re-tool salary guidelines for the entire borough. I recruit bankers and the salary ranges have been reduced by 20% to 25% for new hires as compared to 2007. And people still take the jobs.

Councilman Peluso is right -- there are cuts to be made. I think he and councilwoman Swain should lead the way by dropping the borough paid health insurance that these part time politicians take from the taxpayers. I believe that will save us taxpayers about $50,000 year. Councilpeople show us your leadership in making these cuts!

I'd tell the Manager to cut the budget by 20M and see what he came back with.

I agree with you Stuart but collective bargaining precludes that with some groups. Peluso is just grandstanding. They all are. No one cares about the town anymore just that they and their party get re-elected.

MC61249, you are correct. It's all about the next election or the next appointed position. The Fair Lawn "political machines" have become nothing more than self-servers.
None of the current members of council speak with any substance. It's just finger pointing...and we suffer.
In 2013, Fair Lawn will have an opportunity to send a message to these folks. Two council seats will be open because Baratta and Trawinski are not running again.
The newly formed Fair Lawn Republican Organization will run candidates that aren't seeking jobs, appointments or political gain.

MC- I am aware of collective bargaining. But I think if you went to the "reps" of the unions, not as adversaries, but as allies, something could get done.

well Chris, It's either co-exist or lose a job.

I don't know who he is.

@zak- first off i have no party affiliation and dont think it has any place in local government. in a community like fair lawn i believe people should run as individuals, and people vote based on the individuals ideas, character, and what he/she has done for the community
with that said it bothers me reading some of the articles that pertain to local politics. why is it in just about every recent article you have quotes from daniel dunay and/or brent pohlman like they are some experts? they are heavily involved with the current majority (pohlman was placed on planning board as soon as new council was appointed). obviously when you ask them questions they are gonig to try to make thier friends (rep) looks good and the dems look bad.
your articles make it seem (pretty obviously) that you lean to the right. i dont care about your personal preference but i believe news and sites like this should stay nuetral. if you are going to put quotes from the rebulican club memebers why not counter that with a quote from a FL democrat? or better yet someone not involved with local politics, so we can get the opinion of the average fair lawn resident

With Fair Lawn hitting the NY metro news regarding the recent string of burglaries (http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/new_jersey&id=8463058), I'd like to see the council act as quickly as possible to better enable the police department to protect our community. Whether it's the leadership, man power, access to technology, something else or all of the above, it's evident that the status quo isn't effective anymore.

I have to somewhat agree with Stuart Pace. But, unfortunately when there are cuts they are always in the rank and file, never at the top. Why does a town this size need an Asst. Borough Manager? Cut the salaries and staff at the top, then you'll get more action from the unions. I'd like to remind Chris that Scott Walker only cut collective bargaining for the unions that didn't support him in his election. Those that did support him were allowed to keep it. So, collective bargaining in and of itself obviously wasn't the issue.

Ridgewood got concessions from the unions, laid people off, cut services and raised fees. Then they still raised the taxes by 7.5% AND to add insult to injury they then gave their village manager a $20K raise and their non union managers raises and bonuses because of the "good job they did saving money". That's the reason why unions are reluctant to give benefits away from their workers since it will only be put into the pockets of those at the top. If we're in it together, prove it.

Patch has become the ready mouthpiece for the Republicans. Perhaps instead of waiting for statements to be offered, Patch could go out and ask for them, or at least ask for a rebuttal. Too many statements offered as fact by the Manager and council here have turned out to be false. The inaccuracies have been found out and posted by the readers not the reporters.

That's all you have after claiming that "too many statements offered as fact by the Manager and council here have turned out to be false. The inaccuracies have been found out and posted by the readers not the reporters"
I would think one would have a sound basis for such an inflammatory comment that calls into question the journalistic integrity of Mr. Koeske. But I guess anything will do when trying to distract from the facts

Nice try? I'm still waiting for examples of "too many statements" I would think "too many" is more than one, two or even a few. But I will be patient and wait for what I am sure will be a well sourced, factually based response.

BTW if you are willing to concede that by "bully" you mean ask questions of elected officals in a respectful manner than I will get the tee shirts made.

