The Montclair Times from Montclair, New Jersey • A1

22 SERVING OUR COMMUNITY SINCE 1877 2 2 0 1 3" MONTCLAIR TIMES Thursday, June 2, 2016 Vol. 140, No. 22 home-dIl'vered sJc northjersey.commontclair Winner of the New Jersey Press Association's statewide General Excellence Award nine times since 2000, most recently in 2015 MEMORIAL DAY Homage to Hellfighters' heroics POLICE DEPARTMENT True blue Acting chief, deputies get permanent positions BY NICHOLAS KATZBAN STAFF WRITER jjK 1 After serving in acting positions for three months, acting Police Chief Todd Conforti and acting deputy chiefs Tracy Frazzano and Wilhelm Young were given permanent appointments by acting Montclairites who fought with France during WWI celebrated BY NICHOLAS KATZBAN STAFF WRITER The sun, brightened by that morning's rainfall, radiated through the windows of the Council Chambers, and cast a powerful glow on the decorated uniforms of veterans who were there to remember the servicemen who died before, after and beside them. This past Monday, May 30, the township commemorated America's fallen soldiers, and one group in particular, whose bravery, and determination to defend their country could not be discouraged by the segregation they confronted. Formed 100 years ago, the 15th National Guard Regiment, a detail composed solely of African-Americans, soon became the U.S.

Army's 369th Infantry Regiment. Yet, with the soldiers barred from fighting in the First World War alongside their Caucasian counterparts, the 369th Regiment was reorganized into France's 161st Division on the front lines. Having never lost a single prisoner, nor one foot of captured ground, according to Yann Yochum, a representative of the French Consulate, their Township Manager Timothy Stafford, the township stated in a release Friday. "I'm looking forward to being the chief, Con STAFF PHOTO BY NICHOLAS KATZBAN forti told The TODD CONFORTI Montclair Times. Mayor Robert Jackson extends his arm to congratulate representatives of the American Legion Crawford Crews Post 251 as they accept a plague in commemoration of the four Montclairites who served in World War I as "Harlem Hellfighters." learn that Crews and the others were from Montclair.

"Many times we tend to think of certain people like the Harlem Hellfighters, and different infantry groups, as almost larger than life, or mythical," said Jackson. "When you see these guys on TV, or the news, you think they MEMORIAL A10 tenacity and courage eventually earned them the nickname "the Harlem Hellfighters." During the Memorial Day commemoration this past Monday, four Montclairites who served in the 369th, Pvt. Crawford Crews, Cpl. Austin Barnes, Cpl. Benjamin E.

Smith and Pvt. Alonzo Mills, were posthumously honored with a plaque present ed to the American Legion Crawford Crews Post 251. "It's hard to imagine the brutality of the battles, and the suffering of these young men. They courageously left their families to defend a country, my country, they were seeing for the first time," said Yochum, who was a special guest at Montclair's event to reflect France's recognition of the Hellfighters. Yochum noted that the Hellfighters' lasting mark on France did not end with their wartime aid: "The 369th were also among the first ones to introduce jazz to the French audience." Mayor Robert Jackson told The Montclair Times that, for him, what's truly inspiring about the Hellfighters' story was to "I wasn't surprised, I was humbled." The new chief said his productive working relationship with Stafford has been indispensible.

"He's allowed me to make changes as needed, and I'm very fortunate that he's been there for the department," Conforti said, referring to Stafford. "He trusts me, and he's been very supportive." Since taking over in his new position, Conforti has already succeeded in increasing the number of officers in the MPD's Traffic Bureau. Young said he also had worked closely with the council and Stafford over the previous three months, forging a stronger relationship with the municipal government. "We had meetings with the manager on a regular basis," Young said. "They got to see how we interacted with others, as well as with them.

It was a nice learning curve, and the transition was made relatively easy." He added, "I've worked very closely with Conforti over the last four years, and Tracy as well. So far it's been a really good marriage, so to speak." Frazzano had a similar reaction to her promotion: "You work your whole career hoping to attain POLICE A6 7 MONTCLAIR SCHOOL DISTRICT Doubts, and then some Digging into more 2013 assessment emails INVESTIGATING THE INVESTIGATION did work for the Montclair School District. The Montclair Times obtained a copy of the report as well as an email and memo for this article from a resident who obtained the information regarding the investigation. Pransky quoted from a one-page account by Susan Young, an EMAILS A5 BY RICARDO KAULESSAR STAFF WRITER During its May 4 meeting, Montclair resident Joan Pransky addressed the Montclair Board of Education by calling for then-BOE member David Cummings to receive an apology from his board colleagues for having to defend himself legally when he STAFF PHOTO BY RICARDO KAULESSAR was subpoenaed during a 2013 investigation of how district assessment tests ended up online without permission. Pransky also read from a report from a person who once Emails from autumn 2013 pertaining to the Montclair Board of Education's investigation were referenced at the May 4 BOE meeting.

TOWNSHIP COUNCIL The town and the country Council debates whether to hold votes on national issues toward national politics and clarified that she hopes this sets a precedent for more likeminded agenda items, 1st Ward Councilmember William Hurlock, who said he once worked on Capitol Hill, took compunction with extending the council's actions beyond Montclair. "I think we've done an exceptional job over the last four years when dealing with these types of resolutions. I think we've only COUNCIL-A6 remarked on the curiousness of adding an agenda item that did not directly affect local concerns. "In the past, we have not passed these types of things at the Town ship Council level when people came before us to lobby to Congress. I certainly do agree that there is a need to do something, but this is a little bit of a deviation.

This is something different," Baskerville observed. While Baskerville later maintained that her comment was not meant to criticize the reach BY NICHOLAS KATZBAN STAFF WRITER At its first public meeting since its members' reelection, which many residents attributed to a lack of infighting throughout the past four years, the Township Council was observably comfortable with open disagreements. A lengthy debate at the Tuesday, May 24 meeting preceded a vote for a resolution to urge Congress to approve a revenue-neutral carbon tax, which had been proposed by the Montclair Environmental Commission and brought to the council by its liaison, 3rd Ward Councilmember Sean Spiller. Discussion of the resolution began with Deputy Mayor Bob Russo extolling the urgency of policies meant to combat climate change, but a larger issue took form that had little to do with the resolution at hand. 4th Ward Councilmember Renee Baskerville, who said she supported the resolution, THINKSTOCK their place, to Capitol Hill Rich McMahon and William Hurlock claim it's not as Township Councilmembers, to send messages on behalf of their constituents.

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