Thank you everybody and welcome to the regular monthly meeting of the mayor council Tuesday May 27 2025 starting at 6:30 p.m. 6:31 I apologize. Uh Missy, could you please read the role? Mayor
Niato here. Council President McGawan present. Counciloman Del Con here. Counciloman Cotron here. Councilman Kley. Councilman Erico here. Council Guzman here. Miss, could you uh I'm sorry. Please stand for the salute to
the flag if you're willing and able. Algiance of America and to the standy for me. Could you please read the provisions? In compliance with the open public meeting law, chapter 231, public laws of 1975, notice of this meeting was
transmitted to the record and Herald News and filed with the burough clerk on December 23rd, 2024, and is posted on the bullet board outside of Burrow Hall. Thank you. And can we please note that Councilman Coke, please arrive? Noted. All right, we have uh some
presentations. Uh we're going to start with the friends of the library. Jane, Miss Jane, can the council please join us in front of the dice? Good evening everybody. Every summer the public library has a summer reading program
that encourages children to read for enjoyment over the course of the summer. Last summer, almost 20,000 books were read by over 900 children that participated in the program. This summer's theme is Color Our World. When children register for the program, they
are given a booklet in which to record the titles of the books they read or listen to over the course of the summer. I conduct a contest for children to submit an original drawing for the cover of the booklet. Can you turn that page, please?
This year we had 76 entries. The entries were judged by 14 judges and the top three drawings were done by the children that are hopefully here tonight. Uh the winners are receiving gift cards to Barnes & Noble provided by the friends
of the library. So our third place winner is Joanna Chanska. You here Joanna? [Applause] Our second place winner is Aran Anish.
Arian, are you [Applause] here? This is Arian's drawing which is beautiful. Congratulations, Arian.
Thank you. And our first place winner is Dia Nandala. [Applause]
And I think it's important to mention that Dia came in first place last year as [Applause] well and second place in 2023. She is a gifted artist.
All right. All right. [Applause] Councilwoman Delray Con. Thank you, Mayor. Um, it's my honor to celebrate um the Rutherford Garden
Club's 50th anniversary by presenting a proclamation and I would like to read it for you all of you. Now therefore, be a proclaimed by the mayor and council of the Burrow of Rutherford. Whereas the Rutherford Garden Club has reached the significant milestone of its 50th
anniversary. And whereas the club has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the beautifification of our burrow, the education of our residents, and the promotion of civic pride. And whereas the members of the Rutherford Garden Club have generously given their time,
talents, and resources to enhance the quality of life for all who live in and visit Rutherford. And whereas their efforts have made a lasting and positive impact on the landscape and the spirit of our community. Therefore, be it resolved that the mayor and council of
the Burough of Rutherford on behalf of all of our citizens do hereby express our deepest grat gratitude to the Rutherford Garden Club for its 50 years of dedicated service commend the club for its outstanding contributions to the beauty, environmental health, and
community spirit of Rutherford. celebrate this significant anniversary and recognize the club as a valuable and essential part of our community and extend our best wishes for continued success in the years to come. Now therefore, be it resolved on behalf of the Burrow of Rutherford that Mayor
Frank Niato wishes to extend sincere appreciation to the Rutherford Garden Club for their beautifification of our burrow. Thank you. [Applause] If there are any representatives from the garden club that wouldn't mind stepping forward, perhaps the mayor and
council could take a photo with you. Congratulations. Thank you. People that weren't afraid All right, we're going to uh start the uh meeting now. So, this is your opportunity to before we Congratulations.
Uh uh agenda changes. Missy. Yes. Under resolutions on consent, we'll be removing item I. Also, there was an updated to the rec summer camp appointments into one memo instead of the four. If you need a copy, they're available in the clerk's
office. And that's all I have. Thank you. Anybody from the council have any changes? Okay. Thank you. I'd ask for a motion. Motion. Motion by Councilman Guzman. I have a second. Second. Second by Council President. Any questions or comments?
Seeing none, may have a roll call. Council President McGowan. Yes. Councilwoman Delone, yes. Counciloman Catron, yes. Councilman Koku, yes. Councilman Erico, yes. Councilman Guzman, yes. Thank you. Uh, Councilman
Delray Con uh ordinance on second read. Thank you, mayor. Um, I would like to move to adopt uh an ordinance on second read regarding the adopting of flood hazard maps, designating a flood administrator, and providing for severability and an effective date.
