The Englewood Report: Thank you Senator Weinberg for consenting to this interview with us at The Englewood Report. During the last few contentious months, you have demonstrated a political stature that clearly doesn't come from the Bergen County Democratic machine, but from the strength of your relationship with the majority of voting Democrats.  It must be gratifying to know that you held  "... a commanding lead over organization-endorsed opponents."

Hence, our first question: before April 12, Joe Ferriero's handpicked Senate candidate impugned your ethics.  During that same period, you were quoted as saying, "We're going to beat the bosses, we shall not be moved." Yet, on April 12, The Record reported that you moved to the boss's line without dealing "a significant defeat for the chairman." Do you disagree with The Record's assessment?

Senator Loretta Weinberg: We never gave up the fight!  Our opponents withdrew!

I met with Mr. Ferriero on the morning of April 11th when he stated that the three BCDO candidates would withdraw from the race.  We did not accept that endorsement until we met with our Union supporters that very afternoon, and in that same evening with our local supporters and candidates. There was a consensus that we had just won the election 54 days before election day! There was also a majority opinion that we should not give up our Real Bergen Democrat line and that our resources could then be better directed to our local Mayor and Council candidates in Englewood and Bergenfield. 

So our decisions were made collectively.  With all due respect to the Record, we did deal a significant defeat to the Chairman.  In fact it was the third straight defeat that the group that who became the Real Bergen Democrats handed to Mr. Ferriero.  The first was the convention and subsequent court fight which enabled me to become the Senator from our great district; the second was the bylaws defeat at the County Committee meeting; and the third was our never bowing to his demand to drop one of my Assembly colleagues resulting in his organization folding their opposition.  Of course, the fourth was our great victory in the June primaries in Englewood with Charlotte Bennett Schoen's victory and in Bergenfield with the great win of Timothy J. Driscoll, Bruce Carlson and Barry Doll.   These wins were proudly accomplished on our Real Bergen Democratic line, with our unqualified and very public endorsements and resources.

This battle was always about Joe's demand to substitute one of us with Ken Zisa.  We withstood his demands, threats of a primary, and promises of an endorsement until they read their own polls and decided to give up their opposition.  This became the simple fact:  we just had no opposition candidates against us.

To sum up, this was a collective decision not made in a vacuum.  We won other battles in Englewood and Bergenfield.  We are ready for the future if we work together to improve our local Democratic Party, to make it more open and inclusive, to support the very best candidates, and the ideals we represent.  We can only do that with your support!

The Englewood Report: You point to your victories both here and in your recent politicsnj.com interview. But some of your supporters seem disappointed that, as one blogger put it, you did not "go in for the kill" against the Boss and his pay-to-play machine. Rather, you have opted to  "..continue lobbying within my party to change some of the ways we do business" and "continue lobbying against the kind of excessive pay to play that I've seen going on." 

Senator Weinberg, you have experienced firsthand how pay-to-players viciously attack anyone who challenges their right to win and profit from their gravy train. How do you envision the process by which "lobbying" them will effect reform?  And, assuming you succeed, what would post-reform political funding look like?

Senator Weinberg: County Committee members (a man and a woman from each election district in the County) are chosen every other year in their respective party primaries.  It is those 1100 (plus or minus) folks who elect the County Chair and our other party leaders. That election will be held in June of 2008 for a two year term.  Those terms were not up for election in this 2007 primary.  Those who think we should have "gone for the kill" must help win at that grass roots committee level in order to fundamentally change our party in next year's primary.   So that's where we begin the basic change.

Meanwhile, I will continue working along with others to get local pay-to-play ordinances adopted or put on the ballot for referendum as we are petitioning to do in Teaneck.   How about lobbying for a good ordinance in Englewood?   I will continue to work within my legislative caucus to tighten up the laws in this area.  And I hope we will join together next year to recapture the grass roots of our party.  That is an opportunity which just didn't exist in this year's election.

