Page 8 THE VILLADOM TIMES I • June 25, 2014 Midland Park Borough begins hearing on policeman’s suspension Hall of Fame honorees Two former Midland Park Public School educators were inducted into the district’s Education Hall of Fame last week. Arlene Seiders and the late Joan Musci were honored for their contri- butions to the district, and their framed photographs will hang in the Hall of Fame area of Mid- land Park High School. Pictured above, from left: Mrs. Musci’s children: Andrew Musci, Ellen Peixoto and Larry Musci, Arlene Seiders and Board President Maryalice Thomas. Mrs. Musci retired in 1990 as the director of special services after serving 22 years in the special educa- tion department. Seiders, who taught at the elementary and middle school levels and served in many peer leadership and mentoring roles, retired in 2002 after 26 years of service. A hearing officer is expected to rule in August whether Midland Park Police Offi- cer Joseph B. Gaeta should be reinstated to the job from which he was suspended nearly two and a half years ago. Gaeta pleaded guilty in 2011 to driving an all- terrain vehicle while drunk following a DWI training session at the Law & Public Safety Institute in Mahwah. He had vol- unteered to drink beer and undergo field sobriety tests performed by trainees for the state police program. The administrative hearing earlier this month was the start of the administra- tive process to determine what disciplin- ary action the department should take against Gaeta. Ordinarily, the hearing officer in such disciplinary cases is the borough administrator, but borough offi- cials decided to go with an independent officer with no ties to the area, according to Mayor Patrick “Bud” O’Hagan. He said that because Gaeta is the son of the late Superior Court Judge Bruce Gaeta, the borough wanted to avoid any conflict of interest issues. The mayor also said that Matthew Mahoney, the officer selected, had expe- rience in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps and as a special assistant U.S. attorney. Joseph Rem, Gaeta’s attorney, argued at the hearing that total dismissal is a “grossly inappropriate” penalty. “They want to terminate him from his job simply because he was on an ATV, drove while his blood alcohol level was over the limit, and fell off the vehicle. His only infraction in the seven years he was employed resulted in a penalty of only $150 fine. To terminate a man’s career on that, when he was helping the state police, is not appropriate,” Rem said. The attorney said that the internal affairs investigation that recommended dismissal had also ignored the fact that Gaeta had been commended on three dif- ferent occasions for saving people’s lives. “He wants to be reinstated right away. He has been surviving for more than two years without pay,” Rem said. (continued on page 18)