Good Luck Burke. Wayne does not know the first thing about sustainability. All they know how to do is write checks and it looks like they are going to be writing another one

When the town has to pay his legal fees, it should come out the board members pockets. It was there mistake. Their egos blinded them from doing their do diligence.

Taxpayers should not have to pay this. They illegally denied the permits and this should not have gone on this far. Why did the town attorney allow this to happen?

Wayne residents should be livid over this waste of taxpayer money. Over what looks like school yard bullying. Board members were hoping Mr. Burke could not afford the fight, and hoped he went away.

This matter needs to be looked into. Looks like they were trying to protect Scott Rumana. The only problem is they were using Wayne resident’s money to do so.

Wow, I think you are right. This burdon should not be put on Wayne taxpayers. This issue has been going on for a long time and from what I understand Wayne has lost every court battle with the carwash. $250,000 is a lot of money and could be used for much more important things. To have to pay that over board members not doing their job is an outrage. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Also from Judge Volkert's Opinion in which he overturned the Planning Board's denial of my conforming site plan application:

"However, the Planning Board's concerns about nooise and safety appear to conflict with the Township's approval of a wind energy system to be placed at a high school. Defendant Paul Margiotta, a Planning Board member at the time of applicant's decision was a member of the Town Council that approved the wind turbine at the high school and the Township's Mayor [Vergano] attends meetings of both the Town Council and the Planning Board. Thus, the Planning Board could not plead ignorance on health and safety issues."

It's amazing to see that those in power are carrying out personal agendas at the expense of the taxpayers. From this article, it seems the planning board didn't even have the authority to deny Mr. Burke the permits, yet they did anyway. The system is supposed to be in place in order to reasonably and rationally protect the interests of all citizens. Perhaps rather than fearing that which they did not know much about (I.e., the windmill), they could have had windfarmers from around the state come to discuss this sustainable technology. This sounds to be a classic example of fear of the unknown. Had the board been more open-minded and less impulsive, it would have saved us all a lot of time, money, aggrevation, and unnecessary CO2 emissions!! Keep at it Rob; future generations are thanking you for it.

Don't forget to voice your opinion in November. That's is where it will count. I can't wait to see this wind turbine up and running. If it works and saves money, I want one.

I've said this before on nj.com and I'll say it again here. The township needs to cut it's losses and act responsibly in how they use OUR tax dollars. They lost. Burke won. The process was abundantly fair (as would be expected with Judge Volkert). Game over. Elected officials - give it up already. We pay enough taxes already - all you're doing now is chasing windmills (sorry for the man of la mancha reference, but it fits). Give the man what is rightly his - the windmill, his legal fees, and (this is a real long shot) an apology.

Good Luck to you Mr. Burke. I am 100% in favor of Clean Energy! Hope this ridiculous nightmare comes to an end soon.

Thank you Joe. Nightmare is a fitting description. Tragically, the Council simply chooses to abuse their power with utter disregard for their obligations to taxpayers -- let alone some notion of doing the right thing. I hope it ends soon too, but I have my doubts.

Wayne residents should demand an investigation. Wayne broad members should be held accountable for there actions.

Here's something else you should know.

Wayne's Court Adminstrator & Police violated my rights when I was attacked in October 2007 - over the wind turbine. My right to file a complaint was denied because I didn't have my attacker's home address. I had his name, business address & make, model & color of his car. The man is in private law enforcement/security for a company HQ'd in Wayne & a former Sheriff's Officer.

The AG directed the County Prosecutor to investigate.

The results of the "investigation" were told to me at a meeting with Prosecutor Dilella. I gave a recording of the meeting to the Council.

DiLella said the Wayne police refused to investigate my complaint.; they didn't interview my attacker or any witnesses. He confirmed that Wayne's Court Administrator denied my right to file a complaint for the same reason.

The Passaic County Court Administrator wrote a letter confirming this and they've directed Wayne not to do this ever again!

Here's the most interesting part.

Town Atty Semeraro wrote me a letter saying the police fully investigated my allegations and they could not be substantiated.

Either Dilella's statement is true or Semeraro's is true -- but they both cannot be true.

Mr. Burke....Have you contacted the FBI? If not I recommend you do so. This whole thing smells fishy. An investigation needs to done by an outside source.

