistant. Zakaria, 51, is married with three children. Fahmy, 53, is the chairman of the finance committee. Haobsh, 40, works as a real estate agent and part-time bounty hunter. At the top of the council's agenda will be reducing property taxes and providing more recreation for children. Immediate plans include providing a public-access channel to broadcast council meetings, according to several council members. The council also is considering sharing garbage collection services with Haledon. Several residents said they're happy with the way the council is working with the Police Department to keep children from loitering on street corners, and that the streets feel safe. Through a ballot question, voters in three towns endorsed an annual stipend known as a Length of Service Awards Program (LOSAP) for members of the ambulance corps. The corps is part of a triborough system with Prospect Park, Haledon and North Haledon. The measure in Prospect Park drew 403 yes votes and 139 no votes. November 3, 2006 Herald News Ex-mayor backs GOP candidate by Karen Keller Former Democratic Mayor Will Kubofcik is endorsing Thomas F.X. Magura, a Republican, for mayor -- not incumbent Democratic Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. "I'm actually supporting Magura," Kubofcik said on Wednesday. When the former mayor moved to Bloomingdale last year, he backed Khairullah, then a councilman, to finish out his term. "People make mistakes. I think I made a mistake to say he's the guy," said Kubofcik, who still has a realty office in town. Kubofcik portrayed Khairullah as a mayor who would rather control borough affairs himself, and who hasn't worked well with the Borough Council. Kubofcik said Magura, 63, is the better candidate because he has more political experience than Khairullah, 31, who was born and raised in Prospect Park. Kubofcik's cross-party support shouldn't seem odd, he said, because Magura was a Democrat until 1998. Magura has served on both the local school board and the council and was the borough's Democratic leader between 1970 and 1980, according to Kubofcik. Khairullah said Wednesday that Kubofcik's switch is sour grapes. He said the former mayor is smarting because Democrats didn't choose Kubofcik in September to run their election campaign. "He's upset that the team didn't select him as campaign manager," said Khairullah. Kubofcik has not joined any political organizations in Bloomingdale, he said. November 1, 2006 The Record Prospect Park Election Guide POLITICAL MAKEUP MAYOR: Democrat COUNCIL: Six Democrats AT STAKE Four three-year council terms and one four-year mayoral term. THE CANDIDATES MAYOR/REPUBLICAN Thomas F. X. Magura of North Eighth Street, works at Bergen County Vocational Tech/Special Services. MAYOR/DEMOCRAT Mohamed T. Khairullah* of North Seventh Street, sports business management teacher at Sports Business Academy, Paterson. COUNCIL/DEMOCRAT Esther Perez* of North Sixth Street, bilingual instructional assistant. Adnan Zakaria* of North 11th Street, mechanic. Hassan Fahmy* of North Eighth Street, Wall Street manager. Amer Haobsh* of North 10th Street, real estate agent. COUNCIL/REPUBLICAN William J. Willemsen Sr. of North Ninth Street, resource room teacher; Paterson Board of Education. Lois Hubbard of Prescott Terrace, school secretary at Prospect Park Elementary School 1. Custodio Rodriguez of North 10th Street, owner of a landscaping company. Karl Hoffmann, installation and service manager at ORPAK USA Inc. THE ISSUES Improving child recreation: Magura said the municipality hasn't had baseball summer programs for years and that he would reinstitute a recreation committee. Khairullah said he would increase the recreation budget by 50 percent to stabilize and expand the programs and create new ones for teenagers, adults and seniors. Perez said she would seek grants to pay for more recreational programs and would also try to get more parental involvement. Zakaria said he would try to recruit local teens to dedicate their time to run after-school programs, including a crafts center, a homework help day, a tutoring center and something fun like movie nights. Fahmy said he would institute indoor year-round recreation programs. Haobsh said he would create after-school activities such as job preparation programs. Willemsen said he would look for volunteers from businesses to run recreation programs. Hubbard said the Board of Education has given the YMCA permission to develop kids' programs at the school facility for Prospect Park children in Grades K-4 for a fee of $50 per week. Rodriguez said he would make more use of Prospect Park to create activities for children. Hoffmann said he would try to recreate some of the programs that the municipality had in the past. Shared municipal services: Magura said he would look to share DPW, police, fire and ambulance services. Khairullah, Zakaria and Fahmy said the municipality is in talks with Haledon to share solid waste collection. Perez, Fahmy and Haobsh said garbage collection could be shared. Willemsen said the Haledon Emergency Ambulance Corps has been serving Haledon, North Haledon and Prospect Park since 1933 and that other emergency services could also be shared among these municipalities. Hubbard said the municipality has a long history of sharing services and will continue to aggressively pursue more. Rodriguez said Prospect Park should share more services with Haledon and Hawthorne. REGISTERED VOTERS Undeclared: 1,308; Democrats: 1,570; Republicans: 490 Total: 3,368 September 28 Hawthorne Press Contract Granted To Upgrade Codebook A special emergency appropriation for $14,885 was approved to update the municipality's codebook. The quote was received from General Code for the work. Bid Awarded For Rescue Truck A bid for a fire rescue truck was awarded to Ferrara Fire Apparatus, Inc., Pine Brook, in the amount of $195,025. September 20, 2006 The Record Son honored for saving dad's life by Karen Keller Caught in a strong tide off the coast of North Carolina, borough police Chief Frank Franco prepared for death. Only a helicopter could save him now, he thought. But it would need to come fast. It was day one of the Franco family's weeklong vacation, and the chief had been playing catch football with his 10-year-old son in waist-high water, when -- "I turned around and took one step and the current took me out," said Franco, 48. No lifeguards were in sight on the private beach where Franco had rented a vacation condo, and the beach was only dotted with people. He called for help. No one heard. The chief realized then that his lungs were better used to gulp air as he was dragged underwater again and again. Fifteen minutes passed. Franco had heard of riptides -- powerful currents flowing on the water's surface, outward from the shore. 'You're supposed to swim parallel to the shore, not against the tide, right?' he thought. The chief attempted to swim to the left, then to the right. But he went under again: What Franco wasn't aware of was something called back wash currents. The ones that suck you down. He also didn't know the waters he fought had wrecked so many ships in centuries past that the region was known as the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." He'd learn about that later over the Internet. Onshore, Franco's wife Luisa saw her husband struggling and called 911. His younger son, Christopher, awoke Frank Franco Jr., 17, the chief's older son, who had fallen asleep under a drowsy August sun. Frankie, a senior at Wayne Hills High School, leaped up, plunged into the water and swam out to save his father. But he, too, struggled in vain against the tide. And his father tried to warn him off. "Frankie, you gotta get out of here!" Franco recalls he said. "I was trying to get rid of him." One dead was better than two, he thought. Two minutes later, Frankie caught his father's hand for an instant. "Dad, I won't let you die," he said. But when the chief saw his son head back to shore, he prepared for the inevitable. "I figured that was it – that was my one chance to make it in," said Franco. The chief thought about how he'd never see his 14-year-old daughter Brianna's wedding. About how Christopher would need therapy for the rest of his life -- he'd suffer from guilt that he'd thrown the football too far. Suddenly, Frankie reappeared, clutching a boogie board. He'd swum back to shore, got the board and re-entered the water. "Dad -- kick!" said Frankie. "I can't, I'm too tired, I can't move," said the chief. Only after Frankie pulled his father back to shore did emergency response technicians and an ocean rescuer show up. Local police and Sheriff's Department officers never appeared, said Franco Sr. "There's not a question in my mind that if (my son) wasn't there, I wouldn't be here today," said Franco. He now considers each new day "a bonus," he said. Monday night, the Borough Council, representatives from state Sen. John Girgenti, D-Hawthorne, and Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-Paterson, recognized Frank Franco Jr.'s efforts on the morning of Aug. 28 by presenting him awards and words of admiration. "I feel like I beat the ocean," said Frankie -- young and strong, a good baseball player -- with the same jaw as his father. "I'll never forget he's my hero," said the chief. August 3, 2006 Hawthorne Press Three political unknowns nominated for Boro Council Three political unknowns have been nominated for a vacant seat on the Prospect Park Council. Following the resignation of Councilman Randall Lassiter, the Democrat County Committee met and selected the following: Amer Haobsh, North 10th Street; Christina Peralta, North 13th Street and Nabil Shuaib, North 11th Street. Their names were submitted to the borough clerk for the council's consideration. Prospect Park Borough Democrat Leader Esther Perez said seven people submitted letters of intent including two former councilmen, Herb Perez and Thomas Jefferson, Jack Witham and Susie Matari. Five of the eight county committee members were in attendance and voted unanimously for these three. "Most of the applicants are new to me," said Esther Perez, who is also a borough councilwoman, "The only one of the three that I know from campaigns is Christina Peralta." Councilwoman Perez said she favored both Herb Perez and Jefferson because, "They have the experience as council members." Both ran unsuccessfully as challengers to the Democrat ticket headed by Mayor Mohamed Khairullah in the June Primary. Mayor Mohamed Khairullah who is president of the Democratic Club, said he knew all three candidates. Peralta is an office manager; Haobsh, a business owner and Shuaib, operator of a gas station. Asked whether he had proposed the three nominees, the mayor said, "I know a lot of people. I knock on doors in every campaign. People ask me what they need to do to get on the council. I didn't suggest them." The Borough Council has 15 days to appoint a replacement to the vacant seat. According to Borough Clerk Yancey Wazirmas, the governing body will hold a special meeting on Monday at 6:30 pm. Since two of the council members are out of the country, Esther Perez said she thinks they should wait until all five council members will be present. "I don't feel just three of us should decide," she said,. "The council needs to have in-depth interviews with them." Khairullah said as far as he's concerned, "It's a go," adding that he would be willing to listen to other's opinions. Council accepts agreement for forestry program The Prospect Park Council has authorized the agreement with NJ Forestry Department for the Cool Cities Project. The program provides $25,000 for the planting of trees. De-commissioned army tank for Hofstra Park At its July 17th meeting, the Borough Council adopted a resolution, to accept a de-commissioned army tank. The vehicle will be a monument to veterans in Hofstra Park. According to the resolution, the municipality must assume responsibility for its safety and upkeep. "It should be decomissioned soon," said Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. "It will be coming from Connecticut." Prospect Park must assume the cost of transporting it. Ordinance adopted for stormwater control Ordinance 2006-12, which controls stormwater regulations, was adopted on July 17. "Does this have anything to do with existing drainage by Molly Ann's Brook by North 17th Street and Fairview Avenue," asked borough resident Dave Vanderwall. The mayor responded that the legislation is required by the state to curtail non-point pollution, stopping pet waste, litter, leaves, street sweeping debris, etc. from entering the storm sewers. July 27, 2006 The Record
Man shot in 'peaceful neighborhood' by Cristian Salazar A 20-year-old man was shot numerous times in the back early Wednesday morning in the quiet Hillcrest section of the city, police said. The shooting, which happened at 12:30 a.m. at Totowa and
Rossiter avenues, may have stemmed from a series of fights the night
before that blossomed into a large altercation near Westside Park, said
Lt. Anthony Traina, a police spokesman.
