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Jersey City Times Staff

Authorities Arrest Man Wanted in Killing of Mother of Four

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A Jersey City man wanted in connection with the death of 30-year-old Felicia Stewart, who was fatally shot on Grant Avenue off of Martin Luther King Drive on July 27, has been arrested by members of the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit. 

Mark Steward Jersey City

Mark Stewart

On Saturday, July 31, 2021, at approximately 11:30 a.m., Mark Stewart, age 26, of Jersey City was arrested after surrendering himself to Homicide Unit detectives at the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office in Jersey City. He was arrested without incident and will be housed at the Hudson County Correctional Facility in Kearny pending his first appearance. 

Stewart was charged with Aggravated Manslaughter, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. 

Felicia Stewart, mother of four children, was shot as she walked along Grant Avenue just before 1 a.m. After Jersey City Police responded she was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The Regional Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be one or more gunshot wounds to the abdomen and the manner of death to be homicide.

 

 

Jersey City Times Staff

New Library Director Appointed Following Sudden Departure of Predecessor

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Mayor Fulop and the Jersey City Public Library Board have announced the appointment of Terry B. Hill as director of The Jersey City Free Public Library.

Hill’s appointment follows the early departure of Jeffrey Trzeciak in March. Trzeciak had been hired to considerable fanfare, having  headed up the Newark Public Library and received numerous awards. At the time, his leaving “stunned” JCPL board president Al Anton. Mayor Fulop’s failure to pay any tribute to Trzeciak prompted speculation that there had been a falling out between the two.

Terry B. Hill Jersey City

Terry B. Hill

According to the announcement from the mayor and the library’s board, there is considerable excitement surrounding Hill’s arrival.

“Terry Hill stood out amongst the impressive applicant pool for his 27 years of successful leadership within urban library systems and establishing strong relationships with the surrounding communities,” said the mayor, who served on the JCFPL Board’s search committee. “His knowledge and understanding of issues, trends, and practices of urban library management will be a great asset as he oversees our 10 Library locations citywide, the largest municipal Library system in New Jersey.” 

“We are delighted to welcome Mr. Hill as the Director of the Jersey City Free Public Library,” said Library Board President Al Anton. “He has a proven track record of effective organizational transformation and forging meaningful relationships with the community, and is enthusiastic to use his depth of skills and knowledge to help continue drive JCFPL forward. We are looking forward to seeing Mr. Hill solidify the Library’s role as a trusted community partner to improve the lives of Jersey City residents.” 

As the new Library Director, Hill will oversee the entire Jersey City Free Public Library System, which includes 144 staff members within the Main Library location, 9 Library branches spanning the City, and a Bookmobile. 

“I look forward to building community partnerships to address issues such as the increasing digital divide,” said Hill. “The past year has highlighted how critical libraries are and how our communities rely on our services. This is a challenging yet exciting time for libraries, and the JCFPL is well-positioned to meet and exceed our community’s needs and expectations.”

Hill most recently served as Deputy Director of Library Services at Durham County Library. According to the announcement, Hill “gained substantial experience in the administration of libraries, shaping him into a thoughtful, innovative, and trusted leader” and had success in “improving digital equity, especially for low-income youth within Durham, North Carolina, where he has served as Deputy Director of Library Services for the past decade.” 

Hill served on the Board of Directors for the Durham Literacy Center and the Digital Durham Collaborative, “a group of community organizations and nonprofits dedicated to addressing the three pillars of digital equity: access to internet service, access to devices, and improving gateway literacy skills.”

While at Durham County Library, the announcement says Hill was “able to bring resources into the Durham County Library via grants, such as a $100,000 grant from the National Institute of Health to provide health literacy and education in the community. Under his leadership, his staff received national recognition for expanding technology services to teens.”

 

 

Aaron Morrill

Council-at-Large Candidate June Jones: An Interview

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City Council-at-large candidate June Jones is a retired respiratory care practitioner who founded the Morris Canal Community Development Corporation and serves as its president. The organization, established in 2000 and officially recognized in the Morris Canal Redevelopment Plan, focuses on affordable housing, economic development, employment, and training in Bergen-Lafayette.

