Jersey City Construction Company is Fined $46,000 by OSHA for Alleged Violations: Jersey City company Clara Construction has been fined more than $46,000 by U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for alleged safety violations at its work site on Christopher Columbus Drive.

Liberty Science Center Receives Grant Towards Summer Program for High School Students: Liberty Science Center has been awarded a generous grant from Novo Nordisk Inc., a Denmark-based healthcare company that specializes in diabetes care, for an intensive eight-week summer program.

The Final Farewell of Star Video: The last video store in downtown, which rents DVDs and VHS tapes, is closing and will become a bar, according to the owner.

Crime Blotter: A Jersey City man targeted for a robbery by two young thugs tricked them into waiting outside his door while he called police; A Jersey City man imprisoned after a high speed chase that ended in a crash has escaped from a halfway house in Newark.

Today’s Best Bets:

It’s Open Mic Wednesdays at Boca Grande. Hosted by Nick Ciavatta, performers get the chance to perform 3-4 songs per open mic slot (8:30 pm, free).

In Statewide News:

Port Authority Needs ‘Top-to-Bottom Overhaul,’ According to Interim Audit: The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which is redeveloping the World Trade Center, needs a “top-to-bottom overhaul” because of poor management and a lack of cost controls, according to an interim audit released by its board.

New Jersey Disqualifies 29 School Board Members: Seventeen school board members in New Jersey will have to step down from their elected posts because they have a criminal conviction on their records. Another 12 school board members in New Jersey must also step down for not submitting their background checks in time.

Assembly Committee Clears Health Insurance Exchange Bill: The first in a long series of steps toward healthcare reform was taken yesterday, when a bill that will introduce sweeping changes to the way insurance is sold in New Jersey was voted out of an Assembly committee.

School Bus/SUV Collision in Front of Jersey City City Hall Sends Schoolchildren to the Hospital: A collision between a school bus and an SUV has sent a handful of schoolchildren to the Jersey City Medical Center, but there don’t appear to be any serious injuries, according to a witness.

Jersey City Officials Say 911 Delays Amount to ‘Seconds,’ Not Minutes: Some 911 calls intended for Jersey City emergency responders are accidentally diverted to New York City, but the delays are minuscule and there’s not much that can be done to rectify the problem, city officials say.

Jersey City Artist Explores African Culture, Art in ‘Afrocentricity’: Darin DeField’s mixed media collages, photographs and digital prints often incorporate elements African art, as viewers will see in his upcoming exhibit “Afrocentricity” at LITM.

Crime Blotter: As shots rang out on Martin Luther King Drive yesterday afternoon, several residents scurried for cover inside the offices of the Urban League of Hudson County; A Jersey City man armed with a knife was arrested after threatening to kill police officers who responded to his home on a loud music complaint Tuesday evening.

Today’s Best Bets:

New Jersey City University presents Margaret Murphy, A Ten-Year Survey: Decoding the Market Place: coupons, dollar stores, and eBay, a survey of 40 of the artist’s important works over the past decade (5 pm, free).

Instigatorzine, an art and literary magazine takes over Art House’s open mic tonight (8 pm, $5).

In Statewide News:

State Test Scores Reveal Some Gains, Widening Achievement Gap: Budget cuts cost New Jersey school districts $1 billion, with some of the poorest districts paying the biggest price.

Jersey City’s Special City Council Race Candidates Report Spending Nearly $300,000: The 17 candidates in last year’s Jersey City special election to fill two vacancies on the City Council spent nearly $300,000 combined, with the two winning candidates shelling out nearly $100,000 total during the campaign.

Former Jersey City Mayoral Candidate Will Ask for New Corruption Charges to be Tossed: Former state Assemblyman Louis Manzo, a defendant in New Jersey’s largest corruption case, is seeking to have the charges against him dismissed.

Jersey City Man in Stable Condition After Exchanging Fire with Police: The Jersey City felon who was shot four times by police after allegedly opening fire on officers Friday remained hospitalized but in stable condition, officials said Tuesday.

Hudson Freeholders to Study Express Bus Service Between Jersey City and Bayonne: Hudson County is set to take one step closer to connecting Journal Square in Jersey City to Bayonne with an express bus service.

