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Message from Mayor Armstead

City of Linden 2023 Tree Lighting

Mayor Derek Armstead and the Cultural & Heritage Committee invite you to attend the 2023 City of Linden Annual Holiday Tree Lighting. Enjoy live entertainment, holiday music, refreshments and meet Santa!

Due to the weather forecast, the Tree Lighting Holiday Program is rescheduled for Friday, Dececmber 8, 2023 at 6pm.

Click here to view and/or download the informational flyer for this event.

  • What: Annual Holiday Tree Lighting. Enjoy live entertainment, holiday music, refreshments and meet Santa! After the tree lighting, Linden families are invited to the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade to take pictures with Santa and enjoy refreshments. Children ages ten and under receive a goodie bag and a chance to win a bike!
  • When: Friday, December 8, 2023 at 6pm.
  • Where: In front of Linden City Hall, which is located at 301 North Wood Avenue.
    • After the tree lighting, Linden families are invited to the Raymond Wood Bauer Promenade (400 North Wood Avenue) to take pictures with Santa and enjoy refreshments.

7th Annual Holiday Breakfast with Santa

Mayor Derek Armstead, the Mayor’s Youth Commission, and Linden FMBA Locals 34 and 234 invite Linden families to the 7th Annual Holiday Breakfast with Santa.

Click here to view and/or download the informational flyer for this event.

  • What: Holiday breakfast with Santa!
  • When: Saturday, December 16, 2023, from 8am until 11am.
  • Where: John T. Gregorio Center, which is located at 330 Helen Street.
  • How: Registration required. Registration ends December 8, 2023. Kids eat free through age 12. Ages 13 and over is $5. Proof of Linden residency is required. For more information, please call 908-474-8600 or 908-474-8639.

Sip & Sketch Registration

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Community Wide Garage Sale to be Held in 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th & 10th Wards – All Fees Waived

The City of Linden is hosting a community-wide garage sale in the 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th Wards on October 21, 2023 and October 22, 2023. The rain dates are October 28, 2023 and October 29, 2023.

  • The City of Linden is waiving fees for permits for this community-wide garage sale including the completion of an application form pursuant to City Code 4-3.1 entitled “Garage Sales”.
  • The 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 9th and 10th Ward garage sale shall not impact a resident’s right to conduct up to two garage sales in a year.
  • Chapter 4-3.6 shall still apply, limiting one singled faced sign containing not more than four square feet in total area to be placed upon the premises where the sale is being conducted, and further prohibiting any other signs and either public or private property.
  • This Resolution shall take effect pursuant to law.

To view and/or download a copy of the full resolution, click here.

Linden NJ’s City Engineer Wins the 2023 New Jersey Planning Officials’ Achievements in Planning Award

Mr. Nicholas J. Pantina, PE, CME, CPWM, the City of Linden’s Engineer and Director of Community Services is the 2023 recipient of the New Jersey Planning Officials Achievement in Planning Award. The NJPO honored award recipients at the annual NJPO Achievement in Planning Awards Breakfast on September 29, 2023 .

“I’m both humbled and honored to be recognized with this award. My team members in the Engineering Department help contribute to our department’s excellence, and I see this recognition as a reflection of my team members’ efforts as well as my own”, said Mr. Pantina.

Mr. Pantina has thirty-five years of experience comprising various disciplines of Civil Engineering including municipal, project and construction management, pavement design and management systems, public and private infrastructure improvements, transportation, Planning & Zoning Boards, stormwater management, and soils. He successfully coordinates projects, plans, and develops strategies while managing strict budgets.

“Not only is Mr. Pantina a great resource and partner, but also he’s reliable and extremely knowledgeable. The City of Linden appreciates and values Mr. Pantina as the City Engineer and Director of Community Services,” said Mayor Derek Armstead. “As the City’s Engineer, he is responsible for coordinating technical and engineering projects. leadership skills, communication, along with innovation and creativity. I’m so proud that he’s a part of our team.”

As the Director of Community Services, Mr. Pantina oversees four divisions, comprising approximately 175 people from various departments, including Public Works & Vehicle Maintenance, Transportation & Properties, Engineering, and Information Technology. He also oversees the City’s Planning Board, Zoning Board of Adjustment and Shade Tree Advisory, as well as any redevelopment project construction. Mr. Pantina‘s past roles include Assistant Resident Engineer, Traffic Engineer, Member/Board of Trustees/Past President of the New Jersey Society of Asphalt Technologists, and Soil Inspector. He has also managed Professional Services Task Order Contracts for NJT’s Construction Management Group.

“Linden is a beautiful, forward-thinking, productive and proactive City”, said Mayor Armstead. “We continuously strive to create a working environment that provides opportunities to the local population and business community. When my department heads are recognized in this manner, it gives me great pride as well as affirm that we’ve made excellent decisions.”

Cyber Tip – Using Strong Passwords and a Password Manager

Many users connect to the internet and access multiple accounts and services for business, including email platforms, applications, and vendor websites. The increased use of online accounts and services, combined with users engaging in risky password management practices, puts both themselves and their employers at risk of account compromise and data breaches. Therefore, it is important to practice good password hygiene to protect accounts and data.

Strong, unique passwords for each account help prevent password reuse attacks in which threat actors obtain the password for one account and use it to compromise an additional account using the same credentials. Threat actors succeed when users reuse credentials across multiple accounts, use easy-to-guess or simple passwords, and do not enable multi-factor authentication (MFA). Strong, unique passwords help secure information, networks, servers, devices, accounts, databases, files, and more against cyberattacks.

