Saddle Brook TV Station Breaks Their Own Record

Competition is a good thing and apparently it’s the best way to motivate government to get off their collective backsides and get something done. During the past year Saddle Brook Community Television has been extremely lax in both taping and airing council meetings. So lax in fact that it came to a point where it was questioned as to whether there was some ‘sinister’ motive for only airing certain meetings. We have now come to learn that early on volunteer problems and equipment issues contributed to their problems. Although Mayor Chamberlain was dead wrong when she stated that the station was not operable when she first took office, it now appears that Mr. Halko has been working to restore some semblance of a working TV station for Saddle Brook residents. But it is equally obvious that competition from SBCreativeTV’s live coverage has lit a firecracker and encouraged them to break their all-time record of recording a meeting and airing that meeting in record time!  48 hours is quite a feat indeed. It’s not competition really though, it’s more that this administration would much rather you watch on TV then come to this site and read anything. But that’s ok, the end result is the same, you get to see what you should see!  But we certainly commend the new crew at Saddle Brook Community Television for their dedication and John Cook for making sure the videotapes are rewound. Our endgame was to have meetings available to the public and it appears that has come to fruition.   

It’s such a shame really that this administration won’t even consider allowing mutual cooperation between SBC-TV and SBCreativeTV. At no cost to the township its residents could very easily have LIVE coverage (both on TV and online) and archived meetings online for playback at anytime. If somehow someway they could remove their personal feelings and look past themselves for the greater good, it would be a win win situation for the administration and the residents. Not likely I know and there in lies the rub. Shame. 

“Political Suicide” Or Just Politics

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 Based on the talk going around after Councilman Cimiluca dropped his ‘bombshell’ requesting an ordinance be created affirming mayors and council people received healthcare benefits, I’d like people to entertain the thought that people go back and listen a bit more carefully. I do agree with most that his public statement was both bold and a breath of fresh air for those impatiently waiting for this subject to be openly discussed. But when you scrutinize what he said it becomes a bit more clear that he really didn’t say anything of what most people were hoping to hear. I don’t profess to know what Mr. Cimiluca’s intentions were I couldn’t read his mind. And on face value it does appear that he was courageous enough to actually say it publicly. But it wasn’t ‘political suicide’; he’s too intelligent for that. Again, I am not saying he had ulterior motives but when you listen carefully you come to realize that all he is saying is that once on paper – all is good and this is NOT what the healthcare benefit turmoil is all about. Another way of saying what he said would be to say something like: ‘Hey, we all know we take benefits; we have been taking them for decades. So let’s put it in writing and no one can question it anymore.’ Huh??  Is that the answer everyone has been looking for? Now if this proposed ordinance is going to spell out exactly, is great detail, what the criteria is for eligibility, the types of coverage and costs involved, coverage limits, etc, then this could be a good thing. There would be an ordinance introduction and two additional open meetings before adoption. This would indeed allow time for many residents to hear the contents, know the particulars, and let their feelings be know before any such proposal becomes law. And, if they are going to rely upon past-practice, then it would become a lot clearer as to the who, what, where, why and when’s. So in claming past-practice one would think they would still have to show documentation from which past-practice is invoked. But nothing like this was stated or even implied by Mr. Cimiluca. Simply ‘putting it on paper’ that “yea we have health benefits” doesn’t cut it. And more importantly it certainly does not address the issue of lifetime benefits.

It was a gratifying thing for Mr. Cimiluca to bring this subject to the forefront and for that he deserves some credit. But unfortunately it also comes with more questions then answers. As an attorney Mr. Cimiluca knows better then most that his words can come back and haunt him. I would think he chose his words wisely. It sure appeared the township attorney had some misgivings when she put a halt to any further discussions. We’ll now have to wait and see if Mr. Cimiluca was as open and honest as he appeared and if the mayor and council do anything further to muck this up. Is this a new beginning or just another stall to November 8^th?  

Surprise Surprise

I must admit that this past council meeting had more than its usual interesting moments. This month I thought that Mayor Chamberlain very succinctly described her position on taxes and the flooding issue. I’d be the first to admit that the workings of budgeting millions of dollars is way beyond my pay-grade, I felt that the mayor did a responsible job in reporting what they encountered and how they attempted to rectify the matter. Although not unlike President Obama blaming the past administration for everything but with no one from the past administration defending itself, unless I heard differently I'd have to say that her comments and explanation was more than plausible. 

