Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1911-05-18
SCHOOL TRUSTEE
CAUSES STIR BY
ATTACK ON MAYOR
Kearny Executive Accused of
Trying to Checkmate Board
on Building Site.

A bhilippic, launched by School Trus-
tee Walter S. Brookes against Mayor
Louis M. Brock, caused a stir at the
meeting of the Kearny Board of Edu-
cation last night and Is giving rise
to much talk today in the town across
the Passaic.
For a long time Trustee Brookes has
entertained the impression that the
mayor was either unfriendly to the
building of a new school to replace
old No. 2 on a suitable site or decidedly
opposed to it. Then, too, Trustee
Brookes has felt that his own posi-
ton has been misunderstood and his
motives impugned. So last night,
shortl.. before midnight, and just be-
fore tho board was o to adjourn,
Trustee Brookes asked the boards in
diligence for a brief explanation.
Mr.. Chairman said he in part, you
n other members of the board, in try
ing to get a suitable location for the
new No. 2 school in the First ward,
spent much time in trying to make a
good bargain in buying desirable land,
and ever in trying to prevail upon Gen.
eral John Watts Kearny to make a
present of a site to the town and finally
made a choice and settled upon what
was deemed a fair price. We appealed
to the Town Council to aid us and make
provision for that growing section of
the town, but the town board paid no
attention nj disregarded our choice.
Says Mayor hanRed Mind.
when we appealed to Mayor Brock
he declared that we were expecting too
much. Then he gave us some encour-
~ T..
large plot. Later he changed his mind
and advocated a small plot, then again
a large plot, and thus kept us in sus-
pense, lettering backward and for
ward for months, while the First wari
needed relief in it's ov~ercrowded
school. / claim that he did not treat
us right.
81 was opposed to the. spending Of
such a sum as $25, 900 for a school site.
and while l could not conscientiouslY
agree with the chairman in paying
that much money for the land, in view
of the fact that the town had so many
other pressing needs, yet l concurred
in the wishes of the school board and
in the Board of School Estimate, voting
as the majority desired. But l want TO
say, Mr.. Chairman, that l as a rep
resentative of you board was no.
treated with respect by the mayor,
nor was l dealt with decently as a fell
low citizen. / don't see why l should
be treated so discourteously. 1 insist
that the mayor has acted IN a very
arbitrary and dictatorial MANNER"
Raps Commission Government.
Gentlemen, you don't need a better
argument against the commission form
of government than you have in Mayor
Brock. You are better off now than
you ever will be. Don't take any
chances in a change or AVE any more
playing of politics"
I'VE decided to condemn the land on
a basis of $40, 600" remarked Trustee
Jacobson. How does it come that we
are to pay $1,000 more?'
THAT 500, 900 figure said Trustee
Kelly, was the only figure needed to
mention in a suit. The final amount
would have to be determined by a COM
mission appointed by the court
At this %juncture President Gerrish
Newell said: 81 shall not take exeep-
ton to Mr.. Brookes's statement OF
facts, as they are substantially correct,
but l must object to his deductions
To me il was not any eagerness to pay
an excessive price, but to make the
best bargain we could. We had 10
look far enough ahead and provide
ample room. We thought of what
might be allowed by commissioners
and condemnation proceedings, OF the
loss of time in litigation, and so forth
and after getting the opinion of good
judges of real estate values we con-
Guided tina we were not making much
of a mistake"
81 am loath to believe that the mayor
would stoop to play politics In a mat
ter of that sort. and it will take more
thai somebody's say-so to convince me
of it. I feel that we will make no
mistake in conceding to him and 10
our fellow members here and the mem
bers of the Board of School Estimate
an entire honesty of purpose and de-
sire to serve the best interests OF the
people,"