Letter to the Editor: Summit Land Use 'In Need of Rethinking'

Local businessman says the local land use process should be 'free of bias.'

To the Editor: Debate on what makes appropriate land use is often a source of exaggeration, misinformation and manipulation by interested parties. This is why sound planning and administration of the land use process should be free of bias, politics and cronyism. Land use controls come from planning, zoning and other bodies of influence. The State of NJ grants a municipality the right to enact local land use rules based on the observance of state and use guidelines (MLUL) and adherence to due process for the protection of property owner rights. The controls on land use are meant to protect property value and to further public welfare. Economic decisions drive land use. Today, due to revenue caps and the high cost of local government, land …

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Summit Democrats Select Meyers and Vernotico for Common Council

Danny Meyers was selected for the Council At-Large position and Mike Vernotico was selected for the Ward 2 position.

The following information was provided by Summit Democrats. The Summit Democrats held a meeting Wednesday night to select candidates for Common Council.   After a short discussion led by Committee Chair Terri Tauber, the Committee Members unanimously approved the candidacies of Danny Meyers for the Council At-Large position and Mike Vernotico for the Ward 2 position.  No candidate was identified for Ward 1.  Meyers is the Owner/Operator of a home and building inspection business, Meyers Home Inspections.  He holds an engineering degree from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in NY.  He has lived in Summit for 7 years with his wife, Lisa Reznik, the owner of the Film Society of Summit, and their two children.   …

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Paid Parking Begins Today for DeForest Avenue Lots in Downtown Summit

Paid parking will be in effect from Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Read on to learn how much parking will cost and how to pay for it.

If you’re planning to park in one of the DeForest Avenue lots in Downtown Summit today, be prepared to pay for it. Beginning today, fees will be required in the DeForest Avenue lots Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., according to the City of Summit’s website. However, parking will be free after 6 p.m., on Sundays, and on Parking Holidays. “Ambassadors and parking staff will be on hand in each lot assisting all customers with the gates, entry and exit equipment and payment transactions,” according to the city’s website. The decision to begin downtown paid parking was met with opposition from several residents and Councilman Pat Hurley last spring. However, Summit Common Council approved an ordinance in early May, 6 to 1, with …

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Robert Steelman

12:01 pm on Thursday, January 17, 2013

Resident. Perhaps I buried the lead. The parking lots are tax exempt city owned property. It cost plenty to plow, sweep, monitor, repair and insure them. Aside from the ticket revenue which a significant part went to the Union county court system, Summit came up short.   more ›

Retiring Councilwomen Portuondo Calls Service On Council 'Rewarding'

Nuris Portuondo, who works for JP Morgan Chase, served on council for three years.

Retiring Councilwomen Nuris Portuondo, who served one term with Summit Common Council, was honored during the city’s reorganization meeting last Thursday. Portuondo, the Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for JP Morgan Chase, chaired General Services and Law during her years of service on Common Council. “Nuris and I joined council three years ago. We first met four years ago,” said Council President Rich Madden, who presented Portuondo with her Council Chair. “Over the years, we’ve developed a good family friendship and we’ve developed a mutual respect for one another. She has been a fantastic councilperson.” In addition to her Council Chair, Madden also presented Portuondo with two commemorative plaques for her positions held …

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Summit To Hold Reorganization Meeting Thursday Night

A reception will be held tonight at 7 p.m. Councilman-elect Dill, Council President Madden will be sworn in by Mayor Dickson during reorganization meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tonight is the first Summit Common Council meeting of 2013. Mayor Ellen Dickson will swear in Councilman-elect Albert Dill, Jr. and Council President Richard J. Madden. Dill will serve as Councilman in the First Ward, while Madden will serve as Councilman in the Second Ward for another term. Council Committee assignments will be established, and there will be a number of Mayoral and Council appointments made to city boards and committees for 2013. In addition, Council will approve their meeting schedule for the year and appoint individuals to city agencies, such as the city’s Fire and Police Departments. Council is also slated to adopt the temporary Municipal Budget, temporary Sewer Utility Budget and temporary Parking Utility Budget, and …

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New Providence, Summit Close In On Emergency Dispatch Center Agreement

New Providence Council approved resolution, ordinance. Summit Common Council to vote on both tonight. Are you in favor of shared dispatch center? Vote in our poll below.

