Alan C. Weinrib. I am a disability advocate. I fight for accessibility and handicapped parking issues. I have been trying to reason with strip malls, also WalMart, ShopRite, PathMark, HomeDepot ...
Disability Rights News and Views
Founded on July 5, 2003
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/disability-rights-news-and-views/
Wheel Me On - Member
http://www.wheelmeon.org
ADAPT - Member
http://www.adapt.org
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ('EEOC') has filed suit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc., charging the retail giant with discriminating against a job applicant who uses a wheelchair. The lawsuit filed in federal court in Kansas City alleges that Wal-Mart refused to hire or even accept an application from James Bernard at its Clinton, Mo., store because of his disability. Bill Wertz, a spokesman for Wal-Mart, declined to comment specifically on the lawsuit but said 'we employ a large number of handicapped people, and we do not have policies that would discriminate against them in any way.' ---- Since 1994, the EEOC has filed 17 lawsuits against Wal-Mart, the nation's largest retailer, for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Twelve of these suits are pending and five have been resolved--three were jury verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs and two cases settled out of court, according to the EEOC. In June 2001, a federal judge issued a $750,000 sanction against Wal- Mart for failing to comply with terms of a discrimination settlement involving two deaf job applicants in Arizona. 8/01
Entry for May 27, 2006 - Kmart Class Action Settlement
866-562-7848 www.kmart.com
Legal Notice
If You Use A Wheelchair or Scooter and Shopped At Kmart, You Could Get A Payment From A Class Action Settlement.
Who? You are included in this lawsuit if you use a wheelchair or scooter and shopped at Kmart, will shop at Kmart, or would have shopped at Kmart but for access problems, between May 6, 2003 and the end of the settlement term (approximately 2014) ("Class Members"). If you shopped at Kmart in California, Colorado, Hawaii, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon or Texas ("Damages States") between May 6, 2003 and now, you may be eligible for monetary recovery.
What? The lawsuit sought to make Kmart alter its stores with respect to access for people who use wheelchairs or scooters and damages in an amount specified by statute ("statutory minimum damages") for people who shopped or shop at Kmart in Damages States ("Damages Sub-Class Members"). Kmart denied liability. The Court did not decide which side was right. Under the settlement, Kmart will make alterations to its stores and pay $13 million ($8 million in cash and $5 million in gift cards). Qualifying Damages Sub-Class Members can obtain monetary recovery.
How? The detailed notice package contains everything you need to make a claim. Call the number below or visit the website below to get one. To qualify for a payment, you must submit a claim by August 16, 2006.
Effect? If you are a Damages Sub-Class Member and don't want to be bound by the settlement's monetary provisions, you must exclude yourself by July 7, 2006. If you exclude yourself, you can't get money from this settlement. If you don't exclude yourself, you will release all claims for statutory minimum damages relating to accessibility of Kmart stores in Damages States for people who use wheelchairs or scooters for the period from May 6, 2003 through the end of the settlement term (approximately 2014). Class Members can't exclude themselves from the non- monetary parts of the settlement and will release non-monetary claims against Kmart relating to store access through the end of the settlement term. If you wish to object to the settlement, you must do so by July 7, 2006. The detailed notice explains how to exclude yourself or object.
The U.S. District Court in Denver, Colorado will hold a hearing before Judge John L. Kane on July 27, 2006 at 10 a.m. to consider whether to approve the settlement and a request for attorneys' fees by lawyers representing the class. The detailed notice explains how you or your attorney can participate in that hearing.
THIS IS AN INCOMPLETE SUMMARY OF THE SETTLEMENT. Please Call The Number Below or Visit The Website Below For The Full Summary.
Entry for May 26, 2006 - `Extreme Makeover' tackles disabilities
`Extreme Makeover' tackles disabilities
Home of family with deaf, blind members gets high-tech gadgetry
MARTHA MCKAY Knight Ridder/Tribune
BERGENFIELD, N.J. - Most everything about the ABC reality show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is spectacle, and the TV show's encampment in Bergenfield is no exception.
Roads are closed, corporate sponsors have hospitality tents, celebrities show up and neighbors gawk at the small army of blue-shirted contractors turning one disadvantaged family's modest house into a well-designed home.
On Monday, scores of companies donating gadgetry and computer systems for the family arrived to display their wares half a block from the house.
The Llanes family includes a blind father, a mother with cancer, a blind grandmother, two daughters who are going blind and a deaf son.
