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Thankful
for giving
firefighters
(by Adam Greenberg ,
Nov. 14, 2008)
CLIFTON – City firefighters and their families will once again give residents something to be thankful for – a holiday meal among friends.
For the 14th year in a row volunteer firefighters will be serving a free Thanksgiving dinner to City residents who need a place to go or a bit of financial help.
Anyone wishing to break bread with the firefighters and other City residents on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, must register before Nov. 20 by calling Ann Marie Lancaster at Fire Headquarters, 973-470-5802.
The event will be held at the Senior Citizen Center, 900 Clifton Ave. Doors will open at 10:30 a.m. and food will be served at 11:30 a.m.
The firefighters have thought of everything, including transportation.
At 10:15 a.m., a shuttle will arrive in front of Evergreen Manor, at 50 Sade St., and at 10:30 a.m., another shuttle will arrive in front of Senior Horizons at 714 Clifton Ave.
Recently-retired Deputy Fire Chief Thomas Lyons initiated the "feast" in the early 1990s. Last year, Lyons turned the reigns over to firefighter Antonio Latona and Deputy Fire Chief George Spies.
"I like getting involved," said Latona, "I also work the Christmas parade, Fire Prevention Week, Action Clifton [and other events.]"
Deputy Spies was unavailable for comment, and that’s to be expected, Latona said, adding with a laugh, "He refers to himself as the silent partner."
[Full Story]
Election
'record turnout
in Clifton'
(by Mollie Gray, Staff Writer
Nov. 14, 2008)
CLIFTON – While the majority of voters are registered Independent, the City showed it favored the Democrats on Election Day.
Thousands flocked to the polls last Tuesday, Nov. 4. Superintendent of Elections for Passaic County, Laura Freytes, said the day brought out a "record turnout" of voters and no voters were turned away.
In Clifton, 71 percent of the City’s 44,903 registered voters cast ballots, approximately 3,500 more than in the 2004 presidential election.
President-elect Barack Obama and Vice President-elect Joe Biden won 17,956 Clifton votes, while the Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and his running mate Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin received 12,741 votes.
In the race for the United States Senate seat, Democratic Incumbent Frank Lautenberg garnered 16,798 votes in Clifton, while 10,138 went to Republican candidate Dick Zimmer.
For election to the House of Representatives in the Eighth District, the Democratic Incumbent Bill Pascrell, Jr. garnered 18,943 City votes to Republican newcomer Roland Straten’s 8,553 votes.
City voters also re-elected incumbents Greyson Hannigan and Bruce James, both Democrats, to the Passaic County Board of Chosen Freeholders, beating Republican candidates Jerry Holt and Michael Marotta.
The figures for Clifton include 1,105 civilian and 26 military and overseas absentee ballots.
The total number of provisional ballots cast in Passaic County were 6,466, Freytes said, but the office was still checking voter registration records this week to ensure the ballots were legal. The number of provisional ballots cast in Clifton has not been tallied.
Though the primary candidates took the majority of Clifton votes, citizens did not forget the other party candidates on the ballot.
[Full Story]
Police look
into
university
incident
(by Albina Sportelli, Editor - November 14, 2008)
CLIFTON - A lubricated condom found on the doorknob of the Catholic Center at Montclair State University is being treated as a bias crime by Clifton and campus police.
The MSU Newman Catholic Campus Ministry Center's pastor found a lubricated condom on the doorknob center on Nov. 6, said Clifton police detective Capt. Robert Rowan. He said the incident occurred sometime between 9 and 10 p.m.
According to police reports, the priest told police the condom was found following campus-wide discussions on abortion and gay marriage.
Rowan said the priest considers the incident an attack on Catholic values.
"We are treating it as a biased crime and we, along with the campus police, are making periodic checks of that facility to be sure that no further incidents occur," Rowan said.
Condoms are distributed on campus to students.
The Newman Center's Web site reads: "College can be a stressful time... With so many things competing for your time and attention - as well as people who are challenging (and even rejecting) your beliefs, it can be hard sometimes..."
The Center, which is located on Valley Road, has been a part of the university for about 40 years, according to the Web site.
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Promenade through Clifton
Staff Photo/Pierfrancesco Baccaro
A number of shops in Route 3's newest shopping center, The Promenade Shops at Clifton, will hold grand openings today.
New upscale shopping center opens on Route 3
(By Mollie Gray, Staff Writer, Nov. 14, 2008)
CLIFTON – The sandy-colored clock tower rising above Route 3 belongs not to the Tick Tock Diner, but to the new Promenade Shops at Clifton, an outdoor upscale shopping mall and the latest retail center to add to the City’s commercial stock.
Three clothing stores - Chico’s, Joseph A. Banks and Coldwater Creek - will open to the public today. The grand opening will also kick off with a private luncheon at T.G.I. Fridays.
By Dec. 1, Massage Envy will be open and Avanti Moda shoes, Victoria’s Secret, Bath and Body Works, New York & Company, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Cosi have plans to open in the spring of 2009.
Other Promenade features include walkways, a 652-space on site parking lot with entrances and exits on Allwood Road and Route 3.
Construction of the 12-acre shopping center began in February and Stew Leonard’s Wines opened its doors in June.
This month’s grand opening comes at a time when both small and large retail stores are seeing declining profits and scaling back on production. Elizabeth Maheu, general manager for the Promenade Shops, said the state of the economy has delayed some stores from opening today, but the developer, The Briad Group, is still working on signing more leases.
The majority of the grand opening events will take place in the spring when the final shops are complete and ready to begin sales, Maheu said.
Stores are currently posting applications and the complex will yield between 150 to 500 jobs when it is fully leased, Maheu added.
[Full Story]
New clerk had election covered
Photo/Pierfrancesco Baccaro
Barbara Nagy is Clifton's new City Clerk
(by Mollie Gray,
Staff Writer - Nov. 14, 2008)
CLIFTON – In the days leading up to Nov. 4, newly-appointed City Clerk Barbara Nagy had the job of making sure eligible citizens could vote.
On Election Day she was in charge of making sure poll workers had the supplies they needed to accommodate the massive turnout of voters. If things weren’t in order, she was the first to know about it.
"We troubleshoot," Nagy said.
Her workday began about an hour before the polls opened and ended about two hours after they closed.
On other days, she oversees the records of important documents such as birth and death certificates, licenses, ordinances and City Council meeting agendas while fielding other inquiries, such as those for public records.
It’s a diverse role in a diverse community, and Nagy is no stranger to the City and the needs of its residents.
Nagy was raised in Clifton. She grew up in Botany Village and graduated from Clifton High School (CHS). She and her husband Adam have two kids, also CHS alumnae.
She was hired as a clerk typist at City Hall in 1984 and worked her way to deputy clerk and registrar under former City Clerk Richard "Dick" Moran, who retired after 20 years as the City’s "go-to" guy.
Nagy had been filling in as interim city clerk since April, until last month when she was appointed by the Council to take over the position permanently.
[Full Story]
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