NA NOW LIKE BELLEVILLE VERSUS BERGEN COUNTY UNDER FITZHENRY & SHEEDY!
Residents rail against unbridled apartment dwellings now proposed all over North Arlington in new criticisms of GOP officials
NORTH ARLINGTON – When you think of North Arlington, do you want the community to become another Belleville?
Belleville is an urban Essex County municipality that borders Newark, the state’s largest city and Belleville has a population twice that of North Arlington!
North Arlington is the gateway to Bergen County.
A place that once prided itself on being small, safe and suburban.
But with embedded GOP incumbents like Brian Fitzhenry and Allison Sheedy supporting overdevelopment of Ridge Road, the very character of the community is being transformed and residents have had enough! 
NA residents online are now comparing the current explosion of apartment dwellings proposed and constructed on Ridge Road as well as other locations are similar that to the density and traffic being experienced in neighboring Belleville, a community that has little in common with the suburban character of North Arlington as the gateway to Bergen County.
For local Democratic hopefuls John Balwierczak and John Yampaglia don’t want to replicate the redevelopment practices of the Essex County municipality of some 37,000 residents.
“When you think of North Arlington, you don’t equate to an urban municipality like Belleville. That is not the direction NA needs to be going. Being small, safe and suburban means places like Rutherford, East Rutherford or Lyndhurst. Fitzhenry and Sheedy and their appointees to the local Planning Board seem to disagree,” offered the council challengers.
“Anyone that sees what’s going on in Belleville with those huge apartment units? That’s going to be North Arlington next,” offered one local on the Facebook page, “North Arlington Uncensored.”
The criticism is blunt and to the point, there is no community support for these apartment proposals that are sprouting like proverbial daisies. 
The resident pointed to the Bell Pike property, the old Hughes Auto Sales parcel on Schuyler as well as the Melrays structure on Ridge Road and the dormant Italian Villa location that apparently is scheduled for demolition just across the street from Queen of Peace Church. 
Describing the current development in North Arlington as a form of “pay to play” politics, online criticisms are mounting as embedded incumbents Brian Fitzhenry and Allison Sheedy remain silent.
But the biggest criticism is the lack of communication that is offered to residents on these ongoing projects that have residents shocked and dismayed, knowing little if nothing at all until it is too late.
One local resident described North Arlington becoming more like Union City of Hudson County as many believe Ridge Road is more like Bergenline Avenue with all the added traffic.
“Look at Ridge Road in Rutherford versus Ridge Road in North Arlington. It is night and day,” offered candidate John Balwierczak.
The same online resident summed up his frustrations by stating, “…we are now becoming Union City. I’m done. It already takes me 20-25 minutes from Noel Drive to the Belleville Pike in the morning. It’s truly a clown show.”
For candidates John Balwierczak and John Yampaglia, the Mayor & Council and their appointees to the local planning body are nothing but rubber stamps for this overdevelopment, density, traffic and urbanization no one seemingly supports except both Fitzhenry and Sheedy.
The current council composition is 7-0 with no Democrats. No Democrat has served on the Mayor and Council since 2019 and no Democrat has been elected since 2016.
This is a 100% public policy nightmare led by the North Arlington Republican Party and specifically, Brian Fitzhenry and Allison Sheedy who want yet another term of office this November.
“Look at those individuals with real estate interests on the planning board. Then review the political donations and contributors to the GOP’s council candidates like the incumbents who go along with every “yes” vote they cast. Who represents the average North Arlington voter and the answer is no one. If you don’t support the overdevelopment of Ridge Road that is now spreading like wild fire to Schuyler and River Road, you have no say at all. This is why two-party government matters. You cannot have this political monopoly and monologue controlled by the likes of Fitzhenry and Sheedy,” blasted the challengers.
Come meet the Democrats at the Post Office any Saturday between now and election day between 9:00 AM and noon. To schedule a meeting with the Democratic council hopefuls, call (201) 655-8497.