TOWN WATCH
NEWARK – The Newark Public Schools Board of Education, by elevating colleague Hashini Council as their Council President at its Sept. 26 business meeting here, is halfway through in making panelist changes.
The board, that Tuesday night, unanimously elevated second-term board member Council, 27, to become its head. The Ras Baraka “Moving Newark Schools Forward” Team member was first elected by a majority of participating registered voted first elected him in 2020 and re-elected him last April.
Council, a University High School graduate, holds a master’s degree in law and governance from Montclair State University. He has been chief of staff for previous and current South Ward councilmen John Sharpe James and the Rev. Patrick Council.
The son of Rev. Council has also been a South Ward Democratic party district ward leader. Council succeeds Asia Norton, who had resigned to become a law clerk for a New Jersey Superior Court-Newark judge.
Council and his school board colleagues will be reviewing applications to succeed Norton as board member in October. They hope to have conducted interviews and name Norton’s successor at their November meeting. That person would be subject to April’s school board and budget election to fill Norton’s unexpired term.
IRVINGTON – The woman who started life here as Annette Pepe in 1939 will have a memorial service, as Peppy Dallenbach, 12:30 p.m. Oct. 7 at the Millstone Elks Lodge No. 2613 at 22 burnt Tavern Rd.
Annette Marie Pepe was born, likely in Irvington General Hospital to Paul and Laura Pepe, of 116 Harper Ave., here Aug. 8, 1939. The South Ward apartment happened within a half-mile – or earshot – of Tri-City Speedway, which held AAA-sanctioned races 1933-41 but it is not known whether the Pepes ever attended.
Although the Pepes were recorded here in the 1940 U.S. Census, the real estate directories having them move out to East Brunswick. Brothers William, Daniel and Micheal were born there as was a Walton “Wally” Dallenbach, Sr.
How Annette and Wally met is unclear, but Dallenbach was a partner of M and D Contracting and tended to practice running stock cars in its back lot. Annette became “Peppy” when she and Wally got married Oct. 22, 1960.
Wally Dallenbach raced stock cars at the likes of Wall Stadium and Old Bridge Speedway, which led to his first USAC Indycar ride in 1965. He went onto win four USAC Indycar races in his 15-year career – including the 1973 California 500 in the LA suburb of Ontario. Wally used the winnings to by a ranch at Basalt, CO and move Peppy, sons Wally, Jr. and Paul and daughter Colleen the next year.
Wally Sr. became the breakaway CART series Chief Steward in 1981. Peppy joined that tour as an assistant registrar until Wally’s retirement in 2004.
Annette Pepe/Peppy Dallenbach, 83, died in Basalt, CO. July 2. There are Pepes and Dallenbachs who have remained here, which is the reason for the Oct. 7 memorial.
EAST ORANGE – Tributes to Purnell T. “Goldie” Burbage, 98, have been pouring in since word of her passing became known on Sept. 24.
Burbage, as founder of the East Orange Historical Society, have been most recently known as a fountain of knowledge of city matters. the unofficial mayor of the Presidential Heights had been given an honorary Goldie T. “Mrs. B” Burbage Way sign at the corner of Monroe and Roosevelt avenues Sept. 16, 2019.
“Mrs. B” was a history-maker in her own right.
She was often the first African American to serve as secretary to the mayor (Jomes Kelly and William Hart), and the city’s law and tax collection offices. Mayor Hart’s Executive Assistant was also East Orange’s first Chief Personnel Officer and created The Mayor’s Office of Employment and Training, Drug Abuse and Personnel.
Burbage, who worked with Essex County College President A. Zachary Yamba, was President of the East Orange Educational Foundation, the Salvation Army of the Oranges and Maplewood, Chairwoman of the HIV AIDS Sharing Network and Bethany Baptist Church Board of Trustees and Vice President of the East Orange Chamber of Commerce.
“A humanitarian and one of the original change agents in our community,” declared Mayor Theodore “Ted” Green, “Mrs. Burbage has left an unparalleled legacy in East Orange.”
ORANGE – A city man became the center of the latest chapter of “What Were You Thinking?” here at Newark’s Essex County Hall of Records early on Sept. 20.
Essex County Sheriff’s Officers who were stationed at one of the Hall of Records metal detecting x-ray machines said they had to arrest Charles Pryor II when a semi-automatic handgun was seen in his book bag on the machine’s screen that Monday morning.
Pryor told the officers that he had “forgotten that it was in there.”
Pryor was promptly arrested and charged with second-degree unlawful possession of an unregistered weapon. He was remanded to Newark’s Essex County Correctional Center until he had presumably posted bail.
WEST ORANGE / SOUTH ORANGE – Organizers of Sept. 23’s Pet Pride March were all set to go until Tropical Storm Ophelia dumped rain on the area.
The owners of West Orange’s Harper’s Cafe and Pet Wants SOMA have reset their march for a 10 a.m., Oct. 7 step off from the cafe. The march, where “socialized pets are welcomed,” will go from South Valley Road to South Orange’s Spiotta Park at 11 a.m., where remarks will be made and activities held.
The owners of Harper’s and Pet Wants are decrying the homophobic harassment and vandalism that they have suffered the last six years.
