Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus USPS 680020 Published Every Thursday OUR 112th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 17-112 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J. Thursday, January 3, 2002 Since 1890 (908) 232-4407 FIFTY CENTS Westfield Ward Map Challenged in Law Suit By DEBORAH MADISON was on vacation this week and could tracks, and kept the neighborhood Specially Written for The Westfield Leader not be reached prior to The Westfield contiguous, according customary Two Westfield residents have Leader’s publication deadline. practices. “The Republican map filed a complaint in the NJ Supe- According to Scotch Plain’s resi- splits the neighborhood in order rior Court, Law Division contest- dent, Democrat and member of the to weaken the Democratic vote in ing the ward map approved of in a Ward Commission, June Fischer, the that ward,” Ms. Fischer opined. 3-2 vote by the Westfield Ward Ms. Harris disagreed with Ms. Commission in November. At that Fischer’s assessment of the time, the Ward Commission voted Commission’s decision. She told 2-2 along party lines. Westfield “The Republicans blindsided The Leader and The Times that Town Clerk and Chairman of the us with a map of their own.The many other towns are divided by Commission, Bernard Heeney cast Republican map splits the railroad tracks, bridges, etc. the tie-breaking vote. The Com- “Those opposed to this proposal mission, by statute, consists of the neighborhood in order to at the hearing claimed that they Town Clerk and four members of weaken the Democratic vote in were not being represented and the Union County Board of Elec- that ward.” felt disenfranchised by this deci- tions. sion,” Ms. Harris stated. “But they The two residents, Mary Withers June Fischer, Scotch Plains resident, only expressed feelings and could and Ralph Prunty, represented by Democratic member of Westfield not come up with any clear rea- Attorney and Ex-Democratic Ward Commission soning as to why they felt disen- Amy Horowitz for The Westfield Leader Mayor of Westfield, Thomas DIGNITARIES DIG IN…Keith Hertell, left, Westfield Recreation Commission Chairman, and Mayor Gregory S. franchised,” she remarked. Ms. McDermott broke ground last Friday on the $1.7 million Memorial Pool expansion project. Supervising the work on the Jardim, filed the suit on November Harris said that she did not see right is M. Bruce Kaufmann, Director of Recreation. 30 contesting the decision by the why the Democrats were calling Westfield Ward Commission to Commission had initially discussed this “a Republican map”. consolidate the Cacciola Place approving a more “bipartisan map”, Ms. Withers told The Leader neighborhood in the Second Ward which would have placed all of and The Times that she did not New Council Members to be Part rather than in the Third Ward fol- Cacciola Place in the Third Ward. want to comment on the suit. The lowing a public hearing, held dur- The Republicans (commission mem- other Commission members and ing November’s Town Council bers) then surprised the (Democrat) plaintiff in the suit could not be meeting. The predominantly Afri- Commission (members) and the pub- reached for comment. Town At- Of Historic Democratic Majority can-American Cacciola Place lic, Ms. Fischer said, with their pro- torney, Robert Cockren declined neighborhood was previously split By NANCY CROSTA LANDALE certain problems, like street flood- teachers, as well as “alternate route” posal placing Cacciola Place in the to comment on the matter, stating Specially Written for The Westfield Leader between the Second and the Third predominantly Republican Second that it was a matter of client con- ing, cannot be solved overnight, but candidates. Alternate route individu- Soon-to-be Westfield Town Coun- Wards, since 1981. Ward. fidentiality. Mr. Jardim said that emphasized that “progress must be als are those teachers with work- The two residents were among cil members Kevin Walsh and Susan made on getting to a final solution” place experience, as opposed to tra- “The Republicans blindsided us he did not mind if his clients chose more than a dozen residents who with a map of their own,” Ms. Fischer to publicly comment in the news- Jacobson are making history by serv- on basic issues and services. ditional teaching degrees. ing on the first-ever Westfield gov- objected to the Ward Commission’s claimed. The Commission’s deci- papers, but that he would reserve Citing Governor-elect James Mrs. Jacobson also was the only decision to move the neighborhood erning body to seat a majority of McGreevey’s recent comments to Board of Education member from sion to move Cacciola Place to the his comments to clarifying the into the Second Ward. Several resi- Second Ward was split with the two legal aspects of the issue at a later members hailing from the Demo- mayors