##VIDEO ID:axGZYYH1_6M## okay thanks oh no okay there we go good evening everyone mayor I like to call to order the regular meeting of the Emma Park mayor and Council for December 19th 2024 to order at 7:01 p.m on a roll call we have council members Dennis here poo here GOC here Pelin here choicy here council president Sheridan here mayor kti here we have a quorum thank you good evening ladies and gentlemen how are you all doing tonight I can't hear you there you go we got a good night here in store for all you folks I thought we were giving something away for nothing with all these people here tonight but we are giving away some uh trophies and recognition and I guess that's telling me to okay all right but first we must do what we must do which would be for everyone to please stand for our prayer and flag salute oh God our Father we ask you to bless our meeting which we entrust to your fatherly care and protection please remove all selfishness and Prejudice from our hearts and implant therein a keen sense of justice and a greater love for you and our neighbors guide us in our deliberations so that our decisions will always please you and bring your peace and happiness to our community amen I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all whereas chapter 231 of the public laws of the state of New Jersey require at the commencement of every meeting a statement of compliance be read by the presiding officer now therefore be advised that the meeting requirements for this meeting have been met by publishing a special notice in the record and Herald news and also by posting such notice in the office of the burough clerk as well as in a public place within the municipal building also by notifying interested citizens said notice was posted and transmitted on January 6th 2024 and published on January 10th 2024 okay first that we have approval minutes we have the November 7th 2024 work session meeting the November 7th 2024 executive session November 21st 2024 special executive November 21st 2024 regular meeting and the November 21st 2024 executive session may have a motion to approve the minutes move any discussion call the roll please first by pel second by council president Sheridan and roll call we have council members Dennis yes F solo I'm going to abstain on the November 7th minutes and then yes to the rest okay goabc yes peline yes tryy yes council president Sheridan yes motion carries at this time we will have a presentation by the coaches of our EP Crew soccer team if you can step up to the mic please [Applause] we would like to welcome and introduce our new 11 EP crew Alliance Division and division one uh Blue Jays they were champions last spring spring 2024 and then two additional teams uh U14 Eagles and new 15 coyotes that were champions for the last fall season so four teams were doing very you know very good this year we had six teams all seven teams all together uh last season and four of them won championships so very great accomplishment I think I'm getting sick and tired of seeing these people here each and every year don't you lose so we competed like all those teams competed against uh teams from Wayne Livingstone Madison Denville mown hacktown CH chadam Bridgewater haong all the moris county teams and uh so we had four Champions and then two two additional teams in second place so uh for example our uh coyotes scored 53 goals last fall and conceded only 12 and Eagles scored 23 goals and just let in uh 15 goals so very very good result thank you coaches for you know doing great job with the kids and also thank you to the parents for bringing them to the practices uh to the games uh also we are grateful for our trainers uh that we work with and everyone in the town especially you know our rec director mayor and Council everyone that you know gets us uh the field permits and all that that is needed for for our games and practices thank you all so much [Applause] for all right so we want to announce the first team Lions that's for spring of 2024 all right we have only a couple of players right everybody's on vacation already some of them couldn't make it so holiday season I guess so uh so we start with they're probably probably signing some big we contract pass yes okay Captain [Applause] congratulations stand over here okay line up right [Applause] there to your [Applause] Martin and Coach Chris Christopher P congrat thank you we also have Sebastian [Applause] [Music] Lopez that's it you want to take with yes mayor the mayor so that's part of the as part of the team [Applause] okay now we are inviting here Blue Jays division one champions [Applause] [Applause] conratulations noio [Applause] conratulations Ethan [Applause] [Applause] John [Applause] Harris Eugene congratulations than [Applause] conratulations statul [Applause] [Applause] and our coach Brandon Rivera where do I go [Music] nice thank you good job [Applause] now you coyote [Applause] [Applause] Jason Gonzalez [Applause] [Applause] Nathan aan [Applause] Hernandez excuse me [Applause] congratulations Jason Mora phix [Applause] [Music] [Applause] help out so very good Alex [Applause] Rivera danova [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Pera and our coach of the team coach Brendon River e [Applause] day not hold on I'm not there not even there [Music] yet where you where' you get the Jersey from [Applause] and last te for tonight uh u4 5 one eagle [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] Antonio conratulations [Applause] ran GR [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] PA [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] get congratulations [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] coach jigo and Coach Lis cabera [Applause] guys make a room in the middle okay you [Applause] guys guys minut organization has been in here for the last three four five years consistently winning and winning and winning and as this young lady had said earlier on it's takes three components it takes that Administration has to be strong and consistent then there's the coaching aspect of it and then the last leg to make it as successful as this was the and you put those ingredients together you end up with a night like tonight great [Applause] job coun make com before they lose all these people and okay um I just I just want to say to um the parents thank you very much for traveling all over um for your children I want to say congratulations and the coaches you guys are doing a hell of a job congratulations yes good evening everyone I just want to say I'm sorry that's okay so congratulations to the EP Crew soccer team your accomplishments are not only a testament to your talent but also to the dedication of your coaches and your parents for supporting you in this um without them you will not be able to play your best so give your parents and your coaches a round of applause keep up the good work and keep winning yes I just want to say how amazing you all are you're here each and every year because of your dedication and your hard work our community is proud of each and every one of you and it's because of your parents your coaches but it's because of your hard work we're all so proud of all of you every year we look forward to seeing you and we know you're going to be back again so keep up the hard work when you work hard this is what you get you succeed and you have victories like this each and every year so we're so proud of you congratulations go home be very very proud of yourselves and thank you for all you do for our community coaches and parents I don't care who this upsets but Elwood Park is clearly a soccer town am I [Music] right coaches players parents outstanding congratulations keep it up all the best thank you congratulations to all of you you are here every year with your continued success I wish you nothing but success in the future future for this program uh thank you to the coaches and the parents uh and you guys are learning great lessons here as you move forward uh making new friends and uh learning the values of sportsmanship so [Applause] congratulations crew congratulations I enjoy watching you guys here year after year time after the Time come back here and make ELO Park proud and bring back home the championship um I've had Theon honor of watching at least one team each week work hard and and get the championship and I just want to say congratulations again to the coyotes um whether it's your first year or your last year in the program you guys have been influenced by some amazing coaches and I just have to put it out there that the coaches you have are on multiple Sports in Elmwood Park and they are multi- winning championship teams that they've all been on whether it is basketball baseball softball or soccer you have some amazing and coaches so coaches thank you for being dedicated to all the programs Inwood Park thank you for continuing to bring home our championships and making us look good um whatever you're doing behind closed doors when we drop them off we appreciate it you're making it great and we thank you for your support and dedication and of course parents been there done that I'm sorry you're still doing it um but your dedication to the program is phenomenal thank you for dedicating so many hours on a Sunday or Saturday to these children and to the programs and you guys deserve a say a am of congratulations as a team players hopefully you guys are back again next year and have a wonderful break congratulations um just one more thing that I'd like to add they also support our residents assistance program The People's pantry and they bring food to those in need so besides all they do with sports they show kindness and generosity to people in need and I wanted to mention that tonight so thank you all C that's to be seen yet hey at this time I would like to call forward forward Linda camini we have a presentation from the homeowners association we're going to give her a minute to come forward yes we're just going to wait on moment for the room to clear out okay [Music] m so we like usually new they do like BR around the world and then you know stay with you too okay you going to play soccer are you playing yet you're kicking huh with alen and you you would become a you become got to get the G too you got to utilize that too good way me here next sorry okay so once again we will have a donation um presentation by the homeowners association so I would ask for Linda Colin beini to please come forward alongside council president Sheridan and councilwoman tryy I don't know what to say again you're here again we can't get rid of you oh well well once again we're honored to be here I don't think so I got to stand beh oh there okay so once again we're honored to be here the homeowners association to present you with this check in the amount of 3,00 ,000 for the Vietnam memorial all right all [Applause] right ni Mrs Claus and as long as you come around this time of the year and bring checks like this you're always welcome here Mrs CL those you that don't know about the our flight to get to the point of where you can go down the street very close from here then rer Avenue and the Boulevard and you see a statue of the Vietnam soldier it was an idea that started 4 and a half years ago it caught on like wildfire people like this standing next to me got