By: Carolyn Maxwell

PERTH AMBOY –    After the 3 presentations, the regular meeting started, and people were able to make comments on the ordinances.

Ordinance No. 1 – An ordinance to amend fixing and establishing a schedule of salaries and salary ranges regarding the P.B.A. 

The first person to speak was Brian Donahue who spoke on Zoom from California. “The city employee salaries, a lot of them are low quality public servants. There was an officer who was unprofessional, rude, and anti-ethical to the city’s codes. Mayor Helmin Caba and a Councilwoman refused to return my calls (regarding this matter).”

Council President Petrick told the caller, “This is a salary ordinance.”

Donahue continued, “So I can’t mention a person’s name? This person is overpaid, and you have no mechanism that you can’t voice a complaint.”

Resident Ken Balut who was present in the council chambers spoke next, “Our cops are greatly underpaid. We are not training some of our officers properly. They deserve the raise because a lot of people don’t see what they do.”

Resident Stanley Sierakowski came up next. He agreed with Balut that Perth Amboy police are the lowest paid in the county and they have been underpaid for years.

Another caller on Zoom who lives in Rockaway Township, New Jersey questioned what this ordinance is about.

Petrick explained it is a salary range for all police officers. “You can get the backup material that’s online.”

The woman from Rockaway continued and suggested the council table this ordinance to make sure that it serves the community.

The next ordinance that was opened up for discussion was Ordinance No. 2 – Police Department Amendments re: employment of off-duty police officers.

Brian Donahue was the first speaker via Zoom. He said, “I thought we (the public) can comment on this ordinance before you voted on it.”

Petrick responded, “We haven’t voted on it yet.”

Donahue suggested that off-duty officers should not be hired. He stated that you (Perth Amboy) have bad value officers and their salary is on-par with other towns. “You are putting good money on bad officers which is further emboldening the police who have bad values.”

Perth Amboy Resident Maria Vera spoke on Zoom, “You need to table this ordinance.”

Ordinance No. 3 – An ordinance entitled Sewers and Water regarding rates and fees was next for discussion. 

Resident Ken Balut came up first. “There is money coming in and with what is going on, why are we having a rate increase? It is about time we stop this. You can’t use the money (from the federal government) to lower taxes. Everything is going up and now we are adding on to it. We have high ranking politicians that can help us.”

Petrick responded, “We don’t have the money, yet and we don’t have the formulation from the federal government, yet.”

Resident Junior Iglesia came up next. “The rates are going up and I recommend we reach out to Senators Booker and Menendez to see if it is possible to resolve the water issues.”

Reinaldo Aviles from New Brunswick Today came up to speak, “This rate increase was discussed at the first caucus meeting (in April) where CFO Jill Goldy said this is due to a moratorium. The moratorium might be lifted in July and residents might ask to have payment plans set up.”

Bill Petrick spoke up, “It’s the administration that is asking for the increase. The local finance board makes the decisions.”

Aviles continued, “Increasing the price will not help the residents pay the water bills.”

Petrick continued, “We don’t know if we can use the surplus money coming in to not reduce the water rates.”

B.A. Remsen finished the discussion. “The Water Utility must be self-sustained.”

Ordinance No. 4 – Amending Chapter 384, Stormwater Management to supersede all applicable sections of the revised general ordinances of the city of Perth Amboy.

Perth Amboy Resident Maria Vera asked for an explanation of this. 

B.A. Remsen answered, “It is to update our ordinance to the state requirement and there are no financial increases.”

The council voted on the ordinances. Ordinance No. 1 thru Ordinance No. 4 were moved by Pabon and seconded by Tejeda. When it came to vote on the ordinances, each ordinance was voted on separately. For Ordinance No. 3 all the council members voted “No.”

For Ordinance No. 1 (No Public Discussion) – Designating restricted parking spaces for use by handicapped persons regarding additions. It was moved by Pabon and seconded by Tejeda.