Along with demolishing and rebuilding the home's interior, the companies will pack the home with $100,000 worth of the latest technology designed to help people with vision and hearing problems.
"This house will have every piece of technology in it that we know exists on the planet Earth to help a family with disabilities," said Brian Stolar, president and CEO of developer Pinnacle, which is handling the 24-hour-a-day building effort.
The array of high-tech assistance that the Llanes family will find on its return includes everything from the NoteTeller 2, a gadget that lets a blind person distinguish denominations of paper money up to $100, to the PVO, a 4-inch portable color magnifier that enlarges an image from six to 12 times.
Microsoft donated gadgets including alarm clocks that vibrate and smoke detectors that use strobe lights along with sound to alert people of a fire.
The house will have the latest solar panels from BP Solar and the latest home-control software from Home Automated Living of Maryland. A member of the Llanes family will be able to speak into a phone or microphone and tell the system, for example, to turn out the lights or raise the thermostat.
Victor Llanes, the blind father, will be able to communicate with his deaf son, Zeb, 16, using a software program called iCommunicator, which converts text to sign language.
Family members will receive Blackberry handheld devices from GoAmerica that will allow them to type a message to an operator, and then place a phone call.
People who can hear "take cell phones for granted," said GoAmerica sales manager Christina Harper.
The family also will receive high-speed Internet access from Verizon, computers from HP and a Braille printer that punches raised dots on paper.
They'll receive a small black gadget with a laser that can tell a person with vision problems the color of their clothes. And a global positioning system that can tell them what street they are walking down.
The show airs on ABC this summer. No date has been set.
Judge reverses police denial of permit for aspiring hunter to buy shotgun
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
BY JIM O'NEILL
Star-Ledger Staff
After suffering a severe head in jury in a car crash and awakening from a coma, Charles Breitweiser developed a greater joy for life.
He started spending time outdoors and, over many years, realized activities such as camping and fishing helped him build strength to compensate for the debilitating paralysis to the left side of his body.
Eventually, friends introduced him to target shooting and, he says, he became so proficient that he began to believe he could actually learn to be a licensed hunter.
But when the 44-year-old East Brunswick man applied for a firearms identification card and a permit to purchase a shotgun about a year ago, township police turned him down, concerned that his limited motor skills posed a safety threat to himself and others.
Now a judge in Middlesex County has disagreed, ruling police violated the state's anti-discrimina tion laws when they rejected Breit weiser's application.
"I kind of knew he was going to rule in my favor," Breitweiser said. "I convinced the judge that I am safe with a gun."
Breitweiser, who works in the billing department of a health insurance company, won't be going hunting anytime soon. The judge stayed the decision after prosecutors said they will appeal.
Prosecutors, who denied any discrimination, said they still fear Breitweiser could lose his balance, fall and hurt somebody -- or him self. He has difficulty walking, limited peripheral vision and cannot use both hands to hold a shot gun, police say.
"We have concern for his safety, and we are concerned for the safety of anybody around him," Assistant Middlesex County Prosecutor Cindy Glaser said yesterday. "There are a number of people throughout the state who have handicaps and are safe with firearms, but we believe that his particular combination of handicaps made him unsafe to handle firearms."
In an eight-page written opinion handed down March 22, Superior Court Judge Edward Ryan disagreed, asserting that as long as Breitweiser is with other experienced shooters when he goes hunting, uses proper safety equipment, and completes the gun safety and licensing process for hunters, there's no reason he can't have a permit to buy rifles or shotguns.
During a two-day hearing before the judge in January, "the police officers made much of the possibility that Breitweiser might fall and ac cidentally discharge his shotgun," Ryan wrote. "However ... Breit weiser testified that as a safety precaution and as a condition placed on his firearms license, he would al ways go hunting with a companion and never walk with a loaded gun."
An Edison group that teaches the disabled how to live independently hailed the judge's decision.
"People with disabilities have a right to the same kind of hobbies as everyone else, so long as they're good at it," said Ethan Ellis, head of the Alliance for Disabled in Action Inc.
"Very often, when they master a skill, it confounds people who haven't gone through that experience, particularly people in authority, like policemen, who substitute their own experience for the disabled person and then come to the wrong conclusion," Ellis said.
Statistics were not available yesterday on how many people with disabilities use guns, but the National Rifle Association says there is enough of a demand that the sportsmen's group initiated a special safety program for the disabled.
