He may have needed power to conduct school business from home, no?

the generator could have been used at old hook and kinderkamack to run the lights. instead we paid the cops a ton of over time to sit in the car with the lights going doing nothing but making all the cars make right hand turns, plus there was a gas shortage and the car was there running for atleast 10 hours...... dove by that intersection 12 times during the storm and was mad at what i seen.

lets all use our heads people what kind of work was he doing at home? he could have taken lap top to the municipal building and worked there, a lap top is all you need to work mobile

it also said in the paper that he makes over 200 thousand a year, he could go out like everyone and buy a generator!!!!! i got a top of the line honda for 2000 and it powers my whole house, stop being cheap

Did he ask around to find out if the generator was needed in the town before he took it and the truck to carry it? Just because he works for the district does not mean it everything in it is up for grabs.

Considering cable and Internet were down at most homes even with power working, remotely really meant using a cell phone with 3 or 4g. Didn't need a generator for that. And as for the truck, well when the head of buildings and grounds whose job is to be on call 24/7, and be the first on the scene in situations like this, is not allowed to take a truck home, that makes it hard to justify the superintendent doing it.

I am willing to give Dr. Zoeller the benefit of the doubt in utilizing the equipment and let the board interpret/clarify his agreement/contract so there is no misunderstanding in the future. I FIRMLY BELIEVE DR. ZOELLER EXERCISED POOR JUDGEMENT in keeping the van and generator at his home while he was on vacation, knowing school was in secession. As a tax payer (aka shareholder in the school district) I expect resources that are needed for efficient operations in our district not to be idle at someones home.

Dr Zoeller has taken this District to a whole new level. Look at the rankings and test scores not to mention the tremendous improvements to our facilities. He made a poor judgement call which he acknowledged. Clearly folks with an agenda are propelling this story - don't be lured! Don't forget what condition this District was in before Dr Zoeller got here!!

what does bringing a generator home hae to o with school test scores/ nothing
its real easy to SAY HE WAS WORKING FROM HOME TO JUSTFY USING IT BUT WE ALL KNOW ITS ALL A JOKE.
SPEND YOUR OWN MONEY AND BUY ONE OF YOUR OWN

I don't have a problem with him using it to get school back in order but the truck and generator should not have sat at his house unused while he was away on vacation...No excuse for that one.

Listen we pay these superintendents too much money for doing nothing? Now you realize it. We don't need these idiots. We need to spend the precious tax dollars on competent teachers.

Did any other school personnel have a generator to conduct business to keep schools in session? if not, how did they do their jobs? Besides, when he was on vacation, isn't that when things really needed to happen to keep the schools running?

Zoller was hired to do a job no matter what the weather.You have to always be prepared.Thay is why we pay you the big bucks... You take the good with bad Zoller ...You have to spend some of that money we pay you ..

He had no right what so ever to remove a generator and take a van off the school property .He borrows aka steals then leaves the generator in his garage and the van in his driveway with no regard for the school.Did he even care maybe the school might need it ?Maybe the school might loose power again ?He is selfish and self absorbed.He shouldn't have even had access to it .He sits behind a desk ,how did he even get this idea in his pea brain to take these things home ?As far as the the school testing scores that is his job.Don't mix apples and oranges.Their is so much more involved in this ...more important...the children.
He left for vacation on a Saturday not knowing if school was open on Monday.
George school had gotten badly damaged from the storm.We received a phone call on Sunday night that school was open Monday .
He was already away.This is the leader aka Chief and Commander of our school.Election day the children went to school to make up one of the days off.The teacher took a poll and gave up their Thursday and Friday off so the children could make up 2 more days they missed due to the storm.
The principal ,staff and teachers kept these schools up and running while he was on vacation ..They deserve the reconition...

