You can Fight City Hall and win

Hackensack River Pollution and the US Superfund Clean-up

Notable Women of Teaneck

Rodda Center Senior Citizen Activities Return

Upcoming events

You can’t fight City Hall – a phrase uttered by frustrated citizens about the futility of fighting what they believe are unfair or unprincipled public policies. Winning against entrenched politicians is only for movie heroes: Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Al Pacino in City Hall, for example.

Teaneck Voices applauds this recent show of civic fortitude. Here are two recent examples where residents have taken on city hall:

The Holuba (now KRE) Development.  

The developer’s site plan was presented to the Planning Board in November, 2020. The planners for both the Town and the developer claimed that, except for a few small variances, the KRE development plan complied with the Town’s Master Plan and all relevant ordinances.

But the plan did not comply. The segregation of the market-rate townhouse units from the affordable housing units violated a specific provision in the Town’s amended (2/2019) Master Plan and in the affordable housing ordinances (3/2019) adopted by Teaneck Council.

Teaneck social media and the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee exploded with criticism of KRE's segregated housing plan. They charged that the Planning Board had failed to provide the required public input. They boldly asserted that this is "not who we are”. 

Council’s response was remarkable. Council claimed both that it could not legally take a position on a Planning Board resolution and then, paradoxically, had the town attorney defend the Planning Board's position.

As the year 2020 ended, it was clear that the town leadership had coalesced behind the project as approved. Council ignored public opinion. Acting on the “You can’t fight city hall” principle, they assumed that their challenge “If you don’t like it, sue us” would successfully snuff out public outcries.

Two legal challenges were then filed. One was a brief written on behalf of 7 prominent Teaneck residents. The other was filed by the Fair Share Housing Center, the organization charged statewide with affordable housing advocacy and with whom the Town had signed the 2018 agreement.

These two legal challenges symbolized that the Planning Board had not just violated a legal commitment but dishonored the fundamental values of the Township.

Once these briefs were filed, things shifted almost immediately. Within three weeks the developer showed the plaintiffs a new “compliant” design that integrated the affordable units with the market rate units. By early May of this year, a new, elegant and fully integrated site plan had been agreed among all the parties.

The trial judge consolidated the two cases and issued an order of remand (click here) which put in motion the required legal process. All of the Planning Board members who spoke then, claimed they welcomed the change. Council never acknowledged that everything it said had been repudiated.

Bottom line: Teaneck citizens fought city hall and won.

Council opposed the petition. The Town Clerk rejected it. Teaneck residents have now taken the matter to court.

Residents await a September 13 hearing before a judge who will decide if Teaneck residents can exercise their civil rights by being allowed to decide when they want to vote for Council members. The legal challenge to City Hall, led by One Town One Vote, has a very good good chance of succeeding.

What are we learning? Talk to leadership, yes. But also take action. Let those in power know that they must follow the law and honor our values or - Game On.

These two cases each concern civil rights. Teaneck residents have rallied and dug deep into their own pockets to see that the right thing is done here in our town.

Teaneck’s Hackensack riverside runs for 3.5 miles – or approximately 15% - of the 23 miles of the Hackensack River from the northern border of Newark Bay to the Oradell Dam. State and federal environmental officials are completing sediment and water samples on those 23 miles of the Hackensack before formally naming the Hackensack as a Superfund site. Teaneck joins 20 other municipalities which border this portion of the river.

Teaneck will be a major beneficiary and a significant participant in that Superfund process. Such a designation would set in motion a massive remediation process that ultimately will transform the lower Hackensack into a riverine environment supporting vastly expanded recreational and wildlife protection activities and vitality.

Teaneck will benefit in many ways from bordering on a clean river. But by Superfund requirements, Teaneck Township and some of its residents will also be responsible for a significant portion of the cost of bringing that cleanup to federal standards.

Environmental officials have made it clear, that the Hackensack Riverkeeper, Captain Bill Sheehan, is the primary local force behind the decisions now being made about the lower Hackensack as a Superfund site.

Since early 2015, Riverkeeper Sheehan has persistently promoted scientific studies of the river and linked their results to Superfund statutes and regulations. He has campaigned to bring this message not only to environmental regulators, but also to many audiences of county and municipal public officials and as well as the public.

Here in Teaneck, Bill Sheehan made a presentation to a Bergen Grassroots meeting at the Ethical Culture Society in April 2015. He summarized the results of his very first technical steps in proving why the Hackensack should be a Superfund site.

After more than six years of frustrating starts and stops, Governor Murphy has now finally authorized the newly-appointed Commissioner of the NJ Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Shawn M. LaTourette, to join local Congressmen and EPA Region II in saying – Yes, we are finally moving the designation process forward together:

“Today marks a milestone in the history of the Hackensack River and the State of New Jersey. By officially supporting designation of the lower river as a Superfund site, we are committing to working with our federal and local partners in mapping a clear course to restoring the river as a clean and vibrant asset for the people who live, work and recreate in the communities along this important natural resource, including those that have been disproportionately burdened by environmental degradation.”

Governor Murphy was joined in recognizing the day’s significance by Senator Booker, and Congressmen Pascrell and Gottheimer. (click here for the full DEP release).