"The National Rifle Association believes that with education, training and appropriate devices, the shooting sports are perfectly safe for individuals with physical disabilities," Autumn Fogg, an NRA spokeswoman, said.
Glaser, the prosecuting attor ney, defended the decision by East Brunswick officers to deny the ap plication. All are experienced with weapons and "made a very detailed and well-reasoned decision," she said.
During the hearing, the officers testified Breitweiser has limited vision, walks with a limp and displayed "jerky motions," that bring safety into question, according to court records.
Breitweiser said he was thrilled by the judge's decision and promises that when he gets licensed, he will let his friends carry his shotgun and will use a bipod to hold the weapon before firing with his right hand. He also will use a special sighting lens to help spot his tar get, he said.
Battling to overcome his disabilities has been practically a lifetime struggle for the sportsman.
He was 17 years old when he lost control of his car because of a mechanical problem and slammed into a tree in Sayreville, he said.
After awakening from the coma six months later, he faced years of rehabilitation and has never re gained full use of his left arm and left leg. His left hand is tightly balled, according to police, and his speech is still slurred.
It was during his years of recovery, he said, that he learned about camping and fishing, and now boasts that he can stand deep in the Delaware River and cast a line with ease.
"Everyone recommended me not to do these things. They were too dangerous for me," Breitweiser recalled. "That made me say, 'Oh yeah? I'll show you.' And I'll do it anyway. I'm the kind of person that can't be told 'no.'"
Jim O'Neill covers the Middlesex County Courthouse. He may be reached at joneill@starledger.com or (732) 249-5670.
Menendez questions timing of reported federal probe
BETH DeFALCO Associated Press
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez on Friday questioned the timing of subpoenas reportedly issued by the U.S. attorney's office to examine the records of a Hudson County nonprofit agency he rented space to and for which he helped obtain federal grants.
Menendez is locked in a very close race with Republican challenger Tom Kean Jr., who has repeatedly questioned his ethics. The U.S. attorney, Christopher Christie, is an appointee of President Bush.
In a speech here before the Democratic State Committee, Menendez blasted Kean and said his ethical smears are straight out of the GOP playbook used by President Bush and White House political strategist Karl Rove.
"We have seen an orchestrated series of leaks, bogus ethics complaints and outright fabrications since the beginning of this campaign," Menendez said.
Kean campaign spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker said she found Menendez's speech "disturbing."
"Despite being under investigation by federal authorities, Bob Menendez refuses to take responsibility for his ethical failings," she said.
Other Democrats, including Gov. Jon S. Corzine, also questioned the timing of the investigation, but Seton Hall University political scientist Joseph Marbach said Christie has a good reputation for being nonpartisan in his investigations, having gone after both Democrats and Republicans.
"Christie has usually moved in a timely fashion on investigations, and this is consistent with his previous policies," Marbach added.
Citing unnamed sources, WNBC-TV in New York and The Star-Ledger of Newark reported that federal investigators subpoenaed the records of the North Hudson Community Action Corp. earlier this week.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office, Michael Drewniak, said the office will neither confirm or deny any investigation. The FBI office in Newark would not comment. Telephone calls left with Community Action Corp. spokesman Joseph Lauro and the nonprofit's president, Christopher Irizarry, were not immediately returned.
Menendez campaign spokesman Matthew Miller said the senator has neither seen the subpoenas nor talked to the organization about the investigation.
Republicans have alleged that Menendez violated congressional ethics rules by collecting more than $300,000 in rent from the organization while he was a member of the House of Representatives and helped it win millions of dollars in federal grants.
Last month, two Republican state lawmakers signed a federal ethics complaint alleging Menendez violated conflict-of-interest rules in his dual role as landlord and lawmaker. They asked a Senate ethics panel to review the complaint.
Menendez has said he obtained verbal clearance from the House Ethics Committee in 1994 before entering a lease agreement with the organization. After his speech, Menendez said he obtained the clearance from Mark Davis, who served as the committee's counsel. Davis died last year.
Corzine, who appointed Menendez in January to serve out the remaining year of his own Senate term, said the investigation "has the appearance of being less than objective."
Corzine said there has been no call for replacing Menendez on the ballot with another Democrat. In 2002, Democrats replaced Sen. Robert Torricelli with Frank Lautenberg after Torricelli pulled out of the race amid an ethics scandal.
