Corzine Announces Plan To Temporarily Reduce Municipal Pension Contributions

ATLANTIC CITY – Gov. Jon Corzine announced a plan to help municipalities facing a short-term budget crunch at last week’s New Jersey League of Municipalities conference. Counties and municipalities would be able to defer half of next April’s payment into the employee pension system.

Corzine said the deferral would only be temporary, and full funding would be required by 2012.

“By taking this unusual, but necessary step, my intent is to help our municipalities get through this recessionary period and, at the same time, dramatically reduce the pressure on property taxes,” the governor said.

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Report Says Linden Chemical Facility Is Among Nation’s Most Dangerous

WASHINGTON, D.C.—New Jersey is home to five of the nation’s most “dangerous” chemical facilities, according to a report released last week. Security experts identify the chemical plants as potential terrorist targets.

Each of the 101 chemical facilities identified by the report of the Center for American Progress could endanger more than a million people in the event of a terrorist strike or an accidental release of toxic gas.

The Infineum USA plant in Linden, which uses chlorine gas to make industrial additives, is one of the five New Jersey facilities identified. The others include the Kuehne Chemical Co. plant in South Kearney that uses chlorine gas to produce liquid bleach; the DuPont Chambers Works plant in Deepwater, which uses chlorine gas to make polymers; the Valero Refining Co. petroleum refinery in Paulsboro, which uses hydrofluoric acid to turn crude oil into gasoline; and the Thorofare plant in West Deptford, which uses hydrofluoric acid to make other chemicals.

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Linden Names New Schools Superintendent

Rocco G. Tomazic

LINDEN—Rocco G. Tomazic was approved as the next Superintendent of the Linden Public Schools, effective Jan. 1, at the Nov. 17 meeting of the Linden Board of Education.

Tomazic is currently the assistant superintendent in the district. The current superintendent, Joseph E. Martino, is scheduled to retire Dec. 31.

Tomazic has been in the Linden School District since 1996. He served as the Navy Junior ROTC senior naval science instructor, as a vice principal in Linden High School and as assistant superintendent. He earned an educational doctorate degree from Rutgers University in social studies education.

Prior to his employment in Linden he was a career naval officer in the U.S. Navy retiring with the rank of commander.

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Puerto Rico Discovery Day Honorees

Puerto Rico Discovery Day Honorees – On Nov. 16, the Puerto Rican Association for Human Development Puerto held its Puerto Rico Discovery Day celebration. This year’s award recipients were members of the Senior Aide Program: Carmen “Millie” Diaz, who received the Outstanding Volunteer Award and Julio De Jesus, who took the Outstanding Student Award.  Pictured left to right are Assemblyman Joseph Vas (D-Middlesex), Carmen “Millie” Diaz, PRAHD Chairperson Robert Durso, PRAHD Executive Director Lydia Trinidad, and Julio De Jesus.

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Elizabeth Students Perform Community Service At Wilson Park

ELIZABETH – On Tuesday, Nov. 11, while many Americans were paying their respects to the veterans who have sacrificed so much for this great nation, the Groundwork Elizabeth Green Team, with support from the city’s Department of Public Works, dedicated several hours to landscape and clean Wilson Memorial Park located on Newark Avenue at the most northern point of Elizabeth.

Members of the Groundwork Elizabeth Green Team and their advisors pose for a photo sitting on top of the re-built wall of a planter that had been damaged in an accident.

The group started the morning off with cleaning and mulching the first of the two planters funded by a grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation Good Neighbor Landscaping Program set in the middle of the park. Trash and weeds were removed as the planter was restored and mulched by the Groundwork Elizabeth Green Team, SkillsUSA, including their president, Mansoor Choudhry, and the City of Elizabeth Department of Public Works.

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