For Ordinance No. 2 (No Public Discussion) – Creating a Perth Amboy Citizens Public Safety Advisory Board. It was moved by Pabon and seconded by Tejeda.

When it came time to vote on the consent agenda R-235 (Pabon) and R-238 (Tejeda) were asked to be pulled for separate vote. For Resolutions R-218 thru R-234 and R-236 & R-237 were moved Pabon and seconded by Tejeda. R-239 thru R-241 were late-starters.

For R-235-4/21 – Naming the future Second Street Park to be the Borinqueneer Park along with setting aside a portion of the park for artwork or statue memorializing their sacrifices. 

R-235 was moved by Pabon and seconded by Tejeda. All voted “yes”. Pabon said he wanted to thank the Criollis Club for taking this on. “It was a noble thing to do.”

Councilman B.J. Torres also complemented. “They (the Borinquenners) fought valiantly in the Korean War.”

For R-238 – 4/21 – Authorizing compensation for 280 hours of unused vacation time to former Mayor Wilda Diaz in the amount of $14,859.60. It was moved by Pabon and seconded by Tejeda.

Before voting, Council President Bill Petrick had a few questions about Former Mayor Wilda Diaz’s compensation request. “Who is signing off on these orders? It has initials P.P. Is that former Interim Business Administrator Patricia Perkins who is signing off on vacation for Mayor Diaz from the year 2007 to the present day? Diaz was not in office in 2007. The council said that Perkins was incompetent for the B.A. position. We may be committing fraud by signing off on this.

Remsen answered, “The mayor is a city employee.”

Petrick continued, “How is their time documented? And why wait 5 months after leaving office?”

Councilman Pabon said, “I’m asking that we can talk about this more before it is tabled.”

Petrick replied, “I want these documents sent to the attorney general’s office.”

Substitute Lawyer William Opel (from Northgrave’s firm) said, “You can vote for this resolution in its current form.”

Pabon then argued, “There are a number of people who carry 2000 hours of overtime or vacation time and people are using city time instead of using their own time. This may not be right. I’m sure there will be a lawsuit by the former mayor. We paid a lawyer over $10,000 of taxpayer’s dollars to represent the council in a lawsuit and we didn’t even use them. It’s best to just pay this money then to pay more in lawsuit which will be our taxpayer’s money.”

Councilwoman Milady Tejeda said, “Council President William Petrick had additional information about this resolution that I didn’t know about. Now I am questioning this.”

City Clerk Victoria Kupsch said, “All the council members have the information in their packet that Council President Petrick talked about.”

Tejeda looked through her folder. “I overlooked it and I rescind my second on R-238. I would like to close the door on the past administration, but I want to do it the right way.”

Tejeda made a motion to remove R-238 and all voted “yes” to remove it.

Late-starter R-239-4/21 – Recognizing May 2- May 8 as Municipal Clerk’s Week.

Late-starter R-240-4/21 – Consenting to the extension of the appointment of Edward A. Remsen as Interim Business Administrator for the city of Perth Amboy for a period no longer than 60 days starting from May 7, 2021.

Late Starter R-241-4/21 – Determining the form and other details of not extending $375,000 bond of the City of Perth Amboy and providing for their sale to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank and further authorizing the execution of various agreement pursuant to the state fiscal year 2021 New Jersey Water Bank.

R-238 was moved by Tejeda and seconded by Morales to be put on the agenda as late-stater. All voted “yes” for R-239. For R-240 it was moved by Tejeda and seconded by Torres. All voted “yes”. For R-241, it was moved by Tejeda and seconded by Torres. All voted “yes”.

Communication 8 was a request for progress on the search for a new business administrator requested by Council President Bill Petrick.

Communication 9 – Remsen replied that the search is in progress, but he is not involved.

Communication 10 – Council President Petrick advised Interim B.A. Remsen that the council needs to be updated at the next regular meeting (4/28/21).

All these communications were dated 4/17/21.

