FLORHAM PARK — Florham Park Borough is seeking summer seasonal help for the Department of Public Works.
If interested, please send a resume to DPW Director Mike Smith at msmith@fpboro.net.
The DPW handles the following:
Florham Park Environmental Center
Maintenance of all Borough roads; i.e. repairing potholes, paving, etc.
Maintenance of parks, playgrounds, and Municipal grounds and buildings
Snow plowing of Borough roads
Signage along Borough roads
Installation and maintenance of storm drains
Maintenance of all Borough vehicles, including police and fire
Curbside pick-up of leaves and brush
Removal of downed trees on Borough property
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — Wegmans Food Markets announced that the Wegmans Employee Scholarship Program will award college tuition assistance to 1,755 new recipients for the upcoming academic year. The company expects to pay out approximately $5.1 million in tuition assistance to both new and returning scholarship recipients during the 2019-2020 school year.
Alexander Bonadeo, Cameron Boyle, Nicholas Brucato, Jessica Brunner, Brandon Buse, Sarah Cotreau, Ivan Deleon, Ciana Leal, Kevin Lin, Carolin Mincey, Elyse Oravits, Cody Ruth, Sandy Sundeep Tempelman and Matt Zuckerman were the employees selected from the Hanover store.
Since the program began in 1984, more than 38,500 Wegmans employees have been awarded scholarships totaling $120 million.
“We are so proud and grateful for our employees,” says Colleen Wegman, president & CEO of the family supermarket chain. “Our scholarship program is a way for us to help our people achieve their goals and pursue their dreams, whether that means building a career at Wegmans or elsewhere. It’s also a way for us to invest in the communities where we have stores.”
Customers are invited to join in a celebration for this year’s scholarship recipients, and all 2019 graduates, at all Wegmans stores on Saturday, May 18, at 11:00 a.m. Celebration cake will be served.
Part-time employee scholarship recipients are eligible to receive up to $1,500 per year for four years (a maximum of $6,000), and full-time employees can receive up to $2,200 per year for four years (up to $8,800 total). No limit is placed on the number of scholarships awarded each year and no restrictions are made on a student’s course of study. Recipients may choose any area of study from an accredited college and enter any field they desire upon graduation. Many scholarship winners, however, decide to stay with Wegmans after college, continuing their career growth within the company.
To receive a scholarship, Wegmans employees must meet work-performance criteria. Eligibility is also based on a minimum number of work hours over a specified time period.
Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is a 99-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The family company, recognized as an industry leader and innovator, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2016. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 22 consecutive years, ranking #3 in 2019. The company was also ranked #1 for corporate reputation among the 100 most visible companies, according to the 2019 Harris Poll Reputation Quotient® study.
MORRIS COUNTY — New Jersey State Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco proposed life-saving legislation based upon Responsible School Violence Prevention, Preparation and Protection, a program developed in 2018 by Morris County Sheriff James M. Gannon in collaboration with the Morris County Police Chiefs Association.
Assemblyman Bucco’s bill, A-5242, was announced at a news conference at the Morris County Office of Emergency Management in Parsippany, with Sheriff Gannon, Morris County Prosecutor Fredric M. Knapp, Morris County Police Chiefs Association President, Butler Police Chief Ciro Chimento, and other law enforcement, education and mental health professional stakeholders present.
Recognizing the priority of keeping schools safe from violence and thwarting potential bloodshed in the pre-attack stage, the proposed legislation would mandate funding the necessary costs for scientifically-sound training for law enforcement, mental health professionals, teachers and other school staff and students to identify, assess and report behaviors that signal potential threats to school safety.
The legislation would fund a pilot RSVP-3 program specifically in the counties of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic and Union and first class cities of Newark and Jersey City – all part of a designated federal Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) zone.
Array of law enforcement, Morris County freeholders and mental health professionals and OEM professionals at today’s press conference. Sheriff James M. Gannon, in uniform, is next to state Assemblyman Anthony M. Bucco
“This effort here is a multidisciplinary approach to incidences of school violence,” Sheriff Gannon said.