Missy, would you please read the ordinance by title only? An ordinance by the mayor and council amending the pro burough Rutherford code of ordinances to appeal chapter 37 to adopt a new chapter 37 to adopt flood hazard maps to designate a flood plane
administrator and providing severability and effective date. Thank you. I make a motion to move that the ordinance be passed on second reading and advertised according to law. Motion. I have a motion by Councilwoman Delray Con. May I have a second? Second. Second by Councilman Guzman. At this point now,
I'll open it up to the public for any comments on this subject and this subject matter only. Anybody wishing to speak, please step forward to the microphone. Seeing none, I'm going to close it to the public. Open up for any council comment. Seeing none, Missy
Council President McGowan, yes. Counciloman Del Cohen, yes. Council Kron, yes. Councilman Kley, abstain. Councilman Ero, yes. Councilman Guzman, yes. Thank you. Hearing citizens, anybody wishing to speak, please step forward to the
microphone, state your name and address, and please try to keep your comments at 5 minutes or less. Anyone wishing to speak for the public? Good evening, sir. My name is Peter Renown. My address is 194 Montros. Uh we're between I live between
the intersection. Excuse me. Can you just try to talk closer to the mic because we'll be able to pick you up. My name is Carlos. My name is uh Carlos Nadars. I live at 204 Montro Avenue. I live to between
Union and Fairview more towards Fairview. Oh, Joe's next to Joe's home. Probably you guys know. It worked in my father. Uh so basically we're here because uh
there is a ordinance that was put how many years ago? 30 years ago. There's no parking between 10 and 12. Uh shortly when I moved in, shortly after we moved in, illness came into
play. Obviously, Pete and myself worked uh so it didn't really affect us at all. But now that Pete's retired and I am getting ready to retire. Uh the ordinance is a big issue. I'm a diabetic
and um I need a knee replacement. So every once in a while I need to stay home mainly because I feel strong enough to teach. I'm a high school teacher. They're very we're going to. And so, you know, I have to get up and move the car. Peter has to also move
his car because we don't want to take uh it was okay for about five years because CO hit and everything was basically left alone. You can park. It wasn't an issue. on uh Easter Monday uh my wife and my
daughter got ticketed after they they had gone to church in the morning St. Mary's they came back they parked the car and they you know chatting and that and when my daughter went outside because they were going to the mall their cars got tickets but it wasn't
only my my daughter and my wife but everybody that was parked on ticket because of that 10 to 12 uh law or ordinance that's on the bus. So the problem with that ordinance is that that's really the only uh stretch of
road in uh Rutherford that has that ordinance. Imagine if that ordinance is in front of your home. You can't park if you have loved ones coming uh the uh your home. They can't park in front of your house and it really
becomes problem for us especially as we get older and Maybe you could add something to that. Yeah, most of us has have single car driveways. Okay. So, and uh this this thing came about 30 years ago
because of one neighbor who was complaining on the corner of Montro and and Union is the New York bus stop and that that people who did not live in the neighborhood were parking in front of her house. uh she moved away 10 years
ago and this is basically enforced sporadically and uh but the thing is that I spoke to it was recently enforced and I spoke to the police police chief and basically what he told me was when they do enforce it only about one or two
tickets go to people who don't live in the neighborhood and everybody else or the residents of the neighborhood that are getting ticketed. So what we what we were asking for was either resin the ordinance or give us some type of parking permit so so the residents that
are that live in the one block can park everybody loves to walk on sidewalk but I'll be honest I get people from I get uh Joeatas parking in front of my house. I have the synagogue parked in front of my house. I have everybody
parks and I do part of life. Live in a expanding everyday city we're going to have to take over each but uh that's the the situation we're in. And um we really implore that
you guys think about it and see how you can really help us because uh as we hit our golden years hopefully um you know we want to be able to come and go and not worry about you know how I'm going to move the car if I and then for me I
have to park the car on fair um either to my right or to my left and then walk home. As I get older balance is an issue I run twice because they that m is a speed
one. That's just it is what it is and I try to mitigate crossing the street. But if you guys can think about it and really help us out uh not only us but there's other other individuals here that you know that affects everyone
affects the synagogue, it affects us the residents. Um it affects anyone that's coming to a senior citizen like us, right? Um they get also, you know, their aids and they come in to give, you know, hospice or
whatever to the residents there. So basically on that on that stretch of road, everyone is turning, you know, they're going to need all sorts of medical services provided to them. And so the issue is where these
people that's that's the big issue. Everybody's getting older. I think I'm the youngest one. I think you're like me. I got to go with him. Sorry. Yeah. Okay. So, so how it works here is we do
not do a back and forth after everybody gets to speak. Then the council will address you. But I'm sure that our our council leazison, the police department, Councilman Guzman, and the police chief uh will you'll want to comment on this and they'll want to sit down with you and and maybe we can come to some kind
of resolution that that will suffice. I appreciate that. Thank you so much. Thank you. Anybody else from the public wishing to speak? Evening. Brian Hansen Harding, 278 Mountain Way. Uh I'm on the Rutherford Green team.