Harper’s have recorded two back-to-back paint splatterings and bricks through windows July 13-14. The incidents have been reported to and investigated by the West Orange Police Department. About 150 people, including some township leaders and the West Orange Chamber of Commerce, appeared July 16 to help with repairs and show support.
Pet Wants, after six years of vandalism and slurs, decided that a scribbled “Remove your crap (Pride) flag” note recently wedged into their front door, was the last straw.
MAPLEWOOD – There may well be people walking past 1609-11 Springfield Ave., lately, thinking, “Where have I heard that Daibes name before?”
Fred Daibes is the second generation real estate developer who has pleaded along with Sen Robert Menendez (D-Paramus), wife Nadine Menendez, one other real estate developer and a halal meat exporter in Manhattan federal court Sept. 27.
Daibes is also awaiting sentencing Oct. 26 after pleading guilty to a 14-count indictment in April. He had confessed to getting a $1.8 million loan by misstating limits on Mariner’s Bank, which he founded in 2001.
Daibes Enterprises, as Daibes Gas 14 LLC, bought and built the two-story, six apartment and street level commercial building that is 1609-11 Springfield Ave. Groundbreaking was made on the former Shell filling station on Jan. 9, 2013.
Maplewood’s elders had welcomed the repurposing of the corner lot of Springfield and Burnet Avenue – just as they had in replacing the former American Motors dealer across the street with a Walgreens. That welcoming turned into consternation when Daibes Enterprises, of Edgewater, fell behind on finishing the project, which opened for occupancy in 2017.
Daibes Gas 14 has been meanwhile sold to Kingwood Properties, of New Providence, who then turned residential leasing to AB Holdings. There is no connection to the Maplewood project, except that it was another done by Daibes Enterprises, of Edgewater, to the cases Fred Daibes is involved with.
BLOOMFIELD – Elevators and other improvements, thanks to a recently announced federal grants release, will be coming to NJTransit’s Montclair-Boonton Line Watsessing Avenue Station.
Third Ward Councilwoman Sarah Cruz said she had received word from NJ Transit Sept. 8 that the commuter rail station will be getting two elevators, wheelchair ramps, new platforms and canopies with a $31.6 million USDOT “August Redistribution” grant.
The federal government, which runs on an Oct. 1-Sept. 30 bidet calendar, redistributes unused funds from other line items. This is similar to how state, county and municipal budgets reallocate or “zero out” so far unused funds before their budget calendars run out.
The $31.6 million allocation for Watsessing Station is just over six percent of $425 million USDOT is sending to New Jersey for projects across the state.
This announcement does not come with a timetable on when station improvements will be made. This includes whether the existing interior freight elevator, going back to the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western days, will be used.
Watsessing Station, at the neighborhood’s center, has had a street level waiting room and depressed platforms since the 1910s. The station building had been headquarters to one of Bloomfield’s police unions.
“The funding will give us improvements we need to revive the very important station,” said Cruz Sept. 8. “I’m really looking forward to seeing this station better serving our residents and visitors.”
MONTCLAIR – The Township Council reappointed Angelese Bermudez-Nieves as Township Clerk Sept. 27 on a 5-2 split vote.
Bermudez-Nieves, who started in 2008 as legal assistant to the township attorney, was first appointed as municipal clerk in 2020.She has received her municipal clerk certification in March and is a candidate for Master Municipal Clerk.
Her appointment also gives her tenure to the job title.
Fourth Ward Councilman David Cummings and At-Large Councilman Robert Russo, after seeing their bid to delay Bermudez-Nieves appointment denied, pending an evaluation, dissented in the approval motion.
Cummings and Russo cited two public speakers’ comments that Bermudez-Nieves had not responded to OPRA requests in a timely manner and had “used her discretion,” in throwing out two signatures on a public question referendum.
BELLEVILLE – A Funeral Mass was held here at the Nutley’s Holy Family Church, followed by burial at Bloomfield’s Glendale Cemetery, Sept. 29 for lifelong Bellevillian Samuel Graziano.
Graziano, 89, the father of Councilman Thomas Graziano, died at home here Set. 24.
Born Aug. 22, 1934, Graziano was a Belleville High School. He retired Class of 1952 scholar-athlete. He played shortstop for the BHS Buccaneers baseball team; he later became a Belleville Little League volunteer baseball coach.
The US Army soldier was employed by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Newark. “Sammy” retired in 1992 at age 57 to ride his Harley-Davidson motorcycle to Clifton’s Rutt’s Hut on Sundays. He passed on his hot onions recipe to daughter Judy.
Graziano and his wife of 67 years, Audrey, raised Thomas Graziano, Judy Catena and Linda Barbella here. 12 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren also survive him.
Memorial donations may go to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, stjudes.org.
NUTLEY – A 38-year-old father and his eight-year-old son who were bicycle riding together here Sept. 22 received injuries and tickets after being hit by a car.
Nutley police officers, who were responding to the mishap on Passaic Avenue and Kingsland Street that Friday, found both bicyclists and the motorist. The father and sone were riding a two-seat bicycle when they were struck by the car.
The father was treated at the scene. The son was taken to a local hospital and was released after being observed.
Both the father and son were issued tickets for not wearing helmets.
The unidentified motorist was given motor vehicle summonses for careless driving and failure to yield. The driver is to face Nutley Municipal Court; the bicyclists have the option to appeal their tickets.
