By Ricardo Kaulessar- photo by Steve A. Mack 

If you don’t know who Mark Smith, James Davis and Anthony Zanowic are, then you are probably not aware of the upcoming Bayonne municipal election.

The three men are vying to get the most votes on May 13 to be propelled into the highest office in Hudson County’s southernmost city.

However, they are not the only ones on the ballot as there are candidates looking to represent each of the city’s three wards as well as two at-large seats on the City Council.

So in the final days before Election Day, those in the running for mayor and council are doing everything from pressing the flesh with constituents to debating each other in public venues in order to win.

Mark Smith

It’s a cliché that applies not only to sports but just as appropriately to politics – in order to be number one, you have to beat number one. That applies to the challengers who seek to dethrone Mayor Mark Smith.

Smith, who has been mayor since November 2008, is running for a second four-year term.

Before becoming mayor, Smith served In the Bayonne Police Department for 25 years where he rose through the ranks to deputy chief.

Smith on his campaign website has been touting his accomplishments while in office such as stemming the growth of property taxes, attracting new developments in recent years including the Bayonne Crossings shopping plaza, making government smaller and more efficient, and cutting municipal debt by over 40%.

The Bayonne mayor also has received endorsements from Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, the New Jersey State Association of Pipe Trades and even former rival Patrick Conaghan.

James Davis

 If Mark Smith does not win a next term to serve as mayor, the Bayonne Police Department will still have a presence in the mayorâ€s office if James Davis is the victor.

Davis has been on the police force, currently holding the title of captain. His work has included leading a task force from 2007 to 2008 that made a number of arrests while dismantling a burglary and motor vehicle theft ring, and later helping to shut down cocaine distribution network operating partly out of Bayonne.

Reports in the local media have said that Davis supports various issues such as rent control and changing the current appointed school board to an elected one.

 Anthony Zanowic

 Is there an equivalent of a perfect strike in politics? Anthony Zanowic hopes so when the 13th day of May comes rolling around and he finds himself known as Mayor Zanowic.

The current manager at Hudson Lanes, the bowling alley located near Jersey City-Bayonne border, is running on a platform he has called “A Better Bayonne.”

In a document posted on his campaign website, Zanowic pledges to do everything from eliminating bonuses for school administrators to bringing transparency to City Hall to granting tax abatements to attract new businesses to Bayonne.

While Zanowic is a Republican in a Democratic town, he does have some name recognition due to his past run for Congress in the 13th District in 2010 and his run last year for the State Assembly in the 31st District.

Council candidates

 All three mayoral contenders have their slates with council candidates with full slates for Davis and Smith.

Zanowic has four out of a usual five for an election ticket: Leonard Kantor for At-Large, Anthony Di Iorio, for the Third Ward, Chelsea Jeskie for the Second Ward and Daniel Herrera for First Ward.

Running on Davis†ticket are Juan Perez and Sharon Ashe Nadrowski for At-Large, Thomas Cotter for First Ward, Salvatore Gullace for Second Ward and Gary LaPelusa for Third Ward.

Smithâ€s ticket includes Terrence Ruane and Debra CzerwienskI (At-Large), Agnes Gillespie (First Ward), Joseph Hurley (Second Ward) and Raymond Greaves (Third Ward).

There are also a few independents on the ballot. They are John Sebik for At-Large, and Washington Flores and Michael Alonso for the Third Ward.

 

The post Contenders for Mayor, Council Running in Bayonne Election first appeared on River View Observer.

Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the City of Bayonne will host a Medicare open enrollment event on Wednesday, October 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in the City Council Chambers, at 630 Avenue C.  The event will give Medicare patients the opportunity to compare plans, and make sure that they have the right health and prescription drug coverage.  It is time for Medicare patients to review their Medicare Part D prescription drug plan.  It is also time to consider health insurance that works with Medicare, including Medigap and Medicare Advantage plans. Patients may stay with their current plan if they are happy with it, or look for a new one with better coverage, higher quality, and lower cost.

