Mayor, Council And Chief Respond to Police Officers' Plea To Avoid Lay Offs

After a three-hour public session during Wednesday night's City Council meeting, where roughly 200 police officers and their friends and families showed up to oppose lay offs, city officials laid out their ideas on the matter, with Police Chief Anthony Falco urging the council to engage in dialogue and Councilwoman Beth Mason introducing a resolution to rescind the lay offs. 

"Why?" Falco asked Councilman-at-Large Ravinder Bhalla, who chairs the public safety committee. "Why didn't we sit down?" 

Falco then turned around to face the police officers in the room—a group he said he considers his "children"—and promised them, "I'll do anything I can to save your positions." 

Falco said also that he does not agree with the demotions and lay offs that were proposed in a state audit of the police department, on which the lay off plan was based. 

After the comments from the officers, their family members and other members of the public in the much-hotter-than-usual council chambers, Mason introduced her resolution, urging the council to disapprove the lay offs and therefore force the mayor to rescind them. 

The resolution was not yet voted on and will be on the agenda for the Sept. 15 meeting.  

Third Ward Councilman Michael Russo, too, said he'd like to see a resolution to rescind the lay offs. Russo's brother is part of the Hoboken police department. Sixth Ward Councilman Nino Giacchi said that he would support Mason's resolution, too. 

"I'm physcially tired," said Russo after hearing all the police officers' accounts, pleas and arguments. "It physically tired me out just to listen to their stories."

"Wow," responded First Ward Councilwoman Teri Castellano, whose husband is a long term patrolman in the Hoboken police department.

Councilman-at-Large David Mello, who is a public school teacher in the South Bronx, told the public about two of his students who got fatally shot earlier this year, and acknowledged the importance of the police.

"I value it," he said. But, he added, we live in "extraordinary times," and tough decisions need to be made, because the economy hasn't yet recovered. 

 Castellano argued that, because the city currently has a budget surplus, the cuts in the police department can be made through attrition. 

Among the many people who attended the public portion of the meeting was Mayor Dawn Zimmer, who walked out of a three-hour session during which she was called a domestic enemy by one of the police officers and criticized by members of the council minority. 

"I know this is extremely hard," Zimmer said in the hallway of city hall. "I appreciate them speaking... and I really appreciate the work the police department does."

The mayor added that the comments of the night "saddened" her, but she must do what she believes is in the best interest of the city. 

"We are in a tax crisis," she said. The roughly $51 million budget the mayor introduced to the council earlier that night includes a 5 percent tax cut. 

Zimmer said that her administration is still looking at other possibilities to try to cut the number of lay offs. Also, if police officers decide to retire between now and the 24th, she added, that may reduce the number of lay offs as well. 

Which is something Chief Falco is also looking to do. "I want to see if we can overcome this," Falco said. "We've been down this road before."

When asked what he would do if the lay offs happen as planned on the 24th, Falco answered, "I'm not even thinking about it right now."