Council President Bill Petrick stated, “What is going on with this group? We want substance, who they interviewed, and their qualifications and is there a short list of candidates for the B.A. position? Before one of our former Business Administrator Greg Fehrenbach left, he provided us all the information on all the candidates who applied for business administrator position. We were able to interview them. We may have engaged the wrong company to do a business administrator search. We are responsible for funding them and we can rescind their contract and keep you (Remsen) as the permanent business administrator.”

Lawyer Opel said, “I can review the contract.”

Petrick continued, “This group said they would rather interview the council members instead.”

When it came to vote on late-starter R-239, it was moved by Tejeda and seconded by Morales.

Public Comments on Agenda Items Only:

Resident Stanley Sierakowski asked, “When did the policy of free parking at the train station for those residents who take the train to work come into effect? And who are they subsidizing? Business Manager Rios should have all the answers on why there is a difference in the parking utility budget.” Sierakowski then questioned why some of the laws involving certain types of business or residential building structures were not being enforced. “I live in an apartment building that is 100 years old. It has windows in the basement. Why are these laws being enforced now? Which I find is great. No one knew about the free parking at the train station. Give the names of the people who commuted by train to get to work and benefited from this free parking.”

Resident Ken Balut came up and referenced R-238. He asked, “Where is the paperwork? Have someone look at this. It was use it or lose it (vacation time). Table this until you have time to investigate it.”

Balut said, “Can this group tell us if a person is qualified to be a Code Enforcement Director? We are paying our taxpayers dollars in order to find a new B.A. It’s been over 100 days and there has been no update on the search. Will you be appointing Interim B.A. Remsen as a permanent B.A.?”

Remsen answered, “So far, this company is one-third into their contract.”

Balut then asked that the company that is being hired to find a permanent B.A. come here in person to give an update.

Resident Alan Silber came up to also speak about R-238. “How many weeks of vacation does the mayor get?”

Remsen replied, “I believe it’s 4 weeks.”

Silber continued, “If there is no written policy, how can we pay her? I don’t remember any other mayor that asked for this.” Silber continued referencing Former B.A. Greg Fehrenbach was here. “He told employees to use or lose your vacation.”

Reinaldo Aviles came up to speak. “She (Former Mayor Wilda Diaz) will sue if she doesn’t get what she wants. You need to see if there is a policy for vacation or sick days for mayor. Going forward, make a policy that is clear. Some department heads were not prepared to answer basic questions, and this needs to be looked at. I was on the Parking Authority in the 1990’s.” Aviles explained because it was an “Authority” it didn’t cost the taxpayers anything. “And we paid ourselves through the fees collected. You should think about reestablishing a Parking Authority to save taxpayers money.”

Donahue from California on Zoom questioned R-234-4/21 – Authorizing the Perth Amboy Police Department to submit an application to the Office of Attorney General for the body/worn camera grant program. He questioned why they don’t have body/worn cameras.

Council President Petrick replied, “This is for replacements.”

Public Portion:

Resident Ken Balut spoke first. He talked about a weak resume of someone who is getting a salary of $80,000 who is working in the Mayor’s office. He continued to speak about Judge Gonzalez who was disciplined for dismissing a case and also because it was a civil rights violation. “Another judge should have heard that case. I am asking Law Director Northgrave to investigate the judge. How do you dismiss a charge without possible cause?”

Lawyer Opel said, “I will need information about this case. I don’t like dealing with hypothetical questions.”

Resident Alan Silber came next. He talked about people who were allowed to park for free at the train station. “People have been coming over from Staten Island to park at our train station because it is cheaper for them.” He then asked if the Armory parking lot is open to the public. “Are we responsible for that lot?” He then talked about the controversial bicycle video that had 5 million hits. “Some of these bicyclists were even going right into Home Depot.” He then talked about going to the League of Municipalities. “A lot of towns have a lot of different titles for employees in their cities.” He then talked again about bicyclists and their reckless behavior. “People only watched part of the video. These are not kids. There used to be a time when there were no bicycles allowed down by the waterfront. My wife and I were walking down by the waterfront. It is a good thing the way we were facing we were able to see the bicycles coming. What they are doing is dangerous. Don’t be intimidated by them.”

