Untold story of Zisas' attempted comeback betrays readers

In February, former four-term Hackensack Mayor Jack Zisa spoke to an overflow crowd of loyalists at the Crow's Nest Restaurant, where Team Hackensack was launched. The so-called community organization, backed by the Zisa family, sponsored candidates in April's school board and school budget election, and plans to run a slate in next May's municipal election.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Six months after the Zisa family got three candidates elected or appointed to the city's Board of Education, The Record still hasn't printed a word about their new political organization, Team Hackensack. 

The Zisas ruled Hackensack for more than 30 years, beginning with the election of Frank Zisa in 1977.

Through the years, their influence was so pervasive, the city soon was cursed with the label of "Zisaville."

Now, Team Hackensack plans to run candidates in next May's municipal election, hoping to defeat the slate of reformers elected in 2013.

At the inaugural meeting of Team Hackensack in February, supporters were greeted by:

Jack Zisa, who served as mayor from 1989-2005; former City Attorney Joseph C. Zisa Jr.; and Ken Zisa, the former police chief who last week reached an agreement with the city that will bring him nearly $3 million.

See: Ken Zisa hits municipal jackpot

Today's paper

So-called Road Warrior John Cichowski continues to turn his back on commuters to write about a "traffic trap" in Cedar Grove that snared rapper Fetty Wap (A-1).

The Paterson native is shown on Page 1 holding some of the $175,000 in cash he brought to municipal court (A-1).

Let's hope the rapper, whose real name is Willie J. Maxwell II, doesn't become the target of the same kind of gunpoint robbery that reportedly stripped celebrity Kim Kardashian of $10 million in jewels.

Christie's F-bombs

When a Monmouth County freeholder left an expletive-filled voicemail complaining about Governor Christie taking credit for Superstorm Sandy recovery efforts in 2012, the GOP bully upped the ante with several F-bombs of his own.

In a Page 1 story on testimony in the Bridgegate trial, The Record quoted Christie with "expletive" in brackets, but on Twitter, Staff Writer Paul Berger was far more explicit:

"Who the fuck do you think you are calling me 'a fat fuck?' I'm the fucking Governor of this state," Christie told Freeholder John P. Curley.

"If you're not in Keansburg tomorrow, standing behind me on the podium, I will fucking destroy you. I will have a robo call sent out to every Republican before Election Day telling them not to vote for you."

Coal-fired plants

In another Page 1 story today, environmental reporter James O'Neill fails to mention that coal-fired power plants are the main source of mercury in fish (A-1).

Opponents of a 23-cents-per-gallon hike in the gasoline tax haven't come up with an alternative way of funding the Transportation Trust Fund, which is run by an independent agency of state government (A-1).

The legislative logjam lasted for years until Christie got Democrats to agree to cut taxes on the wealthy.

No man has said so much, only to be ignored by so many

Even on a Sunday, lanes on Anderson and River streets in Hackensack were closed, this time for work by PSE&G. One lane of South River Street near the county jail also was closed for replacement of the sidewalk and curb. Also closed are the Court Street Bridge and West Fort Lee Road in Bogota.

By VICTOR E. SASSON
EDITOR

Readers looking for relief from the 24/7 coverage of Pope Francis get hit over the head today by another crappy baseball column on Page 1 of The Record.

That's played next to a Washington Post story on the partisan political paralysis in Congress, now dominated by conservative Republicans (A-1).

The piece at the bottom of the front page on the gender gap in coaching youth sports seems like an afterthought (A-1).

And it raises questions about why Editor Martin Gottlieb doesn't commission a similar story on the gender gap in print journalism.

Pope in Philly

The A-1 story on Francis in Philadelphia is the ninth straight day his Cuba and U.S. visits have been played on the front page of the Woodland Park daily.

It's doubtful anyone in power is going to act on anything he said in New York or Philadelphia.

Three U.S. Supreme Court justices -- Antonin Scalia, Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas, all conservative Catholics -- boycotted Francis' speech to a joint session of Congress.

Many conservative Republicans basically said Francis should mind his own business instead of urging the eradication of poverty, reforming immigration and slowing climate change, among other issues the GOP refuses to budge on.

On Saturday, Mike Kelly's A-1 column on Francis in Manhattan appeared under this sub-headline:

A busy day

of spreading

'good vibes' 

Local news?

Today's Road Warrior is like so many written by Staff Writer John Cichowski, who hijacked the commuting column a dozen years ago (L-1).

His piece on traffic deaths is filled with mind-numbing statistics, and sheds no light on the daily nightmare North Jersey commuters face, whether they drive or take a bus or train.

The Local front is dominated by a big photo and story on a motorcycle accident that injured rap star Fetty Wap in his hometown of Paterson (L-1).

On second reference, he is referred to as "Fetty Wap," not just "Wap," in contrast to normal practice.

The small photo and caption on naming of a footbridge to honor Harold Bloom, former principal of Hackensack High School, is the first coverage of anything to do with schools in the city for at least a year, if not longer (L-1).

VW drivers

The Business front today reports on Volkswagen drivers who feel betrayed by the automaker's illegal diesel engines, installed in 11 million cars worldwide (B-1).

The story comes six days after The New York Times did the same reaction piece to heavy air pollution from so-called clean diesels, interviewing former Record photographer John Decker, among others.

Business reporter Richard Newman managed to interview another former Record staffer, Olga Wickerhauser of Fleminton. 

Business is eight pages today, but readers find only only one other staff written story, which makes you wonder what the section editors do all week for their inflated salaries.

Hidden meaning

On the Opinion front, I got a kick out of hidden meaning in the headline over yet another Kelly column on Francis:

THE MAN WITH A MESSAGE

The veteran reporter has been an opinion columnist for more than two decades now, but he rarely has any opinions or message for readers.

South Korea

Is the ban on South Korea travel stories over (T-1)?

On the Travel cover today, the Washington Post piece on Seoul ends an apparent ban imposed by Travel Editor Jill Schensul, a vegetarian and dog lover, that dates to at least to the late 1990s.

It's significant that Schensul didn't travel there herself.