Hackensack is paying new attorney as much as Christie

During a spirited discussion of tax breaks for downtown apartment developers on Monday night, Hackensack Board of Education Attorney Richard Salkin was uncharacteristically deferential when he addressed City Council members; City Manager David R. Troast, left front; and Alexander H. Carver III, right front, the new city attorney, a job Salkin once held.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Alexander H. Carver III, who is Hackensack's new city attorney, is being paid a flat rate of $175,000 a year -- or $10,000 more than his salary when he left the Superior Court bench in 2013.

He also is making as much as Governor Christie, who picked the last Hackensack city attorney, Thomas Scrivo, to be his chief counsel in Trenton.

In addition to the maximum of $175,000 a year, Carver and his firm, Harwood Lloyd, will be paid legal fees associated with litigation, according to The Record.

Three-quarters of The Record's story today is filled with Carver's exploits as a Superior Court judge "who pulled no punches," but doesn't mention the city will pay him and his firm at a rate of $150 an hour (L-1).

When Scrivo was city attorney in 2014, Hackensack removed two city managers and a public relations consultant, running up legal bills topping $200,000 in six months.

During the Zisa years, Hackensack routinely paid its city attorney more than $250,000 a year, one official said.

COW

Do you hear mooing?

Most of the discussion and debate on the appointment of Carver, as well as tax abatements for downtown apartment developers, occurred on Monday during the Committee of the Whole meeting, which started at 6:30 p.m.

When City Council members convened for the regular meeting at 8 p.m., they ran through more than two dozen resolutions read off in rapid-fire fashion by the city clerk before they were open to public discussion and then a council vote.

Members of the public, such as City Council candidate Richard Cerbo, were limited to 5 minutes each, but could have spoken longer at the COW session.

City tax breaks

On Monday, the Hackensack City Council approved the introduction of two resolutions designating the redevelopers of 150-170 Main St. and 210 Main St.

Other resolutions were introduced to grant the apartment and retail developers tax abatements of 30 years and 25 years, respectively.

Cerbo, son of a former mayor, addressed the council, saying "10 years [of tax breaks] is plenty."

But Deputy Mayor Kathleen Canestrino said the apartment and retail projects would never get built without the longer abatements, also referred to as payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT).

Canestrino noted the land and buildings at 150-170 Main St. are paying tax revenue of $228,277 a year, compared to the first-year payment of $802,605 after the project is completed.

Meanwhile, the city's annual street festival is set for Saturday from 10 a.m. t0 6 p.m., rain or shine.

Among the entertainment is Village People. 

Today's paper

Nearly six years after he took office, Christie says he is open to raising the gas tax and creating a stable source of funding for the Transportation Trust Fund (A-1).

His refusal to raise the second-lowest gas tax in the nation helped drivers, even though logically they should pay for repairing the roads and bridges they use.

But the GOP dictator moved decidedly against mass-transit users by killing the Hudson River rail tunnels, and stood by when the Port Authority refused to expand bus operations into Manhattan.

He also cut state subsidies to NJ Transit, forcing the agency to raise fares and cut service.

The Record's coverage of mass transit is so sophisticated a reporter today refers to NJ Transit's sleek, electrified light-rail system as "trolleys" (L-3).

And, like Christie, the Woodland Park daily has paid far more attention to drivers and driving, as evidenced by a dozen years of Road Warrior columns largely devoted to no other topics.

Hackensack Costco

The Record today is reporting Costco Wholesale is planning to convert its Hackensack warehouse to "a more specialized business center" after the store closes Oct. 13.

A bigger Costco is scheduled to open in Teterboro on Oct. 14.

In October 2014, the same reporter said the Hackensack Costco would be closing permanently, making the 14.8-acre parcel available for redevelopment.

So much for the reliability of The Record's business reporting.

There is more Hackensack news than made today's paper

Lake Street in Ramsey has been closed since last Nov. 4. On Tuesday, motorists had to follow a detour of about 4 miles to reach the business district.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

The Record today missed some really big news in Hackensack.

Quarterly property tax payments, originally due Aug. 10, don't have to be in until Sept. 4. Many residents still haven't received their bills.

And the city's Web site, hackensack.org, has a new look, declaring Hackensack is "unique and diverse," and on the "verge of a Renaissance."

The second sentence of the welcome notice says Hackensack is home to the Bergen County judiciary, county government, a "world-renowned medical center" and "nationally recognized educational institutions."

But what it doesn't mention is that the many hundreds of millions of dollars in property they own are tax exempt, shifting the burden to homeowners and businesses.

Meanwhile, Tuesday night's City Council meeting, reported in The Record's Local section today, wasn't listed on the city's Web site.

Reforming reform

According to an L-3 article today, the Hackensack City Council on Tuesday retained Thomas Scrivo as city attorney, "despite previous complaints about legal bills that topped $200,000 in six months."

In February, the council capped pay for the city attorney at $15,000 a month.

Municipal Prosecutor Frank Catania, a part timer, remains on the payroll, but he and two of his children no longer have the health benefits provided by his close friend, former acting City Manager Anthony Rottino.

A story on the Local front today reports former city spokesman Thom Ammirato, who was paid $78,000 under a 1-year contract, has resigned from his full-time job with Bergen County (L-1).

Teen swimmer

Does the 20.2-mile swim by Ridgewood teen Charlotte Samuels really deserve two straight days of front-page coverage in the Woodland Park daily (A-1)?

Staff Writer Abbott Koloff chronicles every jelly fish sting suffered by the 16-year-old, but doesn't answer a question made obvious by Page 1 photos of Samuels:

Did her tremendous weight help or hinder her?

Elisa Ung and other food writers at The Record might want to take a long, hard look at Samuels, and re-evaluate whether their obsessions with dessert, fast food, sugar, soda, butter and cream are sending the wrong message to teens and adults during the obesity epidemic.

As an example, see today's Better Living cover on artery clogging desserts made from Jersey peaches that ignores all the readers who are diabetic or are just trying to watch their weight (BL-1).

The Jersey fruit is glorious on its own or eaten with non-fat Greek yogurt and Jersey blueberries.

Or you can dust ripe peach halves with cinnamon and grill them with wild salmon.

Atlantic City blues

Atlantic City might as well be on the moon for all of the impact it has on the lives of North Jersey readers (A-1). 

When Revel opened in 2012, its casino was the smallest and its $400-a-night rooms were likely the most expensive in the shore resort.

And how many of the expensive rooms have a view of the slums shown in a photo on A-8 today? 

No wonder it is a flop. What a disgrace.

If Revel and two other casinos close, New Jersey tax collections will take a hit, and expose Governor Christie's incredible mismanagement of state finances, including his refusal to impose higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations.