1. Emerson • Hillsdale • Montvale • Park Ridge • River Vale • Township of Washington • Westwood • Woodcliff Lake
P A S C A C K VA L L E Y ’ S H O M E T O W N N E W S P A P E R
VOLUME 26 ISSUE 25 SEPTEMBER 5, 2022
The 10-member Pascack Valley Mayors’
Association anticipates a key endorsement
toward flood-relief legislation that it says would
help the Pascack Valley and New Jersey.
SEE PAGE 39
FLOOD RELIEF
IF YOU THINK small-town politics is bad today,
you should have seen Park Ridge of the late
19th century. Kristin Beuscher has the story.
SEE PAGE 4
Washington Township Volunteer
Ambulance Corps. veteran Justin
Tsai is making famous friends.
SEE PAGE 33
B ck in time...
Selfie-
starter
WESTWOOD REGIONAL
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
Following an hour-plus
debate, the Westwood Regional
school board voted, 5-4, on Aug.
25 to implement lesson plans that
teach the state-mandated health
and physical education standards,
including controversial sex educa-
tion topics for middle school stu-
dents in grades 6–8.
Voting for were Westwood
trustees Roberta Hanlon and
Andrea Peck; and Township of
Washington trustees Maureen
See VOTE on page 14
5-4 VOTE
ADOPTS
STATE’S SEX
ED., HEALTH
UPDATES
ʻWe canʼt … pretend kids
are not being exposed to
these thingsʼoutside class,
says one trustee. Another
decries ʻgroomingʼ
MONTVALE
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
OF PASCACK PRESS
The Borough Council unani-
mously approved a bond ordi-
nance Aug. 30 to purchase a 28-
acre tract at 127 Summit Ave. for
approximately $4.6 million, fol-
lowing a closed session meeting
where they agreed to make revi-
sions in their letter of intent to pur-
chase the property.
Mayor Michael Ghassali and
borough attorney Joseph Voytus
declined to provide any details on
what concerns motivated the revi-
sions to their intent to purchase the
tract, citing ongoing confidential
negotiations.
Before the vote, the governing
body met privately for some 20
minutes with Planning Board chair
John DePinto and engineer
Andrew Hipolit.
Although three residents
attended the 6 p.m. special meet-
ing, no public comment was
received. Neither the mayor nor
council members offered public
comment on the ordinances.
Ghassali also said it was
unclear what property tax impacts
would be to an average homeown-
See 127 SUMMIT on page 27
BOROUGH
MIGHT GET
127 SUMMIT
FOR LESS
THAN $4.6M
Council approves bond;
Ghassali says 28 acres
under negotiation
BY JOHN SNYDER
OF PASCACK PRESS
Hillsdale Library offering aims to broaden STEMsmarts
Annie Lee, a teenager from the
greater Pascack Valley Area, works to
increase skills and opportunities for
young women interested in STEM
fields. Here she teaches girls coding at
Hillsdale Public Library.
FLOODING ON BROADWAY, SUMMER 2022, VIA RAY ARROYO

2. SEPTEMBER
5,
2022
•
PASCACK
VALLEY
PRESS
33
PASCACK VALLEY
Call Karin “CORINNE” Low For
All Your Real Estate Needs
201-825-6600 x321
201-819-6737
Each Office Independently Owned & Operated
K. Corinne Low
Thinking about
Selling or Buying,
Call Corinne
for the
BEST RESULTS!
Corinne 201-819-6737
The St. Thomas More
Council #2188 Westwood/Hills-
dale will host a “Halfway to St.
Patrickʼs Day Dinner” on Fri-
day, Sept. 9 at 40 Crest St. in
Westwood. The doors open at 6
p.m.
The menu includes corned
beef, cabbage, potato, salad, and
coffee, tea, and soda. Bar serv-
ice is available. The cost is $19
per person. Monies raised pro-
vide the funds for the councilʼs
many charitable activities and
donations.
Reservations are required
and must be made by noon on
Monday, Sept. 5. Payment may
be mailed to the council address
or deposited in the mailbox at the
Council Hall entrance.
For reservations, call Jay Rat-
tino at (973) 760-3166.
The council adds that all
CDC guidelines will be strictly
followed.
PASCACK VALLEY
Your #1 Realtor for Results
CALL TODAY! 201-396-3802
Maureen Sgambati
Broker Sales Associate
366 E SADDLE RIVER ROAD
UPPER SADDLE RIVER
201-327-7100 Office
201-396-3802 Cell
msgambati@tocr.com
msgambati.tocr.com
Buying or
Selling?
