thank you everybody Welcome to the regular monthly meeting of the mayor council being held Monday Frid um sorry February 24th 2025 at 6:30 p.m. um if we could all uh roll call it
Miss mayor nzi here council president mwan present Council Del con here counc KRON here coun cley here cman ero here C Gman here thank you um if you're willing
and able can the Elks lead us in the salute to the flages thank you all very much Provisions in compliance with the open public meetings Law chapter 231 public laws of 1975 notice of this meeting was transmitted to the record and Hil news and filed with the burough clerk on
December 23rd 2024 and is posted on the bulletin board outside of burrow Hall thank you uh we have two presentations um yesterday I just wanted to announce that we did the Irish heritage month um again we did that yesterday so we're
going to move on now uh the Elks Club 125th anniversary I'd ask the mayor I mean the council to meet me in front of the Das as uh Council McGowan we'll read a proclamation we prepared that on good evening everyone it's great to
have such a lovely turnout tonight it is an honor to present this Proclamation on behalf of the mayor and Council in honor of the Rutherford Elks 547 125th anniversary um in addition to this
amazing milestone for the Rutherford Elks they've um they should be recognize for the incredible contribution that they make to our community um their inspiration for leadership in our youth and the starting
of the antlers uh that started in 2024 thank you Sharon for your great work with that um and because of your work our community is richer for it so thank you so it's my honor this evening to read the proclamation mayor should we invite up
the uh officers stand to the side you guys can move a little bit more so this wayway you're in the middle yeah they're used to it we're we're used to getting having to do this part okay whereas the benevolent and protective order of Elks Lodge
547 Rutherford Elks was chartered in the burough of Rutherford on February 14 1900 beginning with 42 dedicated members and whereas the Rutherford Elks first Lodge was at rxall Hall on silven Street
in the burrow from 1900 to 1908 and whereas on December 8 190 8 the Rutherford Elks moved to its permanent home at 48 as Avenue where it stands today as stately and Majestic as it was
on the day of its in induction whereas the mission of the Rutherford Elks is to serve the community support and serve the members of the military and our veterans and to support the Youth of the community and
special children and whereas in 2000 the r Elks Lodge was recognized by the national Elks Association as the national allamerican Lodge and whereas since 2000 the Rutherford Elks has given
donations in excess of $8 million to countless charitable organizations and whereas the Rutherford Elks always puts the needs of others before themselves the Elks answer the call when they're asked to serve they
are are one of the first organizations on the ground during a crisis providing needed supplies and relief to those affected and whereas each day they impart lessons of hard work dedication
to our community faith in God and support to Simply anyone who may need a hand and whereas February 2025 the membership of the Rutherford Elks has grown to more than 325 members
strong now therefore be it resolved that mayor Frank nunziato of the mayor of excuse me that Frank nunziato mayor of the burough of Rutherford hereby extends our best wishes on the 125th anniversary
of the Rutherford dels Lodge 547 and wish them many many more successful years congratulations [Applause] perhaps we should thank you congratulations thank you all thank you Mr Mayor
okay now we're going to move on to the changes the proposed agenda Missy mayor I have no changes anybody have any changes to the agenda seeing none we'll move on ordinances on first read we have nothing oh we have one I'm sorry councilman
Guzman thank you very much mayor I have a ordinance on first read repealing a handicap space on Darwin Avenue Missy would you please read the ordinance by title only an ordinance to amend and revise chapter 126 vehicles and traffic of the burough code of the burough of
Rutherford to repeal a handicapped parking space on Darwin Avenue I motion to move the ordinance be excuse me I motion to move that the ordinance be passed on first reading and advertised according to law motion I have a motion by councilman Guzman may I have a second
second second by the council president any questions or comments by the council seeing none I like roll call please council president McAn yes Council Del yes councilman Krone yes councilman kley yes councilman ero yes councilman Gman
yes thank you seeing that we have no ordinance on second read we're going to move the hearing of citizens anyone wishing to speak from the public please step forward to the microphone state your name and address to keep your comments to five minutes or less anyone wishing to speak it's been a [Music]
while Frank Wilson 171 montro said brother um I noticed all these speed signs up I just want to say it's a excellent thing to put um if we could put more of them in don't know where the funding came from but if we can put one up on uh
what's Bic uh pure Pont you know all the wide streets um because you you can't miss them now all right so it's a great job seeing those the next question I had though is now that they're there and people are alerted how fast they're going what's going to be the second step
which is the enforcement are we going to then issue tickets is there going to be a cop in ear there to say you shows you how fast you're going You're Going 10 15 20 miles over the limit you don't want to slow down are we now going to enforce that so having them up is a great thing
enforcement is the next question so are we planning on doing any enforcement and this wasn't that's all I was really going to ask tonight but on my way here I parked across the street by the park and almost got hit twice just crossing the big crosswalk because
nobody stops for residents in the crosswalks even a half a block from the police station um don't know what we can do about this I'm sure it's an issue all the way down Park and as a warmer it gets they're going to start flying even faster but it's something to keep an eye
out what can we do for these folks that just don't want to stop and use you as a Target but again um nice job with the the stop signs they I mean the um speed signs need more and we need enforcement
thank you thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak pach hero 86 Hobart Avenue um questioning I listened to the minutes last month about the traffic on on Jackson excuse me can you just turn
the mic can you just turn the microphone to you sorry cuz I'm not going to hear it okay I was told we going to have to wait another year to get the light put in I know there was a proposal about putting a four-way stop it's going to help but it's not going to stop the problem we