Cliffview pilot has an artical that says there is video of zoeller taking the van and generator BEFORE the hurricane hit. He stole resources that the schools could have utilized. Makes you wonder what else he has borrowed for his own personal use.

below is a copy of someones comment that was very interesting

Read the School's District Policy BYLAWS - #'s 7520 & 7650 in particular. "He" revamped them all with the BOE when coming to the District so he is quite familiar with them. Zoeller himself stated that he lives in an area "that commonly floods" - that doesn't seem to be a safe place to store the equipment when left unattended. Did he request permission from the BOE to borrow the equipment as stated should be done in the BYLAWS? Also, in Emergency situations he "personally" has permission to lend equipment to the Municipalities in which the District is located (example: Police Department, Emergency Personnel and so forth). "He" is school personnel. There may be a stitch of grey area that can be used to spin his defense but keep in mind that this size generator (which his "compact car" is not large enough to transport) can run an ENTIRE home. The taxpayers, that I will remind you pay his salary, have every right to be upset with his actions since the majority of them were without power & heat. (Many of us have purchased our own generators, some only large enough to keep their refridgerator along with some lights running or maybe their sump pumps activated. There are also many who have purchased ones to run their entire homes because of the storms & power outages we have been encountering.) NOW it's up to the BOE to decide if he did anything wrong.

I wonder does he have to sign a release for liabilty purposes?

<--not afraid to use my own name ...Maybe I'm wrong but and I the only one who thinks he should have changed the trip to florida ? Poor judgement was definitely used. I can see how he was so concerned for his schools ... As soon as everything hit the fan he took off ... and seriously i think the only reason why the van was taken was so he could transport the generator not so he can get through flood waters .. at 200 K a year I'm sure we can find someone willing to take his position at 1/2 that

All administrators and school teachers are overpaid. If this is the first incident that brings this to light, then all of you are naive parents of children in school.

Really! The ingratitude of some people. This man is a hero. This dedicated public servant is slaving away on a meager $200K a year and you expect him to chill his imported caviar on his own dime? Or drive his own car to work? And the fact that he took time out of his busy schedule in the middle of one of the worst disasters to ever strike this state to conduct a blue ribbon fact-finding tour of sunny Florida -- well, who can find fault with that? He should get a medal or a trophy. I'm sure there's one in a glass case at the high school no one will miss for awhile. On the other hand, I think it's high time he returned those lifeboats he borrowed from the Titanic. I hate to be a complainer but I don't know how much longer the widows and orphans can tread water.

I am reading articles from different papers were people are actually defending Zoller.This is unbelievable !
People he took a generator and a van off school property...I would call it stealing .
Before he even knew if he was going to loose power (not that would make a difference).He makes alot of money to use a lame excuse of borrowing our schools equiptment ,he should be prepared for every emergency for the children where ever he lives.He is paid to be prepared not sit behind the desk and bullsh-t the community.
No Toni ,he should have not went on vacation ..NO,NO,NO,.The children come first.We were in a State of Emergency Mode.
He didn't put the children first ,he put himself first.
Left a generator and a school van at his house and goes away for a vacation...disgusting selfish peice of garbage...throw him out with the trash ...

Face it, the board is not going to do anything to their golden boy. It is equally annoying that the Mayor would commend him on this, but that is from a man who finds it easier to use the Borough's patrol cars to get around instead of his own car. The explination of off premise "command center" is a far cry from the smart phone that would be necessary for the contact. If one was so concerned, why did he not stay at his buddy's house who he went on vacation with who lives in the district? When Floyd came the Berkley Street School filled up with water. Over the last few months the electricity by the school has been disturbed. The fact that the last resort for running a pump (generator) and the truck to transport it was not in the school district in the time of a genuine state of emergency is in sane. We were lucky not to get the water. The week he was gone was more critical than the days prior. Anybody can say school is closed and disapear. Not being here with the rest of the staff, and dumping the responsibility on them while tanning proves that the position held by Mr. Zoeller could be part time. Excuse after excuse does not change the event. Here is another fine example where somebody in power, on the taxpayer's dime, just milks the system for their own gain. Here the children were put second, again.