New Providence and Summit are moving closer to a shared dispatch center, which would provide emergency police, fire and EMS services for residents in both communities. Last week, New Providence Council approved a resolution and an ordinance to move forward with this shared service. The identical resolution and ordinance is on the Summit Common Council’s agenda for their meeting tonight at 7:30 p.m. If approved, this agreement will lay the groundwork for how both towns will bring the proposed “New Providence & Summit Emergency Services Dispatch Center” to fruition. Summit acquired two federal grants that total $1.6 million, which would provide this joint venture with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, said Doug Marvin, New …

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Election 2012

Summit Republicans Dill, Madden Easily Take Council Seats; Obama Edges Romney

The President leads Romney 4129 to 4120 in an unofficial tally released by the City Clerk.

Summit Common Council's Ward I candidate, Al Dill, Jr. garnerd 2,285 votes against 6 write-in candidates. Ward II candidate Rich Madden, the Common Council President won 2,260 votes against 14 write-in candidates, according to unofficial results. Be the first to know. Stay up to the minute on the latest Summit news by liking us on Facebook, following us on Twitter and subscribing to our newsletter. President Barack Obama carried Summit according to preliminary voting numbers released by the City Clerks office. Of 14,330 registered Summit voters, 8,372 came out to the polls. Obama has won the 14 electoral votes needed to take New Jersey. In Summit, the Democrat Obama led Republican Romney by 9 votes, 4129 to 4120. In other important local …

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Summit Survey

Summit Survey: Councilman Fights Fire With Firefighters

Ward II Councilman Patrick Hurley shares his experience training with the Summit Fire Department.

This past spring Ward II Councilman Patrick Hurley did something most city councilmen are not susposed to do: he practiced fighting fires with Summit's bravest. But if you know anything about Hurley a combat-trained naval aviator, then you know danger is nothing new to him. Here, in his own words he describes what it was like to train with the Summit and Millburn fire departments: I am not a volunteer fire fighter but I was invited, in my capacity as Chairman of the Public Safety Comittee on Council, to accompany Platoon C of the Summit Fire Department on their annual live fire training which took place at the Morris County fire training facility [May 16]. They let me do more than the average observer since I had a lot of fire fighting …

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Summit Republican Committee Holds Meeting With New Leadership

Lisa Allen and Elizabeth Bamonde are part of the newly elected leadership of the Summit City Republican Committee.

The Summit Republican City Committee held their first post-reorganization meeting last Thursday, June 21st in Council Chambers.  This reorganization and plan for the coming year differs from all of those in recent memory due to the youth and exuberance that will compliment the many years of experience and service.   Lisa Allen, recently voted in as chairperson, exemplifies this new breed of membership.  Mrs. Allen, her husband, and young children are representative of a large percentage of Summit families. Until now, The SRCC has lacked involvement of younger membership.  In addition to Mrs. Allen, Elizabeth Bamonde has been elected Vice Chairperson. Ms. Bamonde is representative of upwardly mobile younger singles in Summit. In her opening…

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Summit Election Guide

The candidates and incumbents looking for votes in Summit.

As we look ahead to November’s elections, Summit Patch is devoted to bringing you the information you need about political happenings in Summit, Union County — and beyond. Here's our opening salvo in our coverage of the candidates and issues we'll be following as November draws near. An incumbent Common Council member is seeking reelection this year, and a former member is seeking to come back on board. Republicans Albert Dill, Jr. (Ward 1) and Council President Richard Madden (Ward 2) are the only candidates nominated for council seats, with no opposition from Summit Democrats or Independents. “My goals are to continue to represent the people of Summit with leadership, teamwork, integrity," Madden wrote in a statement. He said he wants to…

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