I just like to speak in support of the climate super fund act resolution. Um I uh maybe the council knows this but you know one of the big issues is that
uh because of climate change and increased risk of flooding and heat events uh you know we are threatened with uh circumstances that will require us will require the bureau to be spending money.
And the thing is, um, as you probably know, the federal government probably isn't going to be coming in to help us, uh, you know, uh, take care of these kinds of issues. Um, and, um, uh, I think this is a, you
know, it's not just a gesture, uh, but it's really, it's saying that we, you know, we really feel like we have to have a source of funding to deal with the kinds of issues that we're going to be facing. Um, I'm I feel like I'm probably pre preaching to the choir here, but you probably know that
um city of Rutherford is at major risk. The burrow I'm sorry, the burrow of Rutherford. I'm reading something. Um um apparently there are 100 there are 1,161 properties in Rutherford at a risk of flooding over the next 30 years,
which represents 21% of all properties in Rutherford. And this is from the Rutherford flood map on a website called first street.org. Um I mean you know about the flooding. I mean we've had to deal with it and I don't know if it's going to get
better on its own. But so this is something you know what we're doing. This is just not this is not just a gesture to say oh we believe in you know good things for the environment. It's like you know we need to make sure that there's a source of funding to deal with issues that we're going to have to deal with. I would also like to point out
that there is at this point 38 municipalities in New Jersey have already passed the kind of resolution you're considering including Lindhurst which I just like to point out is um you know right down the road and so I feel we should keep up with Lindhurst nothing
else. Thank you very much. Thank you Brian. Anybody else from the public wishing to speak? Um, seeing none, I'm going to close it to the public. And now, um, gonna before I open it up to the council, um, Bob, I didn't know if you wanted to give an
update regarding what we're trying to do regarding flooding and our as we've been pushing forward is like we did with um, Carneer. I mean, we're trying to use what limited resources we have and you probably know more than any of us. So with specific to the Carneer and
Eninsley, we are uh soliciting quotations right now to televise the entire storm water system in that area uh to identify any any cracks, breaks, uh anything that needs repairs. Um, you
know, our burn engineer has already engaged in two projects to address storm water coming down Francisco and uh, West Pacic that we believe have captured a lot of the storm water that has caused
problems in the Carneer Insley area. Um, but now we just want to make sure that the system down there uh, is not compromised in any way. uh once we get that televised solution in place, we'll be able to act accordingly. Uh make spot
repairs if needed and if there's a much larger uh issue to be addressed, then then we'll take that next step. Um but you know while the spring storms haven't hit yet, we have had a few heavy rain downfalls and we feel um that what has
happened so far has definitely made uh an improvement to that area and uh you know we're fingers crossed that uh that it's it's going to be a better spring than it has been in recent years. So uh that's what we're doing in that side of town. Um, another area that we'll be
looking to do is kind of the the flooding area um that we get by Orient when Orient Way uh right by the train station. That's an area that's uh uh gets hit pretty hard during some some severe storms. and we're working with the uh developer or owner of of that
project there to come up with a solution that will address especially the the first floor of the one orient way tenants uh that kind of get crushed when we get those heavy spring storms. So uh those are two major things that we're working on right now. So hopefully we'll
have some positive news in the near future on both. Thank you Bob. Anybody from the council? Thank you. Um I was going to use the opportunity when we uh introduced the resolution to explain a little more about the New Jersey um climate super
fund act, but I'll do it now just to save the time since Mr. Hansen Harding teed it up. Um, basically what this resolution is going to ask is that um we demonstrate our support in um to the New Jersey legislature which is currently considering this piece of legislation.
And and what the legislation seeks to do is really to define what what it calls responsible parties which are uh large entities that have uh created fossil fuel issues throughout the state that um have been proven to have severe negative
impacts on our climate. So, um what it will eventually, um hopefully achieve is creating a fund from which uh municipalities like ours could seek um money to do the remedies that we need to do to alleviate um things like flooding
and other um causes of uh climate change resulting from these quote responsible parties. So, um, the green team and actually other folks in town have come to us and asked us to show support for this legislation. And, um, I really can't stress enough, as my colleagues up
here know, um, support like this does matter. You think that the state legislature may not, um, really pay attention to how many municipalities come out in support in any given piece of legislation, but it really does help. So, I think, um, as Brian mentioned,
there are 38. Hopefully uh there will be 39 after today. So that resolution is going to be up for our vote um shortly. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Guzman. Thank you very much, Mayor.
