Full Notification

Mayor Bill Ziegler’s Status Report October 3, 2024:

Redevelopment/Revitalization Town Hall

Please mark your calendar:  the next Revitalization/Redevelopment Town Hall meeting will be held at the new Municipal Center on Wednesday, October 30th at 7:30 pm.  Town Halls are convened to hear what you have to say and get your input about redevelopment in Leonia, initially, the area below Grand on Fort Lee Road and on Willow Tree Road.   Without more ratables to offset the disproportionately high tax burden on homeowners, our increasing Leonia tax rate will become unsustainable for many of us.  We need to take smart actions now to avoid this.  You will also get an all important update on where we are with fulfilling our affordable housing obligations consistent with the recently passed new legislation in New Jersey.  

Our Redevelopment Committee worked hard over the summer and has made some great progress with the input you provided at our last Town Hall on Redevelopment earlier this year. This session will both catch you up on what’s happened and give you another opportunity for your views to be part of the process.  Every opinion counts.  If you can’t attend in person, we will provide a virtual option and a recording.

Library Fundraiser

The Library fundraiser on Saturday, September 22nd was a rousing success.  The volunteers who put in all the work to pull off an event of this magnitude deserve a tremendous amount of credit.  Included in that group is Susan Boyd, Library Board of Trustees President (and in the interest of full disclosure, my wife), Allen Terrell, Eden Terrell, Suzie Park, Susie Kim, and Charlotte Houghton and many others.  Volunteers are the backbone of Leonia and this was another great example of volunteers coming together to do something great for the community and raise essential funds.       

If you didn’t have the chance to participate, please talk to one of your neighbors about their experience.  Events were split between the Library and the new Municipal Center.  An art show open to the public at the new building kicked things off with prominent local Leonia artists being featured and sales were brisk.  

We hosted a dinner in the main reading room of the library which was beautifully set up for the occasion. There were great dinner conversations, laughs and the food was plentiful and delicious.  After dinner, we returned to the Municipal Center for an incredible concert featuring a string quartet of local musicians who have won numerous awards/recognition and regularly play at  Carnegie Hall and/or for Broadway shows.  The finale involved three opera singers that were simply spectacular.  I’m always amazed at the level of talent we have here in Leonia and the concert just reinforced this feeling and made me extra proud to be a Leonian.  A program is attached HERE.

Sincere thanks to the many sponsors of this event.  At the very top of our sponsor list with a most generous donation of $5000 is Kulite Industries which continues to show real support for Leonia across the board.  Kulite is a wonderful example of corporate social responsibility in action. 

Other generous donations were received from PNC Bank, NVE Bank, Pelicana Chicken, Leonia Pharmacy, Gallery Episodes, Tru Acupuncture and Jerry’s.

Food and drinks were provided by Sedona Taphouse, Dante’s, Fontana Tritone, Manor Beverages, Balthazars, and Cafe Leo.  

Assistant DPW Superintendent Kevin Malloy has retired

After 38 years of dedicated and impactful service to the Borough of Leonia, DPW Assistant Superintendent, Kevin Malloy has retired.  While we wish him the very best for his well deserved retirement, he will be sorely missed.  Many of the reasons our Department of Public Works is so highly regarded by our community is because of the people who work there. Kevin exemplifies a competence in his craft combined with his genuine caring for Leonia (as he also grew up here) which makes him extra special.  To partially honor Kevin, the Borough hosted a retirement party and we named Tuesday, September 17th, 2024 as Kevin Malloy Day in the Borough of Leonia.  While nothing can truly convey our collective gratitude for his many contributions, we are genuinely happy for him and are comforted by the fact he has always given his all and deserves nothing but the best during his retirement years. Click here for a video of Kevin leaving the DPW for the last time.

Airbnb

The governing body is likely to take up the question of allowing Airbnb short term rentals in Leonia as long as the rental property is owner occupied at the same time and registered with the Borough of Leonia.  With the upcoming World Cup in the Meadowlands during 2026, we know there will be a tremendous demand for short-term housing in our area.  There is money to be made by our residents which can help defray the costs associated with living in northern New Jersey which, daresay, is not cheap.  Whatever we can do to help our neighbors make ends meet and increase the odds of their being able to hold onto their homes given the high cost of living, I believe we should give it a shot.  