Yes, I (and my running mates) have experienced first hand the attacks from the pay-to-play bosses.  But we have withstood those attacks because others were willing to stand with us.  Labor unions, environmentalists, women's groups, gay and lesbians, and many other progressives joined the battle.   Remember, no one is a boss unless others allow him (or her) to be.  

The Englewood Report: Clearly, you have emerged from this primary season with great prestige and even greater political capital.  How involved will you be in leading the effort to attract and elect the reform-minded municipal committee candidates that you see as necessary to "fundamentally change" the Bergen County Democratic Organization?

Senator Weinberg: I, along with my Assembly colleagues Gordon Johnson and Valerie Vaineri Huttle, will be very involved in trying to attract reform minded folks to assume roles in the structure of our Party.  We know that the Real Bergen Democrats will also be working to win primaries for new grass roots activists, just as they did this year in Bergenfield and Englewood.  The Bergen County Democratic Organization should not represent the worst of the pay-to-play interests.  Together, we need to recapture our party and that's just what we will do!

The Englewood Report: Thank you, Senator Weinberg. For more information, readers can contact the 37th District legislative team by calling (201)541-1118 or by visiting their Englewood offices at 1 Engle Street, Suite 104.

We take note of the passing of Byron Baer, one of Englewood’s more prominent residents. Baer represented Englewood in the State Assembly and Senate for 34 years. Before achieving higher office, Baer had been a major leader in the fight for Englewood's public housing during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a champion of the underdog, working actively for civil rights and the rights of migrant workers. Baer will probably be best remembered as the author of New Jersey’s Open Public Meetings Act, commonly referred to as the "Sunshine Law." A full obituary appears in the June 25 issue of the Record.

Prior to the June 5 Primary Election, we suggested that "it would be hard to overstate the importance" of the Democratic Primary contest in Englewood’s Second Ward between incumbent Councilwoman (and City Council President) Charlotte Bennett Schoen and her challenger, Marvin Anhalt. Schoen’s decisive victory in that contest has indeed immense significance, in that it eliminates any uncertainty over the control of the City government by reform Democrats. After four successive June primary wins, the party faction opposed to control by County Democratic boss Joseph Ferriero has now solidified a 4-1 majority on the City Council, sufficient to override any veto by Ferriero ally Mayor Michael Wildes. But where do we go from here?

The Council’s top priority must be to hire and install a new City Manager. The City government is operating at a satisfactory level at present with an interim manager in place while the search for a new permanent manager proceeds. But major new initiatives will involve the commitment of the new manager and are thus likely to await his/her completing a period of orientation. When the time comes, this newsletter would like to see the City leadership signal a new era by declaring a moratorium on all further municipally-involved development projects until a thorough evaluation has been made of those already under way. This evaluation should consider both planning and financial factors, and it should have both expert and public input.

Considering all the construction already under way or approved, from the massive Flatrock Square development, to the John Grieco School, to the new firehouse, such a moratorium might seem like shutting the barn door after the horse is stolen. But it would signal to the public that their elected officials are taking back control of their City. There is a widespread sense among our citizens that too much control has been ceded to the developers and their political allies.

The Englewood Report's website went live on February 20.  Since then, we've published nearly 40 articles, including our very first podcast and video.

We began tracking our web traffic in mid-April and since then, we've had over 3500 visitors. This is due to our distribution network: YOU!

Last week, BlogNetNews.com ranked The Englewood Report #14 on its list of New Jersey's "Top 20 Most Influential Political Blogs." And just this week, CSSClip.com, a gallery of "inspired web designs," featured The Englewood Report on its front page, where it is currently the highest rated website.

Our mission still stands: "to inform Englewood citizens about matters of concern which may not appear in the commercial press and to stimulate public interest in these matters." With your help, we can continue to deliver on our mission. If you appreciate this free service, please consider making a donation to The Englewood Report. Your contribution allows us to run this site and provide you with the kind of reporting and commentary you've come to expect.