Rider University political scientist David Rebovich said Christie's office should try to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
"If indeed, as Sen. Menendez argues, there was nothing wrong, that needs to be put out there quickly," Rebovich said. "If this investigation takes us through Election Day, then I think there are going to be questions raised."
Rebovich said the bad publicity doesn't necessarily swing voters from one candidate to the other, but it can make undecided voters lean toward Kean.
Republicans have tried to convince Christie to run for political office but he has not taken them up on his offer. Christie was touted as a gubernatorial candidate last year and also as a U.S. Senate candidate for this year.
---
Associated Press Writer Donna De La Cruz in Washington contributed to this report.
======================================================== DAC News V7-#21 Thursday, September 28, 2006 -- No Vote, No Voice! ======================================================== Election time is getting near and there's no excuse not to VOTE! Now you can register to vote at your computer. Yes, it's very easy and leaves you no excuses not to VOTE. Simply go to: www.myspace.com/declareyourself and it's that easy.
I was already registered to vote but filled out the form just to see how easy it is. Well, it doesn't get any easier folks, so "get out the vote" as we need some serious changes in and by of different representatives who will actually represent "we the people" this year. This election can make you or break you and I strongly urge you to VOTE!!!!!
Remember, we need a "balance" of powers between both houses. It doesn't matter what your political affiliation is but you can see how dysfunctional having all one party representatives has become both on the state and federal levels of government. So lets get a balance of powers for this years elections. It's your voice, if you VOTE!
On November 7th, VOTE like your health depends on it, because it does!
A gene that helps to stave off the effects of multiple sclerosis (MS) has been discovered by scientists.
A Danish-UK team found that a known risk gene for MS, called DR2b, is always partnered by a twin gene - DR2a.
The researchers, writing in the journal Nature, said DR2a tempers the effects of the risk gene and reduces the severity of MS symptoms.
They believe in the future the gene's symptom-fighting features could be exploited for potential treatments.
There are about 85,000 people with MS in the UK.
The precise cause of the disease, in which the body's immune system attacks the central nervous system, is unknown, but a range of genetic and environmental factors are being explored.
Two-thirds of MS sufferers carry the pair of DR2 genes, but carrying the genes does not necessarily mean a person will go on to develop MS.
Natural selection
The researchers looked at mice that carried different combinations of the twin genes.
They discovered the mice with just the risk gene, DR2b, had a form of multiple sclerosis with extremely aggressive symptoms.
This is a new way to assess how genes contribute to autoimmune diseases overall Professor Lars Fugger
Those carrying both genes were less likely to get MS, and if they did, they had a milder form of the disease.
The scientists said they believed the two genes were interacting.
They said the risk gene, DR2b was "influencing" the immune system to attack the body, while the DR2a gene was counteracting this attack and dampening the effects.
Professor Lars Fugger, one of the researchers in the study and a clinical immunologist at the Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit, Oxford University, said: "The DR2b gene clearly tells the immune system to go hard into battle against the body's own tissue, so it starts to work in a way that actually damages the person.
He added that when the team looked through different populations, the genes were always found together. He said this was most likely down to evolutionary pressures.
Assess
"For this reason, natural selection has eliminated the gene on its own, but allowed it to be inherited only when it is accompanied by another gene [DR2a] which tempers its effect.
"This is a new way to assess how genes contribute to autoimmune diseases overall."
The researchers said they hope their findings may be useful in helping to find possible treatments for MS.
Professor Fugger said that the mechanisms that reduce MS symptoms could potentially be exploited.
Simon Gillespie, chief executive of the Multiple Sclerosis Society, said: "This is a very interesting finding which adds another piece to our understanding of the MS puzzle.
"Genes are known to be one of a combination of factors which can lead to the development of MS. We share the researchers' hope that it could eventually play a part in helping to treat this very variable and unpredictable condition."
Profane, boastful and sure of his power, one of the state's most formidable political bosses can be heard proclaiming his influence over everything that moves in New Jersey politics, from U.S. senators to lowly local officials, in a series of secret recordings released yesterday.
In a rare unguarded dialogue on backroom politics Jersey-style, Democratic power broker George Norcross III tells a councilman in South Jersey that he can call the shots from behind the scenes.
"I'm not going to tell you this to insult you, but in the end, the McGreeveys, the Corzines, they're all going to be with me," Norcross said on the tape. "Not that they like me, but because they have no choice."