had 50 plus accidents on that corner luckily nobody got killed is there anything that we could do to push this up I know B administrator said oh we're way back because they were worried about the World Cup World Cup was great but we might get somebody killed on that corner
and the town's going to be responsible because they know it's a dangerous corner and nothing's been done for the last four years thank you thank you Pete anybody else from the publ public wishing to speak please step forward please state your name and
address and keep your comments at five minutes or less hi good evening my name is Jenna ma my address is 113 bota Gardens I'm from bota actually um I'm sorry can you spell your last name for us sure m a k k a o
UI so Dear honorable mayor nunziato council president mgan and council members um I'm here because of uh the Crescent lighting issue um and so we're we are disappoint really disappointed with the response that the Rutherford Community has received on their second
annual febru uh Crescent lighting that was scheduled for February 2025 soe this month the request was made by Osman Khan in October 2024 and despite several attempts no response was received the community was surprised with a new
policy dated December 23rd 2024 to take into effect in January 2025 that this policy is actually actually being used to prohibit the Crescent lighting um we're really disturbed by the timeline of events in March 2024 Rutherford Township had a very beautiful Crescent
lighting ceremony and a beautiful dis play during the entire month of Ramadan the council and residents of ruford enjoyed the event and we received a lot of positive feedback and I think it was really a true Testament to the inclusivity of this town I I grew up in nearby uh Linhurst and spent my
childhood in Rutherford um and I know it's just a beautiful town full of diversity and inclusivity um in October 2024 a request was made for the second annual Crescent lighting to be held again in February and then in December
2024 the council passed a new policy that took effect in January the community has reached out to council members several times and there has not been any solution except telling the residents to do the event in other towns and they and and that we can then join those events in other towns throughout
Bergen County and there are actually I believe this year over 30 Bergen County towns that are having Crescent lighting events and it's truly beautiful in January 20 uh 29 2025 the eat Committee of New Jersey who is supporting Crescent lighting events across the state sent a
letter to the Rutherford Council in support of borrow sponsored Crescent lighting events should they not want third- party support as per the new policy on February 10th 2025 at the council meeting at marker 11 minutes students spoke in support of having the
Crescent lighting continue this year there was also a mention that the council would speak with the Rutherford Civil Rights Commission on February 11th the eat committee sent an email to the council requesting the council to propose the location where they have the Christmas tree lighting Rutherford
Council had been very supportive of the Crescent Lighting Event in 2024 and every council member who attended spoke about the importance of inclusivity and celebrating cultures for the first time many people felt welcomed and appreciated the kind gestures by council
members now the community feels discriminated against since the council has not provided any solutions and in contrary has passed the policy after our request was made it is regrettable that we feel obliged to seek assistance from the State Civil Rights Commission to
assist in this matter we know how much the residents of Rutherford appreciated the event in 2024 and we hope that we can resolve this matter so they can continue to celebrate their cultures in a town that continues to grow in diversity um again this message is on
behalf of the eat Committee of New Jersey and thank you for your time thank you anybody else public wishing to speak good evening May and council member this is kazala sorry spell that last name please
I live on 17 Meadow Road sorry can you say spell your last name for me last name k w l yeah a quick petition was drafted in support of Crescent Lighting Display and a couple of hundred people signed in a matter of
hours last year on March 8th 2024 the Bor of Rutherford organized a historical Cresent lighting a festival cultural celebration open to people from all faith and cultures to come and commemorates the month of Ramadan on the 1st of January a new
policy was issued which states only fixed displayed that will be permitted in the public park in the BAU are those specifically displayed by The Boro governing body effective January 1st 2025 the residents of Rutherford
appealed to the borrow governing body to display the beautiful Crescent the importance of consistent policies can be understood however the decision itself restricts the cultural celebration that is enjoyed by the people in Bergen County and across New Jersey we live in a community that
enjoys many cultures and we hope that the Bor of Rutherford is open to celebrations and does not sent to Residence to other municipalities to have these beautiful experiences we would like our neighboring towns to visit and enjoy raford livs and experience our Town's
warm welcome and Shop in local businesses lastly I would like to thank councilwoman Stephanie Movin councilwoman met councilman met uh cockley councilwoman Christin Delon for signing the petition thank you
all thank you ma'am anybody else for the public wishing to speak uh my name is zib Khan and I live on 17 met road to the mayor and council members my name is zib Khan a freshman at Rutherford high school thank you all for being present here I really appreciate
your attention and what you do for our town we are here today just a few days before the month of Ramadan to celebrate the month and the virtues that come with it a year ago Rutherford held its first ever Crescent writing commemorating the month of Ramadan a month loaded with emphasis on community charity growth and
self-reflection the attendance exceeded a 100 people with shared Sentiments of happiness and appreciation towards the mayor and council members there was Joy over speeches from guests council members and town officials people in town had a fantastic and enjoyable time
meeting one another whereas previously they had no clue of each other's existence the atmosphere of inclusivity ran high which is what we are here to establish today after all it is up to the people to do so after all with the town being the accommodating body for it this year's Crescent weding takes place here
besides Boro to celebrate once again the Crescent wedding that took place with great enthusiasm and love a year ago we stand here to join over 50 towns across Bergen County that have procured and established Crescent on their own grounds except this time we do not have a crescent to right we bring ourselves
