N.J. Supreme Court won’t hear $2 million tax case out of Jersey City

JERSEY CITY — The New Jersey Supreme Court last week declined to weigh in on a lower court’s ruling that requires Jersey City to repay $2 million to the developer behind a failed tower project in Journal Square.

An appellate panel in August ruled that it was grossly unfair for the city to take the $2 million — a prepayment of the payments-in-lieu-of-taxes the developer planned to owe the city — and it need to be given back. New Jersey Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner said on Jan. 14 the decision would not be reviewed by the state’s highest court.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/nj-s ... e-out-of-jersey-city.html

New Jersey-New York area lost 5,700 millionaires in 2018

David M. Zimmer, North Jersey Record Published 3:08 p.m. ET Jan.

The New Jersey area lost thousands of millionaires in 2018, even as their ranks grew worldwide. 

A tumultuous year for global stock markets and federal and state tax changes are responsible, experts say.

The New Jersey-New York population center that encompasses New York City, Jersey City and Newark last year lost more than 5,700 of its high-net-worth individuals with liquid assets of $1 million to $30 million, according to a new report from research firm Wealth-X.

Debra Taylor of Taylor Financial Group in Franklin Lakes said she has been advising many of her wealthy New Jersey clients to set up residency in other states. The loss of unlimited state and local tax deductions for the 2018 federal tax year is drastically elevating the metro area's already high cost of living for some, she said.

https://www.northjersey.com/story/news ... ionaires-2018/2605414002/

N.J. councilman pleads not guilty to harassing campaign worker

HOBOKEN — Jersey City’s council president, Rolando Lavarro, pleaded not guilty in municipal court Thursday morning after being accused of harassment by someone who worked for a rival campaign last year.

Rampaul Guyadeen, 58, a Jersey City man who has worked behind-the-scenes for local politicians, alleges Lavarro confronted him outside School 23 on Election Day and told him “I’m going to f*** you up” when their dispute escalated.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/nj-c ... sing-campaign-worker.html

Jersey City cop unions plead with Fulop not to ax off-duty jobs

JERSEY CITY — The city’s police unions are threatening legal action if Mayor Steve Fulop dismantles the program that allows cops to work off-duty jobs.

Fulop vowed last February to phase out the program after a string of cops admitted using it as part of a criminal conspiracy.

In a letter sent to police precincts on Wednesday, Jersey City Police Officers Benevolent Association President Carmine Disbrow and Bobby Kearns, head of the Jersey City Police Superiors Association, say the matter will land in court.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/jers ... -to-ax-off-duty-jobs.html

Chaos at Jersey City mall as shot fired

Jersey City council votes to take away — yes, take away — a tax break

JERSEY CITY — Jersey City’s council did something stunning on Wednesday. It took away a tax break from a Downtown real estate developer.

Under its last two mayors, the city has approved tax abatements for nearly every developer who asked for one, unless they are related to President Trump. But Mayor Steve Fulop, who asked the council to rescind the tax break, characterized the move as a fulfillment of his 2013 promise to curtail tax long-term abatements.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/jers ... ake-away-a-tax-break.html

McGreevey fired as head of Jersey City job, prisoner re-entry nonprofit

JERSEY CITY — Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who was hired nearly six years ago to run a nonprofit that manages Jersey City’s job training and prisoner re-entry program, was fired at a special meeting of the nonprofit’s board on Monday night.

The nine-member board of the Jersey City Employment and Training Program voted 5-3-1 in favor of terminating McGreevey at the tail end of a meeting that ran over two hours and featured pro-McGreevey testimonials from nearly 30 people crowded inside in a conference room in JCETP’s Martin Luther King Drive office, called Martin’s Place.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/mcgr ... r-re-entry-nonprofit.html

Man pleads guilty for his role in NYC party death

Murphy staffer accused of rape told his boss it was consensual

Albert J. Alvarez, the former official in Gov. Phil Murphy’s administration accused of sexually assaulting Katie Brennan during the 2017 campaign, told his boss before resigning in October that he was being falsely accused of rape and the encounter was consensual.

Lizette Delgado-Polanco, CEO of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority and Alvarez’s former boss, testified before a special legislative committee Tuesday that Alvarez abruptly submitted his resignation in person on Oct. 2.

https://www.nj.com/politics/2019/01/mu ... ss-it-was-consensual.html

3 Ways To Avoid Shoveling Snow In New Jersey

Read some snow slaying suggestions for NJ senior citizens, disabled residents, tech lovers and people who simply hate to shovel.