“We all know that our most vulnerable populations are in our schools,” he said. “They’re our children, they’re our grandchildren. They’re students. They’re paraprofessionals. They’re administrators and educators. They are people who keep the lights on in the schools and they’re all near and dear to our hearts.”
Assemblyman Bucco, who co-authored legislation to allow Class III officers in schools, with his father, state Senator Tony Bucco, said: “This bill, this RSVP-3 bill, will hopefully enable us to prevent an incident from actually occurring.”
Referring to a study the United States Secret Service conducted of 28 mass incidents in which at least three people were harmed, Assemblyman Bucco said:
“There are commonalities in the attackers and patterns that take place that drive the logic behind this RSVP legislation. Seventy-nine percent of the attackers made alarming comments before the attacks. Half of the attackers were motivated by overwhelming job, school or family issues,” Assemblyman Bucco said.
“More than half of the attackers had criminal, mental health or substance abuse histories. This legislation is our next logical step,” Assemblyman Bucco said.
“I’d like to thank Sheriff Gannon for bringing this to our attention and working with me on this. If we can get funding in place to get as many people trained under this program we can achieve our ultimate goal and stop the next attack before it gets started,” he said.
Prosecutor Knapp called the RSVP-3 program “pioneering.”
“It’s proactive as opposed to reactive,” Prosecutor Knapp said.
RSVP-3 was developed in Morris County in response to the February 14, 2018, killings of 17 students and staff at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. With the focus on averting violence before tactical teams had to rush to schools, Sheriff Gannon and the Morris County Police Chiefs Association drew together mental health leaders, educators and law enforcement professionals.
The Morris County Board of Freeholders and UASI then each contributed $75,000, which was used to fund curriculum, authored by Sigma Threat Management Associates, on how school leaders, mental health experts and police should assess, evaluate and respond to threats to school safety. An author of the curriculum, Dr. Marisa Randazzo, in November 2018 trained 75 leaders on how to develop assessment and evaluation tools that differentiate, for example, between a child who draws a picture of a gun at school and a student whose grades are slipping and exhibits anti-social behavior or makes concerning comments.
Dr. Randazzo and Dr. Melissa Reeves, the past president of the National Association of School Psychologists and former Chairman of the NASP National School Safety and Crisis Response Committee, are scheduled to return to Morris County next week to train about 40 teachers and school staff in how to scientifically assess concerning behavior to determine whether school safety may be at risk.
Morris County Director of Law and Public Safety Scott DiGiralomo
Morris County Department of Law and Public Safety Director Scott DiGiralomo said police have plenty of trained officers and tactical equipment to respond to violence in schools should it erupt. But, he said, a plan for assessing behavior before it reaches a lethal level was missing before RSVP-3. Training, he said, typically focused on “after the fact scenarios.”
“The part that was missing from our model is how do we prevent it. And RSVP-3 really fills that gap,” Director DiGiralomo said. “If we prevent that incident from ever happening, we don’t have to implement all those other things we’ve trained with.”
“We really feel that the targeted violence incident with the best outcome is one that never happened. And RSVP-3 gives us that opportunity to prevent that,” Director DiGiralomo said.
Ciro Chimento, the Police Chiefs Association President, said of the proposed legislation: “When the worst-case scenario plays out within Morris County, the best kicks in from its local police departments. Officers throughout the county are the best trained within the state and the RSVP program will certainly elevate our law enforcement officers to an even higher standard.”
Morris County Director of the Division of Community and Behavioral Health Services Laurie Becker said RSVP-3 would further strengthen a solid base of mental health and intervention programs in place.
“Averting potential tragedy is what it’s all about,” Director Becker said.
Steve Forte, Superintendent of the Denville School District, said of the legislation: “The fact that everybody is involved in this, that everybody is taking it seriously, that we’ve moved past the ‘it can’t happen here,’ I think is a great, great step.”
