See Spring Home Improvement Section in Focus Linden Leader " V o s i r Community Leader' VOL. 30 NO 30 LINDEN, N J„ THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1984 T« ° Section", 30 c e n ts Council refuses request to rehire ex-bus driver By PH ILIP HARTMAN reinstate Friedman Councilmen problems with tavern patrons who In closed session Monday the Linden James Iozzi, Richard Brzezicki, James might gather in the lanes after bars City Council restated that a Recreation Watson and Robert Gonor voted no. close "Whether they are under the Department employee, fired after Councilman George Milkosky, Joe weather or whether it will be a hangout, being found guilty of making obscene Suliga and Myles Hergert abstained I don't know what the situation will be,” phone calls from city phones, will not be Eckel did not give the result of the Eckel explained rehired consent vote taken during the closed " I ’m certainly going to fight against Personnel Chairman Malvin Eckel, session that," said Eckel, who has Linden 1st Ward Councilman, requested In other discussion, operators of the Lanes in his First Ward. Monday that the council reverse the city’s two bowling alleys have However, Iozzi said,that .the alley firing made two weeks ago and requested that their hours be increased bars are governed by the Alcoholic reconsider a resolution to transfer Neil to accomodate the expanding work­ Beverage Control Commission and Freedman, a former bus driver, to the force of the General Motors Assembly must close at 2 p.m., as do taverns Public Works Department. The same Plant in Linden. Also, because the alleys serve liquor, resolution had failed Feb. 21 by a vote The alleys — Linden Lanes and under ABC regulations it may be illegal of 4-4, with three abstentions A Jersey Lanes — expect an increase in to allow the alleys to remain open later majority vote was needed for the business when GM's recall of workers than 2 p m , according to City Clerk Val resolution to pass begins. Imbriaco. That vote came less than a week after Fifth Ward Councilman James Iozzi The council has instructed the Police the council in closed session decided to said alleys should be able to remain Traffic Bureau to study the proposal rehire Friedman when psychiatric open until 3 or 3:30 p.m,, when workers and report its findings to the council evaluations showed him ready to return from the midnight shift come in to bowl. The council said it will wait for the to work, Council President Robert He said that they work eight to 10 hour report before a decision is made Gonor said at the time. days and deserve to have available Councilman George Milkosky of the 8th Whether Friedman can appeal the recreation when they get off of work Ward, where Jersey Lanes is located, termination, “ I imagine is up to But Eckel claimed later hours would said he will also canvass residents for him,” said Eckel. mean “ opening a Pandora's Box" of their opinions before action is taken. Friedman, a senior citizens' bus driver, pleaded guilty Nov. 10 in municipal court to making obscene $30.1 million budget calls. A suspension from his job followed. Friedman also was removed from the Auxiliary police force, on which he will not be reinstated approved by Council On some 66 occasions Friedman dialed a New York City telephone By PH ILIP HARTMAN “ What my colleague is doing is ut­ number that puts callers through to a A $30.1 million municipal budget that terly wrong, " he added R EHEA R SIN G —Nancy Pohl and James Parham go over their lines for the 'Sound recorded message that is sexually calls for a two-point residential tax Council President Robert Gonor also of Music' which will be presented March 16 and 17 at Linden High School by suggestive, according to police increase was approved Tuesday said that the $20,000 earmarked for a students in the Linden public schools. Both performances will begin at 8 p.m. Friedman then transferred the calls evening with only one dissenting vote running track study is funded by sur­ Tickets, at $4 each, can be obtained by calling the high school at 486-5432. to city employees from a Recreation from among the members of the Linden plus money and would have no effect on (Photo by John Boutsikaris) Department telephone, and hung up City Council. the tax rate Employees from several departments In a last-minute appeal. Third Ward The "approved budget means that complained about the calls. Councilman Myles Hergert asked that residents will pay $10 more than last Industries express 'optimism' Along with Eckel, Councilmen the budget be voted down in favor of year on a house assessed at $50,000 just Theodore Kondracki, Charles further reductions to reach a zero for school purposes Schreiber and Alvin Coplan voted to municipal tax increase Hergert cited four budget areas Few members of the public com­ about pretreatment regulation where cuts could be made: $20,000 for