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but It’s Englewood’s Council!

On October 26, Englewood’s City Council and Teaneck’s Township Council met at the same time.  Teaneck’s Township Council went off the rails again with an attack on Teaneck’s International Film Festival.

Englewood’s Council, by contrast, conducted a dignified discussion of the possible adverse effects - on both Teaneck and Englewood residents - of Teaneck’s recent approval of a 255-unit apartment complex and a Cannabis District on Alfred Avenue

This was the second time that the Englewood Council had discussed concerns about these two projects, which isn’t surprising given that the City of Englewood practically surrounds Alfred Avenue.

At its previous meeting, the Englewood Council had directed the City’s engineer to investigate the construction that may begin soon at the head of Alfred Avenue. On Tuesday night, the engineer reported that he was reviewing a traffic study that he had obtained from Teaneck’s Engineering Department, but that he was even more concerned about “drainage and sanitary” conditions caused by the apartment complex.

Englewood’s engineer said that he understands that sewage and drainage overflow from the proposed apartment complex is designed to flow into Englewood’s sewage and drainage systems. Englewood Councilmembers asked whether the Alfred Avenue developer would need permission from Englewood to connect to the Englewood system.

The City’s Engineer and Township Attorney were asked to determine if Englewood owns the apartment complex property along Tietjen Avenue and Lafayette Place. The apartment complex footprint may well be just inside the Englewood border. If so, what steps could be taken to “isolate” the proposed Alfred Avenue construction and the proposed Cannabis District from Englewood residents, including possibly sealing off Lafayette Place to through traffic?

The Englewood Council also discussed how the demolition that will precede construction on Alfred Avenue will affect residents near the complex and what steps Englewood could take to “to protect” both Englewood and Teaneck residents from the effects of demolition and construction.

Previously these concerns were voiced primarily by Councilmen Wayne Hamer and Charles Cobb. But on the 26th they were vigorously echoed by Councilwoman Judith Maron. Ms. Maron emphasized that, in her opinion, the 255-unit apartment complex developer had “big money” behind its project and that Englewood should hire a “high end land use attorney” and be prepared for litigation.

Englewood Council President Cobb promised to add Alfred Avenue to the agenda for the next regular Englewood Council meeting, to keep it on future agendas, and to bring traffic engineers to those meetings, if required. (The Englewood Council’s next regular meeting is on November 23, but Englewood’s Council – unlike Teaneck’s Council – also holds workshops and the next workshop is scheduled for November 9.)

Englewood opted out of commercial cannabis. It now finds that its neighbor has approved an all-type cannabis district to operate within a few feet Englewood’s Denning Park.

In sum, Englewood is giving Teaneck residents a second venue for supporting their fellow residents living on or near Decatur Avenue about the Alfred Avenue projects. But in addition to watching or speaking at Englewood Council meetings, Teaneck residents can return to the Teaneck Council and voice their opposition to these projects and to the underlying ratables and tax transfer revenue policies that appear to motivate them.

To see a video of the 10/26 Englewood Council meeting discussion of Teaneck Alfred Avenue, Click here.

We have all seen old grainy video footage of Black Americans marching for the right to vote - often with the brutal consequences of intimidation and threats of violence. Fast forward to 2021 - the effects are still the same. Voter Intimidation happens when those with authority threaten individuals exercising their democratic right to vote.

Those in positions of authority are seen to possess police power. Black Americans have had to walk through lines of police officers and elected officials to exercise their right to vote.

Voter Intimation is intended to frighten, hinder, restrict, prevent, and dissuade people from voting. The ACLU has taken up cases of Voter Intimidation and says "no person … shall intimidate, threaten, coerce … any other person for the purpose of interfering with the right of [that] person or person(s.)

Voter Intimidation is a tactic with racist origins; its roots date back to Reconstruction. After the Civil War sizeable numbers of newly freed African Americans ran for public offices. They ran and won state and national elections. But in short order fear motivated White Supremacists to use threats of violence and intimidation to disenfranchise voters.

During that time, these White Supremacists, many having ties to law enforcement and local elected officials, would use the authority of their office to disenfranchise voters, even if it meant changing the law (by exercising a Poll Tax or creating an ordinance and/or a sub committee to investigate individuals and organizations.).

This intimidation reared its ugly head by threatening people’s employment, businesses, or organization affiliations such as membership in the NAACP, for an example.

When Deputy Mayor Elie Katz threatens to pull the funding from Teaneck International Film Festival due to Jeremy Lentz’s activism as a private citizen (See video below of Teaneck Council meeting, October 26, 2021), he and the Council cross the line into intimidation.

When Councilmember Keith Kaplan visits the Rodda Center during Early Voting days and enters the building to distribute his official Council business card while instructing voters to Vote NO for Municipal Questions 1 and 2, clearly the line has been crossed!

These disgusting tactics cannot be tolerated in Teaneck politics in 2021 – or ever.

Teaneck Voters are rightfully outraged and are speaking up and out against this Council’s autocratic dictatorial approach to governing. As they should!

Payback is always on the agenda of this Teaneck Township Council.

This time, council members are targeting residents for revenge based on their political opinions.

At the October 26th council meeting, Deputy Mayor Elie Katz led his colleagues in arguing that the township should eliminate sponsorship of events at the Teaneck International Film Festival in retaliation for political positions taken by Jeremy Lentz, director of the township’s leading cultural event.

This is nothing new. At the July 2018 council reorganization meeting, Gervonn Romney Rice was excluded from a leadership position by her six colleagues because she supported the council’s opponents. Denise Belcher was dumped from the Planning Board not for her competence, participation or abilities, but because "she ran against" the council majority.

