* WWW.AMBOYGUARDIAN.COM * June 7, 2017 * The Amboy Guardian .1 UP TOCOMPLIMENTARY 10 COPIES/$1 EACH ADDITIONAL Fireworks Spectacular THE Monday July 3, 2017 Amboy*Weekly Newspaper* Guardian • VOL. 7 NO. 11 • 732-896-4446 • P.O. BOX 127 • PERTH AMBOY • NJ • 08862 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 • Asking for Answers A Tribute to the Legacy of 5/24/17 Council Meeting PERTH AMBOY - Resident Council President William "Before anything is done, Chev- Thomas Mundy Peterson Stanley Sierakowski had a Petrick asked the Business Ad- ron and other sites should be Original Thomas Mundy Peterson Medal question related to R-220-5/17 ministrator to provide the mitigated. I understand jobs are on Display Highlight of Afternoon 6/3/17 - Awarding a contract for Stop Council with copies of all inci- important, but partial cleanups Loss Insurance to Berkley. dent reports regarding the Puer- are not helping the City. Buck- Stanley Sierakowski ques- to Rican Festival (2016)and the eye will pollute the waters. tioned the Council to see if they Ferry Slip Music Events (2016) Parts of Elizabeth and Linden even heard about the insurance Balut said, "All festival inci- are still contaminated because company. "Our main insurance dents should be recorded." of the partial cleanup of Exx- carrier (Fairview) is very heav- He then went on to R-211- on." ily Democratic. For you (the Authorizing a release in the When it came to voting on Council) to get 5 identical bids matter of DeSantis Construc- agenda items, R-206-R-223 & is impossible. How is this con- tion vs. The City of Perth Am- R-225-R-228 were moved by Thomas Mundy Peterson's Medal *Photos by Paul W. Wang tract structured. There are no boy in an amount not to exceed Councilman Fernando Gonza- details." $44,406.90" lez and seconded by Council- Sierakowski then questioned He questioned: "What kind of man Jelmin Caba. On Resolu- R-214-5/17 Authorizing the ruling was for this money?" tion R-224, Councilman proper City Officials to execute R-224 - Awarding a profes- Fernando Gonzalez asked that a contract with Sheltered Hearts sional special services agree- it be voted on separately after a in the amount of $24,750. This ment to DeCotiis, FitzPatrick, discussion. He stated that he resolution was voided. This res- Cole & Giblen LLP for contin- would like to review this reso- olution was tabled by B.A. ued legal representations and lution "Because we may need to Adam Cruz because it needed previously assigned matters return money to the DeCotiis to be approved by HUD. which are still pending in Firm. I want to look at your bill- "The woman who requested amount not to exceed $115,000. ing." this money just wanted to reno- Balut reminded the Council, B.A. Adam Cruz responded, vate the house." "When the former Law Director "The amount awarded to the Sierakowski said, "It should (Arlene Quinones) was here, DeCotiis Firm was brought have been voided because the she said she was supporting the down to $150,000. There is Pastor Anne-Marie Jeffrey Mayor Wilda Diaz entity (Sheltered Hearts) want- Mayor's Ticket. Quinones had money owed to DeCotiis which with Dorothy Daniel ed a $24,750 grant regarding a her picture of some of the May- is $38,000 for a certain time CDBG grant." Department of ors campaign literature. frame." Housing and Urban Develop- $100,000 of campaign money is Law Director Peter King also ment. The woman who came uncounted for. Did you (any commented, "We need a back here AC couple of years ago to Council Members) accept any billing report." renovate the house and charge money from Fairview or Berk- Councilman Fernando Gonza- people $500 for the services ley Insurance? Your silence said lez responded to King, "If you provided. It was the right deci- you did. Almost a half million need to take over, some of the sion to void it." dollars in contracts were award- DeCotiis Cases, I need to see Sierakowski also advised the ed. A former contractor is sit- what they owe them." Council to void R-220. ting in jail right now. I got all During the last public portion, Resident and President of the campaign literature right Resident Stanley Sierakowski Perth Amboy Artworks Com- here." told the Council, "You made a mittee, Caroline Pozycki-Tor- Councilman Fernando Irizarry multimillion dollar mistake res was glad to report to the responded to Balut's comments when it comes to replacing Council that there was a quick about a person last name of Fer- lights in the City. You could