Barbara Habeeb on Legal Expertise

By Barbara Habeeb

Below you’ll find Borough Attorney Eric M. Bernstein and Associates list of “fields of expertise.”

Very impressive I might add.

Eric M. Bernstein & Associates, L.L.C. is a cutting-edge leader throughout New Jersey in the representation of government bodies and interests at the state, county and municipal level. Our exacting knowledge of the law allows us to offer preventative, cost-effective advice to help avoid litigation and aggressive options in and out of court.

Our depth of other practice areas adds further experience and flexibility for our clients with respect to:

- General Municipal Issues
- Environmental and Regulatory Concerns
- Construction of Public Infrastructure
- Affordable Housing Issues
- Tax Appeals
- Municipal Land Use
- Condemnation/Foreclosure
- Cellular Phone Towers
- Open Space Acquisition
- Rent Control
- Worker’s Compensation
- Interlocal Services/Regionalization

Firm members regularly teach and speak on a broad range of municipal topics and are in demand for our years of experience and expertise. Finally, our knowledge of government affairs brings us into contact with Federal/State Legislative officials to assist clients in these endeavors as well.

For the purpose of my point, I have chosen three areas of Mr. Bernstein’s expertise.

I see that tax appeals is one area of his expertise. I have filed an OPRA request for the tax appeal information and judgment on the Villa Maria property. It will be interesting to see how much of an expert he really is (if we lost that tax appeal in tax court.) The Docket # is 000212-2008, dated 2/04/08 if anyone is interested in the case ie: North Plainfield Borough vs. Villa Maria Sanitarium.

Another area of his expertise is Open Space Acquisition. I wonder why Mr. Bernstein wasn’t so avid about figuring out a creative, legal way to acquire Villa Maria property years before it ever got sold to McNerney. (Maybe suggesting ways for NP to be eligible for grants through Somerset County and through NJ Department of Environmental Protection Green Acres funding.) Or with his vast knowledge, why he didn’t find other means to acquire that property for the Borough.

As an expert on Municipal land use, Mr. Bernstein should have suggested (years ago) that Villa Maria property be rezoned for one-acre lots so a builder wouldn’t be able to destroy all that land, but NP could still get tax ratables if a builder bought the property. Perhaps he could have suggested adding the condition to the ordinance that a builder could put houses on the perimeter, but then a small park area had to be added in the center of the property.

These are just my thoughts. I agree it is important to have an expert working for North Plainfield, but maybe not this particular expert.