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Andrea Crowley-Hughes

Board of Ed, City Council Huddle on Budget Crisis 

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Jersey City Board of Education trustees and city council members who met for a joint session on Wednesday are in agreement: to solve the public schools’ funding crisis, they must work together. City council members did not promise any specific amounts of funding at the session, but the two governing bodies planned to form subcommittees and reconvene for another meeting in May. 

Conversation among the officials who met at the Hank Gallo Community Center in Lincoln Park was congenial, although due to WiFi problems that made the livestream unwatchable, members of the public could not view the meeting in real time. 

The school board has passed a preliminary budget for the 2021-22 school year that includes an $85 million increase in the tax levy. The preliminary budget would raise school taxes on the average Jersey City home assessed at $461,925 by an additional $993 per year – or $83 per month – in school taxes, according to the district.

Superintendent of Schools Franklin Walker has said the budget will repair years of underfunding for the district of 30,000 students. School Board President Mussab Ali, who is a graduate of McNair Academic High School, put that in concrete terms at the session. “The students who are graduating this year, the class of 2021, from kindergarten to 12th grade, have never had fully funded Jersey City public schools,” Ali said. 

Ali said the state of New Jersey has been cutting aid to the district based to some degree on Jersey City’s growth in ratables, which he said have risen from $20 billion to more than $40 billion. He also pointed out that the only 27% of the city’s revenue goes to the schools, while the state average is 53%. 

“Jersey City, as a city, can afford to put more money in, but the question is how are we going to do it sustainably and in a way that doesn’t hurt homeowners,” said Ali. 

The school board’s 2021-22 budget includes $86 million in payroll taxes from the city, even though the city has only certified $65 million of this owed amount. 

Ward E Councilman James Solomon spoke about working together to come up with “additional revenue raisers,” such as cigarette taxes. “We don’t know what the future of the commercial waterfront is going to be that was supposed to fund a good portion of the payroll tax,” Solomon said. 

In agreement Solomon’s ideas for local revenue sources was Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh.

“We as a council should be looking at recreational cannabis and passing that as soon as possible, sort of creating the framework for how we’re going to tax it,” he said. 

Saleh, along with others on the board and council, said pressure needs to be put on state officials. 

“This is an election year, so that is front and center in mind. You can’t come get votes from our area and then meanwhile hurt a district of majority Black and brown students,” said Saleh. 

Councilman-at-Large Rolando Lavarro said there are only two ways to alleviate the taxpayer burden and adequately fund schools: “by either substantially reducing the city’s levy, so as to offset the increases on the school side, and/or having the city contribute revenues to the Jersey City Public Schools.”

Lavarro had proposed a meeting between the city council and school board during public comments at a recent Board of Education meeting. He is being mentioned as a potential challenger to Mayor Steven Fulop in this fall’s citywide elections.

Council President Joyce Watterman and Ali said the next step after the session is to form subcommittees, which will focus on legislative outreach, finances and operations. Watterman said “we can come back to the public as a unified body once the subcommittees know what they have to do.” 

“If we all live here, I think we should all get along and put everything on the table,” Waterman said. 

The preliminary 2021-22 school budget is currently awaiting approval from the county superintendent. The district’s budget calendar lists April 22 as a tentative date for a board meeting on budget adoption and April 24 as the earliest date for the next public budget hearing.

 

Jersey City Times Staff

Danielle Freire Announces “100% Grassroots” Candidacy for Ward D Council Seat

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Heights resident Danielle Freire announced her candidacy today for the Ward D city council seat currently held by Yousef Saleh.

Saleh was appointed to the city council on April 30, 2020 following the death of Michael Yun. He won a special election for the seat on November 3, 2020.

According to a press release, Freire holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from The New School and “worked in the nonprofit sector for close to a decade and has a focus on raising resources for social justice issues that impact marginalized communities.” Freire is the daughter of Ecuadorian immigrants.

“Having grown up in the Heights, I hold a unique perspective on how the community has changed in both good and bad ways. I want to empower my community to realize that OUR perspective is valuable and essential to policy making. Both my life and work experiences prepared me for this leap into politics, which I never imagined for myself. Frankly, there needs to be more “leaps” and there are many residents with talent, experience, and skills to contribute to their city. Together, we can promote a just and equitable city for all residents to thrive,” said Freire.

Freire has been endorsed by local activist Beverly Brown Ruggia who said “It’s exciting to have a young woman like Danielle Freire join the race for city council in Jersey City. Her personal story is one that reflects the great diversity and wealth of professional talent in our city and her candidacy speaks to the gifted generation of leaders entering the political landscape in the state.”

On Wednesday, March 31, at 7:30 p.m. Friere will live stream an official announcement of her candidacy. It will include musical performances by Mary J. Sansait, Jenna Toulantis Leggio and Summer Dawn Reyes.

 

Aaron Morrill

Council Approves 50 Story Downtown Project with New School

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A 50-story building with 810 rental apartments and a new pre-K-5 public school are coming to a Downtown block currently occupied by 38 deteriorating single family homes. Last night, the City Council voted 8-1 to to adopt the Laurel Saddlewood Redevelopment Plan and thus give final approval to a project eight years in the making.

Ward E Councilman James Solomon, who shepherded the project through an extensive process of review and community feedback, said, “I don’t believe that this is a perfect project, but I do think it should advance.” According to Solomon, the project begins to baddress a “huge public school infrastructure shortage.” He pointed out that the Downtown schools are already over capacity. With Downtown adding 4,000 new units and no funds to build new schools he lamented the absence of a plan to address the dearth of facilities.