Since the last time this question was taken up by the governing body 5 years or so ago, there are much better safeguards in place to protect owners and neighborhood interests by Airbnb.  By requiring owner occupancy, we will further decrease any potential bad behavior.  

Many Leonians, including myself, have used Airbnb when traveling. The advantages are many.  But what I think will be particularly helpful for Leonia are the economic benefits associated with hosting individuals or families in town.  Visitors frequent our restaurants and other service providers.  Short term renters familiarize themselves with what our town has to offer and potentially become interested enough to consider buying here.  This assists us with our property values by creating greater demand.  By hosting on Airbnb, Leonians get to interact with new people and become “goodwill ambassadors” representing the best of what Leonia has to offer. 

I invite anyone who is interested to attend a Mayor and Council meeting where this (or any other matter of interest) is going to be discussed.  Agendas for all Mayor and Council meetings are always posted in advance on the borough website at www.leonianj.gov.  If you happen to miss a meeting, we typically post the recording within 24 hours on the same website.  

Did You Know? 

To add to Leonia’s uniqueness and record of individually diverse accomplishments…

Leonia was home to three Tuskegee Airmen!   I just heard about this through our Borough Historian, David Braun.  At the end of World War II, three Tuskegee Airmen (George Mills Boyd, Samuel Rhodes, Robert Rhodes) born into the African American community of Spring Street returned home to Leonia from military service.  George Boyd later became the first Leonia African American police officer.  

A photo of Leonian Samuel Rhodes as a Tuskegee Airman can be found HERE. 

To have three Tuskegee airmen from one community I have to believe (similar to having 5 Nobel Prize winners) is pretty unusual. 

What is even more unusual in this case is the Leonia Tuskegee Airmen’s mailman, Victor Hugo, authored the best selling Green Book about safe African American travel destinations and accommodations.  This was the basis for the major motion picture of the same name, the Green Book which won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2019.  

Leonia's rich history continues to amaze me!  And I have great confidence in our collective future too.  After all, the “past is prologue”.  

Tickets issued by the Leonia Police Department:

Many want our Police Department to write more summonses.  When officers do, the people receiving a ticket, especially our residents, are not particularly happy about it.  There is always a delicate balance to be struck between being too officious and not having enough enforcement. Personally, I feel our Police Department does a good job and strikes an appropriate balance between too many and too few tickets. 

Leonia police officers have written 2,486 moving violations and 2,179 parking summonses between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2024.  If you compare that to the same period the previous year (July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023) it represents an overall 6% increase.  It is also a total which indicates a high level of Leonia Police Department productivity relative to other comparable Bergen County towns.

None of what I’ve said takes into consideration the unique circumstances associated with individual tickets nor does it count the significant number of warnings issued by Leonia officers.   Due process allows everyone the right to challenge a ticket, and anyone who feels aggrieved should appear and state their case in municipal court.  

New Location for this year’s Christmas Tree lighting

Some of you may have noticed during the Oktoberfest festivities in Wood Park on Saturday, September 28th that a beautiful evergreen tree was planted on the west side of the Recreation Center.  This lovely tree will serve as our borough’s Christmas tree for the lighting ceremony held in December (stay tuned for additional details) when Santa makes a visit to Leonia and we light the tree.  

By having a tree inside the park as opposed to out on Broad Avenue, we increase pedestrian safety and can accommodate more people in the park than out on the street.  We also do not have to disrupt normal traffic flows on Broad Avenue for the ceremony.  Given the very large number of children which regularly turn out for this event, we felt this was a wise move.  

The former tree will remain where it is on the island across from the Recreation Department and will still be decorated with lights as part of our Broad Avenue holiday beautification efforts. Click here to view the new tree.

Have a green thumb?

As part of our Broad Avenue beautification effort, volunteers are needed to assist with flower plantings on Broad Avenue.  This fall, some of your friends and neighbors will be planting a mix of spring blooming daffodils in the Broad Avenue planters.  Anyone interested in volunteering and becoming a part of this effort please contact Arnold Trachtenberg at [email protected].   