By Eric Kiefer, Patch Staff | Jan 7, 2019 9:00 am ET | Updated Jan 7, 2019 9:30 am ET

In Jersey City, the municipal "JC Shovels" program uses volunteer power to help seniors with low incomes and disabled homeowners with snow removal. (Learn how to sign up or volunteer here)

https://patch.com/new-jersey/hoboken/3 ... shoveling-snow-new-jersey

Jim McGreevey’s career in Jersey City may end Monday

Former Gov. Jim McGreevey’s nearly six-year tenure as the head of Jersey City’s prisoner re-entry program may come to an end as soon as Monday, with McGreevey scheduled to face a hostile board of directors that may determine his fate.

McGreevey, the embattled chief of the nonprofit Jersey City Employment and Training Program, has been told its nine-member board may discuss actions that could “adversely impact” his employment, sources with knowledge of the communication have told The Jersey Journal. That’s a sign that suspension or termination for the ex-governor may be on the horizon.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/jim- ... -city-may-end-monday.html

Mayors' texts, emails show little communication during chaotic snowstorm

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, whose eyes are usually glued to his phone when he’s not speaking to someone in person, sent not one work email or text during the Nov. 15 snowstorm that created citywide gridlock.

Same for Jimmy Davis, the mayor of Bayonne, where the storm led to a complete closure of the Bayonne Bridge for more than five hours. North Bergen Mayor Nicholas Sacco, whose township includes steep hills that are treacherous for drivers during the mildest of storms, also sent no emails or texts. Ditto for Union City Mayor Brian Stack.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/mayo ... ng-chaotic-snowstorm.html

Did Jersey City killer want to apologize to victim’s family? ‘No sir,’ he tells judge

JERSEY CITY — The court case that included a mistrial, a contempt charge, and an 11th hour guilty plea ended Thursday when a 26-year-old Jersey City man was sentenced to eight years in prison for killing a man inside an illegal gambling joint in 2015.

In October, DeAndre Thomas pleaded guilty to aggravated manslaughter for fatally shooting Davonte Carswell, 23, on Nov. 15, 2015, inside a bodega that doubled as an illegal gambling joint on Ocean Avenue in Jersey City.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/did- ... o-sir-he-tells-judge.html

For six years, Jersey City schools chief was at center of conflict

JERSEY CITY — Over the last six years, Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles has been one of the city’s most divisive public officials, a woman lauded by her supporters as someone who cares only for making public education work for all Jersey City children, but vilified by critics as a cold, calculating interloper.

Lyles’ tenure is coming to an end, with the school board voting Wednesday to say they will not rehire her when her contract expires in 2020. Speaking to education advocates about the board’s action illustrates how deep the divide is when it comes to Jersey City’s schools chief.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/for- ... t-center-of-conflict.html

McGreevey alleges he is victim of Fulop retaliation

JERSEY CITY ? Former Gov. Jim McGreevey, who is potentially on his way out as chief of Jersey City’s prisoner re-entry program, alleges he is the victim of retaliation by Mayor Steve Fulop and is threatening to file a lawsuit against Fulop if he is fired.

In a Jan. 3 letter to Fulop, McGreevey attorney Michael Critchley said any termination of McGreevey as executive director of the Jersey City Employment & Training Program would violate New Jersey’s whistleblower act. The “apparent basis” for Fulop punishing McGreevey, Critchley claims, is McGreevey’s termination of a Fulop operative from JCETP last year.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/mcgr ... M_iI3wVo-0_hid5l7NfVApubQ

Kushner firm wins records dispute against Jersey City

JERSEY CITY — A Hudson County judge ruled Friday that the Fulop administration must hand over documents requested by Kushner Companies related to the developer’s stalled Journal Square project, a plan that is at the center of a separate legal proceeding in federal court.

Judge Francis B. Schultz’ five-page decision, which also slaps Jersey City for not devoting enough resources to answering public-records requests, comes as the administration faces renewed criticism over its transparency.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2019/01/kush ... -against-jersey-city.html

The 18 most popular New Jersey bars of 2018

Jersey City police will be at DWI checkpoints this weekend

'Tis the season -- to drink and have a good time.

That's fine, Jersey City police say, as long as you don't get behind the wheel afterward. To make sure people aren't driving when they've had one too many, police will have sobriety checkpoints in the city this weekend, Jersey City spokeswoman Ashley Manz said.