Former Denville Police Chief Christopher Wagner, a past president of the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, praised Assemblyman Bucco for being at the forefront of school safety issues and the partnerships between law enforcement, schools and mental health leaders.
“Shortly after 9-11 we in law enforcement talked about how we couldn’t work in silos anymore. And school security, school threat assessment, is certainly no different than that,” Wagner said.
“We have spent tens of thousands, if not millions of dollars, on training and equipment in the horrible chance we might have to respond to one of these events. It’s my hope that we can attend some training and hold training for much less money and never touch those tens of thousands of dollars worth of equipment and never have to use bleeding control and never have to reunify kids,” Wagner said.
MORRIS COUNTY — Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York is proud to announce that the revered Morris County company of ERA Gallo & DeCroce Realtors, owned and operated by Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce and the late Assembly Leader Alex DeCroce, has affiliated with the company.
“Gallo & DeCroce has been an independent agency proudly serving this region for decades. We knew we eventually needed to change the structure of the company, and we felt that aligning with Coldwell Banker NRT, an established brand that has been serving the Morris County community for a long time, would allow us to continue the level of service we have always provided people in this area, “ said BettyLou DeCroce. “I’m happy to announce that we will remain in Morris County and continue to serve Morris, Sussex, Essex and Passaic counties, specializing in Parsippany-Troy Hill Township, where the company started 40 years ago. I’m also proud to announce that Paul Johannesen, the Broker of Record for Gallo & DeCroce, will continue the legacy of our agency through the Gallo & DeCroce Team at Coldwell Banker.”
The Gallo & DeCroce Team already has begun serving their residential real estate clients based out of the Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage office located at Route 46 and Crane Road in Mountain Lakes. The office is managed by branch vice president John Barr. The Parsippany building where Gallo & DeCroce operated from its very beginning continues to be owned by BettyLou DeCroce.
“BettyLou has a long history of serving Morris County communities, both as a real estate agent helping clients to achieve their dreams of homeownership and as a public official. I am excited to invite her and the agents of ERA Gallo & DeCroce Realtors to Coldwell Banker,” said Hal Maxwell, president of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York. “This team’s residential expertise and strong local network, now backed by Coldwell Banker, will allow them to continue their exceptional service and strengthen our position in housing markets throughout the Morris County area.”
Gallo & DeCroce has always seized opportunities to expand its footprint and was one of the first agencies to become part of ERA, which is a sister company to Coldwell Banker NRT under parent company Realogy. This lends consistency to the Gallo & DeCroce Team affiliation.
“I am certainly comfortable with Gallo & DeCroce’s continued affiliation with the Realogy family of companies,” said BettyLou DeCroce.
Gallo & DeCroce was formed in 1970 when Dean Gallo and Alex DeCroce assumed control of a real estate business started in 1940 by Gallo’s father. The two men continued to operate the real estate agency out of the same Parsippany building where it remained until this year, as they embarked on lengthy and significant political careers that lead them into key New Jersey leadership positions.
Dean Gallo had served on the Parsippany-Troy Hills Township Council and the Board of Morris County Chosen Freeholders before being elected in 1975 to the General Assembly, initially serving the 24th District until it was redrawn and became the 26th District in 1981. He continued to win re-election to the Assembly until 1985, when he joined the U.S. House of Representatives, NJ-11. He served in Congress until his death in 1994. Alex DeCroce, a former Morris County freeholder who became an Assemblyman in the state’s 26th Legislative District in 1989, ascended to become Republican minority leader in 2003 and was New Jersey’s longest-serving Assembly member when he died in 2012.
BettyLou DeCroce became a partner at Gallo & DeCroce upon Gallo’s death in 1994 and she became president after her husband’s passing. She also was elected to serve in her husband’s 26th District Assembly seat, and she has been re-elected repeatedly to retain the seat since 2012.
