Rash of Restaurant Burglaries on Broad St.

From Bloomfield's Police Department's Crime blotter:

The owner of Stamna Greek Taverna of Broad Street reported $3,800 as stolen from a cash register June 5. The back door was found forced open.

A manager at Shiki Wok of Broad Street reported $150 as missing from a cash register when the business opened for the day June 5. The front door was found unlocked.

The owner of Boonsong Thai Cuisine of Broad Street reported an unknown individual kicking in the back door to the restaurant June 5. No money was taken.

Bloomfield's Biggest Crack?

Step on a crack, break your mothers back! (Click on photo to enlarge)
Noticed this recently on Baldwin PL. near Newark Ave. The familiar proverb may actually have started as far back as here.

A New Look for Council Comments

Last night's Town Council meeting is worth checking out for several reasons: an extended update on Megan's Law by Christine Fay of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office. Fay noted that 10 registered sex offenders are currently registered in Bloomfield. Details of the locations of all "Tier 3" offenders can be accessed from the NJ State Police Internet registry for sex offenders at http://www.state.nj.us/njsp/info/reg_sexoffend.html.

Because of the length of Fay's presentation, the podium was moved so that she could face the the audience -- and the TV camera, so viewers of WBMA-TV were able to see the faces of all speakers at the podium for the first time. Not sure who should get credit for this move, but it's amazing that no one suggested it before now. Time will tell if this encourages or discourages residents to speak out at the future meetings. About 58 minutes into the meeting, Councilman Nick Joanow suggested that the Council make the new podium setup permanent when he was inexplicably gavelled down by the mayor who snapped: "We don't need that conversation -- allright we'll leave it there!." We had to wonder of this was an expression of lingering bitterness over Joanow's trouncing of his handpicked challenger the day before.

The town engineer gave a lucid explanation to former councilman Gary iacobacci (pictured) on how 2 specific Change Orders were evaluated.

Township officials reviewed a budget amendment that would have increased total appropriations and revenue from $69.9 million to $70 million. The vote was 3 to 3 on its adoption so the motion was tabled. Councilman Michael Venezia was not present at the meeting.

First Night for Cruise Night

Throughout most of the summer, Wednesday NIghts are Cruise Nights in downtown Bloomfield. Sponsored by the Downtown Alliance, Cruise nights go from 6 to 9PM on Broad Street near Bloomfield Avenue.

Nick Joanow's Record

Vote!

A Pay to Play Money Tree Grows In Bloomfield

Despite the recent adoption of stricter Pay to Pay laws, the Line A Democratic Primary campaign to elect Carlos Bernard and Paul Halligan has been largely funded for by well-connected out of town special interests who are counting on their candidates to approve lucrative contracts paid for by taxpayer dollars.

A quick glance thru the reports filed by the Bernard and Halligan campaigns with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission reveals thousands of dollars in special interest money both candidates have accepted from out of town vendors. Only amounts in excess of $300 are required to be identified. As late as May 31, nearly all of Halligan's largest donations are from out of town interests.

The sample above (Click on picture to enlarge) shows a $2,500 donation from Richard A. Alaimo Engineering Associates in Mount Holly. This happens to be the same company that contributed $5,000 to the Bloomfield Democratic Committee during our Mayor's re-election campaign last October. While this is all currently legal, It's not hard to guess why a South Jersey Business would have such a longstanding interest in Bloomfield politics.

