More on the layoffs at The Record of Woodland Park

Louis Street in Hackensack's Fairmount section, above and below, is one of many city streets that have fallen into disrepair, and it's far from the worst. As property taxes continue to rise, residents are asking city officials where is all the money going?

 

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

At least two newsroom employees at The Record of Woodland Park have taken the buyout offered to staffers over 60 years of age, and five others were laid off to cut expenses.

Justo Bautista, a police reporter; and Charles Saydah, editor of letters to the editor, accepted the buyout, with severance capped at 12 weeks of salary.

Many companies pay one or two weeks of salary for each year of service, meaning a 20-year employee would receive 20 weeks to 40 weeks of salary, far above the ceiling at North Jersey Media Group.

The newsroom includes employees of the Herald News, which long ago was designated as an "edition" of The Record to allow NJMG to report a combined circulation that props up advertising rates.

Editor is 'sincere' 

In addition to award-winning Cartoonist Jimmy Margulies, layoffs include Staff Artist Lance Theroux, who is 59, and three sports reporters, who are in their 30s and 40s, according to an Anonymous comment received by Eye on The Record. 

This same source also said:

"I heard that Editor Marty Gottlieb held a staff meeting this past Tuesday, and talked about the layoffs.

"People felt he was sincere in regretting having to let some people go whose work was of good quality and made The Record a better paper."

Readers' reaction

Here is reaction to the forced departure of Margulies on HackensackNow.org, a community message board:

"That is a real loss. He was one of a dying breed," said Homer Jones.

"I agree about Margulies, he's great," Regina chimed in. 

The Editor of HackensackNow said:

"Jimmy was doing caricatures of children at a county fair at Overpeck Park last summer in a booth for The Record.  He did one of our daughter and captured her smile just right. He seemed like a focused, caring sort of person.  I wish him all the best."

A contributor -- who calls himself or herself  "just watching" -- recalled:

"Part of my daily routine every morning was to log on to The Record's Web site, and look at the political cartoon of the day.  I often disagreed with his slant on things, but I always enjoyed them."

Today's paper

The obstinately conservative Republicans in Congress and Governor Christie, New Jersey's own GOP bully, are making a mess of the cleanup from Superstorm Sandy (A-1).

Did anyone besides me awake this morning and wonder how North Jersey survived the "budget sequestration" -- given the end-of-the-world hype by The Record and other media?

Four stories about Englewood or Englewood Cliffs appear in Local today, but there is nothing from Hackensack, Teaneck and many other towns.

Law & Order stories take up much of L-1 and L-3.