Crime Blotter: Three men posing as repair workers talked their way into a Jersey City home and robbed two residents in their 80s of more than $5,000 in cash and jewelry, police said; A man who flashed a knife during an argument in a Secaucus Road parking lot in Jersey City was forced to flee when the man he was arguing with pulled a machete from his pants; An 82-year-old Jersey City man walking on Clarke Avenue early yesterday morning was attacked from behind, then beaten and robbed by two thugs; Yesterday Jersey City police busted a 33-year-old Newark man they say stole an SUV and then rammed a police cruiser with the vehicle when cops were closing in.

Today’s Best Bets:

One of Jersey City’s newest galleries, WOOLPUNKstudios, hosts an opening reception for Digital Weavings: Works by Pat Lay and Michelle Loughlin (6 pm, free). Meanwhile, there’s a closing reception for ‘Images’ by Eric Schkrutz at Made with Love (7 pm, free).

Uptown Crew presents its bimonthly Open Mic for poetry, music, readings, spoken word, comedy, dance and more (8 pm, $5).

In Statewide News:

Gov. Christie Calls for Restructuring of Research Universities: Governor Christie yesterday outlined a sweeping overhaul of higher education that would create a New Jersey Health Sciences University in Newark to replace UMDNJ, place Newark’s University Hospital under nonprofit management, and fold Rutgers-Camden and its law school into Rowan University to give South Jersey its own research university.

New Jersey gets a D-Plus for Teacher Standards: New Jersey’s report card from a group that seeks to improve standards for educators is dismal: D-plus, 36th in the United States, and making less progress than most states.

New Jersey Ranks Last Place in Business-Climate Rank: The Washington-based Tax Foundation, which advocates for simpler tax codes with lower rates, today released its annual Business Tax Climate Index, which ranks the 50 U.S. states based on how welcoming their tax law is to businesses. New Jersey placed 50th, a position it also held in 2011.

Black New Jersey Leaders to Gov. Christie: Popular Vote is No Way to Achieve Civil Rights: Two of New Jersey’s most influential black leaders, Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, blasted Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday for proposing gay marriage be put to a popular vote in November.

Kessler Foundation Awards $250,000 Employment Grant to Jersey City Social Enterprise for People With Disabilities: Kessler Foundation awarded a $250,000 Signature Employment Grant to Hudson Community Enterprises (HCE), headquartered in Jersey City, to advance employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.

Mom Testifies at Ex-boyfriend’s Murder Trial of Horrific Day Daughter Died in Fire; Jury Sees Grisly Photos: Heart-wrenching testimony and gruesome crime scene photos were presented to the jury today in the trial of a Jersey City man charged with strangling his former girlfriend’s daughter and then torching her room to hide the crime.

Broken Gas Pipe Repaired Near Holland Tunnel: A gas line near the Holland Tunnel was broken by a construction crew yesterday morning, forcing the temporary closure of the westbound tunnel traffic, officials said.

Crime Blotter: After being robbed late Monday by three men, two of them holding silver handguns, a 23-year-old Jersey City man followed the trio until he lost sight of them — but cops picked up the search and busted the alleged perps; A 46-year-old Jersey City woman told cops she was punched in her face after she told a car burglar to hand over her laptop computer; After he was stopped by New Jersey Transit cops for nonpayment of a fare on a Hudson-Bergen Light Rail train at the Liberty State Park Station, a suspect jumped off the train and ran into Liberty State Park.

Today’s Best Bets:

Hudson Pride Connections Center hosts a Card/Game Night tonight (7 pm, $5 donation). Meanwhile, Boca Grande holds its weekly free music Open Mic hosted by Nick Ciavatta (8:30 pm).

In Statewide News:

Senator Sandra Cunningham of Jersey City Proposes Bills to Reform Justice System: At a news conference at the Statehouse on Friday, Senators Sandra Bolden Cunningham and Raymond J. Lesniak announced a package of bills they are introducing to make it easier for some non-violent offenders to get out of a prison and overcome barriers to getting jobs.

New Jersey Third in Student Performance, Non-profit Group Says: A national report card on education in America has ranked New Jersey third in the country for student performance and awarded it a B-minus for state education policy — but the state received mostly D’s for teacher-quality issues, leading the state’s largest teachers union to question the validity of the report and its criteria.

Democrats Make Marriage Equality Their Priority: The Democrats drew a clear line Tuesday when they released the Senate version of the marriage equality bill, honoring a promise to make the issue their first priority.

