NJ TRANSIT is working with Passaic, Bergen and Hudson Counties to assess the restoration of passenger service between Hawthorne and Hackensack. Of particular interest are development opportunities and constraints in the study corridor and extending service into Hudson County connecting to the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Transit System (HBLRTS).
The study will build off previous efforts and consider a range of modal options, station locations, and the potential of transit friendly land uses along the corridor.
Preliminary goals of the project include: Improve mobility options improve transportation connectivity, support economic growth opportunities, develop a cost-effective project, & enhance quality of life and minimize adverse environmental impacts.
A public meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019 to share information on this project. The meeting is at Eastside High School, 150 Park Ave., Paterson, NJ.
The walk will take place regardless of the weather. There will be heated tents and mobile units for the comfort of participants.
The End-FLUenza Project is an organization filled with people who were affected by the flu. Their goal is to increase vaccination rates among children by empowering families with the knowledge to make informed decisions about vaccination and preventative lifestyle changes, as well as to keep alive the memory of those lost to the flu.
The CDC estimates that in the 2017-2018 flu season there were 959,000 hospitalizations and 79,400 deaths. More than 48,000 hospitalizations occurred in children under 18 years old.
The walk to End-FLUenza is one of the organization’s major fundraising events. To register visit www.walktoendfluenza.com/nevaeh
For the average HudPost reader, Nicholas J. Sacco has been the only North Bergen mayor you know. George H. W. Bush was president of the United States the last time North Bergen was in the hands of different leadership. Even then, Sacco served on the board of commissioners.
So why are we telling you this?
Because, believe it or not, there was once a different mayor – one of the more “recent” being Peter Mocco. Someone you may know for developments in Jersey City such as Zeppelin Hall, rather than political history in North Bergen.
Peter Mocco was the mayor of North Bergen from 1971 to 1979, but it’s his brother, Joseph Mocco, who was touted as being the political mastermind behind it all.
Or so the legend goes…
Peter Mocco was beat by Anthony DeVincent in the 1979 North Bergen election. But, by 1983, the township was in dire shape. For example, a state report said that the township had overspent its budget by $2.3 million, and labeled the township as having “gross failure of management.”
This is when then the Sacco-Mocco connection takes place. Joseph Mocco, the driving political force, formed a successful recall movement against DeVincent in 1985. Leading Mocco’s handpicked, winning ticket was Leo Gattoni, who became the mayor, and a school principal by the name of Nicholas J. Sacco.
On August 7, 1986, the walls came tumbling down on Joe Mocco. He and nine others were arrested on charges of illegally dumping tons of construction debris from New York on sites in North Bergen, North Arlington and Newark.
Mocco was found guilty of second degree conspiracy to commit racketeering, second degree bribery, and official misconduct. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison and fined $200,000, ordered to make restitution in the sum of $56,300, and assessed a total Violent Crimes Compensation Board penalty of $90.
While Mocco was in prison, Sacco became mayor after the 1991 election. But now Larry Wainstein seeks to replace him… or is it Joe Mocco?
In the early 2000s a young fellow by the name of Larry Wainstein purchases Tonnelle Liquors, in the K-Mart on Tonnelle Avenue, in North Bergen. He bought the store and the liquor license from John Stalknecht, who was an aide for North Bergen Commissioner Frank Gargiulo.
But there was one thing Wainstein didn’t know.
During the time of the purchase, North Bergen reached a deal with a developer of the retail space where Tonnelle Liquors was located. The deal was for them to first build a new shopping center and replace the existing location with what is now Home Depot.
“I had no knowledge of a plan being in place. You would think that someone would let us know,” Wainstein is quoted in the 2004 Hudson Reporter article covering his lawsuit against the township.
Wainstein refutes the notion that the infamous political leader Joseph Mocco has any official connection to his campaign. (But, he does; we can confirm.)
“I meet literally thousands of people. He has been in my office, just like thousands of people,” Wainstein is quoted in the report. “I don’t run background checks on the people I shake hands with.”
In May 2019, voters will decide if Wainstein can casually cohort with a character such as Mocco or not.
As for what Sacco thinks of all this?
“…Unlike Larry, pictures don’t lie. Every North Bergen resident should be outraged that Larry Wainstein not only has been caught lying to all of us, but that he would associate himself with a criminal like Joe Mocco… Mocco is one of the most notoriously corrupt politicians in New Jersey history and anyone who willingly works with him should be absolutely disqualified from public office.”
Sure there’s a lot more to this story, but we’d have to a write a book….seriously, would anyone want to buy it?
Here we are, two men with personal vendettas against the current administration are leading the opposition, and here we have to pretend it’s about public pool prices and school books.
