BERNARDSVILLE – Neighbors of rental homes allegedly packed with boarders implored the Borough Council Monday night to take action against the owners of the problem properties.

“This is not about the ethnic background of the tenants,” said Center Street resident Maureen Sciaretta, the wife of former Police Chief Thomas Sciaretta. “It’s about letting landlords get away with illegal, unsightly and dangerous living conditions.”

Sciaretta and several other residents described life near rental homes where “stacking” - the practice of illegally cramming numerous tenants into housing for extra profit – allegedly occurs on a regular basis. The stream of continually changing tenants, often recent immigrants, has caused noise, safety and other concerns, they said. The neighbors pressed the council to begin a crackdown on the properties even if it requires adding zoning inspectors.

Borough officials said they planned to meet Tuesday to discuss the situation.

Officials have said that stacking accusations are difficult to prove. But at Monday’s meeting, neighbors of the rental homes made it clear they have had enough.

Several had been before the council in past years to seek action against homes in their neighborhoods that have allegedly been packed with boarders.

Neil Schetelick of Mine Avenue noted that by law, landlords are required to maintain a list of current tenants. Schetelick, who has come before the council on several occasions over the years to complain about the situation, claimed that a former zoning inspector didn’t have the time to visit each of the borough’s approximately 200 rental properties during his two years of municipal employment.

“God forbid there’s a fire and we have to (identify) bodies,” said Schetelick.

Scott Green of Mine Avenue said the situation at a property near his home has grown worse since he recently wrote a letter to borough officials.

“A lot of these landlords don’t live in Bernardsville and I don’t think they care what the town looks like,” he said. “They’re only in it for profit.”

‘Nothing Done’

Sunset Drive resident Joseph Rega told of seeing people coming and going out of a home near his at 2 a.m., appearing to be signaled by someone with a flashlight.

“This has been going on for too long and nothing is getting done,” he said. Rega also told of five cars pulling into the home’s driveway last Friday morning to pick up people coming out of the house.

Mayor Jay Parsons told Rega his observations were “valuable” to borough officials.

“My observations are not allowing me to sleep at night for months and months,” Rega replied.

Rega questioned whether effective action would be taken after borough officials met Tuesday to discuss the situation. “What do I have to do?” Rega asked. “Get a shotgun and go out on my own like a great Western?”

In letters submitted to this newspaper during the past two weeks, Green and Sciaretta alleged that borough officials have ignored the situation.

Schetelick voiced a similar complaint in a letter dated Oct. 3.

“Our elected officials have no desire to stop this situation,’’ he wrote. “Our council doesn’t think this is a big problem because it is not happening in their neighborhood.’’

In an interview with this newspaper on Sept. 23, Mayor Parsons expressed frustration about the problem but denied that it has been ignored.

“It’s not a question of where council members live,’’ he said. “It hasn’t been ignored; it just hasn’t been effectively dealt with.’’

He said personnel turnover in the zoning office was one reason for the problem, along with the difficulty in enforcement.

“You can’t just walk in (to a rental home) at night and count the bodies,’’ he said.

©Recorder Newspapers 2005