TOWNSHIP OF WASHINGTON—A governing body composed of Republican Mayor Peter Calamari and an Independent coalition-majority council took the reins for 2018 on Tuesday, vowing action on projects many in town have considered long overdue.
Beyond setting the township’s budget in a timely manner, topping the agenda for both Calamari and newly minted Council President Michael DeSena is jumpstarting improvements to the intersection of Pascack Road and Washington Avenue.
Calamari said he has been working on that plan with the chief of staff to County Executive James J. Tedesco III since he won election.
The mayor of River Vale, Republican Glen J. Jasionowski, spoke at the public comment portion of the township’s Jan. 2 reorganization meeting to say his community was standing by as a good neighbor.
“I’ve been on the dais for 12 years and this is the first time we’ve ever been reached out to by the Township of Washington’s mayor and council. If you need equipment—if you need anything—you have a friend in River Vale,” Jasionowski said.
The meeting followed a sine die meeting, which wrapped up matters from 2017, including amending and adopting ordinances and approving a budget transfer.
Another item cancelled funded appropriation balances under bond ordinances adopted for a 2006 flood project by West Place that was later abandoned.
“The soft costs—engineering fees—were spent to study the area and paid, and the project was abandoned. There was a grant receivable set up on the ledger to collect the money for the project. That receivable was never collected and now needs to be written off the ledger, similar to an uncollectible receivable,” Bruno told Pascack Press.
“So we have a double whammy: money wasted and spent for a project that was abandoned and a grant that will never be received. Instead of using the extra money for projects, we used it for a bookkeeping cleanup. I estimate it to be approximately $300,000,” Bruno said.
Mayor says concert series, civilian dispatch taking shape
Calamari also said he was:
- “Greatly improving” the township calendar, which residents should have by Feb. 1;
- Launching a summer concert series with the Washington Lake Association, which owns 28-acre Schlegel Lake and environs. Some bands are booked;
- Working with the police chief on hiring a full civilian workforce for emergency dispatch “as soon as is humanly possible”;
- Signing a shared services agreement with Ridgewood “to have another option to service the town’s fleet of vehicles”;
- Working with “a couple of local establishments” on making more commuter parking spaces available;
- Looking at whether to rehabilitate the firehouse or rebuild it outright. He’s already spoken with architects on a study; and
- Looking forward to sitting in on a couple meetings of his predecessor, Janet Sobkowicz’s, appointed Memorial Field Committee before deciding how best to help the town rehabilitate and maintain the field.
The council also established a $2,887,555.20 temporary budget to fund the government for the start of the year.
Calamari said he was closing in on the expense side and that he would present his complete budget very soon: “closer to Jan. 15 than June 15,” he said to laughs from the council and gallery.
Officials sworn in
Judge Peter G. Geiger swore in officials, including Calamari and others also sworn in Jan. 1:
- Newly elected councilmembers Arthur Cumming (R) and Michael DeSena. Cumming chose to take the oath over an 1813 family Bible open to the Sermon on the Mount.
- DeSena, again, as newly elected council president, replacing Councilmember Robert Bruno in the role.
- Councilmember Steven Casio as council vice president, unseating Councilmember Michael Ullman in the role.
Words of gratitude were said for former Councilmember Thomas Sears, now retired, who ran with Calamari but did not win re-election, and of resident Raymond Bernroth of Crest Place, who passed away Saturday at 77.
Bernroth, who used a walker of late, was a frequent speaker at public meetings and had been working to persuade Sobkowicz and her council to take more action on pedestrian safety.
Most directors named; some left in limbo
The new council passed resolutions for a slate of town directors, though notably not for the town administrator, Mary Anne Groh (no second), and the town attorney, Kenneth Poller (no motion), both seated at the dais, who will carry on as holdovers.
There also was no motion for the directors of public safety, nominated as William Cicchetti, and recreation, nominated as Eamonn Twomey.
Appointed were Director of Engineering Vladimir Wojno-Oranski, with Bruno voting no; Director of the Fire Department William Bilias; Director of Health and Welfare Jeanne Covello; Director of Municipal Facilities Daniel Scuderi; and Director of Public Affairs and Information Dina Burke, with Bruno abstaining.
Fire Department officers are Chief Peter Insetta, Deputy Chief Kevin Zitko, Battallion Chief Jason Gugger, Captain Clayton Kenny, First Lt. Zachary Miros, Second Lt. Frank Aiello and Third Lt. Christian Husselin.
Calamari appointed other positions, including school crossing guards Anoush Yenoukian, Paul Onorato, Ralph Kwasniewski, James Tonner, John Walsh, and Eileen Farrel; special enforcement officers David Rosenbaum and Clayton Kenny; an alternate to the library board, certain members of the planning board, a member of the recreation advisory board, and the township’s risk management consultant.
Voted in under professional appointments are Azzolina & Feury Engineering for township engineer; Robert H. Beinfield, Esq., of Hawkins, Delafield & Wood, for bonding attorney; Mark DiMaria, Esq., for municipal prosector; James Stewart and Ralph Kwasniewski as fire inspectors; J. Ryan Smith as fire official; and Nancy Salvi for the Library Board of Trustees.
Not receiving motions were the contract for the township planner and—again—an acknowledgement of Poller as township attorney.
The council appointed Cumming as its representative to the Planning Board; awarded a contract to Louis C. Mai, CPA; appointed Gerald Tyne as public defender; named town clerk Susan Witkowski as registrar of records; and set Lydia Lasini as court administrator.
Calamari said he was disappointed the full agenda of additions to township governance and administration was not adopted at the meeting.
“These are good people and good companies,” he said.
Calamari pressed anew on form of government question
In the council’s consent agenda, the governing body passed 19 housekeeping resolutions, including passage of the temporary budget (which was amended to $30,000 less than it was introduced); the council’s new schedule; designating a cash management plan; and authorizing or reauthorizing agreements, partnerships, and policies.
The final item in the council’s conference agenda, under current business, was a discussion of alternatives to the town’s form of government, which is a “Faulkner Plan E” form that gives broad powers to the mayor.
Calamari has said he does not support reimagining the form of government for at least the next six to nine months, adding that he was elected to do a job that he’ll prove he can do well and inclusively, but Cascio and others said a change might benefit the town.
“I firmly believe that this town runs on personalities,” he said. “For a town our size we might do better with something else. I say let the people decide.”
The council will meet the first and third Tuesday of the month at 7:30 p.m. at the Municipal Center, 350 Hudson Ave.
For more information, visit twpofwashington.us.