on board members of the council got on board and we raised the whole amount which concluded last last week with a $5,000 donation now this brings us over and above but we've had some hiccups like any normal procedure that you're not familiar with there was no there was no blueprint on how to do this we had to just step by step especially considering that we were raising the money not from your tax dollars but from private individuals that made it very very difficult but the like this tonight here we can stand here with the Statue up we have some we we have to we have made some mistakes on the plaque and we missed some names that came to us later on and by the way I think we should cut off date Mike January 31st cut off in terms of anybody who feels that their relative or we're missing their name on that statute is should get that information into the clerk's office and we'll Rectify it but that would be the cut off date ladies in agreement with that sure I got to keep everything Democratic here so this here check brings us over and above and will pay help pay for that correction on the plaque we thank you very much Linda it's our pleasure you and [Applause] homeowners and this will be the last time I'm here this year I don't know about that I'll see next we next up at this time we have recognitions from the Board of Health so I would like to call forward Board of Health President John Demario and board members Doris wetchler and lria and tray hey everyone um firstly I'd like to thank our ELO Park Board of Health members we have um uh Janette randazza who is our Treasurer um we have um Juliana gambeski um we have Loris Spa uh we have um Doris wetchler who is here with us we have Luchia ineri who was our vice president and then we also have Clarissa Proctor and uh our Board of Health Secret secretary and registar is chenet moris we have a lot of thanks for her and all the hard work that she's done and also Lorraine peline who is our Board of Health Leone um there are so many people to thank uh for the events and for the things that they've given to us and we truly appreciate every one of them we've had um our Board of Health uh event Elma Park celebrate seniors we're going on our fifth year if you can believe that so it goes really quickly and we are grateful for we have the uh Board of Health budget we have all the volunteers and people that are helping out us out and without them we couldn't do it all so three years ago we decided to have recognition for all the volunteers and and what they've done and the services they provided because without them we couldn't do it you know so uh I would like to um Chen actually has the certificates and we have a few people here tonight um that we would like to acknowledge oh they're here okay okay let's see let's see they're here okay we have a couple people I mean um you know the weather unfortunately has uh has its impact on people uh the first person we would like to acknowledge would be uh Elizabeth Longo Elizabeth has been with us for like since almost like the beginning and she's also here at other events and she mans a table she gives out the information uh and due to you know circumstances she's not able to be here tonight so we have Daris accepting on her behalf on behalf of Elizabeth longal she's got a heart of gold just like our other recipients tonight all our volunteers they give will beond everything you could think of it's what they do from their heart it's for the residents of el with Park and our seniors so I like to accept this thank you so much you have both right oh yeah go ahead you one that's my phone on um beh have of Jennifer Rondo which is uh in every occasion every year she does so much for us for not just for the seniors but everything and she's always there um with her boyfriend which is uh his name I don't know Michael Wy so I'm accepting both uh and uh I'm very happy to say that these people are great every time they're there they're always there thank you and also they've been with us every year for the past four years and God willing going forward they'll be here as well and due to circumstances they couldn't be here either oh really quick sorry John I would like to call forward uh Council on uh lorine pelig to present the certificates you there mind continue okay um okay the next um folks we have are and they've been doing this for several years um it's a husband and wife team and they're actually um just wonderful giving people and uh we have Ed um Valenzuela and actually Ed was with us and he's done a lot because um like for the example on the streets he he helped us Mark the streets for all the vendors and if you know anything about that it takes a lot of time to do that because we had chalk we did the streets we numbered and it just took a lot of time and it was we were so grateful for his uh uh for him to do so because it's it it's it's just a lot of work it's very uh laborious uh and then we have uh Serena his lovely wife and Serena is a a godsend too because she was actually with us from the beginning too and she has her Administration skills which uh and her Excel which really helped because um with that she was able to help us with the vendors and the locations on the street and to help us become much more organized so um we'd like to recognize this uh great husband and wife team [Applause] that's congratulations you thank [Applause] you st right here those of you that don't know we're under the offices of the county as far as the health department goes but we have our own board members naturally within the town uh this gentleman here has been the president for how many years now four years and what he did was he thought outside of the box went beyond the requirements for president and board members he created a senior celebration day that is become part of our culture here in El Park and it's a glorious day it's all dedicated for our seniors and this man and the board members that You' seen here are all responsible for them let's give them a hand of appla we just have two more lastly we have uh two gentlemen um one of the visions that I had was to have like antique and classic cars uh for the seniors to you know to look at and that's really a very hard task to get because it's hard to get people to commit to these events and it takes a lot of work and there are two Joe's we have lentini and Joe Santos and they're from the American Cruisers and they were able to get like some of the uh uh people to to help to show their cars and it were Antiques and classic cars and they were absolutely beautiful and it really just added such a great element we've been trying to do that for three years and they've been with us for all three years but one year there was a hurricane the next year it was an inclimate weather was rain so we really you know we couldn't use the cars because they're beautiful antique and classic cars uh but this year finally we had a beautiful day we had son and uh I just would like to we would like to recognize them for the things that they've done for us because because they were really a a beautiful part of our event and it's Joe lentini and Joe Santos from American [Applause] Cruisers thanks so much thank you thank you thank you so much do you want to say something yeah do you want to say something because I know that you love the cars it was I mean it was a pleasure being part of this event and town doesn't real realiz that the time you spend on the event I mean you spent every second of of that day trying to better the event make sure everything went fine so really the event is all around John more so than anybody else I think well it's also like the mayor is actually the one who picked the choice of the car I remember you will be between the model A and the the other hot rod with the big blower yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah Co very well take a picture two beautiful Vehicles by the way got a picture of a dinosaur there me what are you talking conratulations thank you guys thank you once again you done thank you [Applause] everybody okay uh let's uh have some Council comments on the last two events that we just went through here Pam we'll start with you on on your end thank you Linda colini and the Elma Park Homeowners Association for the generous donation towards the completion of the Vietnam Monument this project is a perfect example excuse me of what can be accomplished when the community comes together to the Board of Health sorry to the Board of Health volunteers thank you for your time your contributions help make the event a success John you've always done a wonderful event I always enjoy being there keep up the good work thank you Miss Sheridan thank you mayor um I want to say thank you to Linda gabini I've been with her going on my third year now um she's she's always there for the town thank you um I'd also like like to say um thank you to the Board of Health I was on it back about four years ago um I realized all the hard work and everything that you put into it and John great job thank you m peligre yes thank you to Linda colini and the members of the homeowners association for yet another generous donation to the Vietnam memorial your commitment to giving back to our community is evident in all you do and I mean that From The Heart Linda you work really hard all the time to constantly give back to all of us in the community and make things better so we thank you so much thank you congratulations for to the Board of Health members that were recognized and all the people that volunteered senior day is a wonderful event that we give so much to our seniors you have John you put in a lot of work and so does all the Board of Health members uh rap has been a part of that also for the last four years and we're proud to be there to also help it it does a lot for our community to all be together like that and for our seniors to realize just how valued they are and that day definitely makes them stand out and makes them feel valued so I thank the Board of Health as your liais on I see all the hard work that is put in by everyone it's not one person it's a team effort and I just want to say good job by everybody and thank you all thank you coun thank thank you councilwoman councilwoman Dennis thank you mayor again Linda and the homeowner association you're back uh we always appreciate seeing you and your generosity uh towards our initiatives and projects in town so thank you again for for all the hard work that you do for that um Board of Health Organization I remember thanking you guys in October but I will thank you a million times over you brought something unique to um with Park we never had before you kind of put an event out there that no other town is doing so now if they do it They're copying you besides the county um I'm proud to attend that event I am privileged to have been a part of the process and to see how hard you guys work um from behind the scenes and we know we give a lot of credit to John but we know that John has an army of people with him that help him all year long plan these things out and you guys put on such a phenomenal I'm event again but you give back and John's biggest thing was making sure no one pays for anything it is a a event where we give back to our our seniors and we honor them and we respect them and give them a day of just