S13 PI * * * » » * * * • «CAR-RT LOT**CO15 « 1 WSTFIELO MEMORIAL LIBRARY 550 E BROAD SI WESTFIELD NJ 07090-2116 I SPS 680020 PtiMkhrd K>m Thursdat Simr Vplrnihrr 3. IMSO ( 008 ) 232-4407 (M R 115th YEAR - ISSUE NO. 25-2005 Thursday, June 23, 2005 Periodical - Postage Paid at Westfield. NJ. ww*.|(nle«Ier.coni [email protected] SIXTY ( ENTS Andrew Skibitsky Takes Reigns As Mayor From Greg McDermott ill MICHAEL POI.I.ACK ber of the staff. My love and admiration here as friends and looked beside it." Spn Htlli Written for The Wntfirld In u tu foryou are endless." Mayor McDermott Speaking on election night Novem­ WESTFIELD — Mayor Greg said. 'T o my four children, thanks for ber 2(X)4 when the tw o Were support­ McDermott resigned this Tuesday, keeping up your end of the bargain. 1 ive of the defeated parking deck pro­ after close to eight years as a Westfield know you are in the eye o f the public, posal. Councilman Goldman said. public servant Mayor McDermott and you made us proud." "We almost became kindred spirits, " ended his tenure prematurely and is " A ll o f us hav e dreams. I am one of Pirst Ward Councilman Peter moving to Bemardsville. necessitat­ the fortunate people to fulfill the Hchausse, w ho wiped away, tears as he ing his resignation prior to the end of dream. And it is the pow erful sense o f finished his speech, said he was “blessed his term on December 31. 2005. honor I still feel from when I first to know" the former mayor. "I would© i F ollow ing the m ayor’ s resignation came on here. I've been blessed to he on the dais if it wasn’t foryou. You're and farewell speech, under the direc­ have the chance and challenge to do a great mentor. Your personality and tion o f acting Mayor and Second Ward what only 3 1 other mayors before me determination arc infectious. Hold v out Councilman Rafael Betancourt, the have done. L u ckily , they left the park­ head high. Mr. M avoir.” council elected Third Ward Council­ ing deck situation for me to handle." Second Ward Councilman Rafael man Andrew Skibitsky as interim the former may or joked. Betancourt acknowledged the grow­ mayor. Upon his resignation, former A supporter of the failed parking ing resentment that manifested last Mayor McDermott stepped off the deck plan. Fourth Ward Councilman year concerning the proposed park­ dais and sat w ith his w ife, Andrea, and Larry Goldman, in a sign of biparti­ ing deck. fo u r children seated in the audience. sanship. adm itted to "knocking heads “ We witnessed a lot o f rancor. There “ I want to thank m y w ife Andrea as on a few issues" with the former. were times when I said- ’Do 1 want to much as any part o f the town or mem­ mayor, "hut we always w alked out of do this?' And the reason I stood by was because of Greg (McDermott) and his positivism. Sometimes, with Adjustment Bd. Hears Mayor McDermott Says Goodbye, his show of patience and dedication in the face o f these issues. I thought, ’this guy's not from New Jersey After taking the oath, interim Mayor Cell Tower Proposals Thanks Westfield Residents Skibitsky, joined by his wife, Debbie, and four children Drew . Hope, Shane B> DON WILLIAMS risks due to the Telecommunications B> BETSEY Bl RGDORI as New Jersey s acting governor for McDermotts are to Westfield as the S/1-. i,lit It •• • •> I lit WrMjirU l.fiider and Trov. read a resolution honoring Act of 19%. one week. Kennedy's are to Massichusetfes," Mr. M ayor McD erm ott ’s sen ice and pre­ WESTFIELD - The Westfield In the second application, Cingular W E S T F IE LD — Few people w ould Mr, McDermott began his political McCabe said, "I knew it would be an sented him w ith a coin meliorative bow 1 Board o f Adjustment lastWednesday proposed to construct an 85-foot tower consider one d olla r to be a significant career as a councilman defeating Marc uphill battle." and stand. approved a variance to build a Ciijgular on the W ychwood Gardens complex amount o f money, liven fewer would McCabe in 1997; three years later, he Mayor M cDerm ott said after he won Mayor Skibitsky thanked the coun­ Wireless transmitter atop a building at property nearthe juncture ofEast Broad work a whole year for that amount. ran against and defeated Susan Jacobson the council race he told Mr. McCabe he cil for having faith in him and giving LKK) South Avenue West, after di scuss­ Street and Springfield Avenue. The But as the mayor of Westfield, that's