The Jersey City Council voted for a closed session with Public Safety Director James Shea at last night’s meeting due to lingering concerns about the police and fire departments, as well as traffic enforcement.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
“ … I know we’ve been having a lot of discussions around public safety and Councilman Boggiano, Councilman Rivera have been asking for some meetings we said we would have am outside meeting,” Ward A Councilwoman Denise Ridley noted.
“Are we going to set up a meeting with public safety? Because I think everybody has a lot of questions. I know a lot of officers in ESU and I know we put them in our most dangerous situations … so are we going to have that sit down?”
Business Administrator John Metro said that he had already met with Ward C Councilman Rich Boggiano, a retired police detective, about his concerns, but a closed session was certainly possible as long as requirements for the Open Public Meetings Act are followed.
He further stated that it could be possible to do before the next council meeting on December 11th.
“If we do that, we would need a resolution,” City Clerk Sean Gallagher interjected.
“In the meantime, if the council would like to gather all their questions together this way, so there’s information available when they do meet,” Metro added.
Ward B Councilwoman Mira Prinz-Arey also said this meeting is long overdue.
“I’m also requesting this meeting. I know there have been multiple meetings requests, not just from myself but other council members, so it’s time we just address these issues once and for all,” she stated.
She noted they have received emails about public safety and traffic concerns, adding that “I do agree there is an enormous issue with traffic enforcement across the entire city,” specifically mentioning enforcement on John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Boggiano noted that he has an individual meeting with Shea and served with the Jersey City Police Department for 36 years before he retired.
“ … I’m tired of a lot of the stuff going on. And I want to present issues and facts and I hope the other council people back me when they meet with me, share the same views that I have,” he declared.
“The issues that were raised today are significant and persistent, and I agree that they need to be addressed by public safety. We need to find a way to bring the ARRIVE Together program, and I do want to motion for a closed session for the December meeting at 5 p.m.,” stated Ward D Councilman Yousef Saleh.
Ward E Councilman James Solomon said he concurred with his colleagues, while Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore said they should go back to the days when directors need to be reappointed for every mayoral term (four years).
Council President Joyce Watterman asked for clarity on if they would have to vote at the next meeting to have a closed session, to which Gallagher said the vote would have to take place tonight.
“We don’t have a resolution, so how can we do that to make sure we have a closed session? … We gotta get this done,” she asserted.
Metro jumped in by stating that a closed session is necessary to discuss sensitive information that cannot be disclosed publicly, before suggesting the council could make a motion to add a late item to the current agenda.
Saleh made a motion to add the closed meeting to the agenda, for a 5 p.m. start time prior to their regular 6 p.m. session on December 11th.
His motion was seconded by Councilwoman-at-Large Amy DeGise and passed unanimously (8-0), with Councilman-at-Large Daniel Rivera absent.
Council members, particularly Rivera and DeGise, have criticized Shea for not being available at caucus meeting and for he and his office being unresponsive.
Council talks tough. If I didn’t know better, I’d think there might be elections coming up
If anyone is looking to have a little fun, you can report me to the following Jewish pressure groups to see if they do anything with your report. Chances are they’ll just ignore your report.
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Anti-Defamation League
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I do not know why they think it is fine for Mayor Fulop to pop off on social media, fire persons for no lawful reason and defame them/destroy their life/cause lawsuits that the city has to pay for – I have never heard them tell him to handle employment issues confidentially.
Yet when HE is the problem, now they publically blame the safety director. The safety director does not deal with housing related matters.
The problem is there is the largest case of ticket fixing in US history going on at municipal court ie $5million a year estimate – housing code violations, fire code violations, rent control violations – and that goes back squarely to Fulop and Hudnut. Yet I do not see either of them being called to this meeting. The meeting should be open to the public and they need to stop covering up what the mayor is doing. At least one person who got their summons fixed is a Fulop campaign donor. When buildings fall apart, the tenants get illegally pushed out and then the mayor’s friends can bulldoze and build expensive high rises.
Then in terms of traffic safety, narrowing the roads and shutting down lanes to put other things in the road has caused continual traffic jams downtown. Those decisions were made by city council and not the safety director.
Then if city council had the authority to call this meeting, why didn’t they do it 2 years or 5 years ago, instead if pretending they do not see the problems. They are only calling it because it got to the point that the county and state are having to take over the city government.