appreciation and you have succeeded at that initiative every single time and your entire team should be proud I hope that your team continues to grow and works together I know you're celebrating five years next year and I am still going to be here for a resource for you guys and I want to see you continue to make this go on and on um thank you to all the volunteers that have helped whether you're borrow employees or just regular uh residents or outside organizations it's appreciated and we thank you thank you mayor thank you councilwoman Mr FAA thank you mayor excuse me councilman thank you he did say councilman um where was I now so I just want to make it a notice that um both both of these things both the Veterans Memorial and the uh senior event isn't possible without the hard work and dedication of our residents uh almost every meeting we're recognizing people because Elma Park is full of dedicated volunteers and and great citizens uh so John I want to thank you for that that great event that's becoming part of our our fabric uh and the homeowner association for their dedication uh to all of our events and not only the um the Veterans Memorial so thank you very much thank you councilman councilman golc confirmed thank you mayor um to the homeowners thank you so much for your continued generosity I'm sure sure we'll be seeing you guys in the future um a lot of towns do events for seniors majority are just throwing a couple tables out there and it's an hour and they kind of check off the box that they did it Elwood Park thanks to our Board of Health under Mr dear's leadership it's it's it's it's a whole another level a live event uh with with character with life and we thank you for elevating the town through that and look forward to to seeing you know I hope one day to attend this event like in all seriousness as as a senior many years from now I hope it has that kind of legacy and and standing in this in this community so thank youly I I know I so I've heard thank you councilman moving along mors next up we have appointments we have resolution um r- 38524 to the B Council I hereby nominate and with your advice and consent appoint JPI Randazzo as municipal judge for a period of three years term ending December 31st 2027 respectfully submitted mayor Robert klei resolution r- 38524 being resolved by the mayor and Council of the B of emen Park that the appointment of josephi Razzle as municipal judge for a period of three years at a cost not to exceed $45,000 from account 0 1-20 1 0- 43-49 01- 011 effective January 1st 2025 term ending December 31st 2027 and the same is hereby confirmed may I have a motion on a resolution second any discussion ladies and gentlemen I'd like to say something at this moment regarding U our ch Choice uh he's a gentleman that actually worked for this town years ago as our a town attorney he went on to uh become judge in other towns uh I had a brief conversation with him a couple of days ago and uh was to welcome him on board and I said to him that Joe you always been a fair person and what more could you ask in a judge than being a fair person as a matter of fact he's with us tonight Joe will you please stand [Applause] up I'm assuming I'm assuming things have changed boy these guys are keeping me on my toes tonight call the roll please first by peline second by for solo on roll call we have council members Dennis um I'm going to abstain from Shen okay folo yes gobec yes pelen yes choicy yes council president Sheridan yes motion carries next we have ordinances on second reading we have resolution r- 38624 introduce ordinance number 24-25 on second reading whereas a public notice has been given by the burough clerk that an ordinance entitled an ordinance amending burrow code section 4-34 .2 license required fees expiration to allow an additional Towing license was introduced and passed a meeting held on Thursday November 21st 2024 and that further consideration of this ordinance will be taken up at this meeting and whereas all persons interested in said ordinance we're given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same now therefore be resolved by the mayor and Council of the B of Eden Park that an ordinance entitled an ordinance amending bur code section 4- 34.2 license required fees expiration to allow an additional Towing license pass on Final reading may I have a motion to open to the public move second anyone from the public here to speak on this ordinance and this ordinance alone no no you later on we'll open it to the public for any type of comments all right with that I'll close the public portion on that may I have a motion to adopt the ordinance col roll please first by pelig second by F solo roll call we have council members Dennis yes folo yes GOC yes pelen yes choicy yes council president shant yes motion carries next we have resolution r- 38724 introduce ordinance number 24-26 on second reading whereas a public notice has been given by the burough clerk that an ordinance entitled an ordinance adopting burrow code section 26-13 privately owned salt storage to prevent stored salt and other solid deicing materials from being exposed to storm water was introduced and passed a meeting held on Thursday November 21st 2024 and that further consideration of this ordinance will be taken up at this meeting and whereas all persons interested in said ordinance will be heard will be given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same now therefore it be resolved by the mayor and Council of the bur of el Park that an ordinance entitled an ordinance adopting bur code section 26-13 privately owned salt storage to prevent storage Salt and other solid deicing materials from being exposed to storm water pass on Final reading motion to open to the public thank you anyone from the public here to speak on this ordinance and this ordinance alone if not I will close the public portion may have a motion to adopt the ordinance call a roll please first by pelig second by council president Sheridan our roll call we have Council memb Dennis yes bolo yes goabc yes pelen yes choicy yes council president Sheridan yes motion carries next we have resolution r-38 38824 introduce ordinance number 24-27 on second reading where is the public notice has been given by the burough clerk that an ordinance entitled an ordinance repealing and replacing bur code chapter 21 shade tree was introduced and pass that a meeting held on Thursday November 21st 2024 and that forther consideration of this ordinance will be taken up at this meeting and whereas all persons interested in said ordinance were given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same now therefore it be resolved by the mayor and councel of the bur of Elwood Park that an ordinance entitled an ordinance repealing and replacing burrow code chapter 21 shade tree pass on Final reading anyone from the public here to speak on this ordinance I need a motion to open to the public no one if not I'll close the public portion col Ro please mayor before we before we vote on this um by looking at the the um ordinance the both the application fee and planting procedure says TB determin so what are we voting on it's not the the ordinance we have in front of us doesn't say any but I mean it says everything but not the application fee or the planting procedure says to be added and to be determined yeah so there there's no fee as of right now you to set that amount and I don't know if the engineer ever made a recommendation in terms of this this is originating from the engineer so why don't we wait for that well they want it to go into effect I forget the exact requirement but but basically the reason why you're doing this is at the the recommendation of the engineer there's some State program that requires that you have this shade tree ordinance in place so we're trying to get it into effect ASAP to to satisfy whatever requirement it was do you remember what it was sh specifically no yeah but for the for the time being there would be no fees until you decide to to designate fees in the future if you so decide Kyle what's the deadline I don't know that there is a deadline I just know that the the engineer asked us to do it sooner rather than later I think it's been something that was lingering for a while I mean is it something like a wait an extra meeting so they can determine the the prices and and fill out I don't believe you have any any prices right now um you know off hand I know read it tonight you would have to be first reading in January February is that too much of a break before they get these or are we missing the deadline you would need advice from the engineer on that all I know is that the engineer sent it over earlier in the year there was some delay I don't know why frankly um but uh uh you know he asked us to move forward with it when he when he submitted it for first reading back in I guess it was November are we good Council I I just like does our building department know what's going to be expected of them because this place is a lot this is places and I think it's all good stuff trans forcement because there's no enforcement right now and it is it is a model it's a model ordinance coming directly from the state again whatever agency it is that that um requires it for the program um so it's not it's largely not discretionary except for the the 2B determins and and some of the more periphery things from what I understand as the engineer um uh lat to half in fact I'm just I'm I'm just not comfortable voting on anything that just say to be added at a later time yeah I'd like to without any timelines or anything I'd like to make a motion to table there's a motion on on the floor at the table is there a second a second oh it l second Pam Oham do we need to vote on the table table yes yeah call a vote please okay so motion to table by councilwoman folo second by councilwoman chicy on roll call we have council members Dennis yes pello yes gobec yes pelen yes chicy yes council president Sheridan yes okay motion Carri this ordinance is tabled moving on to our consent agenda we have the following resolutions resolution r- 38924 approval of payroll r390 d24 approval of bills list r- 39124 award proposal for Professional Services alignment group burrow Park Phase 2 improvements r- 39224 award Cherry Hill Park Paving r- 39324 resolution authorizing tax exemption for disabled veteran 125 Mill Street AK a block 1710 Lot 10 r- 39424 resolution authorizing tax exemption for disabled veteran 93 Miller Avenue AKA block 705 lot 22 R-3 9524 resolution to refund tax exempt disabled veteran r- 39624 resolution to refund tax exempt disabled veteran r- 39724 approve the 2024 fire department clothing allowance r- 398 -24 authorized to enter into grant agreement r399 d24 appointment of police Towers R400 d24 leave of absence of firefighter r- 41-24 approved block party request r- 42-24 approval of transfers r- 43-24 authorized release of performance bond r-44 d24 resolution to approve the consent agenda motion on the consent agenda any discussion call the roll please first by pelig second by F solo a roll call we have council members Dennis yes P solo I'm going to recuse on 39724 yes to the rest okay go excuse me also recuse on 400 that's 20-24 okay go yes peligre yes Choy I'm going to 397 24 and 4-24 yes to the rest okay