The plan came under criticism from Councilman-at-Large Rolando Lavarro, who complained that at over $2,100 per month the 41 “workforce housing” units included in the project were too expensive to be legitimately called affordable. (Workforce housing refers to housing designed for middle-income earners such as police officers and teachers who make too much money to qualify for various subsidized housing programs.) Solomon said that he was open to Lavarro’s proposal to have the developer, LMC, instead make a payment to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

Several council members highlighted the developer’s commitment to contract with the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), for doormen, porters and maintenance workers.

Numerous residents of Laurel Saddlewood testified in favor of the project. Leigh Sellinger said, “Our homes don’t really make sense any more. They are old and difficult to maintain. The buildings are safety hazards.”  Said Andrew Prokos, “the homes are not pleasant to look at. We have flooding. When you factor in all of the community benefits, this is a plus for the city.”

The Harsimus Cove Association is withholding its approval until it receives a financial analysis of the school’s operations, according to its president, Sara Ordway.

Debra Italiano of Sustainable Jersey City was “particularly excited about the stormwater management infrastructure that’s being installed” to deal with flooding and the fact that the building is “green certified.”

In addition to building the school, the developer will triple the size of Philippine Plaza, the “park” on the corner of Second and Grove Streets that features a monument to the Filipino community in Jersey City and that is currently kept locked. Plans also call for 14,000 square feet of retail space and a garage for 294 cars.

In other business, the council passed a revised ordinance regulating sidewalk cafes. The new law creates a full-year license to add to the previous seasonal license, allows for semi-permanent roofs and partitions, and regulates the use of heating devices. The ordinance also regulates recorded and live entertainment in the cafes. Each cafe can host two live music events per week each with up to four performers. Amplified music must not be audible beyond the boundaries of the cafe. The ordinance also waives cafe license fees during the Covid-19 crisis.

Last night’s meeting was also the last for Business Administrator Brian Platt, who is headed to Kansas City, Missouri to take the job of city manager. Members of Jersey City’s Municipal Council sent Platt off with fond memories, compliments, and gentle ribbing. Councilman Richard Boggiano told Platt, “I can’t say what I really want to say. I’ve already notified my relatives in K.C. and told them to move.”  Councilwomen Prinz-Arey and Ridley recalled late night calls for help from Platt.  Councilman Solomon lauded Platt’s work putting Jersey City on the forefront of transportation policy.

Current view of Laurel Court of the Laurel Saddlewood Redevelopment Area

Proposed street view of Laurel Saddlewood development from Manila Ave & 2nd Street

 

 

Jersey City Times Staff

Lavarro Presses for Changes to Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance

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Councilman-at-Large Rolando Lavarro will offer amendments to the administration’s inclusionary zoning ordinance (IZO) on for a second reading at Wednesday’s City Council meeting. In a press release today, Lavarro excoriated the mayor’s proposed ordinance as “comically weak.”  He asserted that it “would accelerate gentrification rather than seriously address Jersey City’s affordable housing crisis.”

The proposed amendments are:

  • Triple the required affordable housing to be built in downtown Jersey City to a mandatory onsite 15%. At least double the amount required in other “hot” real estate markets across the City to 10% mandatory onsite.
  • Close the “waiver” loophole, requiring Jersey City to follow the ordinance for all future developments. No more waivers.
  • Close the “parking deck” loophole, preventing developers from getting out of their affordable housing requirement by building a parking garage and other so-called “community benefits.”
  • Extend to 45 years the required length of affordability for an affordable unit up from 30 years.
  • Require developers to pay down to the last cent, by requiring a payment in lieu for “rounding” calculations. For example, when the inclusionary zoning formula requires a developer to build 25.4 affordable homes, the developer must pay for the “.4” in addition to building the 25 homes.

Lavarro found himself stymied at the last council meeting when Council-President Joyce Watterman forced members to vote on the amendments as a group rather than individually. The amendments went down to defeat. However, several members abstained and seemed to leave the door open to supporting at least some of Lavarro’s ideas.

Local social justice advocates have come out in force to support Lavarro.  Watterman and others have argued that the ordinance will be a work in progress, amenable to change in the future.

The next meeting of the Municipal Council will take place on October 21 at 6 p.m.

Aaron Morrill

Inclusionary Zoning Takes Center Stage at Council Meeting

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“We’re not selling out…there are people who call my office every day to tell me that they need affordable housing…we have to put something on the table to give it a try.”  With those words, Municipal Council President Joyce Watterman put the kibosh on amendments to an inclusionary zoning ordinance (IZO) offered by Councilman-at-Large Rolando Lavarro at last Wednesday’s council meeting.

But despite Watterman’s display of control, the meeting was dominated by Lavarro, who used up the lion’s share of the evening attempting to amend the IZO and questioning the city’s use of proceeds from the issuance of bonds.

The IZO, announced last week jointly by Watterman and Mayor Steven Fulop, would require residential developers with projects over a certain size to make 20% of the units affordable. Before Watterman’s “no” vote, Lavarro painstakingly laid out his proposed changes to it.

The ordinance “has too much flexibility and too many avenues out,” said Lavarro.

Lavarro pointed out that the ordinance would allow a developer to avoid building affordable housing as part of its project if it built affordable units off site, contributed to an affordable housing fund or built public parking garages or government offices. Lavarro argued that these “community benefits” should be limited to public schools, public recreational facilities and public transportation.