forth towns people and others bound to inclusivity lights brighter than that of a crescent seeking change and upholding the inclusion that this town upheld thank you for your time and effort as well as your attention we will never stop appreciating thank you anybody else from the public wishing to
speak honorable members of Town Council my name is hotti and for the past 25 years sorry can you spell your last name oh yeah e l a i thank you and I live on6 um my name is H kotti and for the past 25 years I've had the privilege of
calling this town my home I've grown up here I've attended high school elementary school I've been on most sports teams um you name it and I think I've built lifelong friendships with this community no matter where life has taken me I find that I always come back to Rutherford um and I can say safely
that I'm a product of Rutherford um yet in all these years I think the identity isit a little bit one-sided I have had to mold myself to fit into Rutherford but I've not seen that come back to me like all my many fellow Muslims I have had to car the responsibility of explaining my faith my culture my
traditions to those around me I have spent years blending in adapting and celebrating the traditions of others while my own remained unrecognized that's why I'm here speaking to you today um I don't want other child children growing up in Rutherford and feeling as left out or as unseen as I did when I went to Rutherford High
School in Rutherford Elementary School every child in this town deserves to know that their identity is valued it's her is valued that their Traditions matter and that they belong as much as anyone else do does for the first time there's an effort to acknowledge and celebrate Muslims in one of the holiest months of the year only for that effort
to be dismissed this year a denial of a Ramadan Crescent lighting is not just about the one event it's about the broader message that it sends it's about U Muslim families having to be a part of brother for generations and contributing to this town in countless ways yet the one ask remains unseen I'm here to express my deep concern over the town's
decision to ban religious events from public property while still allowing celebrations such as Christmas and St Patrick's Day the policy is not only just and discriminatory it selectively excludes a a religious observance that holds deep meeting for many members of This Town by permitting some religious and cultural events while Banning others
the town is making a statement whether it's intended or not um that some traditions are more valued and more welcome than others that that is not just disappointing it doesn't allow for a community our community to have fairness and inclusivity at play for years Rutherford has embraced and honored different cultures and
traditions I've gone to all these events and I've personally loved all them myself um the Christmas tree lighting the St Patrick's celebrations are not just cultural Gatherings they at their Court are religious observances Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ Central of Christian faith and St Patrick's Day honors is a Christian Saint who spread Christianity throughout
Ireland um if the town is willing to support these religions based on public property then why is a Muslim being invent the same opportunity I think the add we want to add not take away the strength of the community is measured by how it includes those who value the community and make up the community a
Ramadan Crescent lighting is not a request for privilege it's a call for fairness the beauty of Rutherford lies in its ability to represent all of us not just some of us um excluding one religious group from public spaces While others are welcomed isn't unfair it's a statement that we don't belong and that
is not the Rutherford I love and nor it's the one that I think we aspire to be Muslims have always been a part of this town we are your doctors we are your teachers your business owners and your neighbors yeah in all these years I think to have this one request to be contributed to have our presence be seen um to acknowledge that we belong in the
community being rejected um just reinforces that invisibility I urge the council to reconsider this policy to ensure that all religious and cultural divisions are treated equally if public spaces are to be used for communal celebration then that should be for everyone if we truly value fairness and unity then we must extend that same
opportunity and recognition for all members of all Faith um inclusion does not divide us it only um inclusion does not divide us exclusion does and today I ask you to choose inclusion thank you for your time and consideration thank
you anybody else from the public wish to speak good evening everyone my name is FAS tajudin t a j u d n and I live on 33 Grove Street Redford so first of all I'd like to start off by recognizing all the
other towns that have already are have held the ceremony or going to be having the ceremony this includes Allendale Bergenfield Boda cluster crll Emerson englewoods Franklin Lakes Leonia Lil Ferry Mawa Hasbro Heights Woodcliff Lake
and hackensac these are just some of the towns uh there are over 60 towns having Cresent lighting celebrations and all of these towns have uh have similar diverse demographics as raford and I'd like to point out that religious liberty is also a foundational principle of enduring
importance in America it is in our Constitution and other sources of federal law so a mayor of uh one of the Bergen County towns sent an email expressing gratitude for last year saying that um in 2024 they started having traditions of celebrating the
customs and observances of their Town's vibrant diverse population as a community and are excited to expand that into 2025 and hold the present lighting ceremony this year too so raford was part of this uh cultureal celebration last year we have three council members
who are supporting for this year's uh presentent lighting there was one new council member who went on the side of opposition which was uh quite disappointing and upsetting to us so like in conclusion I would like to request uh that it would be wonderful to celebrate this cultural event in a way
that honors the diversity of our community here in Rutherford embracing I believe all of us here believe that embracing Traditions like this present lighting can bring people together and reflect the values of um inclusion and respect for all in the community thank
you thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak hi my name is shanaz arjan a r ju m a n d um I'd like to speak to you about the cres and lighting last year Rutherford had such a beautiful can you just say
your address please uh I'm I'm from tac I'm from the e Committee of New Jersey I'm helping coordinate all of the Cresent lighting events I'm sorry T neck 663 testnet thank you sorry
um and uh as I said I'm I'm coordinating a lot of events across the state of New Jersey uh last year raford had such a beautiful welcome Ramadan event and the display of the Cresent truly exemplified inclusivity this year they're over 60 towns they are
