Solutions:

Dumping Toxic Sludge at PSE&G Property

In a meeting of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency on August 29, 2022, the MAYOR, who is chairman of the Re-Development Agency, was asked when we will build the green space. He responded, “The biggest piece is Public Servicewe were going to do some planning over there, but the EPA is going to use it for the [Passaic] river dredge [aka sludge]. We don’t know how long that is going to be it could be 10 years”

Put differently, Mayor Fife stated that Harrison is not planning on building green space there because the property is under agreement with the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to be used to dump sludge from the Passaic River, where the sludge will be left in the open air to dry. The Passaic river is one of the most contaminated rivers in all of New Jersey and is contaminated with numerous toxins including Agent Orange… Read More.

Click to Sign Petition to Stop Dumping

Parking:

The biggest concern for residents is the lack of Parking. We have a solution for the lack of parking that is building nice multilevel parking garages in two locations in town and re-configuring the overnight parking under Route 280 to assure that commercial vehicles are actually being used by residents and not by out of town residents.

Property Taxes:

New housing promised to lower property taxes. The reality however is that the Payments in Lieu of Property Taxes has not lowered property taxes because Town Administrators increased salaries of select town employees. Not all the town employees got raises but a select “politically connected” individuals did. Property Taxes need to be lowered as increased revenues come into the Tax Collector’s office and not sent on a select few individuals on the town payroll. By lowering property taxes, Landlords can offer rent which long time Harrison residents can afford. Since there is no independent thinking by Council members and all have family members who are Town or School employees nobody watches the bottom line to the detriment of property owners in the form of higher and higher property taxes. We intend on reviewing expenditures and preventing the select few from raising expenses at the backs of property owners. If you look at the town and school salaries online, you can see that the vast majority of town employees make a fair salary and some below what others make with the same job, but there are those closest to Mayor James Fife and Director of Personnel/Councilman James Doran that are making extraordinary salaries some of who are not qualified for the positions they hold. We want to make sure employees of the Town are treated fairly and not fear loss of their jobs.

flooding: Retrofit Pump Station at Path Station

The area near the Path Station on South Frank E. Rodgers Blvd floods anything there is any significant rain fall. The area has always flooded but now the flooding is much worse. The Harrison Redevelopment Agency knew the problem existed and some builders realized the issue and built their ground floor elevated to avoid flooding as much as possible into their properties. We propose to retrofit a water pumping and temporary storage tanks to alleviate the flooding and improve the quality of life of Harrisonians who use the Path Station and South Frank E. Rodgers Blvd.

Green Spaces and Playgrounds:

Mayor James Fife has been the Chairman of the Harrison Redevelopment Board which managed the Redevelopment Zone along South Frank E. Rodgers Blvd. As the Chairman, he had a blank slate of how the Redevelopment Zone would be laid out in terms of Buildings including retail locations, parking, residential apartments, and green spaces and playgrounds. Mayor Fife and the Redevelopment Board failed to provide for Green Spaces including Playgrounds. There is still time to provide those Green Spaces before everything is built out but Mayor Fife continues to fail to recognize that Green Spaces are essential to the Quality of Life of residents, new and old. We have a plan for Green Spaces and with your Vote on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 we will insist on putting it in place.

After School Programs For Children:

Our Children are our future. In order to obtain technology based jobs, our children need to acquire the mathematical and logic skills necessary to master computer programming and technology. Whether our children go onto college or a trade, mathematical and logic skills will be necessary to repair a central air condition unit or a boiler or operate and program a robot machine in a manufacturing plant. Other towns are providing these programs but Harrison is not. We plan to change that fact.

Better Food and Programs For Our Seniors:

Our Seniors deserve better nutritional fresh food on a daily basis at our Senior Citizen Center and in our Meals On Wheels program. The food currently being served is frozen and then heated. The Senior Citizen Center has a full kitchen that could provide freshly cooked meals to our seniors rather than frozen dinners. In addition, Seniors need to be engaged in community activities and not just be in the Senior Center. There are sufficient personnel in the Senior Center to provide better programs. We plan to improve the food and programs for our Seniors.

