Hackensack councilor to resign after alleged racial comments at football game

HACKENSACK – Councilman Leo Battaglia is stepping down from the City Council following allegations that he made racial comments about a coach at a high school football game.

In an emailed statement Friday evening, Battaglia said he visited the homes of Mayor John Labrosse and Vice Mayor Kathy Canestrino earlier that day with two witnesses to the incident to clarify what had occurred.

“I am pleased to share that they now understand and believe my report,” he said. “However, due to pressure from the African-American community and political opponents, they decided not to support me in the future and bowed to that pressure.”

Due to the lack of support, Battaglia said, he feels he “has no choice but to resign as councilman.” He has not said when he plans to resign.

His announcement came hours after Labrosse said in a statement Friday that he, Canestrino and Councilwoman Stephanie Von Rudenborg believe Battaglia should not seek re-election “due to the ongoing controversy over an inappropriate and racially insensitive comment” made by the councilman.

“We all believe that making any reference to anyone’s skin color in a derogatory way is completely unacceptable,” Labrosse said, adding that the campaign has told Battaglia he will not be a candidate on the ticket.

“Leo Battaglia has volunteered to run and coach football programs in Hackensack for over 40 years, working with hundreds of children and adults. This is the first case we are aware of where he has been accused of making racially insensitive statements, and he has faced challenges in his personal life that we believe may have contributed to this situation,” Labrosse said. “But it’s clear to us that he made a mistake and needs to take responsibility, and that we must now come together as a city and try to put this incident behind us.”

Community leaders called for Battaglia’s resignation following the incident. The Bergen County branch of the NAACP has planned an event for Monday at noon at Mount Olive Baptist Church on Central Avenue to demand the “immediate removal” of Battaglia.

“For him to simply attack someone who is working with children for no reason is unacceptable,” said Junius “Jeff” Carter, president of the Bergen County NAACP. “I don’t care where you are, when you are elected, you are elected by all the people, not just the people who voted for you. When you attack kids or a coach — a coach is a mentor, they’re a role model — it’s crazy that that happens.”

On Sunday, Carter said the event would continue despite Battaglia’s announcement.

The incident occurred last month at a football game in Paramus, where Battaglia allegedly made racist comments about Hackensack High School football coach Shaun Holder, who is black, and spoke negatively about the players.

Rep. Benjie Wimberly, president of the New Jersey Minority Coaches Association, released a statement Tuesday saying any leader who engages in “such hateful behavior” must be held accountable.

“We instill leadership, character and pride in our young athletes,” he wrote. “We do not simply teach the game, but model dignity, respect and integrity, qualities that Battaglia’s actions completely violate.”

Wimberly is also expected to participate in the NAACP event on Monday, along with other community and faith leaders.

Following the incident at the football game, councilor Gerard Carroll was removed from Labrosse’s re-election ticket.

Carroll, who is the only black member of the board, said his removal from the ticket was because he planned to speak out about the racist comments. Labrosse and Canestrino said Carroll planned to publicly call the entire board racist.

“Of course I was concerned, because this put all of us who had nothing to do with this, but also the city, in a bad position,” Canestrino said at Tuesday’s council meeting. “In fact, I begged him to reconsider and bring it to the attention of the individual he was concerned about and not the rest of the board who had nothing to do with this issue.”

Steve Kleinman, the city attorney, also spoke with Carroll about his concerns.

“I thought Councilman Carroll was upfront with his concerns, and I think he was distressed by the circumstances we found ourselves in,” Kleinman said. “But Councilman Carroll made it clear to me that his dispute was not specifically with Councilman Battaglia, but with the entire council.”

Carroll said he told Canestrino that what was happening “makes the board look racist.”

“I didn’t want this issue to be pushed under the rug,” he said.

All five Hackensack mayor and council members are up for re-election in May. Labrosse’s campaign announced in a press release following these discussions that he, Canestrino and Von Rudenborg would run for re-election, with no mention of Carroll or Battaglia.

The incident involving Battaglia is being investigated, officials said.

At Tuesday’s board meeting, many residents, including Holder and some parents of the team’s players, showed up to voice their concerns and demand an apology from Battaglia.

The incident at the game occurred days after a dispute at a soccer practice in which Holder said Battaglia tried to remove his club from the field, which he was legally allowed to use. Eventually, officers intervened so the team could continue training, Holder said.

“Going forward, I really hope the Hackensack community can come together and say this type of behavior is never acceptable,” he said. “It’s time to take that stand and I hope the councilor can look me in the face and apologize tonight.”

Battaglia said he would reserve comment until the investigation is complete, but that the allegations are “a pack of lies.”

“I’ve been very involved in the city’s recreation programs for many years,” he said. “I would never have any intention of making any negative statement about anyone’s race.”

Battaglia’s son, Giovanni Battaglia, said in an email that the allegations against his father were false.

“It is unacceptable that the years of dedication my father put into improving Hackensack could be dismissed based on false accusations and fabricated allegations of racial misconduct,” he wrote. Demanding his dismissal “would be an unfair response to unfounded allegations”.

Labrosse said he believes Holder, the parents and the players deserve an apology.

“My biggest concern is that this all happened in front of the kids,” Labrosse said. “We are better than that. We have to overcome this. This isn’t Hackensack.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Hackensack Councilman to Resign After Alleged Racial Comments