By Nancy Morehouse

WASHINGTON – Congress has put a lot of pressure on the United Nations in the past month, saying it needs to implement reforms before the United States pays its dues in full, calling it “smart withholding.”

On Thursday, April 7, Chairmen of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), delivered a statement at a hearing on UN reform with U.S. Ambassador Susan Rice, explaining that, although the UN’s budget has more than doubled in the past decade, its transparency, accountability, and effectiveness have not increased in proportion.

“The absence of structural reforms has real consequences. We appreciate the limited, tactical victories that the U.S. and other nations won at the Council’s most recent session,” said Rep. Ros-Lehtinen. “But that is just not enough. Most of us want a more accountable and effective U.N. I believe the way to achieve that is to require ‘reform first, pay later.’”

However, there are many activist organizations vying for the UN, hoping to assure that the United States does not fall back into arrears.

“If we don’t pay our dues for the UN, it makes it very difficult [for us] to lead in the UN” said Peter Yeo, Vice President for Public Policy and Public Affairs at the United Nations Foundation in a phone interview earlier this month. “How can we expect other countries to be in coalition with us if we don’t pay our dues?”

He acknowledges that there is a budgetary issue to be dealt with. “Everyone has to tighten their belts… and the UN is willing to do its share in terms of cutting their losses,” he said.

In a testimony to the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Jan. 25, Mr. Yeo provided a long list of ongoing UN projects in places like Cote d’Ivoire, South Sudan, and Iran, and the accomplishments of UN subsidies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The UN is also aiding in more recent foreign causes in Afghanistan, Libya, and Japan.

“Progress will not happen without strong U.S. engagement and leadership,” he said. “And that means we must pay our dues on time, in full, and without threats of withholding our contribution.”

The UN provides many jobs in the NY/ NJ area, as many of the contractors employed for the $1.4 billion renovation of the United Nations headquarters in New York City are from the metropolitan area and northern New Jersey.

This is not to mention the jobs that the UN provides internally, “Americans that work at the UN and the myriad of agencies do amazing work on behalf of the world’s poor and behalf of the people around the world struck by humanitarian,” said Mr. Yeo. “These workers play a vitally important role that in American security.”

UN advocates anticipate that Rep. Ros-Lehtinen will move forward with legislation in the next couple of weeks  when congress is back in session.

To view Mr. Yeo’s testimony, and more information on the UN Foundation and Better World Campaign, visit www.betterworldcampaign.org. For information on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Rep. Ros-Lehtinen’s statement, visit foreignaffairs.house.gov.

By Nancy Morehouse

TENAFLY – The borough council voted in favor of a resolution rejecting NJ Transit rail service in the community at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 15.

The borough sent the resolution (5-1 in favor) along with a letter from Mayor Peter Rustin to Governor Chris Christie explaining that the voters of Tenafly (on Election Day last year) voted against the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail (HBLR) expansion that would run through the community.

He further explained that the borough has been waiting for over five years for the delivery of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).  He also states the town has spent more than $50,000 on conducting studies and planning how the town with be able to deal with any potential changes the plan may bring.

“The citizens of Tenafly have made it clear that any plan to bring mass transit to our town must fully consider the needs of our community and its impact on our town,” wrote Mr. Rustin. “Furthermore, NJ Transit must work more closely with Borough officials to gain their support for any subsequent project.”

The mayor expects to have a response within the month.

By Douglas E. Hall

When you think about it, serving the public in an elected office really is a tough job.  I’d say it’s more so when one considers this work on a municipal level.

Douglas E. Hall

Starting at the top, being president of the United States may be the toughest job around, but the president has lots of help and you’re really, for the most part, protected from direct contact with all the folks who voted for you, or voted against you.

That is true to a lesser degree as one considers holding public office on a Congressional level, a state level, county level and finally on a municipal level.  There on the municipal level, a Mayor, such as Nancy Merse of Edgewater, until her death on Thursday, March 10, gave her attention to supporters and detractors each and every time she conducted a meeting of the Borough Council.

Mayor Merse did it with skill, class and style and an amazing amount of patience with the most trivial or wrong-headed complainer.

Consider this, on top of the many pressures of this job; Mayor did it all while waging a lengthy battle with cancer that included major surgery.

Yet she was there to do, as best she could, her sworn duty to carry out the oath of her office and lead the affairs of the Borough of Edgewater through what ever challenges came up.

The high points of her administration were the resumption of regular ferry service across the Hudson River to Manhattan and the construction of a new borough Hall.