Norcross bragged about his political connections to former Gov. James E. McGreevey and U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine at a Jan. 3, 2001, meeting secretly taped by then-Palmyra Councilman John Gural. He told Gural that he'd had breakfast at Corzine's home the morning before and spoke with the newly elected senator once a week. In the conversation, Norcross sought to persuade Gural to help him sabotage the career of a political rival.
The tape offered a glimpse into the bare-knuckle politicking that has almost become a clichι in New Jersey. In a series of rambling conversations, Norcross brags of helping the Assembly Budget Committee chairman win a lucrative private job and tells of threatening another assemblyman not to "make nice" with a rival Democratic leader. He discusses the politics of awarding municipal contracts, saying: "There's nothing wrong with considering if you can help a friend ... as long as a friend's doing a good job."
The recordings were made secretly by Gural in cooperation with a state investigation into political corruption. Gural, now mayor of Palmyra, wore a wire every day for two months in 2000-2001 as investigators amassed more than 330 hours of recordings. Their probe ended in February, without any indictments of public officials.
A small sampling of the tapes -- 117 minutes of conversation, mainly between Gural and Norcross -- was released by the Attorney General's Office even as it won an appeals court order to delay releasing the rest. The state argued those should not be made public until they can be edited to protect "innocent third parties" and avoid revealing "investigative techniques," but decided to release the Norcross portions because he requested it.
Gural has long claimed that the tapes would show that Norcross was behind a series of threats and bribes to force him to vote against reappointing Ted Rosenberg, a local lawyer and political rival, as the Palmyra borough solicitor. But Norcross has said they would prove he did nothing illegal.
"The tapes show that Mr. Gural and Mr. Rosenberg invented, fabricated and lied in all their wild accusations," Bill Tambussi, a lawyer for Norcross, said last night. "Otherwise, the only other truth they document is that Mr. Norcross has fought to strengthen the Democratic Party and to advocate for South Jersey."
Gural, however, complained yesterday that the Attorney General's Office didn't release enough of the tapes to make sense of the conversations with Norcross.
The tapes are "a bunch of disconnected dialogue," Gural said last night. "There's no context."
Gural said the context lies in other recordings he made of his employers at JCA Associates, a politically connected engineering firm. Gural claimed that his bosses, under pressure from Norcross, threatened to fire him unless he voted against Rosenberg.
"They threatened my livelihood. They said if I didn't do what they told me to do I was fired," Gural said last night. "I believe the quid pro quo is obvious when all of the conversations fit into the dialogue."
Tapes and transcripts released yesterday covered five meetings or phone conversations between Gural and Norcross. The longest was a 90-minute meeting on Jan. 3 at Norcross' office in Cherry Hill, also attended by JCA president Mark Neisser.
At that meeting, Norcross told Gural he wanted Rosenberg out, complaining about Rosenberg's vocal opposition to a judicial appointment Norcross had helped engineer for former Burlington County Democratic Party head John Harrington.
"I want you to fire that (expletive) ... you need to get rid of this (expletive) Rosenberg for me and teach this (expletive) a lesson," Norcross said.
Norcross, an executive with Commerce Bank in charge of its insurance division, has never held elected office but has served as backroom adviser to a dozen of the state's top politicians, including McGreevey.
He played a key role in selecting both the Speaker and Majority Leader of the state Assembly; selecting county executives in New Jersey's two biggest counties; and, most recently, securing the Democratic gubernatorial nomination for Corzine. Dozens of elected officials in Trenton owe their political careers to the influence and money Norcross wields.
Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli said he never made a major decision in office without bouncing it off Norcross.
"George Norcross is a cornerstone of anything that is built in New Jersey of any substantial magnitude," Torricelli said. "George has money and influence and respect."
Norcross keeps a low profile, preferring to operate behind the scenes. However, in the tapes he is often profane, ruthless and happy to let Gural know just how much influence he has. His boasting goes all the way to the upper echelons of state politics, including his breakfast with Corzine.
Corzine declined to respond to Norcross' taped comments. "We haven't seen the transcripts. We will be happy to comment when we do," said Corzine's campaign spokeswoman Ivette Mendez.
At one point during a Jan. 3 meeting, Norcross suggested that he helped Assembly Budget Chairman Louis Greenwald (D-Camden) get a job with Remington & Vernick, an engineering firm with extensive government contracts.
Norcross said the firm had lost business in South Jersey and "realized they needed to create some good will, so they made Lou an offer he couldn't turn down."