having welcome Ramadan events in fact there's already a request oops um there's already a request uh for from other Mayors to do the an event and display in their town for next year so we already have a pipeline um building
because we couldn't accommodate them this year it's just too many um this shows that local elected officials are looking for opportunities to make their communities more inclused clusive and I can hear that from every town that's calling some of them are basically
asking us can you squeeze Us in this year and I'm like we've got already too many and at the last minute it's hard to squeeze people in but it is heartwarming to see that towns are making an attempt to develop a generation of children that will grow up in an environment that
celebrates cultures Embraces diversity and does not live in fear of others children do not discriminate nor they nor do they have hatred it is taught it is developed and nurtured by their environment the growing list of local
elected officials that are saying no to discrimination and no to hate in their neighborhoods by creating an environment that is inclusive is increasing and that is good news however Rutherford with the new council member rushed to bre
creative in drafting a discriminating policy just in time for Ramadan I would like to address any potential religious argument religious liberty is enshrined in the text of our Constitution and in
numerous Federal statutes in the United States the free exercise of religion is Not Mere policy preference to be traded against other policy preferences government may not restrict Acts or
abstentions because of their belief the the beliefs they display to avoid the very sort of religious persecution and intolerance that led to the founding of United States the free exercise clause of the Constitution protects against
government actions that Target religious conduct government may not treat the same conduct as lawful when undertaken for secular reasons reasons but unlawful when undertaken for religious reasons for example government may not attempt
to Target religious persons or conduct by allowing distribution of political leaflets in a park but forbidding the distribution of religious leaflets in the same park similarly we cannot Target Crescent lighting while we celebrate
Christmas tree lighting we're also aware that Rutherford Civil Rights Commission is a mayor appointed commission and its vision is for wetherford to be an inclusive community that values empathy and understanding upholds human dignity
respects human rights for all so that all feel safe empowered and welcome today there is a community that feels discriminated in having their second annual Crescent lighting I ask the council to do the right thing and
reconsider their decision and Champion the Crescent lighting I know you can do it so let's do it thank you anybody else from the public wishing to speak I'm going to close it to the public now and over up for um any
Council comment Before I Do U B would you like to speak yes mayor the uh the action of the council in December was to restrict the use of the park for set displays on the property of the park it was were
all all displays that were coming in from requests from member of the public no matter what they were so it was not directed it was not directed towards any group it was not directed towards the Crescent lighting it was directed to all use of
the park it was a concern that the park was beginning to be overused and the Council made a decision that we were no longer going to allow what was becoming a large request for fixed displays at the park and that's what the uh council
did in in December um Council the bur does not say that you can't exercise your faith that you can't distribute leaflets that you can't protest you can't celebrate but we the burrow is not allowing the use of
the park for any events other than FAL directed events and we've similarly turned down requests from all religious groups in that regard so this point that's thetion councel and thank you Bo any Council
comments councilman K thank you thank you all for coming this evening and appreciate contributing to um the greater good of our community um I was there at the first Crescent lighting last year it was an amazing experience we could feel the energy of that inclusion right that is again something
that Rutherford as long as I've lived here since 2010 we have not seen it was a magical wonderful moment to to Echo and kind of just give a little more I I can't get into the granular details of what um the burough attorney just spoke about shortly there after the Crescent
lighting another group came through effectively looking to put up a structure of Their Own It was janky to say the least poorly thought out and Incredibly unsafe we turned it down for those specific reasons and it back came the claim that we were you know not
taking care of all religions and that sort of thing what came out of that discussion is this you know first amendment We Can't Ban some we have to go against all right and so reluctantly we kind of came together we're like all right in the park these larger scale
displays can be eradicated so to speak that's a terrible term to use now to that point right to the St Patrick's Day celebration tree lighting St Patrick's Day does the flag raising the bur administrator and I just this morning trying to come up with a creative
solution discovered that Ramadan actually has an official FL flag right and so the idea came about and again this is literally just a discussion that happened this morning the opportunity for a Ramadan flag raising instead it then again still adheres to the safety
of avoiding larger scale structures in a public park right which is where this all came from I'm I'm being dead honest here there's a group that came through and wanted to put up a a really large 9-ft structure without really a good base or way to install it and things it was it got a little messy
um that being said we this was not religious in any capacity this is literally just safety of the buau safety of the public park again we had no knowledge until I asked the question today well is there an official flag for Ramadan and and turns out there is um so the idea came about and again this is
purely just an idea that happened within the last 12 hours what if on March 18th because I know Ramadan goes till the 29th of March is that correct um on the 18th there was a flag raising right once the Irish flag comes down the flag of Ramadan could fly for the remainder of
the ceremony in the short term if that would be an acceptable solution Logistics have to be work out you know a whole bunch of things but again moving forward perhaps there's the flag flies for the start of Ramadan and then we trade off things like that again no one was looking to cut anyone out of any of
