Lance Busy Greeting Voters, Fundraising for Fall Campaign League Challenges COAH's 'Fatally Flawed' Regulations
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Ad Populos, Non Aditus, Pervenimus Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, August 21, 2008 OUR 118th YEAR – ISSUE NO. 34-2008 Periodical – Postage Paid at Westfield, N.J. www.goleader.com [email protected] SIXTY CENTS League Challenges COAH’s ‘Fatally Flawed’ Regulations By MICHAEL J. POLLACK voluntary, full compliance and COAH and said that towns’ obligations are Specially Written for The Westfield Leader certification offer towns protection based upon “unreliable and inaccu- Editor’s Note: The following is the from these lawsuits. rate information and exaggerated pro- first of a two-part series on legal According to Executive Director jections, which result from false and challenges to new regulations on low William Dressel, the League is chal- unsupportable assumptions.” to moderate income housing rules in lenging the “validity” of the newest Chris Donnelly, a spokesperson for New Jersey. COAH regulations. COAH, said the League’s motion for AREA – Because the Council on The third-round rules establish a an extension on the year-end dead- Affordable Housing (COAH) denied new ratio of requiring that one afford- line to submit Fair Share Plans was the League of Municipalities’ request able unit be built for every four mar- denied because, “the council did not to delay the December 31 deadline ket-rate units, and one affordable unit feel there was sufficient evidence to for towns to submit their compliance be created for every 16 jobs added. show that requiring municipalities to plans (called Fair Share Plans), the Any participating municipality must submit their plans by December 31, League has filed a notice of appeal also track its housing and job creation 2008 would cause them harm.” with the Appellate Division of the numbers since 2004, and project the Mr. Donnelly said, “The council Superior Court of New Jersey. trend through 2018. also felt that any further delays would The Fair Housing Act of 1985 cre- League Assistant General Counsel be detrimental to the promotion, con- ated COAH as the state legislature’s Edward Buzak, of The Buzak Law struction and rehabilitation of afford- able housing. We are dedicated to moving forward with the third-round rules and are available to work with municipalities in crafting their af- fordable housing plans.” Courtesy of Albert Paglialunga He added, “COAH is moving for- ROCKET MEN…Jefferson School Cub Scout Pack 673 boys and their families launch and recover more than 30 rockets ward with the third-round regulations with the help of McKinley School Cub Scout Pack’s Steve Huber and his son, Tim, pictured above. Mr. Huber is a part of Pack 176, and Tim is part of Troop 77 out of St. Paul’s Church. For more information about Pack 673, e-mail and the December 31 deadline, and [email protected] or meet the group at Jefferson’s library in Westfield on Monday, September 15 at 7 p.m. we encourage all municipalities to submit their plans as soon as pos- sible.” COAH falls under the jurisdiction Lance Busy Greeting Voters, of the state’s Department of Commu- nity Affairs (DCA). DCA Commis- sioner Joseph Doria, a former Bayonne mayor and ex-state legisla- Fundraising for Fall Campaign tor, said in a statement, “It is impor- BY KATIE ROGERS the Republican candidate for Con- ducing them to “a very special friend tant to keep in mind that we are talk- Specially Written for The Westfield Leader gress in June, Mr. Lance has been of his,” Mr. Lance, who handed guests ing about housing for the hardworking Editor’s Note: The Westfield working on the state budget in Tren- a copy of his campaign literature. men and women of New Jersey and Leader spent the day with Republi- ton and campaigning non-stop. This Mr. Lance made his way around housing that allows children to re- can candidate for Congress from the particular day, he started his morning the restaurant, which included chat- Horace Corbin for The Westfield Leader main in the communities where they Seventh District, Leonard Lance, last making fundraising phone calls, then ting with a prospective law student at ALL EARS...Residents delight in the fresh Jersey corn available last Saturday at grew up. This is a vital issue and the Friday. A similar article on Demo- stopped at the diner to talk to area Penn State University, a family of the Westfield Farmers Market. Brilliant weather made the day a great time to be highest priority for COAH.” cratic candidate Linda Stender ap- citizens before facing an afternoon of five – whose three children’s ages he out in search of tasty produce and friendly conversation with neighbors. He said COAH’s new rules con- peared in the August 7 issue. door-to-door campaigning. managed to guess correctly on first tinue the use of a “growth-share