Call the
Pascack Valley
Specialist...
#1 SALES ASSOCIATE
IN USR OFFICE For Best Prices Call 201-481-8806
• Lawn Maintenance
• Mulching • Clean-Ups
• Plantings
Justin G. Tsai, a local senior
emergency responder and former
first lieutenant of the Washington
Township Volunteer Ambulance
Corps — now a self-described
“medical shield and sentry for many
of Americaʼs most prominent
celebrities and VIPs” — was invited
this past weekend to serve and pro-
tect yet more prominent clientele.
Tsai, through his company Tsai
Mobile Health LLC, was solicited to
provide services for Showtimeʼs
“Matt Rogers: Have you Heard of
Christmas?” as standby EMT and
Covid-19 safety consultant.
Dress rehearsal performances
were Aug. 20. Taping was Aug. 27.
The work was under the direction of
Doron Max Hagay, also of “Satur-
day Night Live.”
Tsai, of Paramus, whose cre-
dentials include NREMT and BSN,
told Pascack Press on Aug. 31 that
this was a comedy special for a live
audience, which also is in the can
for Showtime for later release.
The Public Theatre explains,
“Matt Rogers (Las Culturistas, Fire
Island) leaves comedy forever with
the highly anticipated release of his
holiday album, ʻHave You Heard of
Christmas?ʼ Live on stage at Joeʼs
Pub, Matt will perform every origi-
nal song from this very real new
seasonal classic, which is definitely
for sure coming out. Accompanied
by the talented musical director
Henry Koperski on the keys and
joined by semi-talented special
guests, Matt welcomes you to join
him for a drink or two and confront
yourself with the question… Have
You Heard of Christmas?”
Tsai said he was on call for
“several well-known performers, as
well as a crew, from management all
the way to the art and design as well
as the hair and makeup teams,” most
of whom are SNL vets.
He explained that cast and crew
met with him one-on-one as part of
preparation for this project.
He said he also was retained to
provide services for the premiere of
A&E Networkʼs “Court Night Live”
at the start of August.
Weʼve covered Tsai in these
pages in his works arranging ambu-
lance tours and presentations for
local Girl Scouts. Now he says heʼs
been invited to serve on a commer-
cial for the regional Girl Scouts
organization.
When we profiled his business
venture in June, in “Local EMT on
call to celebrities, superstars, and
the Pascack Valley,” he said he was
happy to be taking “many adven-
tures providing medical services for
some of societyʼs most prominent
and well known names.”
Through Tsai Mobile Health
LLC, Tsai is a “set first-aider,”
Covid compliance officer, and
health, safety and risk consultant to
those for whom danger is a way of
life — as is discretion.
He lists as clients “Shark Tank”
star Barbara Corcoran, singer
Lorde, comedian Sam Jay, RJ Bar-
rett of the Knicks, and actors
Michael Biehn and Ben Foster —
among many others.
He was on hand at the 94th
Academy Awards; Viacom/CBS
production “Uncoupled” season 1;
taping for “The Wrath of Becky”;
HBOʼs “Pause with Sam Jay”; the
reality series “Deadliest Catch”;
concerts at Montclairʼs Wellmont
Theater; and New York Fashion
Week.
He was at Carnegie Hall in
May as standby for the Via-
comCBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV,
and MTV networksʼ 2022 upfront
event.
He said, “Most people proba-
bly pay hundreds (if not thousands)
of dollars for the honor and privi-
lege of spending a Saturday evening
sitting front row at Carnegie Hall.
Yours truly was being paid hundreds
of dollars to be there.”
As an EMT, Tsai served the
Pascack Valley this summer at the
Pascack Valley Junior Police Acade-
my, Westwood Regional High
School graduation, the Bethany
Community Centerʼs Summer Bash
(in the Township of Washington),
and Westwood Volunteer Ambu-
lance Corps. ambulance wetdown.
August marked the second
anniversary of his business.
For more information call
(917) 420-5878 or write
JGTsai.Freelance@gmail.com.
— John Snyder
Serious A-list adventures with
local EMT Justin G. Tsai
EMT Justin Tsai with Matt Rogers, executive producer and lead performer of
Showtime’s “Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas?” taped at The Public
Theatre/Joe’s Pub in Manhattan in August.