Ex-Jersey City Deputy Mayor Beldini Must Serve Prison Time, Despite Bad Health: A federal judge yesterday ruled the former Jersey City deputy mayor’s poor health should not keep her from reporting to prison.

Liberty Humane Society to Start Taking Dogs on Monday: The shelter was temporarily closed this week following the discovery of a contagious virus in a dog, but will begin taking in dogs again beginning on Monday.

Fire on Grand Street: Four Jersey City cops and a firefighter risked their lives and pulled four people out of a burning Jersey City building Wednesday night, authorities said. One firefighter was injured helping what appeared to be a squatter in the vacant building.

Crime Blotter: Jersey City police officers responding to an attempted carjacking yesterday morning found the suspect running down the street, and nabbed him after a chase, officials said; one person was taken into custody for criminal mischief in an incident at the Liberty State Park light rail station last night, according to a spokesman for New Jersey Transit.

In Statewide News:

State Attorney-General Nominee Sails Through Hearing: Jeffrey S. Chiesa, a longtime colleague and confidante of Gov. Chris Christie, eased through the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday morning on his way to being confirmed as New Jersey’s top law enforcement officer.

Senator Robert Menendez Stalls Obama’s Choice for Court: New Jersey’s US Senator Menendez is holding up President Obama’s nomination of a judge to the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, the only time a Democrat has tried to block one of Mr. Obama’s judicial nominees.

State Environmental Bill May Violate Federal Law, EPA Says: The US Environmental Protection Agency said late yesterday that portions of a bill pending before the state Legislature to delay and, in some cases, circumvent protections for New Jersey’s drinking water supplies would lead to more pollution and may also violate federal law.

Christie Administration Divvies Up Its Race to the Top Winnings: New Jersey has finally won some federal Race to the Top money, and the Christie administration spelled out where every dollar of the $37,848,434 would go.

Proposed Bill Would Let Wineries Ship Directly to Garden State Customers: New Jersey residents are one step closer to being able to buy wine directly from Garden State vineyards and have it legally shipped to their doorsteps.

First proposed by Gov. Chris Christie and since taken up by South Jersey Democrats, a plan that would open up select public schools to nonprofit or even some limited for-profit management appears poised for passage in the final days of the legislature’s lame duck session.

The proposed Urban Hope Act, at least in its current incarnation, is in part an attempt to speed the glacial pace of getting new schools built in some of New Jersey’s poorest districts. The initiative may enlist the aid of the Schools Development Authority, which is often criticized for dragging its feet on projects.

The measure has seen a host of changes since the idea was first announced by Christie at a Camden public school last summer, and then filed as bills by state Sen. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) and state Assemblyman Angel Fuentes (D-Camden).

Initially envisioned as an effort by Christie to convert low-performing public schools to private management, the latest version is focused on building a few new public schools in three districts: Camden, Newark and Jersey City. Up to four schools could be launched in each district.

And the private part has been downgraded, with enough protections for public school teachers that the measure even has the support of the New Jersey Education Association. Local districts would also have to approve the new arrangements.

But the initiative still would create a new class of so-called renaissance schools in the state — albeit on a pilot basis — that would be separate from district management. And it proposes a new array of financing for schools to be built in these districts, including the possible participation of the beleaguered Schools Development Authority.

Still, potentially involving the SDA is sure to bring a series of operational and legal questions, if not challenges, especially since the authority was launched under court orders to build new district schools.

Norcross has taken the lead on the proposal on the Senate side, and said he made significant changes in the bill after meetings with a range of stakeholders, critics, and supporters.

“This is a reflection of those conversations, and just as important, it is something that can get passed and signed into law,” Norcross said.

The bill is clearly on the fast track, with both the Assembly’s and the Senate’s budget committees hearing the measure on Thursday and the full chamber ready for vote on Monday, the final day of the session.

The hearings are likely to be crowded, with advocates on both sides expected to testify. The NJEA, a notable supporter, hasn’t typically lined up behind proposals first championed by Christie.

But Ginger Gold Schnitzer, the chief lobbyist for the NJEA, said yesterday that Norcross had addressed the most significant of the union’s worries in writing into the bill that the schools would fall under the same accountability and standards as traditional public schools. Further, teachers would be fully certified and protected by the same rights as in public schools, including the right to organize.