The public realm has to inform us not only where we are geographically, but it has to inform us where we are in our culture, where we’ve come from, what kind of people we are — and by doing that, it needs to afford us a glimpse of where we’re going in order to allow us to dwell in a hopeful present. 

Think about those young men and women in places like Iraq spilling their blood in the sand and ask yourself what is their last thought of home?  I hope it’s not the curb cut between the Chuck E. Cheese and the Target store. - James Howard Kunstler

The rush to convert Englewood into CondoBankMallville has stalled somewhat as the overheated market, over-leveraged developers and oversold taxpayers are cooling to the process.  Exacerbating the costs to residential taxpayers is the continuing granting of variances to projects that take properties off the tax rolls and the special deals given to politically-connected developers.

And what of the stewardship of keystone community assets?

One prominent leader objects to restoring the decimated Little League field at McKay Park while he led the Opening Day Parade to it.

I recommend that policymakers seek both to have non-residential property owners pay their fair share of taxes and  have the City invest in the stewardship of shared community assets.  While this may run counter to the goals of special interests, this is the kind of leadership that supports the common public interest. 

The one thing that market forces won't  change is the trend towards increasing energy costs and decreasing social capital.  Irreplaceable shared community assets like our trees, parks, playgrounds, historical and architecture assets, nature and performing arts centers will become even more important for Englewood in the future.  As a community of neighbors and citizens who live together, we ignore our responsibility to steward these shared assets at the peril of our quality of life.  Let me explain.

The era of open roads, convenient commutes and limitless carbon emissions is over. More and more, the most viable alternative is to stay local — for agriculture, work, recreation, education, health and professional services.

The era of diverse daily, local interactions of neighbors is almost gone. In Bowling Alone: America's Declining Social Capital, Robert D. Putnam traces the continuing decline of civic interaction and "social capital." Americans are becoming increasingly multitasked, segmented and solipsistic, separately confronting our own challenges and seeking our own comforts.   Be it just bonding to Fox News or Comedy Central, the internet, iPod headphones or, perhaps eventually, "virtual reality helmets," Americans are increasingly chosing input to reinforce, not diversify, our individual politics, beliefs and interactions.  A city becomes a community of more than individuals by increasing its social capital.  This happens by working to expand and diversify our social, intellectual, informational and relational networks. The vitality of our public realm is key to making that happen.  It's where we find diverse opportunities to expand the reservoir of spirit, excitement and goodwill necessary for a city to thrive both socially and economically.

If our city is to be more than a site for sleeping, taxing and selling, it will require the stewardship of the "public realm."

What are some of Englewood's keystone public assets and what are the factors preventing their proper stewardship?  I will examine these in my next column.

The following was written by former President of the John Harms Center Norman Davis.

The building at 30 North Van Brunt Street in Englewood, which is today the Bergen Performing Arts Center, has an inspiring history. Built in the 1920s as a palace for vaudeville and silent movies, it had fallen on hard times and was threatened with demolition just fifty years later. In 1976, an eccentric Bergen County impresario named John Harms identified the theater's hall as having exceptional acoustics and decided to acquire it. Consequently, Harms spent the remainder of his life asking for contributions and selling tickets on the telephone. Eventually, he was able to put together a board of directors, raise enough money to save the building and begin presenting prestigious musical performers on its stage. I will never forget how awesome it was when Harms brought the famous Russian conductor, Rostropovich and his National Symphony Orchestra, to perform on the stage in Englewood. Somewhere, there's a picture of John Harms wearing his 1920s coonskin coat, having spent the evening outside collecting tickets because he couldn’t afford to hire somebody else to do it.

