REPUBLICAN RHETORIC DOMINATES REORGANIZATION MEETING OF NA MAYOR & COUNCIL
Talk of senior housing turns out to be just talk, revisionist history of water utility knows no bounds!
NORTH ARLINGTON – Democrats John Balwierczak and John Yampaglia along with local party chair Nick Antonicello attended the reorganization of the North Arlington Mayor & Council Friday evening as a throng of about 150 attendees got a healthy dose of Republican rhetoric and revisionist history. Despite controlling all levels of local government for over a decade and no Democrat even serving on the governing body in five years, local Republicans took every opportunity to cast blame on Democrats who don’t serve on the seven-member Mayor & Council. While Democrats enjoy a registration advantage with voters, no Democrat has been elected locally since 2016 when former Councilman Mark Yampaglia and running-mate Jean Williams defeated incumbents Rich Hughes and Mario Karcic. But somehow and some way, Democrats are at the source of all the borough’s ills according to the NA GOP!
Councilman Brian Fitzhenry (R), who has spent a lifetime of elective service raising municipal taxes and spending at both the Board of Education and Borough Council continues to criticize the Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) and a successful deal by Democrats that was executed nearly twenty years ago! Fitzhenry, who at the time increased school taxes six consecutive budgets tried to make issue of the decision to sell the borough’s water utility valued by Municipal Auditor Brian Buckley a Republican appointee at just $257,078.69 (12-31-03). The utility at the time was riddled in debt ($1,793,991.63) as it was obvious the ability to manage the operation was highly questionable. In a letter to residents dated October 27, 2004, former Mayor Russ Pitman (D) stated that the borough was not in the business of supplying water, that water leaks lasted for months, if not years before even being discovered or repaired. Maintenance was regarded as “non-existent,” and in fact Republicans in control of North Arlington in 2000 determined that a substantial rate increase would be necessary and that capital improvements would cost homeowners an additional $4,500,000!W ith the repairs not done, local Democrats in charge decided to sell the failing utility for roughly $4,000,000 with candidate Fitzhenry leading the charge to retain a utility that was terribly inept and in ill repair. With the sale of the water utility the main focus of Fitzhenry’s failed campaign for council, Democrats led by Peter Massa, Phil Spanola and Steve Tanelli crushed the GOP ticket led by Fitzhenry’s folly. Now some twenty years since the sale, what has Fitzhenry done other then criticize an agreement that netted taxpayers some $4,000,000 while eliminating an expenditure? For it was NA Republican incompetence that forced Democrats at the time to fix a GOP problem!
According to the letter that explained the transaction at the time (10-27-04), of the 567 municipalities in New Jersey, less than 10% maintained a utility and that number has apparently shrunk even further! If Fitzhenry is still questioning the quality of water service today, what has he done to improve it and the answer is nothing! For this twenty-year obsession about a transaction that retired substantial municipal debt, offered tax relief and actually improved services by any reasonable observation is silly and borders on the ridiculous by an elected official who can’t point to a single achievement in his two-decade tenure as an officeholder! And while he has no stated accomplishments to offer, he spent the rest of his time losing campaigns for the state senate and freeholder, and was rejected by an entire legislative district (36-LD) by landslide totals and then denied even the nomination by his own party for county office! Instead of being mired in the past, maybe Mr. Fitzhenry will start thinking about tomorrow and the future of North Arlington.
For his running-mate Allison Sheedy is another do-nothing council member who secured a job for herself at the NA Board of Education on top of her tenure as a council member at roughly $1,000 per month to attend a single council meeting and then voting herself pay raises for that part-time public service! 
Antonicello, who serves in Trenton for the New Jersey Senate was warmly greeted by the 2021 GOP nominee for governor Jack Ciattarelli who was also in attendance Friday evening. While on different sides politically, they were cordial and friendly acting in a professional and bipartisan manner. That’s the kind of politics most people embrace in this highly charged partisan environment where little is actually accomplished. Working together is what the voter seeks.
Once again the issue of senior housing is a worn out political football that seems to resurrect itself when things become competitive at the local level as Republicans anticipate a real race in 2024. But sources tell NA Today that no county or state funding has been secured as of this writing, and if federal dollars should fund the project that means those seniors who receive housing could come from anywhere, and not North Arlington first. Should this annual promise for senior housing become real, we will follow and report back to residents. But for now the talk seems hollow. 
As for Balwierczak and Yampaglia, what were their thoughts and reaction?
“We wish the reelected council members well. We want North Arlington to prosper. But for that to happen we need a discussion of the issues and not a lopsided, one opinion discourse by a single political party. We seek responsible two-party government and that means change in 2025,” noted the hopefuls. “North Arlington residents are open-minded and fiercely independent and don’t like to be told what to think or what to do by politicians. They understand the value of two-party governance and getting along with our county, state and federal partners who happen to be Democrats. They reject the notion of North Arlington being isolated from other elected officials like we’re North Korea or Cuba. They seek a bipartisan, common sense approach and we would love to get senior housing off the ground by working together with the Republicans. Our goal is obvious, to win this November and that next year we will be taking the oath of office for North Arlington Borough Council,” observed Balwierczak and Yampaglia.
The two Democrats will continue to gather signatures for their nominating petitions once the weather breaks. They have indicated a goal of securing 500 signatures come the deadline .“We realize this is a marathon and not a 100-yard dash,” noted Balwierczak with a grin.
To contact the candidates, call (201) 655-8497