At the July 6 Council meeting, Mayor Michael Pagan, voted to not renew the terms of dedicated Planning Board members Mark Zomick, Tony Parker and Councilmember Mark Schwartz. While Mayor Pagan agreed to appoint Schwartz as the mayor’s representative on the Planning Board, Pagan attended the July 13 Planning Board reorganization meeting with the sole intention of voting out Joey Bodner as committee chair. Ironically, as recently as this past year, Joey worked on Pagan’s council campaign, was a strong advocate for his election and had mentored Pagan during his original service on the Planning Board from 2018-2020. How did Pagan reward these deeds? He did so by not only voting against Joey but didn’t even have the decency to reach out to Joey before the meeting to let him know he would be voting against his reappointment. He also did not reach out to him afterwards to thank him for his years of service.

Joey’s service to the community is not limited to the work he has done as chair, or as mentor to Pagan and many of the current and past members of the Planning Council, or to the many charitable causes he has steered and contributed to from his personal time and funds. So, to right a wrong, on behalf of the Teaneck community and all those who benefited from Joey’s time, dedication, ingenuity and perseverance, I would like to publicly thank Joey Bodner for his 20 years of service as Planning Board chair and acknowledge all the good that he has done for the town and citizens of Teaneck.

Thank you, Joey.

Elliot Rothschild
Teaneck