Harrison, New Jersey

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For the township in Gloucester County, see Harrison Township, New Jersey

Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the town population was 14,424.

Harrison was originally incorporated as a township by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 13, 1840, from portions of Lodi Township, shortly after Hudson County was created from portions of Bergen County, on February 22, 1840. Portions of the township were returned to Bergen County on February 19, 1852, to create Union Township. Kearny Township was created from parts of the township on April 8, 1867 Harrison was reincorporated as a town on March 25, 1869.^[1]

Contents 1 Geography 2 Demographics 3 Government 3.1 Local government 3.2 2006 Elections 3.3 2007 Elections 3.4 Federal, State and County Representation 4 Education 5 Transportation 6 Redevelopment 6.1 Sports 6.2 The Adler Lawsuit 7 Noted residents 8 Trivia 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Geography

Harrison is located at 40°44′45″N, 74°9′18″W (40.745951, -74.155096)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²). 3.2 km² (1.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (6.82%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1930	15,601		–
1940	14,171		-9.2%
1950	13,490		-4.8%
1960	11,743		-13.0%
1970	11,811		0.6%
1980	12,242		3.6%
1990	13,425		9.7%
2000	14,424		7.4%
Est. 2005	14,060	[2]	-2.5%
Population 1930 - 1990.[3]

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 14,424 people, 5,136 households, and 3,636 families residing in the town. The population density was 4,564.9/km² (11,811.1/mi²). There were 5,254 housing units at an average density of 1,662.8/km² (4,302.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the town was 66.10% White, 0.98% African American, 0.40% Native American, 11.89% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 15.96% from other races, and 4.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 36.97% of the population.

As of the 2000 census, 7.22% of Harrison's residents identified themselves as being of Chinese ancestry. This was the fifth highest percentage of people with Chinese ancestry in any place in New Jersey with 1,000 or more residents identifying their ancestry.^[4]

There were 5,136 households out of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.8% were married couples living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.27.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.5% under the age of 18, 10.6% from 18 to 24, 36.8% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 101.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $41,350, and the median income for a family was $48,489. Males had a median income of $33,069 versus $26,858 for females. The per capita income for the town was $18,490. About 10.1% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.5% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

[edit] Local government

The city is presently governed under the Faulkner Act (Mayor-Council) system of municipal government.

The Town of Harrison is divided into four electoral wards, with each ward then being divided into three districts, for a total of 12 electoral districts in Harrison. Each ward is represented by two council members, with a total of eight councilmembers on the Town Council.

The head of the government is the Mayor. The Mayor chairs the Town Council and heads the municipal government. The Mayor may both vote on legislation before the Council and veto ordinances. The Mayor's veto can be overruled by ¾ of the Town Council voting to overrule the veto.

Town Council meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7 pm (except in July and August, when no meetings are held), in Council Chambers, which is located on the second floor of the Town Hall at 318 Harrison Avenue. Public Caucus Meetings are held at 6:30pm in Room 301.

The current Mayor and Councilmembers are:

Mayor Raymond J. McDonough, Councilman - 1977-1995, Mayor since January 1, 1995 (Current term in office expires December 31, 2010)

Members of the Harrison Town Council are:^[5]

• First Ward: Jesus Huranaga (term expires 2010) and Caroline Mandaglio (term expires 2007)
• Second Ward: Steve McCormick (2010) and Victor Villalta (2007)
• Third Ward: Larry Bennett (2010) and Michael Rodgers (2007)
• Fourth Ward: James Doran (2010) and Michael Dolaghan (2007)

[edit] 2006 Elections

The Primary Election was held on June 6, 2006. Candidates listed were running for the Democratic Party nomination for their respective offices. Results of the Primary Election were:^[6]

• Mayor: McDonough (incumbent) - 1,159 votes; Michael J. Hinchcliffe - 651 votes
• First Ward: Jesus Huaranga - 256 votes
• Second Ward: Pettigrew - 271 votes
• Third Ward: Laurence Bennett - 490
• Fourth Ward: Doran - 317

The General Election was held on November 7, 2006. Candidates who ran in this race were (asterisk denotes incumbent candidate):

• Mayor: Raymond J. McDonough* (D), Anselmo Millan (Independent).

