West New York BOE hopeful goes off on ex-deputy mayor’s $20k raise

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West New York Board of Education candidate Ron Scheurle went off on Mayor Felix Roque and his administration at last week’s board of commissioners meeting for approving a $20,000 raise for Silvio Acosta, a former deputy mayor who is now the superintendent of the Department of Public Works.

[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XaWCsUAFXA&feature=youtu.be[/fve]

Scheurle, a retired town hall employee who is also the director of a local funeral home, began his public remarks by reading section 40A:9-154.1 of New Jersey Administrative Code, which pertains to the employment of adult crossing guards.

“Every adult school crossing guard shall be under the supervision of the chief of police or other chief law enforcement officer of the municipality where he is appointed and to perform his duties only in such municipality,” Scheurle paraphrased from the state statute.

“We have, in this town, the Department of Public Works addressing this situation, which is against state law. We have a man who is supposedly the superintendent of public works, putting people [crossing guards] out: what are we doing? Do we break every law?”

West New York Legal Counsel Monica E. de los Frios said the issue was a personnel matter and therefore could not be discussed during public session.

However, according to information obtained via an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request, Acosta, also a board of education trustee who is not seeking re-election this year, was granted a $20,000 raise – with his salary increasing from $104,145 to $124,154 – effective July 1.

The reason for his raise was simply listed as “additional duties” and now town officials didn’t provide any additional details on why the raise was granted, nor what additional responsibilities Acosta would be taking on.

In response to Scheurle, West New York Municipal Administrator Jamie Cryan said that local police department do not always oversee the appointment and distribution of crossing guards.

“Just to interrupt, I’m sorry for interrupting, but there are a large number of board of educations that actually run the crossing guards in the state.”

That answer didn’t sit well with Scheurle, who cut Cryan off before he could continue.

“The point is that the Department of Public Works should not be handling crossing guards, at all. It should be the police department or the police chief or the police director. That’s the person who should be handling this case and it’s … it’s sickening.”

Scheurle said the town’s decision is putting public safety at risk: “If one kid gets killed coming down there, it’s all on you. That’s murder as far as I’m concerned.”

Cryan later added that the town crossing guards recently received a new contract and are some of the most valuable employees on staff.

Back in September 2015, only Hudson County View reported that the board of commissioners unanimously approved a search committee to find Acosta’s successor as DPW superintendent.

However, the search committee of Mayor Felix Roque, DPW Commissioner Gabriel Rodriguez and a member of the public was never formed and therefore the plan to replace Acosta never came to fruition.


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13 COMMENTS

    • The rest of the commissioners are just like Roque – worthless, crooked and corrupt. Let’s remember, they voted for him to be mayor.

      The names and faces changed from his previous administration, but nothing else did. There is not an independent, principled one among them. Have we seen or heard any of them disagree with or oppose him since they were elected? Nope. They are “deplorable”.

  1. What else can we expect from the administration of Colonel Mayor Roque MD. How can any matter pertaining to the town be a personal matter? Crossing guards should be taken seriously and the town should make sure those working as such are capable and doing their job. Acosta gets another $20k and the other Colonel Mayor Roque MD henchmen Ruben Vargas who continues to be employed by the town drives in the WNYPA Jeep doing carpool drop offs to the High School. NO SHAME!

    • “Personnel matter” is their usual cop out when they don’t want to answer questions about Roque’s constant cronyism and his corrupt appointments. The lawyers are as bad as the rest of them. Citizens have a right to know, yet the public officials in this town spit in their faces.

      Acosta is a disgusting POS, just like his good buddy Felix. And of course, Vargas. Vargas and Acosta have done damn well in this dirty town for two lowlife ignoramuses who don’t even know how to speak English. Oh wait, I forgot. West New York is not really part of the United States. It is a mini Cuba dictatorship, with Roque and Acosta playing the Castro brothers. What a disgrace.

  2. Silvio Acosta deserves every dollar he gets from WNY, I have never seen a public employee so committed to doing what is best for his town. Go to City Hall and see how many people do nothing ALL DAY.

    • ROFLMAO! So why don’t they reveal just what duties Acosta performs for his ridiculous salary? We all know the answer. He does squat, just like the rest of them.
      Maybe Roque was paying Acosta for being on the BoE and now that he’s not running – because they all know he would never be elected – Roque has to find another excuse to give him money. So they all just vote him a $20,000 raise. He does not even deserve $20,000 as a salary, much less a raise.
      “Deplorable” — every last one of them.

    • You’re insane if you think Silvio breaks his b**** providing services for the town. He is an overpaid incompetent uneducation individual that can’t converse with others in a professional or educated manner. Open your eyes, open them wide.

    • Oh George…. Are u sharing the bong with that board of education candidate? Granted there are slackers in town hall, but most of them are newer hires brought on by your dead beat, low life hero Acosta and his buddy Felix. Vilma, Alex, Gina, to name a few. As for the rest of us, we work plenty but how the hell would you know because your sorry a$$ probably isn’t even out of bed yet.

    • Agree. Ron Scheurle really cares about this town and doing the right thing. He is knowledgeable and not afraid to speak out. The board of education needs independent voices like his.

      Get rid of Parkinson the putz – he will be Roque’s main henchman on the board now that Acosta is finally leaving. He wants to be mayor some day and is using the board of ed as his stepping stone.

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