A weird story leads an even weirder Sunday edition

NJ Transit's 8:59 a.m. local to Hoboken was about 12 minutes late arriving in Clifton on Friday, above, but the older rail car was warm, clean and had plenty of empty seats, below. The station also has a waiting room that allows commuters to stay out of sub-freezing weather.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
Editor

After you say gee whiz or who cares, The Record's odd Page 1 story today on David Wildstein purchasing Internet domain addresses leaves you high and dry.

Readers won't find any explanation in all those words, photos, graphics and headlines of what that means to them or anyone else (A-1 and A-6).

Wildstein, the Port Authority official who resigned after ordering mysterious lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee, bought the domains of Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono, his boss at the Port Authority and others.

But none of them apparently tried later to create their own domains, so why is this news?

Wildstein, a high school buddy of Governor Christie's, comes off sounding weird, even for a Republican political appointee and political junkie.

Wrong words

In another front-page story today, the many state and federal versions of Joan's Law are referred to as a "cadre" -- a word usually reserved for people (A-1).

There are no corrections on A-2 today, despite all the errors in the paper every day. Last week, four corrections and one clarification were published.

Police story

On the Local front today, the untold story of trigger-happy America is the apparent lack of trust in the police to safeguard us in our homes and businesses (L-1).

At a vigil in Teaneck for the 26 killed in Newtown, Conn., gun-rights advocate Josh Levy accused state Sen. Loretta Weinberg of trying "to take away our guns" -- all in the earshot of five township police officers Levy has no confidence in.

Ice age

Today's column by Road Warrior John Cichowski is among the many he has written about "dangerous" snow and ice on the roofs of trucks, even though the last death of a driver hit by flying ice occurred in 1997 (L-1).

There have been far more pedestrian victims of NJ Transit trains, but Cichowski and the paper's other transportation reporters haven't taken the agency to task for poor safety measures at stations or for failing to deploy police officers to keep people off the tracks.

Funny money

On the Opinion front, Columnist Mike Kelly is back with breaking news: "Money talks."

That goes without saying at The Record, which lavishes coverage on big mall advertisers and stiffs Main Street merchants, as well as publishing flattering stories about Borg family friends  and business associates.

Whether big city police departments will be able to use purchasing power to persuade gun makers to be socially responsible remains to be seen.

But one thing is clear: Kelly and all other members of the nation's media have failed miserably to influence the debate.

Readers' letters

On O-3, August De Falco of Lodi defends the job performance of Hackensack City Manager Stephen L0 Iacono, who has agreed to resign under pressure from the City Council.

Several years ago, Lo Iacono was quoted in The Record as saying Hackensack has taken only "baby steps" on implementing solar power and other alternative energy.

Today, not a single public building or school in Hackensack has a working solar-panel installation -- in marked contrast to neighboring Teaneck.

Hackensack also operates inefficient police and parking enforcement fleets with not a single hybrid or electric car, and allows numerous employees to commute to and from work in city owned vehicles.

All of this makes property tax bills higher than they could be.

Walks on water

In a letter seemingly aimed at Record editors, reporters and columnists who idolize Christie, reader Sidney J. Goodman of Mahwah asks, "What kind of politician would make spending cuts while preserving tax breaks for the wealthy"?

"It is unbelievable that Christie remains popular," Goodman writes, despite cuts in women's health care, legal services to the poor, environmental programs, and so on and so forth (O-3).

Second look

In his Wednesday Road Warrior column on closure of Fort Lee access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, Cichowski misquotes a Port Authority official testifying in Trenton  and contradicts his own Sept. 13 piece on the controversy.

See: Road Warrior's reporting fiasco at the GWB

Hackensack's 'undercover' firefighters

Two unmarked SUVS were parked on Tuesday in a city owned lot next to Hackensack Fire Department headquarters on State Street.

 

Is Hackensack using undercover firefighters in unmarked vehicles to roam neighborhoods in search of homes without smoke alarms or overloaded circuits? 

That might explain two white SUVs parked in the city Fire Department's parking lot on State Street.

But the truth is the unmarked SUVs are among as many as 15 city owned gas guzzlers driven home by employees, only a few of whom are on 24-hour call.

City Manager Stephen Lo Iacono says one of the SUVs is driven home to Maywood by the fire chief, and that the chief's vehicle is "traditionally" unmarked.

Lo Iacono told independent City Council candidate Victor E. Sasson he had no information about the second unmarked SUV.

The second SUV is rumored to be driven home by a deputy fire chief who lives far from Hackensack, and that is why the vehicle is left unmarked.