On June 12, 2006, Hudson County Clerk Javier Inclán dropped Millan from the November ballot after he determined that the candidate and his wife, who had signed Millan's petition, had previously signed a petition supporting Michael John Hinchcliffe in his unsuccessful mayoral bid in Harrison's 2006 Democratic Primary.^[7] In his ruling on July 11, 2006, Judge Carmen Messano stated that "the objections raised by County Clerk Javier Inclan and Mayor Raymond McDonough were flawed and that the laws were written 'to allow the greatest scope for public participation in the electoral process, to allow candidates to get on the ballot, to allow parties to put their candidates on the ballot, and most importantly to allow the voters a choice on Election Day.'" Millan was included on the November General Election ballot.^[8]

• 1st Ward: Jesus Huaranga (D), Maria Camano (Independent)
• 2nd Ward: Arthur Pettigrew* (D), Steve McCormick (Independent)
• 3rd Ward: Laurence Bennett (D)
• 4th Ward: James Doran* (D), Joseph Wood (Independent)

2006 General Election Results (asterisk denotes incumbent candidate):^[9]

Mayor -

• McDonough* (D) - 1,586 votes
• Millan (I) - 1,088 votes (a difference of 498 votes)

Town Council -

1st Ward -

• Huaranga (D) - 308 votes
• Camano (I) - 238 votes (a difference of 70 votes)

2nd Ward -

• Pettigrew* (D) - 271 votes
• McCormick (I) - 316 votes (a difference of 45 votes)

3rd Ward -

• Bennett - 602 votes

4th Ward -

• Doran* (D) - 425 votes
• Wood (I) - 214 votes (a difference of 211 votes)

[edit] 2007 Elections

The only announced candidate is Joseph L. Wood, who is running for Councilman in Fourth Ward in the General Election on November 6, 2007 as an Independent Democrat.

[edit] Federal, State and County Representation

Harrison is in the Thirteenth Congressional District and is part of New Jersey's 32nd Legislative District.^[10]

New Jersey's Thirteenth Congressional District, covering portions of Essex, Hudson, Middlesex, and Union Counties, is now represented by Albio Sires (D, West New York), who won a special election held on November 7, 2006 to fill the vacancy the had existed since January 16, 2006. The seat had been represented by Bob Menendez (D), who was appointed to the United States Senate to fill the seat vacated by Governor of New Jersey Jon Corzine. New Jersey is represented in the Senate by Frank Lautenberg (D, Cliffside Park) and Bob Menendez (D, Hoboken).

The 32nd legislative district of the New Jersey Legislature is represented in the State Senate by Nicholas Sacco (D, North Bergen) and in the Assembly by Vincent Prieto (D, Secaucus) and Joan M. Quigley (D, Jersey City). The Governor of New Jersey is Jon Corzine (D, Hoboken).

Hudson County's County Executive is Thomas A. DeGise. The executive, together with the Board of Chosen Freeholders in a legislative role, administer all county business. Hudson County's nine Freeholders (as of 2006) are: District 1: Doreen McAndrew DiDomenico; District 2: William O'Dea; District 3: Jeffrey Dublin; District 4: Eliu Rivera; District 5: Maurice Fitzgibbons; District 6: Tilo Rivas; District 7: Gerald Lange Jr.; District 8: Thomas Liggio; and District 9: Albert Cifelli.

[edit] Education

The Harrison Public Schools is comprised of three schools. Schools in the district (with 2003-04 enrollment data from the National Center for Education Statistics) are Lincoln Elementary School (which houses 872 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten to 5th), Washington Middle School(which houses 362 students in grades 6th to 8th) and Harrison High School (which houses 719 students in grades 9th to 12th).

The Harrison Public School District is participating in the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program. For the 2005-06 school year parents can request to transfer a child from the Washington School, designated by the State of New Jersey as a Category I School, to another school which is not a Category I School. Since there is only one elementary school in Harrison, parents can request a transfer to the Hoboken Public Schools under the Choice program. A transfer request will depend upon the capacity of the selected Hoboken school.^[11]

[edit] Transportation

The Harrison station on the PATH regional rail system offers service to Newark, Jersey City, Hoboken and New York City. The Northeast Corridor, built in the 19th Century by the Pennsylvania Railroad and now owned by Amtrak, and carries New Jersey Transit trains, passes through the city on the same alignment as the PATH. There was a stop on the Northeast Corridor in Harrison, but it was eliminated due to the ease of picking up trains in Newark at Penn Station.