He objected to a provision that would let the City Council waive enforcement of the affordable housing requirement. “The purpose [of eliminating the waiver] is to tie our hands and future councils’ hands…[the provision] entirely defeats the purpose of having an ordinance in the first place.”

From the beginning though, Watterman stymied Lavarro’s efforts, ruling that his amendments needed to be voted on as a group rather than one by one as Lavarro had proposed. Deprived of the ability to vote on individual amendments, three councilmembers, Denise Ridley, Mira Prinz-Arey and Richard Boggiano, abstained. Jermaine Robinson, Yousef Saleh and Daniel Rivera joined Watterman as “no” votes.  Councilman Solomon joined Lavarro by voting in favor of the amendments. Lavarro promised to offer his amendments again at the council’s next meeting.  Thus, Lavarro’s amendments went down to defeat.

Lavarro wasn’t finished playing interlocutor. On a vote to issue $31 million  in bonds to fund capital improvements, he asked for explanations. Lavarro said that he was opposed to any expenditure on a museum slated for the city-owned “Pathside” building at Journal Square if the project lacked a business plan. “We should have an idea whether this is going to be a self-sustaining program,” he said.  Similarly, Lavarro objected to spending money on new city vehicles without having a vehicle inventory system.  “We are winging it,” said Lavarro.  Notwithstanding Lavarro’s objections, the council authorized the bond issuance 8–1.

If Lavarro was in the minority on the council, he had the overwhelming support of the public speakers. Ward F resident Dana Patton expressed the views of many. “There’s too much wiggle room here for developers and the council to give up on the affordable requirement. There’s not enough to protect the most vulnerable in our community.”

The next meeting of the Municipal Council will take place on October 21 at 6 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jersey City Times Staff

Council Meeting Ends in Defeat for Police De-funders

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In a contentious virtual city council meeting on Tuesday that lasted close to nine hours, Jersey City residents sounded off on the administration’s $658 million 2020 municipal budget. And sound off they did, with a majority of speakers criticizing both the scheduling of the meeting and the the fact that the budget would make minimal cuts from the Department of Public Safety while making vastly larger cuts to the Departments of Health and Human Services and Youth Development and Recreation.

Earlier in the month, Mayor Fulop had lauded his proposed budget for “plugging a gaping budget hole” caused by $50 million in revenue losses coupled with $20 million in added expenses related to Covid-19.  In the same press release, the mayor highlighted “approximately $25 million in immediate and long-term savings from voluntary employee buyouts, hiring freezes, restructuring personnel, elimination of overtime costs, reassessment of operational efficiencies, healthcare cost reevaluation, program inventory assessments, reducing and eliminating operating costs and contracts, internal audits, and debt restructuring.” With these cuts, the mayor said, residents would be spared a “tax increase.” Left unsaid, however, was an impending hike in school taxes brought about by cuts in state aid and a drop in revenue from a city payroll tax.

At Tuesday’s meeting, property taxes and the niceties of budget balancing were far from uppermost in speakers’ minds. The perception that the mayor and his council supporters were attempting to ram through a bloated appropriation for the police department at the expense of social justice for Black and brown people in Jersey City raised the ire of many.

Jenny King’s remarks were typical. “The timing of this meeting at 2 p.m., which was called four days ago, is unfair and inconvenient to Jersey City residents who are unable to make the time to speak in the middle of a weekday.” Jena Lichtenstein went further, telling the council, “You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m deeply disappointed that this vote is taking place at 2 p.m. on a workday at a meeting called as hastily as the council rules of order allow.”

But if the timing of the budget hearing caused consternation amongst administration critics, a proposal by councilmen Rolando Lavarro, Jr. and James Solomon to redirect $5 million in savings away from the Jersey City Public Safety Department and into housing assistance, youth jobs, and community-staffed anti-violence initiatives was enthusiastically supported by those same speakers.

Pamela Johnson, Executive Directory of the Jersey City Anti-Violence Coalition was one.  “The $5 million are pennies in the grand scheme of things … the South Side is already over-policed, and that hasn’t prevented one single act of violence … homicides have taken place while police are sitting in their cars on the corner.” She went on: “Is policing the only answer?  Because if it is, we are truly in trouble. We are in no better position because of more police. Police have not been defunded yet, and yet [violent incidents and drug dealing] are happening and continue to happen.”  But, she added, “defunding doesn’t mean abolishing.” Activist Frank “Educational” Gilmore called the 42% cut to the recreation budget “almost criminal.”

Brian Long argued that “when you cut from youth services and recreation and … bring the total [number of police] to 950, a number which is double the median of cities our size … the answer becomes clear … this budget does not help the people of this city especially its most vulnerable communities … members of this council love to say that we can fund the police and the communities, and yet time after time you defund the communities, you defund education, you defund youth services, but you always seem to fund the police.”

Police union president Carmine Disbrow was having none of it. Claiming that the police had been “outgunned” by terrorists during the kosher market siege in December, he warned  that the budget cuts proposed by Lavarro and Solomon would make it less likely that police protection would be there in the future. He credited the police with keeping protests over the killing of George Floyd peaceful, claiming that it was evidence of the “important bonds” the police have built with “the communities they serve.”

Retired detective Mark Rizzoli held nothing back.  “Councilman Solomon, you’re clearly a socialist.”  Lavarro and Solomon, he said, were “giving in to the mob and the criminal element.”

