PASCACK VALLEY AREA, N.J.—Virtual handshakes, well wishes, and congratulations will greet new and returning Pascack Valley council members as 2021 begins with small reorganization meetings being held in person at town halls and broadcast remotely.
Face coverings and elbow bumps will be in abundance as the new and returning local legislators are welcomed to Pascack Valley municipalities that face a changed 2021 landscape due to Covid-19 impacts, such as lower tax revenues, business closings, and remote schooling for students in elementary and high schools.
Jan. 4, Montvale, River Vale and Township of Washington hold reorganizations; on Jan. 5, Hillsdale, Emerson, Park Ridge and Westwood gather; and Jan. 6, Woodcliff Lake begins with an unusual end-of-year 2020 council vote, plus reorganization.
Rarely are issues raised or voted on during the mostly ceremonial reorganizations, but two lame duck candidates, both Democrats, are scheduled to vote on an ordinance to approve a comprehensive update of Woodcliff Lake’s Master Plan.
On Dec. 7, 2020 departing councilwoman Nancy Gross voted yes and departing Council President Brian Singleton voted no to introduce the Master Plan update ordinance.
Following its public hearing Dec. 21, the vote was postponed by the mayor due to one councilwoman’s absence.
Following Covid-19 protocols, most are conducting sine die/reorganization meetings remotely via Zoom, GoToMeeting, and via community television, a sharp change from previous years when packed town halls and party heavyweights helped swear-in new council members.
Sine die meetings are traditional and generally held to wrap up any remaining year-end government business before starting anew with newly elected council members.
Monday, Jan. 4
Montvale, River Vale, Washington Township
Monday at 7:30 p.m., Montvale residents can watch the reorganization featuring the swearing in of two reelected incumbents, Republicans Rose Curry and Douglas Arendacs, council president. The meeting will be publicly available via a Zoom link posted on the borough website.
Curry and Arendacs bested Democratic challengers Jarret Schumacher and Dolores Philips by 300-plus votes, winning over 28% of votes to the Democrats’ 22%.
In River Vale at 7:30 p.m. three Republican Council incumbents who ran uncontested, Ari Ben-Yishay, (3,019 votes), Paul J. Criscuolo (3,046 votes) and John P. Donovan (3,024 votes), will be sworn in to serve another three-year term.
Their installation will be broadcast on GoToMeeting and a link can be found on River Vale’s website.
Also at 7:30 p.m., Washington Township has a sine die meeting scheduled on WCTV-NJ and Zoom. There were no open council positions on Nov. 3, with plenty of election action to look forward to this year, including the mayor’s seat.
Tuesday, Jan. 5
Park Ridge, Hillsdale, Emerson, Westwood
Tuesday, Jan. 5, Park Ridge kicks off its installations at 6:15 p.m., following its sine die at 6. Joining the council are Republicans William Fenwick and John M. Cozzi, who squeaked past incumbents Democrat Michael Mintz and Democrat Raymond Mital. PKRG TV will broadcast the proceedings live.
Final vote percentages showed Fenwick (26.24%) and Cozzi (26.02%) beating Mintz (24.55%) and Mital (23.02%). The closely fought election showed a 130-vote difference between Cozzi and Mintz, according to the Bergen County Board of Elections.
Also Tuesday at 7 p.m., Hillsdale welcomes back Republican incumbents Council President Zoltán Horváth (3,485 votes) and councilman Anthony DeRosa (3,690 votes), who handily defeated their Democratic challengers, Steven Segalas (2.947 votes) and Christopher Camp (2,840 votes).
The meeting will be on Zoom, with a link posted on the meeting agenda.
In Emerson at 7:30 p.m., Republican challengers Michael Timmerman (2,018 votes) and Carl Carbo (1,988 votes) will be seated as new council members. They bested Democratic incumbents Patricia Dinallo and Karen Browne.
Generally, Emerson meeting are livestreamed on GoToMeeting via a link on the agenda and posted on YouTube.
In Westwood, starting at 6:30 p.m., two incumbents, Democratic Councilwoman Erin Collins and Republican Christopher Montana, will be reinstalled. Collins tallied 3,032 votes and Montana 2,608 votes. Both outpolled their Democratic challenger, Bermari Roig, who claimed 2,528 votes. As well, Republican incumbent Cheryl Hodges fended off Lee-Ann Schaadt to fill a one-year unexpired term. Meetings can be viewed on Zoom via a link on the meeting agenda posted online.
Wednesday, Jan. 6
Woodcliff Lake
Wednesday at 6 p.m., Woodcliff Lake welcomes back once-mayor Democrat Josephine Higgins and Democratic newcomer Richard A. Schnoll. They defeated two Republican challengers, Roxana Rito and Michael Casale.
Incumbent Democrat Craig Marson defeated Republican challenger Dianna Cereijo by about 500 votes to fill a one-year unexpired term.
Before the swearings-in, the former council, with its two lame duck members, will vote on whether to approve a $45,000 proposal for a comprehensive Master Plan review, which critics have said should not be decided until new council members are seated.
Advocates say a plan update is needed because the current plan is outdated and the plan can lead to developers’ lawsuits against the borough’s land use boards. Critics alleged the plan update might lead to a developer coming in for some land use not wanted by residents.
Officials noted that if $45,000 funding for a plan update is approved, it would take months to complete and the process which would be open to public input and public comment on multiple occasions before a new Master Plan is finally adopted.
Due to councilwoman Angela Hayes’s absence Dec. 21, Mayor Carlos Rendo delayed the vote until a full council could be present., and the sine die meeting offered a chance to hold the vote. Hayes voted against the funding to update the Master Plan.
Rendo told Pascack Press last week, “I want the full council present on such an important vote. Councilwoman Hayes was absent so I decided to pull the vote.”
The meeting should be available via a Zoom link on the borough website.