Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News, scandal plagued Patterson gets a new top cop.

>> I believe in public communication and transparency.

I believe in letting the community and the government know what the agenda of the Police Department is.

Briana: Looking to calm community unrest after decades of mistrust.

Plus, calling it quits.

One of the state's first Muslim leaders says she is stepping down after repeated verbal racial attacks.

>> You are not American, you are going to do all these horrible things.

Briana: Also, a textbook ban?

>> It is the right thing to do for our town's reputation.

Thank you.

Briana: Parents to send on a school board meeting to push back on the banning of a popular high school textbook.

And implosion canceled after neighbors protest the destruction of a famed factory in Fair Lawn.

NJ Spotlight News starts right now.

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More information is line at NJ realtor.com.

♪ >> from njpbs, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thank you for joining us on this Tuesday night.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

It is the first day on the job for the new officer in charge of Patterson's troubled Police Department.

A 26 year veteran of the NYPD was formally introduced today to the community as the man who will turn the department around as part of the recent state takeover by Attorney General.

He has a tall order rebuilding public trust after years of corruption, and affect real change while bringing down high levels of violent crime.

The former chief of strategic initiatives is credited with improving community relations in Staten Island following the choking death of Eric Garner in 2014.

First up is a series of listening tours for the new top cop.

And as our senior correspondent reports, locals are already holding him accountable.

>> The next generation of public safety starts today in public -- in Patterson.

Reporter: He came ready with a glossy, strategic plan called NexGen.

But his pat responses to questions had some of the reporters at today's introductory presser, well, pressing him.

>> Innovation when it goes too long becomes consistency and that is a bad thing.

>> That is a rather amorphous answer.

You are mentioning the status reports and updates you will be doing.

Are there metrics involved?

How do you know when you can leave?

>> As part of our vision once we align the vision we will be putting out a strategic plan.

Accountability is important.

Trust and transparency are important.

We have to realize we have a Police Department that exists 365 days a year.

There is a lot of good work being done and somebody needs to tell that story.

>> I missed your answer.

What is it about your personal philosophy or experience that makes you the person responsible -- best suitable for this job?

>> Let me be direct.

I believe in strong oversight and accountability.

I hold supervisors and executive staff strictly accountable I believe in public communication and transparency.

Reporter: Brought in from the NYPD where he is credited with improving community relations after the killing of Eric Garner by police, he is stepping into the breach of trust between community and police after years of reported misconduct and in the wake of the police killing of violence intervention specialist in March.

The Attorney General who ordered the state takeover in the works -- weeks after the killing said abassi's name kept coming up during what he called a quietly conducted national search pretty as it was said to me, do not go with isa abbasi if you don't want someone who will make changes.

He could attest I did not let him leave my office because I knew he was the right person.

And so I am convinced that we have found someone that will be a transformative leader in the city of Patterson.

Reporter: But there are skeptics who want more than listening sessions and action plans.

An activist is conch -- concrete priority reforms need to be a priority.

>> The biggest piece for me is the component of having the committee review board and his new officer in charge, I strongly believe should be in support of that citizen review board with subpoena power.

>> Requires statutory authority in New Jersey but we are looking at citizen advisory boards that we will be detailing.

>> There is a date for that -- you can advocate for CCR bees with subpoena power.

You are going to be testifying on Monday.

>> sure, but as I said, the Legislature would have to pass in the governor would have to sign.

Reporter: That is the kind of fine print detail that could handicap an effort already made fraught by city leaders at war with one another.

Residents are beyond fed up.

Officer in charge Isa Abbassi clearly has his work cut out for him.

Briana: The fight over a congestion pricing plan is heating up.

Now that the federal government gave its blessing to New York City's proposal to toll drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street, moving one step closer to becoming the first congestion pricing plan in the country.

But not if New Jersey's staunchest opponents have anything to do with it.

Our senior correspondent reports.

Reporter: Most New Jerseyans who commute into Manhattan take a dim view of the MTAs proposed fee that can levy up to $23.

That on top of already hefty bridge and tunnel tolls.

>> I think it is ridiculous.

Because we are barely living making a living here and you are going to add more money?

>> To come all the way to New Jersey to New York is already expensive so I do not think that mix we want to come to New York.

Reporter: The MTA formally introduced to the plan in 2019 to combat downtown traffic and greenhouse gas emissions while raising revenues for its own coffers.