Speaking as a rookie Jersey City policewoman, Christina Freeman tried to strike a balance. “Am I for defunding the police department?  The answer is no. And it’s not because I’m a police officer. It’s because I grew up in Ward F. We’re already defunded. Our stuff at the academy—we pay for. The equipment we wear—we pay for.  The only thing the city provides for us is the radio, the badge, and the bullet proof vest, which isn’t adequately fit for females. Am I for social services here in Jersey City? Absolutely. We need drug rehab. Do we need recreation for the children? Yes.” Citing the effect of potential cuts on new police officers she added, “I survive on $1,200 every two weeks. I can make more working at McDonald’s. I took an oath. I love my city. As far as people saying that the police don’t live here in the city? It’s a lot of us that do.”

John Boamah, a police officer living in Ward F and a member of Blacks in Law Enforcement Servicing the Community, argued that cuts to the budget would harm minority cops. “We’ve had so many officers come on the job from the community who are making a difference. I understand that we’re not popular, I get it.” But, he continued, “There is so much wasteful spending, these bike lanes. For so long the city has had problems finding funding for kids programs. Give us a Boys and Girls Club in Ward F.”

When the speakers had finished, Councilman Solomon made the argument in favor of his amendment. “At the end of the day this budget only offers one solution to the issue [of violence and disinvestment], and it doesn’t offer anything else.” He cited jobs and mentoring programs from Chicago and Philadelphia that that have caused drops in violence by 30% to 50%. “There is incredible evidence that [these programs] will reduce violence. Investment leads to that safer community we all want.” He cited Newark, which has allocated 5% to anti-violence community groups, as an example to emulate. He then warned that it would be no easier in the future to fund these programs with declining payroll taxes, state budget cuts, tax appeals, and declining PILOT income.

For his part, Councilman Lavarro pushed back against “gaslighting and fear mongering” by the amendment’s critics. He cited a petition signed by 800 people in support. He asserted that the amendment wouldn’t lead to cuts of personnel or the raiding of pensions as some critics had charged. “Why are these investments so important?” he went on. “Police don’t prevent crime.  They react to crime. I’ll be the first to say that it’s a damn shame that we don’t provide funding for uniforms and guns [for the police]. We also need to give people what they need. We need to invest in the community. I will not give up the fight.”

Like his colleagues, Councilman Daniel Rivera commended the amendment’s intent but voted against it. Citing increases in crime in New York City and Chicago, he explained his vote. “I wasn’t a fan of defunding the police department. I’m very passionate about it.” He added, however, that “I wish we could have more solid discussions. Let’s start in November to really engage with these conversations we want to have.”

Councilwoman Denise Ridley pointed to the need for better relations between the police and the community. “A vote on this budget does not mean we don’t believe that Black lives matter. I’m Black. I would be crazy not to believe that my life matters. I believe that the residents of Ward A support the budget overall and definitely have been calling for more and more and more police in the area.”

Council president Joyce Waterman noted that because of the killing of George Floyd, “people are paying attention and want cuts.” She agreed that there is a need “to expand mental health, recreation and anti-violence … I work with people who are less fortunate. I live with racism, so what makes you think I don’t want to combat it?” But, she added, “I know one thing, you don’t want to demonize all police officers.”

Councilman Jermaine Robinson agreed on the need for more services.  “We need to take care of the kids.” Then, offering a mild critique of some callers, he added, “I’ve heard a lot about the Black and brown communities. I want to know if you’ve gone out and talked to the Black and brown communities. I’m there every single day. They’re all trying to find police officers. We have to sit down, and we have to make this plan.”

Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey called the Solomon-Lavarro amendment “well intentioned” and urged the council to begin work on the issues it raised sooner for next year’s budget.

Councilman Yousef Saleh explained that “as well intentioned as it is, it doesn’t really address the pervasive issues in the Heights. The vast majority of residents in the Heights want the police. I personally would like to see more police in the Heights. A lot of calls go unanswered.”

Councilman Boggiano complained that many inaccurate statements were made about policing and offered to meet with police department critics.

In the end, the Solomon-Lavarro amendment was voted down 7-2.  The budget passed 6-2-1, with Councilman Saleh abstaining.

At 10:49 pm, a meeting that started at 2 pm ended.

 

Sally Deering

Council Approves 5G Ordinance and Avoids Lawsuit

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Third-party Restaurant Delivery Fees, Katyn Memorial Statue Also Discussed

The Jersey City Council approved a 5G ordinance, thereby avoiding a pending lawsuit by Cross River Fiber LLC.  In a pre-emptive move, Council President Joyce E. Watterman motioned to hold a vote on the 5G ordinance that had been tabled at the council’s May 6 meeting.

In Wednesday’s meeting, members also tabled until June 10 an ordinance to limit fees set by third-party food delivery services and passed a resolution to introduce the 2020-2021 budget for the Exchange Place Alliance Special Improvement District.

5G Poles for AT&T

5G on Mercer

Worker Installs 5G Tower on Mercer Street, photo by Aaron Morrill

The 5G ordinance gives Cross River Fiber LLC(of ZenFi Networks) the right to install 5G telecommunications utility poles and to upgrade existing 5G poles throughout Jersey City for its client AT&T.

Council President Joyce E. Waterman, who motioned for the ordinance to be taken off the tabled agenda, clashed with Councilman at Large Rolando R. Lavarro, Jr., who objected to the rush to vote, and Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano who called the ordinance “a disgrace.”

