PUBLISHED BY TEANECK VOICES
Managing Editor, Bernard Rous
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ONGOING CELEBRATION OF
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
MARCH 14, 2022 Issue
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Contents
Notable Women of Teaneck
Teaneck Women Together
Voter Registration Information
A Guide to Participating in Council Meetings, Part I
Waiting for Answers
The Week That Was
COVID Updates
- Rapid Home COVID tests from the Post Office
- Community Baptist Church in Englewood Testing Site
- Rodda Center
- Library Services Curtailed
Upcoming Town Meetings
Events at the Library
Announcements
- 2022 Virtual Talent Hunt
- Library eCitizen Program
- Bergen County LGBTQ+ Alliance
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SHANA DWORKEN
A FOUNDER OF TEANECK WOMEN TOGETHER
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We’ve all heard about the effects of bullying on young people. Pretty grim. Except if you’re Shana Dworken, who was bullied in middle school for being Jewish. Fortunately for Teaneck, bullying turned Shana into an activist!
Born Shana Warshawsky into a culturally though not observant Jewish family in Howell Township, NJ, she and her sibling found themselves one of 3 or 4 Jewish students in each grade of the public schools they attended. The constant feeling of not belonging and the bullying she experienced due to being Jewish lit a spark of indignation and concern for the rights of minorities.
By the end of her freshman years in high school, Shana had learned about the genocide of Tibetans by the Chinese when her older brother went to the Tibetan Freedom Concert in San Francisco and told her about the violation of human rights in Tibet. Shana immediately felt a connection to the genocide, growing up hearing stories about her own grandparents fleeing from persecution. Later that year, she saw a sign that said, “Do you want to help these political prisoners?” Shana remembers answering out loud, “I do!” She says, “It just spoke to me. I got involved. I joined my school's Amnesty International club and that started me on the path to activism.”
She was supported in her efforts by an activist aunt who has always been in interracial relationships. “My cousins are Black and Jewish, we’ve always been aware of racism and anti-Semitism,” Shana says. Her aunt did – and still does – push and challenge Shana, making sure her activism is well-grounded intellectually.
As a cultural anthropology major at Boston University, Shana became more involved in Students for a Free Tibet doing an internship at the main office and taking on leadership roles in the Northeast region.
Partly because of her early activism, Shana decided to go into social studies education and earned her MA at Teachers College. Since 2007, she has been teaching ancient and pre-modern world history and anthropology at Brooklyn Tech, where she chaired the Equity Team for two years.
After college, Shana also decided she would like to meet some young Jewish men. She went to a party for Heeb Magazine – an irreverent Jewish publication – where she hoped to meet someone with a strong Jewish background, but also a quirky sense of humor that would match her own. In 2007, she married Arye Dworken, a culture journalist who has written for Heeb, Rolling Stone and other similar publications.
When Shana is asked why she and Arye moved to Teaneck, her answer is unusual for Teaneckians: “It was affordable!”
Shana explains. They were living in New York City on the Upper West Side, where the rents are known for being unaffordably high. Beginning their family which now numbers three children (11, 8, 6), they were interested in moving to a progressive Modern Orthodox community within a broader diverse community. They identified White Plains, NY and Teaneck. White Plains was beyond their budget. As well, Arye’s family had moved here in 1999; the Netivot Shalom Shul meshed comfortably with their beliefs; and, when they learned Teaneck’s history, the Dworkens decided “Teaneck is the right place for us."
The 2016 Presidential election awakened all of Shana’s activist instincts. She wanted to demonstrate at the Women’s March on Washington, but it conflicted with Shabbat, the sabbath. When a friend from Netivot Shalom reached out to her, they decided they had to do something to protest the election of Trump.
They wrote and circulated a brochure and gathered about 30 women to give voice to protest and it became clear in the meeting there was a larger desire to organize and come together as a community. On the Women’s March website, they found they could register for a Huddle – a gathering of women in protest of the election of Trump. They also found a protocol they followed to publicize and conduct the Huddle.
The first Huddle – which would become Teaneck Women Together – was held at the Rodda Center. They were stunned when 150 women showed up.
With the enormous energy generated by that first Huddle, and a commitment to make this a women’s effort, they founded Teaneck Women Together (TWT). See article below.
Although the founding of TWT was driven by national and state issues, Shana believes it certainly includes municipal concerns as well. TWT wants to see democracy win at all levels of government, including the local level, which is why they joined the successful One Town One Vote campaign.