Jones was literally born in the Booker T projects in the neighborhood she maintains should be called simply ‘Lafayette.’ There was no time to get to the hospital. ‘My mom always said I was a little bit fast.’

She patiently corrects me when I refer to “Bergen-Lafayette.” There’s no such thing as “Bergen-Lafayette,” she explains. “If you check the history books, it’s always been ‘Lafayette.’ This is something that the realtors created, which is somewhat offensive because it kind of takes away the history of our neighborhood. I think it needs to be corrected because there’s no such animal. Lafayette is the oldest African-American community in Jersey City, and it has a rich history.” Jones then rattles off historic buildings and sites throughout the neighborhood.

JCT: What made you decide to run?

JJ: We’re at a crossroads now. I decided to step up and speak out on issues that are crucial. I’m still very passionate about affordable housing, real affordable housing. There’s so much controversy and confusion when people talk about it. As our neighborhood is gentrified, there’s not a lot of places for people to go that are affordable. Jersey City has been in an affordable housing crisis for some time now, but it hasn’t been a priority.

JCT: Let’s say you are elected, what would June Jones’s affordable housing policy look like?

JJ: It would look like the IZO (inclusionary zoning ordinance) that we all worked on. I am really appalled that we had to struggle over two IZOs. When we talked about affordable housing a a couple of years ago, I thought that we were really trying to do something together. Watterman and Lavarro agreed that they would work on it together. It was more comprehensive than the current IZO. Just before it was finalized, the mayor’s IZO was introduced, and it was passed and encouraged by the council president. I feel like we were duped.

JCT: So you felt like there was a plan in the works that was closer to what you wanted, and it was switched out for something less desirable?

JJ: That’s exactly what happened.

JCT: Do you want to see a higher percentage of affordable housing in these development projects? Right now it’s 5%, and Lavarro wanted 20%. What’s the number you want to see?

JJ: The 20% is what we all were pushing for. When you have a crisis, you have to think in crisis mode. Maybe somewhere down the road, 20% won’t be necessary, but right now it is. Five percent and an option to put it off site shouldn’t be an option right now.

JCT: I spoke with Council President Watterman, and she said, ‘We went to Newark, and they put in a 20% mandate, and they weren’t able to get anything built because the mandate was too high, so we just put in an amount we thought could get built.’ Do you have a response to that?

JJ: No, I don’t. I don’t have any statistics to show that what she said is true or not. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. If, in fact, it’s a priority, you make a way. Sometimes it takes incentive programs to make it happen. When we’re talking about the residents of Jersey City being gentrified, being moved out and not having a place to live, it’s important, and it should be a priority.

JCT: We’ve had a spate of tragic killings recently. Do you have a position as to what should be done about the crime situation in Jersey City?

JJ: Again, make it a priority.The recent shootings on the south side of Jersey City is a telling sign that when you do nothing, things get worse. It’s almost like living in terror. How do you address this? You make it a priority. You don’t address it by putting police cars on the corner with flashing lights. I don’t see that it’s deterred crime at all.

JCT: What do you think the mayor or Public Safety Director Shea should be doing?

JJ: I think it’s important that they get with community members and implement real action with what is really going on. These things can’t be decided in an office without regard to why these things are happening. It’s the administration’s responsibility to find out why. They’re not even making it a priority. We had one horrific shooting on December 10 and the whole nation’s in an uproar, and rightfully so. They should be. We have a shooting almost every day in this city, and it’s almost like it’s ignored. I haven’t seen my councilman or this administration say anything other than what was printed in the paper. This is a crisis. Our priorities and the quality of life in the city doesn’t seem to match the priorities of this administration. That’s another reason why I’m running. I want to put the people first. If the people tell me ‘no’ on an issue, I’m going to say ‘no.’ I’m not going to rubber stamp anything. We’re not supposed to serve any one master. This is supposed to be our city. ‘Make Jersey City yours?’ You know what, it was already mine.

JCT: Are there any other issues you want to mention?

JJ: I’m still shaking my head on this ‘water tax.’ I would really like someone to explain how that happened. How do you say that I’m not increasing your taxes if I put your taxes through another autonomous agency for a service you’re already paying taxes for? It needs to be reversed. For those who paid, it has to be reimbursed.