BB, It is easy to be fast and loose with the facts from behind a veil, but you can't run from this. You said.....AND I QUOTE......""too many statements offered as fact by the Manager and council here have turned out to be false. The inaccuracies have been found out and posted by the readers not the reporters"
Now other than the borough manager reporting the number of false alarms from a building incorrectly you have provided no support for this insulting and inflammatory statement. Do you have any sourced, factual information to support your claims or, was this unsupported statement simply an attempt by you to "shoot the messenger" since the facts are certainly not favorable to the democratic councilmembers?

Tony??? You got the E-mail about attacking on the patch and I didn't?

You said...."AND I QUOTE"......too many statements offered as fact by the Manager and council here have turned out to be false. The inaccuracies have been found out and posted by the readers not the reporters"
When challenged to provide support for this you said.
1. The Borough Manager misidentifying the number of false alarms at a building. And acknowledge inaccuracy, but hardly the vast right wing conspiracy...
2. "Cosgrove as a candidate trying to make diff political associations seems as equals in a thread about paying for meeting space" I don't even know what you are talking about. You might have forgotten some words in that sentence.
3. You are acknowledging that all the councilmembers were invited to the breakfast.
4. Your comments about the Mayor seem to be sour grapes that she was critical of you of your friend’s comments rather than proof of an inaccurate statement.
I get it, you flew off the handle with some rhetoric and there aren’t any facts to support it. Just admit same. I think if you posted under your real name you find this wouldn't happen because you would hold yourself to a high standard.
To the substance of the article. BB, do you think that the democrat councilmembers should have waited to the last hour to suggest layoffs and furloughs? Do you support layoffs and furloughs? Was Councilwoman's Swain's tactic more than apolitical maneuver so she could say she voted against the tax increase needed to fix her years of mismanagement

Finally, with this large budget gap, was it financially responsible for Councilwoman Swain to vote against Messina Settlement, which if she had prevailed could have potentially exposed the Borough to just under one million dollars in liability, for which there would not be insurance coverage.

Oh, so its invented news that the democratic councilmembers sat by at all the other budget meetings and never said a word about layoffs and furloughs and then at the last hour suggested firing employees and reducing an already depleted Borough staff and reducing services to the people of Fair Lawn. You don't think that the people of Fair Lawn should know about that information. I guess we disagree on that.

Can I ask BellairBerdan or SallyJ questions on the substance of the article? Do you think that the Democrat council members should have waited to the last hour to suggest layoffs and furloughs? Do you support layoffs and furloughs?

I was reading the comments on this article and was wondering since you both comment on the Patch a lot, if you feel the same way that Councilman Peluso does? Nobody pushed me to ask this question.

As a life long Republican, I have never been so proud of a Democrat. Kurt is showing maturity beyond his years, let's hope it's not a fluke. It's time for some bipartisanship, it's nice to see the kid lead the way.

Just curious, why is Trawinski abstaining?

@ BellairBerdan What staff and departments are you cool with cutting, laying off, giving furloughs to? The town seems already stretched with the mess left behind. Also don't you feel that this was again a last minute tactic? They rolled out the budget presentation a while back for the council member's. They didn't really have any important questions back then for the Manager or Department heads.

Thank you very much Thomas but I did ask BellairBerdan...Don't take that as a disrespectful comment...I just know from previous posts you have made where you basically stand on these Issues.

As soon as I hear a response from BellairBerdan on this or Sally J, I will be more then happy to adress that loaded question...I too am part of one of those Fair Lawn familes.

Again with respect Thomas, it is a loaded question because you assumed a lot of things about me in your phrasing of the question...Hence I feel it is loaded. Also my original questions were for BellairBerdan and Sally J. The question was, " What staff and departments are you cool with cutting, laying off, giving furloughs to? The town seems already stretched with the mess left behind. Also don't you feel that this was again a last minute tactic? They rolled out the budget presentation a while back for the council member's. They didn't really have any important questions back then for the Manager or Department heads."

