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Sam Perelli, 66, resurrected a river
Sunday, October 13, 2002
In the midst of the debate over establishing the state income tax, Sam Perelli showed up in Trenton one day in 1975 leading a protest group that included a woman in a barrel, a man dressed as Abe Lincoln and another in Revolutionary Army garb, evoking the battle over taxation without representation.
That demonstration marked the emergence of United Taxpayers of New Jersey, and of Mr. Perelli, who became the anti-tax group's chairman in 1977. In the years since, sometimes with allies and sometimes alone, Mr. Perelli often played the role of gadfly, confronting state, county and local governments on such things as taxes, tolls, bond issues and officials' salaries.
Mr. Perelli, 66, died late Friday night of stomach cancer.
An electrician by trade, Mr. Perelli owned and operated an electrical supply business, Sureway Electrical Sales in North Caldwell, carving out a niche by supplying replacement parts for such things as exit signs.
But he was more widely known as the voice of UTNJ -- which though small in numbers and often overshadowed by larger organizations, was always ready to mount a protest, even if it was a lonely vigil on a summer Saturday in front of some congressman's office.
Soft-spoken and gregarious most of the time, Perelli believed that to get results it was often necessary to be abrasive.
"You don't get answers when you're nice," Mr. Perelli said. "You get no. When you become a thorn in the side of government at any level, that is the only time you get results."
Sen. Joseph Kyrillos (R-Monmouth), the Republican state chairman, who tussled with Mr. Perelli, said, "Sam was a ferocious advocate for his cause, and the people of New Jersey. I admired his passion, dedication, his goals, and his loyalty to friends."
While Perelli was a frequent visitor to Trenton, he was even more active locally in Cedar Grove, his lifelong home, where he constantly challenged the council on matters ranging from government finances to his right to bring a tape recorder to meetings. He once took out a full-page ad in local papers to make the salaries of all teachers and school administrators public.
But Mr. Perelli often said his legacy would not be his tax protests, his advocacy of initiative and referendum or his opposition to the $8.5 billion school construction bond issue. He was most proud of the resurrection of the Peckman River, which runs through Cedar Grove.
The Peckman, a tributary of the Passaic River, was considered dead in the 1970s because of pollution. Five years ago, at his own expense, Mr. Perelli bought brown and rainbow trout fingerlings from a private hatchery and placed them in the Peckman River, believing the water quality had improved sufficiently after the upgrading of a sewer plant.
Personally tending and feeding the fish, Mr. Perelli succeeded in restoring trout to the river he fished when he was a boy. Earlier this year the Friends of the Peckman River, which Mr. Perelli founded to manage the river and improve its habitat, celebrated its rejuvenation with a public restocking that attracted some 70 local residents.
"I've been watching what he's been doing and been very proud of what he's doing, meshing his activism with his love of fishing," said Perelli's son, Vincent, who works for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
Mr. Perelli also is survived by his former wife, Paula, his daughter, Tina Monteleone, four grandchildren, and a brother, Bernie DiAngelo.
A funeral will be held tomorrow at 10:30 a.m. at Shook's Cedar Grove Funeral Home, 486 Pompton Ave., followed by private cremation. Viewing will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today and 8:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be sent to United Taxpayers of New Jersey, P.O. Box 103, Cedar Grove, N.J. 07009; Friends of the Peckman River, P.O. Box 324, Cedar Grove, N.J. 07009, or the American Cancer Society.
Fran M. Zeltner
Sunday, October 13, 2002
A Mass for Mrs. Fran M. Zeltner, 52, of Union will be at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in St. Genevieve's Church, Elizabeth. Arrangements are by the Dooley Funeral Home, Cranford.
Mrs. Zeltner died Wednesday in Cornell Hall Nursing Home, Union.
She was a court clerk at the Union County Court House and, before that, a secretary for Judge Gross at the courthouse.
Born in the Bronx, she moved to Union 50 years ago.
Surviving are a son, Raymie; a daughter, Brianna, and a brother, Frederick G. Wening.
James F. Wenk
Sunday, October 13, 2002
A Mass for James F. Wenk, 86, of Montville will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday in St. Pius X Church, Montville, after the funeral from the Keri Memorial Funeral Home, 125 Main St., Lincoln Park.
Mr. Wenk, who died Friday in the Renaissance Care Center, Lincoln Park, was employed with Engelhard Industries, Newark, for 20 years before retiring as a supervisor 20 years ago. Earlier, he had been a partner with Suburban Cleaners in Nutley.
An Army veteran of World War II, he was a recipient of the Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds suffered in Germany.
Mr. Wenk was a life-member of Baione Memorial Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5883, Newark, and the Knights of Columbus Council in Nutley.
Born in Newark, he lived in Nutley before moving to Montville six years ago.
Surviving are a daughter, Mary Ann Duffy; a stepdaughter, Dolores Chave; a stepson, Vincent Notte; a sister, Marion Wank; a brother, Harry, and seven grandchildren.