Harrison is served by buses operated by several bus companies. New Jersey Transit offers service within New Jersey on the 39, 40 and 43 routes.^[12]

By car, Harrison depends on Interstate 280 which runs through town. Westward, I-280 leads to Route 21, the Garden State Parkway, and Interstate 80. Eastward, it leads to Route 7 and the New Jersey Turnpike.

The closest airport in New Jersey with scheduled passenger service is Newark Liberty International Airport, located 4.8 miles away in Newark / Elizabeth. New York City's LaGuardia Airport is 20.2 miles away in Flushing, Queens via the Lincoln Tunnel.

[edit] Redevelopment

Portions of Harrison are currently undergoing redevelopment under a plan adopted by the Harrison Redevelopment Agency. With the construction of new high school athletic facilities, the Harrison Board of Education sold the former John F. Kennedy Stadium to the Roseland Property Co./Millennium Homes development group, where currently new townhouses are being built. The Hampton Inn and Suites Newark/Harrison Riverwalk Hotel opened on December 31, 2004 across from Newark along the Passaic River. The area stretching from the PATH train station south to the Harrison/Newark border has been designated as a redevelopment zone (275 acres, or about 40% of the town). Plans are now underway to transform the aforementioned area of the town from deindustrialized, abandoned factories into a "transit village" containing high-rise office complexes and street-level retail. The current design will introduce seven- to nine-thousand new housing units. Redevelopment groups participating in these projects include the Advance Reality Group and the Pegasus Group, LLC, led by the architectural firm Torti Gallas and Partners CHK, Inc.

[edit] Sports

In 2006, after years of delays, Red Bull announced that Red Bull Park will be the new home of the Major League Soccer team, Red Bull New York. The stadium is part of the large redevelopment plan for Harrison. The stadium will hold 25,000 fans and will feature a European style.

Home of the record holding 22 Soccer State Championships!!

[edit] The Adler Lawsuit

In July 2006, property owner Steve Adler filed a lawsuit in Federal District Court alleging, among several grounds, that the Harrison Redevelopment Agency was illegally formed and its actions are void ab initio.^[13] The lawsuit alleges that the composition of the Harrison Redevelopment Agency violates New Jersey Department of Community Affairs guidelines for membership of the board, the Town Ordinance promulgating the board, and the State Statute empowering the redevelopment agency. The board from its onset did not have professionals of various fields as members. Rather, it had, in violation of the town ordinance and state statute, more than two members who were political officials or employees of the Town of Harrison. If the lawsuit is successful, all designated developers could be stripped of their development designation.

[edit] Noted residents

Famous residents of the town include Daisy Fuentes (former MTV VJ) and Ray Lucas (former NFL quarterback).

[edit] Trivia

• Harrison is believed to have had the longest-serving Mayor in American history, Frank E. Rodgers, who was first elected in 1946 and served for 48 years, from 1947 to 1995, being elected to 24 two-year terms. He also served one term in the New Jersey State Senate, from 1979 to 1983.
• Harrison has been featured in portions of the HBO hit series The Sopranos. The high school was used as the location of an open casting call by HBO which brought 10,000-plus mafia hopefuls to the town, doubling the town's population and bringing traffic to a standstill.
• Nathan Lane performed on the high school's stage before breaking into acting.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Harrison website
• Harrison Public School District
• Redevelopment Plans - Harrison MetroCentre
• Harrison Discussion website
• Harrison Public Schools's 2005-06 School Report Card from the New Jersey Department of Education
• National Center for Education Statistics data for the Harrison Public School District
• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.745951° -74.155096°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

This box: view • talk • edit Municipalities of Hudson County, New Jersey (County seat: Jersey City)
Cities	Bayonne | Hoboken | Jersey City | Union City
Townships	North Bergen | Weehawken
Towns	Guttenberg | Harrison | Kearny | Secaucus | West New York
Borough	East Newark
Communities	Exchange Place | Greenville | Liberty State Park | Newport | Paulus Hook