The irony in this is that Nick Joanow has been leading the fight to get the Council to pass a stronger ethics ordinance that would put teeth in the NJ State Law as it apples to local politicians and employees. The Mayor has been dragging his feet on a vote on NIck's April proposal. This may have been another factor in the local party's attempt to prevent his re-election.
town
Update: The 2006 :pay to play" ordinance was rescinded in 2009 on the advice of the Bloomfield Town Attorney who suggested that was redundant and unnecessary in view of the newer NJ state law. Again, these donations are still legal, but it's hard to find much that made illegal in the NJ State legislation,

The Purr-fect Yard Sale

HUGE Yard Sale Sat and Sun June 4 & 5 to benefit A Purrfect World Cat Sanctuary. Sale will be held at 60 Newark Ave, Bloomfield, corner of Baldwin Place (entrance is the driveway on Baldwin). 9 to 5. Rain or Shine. Last year we had over 30 tables of merchandise, lots of clothes racks and bookcases and ground tarps full of stuff. Donations from over 100 families. We do have vintage jewelry and and Asian (Thai) art works. I bought a Krupps Coffeemaker for $3 and a mini Cuisinart for $! (both barely used) and a book of stories called: "You can Read to Your Cat." Come buy a treasure and help save a kitty. Hope to see you there.

Bloomfield Home Values Show Slight Increase

Trulia is reporting that the median sales price for homes in Bloomfield NJ for Feb 11 to Apr 11 was $258,000. Bucking up against the national downward trend, this represents an increase of 1.3%, or $3,250, compared to the prior quarter and a decrease of 4.4% compared to the prior year. Sales prices have depreciated 29.2% over the last 5 years in Bloomfield. (click on graphic to enlarge) The average listing price for Bloomfield homes for sale on Trulia was $282,758 for the week ending May 23, which represents a decline of 1.2%, or $3,384, compared to the prior week and a decline of 1.1%, or $3,288, compared to the week ending May 02.

Bloomfield Primary Candidates Forum Now Online

Suppose they gave a Candidates Forum in Bloomfield and no one filmed it?

The Bloomfield WBMA TV crew was unable to videotape at Bloomfield College because their studio is currently shut down due to asbestos contamination. An audio tape of the Candidates Forum has now been posted on WBMA's website and is well worth listening to - both for it's barbs and insights into what the candidates feel is important. I was honored to be able to supply the photos that WBMA Director Bob Duthaler skillfully edited into the tape by syncing them up to each speaker's comments.

This primary election has become an intra-party duel between independent incumbent Democrats (Joanow and Ruane) vs the Democratic Machine (Halligan & Bernard).

http://www.facebook.com/l/23ea4/origin.peg.tv/pegtv_player?id=T00304&video=21995"

Memorial Day in Bloomfield

Saluting those who sacrificed their lives to keep us free.

Candidates' Forum for Dems

The forum, sponsored by the Bloomfield Neighborhood Association Committee, had about 70 residents in attendance. It was moderated by Michelle Bobrow from the League of Women Voters of New Jersey.
There were spirited mini debates between 2nd Ward challenger Paul Halligan and Incumbent Nick Joanow. Halligan positioned himself as an anti-tax candidate while Joanow emphasized his 24/7 accessibility to residents. Many of Incumbent Robert Ruane's comments appeared to be directed less to his young challenger, Carlos Bernard, than to Mayor Ray McCarthy, who sat in the middle of a sea of empty seats next to Councilman Bernard Hamilton.

The only heckling during the forum came after Ruane delivered a blistering attack on several of McCarthy's policies. "Well read!" was the Mayor's loud retort.

The last 45 minutes of the Forum was devoted to questions from a long line of attendees (photo at left). Time limitations prevented several residents from getting their question asked. Unlike most recent such forums in Bloomfield, there was no local TV coverage available. A brief video clip can be found on YouTube.

Candidate's Forum for Bloomfield Council Primary

Where --:Van Fossan Theater, Bloomfield College,
Corner of Fremont and Franklin, Bloomfield, NJ

When -- Thursday May 26, 7 - 9 PM

Who -- Incumbent Councilman Nick Joanow and Paul Halligan are vying for the 2nd ward council seat; incumbent Robert Ruane and Carlos Bernard are vying for the 3rd ward seat in the Democratic Primary. Questions from residents encouraged.