Um Peter and Carlos, forgive me. I wrote your last names down, but I can't read my own writing, so I apologize. uh thank you for coming in today and uh advising of the situation that you are deal currently dealing with and maybe have been dealing with for a while. Um, right
now what I'd like to say to you is um I would I'm going to get uh group with my b our b administrator as well as our chief here, pull the ordinance and see what it has to say, actually understand the purpose of the ordinance, why it was put in place um and review it further
with my council colleagues here as well um to get a little bit more background on it before we are able to really dive into this and see if anything can be changed. I'm not saying anything can be changed or it can't. Um, let me do our due diligence here. Um, I'd like to have both of your email addresses before you
leave if I may so that we can contact you and give you further feedback on what our findings are. But thank you very much for coming in today. Much appreciated. Um, and uh, Brian, thank you once again for always coming in and supporting uh, trying to make things right for the
Barrow and helping us out. So much appreciated. Mayor, that's all I have right now. Thank you, Councilman. Anybody else from the council wishing to speak? Seeing none, I'm going to close it to the council. Um I hope that we've um I I understand
um what your concerns are and I I'm fairly more than confident that the council uh and and my council colleagues here will will find a solution that works for all. Um, we have one of the best police chiefs. So, if somebody could figure it out and this gentleman
and this gentleman, we'll figure it out. Move on. Now, council president. Thank you, Mayor. All items authorized to be consent by the council will be enacted by one motion. These items are routine in nature. Motion. I have a motion by the council president. May I have a second? Second. Second by
Councilman Delray Con. Any questions or comments by the council? Seeing none, may I have a roll call. Council president McGawan. Yes. Counciloman Del Rone. Yes. Council Quan. Yes. Councilman Kley. Yes. With the abstension on the minutes from previous
meeting. Thank you. Noted. Councilman Ero. Yes. Councilman Guzman. Yes. All right. Uh, new business. Councilman Arome. Thank you, Mayor. Uh, so the first item I have is a discussion item for uh
illegal or potentially illegal basement apartments. Uh, this comes from the zoning department. Uh, the zoning department currently feels as though there are basement apartments being constructed throughout the bureau that our current zoning ordinances um are not able to prevent. for example, people are
uh submitting permits to construct full kitchens and full bathrooms in a basement. Uh and it sort of looks like a a separate unit and these are typically done in single family or small multif family homes where another unit would not be permitted. So there are I think a
number of ways to address this. Um we have a definition in our current ordinance uh our current code for a dwelling unit, but that might be uh we could change that. Uh that was our our zoning officials recommendation. I think there are a few other things we could do in terms of defining what a basement is
uh or the location of a unit or uh whatever it may be. But uh I want to bring this up for discussion in case the council has any other ideas or or thoughts or comments on this. Uh and just to be clear, it's not limited to basements per se. I think that's the most pressing issue. But uh there also been permits for things like uh attic
units and or you know suspected attic units or things of that nature. Thank you, councilman. Anybody from the council have any comments for the councilman? Go ahead, councilman. Uh, thank you, uh, Councilman. Just a general question. What What exactly would be the ideal
endgame for regulation on this particular type of effort? Like so I and the only reason I ask is I had a recent constituent um asking whether or not you know his single current single family uh would qualify to be able to rent out and and
you know we took a look and it doesn't fall under the the current guidelines. Um one do we have the capacity as a a department to be able to enforce and two what is the kind of general endgame here? Are we looking to inspect on
general I'll use the word suspicion but that's not quite appropriate. Um is there been any discussion to that length to date? Yeah, I think those are those are great questions. Um you know the the instant problem that I'm seeking to address
right now when someone would put in a permit for for permitted work uh to build a you know a basement kitchen or a basement full bathroom. Um, so that I think is a pretty easy or direct problem to solve where someone's putting in a permit. And right now there's the
concern that we can't we can't not approve a permit uh for say a kitchen in a in a basement given our current ordinances which I think is is an issue. Um the separate issue I think would be you know enforcement in general of of our code and we've had issues with that in the past. Um, you know, we do now
have uh employees in the building department and zoning departments that I think are more able to uh do those sorts of inspections and enforce our code. But, you know, the the ultimate end goal is that, you know, a single family home should be a single family home, right? So, that's a single dwelling unit and
certainly that can be rented but uh only rented as a contiguous unit, you know, not uh individual subunits within the home that would be, you know, functionally a multif family home. So, you know, maybe there's something there too in terms of um enforcement uh or inspections or whatever that we can
look at. But the the direct issue I think is that when we get a permit application for someone building, you know, what functionally looks like a separate basement apartment, uh right now our zoning official feels powerless to deny that application even though we all know that it might be for an impermissible unit essentially. Thank
you. Anybody else from the council? Any questions? Uh, what steps would you like to take next? Uh, I think I'm going to work with uh our zoning official. I'll work with Bo, who we have I've discussed this with before, and with Bob to to craft an
ordinance uh we can circulate and discuss at the next meeting. Chief, would you like to be included in that discussion? I love that look. Um, all right. What's your uh the next one you have? Thanks, Mayor. So, this is a separate issue regarding billboards.