BettyLou DeCroce also is president of ABL Holding Company, LLC, a home consulting and investment company. With Alex DeCroce and Paul Johannesen, she also was a partner in ABP Construction in Morris County. Betty Lou has been honored as one of the 50 Best Women in Business by NJBIZ and was a NJ Monthly Magazine finalist for Leading Woman Entrepreneur and Business Owner. She was also chosen to participate in The Emerging Leaders Program at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business Administration.
“BettyLou DeCroce and her Gallo & DeCroce Team of agents headed by broker and salesperson Paul Johannesen exudes a passion for real estate and dedication to their clients which perfectly align with the standard of excellence upheld by Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage,” said Barr, of the Mountain Lakes office. “We are looking forward to watching The Gallo & DeCroce Team expand their existing business in new and strategic ways.”
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is not affiliated with any political party or the BettyLou DeCroce campaign.
About Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in New Jersey and Rockland County, New York, a leading residential real estate brokerage company, operates approximately 50 offices with nearly 3,700 affiliated agents. Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is part of NRT LLC, the nation’s largest residential real estate brokerage company in sales volume. For more information, click here.
EAST HANOVER — Capital Craft is now hiring for their East Hanover location, (in the COSTCO shopping center.) The new high volume restaurant will seat close to 300 guests, featuring two bars, 30 craft beer taps, an open kitchen, a private area for events, and an outdoor space. Employees can expect competitive salaries, lucrative tip opportunities, flexible schedules and a fun team work environment.
They are now hiring all positions for energetic, passionate staff members that exceed the ordinary:
Please apply with work history and/or provide a current resume detailing relevant experience, contact information and include references where applicable. Email info@capitalcraftnj.com for immediate consideration.
Owners Mohamed Kandil; Summer Elhendy, Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce President Robert Peluso and Executive Board Member Frank Cahill
MOUNTAIN LAKES — Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce President Robert Peluso and Executive Board Member Frank Cahill welcomed new member, Goosehead Insurance Kandil-Elhendy Agency.
They are an insurance brokerage who work with many different well known carriers which gives them the ability to shop around on behalf of the client to ensure they are getting the best coverage at the best rates.
Kandil-Elhendy Agency is located at 115 Route 46, Suite A5, Floor 2, Mountain Lakes. For information call (973) 339-3799 or click here.
For more information on Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce click here.
Parsippany Area Chamber of Commerce is a service organization for businesses, merchants, residents and volunteers that provides education, information and networking opportunities to the Parsippany Area.
HANOVER TOWNSHIP — “Parents are freaked out and furious, after police arrested a Hanover Township daycare teacher who allegedly brought drugs to a daycare and left them in the reach of toddler,” according to a newsbroast cast on WABC.
Crystal Iacouzzi, 35. Facebook photo
Hanover Township Police arrived at “The Learning Experience” on Thursday afternoon and arrested Crystal Iacouzzi, 35, charging her with drug and marijuana possession and child endangerment. The Learning Experience is located at One Papermill Drive, Whippany.
Reports indicate the teacher dropped her purse, and kids started rummaging through it, only to find illegal pills inside.
“The Learning Experience’ is a national chain of franchised for-profit daycare centers, and according to New Jersey state records, it has had its share of licensing issues, including failure to perform background checks on its employees and falsifying its fire drill logs.
On Friday, a company spokesman called safety and security of their children their number one priority, adding, ‘due to the failure of upholding our strict rules and regulations, the staff member was immediately terminated.”
Editor’s Note: An arrest or the signing of a criminal complaint is merely an accusation. Despite this accusation, the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until he or she has been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
FLORHAM PARK — U.S. Attorney William M. McSwain announced that Peter Goodchild, 56, of Philadelphia, PA, was convicted at trial on charges of embezzling almost $1.6 million from his former employer, QwikSource, over a ten-year period beginning in 2005 and ending in 2015 through a wire fraud scheme. Goodchild was also convicted of money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and filing false income tax returns during this period.