No one has been charged in the shooting and the investigation is ongoing, Traina said. Police stopped occupants in a car after the shooting and interviewed them, but they were not arrested and the investigation is ongoing, he said. Detectives are investigating whether the latest shooting may
be related to another that occurred July 24. In that incident, a
19-year-old's knee was grazed by a bullet about 9:40 p.m. after a man
shot at a group of people at 55 Redwood Ave., Traina said.
Ricardo Ballestas, 22, of 316 N. 9th St. in Prospect Park,
was arrested in connection with that shooting and charged with
possession of a shotgun and aggravated assault, Traina said.
Ballestas was being held Wednesday on $100,000 bail at the Passaic County Jail. Second Ward City Councilman Aslon Goow said that he was concerned that with Wednesday's shooting, the gun violence in the city is spreading to neighborhoods that don't have a history of such crime. "Most of the neighbors didn't hear anything," he said
Wednesday. "It's a quiet, peaceful neighborhood."
Ali Erikenoglu, 44, a resident at Totowa and Rossiter
avenues, said he was surprised to learn a shooting had occurred near
where he has lived for the past 12 years. He had not heard the gunshots
or the investigators when they arrived on the scene.
"You see kids walking up here all the time," Erikenoglu said. "They never seem to do anything out of the ordinary." The 20-year-old victim of Wednesday's shooting was in
critical condition at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Paterson.
July 13, 2006 Hawthorne Press Interlocal agreement approved for borough to use Hawthorne Library At a special meeting of the Prospect Park Council on July 3, the governing body approved an interlocal agreement with the Hawthorne Library. The resolution has already been adopted by the Hawthorne Council. The agreement will allow Prospect Park residents to use the Hawthorne facility for an annual fee of $50 per cardholder. The municipality authorized two expenditures by cancelling the debt from previously-adopted bond ordinances. A bond measure appropriating $200,000 was introduced for the purchase of a new rescue truck, redirecting $190,000 remaining in an ordinance for the improvement of Brown Avenue. The other appropriation is $40,000 to resurface Prescott Terrace. These funds were also derived by cancelling prior debt. Another item on the agenda, authorizing LOSAP (Length of Service Awards Program) for the Haledon Emergency Ambulance Association was put off until the July 17th meeting. "We still need to coordinate some details with North Haledon and Haledon," said Borough Clerk Yancey Wazirmas. "The attorneys are looking into this." The Bloodmobile will be set up Monday prior to the monthly meeting of the Borough Council. July 12, 2006 The Record Councilman-pastor moving to Paterson by Karen Keller Councilman Randall Lassiter hopes to complete a move of himself and his family to a new house in Paterson by today. He said he's informed two local officials of his move but has not yet resigned from his post. According to state law, a councilman must be a borough resident to serve on the Borough Council. "Once he's no longer a resident, he essentially becomes disqualified," said Thomas Segreto, legal counsel for the Municipal Clerks' Association of New Jersey. Lassiter, a Democrat, said he had planned to tell borough residents during the Borough Council meeting next Monday. But Borough Clerk Yancy Wazirmas said Tuesday that Lassiter's announcement was not on the agenda for the Monday council meeting. Lassiter defended his move. "I have a right to purchase a home. That's the American dream. I got too much to lose to do anything wrong," he said. Lassiter said the move was prompted by his work as pastor of the Paterson house of worship, Greater Faith Church of the Abundance, on Elm Street. The congregation is expanding, and his services are more in demand, he said. He also recently opened a preschool and community center in Paterson, he said. Public officials and questions about their residency is not an unknown issue in the tiny borough: Lassiter, 44, who grew up in Paterson, replaced former Councilman Pat Tirri in March 2005, amid questions about Tirri's residency. Later in the year, former Mayor Will Kubofcik resigned when he moved to Bloomingdale with his family. "I think Lassiter's doing the right thing, as far as moving and saying something up front," said borough resident and Passaic County Republican Committee member Ilene Potoak. Lassiter said Monday evening outside his new home -- at 395-399 17th Ave. -- that he had already told Borough Council President Esther Perez and Passaic County Democratic Party Chairman John Currie about the move. Perez confirmed that; Currie did not return a phone call on Tuesday. Perez said she knew about Lassiter's plans but that she didn't know Lassiter was already living in Paterson part time. Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said he found out about Lassiter's move on Monday night. On Tuesday, he said he had put in a call to the borough attorney. "If he shouldn't be on the council, then we'll advise him, obviously," said Khairullah. According to state law, when there's a vacant seat on a local governing body, the municipal committee of the official's political party has 15 days to present three candidates. The council then must appoint a nominee within 30 days. Perez said she expects a large number of residents to show interest in replacing Lassiter. "I'm going to be bombarded with so many people asking for his seat," she said. July 9, 2006 The Record Prospect Park finds a use for unspent revenue by Karen Keller The borough plans to repave a dilapidated street and replace its 21-year-old firetruck with a new one -- by paying for them in part with funds left over from projects dating back several years. The borough has accrued $163,000 in leftover funds from bonds issued on 11 past projects. Of that, $40,000 will be used to repave Prescott Terrace, a small dead-end street, said borough Chief Financial Officer Stephen Sanzari, and the remaining $123,000 will be put into the borough's surplus fund. At least one of the 11 projects dates back a decade, to 1996, when the borough ended up $52,219 under budget from a road improvement program, borough documents show. The new rescue truck is estimated to cost $185,000. The borough has to issue a new bond for the amount, said Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. But Prospect Park will save money by using a debt agreement already in existence -- for $190,000 -- originally created for the borough's 1999 Brown Avenue beautification project, he said. The borough's current rescue truck was purchased in 1985 and is too small to carry the weight of new equipment the department has purchased since then, said Fire Chief Douglas Struyk. Equipment technology has advanced since 1985, and the truck now carries heavy Jaws of Life extrication equipment, Struyk said. The rescue truck is mostly used to tend to car accident victims, he said. By using an existing bond agreement to issue the new debt for the firetruck, the borough won't have to pay a bond attorney to create another agreement, Sanzari said. Mayor Khairullah said that by pooling leftover funds from completed projects and recycling past bond ordinances, the borough's doing "smart financing." "I just wanted us to not increase our debt -- to do it the smart way," he said. Khairullah, who has been mayor since November, said it isn't clear why the funds haven't been used until now. Sanzari wasn't able to say whether the borough has lost or gained money by letting the $163,000 sit in the borough's general capital fund until now. The borough has $3.89 million in total debt, Sanzari said. June 30, 2006 The Record New vice principal in Prospect Park by Karen Keller The Board of Education has named Arnold Jeffrey White as vice principal of the district's school. Superintendent James Barriale said Thursday that the hiring fills a vacancy left by Jacqueline Kartanos, who resigns today after one year on the job. The position has a relatively high turnover rate, said Barriale, because vice principals typically are scouting out their next step up the ladder to a principal position. White will receive a base salary of $72,000, and an additional amount for taking certification classes with the state, said Barriale, who couldn't recall Kartanos's salary, but said it was near $72,000. A dozen people were interviewed for the job, he said. June 26, 2006 Hawthorne Press Future development of Tilcon Quarry could bring 780 units Although the Tilcon Quarry isn't expected to close for six to eight years, Prospect Park officials are already planning for the future development of the 78.7 acre site. The property comprises one-fourth of the land area in Passaic County's smallest municipality. Monday evening a public hearing was held by the Borough Council and the Planning Board to consider conceptual plans for the quarry's re-use. "The quarry is in the latter stages of its useful life," said Janice Talley of the H2M Group, which has been working with a local committee to address the site's full potential. "This represents a rare opportunity to address the community's needs," said the professional planner. Two concept plans were drafted for mixed use development surrounding a lake. Both provide 780 housing units. Plan 1 has 300 age-restricted units; Plan 2, 450. Both provide for a new police department building, a 450 x 200 foot athletic field and commercial space. Plan 2 also features a nine-hole golf course and a clubhouse. Talley pointed to Lakeside, the North Haledon development, around a quarry, as an example of a project that had no views or vistas. To preserve attractive viewsheds, Talley suggested building up rather than out. The proposed mid-rise development features four stories of living space above two stories of parking for a total height of six stories. Circulation for the project will be via Struyk Avenue, Planten Avenue and Wagaraw Boulevard. The athletic field will be positioned near the Struyk Avenue Extension so there will be a natural connection with other recreational facilities in Hofstra Park. During the public portion of the meeting, Dave Vander Wall a heavy equipment operator, said that when the quarry was filling in holes some 30 feet deep, the dirt was never compacted. "They never put a roller on it,"he said, raising issues about the stabilization of the ground for the proposed ballfield. Vander Wall also questioned how deep the lake would be. "It looks to be about 100 to 130 feet deep." John Marmora, the attorney representing Tilcon, said the quarry had a license to operate until 2013. "The earliest this can happen is 2014. It is not certain that the quarry will shut down on January 