In Failed Race to the Top Application, a Glimpse of Tensions Between Teachers and Administrators

In Failed Race to the Top Application, a Glimpse of Tensions Between Teachers and Administrators

Community Comes Out to Discuss Cerf’s School Turnaround Plan

Community Comes Out to Discuss Cerf’s School Turnaround Plan

Jersey City council votes to move school board elections to November next year

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal 
on November 30, 2012 at 11:00 AM

Jersey City’s school elections are moving from April to November next year, thanks to a nearly unanimous vote by the City Council Wednesday night.

Voters overwhelmingly approved a nonbinding referendum earlier this month approving the change, a ballot initiative the council had intended to use as a guide to determine whether the community was OK with the switch.

Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop championed the move, saying it will save taxpayers about $200,000 a year and increase voter turnout. Voters this November, who approved the change 73 percent to 27 percent, “spoke loud and clear,” Fulop said last night.

In Hudson County, Guttenberg, Hoboken and Kearny have moved their school elections to November.

The council approved the change 7-1, with Councilwoman at large Viola Richardson voting “no.” Richardson said she is concerned that voters didn’t know that once school elections are moved to November, school budgets that don’t have tax increases above the 2 percent tax-levy cap won’t have to be approved by voters.

“I think that perhaps people didn’t really understand, and I didn’t really understand what it would mean,” she said.

Fulop said it’s “presumptuous” to think that the 24,000 voters who cast their ballots in favor of the change didn’t know the consequences of the decision.

The Jersey City council’s decision essentially increases the length of the terms of four sitting school board members, Carol Lester, Gerald Lyons, Angel Valentin and Sterling Waterman, whose terms were set to expire next April.

Some 468 school districts in the state have moved their school elections to November, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association. Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill into law last year that permits school boards, voters or municipal councils to make the switch.

NJSBA spokesman Mike Yaple said schools boards that have OK’d the move were attracted by the idea of “budget stability.”

School districts with elections in November do not have to seek voter approval for budgets unless they come with an increase over 2 percent. In that instance, voters are faced with approving or voting down just the tax increase, according to Yaple.

This November, three school districts asked voters to approve tax increases. Two of those districts succeeded.

Jersey City schools chief gives assessment 60 days into job

MARCIA V. LYLES

The Jersey City school district needs to lower its high dropout rate, increase the academic achievement of black and Latino students, and better prepare students for college, Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles said last night.

Lyles made the comments during a roughly hour-long speech at last night’s Jersey City Board of Education meeting, where she presented a “60-day review” of the 29,000-student district. Lyles became the district’s new chief in September.

“There are pervasive inequities throughout the district,” she said, adding there has been “slow and steady” progress on standardized testing.

Lyles, who came to Jersey City from Delaware’s largest school district and was a longtime administration for New York City public schools, lavished praise on some of the Jersey City district’s high-profile initiatives, including the dual-language program and early-childhood education.

But even those programs have faults that need to be addressed, she said. Regarding the dual-language program, Lyles noted that it’s only implemented in select schools and the admission process is different at every school.

“These are equity issues that must be addressed,” she said.

Among the initiatives Lyles pledged to implement are a program to increase student participation in advancement-placement classes; a new evaluation system for district employees; and a plan to address the district’s aging facilities.

Lyles’ presentation will be uploaded to the district’s website at jcboe.org.

By Terrence T. McDonald/The Jersey Journal 
on November 21, 2012 at 1:40 PM

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A Union Leader Joins the Honor Roll

November 12, 2012 //

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Ronnie Greco, who is leader of the Jersey City Education Association, joins our honor roll of heroes of public education. Ronnie refused to sign Jersey City’s application for a Race to the Top grant for $40 million.  Ronnie quickly figured out that not a penny of the $40 million would solve any problem that Jersey City public schools have. It would not be used to improve teaching and learning conditions. It would not be available to reduce class size. It would be used to impose merit pay, which has never worked anywhere. It would be used to find and fire “ineffective” teachers, based on unproven test-based measures.It would be used to implement top-down mandates devised in Washington, D.C., by the U.S. Department of Education.  The issues in Jersey City are no different from the issues that led to a strike in Chicago.  It is tough for a union leader to say no to a big federal grant because the media will blame him (or her) for turning down “free” money.  But Ronnie figured out the trap.  The money comes with strings that get fashioned into a noose for teachers.  The money will not reform the schools of Jersey City. The money will not help the children of Jersey City. The schools of Jersey City have been under state control for 23 years. For 23 years, the state of New Jersey has failed the children of New Jersey. The teachers of Jersey City work under difficult conditions. They are heroes. And their leader, Ronnie Greco, joins our honor roll for his courage, insight, wisdom, and conviction–all qualities in short supply today in our public life.

