Bayonne native Stephen Gallo has headed the city's Municipal Utilities Authority since 1997, and also serves as Mayor Mark Smith's chief of staff. Last week, he was confirmed as the city's business administrator, replacing Terrence Malloy, who will continue as the city's chief financial officer, according to today’s Jersey Journal. His total salary is $103,474, the Journal reports. "There's...

Bayonne native Stephen Gallo has headed the city's Municipal Utilities Authority since 1997, and also serves as Mayor Mark Smith's chief of staff. Last week, he was confirmed as the city's business administrator, replacing Terrence Malloy, who will continue as the city's chief financial officer, according to today’s Jersey Journal.

His total salary is $103,474, the Journal reports.

"There's a synergy between the chief of the staff and the business administrator's position," said Gallo when asked how he'll have time to perform all three jobs.

As for the MUA position, Gallo said the city is reviewing the functions of all independent city agencies - starting with the MUA and the Parking Authority, and then the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Agency and the Town Center Management Corporation - to see if it would be more efficient to move the functions under the city's auspices. "It's not my intention to stay in the position of MUA director forever," he said.

Gallo, who is married to Lisa Cerbone, a special education teacher, and has three children, is active in St. Henry's Church and served as president of the Bayonne Civic Association. That position, along with an introduction from then-Municipal Council President Joe Makowski, a good friend of his, led to an offer from Mayor Leonard Kiczek to head the city's Department of Public works. He's been working in city government ever since.

For the full story, read today’s Jersey Journal.

Bayonne native Stephen Gallo has headed the city's Municipal Utilities Authority since 1997, and also serves as Mayor Mark Smith's chief of staff. Last week, he was confirmed as the city's business administrator, replacing Terrence Malloy, who will continue as the city's chief financial officer. Katie Boyle of Bayonne is the grand prize-winner of the New Jersey Fire Safety...

Bayonne native Stephen Gallo has headed the city's Municipal Utilities Authority since 1997, and also serves as Mayor Mark Smith's chief of staff. Last week, he was confirmed as the city's business administrator, replacing Terrence Malloy, who will continue as the city's chief financial officer.

Katie Boyle of Bayonne is the grand prize-winner of the New Jersey Fire Safety Poster Contest for the 2009-2010 school year.

A Staten Island woman who allegedly put a jar of wrinkle cream in her pocketbook was charged with shoplifting at the ShopRite on 26th Street and Avenue C on Wednesday morning, Bayonne police reports said.

Bayonne native Stephen Gallo has headed the city's Municipal Utilities Authority since 1997, and also serves as Mayor Mark Smith's chief of staff. Last week, he was confirmed as the city's business administrator, replacing Terrence Malloy, who will continue as the city's chief financial officer. Katie Boyle of Bayonne is the grand prize-winner of the New Jersey Fire Safety...

Bayonne native Stephen Gallo has headed the city's Municipal Utilities Authority since 1997, and also serves as Mayor Mark Smith's chief of staff. Last week, he was confirmed as the city's business administrator, replacing Terrence Malloy, who will continue as the city's chief financial officer.

Katie Boyle of Bayonne is the grand prize-winner of the New Jersey Fire Safety Poster Contest for the 2009-2010 school year.

A Staten Island woman who allegedly put a jar of wrinkle cream in her pocketbook was charged with shoplifting at the ShopRite on 26th Street and Avenue C on Wednesday morning, Bayonne police reports said.

Officials are suggesting residents of Hudson County and all of New Jersey take some precautions as Hurricane Earl threatens to make his presence known in our area tomorrow. The Jersey City Office of Emergency Management issued a reverse 911 call urging residents to secure patio furniture, particularly on balconies of high-rise buildings. The call also noted that if there...

Officials are suggesting residents of Hudson County and all of New Jersey take some precautions as Hurricane Earl threatens to make his presence known in our area tomorrow.

The Jersey City Office of Emergency Management issued a reverse 911 call urging residents to secure patio furniture, particularly on balconies of high-rise buildings.

The call also noted that if there is flooding in low-lying areas, motorists should exercise extreme caution. High winds may result in downed powerlines, the message noted, which could result in power outages.