Sponsored by the Bloomfield Neighborhood Association Committee

Welcome to Glenwood Village in Bloomfield

At it's Thursday meeting, Bloomfield's Planning Board unanimously approved the Glenwood Village redevelopment project. To be located opposite the Lackawanna Place train station, the development will be comprised of 224 residential and retail units, and a 440 space multi-level parking garage. About 20% of the added 50,000 square feet of retail space is slated for several new restaurants.

Sunday in Bloomfield

"Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won't come in."
-- Alan Alda,

Artifacts Recovered from WigWam Brook

Councilman Nick Joanow assisted the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission's River Restoration Division, last week, in removing the larger pieces of accumulated debris from a section of WigWam Brook (near the Dog Run.) which flows through Watsessing Park. Objects like this bike required a heavy duty winch operated by the PVSC.(video link)

The cleanup was requested by the Bloomfield Open Space Trust Fund Committee, the Watsessing Park Conservancy and the Watsessing Heights Neighborhood Association. It was completed less than two weeks after 100 residents began the annual cleanup.

Watchung Bridge

It's still open most weekends. One lane each way.

Bloomfield's Master Plan

Bloomfield's current master plan is a masterfully done vision of how a town can accomodate continual growth and still respect it;s parks and open spaces. It was finalized about five years ago before the towns's current ambitious downtown redevelopment plans were approved. The Plan mapped Bloomfield from many different perspectives. The overall Land Use Map pictured here depicts zoning. It's interesting to note which neighborhoods multi-family homes are still permitted.(CLIck on map to enlarge) The entre plan can be studied at Bloomfield's Library pr downloaded from the township website.

The Town Paints

On Saturday, "The Town Paints" celebrated the 60th anniversary of art on Bloomfield's Town Green by inviting residents and families to bring their own works of art in all media for display. The one day exhibit was sponsored by Bloomfield's Art League and the Bloomfield Recreation Department.Awards were given to all age groups. In bottom photo, three member of The Porter Family are pictured showing off their framed paintings.

Bloomfield Developer In Morristown Trial -- Could Oakes Plan Crumble?

We were planning to get away from the temptation of speculating on Bloomfield politiical issues, but today's Ben Horowitz at the Star Ledger has a breaking story that could undermine Bloomfield's largest new residential development in years.

Zygmunt "Zygi" Wilf, the owner of the Minnesota Vikings, owns the company whose "Oakes Pond"plans were recently approved for converting the warehouse/office complex at 225 Belleville Ave.(photo at right) into 300 luxury condos and apartments.

Unresolved questions include what did those council members know about Wilf and when did they know it? The civil case against Welf has been 19 years in the making and may not reach a verdict until fall. Could a guilty verdict cause the council to revisit its vote? Why give one of the wealthiest men in NJ a 30 year tax abatement? Will this be an issue in the Bloomfield's Democratic primary or the November election?

Emergency Budget Meeting today.

No time was mentioned at Monday's Conference Meeting. Nothing on township website to confirm location or time. Only 4 of the 7 Council members will probably be able to attend because of conflicts with their day job. A bare quorum. We suspect the fire department will be well represented as they were at the last few meetings.

New Era at Board of Ed

Tuesday's Bloomfield Board of Education meeting made history on several fronts. The seismic shift in control after April's election sweep led to the election of a new President, Mary Shaughnessy. (Click on photos to enlarge) In her opening remarks, Shaughnessy promised "to make this the best and most high functioning Board that Bloomfield has ever had."
Perhaps sensing a change in the receptiveness of the new BOE majority, John Shanagher, the head of the teachers union(at right), mobilized a record number of teachers and students to bolster his case. The room overflowed with attendees attentively soaking up every word. Another hundred or so stood in the halls picking up the highlights in a quiet relay of whispers.
A disappointing element was the lack of customary TV Coverage for the most dramatic early part of the meeting. I shot a few clips, which will be posted on Youtube ASAP. Until then, check out the sample below..