The Medicare Open Enrollment period began on October 15 and runs through December 7, 2013.  New enrollments will take effect on January 1, 2014.

Representatives of the Bayonne Office On Aging and the Hudson County Senior Health Insurance Plan will be on hand to assist the public.

For more information, please call the Bayonne Office On Aging at 201-858-6119.

City to Hold Meeting on Special Needs Sports Program

Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the City of Bayonneâ€s Division of Recreation, in conjunction with the Bayonne Board of Education, will be hosting an informational meeting regarding the introduction of a Special Needs Sports Program, and invites all parents/caregivers/families of children and teens ages 4-17, who are disabled, multi-disabled, or have special needs. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 29, 2013 at 6:00pm at Washington Community School, between 47th & 48th Street and Avenue B.

The Special Needs Sports Program will take place on Saturdays once or twice a month, depending on the level of interest, and will include

numerous sports activities. From basketball to bocce to Zumba, the Special Needs Sports Program will be a fun, relaxed and enjoyable experience. The

City of Bayonne believes that every child should have an opportunity to receive and benefit from quality recreational activities.

For further information, contact Recreation Supervisor Pete Amadeo at 201-858-6129.

The post Event Happenings from the City of Bayonne for the end of October 2013 first appeared on River View Observer.

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The post Bayonne: Gun Buyback Program Set for Bayonne, Other Locations on July 12-13 first appeared on River View Observer.

Bayonne First Annual Arts and Music Festival June 14, 2013 from River View Observer on Vimeo.

The First Annual Bayonne Arts and Music Festival was held on Friday, June 14th, 2013.
Over a thousand plus people came out to view the Art Exhibits at the Bayonne Museum.
There were also Outdoor Art Demonstrations, Live music and outdoor dining by participating restaurants from the area.
The Bayonne Arts and Music Festival was presented in conjunction with
Bayonne Mayor Mark Smith, the Bayonne City Council and the Bayonne Arts Circle
This is a River View Observer Video

The post Bayonne First Annual Arts and Music Festival Video first appeared on River View Observer.

            Mayor Mark A. Smith announced that the Bayonne farmers†market opened  for its second consecutive year on Tuesday, May 7, from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.  Mayor Smith said, “The City of Bayonne and the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone are happy to bring back farmers†produce and other farmers†market merchandise to our community for another year.  We are proud to provide Bayonne consumers with a great opportunity to purchase the produce that made New Jersey the Garden State.”

            The market will take place on Tuesdays, beginning May 7, rain or shine, from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the municipal parking lot located on Del Monte Drive, next to the mini-golf course, near West 23^rd and West 24^th Street, between Avenue C and Broadway.  The market will be located in Bayonneâ€s Special Improvement District, which runs from 17^th Street to 30^th Street. The Bayonne farmers†market program will continue on Tuesdays through November 26.  The market will offer Jersey Fresh produce, a program to encourage the sale of New Jersey- grown fruits and vegetables, in cooperation with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture. 

            The following vendors will participate in the 2013 Bayonne farmers†market: Iona Hills Farms, Ort Farms, Lizzmonade,  Dr. Pickle, Hoboken Farms, Gourmet Dried Fruits and Nuts, Baker’s Bounty, Paolo’s Kitchen, City-Girls Food, Green Acres Gourmet Cookie and Muffin Mixes, Unionville Vineyards, Tassot Apiaries/Buzzing Acre Farm, Pizza Vita Pizza Truck, AmandaBanana’s, Excalibur Knife Sharpening, and Happy Faces Face Painting. Additional vendors may be added throughout the season.

            One of the vendors, Ort Farms, offers a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Program.  CSA allows consumers to develop a relationship with an individual farm, and to pre-order a weekly collection of mixed produce in Bayonne. Pick-up of Bayonne orders will take place Tuesdays at the Ort Farms stall at the farmers†market. This year, the CSA season will run from May to October.  Each week, the CSA program offers either a full share of mixed produce (25-30 pounds), or a half-share (15-20 pounds), or a personal share (10 pounds).   For more information, please click on CSA Program on ortsfarm.com. 