“Back in July, we thought this had a mess a problems, and he [Norcross] was willing to listen to us,” Schnitzer said yesterday. “When he then takes a lion’s share of our suggestions, how can we not support it? This is still about public schools and using public money for public education.”

Numerous questions remain, since the bill does allow for private management of at least some non-instructional school functions. It also waives public bidding laws for these schools and brings in the potential that some of the projects would be built on SDA land that had been designated by the Supreme Court for district schools.

David Sciarra, the lawyer that has led the Abbott v. Burke court fight said there are a “host of practical and legal questions.”

Much of the attention is focused on a project being promoted by Norcrosss’ brother, Democratic leader George Norcross, that would use land next to the Cooper Health Systems in Camden, of which he is chairman. The property in Lanning Square had been earmarked for a district public school that has been perennially stalled by the SDA.

“This is essentially opening up SDA to use of their sites for projects for either non- or for-profit use,” said David Sciarra, director of the Education Law Center in Newark. “That raises a whole host of concerns that we have not seen addressed in any serious manner.”

Norcross, the senator, didn’t deny that the Lanning Square site would be a prime candidate for the project, and he said one of the impetuses of the bill as now written is to get long-stalled projects moving in some form. Norcross has been a frequent critic of the SDA’s slow action under Christie.

“There are a number of sites in Camden, and they will all get looked at,” he said. “There has been nothing more disappointing than seeing [the Lanning Square site] sit there year after year.”

Other critics have said there are also questions around the financing of such projects, with private companies potentially reaping the benefits at the taxpayers’ expense. One provision of the bill would have local districts responsible for any bonding for the new schools’ construction.

“While the revised Urban Hope legislation is an improvement on the original, a number of serious concerns remain that make it very vulnerable to corruption and abuse, at the taxpayers’ expense,” said Julia Sass Rubin, spokesperson for Save Our Schools NJ, a grassroots group that has grown active in school reform debates.

“We hope that the legislature will address these problems so that the good intentions of this program are not subsumed by unintended corruption and abuse.”

Jersey City Gay Couple Fights for Custody of Twin Girls: A Hudson County Superior Court judge last week awarded full custody to the biological father of 5-year-old twins, while preserving the parental visitation rights of the surrogate who carried them, who in an earlier court ruling had been declared to be the legal mother.

Jersey City Seeking FEMA Help for Damaged Boonton Reservoir: Jersey City officials have met with the Federal Emergency Management Agency in an effort to get federal funding to repair a portion of the city’s reservoir in Boonton that was damaged in August by Hurricane Irene floodwaters.

Federal Cuts Coming to Jersey City’s Community Blocks: Hudson County is set to lose $2.6 million next year in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, including $1.6 million in federal Community Development Block Grant funds.

Motorcyclists Distribute Toys for Tots: More than 100 motorcycle riders converged on the Jersey City Medical Center on Saturday to distribute toys to children.

Pier Fire: A fire broke out at the Newport Waterfront yesterday morning, up the pier from Jersey City restaurant, Michael Anthony’s.

Crime Blotter: One person was stabbed, one person was physically assaulted and another individual was struck with a blunt object, possibly a bat, in a scuffle yesterday near Dickinson High School that got five people arrested and three sent to the hospital.

Today’s Best Bets:

Kick off Hanukkah tonight at Barcade with the Shmaltz Brewing Company’s Hanukkah Party. Fifteen Taps of He Brew and Coney Island beers are accompanied by festive holiday noshes (5 pm).
In Statewide News:

Ex-North Bergen Recreation Employee Files State Ethics Complaint Against Sacco: Supplying what she says are eight-year old voice recordings of Mayor/state Sen. Nick Sacco (D-32), a former North Bergen Twp. recreation department employee filed a sexual harassment complaint on December 15th with the State Legislative Ethics Committee against Sacco.

New Jersey Tries Again for Race to the Top Funds: Not giving up its try for money out of the federal program, the Christie administration on Friday filed one more time for Race to the Top funds, this time focusing on a few smaller — but no less controversial — initiatives.

Jersey City’s First Female Firefighter Promoted to Captain: Among 21 JCFD firefighters promoted to Capetian last weekwas Capt. Constance Zappella, the city’s first female firefighter and a nine-year veteran.

