JACKSON – Criticism, accusations and calls for unity came forward during a recent Township Council meeting over code enforcement, school zones, and more.
Several commenters said the governing body should have acted to stop certain speakers from saying, what they described as being discriminatory remarks toward the Orthodox Jewish community.
Create A School Zone
The township is facing several cases of litigation involving development and zoning involving the Orthodox Jewish community, a subject that resident Sheldon Hofstein was reminded of when he recommended to the council the creation of a separate school zone or zones for both public and private schools.
“They should not include nursery school s or preschools and should include students from kindergarten to grade school. The pluses on this are that it would eliminate schools in residential and commercial zones and eliminate quality of life issue claims in residential zones and safety issues in commercial zones,” Hofstein said.
“The town will be able to regulate and set standards for parking, signage, recreation facilities, storm water runoff and security. It would also create a single destination for busing and help control this huge cost. There could be a plan to help accommodate special needs students. I hope you will consider it as there is a need for particularly private schools in this town,” Hofstein added.
Council President Andrew Kern responded saying, “there have been numerous discussions and work done on ordinances of those types and because of ongoing litigation we can’t comment on that.”
“You can’t comment on creating a zone?” Hofstein asked.
“Correct,” Kern answered. It was noted that the “council has been advised that this subject was off limits because the township is in litigation about the Council’s ordinances and zoning and an allowance in certain areas.”
Are Fines Being Reduced?
Resident Eleanor Hannum asked about something an official had said during a previous council meeting. The discussion was about illegal work being done and the fines that are levied. “I believe Mr. (Terence) Wall (Jackson Business Administrator) you said that 90% of those fines go away. Can you elaborate on that?”
Wall said he reached out to the County Court of Appeals, “because when fines are issued, we expect fines to be enforced but I found they substantially reduced them during an appeal process which circumvents the point of having folks simply being in compliance with the local ordinances. Ninety percent was an estimate but I heard a $40,000 fine may have been reduced by 90% of that value. It is a multi-jurisdictional effort when it comes to enforcement of local ordinances for folks to be aware of.”
Hannum asked if this happens in other counties across the state.
Wall said he couldn’t speak to that. “We can’t interfere with the court process. The give and take of enforcement are subverted to an extent if there are no consequences from a financial perspective from Court of Appeals.”
Hannum then asked about the municipal court and the percentage seen in Jackson for violations and fines “that go away.”
Council members said they were unaware if there were statistics about that. Officials said they didn’t have that data and the court administrator may or may not categorize how many cases are settled.
Hannum referenced several addresses within the town that are facing fines and awaiting court sessions in regards to alleged inappropriate use of their homes in violation of township zoning regulations.
She noted the fines for the removal of trees at 73 Mill Pond which she said had a $16,000 fine and would it be pled down to $1,000?
Officials could not speak to that issue and were unsure whether that information was releasable depending on how the court manages its OPRA (Open Public Records Act) requests.
Rise Above The Divide
Resident Moshe Perlstein complimented the council president and also had kind words for Mayor Michael Reina. “I’m getting to know the mayor a little a bit. On one side some of my friends are saying he’s an anti-Semite. The mayor is a great guy. He’s not a bad person. He has big decisions to make and some of them are hard to make because people are pulling him in all ways.”
Perlstein called for the people of Jackson “to rise above the divide. Rise above the hate. Peace is a trip of thousands of miles and it must begin now. I know in my heart, good will always triumph. There is so much good in Jackson. We can really work together.”
“All those fines you are concerned about are in place. It is a lot of money. I will work very hard to show the people that are concerned that I will be there to do whatever it takes to keep Jackson the beautiful place it is,” Perlstein added.
Adventure Crossing Noise
Keith Jolliffee lives near the Adventure Crossing development project. He said, “I contacted the police at least a dozen times in the last four months for noise ordinances for the project they have worked before and after hours. I wanted to voice my concern that while (Code Enforcement) said summonses have been issued and every time they go to court, they’ve been adjourned and pushed and pushed back. I feel he really hasn’t been a good neighbor to those folks and those on Anderson Road. I feel more should be done.”
Councilman Alex Sauickie clarified for resident Richard Egan that those contractors found to be doing work on homes where stop work orders were issued could be fined. He said he asked the township attorney if a mercantile license was in effect, could it be revoked to prevent them from doing business in Jackson. “Why would we want somebody who is blatantly disregarding our laws to do business in Jackson?”
Egan agreed saying, “that is the whole idea.”
Expressions Of Hatred Alleged
Resident Kasey Smith said he was happy to live near Whispering Hills “we appreciate the nice quiet lifestyle and we appreciate how most of our neighbors are kind and friendly. I am here to express my outrage that the members of this council allowed the previous meeting to turn into a public display of outrageous, blatant Jew hatred.
“That meeting was absolutely unacceptable. It was scheduled on a Jewish holiday,” Smith said. He noted the holiday forbids observant Jews to do anything that would allow them to respond to the comments made that night.
“Most concerning was that speakers at the meeting spoke with evil anti-Jewish stereotypes while members of the council sat quietly and allowed this Jew hatred to be spewed. Our community in Whispering Hills has experienced slashed tires, videoing our kids, vandalism to our property and yelling at us you effing Jews,” he added.
Smith said “we have hired a civil rights attorney to monitor the township’s activities going forward and to take all appropriate action including litigation if warranted to defend our religious liberties and civil rights.”
“I have lived in Jackson for over 30 years. It was a good experience. It was positive. I have wonderful neighbors. Not Jewish neighbors but I’m Jewish and they knew it but they were always nice to me, especially when my husband passed away. They were always there to help me. My children went to Jackson schools,” Muzik Miller said.
She noted more recently, “I am seeing all this hatred. I remember the days when Whispering Hills was not there. My husband and I used to walk through the woods and swim there in the pond. I was the only Jewish person living there but now with Jewish people moving in, there is hatred. Jackson is a beautiful place and you have beautiful people that live here. We are all human beings, we are all people.”
Howard Klotzkin, who has lived in Whispering Hills for six of his 13 years in Jackson said, “at the last meeting in my opinion there was a lot of anti-Semitism. Everyone is the same and they should be judged on the person you are and nothing else. I have no interest in leaving Whispering Hills when I got offers from realtors I politely declined and asked them not to come back.”
Hannum responded to these comments, saying, “it is very disappointing to listen to the comments made by fellow citizens in regards to hate or bias toward the Orthodox community. I would not want to live that way. I have not borne witness to that. The council calendar is made at the beginning of the year. There was no bias intent to the council meeting.”
She added, “I heard a lot of angry residents at the fact that people were breaking the law. That is what I heard at the last meeting. If people want to take that into the fact that it might be an Orthodox home owner well maybe it is. It wasn’t an intent as hatred toward a group of people. We all abide by the same laws and rules. If I have to get a permit, you have to get a permit. There is no hate or bias there.”
Perlstein returned to the microphone stressing that “I do believe the olive branch should be on both sides. I would love to meet with some of the neighbors and some of the people whose quality-of-life has been affected. If I have to shut the house down I will. I think this is a new beginning. This is an opportunity for us to grow together.”