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Cerf Fields Questions on Turnaround Plan in Second Public Meeting with Residents in Jersey City

Cerf Fields Questions on Turnaround Plan in Second Public Meeting with Residents in Jersey City

Residents Urge Checks and Balances on Education Commissioner Chris Cerf’s Turnaround Plan

Residents Urge Checks and Balances on Education Commissioner Chris Cerf’s Turnaround Plan

School board member must face judge on son's principal's accusations

A Jersey City school board member is to go before an administrative law judge on allegations that he attempted to use his official position to benefit himself and his child due to a ruling by the state School Ethics Commission.

The commission also found probable cause to believe Sterling Waterman, the board’s vice president, involved himself directly in the day-to-day operations of his son’s school, another alleged violation.

The panel tossed two other charges alleging misdeeds by Waterman, saying it found no probable cause.

Waterman called the accusations “frivolous.”

His accuser, Terry Watkins-Williams, is the principal at School 16 on Sussex Street. Waterman’s youngest son is in fifth-grade at the school, where he has been enrolled since pre-K.

Watkins-Williams claims Waterman repeatedly tried to intimidate her, requested special favors, and ignored rules the school imposes on other parents, according to the seven-page ruling.

The ruling details a number of Watkins-Williams’ claims, including that Waterman “intentionally tries to unnerve her and harass her by standing behind her for nearly 15 minutes at dismissal time,” instead of with the other waiting parents.

The principal claims that in November 2011, Waterman demanded his son attend an afterschool program without proper authorization, and began to shout at Watkins-Williams when she wouldn’t allow it. That same month, Waterman entered a meeting of principals and “stared at” Watkins-Williams, she claims.

“Staring at someone are you joking?” Waterman said to The Jersey Journal. “If that’s the best they can do, then come on with it.”

Waterman said the accusations are retaliation over his previous battles with the principal.

A phone call to Watkins-Williams’ office at School 16 was not returned.

New Jersey School Board Association spokesman Frank Belluscio said once the School Ethics Commission forwards a complaint to an administrative law judge, the judge will then preside over a hearing and make a recommendation to state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf.

Cerf decides whether to reprimand, censure or suspend the accused, or to remove the board member from office, according to Bellucio.

Waterman said he hopes his personal relationship with Cerf doesn't color the commissioner's eventual decision. The two are former colleagues.

Sterling Waterm

District: Potentially Hazardous Mold is Discovered, Removed from Elementary School Trailer in the Heights

District: Potentially Hazardous Mold is Discovered, Removed from Elementary School Trailer in the Heights

Board of Education Gives Seven Staffers Marked for Layoffs a Reprieve

Board of Education Gives Seven Staffers Marked for Layoffs a Reprieve

Cerf Defends Fulop Meeting, Fields Questions on Turnaround Plan and State Control at Public Hearing

http://www.jerseycityindependent.com/2012/09/25/chris-cerf-defends-fulop-meeting-fields-questions-on-turnaround-plan-and-state-control-at-public-hearing/

New Jersey Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf insisted during a meeting with residents last night that he did nothing improper when he met privately with Ward E Concilman Steven Fulop and a small group of residents and school board members last year to discuss issues related to finding a new superintendent, though he later refused the school board’s invitation to do the same in a public meeting.
  
“If I am invited into a community, whether by elected officials or private citizens, I am happy to meet with them,” Cerf said during a two-and-a-half hour meeting at New Jersey City University. “I’ve done it before. I’d be happy to do it again.”

Cerf was responding to concerns voiced by the Jersey City NAACP’s Telissa Dowling at a forum that included a question-and-answer session for about half the time. The first half of the meeting, which was convened by State Senator Sandra Cunningham (D-31), focused on Cerf’s controversial turnaround plan for schools deemed failing throughout the state and his general philosophy for reforming education. The audience of about 200 included members of the school board, new superintendent Marcia Lyles, Fulop, and Assemblymen Charles Mainor (D-31) and Sean Connors (D-33). Connors is a former board member.

The public appearance marked the first since the Board of Education’s selection of Lyles, Cerf’s former co-worker in the New York City school system, as superintendent. Lyles’ hiring followed a controversial selection process during which board vice president Sterling Waterman accused the commissioner of trying to bully the board into hiring her, though the state has repeatedly said it was neutral on the selection.

Cerf did not address the Lyles controversy. A report in yesterday’s Jersey Journal quoted Cunningham as saying residents would not be allowed to ask Cerf questions on the subject.