When I joined the board in 1980, the finances were still very much touch and go, and John’s management style left something to be desired. If it hadn’t been for the considerable efforts of my remarkably able and self-effacing fellow board member Berta Lewin, I doubt the theater would have survived. But survive it did, and following John’s death, we hired our first professional manager, strengthened the board and organized the first annual Griffin Ball to raise funds. An especially traumatic moment occurred when the manager walked into the theater one day after a heavy rain and found that the plaster on one of the theater's walls had totally collapsed. Thankfully, the Bergen County Freeholders stepped in, delivering an emergency $100,000 appropriation to repair the damage.

But enough of ancient history. Let’s fast forward to the 1990s, when Englewood’s downtown and the John Harms Center itself were enjoying something of a renaissance. The Harms Board had become one of the most prestigious in the area, attracting many persons of substance. With an expanded budget, staff and program, the Board decided to raise funds and embark on an ambitious renovation. The expansion program aimed to create a world class cultural facility with state-of-the-art sound and lighting equipment. And that is exactly what they did at a cost of nearly $7 million. Unfortunately they overreached financially, and when contributions and ticket sales fell off after 9/11, the Harms Center was unable to pay its bills, forcing them to close its doors on April 14, 2003. Consternation is a mild word for the shock that was felt by the wide circle of people throughout northern New Jersey who had been patrons of the theater’s many programs, to say nothing of the impact on local businesses.

Enter Frank Huttle and his friends. To them, it was simply unthinkable that this world-class hall should be lost. Even before its doors were closed, plans were underway for its restoration. In short order, funds were raised, a new organization was formed, and the Harms debt was renegotiated with help from Bergen County. On August 23 of that year, the Bergen County Freeholders, chaired by Frank’s wife Valerie, met on the theater's stage and formally approved a $1.9 million loan, which enabled repayment of the Harms bank debt. That fall the theater reopened on a limited basis in its new incarnation as the Bergen Performing Arts Center. And then one year later, it was able to reopen with a full program and staff. To put all these pieces together required a truly extraordinary commitment of time, energy, imagination and determination. Today BergenPAC is Englewood’s crown jewel, the most prestigious cultural facility in northern New Jersey, and a major engine for cultural, educational and economic growth in the entire area.

Last week, the Bergen Record printed an editorial which proclaimed that the Bergen County Republican Party "...needed a leader as smart and pragmatic as the Democrats' Joe Ferriero." Here is Bob's reply, as printed in yesterday's Bergen Record:

“R.I.P. to the Bergen GOP” (Editorial, June 7) states that Bergen County Republicans need “a leader as smart and pragmatic as the Democrats’ Joe Ferriero.”

Really?

The Record has, up to now, put a priority on ethics in government, excoriating the pay-to-play corruption that has permeated and distorted our state’s public sector from top to bottom.

If Bergen County’s newspaper of record holds the view that winners in the pay-to-play game are worthy of emulation, then New Jersey truly is doomed to become no better than a Third World kleptocracy with indoor plumbing.

Record Columnist Mike Kelly asked if county Democratic boss Joe Ferriero and pay-to-players “have no shame” (“Have they no shame?” March 29).

Good question for your editorial board.

Robert Stern
Englewood, June 7

In our continuing attempt to bring you comprehensive resources on all things Englewood, we are putting together a Peoples' Timeline of key dates in Englewood history.  We solicit your help in making this document the most complete chronology of our history together. Please email us with your additions, which will be added to our Resources section.

A People's Timeline of Englewood History

1776 - In November, George Washington’s army passed by Liberty Pole (at today's Englewood Monument) in retreat, barely escaping encirclement by advancing British troops.

1859 - The Northern Railroad was extended to Englewood and Englewood was founded.

1890 - The Englewood Hospital opened and admitted its first patient.

1899 - Englewood was officially incorporated as a City.

1929 - May 27 - Anne Morrow and world famous aviator Charles Lindbergh were married at the newly constructed Morrow residence, Next Day Hill.

1931 - The George Washington Bridge was opened, facilitating rapid population expansion in Bergen County

1932 - The Englewood Community Chest was founded at the depth of the Great Depression. Its first Chair was Elizabeth Cutter Morrow.

