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Record of Proceedings

Newark Municipal Council Special Meeting - September 9, 2025

Municipal Council — Tuesday, September 9, 2025
BodyNewark, New Jersey
SessionMunicipal Council
DateTuesday, September 9, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
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0:00

To the special meeting conference on Tuesday, September 9th.

0:04

In accordance with New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting.

0:16

In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on September 5th at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website.

0:24

Roll call, please.

0:26

Council.

0:29

Gonzalez.

0:31

Present.

0:32

Kelly.

0:33

Here.

0:34

Quintana?

0:35

Here.

0:36

Ramos.

0:39

Scott Roundtree.

0:41

Absent.

0:42

Silva absent.

0:43

President Crump.

0:44

Present.

0:45

Council President, Council members.

0:47

We are on page three of this agenda.

0:51

Ordinances on public hearing, second reading, and final passage.

0:55

6P SFAS is an ordinance authorizing a special emergency appropriation.

1:02

Is there anyone wishing to speak on this ordinance?

1:09

No speakers.

1:13

Public hearings closed.

1:17

No, there are no speakers.

1:18

Public hearings closed.

1:20

And we have can we have something?

1:22

Ben explain what explain it again?

1:24

All right.

1:37

Good morning, Council President, Council members.

1:39

Benjamin Guzman, Acting Director of Finance.

1:41

This ordinance for the special emergency appropriation is to cover the costs of the uh I'm sorry, the other words of your uh severance liability to cover the cost for the uh the retro salaries.

1:54

Uh a municipality is permitted to declare a special emergency so that way they can budget for it over a five-year period and either raise it incrementally over the five-year period, or if need be sell bond anticipation notes and then pay those off over that same five-year period.

2:08

What's the amount of this?

2:10

Uh the special emergency for 20 million dollars.

2:18

Not related to this, but in the last meeting, I requested the leases and the payments related to this uh yeah, correct.

2:26

We are gathering that information and we'll be providing to that to yourself and to the council shortly.

2:31

Thank you.

2:31

Right.

2:31

All right, thank you.

2:32

Questions from the council none?

2:36

Thank you.

2:36

Welcome.

2:37

Roll call.

2:39

Council?

2:40

Yes.

2:41

Gonzalez?

2:42

Yes.

2:43

Kelly.

2:44

Yes.

2:44

Quintana?

2:45

Yes.

2:46

Ramos.

2:47

Yes.

2:48

Scott Roundtree.

2:52

Appropriation purchase.

2:53

Yes.

2:56

Silva, absent.

2:58

President Crump.

2:59

Yes.

3:00

Resolutions.

3:02

7R8AS is a whole harmless and indemnification agreement for the Golden Queen event at Newark Symphony Hall, sponsored by Councilman Quintana.

3:14

Councilman.

3:16

I just want to state for the record.

3:18

I want to be very clear.

3:20

I want to give you a copy.

3:21

In case you know the season is going to hit sooner or later, the political season.

3:26

Just want to let know that this is at no taxpayers' expense.

3:30

Maybe very clear.

3:32

There's no tax expensive expend on at Symphony Hall.

3:38

All the money has been raised to pay for the rental and everything that goes with this.

3:49

So that there's any situations that we are protected.

3:53

And I want to state that on record so that later when the season starts.

3:59

This is not viewed as a political gathering.

4:03

Just want to state that for the record for the administration.

4:05

Thank you, Councilman Kitana.

4:07

Is there a second?

4:08

Second.

4:08

Second by Councilman Ramos.

4:11

Roll call.

4:12

Council.

4:13

Yes.

4:14

Gonzalez.

4:15

Yes.

4:16

Kelly.

4:17

Yes.

4:17

Quintana.

4:18

Yes.

4:19

Ramos.

4:20

Yes.

4:21

Scott Roundtree.

4:22

Yes.

4:22

Silva absent.

4:24

President Crump.

4:25

Yes.

4:26

B is an exception to public bidding for the gov pilot subscription for our license and Oprah platform.

4:34

Council as a whole to adopt.

4:36

Roll call.

4:36

Council?

4:37

Yes.

4:38

Gonzalez.

4:39

Yes.

4:40

Kelly.

4:41

Yes.

4:41

Quintana.

4:43

Ramos.

4:44

Yes.

4:44

Scott Roundtree.

4:45

Yes.

4:46

Silva absent.

4:47

President Crump.

4:48

Yes.

4:49

We are in the 30-minute public comment portion of this meeting where each speaker will have three minutes to speak.