JCT: How are you funding your campaign?

JJ: That’s a good question. Thus far, we’ve gotten a good reception. We are accepting donations from people who support our platform. I’m having a fundraiser next Friday, August 6. I got in the game late, but not too late. I’m taking in-kind donations as well. If people are serious about a change, donations will flow.

I saw the mayor at the Juneteenth festival that we had at Berry Lane Park. I had my petitions, and I asked him to sign which, of course, he didn’t. He asked, ‘What are you going to do for money?’ and I said, what’s that? I said we don’t have money now but that we have the support of the people.

 

 

 

Jersey City police car
Jersey City Times Staff

Authorities Seek Help Finding Man Wanted in Killing of Mother of Four

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Authorities are asking for the public’s help finding a man wanted in connection with the killing of Felicia Stewart, a 30 year-old mother of four, early Tuesday morning.

Mark Steward Jersey City

Mark Stewart

According to reports, Stewart was shot as she walked along Grant Avenue just before 1 a.m. After Jersey City Police responded she was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead. The Regional Medical Examiner determined the cause of death to be a gunshot wound(s) to the abdomen and the manner of death to be homicide.

Mark Stewart, 26, of Jersey City, no relation to the victim, has now been charged with Aggravated Manslaughter, Possession of a Weapon for an Unlawful Purpose, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. 

The Hudson County Prosecutor is advising that anyone who sees Mark Stewart should not approach him, but should immediately contact police. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Office of the Hudson County Prosecutor at 201-915-1345 or to leave an anonymous tip on the Prosecutor’s Office official website at http://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/homicide-tip/. All information will be kept confidential. 

 

Aaron Morrill

A New Study Revives the Debate Over Property Tax Abatements

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Brigid D'Souza Jersey City

Brigid D’Souza

Property tax abatements will cost local government $108 million this year in lost revenue according to an analysis by Brigid D’Souza, an assistant professor of accounting and taxation at St. Peter’s University, raising an old debate about the use of abatements to spur redevelopment.

D’Souza posted the study on her blog, Civic Parent, which over the years has become a go-to resource for Jersey City policy wonks hoping to better understand the intricacies of property taxes, tax abatements, and school funding.

The owner of a property that is tax abated remits to the city annually a fixed “payment in lieu of taxes” (known as a PILOT). Unlike conventional property taxes, which are split between the city, the county, and the schools, PILOTs go only to the city.

D’Souza estimated the current market value of the 160 abated properties in Jersey City and calculated that, if taxed conventionally, they would pay more than double the $96 million that they actually pay in PILOTs. They would pay $204 million.

“People should understand the data,” said D’Souza, who maintains a professorial neutrality. “Abatements are a tool.”

D’Souza acknowledges that, because the city does not have to share the PILOT, this mechanism is in the city’s economic interest. But she believes that “the public needs to know the costs,” one of which is the inability of the city to extract more revenue  from abated properties in the future should needs change.  Critics also point out that the schools receive nothing from PILOTs, leading to their underfunding.

Property Tax Abatement Graph

Courtesy of Brigid D’Souza

The issue of abatements has roiled Jersey City politics for years, often pitting developers against good-government groups and school funding advocates.

Bob Antonicello took a job with the city in 1977, eventually rising to executive director of the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, a position he held for eight years. He is now a principal of Grid Real Estate.

Bob Antonicello Jersey City

Bob Antonicello

To Antonicello, abatements were badly needed from the ’70s to the early aughts. “Anyone who looked at the apocalyptic post-industrial collapse of this northeast industrial city agreed something needed to be done,” he said.

But, according to Antonicello, by the 2000s, developers no longer needed abatements Downtown: The rents had risen high enough to support construction without them.

The city continued to give out abatements where none were needed because it was running a structural deficit and could get developers to pre-pay their taxes. But, Antonicello explained, “Now these pre-payment of taxes became a problem. It became like an opioid addiction for the city. They would negotiate abatements where any objective viewer would probably say ‘it’s not necessary.’”