Caputo Moving to Bloomfield?

Despite an earlier announcement of a move to Nutley, todays Star Ledger is breaking news that State Assemblyman Ralph Caputo is planning to move from his native Belleville to Bloomfield. While hIs new address is yet to be confirmed, the chess game of musical chairs behind the move was deconstructed by "THe Auditor" on SL's political blog. Some of the following is pure speculation, but it would make a great who-done-it -- and a suitable addition to our towns reputation for political theater.

Pay attention closely, because this is a case of lawmaker dominoes, where one falling piece pushes the other.
The new legislative district map put three incumbent Assembly members into one district: Coutinho, Ralph Caputo (D-Essex) and Grace Spencer (D-Essex).
The Auditor is told DiVincenzo first hoped Caputo would give up his Assembly seat and run for reelection as a freeholder, solving everything. But Caputo wanted to do the opposite, and planned to move from his hometown of Belleville so he could run in a district that resembled his old one.
That, however, would put him in competition with brand-new Assemblyman Kevin Ryan (D-Essex), widely viewed as a placeholder for when DiVincenzo’s son, Joseph G. DiVincenzo, runs one day.
So DiVincenzo’s next step was to try to get Caputo to run in his new district — in place of Coutinho. But Essex County Democratic Chairman Phil Thigpen objected.

Ultimately, Ryan stepped aside, Caputo moved to Bloomfield to run for his seat, and Coutinho got to keep his Assembly seat.

Wildlife LIving it up in Bloomfield

It ain't easy being a wildlife photographer in North Jersey. Especially if you live in Bloomfield and only focus on what passes by your back deck. Pat Ciesla shows us a few of the fauna that a dedicated amateur can capture-- without leaving her condo off Liongate Drive(she admits to following the hawk a block or so down the road.). Pat's other passion is documenting new additions to the Bukowski Animal Shelter, and then helping to find them good homes. (Click on smaller photos for larger image)

This happens to be part of the tract that The Bloomfield Third RiverBank Association was fighting to preserve against two developers' plans to build upwards of 150 townhouses.

Money Doesn't Always Talk

Final Returns for Bloomfield BOE

Three 3-Year Terms
√ Catherine Catzel Bumpus 1,388
JoAnn Castro 972
Derek Grimes 379
Joel Rosen 727
√ Emily M. Smith 1,554
Susan Wolf* 944
√ Paula R. Zaccone 1,448

School Budget
√ Yes 1,603
No 774

Following the BOE Money -- Into the Mud

Bloomfield voters have had several ways to determine the 3 candidates most deserving of their votes for their Board of Education representatives on Wednesday. Besides a personal conversation, they could have compared the 7 candidates responses at last week's Forum on the town's cable station. They may have read the editorial endorsement in either
Bloomfield Life or The Bloomfield Independent Press. Or they may have checked out a website. But by far the most expensive vehicle is the only one that can potentially reach all voters is the direct mailing. Saturday's mail gave Bloomfield voters a glimpse into the power of machine politics in our town. Every registered voter received three different color mailing cards and brochures(on center and right in photo above.) for the three official Democratic Committee endorsed candidates for the Board of Education. Each one was a slick well designed mailing piece addressed to each prospective voter. Some homes got 12 or more -- at an estimated cost of tens of thousands of dollars. Why go to such great expense for a nonpaying position on the "nonpartisan" school board? Answers can be found in the recent history of how "pay to play" campaign contributions have influenced BOE elections.

The BOE election is Wednesday, April 27, and polls are open from 1 PM – 9 PM.

In Bloom

A Semi-Serious Proposal for the Garden State Pkwy

The latest revenue raising idea to be advanced by NJ's best and brightest is to allow trucks of all sizes on the Garden State Parkway north of exit 105. Although it may slightly reduce the truck flow on Bloomfield's Broad St., the overall increase in congestion on the GSP, could lead to continual gridlock -- especially at entrances and exits. As it is, most trucks don't seem to have a problem detouring via rts287, 280, or The Turnpike. Comments are flying fast and furious in nj.com'a news site.