council president sharidan yes motion carries next we have departmental reports zoning board meeting minutes from October 23rd 2024 Board of Health meeting minutes from October 14th 2024 and the library board meeting minutes from October 21st 2024 may I have a motion to accept the departmental reports second any discussion all in favor thank you mayor this concludes my portion of the meeting I will turn it over to you for Council reports okay let's change it around here a little bit let's start off with you Mr Gold i' like to wish all my colleagues the employees of the buau the residents a very uh Merry Christmas happy holidays uh wish everyone the best uh lots of luck in the new year um I also want to uh acknowledge and recognize uh councilwoman Tanisha Dennis uh who barring some emergency and things can happen but barring any kind of craziness uh this is her last meeting of as a council member uh for this term um I want to thank you for your service both as a colleague a friend and a resident uh you you care about the town brought a very um uh different perspective uh to our group um and it's been a pleasure and an honor to work with you I'm positive you'll be involved uh in the town in in in all sorts of ways that you're already doing and uh I'm fairly certain you know we'll see you back in this Arena someday so thank you again and I wish you all the best thank you mayor thank you Mr Gold councilwoman peligre uh yes good evening everyone my police update on Saturday December 21st the Elwood Park PD North Pole Express will be traveling around the streets of our Elwood Park Community bringing treats to all Santa and his team will be driving around from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be at the Recreation Center parking lot from 4: to 5:00 p.m. for anyone that missed them and wants to take some pictures the Barrow of Elwood Park and our Park PD will be having their annual holiday decorating contest to enter you can email t coaches K CIS at Alwood Park nj. us or call our community policing department at 551 329 8183 judging will take place on Monday December 23rd certificates will be awarded for first second and third place our manora lighting ceremony will be held on December 26th at 6:00 p.m. on the corner of Mulla Boulevard and Market Street residence assistance program update over the last week we held our annual toy shop and we helped over 80 families in need this holiday season we thank everyone who donates to make this all possible we appreciate all the kindness and generosity we receive all year long a special thank you to my rap coordinators Angela FAA and Deon York and all of our volunteers who work so hard for this program thank you to Chief fno and his team for always being there to help and support this program Community Helping comput Community truly makes a difference I thank you all and I just want to say one thing about that until you work the store and work the pantry and see the people in need in this community you really can't imagine how many people need our help and this community comes together as a team and makes it happen so from the bottom of our hearts we want to thank everybody that helps us we appreciate all of you and you're doing tremendous work for those who really need your help my Chamber of Commerce update on Tuesday December 17th the new Ala Park Chamber of Commerce held its holiday party at our local VFW toys were collected for our elet Park PD to bring to nearby hospitals for the children we thank them for their involvement in our community they've been giving back so much our new chamber this organization meets the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at our VFW the next Board of Health meeting will be held on January 13th at 7 p.m. all are welcome to attend and lastly I would like to wish everyone a great holiday and a happy healthy New Year may 2025 bring us all all peace happiness and may our community continue to thrive and be blessed and councilwoman Dennis uh I want to wish you the best thank you for serving our community for the last three years and I wish you all the best in all your future endeavors progress mayor thank you councilman folo thank you mayor I'm very happy to see that tonight we approved um the phase two Park improvements uh me councilwoman Dennis and councilwoman Troy uh were at the fields and and planning things out and I'm glad to see that come to fruition very soon uh councilwoman Dennis um it's a little hard for me to see you go and it's your last meeting but I have never witnessed a council woman that has had has been more Hands-On and dedicated to our community and our children uh like you have uh um it's definitely resonated with me every time I would call a councilwoman Dennis she would be somewhere driving like a chicken with out ahead and uh uh going crazy and and doing things not for herself but for others uh and that's what really struck the quality that really struck me about you is that you think about others before yourself um you will continue to do great things you have strength you have class and you have dignity and I'm glad to uh call you my friend so congratulations I mean not congratulations but uh good luck and best of luck in all your future endeavors thank you councilman council president Sheran thank you mayor um on December 7th we got um the new Elwood Park Pharmacy opened up on Market Street we had the grand opening very nice people if you guys need anything they're there for you um to everyone I want to wish a happy and healthy holiday season coming up um and also tiisha thank you for everything it's been a long three years but um we managed we stayed together we had our differences but um my door is open to you anytime and I'm sure your door will be open for me so thank you for everything good luck to you and good luck to your family also I just want to mention again January 30th is the cut off date for the Vietnam memorial if anyone wants to get added on please contact uh the municipal building and that's it January 31st January 30 30th is cut off okay that's good thank you councilwoman councilwoman tryy thank you mayor in November 2023 I was honored to be elected to serve the people of Elwood Park a town I've spent the last 43 years of my life in and I have grown to deeply love as an Italian American I was raised with a strong moral compass grounded in Catholic values and I was taught to respect all people regardless of the color of their skin since joining the council however I had been met with hostility from councilwoman Tanisha Dennis Miss Dennis made several baseless allegations against me resulting in unnecessary waste of government resources in an attempt to gain political leverage now as her time on the council comes to an end she continues to sew division through her political games while accusing me of racism recently I shared a jiffy from Facebook's comic bar as I was celebrating the reelection of the council president and the arrival of a new council member following Miss Dennis's loss in the election the post contained a very popular pop culture phrase found in a movie in song lyrics on apparel hats mugs board games in fact it was used by former First Lady Michelle Obama on the tonight show as she described to Jimmy Fallon what she was thinking as she waved the goodbye upon leaving the White House when Trump took office and Robin Roberts host of Good Morning America directed the phrase towards Amarosa manal Newman after she resigned as advisor to president Donald Trump and most recently it was the number one answer on family feuds season 23 episode 149 air glass week on December 11th 2024 despite claims by Miss Dennis the post was not about race it was about the relief I felt having to no longer be subjected to her behavior as I look forward to 2025 I'm eager to focus on addressing the real issues facing our community I'm optimistic about working with a council free of the obstacles and distractions caused by Miss Dennis's actions I wish Miss Dennis the best of luck and I pray she finds peace I also hope that she and others like Elwood Park Police Department chaplain Barbara Marquez will stop engaging in inflammatory rhetoric and using race as a tool to divide us especially during a Time when our nation desperately needs unity and healing with that I thank Miss Dennis for her contributions to the community during her time on the [Applause] council councilwoman Dennis thank you mayor I appreciate you letting me go last since this my last uh Speech up here so I'll be my authentic self and speak as quickly as I normally do and uh go back into to council business so first off I just to reiterate congratulations to all the children and EP crew and their families and coaches for a phenomenal season it's been nice to sit in the audience all those years that my son was honored by the council and then I was able to sit up here and honor my son and his team and all of his teammates um as they continue to be so successful that's a phenomenal soccer program we have and hopefully all of our council members can find time to go out and watch them play um thank you again to the homeowners association for their generosity again this year towards the veterans of morio it's always appreciated um the Board of Health again good job you hear all my stuff privately and and publicly keep doing the good work that you're doing and you'll always be supported by me um I had the privilege someone asked hey Tenisha where have you been I've been in my car um and I've been at very ious events around El Park supporting our youth as I've always done um so I want to congratulate the Middle School production Theater Company um for putting on a phenomenal phenomenal show of Moana Jr a little biased that is my second favorite Disney movie after Lion King um but they did a phenomenal job and I'm very proud of them so I want to congratulate them on that tonight there's a band concert I wasn't able to make it to but they always have a great Winter concert and they have one in the spring so if you can attend when you get those dates please join them and cheer on our youth um the tree lighting was great had a great time thanks everybody that came out Chief thank you for your comedic relief when the tree didn't turn on I have watched that video a million times I will share it with you it is actually pretty funny um and the comments from the children were wow he's really good at improvising on the Fly um when everything went wrong and we still made it right so thank you for providing those memories um and continuing that tradition and H Park uh tomorrow is the Rex Christmas it's called like Reas or something show up every year I crash their party the rec staff puts on a phenomenal phenomenal Christmas party and Thanksgiving event for all the Aftercare kids and it's always fun when the police department shows up to play Santa entertain the kids give out gifts and they do their pizza parties and things like that so if you guys can make it please stop by um I just want to take a time to say my finals um I want to thank everyone that has crossed my path the last four years and forever I was saying three years Terry and I think it was today I started saying four years because it was four years ago that we met that we started running for a Council seat and I really respect anyone that has the courage