that local municipalities Westfield to serve on the state task cratic Party. dents of that neighborhood told the democratic Commission members, date. should not count on as much state aid force on school libraries, an effort Council that the new map made Citing his intention to work for the as in the past, Mr. Walsh said he designed to make school libraries including Teresa Hale of Hillside Initially, a third resident, Ken- them feel “disenfranchised” and and Ms. Fischer voting against the neth Sinclair was also among residents of Westfield as hard as he hopes the council, as a whole, will be “the heart of the schools.” campaigned, while also maintaining lacking proper representation. The map and the two Republican mem- the plaintiffs in the complaint, in a position not to raise the munici- In deciding to run for the council, Democrat Westfield Council mem- a “quiet excellence,” Mr. Walsh, rep- pal portion of local property taxes. Mrs. Jacobson cited her desire to bers, John De Simone of Clark and however, Mr. Sinclair removed bers also objected to the Mary Ellen Harris of Kenilworth himself from the suit on De- resenting the Third Ward, said he “Without state aid, we really have continue her service to the town and hopes to be known as someone who Commission’s decision at the pub- voting in favor. Westfield Town Clerk cember 18. an obligation to be conservative with be part of a decision-making body. lic hearing. “cares about everyday problems” and the public treasury,” Mr. Walsh com- She is most interested in finding an and Chairman of the Commission, Population-wise, based on the Union County Assignment Judge Bernard Heeney, cast the tie-breaker 2000 U.S. Census, the First Ward is willing to “advocate and go to bat” mented. answer to the parking issue, as well for Westfield residents. Edward W. Beglin, Jr., will now in the 3-2 vote. remained the same with a popula- He also expressed hope that Mayor “looking differently at how the bud- decide the matter by examining the Mr. Walsh is a lawyer with Gib- Gregory McDermott will “take the get is created,” with an eye toward Ms. Fischer said the first map, tion of 7,575 while the Second reasoning behind the Commission’s which placed the Cacciola neigh- Ward increased from 7,190 to bons, Del Deo, Dolan, Griffinger & lead on reaching a positive result” in not raising taxes. Vecchione in Newark who special- decision and whether the Commis- borhood and surrounding streets in 7,607. The Third Ward dropped conjunction with the efforts of the Mrs. Jacobson feels the town must sion acted appropriately. No infor- izes in complex commercial litiga- Special Advisory Parking Commis- do more in the way of providing the Third Ward on the south side, from 7,347 to 7,142 and the Fourth mation on a date for this procedure was more in keeping with the “natu- tion. Prior to his association with his sion. services, as well as increasing ways Ward decreased from 7,532 to law firm, Mr. Walsh clerked for Fed- could be obtained as Judge Beglin ral boundaries,” namely the railroad CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 He felt the commission did a “fabu- CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 eral Magistrate Joel Pisano and then lous job,” putting in “hours upon for the Chief Justice of the New hours of effort” to arrive at its recom- Jersey Supreme Court, Deborah mendations, which he hopes the Portiz. Mayor will put into practice. Mr. Walsh’s tenure as a council Mrs. Jacobson, a 33-year resident WTC Attacks, Dems’ Victory, Recommendation member will be his first in public of Westfield and former Mayoral office, although before earning his candidate in 2000, brings to the coun- undergraduate and graduate degrees, cil 12 years of experience on the he worked for Republican Assem- Board of Education, where she sat For Three Decks Dominate Second Half of ’01 blyman Leonard Lance. from 1987 to 1992, as well as educa- Mr. Walsh sees the role of local tional and vocational backgrounds By PAUL J. PEYTON signal timing changes and the elimi- Residents living in the area of to 7 p.m. government as “delivering services, in accounting and finance. She will Specially Written for The Westfield Leader nation of some turning movements. Chestnut and East Broad Streets Congressman Michael Ferguson and doing so in a fiscally responsible represent the Fourth Ward on the Editor’s Note: The following is a Plans to convert the second and voiced their objections to plans by was given a tour of Mindowaskin fashion.” He stressed that the council governing body. summary of news events that oc- third floors of an East Broad Street the County of Union to install a Park to see the town’s efforts at com- is “duty-bound” both to address is- While serving on the Board of curred in Westfield over the second office building to a catering facility traffic signal at the intersection.