this it was effectively just a a safety thing for the larger good of the public park when one group was like well I want this too and we're like well we can't really do it like that you know your team your family is brought together a beautiful you know safe and well organized um lighting the structure was
fantastic bolted into the ground it was well thought out um shortly thereafter though it flipped us all on our heads and this is what came of it so just so everybody has the full truth and backstory to it um again appreciate all the input and again you know you recognize a few of our names we are here
for you we are here for the inclusivity and the evolution right like this is necessary U but sometimes you know burough politics and insurance and stuff gets in the way and it ugly things like this come out of it so please accept my apology for the feelings that the the
cancellation beget um but know that we're working on Alternate resolutions so we'd love to keep the lines of communication open um and figure something out like that so thank you anybody else from the public Council thank you mayor um from the council that's okay I knew what you
meant um so this background my background is is relevant here so I'm going to share it with you um I was the person that spoke to Usman most about this effort I was the person that um tried to help
coordinate with the mayor and with our public information officer um I am also an employment lawyer and um my entire my entire career is based on preventing discrimination for 20 plus years I have filed on behalf of people with the
entity that you mentioned and because you mentioned filing with the New Jersey Civil Rights Commission I'm not going to speak too much because that would affect that process however um I do think it's important to say a few things about about the facts and what I always tell
folks in the practice of law is that there's three versions of the truth there's the truth as you all see it there's the truth as we see it and then somewhere in between is is what actually happened because that's just what happens with our brains um but this is no different than the reason I gave last
week the reason I shared with usman's family which I'm sure they could share with you because I told them it was fine to record me in explaining this um that this this it it is it can both be true that you are disappointed by this policy
and it is not discriminatory those both things can be true and here's why this is the exact governing body less one person that approved it last year we are the same people with the same values and the same intentions when you came to us last year
we approved it most of us attended it to now say somehow our views have changed and all of a sudden we're wishing to discriminate against you is really disappointing it's also disappointing to create the impression that we've been unresponsive I've spoken with Usman a number of times I'm sure you have the
emails that I responded to the eat committee I don't know who wrote them because it was just signed from the committee but I answered them and I was answering them on behalf of my colleagues who again last year were happy to give this to you um this is not a matter of religion as I said to I said
last week and I'll say again the timing is unfortunate in that you are the first religious holiday asking to put a display in the park under the new policy um as I said in an email to the Eid committee there was no manora in December and there will be no manora this month this year either what we did
do on behalf of the Jewish Community was they invited us to a temple in town and we attended their manur lighting and in the same way I offered on behalf of myself and my colleagues to come to to whatever you wanted to do in town the impression that we're trying to banish
your celebration from our town is simply not accurate it's simply that we're not doing them in the Parks now um St Patrick's Day is not celebrated here as a religious holiday the origins may find their origin in St Patrick's in in in a saint but that is not the celebration
under which we are celebrating it it is a recognition of a of a cultural community of which you are one but the Cresent is a religious display um Ramadan is well we could so I'm happy for you to educate me we don't
we don't do back and forth counc woman speaking okay it's to celebrate the start of Ramadan is my understanding if that's incorrect then I apologize but that's how it was explained to me and that was what my research said but we can talk about it we can't go back and forth this way that's not the process but I'm happy to talk to you about it
all this to say um where We've Ended up is is is disappointing and and saddens me too because I feel like um I've made every effort and I'll only speak for myself although I know my colleagues share I've made every effort to work
with you on this under the confines of a policy that it does apply to everyone um the implication that it was created and response to an event that every single person up here voted in favor of Simply doesn't make a lot of sense that argument just doesn't work because we
were we were the ones that did it last year to imply that we're now not doing it this year at a of some discriminatory animist is really really disappointing and what's also disappointing is the notion that the conversations I've had with a lot of folks in your community
this year seem insincere because I keep giving you the same response and then it comes back to me that somehow we're misleading you and I feel like I haven't been I couldn't have been clearer about what our rationale was both with the the attorney said and what I've shared um so
the only other thing I'll say is and again facts are important and the reason I'm feeling the need to say something is these meetings are publicly as you know they're they're available to the public I'm sure multiple of you are audio taping and obviously videotaping this so facts are important the facts are just
as to the petition none of us were signatories to your petition not because and you shouldn't read into that we are listed on the peti petition as decision makers um that was surprising to me and unfortunate because no I think uh councilwoman McGowan myself and
councilman kley were listed as decision makers we were not the decision makers it is a governing body together that decides something so we were also not in a position to sign anything so I just want to make sure that that the record is clear about about your petition um
you have a beautiful community and your celebration was beautiful we also now have a policy that's not going to allow that to happen in the same way this year both those things can and are true it doesn't make what we're doing discriminatory it doesn't make us not
want to include you I have said innumerable times point me in the direction of any place of Faith or any other celebration that doesn't have the really logistical hurdles we have with the park that's really what we're dealing with the caring for a park and