Zoeller needs to immediately pay the full rental costs of a generator back to the taxpayers of Westwood and Washington Township. He also needs to pay the full cost of what it would have cost the average person to rent a van for the time he had it. he also needs to pay a fine. If he refuses to do any of this, fire him. PS: What if he got into an accident in the school van while on personal time? Do you think the district would have been sued? Of course it would have. Talk about a cheapskate!

I'm having a hard time with the mob mentality.

any person of any municipality that was caught using public assets for private use, such as the recent situations in north bergen, englewood etc... would br fired immediately. Furthermore.. zoeller makeds 218k salary. lives in a flood area? why would he not buy one for his family? poor judgement...Governor Christi also implied that the district should be looking for a new super over this severe lack of judgement..

He didn't just keep that truck and generator through the hurricane but also through the nor'easter while he was in Disney. What if it was needed for the second storm as well.

voiceing our opinions freely, which is the foundation of our constitution...be it mob mentality or not...is the basis of our check on the local, state and federal beauracricies. We have a right under the constitution to dissent and disagree,openly, without being hauled to prison. Questioning the acts of a local superintendant in my opinion is hardly a mob mentality. I counted only 28 remarks...I think there are 5k and 10k in poulation of wash.twsp n westwood.
28 out of approk 15-20k residents? hardly a mob.

I am glad others can see thru Zoeller.The generator and van belong to the citizens of WW and WT and should have went to emergency services first, and a community shelter next if needed. It is scary to see Zoeller's jarring lack of common sense and how easily he can justify his own poor actions to himself. Abuse of power has been the order of the day in the Zoeller Administration. Cameras hidden around the school are not there to protect or help students, but are there so he can shoot any dissenters at dawn. By the way, before proudly touting the shiny new stadium and $2M locker rooms, keep in mind they are a generation overdue and have come on the backs of other students. If we are lucky, the BOE majority might muster enough strength to give Zoeller a "time out" or maybe "no dessert" before returning to thier usual cheerleading. The majority of them (not all, but the majority) check thier brains at the door while delivering Zoeller anything he wants during the monthly dog and pony shows known as BOE meetings. The majority (not all, but the majority) have ignored thier duty as elected representatives, they have been easily brown-nosed by Zoeller out of thier essential role in the "checks and balances" of Government. Trading it for taxpayer sponsored "retreats" to privately discuss public business, sadly unaware they are a decision making governing body, completely disregarding NJ's Sunshine Law. I don't want any reimbursment from Zoeller, I just want my rights back.

Even if he had an excellent reason for "borrowing" this equipment (and I'm not saying he did... I'm just saying IF), then at best he showed something that seems to be a common trend in his behavior, and that is lack of good judgment. And regardless of how much money he is paid, the fact is that we need leaders in our schools who can demonstrate good judgment especially during crisis situations. Beyond exercising poor judgment in taking the equipment without proper approvals by the BOE and for substantiated good cause, he continued to exercise poor judgment by leaving town the following week despite continued problems with power at the high school, and despite the fact that the teachers and students had to forgo some of their plans to attend school. He forgets that perception is everything. Once the people you lead perceive you to act out of self-interest, regardless of your true motives, you have lost their trust and are therefore ineffective in leading. I see no other recourse for him other than to resign his post immediately. If he does not, then the BOE needs to step up and remove him. If this doesn't happen, then WE as taxpayers need to remember this next November when the elections come up. Our BOE serves as elected officials. We don't need yes-men/women. We need people who will be accountable to the students and taxpayes. We have at least a couple of board members who have backbones. But the rest need to pay attention to the tea leaves and act appropriately.

I find it almost impossible to believe that he took the generator AFTER the storm. I drove by the high school very early the morning after the storm to check on my house and his car was already parked in front. At the time I didn't think much about it.

Lisa Bontemps hit it right on the head. Zoeller displayed such poor and selfish judgement that it leaves me speechless.

I'd like to remind Dr. Zoeller that HE works in our school district at the discretion of the BOE and BOE members are elected into office. It will be interesting to see if the BOE will, for once!, stand up to him!! Stay tuned for Thursday night!!

