Englewood Cliffs Council OKs $13.2M budget after six-hour meeting - ... http://www.northjersey.com/news/071510_Englewood_council_OKs_1...

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Story tools Englewood Cliffs Council OKs $13.2M

Comment: 1
budget after six-hour meeting
E-mail this story Thursday, July 15, 2010
LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY JULY 16, 2010, 12:39 AM
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Decrease Font Size BY GIOVANNA FABIANO
Increase Font Size THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS — The Borough Council adopted a $13.2 million budget

1 during a contentious meeting, in which frustrated residents chided officials for their
Share constant bickering and a Democratic councilman walked out after a shouting
Be the
match.
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first of
your "We've always been a spirited council, but it's never been this bad before," Mayor
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Joseph Parisi, Jr. said Thursday, after the public meeting the night before, which
this. lasted more than six hours and ended after 2 a.m.
vote
Much of the meeting focused on the municipal budget, which was approved 4-1,
now
with Ilan Plawker — the only Democrat on the council at the time of the vote —
dissenting. Democratic Councilman Thomas Manolio abrubtly left the meeting an
hour earlier, saying he felt “personally attacked” after a comment made by
Republican Councilman Robert Agresta.

The budget, which represents a $588 increase over last year’s spending plan, has a
$10.5 million tax levy. A taxpayer with a home assessed at $1.25 million, the
borough's average, will pay $3,838 in municipal taxes — $200 more than last year.
In order to reduce the burden on taxpayers, revenues from last year were shifted
from surplus to the appropriations budget, Agresta, chairman of the finance
committee, said Thursday.

Democrats, including the mayor — who does not get a vote — opposed the budget,
saying it did not provide a substantial cushion for capital road improvements,
emergency tax appeals, litigation fees and overtime back pay costs for borough
employees.

On Tuesday, Parisi sent out an email blast and included a letter on his Facebook
page criticizing the Republican majority for what he called an “irresponsible
budget,” saying at the meeting that he wished he could veto the plan. He suggested
adding at least another $500,000 to the capital budget in order to fix 17 pothole-
riddled roads this year in addition to making the necessary provisions for other
expenses.

“I’m really worried that come October, we’re going to run out of money, and I don’t
want to be in a situation where we have to ask the state to bail us out,” Parisi said.

But Agresta called the budget the “the cleanest and most accurate budget the
borough has seen in years,” adding that “cushions” were already in place. If
necessary, the council could issue a bond for various capital improvements, he said.

Parisi’s email, Agresta said, was a “political ploy to set the Republican majority up
to fail.” The relationship between borough officials, who are sharply divided along
party lines, has been particularly acrimonious since January, when the political
majority shifted from Democrat to Republican.

Council members routinely argue during meetings, often interrupting and talking
over each other, and on Wednesday night, several residents said they were fed up.

Members of the public shouted out from their seats during the meeting, asking the
council to “stop fighting,” and “stop being political.” Officials on both sides said

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Englewood Cliffs Council OKs $13.2M budget after six-hour meeting - ... http://www.northjersey.com/news/071510_Englewood_council_OKs_1...

Thursday that the bickering has reached a new low.

“Before, when we yelled and screamed at each other, it was behind closed doors,
and out in public, it was always respectful, but now, it’s almost hateful,” Parisi said.

“This Republican majority doesn’t want to bend at all...there’s no compromise.

When (Republican Councilwoman) Carrol McMorrow wants something, she will
stop at nothing to get it done,” Parisi said, adding that the lack of experience on the
Republican majority was also to blame.

But McMorrow, who was elected last fall along with running mate Martin Asatrian,
said in an email Thursday that the bickering “comes from the Mayor, Councilman
Plawker, and Councilman Manolio trying to roadblock any attempt at open minded
conversation regardless of the subject matter if it is something that we propose. For
years, the Council has been rubber stamping whatever the mayor wanted in this
town. Those days are over, and that's a good thing on every level,” McMorrow
wrote.

McMorrow added that Parisi’s “arrogant attitude” was “typical of a career machine
politician who is out-of-touch with the people he is supposed to represent.”

But residents made it clear Wednesday night that they were sick of the political
in-fighting.

“This is appalling, you’re supposed to be serving this community and all you do is
fight...you should be ashamed of yourselves,” said Sophia Rubis Duffy, who stood in
the back for most of the crowded meeting in the Public Safety Complex.

“My children behave better than this. I thought we were here to talk about the
budget,” she said.

E-mail: fabiano@northjersey.com

Click here for more news from: Englewood Cliffs

Reader Comments (1)

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1. Thursday July 15, 2010, 11:23 PM - ChiefOritani says:

Republicans are going down. Reckless governing is just wrong and people are
annoyed about Republicans and will remember on Tuesday November 2nd

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