Of the May 2011 private meeting with Fulop — who, in an email to participants, asked that they keep it a secret — Dowling said, “You should not have had a meeting with Steve Fulop. You should have come to us [the community].”             

While Cerf characterized the meeting as a discussion about community concerns, Fulop has said its focus was to discuss issues related to eventually replacing then-superintendent Charles Epps. At the time, Fulop and city school choice advocate Shelley Skinner were challenging the board’s earlier decision to grant Epps a three-year contract extension with the state’s Office of Administrative Law.

While the case was never decided, the delay gave a new board majority time to negotiate a buyout with Epps after Cerf agreed to waive the state’s mandatory cap on superintendent’s pay, eventually paving the way for Lyles, who, like Cerf, graduated from the controversial Broad Superintendents Academy. The 2011 Fulop session was timed to occur on the eve of the board’s reorganization when a new faction more hostile to Epps was slated to take control. Other attendees of that meeting included Parents for Progress head Ellen Simon, Waterman, board member Carol Lester and then-board members-elect Carol Harrison-Arnold and Marvin Adames. Adames has since resigned and been replaced by educator Gerald Lyons.
                        
In response to concerns Cerf’s turnaround plan might close Jersey City schools in as little as two years, the commissioner said, “Right now, that is not the plan.” But after some prodding, the commissioner conceded the scenario was still a very real possibility for some city schools if they do not shape up. Still, he tried to downplay the scenario in Jersey City, saying he was confident Lyles can develop “a strategic plan that I can believe in and the community can believe in” in trying to prevent school closures.  

                   
“I am very excited in the potential of this district under this board and with this new superintendent to make enormous strides to advance student achievement in this district,” Cerf added.

The commissioner assured residents he was flexible and would consider giving failing schools that showed demonstrable gains more than two years to straighten up before possibly locking their doors.

Snyder High School special education teacher Sabrina Floyd, focusing on the element of Cerf’s plan to assist schools through “regional achievement centers” placed throughout the state and staffed with education department personnel, maintained that in Jersey City, the plan will only succeed if teachers are supplied with support staff familiar with Jersey City.

“You need support staff who know the schools, who know the community and who want to work with the community,” Floyd said.

“I agree with you,” Cerf assured the teacher.

Parent Akisia Grigsby, recalling Cerf’s appearance before the school board in December 2011 to discuss the superintendent search, said his refusal to meet with the public and take comments at that time showed an insensitivity to the community.

“You walked out and you didn’t respect us,” complained Grigsby, who heads the city’s Parent Advocacy Group.

Cerf told Grigsby the board was responsible for deciding to hold the closed session and said he did meet residents before leaving.

Yet it was Cerf who sought the closed session last year to discuss issues classified as falling under personnel that pertained to the search for Epps’ successor. When the board offered Cerf the opportunity to address the public beforehand, the commissioner declined.

Cerf also declined Grigsby’s request that he meet with Jersey City parents two to four times a year given the state’s actions within the district. While Cerf did not rule out additional public meetings, he would not commit to as many as four, noting that he is ultimately responsible for some 600 schools throughout the state.

Newark community activist Donna Jackson, a harsh critic of the commissioner’s full control of the Newark school system, said she went to the hearing “to fully support Jersey City parents” speaking out against state control.

“It doesn’t look good, Mr. Cerf, that you met with the board in closed session and didn’t meet with the public,” said Jackson, who complained that Cerf’s policies in Newark were prioritizing the needs of charter schools over public schools. The issues of the future of charter schools in Jersey City drew little discussion last night.

In welcoming Cerf to the district, Jersey City Education Association President Ron Greco expressed concerns over the commissioner’s policies and urged him to consider giving the district full local control more quickly than his stated four-year timeframe.

“I think it’s time for you to take a step back,” Greco said, urging him to allow Lyles to work with the board without direct state involvement.Cerf Defends Fulop Meeting, Fields Questions on Turnaround Plan and State Control at Public Hearing

Cerf tells skeptical audience he's all in for equal education

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2012/09/cerf_tells_skeptical_audience.html

The nation has failed to provide every child with an equal public education that prepares them for college and the workforce, state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said during a hearing last night at New Jersey CityUniversity.

Cerf said the achievement gap between students from wealthy families versus those from poorer households is "shameful," and continues to grow. And that's not the promise of "the American experiment," he said.

"There really are two worlds of public education in this state, and my interest and my commitment is to try to address that," he said.

State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham invited to Jersey City to discuss his vision for public education.

