Thursday, March 7, 2013
The Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group's attorney said some flooding along the Pascack Brook can be stopped.
The Hillsdale & Westwood Flood Solution Group, an organization of residents affected or concerned by flooding, offered to work more closely with the Hillsdale government during a borough council meeting Tuesday night. Donald MacLachlan, an attorney representing the group, said that the council should form a committee tasked with advising the governing body on resolving the flooding problem along the Pascack Brook. MacLachlan said the committee could help with formulating a plan and also finding funding for any projects needed for the plan. The state government is currently "highly sensitive" to flooding issues, he said. The upcoming United Water project to upgrade the dam at the Woodcliff Lake Reservoir is one focus of the group, but not …
Friday, February 15, 2013
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Friday, February 15
My name is Frank Pizzella, and I have recently been re-appointed to serve on council in the Borough of Hillsdale and I am writing to formally introduce myself to the residents of Hillsdale. I am a first generation American whose parents immigrated to the USA in the early 1960s from Italy. I was born and raised in Belleville, New Jersey. I earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1992 from Rutgers University in Biology and Environmental Sciences, as well as in Political Science, and I obtained my law degree in 1999 from Seton Hall University School of Law. After a long search for a community in which to establish roots and raise a family, my wife and I moved to Hillsdale. I reside in Hillsdale with my wife Dina, who is a registered nurse, and my two …
Thursday, February 7, 2013
An ordinance approved in October 2011 has gone largely unenforced because borough staff have numerous commitments.
Hillsdale businesses that violate the borough's sign law may need to make a change soon. The Hillsdale Council asked Borough Administrator Jonathan DeJoseph Tuesday to come up with a plan to increase the speed with which the borough's most recent sign ordinance can be enforced. The ordinance was originally approved in October 2011 and officials reiterated their desire to enforce the law last May. To date, about 26 violators of the ordinance have been notified and six have been dealt with, according to Code Official Keith Durie. "We're working slowly and steadily," Durie said. Durie said packets explaining the law had been given to business owners found to be violating the new ordinance. He wanted to give them some time to understand the …
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
The Hillsdale Council will try holding less formal work sessions to discuss issues.
The Hillsdale Council will hold a "work session" during their meeting next week. Officials will sit at a table for the first portion of their meeting in order to have a face-to-face discussion, which can be difficult at the dais where they normally sit. Mayor Max Arnowitz said that he cannot even see council members on the far ends of the dais from his seat. Councilman Larry Meyerson said he had seen other councils use work sessions successfully. The Westwood and Washington Township councils both hold work sessions once per month. "The approach is a little friendlier," Meyerson said. Arnowitz said the council used to hold work sessions, at which they took no action and did not allow public comment. They changed the practice after the law …
Friday, January 25, 2013
Frank Pizzella was appointed to an unexpired seat on the council for the second year in a row.
The Hillsdale Council voted to appoint Frank Pizzella to an unexpired term for the rest of the year during a special meeting Thursday night. "I'm truly honored and I'll do the best job I can do," Pizzella said. Officials were given three candidates by the Bergen County Republican Organization to replace former Council President Michael Giancarlo, who resigned at the end of last year. They interviewed all three candidates in closed session during the meeting Thursday before making their decision. "I was duly impressed with the interview and I think you're doing this for all the right reasons," Councilman Larry Meyerson said. Pizzella has lived in Hillsdale since 2004. He holds degrees from Rutgers and Seton Hall Law School and is involved …
Friday, January 18, 2013
The Hillsdale Council will review whether or not they want the borough's Green Team to pursue a new certification from the Sustainable Jersey program.
The Hillsdale Council will need to decide whether or not they want to pursue a "silver" certification from Sustainable Jersey, a program which provides incentives for towns which use environmentally-friendly policies. "We need to dig in and decide how we feel about sustainability as a community," Green Team Chair Meredith Kates said during a presentation to the council Tuesday. The Green Team previously worked on a project to achieve bronze certification for the borough three years ago, but that is expiring. Sustainable Jersey offers different numbers of points for various policies, ordinances and other programs a municipality uses or offers its residents. Hillsdale currently has 220 points, but will need 350 for the next level of …
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
The Hillsdale Council needs to pick a new member before the end of the month to replace former Council President Michael Giancarlo, who resigned last month.
A new councilman may be selected for Hillsdale next week, after officials conduct a round of closed-door interviews. The Hillsdale Council scheduled a special meeting to interview the candidates and possibly pick a new member January 24 at 6 p.m. Officials have three candidates to choose from for the position, including local business owner Frank D'Amico and former Councilmen Anthony DeRosa and Frank Pizzella. All three candidates will be interviewed in closed session at the special meeting. The special meeting was necessary because the council needed to give "Rice notices" to the three candidates, formally informing them that their potential appointment would be discussed, according to Borough Attorney Eric Bernstein. The candidates were …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The Hillsdale Council must choose a replacement for former Council President Michael Giancarlo, who resigned as of December 31.
The Bergen County Republican Organization has submitted three nominees for an empty seat on the Hillsdale Council, including two who already served, according to borough officials. The names are Anthony DeRosa, Frank Pizzella and Frank D'Amico, Mayor Max Arnowitz told Patch. DeRosa and Pizzella both served on the council last year to fill seats left by previous members who resigned, but lost in the election when Democrats won all four council seats. D'Amico is a business owner with a financial background, Arnowitz said. The new member will be replacing former Council President Michael Giancarlo, who resigned his seat as of December 31 because of time constraints, he previously said. Giancarlo said he had planned to step down for some time…
Monday, January 7, 2013
The Hillsdale Council held its reorganization meeting Sunday.
Hillsdale's four newest council members took their oaths of office and Tom Kelley was voted as the council's president during the borough's annual reorganization meeting Sunday. Officials were positive about the past year and optimistic for 2013. Mayor Max Arnowitz spoke about some of 2012's big issues, including Hurricane Sandy, improvements to the borough's finances and the decision to keep emergency dispatching in the police department. Despite some disagreements over appointees, Arnowitz was also positive about working with the four Democrats now sitting on the council. "While the makeup of the council has changed, I'm sure the accomplishments of the past three years will continue and expand," Arnowitz said. Council members also said …
Monday, December 24, 2012
The HIllsdale Council is meeting Thursday to complete some final business before the end of the year.
The Hillsdale Council will hold a special meeting this week to finish some final business with the current council. The meeting's agenda was not yet available, but the council is expected to vote on a few minor issues that new council members being sworn in next month would not be able to vote on. Two of the four new council members who were elected in November — Chris Looes and Tom Kelley — have already joined the council, replacing members who had been appointed. Larry Meyerson and Jason DeGise will be sworn in at the reorganization meeting in January. Patch will post more details about the meeting when they become available. The special Hillsdale Council meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday in Borough Hall. Have a question or news …
Martin Ward
3:43 pm on Thursday, January 10, 2013
I looked at our new attorney's client list and find no recent municipal work in Bergen County. I see a lot of labor work but not what they were hired for. Secondly, I understand Mr. Meyerson's comment that attorneys do not always pick their clients. However, going to a porno convention setting up a booth and soliciting clients is not what Mr. Meyerson represented to the borough. Does Hillsdale … more ›