1948 - Englewood resident Dick Button won an Olympic gold medal for figure skating (repeated in 1952).

1951 - The first direct dialed long-distance telephone call was made from Englewood to California.

1966 - Rev. Martin Luther King addressed the Englewood community on school segregation.

1967 - A "racial disturbance" in July shocked the community, getting Englewood into the national headlines.

1971 - Englewood elected its only African-American mayor, Rev. Walter Taylor, with 38% of the vote in a three-party contest. Democrats gained permanent political control and implemented a comprehensive public housing program.

1973 - The Englewood Nature Association (later renamed Flat Rock Brook Nature Association) was founded to supervise undeveloped largely woodland acreage in
Englewood’s southeast corner.

1976 - Impresario John Harms acquired the Englewood Plaza movie theater, permitting the growth of what is today the Bergen Performing Arts Center.

1978 - The Englewood Economic Development Corporation was founded, sparking a revival of the City’s then depressed downtown.

1979 - Englewood’s voters approved a new City Charter providing for a City Manager form of government.

1990 - Construction started on the Palisades Court shopping center, giving a major impetus to downtown revival.

2000 - Englewood’s voters approved a change from an appointed Board of Education to an elected one.

2002 - The Academies@Englewood was founded by Schools Superintendent Dr. John Grieco, triggering a major turnaround in the image and reality of Englewood’s Public
Schools.

No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place.
- Maya Angelou

For a week in July during the hot summer of 1967, the name of Englewood, New Jersey, was probably mentioned more often by the world news media than at any time before or since. The events of that week bring little credit to any of the participants, and the memories are not pleasant to recall. Nonetheless, the psychological fallout from that week was an important element in the profound social and political changes which Englewood underwent in the '60s and '70s.

What happened in Englewood was, according to the report of the Governor’s Select Commission, "a racial disturbance," not a race riot. But it happened at the same general time as far more serious events in Newark and, to a lesser degree, Plainfield, and thus was viewed similarly. To the media in Bergen County it was the story. Looking back, it is plain that the media coverage, more than the "disturbance" itself, had major long-term consequences.

Prior to July, 1967, Englewood had developed a comprehensive plan for riot control, involving assistance to its Police Department from the County Police as well as other departments throughout the County. As a result of events elsewhere and rumors locally, tension had been rising in Englewood and police presence were increased. On July 21, outside police were brought in and patrols started in the area surrounding a local bar on the corner of Jay and William Streets where young African-American men often congregated. According to the Commission's report, "several Englewood citizens who (later) testified...believe that the police buildup was the immediate cause of the disturbance."

At 8:30 PM that night an alarm went off in a food market on William Street, apparently because a stone had broken its window. About 30 persons gathered at the scene, and the police responded immediately. Within minutes, a 20-man line of police armed with four-foot riot sticks cordoned off Jay Street, dispersing the crowd. According to the report, from the time the police arrived, they were "heavily besieged by rocks and bottles." In response, additional police arrived and confronted the crowd, which had now grown at a new location near Mackay Park.

Englewood Mayor Austin Volk arrived and spoke to the crowd, but the confrontation continued. Rocks were thrown at police cars, street lights and store windows. In the process of attempting to disperse the crowd, several people, including seven policemen were injured. Looting took place at two markets in the area and several store widows were broken on Palisade Avenue. Four adults and one juvenile were arrested and charged with loitering. On the four subsequent nights, as the police continued to patrol the area, fire bombing, looting and vandalism took place, but there were no further major confrontations.

As these events were taking place, a hotly fought political campaign was under way, with housing the main issue. For decades, seriously substandard housing had existed in areas of the 4th Ward. Federal assistance had been sought and granted for its removal and for the relocation of its residents to new public housing, but only on the condition that a portion of the new housing be located outside the 4th Ward. Englewood's Republican leadership had rejected this condition, whereas their Democratic opponents supported a new site in the 2nd Ward which is today Rock Creek Terrace.

