Bogota, New Jersey 2008 Election

As we , the Bogota 2008 Republican candidates, approach the November election
we are struck by both the great opportunities, and the great challenges provided by this historic occasion.

We all want the same things from our borough government. We want our children to have every opportunity
that we can provide. We want our community to continue to be a safe place to live. We want to make sure
Bogota remains affordable for our seniors who have done so much to shape our beautiful little town.As we all know, there are great challenges ahead of us: the challenge to provide our children
with the kind of quality education they need in a constantly changing world; the challenge of
keeping property taxes from crushing the finance health of our families; the challenge of maintaining
top quality municipal services; the challenge of making to town attractive to business so that the
tax burden isn’t shouldered completely by homeowners, while preserving and protecting Bogota’s quaint
small-town feel; the challenge of navigating the labyrinth of technical and legal requirements that
must be fulfilled in order to get the state to pay their fare share. While these are difficult challenges, they are challenges that we can overcome by working together,
and trusting that we all want the same thing - the best for our families.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can get involved you can email us by clicking here,




	Our New Flyer with Our Pledge to You • Oppose unaffordable salaries like the new administrator and chief financial officer salary of $110,000. • Advertise for Borough job openings, interview more than one person, and hire the best applicants. • Share services and purchasing with neighboring towns when this will save tax dollars. • Oppose the Democrats’ proposed merger of our DPW with the County, which The Record called a “snow job” because no savings have been demonstrated and because it will cost taxpayers $120,000 just for a study. • Oppose wasteful purchases without public bids, like the new $24,000 Borough Hall telephone system that did not work for months. • Put the taxpayers first in negotiations with employee unions, and in renewed efforts to obtain grant funds from state and federal sources. • Find new sources of revenue, such as contracts with advertising firms. • Control health care costs, for example, by shopping each year for the best coverage at the lowest prices, and encouraging employees who have duplicate coverage to opt out of the Borough’s plan. • Introduce campaign finance reform and anti-pay-to-play ordinances to kick the Democrat political bosses out of Bogota. • Demand that the Mayor and Council openly discuss issues because more discussion will lead to better decisions for the Borough. • Listen to your questions and concerns, whether you are a Republican, a Democrat, or an Independent. You can download the flyer here. Documents relating to the Lyon's conflict of interest are here. Lyon's and Jackson's financial disclosure documents are here. ............................................ Comment on The Record article on the 2008 Bogota Property Tax Increase By: Andrew T. Fede I believe that The Record's article of July 24, 2008, "Bogota finalizes budget with 10% tax hike," is a very fair story. I also want to make you aware of four more facts. First, the prior Bogota/FOP police contract did not freeze the salaries that the junior officers were to receive until they reached the top of the pay scale; as they moved up the scale they would receive regular step increases until they reached the top pay grade. The annual percentage increases on top of these step increases were to be banked and paid later as an employee retention program. Second, I disagree with Mayor McHale's comment about this provision being unfair. The police union agreed to this as part of the prior collective negotiations agreement. In collective bargaining negotiations, management should never agree to give back a fully negotiated contract provision unless some concession from labor is negotiated in return. The Mayor did not state what give-back the union provided to the Borough to justify the Mayor and Council's actions. Third, the current mayor's effort to bring the former mayor into the debate about the 2008 budget is just buck passing. As a matter of fact, the Democrats had control of the council beginning in June 2006. Why did they not finalize the police contract in 2006 or 2007? They had the votes; last year the Council was 5 to 1 Democrat for most of the year; it was 6 to 0 in January and again in November and December after the election. Fourth, Mayor McHale blames the former mayor for not leaving enough surplus funds from 2007. Even if it is true that the surplus is short, which we do not admit, he again is shifting the blame from where it belongs. The Democrats had control of the Council when the 2006 and the 2007 budgets were passed. If the surplus was too small in 2008, the Democrats should stand up and take the blame. The Record story is here. ........................................... PRESS RELEASE: The Facts About the 2008 Bogota Property Tax Increase Bogota property owners who received their 2008 estimated tax bills in July were handed a huge tax increase -- for the second year in a row -- by the Democrat-controlled Borough Mayor and Council that passed the Borough's 2008 final budget at the July 17, 2008 meeting. A Bogota resident with a home assessed at $230,000 will pay property taxes of $9,269 for 2008, an increase of $690, or 8.04% more than 2007. This follows a $759 or 9.7% increase in 2007 on the 2006 property taxes of $7,820 for a $230,000 home. The portion of your property tax bill that pays for the Borough's municipal government went up 10%, the school portion went up 7%, and the county portion went up 9.4%, for a total increase of 8.04%. The full article is here.	