During the two-hour hearing, Cerf said he believes Jersey City's public school district is "poised for greatness" thanks to the current Board of Education and new Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles.

That comment was greeted with a murmur of disapproval from some of the roughly 100 audience members, many of whom blasted Cerf during the half-hour question-and-answer session that capped the hearing.

Audience members peppered Cerf with pointed comments and questions regarding privatization of public schools and state control of Jersey City's school district.

Jersey City resident Josephine Page said Cerf's strategy is to privatize schools for the sake of "venture capitalists," a comment that riled the state's education chief.

"The notion that there is some group of corporate, you know, kingpins out there who are lurking in an effort to conspire to take over is just nonsense," Cerf said. "It is palpable, ridiculous nonsense that someone has sold you."

Cerf also addressed a controversial private meeting he had in May 2011 with Ward E Councilman Steve Fulop. Details of the meeting surfaced this summer when an email from Fulop leaked to the press.

Asked about the meeting last night, Cerf said he attends "many, many, many meetings" with community members, both public and private. He said he did not initiate the meeting, which Fulop critics allege was proof he and Cerf colluded to interfere with the school board's selection of a new schools superintendent.

Jersey City's schools chief Marcia Lyles aims to empower parents, equalize schools' funding

EnlargeLauren Casselberry/The Jersey JournalJersey City Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles visits with 1st graders in Mrs. Gonsiewski's class at P.S. # 38 in Jersey City during the first day of school on Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2012. Lauren Casselberry/The Jersey JournalDay in the life: Jersey City Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles gallery (31 photos)

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If you ask new Jersey City Schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles how she’s faring in her new job, she may show you her schedule on the computer in her office.

It’s completely filled with back-to-back meetings, conferences and events, with barely a minute of downtime between. But that suits Lyles just fine, she told The Jersey Journal yesterday as she outlined her goals for the 29,000-student district she now heads.

“I love it,” she said. “I’m feeling right at home.”

Lyles moved to Jersey City three weeks ago, just before the Board of Education finalized the contract that made her Jersey City’s first female African-American schools chief. That pact keeps her in the district until June 2016, and Lyles said she wants to focus on empowering parents, evaluating whether all the district’s schools are funded equally and perhaps revamping how the district prepares its graduates for a post-high school life.

“We’re going to have to really dig deep into our college and career-ready programs,” she said. “We have to make sure they are really meeting the standards of today’s workforce.”

Lyles faces a struggle improving the district’s test scores. Only 19 percent of the district’s schools met federal education benchmarks last year.

Lyles said there may be an “overemphasis” on test scores as a measurement of student achievement, but she added there must be some kind of objective measure so school districts know if their methods are working.

Besides, she added, “exams are a way of life,” and students who don’t perform well on standardized testing in their elementary and high-school years will probably not do well on their SATs, and may subsequently get “locked out” of good colleges.

Lyles’ appointment was hardly an easy process. The nearly year-long search process was dominated by a contingent of critics who said the job should go to top administrator Franklin Walker, who served as interim superintendent for much of the year.

Critics also cited Lyles’ participation in the Broad Superintendents Academy as evidence that she is too cozy with state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf, also a graduate of Broad (rhymes with “road”).

Lyles said she thinks much of the controversy surrounding Broad is the result of “misinformation.” She said yesterday she doesn’t agree with all of the academy’s principles, but still counts it as a “powerful learning experience” that taught her about innovation in the education world.

“Let’s not come up with the same answers to our old problems, because they just haven’t worked for us,” she said.

Board of Education Tables Recommendation by Cathy Coyle to Lay Off Seven Staffers

Board of Education Tables Recommendation by Cathy Coyle to Lay Off Seven Staffers

Education Commissioner Chris Cerf to visit Jersey City for hearing on public education

Jersey Journal file photoSate Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham said Jersey City's new schools superintendent will not be a topic of discussion at a public hearing next week that will feature state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf.

The state’s top education official will appear in Jersey City on Monday for a public hearing about education, butthe city’s new schools superintendent will likely not be a topic of conversation.

State Sen. Sandra B. Cunningham, who is organizing the hearing, said state Education Commissioner Chris Cerf intends to discuss “public education,” and not new Jersey CitySchools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles.

“I asked him to come … to talk about his vision for educating our kids,” Cunningham said today. “I just think that our parents and residents should know what his direction is in terms of education … that’s it.”

Lyles, who became the city’s first black female superintendent earlier this month, survived a nearly year-long search process during which critics complained that the state exerted influence over the choice. Both Lyles and Cerf are graduates of the controversial Broad Superintendents Academy.

