RUTHERFORD (Aug. 25, 2010, 3:20 p.m.) — The storied history of The Leader Newspaper, South Bergen’s premier weekly publication, has seen a full suite of improvements and enhancements throughout its more than 100 years of publishing. For several years, it has lived up to its motto of being “The Pulse of the Meadowlands” for the local area.

Now, the newspaper, which serves eight communities in southern Bergen County, is ready to take a bold step into the 21st century media marketplace — and it has a few new friends to help it along the way.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

HACKENSACK (Aug. 19, 2010, 10:55 a.m.) — If it were up to most of the public officials in the South Bergen area, housing would be taken off the suggestion list for the future of the Meadowlands Sports Complex. But, realistically, is “a mini-city with 5 million square feet of housing” an option for the tract of land in the eastern portion of East Rutherford?

Jon F. Hanson, who heads Gov. Chris Christie’s advisory commission on gaming, sports and entertainment throughout the state, recently spoke of the financial advantages of adding a housing component in the Meadowlands, according to news reports. His comments, and the conceptual plans to privatize some of the public assets at the complex, such as the racetrack and IZOD Center, prompted Bergen County Freeholder Bernadette McPherson to draft a resolution calling for the abandonment of “any plan for housing in the Meadowlands.”

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

HACKENSACK (Aug. 12, 2010, 9:35 a.m.) — A Republican candidate for the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders has dropped out of the race, according to the chairman of the Bergen County Republican Organization, Robert Yudin. Frank Valenzuela, who serves as the mayor of Rochelle Park, cited his recent diagnosis with multiple sclerosis as the determining factor for his exit.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

NORTH ARLINGTON (Aug. 5, 2010) — Deputy Bergen County Clerk Joyce SanFilippo wrote a two-page letter to North Arlington Mayor Peter Massa and the local governing body Wednesday, July 7, outlining a recent incident in the clerk’s office involving Nicholas Antonicello, a well-known Democrat in the borough, and his “unacceptable behavior.”

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

EAST RUTHERFORD (July 23, 2010, 9:45 a.m.) — The Meadowlands Sports Complex may become an altogether different place if recently released recommendations on the future of East Rutherford's entertainment and sporting facilities come to fruition.

A special advisory commission created by Gov. Chris Christie released a much-anticipated report Wednesday, July 21, detailing the financially-strapped circumstances of New Jersey’s gaming, sports and entertainment venues. The sweeping plans call for a complete overhaul of the present operations and future prospects of the troubled industries.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (July 15, 2010) — Members of Rutherford’s Department of Public Works and police department crammed into council chambers Thursday, July 8, to fight for their jobs.

Temperatures in the room soared to 86 degrees on a thermometer near the air conditioner as the council scolded Mayor John Hipp for sending official letters to 57 borough employees — 29 in the police department and 28 in DPW — telling them that their job status would be discussed at the meeting.

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By Chris Neidenberg / Reporter

EAST RUTHERFORD (July 13, 2010) — As state legislators and Republican Gov. Chris Christie look to greatly tighten restrictions on municipal spending next year, East Rutherford’s governing body has introduced a budget that will exceed the current, less restrictive limit.  

Members voted 4-1 Tuesday, July 6, to introduce a $20,227,646 spending plan for 2010. As introduced, the budget relies on a $2.1 million increase in property taxes, bringing the total amount to be billed to taxpayers to just over $8 million.

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By Chris Neidenberg / Reporter

TRENTON (July 8, 2010, 3:15 p.m.) — With help from a handful of Democrats, the New Jersey Legislature handed freshman Republican Gov. Chris Christie a critical win June 29, approving his $29.38 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2011, some $2.8 billion lower than the prior year’s.

The measure cleared the state Assembly by a 41-37 vote, with eight Democrats joining the GOP. It passed by a 21-19 tally in the state Senate. There, four Democrats crossed over in giving Christie his narrow win.

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By Jennifer Vazquez / Reporter

NORTH ARLINGTON (July 7, 2010, 10:45 a.m.) — Tenants and business owners on Porete Avenue in North Arlington came across letters that invited them to a special meeting June 21 in order to share any ideas they may have regarding the Porete Avenue Redevelopment Plan. They could ask any questions or bring up any concerns regarding the controversial tract of land.

“We are interested in receiving your input on this proposed plan and would like to hear from you as to improvements you may feel should be included in the plan,” stated the invitations, which came from Councilman Joseph Bianchi and Council President Richard Hughes, two local Republicans.

Even though Mayor Peter Massa, a Democrat, said that he doesn’t know all of the facts regarding the meeting, “the matter is under review” since he was not informed of the get-together.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

LYNDHURST (July 6, 2010, 10:45 a.m.) — When the Lyndhurst Board of Education voted Monday, June 28 to hire Bob Giangeruso — a teacher in the district and son of current Lyndhurst Commissioner Robert Giangeruso — as principal of Jefferson School, the decision was not unanimous.