Frank, I'm sorry but I did point you to read my original comment of what my opinion was. Could you please explain why you feel it is wrong to save the people of Fair Lawn money, cover the expected shortfall, or to want to be informed of all the possible options before making a vote? That's all Peluso asked. That's a responsible councilman. Are you saying there is a time limit on responsibility?

this thread is pretty funny:
BB claims the council majority's groupies (dunay, pohlman, sina) gang up on people- and they react by all 3 of them (plus sina's borther) arguing back and forth with him all day.
the funniest thing is thier big complaint is they are demanding answers from the dems: however when someone asked pohlman his qualifications to be on the planning board he refused to answer. and in this thread TP asks frank sina to answer a simple question and he makes some lame excuse that he wont answer it because of some issue he has with BB. what a joke
word of advice dunay, pohlman, and sina: i assume by your involvement the 3 of you plan to be involved w/ local politics in the future. i do not vote on party lines just who i think is best for the job. if any of the 3 of you ever run for an elected official i will think back to the immature / hypocritical arguements you posetd on this site and probably not vote for you. if you do aspire to one day be an elected official be careful what you write on these sites- usually when two sides argue back and forth online they both end up looking like idiots.

Mr. BB, I was at the meeting you are referring to in your previous comment.
During the time for public comments, the council had so few participants that one Fair Lawn resident was allowed to go well over her allotted time; after a couple of other residents were given the floor, she was then allowed to speak a second time. Now, I am not taking issue with her being allowed to speak her mind, nor do I take issue with the feelings and thoughts she expressed. (In fact, I would hope we are in agreement that every resident in FL should be afforded the opportunity to speak their mind on any issue before the council.)
I guess what I take issue with is your characterization that someone was "wasting time" by voicing their thoughts and feelings before the council. Anyone who sees your numerous comments on Patch is well-aware of your feelings and leanings. And fortunately, there is a forum where you are free to express them in your own way. Mr. Dunay and Mr. Pohlman chose to express themselves in the same way that any FL resident can. You may not agree with it, but characterizing it as a waste of time seems to not gel with the reality of the situation or the level of discourse we as members of the community should try to reach.

Listen up people! The comments here are about a bunch of baby's that want there name on a wall and there face in the paper. The council has no clue how this town runs! Not one of them have ever went to each department and see what relly goes on and see how things run. Money is going everywhere but the rite place. Nobody cares and layoffs just put more people on unemployment and more of a strain on the government. This town once again is a joke. I hope all the waste council members and mayors get out of there chairs and see what really happens. It all may look good on paper but no of it works. They are stupid!

Good Morning BellairBerdan!

1) Part of my question was about what staff and departments are you cool with cutting, laying off, giving furloughs to in Fair Lawn.
2) No need to tell me who was there in the audience...I was there.
3) It's never a waste of time to be active, step away from the computer and go to council meeting to ask are elected officials questions.
4) I told Thomas Paine I would be more then happy to answer his questions as soon as I heard from you on my question about what staff and departments you are okay with cutting, laying off, or giving furloughs to in Fair Lawn.

Mr. BB, with regard to your insistence that Mr. Pohlman refuses to answer your questions...As an outsider looking in, you asked a question which I thought was rhetorical. Asking someone how many false statements a public official can make seems to me like asking how many people you are allowed to murder. The answer is obviously zero. I can't speak for anyone else, but if you need the answer displayed, a public official shouldn't lie. You are correct.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems the question you posed became an important talking point only after Mr. Pohlman was waiting for you to list the false statements that prompted you to say that too many have been made by the council members. In fact, the question you posed came up several times instead of you listing the false statements made by council members. The list that you eventually did provide didn't exactly convince anyone that you really meant to say "too many [false] statements" and be taken seriously. I'm sure Mr. Pohlman and Mr. My Brother don't need any help defending themselves, but as an observer to the unfolding drama that is Fair Lawn Patch, I think it's important to point out that I'm looking at the responses you post to questions asked of you. More often than not your answer takes the form of "Why won't you answer the question?"

Mr. BB, (sorry if I seem like I'm singling you out, but you do post an awful lot) I know your question regarding a time limit on responsibility was posed to my brother, but I have an opinion on the matter, and if you wouldn't mind some more wind in long-form...
Much like your question on whether or not people should lie, this question seems rhetorical in nature. However, let me say that people should always be responsible.
Full disclosure: I voted for Mr. Peluso. I knew him from high school, I knew him to be a decent guy, and he's in my peer group. All good things for a candidate after my vote.
As reflected in both the article's title and the comments of numerous fellow Patchers, the problem is these objections on the budget were raised after numerous months of what I assume was time set aside to work on the budget. If I understand the facts correctly, this wasn't the first time they were to discuss work on the budget, this was one of the last times (if not the last time) before setting much of it in stone, as it were.
In my TV-addled mind, the best comparison I can come up with is the boardroom scenes on The Apprentice. A player on a losing team only raises concerns against the Project Manager in the boardroom after they lose the task. More often than not, had the concerns come up during the task, they might have won.
I don't want to think that Mr. Peluso is voting along party lines, but his last two big votes do concern me as someone who chose him as my representative.

