Residents Push for Referendum on Edison Project

Residents are taking their concerns over the proposed Edison redevelopment project to the streets, drumming up support to push for a referendum on the issue.

The group is looking to repeal a . The ordinance authorizes West Orange to issue $6.3 million in general obligation bonds to Prism Capital Partners, LLC, the developer of the Edison property on Main Street.

The in the Edison battery building.

"We're not against redevelopment, we all want something there, but we shouldn't be paying for it," said resident Rosary Morelli, who is spearheading the initiative. "There's not a high level of comfort with this whole thing, a lot of questions haven't gotten answered."

Morelli, along with a group of more than a dozen volunteers, have been combing the township for the past week, gathering signatures to propel the referendum to the ballot.

"This is the democratic way, we should have a say on it," Morelli said.

According to the clerk's office, organizers must collect 15 percent of the total amount of residents that voted in the last general assembly election. That number totals 1,234 certified signatures from registered voters, said Karen Carnevale, West Orange's municipal clerk.

State statute dictates that petitions must be submitted within 20 days of the ordinance's publication. In this case, residents have until 4 p.m. on April 11 to turn in their petitions.

Organizers told Patch Tuesday they had met their mark but would continue to petition until the deadline to ensure they have more than enough signatures.

"We're not asking whether they vote 'yes,' 'no,' we're just asking if they support having the referendum put before the ballot for the voters to make that determination, that's all we're asking," said resident Christine Bosco as she stood outside ShopRite gathering additional signatures Tuesday morning.

Should the referendum make the ballot, the public would vote either during a special election or during the general election in November, Carnevale said, adding that the administration had not yet determined from the statute when the elections would need to take place.

She estimated the cost of running a special election at roughly $80,000, a cost fully incurred by the township.

"Whatever it's going to cost, it's a lot less than the $6.3 million," Morelli said. "(The council) could have avoided this but they didn't … it could have save a lot of aggravation, acrimony and money."

Council President Patricia Spango told Patch a special election would be a "major cost" to the municipality but maintained residents had a right to call for a referendum, "Every citizen has the right to petition their government for the redress of grievances, these citizens are exercising that right and we all have to respect the process."

The bonds will pay for infrastructure costs on the first phase of the project.  Of the $6.3 million issued, $3.1 million of the debt service will be paid back by a special assessment on the property.

Though most council members support the Councilman Joe Krakoviak has been the lone dissenter on the council, consistently firing off a salvo of concerns over the project, citing "too many unknowns."

He said while 50 percent of the bonds would be paid back, it would be over 30-year period. He added that if the developer defaulted on his payments, the risk would fall on the township.

"I'm for redevelopment but I'm not for taking on most of the risk of the project," .

Councilman Sal Anderton ascertained, He said in addition to the special assessment, the township will also receive revenue generated from the project that will pay for the other half of the bonds.

"It's not something that is going to come out of tax dollars that you and I pay … What's the impact on your taxes? None. The impact is entirely on the properties that receive the special assessment," he said in February.

The township council

To read the full petition, see below:

We the undersigned registered voters of the township of West Orange, New Jersey, do hereby seek the repeal of municipal ordinance 2354-12 entitled "An ordinance of the township of West Orange, in the county of Essex, New Jersey, providing for certain improvements within the downtown redevelopment area, appropriating $6,300,000. Therefore, and authorizing the issuance of not to exceed $6,300,000 general improvement bonds or notes of the township to finance the cost thereof and directing special assessment of a part of the cost thereof," and hereby petition pursuant to NJSA 40:49-27 and NJSA, 40:69A-185, that said aforementioned ordinance in its entirety, with any amendments thereto to be submitted to the voters of the township of West Orange at a general election or special election in the form of a referendum.