In a past post I also condemned the mayor for ‘Crying Uncle’ when admitting that she felt there was nothing more she could do with regard to the flood / dredging issue. However again during this meeting she came up with some ideas that seem, at face value anyway, to be forward thinking and an effort at making some attempt to deal with this ongoing and debilitating problem for the residents involved. 

However compliments are not forthcoming for some other things I observed. Although I did not capture most of it on camera I felt that Council President Halko’s snide smirks and disingenuous facial gestures during Mr. Rodriquez’s comments were both unprofessional and lend itself to why ‘ordinary’ residents scoff at the idea of approaching the podium. Not everything Mr. Rodriquez says is hyperbole and not worth considering. Political differences and past-practice aside (the NEW slogan of the week), all ideas are worth listening too and no one has a monopoly on goods ones. 

The other bothersome comment came from Mr. Cimiluca. I don’t believe as stated by himself or The Record News that it was “political suicide’ to say so but it was NOT what the citizens of Saddle Brook had in mind. Obviously an attorney would argue that legally ‘past-practice’ is a legally recognized term used in arbitration. A novice like me would counter with ‘fruits of the poisonous tree’ where if something were done which was illegal then anything thereafter is also illegal. I don’t mean to suggest that he or they are doing anything illegal however. It’s just that putting their benefits on paper as he suggests in no way shape or form resolves the issue or comes close to the answers most are looking for. With Mr. Lo Dico again not being forthcoming on when this matter will be publicly discussed (see The Record article), all are left with no real answers and even more reason to be outraged. Unfortunately the township attorney was probably correct to table further discussion as she most likely realized some CYA time was in order. The Record Article HERE

Council Meeting video for May 10th now available

Meeting video is now available by clicking the 'VIDEOS' tab in the chat section of the CreativeTV LIVE page.After approximately a week the meeting video will moved to our 'Council Meeting / Audio / Video' page. NOTE: Shoppers advisory, it doesn't pay to shop at dollar stores, not when buying batteries anyway. The last portion of our video lost our wireless microphones because I was cheap and bought 10 9volt batteries for five dollars. Next time we'll stick with Durracell.!!

Saddle Brook's Operation Take Back deemed a success

BY BRAD LEIBOWITZ                                                                                                          

STAFF WRITER

COMMUNITY NEWS (ELMWOOD PARK EDITION)

The Saddle Brook Police Department took part in the nationwide effort on April 28 to dispose of unwanted/unused prescription medication called Operation Take Back. Saddle Brook residents turned in enough medicine to fill three boxes. "This time around, Saddle Brook residents turned in more prescription medication for Operation Take Back than in any other time since the department has been taking part in the annual event," said Saddle Brook Chief of Police Robert Kugler. Read full story HERE

New Site Policy

Due to a wedding (my daughter) there will be NO LIVE council meeting coverage in June. Also, because of costs involved, in July we will start a new policy to watch LIVE and archived council meetings. Not to worry they’ll still be free but to justify these costs we need a more accurate accounting of the amount of people interested in watching these meetings live. In the past we have had approximately anywhere from 400 to 600+ viewers watch live but there is no easy way to get an exact number. Therefore in July there will be certain pages that will be limited to people who REGISTER for LIVE VIEWING. We won’t be able to know who you are or who is actually viewing the live video feed but the registration process will give us a count of the people who are interested in doing so. Unfortunately if the numbers aren’t high enough we’ll be forced to cease broadcasting the meetings live. Based on the past we don’t expect low numbers but this procedure will have to be our barometer.  All it will take to register is a valid email address and a verification process by which you validate your registration by clicking a link that will be emailed to the address you supply. Once you log in you will have complete access to LIVE, archived, and additional video material. 

I have added text, audio, and video chat to the LIVE video pop-out so any viewer can chat with other viewers if they so desire. Although I sincerity believe live video of these meetings is a worthwhile service I must admit that since I have started this practice the townships TV station as become a lot more prompt in there effort to get the meeting video on the air. And that was the main purpose; to make sure the residents are aware of its government’s actions.

So come July it will be up to all of you to decide if you’d like me to continue live meeting coverage and saving all meeting videos in our archives. I wouldn’t mind saving the $150 a month if this service weren’t important to a lot of people. 

Last Minute Better Than Not At All

On the day of the work session the council finally decides to make their agenda available. (Not their real one, just the legal one) Click here. 

Anyone see anything about health care benefits? 

Note: The Agenda will be available on our 'Watch & Chat" so you can follow along the bouncing heads ball while you watch the meeting.