I’m not the first one to say it’s a pity the mayor did not get to participate in the opening of the new Borough Hall, which should be completed in a matter of weeks.  But it truly is a pity.

Nancy Merse

Now in the case of the ferry, this is a good illustration that the Mayor put the wishes of the people before her own thoughts on a matter.

For some may well remember that Mayor Merse, as a Borough Council member, did not initially support the acquisition of the Edgewater Marina, nor did she support the resumption of ferry service after an absence of 50 years.

But after the voters supported ferry service in a non-binding referendum, she wholeheartedly worked to make new ferry service to New York a reality.

The borough-owned marina has become an asset to the town, and the morning and evening ferry service has been a winner with commuters.  Not only did Mayor Merse provide shuttle bus service from the ferry to most of the Edgewater commuters to avoid the question of parking at the marina and increased traffic congestion, but she worked out arrangements with Fort Lee and Cliffside Park to have commuters from those towns brought to and from the ferries each day.  Cliffside Park Mayor Gerald Calabrese was among those who were there at her well-attended funeral at the Church of the Rosary on Monday, March 14.

There was a good turnout among the residents as well as current and former borough officials.  I feel it was a mistaken slight that there were no officials from the county, state or federal level at her funeral.

But Mayor Merse probably would not have minded.  Though she served the public and her town for 38 years, Mayor Merse was a humble, down-to-earth woman who sought not personal aggrandizement.

Anyone who even knew her slightly wound up calling her, Nancy, not Mayor or Mrs. Merse.

She was one-of-a-kind, and her steady hand on the tiller of the borough through rough seas or calm will be missed.  She was the first woman to serve as mayor of Edgewater with her exemplary service, which began on the Board of Education in 1973 and took her to the Borough Council in 1979 and the office of mayor in 2002. She should not be the last woman to serve as mayor of Edgewater.

Mayor Merse loved Edgewater and Edgewater loved her.  We miss her and will in the days ahead.

Dorothy Cevasco (nee Rood), a retired bookkeeper for Grand Union in Tenafly, died on Tuesday, Feb. 15 in Gouldsboro, P.A.  She was 75.

She is survived by her children Jeri Switzer, Janice Gragnano, and Judy Grimm; sister, Christy and brothers, Tom and Ed; grandchildren, Dawn Yarmula, Jacquelyn and Marc Gregnano and Patrick and Abigail Grimm; great-grandchildren, Isabelle and John Hackemer, Emmanual Bermudez and Cooper Yarmula; and aunt, Mary Lou Tomashek.

She was also the mother of the late John Cevasco and sister of the late Jeff and the late Steve Rood.

Arrangements were made by Riewerts Memorial Home in Bergenfield. Donations may be made to the Gouldsboro Volunteer Ambulance Corps in Gouldsboro, P.A. by visiting riewertsmemorialhome.com.

George Michael Woke of Norwood, a corporate accountant for Hess Corporation in New York City, died Tuesday, Feb. 15. Mr. Woke was a resident of Norwood, and formerly New Milford and Fort Lee.  He was 51.

Mr. Woke was a coach in New Milford for eight years and also a mentor to Girl Scouts Troop 59 for 12 years. He loved cooking, gardening and being with his family.

He is survived by his wife Marie (nee DiCostanzo); daughter Marie; mother Mary Woke of Norwood and Dublin, O.H.; parents-in-law, Vincent and Mariantonia DiCostanzo of Fort Lee; sister, Ellen; nephews and godchildren, Christopher, Jonathan, Benjamin and Nicholas Joodi; nephews, Vincent, Napoleone and Enzo DiCastanzo; and niece, Sabrina DiCastanzo. He is predeceased by his father George W. Woke.

Funeral arrangements were held by the Immaculate Conception RC Church in Norwood.

Theresa “Riley” Tutoli (nee Wouters) of Closter died on Saturday, Feb. 13.

Ms. Tutoli was born in Antwerp, Belgium and immigrated to this country in 1947.  She was a resident of Closter since 1950.  She was a homemaker and a parishioner of the Church of St. Mary.

She is survived by her daughters and their husbands, Cynthia L. Tutoli and Michael S. Wassuta, and Michele A. Tutoli and Stephen M. Lord; grandchildren Stephanie, Michael, Christine, David, Robert, and Jessica Lord and Micael Wassuta; and niece Lucienne Goyens Wouters (Brussels).

