THEY ARE LISTENING-TIME EXTENDED

Last week's Planning Board meeting was filled with surprises. What was supposed to be a meeting to adopt the much talked about Master Plan; turned out to be a disappointing showing of less than 120 people to hear the Chair request that his board add additional time and meetings to allow for more input from the public. Members of the Teaneck Coalition against Change and Progress appeared speechless! The board actually listened to their request! The Planning Board then added extra meetings and community input hearings as well as what Mayor Katz called a "Town Hall-Community Outreach Meeting". Speaking of Mayor Katz, he has proven to be a man of action. During his opening speech asking for positive input, an attendee in the audience passed out. Mayor Katz, an ambulance member, along with Mark Schwartz(member of the Planning Board and TVAC)jumped from the dais to his aid. Rumor has it, it was one of his most vocal critics.
Now what remains to be seen is what will the TCCP do with the time? Was it their attempt to stall progress or to right the process?
We will only know the truth if the sincere, non-politically motivated members of the TCCP stand up and join the many residents that have been calling for progress. I have my suspicions. This will be the time to work with the Planning Board. The next Planning Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 28th at the Rhodda Center. It's important for everyone to participate.

PS- Sorry for the post delay, school vacation week!

Why Can't We Be Friends- Now We Really Need Progress!!!!!!!!!

Teaneck's Seismic Tax Shift

For the last 8 month, Mayor Katz and company have been pushing their agenda of more revenue, ratables and saving taxpayer's dollars. The Record article on the impact of the revaluation town wide has given the town a dose of reality and credence to the Mayor's fears. He failed to identify that our Northeast section of town will take the hardest hit. In my opinion, the TCCP continues to promote a division and hindrance to progress. There are allegations by many that Councilwomen Kates and Honis have also been obstacles towards the Council majority's agenda. How will Honis & Kates explain their behavior and lack of action over the last few months as Teaneck residents are taxed out of our community. Our elected officials are accountable to the residents. I'd like to suggest silencing the Council majority to hear what ideas or suggestions Kates and Honis have. Maybe they haven't been given an opportunity to suggest solutions. Maybe the Teaneck Coalition against Change and Progress have alternatives as well.
As many residents face the reality of the tax impact from the revaluation, I believe that there will be more emphasis on what actions our Council and residents have taken to help relieve the tax burden and less attention on the underlying personal and political agendas that capture and dominate the blogs, the Suburbanite and the Council meetings.

Round One- TCCP vs Teaneck

Teaneck Planning Board Meeting

Last Thursday was probably one of the latest Planning Board meetings in Teaneck's history. A semi-full house of approximately 185 people were in the auditorium at the Thomas Jefferson Middle School. I had a great view from the back row, empty except 2 Teaneck Police officer's. Every speaker was allowed 5 minutes to give their input on the proposed Master Plan. I didn't stay to the end, but I was told that there was an additional comment period for the public after the Planning Board discussed the original comments and the meeting wasn't adjourned until 1:30am. Apparently, the TCCP spent the last 5 days littering the town with the "inflammatory" flyers that is described by Teaneck Progress. I personally feel that they were at the very least inflammatory, and perhaps inaccurate...I guess they were desperate for a crowd.
The comments were mostly about the Palisades Avenue Project, American Legion Drive and the process by which the master plan was being done. It was obvious that some speakers were given canned speeches to read to get an applause from the crowd. It would have been more believable if some of those speakers actually knew what they were reading before they got up.
TCCP, you claim to stand for "proper development", yet all we have heard from group members is anti everything and political agendas. While the Planning Board & Council Members are proposing areas that can and need revitalization,--what are you proposing?
Stand for nothing and Teaneck moves backwards, property values plummet and areas will be blighted. Modify or support what is on the table and we may have a chance to survive (notice I didn't mention ratables, that all depends on the project-not all projects help the taxes)-Council use caution and discretion but please DO NOT SLOW DOWN.

Teaneck Budget MVP Awards

The Council is going into their sixth budget meeting with what appears to be no end in sight for completion. In past years, the 40+ million dollar budget was pushed through in 4 meetings with virtually no cuts or changes. So far the current Council carefully scrutinized and found close to $ 1,000,000 worth of savings for the taxpayers. That's no small change!!
My Budget MVP awards go to Councilman Feit and Councilman Gussen that did not waiver towards their commitment that everything is on the table. At last weeks budget meeting, municipal employees packed the room out of fear that their jobs may be on the line. I was forced to stay in the hall with several other residents. Those residents with whom I had the chance to speak with don't really want to see services cut or have township employees lose their jobs but are VERYconcerned about our sky high taxes.
Deputy Mayor Parker was so quick to side with the unions that she tried to force the Council to vote to take layoffs off the table before the meeting even started.
Councilman Feit who has had a reputation for being impressionable showed that when push comes to shove, Councilman Feit's true strengths shine though. He stands tall!
We have to keep encouraging the Council to keep saving taxpayers dollars and bring in more revenue.
The TCCP has been scaring the Teaneck residents with inaccurate flyer's and literature. They claim to be in favor of responsible development, but I haven't heard one positive suggestion from the group or during their meetings. What I have heard is mostly NIMBY's and political agendas. I'm not impressed and as Teaneck Progress pointed out, we see through their "inflammatory language".
My fellow Teaneck residents lets not forget that the bulk of our taxes are from the Board of Education and that the same emphasis should be placed on the Board of Education budget meetings as well. It's very important that as many residents as possible attend these open meetings.