make sure that we are maintaining the sanctity of the park and the burrow property as it pertains to some of the things that councilman kley mentioned with regards to other requests I'm sorry this feels targeted it simply is not um
but I I just you know again it it saddens me that we got here because I feel like for myself I have made every effort to make you feel um excited how excited we are about celebrating with
you and I'm sorry it's not in the way that you think it should be but that doesn't mean it can't be um so that's all mayor thank you thank you councilwoman anybody else Council thank you mayor I just want to
thank you all um for coming here to talk about this issue I think your your speeches your comments we're very eloquent I can feel your passion and I appreciate it I am sympathetic to what you're
saying and you know I have I have lived I'm an attorney also and I remember the days after 9911 when there was a lot of anti-muslim discrimination that is potentially coming back we don't know
for sure now and so I think to stand up for what you believe in to stand up for what you're passionate about in a public forum right now when the the larger macro sociopolitical environment is is becoming a little bit scary um is is
really bra and so I want you to know that I appreciate it I am I think it's a really complicated issue as my colleagues have mentioned and as the burre attorney has mentioned I think there's a lot going on where def this this policy this new
policy was not meant to Target you as they have said but I am willing to talk with any of you to discuss this to discuss whether there's whether we should rewrite that policy for for not to necessarily change it maybe maybe not
but to be more clear about what we are saying and why we are saying it and what the reasons are that we need you know if we do need to prevent these exhibitions in the park why are we doing it let's be really clear about it let's be really explicit about it and let's make sure
that no one feels targeted that no one feels like it is discriminatory I think it we could do a better job of that and you know I think I want to honor your feelings about this I want to honor your passion about about this so thank you very much I'm I'm open to any
discussions thank you thank you councilman anybody else councilman thank you mayor um I also want to Echo my appreciation for all of you coming out here this evening I know it's hard to speak publicly and uh some of your comments uh I found very uh moving particularly about uh feeling
discriminated or not seen in this community which is I don't think what any of us would like um I I was not uh on the council when the policy was changed but I I do want to I think teas out one distinction um that is significant in my mind which is I I
think the tension between uh events like the Christmas tree holiday tree lighting the St Patrick parade other parades which might be uh cultural or you know quasi religious in nature uh and the event that is being proposed here um you know the distinction that we have made
as a burrow is that those events like the tree lighting and the parade are uh events that the burough sponsors and that is a distinction that is significant for our uh obligations under the First Amendment and Free Speech uh and that it's the buau choosing to
sponsor certain events and not um that distinction I I think is one that might be a little bit lost in how the policy is carried out which I think can create a perception that we are favoring certain um religions or uh cultural
events or whatever over another and I uh again have not been on the council for uh more than two months but I can speak for I think the entire Council my colleagues and echoing their um concerns and thoughts that are intention is not to be discriminatory um and the policy was not
put in place to be discriminatory uh but I am concerned about the perception that the burough sponsoring events like the tree lighting uh has in light of the application of this policy so uh I echo my colleagues uh thoughts about um thinking how we can make this policy
clear in the future uh how we can distinguish between burough sponsored events and events like what we're talking about here um for whatever it's worth um I you know I didn't attend the event that occurred last year and um I I
I support um any sort of uh event that I would be invited to or the council be invited to going forward whether it's a religious event a cultural event uh a social event um uh I think we are attempting to apply the policy that we had passed um last year in as Fair a way
as we can but uh I would love to revisit that if if necessary or talk about how uh at least in terms of a perception uh we can make that uh better or more clear in the future thank you Council anybody else councilman Guzman thank you very much
mayor um Mr Wilson um in regards to these uh new speed uh lightings that you've see around town um one of your questions was uh how were they paid for they were actually paid for by out of the police uh budget which which was out of SE uh seized monies that allowed us
to buy these these type of equipment I'm very happy that you noticed it I'm very happy the other that other residents are noticing them um I know for my myself they do make me slow down when I see those lights going off um so I'm hopefully there's uh we can purchase
more of those in in areas that they need to be um as far as enforcing those um I mean I can maybe ask our chief here if he can uh add some information on enforcing however um at the end of the
day we as residents and people visiting we all need to do our part and slow down I know you know that already um it's I we could put stop signs and traffic lights on every single Street in this town and we're still going to have issues because people aren't listening to the rules of the
road um it's it's the crosswalk you mentioned is not only that one crosswalk it is throughout the world the crosswalks where we're having issues with peach Bo just blowing through them we can't have we don't have enough police uh officers to put on every single crosswalk in the barrel people
need to do their part and I'm asking and pleading to the public to please slow down obey the the traffic uh signs obey the rules rules of the road um hopefully you know things will get better but I will tell you that our police chief
Russo our boal administrator our mayor my Council colleagues here safety in this burrow is very very important to us and we're not done we will continue to put our best efforts at at at work uh some of the streets in the Barrow are County Roads we do need to get certain
permissions on those roads um this will allude me to um Mr uh Pete sher's uh requ U conversation about the lights once again you're pretty much as caught up as we are when you watch that YouTube video um I don't think that our Bur
administrator has anything new to add yes I hear your urgency to we want to get this done the mayor has signed away on this I don't know how long ago over a year ago maybe longer to get this moving you know we're at the mercy of the Bergen County here to get this grow