4:55

Please state your name for the record.

4:57

Is there anyone wishing to address the council?

5:03

Yes.

5:04

Good morning.

5:05

Good morning.

5:06

Good day.

5:06

Good morning, members of council.

5:08

Good morning.

5:11

My name is David Americ, and I'm an attorney at the law firm of Dwayne Morris.

5:16

I'm here to provide public comment on behalf of my client, Benjamin Moore and Company, which has operated a paint manufacturing facility in the city of Newark since 1925.

5:26

The addresses of Benjamin Moore's Newark facility are 114 to 120 Lister Avenue, 122 to 12152 Lister Avenue, and Lister Avenue Rear.

5:38

Benjamin Moore is proud to call Newark its home, and it has been a good corporate citizen of the city for decades.

5:44

Benjamin Moore has made continual investments in its property in its decades of operation, and it employs 84 people at the facility, many of whom are residents of the city of Newark or Essex County more broadly.

5:58

We are here today to provide public comment in this forum because our efforts to engage the Department of Economic and Housing Development and the Department of Law on a matter of significant importance to Benjamin Moore have been unsuccessful.

6:11

Those departments have not responded to a letter that I sent on June 23rd, copies of which I have for each of you, and numerous phone follow-up letters and phone calls.

6:22

In brief, the issue is as follows.

6:24

Benjamin Moore's property on Lister Avenue has been within an area designated as blighted since the 1960s.

6:32

After decades of inactivity in 2017, the city entered into a redevelopment agreement with the Morris companies, purporting to grant to the Morris companies or an entity of the Morris companies the power of eminent domain to acquire property for redevelopment.

6:47

Obviously, Benjamin Moore was and is quite concerned about the possibility of losing its manufacturing facility.

6:54

Efforts to litigate the validity of the blight designation were unsuccessful as the courts affirmed that Benjamin Moore was too late to challenge the designation.

7:03

So Benjamin Moore took a different approach, asking the city to conduct a new study and consider redesignating the property.

7:10

The city did so.

7:11

And in August 2024, this council adopted a resolution designating the properties as a non-condemnation area in need of redevelopment and directed the Central Planning Board to create a new redevelopment plan for this area under the modern local redevelopment and housing law.

7:29

Since then, it appears that no progress has been made on the new redevelopment plan.

7:35

We are asking that the city follow through on its promise to develop a new redevelopment plan and to involve Benjamin Moore in discussions about the future of its property.

7:48

In addition, given the facts just described, we also believe that the current redevelopment agreement between the city and the Morris companies is invalid for two reasons.

8:00

First, Morris missed a required deadline to acquire properties for redevelopment or to request from the city the authority to condemn properties.

8:10

Thank you for your time.

8:11

I mean, thank you for your comments.

8:13

Unfortunately, your time has expired.

8:15

Understood, Mr.

8:15

President.

8:16

Thank you.

8:16

Can I leave copies of the letter that I sent for each of the members of council?

8:20

Absolutely.

8:21

Um Sylvester, if we can get that.

8:23

Thank you very much.

8:23

I appreciate your time.

8:25

Thank you.

8:29

Any other speakers.

8:38

Deborah Salter, City of Newark.

8:40

Now, I was trying to let uh things be.

8:43

As you all know, I teach safety.

8:44

I teach OSHA 30, I teach CPR first date AED training.

8:49

I did a class for the uh affirmative action here in City Hall.

8:55

Um Kathy, who was in charge, uh would enter my class several times, you know, and uh trying to find out what's going on or whatever, and it was more like you know, she was deciding who would who would and who would not get their cards fast forward.

9:16

There's a student who was not uh, if I could say up to snuff, he was not doing the work, he was on his phone, he actually bucked up at me, telling me all I'd do is run my mouth and all of this stuff.

9:29

So he was not getting certified by me.

9:32

He was not getting authorized by me.

9:35

From that day to this one, I have been harassed constantly by Kathy.

9:41

Um sent uh harassing text messages, phone calls when I would not respond.

9:47

So the last two threatening ones I received, one was last week.

9:50

Well, I'm going to the mirror on you.

9:52

Okay.

9:53

Well, you don't know me.

9:54

Okay.

9:55

So the last one was yesterday morning.

9:58

In fact, I want you to hear the disrespect.

10:01

And but see, this is what we suffer in the city.

10:04

When we don't, we're not willing to put our credentials on the line just because you're cool with the mayor or the chief of staff, and I will not remain silent.

