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Residents press Pompton Lakes council on storm damage and alleged police misconduct
Summary
Two speakers during public comment urged council action: George Papal described severe washouts at 1104 Colfax Avenue and uncertainty about a pipe-repair start date; Helene Zablacki accused the council of poor civic engagement and questioned an appointment she said relates to officers facing lawsuits.
During the public-comment portion of the July 16 Pompton Lakes borough council meeting, two residents urged the council to act on separate concerns.
George Papal (1104 Colfax Avenue) said heavy rains left washouts that make it dangerous to access his shed, and he described repeated damage to his property. He told the council a contractor has been hired to reconnect a pipe from 1102 to Miller Drive but the start date is unknown and the work may require ripping up more than 100 yards of Colfax Avenue. "When will the borough stop destroying my property?" Papal asked, urging the council to plan repairs and minimize the impact on his property.
Council members and the administrator said they are relying on the borough's engineer to set the work sequence and that the borough will address neighboring properties after the engineer's prioritized repairs are completed. The administrator and mayor told Papal they would seek a start date and report back.
Helene Zablacki (6 Butler Street) used her extended public-comment time to criticize elected officials for declining to participate in candidate forums and for what she described as a pattern of not answering residents' emails. She raised allegations about an appointment of an individual named Anthony Rodriguez, saying he was "named on dozens of pages of the claims" and questioned whether the borough was protecting officers referenced in online reports of misconduct. Zablacki pressed the council for more transparency and asked whether officials would return to public session after a closed discussion on litigation.
Council leaders responded that the council would return to public session after closed session to report the general subject matter discussed, and they limited public speakers to the meeting's time rules. No formal council action or investigation was announced at the meeting in response to the allegations.