The Harrison Weather Center is predicting periods of rain or rain squalls for the area with gusty winds tomorrow afternoon and evening.

"We expect up to a trace to a quarter-inch of rainfall on average,'' the center's website forecasts. "There can be local rainfall amounts of up to an inch, especially in eastern portions of Hudson County east of the New Jersey Turnpike mainline.''

Average winds tomorrow will be from the east at 15 to 25 miles per hour with gusts of up to 35 miles per hour, the center predicts.

The center currently doesn't predict much, if any, storm surge but said it would revisit the prediction as the storm moves closer.

Earl should be out of the area come the weekend, the center said.

"We expecte sunny, breezy and cooler weather on Saturday and into the weekend with temperatures in the 70s and 80s,'' the website said.

Meanwhile, New Jersey Health and Senior Services Commissioner Dr. Poonam Alaigh urges residents to take precautions, especially if they are going to the Shore.

“Even if Hurricane Earl goes out to sea and we are spared major damage, New Jersey residents should still be prepared, especially with the upcoming Labor Day holiday weekend when more people are likely to be at the beach,” Alaigh said in a news release. “Rough currents and riptides can lead to serious injuries or drowning of parents and children alike. It’s important that everyone remain responsible regarding the ocean, whether they are boating or swimming.”

Alaigh recommends the following when visiting the beach this weekend:

* Designate a responsible adult to watch children while swimming or playing around water.

* Be close enough to reach pre-school children at all times.

* Swim with a buddy.

* Select swimming sites with lifeguards. Follow the lifeguard’s rules.

* Avoid alcohol.

* Do not allow children who don’t know how to swim in the ocean.

* Make sure one of your family knows cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

* Don't use air-filled or foam toys in place of life jackets.

Even if Hurricane Earl spares New Jersey from major damage, Alaigh urged residents to be prepared during the hurricane season, which runs through November.

Taking the following steps will help you be prepared:

* Know your town's evacuation routes.

* Stockpile a few days worth of water and non-perishable food, flashlights (with batteries) and candles.

* Designate a meeting place for your family during an emergency.

* Make sure you have a sufficient supply of medications for several days.

* Have emergency contact numbers easily accessible

For more information, visit:

DHSS Emergency Preparedness - http://www.state.nj.us/health/er/index.shtml

New Jersey Office of Emergency Management - http://www.state.nj.us/njoem/

Federal Emergency Management Agency - http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm

Hudson County is included in the tropical storm watch that has been issued regarding Hurricane Earl's march up the Eastern Seaboard. In New Jersey, the watch is in effect for Hudson, Essex and Union counties, according to the National Weather Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In New York, it is in effect for southern...

Hudson County is included in the tropical storm watch that has been issued regarding Hurricane Earl's march up the Eastern Seaboard.

In New Jersey, the watch is in effect for Hudson, Essex and Union counties, according to the National Weather Service, a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

In New York, it is in effect for southern Westchester, Manhattan, the Bronx, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and Nassau County.

In Connecticut, a tropical storm wind watch is in effect for northern New London County.

The more grave tropical storm warning is in effect for southern New Haven, southern Middlesex and southern New London counties in Connecticut and all of Suffolk County on Long Island.

The strongest winds are predicted for tomorrow afternoon and evening, the weather service said.

Five people who were members of the board of directors at the former Pamrapo Savings Bank, including a one-time Bayonne mayoral candidate, have been fined a total of $80,000 by a federal banking agency "for engaging in unsafe and unsound practices" and failing to have policies in place to detect illegal transactions between March 2005 and September 2006, The...

Five people who were members of the board of directors at the former Pamrapo Savings Bank, including a one-time Bayonne mayoral candidate, have been fined a total of $80,000 by a federal banking agency "for engaging in unsafe and unsound practices" and failing to have policies in place to detect illegal transactions between March 2005 and September 2006, The Jersey Journal reports.

The new Eighth Street Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Station, which is scheduled to open in the next several months, was vandalized sometime between 5 p.m. Tuesday and 6:30 a.m. Wednesday of last week, according to police reports.

Children 11 and younger can ride free on NJ Transit buses and trains from 7 p.m. tomorrow through 6 a.m. Tuesday.