The man took a $50,000 a year pay cut and our school ranking went from 92 to 58 in the state. We are fortunate to have him running our schools. He could easily go to NY or PA where he can get earn a lot more. He borrowed a generator, that's nd "executive privilege" I'm willing to trade for an improving school system for my kids. Stop thinking small.

In my humble opinion.....taking the generator and truck home was OK. Remember he makes decisions that involve our children. Leaving it there while he goes on vacation however is a whole'nother story. That showed poor judgement....period.

What happens next is going to be interesting. He has done a pretty good job......But if one leads by example, this is certainly not a great example of leadership.

The only way to make sure that the BOE and Geoffrey Zoeller understand that he needs his walking papers immediately is to show up at the board meeting tonight and express that opinion. Anyone, including the Mayor or members of the Board who condone Zoeller's actions need their walking papers as well. Many of our residents were without power well into the week Zoeller was vacationing in Florida. The generator could have been used, at least - not sitting idly in the garage of an overpaid political wannabee. The fundamental issue at hand is the unbelievably bad judgement of our School Superintendent. At a time when our community and schools were in CRISIS, he chose to leave the state and take a vacation as opposed to rescheduling his pleasure trip. It is a clear indication of who Zoeller truly is: a selfish, self-serving blowhard who absolutely never puts the needs of the students ahead of his own. Oh, and another thing -- why is it we employ a Superintendent of Schools who lives in another COUNTY. My recommendation is that when candidates are interviewed to fill Zoeller's newly vacated position, it should be someone who actually lives in the County. Maybe Boonton's looking for a new Superintendent of Schools? Everyone needs to remember that WE elect the officials (Board of Education) with the authority to change this situation. If Zoeller is not removed, it is our right as taxpayers to let our opinions be known (go to every BOE meeting and comment)..

Westwood Cardinals better beat New Milford tomorrow....

1st Zoeller doesnt need BOE permission for the generator because he IS the BOE. 2nd when this blows over, he'll be sure to amend the policy so he can take anything he darn well pleases. 3rd, before touting test scores and district ratings, check out the scores for our special needs population. They have largely been left out of this "renaissance" to the point where the Great State of NJ put our lovely district on probation for thier scores two years ago. Like I said before, the $$ for that stadium had to come from somewhere. Team Zoeller have proven to be masterminds. Using head games to manipulate our naive,gullible and unsophisticated BOE majority into surrendering our constitutional rights w/o even a whimper. They willingly allow Zoeller to direct substantive public matters into retreats and closed sessions for "discussion". If the BOE is relying on district lawyers for advice, then I think we need new ones. Check out the NJ Open Public Meetings Act. Other local BOE's have voluntarily undertaken televised work sessions and meetings while ours goes into "retreats", allowed him to remove any possible way of contacting them from the website (other than snail mail) and allowed the meeting minutes link to remain severed for at least 3 years running. Oh wait a minute, I think I hear it being fixed right now. We deserve what we get. As a community we have continually re-elected the same BOE members, some for over 20 years. No wonder our district is a generation behind.

BTW,Monday my child told me she sat in school from noon till dismissal without power. I did not like that idea. Doesn't this propose safety hazards under the circumstances that the school was dealing with? Is that even allowed in school policy?? Who's running this circus that my tax dollars are paying for???

it is simple - if is a man of principles, then he should resign....if he does not resign, the BOE (if it had the ....) should fire, suspend, etc....He, like so many in public power, believe that the world is their oyster and the tax payer be damned. The generator could have been used to keep the Superintendents/BOE offices open during the power outage and he could of worked from there...but then add insult to injury (this is where he has no shame) he goes to FLA (on vacation) before the schools reopen and leaves the District's truck and generator at his home...what a jerk!

you're right, the power went out in the High School around 12:00 on Wed., Nov.7. The kids sat there in the dark for 3 hours, parents were not informed and did not get to choose whether or not thier child stayed. And the generator was where? In Zoeller's driveway?