ap- AREA – When most patrons ar- Mr. Marks led the meet-and-greet attempt – and a concerned local union response to a series of New Jersey Group, will represent the League in proach,” which bases towns’ obliga- rived at the Scotchwood Diner on by approaching each diner and intro- CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Supreme Court cases known as the its legal challenge. tions on market-rate residential and Route 22 last Friday, they didn’t real- Mount Laurel decisions. He called COAH’s regulations “un- non-residential growth. ize they would be getting a surprise The decisions stipulated that mu- sustainable and fatally flawed.” Municipalities are required to zone visit from a state senator and con- nicipalities have a constitutional ob- Mr. Buzak added, “COAH’s regu- and plan for eventual affordable units; gressional candidate. Senator Leonard ligation to provide a “realistic oppor- lations, if implemented, will drive up however, they are only responsible Lance (R-23, Clinton) arrived with tunity” for the construction of low- the costs of compliance, and those for building affordable housing in his entourage of support in tow, in- and moderate-income housing. additional costs will ultimately be relation to the growth that actually cluding Scotch Plains Mayor Martin If municipalities in any way deny borne by taxpayers. We can do bet- occurs. Marks, Deputy Mayor Nancy Malool or hinder the construction of afford- ter.” New Westfield Town Planner Bill and candidate for township council, able housing, they are at risk for law- The League accused COAH’s third- Drew was hired to replace outgoing Mary DePaola. suits. While participation in COAH is round rules of being “unachievable” CONTINUED ON PAGE 8 Since securing his nomination as Mountainside Council Has Public Debate Over Pool By JOHN MAGUIRE do so. Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Mr. Feldman asked the mayor if he MOUNTAINSIDE – The decision had paid for the use of the pool. He to close the community pool for a also questioned the council’s posi- volunteer appreciation event this past tion that the pool was owned by the Katie Rogers for The Westfield Leader Saturday dominated the public com- borough and that the council had the DINER’S CLUB…State Senator Leonard Lance, the Republican candidate to ment portion of the Mountainside authority to close it to members as replace Mike Ferguson in the U.S. Congress’s Seventh District, met with patrons Borough Council monthly meeting they saw fit. “We were deprived of at the Scotchwood Diner in Scotch Plains. Scotch Plains Mayor Martin Marks introduced Mr. Lance. Above, Mr. Lance speaks with a family of five before held on Tuesday, with Mayor Robert use of the pool,” he added. distributing campaign literature. He faces a Congressional challenge from As- Viglianti and the council squaring off “May I ask why you are so bitter, semblywoman Linda Stender of Fanwood. with a resident over whether the coun- Sir?” Mayor Viglianti responded. cil had the authority to close the facil- Borough Attorney John Post ad- ity. dressed Mr. Feldman’s argument point Garwood School Bd. Names Resident Ray Feldman rose to the by point, arguing that the pool is podium and questioned why the pool operated by the borough and func- was closed last Saturday for the vol- tions under the auspices of the recre- Emmons Lincoln Principal unteer appreciation event. The coun- ation commission and director Frank By RAYNOR DENITZIO degree program. She assisted Ms. Specially Written for The Westfield Leader Debbie Hoffman for The Westfield Leader cil defended the decision and dis- Masella. Mr. Post pointed out that the Quigley in her roles as acting super- A DAY FOR VOLUNTEERS…Mountainside borough volunteers enjoy a day at missed accusations by Mr. Feldman pool was constructed using money GARWOOD – Following its ex- intendent and principal of Lincoln the community pool this past Saturday in recognition of their time to the that they did not have the authority to from bonds issued by the borough. “It ecutive session Tuesday night, the School. Ms. Quigley said this experi- community. is a municipal facility,” he stated. Garwood Board of Education (BOE) ence was one of the reasons she felt “The basic difference why you feel announced the hiring of Mary Ms. Emmons was a strong candidate Compensation of School Superintendents in Union County the way you do and we don’t is that Emmons as principal of Lincoln for the position. (Note 1: Some differences exist between data reported by the NJ Department of Education and actual contract documents obtained from the your assumption that the pool is pri- School, filling the vacancy created by “She was the person that kind of respective boards of education, along with differences in the time periods stated for the data. The data below, normalized to the 2008-2009 school vate is incorrect,” Mr.