Stanley Sierakowski came up next, “Regarding the bike video. I saw the edited version instead of the full 17 minutes. It was dangerous and unsafe. They went straight towards cars and swerved at the last minute. It’s stupidity – not racism and they are playing games to score points.” Sierakowski then turned his attention to the school crossing guards. “The city will not save money by privatizing them. In other towns, the lower income crossing guards lost out moneywise. Talk to the schools about paying for the guards. There are still political patronage jobs being handed out.”

Junior Iglesia came up next. “You only have 180 days to adopt the cannabis ordinance. We have data on the detrimental effects of marijuana. There is no way to enforce or stop a person under the influence. Our property will be devalued. Do we have a timeline to bring in a professional or have a forum to talk about this before the 180 days ends? Speak up on this issue and let the community speak. On March 17^th, we got a communication about a tax increase. This will be a huge implication for us in 2022.”

Petrick responded, “We are looking for a place to have a marijuana forum and maybe you can reach out to the Board of Education.”

Councilwoman Milady Tejeda responded, “All you have to do is get an application to fill out for use of a school facility.”

Iglesia said he will speak to them.

Reinaldo Aviles came up next and repeated what Tejeda said. “Anyone can fill out a form to use a school facility. I agree with Councilman B.J. Torres regarding the bike issue. The cops escalated the situation. That’s what created the problem and in the other videos shown. I don’t have any implications that you have in mentioning city employees. You have mentioned city employees by name several times in the past. Do you have an HR person? How are they certified? I liked the Mayor’s presentation regarding several city titles (see 4/26/21 Caucus). Are employees evaluated?”

Interim Business Administrator Remsen replied, “Yes.”

Aviles finished with the closing remarks, “Look at the fiscal responsibility of marijuana and if there is money to be made. Not many towns are opting in and those who do will benefit.”

Lawyer Daniel Gonzalez came up to speak, “The streets that have been fixed look nice. During one of the Earth Day events, there was a lot of trash picked up. It was a good celebration, and the way it was organized was a positive thing.” Gonzalez then focused on the bike riding video, “For every negative experience, we can make progress. It’s how we fix them. I got calls from all over about the bike incident. An African American was targeted. We need to have a dialogue and a community effort. I looked at the video, and I sent you information about one case.”

President of the Perth Amboy Division of the NAACP Donna Stewart spoke next, “I am my brother’s keeper, and we’ll talk about the injustice of brown people and the injustice of a black young man. I speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. It is not about the bicycling. It is about over-policing and police brutality.”

A young man came up to speak next who was a Black Lives Matter supporter. He said he doesn’t understand why it’s happening. We (African Americans) have to struggle to get ahead. With black teenagers, things can be quickly escalated. We are going through hell just to survive every day.” He then turned his attention to Council President William Petrick. “I think you should resign. We have your racist comments (from Facebook in 2018 that was brought out just before the 2018 election). I will make sure to come back to every meeting until you resign.”

Bill Stranton who is a teacher in Perth Amboy said, “I also saw the racist comments and we are having anti-racism training in the schools. We have a racist system and there is white supremacy. In the bicycle video, one officer was cordial, and the other officer escalated the situation. I love my students and white students get away with more. I talked about Petrick’s racist and vile posts. It’s attack, attack, attack. There is a new awareness of what is going on. Our children are watching. Black Lives Matter.”

The meeting was opened up to Zoom.

A woman who is part of the National Youth Council on Police Policy said she saw the video. “Some kids were riding recklessly. How do we respond? Black boys are being murdered by the police. We are a nationwide organization. We need to confront issues. If you want trouble, keep doing what you are doing. Let’s decide to fix the problem.”