to throw their names into that into the pot and and want to step up and do anything for the community whether it's an organization whether it's a committee uh a board or a Council seat or a board of ed seat um if you can step up and put your names in the had I commend you and I show you a lot of respect and I I have a special place in my heart for those people uh we're a town of 21,000 and it's sometimes it's sad to see the same 10 people show up but those 10 people will continue to show up and we hope that we can add more on to those that number um so again you throw your name out there you have a seat it is a privilege to have these seats and it's nothing that should be taken for granted I've said that over and over I have never taken my position for Grant granted I appreciate everyone that has voted for me and supported me um just as I as I stop this um my family I love you I thank you for supporting me and allowing me to share my time and your time with others um and I thank you for jumping in those cars with me as we go out and service our community and hopefully you've learned to not be selfish um and to be selfless and and if you can give you give and if you can't it's okay prayer are always a secondary option and make sure you still do it anyway um I just want the council and anyone on their boards that have the privilege to serve their Community to remember to govern all to represent everyone um whether we're zero to 99 or some people are 100 um if you have that this position just remember not to service those that you may like but you are to govern represent everyone in your community be the example and a role model and not be a part of the issues um I'm trying really hard here I said I wasn't going to cry um I encourage people to show up to stand up to speak out and to speak up if you see something being wrong if you feel wrong if you see others being mistreated it takes a village to get things done it's not done by just one person or a couple of people so be courage just be strong and on a different same note um hate and negativity has no place in our community um I hate the word politician I hate the word politics I believe people use that to cover up bad behavior um and as councilwoman chyy uh addressed some things um I'm going to share a personal moment her and I had a conversation a few weeks back in the beginning of November and I made a comment to her I said if someone brings a gun into my home it is mine if someone brings hate into my home I'm sorry someone brings drugs into my home it is mine someone brought hate into your group it is yours and what you do after that shows everything about your character and your integrity it went in one ear and out the other and I'm sad about that I do not know councilman chicy on a personal level we have worked together we have always been you and respectful when we have been put on committees or maybe I have I don't know how she felt about it um we have gotten our projects done we have governed together this last year and we have made a lot of progress and I'm very proud of that I don't sit down I don't diminish anything that we have accomplished together as a council or on separate committees but what I'm not going to sit here and allow is an excuse for bad behavior and when it comes to racism it's a very sensitive topic that if you've never experienced it you don't understand it and there's people fortunate in this world to never have experienced it to never have to deal with it and I tell you this if someone says to you that what you may have said or done is racist that is an opportunity for a conversation that is an opportunity for understanding to Enlighten yourself and expand your experiences and the people that you deal with if someone came to me and told me that what I did was wrong or they felt slighted by it I would simply apologize try to undo it and have the conversation later the conversation will start with I don't understand I would like to sit down and speak to you about it to help me understand it I apologize if you were offended that was not the intention little things like that go a long way we wouldn't be sitting here if we all would hold ourselves accountable and the people around us accountable I'm not here to um thank you I'm not here to divide anyone um I met a gentleman on Sunday and he says to me he has never experienced racism until he moved to New Jersey three years ago and I was sad for that gentleman because he's only 19 years old and I said to him I I have the same sentiment we come from the same city of New York and I've have never experienced that timeos to New Jersey it is what it is but I expected as an adult when I had a conversation with someone and I said hey I feel slighted by something you did I expected a better response I was met with hostility I was met with them doubling down on it I was met with their family members reposting it and the GIF that was shared since we did bring it up directly was a gif of a black woman waving when you put those things out it can have racial undertones which is what I said it had and it still does and when you point out where everyone else did it that doesn't make it right and the conversation should have been why do you feel right why do you feel it's racist right and is anyone else going to think this is racist it didn't go down that way um but to remind people what they did um after the conversation and after the altercation um their family went online and changed the image to a woman on drugs okay so you double down on it and you double down on the bad behavior and you spent weeks six to be exact now um in the hateful group where hate is spread because if you're not of a certain group you're not even allowed in there so it's supposed to be hidden now um this uncensored group is now censored from people who want to join the group and you go in there and you're doubling down on it and you're reposting it and you're trying to justify the bad behavior if half the people tell you that it's wrong and have people tell you that it's right you should just have a conversation but that's not what happened taking this opportunity to try to justify again what you did was wrong and trying to make it right is just showing how you don't take accountability and I ask again that you be the example be the role model and not a part of the issue and for those who are choosing to not address it you're being complacent and when you're being complacent you're being accepting of it and and I'm not going to sit here and be complacent I'm not going to sit here and be accepting of it and whether my time on this council is up or not if I come back I'm not going to be quiet about it because if here it's wrong it's wrong and we have to hold each other accountable we are role models to our youth we are involved with children and we should show them how to deescalate situations how to behave themselves how to address people's concerns we should show children how to address conflict in a positive way and this is not what's happening you're doubling down on it you're choosing to not understand it you actually went home and tried to research why you are right instead of trying to figure out why I told you you were wrong we haven't had a conversation no one else on the other side of this Council has reached out to me has brought it up and hopes that it goes away but since you want to call me out by name then I'm going to address it again by name councilwoman Troy I think your actions were I'm just were terrible for a second cuz I'm out of words at this point I think that you could have fixed this I think that it should not have gone on as long as it has gone on I am saddened at the fact that you chose to um again Double Down On It justify it research reasons why you're right and I'm wrong um to say that I'm causing a divide is insane especially after I've already lost the election and I bowed out gracefully you chose to start the altercation with me maybe you thought I wasn't going to see it I'm not sure um maybe you're shocked at how many people actually saw it and are saying something but I want to thank all those that have reached out to me that have reached out online that have supported me that have shown up that have shown out and that will continue to show up and show out until we stop the bad behavior and we become better role models so thank you to the council for allowing me this opportunity to be up here thank you to the Elma Park voters for putting me in this position I think I served you well I did my best I showed up I helped and I'm going to continue to do that with her without a title and I was at a meeting on Sunday and I met some phenomenal people but I'm going to end with what the last comment that they made that resonated with me and it just said to love yourself and don't expect anyone to love you more than yourself and God thank you Elmer Park thank you to my support system thank you to my colleagues wish you all the best and I hope that we can be better going forward thank you mayor can I make a quick comment I I don't want to digress but I can I have the floor I just want to point out one thing um my understanding is the role of police chaplain is a position the burrow this Council created via ordinance it's a borrow official so I will caution my my colleagues on the council from directly attacking burrow officials of ours uh in a public meeting they have rights and your words even two of them can cost this town a lot of money so it's like the same thing's happening all over again just in a very different context but like your words and your actions please consider them because people have rights they have rights whether they make a million dollar a year or whether they're a bur official that does something as a volunteer they have rights so please think before you speak and think before you act thank you well let me say first I'd like to congratulate the winner of the election Mr Sheridan uh your obviously your work during the first four years paid off the people seen that and they chose to have you back again so welcome back uh Terry does is very hard worker no matter what she gets involved in she doesn't come up for a um that's one of her qualities and it's going to be nice to have you aboard uh Tenisha as far as uh what happened in the election with you uh and I tell you this story all the time and I've even said it to some folks that are out there and they're probably going to say here we go again but um I've been in 10 elections and I've lost three and it hurts there it hurt me tremendously to the to where I didn't get over it for like 30 days but then you get over it and you say to yourself well I'm enjoying this the people wanted me there maybe I got to do this again take another shot at it I'll say one thing about you uh that you when you dig into something uh you dig in well you don't you don't come up for here either you you stay focused and you bring it to fruition and I've seen that you've done that over and over and over over the four years and I I salute you for that and I wish you the best of luck no matter what happens where you're going but I know if I was in your shoes uh I wouldn't be uh leaving politics so soon okay with that I'm going to conclude the council comments and we'll move along may have a motion to open the floor to the public second