Opinion

from e-Newspaper for Nov. 2, 2022

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will be one of eight, hopefully part of two of eight alternative voices on the council if elected along with Sydney Ferreira in the Fourth Ward. That’s not exactly a majority, but together we will be the voice of the Kearny resident, not wealthy developers. We will enter negotiations with a single purpose — getting a winning deal for the Kearny taxpayer.

We will work vigorously on common goals like alleviating Kearny’s parking problem but not by creating a bloated taxpayer-funded agency to sell permits that can’t possibly guarantee enough spaces for permit holders. A parking commission will not solve the problem, it will only create more positions for career politicians to fill with their cronies.

I will also stress strict enforcement of parking violations as well as enforcement of existing ordinances regarding the renting illegal apartments. In addition, I will support diagonal parking in appropriate areas as well as the construction of parking lots on properties acquired by the town.

I believe I am a better candidate than my opponent because I will listen to the concerns of my constituents. As I meet constituents they often ask, “who are you running against? Carol Jean Doyle?” When I tell them no, they are shocked to learn that the Third Ward has two councilmembers because they never heard of Eileen Eckel. Constituents don’t know her because she doesn’t get out among them. I know their concerns because I volunteer in the community, work in the community and am a product of the community. I am a lifelong resident (54 years) and I am a product of the Kearny school system where I have been a teacher for 31 years and a crew coach for 35 years. In addition, my volunteer experience has caused me to learn how to manage prudently in order to stretch a dollar as well as to work as part of a team. This temperament will be an asset to the current council. downtown shopping district, I believe small businesses have been hurt by introducing Walmart and developing Passaic Avenue for retail shopping. I’m not against the establishments that exist there, but I think further big box retail should be curbed in favor of supporting the small businesses of residents. I’m old enough to remember Christmas shopping on Kearny Avenue in places like Zelner’s, Drug Fair, Youth World, Ben Franklin, etc. The energy and enthusiasm could be felt. Kearny and Midland avenues are a real treasure. They are like a nostalgic scene out of the 1950s. We need to do all we can to support small businesses and keep the distinct charm of these areas. Part of that might include adding additional police officers on foot during peak hours to give shoppers and diners the added assurance that they are safe.

PASZKIEWICZ

My favorite areas to frequent in Kearny are its green spaces. I’m somewhat of an urban redneck and I love the outdoors. When my kids were young and there was better access, we would fish the Kearny marsh for bass. Even at age 54 you can still find me on occasion sledding down bunny hill. I also love the Passaic River. I love walking its banks, contemplating the great events of history that occurred there and fishing the striped bass run in the Fall and Spring. As a council member, I will do all I can to preserve these green spaces and improve upon them. I would actually like to see a fishing pier built one day for catch and release fishing and bird watching. I would also like to see greater access to the Kearny Marsh by way of trails and canoe and kayak access. Lastly, one of my passions is archery, Kearny has an outdoor archery range. I don’t know of another suburb that has one. It’s a real gem!

In short, I am running for council because I feel it needs to be more responsive to its constituents. Residents are concerned with the complacency and dismissiveness of the current council regarding issues that are important to them. The level of frustration on the part of residents is palpable. I myself have experienced this dismissiveness first hand. One year ago, I requested that the Christmas manger scene at the town hall be moved. I felt that its location was insensitive. It was hidden from view behind shrubs and could not be seen from the street by any angle. It was a problem that could have been solved with a $50 extension cord but the current administration chose to ignore me as well as hundreds of residents who shared my concern. I desire to give the residents of the third ward the voice they have not had. In addition, I will not be a rubber stamp for the current administration. I will oppose dynastic rule and push for term limits. I will always stand on the side of the Kearny tax payer as well as traditional American values. If you are a registered voter in the Third Ward, I hope you will consider voting line 4H David Paszkiewicz.

Sydney Ferreira, Fourth Ward

I am running for council, first and foremost, to be the voice of my neighbors and fellow residents of the Fourth Ward. In my conversations with residents, the recurring theme has been that most residents feel our leaders are out of touch and their concerns fall on deaf ears.

I have been taking notes, and if elected, I will bring their concerns before the council. I will be the voice of so many of us who believe the system is rigged and no longer works for us, unless we have connections in Town Hall. The residents see some positions and titles handed out to friends and family members of those in power; we the residents believe that government jobs should be given to people based on what they know, not who they know.

I am the treasurer of the Acores Social & Sport Club, a Portuguese cultural association in Newark. Over the years, we have contributed to various local organizations and churches in the community, and most notably, we ran a food pantry during the pandemic of 2020 that inspired other local cultural associations to do the same.

I am an active member of the St. Stephen’s Church Choir in Kearny, where I am a parishioner as well. I am also a member of the Portuguese Cultural Association of Kearny (ACP).

Over the years, I have donated to several local charities and volunteered at various local events, such as cultural festivals, food pantries and fundraisers within Kearny and the local area.