The Latest Issue of The Bogotian is Here! Read more about the efforts your candidates and fellow citizens are making to protect your interests against the scandalous and arrogant actions of the current administration. ........................................... Literature detailing some of the great things the Bogota United team has accomplished for our borough is available here. ........................................... State Probe Faults Bogota Democrats' Fire Truck Purchase By: Andrew T. Fede Bogota's Democrat-controlled Council's purchase of two fire trucks shows how the process can be manipulated "when a select manufacturer receives favored treatment virtually from the start," according to a 61-page report issued on September 16, 2008 by the State Commission of Investigation. The Commission called for a major overhaul of fire truck purchasing procedures, using Bogota's 2007 purchase as a prime example of why we need reform. Read the rest of the Council Candidate Fede's article here. Read what The Record had to say here. The official State of New Jersey report is here. ........................................... Wondering why your taxes are going up? Here is one reason, Dems give former Mayor Nicolosi a 2000% salary increase. Read The Record article here. The New Bogotian is now available for download! Get it here. ........................................... Mayor Says He Will Resign, Then Doesn't: This is Leadership? By: Andrew T. Fede President Harry S. Truman said: "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen." Apparently, the June heat got to be too much for Bogota Democrat Mayor Patrick McHale, who sent an e-mail to the members of the Borough Council and the borough administrator on the morning of June 3, 2008 stating: "I will be resigning effective today at 3 PM." According to The Record of June 5, 2008, McHale did not do what he said he would do. McHale claimed that he sent the e-mail "out of frustration with some other members of the council, controlled by Democrats with whom McHale has recently clashed on financial policy." At the Mayor and Council meeting of June 5, 2008, I asked Mayor McHale if he would describe further for the public in Bogota why he stated his intention to resign, but he refused. The story in The Record is here. We are left to wonder why the Mayor saw fit to promise his resignation, and then breach that promise. Was it a fit of temper or anger? If so, we are all in trouble because the mayor is the person who must keep his head clear when decisions need to be made in times of natural or other disasters. If the mayor was trying to make some important point of public policy with the council and the administrator, then a threat to resign in a few hours leaving a void in the borough's government shows a lack of leadership skills, judgment, and maturity. Harry Truman also said: "A leader has to lead, otherwise he has no business in politics." SNOW JOB! The Record criticizes the McHale-McNerney DPW merger deal as a “snow job,” and not the right way to consolidate services. Read the article is here. ...........................................	A new Bergen Record article which describes the issues in the upcoming election Read all about it here. ........................................... Read the letter to the editor from Andy and Rick and one from a local Democrat opposing the DPW merger plan here. ........................................... Democrats Do an About-face on DPW Merger Agreement Tell Press One Story and Public Another The Bogota Democrat Mayor and Democrat Council members did an about face when they were questioned at their July 3, 2008 meeting about a story in The Record on that date, which reported that "Bergen County and Bogota have agreed to share their public works departments." Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney and Bogota Mayor Patrick McHale held a press conference at our DPW garage on July 2, 2008. The Record reported that, "Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney and Bogota Mayor Patrick McHale said they agreed to create a joint Commission of Public Works that would unite the staffs and equipment of the county's and borough's public works departments." The article states the agreement creates a "joint venture," or a "new entity" with a "board of commissioners and its own budget and dedicated staff." Both McNerney and McHale are quoted describing the agreement's terms, and its alleged benefits. The article states: "The agreement, which McNerney hopes to have in place by the end of the summer, could last as long as 40 years, he said." It also states that "[t]the County and Bogota have applied for a $20,000 to $30,000 grant from the Department of Community Affairs" for the cost of a study on how to implement the agreement. NY 1 television news also covered this press conference. They reported that "Bogota is joining forces with Bergen County to create a more efficient [DPW]." You can check-out the NY 1 story here, or The Record story here. At their July 3, 2008 meeting, however, in response to questions from the public, the mayor and borough attorney stated that there was no agreement or even a draft agreement with the County. The members of the council agreed. They admitted that the Bogota Mayor and Council has not adopted a resolution authorizing an agreement with the County, and claimed that they had adopted a resolution authorizing a "SAGE" grant to fund a feasibility study for the merger. (Councilwoman Anne Marie Mitchell, the lone Republican, was absent from the meeting because of illness). After the meeting, a review of all of the 2008 resolutions confirmed that the Bogota Mayor and Council has not even adopted a resolution authorizing the grant application for the feasibility study for this DPW merger agreement. Instead, Department of Transportation SAGE grants were authorized for road repairs. "I am not sure when the truth was being told, when the press was told there was an agreement, or when the Bogota public was told there is no agreement," said Andrew Fede, one of the 2008 Bogota Republican council candidates, who attended the July 3, 2008 meeting. Republican Council candidate Richard Gil de Leon added: "I am very concerned about the proposal to merge our DPW with the County because the proposal would create a new level of government, which would tell our elected officials who to hire and how much money we must spend for this new joint Bogota/County DPW." "Cooperation with other towns on DPW and other services is not new in Bogota," Fede explained. "We have since 1996 had an agreement with Ridgefield Park. We use their salt silo and fueling pumps, at a cost savings to the taxpayers in both municipalities. This is the type of sharing we should continue pursue," Fede said. He also stated, "the $20,000 to $30,000 feasibility study better show significant savings before we follow through with this 40-year agreement."