The next person on Zoom was Stuart Grady from the NAACP in Edison, “I want to thank all those who spoke tonight: the NAACP and the BLM. I would like to put together a video on bias for the Perth Amboy City Council. It is put together with a doctor for Hackensack Meridian.”

Petrick suggested that Mr. Grady contact the City Clerk’s Office.

The woman from Rockaway spoke next. She stated that she agreed with all who talked about the kid who was arrested and made national headlines.  People are also finding out about Council President Petrick’s Facebook postings.

Petrick responded, “That was years ago.”

The speaker continued, “It gives people ammunition looking at your posts. Children belong to many communities. The world is watching about the arrest of this child. The way the female officer spoke to the child was unacceptable. You must take action. Your statements are very disheartening, and you should apologize. None of you are young. You need to reprimand the police chief and you need to do better. It’s a national lynching.”

Resident Maria Vera spoke next. She requested that the council not laugh at her when she had a question about an ordinance. “It’s wasting taxpayer’s dollars on department heads who cannot answer basic questions about their budget. Why are you paying Irving Lozada $90,000 (as Director of Code Enforcement)? He cannot answer basic questions.” Addressing the Council President, she said, “Don’t play with me, Patrick! You all are just looking at each other and this is not politics. How can you give out such high salaries? Where are we getting the money? You need to fire the Business Administrator who can’t give you numbers that you request. When it comes time to vote again, I am getting tired of all of this B.S.”

Carolyn Maxwell came up to the podium to address the council. “I speak as a lifelong resident of Perth Amboy and my experience growing up with a very diverse neighborhood. My father, who died at the age of 95 was a very successful businessman. He owned a taxi business which employed people who were Cuban, Puerto Rican, White, and I believe the first female taxi driver in Perth Amboy. I imagine at that time when he had to apply for loans for buying a house, or funding for his business, I’m sure those he had to deal with were white. If prejudice existed back then against black people, wouldn’t he have been denied funding? Besides my parents being homeowners, several other of our relatives owned homes and were landlords. The bottom line is that back then, jobs were plentiful and a father’s or father-figure’s presence were prevalent in households across the board. I am proud to say growing up that I live in a town and neighborhood with people of all different economic and ethnic backgrounds. We never addressed them by their ethnicity. We may have had our disagreements,but we all respected one another and that is one big difference that I don’t see going on today. People are also talking about the white man holding us back or holding us down and I am sick of it. Sometimes people have to take responsibility for their own actions. And my grandparents who lived in the South also owned property.”

As an aside, I (Carolyn) think a lot of problems would be solved if people were given good paying jobs with good benefits so they can support themselves and their families and build equity. Personal finances should be taught as part of a school curriculum. 

Council Comments:

Councilwoman Rose Morales said, “This is a lot to take in and it’s exhausting. I am looking at my I-Pad and listening to all the speakers. It’s breaking my heart. I wish we can all get along. Let’s work together for progress and change. We have to hold one person accountable for their actions and not put down the whole group. I’m trying to do the best for everyone.”

Councilman Joel Pabon thanked all who came to speak. “Every person had a good point. I’m hoping the administration gets together with the NAACP in Edison. We need to have a committee meeting regarding the marijuana issue. A housing study should be put in the forefront. We need to have a clock in the council chambers changed with the correct time. Everyone be safe going home.”

Councilwoman Milady Tejeda said, “It’s not in our hands to speak about the bike issue, and we understand the frustration. It brought some of us together. The changes will benefit our schools and residents. The Mayor has been having conversations with all of us. People should be sincere when talking with the Mayor. It takes a lot of effort, but we have to be respectful to all.”

B.J. Torres read a statement. At the end, he said, “Black Lives Matter.”

Petrick wanted to thank all in attendance and to keep in prayer the family of the Officer that we lost tonight.

The meeting adjourned at 10:30 p.m. All council members were present in person.