in the mayoral election in 2(XX). w asn't sure who actually had w on refer­ their unanimous support. Mayor ing different options for the applicant proposed fodisguisethetower exactly w hat Greg. McDermott did. "The opportunity was there and if I ring to his future as a public servant, Skibitsky said he wants the town to transmitter's screening into the as a flagpole, with a large American He told The Westfield Lender that didn't take a chance, then shame on "People don't understand that it get to know him better and w ill insti­ building's architecture. The approved Hag that would be lit at night. he did not run fo r office fo r the pay- me," Mr. M cD erm ott said referring to (the position of mayor) may require tute Saturday morning office hours. antennae w ill be placed on the roof of Ms. Babinsky presented a summary check; instead, for the experience and his decision to run for mayor. only about hours a week, but you 20 He laid out plans to lim it the height the 40-foot building and w ill stand at o f the existing coverage in the proposed the opportunity. "1 used to kid Greg saying the CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 a total height o f 48 feet from the street. tower's area. Mr. Sawant presented the Mr McDermott stepped down as The twirn was packed with concerned results o f a dnve test that mapped out m ayor Tuesday night, six months shy residents. Judith Babinsky, a paitner at areas along roadways where the signal of completing his second term. He DWC Prepares RFP, Discusses Options Pitney Hardin. LLP. was present at the from Cingular transmitters was stronger w ill be mov ing to Bem ardsville at the meeting on behalf Of ’Cingular forhotli than -75 dBm. citing these areas as end o f the month. variances, as well as Cingular network having “ optim al" coverage and mark­ “ I look at this town, and the people design engineer Ajay Savant ing all areas with weaker signal in gray. and it (the experience 1 has been truly For Managing Downtown Projects The brick, building that w ill hold terrific, both personally and politi­ The drive test was performed by a team 111 BETSEY ttl Rt.tlORF council fo r specifications for specs as elude: an underground conduit sys­ the transmitter is .approximately five cally." he said. ';.. i.i/lv VIh im !„r The A f PfieJA U uJn o f Cingular experts in a car with an part of the 2004 Capital Improve­ tem to get power lines off of down years old. and. according to a report His write. Andrea, and children mitenna on top that records signal strength WESTFIELD - Downtown ment budget fo r streetesape im prove­ town streets, a parking com m unica­ by the Architectural Review Board, Bryan, Maggie. Melissa and Patricia as it drives with traffic along roads. Westfield Corporation (DWC). Ex­ ments. The money w ill he used to hire tion system, sidewalk replacement the owner had agreed at one point to echoed his sentiment, saying that the According to Ms. Babinsky. the ecutive Director Sherry Cronin out­ an engineering firm, which w ill de­ plan and the installation o f new trees plant shade treeson the property along experience has been a positive one. FCC requires that all wireless earn­ lined the Request fo r Proposal (RFP) velop specs fo r contractors to bid on and lighting. South Avenue, hut had not. As a eon Mayor McDermott, a lifelong ers eventually provide 100 percent fo r the $75.(XX) streetseape renovation for the project. Once an engineering firm is hired dition o f approval for the application. Westfield resident, comes from, a po­ coverage to customers in their cov­ specifications the I)W (' hopes to "W e’re taking the money and puinp- and the scope o f w o rk is determined, Cingular w ill work with the owner to litically involved family. His father. erage areas, with evaluation o f net­ present to town council in the near iiig'it right back into the downtown." - 'the DWC w ill present the findings to purchase and plant these trees. Frank McDermott, was an assembly - work progress at five-year intervals. future. DW C Chairman D avid Murtone said. the town council and request the Several local residents came forward man, a state senator and w as appointed Mr. Sawant said that the industry The money w as authoriz.e'd by town Some of the projects discussed in- project he included in the capital im ­ in opposition o f the variance. They standard is -75 dBm. and that this signal provement plan.