anyone from the public here to speak you had your hand up before we'll go with you first uh come on up John any subject whatsoever well every year there there are so many people to think and I don't want to leave out anyone so I have a list here of all the people um that have helped not with just the board of help and for the event um and I'll go through them really quickly um mayor kti chief alno councilwoman and Board of Health Council Leone peligre Tanisha Dennis ter Teresa Sheridan Pamela Troy uh Sandy Bast uh Daniel gbec Francesco folo assemblywoman Siobhan dter Commissioners uh Germaine Ortiz Mary J emosa Ralph Fel Marte and all the incredible assistants schedules and Cho staff um Sheriff Anthony Kon and Patterson New Jersey mayor Andre s y um all of our Board of Health members uh Luchia anderi Janette Randazzo Clarissa Proctor Daris wler Loris pero Juliana gesy and um secretary Chen Morris everyone involved in the residence and assistance program uh Angela fava uh Dion and all the incredible volunteers uh EP finance department Dale fava and the recreation department Joan and the EP DPW EP fire department EP EP police EP ambulance Bergen County prosecutor's office clerk's office Sheriff's Office Senior Services Social Services Health Department Martha suek uh Fonda Diamond LaVine division of Veterans Affairs Richard Dal all the participating hospitals the Valley Hospital Valley Medical Group Bergen Newbridge and Bergen County department of health services for providing the vaccinations Diane bronberg Stern and the Senior Resource Group of New Jersey Eden Ser Valu Dan try Pete peligre Eric and Lori sson uh Jennifer Randazzo Genie Jennifer Randazzo Michael wilky Amy krtz American Legion Post number 41 147 Frank docup VFW Post 281 yahayra padida EP Girl Scouts sound Surge rafhael and the aneri family uh Eric M Joe and the two Joe's from American Cruisers the SPO family Humane Society Bergen County and their cat adoption El Dente restaurant Avante hair salon am's Royal Treatment B Birchwood Deli blue 42 KAS no restaurant in Coldwell C's hair salon K's Funeral Home Craftsman restaurant in fairon DNN Deli ealia elal Park diner faon diner finest Cuts barber shop for seasons in elal park Francesca's Elma Park the ENT family JM Barber Lounge Justin's uh restaurant in hathorne Marie's Bakery SBR mccc's Bakery uh in Elman Park Mike's Auto mikos restaurant my preferred organizer New York New Jersey Giants New York and Jersey jets uh Parkway Diner palis Liquor and Deli roaming Car Wash Saddlebrook Diner shoppr and Sierra in elmood park Studio D hair salon Taste of Italia teramusu restaurant toasted in elmood park uh vicaros Vilma nail salon and and Spa Salon vetos Pizzeria and entertainment Renee Marie Testa Adams uh language of Love Bob Kar and guest singer Marley McKenzie thank you everybody thank you so much and if I forgot any body please forgive me John the only person you missed was Ronald Reagan in there Ronald Reagan on that list very comprehensive and very uh precise and letting your people know that you appreciate them is is a great thing yes sir your name and uh where you from please address Jeff Carter president Bergen County NAACP um I Rise I was here at the last meeting first of all I want to congratulate you councilwoman Dennis on your term I was here called here a couple of months ago because of uh the incident I won't go into it the mayor has said it's under legal review We are watching it we are going to make sure that it is handled right and if it is not we will handle that on behalf of our almost 900 members they in full support of Miss Dennis and in full support that racism will not exist in Elmwood Park in Bergen County and anywhere and as uh Miss Dennis said if you're uh not standing up for Justice You're complicit when you're complicit you're saying what happens is okay we will not let that happen we will not let that continue to happen and and whether we have to take legal action whether whatever we have to do we will make sure that racism in Elma Park is eradicated sir let me say this let me say this at this point this Council over the years this ba and myself have worked very hard to make sure that we don't get a label of being racist you look at this day is here it's integrated you look at our police force it's integrated you look all throughout the town our organizations it's integrated so that stigma does not apply to this town we got an incident here that we have to work through and we will work through and and come up with the right solution yes ma'am duck duck I don't know what he said it looks like a duck like a duck it's ack yeah okay and we're talking about insult and and you make a statement like that that's not really beneficial here to this whole scenario we want to get to the truth the bottom of it and get it resolved yes ma'am hello um my name is Stephanie Gutierrez I'm a part of the youth and Council of the NAACP um I'm also a waitress at the Parkway Diner EM park so I meet a lot of you guys around here um so like like I said I am a student I'm studying social work right now William Patterson University and as a part of the youth Council of the NAACP I have found such honor and privilege to use my voice and to be able to fight for justice and equality for all I just want to say that it's um it's very beautiful to be a part of Jersey as well as I will be very honest I've experienced racism as well the other day I was met with with someone who's mentioned my people are illegals and aliens and we actually had a beautiful conversation where I said as a social worker I use as a future social worker I use the terminology of undocumented immigrants or people who come across the border and due to her being honest saying that on the news it's aliens and illegals she didn't know it was an alternative um adjective or noun to be specific so I have no problem with hearing racism as long as um accountability is taken account for and we're able to grow and have a conversation um I believe that this um dispute could definitely be regarded just by the two of you but I know that the due to the circumstances it's gone further and it's very upsetting to see as a youth um this still continuing in adulthood so that's what I like to say and I just hope all is well I don't wish anyone bad and I just wish um this dispute can end in the best way possible but with the truth that comes out thank you thank you dear your name and address please my name is Edith Connor and I live at 40 Franklin Road T New Jersey I am a registered nurse I've been one for the last 40 years I grew up in Baltimore Maryland and not the harbor but the actual Baltimore Maryland because I am that age if a person feels something we can feel what we feel and that's for everybody so if a person says that they feel that they've been been victimized and they feel racism it's worth a conversation simply because our feelings are our feelings and it's worth a conversation as a resist nurse and the position that I'm in I felt it it's been it has happened to me and if I were to address it every single time it would be problematic sometimes it needs to be addressed the beauty of that is with that freedom of speech and people communicating things can be resolved so not to support someone when you hear and know that something has been done to the person wrong doesn't mean it's going to go away you have a council member who feels that way and everyone seems to be all right with the fact that it happened it shouldn't have but we know that it did you cannot take her feelings away you really can't no and to bring it up and to call out names which was done and it was done again today you can't sit here and act like okay well because both sides it's a problem and it should be talked about it should be supported from both sides so that's what I have to say you're right I I've worked in Patterson for eight years when I became first became a nurse at the Barnett hospital for those of you old enough to know about the Barnet so I just say there has problems all over but the sit here as a counsil and act like it's okay and now she's not going to be here anymore so she'll be quiet she still has feelings and then to make it seem like she's has caused a problem and be allowed to call her out she it was done to her again tonight called out and then all these things said about her causing problems as if she has been a problem and then we're sitting here like that's okay fair is fair right is right and wrong is wrong and that's what she said here and she said so I'm going to just say let us all pray let's try to pull together on on a realistic make it better not sit here and act like everything is okay let's get the elephant out of the room thank you thank you dear yes ma'am you will need your name and address serial number you know I'm a felon and in the mic please uh gladus all right gladus grisz Elma Park New Jersey I've been made made aware of councilwoman Troy uh being accused of making a racist comment on Facebook by Felicia by Felicia is an English slang phrase by NE by definition it is saying goodbye to someone or something that is unimportant or no longer wanted in someone's life it is not a racist slur I do not believe councilman Troy used this phrase in a racist manner against Tanisha Dennis if you look up by Felicia it was a phrase used in a movie Friday to di to dismiss a woman who was annoying and a mooch it was also used in a song juicy by Notorious BIG by Felicia has been used in memes for decades but now it's racist according to councilwoman Tanisha and some Democrats councilwoman tanisha's allegations are just pure speculation and contains insufficient evidence of racism by councilman josen you could read in case law that I have provided here today in California Wanda alberan versus calire and DD Garcia that by Felicia is not a racist slur and was thrown out by a judge for this reason in my opinion we have some high-profile Democrats abusing their power by trying to exact revenge against the Republican Council woman because of the loss of Tanisha Dennis deceit this is nothing more than sour grapes why did this false statement of racism allegedly we don't even know this make it to the prosecutor's desk when more serious complaints against against council members and employees didn't get so much as a phone call or a letter back and I have proof of this I can only hope the actions of a few disgruntled actors will trigger an investigation into their own behavior and and I have all this documentation if anyone wants to see it case lore by Felicia but to have the elen Park Police Department's chaplain come up to the podium and accuse Troy of being a racist and disgusting is reason for her dismissal the chaplain knows her job description and her unfound unfounded accusations of racism are not a part of her job description very shameful for someone who's supposed to bring the community together she took the same oath as the Elma Park police officers and she was supposed to abide by that you don't come out and call anyone racist she should have met with Troy but she didn't so here I say again it was thrown out of court as being a racial slur and here is the court here is the court case so um you know tro said what she had to Dennis had to say to Dennis but you're saying that you Daniel that oh well you have to be very careful what