mented, although one man offered Appeal delays praise and called the 1984 budget the (Editor’s note: This Is the second In » speculated that some companies would pose a severe financial hardship for the study of a Memorial Park running "most realistic” he has seen in 20 series of articles on the disposal of have to spend "hundreds of thousands some smaller firms track from the capital improvement years. industrial wastes into the Linden/- of dollars” to develop a waste “ If companies in Linden have to pay appointment section; $50,000 for sidewalk repair In general, members of the finance Roselle sewerage system.) management program to meet the new the cost for environmental compliance, subcontractors; a fire truck purchase committee who compiled the budget By PH ILIP GIMSON standards “ All of the smaller elec- while industries in other regions of the "that can be delayed a year or two until to library post have called it "tight," with little sur Representatives from several local toplating firms will have difficulty country don’t, then they are placed at ratables pick up,” and $79,000 for tree plus. companies are "cautiously optimistic” meeting the costs of pretreatment," an extreme competitive disad­ By PH ILIP HARTMAN trimming contractors from the salaries about having to comply with the Lin- Snyder stated vantage," Palumbo stated. “ If that Civil Service has released a list of six adjustment account. In other news, 16 businesses located den/Roselle Sewerage Authority's Palumbos firm is exploring the competitive disadvantage remains people who passed the Linden Library Hergert cited duplicated services by in Linden and Roselle which are recently-approved industrial possibility of participating in a new unchanged over a long period of time, director's exam, however, a new public works employees and sub­ targeted for exterior improvements contractors on sidewalks and tree pretreatment program waste recycling program, known as the then a lot of people in Linden will end up director will not be named until an through Community Development trimming as areas where cuts would go "The program is very difficult for the Schossel Project, whereby special out of work.” appeal by two persons who failed the Block Grant funds were announced by virtually unnoticed (or one year. industries involved to comply with filtering mechanisms, called ion ex, test is resolved, Civil Service officials 4th Ward Councilman James Watson One industry leader agreed with that " I ask you to consider that the county because it’s going to present an in­ change units, are installed to remove said last week. All 16 businesses were approved for assessment, noting that "the increased and school budgets are going up also." creased expense,” according to Robert heavy metal contaminants from in­ There is a 20-day period during which funding by the six-member St. George overhead costs posed by the said Hergert. Taylor, president of the Linden In­ dustrial sludge The retrieved metals the appeal will be considered by Civil Avenue Task Force, comprised of pretreatment program could be the However, others differed with dustrial Association. "It’s a necessary can then be recycled through Service. If the appeal is denied. Civil Linden and Roselle members straw that breaks the camel’s back for Hergert Fifth Ward Councilman evil, but unfortunately it’s just processing at a centralized waste Service guidelines allow two sub­ some smaller companies.” James Iozzi noted that although Linden something we have to live with." treatment plant. sequent appeals: first, to the assistant According to Watson, the facade has had zero municipal increases in the improvement program helps tht urban But another industry leader, James While ion exchange offers industries A 1983 industrial waste census con­ director of Civil Service and, finally, to past, the overall tax rate has gone up area "hold its own" economically but in Hulm of Solvents Recovery Service, an economic alternative to more ex­ ducted by the LRSA from a list of 560 the Commissioner’s Office of Civil " I f you take away trees and sidewalks no way is a cure-all for the depressed Linden, noted "The writing is on the pensive forms of waste management, industries, revealed that 144 com­ Service. Because each step requires a you will still have an increased tax area "W e re doing everything we wall. Companies should be prepared to such as constructing on-site panies, or 27 percent of all firms in the 20-day period to review the appeal, it rate," said Iozzi can, " he said cope with this by now Pretreatment pretreatment facilities, Palumbo Linden/Roselle area, have either could be nearly two months before the should be expedited throughout the claims that even a minimal cost will (Continued on page 6) Linden Library Board of Trustees has state.” an approved list from which to appoint The LRSA is currently in the process its next full-time director.