Democracy Is On the Ballot Here, Too

DEMOCRACY IS ON THE BALLOT HERE, TOO

PUBLISHED BY TEANECK VOICES

Contents View this issue in your browser/Teaneck Voices Listens

Teaneck Voices Endorses RISE FOR TEANECK

Let the Facts Flow Down: Katz & His Tax-Supported Health Care

An Early Report on Council Campaign Spending

The Ways to Vote NOW in Teaneck's 2022 Election

Vote for Teaneck Council - Column 2, All 4 Names

Belcher, Gee, Goldberg & Young

Announcements

Contacting Teaneck Voices

DEMOCRACY IS ON THE BALLOT HERE, TOO

Voters throughout the nation know that their choice of candidates Tuesday will shape whether America’s 246 years as a democracy will survive.

Teaneck Voices believes that the choices Teaneck voters make can preserve the quality of life of the suburban town that most of us chose when we came here. For that reason, Teaneck Voices chose to endorse Denise Belcher, Danielle Gee, Hillary Goldberg & Chondra Young

TEANECK VOICES ENDORSES RISE FOR TEANECK

Teaneck Voice’s Endorsement for 4 Open Council Seats

THE RISE FOR TEANECK SLATE

Women Working to Make Teaneck the Best It Can Be

Denise Belcher

I was a “civil rights baby” going to meetings with my mother. I absorbed the commitment to equality and equity and the power of Voters’ Rights. I will give back by mentoring young entrepreneurs, supporting Affordable Housing initiatives, and give what I know to support my clients and community. I am inspired by the many who have come before me on whose shoulders I stand. They are my rocket fuel that propels me.

Danielle Gee

My life experience and the education I was privileged to received prepared me to advocate for the people in my community of Teaneck. When you have authority, you have an obligation to look out for the less fortunate, the weaker, the have-nots. There is nothing more important in governing and leading a diverse community with different beliefs and needs, than to remember that the “least” have the same rights as those that have the advantage.

Hillary Goldberg

No one ever told me “Listen and learn – you have a legacy to use for the good of your community.” But I did listen and learn about my grandparents’ roles in the Jewish Center of Teaneck and their support for the desegregation of the Teaneck Public Schools. They were my heroes. I think that my grandparents would be thrilled that I am carrying on their legacy – civic and Jewish – by running for Council of their Teaneck.

Chondra Young

I grew up in Teaneck and volunteering was always a part of my life. I was a Girl Scout and I volunteered at Shelter Our Sisters, (now The Center for Hope and Safety). In college I volunteered at the local Boys and Girls Club – it was a way of life for me. As a young wife and mother I became involved in PTO and my daughters’ sports. In 2011 I was invited to a political cottage party and met Teaneck trailblazers. I listened and learned, met so many homegrown community activists. I wanted to be part of that world!!

Rise For Teaneck Platform

Economic Development – Advocate for Small Business, revitalize business districts, development consistent with the Master Plan.

Fiscal Responsibility -- Ensure needed services are provided without debt or tax liability by eliminating waste from our budget

Advocate for Seniors – Provide services and resources to age in place.

Infrastructure and Emergency Services – As we grow, we must ensure we can provide all with full police, fire, DPW, etc. services

Trust and Transparency – Ensure residents are well-informed and encouraged to share concerns

Civic Engagement – Reinstate Civic Leadership Education programs to engage youth and all residents

Affordable Housing – Make Teaneck Housing affordable and accessible for everyone

Why is it important to vote for all 4

RISE UP TEANECK candidates?

Teaneck’s Council is made up of 7 members, each elected for a 4-year term. Any decision by the Council requires 4 “yes” votes (a majority of Council)

This year Teaneck’s voters have the opportunity to elect a new majority who believes in sound economic development, fiscal responsibility, support for seniors, up-to-date infrastructure and emergency services, trust and transparency, civic engagement, and affordable housing!

BELCHER, GEE, GOLDBERG, and YOUNG

can make Teaneck a model government once again!!

LET THE FACTS FLOW DOWN

Incumbent Elie Y. Katz and the

Taxpayer-Supported

Healthcare He Receives

An important Fact about Incumbent Elie Y. Katz that Teaneck Voters Should Know:

For 24 years, incumbent Elie Y. Katz has been a member of Council. He wins elections in part by misleading voters about his opponents and hiding certain facts about himself.

In its October 31 issue, Teaneck Voices published an article, "What Should Candidates Standing for Election Do When They are Lied About?" making clear that Elie Y. Katz's lied outrageously about his RISE for Teaneck opponents.

Here now is an Important Fact about Deputy Mayor Elie Y. Katz that he is not eager for you to know:

FACT: In 2022, your property taxes paid over $33,000 to give Elie Y. Katz and family the best NJ State full-family Employee Medical Plan that New Jersey offers. (Click Here) He has received this first-class coverage for 24 years!!

Does anyone else on our Council receive any healthcare because of their position? NO

Why is this the case? Prior to 2010 all elected municipal councilmembers received healthcare benefits for themselves and their families as employees of their municipalities. In Teaneck, this was in addition to the $7,000/year stipend they were paid.

In 2010, Governor Christie signed into law, Chapter 2, P.L. 2010 on Local Units Health Benefits Programs. This new law ended the healthcare benefit for municipal Councilmembers. BUT, sitting councilmembers in 2010 were grandfathered under the new law as long as they continued to sit on the council OR until they graciously exempted themselves from the grandfather clause. Most affected councilmembers in New Jersey have given up their healthcare benefits.