The practice continued, according to Antonicello, into Mayor Fulop’s first term. But he gives the mayor credit for changing the rules. “Where Steve [Fulop] absolutely hit it out of the park is when he put out the executive order” to focus abatements on neighborhoods that hadn’t seen development.

Antonicello rattles off some abatements that should still be considered: industrial projects, supermarkets for the south side, tall “eco” buildings that minimize heat islands, and central business district projects.

No matter which side of the abatement debate one comes down on, D’Souza is adamant that there needs to be greater transparency.

“A lot of people are looking back and wondering how these abatements happened. The city should invite people in to discuss them before they’re approved.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jersey City police car
Jersey City Times Staff

Two Charged in Saturday’s Fatal Shooting of 26-Year-Old on Grant Avenue

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The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit has charged a 32-year-old man and a 21-year-old woman in the shooting death of 26-year-old Raquan Bass, who was fatally shot on Grant Avenue in Jersey City on Saturday. 

Yasir Harrison Jersey City

Yasir Harrison

Yasir Harrison, 32, of Jersey City, was charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon. Jala Long, 21, of Jersey City, was charged with Accomplice Murder.

Bass was gunned down on Saturday morning near the intersection of Grant Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.  This morning, a 30-year-old woman attending a vigil for Bass was shot and killed in the same location.

Jala Long Jersey City

Jala Long

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department for the investigation and arrest. 

 

Crime Scene Tape
Jersey City Times Staff

Woman Shot and Killed Attending Vigil for Shooting Victim Identified

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A woman attending an early morning vigil for a man killed in a shooting this weekend was herself fatally wounded when shots were fired into the group.

The woman has been identified as 30 year-old Felicia Stewart.

According to the Hudson County Prosecutor, just prior to 1 a.m., members of the Jersey City Police Department responded to a report of shots fired in the area of Grant Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive. There they found Stewart with gunshot wound(s) to her back. She was taken to Jersey City Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.

On Saturday morning, 26 year-old Raquann Bass was gunned down in the same location.

Mayor Fulop went on Facebook this morning to announce the death.

Alicia Stewart Jersey City

Alicia Stewart

Stewart’s death represents the third killing in Jersey City in four days and puts the city on pace to equal or exceed the previous peak under Mayor Fulop of 27 homicides in 2015.  Many cities around the country have also experienced a surge of homicides over the last year.

In another case on Saturday, an unidentified adult male was found stabbed to death in the area of Cambridge Avenue. A suspect, Steven Bardsley, has been arrested and charged in the case.

 

 

 

Crime Scene Tape
Jersey City Times Staff

Authorities Seek Help Finding Man Charged With Sexual Assaults

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Will Salomon-Lopez Jersey City

Will Salomon-Lopez

Authorities are seeking the public’s help finding a man wanted in connection with multiple sexual assaults.

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office announced today that an arrest warrant has been issued for Will Salomon-Lopez, age 42, of Jersey City.  According to the HCPO, the assaults occurred in a Jersey City residence on multiple occasions and involved multiple juvenile victims who were acquainted with the suspect as

a family friend. The last sexual assault occurred in April 2021.

The case is under investigation by the HCPO Special Victims Unit.

Salomon-Lopez has been charged with three counts of second-degree Sexual Assault by Contact, one count of second-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child and three counts of third-degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child. 

Will Salomon-Lopez Jersey City

Will Salomon-Lopez

Investigators are seeking the public’s assistance. Salomon-Lopez is described as a shorter man with a medium build and may be known by this name or another alias. 

This is an active investigation and anyone with information as to the current whereabouts of Will Salomon-Lopez is asked to contact the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office SVU at (201) 915-1234 or leave an anonymous tip on the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office official website at https://www.hudsoncountyprosecutorsofficenj.org/anonymous-tip/. All information will be kept confidential. 

The HCPO emphasizes that the above charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Crime Scene Tape
Jersey City Times Staff

55 Year-Old Man Charged in Fatal Heights Stabbing

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Steven Bardsley of Jersey City

Steven Bardsley

The Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit has charged a 55-year-old Jersey City man in the stabbing death of an unidentified adult male who was found dead in the area of Cambridge Avenue in Jersey City just after 10:00 p.m. last night. 

