Hackensack, NJ Community Message Boards

Latest story: Appointee of mayor, council keeps seat won by dead man

Once again, The Record comes through with a tasteful, non-inflammatory headline for coverage of the May 2005 Council Election.

For goodness' sake, Joe DeFalco was someone's husband, someone's father, someone's friend.  He was a role model and critical figure in the Hackensack community, something The Record can never hope to be so long as it continues its advisarial relationship towards its home city.  He's was a man who helped build community, and he deserves a damned sight better than the treatment The Record has given him.

It all comes down to why the people of Hackensack don't listen to The Record.  There's no recognition of why Joe DeFalco's death was such a crushing blow to the city and community, and a continued insensitivity to the community's loss.  Once again, The Record should be ashamed of itself.

The article says: "Before the county spends that much money on a questionable project, the public should have a say."

Didn't the public have a say?:  Bergen weighing ideas for better police garage
What am I missing?

Since when has The Record ever been consistent in its treatment of issues?  It's the quintessential muckraking paper, dedicated to covering controversy and, absent it, creating controversy in order to cover it.

It would appear in the mind of The Record's editorial staff, public officials are only there to make small decisions, and we should eschew principles of representative democracy in the bigger ones.  The public's decision to elect Freeholders with certain visions doesn't count as a public say, nor does the very open and public discussions over the redevelopment.  I also couldn't help but note they compared the $50 million figure with the $14 million figure of which the feasibility was questioned in the previous article, which to me indicates a certain agenda and fear of a full accounting of the question at hand.

Since I was the sixth-highest vote-getter, the fifth seat should have been mine," Coles said this week.

[trunicated]

Coles' lawyer, Theodore Takvorian, says that there are flaws with the state statute pertaining to non-partisan elections.

"A non-partisan election in my way of thinking is the direct vote of the people without a party," he said. "If you don't have a party, how can these four people that are in appoint a fifth person?"

Ahh, more sophistry from the losing ticket, as well as a complete refusal, or at least inability, to understand that people who voted for the New Visions slate trusted their decision about who would fill out Joe DeFalco's term.  Perhaps someone could point out to Mr. Takvorian that, while Hackensack's elections are non-partisan, the predominant slate-focused campaign style does provide voters with a clear choice in governing styles.  If people wanted someone who thinks like Calvin Coles on the council, they would have elected him; the voters of Hackensack, however, wanted someone who thinks like Joe DeFalco on the council instead.

But Takvorian argues that the next election is in November, when voters go to the polls to elect county and state officials.

"They appointed him for four years and I'm saying no," Takvorian said. "I'm saying the next election is in November."

And the next election is partisan, Mr. Takvorian.  Municipal elections are not.  For all the bluster Citizens for Change made about the machinations of the Bergen County Democratic Party and its interference in the election, Coles certainly seems to be spoiling to bring them into the election by injecting a statewide partisan election into the mix.  Perhaps he's made an agreement with Joe Ferriero, and is willing to be his puppet on the council?!?!?

Besides the city and the council, the lawsuit names the New Jersey Board of Elections and Bergen County Clerk Kathleen Donovan. The lawsuit notes it has named those parties for the "sake of notice" and that they have not directly caused harm to Coles.

"For sake of notice" is Legalese for "throw crap at a wall and see what sticks," right?