June 2, 2010 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • Page 21 Franklin Lakes Scribe Concert series wraps up with jazz The Franklin Lakes Public Library will host the jazz duo 2 Improv on Sunday, June 6 at 2 p.m. Saxophone player Shenole Latimer and pianist Al Quinn will provide an afternoon of music. All are invited to attend. Seats are given on a first-come basis. This free concert will be the last for the season. The library is located at 470 DeKorte Drive. New Jersey history presented New Jersey photographer Walter Choroszewski, author and advocate of state pride, will present “Timeline New Jersey” at the Franklin Lakes Public Library, 470 DeKorte Drive, on Thursday, June 3 at 7 p.m. Travel with Choroszewski on a timeline from the primeval birth of the Highlands through geologic eras into the Ice Age. Meet New Jersey’s first people and explorers and take pride in New Jersey’s rich colonial history. All are welcome to attend. For more information call (201) 891-2224. Artist’s exhibit now open Artist Vicky Dowling will exhibit her paintings at the Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes Gallery during the month of June. Dowling, a lifetime resident of Knoxville County, Tennessee, has had her work selected by a panel of East Tennessee artists for display in one of the key events celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Great Smoky Mountains, “InSight of the Smokies: Open Juried Art Show.” All profits will be donated to Sunset Gap, a Presbyterian mission in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The Presbyterian Church at Franklin Lakes is located at 730 Franklin Lake Road. The gallery is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. For more information, call (201) 891-0511. ‘Skinny Italian’ book signing set Clothing and accessory boutique Stage Left Fashions will host a book signing for “Real Housewives of NJ” star Teresa Giudice on June 3 at 7 p.m. One hundred copies of Giudice’s “Skinny Italian” will be available at the book signing, and proceeds from the book sales will benefit a local charity. Attendees are invited to enjoy some of Giudice’s favorite appetizers and Bellini recipes, while viewing Stage Left’s summer 2010 collections and new custom designed christening, prom, and wedding dresses. During the event, everything at Stage Left Fashions will be discounted by 30 percent. Stage Left Fashions is located in the Franklin Crossing Shopping Center, 828 Franklin Avenue. Visit online at www.stageleftusa.com. For additional event details, contact Rosana Harms at rosana@stageleftusa.com or call (201) 847-8243. Evening story time set The Summer Evening P.J. Story Time at the Franklin Lakes Public Library will begin on Wednesday, June 16 at 7:15 p.m. Attendees may wear their pajamas and bring their favorite bed time friend. All ages are welcome. No registration is required. Future evening story times will be held on July 14 and Aug. 4. For additional information, call (201) 891-2224 or visit the library at 470 DeKorte Drive during regular hours. Camp opportunities available Franklin Lakes welcomes children to register for Summer Recreation Camp, which is being run by the Wyckoff Family YMCA. Five week-long sessions will run weekdays from June 28 through July 30 from 9 to 1 for children in kindergarten through grade four, and from 9:15 to 1:15 for those in grades five through eight. The fee is $90 per week. Junior Recreation Camp is for children who will be entering kindergarten through grade four and will be held at High Mountain Road School. Camp includes arts & crafts, sports, on-site entertainment and special guests, “Wet & Wild Day,” and Y Carnival. Senior Camp is for children in grades five through eight and will be held at the Woodside Avenue School. This program includes a special off-site trip each week, swimming at the Y once a week, sports, games, arts & crafts, and special events. Registration forms are available at the Y at 691 Wyckoff Avenue, Wyckoff or at the Franklin Lakes Recreation Office at 1 Vichiconti Way, Franklin Lakes. Councilman responds (continued from page 9) increase would force a lot of people out of town. Mayor DeNicola agreed with Burnette, saying there are more budget cuts that could be made. Burnette also said she did not agree with the reappointment of the DPW superintendent and the recreation director. Another resident, Joan Mokray, who had previously been asked by Mayor DeNicola to conduct an efficiency survey of the borough’s departments on a volunteer basis, but was prevented from doing so by the previous council, complained about those reappointments saying the Recreation Committee has come out in public complaining about its director’s performance. But Councilman William Smith responded that the council is continuing to look into the operation of the recreation department. Mokray also wrote a letter to a local newspaper in which she complained about what she termed was the lack of management and accountability by the council and the borough administration. She criticized the reappointments of the DPW superintendent and the recreation director. Cathy Stack, a member of the Recreation Committee who was appointed by the mayor, said at a recent council meeting that she hopes in the future there will be more precise goals and objectives set for the director of the recreation and a very detailed evaluation process. Bivona agreed with Stack that the recreation department “needs work,” but he assured her that “over time there will be a better recreation department.” Referring to these complaints, Bivona stated that this type of free expression is welcomed and should be taken seriously. “I may disagree with some of the criticism, but I welcome the input,” he stated. He emphasized, however, that he also has an opinion and he feels it is time to express it. “Our current council is made up of six individuals who freely give a tremendous amount of their time to the borough,” Bivona stated. “In their elected term of three years each will have participated in over 70 council meetings, an equal number of committee meetings and countless special meetings. On the current council I am very fortunate to work with group of smart and diligent people who demonstrate their commitment and love for their town by engaging each issue before them with a sense of obligation to the community. This is a group that works well as a team and brings varied views together in a seamless way to provide thoughtful governance. “I am proud to be part of this council, and in the current stressful economic environment that spans the globe, I am confident in the thoughtful fact based decisions made by this council.” He said borough employees have become a target for some and he explained that the current economic climate puts pressure on budgets and those budgets are mainly comprised of employee compensation and benefits. “So it’s natural for people to look at employees to criticize,” he stated. But he emphasized that in his short time on the council he has come to personally know many of the borough’s workers and he says they have been portrayed in a very negative way with many department heads under personal attacks most people would find unbearable. “The morale of our workforce is at an all time low and who could blame them when twice a week they read about their supposed shortcomings in a newspaper?” Bivona said. He acknowledged that tough decisions must be made on cost cutting to keep the borough’s municipal tax rate the second lowest in Bergen County, but he stated that he is an advocate of the borough’s workforce because they are the very people who serve the borough’s residents daily. “For about $2,600 a year per average household we get services that include police, fire, ambulance, public works, roads, garbage, library, recreation, community center, senior programs, land use, construction management, health services, court services, and general government services,” Bivona stated. “These areas are managed by experienced department heads who have a structured hierarchy in place that allows them to effectively manage their responsibilities. And, although there is room for improvement in all areas, I believe these men and women do a great job for Franklin Lakes and I feel lucky to have them. “I also believe that positive reinforcement from the mayor and council along with less petty politicking at the expense of our workers would go a long way towards improving morale and services. Let’s take responsibility for our past actions and stop blaming our financial problems on our workers instead of the real culprits, shrinking revenues, ever expanding debt, and a dwindling surplus account. We are battling tough times and turning the ship in the right direction. We need to pull together as one and, therefore, I am in support of all, including our council and borough employees.” PBA contract (continued from page 3) which was then extended to include 2009. Under those agreements, a patrolman’s starting salary of $32,269 rose after seven years to $100,866 (in 2006, the top salary was $90,097). A sergeant’s salary is $105,909, and the lieutenant’s $110,954. “We want to thank the dedicated members of the PBA for their understanding of the current economic climate, their sensitivity to our residents and taxpayers as well as their professionalism throughout the process as they continued to serve the community,” the mayor and council said in a press release last week.