Um, so our board of adjustments, which is our our bureau zoning board, heard a case recently about a um commercial billboard that an applicant asked to erect uh at the Luke Oil on Route 17. Uh that application was approved, but uh essentially under the threat of
litigation against the burrow. Um for context, our existing burrow ordinances are essentially silent on commercial billboards entirely. Uh but that means that they're not permitted because we don't explicitly permit them in any zone. They're prohibited in in all zones. Um in the course of the
discussion that we had during these uh board of adjustment meetings and with the board's attorney and with our burough attorney, it became clear that our current um blanket prohibition on billboards is probably legally problematic. Uh from a first amendment perspective, uh the Luke Oil billboard
that I just referenced was approved by the board. Uh and that approval might prevent other billboards from being erected, at least on that side of Route 17. But there are other billboards that are uh in the pipeline that uh the the board might face in the near future. And
it's my feeling that we shouldn't put the board of adjustments in a difficult position of uh approving applications under the threat of litigation because our ordinances are not uh sufficient. So my proposal is to work with uh Bo and uh perhaps our board of adjustments attorney Gary to craft something which
is a little more constitutionally uh acceptable where we can still have control over billboards u and not put the board of adjustments in a difficult position for future applications. Thank you Councilman. Anybody from the council have any council? I I firstly
just want to thank the councilman for bringing this uh to us as the leazison to the board of adjusters and and um having been in that position before. Uh I I agree wholeheartedly about the challenge of the boards facing issues
when they could be addressed in ordinances if revisited. And so this certainly seems like a prime one to revisit especially in lie of the legal um guidance that was provided. So I appreciate uh the effort of sharing that
with us and I'd be very willing to participate in um in reviewing the situation moving forward. Anybody else from the council? Council, I suspect we're probably overlapping. Um, so to that point in the board of
adjustments, I did have a personal conversation with one of the sitting members. Um, and the major concern about this particular billboard is they are one of those massive LED ones, right, with the rotating, you know, signals inside. I personally have one across the Route 3 bridge that shines directly into my house from probably 300 yards away. I
always know it's there when it's the winter because the leaves are down. So anyway, one of the big concerns that we brought up uh or or ideas was is there something to the current lighting ordinance that um you know light pollution ordinance that we recently talked about and discussed and brought forth um that could help us kind of tie
in or lock this sort of thing down. So I just want to put that on the record. Thank you. We we did overlap actually. Um I just wanted to say first I would be interested in understanding how the existing lighting ordinances may or may not be helpful. Um, I I'm not sure when
we get too far down Route 17 and staying in Rutherford how helpful it'll be, but I'm happy to look at that as well. Um, and to that end, I and just for residents who who do not know, we sort of looked at our lighting ordinances earlier this year. Um, we created or
voted to have a lighting ordinance with regard to residential properties um to sort of present prevent flood lights from shining into your neighbors um living rooms when they're trying to rest. Um but there is there was an existing ordinance with regards to commercial lighting. So um perhaps we can look at that overlap. The other
thing I just wanted to say is um just to thank Councilman Erico. Um in his short time on the council, he really has taken such a hard look at our ordinances to um evaluate what has been um problematic or potentially due uh to be changed. And
that's not necessarily the most fun job, but he's well equipped to do it. um we all sort of have our lanes here on the council based on our expertise. So he's very very well equipped to do it. But um a review of the ordinances is something that um he has really taken on and I'm
grateful for it. So thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. Anybody else? Councilman Guzman. Thank you, Mayor. Um first of all, uh Councilman Ero, thank you very much once again for bringing this uh for bringing this forward. Um
you said that the board and you said had approved you that's the board of adjusters had that has approved um this current signage. Um was there any talk about height restrictions or is there anything currently in our in our ordinance that has any language about height restrictions?
Uh so there are restrictions and height of buildings structures but we don't have any language about billboards specifically which is part of the issue. So, um, the board approved, I believe they had initially asked for a 65- ft billboard. I think the approval was for a 60oot billboard. Uh, but part of the
rationale for us as a council working on this was that we could um possibly through a conditional use uh provision or something like that, impose our own restrictions on um these sorts of things. And and to the points about lighting as well, uh I think those are great ideas and very well taken. Um, and
this is kind of why I want us to address this because I don't want necessarily to put the board in a position where they're having to make these decisions when we could make these decisions, you know, in public. So, uh, and I appreciate all the comments, uh, before as well. Thank you. Anybody else?