10:12

I will not get myself stuck and get my credentials in trouble.

10:16

The text said you on some egotistical BS.

10:20

So because I'm following the rules and I am not going to compromise, I'm on some egotistical BS.

10:27

This is what happens to those of us who do work in the city.

10:31

And if the person is not pleased, they're gonna run to the mayor and tell on us.

10:35

I didn't know you were ignorant.

10:37

I didn't know you were so ignorant.

10:40

Um I know you got paid, but you will never do anything for this city again.

10:47

That's why you're banned from the food drive.

10:49

You do too much, you're useless.

10:52

This is what was texted to me by the employee that works here.

10:58

So when you talk about uh corruption in the city of Newark and the things that go on here, this is what happens.

11:06

But see, people are afraid, I'm not afraid, because I was already banned from working in the city in 2018 by MIDI.

11:13

So all right, you you you're too late.

11:16

But this is what we, the residents, suffer.

11:19

The bullying, the harassment, the constant walk walked up on me.

11:24

What's up?

11:24

What's up, what's up?

11:26

Excuse me.

11:28

Because I'm a professional.

11:31

My credentials are federally authorized.

11:35

I don't play games, I stand ten toes down on business.

11:40

Thank you for your comments.

11:42

Next speaker.

11:46

Seeing non-public speaking is closed.

11:50

Any comments from the council?

11:53

Any comments from the administration.

12:01

Hi, good morning.

12:02

Uh Eric Pennington Business More.

12:04

Just briefly with respect to the comments about Benjamin Moore.

12:07

Um, I did receive a copy of the letter that was referenced by this attorney.

12:11

I think it's wholly inappropriate for him to come to council without reaching out to me.

12:15

Uh, who is uh the supervisor of both the law department and economic and housing development to let me know that there is some issue.

12:24

It's not my understanding there's an issue with a response.

12:27

I think this is a uh letter that we received from this law firm uh representing Benjamin Moore for the first time.

12:33

It's interesting that we are uh I'm hearing from this gentleman today since the president of Benjamin Moore met with the mayor and I a little bit over a year ago to talk about the issues that we had.

12:44

It was my understanding that the issues were resolved.

12:47

Um so now that he's bringing this to the council, I'm not exactly sure what he wants the council to do, other than perhaps uh put pressure on my office or litigation or our law department or economic and housing development to respond.

13:00

We intend to respond, we will do so in due course.

13:03

We have outside counsel looking into this, they've raised some complex issues to the extent that they have not received a response yet.

13:10

This is the first time I'm hearing about that because he hasn't reached out to me.

13:14

Uh, but we will uh follow up on that and to the extent the council should be made aware of things going forward on an ongoing basis, we'll let you know.

13:22

I don't think that is uh the case, and if this results in some litigation, obviously you'll find out about it as we as we move forward, but it's in my purview, we'll address it and um to have this gentleman come up here today without speaking to me.

13:37

It's a little bit insulting, but I'll deal with it.

13:39

Any other questions?

13:40

Anything from the council.

13:42

Thank you, Mr.

13:42

Peter.

13:49

Roll call to adjourn.

13:52

Council, yes, Dana.

13:56

Yes, Kelly, yes, yes, Ramos, yes, Scott Brown tree, yes, silver, yes, President Clunk.

14:08

Yes, adjourned, Council President, Council members.

14:11

We are now in the special conference portion of this meeting.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development███████████████████████████████████35%
Procedural█████████████████████████████29%
Personnel Matters█████████████████17%
Budget Equity Analysis███████████11%
Affirmative Action████████8%
Summary of Proceedings

Newark Municipal Council Special Meeting – September 9, 2025

The Newark Municipal Council held a special meeting on September 9, 2025, at 10:00 AM in the Council Chamber. Council President C. Lawrence Crump presided. The meeting was called to order with six members present; Council Members Louise Scott-Rountree and Michael J. Silva arrived later, bringing the total to eight. The agenda included one ordinance authorizing a special emergency appropriation for severance liabilities, two resolutions (a hold harmless agreement and a proprietary computer system contract), and a 30-minute public comment period. All items were adopted unanimously (7-0-1, with Silva absent for the votes). The meeting adjourned at 10:15 AM.