“We would normally have a conversation before we vote,” Councilman Lavarro said. “You’re trying to rush this vote through. Cities should not be led by carriers.”

The council had tabled the ordinance at its May 6 meeting for further research, a move that prompted Cross River Fiber LLC to file a lawsuit in federal court in opposition, thus pressuring the council to cast their vote. Corporate Counsel Nick Strasser said that if the council “un-tabled” the ordinance, Cross River Fiber would drop the lawsuit.

Sympathetic to the council’s concerns, Strasser cited the Telecommunications Act of 1996 that states that the Federal Communication Commission has final word on safety measures and other standards in 5G telecommunications deployment. The legislation also states the “regulation of the placement, construction, and modification” of wireless facilities by any state or locality “shall not unreasonably discriminate among providers” and “shall not prohibit the provision of personal wireless services.”

 

“You may be frustrated by that, but that’s how the law stands,” Strasser said.

“All anybody has to do is go on Google and look at scientists that say (5G) can cause danger to people,” Boggiano said. “There are many scientists that disagree totally with the FCC. I think it’s a disgrace that we have to go along with this.”

Displeased with its lack of authority in the matter, and with questions about 5G’s safety to Jersey City residents, the council unanimously agreed to send a resolution to Congressmen Albio Sires and Donald Payne and to Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker for their support to give municipal governments added authority over telecom companies’ practices in their districts.

In the public comments portion of the meeting, Zoe Berg, the Project Director for the non-profit Americans for Responsible Technology, called in. Her office, a national science-based environmental health organization in New York, works with municipalities across the country. It helps protect residents’ interests when dealing with the telecom industry’s deployment of wireless equipment in public rights of way, she said.

“The Cross River lawsuit is a typical intimidation tactic employed by the telecom industry,” Berg said. “I’ve seen it all across the country. It’s a clear sign of bad faith and the worst possible legal outcome is that the city must allow the vendor to proceed as planned. There are effective measures this council can take to protect residents.”

Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh said the concerns he’s hearing about 5G were the same concerns he heard when 3G came out and again when 4G was the new high-speed technology. Other countries have 5G, Saleh said. South Korea has 5G and the fastest internet on the planet.

“We don’t have a leg to stand on here, legally, and I don’t think it’s in our best interest to continue to delay this in the guise of fees or research,” Councilman Saleh said. “This council approved 5G twice. It’s already here. The court isn’t stupid. You guys approved it before and, now you’re having this dialogue.”

Ward E Councilman James Solomon wanted more time for revisions before council members cast their vote.

“Could we spend two more weeks making more revisions?” Councilman Solomon asked. “We potentially could have. A couple more weeks couldn’t have harmed us.

The council approved the 5G ordinance in a 6-3 vote with Councilman Boggiano, Solomon and Lavarro dissenting.

Tabling Take-Out Fee Freeze

The second reading of an ordinance to restrict fees on third-party food delivery services during a declared emergency was tabled in a motion by Councilman Solomon.

“We talked about taking our time to get it right,” Councilman Solomon said. “We have the executive order in place. We can introduce changes at the next meeting.”

The council voted 8-0-1 with Councilman Robinson abstaining to avoid a conflict of interest since he’s the owner of the Light Rail Café in Jersey City.

The Statue Stays

Katyn Memorial

Katyn Memorial

The resolution introducing the 2020-2021 budget of the Exchange Place Alliance Special Improvement District (EPASID) came under scrutiny by Councilman Boggiano, who wanted to pull the resolution “because there are a lot of questions on this,” he said.

“It should be pulled,” Councilman Boggiano said. He shared concern that EPASID might move the Katyn Memorial statue from Exchange Place. “The property is publicly owned by the city. They want to use part of it for the hotel. That part of the city belongs to all the people of Jersey City.”

Council President Watterman, who sits on the EPASID board, invited members of the council to attend one of its meetings.

“When it comes to the Exchange Place Special Improvement District, it’s always a challenge,” Council President Watterman said. “They go through the same process as every other SID. I invite the council to see for yourself. They’re not hiding anything. The statue is not being moved. The people want to make the place nicer. Everybody has a right to use Exchange Place.”

The council passed the resolution with a vote of 7-0-2 with Councilman Boggiano and Council President Waterman abstaining.

The next city council meeting will be held virtually on Wed, June 10 at 6 p.m.

To view the meetings, go to the council’s page on the city’s website.

 

Header: Screen shot of meeting

City Hall of Jersey City
Sally Deering

City Approves Rent Freeze, Pauses 5G Installation

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At Wednesday’s Jersey City Council meeting, members approved a rent freeze on certain apartments in response to the coronavirus pandemic. It postponed an ordinance to allow installation of 5G telecommunication utility poles, among other actions taken.

Council Approves Rent Freeze

 An ordinance came up for a vote authorizing the city of Jersey City to impose a rent freeze on all units subject to rent control and on dwellings with four or fewer housing spaces that are non-owner occupied. The ordinance prohibits landlords from raising rents or assessing penalties for late rent payments as a result of the current emergency. The ordinance will remain in place until Aug. 1, 2020.

Jersey City resident and homeowner Shamoon Ramrup called in in support of landlords who aren’t getting the assistance they need. She said: “I’m hearing about tenants, I’m hearing about a rent freeze. Actually, landlords do not have a forgiveness. We have water, sewer, tax bills. There are landlords in Jersey City who have a mortgage to pay.”