Okay. Um, thank you, Councilman. Um, obviously you'll, um, get with the appropriate parties and we'll move forward as far as our next steps. Thank you. Next up, we have um council members um
assignments. Council President, thank you, mayor. Um just a a couple quick things to share. Uh as a gentle reminder and always in advocacy of our 55 KIPP center, uh we are so extraordinarily fortunate in Rutherford
to have um a place that welcomes and and provides fellowship and friendship um for seniors in our community and the surrounding communities to come together and um and have a meal or take a class or learn how to paint. and um it's just
such an amazing place and and Kathy Babiello and her entire team what they do is amazing and so um trying to be a good liaison and I I'm walking the fine line but I'm going to encourage you to attend summer mixology.
Um so it it's on June uh 13th. It's from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Tickets are for sale. Uh please reach out. It's it's fun. Go with a friend. Go with a group of people. um at the very least know that you are making a wonderful impact to an organization that uh we love to support
and we're so proud of. Um secondly, uh this week begins the the um end of the year events for Rutherford High School. Um and uh I want to uh acknowledge and shout out uh the class of 2025 um as
they begin their senior awards ceremony which is this Friday. Let's uh finger cross for good weather. so they can be outside. Um and of course prom Friday night and um as always our community has been so supportive and so if you're around they always like to go to Lincoln
Park and take beautiful pictures and just a gentle reminder about how extraordinary this community is. So please be safe, have a wonderful time and and enjoy um the beginning of these wonderful activities. Uh so congratulations to the class of 2025.
Um, and I I wanted to end I'm I'm stealing um Mike Tarantino's words. Mike Tarantino is the captain of our uh Rutherford Ambulance Corps. Um, and uh if I So, Mike, I know you're watching.
You always watch these meetings, so I want to apologize, but I actually can't say it better, so I'm I'm stealing your words. Um, May 18th to 24th was EMS week. Um we are ridiculously fortunate in Rutherford. Uh we are one of the very
few communities where every single em uh every single member is an EMT. That is not the case. That is a gold standard. And that and and we have this embarrassment of riches uh riches. And so Mike sent out this very beautiful note to the entire core. And so I'd like
to share it with you all. As captain, I want to express my sincere thank you and appreciation for everyone during the 2025 EMS week. Your sincere commitment, dedication, tireless efforts are the backbone of our squad, and you are the reason we can provide such high quality
care to the residents of Rutherford. Every day, our members respond to calls with professionalism, compassion, and courage. We handle challenging situations with skill and grace, often under immense pressure. Whether it is a
medical emergency, a trauma incident, or providing comfort and support during a crisis, you all consistently go beyond the call of duty. The work you do is not easy. It requires long hours, personal sacrifice, and a deep commitment to
serving others. You are the first line of defense in our community, and your actions make a real difference in the lives of those we serve during this EM week. And always, please know that your contributions are valued and they're
recognized. Thank you for your service, your professionalism, your unwavering dedication. Please keep up the great work. You make Rutherford Ambulance Corps proud. And I'd like to add to that, you make this community extremely proud. And so, um, thank you. Thank you
to your families that sacrificed so that you could be there to care for every single member of this community and beyond. And while I'm at it, I'd also like to thank our other extraordinary services, the police department and our fire department. We are um is a
close-knit community. We care for each other um literally. And uh we saw that during the pandemic um it it was on full display and it's never stopped. And so despite the fact that we don't um talk about it every single second, how lucky.
I just want to remind the residents of Rutherford and certainly all of us, how lucky are we um to have these extraordinary people um caring for us. So, thank you. Thank you, Mike, for the most perfect words. Um and thank you to the EMS. Thank you, Mayor. You're not
wasting your words on me. Um Councilwoman Delray Con. Thank you, Mayor. Um, I'd just like to remind the community that um, the Pride Alliance's Pridefest is being held on Saturday, June 7th, which is a week from this Saturday, from 12 to 4:00 p.m. in
Lincoln Park. Um, the burrow will have its Pride flag raising immediately prior to the PrideFest um, at 11:15, I believe it is, um, right outside Burrow Hall. Um, if anyone has not attended Pridefest, it really is a wonderful, wonderful community event. I would even
go so far as to say beyond this community, I know we have visitors um from all uh various municipalities and towns throughout Bergen County. So, I do encourage you um it's a family event uh for people of all ages. So, I hope to see you there. Um, also I just wanted to
again uh thank the American Legion and Post 109 for probably the most beautiful Memorial Day um celebration acknowledgement that I've been to, at least since my time here in Rutherford. Um, from the parade to the remarks. Um,
it really just was so beautiful and well done. Um, I learned quite a bit. It is the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, uh, which ended in April of 1975. So there was also special acknowledgement um for our uh servicemen and women both past who have passed away
but also those who are still living who served us in Vietnam. Um so I just wanted to thank um that community of veterans and frankly leaders for uh ushering us through such a beautiful morning yesterday. And that is it. Thank you. Thank