At HudPost, it disheartens us when we are labeled as a Sacco-leaning or Wainstein-leaning because we do our best to be fair and bring you the facts as they are. We reached out to Wainstein’s office but fell on deaf ears. So here’s a public invite to Larry to have a discussion.
UPDATE: Sat, Feb 9, 7:36 PM
Wainstein camp reached out to us with this response: “At the time of his arrest, Nick Sacco was Joe Mocco’s direct supervisor. Larry Wainstein was 14 years old. The real issues in this campaign: Sacco relatives paid 200 grand a year, Sacco’s schools among the worst in New Jersey, 15 law firms and PR firm earning as much as 1.3 million a year from North Bergen tax payer dollars.”
For the average HudPost reader, Nicholas J. Sacco has been the only North Bergen mayor you know. George H. W. Bush was president of the United States the last time North Bergen was in the hands of different leadership. Even then, Sacco served on the board of commissioners.
So why are we telling you this?
Because, believe it or not, there was once a different mayor – one of the more “recent” being Peter Mocco. Someone you may know for developments in Jersey City such as Zeppelin Hall, rather than political history in North Bergen.
Peter Mocco was the mayor of North Bergen from 1971 to 1979, but it’s his brother, Joseph Mocco, who was touted as being the political mastermind behind it all.
Or so the legend goes…
Peter Mocco was beat by Anthony DeVincent in the 1979 North Bergen election. But, by 1983, the township was in dire shape. For example, a state report said that the township had overspent its budget by $2.3 million, and labeled the township as having “gross failure of management.”
This is when then the Sacco-Mocco connection takes place. Joseph Mocco, the driving political force, formed a successful recall movement against DeVincent in 1985. Leading Mocco’s handpicked, winning ticket was Leo Gattoni, who became the mayor, and a school principal by the name of Nicholas J. Sacco.
On August 7, 1986, the walls came tumbling down on Joe Mocco. He and nine others were arrested on charges of illegally dumping tons of construction debris from New York on sites in North Bergen, North Arlington and Newark.
Mocco was found guilty of second degree conspiracy to commit racketeering, second degree bribery, and official misconduct. He was sentenced to twenty years in prison and fined $200,000, ordered to make restitution in the sum of $56,300, and assessed a total Violent Crimes Compensation Board penalty of $90.
While Mocco was in prison, Sacco became mayor after the 1991 election. But now Larry Wainstein seeks to replace him… or is it Joe Mocco?
In the early 2000s a young fellow by the name of Larry Wainstein purchases Tonnelle Liquors, in the K-Mart on Tonnelle Avenue, in North Bergen. He bought the store and the liquor license from John Stalknecht, who was an aide for North Bergen Commissioner Frank Gargiulo.
But there was one thing Wainstein didn’t know.
During the time of the purchase, North Bergen reached a deal with a developer of the retail space where Tonnelle Liquors was located. The deal was for them to first build a new shopping center and replace the existing location with what is now Home Depot.
“I had no knowledge of a plan being in place. You would think that someone would let us know,” Wainstein is quoted in the 2004 Hudson Reporter article covering his lawsuit against the township.
Wainstein refutes the notion that the infamous political leader Joseph Mocco has any official connection to his campaign. (But, he does; we can confirm.)
“I meet literally thousands of people. He has been in my office, just like thousands of people,” Wainstein is quoted in the report. “I don’t run background checks on the people I shake hands with.”
“…Unlike Larry, pictures don’t lie. Every North Bergen resident should be outraged that Larry Wainstein not only has been caught lying to all of us, but that he would associate himself with a criminal like Joe Mocco… Mocco is one of the most notoriously corrupt politicians in New Jersey history and anyone who willingly works with him should be absolutely disqualified from public office.”
Sure there’s a lot more to this story, but we’d have to a write a book….seriously, would anyone want to buy it?
Here we are, two men with personal vendettas against the current administration are leading the opposition, and here we have to pretend it’s about public pool prices and school books.
At HudPost, it disheartens us when we are labeled as a Sacco-leaning or Wainstein-leaning because we do our best to be fair and bring you the facts as they are. We reached out to Wainstein’s office but fell on deaf ears. So here’s a public invite to Larry to have a discussion.
UPDATE: Sat, Feb 9, 7:36 PM
Wainstein camp reached out to us with this response: “At the time of his arrest, Nick Sacco was Joe Mocco’s direct supervisor. Larry Wainstein was 14 years old. The real issues in this campaign: Sacco relatives paid 200 grand a year, Sacco’s schools among the worst in New Jersey, 15 law firms and PR firm earning as much as 1.3 million a year from North Bergen tax payer dollars.”