The city council unanimously voted to approve the rent freeze ordinance.

Council Pauses 5G

The second reading of an ordinance authorizing Cross River Fiber LLC to install 72 5G utility poles came to a halt Wednesday even after a discussion with Rob Sokota, Chief Administration Officer for Cross River Fiber LLC. Sokota had joined the virtual meeting to explain the safety of 5G installations.

“The types of equipment we talk about, small cells, are much smaller and much safer than your normal deployment,” Sokota said. “The power is about five watts. That’s probably comparable to Wi-Fi receivers. They are small and low powered. There is no more emission from this pole than there would be from your Wi-Fi router.”

As discussed during the  first reading of the ordinance on April 26, Cross River Fibers LLC (recently merged with Zenfi.com) would be doing the work on behalf of its client AT&T. The term of the agreement authorizing its use of the rights of way use would be 20 years. Cross River Fiber LLC would pay the city $750 for every pole it installed.

Cross River Fiber’s locations for the black utility poles concerned council members who said their constituents questioned the poles’ impact on their family’s health and property values. Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley and Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano asked corporate counsel and Cross River Fiber whether Cross River could send to homeowners residing near the proposed installations notices providing the proposed locations of the poles and the findings from health studies.

“I recognize that this is a controversial issue and that a lot of misinformation is out there,” Councilman Boggiano said. “It’s a fair question to ask for the locations of these towers. People are concerned and need viable information on health and property values.”

Members of the public called in about the 5G ordinance including Chris Gadsden of Jersey City, who said he had health concerns associated with 5G.

“I know Cross River explained how safe they are. I just want to hold up a little bit on the installation of these towers,” Gadsen said. “A lot of these newer towers, they’re installing them along the south side of the city inside Ward A and F. Some of these are installed around senior citizen homes. This should be a process. There should be public notices, mailings done that you’re going to vote on installing the towers. Push back, hold up and notify the community.”

Caller Lucille Shah, a nurse and Jersey City resident, agreed with Gadsen and said there is a lack of data showing 5G is safe and that because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the work is not essential.

“We should delay it,” Shah said. “Where we live, the kids’ bedroom is in the apartment next to the street. They could be sleeping just a few feet from a 5G tower. We’re in a dense urban environment. There needs to be more conversation about this. During the pandemic is not the time.”

When the ordinance came up for a vote before the city council, corporate counsel Nick Strasser informed them that the city council has no authority to veto the ordinance based on health factors since the FCC put its stamp of approval on 5G.

“There are things you can regulate, but what you can’t do is vote this down because of health issues of 5G because the FCC has deemed this safe,” Strasser said. “The FCC has reviewed this and deemed the equipment in this ordinance to be safe to the public, and Congress has given the FCC exclusive jurisdiction to determine what is safe and what is not.”

The Council proposed writing a resolution to U.S. Congressmen Albio Sires and Donald Payne Jr., and Senators Brian Stack and Robert Menendez to garner support to repeal the ordinance. Council President Joyce E. Watterman urged local residents watching the virtual meeting to reach out to their government representatives to voice support of a repeal.

Council at Large Rolando R. Lavarro, Jr., motioned to table the ordinance, and Councilman Boggiano seconded the motion. The Council unanimously approved putting the ordinance on hold until the May 20 council meeting to allow Cross River Fiber time to prepare informational materials to be sent to residents and to okay the renderings of proposed poles to be installed in historic neighborhoods.

Face Masks in Public

At the caucus meeting Monday night, Councilman Lavarro introduced a resolution urging Jersey City residents to wear face masks at all times in public places including streets and parks.

“This is a resolution, not an ordinance or law,” Councilman Lavarro said. “It does not provide for penalties or fines. The Centers for Disease Control and other medical experts have urged the wearing of masks and recommended it. Jersey City is the epicenter in New Jersey with the largest number of cases. While we look to reopen, we need to continue to send the message to practice precautionary measures.”

Lavarro invited Dr. Lilliam Rosado-Hollenbach, a health sciences professor at NJCU, to speak about the need for face coverings.

“This is a public health emergency,” Dr. Rosado-Hollenbach said. “Covid has entered our community and is widespread. It does not discriminate. While scientists are working on the vaccine, people have a responsibility to stop the spread of the virus. There is science behind social distancing, science behind handwashing and wearing a face covering.”

When the council invited Jersey City residents to call in, Dwayne Baskerville of Jersey City shared a story about his daughter who, by wearing a face mask, might have saved her own life.

“My condolences to all of you who have lost someone in this pandemic,” Baskerville said. “I personally had my daughter feeding one of her clients who tested positive. He sneezed in her face and by the grace of God she had on a mask. So, I’m calling to support Councilman Lavarro’s resolution urging everyone in Jersey City to cover up in public places.”

The council voted unanimously to adopt the resolution.

Saluting Nurses

May 6 was National Nurse Day, and Council President Watterman invited members of the council to offer personal tributes to nurses on the frontlines of the Covid-19 pandemic. Councilwoman Ridley spoke of her mom working in healthcare and the challenges she faced; Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, whose aunt who was a nurse during the AIDS epidemic, thanked nurses and also their families, who deal with the stress of having a loved one on the frontlines.

“We understand how hard this is, there are a lot of unknowns,” Councilwoman Prinz-Arey said, reassuringly. “We see the work you do every day. If you need any resources, please reach out to us one hundred percent.”