By MAYOR MARK SMITH CITY OF BAYONNE Recently, the state comptroller issued a report regarding the use of property tax abatements and payments in lieu of taxes. Generally speaking, abatements and PILOTs are not a panacea for all of our ills; nor are they the greatest evil known to mankind. Property tax abatements are just one of several useful...

By MAYOR MARK SMITH
CITY OF BAYONNE

Recently, the state comptroller issued a report regarding the use of property tax abatements and payments in lieu of taxes. Generally speaking, abatements and PILOTs are not a panacea for all of our ills; nor are they the greatest evil known to mankind. Property tax abatements are just one of several useful tools available to municipalities to encourage investment and redevelopment.

Used judiciously, abatements can mean the difference between new economic promise and the persistence of vacant, unproductive properties.

More specifically, the comptroller's report mischaracterizes the use of property tax abatements and PILOTs in Bayonne. The report refers to a PILOT issued to the operators of the Bayonne Energy Center, which represents a huge investment of several hundred million dollars at a remote industrial site that has long lain fallow and vacant.

The statutorily authorized use of the state's local redevelopment laws enabled Bayonne to provide a valuable incentive to the developer to make this investment. The result is that an idle parcel of land netting approximately $120,000 in property taxes will now allow Bayonne to almost $1.3 million in lieu of taxes each year for 30 years, after which the project will be permanently placed on the standard tax rolls. The project will also pay a guaranteed million dollars per year to our Municipal Utilities Authority for water -- whether the center uses it or not.

Moreover, the comptroller did not consider the creation of hundreds of good-paying union construction jobs and their effect on the local economy. Nor did the comptroller consider the beneficial environmental effects of generating electricity using state-of-the-art, clean-burning natural gas technology instead of coal or oil.

The project in question will not add one student to the Bayonne public schools; it will not add one employee to the city or county workforce and it will have zero impact upon the local school or county budgets. It will, of course, have a tremendous positive impact on our city budget and, by extension, will benefit our taxpayers.

In an overwhelming majority of cases, the alternative to using abatements is ... nothing. Nothing new gets built; no new jobs are created; no new outside capital is invested; no increase in municipal revenue is achieved. Unfortunately, the comptroller states that tax abatements result in significant foregone revenues by making the incorrect assumption that the projects he cites would have been built without PILOTs. The most significant flaw in the comptroller's analysis is that a municipality cannot forego revenues it was never going to receive.

The comptroller's report further dismisses retail jobs as if they are insignificant when they are very important to the people who get those jobs. The report discounts market-rate housing projects without understanding that the single best way to redevelop an area is to have people live in the area.

Then there is the strange suggestion that the school district should be involved in the decision-making process in considering whether to issue a PILOT. School districts should care solely about educating children and would have no reason to support or not support a PILOT. That is precisely why the question of providing a PILOT squarely resides in the province of the municipality. Even worse, the report suggests that the county or state be involved in the decision-making process -- completely abrogating local control and home rule. The process is complicated enough; adding more bureaucracy will be of no help.

The report does acknowledge that very few PILOTs are actually done -- a testament, in my opinion, to the fact that they are very carefully vetted and considered. And of the few that are issued, many are for low-income housing or with governmental entities that are otherwise tax exempt, thus leaving an even smaller universe of actual PILOTs.

As far as Bayonne is concerned, the city actually has very few PILOTs -- approximately half a dozen -- and even fewer if you don't count low-income housing projects or PILOTs with other governmental entities. Each has been carefully vetted and considered before being approved, as in the case of the new Bayonne Crossing shopping center, one of the few shopping centers to break ground nationwide. We expect the Bayonne Energy Center to be a monumental success as well.

The comptroller and other state officials would do well to consider PILOTs and abatements on a case-by-case basis and not paint with so broad a brush. It would be unfortunate to "fix" something that isn't really broken.

Five people who were members of the board of directors at the former Pamrapo Savings Bank, including a one-time Bayonne mayoral candidate, have been fined a total of $80,000 by a federal banking agency "for engaging in unsafe and unsound practices" and failing to have policies in place to detect illegal transactions between March 2005 and September 2006. Daniel...

