Wednesday, April 24, 2013
Organizer denies political action committee sought to hide contributions
A political action committee financed largely by contractors doing business in Bergen County paid for an event celebrating the county Democratic party's election night victory last November in Hasbrouck Heights, the Star-Ledger reported Wednesday. The PAC that covered the $10,033.54 event, the New Leadership Council of New Jersey, was created by Daniel Ortega, a former Democratic party official under ex-chairman Joe Ferriero. The former party chair was indicted on mail fraud charges, but his conviction was later overturned. Ortega said the PAC was not seeking to hide contributions, according to the report. The celebration was not an official Democratic party event, he said. "The purpose of this PAC is to support current and new …
Sunday, April 7, 2013
County executive's former campaign manager offers free public relations help to Bergen Community College.
- GOVERNMENT
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Sunday, April 7
The decision by Alan Marcus and The Marcus Group to withdraw their $90,000 contract with Bergen Community College was the appropriate course of action given the County Executive’s past practice of weeding out unnecessary and wasteful spending. However the decision by Mr. Marcus to offer “free” consultation services regarding upcoming labor negotiations is equally disturbing. When does a public agency or in this case a county school board take collective bargaining tips from a public relations executive? Doesn’t Bergen Community College have on retainer legal counsel to handle such matters? The withdrawal of this contract does not cause harm to the institution as suggested, but it saves taxpayers $90,000 on something that wasn’t needed or …
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Calendar printing saved money, clerk says.
Bergen County Clerk John Hogan drew criticism from a freeholder Wednesday for spending $60,000 to print calendars that include 21 photos of himself, NorthJersey.com reported. Freeholder Maura DeNicola, a Republican who is running for reelection, criticized Hogan over the calendars, saying the money would have been better used elsewhere, the newspaper reported. Hogan, a Democrat, said he saved money by combining the calendars with the "My County" poster contest that featured artwork by local children. The calendars and posters were previously printed separately. A Hogan spokesman told the newspaper costs for the calendars were funded by service fees and not taxpayer money.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Fair Lawn native and army veteran Scott Ganz, 30, was discovered dead at his home in Orlando, Fla. this week.
- OBITUARIES
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Thursday, February 7
The son of former Fair Lawn mayor and current Bergen County Freeholder Chairman David Ganz was found dead in his Orlando, Fla. home this week, NorthJersey.com reports. Scott Ganz, 30, was an army reservist who returned home last summer from Afghanistan where he served a 13-month tour as an explosive ordinance disposal specialist. He was a 2000 graduate of Fair Lawn High School. Freeholder Vice Chairman Joan Voss announced the news of his death at Wednesday's freeholder work session and the board held a moment of silence for the Ganz family, according to NorthJersey.com. David Ganz, who recently celebrated one decade of service on the freeholder board, placed a yellow ribbon on his fifth floor office door in the county administration …
Monday, October 22, 2012
Watch video from the forum hosted by a Bergen Korean American civic group.
- ELECTIONS
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Monday, October 22, 2012
The candidates for Bergen County freeholder debated last week at the FGS Korean Community Center in Englewood, hosted by the Korean American Civic Action Committee. The group has posted video of the full debate on YouTube.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Effort to disband Bergen County Police Department failed with a 3-2 vote.
Bergen County Freeholder John Driscoll released a statement Friday explaining why he opted to abstain from a hotly-debated vote on folding the county police department into the sheriff's office. The freeholders on Wednesday voted 3-2 to reject an ordinance that would have eliminated the 89-member county police department. Freeholder Joan Voss also abstained. Driscoll's full statement is below: “I want to take this opportunity to give my reason for my abstention vote on the County Police ordinance. I have sat and watched as this ever import issue was batted around over the last few months. Since July I have been calling for the three leaders of law enforcement in Bergen County to come together on this issue. I believe that there are…
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Effort to eliminate county police department is defeated in 3-2 vote.
The Bergen County Freeholders on Wednesday voted against an ordinance to disband the county’s 89-member police department and merge it with the sheriff’s office, northjersey.com reported. The vote came after more than a year of debate, two studies and legal action. In a 3-2 vote with two abstentions, the board nixed the ordinance after initially approving it on first reading in August with a 4-2 vote. County Executive Kathleen Donovan, a strong supporter of the county police, had vowed to veto a vote to disband the department and called the idea “idiotic” at a freeholder work session. Freeholders Maura DeNicola and Robert Hermansen voted against the merger, along with Freeholder David Ganz, who first voted for the measure in August. …
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Decision set for Friday afternoon.
A judge is expected to rule Friday afternoon on a suit filed by the Bergen County executive to block a ballot question asking if the county police should be merged with the sheriff’s office and an ordinance that would disband the police department. The freeholder board voted 4-2 at an August special meeting to move ahead with an ordinance to dissolve the county police and a non-binding referendum on the proposed merger. County Executive Kathleen Donovan challenged the votes, arguing the freeholders lacked authority to eliminate a county agency and the referendum vote was improper because it did not happen a regular board meeting. Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos said Thursday the law required a referendum to be introduced at a regular…
Friday, August 10, 2012
County official vows legal challenge as effort to disband police department moves forward.
The Bergen County Freeholders took the first steps Friday in disbanding the county’s police force and merging it with the sheriff’s office in a move that could be met with litigation from the county administration. The freeholders voted to put a non-binding referendum on the November ballot asking the public’s opinion on having the sheriff's office absorb the county police department. In another move, the board voted to approve an ordinance dissolving the county police force. Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan, an opponent of a merger and a referendum, would not enforce the ordinance and would likely challenge the moves in court. “The county executive has said that she will not enforce this ordinance because this ordinance is …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
To mark the safe return of his son, Scott, Freeholder David Ganz took down the yellow ribbon he had placed on his office door in the county administration building soon after Scott was deployed to Afghanistan
- THE NEIGHBORHOOD FILES
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Thursday, July 26, 2012
Scott Ganz has arrived home safely from Afghanistan, a press release from the office of his father, Freeholder David Ganz (D-Fair Lawn) announced Wednesday. A Fair Lawn native and army reservist, Scott Ganz had been serving a tour in Afghanistan as an explosive ordinance disposal specialist for the past 13 months. David Ganz, a former Fair Lawn mayor who has served as a Democratic freeholder for the past decade, marked his son's departure some 400 days ago by placing a yellow ribbon on his fifth floor office door in the county administration building. This week, he was able to remove the ribbon. “Even though I’ve taken the yellow ribbon down from my Freeholder door, and from the tree in front of our home, the resolution I drew up several …
delgado
6:41 pm on Sunday, April 28, 2013
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