Not incumbent Elie Y. Katz!

Since this expense is significant, a majority of a council (4 of 7 members) can vote to end the benefit for grandfathered members. Such was the case in Rockaway Township, NJ. For the past 12 years, Elie Y. Katz has controlled the majority of the Council.

In early 2016 a minority member of the council, C. Alan Sohn, asked Katz if he would give up his state healthcare coverage as a benefit to the Teaneck taxpayers. Here is a 2-minute excerpt of the exchange between C. Katz and C. Sohn that every Teaneck Voices reader should see.

Assuming every year Katz received healthcare he was receiving the equivalent of a $33,000 plan – 24 years of healthcare insurance in 2022 dollars means Elie Y. Katz has received the equivalent of $792,000 of tax-free family healthcare paid for by Teaneck taxpayers.

Employees’ contributions to their healthcare are based on a percentage of their compensation. Because Elie’s compensation from the Town is modest, his contribution last year was $1050, or 3% of the premium. Compare that to 17% of the health premium he would have paid had he been a $60K employee, or 29% of the premium had he been a $100K employee.(Click Here for the State’s SHBP employee contribution data)

Since the total amount in compensation the Town paid Council members last year was $86+ K, that means that the Katz’s share of the total – as one of 7 Councilmembers – was 46% while each of the other 6 members got 9%. (Any 5^th grader can do the math: Click Here)

But these cost figures are about to get much worse since the annual 2023 increase for State Health Benefit Program premiums is 20%. It is unresolved exactly how that 20% will be divided between what we taxpayers pay for all employees’ health insurance and what the increase will be for the individual employee contributor. (Click Here) The $60K Town employee who takes the same plan as Katz takes probably contributed @$6,000 in 2022 and that may jump to $6,800 in 2023. By contrast, Katz, if re-elected, will likely see his total family healthcare contribution go up $200 to $1,250.

That would likely make the Katz family’s total health care cost significantly less than any other Teaneck family – including those on Medicare

There is a FACT, that incumbent Elie Y. Katz, the self-announced protector of the Teaneck taxpayer, does not want you to know.

AN EARLY REPORT ON 2022

COUNCIL CAMPAIGN SPENDING

Tracking campaign expenditures in the midst of an electoral campaign – even campaigns for municipal governing boards – is complicated and any conclusions must be tentative. The only data on which one should rely is what is found on the website of the NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC). And because of complex reporting rules, what is found there is at best a snap-shot in time of when and what election candidate campaign committees report.

In 2020, the Moving Teaneck Forward slate (Orgen, Pagan and Schwartz) did not submit a radically amended report on its 2020 campaign expenses until January 21, 2021 – 8 months after the election. Hence, the few generalizations Teaneck Voices makes here should be considered, at best, guesses based on what the Council candidate campaigns have submitted.

Since the race to elect 4 members of Council on November 8 has evolved into a race primarily between two four candidate slates, we have focused attention on what can be learned from the financial reports submitted by the two four-candidate slates in their latest ELEC reports.

Several generalizations are: the Katz Kaplan Garcia & Ramos-Reiner Friends of the Teaneck Block Associations slate [Friends] ] appears to have raised more than twice as much ($71,400) as had the R1SE for Teaneck slate -Belcher, Gee, Goldberg, Young- ($31,5580) as of the slates’ 11/3 submissions to ELEC that include 11 day pre-election reports and 48 hr. reports

However, Friends reported having spent $84, 229 which meant that slate reported being in debt by nearly $13K. By contrast in its latest filing, Rise for Teaneck shows expenses of $18,119 with resources in hand to spend.

Put simply, this Council race is on track to have shown unprecedented candidate spending.

Teaneck Voices checked to see where the money was coming from and what were the largest contribution amounts from individual sources. Again, we focused on data from only the “slate” accounts, which makes any data reports on these issues tentative and incomplete.

Nevertheless, it is significant that the Friends slate has received donations of $500 or more from 29 donors. Five of the 29 were from Teaneck. That slate had donations of $10K or more from 5 donors, only one of whom was from Teaneck.

The Rise slate has contributions/loans of $500 or more from its own candidate campaigns and two others, both of whom were from Teaneck and no contributions were more than 25% of the largest Friends contributions.

Teaneck Voices will track the post-election reports as they arrive in late November.

THE WAYS TO VOTE NOW IN TEANECK'S

2022 GENERAL ELECTION

Updated to Sunday, November 6

1) Early Voting in Teaneck is Ending

Today ONLY at The Rodda Center

4 More Hours

250 Colonial Court

Polls are Open Sunday 11/6

from 10am to 6pm

2) If you have voted by mail, and want to make sure that the County has received your mail-in ballot, you can track your ballot. Click:

https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-track-my-ballot.shtml

You will be able to tell now if the County has received your ballot. It will be counted Tuesday and then marked – via this website – as accepted or rejected.

3) If you plan to vote on Election Day, Tuesday November 8, you need to go in person to your specific voting location (one of 23 in Teaneck) from 6:00 am to 8;00 pm

To find out what is your voting location, Click:

https://nj.gov/state/elections/vote-polling-location.shtml

VOTE FOR TEANECK COUNCIL

COLUMN 2 - vote ALL FOUR NAMES

Belcher Gee Goldberg Young

Contacting Teaneck Voices

By Email: teaneckvoices@gmail.com

By Phone: 201-214-4937

By USPS Mail: Teaneck Voices, PO Box 873. at 1673 Palisade Ave., 07666

Teaneck Voices' Website is www.teaneckvoices.com