Shana Dworken has a very clear picture of her present role, and the role she can play in Teaneck’s future:
I straddle two worlds. I’m an active member of the local Modern Orthodox Community and an active member of the community that is the rest of Teaneck. I put a lot of mental energy into thinking about how these two groups can be brought together. I’d like to bring the kids from the various schools together.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done. There are a lot of conversations that need to be held.
I’m like a lot of women in town. I have a family. I have a fulltime job. But I also have a deep commitment to carry on the legacy of Teaneck.
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GETTING TO KNOW
TEANECK WOMEN TOGETHER (TWT)
In her Notable Women in Teaneck profile, Shana Dworken, one of the Founders of Teaneck Women Together talked about the urgency for women to take action after the election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States.
The first call for a Women’s Huddle as encouraged by the Women’s March on Washington website brought out 150 Teaneck women of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities.
TWT quickly found its niche when they held a successful “Hate Has No Home Here” lawn sign campaign to bring the community together. They then quickly organized a protest against Trump’s Muslim Ban. That protest drew over 300 people to Teaneck’s Municipal Lawn.
Over the next few years TWT helped canvass for Democratic candidates, helping to increase voter turnout in the 2018 midterm elections. They held panels on healthcare and discussions on race and have actively partnered with other local organizations committed to fighting for social justice.
TWT is now an ongoing, intergenerational grassroots volunteer organization, committed to democracy, participating in the revival of Teaneck’s activist history, building its legacy of strong, involved women and cultivating relationships across our diverse community.
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If you are not registered to vote, please make it a priority to do so. To complete a registration form or for more information regarding voting in Bergen County, please click onto the this link.
If you are not sure if you are registered to vote in Teaneck, you may search here.
To check the details of your voter record, you may sign up here.
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GUIDE TO PARTICIPATING IN COUNCIL MEETINGS
PART 1
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Teaneck Voices has emphasized the importance of transparency – openness, honesty, availability of information that the public has a right to know – on the part of Teaneck’s Council and its administration.
Yes, we the public have a right to know the information that affects our and our families lives and well-being. But that right comes with an equal responsibility: we need to seek and gather the necessary information to achieve the quality of life we desire.
One excellent way to do that is to attend the Teaneck Council meetings, presently on Zoom. Teaneck Voices presents a user-friendly guide to attending Council Meetings, Speaking at Council Meetings, and Getting the Most from Council Meetings.
Here are instructions for getting on to Zoom Council meetings and being recognized to speak. Future issues will “take a walk through a council agenda,” understanding the “Consent Agenda,” and Understanding the “Bill List.”
Presently all Council meetings are conducted on Zoom. When the township resumes in-person meetings, they may continue as well on Zoom.
Instructions for Getting on to Council Meeting
- Access to Zoom Council Meetings
- Zoom access information appears two places on the Town website.
- In the Township calendar – clickable on a specific calendar date, and
- On the first page of the meeting Agenda which is reached by clicking Government-->Council-->Minutes/Agenda and looking for the next Council “future meeting” date.
- Click on the zoom address where you will be asked for your name and your email address (both are required).
- Be sure to copy down the 6-digit access code
- The latest information for access will also be found on Teaneck Voices website in the middle column under “Meeting Calendar.”
- Getting the Agenda and the Agenda Packet
- Click on Minutes/Agenda
- Click on Agenda for the itemized agenda
- Click on Agenda Packet for the detailed material for each agenda item, e.g. ordinances and resolutions. It is a large document.
- How to Give Public Input at Council Meetings
- When you gain access to the meeting by Zoom, you will automatically be muted. Your video will show only your name, not your picture.
- To give public input, you first must be recognized by either the Clerk or the Mayor.
- The only way to get their attention is to go to the zoom controls at the bottom of the Zoom screen underneath the video boxes where it says Reactions. Click on Reactions, and then click on Raise Hand. A little yellow hand will appear in the box with your name.
- When the Clerk calls on you he will say “I am bringing in [your name].”
- You must then unmute your microphone and start your video. At the bottom left of your screen you will be able to click both the word “mute” and the word “video” – which have backslashes through them. The backslashes will disappear, and you will be in and may begin speaking.
- When may I speak at council meetings?
- There are two times when the public may speak at a regular council meeting:
- at an ordinance hearing right before an ordinance, (which was introduced at a previous meeting), is voted on. At that time, you may speak only on matters related to the ordinance. If you speak on other matters, you will be interrupted and asked to wait until Good & Welfare.