1 2014," he said. "Every municipality is chasing the 55+ market," he said about the proposed age-restricted units. "I don't know if there will be a need for this type of housing in eight or more years." The attorney suggested that a quarry representative be included on the subcommittee. "I feel our due process rights are being compromised, " said Marmora noting that Tilcon would like the opportunity to hire a planner as well as to address the soil stability issues raised by Vander Wall. While the subcommittee is advocating the need for senior citizen housing, others raised concerns about the remaining units and how many children they would generate. "My biggest concern is the children," said Councilwoman Esther Perez, "How will they fit into our school." Referring to suggestions that Prospect Park build a middle school she said "I can't see this without a school component." Resident Joe Bridge, a former councilman asked for population projections. When Talley replied 1.5 people per unit, Bridge estimated the development would add 1600 new residents, seeking data on how many would be school age children. "I see a lot of this in the Poconos. There are chalets intended for vacation properties. Now they're Section 8 housing," he said. Talley responded that age-restricted units are usually smaller. "If they did revert back, there would be fewer kids because of the size," she said. "We cannot afford to build another school," said senior citizen Helen Donohue. "We've already got 830 kids in our school." Officials noted that Prospect Park has been selected for a pilot program to implement a TDR (transfer of development rights) program through the New Jersey Highlands Council. Besides providing the borough with 82,500 in funding to do the concept plans and related studies, the pilot program allows the municipality to charge impact fees of 15,000 Per unit. "We can build a new school with that money, "said Construction Official Dave Heerema about some $11 million in potential revenue. Talley said if the plan generates school age children and there's a need for a school, "we will identify this need. That's why school board representatives sit on this committee." Heerema a member of the Planning Board for 14 years stated that at this stage of the process, "We're only trying to get a handle on future development." "This is one of Prospect Park's biggest projects in its entire history," said Mayor Mohamed Khairullah. "We need to work together. We need to plan together. Eventually this will be something to benefit the entire community. The quarry is one-fourth of the community but it does not pay one-fourth of the taxes." The mayor reiterated that this was just a concept plan which could change substantially in the next six to eight years "If we don't address it now, we're doing a disservice to those who will be m charge in the future," he said. June 7, 2006 The Record Khairullah Survives by Karen Keller Democratic Mayor Mohamed Khairullah emerged triumphant Tuesday from the political theater that had seen him challenged by Herb Perez, a National Guardsman ousted from the council last year. Khairullah will face Republican Thomas F.X. Magura in the November election after his primary victory over Perez and 21-year-old Khaled Barouk. Unofficial results showed Khairullah with 458 votes, Perez with 278 and Barouk with 133. Magura ran unopposed for his party's nomination, and received 118 votes. "I'm very honored to have this job and to have the trust of the people of Prospect Park," Khairullah said after hearing the results. Khairullah, 30, who moved to the United States from Syria when he was 16, was appointed mayor last year after Mayor Will Kubofcik moved to Bloomingdale. In the selection for candidates to run for the three Borough Council seats, Democrats Esther Perez, Hassan Fahmy and Adnan Zakaria will face Republicans William J. Willemsen, Lois Hubbard and Custodio Rodriguez in November. National Guardsman Thomas Jefferson was edged out by Zakaria for nomination to a one-year unexpired term. Perez and Jefferson were seeking Democratic nominations to return to public office after being removed from the council last year because of their extended absences while in the military service overseas. Just hours before the polls closed at 8 p.m., the mayoral race seemed close. Perez, the Borough Council president, said it was a toss-up among the three candidates. "It could be any of the three – it's that close," Perez said at 5 p.m. Earlier in the day, about 50 volunteers wearing T-shirts advertising the three candidates stood on street corners on Brown Avenue, near the borough's two polling stations. Many said they were family friends of the candidates, and did not live in Prospect Park. Khairullah and Barouk milled around the same few blocks, wearing suits and shaking hands. Perez had been called to duty this morning and was not in town, said his daughter, Lizette Perez, 21, who campaigned on the same street corner, right next to Barouk's mother, Minira Barouk. Khairullah supporters said they believed the mayor was the most professional of the three candidates because he holds a master's degree in business administration. Supporters of 21-year-old Barouk said a fresh young mind was needed for change. Perez supporters characterized the National Guardsman, ousted last year because he was overseas on duty, as a good guy who was wronged. NEED TO EDIT June 1, 2006 Hawthorne Press Khairullah Faces Challenge From Perez and Barouk The race to select who will be the Democrat nominee for mayor has Prospect Park residents debating whether or not they get to decide their community's destiny. The three-way contest includes Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, who ascended to this office last year when former Mayor Will Kubofcik resigned; former Councilman Herb Perez and 21year-old Khaled Barouk. Although Khairullah's campaign signs say "re-elect," Perez says the interim mayor was never elected to that post. In 2005, Kubofcik declared vacant the seats of Perez and former Councilman Thomas Jefferson, two National Guardsmen, who had been called up for active duty. Two Kubofcik allies were appointed by the Borough Council to replace them. Kubofcik moved out of 'town in August but didn't step down as mayor until October. Then the Borough Council voted to name Khairullah as interim mayor. Both Perez and Barouk say it's time for a change. Their campaigns are capitalizing on Khairullah's close association with Kubofcik, who runs a real estate agency in town. There are key development issues on the horizon -- deciding what will happen with the two factories on North 8th Street and what will be done with the quarry property once it closes. Perez contends that the mayor is influenced by outside forces and county Democrat leaders. Khairullah, who teaches sports business management at the Paterson Sports Academy, says he has the vision to leadd the community. In his six months in the borough's highest office, the mayor contends that there have been visible improvements. "Our campaign is about the residents not outside forces," says Perez about himself and Jefferson, who is seeking a council seat on the Democrat ticket. "It's very much a grassroots effort." At Khairullah's campaign headquarters, bundles of four-color advertisements in an Arabic newspaper and campaign signs in both Spanish and Arabic demonstrate that he has ample election funding. "I believe it's time for a change," says Barouk, a student at Fairleigh Dickinson University who says he works in New York as an investment banker. "I was born and raised here. My parents have lived here for 30 years and I see them struggling to pay high taxes. For all the taxes they pay, the town doesn't seem to have much to offer the residents." Khairullah points to steps taken to improve the community's quality of life and to curtail spending. "We've made a good head start in improving recreation programs," says Khairullah about new activities like the drop-in program, movie night and after school arts and crafts. He also points to a police crackdown on curfew and littering violators and increased drug arrests. Perez contends that there's no evidence any recreation funds are spent on senior citizens who are a significant part of the borough's population. "If the mayor and council truly wanted to help working families, they'd sit down with the school board to address how to implement an afterschool program," says Perez. At the last school board meeting, a presentation was made about the New Jersey After Three Program. "The Paterson YMCA runs it in the Paterson School System," says Khairullah, who works for that school system and is taking a leave of absence to campaign. "The executive director would like to start a program in Prospect Park." The mayor says he was present at the meeting to ask BOE members to take the initiative. "They're at war with each other," says Perez about the rift between the school board and the mayor since Khairullah injected himself into the recent school board election. "I'm supporting Board of Education members because I see we need a change in direction," says Khairullah about his involvement in the school election. He claims to keep "hands off" the running of the school board. "It's a shame we can't use the school when it's closed,'' he says advocating for review of the BOE's policy on facility availability, as well as school spending and programs. Perez says his military background and 20 years of managerial experience could make a difference in how the governing body interacts with the school board and other groups. "I will take a more active role,'' says Perez who says that supervising people means listening to their concerns and respecting others' abilities. In both military life and in business, we learn to work together to complete the mission. He criticizes Khairullah for his reluctance to promote Police Chief Frank Franco to his current position. "It was a long time coming," says Perez about Franco's designation as officer-in-charge for four and a half years. "There were circumstances that accelerated this promotion. I'm glad I had a part in getting it done." Perez was referring to his decision to run for mayor in the Democrat Primary. He had, at first, received the endorsement of Borough Democrat Leader Esther Perez, who is not related to him. Then Passaic County Democrat Chairman John Currie gave Perez the party line but later reversed himself. At the same time, the announcement was made that Franco would be promoted to police chief, raising speculation that a deal had been struck between Khairullah and Currie. The mayor has maintained that he and Franco had to come to an understanding before the promotion could be made. Perez contends that the incident exemplifies how county leaders and outof-town