The courts didn’t render a decision allowing the
project.
A “settlement”
came from the Lodi mayor and council in 2013.
Click below to view the OPRA response I received today.
The project was initially denied by the Lodi Planning Board in 2012. The Planning Board’s initial decision was the right decision for all the obvious reasons. The Lodi mayor and council should have supported that decision and defended it in court.
Instead, the mayor and council threw Lodi under the bus. They gave Tamara Garber everything she asked for and more.
I am sure Tamara Garber is a very wealthy and influential person. She must know a lot of people throughout Bergen County. In 2005, CNN Money named her a “Tycoon in the making”.
There is a question as to why different names have appeared as the property owners as the project rolled along. Louis Cotroneo was named as the owner on some of the meeting minutes and also on past tax records. Tamara Garber appeared as the property owner on everything else.
Former Mayor Marc Schrieks
Marc Schrieks was the Vice Chairperson of the Bergen
County Planning Board when it approved the site plan for Tamara Garber on June
26, 2012. Marc Schrieks was also the
mayor of Lodi at the time. Marc should have informed the other Board members that the project was not right
for Lodi. Marc Schrieks
clearly supported the project. Schrieks abstained at the
County Planning Board meeting but voted “yes” for the settlement as the mayor
of Lodi.
Borough Attorney Alan Spiniello
Alan Spiniello is paid $210,000 by Lodi for part-time
work. The least he could have done was
defend the Planning Board’s initial decision in Superior Court.
Instead, Spiniello signed a settlement that gave
Tamara Garber everything she originally sought and more. He did nothing to protect Lodi's interests. If you didn’t know better, you would think
that Alan Spiniello was Tamara Garber’s attorney.
Sent back to the Planning Board
Sent back to the Planning Board
After the settlement was approved by the Lodi mayor and
council and sent back to the Planning Board for approval, Al Noreika still voted
NO. This appeared on the June 6, 2013
Planning Board minutes:
“…with the exception of Mr. Noreika who voted no- and his explanation is he does not understand how the DEP-EPA and County can approve this- it is in a flood zone where there is 6 feet of water over the bank wall.”
“…with the exception of Mr. Noreika who voted no- and his explanation is he does not understand how the DEP-EPA and County can approve this- it is in a flood zone where there is 6 feet of water over the bank wall.”
Marjorie Breitwieser, an overly political
Lodi teacher and LEA leader, was one of a few "Yes" votes that approved the application
on June 12, 2013. Ms. Breitwieser made the motion to memorialize the Board’s findings on
August 14, 2013.
The project does not appear to be in
compliance with the approved site plans (decorative façade etc).