- at Good & Welfare, when you may speak on any issue that concerns you, whether or not it is on the agenda.
- An individual is allowed 3 minutes to speak on each of these occasions.
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THE PUBLIC HAS BEEN WAITING
BUT THE COUNCIL HAS NOT ANSWERED THESE QUESTIONS
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Almost one year ago, last March 10th, Teaneck Council, the Teaneck Library and Fairleigh Dickinson organized a community lecture and lab series called Walk the Talk. What is the follow-up to this effort to put "equity into action"?
- Why has Planning Board Good & Welfare been moved to the end of the meeting – late at night and after all votes have been taken?
- Why does the Council use secret subcommittees (there are 16) to make decisions instead of holding Workshop sessions where the public can listen to discussion and decision-making?
- When will the Planning Board enact an OSRP so Teaneck can receive Green Acres funding support?
- When will the Council hold a workshop or otherwise ask for input from residents with respect to proposed additional parkland located at 611 Roemer Avenue, 1603 Ardsley Court, and 75 Bedford Avenue?
- What is happening with the proposed Alfred Avenue development?
- The 255-unit building for which the developer will pay no taxes?
- The cannabis development to grow, process, distribute and sell marijuana?
- Has our council spoken to Englewood Council about our draining into their drainage system and selling cannabis adjacent to their park?
- What is happening with the Holy Name Medical Center and Good Neighbors agreement?
- Do Teaneck Council and Planning Board still maintain that the American Legion Drive properties constitute a blighted Area in Need of Redevelopment?
- Is the council planning to honor Former Senator Weinberg in any way? To recognize her as a daughter of Teaneck, for her years of service on the Council, General Assembly and State Senate? Is the Council considering anything - possibly renaming a park or street after her?
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The Planning Board found that the Holy Name Hospital Expansion Zone Ordinance was Consistent with Teaneck's Master Plan
Council introduced the ordinance on Holy Name H-Hospital Zone expansion ( Ordinance 9-2022) on February 22, 2022.
Last Thursday evening on March 10th, the Planning Board considered whether this ordinance was consistent with Teaneck's Master Plan.
At least 116 people attended the Planning Board's zoom meeting. Serious questions were raised by members of the public and the Board about how the ordinance calculates expected parking, the actual use of the Vandelinda entrance, etc.
But Town Planner Keenan Hughes told the Board he found the ordinance consistent (apparently in every respect) with the Township Master Plan as amended. And it is Planner Hughes who has taken credit for being the author of both the Master Plan amendment passed by the Planning Board on 12/16/21 ( Click Here) and the zoning Ordinance 9-2022 for the Holy Name H-Hospital Zone expansion introduced by Council on 2/22 ( Click Here).
Deputy Mayor Schwartz played a very active role as the primary advocate for a Board finding of Ordinance-Master Plan consistency. He was, however, frequently reminded by members of the public that he himself had said to the Board on 12/16 ( Click Here at minute 1:12) that he would not support action on the ordinance until an agreement between the Hospital and the neighborhood had been achieved.
No agreement has been achieved.
The Board eventually voted unanimously that the two documents were consistent, but then instructed the Planning Board attorney to convey to the Council that the Board had concerns about issues – including consistency – that they had discussed for hours.
Manager’s 2022 Budget Presentation to Council
On Thursday evening, March 10, 2022 at 7pm - simultaneously with the Planning Board meeting -Township Manager Kazinci conducted the first municipal budget meeting of the year. As is the tradition, he first introduced his department heads who each briefly stated the work and accomplishments of their respective town departments. Kazinci then presented his 2022 budget by way of the annual Manager’s Power Point presentation.
There were no big surprises. The bottom line is that the Manager recommends a municipal budget that is 1.7% or about $1M higher than the 2021 one. The Manager’s budget book, which provides much more specific information, has not yet appeared on the Town website. The next Council budget meeting is to occur on 3/17 – again beginning at 7pm (See Upcoming Municipal Meetings below.)
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PARAMUS COVID-19 VACCINE MEGA-SITE
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A new COVID-19 vaccine mega-site opened on Wednesday, January 19th at the former Lord & Taylor store, 34 E. Ridgewood Avenue, off Route 17 in the Fashion Center in Paramus.