It's not playing well in New Jersey.

>> we plan to fight, we plan to fight hard, over the next 30 days and beyond.

That is what we do in jersey when someone is trying to stick it to us.

Reporter: two New Jersey Congressman vowed to contest the Federal Highway administration's decision to greenlight the MTA's congestion pricing plan including its environmental impact survey.

The MTA pretty escort and truck traffic will divert to northern New Jersey on the Bronx to evade paying the extra toll.

>> According to the report they will be increases in particular matter.

Carbon monoxide as well as toxins like from aldehyde in the outer boroughs and northern New Jersey.

They admit it is so bad to have to put $25 million for asthma treatment programs.

That is how bad the tax will be on our children.

Reporter: The congressman said the MTA plan includes zero funding to mitigate environmental problems in New Jersey.

He is filing a formal demand federal authorities revoke their initial approval and instead request a full in-depth environmental impact study.

Congressman Robin end as claims the entire plan is a thinly veiled revenue shift of toll money away from the port authority to boost the MTA's bottom line an estimated $1.2 billion over 10 years.

>> You take that money away from the port authority in the next capital campaign, you are talking about potentially not being able to fund a brand-new bus terminal, which would get cars off the road.

You may not be able to fund expended past service.

Reporter: Governor Murphy has called this an unfair money grab and says he is closely assessing all legal options.

>> I know the governor is considering legal action.

I urged him to take it.

As well as to reciprocate.

Look, New Jerseyans should not fund the MTA's budget.

Reporter: The governor has threatened to veto Port authority meeting minutes over the issue.

Other codecs note if the MTA intends to push thousands of commuters onto mass transit, is way too soon.

The Gateway Chunnel project and other projects will not be finished for decades.

The fha's public comment period runs until early June.

Briana: After reaching a record number of females in the state legislature, New Jersey is seeing an exodus of women leaving office but among them, one of the states first Muslim and Asian Americans to win a seat at the Statehouse.

She says she will not seek reelection after serving just one term because of verbal attacks from opponents and social media users.

She Jones may now.

Thank you so much for talking to me about this.

By many accounts you are star was rising in political circles, so I take it the situation had to be pretty bad for you to step back.

>> yeah.

I think we experience certain levels of harassment and especially as minorities and women of color and Muslims in politics, and it may be a drip, drip, drip overtime, and also facing reelection and being concerned of the types of attacks I might face and the impact that would have on my family, especially my young daughter.

Briana: Would you feel comfortably enough, would you share with that has been like?

>> It has been tough.

It is scary.

I think you kind of see the worst of humanity in terms of the prejudice that people have.

Anyone who is in public service, it is a sacrifice.

It is time away from your family, it is something you do to serve the public.

And when you face that sort of targeted harassment based on your race or religion, ethnicity, gender, it really gets to you.

Briana: We you facing this in the halls of the Statehouse come online, both?

>> I would say my time in the legislature I think has been great.

Have good experience with my colleagues.

It is more the types of attacks opponents in a campaign might engage in.

The last time ago ran for the legislature my opponents had a website, had ads and all of that that I am around, reject -- I am a radical, reject extremism.

And all sorts of harassment from people on social media saying you should not be in this position he you are not American , you are an infiltrator and you're going to do all these horrible things.

I have either been running for office or in office since my daughter was two, and now she is eight, and I feel like before, I felt like it was beyond her, over her head.

When I started thinking about her reacting, and as she would sometimes, why don't people like mommy, why are people saying these things?

Then it really started to concern me.

Briana: That is a really difficult thing to explain to anyone, let alone an eight-year-old.

What message do you hope this sends by talking about this experience?

The fact that you are young, you were motivated to seek this office, to do the public service as you said, and now you are sort of cutting it short, by some measures.

>> I think there is so much that individuals can do and then there are other things that we can do as an organization, as individuals.

I don't have the answers.

If I did maybe I would have been able to figure it out for myself.

But I am very dedicated to figuring out not only how to get women elected but support them once they are in those positions.

I think of it in terms of not only hiring diverse candidates but retaining those candidates in these positions and make sure we have as representative a government as possible.

Briana: The ugly side of politics.

Thank you so much for your time.

>> Thank you for having me.