Olympian Teaches Physical Education at Snyder High School: Four-time US Olympian Joetta Clark Diggs recently led four “Head 2 Toe Fitness” seminars for 25 ninth-graders at Snyder High School in Jersey City.

Crime Blotter: A 23-year-old Jersey City man leaving a house party in Greenville early yesterday was shot in the back, police reports said; a Brooklyn man had his Cadillac Escalade carjacked from him near the Holland Tunnel in Jersey City early Saturday, according to police reports; a 5-year-old Jersey City girl was viciously attacked by a pit bull Thursday night, sending her to a hospital with cuts, punctures wounds and swelling to her leg after the animal tried “to take her leg off”; Jersey City police found two guns under the jukebox of a Greenville bar in an incident that led to the arrest of five people and seizure of suspected marijuana and Ecstasy pills on Thursday, officials said.

Today’s Best Bets:

Celebrate Hanukkah at the Historic Downtown Special Improvement District’s first Menorah Lighting at the Grove Street PATH Plaza (5 pm, free).

In Statewide News:

Panel to Decide Which NJ Congressional District to Cut: When the 13-member commission’s work is done after three days of negotiations, one of New Jersey’s elected representatives will be out of a job.

With the End of ARC, NJ Transit Steps Up Customer Service: The halting of the ARC rail tunnel project last year has allowed NJ Transit to focus on expanding existing rail lines and finding alternative revenue sources, the head of the agency told business leaders Friday.

Speculation Spreads About Codey’s 2013 Bid for Governor: One of state Sen. Richard Codey’s closest allies appeared on Channel 12 this weekend to stoke speculation that the former governor will seek the top office in 2013.

Employers to Pay More for Workers’ Comp Insurance: The average rate employers pay for workers’ compensation will increase 6.9 percent next year, a hike pinned to rising medical costs and the lackluster economy.

New Jersey’s Reliance on Natural Gas to Grow, Experts Agree: At a recent NJ Spotlight Roundtable on natural gas, a panel of experts debated the pros and cons of promoting greater reliance on the fossil fuel.

A Year after His Appointment, Why Is Chris Cerf Still ‘Acting’ Education Commissioner?: In Gov. Chris Christie’s battle with Democrats over the confirmation of Chris Cerf as his education commissioner, a lot of political energy is being spent on a job title that most agree doesn’t mean a whole a lot in legal terms.

New Jersey’s Bid for Federal Education Funds Fails: New Jersey again finished out of the running for federal Race to the Top funds, this time in its Early Learning Challenge, which would provide up to $60 million for programs such as a new rating system for preschools and a “kindergarten readiness” assessment.

School reform is a hot topic in New Jersey politics right now with five bills addressing that issue pending in the Statehouse.

The statewide organization Better Education for Kids (B4K) held its first community meeting in Jersey City last month, gathering a small group in the back room at Zeppelin Hall in Downtown Jersey City Nov. 21 to discuss reform issues.

Founded and funded by hedge fund managers David Tepper and Alan Fournier earlier this year, B4K has been holding meetings across New Jersey with parents, teachers and others with a stake in New Jersey public school education. Among the organization’s goals are to tie tenure to teacher evaluations and eliminate seniority in teacher hiring decisions in New Jersey public schools.

However, the organization is trying to accomplish these goals with some bold moves that include a media campaign aligning with Gov. Chris Christie’s education reform agenda, while at the same time attacking the state’s teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association.

The group also backed four candidates running for State Assembly this month, with two of them winning seats.

B4K is especially focused on urging state representatives to pass one of two dueling bills by Republicans and Democrats to change the rules of how teachers receive tenure, which is automatic after three years working in a district.

Other legislation is being considered that would allow failing public schools to be converted into charter schools, to have public money used to fund scholarships or vouchers for children to go to private schools, and to have private management companies step in to operate failing schools. B4K supports trying vouchers in a limited number of districts via a pilot program and has not publicly supported other bills not pertaining to tenure.

The organization’s ideas on tenure have made it a target of criticism.

The day after the meeting at Zeppelin Hall, B4K was mentioned at a public forum held at PS 30 in Greenville that was centered on the selection of the new Jersey City superintendent. University of North Carolina professor Walter Farrell, an expert in educational administration, called out the group for its role in the nationwide movement to privatize education as well as, he said, destroy public school education.

