Senator Ray Lesniak

Lesniak Firm Fired

In a move that surely heralded a new era in Hillside, the Board of Education unanimously voted to get rid of the Weiner Lesniak law firm of Parsippany as the board's "general counsel".

The firm, led by State Senator Raymond Lesniak (D-Union), had been hired last year by school board under the leadership of Dennis Kobitz. After the vote, the firm and the board, came under heavy fire from citizen watchdogs, most notably HILLSIDESCHOOLS.org.

Soon after the firm's hiring last year, the website launched a campaign against the school board, calling on them to eliminate politically-connected firms and individuals from the payroll.

The majority on the school board at the time failed to heed to the demands, and it took the election of Sergio Bichao and Tasha Saffold to give the new majority enough votes to fire the firm.

The same watchdog site also republished a barrage of newspaper articles highlighting Lesniak's infamous career as a New Jersey political power broker as well as his alleged mob-ties and the firm's implications with the Linden trash-transfer station ethics debacle.

"PROMISES WERE MADE"

For what reason would the Board of Education hire Weiner Lesniak to begin with? The explanation offered to the public by then-board member John O'Shea was that the firm offered the lowest responsible bid - the usual line used by Hillside officials.

But there may have been more inconspicuous reasons for the board's decision, the DISPATCH has learned.

According to comments made by board member Nathalie Yafet at a March school board meeting, it had been alluded to board members that Weiner Lesniak would be a good firm to hire because of its clout over Trenton.

"The firm was supposed to get us funding [for the school district]," Yafet stated, "So where's the funding?"

Yafet contrasted the supposed "promise" to a bill from the firm for $23,000 for a month's work.

Yafet is not alone, however, in these revelations. Machine politicians have also stated - perhaps by accident - that the firm would "assist Hillside" if hired.

In a front-page "expose" on Lesniak, the Gazette-Leader quoted board member Elbert Smith saying that "promises were made" when he was asked to vote for the firm last year.

School board candidates also pointed to the promotion of former board member Kobitz to the head of the county election board after the hiring of Wiener Lesniak as further evidence that many on the school board are motivated by dirty politics.


GAGLIARDI HIRED

Replacing Lesniak as the board's counsel will be Vito A. Gagliardi of Prozio, Bromberg & Newman.