He gets 218,000 per year but he will not spend $700 for a generator and goes to Florida while we sit in cold powerless houses, and some people think that is o.k? I don't think so!

News of zoellers use of school generator and vehicle during hurricane sandy recovery has not hit the patch yet. Zoellers explanation for using these items is flimsy. We pay him almost 219000 a year. That is more than enough to buy his own generator and SUV to get him out of Boonton during a storm(his "my compact car" excuse is rediculous). He concedes he's done this in the past as well. The core issue here is that at minimum he has no qualms about stretching the rules to suit himself. Given he has a salary that makes him more than capable of responding to this storm situation out if pocket, and much more easily than the vast majority of township and Westwood families, and he leaves the items at home to go on vacation to Florida, really begs the question of whether he should continue in this job. Not long ago, he gave what I consider to be an inappropriate interview to The Record complaining his salary after the cap was instituted by the governor. Well, after this, he should look for another job. Lastly, in the report in the Record today, Mayor Birkner is quoted as saying he "doesn't have any problem" with Zoellers use of the vehicle and generator. Citizens of Westwood, that quote should be an eye opener for all of you

The question of the generator and van will cloud the real issue - how could the Superintendent of Schools leave the district, county, and state to go on a pleasure trip at such a critical time? Zoeller continues to try and defend "WHY" he took the generator and the van - stating that many of us simply don't understand the facts and implying that his explanation would solve all. The undeniable problem is that Zoeller decided taking a vacation was more important than a) cancelling his vacation so he could manage the schools during the aftermath of the most impacting natural disaster in our time; b) being available to stand beside the Governor of NJ in one of our own schools to discuss his support instead of enjoying the Florida sun as teachers, administrators, and office support personnel went to work in schools that were dark, and cold; c) returning the equipment before he left on a pleasure trip so it could be used by our district. The first day the children went back to school, our high school went without power and the students were sitting in the dark for over three hours waiting for someone to make an executive decision. Where was our highly-paid Superintendent? I'm guessing he was busy managing his way through a long line at "It's a Small, Small World"! How could Zoeller enjoy the trip, knowing there were so many still suffering in our town? Because he only cares about himself! His apology is souless, empty, and borders on contempt! FIRE HIM NOW!

the little transit van never would have gotten thru the flood waters!!! for those of you who dont know what a transit van is look at fords web site, also if a car would get stuck in the water so would that little van. use your head and think first. this guy is over seeing our kids and this is a scary thing we should all be worried about this guy

Around the BLock, you are dreaming. They are going to bring him back. It's the easy way out considering it all.

Around the Block, Bus Stop Talk is right! If people don't get going he will be right. Where's the chatter on here? It looks like everyone has given up. That's what they want, for everything to die down. They will bring him back because it is too difficult to get rid of him. They are counting on the outrage to die down and that everyone will be out Christmas shopping on the 20th. This social media world we live in is based on what is trending now and the generator issue was a month and a half ago. Don't complain when he is back.

With all due apologies to the great Adam Sandler, who inspired me.

"ZOELLER SCREWED YA"

The generator, the hurricane.
Oh, the insult and the pain.
Westwood in the dark as
Zoeller stole it from ya.
But he will be a thing of the past
If the Board makes a decision that'll last.
And you'll stand up and shout,
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
Zoeller screwed ya.
But we're through ya.
'Cause we're Wesssstttttt wwwooooooddddd!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS, Everybody! See you on the 20th.

"WE'LL STICK IT TO YA"

C. Mountain, P. Liddy, and crew
On the 20th their decision is due
Westwood waiting for them to give it to ya
Let's hope they don't screw ya
But don't be the first to get there last
Come see what die will be cast
And be sure to stand up and shout,
"The wrong one and we'll stick it to ya!"
"Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"
We'll be sure to stick it to ya
'Cause we see through ya
We'll stick it to ya
Come election time!
Come election time!