The Place for Jersey City News
Norma Fernandez and Gerald Lyons
Andrea Crowley-Hughes

Covid and Superintendent Replacement Dominate BOE Meeting

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The Jersey City Board of Education’s Tuesday night reorganization meeting was not all pomp and circumstance. Recent school closures amid rising Covid-19 cases and the search for a new superintendent prompted comment from parents and a union leader.

Students in the city public schools returned to remote instruction on Jan. 3 following a surge in the number of individuals testing positive for the coronavirus due to the highly contagious Omicron variant, a district statement said. According to Deputy Superintendent Dr. Norma Fernandez, the district anticipates returning to in-person learning Jan. 10.

But some parents do not believe there will be a timely return to the school buildings.

“I have zero confidence we’re returning to school on Monday,” parent Jackie Cox said, after wondering aloud why Covid testing was not a greater part of the district’s response.

“This pandemic is not going away, and more variants are on the way, so we need to find a way to live with this and do it safely,” she said.

“We have so many other tools,” Danforth Avenue Early Childhood Center parent Robert Gordon said. “There is mass testing, vaccines, air filtration systems, masks, social distancing, and sanitizing hands and surfaces. Why, when we reach into our toolbox, do we always seem to go right for the hammer every time?”

Fernandez, the deputy superintendent, said the decision to return to remote learning for the week was based on the number of staff members testing positive for the virus.

New Jersey confirmed 24,710 cases on Monday when remote learning started, Fernandez said.

Out of the approximately 2,650 teachers and paraprofessionals in the district, Fernandez said 275 staff members tested positive for the virus and 40 people had been in close contact with a virus carrier.

According to the deputy superintendent, “This is double the number of cases we had in the whole month of December.”

Fernandez added that 750 teachers and teachers’ aides had been absent Monday due to symptoms and need to be tested.

“Our district affirms the parents’ sentiment that in-person learning is best,” Fernandez said in alliance with the parents who had been vocal in the room. She said the district will update parents as circumstances change.

New board trustees Younass Barkouch, Natalia Ioffe, and Paula Jones-Watson were sworn in at the meeting, and the board elected its leadership for the 2022-23 school year.

Gerald Lyons, a retired educator from the Hudson County Schools of Technology, was elected president.

Breaking with the past, the board changed its policy and elected two vice presidents, one to focus on instruction.

“Several large districts like Newark and South Orange-Maplewood have two vice presidents,” Lyons said. “I think it’s a great way for us to get more experience as leadership.”

Verdibello (nominated by Ioffe) won a contested vote for instructional vice president against Velazquez (nominated by Alexander Hamilton).

Ioffe (nominated by Lorenzo Richardson) was elected non-instructional vice president.

Fernandez’s future in the district was openly discussed at the meeting, although trustee Noemi Velazquez said this was inappropriate and the topic should have been saved for the board’s closed session.

A motion by Verdibello to appoint Fernandez interim superintendent through June 2023 was tabled.

Earlier in the meeting, Jersey City Education Association President Ron Greco urged the board not to let the mayor influence its choice of superintendent or acting superintendent.

The teachers’ union president has said Fernandez is his choice for acting superintendent, not Assistant Superintendent Ellen Ruane who is also vying for the job.

“We need someone who’s going to keep the waters calm and steer the ship for the next six months,” Greco said.

Lyons said the board will hold a special meeting on Monday to discuss the superintendent search.

U.S. Attorney sign
Aaron Morrill

Adjournment of Former Fulop Adviser’s Tax Evasion Trial Stokes Speculation

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The “indefinite” adjournment of the federal trial of Thomas Bertoli, a former associate of Mayor Steven Fulop, has stoked speculation that he may have elected to cooperate with authorities rather than risk taking his case to trial.

Bertoli, who advised Fulop in his runs for city council and mayor, was indicted for tax evasion in June 2020. The eight-count indictment alleges Bertoli failed to file income tax returns, concealed income by using check cashing services, used a business account for personal expenses, and gave false statements to the IRS.

In a letter to the court on December 22, Bertoli attorney Greg Jones wrote, “This letter confirms that, as a result of today’s Text Order … indefinitely adjourning the trial, the deadlines set forth in the December 9 Scheduling Order … are also indefinitely adjourned.”

Tom Bertoli

Tom Bertoli

Chris Adams, a criminal defense attorney in Red Bank with 25 years of experience told the Jersey City Times, “It says to me that he’s possibly cooperating. The only other reasonable explanation is illness.” However, in the case of illness “you’d always set a control date. The fact that nothing is set is peculiar.”

In a phone call, Bertoli co-counsel Jack Arseneault was emphatic that the postponement was due to a “very significant health issue.”

When asked about Arseneault’s explanation, a spokesperson for the United States Attorney’s Office said, “I can confirm the trial has been adjourned without a date.”