donors are influencing the current mayor's campaign. "The people want someone who will represent the entire borough. They expect the mayor to look out for the interests of the entire community," he says. Another issue in this campaign is the economic redevelopment. Both candidates agree that little can be done to attract business until something is done about the lack of parking along North 8th Street. "We had a meeting with an investor in the North 8th Street factories," says Khairullah. "We're discussing what will benefit them and us. All options must include a lot of on-site parking." Another potential development site is the former Haledon Ambulance Building in Prospect Park. "Out attorney is looking into whether we can do a tax abatement or whatever," says the mayor. Khairullah also acknowledges that conceptual designs for the quarry are in progress as part of the TDR (transfer of development rights) grant. The quarry is expected to operate for another four to six years. "It's nice to have vision," says Perez, "but the borough also needs to take action." He points to the excessive amount of money spent for the beautification of North 8th Street. "Businesses come and go. Businesses can't thrive if there's not adequate parking," he says. "Over $850,000 was spent by the town to improve three blocks," says Barouk. He says the town should only use grant money for projects like these not expect residents to foot the bill. "The town needs to be more pro active" he says about seeking new sources of revenue and finding ways to attract business. Taxes are a key issue in any Prospect Park election. As the county's smallest community, it has limited resources. Khairullah contends that he's made an effort to curtail spending. His administration has saved about $50,000 by eliminating the borough administrator's position, combining the welfare director's post with secretary to the board of health and combining the recreation director/Municipal Alliance director positions. "We've slowed down on projects. There's no new bonding," says the mayor. Funding for the basketball courts at Hofstra Park has been reduced to $200,000 and the only other project in the works is the rescue truck, which he hopes to finance from unexpended funds in prior bond ordinances. Perez says the municipality would save money by having volunteers devote time and energy to the community. "Until recently, there wasn't any paid person in the recreation program," says the former councilman. "Former volunteers are turned off by the political atmosphere in the community. We always used to give credit to the volunteers and they served well." April 27, 2006 The Record Prospect Park sets example in concept of shared services by Karen Keller Residents can use Fair Lawn's swimming pool, the YMCA in Paterson, a soccer field in Haledon, the library in Hawthorne, and borough police fill up their gas tanks in Haledon. For a trip to a hospital, a borough resident is likely to be carried there in an ambulance shared with Haledon and North Haledon. With a population of 5,800, Prospect Park is the smallest town in Passaic County, and it's doing what tax policy experts have been recommending for years: reducing the tax burden by sharing services with surrounding towns. The idea of shared services in New Jersey has been around for "generations," according to Richard Leone, the newly appointed chairman of the New Jersey Commission on Government Efficiency and Reform, created earlier this month by Governor Corzine. But New Jersey's municipal officials generally aren't rushing to the negotiating table to share public services and amenities with their neighbors. Leone said that New Jersey has more governmental services per square mile and per resident than any other state. And historically, government services and projects have been "jealously guarded," he said. "In the abstract, people talk about the logic of sharing services, but in practice it's very difficult to achieve," said Leone, who was the state treasurer under former Gov. Brendan Byrne. Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said he's been motivated to share services mostly for recreational services, to get borough kids off the streets. "These kids are walking the streets because they have no place to go," said Khairullah, who added that last week he personally broke up a fight between two girls. Khairullah couldn't estimate the savings for the borough reaped by the piggybacking, but said, "We have to work with the resources that we have." What residents want most, in terms of public facilities, is a library and a swimming pool, Khairullah said. He's in the midst of negotiations with Hawthorne's Louis Bay 2nd Public Library that would allow Prospect Park residents to use that library. Meanwhile, residents can use a temporary pass. The Borough Council once hatched plans to build a pool at Hofstra Park, but the plan fell through when engineers voiced concern that drilling from a neighboring quarry would crack the pool's bottom. The local police started using Haledon's municipal gas station about three years ago, Prospect Park Police Chief Frank Franco said. Before that, the force bought gasoline at the Exxon on Haledon Avenue in Haledon, though the department worked out a deal to avoid paying the state fuel taxes. The department also shares with the Passaic County Sheriff's Department, which answers borough 911 calls after 4 p.m. When Prospect Park's setup was described to Leone, he said, "You may have there your best example of shared services." But whether Prospect Park residents know about the services available to them a short drive or walk away is less clear. Khairullah worked out a deal with the director of Paterson's YMCA to open the facilities to residents last Sunday for free, so that they could check the place out. "Maybe 10 people came," said Larry Gutlerner, the Paterson YMCA director. The borough will try again on May 20, with a better-advertised "Prospect Park Day" at the Paterson YMCA, Khairullah said. April 20, 2006 Hawthorne Press Koppenal Corner dedicated to heroic crossing guard Twenty three years after Prospect Park crossing guard Nicholas Koppenal lost his life in a tragic accident, the corner at North 8th Street and Brown Avenue was dedicated in his name. On October 11, 1983, the 71-year-old crossing guard was at his station crossing youngsters during lunch time when a car careened out of control. Koppenal dove in front of the speeding Corvette, which was driven by offduty Haledon police Steven Bochese, saving the lives of three youngsters. They were Jose Burgaleta and Muhamed Alagha, both 10 and Alagha's sister, Hasni, then eight. Burgaleta suffered a broken leg and Hasni Alagha was in a full body cast for three months. Muhamed Alagha received bruises and lacerations. Members of both families were present at the dedication on April 15 along with three of Koppenal's four sons, his grandchildren and great grandchildren. According to Police Chief Frank Franco, current borough officials just learned of Koppenal's heroism from his grandson, Ptl. Brian Koppenal, a Prospect Park police officer. "They wanted to do something in Nicholas Koppenal's memory and the idea was put forth to name the corner," he said. There was no light at the busy corner when the accident occurred and the traffic signal was later installed there. Bochese later pled guilty to death by auto. April 20, 2006 Hawthorne Press Demarest re-elected in Prospect Park; Morales and Pantoja win new seats Al Demarest, a 27-year-veteran of the Prospect Park School Board, was the top vote-getter in Tuesday's election. Demarest, the board president, was re-elected with 322 votes. Anthony Morales, the manager of Star of Hope Ministries came in second with 274 votes while Jose Pantoja, a private investigator, narrowly won- the third seat with 260 votes. William Willemsen came in fourth with 255 votes. Mohsin Mahmood received 248 votes and incumbent Sherwood English, 229 votes. The budget with a tax levy of $2,389,174 lost by a mere seven votes, 172 to 165. A total of 15.5% of the borough's 3136 registered voters participated in the election. The results could change because of a number of provisional ballots that have to be decided by the Passaic County Board of Elections. There was only one contested seat for the Manchester Regional School Board. Incumbent Joseph Nestico retained his Haledon seat fending off a challenge from Mounir Almaita, 201 to 186. Running unopposed in their respective towns; John VanderMolen was re-elected to the Prospect Park seat with 222 votes; Joseph Ferrante to the North Haledon seat with 400 votes. The regional budget with a tax levy of $9,073,178 was defeated 817 to 454. This year, it failed in all three sending districts. April 13, 2006 Hawthorne Press Frank Franco promoted to police chief in Prospect Park "I love my work and promise to continue to do the best job I possibly can," said Prospect Park Police Chief Frank Franco after his appointment on Monday. The 47-Year-old Wayne resident has been a police officer for l6 years. For the past four and a half years as captain, he has been designated officer-in-charge, with all the duties and responsibilities of the chief but without the recognition. To the mayor and council, Franco said, "thank you, thank you, thank you." Mayor Mohamed Khairullah said when he became mayor last fall, he and Franco "decided we'd work together to bring us to the next step ... to take the next appropriate step to the position of chief. Through negotiations and constant meetings, we believe it's time to make the move. It is in the best interest of Prospect Park. It's a win-win situation for the residents of Prospect Park." As chief, Franco's salary at 99,838 will be one dollar more than he was making as captain. Khairullah said Franco had brought more recreation to the borough through the drop-in program where the police serve as role models to the kids. The new chief said that he has always wanted to be a police officer, like his father and Uncle Jimmy, who served in the Paterson Police Department. Franco pledged to retain his open door policy saying that he would work closely with the mayor, council, school board, local citizens groups as well as with neighboring jurisdictions, the county prosecutor's office and county sheriff's department. Among his goals are to continue and enhance the community policing program and to demand accountability from police officers. Franco said the department spends a lot of its time on domestic violence calls and drug enforcement as suburban users travel through the borough to Paterson to buy drugs. He is exploring the possibility of creating a domestic violence response team with Haledon. About a dozen dignitaries spoke at the ceremony starting with Congressman Bill Pascrell who