Mayor Nicholas Sacco and DPW Commissioner Frank Gargiulo visited the DPW building on Wednesday, Feb. 6 to offer their best wishes and heartfelt thanks to employee Nicholas Garcia, who will be deploying overseas shortly.
A lifelong North Bergen resident, Garcia has been employed at the DPW since 2016 and has been a member of the NJ Army National Guard since 2014. This is his first deployment overseas. His rank is Specialist and his term of deployment is 400 days. He expects to serve as a heavy equipment operator.
DPW Superintendent John Shaw and many DPW employees attended the farewell event and joined in conveying their appreciation to Garcia for his service on behalf of the country.
Governor Murphy and North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco announced today the completion of the 69th Street Bridge Project in North Bergen. The Murphy Administration finished the project in less than one year after construction was delayed by more than six years under the previous administration.
“Investing in our infrastructure and transportation assets is one of our highest priorities,” said Governor Murphy. “I’m proud that our Administration was able to get this project back on track after years of delays and inaction. I’m thrilled to join Mayor Sacco in opening the 69th Street Bridge, which will increase safety and reduce congestion.”
“After meeting with Mayor Sacco and understanding the critical nature of this project, NJ TRANSIT along with our partners at NJDOT worked together to get this project moving and completed quickly,” NJ TRANSIT Chair and NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti said. “The completion of this project is an example of what can be done when everyone comes together, ultimately improving the lives of North Bergen residents by providing a safer roadway with improved traffic flow.”
“The fact that this important project was allowed to languish for a decade shows a total lack of concern for our urban communities by the previous administration and a fundamental misunderstanding of the value of investing in infrastructure,” said North Bergen Mayor and State Senator Nicholas J. Sacco. “I’m thankful that we have a true partner in Governor Murphy who knows how crucial it is to invest in communities like North Bergen, and I’m glad that with his leadership we were able to finally bring this project to a close.”
After years of delays, NJ TRANSIT last year opted to terminate the contract of the previous construction firm. CJ Hesse of Atlantic Highlands was brought in to complete the project, bringing traffic relief to this portion of Hudson County. With this project completion, the 69th Street Bridge is now open to vehicular traffic.
“As part of our effort to restore NJ TRANSIT to a national role model, we have been taking steps to right the ship in a number of different areas, including a renewed focus on the stalled projects left languishing from the previous administration,” said NJ TRANSIT Executive Director Kevin Corbett. “The completion of this bridge project plays a critical safety role in separating vehicles from the freight trains in North Bergen.”
The 69th Street Bridge and Roadway Improvements Project provides a grade separation at the intersection of 69th Street and an existing freight railroad corridor in the town of North Bergen. This grade-crossing consists of five existing railroad tracks owned by CSX Transportation (CSXT) and one existing track owned by the New York Susquehanna and Western (NYS&W) railroad.
The completion of this project plays a vital role in improving the traffic flow in an already heavily-congested area. Additionally, the grade separation project includes related roadway improvements and area storm water drainage.
The township is holding a free rabies clinic on Thursday, Feb. 21, 2019 at the EMS building, 1812 43rd St. (corner of 43rd Street and Tonnelle Avenue).
Licenses can only be issued with a rabies vaccination certificate. The license fee is $8 if spayed/neutered or $11 if unaltered. Cash, checks or money orders will be accepted. Checks must be made payable to the Township of North Bergen.
Contact the North Bergen Health Department at (201) 392-2084 for further information.
The North Bergen school reorganization plan of acquiring the former High Tech High School site to build a new joint High School campus, making major renovations and reducing class sizes district-wide has been delayed.
“The current proposal is not only bad for North Bergen, it is dangerous to the children who have to walk and commute too a school on Tonnelle Avenue,” writes Wainstein. “Under the cloak of darkness, Sacco held an election in the middle of December to approve $60 million in school bonds.”
The lawsuit claims the election was not properly noticed, but that was denied in the judge’s ruling.
“We know Larry Wainstein clearly doesn’t care about our schools because his children live with him in Franklin Lakes and don’t attend them,” said Freeholder Anthony Vainieri, the Chairman of the Sacco Team 2019 Campaign. “This lawsuit has no basis in reality and the only thing Wainstein will accomplish with it is making our kids wait months longer for these important school improvements to be made.”
“We are preventing North Bergen from illegally absconding with $60 million dollars in funds,” says Wainstein’s attorney Mario Blanc. “The referendum was unclear, illegally done, and in violation of all the bonding laws in the State of New Jersey.”
Hudpost 