LINDEN, NJ — The first round in the battle for control of the 8th Ward City Council seat goes to Mayor Derek Armstead. Administrative Law Judge Katherine Dupuis, in court documents dated Feb. 14, denied a request by state Sen. Nick Scutari to appoint Paul Coates to the seat that the council had voted to […]
LINDEN, NJ — Board of Education President Gregory Martucci said he did not consider declining the nomination for the position despite a bylaw that prohibits a member facing state ethics charges from assuming the role. When asked after the Jan. 31 board meeting if he’d considered turning down the nomination, he said, “Absolutely not.” State […]
By Chuck O’Donnell Staff Writer LINDEN, NJ — Mayor Derek Armstead and state Sen. Nicholas Scutari have escalated their battle over the vacant 8th Ward Council seat to Union County Superior Court. Attorneys representing the Linden Democratic Committee, chaired by Scutari, sparred with Linden city lawyers before Administrative Law Judge Katherine Dupuis on Monday, Feb. […]
LINDEN, NJ — The battle for control of the vacant 8th Ward council seat intensified when the mayor issued a letter to city officials instructing them not to recognize anyone selected by the city’s Democratic Committee to fill the seat. According to a copy of the letter provided to LocalSource by Mayor Derek Armstead’s office […]
LINDEN, NJ — State Sen. Nick Scutari, who served as city prosecutor for about 16 years, was removed from the position by a vote of the City Council at its Jan. 15 meeting. The council, the majority aligned with Scutari’s political rival, Mayor Derek Armstead, voted to replace him with Scotch Plains-based attorney Deirdre Mason. […]
LINDEN, NJ — The City Council has voted to leave the 8th Ward seat, which was vacated when Michele Yamakaitis took over as council president, open until the November general election. Some council members and members of the public bristled at the move during the Jan. 15 meeting, asserting that the seat is being left […]
LINDEN, NJ — It was the beginning of a new era for the local Board of Education as it prepared to have its first meeting in almost 19 years without Raymond Topoleski on Thursday, Jan. 3. Topoleski has retired from the board he joined in April 2000, on which he served twice as president and […]
LINDEN, NJ — Mayor Derek Armstead will receive about a 36 percent pay raise retroactive to Jan. 1 despite protests by some council members and residents who characterized it as “greedy” and “excessive.” Armstead’s raise, which will push his salary to $100,000 a year, rankled many at the Dec. 18 Council meeting who said he […]
LINDEN, NJ — Joseph Bianco seemed to get choked up. The 98-year-old city resident dropped out of high school to get a job and help his immigrant parents make ends meet, and later enlisted in the Air Force, got married, had kids and worked to provide for his family. He has pursued his interests in […]
LINDEN, NJ — Mayor Derek Armstead is in line to reap the financial rewards of his landslide re-election victory three weeks ago. Armstead, who won the mayoral race with 70 percent of the vote, could receive a 40-percent pay raise starting next year. His current salary is $73,425, and he could earn as much as […]