said, "This moment is even sweeter because you waited and had patience." "This appointment was a long time coming," said Senator John Girgenti. "Sometimes politics gets in the way of a good appointment." This was a reference to former Mayor Will Kubofcik's decision not to promote Franco. Khairullah took no action for six months until Democrat Borough Leader Esther Perez decided to run with mayoral candidate Herb Perez on the party line. Last week County Democrat Leader John Currie reversed that action putting Khairullah on the party line instead. At the same time the mayor announced that Franco would be promoted. Herb Perez is now challenging Khairullah in the June Primary. In law enforcement parlance, Girgenti said "Justice has been served." Speaking on behalf of Freeholder Director Elease Evans, County Democrat Leader John Currie said Franco's appointment "completes the chiefs of police in Passaic County. Now we have 16 chiefs." County Prosecutor James Avigliano, as chief law enforcement officer in the Passaic County, called Franco's appointment "an outstanding promotion." Leonard Lovely, deputy chief of staff for Sheriff Jerry Speziale, said Speziale regretted he couldn't be there due to a family vacation. "This appointment is a time of overwhelming joy for the sheriff," he said. Ringwood Police Chief Bernie Lombardo, president of the Passaic County Police Chiefs Association, said the 15-member Prospect Park Police Department "is one of the most professional in the area." March 23, 2006 Hawthorne Press PROSPECT PARK BOARD OF EDUCATION PROPOSED BUDGET (.pdf file) March 9, 2006 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park accepts TDR grant At a special hearing Monday night in Prospect Park, no one commented on the TDR (transfer of development rights) grant agreement. The public comment was required as part of a grant application for the municipality to receive $82,500 in funds to do a master plan for the future use of the Tilcon Quarry. "You're in essence creating a road map for your vision of the quarry property," said Stanley Puszcz of H2M Group, which wrote the grant. "To some extent, Prospect Park is fully developed. The municipality has the right and obligation to plan for all the land within its limits," he said. In 2003, after a court battle, the borough issued Tilcon a 10-year license, Puszcz noted that during those negotiations, the quarry had indicated that its expected life span would be about eight years. "This is part of our effort to plan ahead for the quarry," said Mayor Mohamed Khairullah about the site which encompasses about one third of the borough The unique aspect of this grant, which is a pilot program established by the NJ Highlands Commission, is that Prospect Park is one of three municipalities that will be permitted to assess impact fees. Impact fees are usually not allowed as part of development and this incentive would permit Prospect Park to assess up to $10,000 per unit for infrastructure improvements. According to Puszcz, the Highlands Commission created this transfer of development rights initiative to provide for development that can no longer occur in the Highlands. By accepting the TDR (transfer of development rights) grant, Prospect Park "is not committing anything for that site." The first grant from the Highlands Commission is for $42,500. The second grant is from the state for $40,000. While the state grant requires matching funds, the money from the Highlands grant can be used for the match. "We're in a position that if we don't act, we'll be losing something," said Khairullah, The Borough Council then voted 6-0 to accept the grant. March 2, 2006 Hawthorne Press Emergency parking zone designated A parking zone for emergency vehicles only has been designated on North 10th Street outside the police station. The south side from Brown Avenue 157 feet east of the corner will be for firefighters only. The north side from Brown Avenue 142 feet east of the corner will be for emergency vehicles only. Tom Magura, a school board member, questioned how many spaces would be so designated. "Parking is a problem for the teachers," he said. Police Captain Frank Franco said the emergency parking area is about five car lengths. "We'll use discretion when kids get dropped off or picked up," said Franco. March 2, 2006 Hawthorne Press Fire Code ordinance adopted Ordinance 2006-2 which amends the code for the Prospect Park Fire Department was adopted on February 14 by a 4-0 vote. During the public hearing, Magura raised two issues. One is that is prohibits residents who live more than five miles away from serving as volunteers. The other was about the status of social members. Attorney Christopher Welgos responded that the wording gives the fire chief authority to waive the rules with the approval of the mayor and council so those who move out of town and still work in Prospect Park could be considered. As for the provision on social members, the attorney said it mentions "assist in any way possible." March 2, 2006 Hawthorne Press Andre Greer Named Welfare Director At its February 14th meeting, the Prospect Park Council appointed Andre Greer as welfare director. An instructor in sociology and psychology at Passaic County Community College, he has an MSW degree. He and his family have resided in Prospect Park for four and a half years. "We're trying to put as many jobs as possible back into the community," said Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, noting that Greer has a background in social work. The annual salary is $5800 for the position. Greer said he will be meeting with the mayor to discuss the hours for the job. "We're going to work it out so there will be evening hours as well as daytime hours," said Greer. New hours are as follows: Monday - 8:30 to 10:30 am Tuesdays - 4:30 to 6:30 pm Wednesdays - 8:30 to 10:30 am For further information call Greer at 973-790-7902, ext. 523. February 22, 2006 The Gazette GOING ALONG FOR AN OFFICER by Don E. Smith Jr. Reporter Don E, Smith Jr. was offered a chance to ride along with the officers of the Prospect Park Police Department on Feb. 8. What follows is his running diary of the events of the night. The first part of the story ran in last week's issue. It is now pushing 8 p.m. and I am inside the Prospect Park Police Station. Earlier that night, I saw Officer Walter Richmond put a duffel bag carrying an oxygen tank and tube in the trunk of the vehicle. This is standard for all police. While Richmond would not necessarily need it that night, it would be while I am riding with Officer Ammen Matari that I see the tank put to use. I see what it is like to be on the other end of a traffic stop. I watched how asking for a license and registration could mean the difference between life and death. Fortunately for me it ended with neither of us becoming casualties. Now I am in the police department and I am witnessing the next great enemy of any department - paperwork At first I was going to go in and view Richmond processing the prisoner, but Lt. Charbel Atie, who is at headquarters, offers me the opportunity to ride with Matari. It is now about 8:15 p.m, as we climb into his vehicle, "Do you ever find yourself humming the theme to `Cops'?" I ask. Like Richmond, Matari is kind enough to smile at the joke, "Sometimes I do," he says with a smile. As we again pull out of the driveway of the municipal building to 10th Street, we again go right on to Brown Avenue. The streets are quiet and almost empty. Matari covers much of the same ground Richmond covers, which is not surprising for two reasons. First, the town is a square mile and second, there is an area where Prospect Park and Paterson meet. Capt. Frank Franco will tell me later that North Paterson has had a recent run of crimes and the Prospect Park officers are keeping an eye on the area. For the next several minutes, much of the time is spent with Matari pointing out suspicious looking vehicles. He will say, "tango, bravo, alpha" and read the numbers back to the dispatch at the Passaic County Sheriff's Office. Most of them will come back as OK so Matari will not pursue the matter. As we drive, he asks me if the climate of the vehicle is OK because of the open window. I say I am fine. "I like to drive around with the window open a crack because I like to hear if I am needed," he said. "In any weather?" I ask. "Yeah," he said. He went on to say that sometimes a person may not be able to get to a telephone and all they can do is scream and he wants to remain vigilant of that. As we drive near where Richmond arrested the driver, he points out a white van that makes a turn without signaling. Again like Richmond, Matari speeds up and while still several yards away he uses the "tango, alpha, bravo" speak. The sheriff's office dispatcher calls back, the vehicle is clean. I notice Matari is wearing a microphone on his lapel. "Here you go so you can watch this," he says as he adjusts the knobs on a television screen that is located about where the rearview mirror is on a regular police vehicle. The camera points to the scene in front of us and Matari tests the microphone. As I watch Matari get out, I think to myself how sad it is that this tiny screen gets better reception than my two television sets at home. In fact, aside from the occasional subtitles and the continuous presence of men wearing tank tops, I was viewing my own episode of "COPS." I can hear Matari ask for the driver's paperwork. The driver will come back clean and he will apologize profusely. Matari will confirm the man has a spotless driving record and will let the man off with a warning, "He lives in town and was anxious to get home and some of these people I pull over are just normal guys trying to make a buck. I don't want to give them a ticket over something small." He explains the reasons he keeps a level of respect for the locals. "There will come a time when you may need a resident to help if you are in a tight situation and don't know whether you will either need them to help or need them to call for assistance on your behalf," he said. However, as we continue our circuit of the town, the next vehicle is not as lucky. We drive down a side street and we see a white sedan parked partially in a driveway covering a sidewalk, and partially on the street with the engine running. "I'll honk the horn and see if anyone comes out and give them a warning," he said. He honks. No one comes out of the home. Matari calls in the tag plates and he finds the vehicle is in order. He waits another several moments before getting out to write a ticket. "She is blocking both a driveway and sidewalk and leaving an engine running," Matari said, explaining why he writes a ticket. By now it is 8:45 p.m. and Matari gets a call. "A 78-year-old man is having problems breathing on 