	Mr. Fede graduated from Bixby School, Bogota High School, Montclair State College (now University), and Rutgers Law School in Newark. He was the BHS valedictorian for the class of 1974 and was elected Student Congress President. He has worked for 24 years as a lawyer in private practice firms in Hackensack. He served on Bogota’s Board of Health for six years (the last two as president), was Bogota’s Borough attorney for 12 years, and also worked as the Borough’s Planning Board attorney. He has worked as Borough attorney, planning board attorney, zoning board attorney, and special counsel for four other municipalities. He also is an adjunct professor at Montclair State University. He is the author of a book that was published in 1992, and biographies of Andrew Kirkpatrick and James B. Dill that appear in a leading reference publication, the American National Biography (New York, 1999). He also has published numerous articles and book reviews that have appeared in newspapers such as The Record, publications for lawyers such as The New Jersey Law Journal and The New Jersey Lawyer, and scholarly publications such as the Cardozo Law Review, The American Journal of Legal History, and the Law and History Review. He moved to Bogota in 1959 with his now deceased parents, Andrew P. and Dorothy M. Fede. Although his mom became a single parent in 1967 because of his father ’s sudden and untimely death, in the 1970s she somehow found time to serve on Bogota’s Board of Health, as a BHS PTA officer, and as a board member of the Bogota Student Loan Association.



	Mr. Gil de Leon is a retired businessman who has lived in Bogota for more than 30 years with his wife Rona, who is also served as a Bogota City Councilperson. The are long-time members of St. Josephs Church, where he acts as Marshall of the Holy Name Society. He served for eight years in the U.S. Naval Air Force, including time on the Aircraft Carrier U.S.S. Coral Sea and with Patrol Squadron 5. He also had the honor of serving as radioman for the first successful ICBM launch at the Air Force Missile Test Center. In addition to being an active member of Bogota’s Senior Citizen Club, Mr. Gil de Leon is a member and Sergeant at Arms of both V.F.W. Post 5561, and American Legion Post 117.


As we , the Bogota 2008 Republican candidates, approach the November election we are struck by both the great opportunities, and the great challenges provided by this historic occasion. We all want the same things from our borough government. We want our children to have every opportunity that we can provide. We want our community to continue to be a safe place to live. We want to make sure Bogota remains affordable for our seniors who have done so much to shape our beautiful little town.As we all know, there are great challenges ahead of us: the challenge to provide our children with the kind of quality education they need in a constantly changing world; the challenge of keeping property taxes from crushing the finance health of our families; the challenge of maintaining top quality municipal services; the challenge of making to town attractive to business so that the tax burden isn’t shouldered completely by homeowners, while preserving and protecting Bogota’s quaint small-town feel; the challenge of navigating the labyrinth of technical and legal requirements that must be fulfilled in order to get the state to pay their fare share. While these are difficult challenges, they are challenges that we can overcome by working together, and trusting that we all want the same thing - the best for our families. If you'd like to learn more about how you can get involved you can email us by clicking here, or if you'd rather contact us by mail, you can use this form.