going and I know that uh my colleagues and especially our bur administrator that's been working so hard on this um with Brian and tanola they want this done and they're pushing so I hope that the next time you ask this question we have a better answer for you I do not sir and I apologize for that but we're
at the mercy right now in Q so um Chief if you is there anything you can add on enforcement we uh we have had conversations already Chief Russo's already put out we actually we do see that they've been working too as well um we do see those red lights turning on as
people see those lights coming up so we do think there's an impact with it and we have been having discussions with our traffic department and everything about targeted forcement so that is going to take place thank you very much Chief mayor that's all um council president before you
speak fa would like to add to councilman Guzman thank you mayor I just want to add that uh we have ordered eight additional signs uh so we expect them probably another six weeks and they'll be installed throughout Town um and I I
can attest that those new signs are working I do I have seen RF for PD on Ridge Road as I come to work in the morning um just monitoring that that that roadway uh certainly gets my attention not that I speed um but I do
uh I do notice all right so that's council president thank you mayor first um uh Mr Wilson and Frank Pete um I just want to uh Echo what we just heard about um
safety and concerns um I believe yeah in March I believe the county is holding a meeting are are they doing their meeting in Rutherford in March on March 1 uh 4th are they doing that yes um so uh the
county uh commissioner County Executive and Commissioners mov their meetings around the county in addition to um having their meeting um in hackensac to try to reach more residents um I know personally that I've put it on my calendar that's why I was just confirming that this was still happening
um I will be attending uh that meeting since it will be in the burrow um to thank them for both their partnership but also to seek further clarification if that information is available but also to make the plea about um
understanding the importance of this request and how long we have waited as uh councilman Guzman has pointed out the mayor has signed off on this and has advocated for this for the better part of a year or two at this point um and it's been very difficult asking
residents to just keep waiting um and I appreciate the conversation and offering of the four-way stop sign but I I know what everyone's concern is is that it will end there and it will never go forward and so although not explicitly said tonight I I do understand that's uh
much of the concern across town and so thank you for bringing that to our attention I just wanted to share with you my intention um regarding um so many of you who spoke tonight um like my colleagues I took copious notes um and I found
myself really focusing on the emotion of what you are sharing and this is uh first thank you councilwoman for um articulating far better than I could in this matter on this matter um and I know know that you were so involved in this
and had been uh having open communication and so I appreciate you sharing that with everyone here because it's important we're all understanding what we're saying to each other or at least what's been said um the decisions that we make regarding
uh policies or uh removing policies or creating them or or um um executing them um are often come to because there are challenges that bring them to us for the
most part uh I don't know any any legislator certainly not at the local level that seeks things to be restrictive quite the contrary I uh the bur administrator is not sitting here at the moment but I would argue that if he were sitting here he would probably say his um anxiety probably goes up tenfold
when one of us comes to his door because we're usually coming there asking for more right um so um this is a a rare occasion that we're having a conversation about a restriction because that's not something we do frequently um
so I say that two reasons one it's it isn't frequent because it's not something that we strive for um I I would like to believe that overwhelmingly the majority of what we Champion up here is really about the
spirit of advocating for our residents because we are residents um the second thing I want to say about listening to you all is um I can I I think I have a greater grasp of the complexity of the challenge
that you're sharing with us um I uh councilwoman you said there's two sides or three sides right there's multiple sides I think was the the point of the story right um and I think in hearing your thoughts your words your feedback I think that's very important for us when
we're sitting up here to make sure that we have a a very clear understanding of everyone's positions um and so for that for the time that you've taken out of your life to join us this evening and for those of you that uh Found the courage to come up and speak to us um on
behalf of those in this room and I'm sure many many more that are not I I sincerely thank you for making that time and effort thank you mayor the uh G Ministry I'd like to add to yours as well thank you may I just wanted to add
one more statement about the Jackson and er traffic light uh in addition to uh being lower on the Queue than other projects the other issue that is real is uh the engineering department is coordinating with their uh parks and
parks department with regards to the Carlton Greenway project that rails the Trails um the design of that really going to be impact what happens with the traffic light as we all know there's that kind of little hump there and and that's going to have to be graded down
uh there's some engineering work that needs to be uh conducted um so the two departments need to kind of coordinate that the rails the trails project is probably a little bit behind where I think we all were hoping Al they did just get a a nice significant Grant
award just to begin that project but once those two offices can agree upon the design they'll be able to finalize the design for the traffic light so really two issues you know we got the world upup and we got the design of the greenway project so just wanted to add
that out there thank you we're are going to move on now to the um Regular portion of our meeting um if you'd like to stay and speak to the council members afterwards you're more than welcome to but we're going to move to the regular minute
now regular portion of our meeting sorry council president thank you mayor um I'm prepared to move the consent agenda items all items are authorized to be consent by the council will be enacted by one motion and these items
are routine in nature motion I have a motion by the council president may have a second second second by councilman Guzman any questions or comments seeing none may a roll call council president mcowan yes Council Del