William Barnaskas, a board of education trustee for several years, strenuously dissented and claimed the hiring process was rigged.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

HACKENSACK (July 1, 2010) — On Tuesday, June 29, Northvale Mayor John S. Hogan was officially selected to fill the vacated seat of outgoing freeholder, Tomas Padilla, on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders. Hogan will serve until the end of the year, and longer if he wins successful election in November.

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(June 11, 2010, 4 p.m.) — The Leader newspaper, which publishes DOWNtime magazine, was given 29 awards for its editorial and advertising content in 2009. Among the many wins were more than a dozen first-place finishes.

The Garden State Journalists awarded The Leader the prestigious Hildy Johnson prize, the organization’s top accolades for best print or broadcast story of the year. The recognition was given for The Leader’s exposé on North Arlington politics, entitled the “Dirty Diner Deal.” The story, which detailed a secretive meeting between borough Democrats and one sole Republican, appeared on the front page of an October issue in The Leader. Editor in Chief John Soltes and Senior Reporters Susan C. Moeller and Alexis Tarrazi wrote the piece.

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RUTHERFORD (June 3, 2010, 12:05 p.m.) — Rutherford residents will head to the polls Tuesday, June 8 to decide the fate of who will run as officially-recognized party members in November's general election for borough council. On the Republican side, incumbents Rose Inguanti and John Sasso are facing off against challengers Joseph McAllister and Todd Hennessey.

Before heading to the vote, vote in the new poll from The Leader: Who would you vote for in the Rutherford Republican primary?

Please note, although the online poll only allows one vote per session, voters at the actual polls on June 8 will have the chance to vote for two candidates.

By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (June 1, 2010, 4:45 p.m.) — The Republican Party in Rutherford has shown signs of distress for at least a year — Mayor John Hipp has filed a lawsuit against council members who are fellow Republicans, and by all accounts, he declined to notify them personally when Gov. Chris Christie announced that he would visit the borough.

Now, with the June 8 primary election just days away, Republican insiders have ratcheted up the intra-party battle, and Republican Councilman John Genovesi is publicly asking his party’s leaders to remove a local party official from his role in the political machine.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (May 28, 2010, 9:40 a.m.) — Governor Chris Christie came to Rutherford Tuesday, May 25, for a “town hall style” meeting. The gubernatorial visit, a rare occurrence for the borough, touched off a wave of questions about how Mayor John Hipp handled information and decisions leading up to the event.

Hipp said that he found out on the previous Friday, May 21, that the governor would be in the borough. But, he did not notify the other council members until the day before the event, opting then to ask the clerk to let the council know on his behalf, Hipp said.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (May 26, 2010, 8:45 p.m.) — Incumbent John Sasso remains a candidate in June’s contested Republican primary for the Rutherford Borough Council, according to party insiders. But recent speculation that he would step down has magnified disharmony in the borough’s GOP.

A staff member at the Bergen County Clerk’s Office confirmed to The Leader that Sasso, or a party on his behalf, had called the office to see whether the candidate could drop out of the primary race. This phone call took place three days after the deadline for removing a name from the ballot, the staff member said.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

RUTHERFORD (May 25, 2010, 12:50 p.m.) — Governor Chris Christie stopped in Rutherford Tuesday, May 25, to push a constitutional amendment that will require local governments, school boards and counties to limit their tax increases to 2.5 percent per year.

“Having the worst property taxes in America is nothing to be proud of,” Christie told the assembled crowd in the auditorium owned by the Presbyterian Church.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

NEWARK (May 17, 2010, 3:05 p.m.) — Leonard Kaiser, former North Arlington mayor, and his wife Barbara were sentenced Monday, May 17 to one year of probation for attempting federal tax evasion.

Kaiser, wearing a gray pinstriped suit, used his cell phone outside the courtroom to tell an unidentified party the news.

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By John Soltes / Editor in Chief

NORTH ARLINGTON (May 7, 2010) — After much controversy over his appointment in January, Kenneth Del Vecchio, the municipal judge of North Arlington, has submitted his letter of resignation to the borough.

His official stepping down became effective Monday, May 3.

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By Susan C. Moeller / Senior Reporter

CARLSTADT (May 6, 2010) — A grand jury has doubled the theft of benefits charges against Carlstadt Mayor William Roseman and his ex-wife Lori Lewin. The mayor’s attorney, Priscilla Prezioso, responded by blasting the prosecutor for a selective application of justice and emphasizing Roseman’s self-proclaimed innocence.

A grand jury recently added three additional counts to the original May 2009 indictment, according to information released Wednesday, April 28 by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office.

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