Asked if Greenwald, a lawyer, was going to do marketing, Norcross laughed and said, "Oh, what else would it be. He'll probably tell you he's counsel. No, I'm sure he'll do some legal work for him, but it's gonna be a joke."
He added, "He doesn't like practicing law ... no, never did."
Greenwald could not be reached for comment last night.
At another point, Norcross said that the only reason Democratic Assemblymen Herb Conaway and Jack Conners got elected was "because nobody thought that anybody could win that year and they just threw these two boobs up."
Norcross said he kept Conaway on a tight leash. He said that one day he "sat him down" to warn him he'd better not "make nice" with then-Assembly Minority Leader Joseph Doria, who led an opposing Democratic faction.
"I'll tell you, if you ever do that and I catch you one more time doing it, you're gonna get your (expletive) cut off," Norcross said he told Conaway. "He got the message." Neither Conaway nor Conners could be reached for comment last night.
Later in the conversation Norcross boasted that Doria and acting Gov. Richard Codey, then a senator, were "furious" over an unspecified deal "that we cut with McGreevey because they viewed it as we got the world and they got (expletive). And the reality is they did. Tough luck."
When the conversation turned to Rosenberg, Norcross pressed Gural to vote for his ouster, saying it was crucial to driving out "extremists" from the Democratic Party. Later Gural asked for Norcross' help in getting appointed to the board of elections. Norcross said he would try to help. But a quid pro quo was never mentioned.
In another telephone conversation about two weeks later, Norcross apologized to Gural for not following up, and asked if he'd spoken to Burlington County Democratic Chairman Louis Gallagher. Gural said he had, but was told it was "too late in the game" because the board of elections position was filled.
"All right, so what else can he do to be helpful?" Norcross asked.
Gural said he planned to have lunch with Gallagher, and Norcross said that's good but added, "I wanna stay in the background." At a different point in the conversation, Norcross reiterated that "we need to get rid of Rosenberg" and said he wanted nothing more than a strong Burlington County party.
The only convictions to stem from the probe were guilty pleas by Neisser and two other JCA officers to minor tax offenses, for trying to disguise $100,000 of printing work for local Democrats as a business expense. All three paid fines and were given probation.
Staff writers Josh Margolin, Dunstan McNichol, Ron Marsico and Rick Hepp contributed to this report.
Republicans this November have a chance to control South River's borough council for the first time in 11 years.
For the small town of 16,000 people that sits less than a mile from the New Jersey Turnpike, a Republican take over could mean major change.
There are currently two Republicans-- John Krenzel and Ray mond Eppinger-- on the six-member council that is headed by Democratic Mayor Robert Szegeti.
The Republican candidates said among the most important issues are reducing this year's 7 cent municipal tax increase, fixing streets and stabilizing utility bills.
Both said they believe the cur rent council is stuck in a whirlwind of mismanagement.
But Democratic Councilman Richard Reichenbach, who is run ning with newcomer Anthony Raz zano, defended the current council and their ability to manage tax rates, utility costs and redevelopment in the borough.
"In the past six years, we've improved recreation programs through lighting parks, expanded our utility stations, and upgrading infrastructure," Reichenbach said.
But newcomer Michael Trenga, a 42-year-old Republican and 6-year borough resident, said throughout his campaigning, he's found dissatisfaction in the way things are run.
"We've been going door to door and people are concerned," said Trenga, a senior account manager for the Workers Compensation Board in New York. "There needs to be more common-sense in the leadership. Projects need to be finished before new ones are started."
Three sites marked in the borough in need of redevelopment -- Whitty's Liquor on the corner of Old Bridge Turnpike and Prospect Avenue, the old Eckerd Drug store on Main Street and the Lincoln School site -- are poorly coordinated, said Trenga.
Trenga, with his wife, Beth, have no children and previously lived in Edison.
Trenga's running mate John Trzeciak, another newcomer and lifelong resident of South River, emphasized discontent among residents and added that the borough's government isn't transparent enough.
Trzeciak, who is married to Amelia and has no children, works for a brokerage dealer in Jersey City. He said he's running because the borough has potential to move forward if there's a change in leadership.
Trzeciak, like Trenga, opposes eminent domain. The pair said they will focus on revitalization instead of redevelopment, without spending money on new properties before mending basic infrastructure.
"That means prioritizing. The residents are looking for competent leadership," Trenga said. "When talking about redevelopment, you need a plan, which the Democrats don't have. We're not sugar-coating the issues. South River Republicans aren't going to be eminent do maining anyone's property."
