HILLSDALE—An incumbent Republican councilwoman and a Republican newcomer were sworn in Jan. 4 to the Borough Council while the mayor and a few council members showed they still have disagreements that divided the governing body over the past year.
Councilwoman Janetta Trochimiuk and newcomer Justin Fox ran unopposed in the Nov. 8 General Election. Fox replaces longtime councilman Frank Pizzella, who did not run for reelection.
(See “Pizzella lauded for service, key role in redevelopment,” Pascack Press, Dec. 26, 2022.)
Joseph D’Urso and Nicholas Ponzini, both attorneys, swore in Trochimiuk and Fox, respectively. Both members’ terms end Dec. 31, 2025.
Also in the annual reorganization meeting, council voted with an enthusiastic 6-0 to seat Anthony DeRosa as council president, replacing Trochimiuk in the role.
Previous borough attorney Mark Madaio was reappointed as the municipal counsel for 2023.
Mayor John Ruocco used his state of the borough address to criticize the existing council by-laws that exclude the mayor as an ex-officio member of standing committees and made the mayor speak first, rather than last, during closing council commentaries.
Large portions of the meeting highlighted the mayor-council divide. Ruocco and Councilman Zoltán Horváth criticized some appointments allegedly made without their input, criticized the council’s alleged lack of transparency with residents, and questioned why the mayor was allegedly “excluded” from special committees he had previously served on.
Commenting on the display was visiting Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali.
At one point, DeRosa asked the mayor why he thought there were “five evil councilmembers” who were out to exclude the mayor. Ruocco said he did not use those words.
Trochimiuk said that the early 2022 bylaw changes were not meant as “punishment” but rather were enacted so that a voting council member could attend standing committee meetings and vote, which Ruocco could not as an ex-officio member.
Ruocco presented a three-page, single-spaced “State of the Borough Address – Part 1.” He said he’ll likely provide a part two after the 2023 budget is revealed and more details are known about projects proposed by council.
Report part 1 lays out complaints against the council majority who, as Ruocco alleges, changed its bylaws to “restrict” his access to municipal information. He also noted local changes and positive efforts.
He thanked “all our borough employees, volunteers and professionals who ensured that the essential services of local government were delivered to our residents last year. This was done despite the challenges that arose from management resignations at the Borough Administrator job (Christ Tietjen) and at the DPW Superintendent (Billy Haffler) position during the first quarter of last year (2022).”
He also thanked the Hillsdale Free Public Library staff and their director, “who have continued to provide an attractive range of services and programs to the broad community despite living with budgetary restrictions that the council imposed on them and which still exist.”
And he said “I also want to acknowledge the efforts made by the Stonybrook Pool Commission to increase its membership and other sources of revenue.”
Ruocco cited six events in 2022 that will continue to have “significant impact on the residents.”
- A redevelopment agreement signed to eliminate a waste transfer station and allow 255 market-rate and affordable units, including a PILOT agreement;
- Council moving to install artificial turf on Centennial Field for approximately $4 million;
- Council plans to build a “second community center” at Stonybrook Swim Club for $3 million;
Increased flooding along Pascack Brook, which recently badly damaged the DPW headquarters; - “Extensive, disruptive road dig-ups by Veolia and PSEG”; and
- The upcoming $82.5 million school referendum vote that could increase school taxes.
Ruocco also telegraphed a number of concerns he was likely to air for his “part two” report.
Business administrator David Troast resigned Dec. 16 citing a great divide between the mayor and council. (See “Latest borough admin quits,” Dec. 26, 2002, Pascack Press.) He agreed to remain on the job until the mayor and council replaced him, notwithstanding a scheduled vacation.
During an exchange Jan. 4, DeRosa spoke to the bylaw changes, noting that Ruocco revealed information after being on committees. He said, “It’s what you intimated, what you said to the papers. What would cause that to occur? You have to ask yourself that.”
Ruocco has alleged that after he revealed a $16 million cost estimate on a proposed community center and turf field heard at a committee meeting in late 2021, the council changed its bylaws to exclude him from committees. Councilmembers then alleged Ruocco had agreed not to publicly reveal the estimate; Ruocco replied then that he never agreed to not disclose the estimate.
Reactions from the public
During public comment, John Klein said from what he observed at the Jan. 4 meeting, it appeared that “five people [the council majority] are trying to hide stuff from the mayor and residents of the borough. Either you want the mayor in the mix or you don’t want the mayor in the mix.”
Montvale Mayor Michael Ghassali, an audience member, congratulated Trochimiuk and Fox on their swearings-in.
After observing the meeting’s tense exchanges, Ghassali said Montvale and Hillsdale both have a “weak mayor, strong council” form of government, and that the mayor as chief executive of town, “is really a weak position [that] must have mutual trust between the mayor and council members.”
Ghassali noted it was “a very interesting meeting for me to hear here.”
Citizens step up
In addition to other resolutions and board and committee appointments, the mayor and council had the pleasure to introduce the names of 2023 public safety officers:
- 2023 Board of Fire Officers: Chief Dan Schuster, Deputy Chief William Farrell, Senior Capt. Christopher Kelley, Junior Capt. Joseph Solda III, 1Lt. George Lucia Jr., 2Lt. Joseph Solda II, 3Lt. Raymond DeGroat, 4Lt. Thomas Dunn.
- 2023 Association Officers: President Peter Hard, Vice President Paul Muller, Secretary Keith I. Durie, Treasurer Patrick Doody, assistant secretary/treasurer William Becker.
- Police Department. Mayor Ruocco presented for council confirmation the following appointments to the Police Department Special Officers, Auxiliary Officers and Police Matrons for the year 2023 as recommended by Police Chief Francaviglia: #53 Chief Robert Francaviglia, #59 Capt. Sean Smith, #75 Lt. Mike Camporeale, #62 Sgt. Chris Donaldson, #64 D/Sgt. Adam Hampton, #73 Sgt. Alex Kaplan, #76 Sgt. Matt Buesser, #77 Sgt. Travis Woods, #66 P.O. Dave Sayers, #79 P.O. Brian Considine, #80 Det. Corey Rooney, #82 P.O. Matt Soltes, #84 P.O. Joe Messner, #85 P.O. Amanda Turrin, #86 P.O. Ryan Cottrell, #88 P.O. Joe Roma, #89 P.O. Sean Marro, #91 P.O. Kevin Gadomski, and #92 P.O. Jordan Bruce.