Operated by Hackensack Meridian Health, the mega-site will provide children ages 5 and older as well as adults initial vaccine doses and boosters.
Hours of operation are as follows: Tuesdays, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wednesdays, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturdays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
and walk-ins are also welcome.
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Rapid COVID-19 Test Kits Available for Free from USPS
Free at-home COVID-19 tests ordered on www.covidtests.gov and delivered by USPS. Limit of 1 order per household. Each order contains 4 individual tests.
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Community Baptist Church Covid Testing Site
Every Wednesday 9:00 AM-7:00 PM
224 First Street
Englewood, NJ 07631
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RODDA CENTER
In an effort to keep the senior center staff and participants safe, all are required to be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination. Mask wearing and social distancing are required.
Forms for the spring session are available February 14 in the senior center lobby, outside of the recreation office on the first floor and online on the town website. Spring classes begin in March.
There are a few more openings in the class to begin in April “So You Want to Go to the Movies”. The Art History class is closed.
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Please wear a mask and maintain social distancing while visiting the library. Other Covid restrictions have been removed. Contactless door-side pickup is available.
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UPCOMING MUNICIPAL MEETINGS
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As of the afternoon of March 13th , there are no agendas or access information for 3 of the 4 Teaneck public entity meetings that the public is allowed to participate in this week.
The public is not invited to the fourth meeting, that is, the Senior Citizen’s Advisory Board.
The Town website calls for Council Budget meetings on both Thursday and Friday – but only the Thursday meeting is valid.
Council Meeting
Tuesday March 15, 2022 at 8:00pm
NOTES: The packet that appeared on the Town website is a nearly impenetrable mess with portions of resolutions appearing out of order and erroneously identified as Information Items rather than as part of the Consent Agenda, making it nearly impossible for residents to figure out what Council is considering and when.
Nevertheless, there are several issues which may be of interest to our readers.
Four ordinances will have a Public Hearing prior to Council's vote whether to adopt or not. We anticipate very active public testimony about one of the four, Ordinance 9-2022 on ( Click Here to review the ordinance). That Ordinance would rezone the hospital district to provide for expansion of the H-Hospital zone on which Holy Name Medical Center (HNMC) is located.
While virtually all Teaneck residents who have spoken in public sessions have endorsed hospital expansion, most advocated that before the zoning ordinance was brought for adoption to Council, a private agreement between the Hospital and the hospital’s neighbors (identified as the Good Neighbors) would limit further expansion via a deed restriction.
That agreement has not been achieved. One member of Council (Deputy Mayor Schwartz), citing his agreement with other Council members, promised not to proceed with the vote for the zoning ordinance until that private agreement had been achieved.
In the recent Planning Board meeting, Schwartz appeared to backtrack on that promise (See the above article The Week that Was.) Expect various fireworks during this hearing – and broad public input.
Several issues are likely to be addressed during Good & Welfare:
- Concern about the Mayor's interruption of specific resident input
- General concern about suppression of 1st amendment rights (See Teaneck Voices Free Speech Squelched in Teaneck?)
- Questions about why the Town is approving Township Attorney Shahdanian’s 4th move among law firms since he became our attorney in the summer of 2017.
- When he was first hired, he appeared before Council to cite the extraordinary strength of the firm of which he was then a partner (Chasan, Lamparella et al.)
- He very soon thereafter had left that firm.
- That firm just this Winter splintered and Shahdanian is on the move again.
- Why should Council approve a resolution attached to a new attorney’s agreement, both of which Mr. Shahdanian has written himself?
- The new draft agreement extends the timeframe and increases compensation from his prior contract. See Resolution 65-2022 which appears at p. 19 of the agenda packet for Tuesday’s Council meeting.
- A new resolution on the Consent Agenda asking the Planning Board to to consider whether the next lot (Lot 3 of Block 6002) over from the new 255 unit rental facility at the corner of Decatur and Alfred Avenue should also be declared yet another blighted Area in Need of Redevelopment (AINR).
- It is reasonable to assume that the second new resolution on the Consent Agenda has been proposed by some cannabis facility owner (in a sub-committee meeting never reported to the public) that he or she become the developer on that newly-designated AINR lot.
- An AINR designation would allow an unnamed developer to avoid all public and competitive bidding requirements and work directly with the Planning Board planner.
The two new resolutions are 68-2022 and 69-2022. Residents may want to review them but they are extremely difficult to find in the Consent Agenda.