you say well where's the transparency then you know she had an opportunity to speak and so did Dennis so I don't understand where you come in and say something like that because I'm entitled to speak as any other council member and so she I I did I I did not say that she is not allowed to say that I choose my words said she Beed I choose my words carefully and I think it's a fair point to throw out that we as as El elected officials up here should be careful about the words we say about our employees that employee is also a resident her rights are a little different behind the podium because you do not wave your rights to speak no right but but the rights her rights Our obligation towards our employees never ends it's it's two different things you're trying to like lump them all together but it's it's it's fair to say anyone up here that would call out someone who is a burrow official or employee whatever I would say the same thing cuz it's not smart but that's what you're supposed to do when you take a position as a political elected official you were supposed to accept blowback and that's that's what it is it's it's blowback and you know everyone is so sensitive to every little thing you know you you if you call someone this you know back in my day when I was dating my husband they're like oh you're dating a polock I didn't run out and say oh my God I got call the you know the ACLU you know it's just ridiculous you know tank tops they will call Guinea teas you know no one freaked out you know to be sitting up here you have to get a thicker skin okay um it's amazing how you can use a slur in a quote and it's okay like what's next right the next let's say some someone up here calls someone in the lgbtq uh Community the f word are they going to come up here and say Well it means of sticks in the in the dictionary I mean you people are doing gymnastics to make this stuff okay and the bottom line is none of this stuff should be happening it just shouldn't be it's a distraction to the business you know what that's the racism not racism I'm not the judge of that but why why are we doing this why are we doing this like you're saying that this has to be settled where is the proof that she even made a racist comment okay so it's my turn by Felicia by Felicia is not a his comments so so so you're saying she didn't post it now now we're going to like saying she didn't post it listen to what I just said so I I would like to speak um just because you called me out by name um so a few things here one I believe and this is just I'm going to start from the bottom up I believe that councilwoman choicy knew what she did was wrong when she went online and attempted to change the caption five times after we had the convers ation okay I believe that she realized what she did was wrong but then she decided with I have proof too to leave it the way that it was then she removed it and left it up there for everyone else to to spew and to share okay so that was first second um I'm going to be honest I'm having a Real Time listening to you specifically come up here and talk about racism when you are a convicted resident of the same crime so I don't think that you're in a position to tell me excuse I let you speak I let you speak I mean I know you hide I'm on a different name on the Internet Miss G however you were you had to leave the board of education for making racist comments against Muslims don't do that that's that's already proven that's done but hold on I have I allowed you to speak I allowed you to speak I don't think that I don't believe that you're in any position to sit here and tell me if I'm right or wrong up don't come into you're wrong with me I'm ask I'm going to close this meeting down it took us millions of years to get to where we are now as human beings and let's not regress don't let her call me a racist wait you let me let me finish speaking let me finish speaking it's okay for racism but I gladus glattus hold on let me finish speaking you know what there's a way of getting there's a way of getting our points across I'm trying to get my point ACR do not I was in the middle of speaking I'm in the middle of speaking care and excuse me excuse me you don't call you don't I didn't call you a racist I said you have been convicted of the same behavior convicted you went ahead are excuse talking excuse me I allowed you an opportunity I allowed you an opportunity if you want me to share what you choose to forget and hide behind I will do that but you don't get to make comments you don't get you don't get I'm calling for a recess at this moment you are a liar no you're just upset that I brought it up to everybody and you know you can't hide behind a gladus at that made comments against Muslims and they had to get off the board of vot right or wrong theong you came here to approach me so I'm not going to stay here you get away with the nonsense Recess Recess where are we going where are we going where are we going did you not get off the board okay I would like to reestablish a quum for the December 19th andwood Park mayor and Council regular meeting roll call we still have council members Dennis here folo here gobec here Pelin here choicy here council president Sheridan here mayor kti here we have reestablish your Quorum and right now we are at our public portion of the meeting where it was motioned by councilwoman pelen and second by councilman gobec the next public public speaker can come up okay we're back let me say that if we have a reoccurrence of what we just saw here I will you'll be forcing me to adjourn this meeting so let's remain civil and respectful to each other Yes dear your name and address please my name is Karen rmore I'm a Bergen County resident um this is absolutely the antithesis of what I expected to see here tonight I expected to come and support Miss Dennis as she conducted her last session of business for the Elwood Park burrow um but I have to address some of the things that I've heard not only from the council but also from the public as a people we have come a long way and we often talk about how long it will take us for people to recognize that is less about what you say and more about how you respond when people call you on what you say and I would also say that as adults we must recognize that we are the leaders our children are watching we are teaching this Behavior over and over and over again I would also say to the public there is the burough attorney here there is information we understand from the District Attorney's office I don't know that any of us are attorneys I am certainly not an attorney but please don't come to this Podium and talk about proof of what is or is not offensive to any person Miss trios I understand you have feelings Miss Dennis has feelings we all have feelings and as an adult and as a woman if I say to you that something is offensive to me you have two choices you say I'm sorry I offended you that was not my intent or you say that was my intent and I don't care one or the other I would caution us all to calm down to be respectful of each other and to recognize that we are all human beings as you so aptly pointed out Mr Mayor but some of us some of us don't often feel like human beings when this becomes the outcome of supporting our council person and our friend and our colleague and our family member so please know that the faces that you see in this audience didn't come here to challenge this Council or to give you any name other than the burrow of Elmwood Park we came here to support our Council woman as she conducted the business that she needed to conduct and left gracefully she lost the election we all lost elections this year whether you're Republican or Democrat and let me tell you something I never once sat in this audience and tried to pick out who was a Republican and who was a Democrat because we're all human beings and the fact that there are Democrats who lost an election Republicans who lost an election this has been a tough year but to come to the podium and reinsert that Venom is absolutely unacceptable to me and it should be unacceptable to you Mr Mayor and to the council at at large thank you thank you your name and address please Martha Hayes uh Park so um I just want to say just a few things you know social media to me is like a double-edged swort there is good and there is bad I work um as a project manager and I work with uh International people as well as people in the United States and I've come to learn that social media emails people read things differently one person reads things as a positive someone reads things as a NE negative you may not mean what you're saying in that particular um post or email but it has a significant impact on the person or persons that are reading it what I think here is that and my understanding is that this has been going on since November and people have been coming people have been voicing their concerns in my type of work we call people together we get both parties together and we discuss it this needs some kind of committee it needs some kind of person that can remediate the issue and have everybody have their set coming here and yelling coming and accusing people of being racist or being charged with a racist Act is not the way to solve a problem people have to be active listeners that means that you're engaged you're listening to that person person is saying and you're digesting it and understanding that everyone every side has a different feeling every side has a different culture we all raise differently but one thing is for sure is that we're human beings we're not animals and so we should be able to take those words we should be able to work together and we should be able to come to a common good for everyone and I don't see it happening here and it is regrettable and I I feel sorrow for everyone in this room that you have to be subject to it but this Board needs to do more we need to get someone in that can listen and remediate and have these parties come together instead of every month they come up and they repeat the same thing and there's no resolution thank you thank you anyone else here to speak [Applause] name rank and serial number my rank Dan Brak 31 Elma Drive uh at last month's council meeting I sat quietly and watched person after person stand up and disparage my wife dragging her name and her reputation through the mud despite how unbelievably wrong they were I did this because I believ strongly in the First Amendment it's not just there so people can speak their mind about things they agree with in fact it's specifically there so that people can speak their mind about things that others may strongly disagree with whether here in a council meeting or online on a social media platform now it's my turn for those of you who assume you know her her intentions and her mindset let me set the record straight you don't last month councilwoman Dennis recited a Litany of her accomplishments that she was proud to share with the public to which I say good for you you should be proud you had every right to share this with those in attendance you clearly felt that it was important that people who didn't know you should know your background before making any judgments about you but then you proceeded to assume you knew my wife without knowing anything about her background or