7th Avenue," Matari says. When we arrive at the home, Matari pulls out his duffel bag with the oxygen tank. In the home, the 78-year-old man, who goes by the name Juan*, is laying on his back with a pained expression on his face. He is in a red gym suit and wheezing. His arms are stretched out as he struggles to inhale every breath, even his legs are up in the air. "Does he speak English?" Matari asks the man's son. "Yes, he does," says the son. "Juan!" Matari says in a loud voice. "You OK?" The man does not respond. "Juan!" Matari said again reaching into his duffel bag and pulling out a tube and placing it around Juan's head. Juan still struggles to breathe while Matari twists the knob of the tank. The son is obviously concerned as he paces in front of his father. Matari is still calling Juan's name and asking him to squeeze his hands. "Juan!" Matari calls to him again. And when I think Juan wouldn't squeeze the officer's hand, I am surprised to see him squeeze. I keep an eye out because. I am able to hear sirens. Still for several moments Matari continues to adjust the valve of oxygen and continues trying to establish contact with Juan. "He had something to eat at lunch, took a nap and when he woke up, he complained about his breathing;" his son says. At this point I see an ambulance arrive with Haledon on the side and I step outside. Two volunteers come up the stairs along with another woman, who is a resident of the home. She is also very concerned. I am holding the door open ready to leave any second. I figure because I am in a black T-shirt with "Daily Planet" written on the front and "Press" written on the back, people will ask me to leave. The volunteer EMTs come in and begin to help Juan. As Matari takes a step back so the EMTs can do their job, Juan's son explains his father is having a diabetic reaction. One of the Haledon EMTs is able to speak Spanish and Juan seems to respond better to this. He is squeezing the volunteer's finger while Matari is working to take the nose cube away. Matari helps the Spanish-speaking EMT put on a mask that covers Juan's lower face. While this is happening, paramedic sfrom St Joseph's Hospital in Paterson arrive and come into an already crowded living room to assist the two EMTs. The paramedics are pulling out syringes and fitting them with liquid that wakes Juan from his haze. He is able to sit up and respond to everyone. At this point Franco arrives on the scene. I am standing in the doorway and turn around surprised to see him. Matari steps out and confers with Franco. When Franeo is satisfied everything is under control he bids a nice evening with a smile and Matari rushes back in to help the EMTs and paramedics load Juan into a chair with seat belts. Matari and another EMT are able to carry Juan down and the woman who refers to Juan as "Tio" rushes over to place a hat on his head. By now Juan looks much better, responds to questions and is able to communicate in Spanish and broken English. As the ambulance drives off carrying Juan, Matari and I head back to his cruiser where he writes out the incident on a card. By the time we leave the home, it is almost 9:40 p.m. For the next 20 minutes we continue a patrol of the town and Matari heads back to the station at 10 p.m. There I find Franco speaking to Atie and we find out the driver Richmond brought in has been released after a family member bailed him out. It was at this time I was able to snap a photo of Richmond's handcuffs hanging from the ring and the newest vehicle added to the Prospect Park Police Department. By 10:20 p.m., I am back on the road with Matari and we spend the remainder of the time parked on Wagaraw Road watching for speeders. "I have to admit this is the boring part," he says. It is here that Matari begins to talk about his wife and his two children. "I love them," he says. He talks about how he plays with them and would much rather be there than here. For the most part, the new 30 to 40 minutes are spent chatting about police work and life. It would be the same conversation I would have with anyone at a party. Any ordinary person. And this ordinary person, like Richmond, wears a badge. Just after 11 p.m., Matari drives me back to the municipal building where I retrieve my car. While I am able to go back home to my wife and three cats, Matari is on duty until 7 a.m. Though he may not have been able to kiss his kids goodnight, he is able to kiss them good morning. *Name changed to protect identity. February 15, 2006 The Gazette HITTING THE STREETS WITH THE DEPARTMENT by Don E. Smith Jr. Reporter Don E. Smith Jr. was offered a chance to ride along with the officers of the Prospect Park Police Department on Feb. 8. What follows is his running diary of the events of the night. It is 7 p.m. when I arrive at the police station in Prospect Park. The main door is closed so I go to the back and knock on the door. I am ushered into the building I have been in hundreds of times since August getting the police blotter. Tonight is different. The contrasting light blue with dark blue paint that lines the L-shaped hallway seems somehow different as I enter through the entrance only police and criminals go through. For the last several months Capt. Frank Franco has been offering the opportunity to ride along with Prospect Park's finest to see what it's like to be on the officer's end of situations. I think about a conversation I had earlier in the day with Police Director Anthony Benevento of the Wallington Police Department. "It will be an education for you," he said with a chuckle. As I step in to the office Lt. Charbel Atie uses I feel ready for class to come into session so to speak. Atie explains to me that before any officers go out they look at the reports of the day. "That way we know what to look for in case anything happens in town or if there is anything in particular that they need to look out for;" he says. "For example, wanted persons." The first person I ride with is Officer Walter Richmond, a 3-year member of the department. He tells me he grew up in Prospect Park and Haledon. I tell Richmond I find it interesting that most officers tend to gravitate toward their hometowns. "I did an interview with Steven Van Hook, the officer from the Haledon Police Department who was promoted to sergeant, and he was telling me how he grew up in Haledon," I say. I add, "The only time I have seen the opposite of this was the movie `Die Hard' with a New York cop stuck in L.A." Richmond laughs at this, though I think he is being kind. The car we are in is an unmarked Ford with tinted windows. Richmond tests the lights and siren to make sure everything is working. We move out of the driveway and on to Brown Avenue and drive around through the lower parts of the town closer to Paterson. We drive around the back of the Eastern Christian Children's Retreat on Sixth Avenue. The area is filled with buses on the left and a wooded area on the right. "I like to check out this area because much of the time local teenagers come down and mess with the buses;" he says. He shines the light around and once he is satisfied nothing is amiss we turn out of the parking lot. I look down at my notepad to see the notes I am taking when all of a sudden I hear Richmond say, "You see that?" I look up and a Chevy Tracker is making a right turn on Sixth Street and continues on. Richmond, who must have the eyes of a hawk, picks up the microphone speaker of his CB radio and begins using words like tango, alpha and bravo to substitute for the letters T, A, and B while the vehicle is still hundreds of yards up the street. We speed up as the truck makes another turn and Richmond switches on the red, white and blue lights. The truck finally comes to a stop on Haledon Avenue. As Richmond gets out of the squad car the driver of the Tracker opens his door with a stare that looks like it might bore a hole in the officer. Richmond doesn't care. He walks up to the window and asks for a license, registration and insurance card. Police officers from any department have one thing in common, the traffic stop can turn into something more. It is not a far jump from, "Can I see your license and registration?" to a news report that night saying, "Officer leaves behind a wife and two kids" I watch the driver's eyes and I remember asking Benevento, "What should I do if God forbid a man pulls a gun and shoots the officer I am with and then turns the gun on me?" "You duck," was the advice he offered. As the officer talks to the driver I face the facts that as writer and reporter with three cats and a wife at home, I am not trained to deal with a shooting, Then Richmond slides back into the car and holds up the man's information. "I bet he has a suspended license," he says. The officer calls in the identification and it turns out the driver as a $600 warrant from a 1998 stop in River Edge. A moment later Richmond gets out of the car and pulls out handcuffs. In the middle of this, Officer Ammen Matari drives up and keeps an eye on things. "I like to do this just to make sure things are okay and to have their backs," Matari will say later. The driver gets out of his vehicle and his hands are put behind his back and cuffed. I am sitting in the car hoping the man will be put in Matari's back seat but to my surprise he is placed in the back seat of the car we are in. The drive back to the police department is no more than 2 or 3 minutes and is the most uncomfortable minutes of my life. No one says a thing. What goes through my mind is "Don't say a thing. I would hate to do something that either gets this man in deeper trouble or gets this man released and his case thrown out of court." I keep quiet and look out the window, When we show up back at police headquarters officers unlock the handcuffs from his wrist and cuff him to one of the silver rings hanging from the wall. The man tries to call his family to get the $600 he owes. While handcuffed to the wall, I walk past him and follow Richmond into one of the offices where he begins processing and writing up the paper work. Atie comes in and Matari stays with the prisoner. I am able to hear both Matari and the prisoner speak about the fine. What amazes me is how respectful Matari is to the locked up man. Matari is cordial and converses with the prisoner. At this point Atie explains that at all times two officers are at headquarters to cover each others back when there is a prisoner on the scene. "It is very important that we do this and this always happens," says Atie. Richmond still has more paper work to shuffle through so Atie offers me the opportunity to travel with Matari. I am supposed to ride with the officers from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. I look at my watch and it is just 7.30 p.m. February 2, 2006 Hawthorne Press Over 250 