Whether as a consequence of the July events or despite them, in November of 1967, a Democratic majority was elected to the Englewood City Council for the first time since 1911. Action was begun to implement the new housing, but all the pieces had not been put in place when two years later the Republicans regained power under the leadership of Mayor Ned Feldman. Nonetheless, Feldman favored the Democratic housing plan, and defying his own party, successfully lobbied the Nixon Administration, which had by then withdrawn its support, to restore Englewood’s funding. This led to a split in the Englewood Republican Party in 1971 and, up to that point, the only three-way election in Englewood’s history. The Democratic candidate for Mayor, Rev. Walter Taylor, was elected with only 38% of the vote. Although it was not known at the time, local Republicans had permanently lost control in Englewood.

The 1967 "racial disturbance" also had a seriously negative effect on the downtown shopping district centered on Palisade Avenue. As a regional shopping center already threatened by the Paramus malls, Englewood could ill afford the loss of customers who feared for their safety. In fact, once the housing issue had been settled, the health of the business district became a major focus of the local political leadership. The effects of that focus can be seen in our booming downtown today.

Within four months of July 1967, the local Republican party had lost a city-wide election for the first time in decades. Within ten years, they had lost the 1st Ward and after Joan Meltzer was elected in the 2nd Ward in 1979, all four Wards were represented by Democrats. African-Americans were included in the City’s leadership structure after the 1967 election, and along with white Democrats, led the City down new paths leading to the present day. Not only was the housing problem dealt with, but since then economic blight has been alleviated or eliminated in certain areas. Since those turbulent times, economic investment, with or without official encouragement, has exploded in our downtown. And today Englewood is considered a mecca for families and businesses. Whether or not you approve of all the changes, those who remember the old days will have to grant that a major transformation took place in Englewood, and that maybe the events of that hot summer forty years ago hurried the transformation along.

Former Mayors Volk and Feldman are still extant and living in Englewood.

Until recently, Englewood Mayor Michael Wildes was seen as a rising star in Bergen County Democratic politics. However, a series of political setbacks in recent months has hurt his chances for political advancement. Following his reelection as Mayor last November, Wildes was announced as the Bergen County Democratic Organization's official candidate for the District 37 State Senate seat held by Loretta Weinberg. However, as a result of a deal brokered by Governor Corzine, County Democratic Chair Joseph Ferriero withdrew his support from Wildes, leaving Weinberg unopposed in the June 5 primary.

More recently, Wildes backed two candidates for the Englewood Board of Education, who were decisively defeated in the April school election. And on June 5, Wildes’ handpicked candidate for the City Council in his own 2nd Ward of Englewood, Marvin Anhalt, was defeated by incumbent Councilwoman Charlotte Bennett Schoen by a 55%-45% margin. As Mayor, Wildes has no vote on the five-person City Council under Englewood’s Charter, and his veto of Council actions can be overridden by a 4-1 majority. Thus, as the Council now stands, his influence is marginal.

His lack of clout was underlined by the recent City Council action to renegotiate an agreement with developer S. Hekemian Kasparian Troast LLC regarding the major new building project now starting south of Route 4. The rationale for this project had always been the attraction of substantial new tax income. However, the Wildes-dominated Planning Board had essentially agreed to the developer's demands for scaling it back, which then required intervention by the City Council to guarantee a fair return to Englewood taxpayers.

Prior to all these developments, Wildes had indicated an interest in running for the Ninth Congressional District seat in the U. S. House of Representatives held by former Englewood Mayor Steve Rothman. The rationale was that Rothman might run in 2008 for the U. S. Senate seat held by Frank Lautenberg, thus leaving a vacancy. However, as the political landscape stands, such ambition seems distinctly farfetched.