As part of the Jersey City Comprehensive Traffic Safety Program, the police department has been awarded the state Division of Highway Traffic Safety Grant in the amount of $28,440, to be used for initiatives such as sobriety checkpoints.

https://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index ... ty_police_will_be_at.html

Jersey City Approves New Contract for Police Benevolent Association Through 2025 Impacting Nearly 700 Officers  

These are NYC’s biggest rental landlords

The Top 10 New Skyscrapers of 2018

• 09:00 - 25 December, 2018
• by Niall Patrick Walsh

5: The Ellipse / Arquitectonica with Haines Lundberg Waehler

5: The Ellipse / Arquitectonica with Haines Lundberg Waehler. Image © Royce Douglas

Location: Jersey City, USA
Height: 444 ft (135m)

https://www.archdaily.com/908226/the-top-10-new-skyscrapers-of-2018

Surprise in Jersey City at biz district suing over new tax

JERSEY CITY — When the lawsuit aimed at stopping Jersey City’s new business tax dropped last week, the name of one of the 14 plaintiffs raised some eyebrows.

The Exchange Place Alliance – a partially tax-funded business district created by the City Council in 2016 – joined with Mack-Cali and others in suing the city, the state of New Jersey, the council and two city officials over the tax, saying it violates the state constitution.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/surp ... t-suing-over-new-tax.html

Council approves new biz district in Jersey City after 4-hour hearing

JERSEY CITY — The City Council approved the creation of a tax-funded business district on the West Side on Wednesday after a four-hour hearing that included emotional pleas from business owners urging the council to halt the plan.

The council adopted the measure by a 7-1 vote, with only Council President Rolando Lavarro voting no. The district, known as a special improvement district and funded with a new tax on all commercial properties inside its boundaries, will be the city’s seventh. Proponents say the SID will pay for added security, litter cleanup and marketing, among other items.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/coun ... after-4-hour-hearing.html

Post-midnight, Jersey City council ends nine-month Polish statue mess. Finally.

JERSEY CITY — The Katyn statue controversy, which spanned nine months, was the focus of hours of clamorous public debate and caused a bit of an international incident between the mayor and the Polish Senate president, finally come to an end on Thursday at 1:16 a.m. when the City Council voted to … keep the statue exactly where it’s been for nearly 30 years.

It was the second time Mayor Steve Fulop’s now-scuttled plan to relocate the monument kept council members on the dais past midnight: a hearing at their June 13 meeting did not end until nearly 3 a.m. City officials were exhausted when the statue discussion began early Thursday, six hours after the council meeting began, and their frustration showed.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/post ... -statue-mess-finally.html

Jersey City cop arrested after pursuit: police

A 50-year-old Jersey City police lieutenant was arrested by New Jersey State Police early Friday morning after leading police on a chase, according to a state police spokesman.

Michael Dillon, of Neptune, was pulled over on Interstate 195 in Upper Freehold Township in Monmouth County. Dillon was charged with moving violations and released, the spokesman told The Jersey Journal.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/jers ... after-pursuit-police.html

Jersey City man admits to killing wife and 4-year-old son in 2015

A Jersey City man faces decades in prison after pleading guilty Thursday to killing his wife and their 4-year-old son in their Jersey City home in 2015.

Jose Ronald Santos-Alvarez, 29, admitted to the murder of his son, Christopher Potoczniak, and the aggravated manslaughter of his wife, Monika Potoczniak, inside the family’s Lincoln Street home on Oct. 7, 2015.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/jers ... year-old-son-in-2015.html

Mack-Cali Unveils $75-Million Harborside Renovations

Standout features include Pulaski Skyway panorama photography displays, new indoor pedestrian routes, and refinished lounge areas with an industrial motif.

Construction underway for Jersey City’s Journal Squared

Citi Bike Jersey City offering $5 monthly memberships for food stamp recipients

JERSEY CITY — Citi Bike Jersey City will offer $5 monthly memberships to any city resident who receives food stamps, part of an effort to boost ridership among the city’s low-income residents.

The $5 monthly cost is the same discount given to residents of Jersey City’s public housing buildings. Normally annual memberships are $169, or about $14 a month.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/citi ... ood-stamp-recipients.html

Bayfront contract widens divide between Fulop, Lavarro

JERSEY CITY — A Facebook post from Jersey City Councilman Rolando Lavarro on Wednesday that is critical of a no-bid contract awarded by the city’s redevelopment agency has led to another flare-up in Lavarro’s feud with Mayor Steve Fulop.

Fulop last month denied he and Lavarro were at odds, but the mayor’s spokeswoman on Wednesday responded to Lavarro’s post by saying the councilman “is either confused or he is dishonest” and confirming Fulop is dumping Lavarro from the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency board. Lavarro said he was only attempting to “raise the bar” for governmental transparency.

https://www.nj.com/hudson/2018/12/bayf ... etween-fulop-lavarro.html