Along with Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh, Council President Watterman thanked the nurses at Christ Hospital, Jersey City Medical Center and the Metropolitan medical clinic.

“I want to thank you for your dedication and commitment,” Council President Watterman said. “You give hope and healing to so many in need. God bless you and your family. Thank you for your service.”

 

In attendance: Council President Joyce E. Watterman, Council at Large Rolando R. Lavarro, Jr., Council at Large Daniel Rivera, Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley, Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey, Ward C Councilman Richard Boggiano, Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh, Ward E Councilman James Solomon, Ward F Councilman Jermaine D. Robinson; and City Clerk Sean J. Gallagher.

The next virtual city council meeting will be held Wed, May 20 at 6 pm.

To view the meetings, go to the council’s page on the city’s website.

 

Note: A previous version of this article stated that the rent freeze prohibited only late payment penalties.

Parking Meter
Jersey City Times Staff

Consultants Look to Modernize Jersey City Parking

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Parking in Jersey City may never be the same.  That is if a team of consultants hired by the city has anything to say about it. In an hour-long presentation before a virtual caucus meeting of the municipal council, the consultants laid out a detailed proposal for bringing Jersey City’s parking rules into the 21stcentury. Street parking, said the consultants, is a “public resource” that the city needs to manage more efficiently while simultaneously leveraging new sustainable modes of transportation.

“Parking is both about numbers, but it’s also a highly political process,” according to Margaret Newman, former chief of staff of the New York City Department of Transportation during the Bloomberg administration and one of the consultants who worked on the draft.  Among residents, “Everyone has an interest in it, and everyone has a different story and experience,” she added.

In order to develop the plan, the team spent the last year holding meetings in each ward, running a public workshop and digesting the responses to 2,500 electronic surveys filled out by Jersey City residents. More than half the responses came from Wards D and E, prompting the consultants to call for further outreach to Wards A and F, from which the responses had been significantly lower in number.

The plan included ten recommendations ranging from modifying the parking zones to re-examining the city’s requirements for parking features in new construction.

When it comes to new construction, “Cities are moving away from parking minimums and moving to maximums and moving to use-based requirements,” one of the consultants explained. The “current requirements [for developers] were developed based on what’s been done before, copied from other cities or prescribed by council members, without a parking analysis.”

One recommendation — to adopt “tiered meter pricing” — would encourage people to park for short durations in high-demand areas by imposing hourly rates that increase the longer one parked in the spot. Those wanting to park for longer periods would be encouraged, through pricing, to use off-street parking. One of the consultants pointed out that Jersey City is currently doing the opposite, with on-street parking priced at 75 cents an hour and off-street parking at $8.00–10.00 per hour. “This encourages people to park on the street and park there for a very long time.” He added, “If we’re successful, on-street parking will have an occupancy of 85%, so there would always be a space available for those who need it. To the extent possible, we want to prevent people from circling the block or double parking just to avoid paying those higher rates.”

According to the consultants, Jersey City residents like the idea of  “shared parking.” Imagine, they said, a bar and a bank that, due to their different business hours, could use the same parking lot. In a real-world example, they said Sacramento, California, had built a 35 thousand-seat stadium without any new parking simply by accessing existing parking resources nearby.

With the exception of Ward A, when asked, all sections of the city liked the consultants’ proposal to increase parking enforcement. But the consultants qualified this proposal with the admonition that any change in enforcement be properly communicated to residents and that enforcement be carried out even handedly throughout the city.

In areas close to mass transit, the consultants proposed the creation of well-marked lots for commuters in a strategy called “intercept parking.” “Jersey City has an additional burden that not all cities have in that it has commuters who park to take transit,” noted one of the consultants. Intercept parking would help eliminate “the competition between residents and visitors.”

Curb Cuts 3

Curb cuts in Jersey City, Jessey City Times file photo

According to the consultants, residents expressed “real concern” about curb cuts made to create private parking and their effect on on-street parking. The consultants singled out one block on Armstrong Avenue in Greenville that has lost 59 regular parking spaces as a result of such curb cuts.

“The majority of people who participated in meetings wanted to see a reduction in curb cuts,” said one of the consultants.

While acknowledging that curb cuts are “a really difficult problem to address,” the consultants nevertheless proposed a freeze on future curb cut applications.

Notably, the consultants did not recommend the construction of new parking garages, a fact that councilman Richard Boggiano found troubling.

“Charlotte [North Carolina] has numerous parking garages,” Boggiano said, and “the people are quite happy. This is something that is really wrong.”

Boggiano noted wistfully that building more garages was something he and the late Councilman Michael Yun had agreed upon — and indeed respondents to the consultants’ questionnaires ranked the construction of centralized parking garages as their top parking solution. The consultants noted, however, that their survey “has an overrepresentation of car owners.”

A consultant pushed back on the garage-building solution. She pointed out that the cost of building garages is high and that the city should first look for efficiencies.

“Before building new garages, it is critical to look at what the other issues are.”

She noted that building new garages subsidizes the cost of driving and conflicts with sustainability goals.

“Many people are attracted to Jersey City because of the other transportation amenities it offers. We need to look at what the opportunities are to capitalize on the advantages that Jersey City presents prior to increasing the supply,” she said.

The consultants’ report remains little more than a blueprint at this point. Senior Transportation Planner Barkha Patel explained that the proposal has no legal force since it is just that: a proposal. She noted that the consultants still lack some data to complete their recommendations.