Years Of Service Four firefighters, whose collective service spans over a quarter of a century, were honored by the Prospect Park Council on January 17. Plaques were presented to Rudy Kaptein, 71 years service; George Aupperlee, 61 years; John Hunt, 60 years; Edward Vander Ploeg, 47 years. All four are former chiefs. Aupperlee was president of Prospect Park's Hose Company for 21 years. Hunt is in his 40th year as president of the North Jersey Fireman's Association and is a director of the NJ Fire Training Academy. Vander Ploeg is the borough's Office of Emergency Management which includes the Prospect Park Auxiliary Police. February 1, 2006 The Gazette Delay to name chief questioned by Don E. Smith Jr. At the Jan. 23 meeting of the council resident Albert Demarest asked why Capt. Frank Franco has not been named the chief of the police department. Council President Esther Perez said a committee was continuing to look into the selection of a police chief but was unable to comment any further on the subject In the past Mayor Mohamed T Khairullah has praised the police department, but he has been unable to comment on the status of making Franco the chief or the reason behind the delay. Councilman Hassan Fahmy agreed with Demarest and said the borough needed a police chief and for Franco to fill the position. "If I could I would have made him chief yesterday;" said Fahmy. For the last four and half years Franco has been the officer in charge since the former chief retired four years ago. "The department has been run by Capt. Franco for a long time and in my eyes he is chief;" said Fahmy. The councilman described the department as "the best police department in my eyes." Demarest, who is president of the Board of Education, said Prospect Park is the only town in the county without a chief. He said Franco was "an easy-going guy" and is ready when needed. Detective Steven Damiano, Policemen's Benevolent Association (PBA) delegate and former PBA president, estimated that in the last five years 10 other chiefs have been named in other municipalities in Passaic County and surrounding towns. "As a delegate I attend many meetings and I have many people asking me `Why hasn't Franco been made chief yet?' " said Damiano. Haledon Police Chief Lou Mercuro said it is long overdue. He said Franco is up for the job and when the departments in the two municipalities have worked together he has seen Franco perform excellently. One police official with a unique perspective is Franco's cousin, Robert Franco, captain with the Haledon Police Department "Frank Franco is a devoted family man, a loyal husband, a wonderful father and he has been doing an outstanding job for almost five years," said Robert Franco. Robert Franco added his cousin has kept the police department unified and has the support of the men. "'The members of the Prospect Park Police Department are unified in wanting to see him made the chief. He has an open-door policy for the police officers and you will find some commanding officers just do not have that type of attitude," said Damiano. Fahmy said Franco being named chief is a formality and it should have been done already. Besides police work, Demarest said every Friday night Franco is in the gymnasium at the elementary school giving middle school and high school students a place to hang out "Now they have added another program for Thursdays and it is just him doing it," he said. Damiano said it was Franco who spearheaded the teenager "Drop In" program. Demarest also pointed out Franco has given "the council everything they want and does so legitimately." It is because of this that he said he will continue to question the council. "I will keep asking them and keep asking and badgering them until I get an answer;" he said. "I don't holler about my taxes because taxes are what they are, but I think we have an excellent police force and I think the politicians should do their job and let Franco do his. After all he is the one with the police knowledge." Damiano added residents like Demarest usually come to Franco with problems that end up being solved. "Town citizens will come up to him and ask him for help and sure enough the problems are taken are care of," said Damiano. Franco declined to comment for the article. January 25, 2006 The Record Gym program becomes 'in' place for youngsters by Paul Brubaker It's obvious the kids love the new "like a party, but with sports" that borough police have organized for them at School No. 1. Now if only a few more adults were as enthusiastic, so the cops could get a little help with chaperoning. In recent weeks, the school's gymnasium has become the place to be for young people on Friday nights. You see it in the faces of kids like Michael Ruiz, 12, who was one of a swarm of seventh-graders playing a fast-moving game of half-court basketball in one corner of the gym. Standing about 4 feet tall and attired in baggy jeans and a white T-shirt, Ruiz had his jumper working as he consistently drained outside shots. As he was high-fived by his teammates, Ruiz's smile was as bright as the sparkling earring he wore in his left lobe. Ruiz's buddy, Charles Torres, 10, said that normally Friday night would mean sitting around at home playing an "X-Men Nemesis" video game. A few feet away, LaShawn Johnson, 13, nimbly stepped between two twirling "Double Dutch" jump ropes. For Johnson and many of her friends, the movie theater in Fair Lawn was usually the best of only a handful of youth destinations at the end of the week. Eighty children - most of them sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at the school - packed into the gymnasium on Friday. Besides the basketball game, a handful of students spiked a volleyball over a net. A few boys craned their ears to a cellphone that played ring tones of songs by Laffy-Taffy and Slim Shady. Then there was a young girl who gave a try on the pull-up bar mounted to the wall. Standing at the center of the action was police Capt. Frank Franco, who oversees the borough's "Drop In Program" with help from members of Policemen's Benevolent Association Local No. 114. Franco said that when police patrols would question a group of youngsters gathered on a borough street corner or aimlessly wandering around town, the officers would often hear the same response. "Their main argument was that they have no place to go," he said. On Friday, youngsters raved about their new place to hang out and have fun. "It's like a party, but with sports," Johnson said. "Everybody gets along. We don't have any fights, and we don't get into trouble." One student, who had been overly aggressive during a basketball game, received two warnings before he was asked to leave on the program's first night, Franco said. Since then, there have been no further incidents, he said. While the number of students has consistently increased since the program began on Dec. 2 with 55 participants, the number of adult volunteer chaperones has decreased, Franco said. When the first permission slips were returned, 16 parents indicated they would be willing to supervise the program, the police chief said. Of those, five showed up on the program's inaugural night. But that number has dwindled to a few adults who check in sporadically. With a second Drop-In Program on Thursdays scheduled to begin this week, supervising the children is only becoming more challenging for organizers. Most kids leave the program on foot, Franco said. During the course of the three-hour night, the youngsters are free to leave and go to nearby a corner store, and parents have no guarantee they are going to stay inside the gym, Franco added. "I'd like to see more volunteers coming in and helping inside the school. Personally, I would drop my child off and pick them up," he said. James Barriale, the school's principal and the district superintendent, said the Board of Education's standard for events is one adult per 12 students. "If the supervision is good, and the kids are well-behaved, it's not as critical" to maintain the standard, Barriale said. Franco and three other members of the Police Department - all volunteers - kept a watch on the program on Friday. Mayor Mohamed Khairullah; Al Demarest, president of the Board of Education; and board member Nabile Rehim also were there for brief periods. In the meantime, Barriale said he would look into the supervisory aspects of the program, but also noted it was an endeavor he'd like to see continue. January 22, 2006 The Record Longtime resident fights illegal homes in Prospect Park by Paul Brubaker Joseph Bridge, a longtime borough resident, says a house should be what it was meant to be. And ever since he learned that Blanca Salas wanted to convert her two-family home on North Eighth Street to a three-family home, Bridge has been intent on shooting it down before the zoning board. "It could be precedent setting," Bridge said. "It will have a major effect on the community. What I'm concerned about is the impact on the town's resources." If the board permits people to live in basements and attics around town, he said, the effect on police, fire and public works services would be disastrous. "Parking is always a problem, and our school is overcrowded as it is," Bridge said. "The school is what's bringing people to our borough. There's a lot more families with children moving into town." Salas and her three children - who are 2, 12 and 14 - are among those families. When they moved from Paterson in April 2005, Salas and her family made their home beneath the house's two other apartments, in the finished basement. The description in the Garden State Multiple Listing Service guide called it a "huge finished walk-out basement" with full kitchen, bathroom, living room and laundry room. The same listing referred to the house as both "multifamily" and "two-family." Salas, who primarily speaks Spanish, said through an interpreter that she believed the house was a three-family dwelling. Her plan was to subsidize her mortgage on the $450,000 home with the rents paid by the two tenants who moved in the following July and August. It wasn't until David Heerema, the borough's housing inspector, paid a visit that Salas understood her arrangement was illegal, she said. Tito Freire of Preakness Realty in Hawthorne, the real estate agent who sold the house, said that Salas understood the house's zoning when she bought it. "It was marketed as a two-family home, and it was sold as a two-family home," Freire said. Bridge said that real estate agencies that would seek to profit from a newly created housing market are another reason he wants the board to issue a borough-wide mandate against three-family conversions. Salas' application has been on the zoning board's agenda since October 2005. The board is scheduled to review the application on