Flooding Update

A quick update relating to the two areas in Leonia where we have seen the greatest degree of substantial flooding… Wood Terrace and Lakeview Avenue.

On Lakeview Avenue, we have worked with Englewood and NJ officials.  Crystal Lake has now been cleaned of debris which will facilitate better operation of the spillway there and has already functioned to lower overall water levels in the lake by about two feet.  Discussions are ongoing with state officials, particularly the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, to open a relief valve on Crystal Lake and further lower the water level prior to a storm. The NJTA has committed to quickly conducting a hydrologic analysis of the area which will function to better inform next steps including whether dredging of the lake is a good option.    

On Wood Terrace, the Borough of Leonia has implemented the first phase of our flood mitigation effort with the large blocks on Broad Avenue next to the Post office.  This barrier will intentionally flood Broad Avenue for a brief period of time until our drainage system can catch up with the intensity of a severe storm.  Once that happens, the water held on Broad Avenue will quickly dissipate.  

As part of our short-term mitigation approach we will, with the continued cooperation of our Methodist Church neighbors, be creating a retention basin for the water in the area behind the Church.  In the next two months, we will be putting a wall of two foot blocks around the perimeter of the backyard above the culvert consistent with the recommendations of our Borough Engineer.   Between the creation of this additional retention area and the purchase of a substantial pump, we should be able to dramatically reduce the surge of water that has previously overtaken five houses on the east side of Wood Terrace toward Hillside Avenue.  

We are all hopeful that these additional measures will help our friends and neighbors who have been most affected by past storms, get through the next intense storm in better shape.  

PSE&G Tree Trimming

I have received a number of what I consider justified complaints and concerns from Leonians about the tree trimming being conducted by PSE&G around utility wires.  I agree with these comments/concerns.  The state of NJ passed a relatively new law which I sarcastically refer to as the “Tree Butchery and Savagery Act” which gives the utility company almost carte blanche permission to aggressively trim whatever and however they deem appropriate.  Of course, we need to trim around power lines. I do not dispute that.  

However, I also believe the utility companies take this authority too far and trim too much.  Oftentimes, I have seen trees which were trimmed die, despite assurances that a qualified tree expert is always part of the crew doing the damage.  

Take a look at this photo of a Broad Avenue tree that was ‘trimmed’ by PSE&G. There is little doubt why this tree died. Photo of Tree.  

PSE&G also has the authority to go on your private property if they believe it necessary to cut from there.  Neither your governing body or our wonderful Shade Tree Commission can stop them. 

I see this as another example of NJ as a pro-development state being somewhat disconnected from the values and priorities of a majority of Leonians. 

Leonia is different and prefers not to transition from a beautiful green suburban oasis to a more dense urban environment as is happening in many NJ communities including Fort Lee and Pal Park.  Statewide utility tree trimming rules which are readily embraced by other communities are not necessarily working in our best interest here.  

Right now, I’m just venting my frustrations over this, but the bottom line is this overly aggressive tree trimming will not stop unless and until the law enacted by the NJ State legislature is changed by the NJ State legislature.  Fortunately, our Shade Tree Commission now plants smaller tree species under power lines which are less likely to interfere with the lines.  This is an important step we are taking today to minimize future concerns.  

TV and Movie Certification

Leonia was recently notified that due to a reorganization of the New Jersey Economic Development Authority our formal Film Ready designation is being held up along with many other communities.  I’m not sure why this is necessary, but it is what it is.  My impression so far is this shouldn’t hurt our ability to attract TV and movie productions to our community.  In fact, I’m already aware of one application by a small, independent production company to film here in Leonia.  My hope is that many more will follow and provide numerous economic benefits to our community including homeowners and businesses.  

A Reminder

If you have a question or a request, please remember to use [email protected].  I am copied along with our Borough Administrator on anything that hits this mailbox and someone will always get back to you with a timely response.  

Kind regards and wishing our Jewish friends and neighbors “L’Shana Tova” or Happy New Year, 

Bill Ziegler
Mayor
Borough of Leonia