Steve Wollmer, spokesman for the NJEA, told the Associated Press last month that B4K was “all about throwing money at people and buying their support or buying their opinions,” taking issue with its handing out of backpacks at back-to-school events this summer in Jersey City and other urban school districts.

But Derrell Bradford, the executive director of B4K’s political advocacy arm, told JCI in an interview at the Zeppelin Hall gathering that the organization makes no apologies for its efforts.

“People of good faith and goodwill who have time and passion are going to be involved in this,” Bradford said. “And those people are myself, and [B4K deputy director Shelley Skinner] and David Tepper and Alan Fournier, and moms and dads who have kids in schools right now whose futures are at stake.”

Bradford, who does not have kids, said his “passion” comes from growing up in inner-city Baltimore, where he was given a scholarship to attend a private school and ended up in the ivy league at the University of Pennsylvania, which he described as life-changing. Now he wants to change the lives of countless children in similar ways.

He also sees B4K developing a presence in the ongoing debate over how public school education should operate in the Garden State. The group also plans to hold more community meetings in Jersey City, where he and Skinner both reside.

Skinner, a former employee and now a board member at Learning Community Charter School on John F. Kennedy Boulevard, said at least 4,000 to 5,000 people from Jersey City support B4K’s initiatives, with many becoming familiar with the group both through its association with her and through StudentsFirst, the political advocacy organization formed by controversial former Washington D.C. schools chancellor Michelle Rhee.

Skinner, along with Bradford, agreed that Jersey City was one of the key locations for the group to target because of the spotlight on the school district due to the ongoing superintendent search, as well as its status as the second largest school system in the state. The district is also a magnet for charter schools, home to 10 of the 13 charter schools in operation in all of Hudson County.

When asked if B4K plans to be involved in Jersey City finding a new school superintendent, Skinner said B4K was not actively involved in the search but plans to be involved in other local education issues.

She and Bradford spoke to those in attendance at Zeppelin Hall about what they can do to convince local state legislators to pass the tenure reform legislation, which may not get passed in the last few weeks before the lame-duck winter session ends on Jan. 9.

“It is certainly an opportunity to reach out and make your views known,” Skinner said. “It is really important to let them know that this [legislation] is important to you.”

Peter O’Reilly, the father of two young children enrolled in Jersey City public schools, has known about B4K since it first started. He calls the organization’s positions “sensible” and “pragmatic.”

O’Reilly said he is particularly interested in B4K’s challenge to the current tenure system for public employees.

“[Tenure] doesn’t really meet the needs of modern-day education,” O’Reilly said at the meeting.

A longtime district employee who asked not to be named because she was concerned about backlash from the district said she went to the B4K event because she wanted to have an “open mind” about the issues they were advocating.

She also wants to see tenure done away with, to allow for teachers who are not teaching to be fired, she said. But she parts ways with B4K as she believes administrators should not have so much power to fire, and that there should be due process before it happens.

“How fair is it if someone just walks in and because they don’t click, a good employee could be gone?” she said.

Some parents of children enrolled in local public schools are even more skeptical of B4K’s intentions.

Felicia Noth, Public School 5′s parent council president, has a son enrolled at the school. Noth has grown familiar with B4K’s agenda after receiving a flyer this summer and then doing research on the group. She is opposed to B4K’s support of a pilot program for vouchers, having seen a voucher program fail in her native Milwaukee.

“I oppose vouchers strongly so I basically don’t agree with this organization,” Noth said. “I have seen the negative impact that vouchers have on public education.”

Photos of a recent “Backpacks 4 Kids” event courtesy of B4K

Walker, 59, is a 38-year district veteran, a former principal of Lincoln High School who now oversees a group of schools. He was warmly received at last night’s special meeting at School 11 by the board and audience members, a racially diverse crowd that overwhelmingly and boisterously approved his selection.

Board members voted 6-3 for Walker, with board President Sterling Waterman, Vice President Carol Lester and Trustees Patricia Sebron, Angel Valentin and Carol Harrison-Arnold voting yes and Suzanne Mack, Sean Connors and William DeRosa voting no. DeRosa cast his vote via telephone.

Yet the opposition did not seem personal. “He’s an excellent choice, but I have some concerns over the legality of how the process was handled,” Connors, who is leaving to join the state assembly, told JCI after the meeting.

