IRVINGTON - Township residents and visitors may have seen more police officers around Memorial Park and some other specific areas as early as July 14.
They may have to wait for intended intersection surveillance cameras to be installed, however, and will still have to make an appointment with township officials to air problems and complaints.
The above findings are what came out of Irvington's department head and council meetings at the municipal building July 13. The twice monthly Tuesday night sessions allows citizens to ask questions to the likes of Council President John Sowell, Police Director Joseph Santiago and other key township officials.
They fielded questions from 11 public speakers who came from the council chamber gallery. Several spoke at both sessions and also took part in a property tax protest outside the municipal building 6:30 - 7 p.m.
The 27 protesters included 10 who also put up pickets across University Place during Mayor Wayne Smith's inauguration and council reorganization meeting July 1.
The picketers say that township services are declining while property taxes have risen 7.8 to 17 percent. That theme ran through several speakers' comments.
"I've been a resident here for some time," said Harry Perry at the council meeting. "I've also looked at Plainfield and Maplewood to headquarter my business. When I look at a prospective town, I look at the business district."
Perry, who is a Rotary Club member, got to the cleanliness of the Springfield Avenue business district. He said that the corridor's public trash cans are left to overflow over the weekends. Perry added that adults are publicly drinking alcohol, littering and excreting their waste in the park and in front of the avenue's senior center.
"It's getting to where I can't take my daughter out to Memorial Park," said Perry. "Why can't we do like what Plainfield and Maplewood do?"
"We could get some officers over to the park tomorrow," replied Santiago. "Some of the officers who were assigned to quality of life were used in a six-week narcotics task force. Now that the task force is done, we can transfer them back."
Both Sowell and Councilwoman-at-Large Lebby C. Jones, at the council meeting, responded to trash pickup.
"There are times," said Sowell, "where the trash collectors are picking up. The trash cans get refilled as soon as they're done with their shift."
Jones stressed personal responsibility in her comments.
"I'm a home owner and I pick up litter," said Jones. "I believe that the people who east here and leave chicken bones and sandwich wrappers and bottle and cans behind are people from other towns. We each have to help each other by picking up. 'I didn't drop it,' is not an excuse."
Another resident, who said he recently moved from New York City, complained that vacant houses across from his two near 21st and 22nd streets have become magnets for congregating youth and drug dealers.
"I feel like I'm living in 'The Hood' again," said the young man. "Now you're raising my property taxes $1,000. I feel like you're setting me up to take my property."
"I live near where you are," said East Ward Councilman Quinzell R. McKenzie. "See me after the (council) meeting."
"I've lived here 30 years and now I'm regretting the move," said a third resident. "The houses either side of me have become vacant and maybe abandoned. There's gang graffiti on either side, there's drug dealers coming in and out and they tried to enter my house by getting on the garage roof. I don't think I can sell my house."
"Are the dealers selling in the house or in front," asked Santiago. "Can you describe who comes in?"
"They're not dealing in the houses but they're up and down the street," said the resident. "White people, black people, oriental people, young and old, come in their cars."
Santiago said he would add a patrol in the neighborhood.
Santiago and Sowell said that there was a line item in the expired municipal budget to install cameras.
"It's more than buying cameras," said Santiago. "It's buying a whole surveillance system."
"We had a line item there but state funds were cut," said Sowell. "We're looking into federal grants."
Sowell said that the seven police officer vacancies made in the outgoing budget were filled by academy recruits.
"We had 11 officers retiring at $100,000 salary each and seven new officers coming at $30,000," said Sowell. "That means that we were out seven officers for six weeks. We're seeing whether this affects any Urban Enterprise Zone grants."
Howard Essen, Jr. asked the department heads and council members why he has to make an appointment with township officials. He had been asking about illegal skyrockets being fired July 3-5 and of a suspected abandoned car that has apparently not been moved in two weeks. Cars with valid registration must be moved in Irvington for street cleaning purposes at least once every 72 hours.
"This' something that's up to the administration," explained Sowell. "They're the ones who set the department heads' hours. The administration has its policies; we're in the legislative branch."
July 13's protesters have meanwhile scheduled a community meeting for 7 p.m. July 26 at Greater New Point Church, 60 Paine Ave.
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written by Matthew Macon, July 24, 2010
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written by Craig, August 26, 2010
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