I would immediately introduce a measure that would establish term limits for Mayor and Council, and I would go even further to disqualify anyone who is currently serving and has already exceeded their term limits from running again for re-election after the expiration of their current term.

This will prevent the rise of local political machines that create barriers to entry for fresh faces and new voices, and we must encourage more people to get involved by attending Town Hall meetings to voice their concerns and hold our leaders accountable. Hopefully, more residents will even start to run for local office themselves, which is what our current leadership does not want.

I would also introduce a measure that would promote tax fairness for all of us by banning all future long-term PILOTs and other tax breaks/ abatements for large-scale residential developers. The tenants of the Vermellas pay premium rents to live in those beautiful buildings, there is no reason why the owner (Russo) cannot pay his full share of taxes.

Property taxes affect us all — landlords and tenants alike. If some are not paying their fair share, the rest of us will have to pay more to compensate for the

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loss in revenue, or town services will have to be cut to reduce expenses, which is precisely what has happened over the years.

n I have never met my opponent in person or even heard of him before this election, so it would be unfair and unproductive to point out his shortcomings. However, I do know that he was hand-picked by outgoing Councilwoman (Sue) McCurrie and the Santos administration. I believe he would be more of the same and a rubber stamp for the Santos agenda, which has saddled us with the re-opening of the Keegan Michelle advertising@theobserver.com 201-991-1600 Landfill, the 30 year tax breaks (PILOTs) for the four Vermella Client: projects, a severe shortfall in parking spaces, heavy traffic Mid-Realty, Inc. and congestion, cuts in town services, and crumbling roads and other infrastructure (such as sewers and water pumping stations that has led to severe

Advertising: Here is the updated template with a new photo of Jarlynn Hyde: flooding in certain parts of town). I can reassure voters that I will not be a rubber stamp for anyone’s agenda, except Real Estate Let’s Talk

to improve our town and the quality of life for our residents, our families and our small businesses. I will not be afraid to be the dissenting voice on the Council. I will challenge the status quo, question decisions and demand accountability. I will be a true independent voice without an agenda and beholden to no one, no political party or any other special interest. n

While I do not object to big-box retailers, I feel our landscape in town is dominated by them, and they have decimated small businesses along our main thoroughfares. We have seen a resurgence again of restaurants and small shops and our town needs to go a step further, because we still have many empty storefronts. We should set up an area of town to be designated as our “downtown” shopping, business and dining district. Perhaps somewhere along Kearny or Midland avenues, this would be an area of town (an Improvement District) that we could shut down a few times of year to vehicle traffic and hold cultural and arts fairs and an annual Restaurant Week or “Dining under the Stars” as is done in nearby Rutherford. n

What I enjoy most is simply going for long walks throughout town, greeting neighbors and residents along the way that I’ve known throughout the years or recently met during these last two campaigns. I love seeing the old familiar sites, while appreciating the new improved areas of town.

As for specific places, there are too many to mention here, and I wouldn’t want to mistakenly omit any of them. I love that there are so many different options in town brought to us by a very diverse population that has only enriched our quality of life in Kearny. I love the fact that I can grab a meal, hang out with friends, visit my doctor, get a haircut, purchase gifts, and many other things all in my hometown — the town where I was born and raised and still deeply love.

FERREIRA

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Over the last two years in all my conversations with residents, there seems to be a common theme — our leaders have been in the same positions for too long, and they no longer listen to or act on our concerns. This validated my original reason for entering the race for Mayor last year, as I too had personally become frustrated with the apathy and inaction of Town Hall over the years. It seems that just holding a competitive election puts our leaders on notice and drives them to do the work of the people again. We must also prevent the creation of dynastic rule by instituting term limits for Mayor and Council and start hiring based on qualifications again, not by association or relation.

Last year we ran a hastily created and very short campaign for Mayor, and even though we may have lost at the polls, we had some small but significant victories along the way — street paving resumed in full force, snow removal became a priority once more, our leaders started addressing parking concerns again, the Mayor finally agreed to hold in-person Town Council and Zoom meetings simultaneously, residents started to see some of their MIA councilmembers at local events and walking their neighborhoods, many residents were excited about local politics and started following the issues and finally we stopped or at least delayed for now another 30-year tax abatement for the next Russo/ Vermella project in town, which reportedly had the full support of Councilwomen Susan McCurrie of the Fourth Ward and Eileen Eckel of the Third Ward (the two contested seats in this election).

In the last year and a half, we accomplished so much from outside of Town Hall. Just imagine what we could accomplish from within the Council Chamber in Town Hall. If we take these two seats, the possibilities are endless, but we need your vote and the votes of your friends, family members, and neighbors. We can only accomplish this together and with your full support.

This Nov. 8, I humbly ask for your vote, in order to represent you and be your voice on the Council.

Stathis Theodoropoulos, Fourth Ward

Wanting to run came down to two key beliefs. First is

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