City passes budget

The Hackensack City Council voted, 4-1, on Tuesday night to approve a $91.9 million budget that calls for a 3.3% hike in property taxes.

Landlords who pay property taxes will undoubtedly pass that increase along to renters, many of whom don't vote in the quadrennial municipal election.

There appeared to be no major changes in the budget, which was introduced on March 19.

The Record didn't cover the meeting, and no story appears in today's Local news section. 

Squelching dissent

Councilman John Labrosse, the only incumbent seeking another term on May 14, voted "no," and his running-mate, Kathy Canestrino, identified budget cuts of about $1 million the city could have made. 

After Canestrino spoke, the city manager said her proposed cuts weren't possible.

When Canestrino wanted to speak again, Mayor Michael R. Melfi said she couldn't, and ended the public hearing on the budget.

Candidates from the Coalition for Open Government -- "the Zisa slate" -- didn't speak during the hearing.

A budget summary listed the "general state of the economy" and "impact of tax appeals" among factors affecting the budget.

But it ignored the tremendous amount of tax-exempt property owned by Hackensack University Medical Center, Fairleigh Dickinson University and Bergen County, and how little they give back to the city.

What the Hackensack reporter missed last night

A homeless man complained about wild dogs to Hackensack City Manager Stephen Lo Iocano, left, and City Council members during the public portion of Tuesday night's meeting.

Hannan Adely, The Record reporter assigned to Hackensack, was nowhere to be seen on Tuesday night, when the City Council approved the first step in the redevelopment of Main Street.

Did she cover the council meeting in Hackensack, Minn., a vacation paradise in the heart of 10,000 lakes?

In answer to questions from a resident, Zisaville City Manager Stephen Lo Iocano said the city budget was supposed to be introduced on Tuesday night, but would be delayed until the next meeting. 

He declined to say whether the property tax rate  would be going up.

The Record's property

Lo Iocano said city officials have had discussions with North Jersey Media Group about what will replace The Record's landmark building on River Street, but he wasn't at liberty to reveal them.

But he said the building has been "decommissioned" and will be torn down. There have long been rumors that a Walmart would go up on about 20 NJMG acres.

Council candidates

Scott Young and other members of Hackensack Citizens for Open Government -- candidates in the May City Council election -- were in the audience, and appeared to be attending their first council meeting.

Before the meeting started, they exchanged information about their favorite sandwich and empanada shops, instead of discussing ordinances and resolutions.

It remains to be seen how "open" this slate of 5 will be. 

They are backed by the same Democratic Party officials who were the power behind Ken Zisa, the former police chief and ex-state assemblyman who was convicted of official misconduct and insurance fraud last May.

In Hackensack, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Labrosse's wife 

During the public portion of the meeting, the wife of Councilman John Labrosse and another woman harangued city officials about astronomical legal bills, but Laborsse remained silent on that issue.

Later, Labrosse, the only incumbent seeking a second term, praised the city's sports teams.

Officials say the city is evaluating new Dodge Charger Pursuit police cars with both V-6 and V-8 engines before deciding which will replace the V-8 powered Ford Crown Victoria, rear.

Padilla payout

The council approved the payment of several accounts, which were listed without details, including $173,329.61 described as "payroll."

The city manager said that is the retirement package for Tomas Padilla, the police captain who served as interim chief after Zisa was suspended without pay.

But it turned out that at the last meeting, the council approved another package of about $240,000, then described as Padilla's package.  

I did see the reporter for the Hackensack Chronicle at the meeting, so residents might eventually learn what took place.

Today's paper

The best story on Page 1 today is the obituary of Muriel Bachant of Bergenfield, the mother of triplets, whose husband was killed during World War II before he met his daughters.

Governor Christie is howling after The Record uncovered nearly $1 million in contributions from North Jersey-based companies to the Christie-boosting Republican Governors Association (A-1).

Gas-guzzling news

Drivers of SUVs and other gas guzzlers are howling about the rising price of gas, while drivers of hybrids and other fuel-efficient vehicles are laughing as they drive past gas stations (A-1).

Hybrid drivers get a second break -- toll discounts with a Green E-ZPass.

Red-eyed columnist

Road Warrior John Cichowski continues his campaign against red-light cameras by slamming extra revenue for towns as "greed."  

He calls lead-footed drivers who blow through red lights "unwilling donors" of that revenue, when he should be condemning them as road menaces who injure and kill law-abiding drivers.

Cichowski and other morons need to recognize that dysfunctional home-rule towns desperately need the revenue from red-light cameras.

I wish there were a dozen red-light cameras in Hackensack -- with the revenue from them dedicated to property tax relief.