this thread is pretty funny:
BB claims the council majority's groupies (dunay, pohlman, sina) gang up on people- and they react by all 3 of them (plus sina's borther) arguing back and forth with him all day.
the funniest thing is thier big complaint is they are demanding answers from the dems: however when someone asked pohlman his qualifications to be on the planning board he refused to answer. and in this thread TP asks frank sina to answer a simple question and he makes some lame excuse that he wont answer it because of some issue he has with BB. what a joke
word of advice dunay, pohlman, and sina: i assume by your involvement the 3 of you plan to be involved w/ local politics in the future. i do not vote on party lines just who i think is best for the job. if any of the 3 of you ever run for an elected official i will think back to the immature / hypocritical arguements you posetd on this site and probably not vote for you. if you do aspire to one day be an elected official be careful what you write on these sites- usually when two sides argue back and forth online they both end up looking like idiots.

Hi Groupies, You might not know this but while republicans identify themselves when they post there are a number of active democrats at the county and local level that troll this site with multiple fake names. As a point of information I have told BB on numerous occasions that I would gladly discuss my qualifications and in fact BB could even get my resume that is on file with the town. If you or any other concerned citizen would like to know my qualifications, you can review my resume, contact me though e-mail or come to a meeting and ask me. I would hold myself to the same standard that I hold the councilmembers, which is to respond to respectful questions in a public setting. I just will not engage political operatives for the sake of engaging them on this website. I was a little disappointed by your comment of immature/hypocritical comments as I am sure if you review my posts you will see neither. I will certainly hold elected officials accountable, but it will always be based on facts and in a respectful manner. As an example of same you might see that BB has made comments about my integrity, despite not knowing me at all, and of course I have not responded in kind. If you would like to contact me further please do not hesitate to e-mail me at brent.pohlman@gmail.com.

LET US ALL CUT THE BULL, WHILE EACH PARTY GOES AT EACH OTHER OUR TOWN IS GOING DOWN THE ROAD TO NO RETURN. THE PLAYERS CHANGE EACH ELECTION BUT THE GAME IS THE SAME. ZAK WHAT ABOUT THE FOLLOW UP WITH THE BORD OF EDUCATION ON HOW THE STAFF THAT TAKES CARE OF CLEANING OUR SCHOOLS AND SO MANY OTHER DUTIES WHERE TOLD THEIR JOBS WHERE BEING CONTRACTED OUT. WAS PATCH THE WAY THEY FOUND OUT? HAS OUR SUPIT OF SCHOOLS TALKED TO THE PEOPLE?

and i stand by my hypocritical statement.... you guys want your questions answered but wont answer anyone elses simple questions
when peluso brought up trawinski and baratta holding dual posistion being a conflict of interest us residents never got an answer from them on why it would not be. and when trawinski cant vote on an important issue like town budget it appears they didnt respond to peluso because he was right
pohlman, dunay, sina- do you think its ok for one of our elected officials (who is supposed to represent the people who voted for him) not to be able to vote on such an important issue? do you see any conflict of interest now?

Mr./Mrs. Groupies, As you may recall from only a few minutes ago, I said I expect the council to respond to questions posed to them in a public meeting and I would do same. I certainly do not think I am a hypocrite for not wanted to respond to an anonymous political operative on a community website. Now honestly I don't read all of these comments so I didn't see that one before, but the premise of the point seems flawed. Granted I am not an expert on Roberts Rules of Order, however I believe that if a conflict exists, a councilmember must recuse themself, because in some instances abstaining can affect the vote so the member must be completely removed. I don't think that Councilman Trawinski ever said that he couldn't vote on the budget, but I wasn't there I only know what was reported. It seems though that he abstained and then asked the Borough Manager to come back with additional budget reduction suggestions. However, I don't know if there is a conflict and it would seem to me that would be a good question to ask during public comment.

thank you zak if my meeting at work gets out will try to get their also. sounds like if you dont answer it will go away move on his part. it takes a long time to gain respect and a short time to lose it.

The Fair Lawn Community News recently printed an article about last Tuesday's meeting (4/10). Non-biased, for all those interested. Page 2.