con yes councilman clone yes councilman ero yes councilman Guzman yes thank you new business we have nothing uh Council reports council president thank you mayor um just want to take a moment
to congratulate the um Chamber of Commerce on their member appreciation celebration um of which uh you and our uh public information officer were uh guest speakers as well as the president of Felician University um and it's a
nice um celebration and definitely a highlight to see the businesses um doing as well as they are in town and and being celebrated so kudos to the chamber um and
um there are several events still forthcoming for 55 kip but I would like to put this out there again because someone did actually reach out to me that watch our last council meeting um I was so excited about sponsoring uh a
lunch at Kip Center for uh the members um there are so many Saturdays there's approximately 80 plus individuals that are members to Kip that go and have lunch at the Kip Center um they go there for
um building friendship and and and being in community and C Kathy bavello and that entire team has done a beautiful job of creating a welcoming inviting space that's not just for Rutherford but so many um seniors in South Bergen uh if
you are a business owner in town if you are literally a business owner member of the chamber or even a business owner and happen to be a resident but your business may not be in Rutherford what a wonderful way to sponsor lunch you could open a table talk to all the members um
and and to me that's that's the Spirit of giving back and what Rutherford I think does better than most um and so uh I just wanted to make that plea and thank you to the person who watched this and who will now be sponsoring a lunch
forthcoming uh thank you mayor thank you Council thank you mayor um I just wanted to uh thank once again um Robin rienstra and the Civil Rights Commission for A really lovely uh celebration of Black History Month at the metaland Museum
Museum last week um I want to thank uh the council president for attending we also had uh assemblyman share there um I I know I feel like I'm beating the same drum here but if you haven't had a chance to go to the meal lands Museum
and visit with Robin uh to discuss um black history and civil rights in general but certainly the the history of our black community here in Rutherford um it's really a very worthwhile uh spending of your time for you and your family so uh thank you again to the
Civil Rights Commission for always giving us an event uh like that um during Black History Month um similarly I'd really like to thank the Women's Club um for their remarkable efforts in general um but I feel as if the um tag
sale that they hold in February is a really good example of the amazing work they do um if you've never visited the Women's Club building on fairfie it's one of our most beautiful structures in the burrow in my opinion um and
certainly uh their efforts are purely philanthropic um they take in thousands and thousands and thousands of bags of clothing and accessories and other things to sell at that tag sale and it is better organized than the most
high-end uh department stores you could visit um and they do it purely on a volunteer basis they then donate anything they don't sell so um if you have a chance to uh know someone who is in the Women's Club it's a good person to thank for what they do for this
community and for the history of that building um I also wanted to thank and congratulate The Pride Alliance um they had their fundraiser on Friday night it at 18th Amendment um so shout out to 18th Amendment for always hosting so
many of our community events um so I just wanted to congratulate them on on what was a fun and a worthwhile event um because it really does bring folks together in celebration um although it was for fundraising for the beautiful
pride festival that we will have in June um it's also just a time to be together so thank you thank you Council quatro I have nothing this week mayor thank you councilman Erica thank you mayor I want to give a
personal thanks to the fire department and our fire chief not only for their work on a day-to-day basis but uh for a tour of a fire state and a fire truck that they hosted for my family over the weekend uh which was very fun my 2-year-old has not taken off his uh fire chief pajama t-shirt for the past 48
Hours uh so I really appreciate that thanks mayor thank you coun Guzman thank you very much mayor I have nothing new tonight okay I'm G to move on to mine my report and appointments first
off I do want to report that after what feels like a 100 years but um I've been working with various councils regarding the Gazebo across the street um and looks like we're finally getting
one um courtesy of Bergen County so there will be a new uh gazebo being built So within the next four months it'll be a beautiful new very very similar looking but more durable gazebo in the park
um next uh Ryan Arnold maintenance worker two ground um two worker two grounds permanent status effective February 25th 2025 in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey Civil Rights Commission i' ask for Council consent motion motion by
council president may have a second second second by councilwoman dely con um next Michael bashota labor two roll call I'm sorry roll call council president mcau yes counc Del con yes
counc Clon yes councilman ero yes councilman Gman yes thank you next Michael bash to labor two grounds permanent status effect of February 25th 2025 in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service commission I ask for Council consent mot motion motion by council
president May second second second by councilman Del con any questions or comments see no M roll call council president mcowan councilman Del con yes councilman Kon yes councilman ero yes
councilman Gman yes thank you next I have Michael Walker traffic guard effect February 25th 2025 in accord in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service commission ask for Council consent motion motion by councilman
Guzman M second second second by council president any questions or comments by the council see n may have roll call council president mcowan yes Council de con yes c k yes cman ero yes cman Gman yes thank you finally Matthew van djk
appointment for Reemployment as a police officer effect of February 25th 2025 in accordance with the rules and regulations of the New Jersey civil service commission motion I have a motion by councilman guzom may have a second second second by council president any questions or comments
seeing none mayor roll call council president McAn yes Council Del con yes Council K yes councilman ero yes councilman kman yes thank you now we have the second hearing of citizens for
agenda items and agenda items only seeing none I'll close it to the public open it up for any Council comment seeing none I'd ask for inurement motion motion by Council president all in favor I have a great
night everybody