According to the indictment, Bertoli ran a business in which he received payments from developers in exchange for his “expediting services” on real estate and constructions projects. Bertoli was also paid by political campaigns for “political consulting services.” Bertoli, the indictment states, received “hundred of thousands of dollars of gross receipts” each year from 2009 to 2016.

While the indictment alleges that Bertoli failed to file tax returns in the eight years from 2009 to 2016, he is only charged for the years 2013 through 2017. The IRS has three years from the due date of the return or the date on which it was filed, whichever is later, to bring an action.

In 2019, Bloomberg reported that Bertoli was being pressured by prosecutors to provide information on Fulop and other New Jersey political figures. While no charges have been lodged against the mayor, Bloomberg identified several problematic transactions including campaign donations and political arrangements, tax assessments and personal home loans.

The mayor’s spokesperson told Bloomberg that no special favors had been granted by or accepted from any campaign contributor or city contractor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Statue of Liberty
Ron Leir

No Liberty or Ellis Ferry Service from Jersey City This Winter

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The National Park Service is temporarily shutting down Jersey City-based ferry service to Ellis and Liberty Islands from January 3 to March 11 according to a new alert on the agency’s website. Service will resume Saturday, March 12.

During that time, ferry access to and from both islands will continue from Statue Cruises at Pier 6 in Battery Park, Manhattan.

John W. Piltzecker, superintendent of the Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, said the service from Liberty State Park was being discontinued mainly for monetary reasons.

Until about a year ago, passengers departing from Liberty State Park for Liberty and/or Ellis Islands would pass through a security shed before boarding a dockside barge leading to the ferry. In the winter of 2020, that barge partially sank, and the NPS moved the ferry slip to the piers outside the historic Central Railroad Terminal. That area is wider, requiring more police officers than before. Piltzecker said it would be too costly for the NPS to continue paying both for this extra security force and for anticipated snow removal during the winter.

Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Highway Administration, supplemented by N.J. State Parks Service’s capital reserve fund, will be provided for construction of a new barge. Piltzecker could not say when that work would be completed.

A projected “lack of visitation” to the Statue and Ellis Island during the winter months from the Jersey City embarkation point also factored into the NPS decision, Piltzecker said.

About 20 percent of visitors to Liberty and Ellis Islands are from New Jersey, according to the superintendent.

Sam Pesin, president of Friends of Liberty State Park, called the NPS decision to shut down ferry service from New Jersey “unfortunate and unfair” to Garden State residents.

He said it was also unfair to out-of-state visitors who’ve booked hotels in the area intending to tour the Statue and Ellis Island and who, he added, would likely be unaware that there will be no New Jersey-based ferry service to those destinations.

Piltzecker noted that “75 percent of the people who come to see the Statue buy their tickets in advance,” so those folks will likely learn about the change from the vendor.

But to minimize inconvenience to travelers, he said the ferry operator and the New Jersey Park Service would likely further publicize the service cutback.

Nevertheless, Pesin said that NPS “should have pushed for additional federal funding to keep the ferry service from Liberty State Park going.” If New Jersey Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker had known about it, he added, they would have pressed for the monies needed.

Jersey City police car
Aaron Morrill

Heights Street Fight Leads to Reported Shooting

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A Heights street fight followed by a reported gunshot last night had police scrambling to find a victim in nearby hospitals.

The report of a fight and gunshot went out over police radio last night at around 6:30 p.m.

According to a witness, individuals in a black SUV and a Nissan automobile engaged in a street fight near the intersection of Grace Street and Summit Avenue.

The witness told police that one of the men shot off a round and that they “observed a male go to the ground.”

A search of nearby hospitals, however, failed to turn up a gunshot victim. No reported arrests were made.

Rob Menendez and Joe Biden
Terrence T. McDonald

Op Ed: Coronation of Menendez Jr. is New Jersey Politics at its Worst

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Republished courtesy of  New Jersey Monitor. (Originally published on December 24, 2021)

The race to make sure Robert Menendez Jr. glides into the House of Representatives as Rep. Albio Sires’ successor is New Jersey politics at its worst.

It’s been just four days since Sires announced he will retire at the end of his current term, and Menendez — the son of Sen. Bob Menendez, obvs — has received the endorsement of Gov. Phil Murphy, Sires, state Sen. Joe Cryan, Hudson County Democratic Chair Amy DeGise, and nearly every major Hudson County Democrat, among others.

There are six months until the primary. There are no declared candidates. Zero issues have been discussed. Not one vote has been cast. Yet Junior has all-but secured the Democratic nomination for the 8th Congressional District, which means — absent an electoral disaster for the Democratic Party that even optimistic Republicans aren’t predicting — he will become the liberal district’s next congressman.