Briana: Political tensions are running high over vacant seats at the state's campaign-finance watchdog.

The New Jersey election law enforcement commission canceled a meeting scheduled for today.

You will recall all of the panel's commissioners resigned March 30 in protest over certain parts of a controversial new law.

The election transparency act, which, among other things, allows the governor to appoint new commissioners and cuts the commission's statute of limitations on investigating campaign finance violations from 10 years to two.

Former commissioners attempted to rescind those resignation letters and called a meeting saying the governor's office had not yet accepted the letters, or appointed new members.

The former commissioners say they specifically wanted to look into the new statute of limitations in light of a report by the Bergen record detailing more than half $1 million in expenses that were not properly disclosed by the Senate President.

While the governor's office stopped at the meeting by emailing the members and accepting their resignation.

Meanwhile, another school district is divided over a book ban.

This time it is a sociology textbook for Ridge high school students.

A large and very vocal group of parents turned out Monday night to a Board of Education meeting pushing back against the board's decision to block the book, which is being described I opponents as biased, unbalanced ideology.

Our senior correspondent has the story.

>> I am embarrassed of this board because disallowing the new textbook is an abuse of your power.

>> With all due respect I ask you to approve this textbook as soon as possible and put this embarrassing situation behind us.

Reporter: Bernard Township has joined the list of school district in the state where book bands have taken center stage.

The school board voted in previous meetings to reject two new advanced level sociology textbooks recommended by the curriculum committee not for what they contain but what they don't.

>> It appears they were two main objections.

First, something about a page or a chart he said did not accurately discuss the gains made by women.

That one is easily overcome as the textbook indicates women to have made steady but slow progress.

Reporter: Several community members spoke at last night's board meeting, some objecting to the book bands.

>> The second complaint was that one of the studies was dated.

However, we have since learned reason this is included is it is considered a foundational study in sociology.

Reporter: Referring to the first book banned.

The second was called trash", not worthy of our consideration by one board member.

Some took issue with the way it depicted the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson in 2015.

Some parents agree with the ban, saying the book did not explain Brown's size and the fact he was wrestling with police.

>> I am sorry but I think that is a pretty important detail to leave vapid you just do not leave that out because it is politically convenient.

We should be teaching our kids it is a bad idea to get into a fist fight with a cop.

Don't take my word for it, read the DOJ report.

Reporter: Several spoke in defense of the teachers who they believe fostered discussion and should have the authority to recommend books for the curriculum.

>> When did we as people become so sure of our opinions that we cannot differ to those with more education and expertise than us to make informed decisions?

>> My kids want you to know that their classroom debates are robust and your censorship is both unwanted and unneeded.

Our students assure me, and I can vouch for this at our dinner time conversations, can think for themselves.

They do lots of research.

And it is in fact exacting what our fantastic teachers encourage them to do.

Reporter: Others pointed to former Congressman Tom mama now ski who they blame for trying to politicize the education system.

>> He is using his once mighty campaign committee as a weapon to wield in the culture wars over public education.

Again, do not take my word for it, go look at nj.com, on what he wants to do in the school systems.

Our school system.

It is called district for democracy.

Their mission to counter efforts by conservative groups as to what is taught in public schools pretty Reporter: We spoke to him who flatly rejected the idea of banning the books.

>> I think most Americans, most New Jerseyans believe that book banning is un-American.

It does not mean we have to agree on what is in a book.

Naturally we are going to disagree about these things, but we want our kids to be exposed to different ideas.

We want them to learn how to discern facts from falsehood.

Would we want them to be able to discuss everything from the history of this country to what is going on today in a serious amateur away.

Reporter: He does not believe the ban will hold, but the books are still rejected by the board.

They are considering alternative titles for the classroom.

Briana: In our spotlight on business report, new job protections are in effect for the state's 127,000 temporary workers.

It comes after years of advocacy and a recent ledge slate of battle.

The temporary workers Bill of Rights ensures basic knowledge and oversight is given to workers in their native language, such as the name of the location of their worksite, their pay rate, scheduled hours, that is all among many items on the list.

The temp workers are employed by staffing agencies that hire them by third-party clients.

Supporters say the use of their labor has exploded as warehouses and distribution centers rapidly increase across the state.

The rest of the new law goes into effect August 5, requiring temp workers to be paid the same salary and benefits as traditional staff.

