Upcoming Town of Harrison Meetings & Cancellation Week of Oct.14, 2024

The Town of Harrison has a series of upcoming meetings scheduled for this week, with one notable change. The Harrison Mayor & Council meeting originally planned for Tuesday, October 15, 2024, has been canceled. It is expected that there will be a Special Mayor & Council meeting scheduled between now and the next regularly scheduled Harrison Mayor & Council meeting scheduled for Tuesday, November 19, 2024.  The Special meeting will likely be sooner than later. Your Harrison will let you know if there is a Special meeting scheduled.  Sign up for updates.

The first scheduled meeting is for the Harrison Redevelopment Agency (HRA) on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, at 1 p.m. This meeting remains on the calendar, although no agenda has been posted yet. This is especially significant, as the HRA recently held two back-to-back special meetings to address matters involving H Capital Holdings LLC and their purchase of the Supor properties within the redevelopment zone. These meetings culminated in a resolution that permits Eastone’s affiliate to assume the existing Supor Redevelopment Agreements.

However, questions remain surrounding the terms of this resolution, particularly whether any conditions requiring the provision of parking during events at Red Bull Arena have been modified. The unresolved parking stipulations were a significant factor contributing to delays in the development of the Supor properties, as they posed logistical challenges that hindered progress. Clarification on whether these requirements will continue under Eastone's management could potentially impact future development plans.

One aspect raising eyebrows is H Capital Holdings LLC’s connection to H Equities LLC, which has known ties to Eastone Equities, a current designated developer in Harrison. The HRA has granted Eastone Equities multiple extensions for its ongoing projects, raising concerns about potential delays if H Capital Holdings were to assume the Supor Properties redevelopment agreement.

Later in the day, another critical meeting will take place—the Harrison Zoning Board Meeting at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will be held on the 2nd Floor of the Mayor & Council chambers. Although no agenda details were available at the time of this writing, the Zoning Board is expected to address various community and development-related issues, which may include discussions related to the broader implications of the Supor property acquisition.

These meetings provide a valuable platform for residents and stakeholders to gain insight into ongoing development activities in Harrison, as well as the potential impacts on community resources, parking arrangements, and overall urban planning.

Putting Harrison Redevelopment In Perspective

Mayor James Fife plays a major role in the Town of Harrison as Mayor and as long-time Chairman of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency.  The late Mayor Raymond McDonough and his then Council took their vision of transforming contaminated industrial properties into a vibrant residential community.  It did not happen overnight.  It has taken over 26 years to see McDonough’s and then Council’s vision come to fruition. It should be noted that Mayor Fife agrees that McDonough’s plan has allowed the Town of Harrison to revitalize itself and shed New Jersey State Aid and supervision as the developer’s investment in the Town of Harrison has generated over 14 million dollars and is increasing each year.  At a campaign rally several years ago Mayor Fife stated that the accomplishment made to date would have happened under Mayor McDonough’s stewardship if Mayor McDonough had not tragically passed from a heart attack while in his office in Town Hall.

What is troubling is that despite the struggle to reach this point, Mayor Fife, a long-time Chairman of the Harrison Development Zone, inadvertently spoke The Truth and then hid and Lied about the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s plan to place a Toxic dioxin-laden sludge plant and staging facility in the heart of a residential community. In the process, he defamed others who were telling the truth about the EPA’s plan.

EPA’s Residential Community Toxic Sludge Plants

Where else in the United States of America has the Environmental Protection Agency placed a Toxic Dioxin Sludge Plant in a residential community? A great question that neither Mayor Fife nor the EPA have answered. Mayor Fife more than likely is under pressure from his long-time friend, James Doran who holds several titles including but not limited to Councilman, former Superintendent of Public Schools now its Director of Personnel, Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioner, Harrison Democratic Party Chairman, Harrison Gardens Federal Housing Authority Chairman. 

Doran’s Cover Up Plan

Doran set in motion a campaign to state that then-Councilman Anselmo Millan and his friend who grew up in Harrison and is a stakeholder, John M. Pinho were Lying about EPA’s plan to bring Toxic Dioxin Laden Agent Orange Sludge onto land in Harrison at the PSE&G property. Doran despite our detailed investigative article “Concealment. The Truth & Lies About EPA’s Toxic Sludge Plant” clearly documenting Doran’s lies to the residents of Harrison went on the attack during the Public Session of a recent Mayor & Council meeting confronting John M. Pinho stating that he wanted him to apology for his coming month after month to Mayor & Council meetings and Lying that EPA planned to dewater Agent Orange. 

How Doran can try to get away with a statement that Pinho was lying shows you the depth of Doran’s ego that he can get away with anything he wants to do. Pinho denied he was lying and pointed out that Doran was the one who lied in a Flyer and Letter to the residents of Harrison two years ago.  Doran and Pinho went back and forth to the point that Mayor Fife threatened to have Pinho arrested. Pinho didn’t get arrested and another resident proceeded to question James Doran’s statement and countered the false statements Doran was making about Agent Orange and Dioxin being safe.

Why Hide It If You Believe In The Toxic Sludge Plan

Mayor Fife knows his support of EPA runs counter to the Town of Harrison’s redevelopment plan to rid itself of contaminated properties and put residents’, some as close as across the street from the proposed Toxic Sludge plant, health at risk and of their children. It also takes away a property that is now decontaminated and was supposed to be developed into a Green Space / Park, Community Center, and Turn-Around U-turn for the PATH station. 

Why would a sitting Mayor who is also the Chairman of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency an entity that has eminent domain powers not oppose the EPA’s plan to bring Dioxin Laden Cancer Causing Sludge onto land in Harrison NJ  Maybe one day we will find out. Mayor Fife showed his true colors at the EPA’s Harrison Community Meeting in late August when in the same thought he stated that he would hear out residents at Harrison Mayor & Council meetings followed by “He was supporting EPA’s plan”. You hid their plan lying about it and defaming others for two years after making a statement that confirmed EPA’s plan.  Why hide the plan if you supported it all along?  Because you know you should be opposing it and did not want others to know until the last minute it would go unnoticed.

The Wrong Side of History

Mayor Fife is on the wrong side of history.  Unless he reverses himself and opposes EPA’s Toxic Sludge Plant in Harrison, he will go down as the Mayor & long-time Chairperson of HRA who supported EPA rather than the citizens of Harrison whose health was affected by air discharges and stopping the momentum of Harrison Redevelopment because the PSE&G was not used for its intended purpose at the right time.  EPA says it will use the PSE&G property for at least 10 years.  At a recent meeting of the EPA, an EPA official stated that it would be 15 to 20 years.

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