Password managers are an effective method to assist users in creating strong, unique passwords and storing them securely. These accounts should be secured with unique and complex master passwords and multi-factor authentication (MFA) using an authentication app or hardware token. Password managers contain sensitive data and, therefore, require implementing the strongest possible security measures. Users are encouraged to research password manager providers thoroughly prior to use.

Social Media – A Scammer’s Playground

According to reports received by the FTC Consumer Sentinel Network, scammers are leveraging social media platforms to generate substantial profits. New data released by the FTC reveals that scams originating on social media have resulted in $2.7 billion in reported losses since 2021, surpassing all other contact methods.

Social media gives scammers an unprecedented advantage at little to no expense, reaching billions of users worldwide. They can easily create a fake persona, hack into profiles, pretend to be the user to deceive contacts, and spread misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation. Scammers learn to tailor their approach to what users share on social media. Furthermore, scammers may place ads using tools available to advertisers, systematically targeting users based on personal details like age, interests, or past purchases.

Image Source: FTC
Image Source: FTC

In the first half of 2023, social media was the contact method for over 38 percent of fraud cases reported by people aged 20-29.  For people aged 18-19, that figure was 47 percent. The numbers decrease with age, consistent with generational differences in social media use. Data indicates that, while online shopping scams have the highest number of cases, the most significant monetary losses are due to scams that promote fraudulent investment opportunities via social media. More than half of the money lost to social media fraud resulted from investment scams. Additionally, there has been an increase in romance and investment scams, commonly referred to as “pig butchering.” These scammers often advertise their fake investment successes and try to entice users to invest in fake websites and apps.

Social media users should set stringent security settings for social media accounts and critically evaluate sources of information consumed, seeking reliable and verified information. Verify information before sharing posts, clicking links, or promoting the post’s content, including familiar and shared contacts. Bait-and-switch posts often originate from pages that are not associated with a specific individual, have comments turned off, and are relatively vague in the descriptions used in the post. 

New Jersey American Water Invests $700,000 in Linden Infrastructure

Linden, N.J. – AUG. 2, 2023 – New Jersey American Water will install approximately 700 feet of new water main in Linden starting this week. The company will install the new 8- and 24-inch ductile iron main along Stiles Street, from Lynn Court to West Linden Avenue, and West Linden Avenue, from Stiles Street to Coolidge Street. 

The project also includes installing one fire hydrant and 20 utility-owned service lines along the pipeline route. Additionally, New Jersey American Water will replace any customer-owned service line that has been identified as lead or galvanized. This $700,000 investment will continue to advance water service reliability and increase water flows for household consumption and fire protection in this community. “I am always grateful when utility companies see the tremendous evolution in Linden and recognize that certain infrastructure and support services need to be enhanced or increased” said Mayor Derek Armstead.

New Jersey American Water’s local, qualified contractor, Montana Construction, will begin work this week and expects to be completed within approximately three weeks, weather permitting. Work hours will be from 7 am until 4 pm, Monday through Friday. Some overnight work may be required to maintain project schedule. Final street restorations will be completed in spring 2024. 

Project timelines are subject to change due to a variety of factors including weather and availability of supplies. For the public’s and workers’ safety, traffic restrictions and/or alternating traffic patterns are likely to occur during work hours. All emergency vehicles and local traffic will be allowed access during construction. New Jersey American Water values the safety of its workers and advises drivers and pedestrians to take caution in the vicinity of work sites.

Fix Health Benefits Plans for Municipal and School District Employees – Join Mayor Derek Armstead

The Issue

The cost of healthcare under New Jersey’s State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) and School Employees’ Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) has reached a crisis point. Year after year, municipalities and school districts are facing double-digit premium increases that are consuming local budgets and placing an enormous burden on taxpayers.

These escalating costs are forcing local governments and school districts to divert funding away from essential services, public safety, infrastructure, educational programs, and student support services. At the same time, rising healthcare expenses contribute directly to higher property taxes for residents.

Mayor Derek Armstead is calling on New Jersey lawmakers to enact comprehensive reforms to stabilize and strengthen these state-run health benefit plans before the financial situation becomes unsustainable.

Recent reports from the State Treasurer have warned that both the SHBP and SEHBP face significant long-term financial challenges. Without meaningful reform, costs will continue to rise at an alarming rate, threatening the stability of these programs and the communities that depend on them.

Why This Matters

Municipal workers, teachers, police officers, firefighters, educational support professionals, and other public servants rely on these plans for quality healthcare coverage. They deserve affordable, sustainable benefits that protect their health and financial security.

Likewise, taxpayers deserve responsible stewardship of public funds. Every dollar spent on unchecked healthcare cost increases is a dollar that cannot be invested in classrooms, public safety, road improvements, recreation programs, and other critical community services.

We Call on State Leaders To:

  • Conduct a comprehensive review and reform of the SHBP and SEHBP.
  • Increase transparency and accountability in healthcare plan management and spending.
  • Work collaboratively with municipalities, school districts, labor organizations, and taxpayers to develop sustainable solutions.
  • Implement cost-saving measures that maintain high-quality healthcare coverage for employees and their families.
  • Create long-term financial safeguards that protect taxpayers while ensuring the viability of these plans.

Take Action

New Jersey’s municipal governments, school districts, employees, and taxpayers cannot continue to absorb unsustainable healthcare cost increases. The time for action is now. By signing this petition, you support meaningful reform that will protect public employees, preserve essential local services, reduce pressure on property taxes, and ensure the long-term sustainability of New Jersey’s health benefits programs. Together, we can create a healthcare system that is fair, affordable, transparent, and sustainable for everyone.

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