She is predeceased by her husband, Octavius, and her brother, Michel Wouters.

Viewing was held by the Moritz Funeral Home in Closter on Thursday, Feb. 17, and a Funeral Mass was held on Friday, Feb. 18 at the Church of St. Mary in Closter.

Donations may be made to the Lutheran Home Care & Hospice, Inc., 2700 Luther Dr., Chambersburg, P.A. 17202.

Anthony E. Pizza, formerly of Hackensack, died on Thursday, Feb. 10.  He was 86.

Mr. Perry of Perry Point, M.D. was an Army Private, 1rst Class member of the 677^th Band of Army Air Forces.

He is survived by his sisters, Theresa Helmer and Nancy Wisneski, both of Delaware, two nieces and three nephews.

Funeral services were held by Kohler Funeral Home in Hackensack on Friday, Feb. 18.

U.S. Senators Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Robert Menendez (D-NJ) joined the President and CEO of Amtrak, Joseph Boardman, and Amtrak board member Anthony Coscia to announce that Amtrak is proposing to spend $50 million to begin preliminary engineering and design on a new two-track rail tunnel from New Jersey to New York City called the “Gateway Project.”

The total cost is estimated at $13.5 billion.  This is considerably more than the ARC (Access to the Region’s Core) tunnel was pegged at: $8.7 billion before Governor pulled the plug on it late last year.

But the new plans call for an intergration with Penn Station instead of stopping short at Macy’s basement under 34^th Street, a major drawback to the ARC tunnel.

The new tunnels would increase commuter train capacity by allowing NJTransit to add an additional 13 trains per peak hour into New York City and it would increase the number of Amtrak trains into New York City by eight per hour.

“New Jersey is facing a transportation crisis.  Our commuters are fed up with train delays that make them late to work and endless traffic that traps them on our highways when they want to be home with their families,” Sen. Lautenberg said.

“New Jersey always rises above challenges – and today’s announcement continues us along that track. While some choose to do nothing and accept delays, the people of New Jersey cannot, will not, and must not wait. We are moving full steam ahead with this strong investment in New Jersey and the region. We are on a path to create good-paying jobs and move people and goods more quickly,” Sen. Menendez said.

“Building our mass transit infrastructure is vital to the long-term economic competitiveness and growth of our metropolitan region. The fact that even Amtrak is working to make this happen shows how important it is to the region’s job growth and economic future. This proposal is a positive step in the effort to cover a gaping hole in our cross Hudson transportation system,” said U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (D-NY).

“The Gateway Project is essential to the future growth and economic development of the entire northeast region and will provide for greater capacity, connectivity and convenience for Amtrak and commuter passengers in the heart of Manhattan. It is a critical first step that we can take now to bring 220 mph Amtrak high-speed service to the Northeast Corridor,” said Mr. Boardman.

“Intercity and commuter rail passengers in New York and New Jersey are in need of increased rail capacity. The two new trans-Hudson tunnels envisioned under this plan will provide long- sought-peak-period operational capacity and is an investment that will improve transportation flexibility and reliability for decades to come,” said Tony Coscia, Amtrak Board of Directors.

Increased traffic and congestion into midtown Manhattan threatens the economy of northern New Jersey and New York City.  The existing 100-year old rail tunnels into midtown Manhattan are already operating at capacity during rush hour, and ridership is expected to double in the next two decades.

To address these immediate concerns following the cancellation of the ARC Tunnel project and with the encouragement of Senator Lautenberg, Amtrak expedited its plans to build new rail tunnels.  They are now moving forward with the Gateway Project to increase the number of trains into and out of New York.  The project will also expand intercity and high-speed rail access, providing world-class, high-speed rail service on the Northeast Corridor.

The Gateway Project is expected to increase NJ Transit commuter rail capacity into New York by 65 percent (increase from 20 to 33 trains per hour during peak hours).   The new tunnels will connect to the new Moynihan station as well as to a new Penn Station South that is connected to the existing New York Penn station, which has reached its capacity.

Amtrak’s plan also includes a total replacement and expansion of the 100 year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River between Kearny and Secaucus. There would also be significant infrastructure improvements in New Jersey including expanding track capacity from what is essentially a two-track railroad to an operationally superior four track configuration between Newark and New York Penn Stations.

Amtrak projects that the entire Gateway Tunnel project could be completed in 2020.  Amtrak will take a lead in finding ways to pay the cost and will look for contributions from local, regional and state governments including New Jersey, New York State, New York City, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), as well as private investors.