THE BLAME GAME CONTINUES !
Pronti faults Bergen County for Delay in Tax Bills!
NORTH ARLINGTON – Is there ever a situation or scenario where “MAGA” Mayor Dan Pronti (R) isn’t blaming someone else?
The two-term incumbent, ex-cop and real estate agent seeking a third term is now directing homeowners to pay their bills online as there is a “taxes tab at the bottom of the main page.”
Huh?
I guess we won’t be receiving some grand proclamation from Pronti that property taxes didn’t rise, and that everything is just fine with him at the helm!
The hard reality is that Pronti and his followers can’t quite comprehend is that the all-Republican Mayor & Council is raising property taxes despite using over $5 million dollars in surplus funding (unused tax generated dollars), yet the increase still occurred!
To add insult to injury, Pronti and the Borough Council also awarded themselves generous raises for attending a single meeting a month as Pronti is now the highest paid part-time mayor in all of Bergen County at nearly $15,000 per year!
A quick review shows Pronti “earning” more as mayor then neighboring Belleville, with a population of 40,337 versus just 16,601 for NA.
The new mayor who defeated Pronti’s mentor and political ally, Michael Melham, another proponent of massive overdevelopment, only received $7,000; that’s half of Pronti’s new salary!
Melham, who was defeated in a landslide last May, is a financial contributor to Pronti’s campaign as his company has a “no-bid” contract with North Arlington (Alpha Dog Solutions).
Now out of office, at least Melham had the common sense not to employ the random reassessment practices of Pronti to further the tax burden on that community. In fact, 83% of all New Jersey municipalities reject roaming reassessments, and not a single community in Essex County employs this questionable assessment practice! 
Mayoral candidate John Balwierczak was asked to comment.
“Roaming and random Republican reassessments as employed by Pronti can’t be defended. $5 million dollars was used to close this budget gap and taxes still increased. Spending and borrowing loom out-of-control and Pronti still found a way to give himself, Donna Bocchino and Mario Karcic a raise too. The highest paid part-time mayor in all of Bergen County has no sense of what taxpayers are going through as the affordability gap grows and grows. Longtime residents, and especially the nearly 3,000 seniors, are getting squeezed thanks to the Pronti Administration.”
Is it a coincidence that there are no physical tax bills when property taxes have increased on Pronti’s watch? 
“$10,000 for a phony and absurd newsletter paid for by taxpayers as Pronti is pictured consuming hot dogs and pizza? A 12-page farce with him appearing in photos 23 times? Why wasn’t there any mention of the federal raid on the Belleville Pike where he used to go for his favorite smoothies? Why wasn’t there any information about this impending tax hike or his personal pay raise? Or how about how our administrator who only works three days a week? And what about municipal vehicles cited at an Atlantic City casino? Yeah, that’s the stuff North Arlington really wants to talk about,” offered the Democratic challenger.
Balwierczak and his running-mates Dennis Papile and James Sever are all homeowners as Balwierczak is a life-long resident and graduate of North Arlington High School where he played varsity basketball.
Dennis Papile is originally from Lyndhurst and a local school crossing guard. Sever is a union tile & marble installer. Both are married with children.
The ticket has been endorsed by the Bergen County Central Trades & Labor Council, AFL-CIO. 
Currently no Democrats serve on the governing body despite the fact there are more registered Democrats and Independents by overwhelming margins in the community. 
“The time for responsible two-party government is now. We need to end the massive overdevelopment, the explosion of apartments along Ridge Road, the sense that our community is still small and safe is being questioned by the policies of Pronti each and every day must cease and we need to stay true to our values as the gateway to Bergen County,” observed Balwierczak.
MEET NORTH ARLINGTON’S TEAM: 
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Contact John at (201) 655-8497 or email at [email protected]