Goodchild, former bookkeeper for QwikSource LLC/GMI Technical Sales LLC of Florham Park, opened a PayPal account using his employer’s name, transferred funds from QwikSource’s bank account to that PayPal account, from that PayPal account to another PayPal account belonging to his girlfriend, and from his girlfriend’s PayPal account to one or more of his personal bank accounts. The defendant further concealed the embezzlement by making financial entries on files he maintained for QwikSource that increased the cost of goods sold by the same amount of the money he wired from QwikSource’s account to the PayPal accounts and his personal bank accounts.
Further, Goodchild failed to pay taxes on his wealth. Between 2010 and 2015, he embezzled at least $854,800 and had unreported income of $231,100 in 2010, $215,100 in 2011, $83,600 in 2012, $125,000 in 2013, $152,000 in 2014, and $48,000 in 2015. His actions created a tax loss of approximately $240,648.
Goodchild was charged with and convicted on 48 counts of wire fraud, 10 counts of money laundering, six counts of filing a false income tax return, and one count of aggravated identity theft. Wire fraud and money laundering are punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Filing a false tax return is punishable by up to three years. Aggravated identity theft is punishable by a mandatory two years of prison that must follow any term imposed on the other counts. Additionally, Goodchild will be subject to restitution and/or forfeiture of money and substitute assets totaling $1,589,315.
“My office takes offenses like embezzlement, tax fraud and money laundering very seriously,” said U.S. Attorney McSwain. “The defendant stole more than a million dollars by abusing his position handling finances for his former employer. My Office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to protect innocent individuals and businesses from being victimized by this type of fraud.”
“The role of IRS Criminal Investigation becomes even more important in embezzlement and fraud cases due to the complex financial transactions that can take time to unravel,” said Guy Ficco, Special Agent in Charge. “As we often see, federal tax laws are normally violated in these types of cases and IRS CI is committed to ensuring that everyone pays their fair share.”
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Anita Eve.
MADISON — Madison Junior Football, a member of the Morris County Youth Football League, and the Madison junior cheerleading squad have opened registration for the 2019 season.
Registration fees are: $190.00 for Tackle Football; $140.00 for Flag Football, and $50.00 for Cheerleading.
To begin the registration process online click here. All equipment is provided, with the exception of cleats and athletic supporters. A $25.00 discount is available for the registration of multiple players, with a family maximum of $400.00.
Those interested in learning more about football safety are invited to attend a safety meeting for parents from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tuesday, June 11, in the gymnasium at the Madison Community House, 25 Cook Avenue.
Madison Junior Football is a USA Football-recommended program, and all coaches are USA Football certified. For information, email Tom Leck, president of Madison Junior Football, at thomasleck@yahoo.com, or visit the Morris County Youth Football League website by clicking here.
The Thursday Morning Club new Trustees installed for 2019-2021 are: Corresponding Secretary Peach Bolton, Assistant Treasurer Linda Gero, Recording Secretary Julie Trapp, President Susan Packie, Membership Jeannie Kosakowski, Communications Cathy Gotliffe, First Vice President Betty Landi, Ways and Means Anne Lawless.
Photo by Britta Perry
MADISON — The Madison Community House (MCH) was the venue on May 2 for the Installation of the Thursday Morning Club (TMC) Trustees for their 2-year term from 2019 – 2021. The installation ceremony was conducted by Judith Fillippini, Vice President of the Highlands District of the NJSFWC.
Carol Schessler, outgoing TMC President, welcomed all the guests. In addition to acknowledging past presidents and previous honorees, President Schessler awarded Karen Jeisi with an Honor Roll charm in recognition of her intellectual vitality, complete responsibility and willing service to TMC. The festivities were followed by a delicious luncheon catered by Nonna’s of Florham Park.
Organized in 1896, the Club is a member of both the New Jersey State and General Federation of Women’s Clubs. The club offers programs and services to support the community, including Madison Community House Preschool and Before and After School Child Care program. The Thursday Morning Club is a non-profit service organization with over 260 members whose goal is to provide services for the town of Madison and neighboring communities.
For information about the Thursday Morning Club or membership, call the Community House at (973) 377-0244 or click here.