            Mayor Smith thanked Lauren Halecky Dellabella, a local food consultant, for making the arrangements for the farmers†market to come to Bayonne again.

For information and updates on-line, check the Bayonne farmers†market Facebook page.  Go to http://facebook.com/BayonneFarmersMarket.

  

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The post Bayonne Farmers’ Market is Back Again for Second Season first appeared on River View Observer.

 Bayonne Mayor Mark A. Smith  announced that the Bayonne Nature Club has volunteered to lead a shoreline clean-up at Mayor Richard A. Rutkowski Park on Saturday, March 23, at 10:00 a.m. Rutkowski Park is located in the northwest corner of Bayonne, on Newark Bay, just above the northern end of Stephen R. Gregg-Bayonne County Park. Mayor Smith said, “I would like to thank the Bayonne Nature Club volunteers for spearheading this shoreline clean-up. Their efforts will help to maintain the park in its natural condition. The Bayonne Public Works Department will provide logistical support for the work of the volunteers. The Nature Club and the City of Bayonne encourage any interested organizations and individuals to join the shoreline clean-up on Saturday.”

 The Passaic Valley Sewage Commission will assist the clean-up by removing some large objects from the park.

 According to its website, the Bayonne Nature Club “appreciates, protects, and improves urban nature sites.” In addition to clean-up projects, the Bayonne Nature Clubâ€s activities include birdwalks, wildflower walks, and kayaking.

 Rutkowski Park was designed to showcase the natural environment of the Newark Bay waterfront. The property consists of thirty-two upland acres and ten acres of wetlands. Thanks to the wetlands and an open water habitat, a large variety of birds and wildlife is available there for viewing and studying.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) and the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) own the park property. The state acquired the land many years ago for the now-defunct West Side Highway project. The completion of Route 169 (now a part of Route 440) on the east side of Bayonne made the land on the Newark Bay waterfront available for a park rather than a highway.

Under an agreement with the NJDEP and the NJDOT, the City of Bayonne has long-term management rights to the park site.

 There are two entrances to Rutkowski Park. Visitors to Stephen R. Gregg-Bayonne County Park have access to Rutkowski Park via the footbridge located at 48th Street and Newark Bay. Parking is available at the northern end of the county park around 48th Street. Motorists may also approach Rutkowski Park by driving southbound from Jersey City on Route 440. The vehicular entrance to the Rutkowski North 40 Park is located south of the Kennedy Boulevard entrance on Route 440.

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Shoreline Clean-Up at Rutkowski Park Set for Saturday, March 23

 

          

The post Shoreline Clean-Up at Rutkowski Park Bayonne Set for Saturday, March 23 first appeared on River View Observer.

City of Bayonne’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade 2013 from River View Observer on Vimeo.

The crowds came out today for the City of Bayonne's St. Patrick's Day Parade.
The River View Observer was there to capture today's festivities.

The post City of Bayonne, St. Patrick’s Day Parade March 17th, 2013 first appeared on River View Observer.

 On March 1^st the program was introduced to Bayonne business owners and Bayonne residents at a special luncheon hosted by the Bayonne Urban Enterprise Zone and the Bayonne Special Improvement District.   And a special mailing will go out to Bayonne Businesses and Bayonne residents explaining how the program works.

 “Shop Bayonne” is a program initiative that provides a tax credit to residents who make purchases from local businesses in town. Once you enroll in the program, you are assigned a property tax card similar to the reward cards you get in other stores; youâ€ll use it when you make your purchases with local merchants who are participating in the program. Residents who use their PTC-Property Tax Card will accumulate property tax dollars towards their tax bill.

 The program which has also been presented to other New Jersey municipalities is not designed just for property owners; it is also available to Bayonne residents who rent. The only difference is that renters who enroll in the program will receive a check at the end of the year for their discounted purchases which they have collected over time. The “Shop Bayonne” program is completely voluntary and is available to all Bayonne residents.

 

The post Shop Bayonne! Introducing a Property Tax Reward Program first appeared on River View Observer.