During remarks before the final vote, Mack voiced similar concerns, noting that when a board quorum of six began final interviews of three candidates on the prior day, they held a closed session before convening an open meeting, which she viewed as a violation of the state’s Open Public Meetings Act.

Board Attorney Ramon Rivera, however, said that having the board come out of closed session to have the open session, even after candidates were interviewed, “cured” the problem.
 
Walker is expected to serve for up to six months, though Waterman has not ruled out taking up to nine months to find Epps’ permanent successor during what the board has described as a comprehensive national search.

The board received five applications for the interim position, all from in-house candidates, and whittled down the choice to three candidates on Wednesday. Though the others’ names were not publicly revealed, Waterman insisted any of them would have been “an excellent choice” in leading the district through a critical time of transition.
 
Final approval is subject to a review of Walker’s contract by Hudson County executive schools superintendent Monica Tone. The board is seeking to boost Walker’s pay at least temporarily with the promotion, though the level of compensation was not included in the resolution. Waterman declined to reveal the salary, saying he was not sure he could until after Tone reviews the contract and makes her decision.
 
Walker has not ruled out tossing his hat in for the national search, saying after the meeting that he will “take things day to day” in making that decision – provided Tone approves his interim agreement.
 
“You will all need to keep Mr. Walker’s feet to the fire,” Waterman told the audience last night. “He will not be a placeholder.”
 
And as his appointment was wildly cheered, Walker said he would insist that upon taking office, the public carefully scrutinize his actions.
 
“I’d like to work with every one of you – to play my part working with you in making the students the best they can be in the city of Jersey City,” he said in his acceptance address.
Invoking some language used in President Abraham Lincoln’s immortal Civil War-Era Gettysburg address, Walker added, “We need to open up the process to teachers and parents – empower you for the students,” in a district that is “of the students, for the students and by the students. It’s all about the students.”
 
And while he acknowledged he is considered one of the many “experts” serving in the district, that does not mean he has all the answers. “That’s where you come in,” he told the audience.

Walker is expected to offer the board a ray of sunshine following the dark clouds that have been hanging over it in determining the fate of Epps, who did not attend the meeting. The interim superintendent will preside over a board that has been bitterly divided ever since the reorganization, between those who supported replacing Epps (Adames, Harrison-Arnold, Lester, Mack, Waterman) and those who wanted to retain Epps for at least one more three-year contract (Connors, DeRosa, Sebron and Valentin). The defeat of then-incumbent Frances Thompson ultimately sealed Epps’ fate.

Yet signs last night pointed to Walker as serving as a unifying force in a difficult time of transition. After the meeting, Walker told JCI he believes both factions felt his almost 40 years of service in a variety of district capacities will keep the district effectively running as the board ponders its long-term future.
 
“As someone who’s not coming from outside, and who has served here so long, I have a clear understanding of the issues, including test scores,” he said. “I will use all my skills and abilities  to make decisions that I believe are in the best interest of the children, working cooperatively with this board, while giving all district stakeholders a voice in offering ideas. I am only one piece of the puzzle.”
 
Harrison-Arnold praised Walker, saying his initial short-term selection sends the message, “It’s what is best for the children of Jersey City. It’s not about Trenton.”
 
She expressed concerns over possible state interference in the selection of a permanent candidate and said Jersey City would have control over the process.

“We have a fight on our hands,” she told the audience. “We need the support from the community to do everything we have to do – the best that we can do – for the children of Jersey City.”

Sebron and Valentin, part of the dissident minority faction, agreed with Harrison-Arnold.

“Mr. Walker, I’ve placed my confidence in you,” Sebron said. “And my expectation is that you’ll come early and stay late and are fully capable of doing the job.”
 
Growing up in Downtown Jersey City, Valentin recalled looking up to Walker as a positive role model and lauded his integrity.
 
“In my nine years on the board, you’ve always come up with some type of assistance,” Valentin told him, noting the two have enjoyed a close relationship.

City minister Rev. Jerome Gourdine, an enthusiastic Walker supporter, was one of a group of African-American ministers who came out to show his support. He suggested the district’s search for a permanent replacement for Epps could end now.
 
“He knows this district inside and out,” Gourdine said. “Why go around the world in 80 days to find someone, when you have the best choice right here?” 

Photo by David Lopez