The US Attorney's office doesn't seem to care. Nor does Christie's Attorney General. I've been persistent and continue to be. The only way these facts will come out and see the light of day is if this case goes to a jury. Otherwise, the folks in control of the government are doing an excellent job at protecting the wrongdoers.

I used to believe in American democracy, the Constitution and so on. I actually still do. But like Tip O'neill used to say. All politics is local. And the folks in control of the local government here in Wayne are lawbreakers, plain and simple. Holding them accountable is difficult -- and perhaps even impossible.

Time will tell.

What a desperately sad picture this stupidity of the Wayne elected officials paints for any new business reviewing the potential to locate in our town ! Even with the Blue Laws closing stores on Sunday , Paramus is way beyond us in hospitality and compatibility to business. Why would anyone want to face that non-law- abiding,cabal of knuckleheads to plan on coming to Wayne ?

At first I was all for Rob Burke putting the turbine in, but then the more I checked into turbine construction it's apparent that they are made to be constructed in places where residents (or day care centers) are not within breakdown reach (a scary thought). These structures are not as reliable as manufacturers have claimed (check out the article in Business week). "Gearboxes hiding inside the casings perched on top of the towering masts have short shelf lives, often crapping out before even five years is up. In some cases, fractures form along the rotors, or even in the foundation, after only limited operation. Short circuits or overheated propellers have been known to cause fires. All this despite manufacturers' promises that the turbines would last at least 20 years." (as quoted in Newsweek).
I applaud Mr Burke for his "green" car wash, but I think that now he has turned this fight into a vendetta toward the town, which is now costing the taxpayers of Wayne money. His "green" philosophy did a total turn around when he agreed to allow T-Mobile to put up a cell phone tower. Giving no thought to his employee's health, the neighbors, or the environment. Obviously he didn't do his "green" research on how bad cell towers are, especially for young kids (remember there's a day care next door). For those of you that don't know how bad cell towers are, just check out "Full Signal" a scary movie on cell tower effects on people. I no longer use his car wash, I go elsewhere.

In the interest of full disclosure, Sydney, your position about me and my plans to develop my property changed when I signed a lease with T Mobile for a cell tower. You now oppose me not because of a wind turbine, but because T Mobile also plans to install a cell tower near your house. So you are now a vocal, outspoken challenger of T Mobile, which is all well & good.

But stop the lies & the feat mongering about wind energy. Pres. George HW Bush installed the same system at his house in Maine. The Secret Service are fine with it and they are responsible for protecting the ex Prez. Here's the article:

http://www.pressherald.com/archive/ex-president-to-utilize-wind-at-walkers-point_2007-11-21.html

Rob, I’ve been following your story from the beginning and it’s pathetic with what these officials are putting you through. I feel for you. I work for an engineering firm and I see how difficult the municipalities can be when it comes to solar or wind power. My friend just came back from Germany and said there are solar planes or wind turbines everywhere. We are so far behind when it comes to Green Energy. What a shame. Bob good luck. I hope all goes well.

Town machers wrap this thing up. Issue the permits and get out of the way. The idea that land use permitting should interfere with local business to such an extent explains some of why our economy is in the tank. The Chinese can build a transcontinental high speed rail line in a year, we take two years to get through the local planning department. Get this thing done and settled.

Thanks for your comment, Scondo. We've had a discourse on the nj.com Wayne Forum and you've been consistent with these comments.

I have already called the councilman in my ward. I want answers. We can post things on here all daylong. But nothing is going to change unless we demand it does.

Regardless of how you feel about the issue. This man was attacked at his workplace.
He got the attackers name, business address & make, model & color of his car.

That is not enough information? And the town did not investigate. The residents in this town should be outraged by this.

Wake Up! What happens if this was You, Your Wife, Mother, Son or Daughter?

Call your councilman. This should never happen to anyone again. Never!
http://www.waynetownship.com/council.htm

Cosmo -- I applaud your willingness to speak up. Thank you. Your councilman will not discuss this with you, though. You will be told this matter is in active litigation and they cannot discuss it. I'm not discouraging you to speak up -- quite the contrary, its essential. But don't expect a response.

Bob,
Im a resident in town and have been for almost 50 years. I grew up here, and I'm raising a family here. Im all for the wind turbine. I think the idea is innovative. I would feel the same way if it was used for a car wash, a hot dog/burger joint, or a used car lot.
I also feel the taxpayers should pay your costs- town hall thinks they can do anything they want to, and it takes people like yourself to make a point that they are not above the laws that are created. We employ or elect our officals to enforce the laws the way they are written, and don't hold them responsibile for "what's not" in the law. If we did, they all would have been fired long ago.
Good Luck!!!

