During the six months that the debate over the privatization of Hackensack’s emergency medical services has raged, many harsh words have sailed through the air at city council meetings. But at the Sept. 2 meeting, Councilman Charles McAuliffe used language that managed to bring the proceedings to a halt.
After a particularly acrimonious exchange in which McAuliffe shouted "I didn’t ask for your fat mouth’s support" to a citizen during public comments, the council meeting was suspended for five minutes so cooler heads could prevail. However, the issue that has divided the town politically continues to smolder as the Sept. 15 transfer of daytime ambulance service approaches, with its accompanying loss of eight fire department emergency medical technician (EMT) jobs.
The verbal flare-up occurred shortly after resident Kathleen Salvo stated that the council was "an embarrassment" to the state. She expressed frustration that city officials refused to place a referendum on the November ballot to determine whether or not the city’s daytime ambulance service should be transferred to Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC).
McAuliffe countered by saying that Salvo, who ran for mayor in 2001, should have known what kind of government the city has before attempting to put the question on the ballot. His retort was a reference to City Attorney Joseph Zisa’s recent statement that because Hackensack is administered by the Municipal Manager Act of 1923, its form of government does not permit residents to petition for ballot initiatives. Citizens of municipalities organized under the Faulkner Act, such as Ridgewood and Teaneck, have the right to referendum.
John Taylor, Hackensack firefighter and vice-president of International Association of Fire Fighters (I.A.F.F.) Local 3172, followed Salvo soon thereafter. The union official and McAuliffe began a heated debate regarding whether at any time the city had offered to find the EMTs jobs in Bergen County after the transfer was announced in late February. (It was later revealed during the meeting that such an offer had indeed been made, but that union officials and the affected EMTs had deemed the offer undesirable.)
It was during this critical juncture that McAuliffe proceeded to shout past Taylor and aggressively engage a member of the audience, many of whom had offered derisive comments to the council throughout the evening.
Hackensack resident Lucy DeSimone claimed to be the direct object of McAuliffe’s temper. Although she took the councilman’s comment in stride, she also threatened to sue the city.
"They had no right to tell me that," DeSimone said.
As for Taylor, he seemed shaken.
"It’s obvious we’re not making any headway communication-wise," he said. "Unfortunately, it’s going to have to go to a court of law. I just can’t believe that just happened. It’s very unprofessional."
After the meeting, McAuliffe replied negatively when asked if he regretted the comment.
Soon after the meeting resumed, Zisa pointed to the unions as the ultimate root of the EMT problem.
"The city’s been trying to save these guys’ jobs," he said. "I think it’s the unions’ fault that it’s not happening."
The union’s next move is to go through the court system. Lawyers for the city’s EMTs stated their case in front of Superior Court Judge Menelaos Toskos in Hackensack Friday, Sept. 5, arguing that the municipal administration’s agreement with HUMC violated contract laws and should be repealed. Toskos said that he would not rule on the EMT’s request for a provisional restraining order designed to block the transfer of services until the lawyers reassemble in court on Sept. 12.
Hackensack firefighter John Linquito, president of I.A.F.F. Local 2081, denied Zisa’s allegation and made a declaration of his own.
"We have one way left: through the court system," he said. "Let the lawyers do it. If you want to make money, then sell tickets to this show. That’s what this is."