A better illustration of the power political bosses have over New Jersey elections I can’t recall.

I talked to Julia Sass Rubin, a professor at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, who has been critical of the process that allows a handful of party bosses to award their party’s endorsement and, with it, superior ballot placement. With the bosses on his side, Menendez the younger will receive a better spot on the ballot than whoever dares to challenge him, virtually guaranteeing his primary victory.

Rubin said the decision by high-profile Democrats to line up behind Menendez Jr. shows “just a few people hold all the power, and the voters are basically irrelevant to who gets elected.”

This reminds her of 2014, when Rep. Rob Andrews announced his retirement and, within hours, Donald Norcross — brother of South Jersey power broker George Norcross — secured the support of the Democratic establishment. Norcross won the primary, of course, and now represents New Jersey’s 1st Congressional District.

“This pattern of nepotism and lack of democracy is par for the course in New Jersey because of the political machines and the county line,” she said.

For me, what’s troubling here is not the nepotism. If voters have a choice and decide to go with the guy whose dad is famous, that’s up to them.

But this is about robbing voters of that choice. The parade of Democrats who announced this week — days before Christmas, as untold New Jerseyans are distracted by COVID panic — that they are backing Menendez Jr. is not about convincing voters he’s the best guy for the job.

No, this is about signaling to possible challengers they’d better not think of standing in the way of the political career of Sen. Bob Menendez’s son. We’re talking about a senator who once stood outside a courthouse and announced on camera that he is vengeful and has a long memory. Would you want to cross him?

I have no idea if Rob Menendez is the best person to represent the 8th District. But neither does the governor nor any other Democrat now racing to endorse him, yet they are paving the way for Menendez to join Congress without substantive opposition. The whole thing stinks worse than 13A.

 

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Aaron Morrill

Mayor and City Council Sworn in to New Term

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Standing next to his parents, his wife and his two children, Mayor Steven M. Fulop was sworn in today to a third term of office.

Reading from a teleprompter, the mayor then made remarks in a subdued tone of voice, paying homage to family members.  Of his late grandparents Fulop said, “They lost 28 of 35 of our family members in the gas chambers. They picked up the pieces of their lives and believed in what this country and the state represents. I would not be here today without their resilience and their faith in this country. That’s what has guided me and my commitment to serving the military. And that’s what guided me and my commitment to public service. I view it as a partial payment for citizenship.”

The mayor also paid tribute to his father. “He worked in his deli in Newark from 4:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. to provide a better life for our family than what he had experienced. Everything we had was because of his work ethic. The lesson there for me was that nothing comes easy in life, and hard work is rewarded.” The mayor spoke of his mother’s work with immigrants.

Mayor Fulop, whose margin of victory over newcomer Lewis Spears in November was considerably smaller than his winning margin in 2017, nonetheless touted his achievement in winning a third term. “Standing here as the first three-term elected mayor since Frank Hague did it in 1945 is a humbling experience.”

The speech included little in the way of policy specifics. “I don’t need to rattle off accomplishments as I think we all know the city today is a very different place than it was eight years ago … I think we can all say that there’s not a single city in the state or the country that can boast our breadth and depth of accomplishments.”

The mayor said little about his plans for his next term. “I also say it’s the next four years and the impact we will make that will matter most. I stand here today thankful for the chance to lead during these challenging times.”

Ward F Councilman Frank Gilmore is sworn in

Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore is sworn in

Prior to the mayor, each of the recently elected City Council members had stepped up to the podium to be sworn in.

New to the proceedings were Councilwoman-at-large Amy DeGise, who ran as a member of “Team” Fulop, and Frank “Educational” Gilmore, who prevailed over Fulop slate member Jermaine Robinson in Ward F.

Gilmore, who, as a younger man, served time in prison on drug charges, was sworn in by the judge who presided over his juvenile court case. Gilmore tweeted, “Tonight was a surreal feeling. When I was a troubled teen, I stood before Judge Baber in juvenile court. Twenty-five years later he sworn me in as the next Ward F councilman. Anything is possible, people.”

Also sworn in were Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano, Ward D Councilman Yusef Saleh, Ward E Councilman James Solomon, Councilwoman-at-large Joyce Watterman and Councilman-at-large Daniel Rivera.

None of the council members made remarks at the swearing in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Crime Scene Tape
Aaron Morrill

First Gunshots of 2022 Reported in Greenville

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The new year in Jersey City came in much as the old year went out: with gunfire.

According to sources, approximately twelve shots were fired at 12:30 a.m this morning at Martin Luther King Drive and Van Nostrand Avenue.

There were no reported injuries or arrests.

While the administration stopped reporting Compstat data, which includes non-lethal shootings, in 2019 over the objections of the late councilman Michael Yun and Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano, anecdotal reports indicate that such shooting have increased markedly in recent months.