As Teaneck Voices has frequently pointed out, the Township has adopted an approach to development by declaring areas "blighted". These AINR designations allow Council to make decisions without declaring most of what it is doing to the public – and, at the same time, allows it to choose developers without a competitive and open bidding processes. And, it just so happens, that the Livingston firm that Shahdanian is joining prides itself on being able to persuade Courts that its AINR clients can avoid normal bidding requirements.
Teaneck Board of Education Regular Meeting
Wednesday March 16, 2022 at 8:00pm.
This meeting is reliably reported to be held virtually only.
The zoom access information is scheduled to be available on Tuesday . If you have any questions in regards to this notice, please contact the Board office at 201-833- 5527 during regular business hours.
Senior Citizen’s Advisory Board
Thursday March 17, 2022 at1:30pm
Public access and opportunity for input limited by the Advisory Board ordinance (*See below)
Council Budget Meeting
Thursday March 17, 2022 at 7:00pm
No meeting access information or agenda is available on the Town website as of noon on March 13th.
However, in his 2022 Budget Power Point, Manager Kazinci announced a schedule of departments for the 3/17 Budget meeting which can accessed if you go to Slide 39 of the Manager/s Budget Presentation from the 3-10 Budget meeting if you Click Here
Board of Adjustment Meeting
Thursday March 17, 2022 at 7:00pm
Notes:
- As of noon on March 13th, no information was available on the Township website’s calendar as to the location, zoom address or agenda of this special statutory land use board meeting that was scheduled for 3/17/22.
- The Township website carries only one set of Board of Adjustment minutes since November 2021 (despite repeated OPRA’s to obtain such minutes).
- The only information available is inferential. It is found on the agenda for the February 3rd meeting. That agenda provided the following information about the special meeting currently scheduled for 3/17/2022:
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(Teaneck Voices has been unable to confirm that this agenda item from the February 3rd meeting is correct. In that and subsequent Board of Adjustment meetings virtually none of the agenda items listed in the website agenda actually were heard in the meetings listed!)
*Quote from Ordinance 15-2020 on Advisory Boards adopted by Council on August 11, 2020:
“Council’s advisory Board meetings are closed to the public. The public can submit items for discussion to the Council’s advisory board chair and council liaison for review and potential for inclusion on their meeting agenda. If the item is placed on the agenda, the chair, with approval of their Council’s advisory board, may invite the member of the public to come and speak to them about the specific issue they want to have discussed”.
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For those subscribers looking for agenda information about Teaneck’s land use boards:
The Board of Adjustment continues to run far behind with “scheduled” delays and continuations of applicant hearings requiring multiple sessions now stretching out until at least late-May. No schedule of or agendas for those regular and special meetings are available except some information can be obtained by watching videos of agenda discussions at recent earlier Board of Adjustment meetings, discussions which usually occur early in the meeting or at the end of meetings which typically last more than 3 hours. (See also Click Here)
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NEW e-CITIZEN PROGRAM AT LIBRARY**
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**This Program is offered again in March and April. Click here for more detailed information about this Program.
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We're pleased to announce our first ever Teaneck eCitizen Program for adults! This program aims to teach participants how to:
- Evaluate information & identify misinformation
- Communicate effectively online using tools like Google Workspace
- Understand basic cybersecurity practices
- Create informative graphics and posts online
- Navigate intellectual property and copyright issues
These critical skills are valuable tools in our increasingly digital world and can enhance any job seeker’s resume in a work environment that uses computers and/or the internet or add to your own personal skill-set.
All participants will receive a certificate of completion at the end of the 6-week cohort that can be used to demonstrate their understanding of these key skills to current or potential employers.
Our first cohort will be held virtually and run from January 19 to February 23. Participants will be able to attend weekly classes on Wednesdays from 6:00 – 9:00 PM via Zoom.
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BERGEN COUNTY LGBTQ+ ALLIANCE
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Editorial Board
Natalee Addison
Laraine Chaberski
Toniette H. Duncan
LaVerne Lightburn
Charles W. Powers
Bernard Rous
Micki Shilan
Barbara Ley Toffler
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Supporters
Denise Belcher
Juanita Brown
Margot Embree Fisher
Gail Gordon
Guy Thomas Lauture
Gloria Wilson
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Contributors
Bettina Hempel
Dennis Klein
Henry Pruitt
Howard Rose
Advisors
Theodora Smiley Lacey
Loretta Weinberg
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