You have got more options to buy your recreational cannabis in the state.

Two new legal weed stores opened this week, holistic solutions in Camden County, and Valley wellness in Somerset County.

That expands New Jersey's market to 27 total recreational shops where adults over the age of 21 can buy cannabis.

Both of the new dispensaries are women-owned New Jersey natives.

Holistic solutions is run by the first Black owner to open a cannabis door in the state.

State leaders controlling the industry have been criticized for how few Black owners are in the market, despite promises to prioritize those most affected by the so-called war on drugs.

The two new locations originally opened their doors in recent months to serve medical cannabis patients.

Wall Street was under pressure today as President Biden meets with key congressional leaders at the White House over debt ceiling negotiations.

Here is how the markets closed.

♪ >> Support for the business report provided by, the Chamber of Commerce of southern New Jersey, working for economic prosperity by uniting business and community leaders for 150 years.

Membership and event information online at chambersnj.com.

Briana: Finally tonight, the former iconic Nabisco factory has a new fate.

The 65-year-old plant in Fair Lawn, that once filled the air with sweet smells, will get taken down, that is not changing, but not by explosives.

After intense backlash from the community, the property owner says the plans to implode the building are scrapped.

Instead, the tower will be demolished, piece by piece, chrome by crumb -- crumb by crumb.

>> We are happy and relieved.

We are very supportive, we are very thankful.

All of those little attributes there.

It's beena long fight.

Reporter: John Mulholland was thrilled when he heard the old Nabisco plant would not be destroyed by an implosion.

He's lived in iris circle for seven years, just a stones throw away from the site.

>> They are going to avoid what potentially could have been a high-risk situation.

Godfrey bid -- God for bid somebody got sick.

This could have gone on forever.

Avoiding potential consequences.

>> there are a number of concerns that we heard so we are happy the process worked.

Reporter: The mayor says this is just a stay of execution for the 65-year-old building.

Greek development owns the Fair Lawn mainstay and has stripped most of the plant down to its bolts.

But one looming section remains.

>> It is still going to come down.

For us it is also a safety concern.

Godfrey bid there was a fire.

That would have been extremely dangerous.

Reporter: Part of his foot print extends into Glen Rock and many residents could have been affected by in implosion.

The mayor says sustained pressure from residents and politicians convinced Greek development to find another way to tear down the plant.

>> The time lapse for getting the permitting in order, coupled with the residents that were showing their concerns, and we had constituent reach outs.

I think all of those factors combined made them come to the realization, you know what?

In the best interest of everyone and to move forward in a productive way, they decided to cancel the implosion.

Reporter: The method of demolition is different, but the future for this site remains the same.

Greek development is planning on turning the former cookie factory into a warehouse and complex.

Mulholland says that brings a unique set of challenges for residents who live nearby, but he also says the circumstances are not as dire as when residents were faced with the threat of an implosion.

>> There is a lot of things that are happening where there is that transparency which was not there before when they were planning to knock down the building.

I think what is happening now is they are following the right processes and controls so that they will be a better neighbor.

Is it going to be a 24/7 operation?

Is there going to be lighting that will be higher?

>> My main concern is the traffic impact on our local roads.

That will create a logistics burden on our main thoroughfares through our town.

And we already have a traffic problem.

>> We do encourage any residents who want to be heard to go to our planning board meetings and make sure you share your feelings on it.

Reporter: According to the minutes from those planning board meetings, a spokesman for the development says it is unlikely a warehouse there would operate 20 47.

But they have learned their lessons with the resistance to the implosion, so they will host regular meetings with people who live nearby to hear concerns they might have.

Briana: And that is going to do it for us tonight.

A reminder though, you can now listen to NJ Spotlight News anytime via podcast, that is wherever you stream.

So make sure you download it and check us out.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us.

Have a great evening.

I will see you back here tomorrow.

>> The members of the New Jersey education Association, making public schools great for every child.

Our WJ Barnabas health.

Let's be healthy together.

And committed to the creation of a new long-term sustainable clean energy future for New Jersey.

>> Look at these kids.

What do you see?

I see myself.

I became an esl teacher to give my students what I wanted when I came to this country.

The opportunity to learn, to dream, to achieve.

A chance to belong and to be an American.

My name is Julia and I am proud to be an NJEA member.

♪