her list of accomplishments essentially doing to her exactly what you didn't want done to you now my wife I know she wouldn't brag on herself that's not her way she does what she does quietly behind the scenes she does this simply because it's the right thing to do not for any accolades or a pat on the back it's called Integrity but you wouldn't know that about it her because none of you bothered to dig a Little Deeper or at all you just took a statement a mean a gif and decided what's the absolute worst way this can possibly be interpreted and then you automatically applied it to her because she couldn't possibly have meant it any other way well let me Enlighten you all about how terrible she actually is just like Council woman and Dennis she too is a daughter a sister a wife an aunt and a mother however she's also a grandmother this is because about 30 years ago when she was in her 20s a time when most young adults are all about having a good time she was helping to take care of two young children whose mother was having difficulty with drugs and alcohol a single widowed mother who was at times homeless with her children and to at first Pam would help by babysitting these kids ultimately one was placed in a foster home the other Home couldn't be found she was eventually placed with us and stayed as a foster daughter for over eight years this was due to Pam's Relentless efforts on this little girl's behalf you all know her she's Nicole the young lady whose daughter Jacqueline the safe sleep boxes are named after she's still in our lives she still calls call Pam mom and her daughter Brianna calls her grandma and for the record all I find it ridiculous to have to say this she's Puerto Rican but that never mattered because you see Pam doesn't see color ethnicity she sees people and what's inside them good or bad and in this instance she just saw a little girl who was in need we also have had a number of other people stay with us over the years single moms with their babies while they got their lives back together and back on their feed and even a young gentleman who eventually became our son-in-law additionally and I'll try and make this brief although as you'll see it's not by any means a short list here are a few other things this terrible woman has done over the course of her adult life and more recently for the town she grew up in and loves as previously stated she's a foster parent and grandparent for over 30 years she's a volunteer for start save the animal rescue team she's a passionate animal lover and caregiver having fostered housed and cared for countless animals including having over 27 pets of her own throughout the years and counting she is currently a Bergen County committee EP District 3 elected official she's past secretary and Club member of the here in 2021 for the El Park Republican Club for the Elks El Park Patterson Lodge 60 she is a p inard committee chair for drug awareness and Elk of the year for 2023 she is currently the lectoring Knight committee chair for youth activities and she helped secure a $10,000 grant for the safe sleep project to help prevent SIDS and new boards she's a cribs for kids sleep Ambassador and gives talks to various organizations she's a past secretary and currently a member of the EP homeown Association she's a current member of the EP historical society and involves citizens Club she's a past Library committee mayor leaon she's a blood daughter and has been her whole her entire adult life including driving straight to the blood bank on 911 she's a council woman she's an Elwood Park fire department Ladies Auxiliary member she's an Elwood park girls softball league sponsor coach and newly selected president she's a 30 plus year parishioner of St an's Roman Catholic church and she recently retired Fujifilm as a product manager with over 35 years of service so don't presume to know who she is or how she interpreted or meant a silly little post that you've all blown up this is your interpretation of it not hers a post by the way that was only on her private personal page until it was shared by councilwoman Dennis and a number of her friends and supporters and for the record it was never shared by any of Pam's friends or family I can only imagine that this was done just to you know what I'm not even going to read that part additionally councilman gobec in your follow-up kurur field rant at last month's meeting you implied that the resolution the Democrats insisted on passing 2 years ago denouncing her simply because she started a Facebook group that allowed God forbid Free Speech was race based as well I reviewed the resolution there's nothing race related about it she never made a comment and the comment that was made was not race related at all so she is not who you all pretend or want her to be despite your overwhelming efforts she's a caring loving passionate resident of elud Park my wife and your councilwoman and you're all lucky to have her thank you thank you your name and address please hi my name is Lisa Troy um I live on 135 Franklin Street and I just want to say you're saying that I shared the post when you're the one that shared it on that page with over 10,000 people no no no I'm speaking Tanisha honey I'm speaking but you know what I'm not going to speak anymore because she will not allow me but wow I if you all right thank you thank you all right anybody else care to speak goodness hello how are you I'm good um your name and my name is Eva Dennis and your address um you can give it to don't uh one 122 home and drive thank you this is my first and last chance to speak so I'd like to share something that has been on my mind lately the woman you all call councilwoman Dennis is who I call Mom many many people believe that she has only been helping this community since November 2021 when she was elected however I know that she has been helping this community since 2013 as GHSA president when I was in kindergarten at El at Gilbert Avenue Elementary School she was elected to this Council when I was in e8th grade and now I am a junior in high school she has divided her time throughout the last four years to service this community on a council level I've attended many of the meetings since she got elected this last year and a half attending meetings has been much more difficult as I've heard more hate than I've ever heard in my entire life I've been watching what people say about my mom on social media for the last year it saddens me to see how the representatives of the community that I'm supposed to call home can spew so much hate while I am happy that I can reclaim her time I am sad to see how my mom is being sent off I hope that in the future my family and I will be represented by people who do not care for our skin tone but by people who care for our wellbeing and as residents of Elma Park New Jersey I hope everyone enjoys their holidays thank you dear anyone else yes sir name rank and serial number good evening Council my name is Rasheed goens I'm the third vice president for the Bergen County NAACP I'm also the incoming first vice president starting January 1st and thank you for your service councilwoman Dennis and you know I wish you the best in your future endeavors but I just want to make a couple of things clear the NAACP fights Injustice anywhere we are nonpartisan and we will fight Injustice anywhere we will fight for you no matter what color you are if you feel slighted whatever that may be when somebody says they feel slighted we come out to support on my second note I've heard a lot of comments in the back about being bullies and stuff like that that's not what we hear in fact the reason why I'm sitting in a position I is because I reach across all aisles and i' like to make it very clear that this issue could have been solved we have got to look in each of our hearts Democrat Republican white black we have got to be role models for our kids we've got to do the right thing we can't this has taken up all of your meeting Elmo park has a lot more business to do to serve the community yet we sit here and go back and forth with nonsense nonsense if someone tells you they feel a way about something have a conversation mayor I don't know you but I can be very clear that you probably know me going forward okay because in this County we lead in New Jersey and we will not lead by discrimination we will lead by Reaching Across the aisle making allies and making sure that everyone respects each other and so I task you here tonight no matter your political iCal affiliation no matter your race to look within yourself and make sure that you're making the best decisions for your children for our children for the community because that's what matters we got to do better Elma Park you have to do better that's it anyone else scared to speak Daris wler 124 Philip Avenue I born was born and raised in town Patterson I lived here all my whole life my children was raised here I was married here and everything else I have donated my time for 42 years Danny 42 or 43 you're counting you keep on Counting for me um I've never never in my lifetime ever had anybody's racist I've sat on this board I sat on many boards where somebody would have an objection of what color your skin was this town is raised on residents people around with Park we're a family in this town we always were and we always will be doesn't matter what color you are what your skin is what your religion is what your what you believe in elid park is a family Town everybody helps everybody out you go next door you go across the street to neighbors neighbors will help you this is what our town is BR on this is what we were brought up to everybody Liv here I'm here 78 years so and I gave up 43 years of it working with this town ambulance score police on the council Board of Education the LI Wen R CB Scouts B baseball and everything else but for this to go on this long is horrible it's horrible for our children and my grandchildren so I think we all need to do say a little prayer tonight for everybody to get along and have to set matter settled because you know what we can't handle this this town doesn't need it this town is a loving Town everybody loves each other here and everybody helps each other here so this is what my promises and I D for Christmas please everybody try to get along because you know what without everybody here we don't have a town no more we don't have a family here no more it's a shame I'd like to wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and a healthy s you do anyone else here to speak if not I'll close the public portion let me just say this for those of you that don't know exactly where the council mayor and Council stand on this issue right now it's being investigated by the da in Bergen County as the first place we went in order to make it a independent situation fear to everybody get it out of the council's hands you wouldn't want this Council J ating on this issue you'd want an outside entity and that's what we're waiting on and I do want to say one more time that um this town is not a racial town if anything it's the opposite we got an isolated situation here and we shouldn't treat the whole town with a negative stigma like that it's unfair it really is unfair Mary Christmas to everybody and happy New Year may I have a motion to adjourn all in favor