Hey Joe -- thanks so much for your kind words. Given all that I've been through and continue to deal with, comments like yours have are incredibly important to my state of mind on my resolve. I disagree though with one of your comments and expect you'll agree with me: the taxpayers shouldn't be force to pay for this, the wrongdoers should pay out of their own personal bank accounts.

"Declined to comment" equals "Admit the facts asserted". If Rob was wrong about a single fact he asserts the lawyers and mayor would jump on that false statement and blow it out of proportion. Instead they pretend the facts, the law and the will of the people are irrelevant just so they can push an unlawful (taxpayer funded) vendetta.

There's nothing to call me out on -- what are they gonna say? That I faked the tape recording of Sr. Asst. Prosecutor Paul DiLella? That Town Attoney Mark Semeraro didn't really write the letter that falsely states the police investigated my allegation?The beauty is that these facts exist and cannot be refuted.

As Samuel Clemens once said: "Always tell the truth; then you don't have to remember anything."

Land use laws should not be twisted and turned with the political wind. That is what towns want to do to keep people happy. But the fact remains that people are permitted to use their land to their profit and betterment if there is no offense to the law. This case does not offend the law just because some nimby folk go before the town and complain. The town fathers need to grow a set and simply tell the nimby crowd that thise is a permitted use--get over it.

I forgot to mention that Mr. Hubbard is mistaken on who will pay for the damages in this case. He said that the Town's insurance carrier will pay for it. That's not really the truth. First, the insurance carrier is a governmental self insurance fund. Its a collection of towns, basically, making an insurance pool. If the fund pays, they will recoup what they pay through higher premiums to Wayne.

More to the point is this. The Town refused to give me the reservation of rights letters from the Fund on this case. Only after I persisted and threatened suit, did the Town provide those letters, yesterday.

In them, the Fund says that it will NOT PAY for liability for INTENTIONAL ACTS. My entire civil rights count is for intentional acts. The Town DOES NOT HAVE COVERAGE from its own self insurance fund for intentional acts.

Accordingly, the best outcome for the taxpayers & the municipal defendants is to negotiate a settlement and have the fund pay for it, even if the Town's premiums do go up later. And they better do it fast, because the coverage amount is reduced dollar for dollar by the fund's legal fees. My demand amount should still be within the coverage limit -- but not for much longer as the fund's politically connected lawyers suck the public teat and drain fund money for frivolous litigation practices.

Can not believe that this is working to anyones benefit.

That is the problem, Wayne residents have NOTHING to gain from this fight. The broad members are not working in our best interest. Wayne can not sue Burke, he has done nothing wrong.

This is there battle, but they are using our (town) money.

There are cell towers on schools.. build the dam wind turbine,, I support you all the way.. I will always be a loyal customer... and now I am going to sign my wife up for the monthly wash plan. Thank you .

I agree, build the damn thing. Don't worry about who has to pay the fine Bob, if the court rules in your favor there shouldn't be any ill-feeling. They wouldn't hesitate to fine you if there was foul-play.
The only part of the whole arguement that I can't understand is why the Wayne police didn't investigate the complaint further. We have a very competent force that doesn't have a reputation for letting complaints fall trough the cracks like your's did, even when they are protecting they're own, which happens from time to time. It wouldn't suprise me to hear they turned things around to make it sound like you assaulted the PCSO , but to ignore it completely leads to speculation.

In addition to everything elsebyou say about Rumana, he is a cold-hearted slug. Shortly before my fathers death, he came across a photo of him and then mayor Rumana. He presented it to Scott who didn't even have the courtesy to say thank you. Meanwhile, he is consistently the only pol to use the Wayne fireworks to troll for votes.

Andy Kruse, from Southwest Wind, the manufacturer of the Skystream Wind Turbine mentioned to me after reading this article that he enjoyed the one comment from Rumana: I always had reservations about the project due to its proximity to single-family homes and a daycare center.

Kruse wondered why Rumana didn't bother to find out that there are 8000 Skystreams installed near single family homes and schools.

This has more to do with Rumana's ego & political retaliation and less to do with reality.