According to the HCPO, members of the Jersey City Police Department responded to the area of 151 Cambridge Avenue just after 10:00 p.m. There they found a lifeless adult male victim – who at this time remains unidentified – with a stab wound(s) to neck. The victim was transported to the Jersey City Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

A suspect, Steven Bardsley, was apprehended a short time later by Jersey City police officers on Central Avenue.

Bardsley was charged with Murder, Possession of a Weapon, and Unlawful Possession of a Weapon.

The cause and manner of death are pending the findings of the Regional Medical Examiner.

The killing was the second for the day. Twenty-six year old Raquan Bass was gunned down in the vicinity of Grant Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive. The back-to-back killings put Jersey City on track to log a near-record number of homicides this year.

Prosecutor Suarez credited the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit and the Jersey City Police Department for the investigation and arrest. 

 

 

Aaron Morrill

The Mayor Blinks on Trash Fees

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With opposition growing daily, Mayor Fulop appears to be reversing his controversial decision to shift to individual homeowners the cost of trash pickup, a cost previously shouldered by the city.

“Suez/MUA has agreed to stop the billing on their new formula until that formula can be corrected,” he wrote yesterday in a Facebook post. Explaining his decision, the mayor blamed the Jersey City Municipal Utilities Authority [MUA] and water company Suez for “sending out incorrect bills with regards to water billing that have been much larger than agreed upon.”

In a sign that Suez may have been caught unaware by the mayor’s flip-flop, four hours went by before it went on Twitter with a message to Jersey City residents. “Please DO NOT pay the Solid Waste fee on your current bill while we work with @JCMUA and @JerseyCity to ensure that bills are accurate.”

Neither the mayor nor Suez gave any indication as to what might replace the fee that began appearing on homeowners’ water bills in recent months and became known, derisively, as the “water tax.”

The mayor’s about-face was a surprise to some. Only three days earlier, the mayor had gone on “The City Show” to call complaints about the trash hauling fee “political rhetoric” and said that he was “happy to make [the] argument every single day” as to why the new charge was fair.

And, indeed, the mayor’s city council adversaries were quick to point out their long- standing opposition to the trash fee.

“I’m going to file this under ‘better late than never,’” said Ward E Councilman James Solomon. “We’ve been sounding the alarm on this backdoor, regressive, $300 flat tax on low income families since February.”

Said Councilman at large Rolando Lavarro, “I’m glad to see that Mayor Fulop has reversed course on his MUA backdoor tax. To be clear, the original intention of Mayor Fulop’s backdoor tax was never to create ‘tax fairness.’”

Mayoral challenger Lewis Spears also released a statement. “Jersey City residents were negatively impacted by the consequences of a policy that seemed to be rushed into place. They demanded to be heard and now we essentially have a reversal of course.”

Until yesterday, however, the mayor had been adamant that the trash collection charge wasn’t a tax increase. “If the average house is having a $300 increase [for trash] but their taxes are going down by $1000 how is that a backdoor tax?” the mayor asked in his City Show interview.

The mayor pointed out that tax-abated properties were not previously being charged for increases in the cost of garbage pick-up.  “Something like garbage collection that goes up exponentially every single contract…those tax abated buildings don’t participate in that.”

If there was an economic case to be made, however, many Jersey City residents weren’t buying it.  Barbara Waddell called the charge “totally unacceptable.” Dora Butler asked “why are we paying for garbage collection twice.”

Perhaps the most incisive critique came from Council at large Candidate Elvin Dominici and former State of New Jersey Auditor Caroline Algernon. In a detailed spreadsheet provided to the press, they illustrated how the owner of an expensive property Downtown would see a net savings from the new charge while the owner of a less valuable property would see a net increase in costs. Said Algernon, “this charge will undo much of the [tax benefit of the] reval” for property owners in less affluent neighborhoods.

With a petition against the “water tax” beginning to attract signatures and with a bevy of independent candidates and activists coalescing around the issue, it appears the mayor decided that making the  “argument [for it] every single day” of an election year wasn’t a great strategy.