Feb. 16. January 19, 2006 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park Council axes boro administrator position It was 10:40 pm Tuesday when the Prospect Park Council reconvened from private session and voted 4-1-1 to remove Barbara Varcadipane as borough administrator and merge the duties into the municipal clerk's post. On Friday, Varcadipane, who has held this position for four years, was given a RICE notice that her position or herself may be discussed at the January 17 session. She had the option of requesting a public discussion which she did. According to Varcadipane, Mayor Mohamed Khairullah had demanded her keys to the building and her cell phone when he gave her the notice. The vote was apparently put off until the end of the meeting, awaiting the arrival of Councilman Randall Lassiter, who showed up at 10 pm. Saying they were doing this "to become more efficient and to do what's best for the taxpayers," Khairullah recommended they combine both positions. "We're looking at saving a good amount of money." Borough Attorney Denis Murphy told the council that the administrator "serves at the pleasure of the governing body" and in order to combine the two positions, the Borough Council would have to "take action to remove one." Newly-appointed Councilman Adnan Zakaria made the motion followed by a long pause. Then Councilman Richard Esquiche seconded the motion. Both voted for the motion along with novices, Councilman Radhames Capellan and Lassiter. Lassiter said, "We're still assessing the tax situation. I'm not sure this move would create less tax base. I do understand the need to make cuts and do something in a different direction. I'm voting 'yes' but looking for us to be able to show where it will make a difference." Council President Esther Perez abstained and Councilman Hassan Fahmy cast the only dissenting vote. He said he didn't think combining the two positions would work. "I asked the clerk two weeks ago about minutes that are not done," said Fahmy, questioning how Borough Clerk Yancy Wazirmas could handle additional responsibilities. "She needs help. She needs an assistant." Immediately after this vote, the Borough Council appointed Diana Gallarza as administrative assistant and she was sworn in by the mayor. Gallarza had been recreation director, a $12,000 position which was given to Lee Webb. When asked what salary the new administrative assistant position would command, the mayor said Gallarza would be working 19 hours per week at $12 per hour. That comes out to an annual salary of $11,856. Varcadipane had been making about $40,000 annually and will receive three months severance pay. "I'm disappointed," she said after the meeting. "I've had a lot of people telling me I've done a good job." The former borough administrator said she never received an evaluation and "was never warned or monitored about her job performance." During her tenure, Varcadipane said she set up safety training classes which now save the borough $1000 annually on their insurance. She did cost comparisons for the phone system, copier and fax machine, which, Varcadipane said, also resulted in savings to the borough. Gallarza said the administrative assistant position would be more suited to her job skills. She previously worked as a teacher's aide in the public school and as a secretary at Promise Community Development Corporation. January 12, 2006 Hawthorne Press Prospect Park Council hears Options For Library Service For .years, Prospect Park, which has no library, has been paying the Paterson Library $15 per family annually for each resident who wants to be a cardholder. Through the Passaic County Library System (PALS), Prospect Park residents were then able to use their Paterson cards at Hawthorne, North Haledon, Wayne or any other library in the system. Last year, the PALS Library System decided that it could no longer allow this courtesy to continue. At issue was that the municipalities, who are funding their libraries with tax funds, are essentially subsidizing Prospect Park's library service. Prospect Park residents, who had Paterson Library cards, would be restricted to use library facilities in Paterson. At Monday night's worksession of the Prospect Park Council, former Mayor Al Marchitto said he learned about the change last November when he went to the North Haledon Library and found out he could no longer use his card there. Marchitto and Prospect Park Mayor Mohamed Khairullah met with North Haledon Mayor Randy George and North Haledon Library Director Susan Serico who set up the presentation before the Prospect Park Council. Appearing on behalf of Passaic County PALS Plus was executive director Claire Houghton-Kiel; along with Cindy Czesak, director of the Paterson Library; Jean Marie Ryan, director of the Hawthorne Library and Serico. Serico stated "Mayor Marchitto has been using our library for years and we're happy to see him." Czesak told the governing body that the PALS library system no longer allows family cards. "We now issue individual cards. It's like a credit card and is unique to each person," she said. In Paterson, the rate for non-resident users is now $50 per year. The Paterson director said that if Prospect Park had a library, the municipality would be required to fund it at the annual level of $90,000. The PALS representatives proposed several options to Prospect Park to provide library service: paying $90,000 per year to PALS plus for open access to the entire county system; allowing residents to select a nearby library and reimbursing them for the non-resident fee; re-negotiating agreement with Paterson or negotiating an agreement with another nearby library. Houghton-Kiel said that PALS did a survey which showed that 153 active Prospect Park residents use facilities in Paterson, Wayne, Totowa and North Haledon. Although several Prospect Park residents use the Hawthorne Library, there was no access to their statistics because Hawthorne belongs to the Bergen County Cooperative Library System. Many Prospect Park residents can get cards at Passaic County Community College or William Paterson University. "It's more like 400 cardholders in the database," said the PALS executive erector. Borough Attorney Denis Murphy asked whether each library had agreed to the $50 figure. The librarians said that $50 is the going rate for a non-resident's annual card. Khairullah said he would appoint a committee to address the issue, recommending that Marchitto serve on it. Councilmen Randall Lassiter and Richard Esquiche volunteered and were named to the committee. Marchitto pressed for a quick solution and Khairullah said a decision should be made in four to six weeks. The librarians also recommended that if the borough chooses the reimbursement method, the system should be streamlined to make it easier for Prospect Park residents. January 6, 2006 The Record A Timeless Beauty at 100 by Suzanne Travers Mildred Janet De Ronde was a New Year's baby - in 1906, that is. Born in Paterson and a resident of Prospect Park since 1926, De Ronde turned 100 on Sunday. She celebrated with a party and a proclamation: the first with her daughter, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; the latter when Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney declared Jan. 1, 2006 Midlred De Ronde Day in Bergen County (her great-grandson works for McNerney). Her birthday cake had four candles on it, so she could blow out one for each quarter century. "I always say I give people a holiday," said De Ronde of her New Year's birthday. Seated on a pink recliner in the living room of the house on Brown Avenue where she's lived since 1941, De Ronde said her 100th birthday "came upon me gradually." "I can't do what I used to do," she said, "now I can't walk alone unless somebody helps me." Here's what De Ronde can do: use a walker to get around her living room, watch "Larry King Live" and reruns of "The Lawrence Welk Show." She also can pick out where she is in a 1951 photograph of the Prospect Park Fire Company's Ladies Auxiliary, remember the states she drove through on a 3½-week trip west in the 1970s, and every night eats a big bowl of ice cream. "I have a good appetite," she said. She's lived through both world wars, 18 U.S. presidents, the Great Depression, and the civil-rights movement, though a century of world events is eclipsed in her mind by inventions that transformed home life, like the refrigerator. But for De Ronde, the biggest event of the past century was a personal one. "When my daughter was born, that was a big time," she said. De Ronde's hearing is so-so, but she does without a hearing aid, and her eyesight is all right, though it's difficult to read much, said De Ronde's daughter, Marjorie Haser, who lived a few houses away on Brown Avenue until she moved back in with her mother several years ago. Haser's son and granddaughter live upstairs. De Ronde has seven great-grandchildren and five grandchildren, including Kathleen Dale, who teaches at Prospect Park's School 1. De Ronde has had heart trouble for a long time and had a bad fall in July, Haser said. "The body is going," but mentally she's "all there." Robert Roush, a geriatrician with the Huffington Center on Aging at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said that while society likes to make a lot of markers - like 80, 90, and 100 - advances in health care and geriatrics have increased the number of people who are in relatively good physical and mental health at more advanced ages. "It's functional age, not chronological age that we really count," he said. Some 67,473 centenarians, or people 100 and older, were living in the country as of Nov. 1, 2005, according to the U.S. Census. Roush said centenarians are one of the fastest-growing demographic groups in the country. De Ronde attributes her many years to a life of engaged involvement. She worked as a legal secretary for 23 years and at a Totowa bank for 13 years after that. She and her husband, William De Ronde, who died in 1977 at 82, often took trips to the Methodist convention center in Ocean Grove. She's been an officer in every organization she ever joined - including the fire company auxiliary and the Paterson Avenue United Methodist Church, where she's been a member of since 1916. "When I belonged to something I would take part and be active," she said. And what advice does she have for those less than a century old? "Live a good life. Go to church. Be kind." SPOTLIGHT: Name: Mildred De Ronde Hometown: Prospect Park Occupation: Former legal secretary Age: 100 Family: Daughter Marjorie Haser, five grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. Her husband, William De Ronde, died in 1977. Quote: "Live a good life. Go to church. Be kind." |
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