Councilwoman Charlotte Bennett Schoen defeated BCDO candidate Marvin Anhalt in yesterday's Democratic primary, 411 to 335. Meanwhile, Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire defeated Lt. Allen Gailes, 14,283 to 5,002.

Like the national Republican Party, the Bergen County Democratic Party has been illserved by the Party Machine dedicated to winning without principle. In Washington, the Machine is made up of special interests, cronies ("loyalists"), ideologues, manipulators and well-connected contractors. In Bergen County, Boss Ferriero's BCDO Machine has its political cronies, dirty tricksters, blatant self-seekers and pay-to-player contractors.

When the 37th District incumbents (Senator Weinberg, Assemblyman Johnson and Assemblywoman Huttle) split with the Bergen County Democratic Organization's pay-to-play machine, they were facing a slate of candidates selected by Boss Joe Ferriero.  The Weinberg team, calling itself “The Real Bergen Democrats,” headed a complete slate of candidates dedicated to the proposition that the County Democratic Party brand had to be reclaimed by those who believed in public service, not blatant self-service.

Early polling indicated that the Boss’s slate of legislative candidates was going to be trounced at the polls. Democratic voters knew and trusted Weinberg, not Ferriero or his substitute candidate. So there was a situation -- the Boss had the money and “The Real Bergen Democrats” had the stars.

So, in a tactical move, THE DEAL was somehow made: “The Real Bergen Democrat” team of Weinberg, Johnson and Huttle would be the supermodels heading the BCDO line and Weinberg, Johnson and Huttle would avoid the agita of raising money and pounding the pavement to win their spots in a contested primary.  THE DEAL was spun as the resolution to a “family squabble.” The BCDO pay-to-play machine was safe…for now.

Yet, THE DEAL now leaves courageous Real Bergen Democrats like Sheriff candidate Allen Gailes and reform municipal candidates like those in Bergenfield and Englewood appearing abandoned by the leaders who encouraged them to run.

As Senator Weinberg and her legislative team are now running unopposed in the June 5 Democratic primary, it is my opinion that the important votes to be cast are straight down the Real Bergen Democrats line in Column 1.

By casting votes in The Real Bergen Democrat column, the voters will be sending a message:  Democrats want to reclaim their brand, their principles and their honor from the political manipulators who have hijacked the party.

It would be hard to overstate the importance of tomorrow's primary election for Englewood's Second Ward Council seat. On the one hand is challenger Marvin Anhalt, who, as Chair of Englewood’s Planning Board, presided over one of the greatest tax giveaways in our history in the April decision regarding the Flatrock Square development. On the other hand is incumbent Charlotte Bennett Schoen, who, as City Council President, successfully negotiated with the developer to obtain significantly more reasonable terms for Englewood taxpayers. The irony is that Anhalt’s campaign literature portrays him as the fiscal conservative and his opponent as the spendthrift.

Expected to cost in excess of $200,000,000, the Flatrock Square development is the largest in the City’s history. Originally conceived as a major new tax ratable to relieve the pressure on our residential tax payers, its attractiveness in this regard was reduced when the Planning Board postponed indefinitely the office building requirement in 2005. In exchange, the Planning Board secured the developers' commitment to offer the residential units as condos instead of rental apartments. This year the Board dropped the latter requirement, essentially giving the developer, S. Hekemian Kasparian Troast LLC, what it asked for all along. Subsequently, the City Council was forced to step in to secure more favorable terms for Englewood taxpayers.

Under Englewood’s City Charter, the Mayor has sole power to appoint members of the Planning Board. Mayor Michael Wildes has used this power to appoint friends and donors, including Anhalt, who will do his bidding. Because four of the five current members of the City Council do not accept Wildes' leadership, the Planning Board by default has become his main power base. Schoen and her City Council allies have asserted independence from Wildes, especially since his alliance with County Democratic Boss Joe Ferriero last year. Because a mayoral veto can only be overridden by four of five council members, the election of Anhalt to the Council would effectively strengthen Wildes' political influence.