you Councilman Quattro. Thank you mayor. As my colleague just mentioned, um yesterday was Memorial Day and it is a special and important moment to stop and remember the sacrifices that have been suffered so that we can live good, stable, free lives in this prosperous
country. As many know, I work every single day to help veterans in New York City live better lives by accessing disability benefits, obtaining better housing, and safeguarding their health care, among many other things. I find it important that we pause this week, the
week beginning on Memorial Day, to remember exactly what those who fought so hard are preserving. They fought to safeguard everything that is currently being torn down and dismantled by the Trump administration. Our right to social
security, Medicaid, and other healthcare. Our right to live in a country that has institutions doing top-notch research to combat disease. A right to due process and a hearing before we are deported or imprisoned. Our right to a judicial system that has
power to reign in the abuses of the executive branch. A right to safeguard our private tax and financial data from the federal government. A right to legal representation by law firms not beholden to the president because of blackmail or
extortion. The right to a free press not attacked at every turn and threatened by the federal government. our right to study at universities who make their own academic rules and choose their own students including international students and the list goes on. These are
rights we are losing. We need to think of Memorial Day as a reminder of the tremendous value and cost of these rights and these privileges. They were incredibly expensive to those who paid the price and they should be treated like the
precious gifts they most certainly are. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to our veterans and to those who paid the ultimate price. I know I will always treat the rights you have won for me and our community as those I must protect and defend at all costs. That's all I
have. Mayor, thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilman K. Thank you. Um I'm going to do something a little different tonight and step down uh to where the citizens normally speak. Um so thank you for your patience in this moment.
Councilman Ero. Thank you all for your time and attention. Am I being registered? Missy, is this okay? Yeah. Okay. Thank you. I'm gonna You all have seen me speak before when I'm passionate about things. I'm going to try and power through
this. Kira, when you hear this, know that this is for you. And thank you for giving me the courage to be better every day. Just about one year ago, a resident stood at this podium and questioned my integrity and accused me of thinking I
am better than everyone else. And while every portion of their blanketed statements which frame that accusation were wildly untrue, there is one person I actually do strive to be better than. And that person is who I was yesterday.
Those of us who subscribe to that life development method are keenly aware that that is a never- ending journey of self-reflection, learning, and reconciliation. Recently, as part of that process, I came across a political philosophy defined by Carl Pauper in
1945 called the paradox of tolerance or the tolerance paradox. In summary, it states that if a tolerant society tolerates intolerance, then the intolerant people or groups may eventually consume and destroy the tolerant society itself, eliminating the
very tolerance that allowed the intolerance to grow. I raise this today because in our current state, I believe I can no longer allow intolerance, which is inspires hate and the marginalization of others and the people I love, to grow. I'm choosing to start here on this
scale in this room with this group in front of me. Several months ago on January 27th, Councilwoman Delray Conn gave a speech detailing her relationship with Mayor Nuniato. In that courageous speech, Councilwoman Delray Conn recounts many moments that I either witnessed
firsthand or experienced myself personally and with others during my time as a colleague of Mayor Nunatos. I am ashamed to say that I personally used to brush off these episodes of Mayor Nzato's borish behavior with an old Frank or similar. I tolerated it
because of the perception that I was his friend and we needed him to lead this team. It turns out, however, that we do not need him at all and I never really was his friend. As reconciliation, I want to validate a few of the councilwoman's brave words, but I recommend everyone go back to that
meeting and listen again. From the beginning, I was there on the corner of Union Park avenues when the mayor told the councilwoman Quatron and Councilwoman Del Ray Conn that they only won their primary in 2022 because they were pretty. I was there. And I too, like the council
women, was told to sit back and be quiet for the first year or so of my first term. As if our effort and individual experiences were not valid enough to contribute for a full year to the process of governing this wonderful place. as if we lack the understanding to work towards a common goal of
protecting and bettering this bureau for all of our constituents. For the record, I have personally not spoken to the mayor since last July. I finally had enough of Franking his lies, masterful manipulation of the truth, and degradation of others. What is so ironic to me about the culmination of the
situation tonight in this speech is that the mayor has always referred to this job as being responsible for a $36 million a year company. However, while mostly true, what is wild in theory is that we have no actual HR division, which any multi-million dollar
a year company has. Because if so, if we had an HR division, the mayor would have been fired years ago for his inappropriate conduct, treatment of others, and language aimed at his colleagues. To that end, two areas of his continued manipulation of public messaging need to be addressed.
