Councilman Steve Tanelli, North Arlington’s strongest and most consistent opponent of the EnCap overdevelopment housing project, said the Bergen County Republican Party has “sold out” to developer Donald Trump and called on the NA GOP to announce they will not accept contributions from the county organization.

Tanelli, who is running for a second full term this November, said an upcoming fundraising event held at a Morris County golf course Trump owns is a sign that Bergen County Republican Chairman Robert Ortiz is clearly “in bed” with Trump.

EnCap threatened to saddle North Arlington with 1,625 housing units squeezed onto just 75 acres, adding nearly 1,000 children to the school system and thousands of cars onto local streets. Trump last week told the Bergen Record that he wants to make EnCap even bigger.

“If EnCap was a menace to North Arlington, Trump’s version is EnCap on steroids,” Tanelli said. “That the Bergen County Republican Party Organization would go to Trump to host their annual fundraiser shows they’ve totally sold out to Trump and are completely out of touch with North Arlington homeowners who strongly oppose this nutty housing scheme.”

Tanelli also noted that while Trump says his project will not include any Low Income “affordable” housing, it will force North Arlington to pay for and build as many as 1,000 Low Income apartments should Trump get his way.

“North Arlington was wise to reject the EnCap deal and clearly Mr. Trump’s proposal to make this mega-project even bigger will be rejected as well,” Tanelli said. “North Arlington Republicans have supported EnCap every step of the way and attacked Mayor Pete Massa for fighting this plan. Now they need to disassociate themselves from Chairman Ortiz and the County Republican Party Organization today and that means refusing all campaign contributions from the Bergen County GOP.”

“After years of supporting EnCap and Meadowlands overdevelopment schemes and raising taxes year after year, North Arlington Republicans now claim they are on the homeowner’s side,” Tanelli added. “They have no credibility on that front as long as they take Trump’s campaign cash the same way they took tens of thousands of dollars from EnCap lawyers and consultants.”

“Over the years, one thing has been consistent and that is the North Arlington Republican Party’s obsession with destroying our town through wasteful spending, millions in squandered host fees, out of control debt, high density, high rise housing and hundreds of Low Income apartments,” Tanelli said. “As a councilman, I have made fighting and reversing the failed legacy of North Arlington’s Republican ‘machine’ my top priority.”

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