Claiming that the city's animals are in danger, resident Peter Franco is holding a rally next Wednesday outside of City Hall to raise awareness about the city's new animal services provider.
BAYONNE -- Claiming that the city's animals are in danger, resident Peter Franco is holding a rally next Wednesday outside of City Hall to raise awareness about the city's new animal services provider.
Franco, who worked on a rival mayoral campaign last year and is a frequent critic of Bayonne Mayor Jimmy Davis' administration, said he's inviting residents to join him at 6:30 p.m. next Wednesday to "learn the facts and what we can do to protect our animals." The rally would precede the City Council meeting at 7 p.m.
On Nov. 10, the City Council voted to approve a one-year, $87,500 contract for New Jersey Animal Control and Rescue, a Lodi-based company owned by Geoff Santini, who previously had the Bayonne contract under the name Hudson County Animal Enforcement Inc.
Asked about Franco's rally, Council President Sharon Nadrowski said the company "met the requirements" and "had the qualifications to handle the job."
"We sent this contract out to bid, and Santini bid," she said. "He's a reputable guy. There are no violations against him."
Third Ward City Councilman Gary La Pelusa Sr. said there hasn't been any indication that the city's animals are in danger under Santini.
"From everything I know right now, I don't see the animals (as being) in danger," he said, adding that he's reviewing information that's been provided to him by residents. "I would be the first person -- if I knew animals would be hurt -- to alter the contract."
Council members have said their decision to hire NJACR was based on hearing complaints about Liberty Humane Society not adequately dealing with "nuisance wildlife."
Meanwhile, Paul Swibinski, a spokesman for NJACR, called Franco's claim about animals being in danger "ridiculous," and said he would provide a more complete response soon.
Swibinski has previously said that the NJACR's owner, Geoff Santini, has never been cited for any violations.
"This guy has never had a black mark on his record. He's a true animal lover who extends himself way beyond the terms of his contractual agreements to help animals," he said.
On Dec. 1, NJACR took over services formerly provided by Liberty Humane Society, a nonprofit based in Jersey City. The city hired LHS in April 2014 at $93,000 per year to replace Santini, who has also provided animal control services for Union City, West New York and North Bergen.
Swibinski, whose PR company Vision Media Marketing also represents North Bergen, has said NJACR will take any stray animals and lost pets to the Bergen County Protect and Rescue Center in Cliffside Park.
That shelter, a nonprofit that has billed itself "A True No-Kill Animal Shelter," was up until recently run by Vincent Ascolese, 48, of Edgewater, who stepped down as director after he was charged with animal cruelty after allegedly slashing the throat of a baby deer, killing it.
The New Jersey Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals also charged Ascolese with failing to provide proper shelter and food, and necessary care, to animals at the North Jersey Humane Society Shelter in Bloomfield, NJ Advance Media reported.
Swibinski said Ascolese is no longer the director of Bergen County Protect and Rescue Center, and that the charges, which were filed in Bloomfield, "have nothing to do with the shelter."
"(Bergen County Protect and Rescue Center) has an exemplary record and was just recertified by the state within the last 30 days," he said.
The state Department of Health directed inquiries about the shelter's record and certification to the Cliffside Park Health Department, which didn't have anyone available to comment on the matter today.
Jonathan Lin may be reached at jlin@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @jlin_jj. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.