Mayor Calls Mountainside 'Fiscally Strong & Thriving' into the New Year

Beaming with pride and a light-hearted sense of humor, Mayor Paul Mirabelli compared Mountainside to a genuine family. "Like a real family, we don't often get along every moment on a day to day basis, but when faced with difficult and challenging situations, we are there for one another," said Mirabelli at the Mountainside reorgnanization meeting held Tues., Jan. 3, 2011 at the municipal building.

The mayor told the crowd on this bone-chilling night in January that Mountainside is "fiscally strong  and thriving" and that he is confident that the town will continue to live up to its high ranking in the state.

Dozens of residents crammed into the meeting room to officially welcome in the new year with the mayor and council and support members of the Mountainside police department who received special praise for their accomplishments in a formal presentation by Administrator James J. Debbie, Jr. and Captain Richard Osieja.

Mayor Mirabelli and council members Deanna Andre, and Keith Turner were officially sworn in to begin their duties for 2011 and Keith Turner was voted in as Council President.  

Osieja presented a special merit award to Detectives Andrew Huber, Thomas Norton, and Michael Jackson.

Huber was recognized for his investigative work which began in 2010 and continued into 2011 which led to the arrest and conviction of a high school teacher at Governor Livingston High School who was distributing alcohol and drugs to students. 

Detectives Norton and Jackson were recognized for their investigative work that resulted in the conviction of six individuals for the distribution of narcotics. 

Administrator Debbie presented a special award to three communication officers, Walter "Skip" Kutsop, Lou Giordino, and James Debbie III, whom he called "Our unsung heroes."

"They are at the nerve center of the borough. The Communication officer is not afforded the opportunity to panic," Debbie said.

Debbie recalled the storms of the last year, especially the Oct. 29, 2011 storm that prompted 40 emergency calls per minute, and in the middle of the frenzy of calls about power outages and downed trees, a young mother called pleading for help because her infant had stopped breathing.

"All else stopped and dispatch immediately centered on the needs of this child and mother. The call was patched in to the hospital ambulance dispatch for squad response while simultaneously dispatching police and a snow plow all while keeping the mother calm on the phone until help arrived," he said.

He was happy to report that after officers arrived and administered oxygen, the child began to breathe again.

Debbie said this was an example of the outstanding level of team work and the remarkable work of the dispatchers.

He said, "The information they ask for can make the difference between life and death. They hold our lives in their hands. They are the first person we talk to when we need help and in some cases, they might be the last. They send us whatever is needed when we need help."

Among the resolutions passed at the first meeting of the year, was Resolution 10-2012 appointing John N. Post as borough attorney; Resolution 21-2012, authorizing a 2012 Temporary Operating Budget; Resolution 23-2012, appointing Jill Goode as Chief Financial Officer; and Resolution 17-2012 Designation of Rate of Interest on Delinquent Taxes. 

Resolution 17-2012 calls for 8 percent to be paid on the first $1,500 of delinquent taxes, and 18 percent on any in excess of $1,500. No interest will be charged on payments made within the first 10 days of the payment period. And a 6 percent penalty will be paid on a delinquency of $10,000 or more at the end of the calendar year.