Public Hearing and Ordinance Adoption

  • 6PSF-a(s) 25-1159: Ordinance authorizing a special emergency appropriation of $20,000,000 to fund contractually required severance liabilities. Acting Director of Finance Benjamin Guzman explained that the city may declare a special emergency to budget the cost over five years or issue bond anticipation notes. A council member inquired about leases and payments; Guzman stated the information was being gathered. Public hearing was opened; no one spoke. The public hearing was closed, and the ordinance was adopted by a vote of 7-0-1 (Michael J. Silva absent).

Resolutions

  • 7R8-a(s) 25-1198: Hold harmless and indemnification agreement for the “Golden Queen Event” at Newark Symphony Hall on September 10, 2025. Sponsor Council Member Luis A. Quintana clarified that the event is at no taxpayer expense, as all costs have been raised. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 7-0-1 (Silva absent).
  • 7R8-b(s) 25-1207: Exception to public bidding (N.J.S.A. 40A:11-5(1)(dd)) for a proprietary computer system contract with Property Pilot LLC dba GovPilot. The contract, not to exceed $91,560.00, covers hosting, support, upgrades, maintenance, and managed services for processing Marriage Applications and Open Records Act Requests. The contract period is September 1, 2025, through August 31, 2027. The resolution was adopted by a vote of 7-0-1 (Silva absent).

Public Comments

  • David B. Amerikaner, attorney for Benjamin Moore & Company, provided public comment. He stated that Benjamin Moore has operated a paint manufacturing facility in Newark since 1925, employs 84 people, and is a good corporate citizen. He expressed concern that the city has not responded to a letter sent June 23, 2025, regarding the blighted designation of the property and a redevelopment agreement with the Morris companies that grants eminent domain power. He asked the council to follow through on a 2024 resolution to conduct a new study and create a new redevelopment plan, and argued that the current redevelopment agreement is invalid due to missed deadlines. He left copies of the letter for council members.
  • Debra Salters, a Newark resident and safety trainer (OSHA 30, CPR, First Aid, AED), complained about harassment from a city employee named Kathy. She alleged that Kathy interfered with her classes, and when she refused to certify an underperforming student, she received harassing text messages, including threats to “go to the mayor.” She read a text message calling her “egotistical” and stating she was “banned from the food drive.” Salters stated she was already banned from working in the city in 2018 and is not afraid to speak out.
  • Response from Eric Pennington, Business Administrator: Mr. Pennington addressed the Benjamin Moore comment. He stated that he received a copy of the attorney’s letter but found it “wholly inappropriate” to come to the council without first contacting his office. He noted that the president of Benjamin Moore had met with the mayor and him over a year ago and the issues were thought resolved. He said the city will respond in due course, has outside counsel looking into the matter, and will keep the council informed if litigation arises.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance 25-1159 (special emergency appropriation for $20,000,000) adopted.
  • Resolution 25-1198 (hold harmless for Golden Queen Event) adopted.
  • Resolution 25-1207 (GovPilot contract) adopted.
  • The meeting adjourned at 10:15 AM.

Meeting Transcript

To the special meeting conference on Tuesday, September 9th. In accordance with New Jersey law, adequate notice of this meeting has been provided to the Star Ledger, the Jersey Journal, and the public at large establishing the date, time, and location of this meeting. In addition, the agenda for this meeting was disseminated on September 5th at the time of preparation and posted on the city's website. Roll call, please. Council. Gonzalez. Present. Kelly. Here. Quintana? Here. Ramos. Scott Roundtree. Absent. Silva absent. President Crump. Present. Council President, Council members. We are on page three of this agenda. Ordinances on public hearing, second reading, and final passage. 6P SFAS is an ordinance authorizing a special emergency appropriation. Is there anyone wishing to speak on this ordinance? No speakers. Public hearings closed. No, there are no speakers. Public hearings closed. And we have can we have something? Ben explain what explain it again? All right. Good morning, Council President, Council members. Benjamin Guzman, Acting Director of Finance. This ordinance for the special emergency appropriation is to cover the costs of the uh I'm sorry, the other words of your uh severance liability to cover the cost for the uh the retro salaries. Uh a municipality is permitted to declare a special emergency so that way they can budget for it over a five-year period and either raise it incrementally over the five-year period, or if need be sell bond anticipation notes and then pay those off over that same five-year period. What's the amount of this? Uh the special emergency for 20 million dollars. Not related to this, but in the last meeting, I requested the leases and the payments related to this uh yeah, correct. We are gathering that information and we'll be providing to that to yourself and to the council shortly. Thank you. Right. All right, thank you. Questions from the council none? Thank you. Welcome. Roll call. Council? Yes. Gonzalez? Yes. Kelly. Yes.

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