John Dyke Melvina Knight resolve to the problem she was raioli who has made campaign save money if you use LED having with the change of date contributions to the Mayor's lights instead and you should with the kickoff to her Ferry ticket or whom she has support- have looked at any State Pro- Slip Museum Concert Series. ed. "That person (Ferraioli) is grams first." "The launch will be July 8 and I not related to the City Auditor Resident Ken Balut came up can use the City logo (on my and we know it! The complaint to speak, "All white collar jobs advertising material). I was also that you (Balut) are referring to got huge raises. The bridge reimbursed for the canceled was in 2013." might be a good PILOT but June event and perhaps the ap- Resident Vince Mackiel had a Fehrenbach would never have plication forms for any enter- question about R-218-5/17 re- you (the Council) out of the tainment events that take place garding the NJDEP Green loop. You have no clue what's can be revised with clarity. I'm Acres Program dealing with a going on in the City. When I happy to move on and I'm grate- major diversion of certain park was on the Council, I received ful for all the help; I received. lands in connection with the reports from Department Resident Ken Balut came up Buckeye Partners L.P. Pipeline Heads. You vote on contracts to speak about Communication Project for $855,000. with zero paperwork. There's Anna Daily AUL Student in the Play No. 10. Mackiel asked the Council, *Continued on Page 2 *More Photos on Page 19 Casting the Ballot for Liberty Summer Fun Insert Inside! 2. The Amboy Guardian * June 7, 2017 If It’s Local - It’s Here! Answers *Continued From Page 1 $1.7 million and no paperwork. Deals are being made behind your backs. All the contacts were given to people up in North Jersey." Resident Jeremy Baratta came up to speak next. He spoke about the trouble of late he's had stemming from his appoint- ment on January 13, 2017 to the Historic Preservation Commis- sion. "On January 18, 2017 I received a letter to sign forms. I then received a letter stating that my term has been suspend- ed. Only the City Council can remove a Commissioner off the HPC. My being on the handi- capped parking committee does not make me ineligible to be on the HPC and I would like to be reinstated." He also mentioned 2 other HPC Members: Eleni Glykis and Anna Daily. "They should also be ineligible based on what was told to me regarding my suspension. Daily is on the Board of Trustees of the Library Board and Glykis is Library Di- rector." Law Director Peter King re- sponded, "All Members of the HPC must meet qualifications." Baratta responded, "I've heard about this for a month from Mr. King." Chair of the Historic Preserva- tion Commission Reinaldo Aviles came up to speak about Baratta's plight. "I have issues on how this was handled. I didn't know about this (Barat- ta's letter of suspension) until I saw Elaine Jasko (City Clerk) about a different matter and she told me. As the chair of the HPC, I should have been noti- fied first." Jose Amarante who is a mem- ber of the Zoning Board of Ad- justment stated that he had tak- en all of the required classes and was sworn in by a Clerk in the City Office but would like to get a signed copy of the oath. Resident Mark Achamizo was concerned about the large amount of drunk people on Smith Street between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. "Rector Street is a disaster (part of the street) and I don't drive a jalopy." During the Council Com- ments, Councilman Joel Pabon said, "I talked to the Mayor on how you can be unaware of what's going on in town. I road by the Patten School and it's crazy. Cars are double-parked when school is let out. We need to do something to alleviate traffic during that time. The cars even block people's driveways." Council President Bill Petrick then spoke, "There will be a traffic jam when the Seaman Street School is built by the fire- house/police station. It will be a dangerous situation just like at the Patten School. The BOE Ad- ministration Building would have been better suited there and Sayre Avenue for the school." June 7, 2017 * The Amboy Guardian .3 4. The Amboy Guardian * June 7, 2017 LOCAL PERSPECTIVE EDITORIAL THE COMMUNITY VOICE band perform. My brother, a This Was Not the Time Music retired Marine who had come to support my band, was in- Not Politics sulted. My guitarist, an Army My band, Mikell's Plot, per- veteran, was extremely angry.