Both Democratic candidates said they, too, would oppose eminent domain.
Having served on the council for 12 years, between 1969 and 1974, and from 2000 on, Reichenbach said there's very little he doesn't know about the borough.
No stranger to South River, his two brothers, who have both passed away, served the borough on the council and as clerk. Rei chenbach himself chaired the borough's planning board for 25 years and served in the Sayreville school system as both an administrator and teacher for 34 years.
Municipal taxes have been managed well, Reichenbach said, so that last year's 21 cent increase was reduced to just 7 for this year. While he was on the council, three parks in the borough were lighted, thus improving recreation for residents. And Reichenbach said he is against eminent domain, despite what people are saying.
"I may go for it to build a school, if necessary, but not for businesses," Reichenbach said. "We're trying to build commercial (ratables) in South River, but not through eminent domain."
Reichenbach and Razzano, who was appointed by the mayor and council earlier this month when Democratic council member Linda Ejk resigned, said their families have been tied to the borough for generations.
Razzano, 58, grew up in South River and is a retired middle school teacher of 35 years. He too would not vote for eminent domain, he said, because he said there are ways to redevelop the borough without eliminating by force.
The election is November 6.
Staff Writer Nawal Qarooni may be reached at 732-404-8082 or nqaroo ni@starledger.com.
Oct. 9: Barbra Streisand performs at Madison Square Garden in New York.
AP
AP
NEW YORK Comedians are used to hecklers but not Barbra Streisand, who swore at a guy who didn't like the President Bush impersonator she brought out for a sketch during her concert at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
A few people in the crowd jeered at the skit which portrayed the president as a bumbling idiot and told Streisand to stick to singing. The well-known liberal told them, "Come on, be polite." But one heckler wouldn't let up and Streisand let him have it.
She told him to "Shut the (expletive) up!" The crowd applauded wildly. Streisand added, "Shut up if you can't take a joke!" With that one F-word, the jeers ended.
Streisand later apologized to the audience for using the F-word and delivered a message of tolerance. As for the Bush impersonator, Streisand pointed out that "the artist's role is to disturb."
There were a few other spontaneous moments, such as when one fan shouted out, "Marry me, and I'm gay!" to which Streisand, a gay icon, replied: "There are gay people here?"
Streisand has recently return to touring after a 12-year absence. Monday night's show was the third stop of a 20-city jaunt across the nation a virtual lovefest between the ultimate diva and an adoring, sold-out, celebrity-dotted crowd.
Entry for June 06, 2006 - Shame on you SR PD Arnold Diaz has a program called "Shame on you" which is on FOX. This police department was investigated once before an...
Entry for June 03, 2006 - A great program for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities There is a federal program called the Bill Payer Program or Money Management. This is ...
Entry for May 10, 2006 - Ruling by the Chosen Board of Freeholders On the return bus ride from the Abilities Expo on April 22nd, there was a man named Bob who rode with us. Bob is a man wit...
Entry for May 10, 2006 - Ruling by the Chosen Board of Freeholders On the return bus ride from the Abilities Expo on April 22nd, there was a man named Bob who rode with us. Bob is a man wit...
Entry for May 10, 2006 - Former Freeholder Jane Z. Brady Middlesex County used to have a Freeholder named Jane Z. Brady. One of the responsibilities of Freeholder Brady was to be the liasio...
Entry for April 02, 2006 - An elected official who thinks he is God In Middlesex County, New Jersey is a Freeholder (similar to a County Commissioner) named H. James Polo...
Mark Simone has a bad attitude - Entry for July 29, 2006 When I first heard Mark Simone a radio talk show host on WABC radio years ago, I enjoyed listening...
Think about this: If you don't want to forward this for fear of offending someone----- YOU'RE PART OF THE PROBLEM !!!! Subject: THIS WAS IN A TAMPA NEWSPAPER Will we still be ...
My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet. Pass it alon...
Copyright
2010
Let's Get Together, Inc.
. All rights reserved.
Implemented by E-Man Computer Services
Alan C. Weinrib. I am a disability advocate. I fight for accessibility and handicapped parking issues. I have been trying to reason with strip malls, also WalMart, ShopRite, PathMark, HomeDepot ...
Disability Rights News and Views
Founded on July 5, 2003
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/disability-rights-news-and-views/
Wheel Me On - Member
http://www.wheelmeon.org
ADAPT - Member
http://www.adapt.org
full story
printer version
