North Bergen Municipal Employee Erin Barillas was one of about a dozen women honored by Hudson County this month as “Trailblazing Women in Labor and Business.” She was awarded a citation from the county at a ceremony at the William Brennan Court House in Jersey City on Wednesday, March 22, 2017.

Born and raised in North Bergen, Erin began her career with the township at the age of 16, working in the municipal court as a part-time clerk after school. In 2003 she was promoted and transferred to work for Mayor Nicholas Sacco. In 2009 Erin became the youngest registered municipal clerk in the State of New Jersey when the mayor and Board of Commissioners appointed her to the role.

Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, Freeholder Caridad Rodriguez, and Undersheriff Francine Shelton were among the dignitaries speaking at the ceremony and offering their congratulations. Mayor Nicholas Sacco offered his thanks and congratulations to Erin at the Board of Commissioners meeting, where Erin received an ovation from the attendees.

The prestigious award is presented annually in March in conjunction with Women’s History Month.

Originally Posted on NorthBergen.org

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Off-duty Corrections Officer, Jerry P. Laureano, was hanging out with his friend Antonio “Tony” Rotundo, owner of Rose’s Deli, when Laureano observed a man attempting to enter multiple parked vehicles.

“I observed the male pulling on the car door handles,” states the formal police report given by Laureano. “The suspect was across the East Side of John F. Kennedy Blvd.”

The off-duty corrections officer observed the suspicious man gain access to a parked Black Chevy Impala. Laureano instructed Rose’s deli owner to call the police while he apprehended the suspected.

Correction officers like police officers attend 16 weeks of training academy, are Police Training Commission (PTC certified) and have full arrest powers state wide.

“I observed the suspect…rummaging through some belonging. I displayed my police badge,” continues the Laureano’s statement. He placed the suspect, later identified as Emmanuel Naples, under citizens arrest without the use of handcuffs. “I placed his hands behind back and crossed them. I held him in that position until the North Bergen Police arrived.”

The North Bergen police arrived on the scene moments later where they found Naples to be in possession of a pocket knife.

Naples was charges with “Burglary and Criminal Attempt Theft” and “Possession of Burglary Tools.” The suspect has been transported to Hudson County Jail.

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The Hudson County Young Democrats (HCYD) held a “Women on the Move” awards ceremony to honor young females who have played an important role in the County. North Bergen resident Aimee Forcaraccio was one of five woman honored at Lido Restaurant in North Bergen.

Forcaraccio runs the NB C.A.R.E.S program which stands for North Bergen Community Assistance Relief Events and Support. The program was created to aid residents that have “been temporarily or permanently displaced with food, clothing, or additional resources.”

“I am not one of the type of people that like to be in the spotlight,” humbly said Forcaraccio during an interview with Hudson County View. “But, I am thankful and grateful for them (HCYD) for recognizing me and these other honorees for all the things we do, whether behind the scenes or on the front lines.”

Four others were honored during the event – Jessica Berrocal-Abdelnabbi of Jersey City, Natalia Novas of West New York, Katie Brennan of Jersey City, and Diana Gonzalez who is the Millennial Outreach Director of Phil Murphy.

Read more at HudsonCountyView.com

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“At that meeting I, in my capacity as president, spoke on behalf of the teachers and clerks, not Mr. Wainstein,” writes Elizabeth Lynch, President of the North Bergen Federation of Teachers. “I was very surprised and dismayed to read Larry Wainstein’s letter…taking credit for being the voice of the teachers of North Bergen and for helping to bring the contract negotiations to an end.”

Lynch is referring to Larry Wainstein’s, former Mayoral candidate, letter claiming to be instrumental in the contract agreement between the board of education and teachers’ union. The letter writes, “Nicholas Sacco was forced to settle…because he knows that I was supporting you…he knows I am coming.”

Wainstein’s letter comes after one of his first public appearances in North Bergen after a failed attempted to unseat the current mayor in 2015. During the public meeting, Wainstein referred to the Board of Education as “tools” and suggest all members will be “in front of a grand jury.”

“The North Bergen Federation of Teachers’ (NBFT) negotiating team and the Board of Education’s negotiating team had been meeting regularly since January of 2016 at the time of the February 15th Board meeting attended by Mr.Wainstein,” says Lynch. “The negotiations were very long and at times very contentious and had reached a stalemate towards the end of January 2017.”

“No one individual can rightfully claim credit for bringing complex negotiations to a settlement–it is the result of people who care putting aside their personal agendas and working together to focus on students instead of politics.”

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