Welcome
Welcome to Your Harrison dot com.
The objective of this website/blog is to provide a place where residents, business owners and former Harrisonians can stay informed about the Town of Harrison and get involved to make Harrison a better place to live, raise a family and conduct business.
Harrison is a one-square mile town in Hudson County, New Jersey. The Town of Harrison is bordered by Kearny, East Newark, Newark and Jersey City. For many years the town was known as the Bee Hive of Industry. In fact, Harrison has a rich industrial history. Hopefully, this website can explore some of that history in future posts.
Today, the town is going through a transformation of sorts. There are several redevelopers who have plans to transform the once industrial Harrison to a super modern city with rental units, townhouses, restaurants and a soccer stadium. Some of us question whether these developments were well planned and whether the town has given too much to the redevelopers. Will the redevelopment be a burden on current Harrisonians are will it be the solution for ever increasing property taxes. More on the redevelopment in later posts.
I grew up in Harrison. My parents moved to Harrison from the Ironbound section of Newark in the early seventies. I attended the Harrison public schools and graduated Harrison High School before it was designated an Abbott District. I was fortunate to have some great teachers along the way, some very supportive parents, and my ever present perseverance. I attended Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ and graduated with a Bachelor Science. I then attended Seton Hall Law School in graduated with a joint JD/MBA degree. After clerking in the Superior Court of New Jersey, I worked for a personal injury litigation firm in Springfield, NJ before opening my office in my hometown of Harrison. Although I have moved from Harrison, I will always be a Harrisonian at heart.
On a daily basis, I see in my office individuals who I consider the heart of our community and the hope for our future. My clients are primarily immigrants. Individuals like my parents who came to America for a better life and opportunity for their children. Many of these individuals work long hours for minimum wage salaries to support their families and pay their bills. Those bills are ever increasing and the jobs are harder and harder to find.
The majority of Harrison's elected officials are oblivious to the struggles of the average Harrisonians. Recently, the Harrison Construction official sent out a letter advising homeowners that they should turn themselves in if they were renting an illegal apartment. The increase in illegal apartments is related to the economics of homeownership. The property taxes in Harrison continue to go up and homeowners are being forced to generate extra income with illegal apartments. Our elected officials have their publicly funded jobs and haven't made the connection that people are struggling to make ends meet. I am not condoning illegal apartments. The point I am making is that good folks will do bad things when pushed into a corner. The Mayor and Council must cut the town's budget and give homeowners a tax break. Without your help, that is unlikely to happen.
How can you help. First, visit this site and stay informed. Secondly, participate here with comments, viewpoints and information. Thirdly, attend council meetings. I have made a point of attending council meetings. I have not made everyone but the ones I have I am always glad I went. Rarely are there a handful of residents at the town meetings. More participation from residents, business owners and others interested in Harrison, is essential to make sure our elected officials are held accountable for their decisions.
Harrison's Mayor, Rayond McDonough, has refused calls for the videotaping and telecasting of the town's meetings on the local community channel and/or the web. The reason given is that their are budgetary constraints. The real reason is that Mayor McDonough does not want to world to see how Harrison conducts its business. Local resident Joe Wood however set up a website www.HarrisonMeetings.com which provides videos of council meetings. Watch some of the meetings. It is reality television at its best.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will also be a Public Hearing on the town's budget. Please make an effort to attend and tell your friends to come. Even if you come with the intention of just sitting and listening, you may find yourself participating in yourharrison and that will make my day.
The objective of this website/blog is to provide a place where residents, business owners and former Harrisonians can stay informed about the Town of Harrison and get involved to make Harrison a better place to live, raise a family and conduct business.
Harrison is a one-square mile town in Hudson County, New Jersey. The Town of Harrison is bordered by Kearny, East Newark, Newark and Jersey City. For many years the town was known as the Bee Hive of Industry. In fact, Harrison has a rich industrial history. Hopefully, this website can explore some of that history in future posts.
Today, the town is going through a transformation of sorts. There are several redevelopers who have plans to transform the once industrial Harrison to a super modern city with rental units, townhouses, restaurants and a soccer stadium. Some of us question whether these developments were well planned and whether the town has given too much to the redevelopers. Will the redevelopment be a burden on current Harrisonians are will it be the solution for ever increasing property taxes. More on the redevelopment in later posts.
I grew up in Harrison. My parents moved to Harrison from the Ironbound section of Newark in the early seventies. I attended the Harrison public schools and graduated Harrison High School before it was designated an Abbott District. I was fortunate to have some great teachers along the way, some very supportive parents, and my ever present perseverance. I attended Seton Hall University in South Orange, NJ and graduated with a Bachelor Science. I then attended Seton Hall Law School in graduated with a joint JD/MBA degree. After clerking in the Superior Court of New Jersey, I worked for a personal injury litigation firm in Springfield, NJ before opening my office in my hometown of Harrison. Although I have moved from Harrison, I will always be a Harrisonian at heart.
On a daily basis, I see in my office individuals who I consider the heart of our community and the hope for our future. My clients are primarily immigrants. Individuals like my parents who came to America for a better life and opportunity for their children. Many of these individuals work long hours for minimum wage salaries to support their families and pay their bills. Those bills are ever increasing and the jobs are harder and harder to find.
The majority of Harrison's elected officials are oblivious to the struggles of the average Harrisonians. Recently, the Harrison Construction official sent out a letter advising homeowners that they should turn themselves in if they were renting an illegal apartment. The increase in illegal apartments is related to the economics of homeownership. The property taxes in Harrison continue to go up and homeowners are being forced to generate extra income with illegal apartments. Our elected officials have their publicly funded jobs and haven't made the connection that people are struggling to make ends meet. I am not condoning illegal apartments. The point I am making is that good folks will do bad things when pushed into a corner. The Mayor and Council must cut the town's budget and give homeowners a tax break. Without your help, that is unlikely to happen.
How can you help. First, visit this site and stay informed. Secondly, participate here with comments, viewpoints and information. Thirdly, attend council meetings. I have made a point of attending council meetings. I have not made everyone but the ones I have I am always glad I went. Rarely are there a handful of residents at the town meetings. More participation from residents, business owners and others interested in Harrison, is essential to make sure our elected officials are held accountable for their decisions.
Harrison's Mayor, Rayond McDonough, has refused calls for the videotaping and telecasting of the town's meetings on the local community channel and/or the web. The reason given is that their are budgetary constraints. The real reason is that Mayor McDonough does not want to world to see how Harrison conducts its business. Local resident Joe Wood however set up a website www.HarrisonMeetings.com which provides videos of council meetings. Watch some of the meetings. It is reality television at its best.
The next council meeting is scheduled for Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. This meeting will also be a Public Hearing on the town's budget. Please make an effort to attend and tell your friends to come. Even if you come with the intention of just sitting and listening, you may find yourself participating in yourharrison and that will make my day.
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