OIJR 111th YEAR - ISSUE NO. 47-111 I SPS MMXI20 Thursday. August 2. 2001 Published Even I hut via . Periudk-al - Postage Paid at Westfield, N J. Since IHUfl (008) 232-4407 EIETY CENTS m S C H TO BE NAMED PERMANANT CONSTRUCTION OFFICIAL Mayor, Council Set to Name Gildea Acting Administrator By PAUL J. PEYTON night, August 7, as a result of resig­ and then conferred with Jim Gildea Spea<UI\ Written for The Westfield leader nations of key officials over the past before agreeing to officially appoint The Town Council is expected to few months. him as Acting Administrator through make a number of administrative Mayor Gregory S. McDermott and the end of the year. His starting sal­ housekeeping moves on Tuesday Town Council members met privately ary is still being worked out. The mayor and council anticipate appointing Mr. Gildea to a full one- year term at the council’s organiza­ tional meeting in January. Patrol Unit and Vehicle Mr. Gildea. who had been serving as Assistant Town Administrator, re­ places Thomas B. Shunnon, whose Collide At Rahway Ave., resignation becomes effective Sun­ day, September 30. Mr. Shannon, who had only served in the role for 18 months, listed personul reasons Shackamaxon Drive for his decision. His last day in the By SUZETTE F. STALKER 45, of Canton, Ohio, was traveling Municipal Building was July 27. Specially Written fin The Westfield leader west on Shackamaxon in her 1999 Mr. Shannon will keep the title of An officer traveling in his police Jeep. She said she stopped at the administrator by serving more or less cruiser and three other people in a stop sign, saw the first patrol ve­ as consultant when needed through second car escaped serious injury hicle pass, then moved into the the end of September, at which time last Thursday after the two vehicles intersection, where she collided he will lose (he title. collided at the intersection of with the second police car. Lieu­ He will continue to receive payroll Rahway Avenue and Shackamaxon tenant Parizeau said. checks through the end of the year. Drive at 6:27 p.m. Ms. Smuckler was issued a ticket The last three months of his agree­ Stephen Chiger for The Westfield louder TENSE MOMENTS...Local police und members of the Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad respond to an accident which Lieutenant John M. Pari/.cau of for failure to yield at a stop sign, ment with the town includes a sever­ the Westfield Police Department ance package, as required by stale occurred Tuesday afternoon at the Intersection of East Ifroad and Elm Streets. Mary Jane Franks of Westfield was the lieutenant said. She and Officer attempting to make a left-hand turn from Elm onto least Broad when her 20110 Ford Windstar struck Calliope Skainhas said the vehicle driven by Patrol­ statute, Mr. Gildea told The Westfield Moya, along with two teenage girls of Springfield, who was attempting to cross East Broad in the crosswalk. The victim wus taken to Overlook Hospital in man Francisco Moya, 32, was one who were passengers in her car, CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 Summit, where she was treated and relensed, police said. of two units responding to a report were transported by Westfield Vol­ of a disturbance on New England unteer Rescue Squad personnel to Drive. Overlook Hospital in Summit. The cruisers were going south on All had complained of pain and Springfield Woman Is Struck by Vehicle While Rahway Avenue, with Patrolman were released from the hospital Moya following behind the first shortly afterwards. Lieutenant patrol car, the Lieutenant revealed. Parizeau said the incident on New In Crosswalk Near Elm, East Broad Intersection He added that Patrolman Moya said England Drive, to which the offic­ By SUZETTE F. STALKER victim was in the crosswalk, located accident. Szymona, 21, of Cranford, was at­ the overhead lights on his vehicle ers had been responding at the lime Specially Written fo r The Westfield leader were in operation at the time. the accident occurred, was subse­ near the intersection of East Broad The victim was transported by tempting to make a right-hand turn In the second such accident to The other driver, Robin Smuckler, quently resolved. and Elm Streets, when she was struck Westfield Volunteer Rescue Squad from Elm onto Quimby when the occur in Westfield in less than two by a 2000 Ford Windstar driven by personnel toOverlookHospital in Sum­ accident happened. She told police weeks, a pedestrian was struck by a Mary Jane Franks, 40, of Westfield. mit, where she was heated and re­ she saw Mr. Barnes in the crosswalk v . " g p motor vehicle Tuesday while attempt­ According to Lieutenant Parizeau, leased, the lieutenant told The Westfield and attempted to stop in time, but ing to cross from one side of a street the driver, who was traveling south Leader on Wednesday morning. was unsuccessful. She was not is­ to the other in the downtown. on Elm Street, said she did not see On July 19, another pedestrian sued a citation. w »> Calliope Skambas of Springfield, the other woman in the crosswalk as suffered moderate injuries in a simi­ Following that accident, Lieuten­ who police said is believed to be in she attempted to make a left-hand lar incident just one block away. ant Parizeau said that since the be­ her early 80s, was crossing from the turn onto East Broad Street. Brent Barnes, a 48-year-old ginning of this year, 17 accidents 11 1 south to the north side of East Broad While the driver was issued a ticket Mountainside resident, was struck have been reported in Westfield in­ Street when the 1:59 p.m. accident for failure to yield to a pedestrian in by a motor vehicle while in a Quimhy volving motor vehicles and either a occurred, Westfield Police Lieuten­ acrosswalk. Lieutenant Parizeaucon- Street crosswalk near the intersec­ pedestrian or a bicyclist. There were ant John M. Parizeau revealed. firmed there was no evidence that tion with Elm Street. no fatalities as a result of any of these Lieutenant Parizeau stated that the excessive speed was involved in the The driver in that case, Kathleen incidents. Westfielders to Pay Average of $7,886 in 2001 Taxes As Bills Rise Over $450 From Last Year By DEBORAH MADISON AND nearly $8 million from 1999. That reduction had a lot to do with in reserve to cover uncollected taxes PALL J. PEYTON The total to be collected in prop­ the municipal portion o f tax bills up in town. He said the change, reflect­ Specially Written fo r The Westfield leader erty taxes to support the local just one penny per $100 assessed ing a 98 percent collection rate in E ditor’s Note: The following is the Westfield Public School district, valuation in the tax rate or $18 for the town, resulted in shaving a penny off Courtesy of Skip Williams first of a three-part series on prop­ Union County and municipal gov­ average household. the tax rate. He also noted the town ACCIDENT SCENE...Emergency service personnel respond to a collision erty tax bills in Westfield this year. ernment is $81,837,933. Taxable “I think we did awesome this year began to "use debt (referred to as which occurred last Thursday evening between a car and a police cruiser at The first concentrates on the munici­ ratables in Westfield rose this year, to (in controlling the municipal tax deferred charges in the budget) as a the intersection of Rahway Avenue and Shackamaxon Drive. The patrol pal tax levy. rate),” said First Ward Councilman tool to finance our road projects in­ vehicle was traveling south on Rahway in response to a report of a disturbance $1,816,093,300 from a * * * • stead of paying cash.” on New England Drive, while the other car, driven by Robin Smuckler of $1,809,478,120 in 2000. Peter M. Echausse, a member of the Canton, Ohio, was going west on Shackamaxon. Neither the two drivers, nor The total amount of property taxes The biggest portion of the local tax Town Council’s Finance Commit­ The county portion of the tax bill two youngsters in Ms. Smuckler’s car, sustained serious injuries. to be collected in Westfield this year is bill is for the local school district, tee. He noted that 85 percent of the was raised 6 cents in the tax rate, going up $5.07 million. Taxes are up $52,566,163, accounting for 64.34 budget is fixed. This includes sala­ chiefly due to what County Manager percent of the total tax allotment, ries, wages and benefits, including Michael J. Lapolla said was a lower followed by the county purpose tax, pension costs. than anticipated county surplus, $16,076,021, accounting for 19.64 Mr, Echausse said the town worked mostly due to the pullout of state Westfield Eyeing Acquisition of Bank percent of the total taxes, and to trim the amount of money placed CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 $12,811,874 for the municipal por­ tions which equals 15.66 percent of On Clark Street for Added Parking tax bills. From a tax rate perspective, school By PAUL J. PEYTON Town Hall in future years. The build­ The Leader has learned that the taxes rose 18 cents from $2.72 to Specially Written fo r The Westfield Leader ing currently houses a law office. Clark Street bank will be sold through $2.90, the county portion rose 6 cents, i an effort to increase parking Fleet is closing the branch, along auction.