“While this is mostly a report to deliver recommendations to the city, I did want it to focus a little bit on what actions we can put into effect immediately … and capitalize on some of the low-hanging fruit. It should function as a comprehensive document that touches on a lot … of questions that the city still needs to answer.”

Fun Jersey City parking numbers

  • 60,000: the number of on-street parking spaces
  • 1,500: the number of metered spaces
  • 30,000: the number off-street parking spaces
  • $35,000 to $60,000: the cost to build one parking space in a garage
  • 333 miles: the total length of all sidewalk curbs
  • 223 miles: the total length of all sidewalk curbs available for parking
  • 75%: the amount of Ward E’s curb length available for parking
  • 59%: the amount of Ward A’s curb length available for parking (significantly lower than Ward E due to curb cuts)
  • 38%: the percentage of Jersey City households with no access to a vehicle

 

Header: Jersey City Times file photo

Viola S Richardson
Sally Deering

Viola Richardson, Warrior for Jersey City

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Viola Richardson’s Facebook page shows a photo of her with people of different ages in pink shirts emblazoned with “Team Viola.” Richardson stands behind them like a warrior as they prepare for a walk-a-thon for the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer.

Viola S Richardson

Courtesy Viola S. Richardson’s Facebook page

The picture speaks volumes. It exemplifies Richardson’s dedication to community service; it reveals her ability to unite people for the common good; and it shows her deep love for Jersey City, which inspired a long and fruitful career in community service and politics.

On Friday, April 10, former Jersey City police officer and Ward F Councilwoman Viola Richardson passed away from Covid-19 complications. She was 74. As the city mourns her passing, friends and colleagues are posting tributes to her on social media that speak of her activism, resilience and devotion to her community.

“Viola was the true embodiment of what Jersey City is all about,” Mayor Steve Fulop said. “She was a fighter, she was a public servant and she was a leader for the ward she passionately represented. I was fortunate to serve with Viola for eight years on the city council. This pandemic has taken too many people too soon, and the former councilwoman will be dearly missed by us all.”

Police Officer and Three-Term Councilwoman

Viola S. Richardson

Courtesy Viola S. Richardson’s Facebook page

In 1981, Richardson joined the Jersey City police department. She was one of 85 African American officers at the time and spent 21 years walking the beat. In 2001, she campaigned for a city council seat in Ward F on the same ticket as mayoral candidate Glenn Cunningham. She won and was re-elected in 2005 and again in 2009.

Appointed to the city council in 2017, Jermaine Robinson, who owns the Light Rail Café on Randolph and Union Streets, remembers when Richardson urged him to get involved in city politics.

“Viola was my first mentor,” Robinson says. “When they were looking for Ward F candidates, she approached me and asked would I want to serve the community. Viola was a no-nonsense person.  She wanted to know are you serious about community? Are you willing to give the time that’s needed to get the people of the community what they deserve?”

Richardson fought for the people of Jersey City every day, Robinson says.

“She was top dog. She would have remained there until she passed. It got tricky when she became at-large, but I don’t think anyone could beat Viola as Ward F councilperson. She did what she said, and she said what she did. She was a rock in the community, and we’ll miss her. I truly am following in her footsteps, and those are some big shoes to fill.”

In 2013, Steve Fulop took office as mayor, and Richardson lost her seat on the council. She told her constituents that night: “I’ve had an excellent run. I have served the citizens of Jersey City, and I have given them all that I have. I have done the best that I can do. I’m happy. Now I can go on vacation. I can do whatever I want … I can be grandma.”

A state delegate for the Women of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America and founding member and former president of the Concerned Citizen’s Coalition Richardson was the first woman president of the Inter-Departmental Minority Police Action Council in Jersey City.

A Pioneer in Community Engagement

With Rudy Snelling Jr.

With Rudy Snelling Jr., courtesy Viola S. Richardson’s Facebook page

Retired Jersey City police officer Rudy Snelling, Jr. recalled that as a police officer, Richardson got to know the residents and store owners on her beat.

“It was about visiting churches, going to Boy Scout and Girl Scout meetings and visiting civic associations,” Snelling said. “The community saw you as a person, a friend, an aunt, uncle, not just a cop. Relations is having a relationship like ‘Hi, how are you, what’s the problem?’ Every cop is community relations, but community engagement is connecting, becoming an intricate part of that community, going to the neighborhood bakery when you’re not looking to purchase something and say, ‘how’s business?’.”

When Snelling joined the police force, he says, he would call Richardson for advice. When she retired from the police force, Snelling threw her a party.

“Viola would say we have not yet arrived,” Snelling says. “She would say, ‘When civilians see police officers as their friends and not as their enemy, then you’ve arrived.’”

Governor Phil Murphy took to Twitter and described Richardson as a warrior for Jersey City.

“Viola Richardson served the people of Jersey City for 12 years as a member of City Council,” Governor Murphy tweeted. “Before that, she was a Jersey City police officer. Tough and outspoken, a fighter for her community and her city. Her life defined the meaning of the words public service.”

A Dear Friend

Janet Walker remembers the good times she and Richardson shared as “church sisters” at Trinity Lutheran Church. The two went to the movies and often dined on Richardson’s favorite sushi.

“Here was this tall statue of a woman, a beautiful sister,” Walker says. “She was obedient to the word of the Lord. Everyone who knew Viola loved Viola. She loved her family, the people she worked with. I love her so much. She was a free spirit, a special person.”

Header:  Courtesy Viola S. Richardson’s Facebook page

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