About That Storm

Last night may have seen the first official Bloomfield flood of the year.

Mapping T-Mobile in Bloomfield

Last night's Zoning Board Meeting introduced T-Mobile's RF Expert, Joseph Minio, who used a battery of GIS Maps(click on map to enlarge) and overlays to show the need for atan additional tower Broad and Bay Streets . My favorite punchline came in response to a resident's comment that T-Mobile's website map suggests great reception for the area in question. Medio's response was essentially that their website was designed to promote their service to consumers or as Steve Colbert might have tweeted: #notintendedtobefactual, The pink area in the map indicates weaker cell reception.
An excellent summary of the evening's highlights can be found on Baristanet. In the comments section, Pat Gilleran, from Bloomfield's Open Space Fund, echoes the Town Administrator's suggestion that an alternative site might be found on Liongate. If it has to go anywhere, this may be the best alternative. At least two more meetings will be needed to address this issue.

April Showers on Bloomfield Politics

Tonight's Conference Meeting of Bloomfield's Council has several controversial agenda items.
It;s scheduled for 7PM for the Mayor's Conference room, but expect it to move the the main Council room if there's a large turnout -- as has become the rule in recent months.

This year's budget is in the final stages of discussion.
Last weeks tabled cuts to the Open Space Fund is expected to be resubmitted.
Will there be changes?
A tax abatement is being finalized for the massive Oak's Pond/225 Belleville Condo project. Is anybody buying?
A new affordable housing ordinance is being proposed.
Is funding for the Board of Health and Animal Shelter still in jeopardy.

Finally, the "top secret" issue of Watsessing's Methadone clinic will be one of many issues saved for closed session -- although unanswered question's are likely to to be raised during the public comment portion of the meeting.

Tonight is also the deadline for applications for candidates to town and county offices this year. Rumors abound on the local Democratic Committee running candidates to oppose incumbent ward Democrats Nick Joanow, Janice Maly, and Robert Ruane.
The Mayor may even throw his hat into the County Freeholder race.

Thursday's Zoning Board meeting will continue to see and hear the proposed Ban/Broad cell tower issue unfold.

BREAKING NEWS:
All 3 incumbent Democrats will have Dem. Com. sponsored opponents:
Ward 1: -Elias Chalet
Ward 2: -Paul Halligan
Ward 3: - Carlos Bernard
Stay tuned...

A Great Weekend for Bloomfield Volunteers and Families!

Hop on down to the Bloomfield Animal Shelter with your dogs, cats, and/or children to get their picture taken with the Easter Bunny for a $10 donation!


We hope for a great turnout to clear out trash to make the pond and river a little nicer for the people and wildlife there. (In the past, a volunteer rescued a duckling that was entangled in a piece of plastic garbage!) There’s plenty to do, so come on out! We'll provide gloves, bags, tools -- and refreshments!

Bloomfield Official Wins Suit Against Online Attackers

Insults and invective have been flying fast in furious over at the public forums at nj.com. Most towns in Nj are given space to vent on these forums, but few have been as nasty as Bloomfield's forum has been -- especially leading up to elections. Under cover of anonymity, some posters have long felt they could attack public officials and volunteers by name without fear of attribution or retribution. Bloomfield's weekly Independent Press is breaking a story in Thursday's issue, about a successful lawsuit by former Board of Ed member, Nicholas Rizzitello, against two "John Doe" critics. Rizzitello was narrowly defeated in 2009 after being the subject of false allegations on the forum. Interestingly, both plaintiffs paid substantial out of court settlements to avoid revealing their identities.

