January 8, 2014 • www.theobserver.com • Vol CXXVI, No. 33
COVERING: BELLEVILLE • BLOOMFIELD
Adding but also taking
• EAST NEWARK • HARRISON • KEARNY • LYNDHURST • NORTH ARLINGTON • NUTLEY
Unhappy New Year for carjack suspect By Karen Zautyk Observer Correspondent
By Ron Leir Observer Correspondent NUTLEY – The Township has hammered out a new labor contract with its career firefighters’ unions, just in time for three new hires to enjoy the fruit of the unions’ labors … at the negotiating table, that is. From the union point of view, while some of those fruits will be sweet –pay raises totaling 8% over four years – others will taste sour, especially for new employees but some that will weaken existing contract provisions for old and new. More about that later. In the meantime, the Nutley Fire Department is happy to welcome its three new members – Ryan Lucas, Alan Nardiello and Michael Ferraro, all age 30 and all Nutley residents. Nutley hired the trio, only after having applied for – and getting – a federal SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Firefighter & Emergency Response) grant of $599,152 – sufficient to pay the salaries and fringe benefits for four firefighters for two years, with no local match required, according to Deputy Fire Chief Paul Cafone. Lucas, Nardiello and Ferraro made a state-certified appointment list that the state Dept. of Personnel issued in March see NEW HIRES page
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There reportedly were at least six people in the apartment at the time. Responding Officer Jay KEARNY – Ward was advised that the 26-year-old Newark suspect was armed with man was languishing a handgun and had stolen in the Hudson County jewelry, currency and a cell Jail after his arrest last week phone, Dowie said. by Kearny police in connecOne of the women in the tion with a home invasion apartment was taken at and carjacking. gunpoint to her parked car, a The suspect, Anthony 2009 Lexus, and was forced Lewis, was nabbed in Newark to turn over the keys and surby the KPD after a foot chase render the vehicle, in which across the Clay St. Bridge, the bandit then made his police said. He is being held getaway alone, Dowie said. on a dozen charges and Police issued a BOLO on $250,000 cash-only bail. the car, which Officer ThomIt was just a few hours into as Pontrella found abanthe New Year -- at 7 a.m., Jan. doned a short distance away, 1 -- when Kearny police reon Devon St. at Johnston Ave. ceived a report of the home near the Kearny-Harrison invasion on Tappan St. near pedestrian bridge. Devon St., where a man had Believing the suspect was “burst into” an apartment now fleeing on foot, the KPD, in a multi-family building. with the assistance of the Police Chief John Dowie said Harrison and East Newark it appears as if the invader had prior knowledge of the see CARJACK page victims and/or the residence.
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Photo courtesy KPD
Anthony Lewis
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Town rethinking ‘exempt’ pay package By Ron Leir Observer Correspondent
KEARNY – With Christmas in sight, Mayor Alberto Santos and the Town Council tried to bestow some gifts but to those for whom the presents were intended, the spirit of the occa-
sion felt more like the holiday Grinch. On Dec. 23, the governing body invited public comment on a previously introduced ordinance proposing to grant 2% pay raises – for 2014 only – to 13 “exempt” (managerial) employees unaffiliated with a union, three of whom hold
more than one job title. However, after hearing dissenting opinions from several of the employees who’d be the beneficiaries of the pay adjustment, the mayor and council agreed to table the ordinance pending further review. Just to be clear: the employees weren’t saying they didn’t
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want the increase – they were saying it didn’t go far enough. Their last increase came in 2011 but the governing body opted to give nothing for 2012 or 2013. Chief Financial Officer Shuaib Firozvi, among the see EXEMPT PAY page
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