What’s the best response?

Of course, we should all speak up and reject this council’s McCarthyesque efforts to punish yet another resident for exercising their right to constitutionally protected political speech.

Even better is to show your support for Jeremy Lentz by attending the Teaneck International Film Festival, which will be running from November 11th through the 21st, in-person at Teaneck Cinemas on Cedar Lane and virtually online. You can also click on https://www.teaneckfilmfestival.org/personal-contributions to make a tax-deductible donation.

Since it was founded more than 15 years ago, the Teaneck International Film festival has presented a wide variety of films that reflect the values of so many Teaneck residents. It's time that we show Jeremy Lentz and the film festival our support.

On Wednesday, Oct. 27th, I was at The Rodda Center as a volunteer for the One Town One Vote and Community Choice Aggregation initiatives that are on this year's ballot. After learning about the problem voters were having with voting YES on the first initiative, volunteers from our campaign organized to have people at Rodda to alert voters of this problem before they went in to vote.

We knew to stand 100 feet or further from the door as required by election law. While there, I learned that Deputy Mayor Keith Kaplan was inside. Wondering why an elected official was there, I went in to check. I witnessed Mr. Kaplan sitting just outside the auditorium where voting was taking place. He was wearing his official Town Council shirt and visible in his hand were his Town Council Business cards.

Later, as another volunteer and myself were at the end of the West End of the Rodda Building, more than 100 feet from the door, Mr. Kaplan came out and stood within 3 feet from where we were standing. As a voter approached, I politely asked if she was aware of the two municipal questions on the ballot.

She was, so I proceeded to advise her of the problem she would encounter if she intended to vote YES, and that I hoped she would. As I was explaining what to do, Mr. Kaplan approached and began shouting over me. "I disagree; Vote No".

He was clearly louder than I was. I ignored him and continued to advise the voter, but he continued to move closer. Another volunteer tried to stop him and I overheard her say "move back and stop interrupting; this is intimidation".

The voter and I did our best to ignore him, but this was extremely rude, disruptive and intimidating. Such bullying behavior is unacceptable from anyone, but especially from an elected official!

A few minutes later, Mr. Kaplan moved closer to the door of Rodda, within 100 feet (which is a violation of election law), and began to make a video of himself urging people to vote NO on the two questions, which he later streamed on FaceBook.

The County Election Board was later contacted and I was told that Mr. Kaplan was asked to leave.

The Record: Editorial Endorses YES on Teaneck's Municipal Questions

Teaneck Residents,

We are less than 2 weeks away from election day, Tuesday, 11/2/21, and Teaneck residents have the opportunity to vote yes on two important municipal questions. Municipal Question #1 will move Teaneck Town Council elections from May to the general election day in November when more people vote. Municipal Question #2 will provide an option to participate in a renewable energy program to all residents.

Several Teaneck Council members have launched attacks on our campaign. We need your help to get a massive YES vote for Municipal Questions #1 and #2! Can you volunteer with us to get out the vote?

Here are ways you can help:

Share these volunteer opportunities with your friends, neighbors, and to the organizations you belong to. Ask people to share this email with their contacts in Teaneck. Ask organizations to share this email with their members.

We all agree that working to change the Town Council elections to November to increase voter participation and working to get Teaneck to provide renewable energy to all residents are both really important both for democracy and for the environment.

Why doesn't Teaneck have an Open Space and Recreation Plan?

Why has the Planning Board continued to delay its approval?

Why do our neighbors get large state grants for their parks while Teaneck gets nothing? The following clip of Planning Board meeting explains much:

Tuesday November 2, 2021 from 6:00am to8:00 pm

In person voting at regular polling places – search for your address’ specific polling location on Google - simply type Voting NJ.gov.

At the bottom of the election day ballot you will find the candidates for the Teaneck Board of Education (3 to be chosen).

Immediately above the BOE candidates are the two municipal public questions:

Teaneck Voices recommends voting YES on each municipal public question.

Wednesday November 3, 2021 at 6:30pm

Zoom but public access by approval of the Chair only - contact Town clerk.

Wednesday November 3, 2021 at 7:30pm

Zoom but public access by approval of the Chair only - contact Town clerk.

Thursday November 4, 2021 at 6:30pm

All meetings are open to the public and held on Thursday evenings, beginning at 6:30 PM. Due to the current State of Emergency issued by the Governor of the State of New Jersey as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Teaneck Township Council will be holding its regularly scheduled meetings virtually via Zoom. The link to participate in the Zoom meeting via computer, laptop, tablet or smart phone, meeting ID number, password, one-tap mobile numbers and dial-in telephone numbers are posted on the on the library’s website at www.teanecklibrary.org at least 48 hours in advance of all regularly scheduled meetings.

Thursday, November 4, 2021 at 7:00pm

Zoom Link with passcode 070286

agenda information for this meeting is now available at Web Link

The agenda includes hearings seeking variance and site plan approvals for construction/alteration for several multi-family facility projects, notably the continuation of the hearing for a proposed 54 West Englewood Avenue development.

Site Plan Review Advisory Board (SPRAB) recommendations have not been included, even though they are required by Teaneck ordinance for several of the agenda projects. This is due to the failure of Council to appoint any of the nine expert SPRAB members since 2016.

Upcoming week of November 1: Annually the Manager is required by state law to hold public hearing in November with each of the Town’s department heads. Again, this year due to the Pandemic, all of those meetings – open to the public – will be by zoom.

Click here for this week’s Teaneck Library Events Calendar