Bukowski Shelter Survival Fight Goes Viral

Hell hath no fury as a volunteer scorned. The mostly volunteer Bloomfield/Bukowski Animal Shelter has been fighting for its life for several weeks now -- ever since the town's 2011 budget was announced with a 100k cut. The volunteers maintain that this cut would eliminate so many vital functions that the shelter would have to either close or send most of it's animals to other shelters that can euthanize unadopted animals after as little as 7 days. After pleading their case at packed town council meetings with shelter supporters. Mayor Ray McCarthy assured the Shelter advocates that money would be found to eliminate the cutbacks. Yet the Board of Health has continued to be pressured to make deeper cuts by trading off the needs of people and animals.

Monday's Council meeting is scheduled to include a final vote on a revised budget, and Shelter supporters are taking no chances. A Facebook page was recently setup to spread the word and marshall support from no-kill supporters from around the state and beyond. Earlier today, Volunteer Marc Mercer revealed himself to be the creator of the page.

"My role was really just as a social media consultant. I thought that this page would max out at about 1200 and that it would take a lot longer to reach that. I underestimated the passion that so many people have for shelter pets, which is something of an irony since my shelter beagle is behind me on a big dog bed, keeping an eye on the boss " In only a couple of weeks the FB page has gained more "Likes" that any other page in Bloomfield.

At this writing, it has over 3000 followers including nationally known comedienne Elayne Boosler. In her role as president of the animal advocacy group Tails of Joy, she concluded her extended written comments to the council with this plea:

" …As city planners I appeal to your good sense in what will best serve your community and actually enhance your budget. The rescue community in America is organized and strong, and watching. You are judged by how you treat the weakest among you. Often that is not only animals, but people as well. Please look again; at the end of every leash is a vote."

Who's the Fool?

One of Bloomfield's semi-dubious distinctions is that it has more Garden State Parkway entrances and exits than any other town in NJ. So many of us Bloomfielders who rely on exact change lanes found that local media stories on the GSP's new "camera tracking" policy raised more issues than they claimed to have resolved.
The NJ.com story was one of many in that foolishly seemed to accept the GSP talking points without question.
There are more unanswered questions in this story than I've seen in a long time:

1. Who's to blame when the coin readers fail? Do we have to get out and photograph the jammed receptacle?
2. How can drivers prove that they actually paid the exact fare -- or more?
3. Where can they appeal an erroneous fine?
4. What proportion of failures happen at unmanned Pkwy entrances?
5. Isn't this a penalty for those who will never use EZ-passes because
they're rarely on toll roads, have too many cars to cover,
or are wary of the failures and abuses of a computer driven system?
6. Why can't a dollar bill machine(or a smart phone reader) be installed?

Perhaps, the GSP press release was taken at face value because most reporters use EZ Passes to save time and have never had to deal with the realities and insanities of exact change lanes. (Of course the GSP officials who design these policies NEVER need to use exact change lanes.)

Thankfully, many of the online versions of the story allow for reader comments.
These were a few I found on NJ.com(several from Bloomfield drivers:

" Will they allow you to back up and go to the next exit? They might want to put a sign on the main line warning people that exiting without exact change or EZ Pass will cost $50 I hope they are also ready for the backups. Because I'd spend a few minutes looking through my car for the money before paying the fine. 15 minutes of checking under the seats, floormats, trunk, etc would be worth not paying $50."
Or this solution: "Better yet, get rid of the tolls that are expensive to collect, and raise the NJ gas tax by 3 cents to maintain these highways."
"Okay, there was a great comment on app.com. The $50 for non-exact change is completely unconstitutional...>>>The federal government states that our money is valid "for all debts, public and private". You can not refuse to accept paper money (this has already been to the US Supreme Court). If the state does not make provisions for paper money then they will lose in court…"
"I seem to find that more and more, I'm having to honk and wait, as my toll money goes down the chute but never seems t register. And to top it all off, the Ledger posts a pic of the plaza in Bloomfield, which could easily be the poster child for busted toll baskets!"

The wisest course for non-pass holders right now would seem to be keeping a piggy bank in your trunk.