Increase Police and Firefighters:

With the increase in population and the welcoming of new residents throughout the town and in particular in the Redevelopment Zone, there is a need for increased Police and Firefighters. The Town of Harrison has been for decades considered a safe town. That reputation was built up because the town had a very good Police Department. Although the population of Harrison has increased and the number of visitors to the town has increased with the Red Bulls stadium, the number of police have not returned to the level that they were prior the financial crisis. Retirements in the Fire Department have also lead to lower staffing levels. Both of these facts impact the Quality of Life and Safety of residents. We plan to move funds from a select few Administrative Jobs to the Police and Fire Departments to hire personnel so Public Safety improves. After Councilman Anselmo Millan ran for Mayor and raised this issue, Mayor Fife has started to hire more officers, but more are needed.

Improve Our Air Quality:

The Keegan Landfill in neighboring Kearny NJ had been releasing toxic hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and methane gas into the environment and that gas is causing health issues for our community. H2S smells like rotten eggs. H2S can cause health issues in the nose, throat and lungs. Residents have been complaining that their upper respiratory illnesses were caused by the Keegan Landfill. I joined the grassroots effort to Close, Cap, and install a gas collection system that would filter the Air being released from the Landfill. Mayor Fife and the Council passed a resolution for the “partial closure” of the landfill. I don’t agree that a “partial closure” is the solution. A complete closure is with capping and air filtration. Anselmo Millan (2nd Ward Council Candidate) and Edward “Nick” Azevedo with volunteers went door to door to collect over 2000 signatures and delivered those signatures to Governor Phil Murphy requesting the Closure. Capping and Air Filtration. The New Jersey Sports and Exhibition Authority (NJSEA) owns the Keegan Landfill. NJSEA is a State Entity which ultimately controlled by the Governor. The Landfill was closed by an Order from the New Jesey Supreme Court. However, the landfill was supposed to be capped so water does not infiltrate the landfill and ultimately dries out the dumped sheetrock so no more hydrogen sulfide gas is produced. There have been delays in capping. This is an ongoing environmental issue that still needs Town Elected Officials and community residents’ attention.

For more information you can visit www.CloseKeegan.com

Red Bulls Stadium Traffic:

Red Bulls Games continue to affect residents in terms of traffic and public safety. There have been promises of improvements to traffic but there has been no movement toward reaching the goal of a new interchange onto Route 280 which would bring traffic via Cape May Street relieving the gridlock traffic for residents during Red Bulls games. In addition, our neighbor City of Newark has not been called out for blocking off the Jackson Street Bridge because it does not want traffic to go through the Ironbound Section of Newark. The Ironbound enjoys increased business to its Restaurants and Bars but doesn’t want to share the burden of the extra traffic generated by the Red Bulls Stadium. We plan to move forward with lobbying Federal, State and County officials and the Red Bulls management to build the interchange and on the City of Newark to allow the free flow of traffic during Red Bulls games. We also want the Red Bulls to train and hire local residents to manage traffic control during games. Shop Local should also extend to the Red Bulls organization.

Provide Choice in a HOspital in emergency:

Mayor James Fife and Council members changed the Ambulance Service from the MONOC Ambulance service and Harrison Fire Department EMT service to the St. Clare Hospital Ambulance Service. You might be wondering what’s St. Clare’s Hospital from Denville NJ (over 30 minutes from Harrison). St. Clare’s is owned by the same company that owns the St. Michael’s Hospital in Newark. The St. Clare’s Ambulance service promised in its contract with the town to transport residents to the hospital of their choice but has failed to do so. There is a conflict of interest both for Mayor James Fife who is a Board Member at St. Michael’s Hospital and Prime Health of California who owns St. Clare’s and St. Michael’s hospital in transporting individuals to St. Michael’s Hospital. We intend to make St. Clare’s Ambulance Service to comply with its agreement to transport residents to their hospital of choice. We also intend to reinstate the Harrison Fire Department EMT Ambulance Service as a backup to the St. Clare’s Ambulance given the increased population and need to provide meaningful Hospital choice to residents. Why the Ambulance service was taken away from the Harrison Fire Department in the first place raises another question?

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