Union objects to Zisas' use of teacher addresses in election

The Hackensack Scoop blog says school board candidates Timothy Hoffman, an incumbent; Modesto Romero, a former board member; and Johanna Calle are being backed by the Zisas, who ruled Hackensack for decades and ran the city into the ground.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The president of the union representing Hackensack teachers is objecting to the Zisa political organization's use of members' addresses to solicit support in the school election next week.

In an email, Michael DeOrio said:

"I just received a call regarding a letter that was sent out to HEA [Hackensack Education Association] members, who live in Hackensack, inviting them to a meet-and-greet bbq at [teacher] Anthony Zisa's home.

"This letter came from Team Hackensack, a political organization, endorsing a particular ticket for BOE trustees in the upcoming election. It is well-known who the players are in this political organization."

Team Hackensack is principally supported by Jack Zisa, a former four-term mayor; and his brother, Ken Zisa, the disgraced former police chief, whose son, Anthony, is a teacher at Hackensack High School.

The meet-and-greet barbecue is scheduled for Friday afternoon at Anthony Zisa's home, 337 Maple Hill Drive, Hackensack.

Team Hackensack sent out letters with the salutation, "Dear Hackensack Educator," and listed the three candidates the Zisas are backing in hopes of consolidating their control of the school board.

"Feel free to bring family members, colleagues, neighbors and friends" to the backyard reception, the letter said.

$104 million budget

There are three vacancies on the nine-member board, and voters also can say "yes" or "no" to a $79 million tax levy in support of a proposed $104 million budget for 2016-17.

The spending plan for the schools exceeds the city's own budget, and represents nearly half of residents' property tax bills.

In Tuesday's election, the Zisas are backing three candidates:

Timothy Hoffman, an incumbent; Modesto Romero, a former board member; and Johanna Calle.

'Unacceptable'

Referring to the use of teachers' addresses, DeOrio, the union president, said:

"How did this happen? Why did this happen? Who released our members' addresses? To compromise our members' right to privacy for political interest is UNACCEPTABLE.

"I do not condone this action and find it to be warranted of an investigation. The HEA CANNOT do these things without the proper proposal and consent of our membership.

"Sanctions and/or discipline will be sought for those involved in the matter," DeOrio's email said.

Rare sighting in Hackensack

Image by romulusnr via Flickr

I pulled into a parking space at my polling place Tuesday afternoon and rubbed my eyes. Could that be Monsy Alvarado, the reporter assigned to cover Hackensack for The Record of Woodland Park? Judging by how little she writes about the city, could be this one of those rare times she was actually covering a story in the paper's former home?

I waved to her, then went inside to cast my vote for the school budget and three candidates for the school board. When I came out, I interrupted her conversation with a man and asked why she hasn't been covering Hackensack. She said she couldn't talk to me because she was speaking with or interviewing the man. But she said I could call her.

Today's paper carries her bare-bones, seven-paragraph story with election results, and Hackensack residents are quoted elsewhere in the paper. But there is no explanation for why two incumbents were bounced off the board.

On the front of Local, Englewood reporter Giovanna Fabiano's story provides absolutely no context for readers on the defeat of the budget in that city, except for reporting the mayor's last-minute campaign against the tax levy. (Last week, the Teaneck schools superintendent was ordered to withdraw a letter asking for residents' votes in support of the budget there. Go figure.)

Fabiano has done her best to ignore segregated elementary and middle schools in Englewood. Has she even updated readers on integration efforts at the high school? (A black student in the Academies@ Englewood in Dwight Morrow High School told me the other day she cannot use copiers at the school unless she brings in her own paper.)

What about the role of the many Orthodox Jews and other white residents -- who send their children to private schools, as former Publisher Malcolm A. "Mac" Borg did with Jennifer and Stephen -- in the defeat of the budget? Is Fabiano going to report the vote by ward in a follow, and get to the bottom of what happened?