The drug war we're not winning page 6 we haven't teen them. turn to portuc tbelr cause. n e y n m r a f hiram limiters Winter sports preview and fut wearers and are no* above embracing vtotoMxto The Commercial see page 7 p u d tbetr cause. It hat recently beea reported that two hunters killed la Florida may be victim of animal* rights activist*. Hunting and wearing of (tar* are pe rm u l choices Community Calendar that people should make tor themselves according to tbe see page 11 law and human common sense. Animals are resources to J>e ased responsibly. They should not be elevated to a par with humans aad their defense Is no reason for violence against humans. OF LYNDHURSl Published at 251 Ridge Ruud, Lyndhurst, N.J. 2 5 0 Second Class Postage Paid At Rutherford, N J. 07070 LYNDHURST'S OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER Subscription $8.00 - Published Weekly I SPS 12V420 VOL. 7 0 NO. 19 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1993 Town introduces $16 M municipal budget By Margaret Myre Pezzolla, said the Building the DPW garage had no sprinkler appealed the voters' turn-down of a Tbe Lyndhurst Commission last Maintenance increase resulted from system or smoke alarm. $2.6 million cap waiver, and cuts week approved on first reading a safety factors that had to be "There were people living there. of $700,000 made to the defeated $16.4 million budget for fiscal addressed to bring municipal build­ I could not sit in this office and school budget by the Commission. 1993-94, an increase of $1.7 mil­ ings up to code. have these regulations ignored with Should the school board's appeal be lion over last year. "The buildings were unsafe," people's lives at stake." heard, the town may have to con­ If adopted on January 6 as sider short-term financing, such as expected, the plan would raise the tax anticipation notes, to avoid a municipal tax rate 7 cents. Taxes serious cash-flow problem. on the average home, valued at According to schools Super­ $165,000, would increase about "I could not sit in this office and have these regula­ intendent Joseph Abate, the schools $100, to $2,400 a year. Informed are already in the throes of a cash­ tions ignored with people's lives at stake.” - Commissioner sources have called the proposed flow debacle, having sought and expense appropriations "realistic" Evelyn Pezzolla, director of parks and public property. received the bulk of its share of in contrast with the constraints revenue from the township on an imposed last year. accelerated schedule. According to The amount to be raised by tax­ Abate, the district will run out of ation would be $9.9 million, an money before the end of the school increase of $1.3 million, or 14.5 she said. "They did not meet code Pezzolla took office as commis­ year. If the appeal is not heard, he Evelyn Pezzolla, parks and recreation director, drops the puck In percent, over the 1992-93 figure of for fire exit lighting and exterior sioner of parks and public property has said he may have no choice but center court for the opening of the Lyndhurst Junior Street Hockey $8.7 million. lighting. There were a number of last May. to make significant cut-backs and. League's All-Star game held at the newly opened Street Hockey Rink The lax rate for municipal pur­ safety factors that we had been The Commission also adopted a perhaps, close some schools. on December 3. On hand for the ribbon cutting of the new rink was poses would rise to 59 cents per cited for by our insurance compa­ cap ordinance allowing it to exceed The tax bills for the February Mayor Louis J. Stellato, and commissioners John Beirne, Paul $100 of assessed value. ny." the 2 percent index rate and and May 1994 quarters, which Haggerty, Frank Bianchi and Pezzolla. Contributing to the increase Pezzolla ticked off a list of haz­ increase ils appropriations by 5 should be mailed late in January, were a $300,000 rise in police ardous situations she termed "unbe­ percent. reflect the actual anticipated ’East’ tops All-Stars game salaries, a $300,000 hike in insur­ lievable in this day and age," The proposed plan does not municipal expenditures and an esti­ ance expense, and a $159,000 including no lighted exit lights in account for the possible reinstate­ mated school and county lax. The increase in expenses for the parks the town hall ("There were paper ment of $3.6 million to the schools tax bills paid in August and at new street hockey rink and public property department, signs hanging up") n or battery oper­ budget by the state Board of. November 1993 for municipal