Five people who were members of the board of directors at the former Pamrapo Savings Bank, including a one-time Bayonne mayoral candidate, have been fined a total of $80,000 by a federal banking agency "for engaging in unsafe and unsound practices" and failing to have policies in place to detect illegal transactions between March 2005 and September 2006.

Daniel Massarelli, the former chairman of the directors of the bank that merged with Bayonne Community Bank in July, was hit the hardest. He accepted a "civil money penalty" of $27,500 from the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS), a federal agency that regulates savings and loan institutions.

Fellow board members Herman Brockman, Robert Doria and Patrick Conaghan, who made an unsuccessful bid for mayor in 2006 and again in a special election in 2008, were fined $15,000. Board member Kenneth Poesl was fined $7,500. A spokeswoman for the OTS would not comment on the difference in the fines.
None of the board members were retained when the merger with BCB was approved in July.  They fines were handed down July 9.

"We were vicariously responsible for the check-kiting scheme," Conaghan said. "I entered into the consent order because it was less costly than fighting it ... Not one dime was lost and no one got hurt."

Doria, Poesl and Brockman did not return calls for comment. Massarelli could not be reached.

The bank pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy for failing to report $35 million in illegal and suspicious transactions, and failing to maintain adequate anti-money laundering programs and procedures. In June, a federal judge ordered the bank to forfeit $5 million.

Conaghan said the fines, which each board member consented to, stem from an investigation spurred on by a guilty plea by Richard Pellegrini. In May 2008, Pellegrini pleaded guilty to improperly structuring 353 cash deposits totaling $3 million among banks, including Pamrapo, between May 2005 and September 2006.

The OTS, in its "order of assessment of a civil money penalty," said that the board members "recklessly failed to ensure" that the bank disciplined or took action against employees for noncompliance with bank operating procedures.

The OTS also said that the board members failed to have "programs, policies, and procedures in place that would allow the Association to detect, and once detected, timely report, certain check-kiting activities" between March 2005 and September 2006.
 

Leo Smith, the new business administrator of the Bayonne school district and older brother to Mayor Mark Smith, said he intends to make every dollar in the budget count. "I went to obtain the certifications on Saturdays on my own time to become a business administrator … everything I achieved, I worked for on my own," Leo Smith said...

Leo Smith, the new business administrator of the Bayonne school district and older brother to Mayor Mark Smith, said he intends to make every dollar in the budget count.

"I went to obtain the certifications on Saturdays on my own time to become a business administrator … everything I achieved, I worked for on my own," Leo Smith said during a recent interview.

A Marist High alum who attended St. Peter's College in Jersey City and earned a master's degree in supervision and administration at Montclair State University, Smith took charge of the district's business office on July 1 when longtime administrator Clifford Doll retired.

Even though the district has had to absorb a $5.3 million cut in state aid - and the state just blew a possible $400 million infusion of statewide cash statewide in its bumbling of the federal "Race to the Top" application - Smith remains bullish on the new school year.

"We are doing more with less," he said.

"Bayonne is a small town," he added. "To have layoffs would be devastating to our community … you will see that person at church or at the supermarket. We are living in one of the worst economic s spirals since the 1930s, and we did not want anyone out of work."

To cope with the slash in state aid, the district has eliminated 25 jobs, mostly through attrition. Some 53 teachers recently retired, but the district hired 43 new teachers at lower salaries.

For the full story, read today's Jersey Journal.

Bayonne's new school business administrator says he is making every dollar count in spite of the $5.3 million cut in state aid. Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, who previously said he might not replace retiring Fire Chief Michael O'Reilly due to budget constraints, announced yesterday that Deputy Fire Chief Darren Rivers will be named the department's next chief. He will...

Bayonne's new school business administrator says he is making every dollar count in spite of the $5.3 million cut in state aid.

Mayor Jerramiah T. Healy, who previously said he might not replace retiring Fire Chief Michael O'Reilly due to budget constraints, announced yesterday that Deputy Fire Chief Darren Rivers will be named the department's next chief. He will be the first black chief in the department’s 181-year history.

A Secaucus furniture retailer Bob's Discount Furniture says its billboard is not meant to knock nearby furniture store Raymour & Flanigan but instead point potential customers to its own off-Route 3 location.

For these full stories and more, read today's Jersey Journal.