The days ‘s significance was also marked by the EPA acting Regional Administrator Walter Mugdan:

“EPA collected sediment samples from nearly 200 sample stations from the mouth of the river to the Oradell Dam…. Our preliminarily review of the sampling data suggests the Hackensack River suffers from widespread sediment contamination and environmental degradation. The Hackensack River is surrounded by river communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental burdens and addressing environmental justice issues is a priority for EPA. The State of New Jersey’s official support marks a significant step in EPA’s process of formal listing on the National Priorities List.

NJ DEP LaTourette reserved his strongest accolades for Bill Sheehan. He describes the Riverkeeper both as a tenacious fighter and as an essential partner. He then turns to Sheehan to summarize the significance of the designation-support event and to describe the path which preceded it. This video captures Sheehan’s very vivid 7 minute presentation:

Want to dig deeper about naming the lower Hackensack as a Superfund site?

Click Here if you want to watch Bill Sheehan describe his very early efforts as an advocate for Hackensack Superfund designation. The video records his 28 minute presentation to a large audience at Teaneck’s Ethical Culture Society on April 13, 2015

Click here to watch the complete 44 minute July 23, 2021 press conference where NJDEP Commissioner LaTourette makes the State’s announcement of its Superfund designation support and introduces statements by Congressmen Pascrell and Gottheimer in addition to the statement by Sheehan seen above.

if you are a Teaneck Voices reader interested in exploring in even more detail what is involved in the river’s Superfund assessment and in understanding how the Superfund processes will work going forward you will want to see this excellent NJDEP summary. It includes good river mapping information as well. Click here

Arlene Hirschfelder was passionate about making this a better world and "walked her talk." A welcoming and non-judgmental presence to all, she created a spirit of community among all those who shared her world.

Arlene Hirschfelder was a lifelong educator, respected scholar, award-winning author, and champion of Native American and children's rights. She wrote and edited almost 100 non-fiction books, curated museum exhibitions, and consulted with an array of cultural institutions, universities, schools, government agencies, and corporations to improve their portrayal and awareness of Indigenous peoples. She was key in debunking stereotypes and inaccurate information locally and nationally and was considered a fearless and compassionate advocate in Indian Country.

Her research at the Association on American Indian Affairs helped inform the Indian Child Welfare Act in 1978. She later became a consultant at the Smithsonian Institution and the National Museum of the American Indian. She was a faculty member at the New School for Social Research, teaching Native American literature and contemporary issues. She served on the advisory board of the Children's Cultural Center of Native America.

The Hirschfelder-Molin Stereotype Collection---also named for her collaborator, Dr. Paulette Fairbanks Molin (White Earth Chippewa)---is one of the largest of its kind in the world and is housed at the Sequoyah National Research Center at the University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Her book Photo Odyssey: Solomon Carvalho’s Remarkable Western Adventure 1853-54 served as the basis for the award winning 2015 historical documentary Carvalho’s Journey.

Although Arlene Hirschfelder is best known for work with Native Americans and Native issues, she was an ardent supporter of justice for children. She was the founding editor of the Rowman and Littlefield “It Happened to Me” award-winning series which targets teenagers searching for answers to life’s most difficult questions. She wrote extensively on tobacco use especially as it related to youth. Her collection of tobacco research will be donated to the University of California - San Francisco.

Arlene not only authored children’s and adult books about Native Americans, but she championed Native American writers, enabling several to break into publishing, an industry that often-excluded Native voice and perspective.

Some of the authors and books she collaborated on include:

Arlene was born in 1943 in Chicago, where she grew up in a house surrounded by history books and a family where reading and writing were deemed as important as breathing and eating. She earned her B.A. from Brandeis University and a M.A.T. from the University of Chicago. She started her career as an American history teacher in Ladue, MO, before moving to the New York City area with her husband, Dennis, to whom she was married for 55 years. Arlene completed her post graduate work at Columbia University Teachers’ College in New York.

The Hirschfelders raised their two children, Adam and Brooke in Teaneck, NJ, and educated them in the Teaneck public schools. She has three grandsons, Micah, Elias, and Hugh.

Classes for seniors will begin again September 13th at the Rodda Community Center on Palisade Avenue.

The center was closed to seniors for a year and a half due to the pandemic. In order to register for a class Covid-19 vaccination cards must be provided. During class participation masks are required and activities will take place at a safe social distance.

Registration forms are available at the Rodda Center on the first floor at the Recreation Department or the second floor at the Senior Center Lobby. There is also a sample registration form on the town website at teanecknj.gov/senior-programs. There are numerous physical fitness classes including yoga, Pilates and Zumba. Educational classes include drawing, watercolor, creative writing, drama/improv, quilting and Spanish language instruction.

All the information needed to register is included on the forms. Registration began August 30 and will continue until classes are filled. The phone number for information about classes at the Senior Center is 201-837-0171 or 201-837-7130 Ex 5.

Thursday September 9, 2021 at 6:30pm

by Zoom (locate zoom address on Library website 48 hours prior to meeting)

Note: this will be the first Library Board meeting after the resignation of Allen McGinley, the recent Teaneck Library Director. He resigned on 9/1/2021 to become Library Director of the Westfield NJ library.

Thursday September 9, 2021 at 7:00pm

by Zoom (neither zoom address nor agenda available at press time).

-----------------------------------Editorial Note on the Calendar---------------------------------

It is difficult to provide an accurate calendar for a weekly newsletter because

Wednesday September 8, 2021 at 6:30pm

Zoom Link Registration required