First is the idea that there is dissent amongst us council members and second that councilwoman Del Ray Conn is difficult to work with. Firstly, there is dissent on the council, the good kind. And most of you who tune in to these meetings and have seen some of it
would agree. The council president and I have had several 55 mileph head-on collisions, proverbally speaking. But what you don't see nor hear are the phone calls, cups of coffee, and hugs that happen afterwards as we come to a mutually agreed upon solution and move
forward. That is what real leaders do. We listen to each other respectfully, work through the disscent, and find the common ground. Secondly, this idea that Councilwoman Delray Conn is difficult to work with, which has been regurgitated endlessly by people with zero experience working with her, is a farce of biblical
proportions. She alongside the council president are two of the most present, hardworking and well-informed people on this deis. It is an honor and a privilege to work alongside them. Councilman Guzman, Councilwoman Katron, and now Councilman Ero. All of these people have earned
their way up here, and none of us should be denigrated by the mayor himself, as we have all helped him to get to that chair two times over. The truth is that you, Mayor Nuniato, are the difficult one. you have failed to step up and lead us as a team on a multitude of pivotal occasions. I
say these things out loud to you because I realize now after time away from what I was sold as a friendship that you don't actually have the capacity for friendship nor even relationships as you alluded to in your most recent newsletter. What you have are transactions and when one of your transactions becomes less than cost
effective for you, you cut it loose, oftentimes with unfounded vitriol and malice. Relationships, friendships, leadership, and governing require real actual work and dedication to another person and peoples. It requires patience and the ability to listen when someone
tells you your behavior is disrespectful or doesn't work for them. I'm watching you now spend thousands of dollars and an inordinate amount of time on an effort rooted in spite. I know you'll continue on with your pomp and circumstance that it is your vision for the future of Rutherford. But I am here to remind you that this playbook you're
currently using despite a more than qualified woman is the same one you used for me back in 2020 without the malicious intent. I was the person you tapped in 2019 to bridge the new and old Rutherford using those exact same words you used a few months ago in the basement of the Park Tavern. I was the
person you introduced to your old boys club over a dinner like wings and beer at Sharkies. I was the person you trotted out in front of the library gala to make announcements so that people would ask who is that? I was the person you said was now a part of your inner circle. I was the person you said was
your brother. But like the black sheep in any family, I can no longer stand idly by and tolerate your intolerance for a colleague who only called us out for our shenanigans and asked for equal footing from the jump. She was right, Frank. And you only have yourself to reconcile with.
Okay, Councilman Ergo. Thanks, Mayor. Um, I just want to update on the uh short-term rental ordinance which was a discussion item we had last week. I'm uh working with our uh burough administrator this week and hopefully at the next meeting we'll have something ready to go. Thanks. Thank you, sir.
Councilman Guzman. Thank you very much, Mayor. I have nothing on to report on my liaison assignments. However, I'd like to remind the public and invite the public on Saturday, May 31st is a joyous occasion for the burrow. Um, we'll have
a grand opening at 11:00 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 31st. Grand opening of Diamond Forest Stadium. something that's been long long long overdue and uh has been an effort by every single council
member on this dis. Our mayor, our B administrator, all of our department heads, um public young ladies that wanted to see this happen for many, many, many years. Um I've seen it for 14 years and
have advocated for 14 years along here with my council colleagues and a lot of parents. Um, it's a joyous day for the burrow to see this come finally happen. And, uh, once again, it's going to be on Saturday, May 31st at 11:00 a.m. And I also like to give one shout out to a very special person to help make this
happen, and that's Senators Paul Sarlo. So, thank you very, very much, and hopefully we get to see you down the field at on May 31st at 11:00 a.m. Thank you all. Thank you, Councilman. Uh, my report tonight, I have nothing to report. I have some
appointments. Uh summer sta summer summer staff for the camp. Um we have attached memos. Uh that's for council consent. Motion. Motion by council president. May I have a second? Second. Second by
councilman Guzman. Any questions or comments by the council? Seeing no may have a roll call. Council president McGawan. Yes. Counciloman Del. Abstain. Council Quron. Yes. Council Kley. Yes.
Councilman Ero. Yes. Councilman Guzman. Yes. Thank you. Uh, next I have is uh William Gomez, Park Ranger, effective May 28th, 2025. Uh, a motion. Okay. A motion for council consent. Motion. Motion by council
president. May I have a second? Second. Second by council del. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, member roll call. Council President McGawan, yes. Councilman Deler Con, yes. Council Coach, yes. Councilman Kley, yes. Councilman Erico, yes. Councilman
Guzman, yes. Thank you. And now open up to the hearing of citizen uh for agenda and agenda items only. Anybody have anything to say? Seeing none, u anybody from the council? Seeing none, I'm going to end
the meeting and ask for an adjournment. May I have a uh council president? Motion. Motion by council president. All in favor? I I thank you everybody. Have a good night.