Bayonne public schools managed to cut the budget by $5.3 million without layoffs, but class size will take a jump this year from 24 students to 30, according to today’s Jersey Journal. In March, the Board of School Estimate advised Bayonne Superintendent of Schools Patricia McGeehan to absorb a $5.3 million cut in state aid for the upcoming school...

Bayonne public schools managed to cut the budget by $5.3 million without layoffs, but class size will take a jump this year from 24 students to 30, according to today’s Jersey Journal.

In March, the Board of School Estimate advised Bayonne Superintendent of Schools Patricia McGeehan to absorb a $5.3 million cut in state aid for the upcoming school year without a raft of layoffs and no tax hike.

A week before the school year starts on Sept. 8, McGeehan says the Board of Education has achieved it.

About $5.3 million will be saved through eliminating jobs, replacing retiring teachers with new instructors at the bottom of the pay scale, and reducing the general supplies budget by 15 percent, McGeehan said.

No programs have been lost, she said, but there is a downside. Fourteen classes have been closed, resulting in increased class sizes. Classes that used to have 24 students now have 30, she said.

McGeehan said: “The teachers are going to have to adjust and work hard to make sure the students get the attention they need. It is going to be more challenging for each and every one.”

After Gov. Christie's administration announced Bayonne public schools would lose $5.3 million in aid for the fiscal year that began July 1, Mayor Mark Smith, the chairman of the Board of School Estimate, ordered the Board of Education to slash the school budget by an equal amount.

At least 25 jobs have been eliminated, mostly through attrition, including 10 teachers, six administrators, three bus drivers, two secretaries, an attendance officer, two medical employees, and a social worker.

McGeehan said 53 teachers retired and 43 new teachers have been brought on.

For the full story, read today's Jersey Journal.

Bayonne public schools managed to cut the budget by $5.3 million without layoffs, but class size will take a jump this year from 24 students to 30. A Berkeley Heights man was charged with DWI after Bayonne cops found him slumped over the wheel of his car Saturday night, reports said. Responding to a report of a car hitting...

Bayonne public schools managed to cut the budget by $5.3 million without layoffs, but class size will take a jump this year from 24 students to 30.

A Berkeley Heights man was charged with DWI after Bayonne cops found him slumped over the wheel of his car Saturday night, reports said. Responding to a report of a car hitting a parked car at the 34th Street Light Rail Station at 8:48 p.m., police found Brian O'Hanlon, 49, in his car in the parking lot of the Light Rail station, reports said.

A driver who allegedly hit a parked car while intoxicated and continued driving was arrested after he allegedly attacked Bayonne police officers, according to reports.

The City of Bayonne's former purchasing agent, who was fired after 15 years on the job, filed a lawsuit against his former employer in federal court earlier this month. But now the defendants in the case call the incident a big misunderstanding and have informed that Andrew Balik, 69, can have his job back if he wants it, according...

The City of Bayonne's former purchasing agent, who was fired after 15 years on the job, filed a lawsuit against his former employer in federal court earlier this month. But now the defendants in the case call the incident a big misunderstanding and have informed that Andrew Balik, 69, can have his job back if he wants it, according to today’s Jersey Journal.

"If he (Balik) follows through, from the information from my client, it seems silly and a waste of time," said Anthony V. D'Elia, an attorney with Chasan, Leyner & Lamparello, who is representing city officials named in the lawsuit.

"It seems to be something of a miscommunication that was pounced upon by Mr. (Peter) Cresci (Balik's attorney) and Mr. Balik," D'Elia added.

The defendants named in the case are the City of Bayonne, Corporation Counsel Charles M. DAmico and Business Administrator Stephen J. Gallo.

The suit alleges Balik is a victim of "constructive dismissal" on Aug. 11 because he allegedly was threatened with prosecution for not following proper bid procedures.

Peter Cresci is the city's former business administrator and has his own complaint pending against the city, claiming he was unjustly forced out.

The day he was fired, Balik was called into a meeting with DAmico and another member of the staff, and was told to retire on Aug. 31 and that he would be placed on administrative leave until then, the suit alleges. He was told if he did not retire, he would face criminal misconduct charges for allegedly improper bidding practices, according to the suit.

For the full story, read today's Jersey Journal