pur­ with more than $56,000 of that ated emergency lights in either the The East Division - the Approximately 90 children, Education, nor the loss of a contro­ poses were estimated amounts. amount falling under Other Rangers, Bruins and Ducks - won aged 8 through 13, participate in town hall, fire department, youth versial $1.5 million grant which the Those amounts will be shown as Expenses. Of the items listed under center, or auxiliary police building, stale is suing lo recover. deductions from the municipal tax the Junior Street Hockey League’s Junior Street Hockey. Two All-Star Other Expenses, Building due in the next two quarters. All-Star game held December 3 al players are selected from each team which had no outside lighting at The local school district has Maintenance accounted for a newly opened rink, located at to play on All-Stars. The League all. The interior and exterior light- $54,000 of the total, up fromthe fire house required Rlvertide Avenue next to the also consists of a Senior League, $21,800 last year. upgrading as well, she said. Youth Center. which has four teams with players The director of parks and public Pezzolla said she was appalled Pepe applies for PTI Tbe League consists of two ages 14 through 18. divisions, East and West, wilh property, Commissioner Evelyn ^ discover that an apartment over John Pepe, the Lyndhurst man which showed bruises on her neck. charged with strangling a Wayne three teams in each. Comprising Games are played two or three Sources for The Record claim the woman in the surf off Lavallette tbe West Division are the Sharks, nights a week from 5 to 9 p.m., and photographs were inconclusive. Devils and Islanders. Homeless man pulls this summer, has applied for admis­ They showed areas where blood Saturdays 9 to 3. sion to a pre-trial intervention pro­ had congealed after death but did gram. not clearly indicate how much knife on cop force was used. Pepe's application came less Under the program, Pepe would A homeless man pulled a According to police, Young than two weeks after an Ocean Lyndhurst Police Log weapon from a holster in his waist­ became violent and went for the not have to stand trial, but would County grand jury reversed an ear­ band during a violent confrontation weapon, described as a locking be allowed to complete a period ot Burglary * * * lier indictment and handed down a last week with police who were knife with a black handle grip supervised probation and commu­ A burglar pushed open a door A pocketbook containing sever­ more serious charge of aggravated investigating a report of a suspi­ shaped like a handgun, causing nity service. and ransacked a bouse on the 700 al articles was stolen from a car manslaughter. cious person in the area of Sparta Sconza and Patrolman Angelo Jiosi According to PTI officials, Pepe block of Rutherford Ave. on parked on the 300 block of Lake Drive. to wrestle him to the ground. Pepe, a 21-year-old college stu­ would have to waive his righl to Monday, December 6. The owner Ave. on December 5. The right Edward Young, 33, whose last Bail was set at $5,000. The case dent and former football player at contest the charges in order to be reported jewelry missing. door lock was broken. known address was Pennington will be heard in municipal court on Queen of Peace High School in admitted to the program. In Suspicious persons Stolen Car Avenue in Passaic, was arrested on December 23. North Arlington, has told investiga­ exchange, he would be granted pro­ Three 12-year-old girls told A 1983 Cadillac was stolen December 7 for possession of a tors he was frolicking in the water bation and his record would not police they were followed from from the 200 block of Fern Ave. on knife and an imitation firearm, and LTA with the victim, Lori McKinney, show a judgment. He then could Summit and Sixth Ave. to Lake December 5. A car was taken from attempted aggravated assault on a 24, in the early morning hours of apply to have his record expunged. Ave. by a blue van driven by a the Lyndhurst Diner parking lot on police officer. celebrates July 17 when he lost her in the surf. Under New Jersey law, Pepe white man with long, curly dark December 7. According to authorities. Officer According to published reports, an must have approval of both judge hair and a mustache. The incident Michael Sconza responded to the holiday autopsy showed a major artery in and prosecutor before entering PTI. happened between 3:30 and 3:45 scene at 11:45 p.m. and observed The Lyndhurst Taxpayers' McKinney’s neck had been com­ Published reports quote the father p.m.