Fort Lee Republicans to File OPRA Request for Police Chief’s Salary

The United Republican Club of Fort Lee says it will file an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request for Fort Lee Police Chief Thomas Ripoli’s salary for 2009 and 2010.

The Fort Lee Mayor and Council gave unanimous approval to a pay increase at Jan. 20 meeting, according to an article published in the Fort Lee Suburbanite. A second "yes" vote is still required however to finalize the chief’s raise.

If the measure is approved, the nearly 40-year veteran of law enforcement and Fort Lee Police Chief since 2004 will receive $202,266 in 2011 and $206,311 in 2012 - up from $162,826 for 2006 through 2009, according to the article.

The Asbury Park Press website reports Ripoli’s salary for 2009, the last year for which data was available, at $162,826, backing up the Suburbanite’s contention.

That’s a 25 percent increase, argues the local Republican group, and an “unacceptable” one at that, in a letter they intended to have read into the record at Thursday’s mayor and council meeting.

However, says Fort Lee Republican Club president David Cohen, the group’s representative at the meeting was told that Ripoli’s current salary is more like $198,000, which would represent a more reasonable raise to $202,000 if it were accurate.

“We don’t want to go accusing people of things that they’re really not doing,” Cohen said. “That’s not fair. In fairness, what we’re going to go is request an OPRA on the chief’s salary for 2010 and [to validate the number for 2009]. If we’re barking up the wrong tree, so be it."

Judith Fisher, municipal committee chairwoman, is going to execute the OPRA, because, Cohen says, “we want to see it in black and white.”

“There’s a piece of the puzzle that’s missing here,” Cohen said. “The OPRA doesn’t lie. It seems as though people are talking out of both sides of their mouth. And let’s just find out where it really is.”

Another issue the Republican advocates were set to take issue with Thursday is amending the borough’s uniform construction code fee ordinance. Cohen said his group “troubled” by the increased fees for Fort Lee residents and businesses and ask the council not to “burden” residents with higher fees for construction and home improvements. 

“People are getting nickel and dimed to death,” Cohen said. “If you’re a homeowner in Fort Lee or even if you want to do improvement on your apartment, the fees have gone up, and people are just getting pinched. It’s like death by a thousand cuts.”

On Tuesday the Fort Lee Republican Club is hosting several Republican candidates for freeholder, who will speak about what they believe in, their principles and policy positions for the upcoming elections. …

“Fort Lee is a very,very big district for them,” Cohen said. “Even though Fort Lee is seen as a Democratic town, it’s prize for candidates in any party and especially for those who wants to come and make some headway in the primary and talk about what the believe in.”

That event takes place Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the VFW on Main St. and Center Ave.