But Cunningham said she isn’t interested in turning the hearing into a venting session for Lyles’ critics.

“That’s not the direction,” she said. “Marcia Lyles is here. So let’s move on.”

Earlier this month, one of Cunningham’s colleagues, state Sen. Ron Rice of Newark, urged federal officials to investigate the state’s continued control of the Jersey City, Newark and Paterson school districts.

Cunningham said that issue will also likely not come up during next week’s hearing. Rice and Cunningham are planning an October meeting to discuss state control of the three districts.

Next week’s hearing will run from 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 24 at New Jersey City University.

Unanimous vote puts teacher on Jersey City school board

http://www.nj.com/jjournal-news/index.ssf/2012/09/unanimous_vote_puts_teacher_on.html

Morgan's Corner: Ready for education earthquake?

View full sizeJournal photoJersey City schools Superintendent Marcia V. Lyles visits with 3rd graders in Ms. Bresnick's class at School 38 during the first day of school on Sept. 5.

There's a rumor circulating among Jersey City school board activists and board members that the state has some sort of "School Turn Around Proposal." One that could change the Jersey City's status as a takeover district, that could lead to the closure of 200 predominantly black and Latino schools.

While state Department of Education spokeswoman Barbara Morgan said there is no such plan in the works, she did confirm that the DOE has submitted a grant application to the California-based Broad Foundation seeking $7.6 million in grants to aid in implementing the aforementioned new school turnaround plan.

When reached, Sharon Krengel, policy and outreach coordinator for the Education Law Center in Newark, said she stands by the reports of her agency, including a related document issued in May, saying New Jersey Education Commissioner Chris Cerf has a plan that could result in the closure of as many as 75 predominantly black and Latino schools in poor neighborhoods in three years.

Jersey City board officials have received emails and communication for various sources concerning the "Turn Around Proposal," and it's creating a stir among Jersey City school board members and public school activists.

A July 31 document the ELC obtained through an OPRA request says the proposal to the Broad Foundation outlines steps to aggressively intervene in schools recently designated as "priority" and "focus" schools because of low test scores. Portions of the plan sound radical, such as the suspension of existing collective bargaining agreements and creation of an "Achievement School District" (ASD) based on the model adopted to reopen schools in New Orleans, post-Katrina.

Under ASD all schools would be under the commissioner's authority, with the following provisos. No possible appeal by the school or its district to escape the ASD designation and the suspension of contracts. It also calls for turning over the schools to private charter or Education Management Organizations (EMO) with the EMO controlling all personnel decisions.

It also would return the state-operated districts (Newark, Jersey City, Paterson) to local control within four years, while keeping some schools in those districts in the ASD. Also, it would take state control of any district with more than 40 percent low performing "priority" schools and possibly close schools that don't show enough improvement after two years.

According to the ELC documents, the final turnaround plan could trigger direct interventions effecting approximately 253 schools and almost 185,000 students
In March, the Broad Foundation notified Cerf that his office would receive $1.9 million to support the plan. In an email, Cerf said it was the largest grant Broad has ever made to a state department of education, according to the ELC-obtained July 31 document.

But the document goes on to say there is no evidence that Cerf submitted the plans for Regional Achievement Centers, which would be responsible for overseeing the local ASDs that would replace existing educational efforts, to the state Board of Education or Legislature prior to his submission to the Broad Foundation.

The ELC report notes that Broad is well known for placing foundation-trained administrators in key positions in urban school districts. The Newark law center notes a Broad memo, included in the OPRA-provided documents, cites its success in placing 30 sitting superintendents in large urban systems as well as state superintendents in four of the most reform-oriented states, including New Jersey.

An issue was raised by Jersey City public school activists opposing the hiring of school Superintendent Marcia Lyles, saying that she has a Broad Foundation affiliation.

Broad aggressively promotes charter schools, public school closures, and corporate-style management of public education, according to the ELC report.

ELC OBTAINS CONFIDENTIAL NJDOE SCHOOL “TURNAROUND” PLAN PROPOSAL TO BROAD FOUNDATION SEEKS MILLIONS FOR CLOSURES, “RECOVERY DISTRICT”

http://www.edlawcenter.org/news/archives/other-issues/elc-obtains-confidential-njdoe-school-turnaround-plan.html

The Mailbag: The Monopolization of the Jersey City School Board

The Mailbag: The Monopolization of the Jersey City School Board

Fourth-Place Finisher Gerald Lyons Among Those in the Running for Vacant Seat on the Board of Education

Fourth-Place Finisher Gerald Lyons Among Those in the Running for Vacant Seat on the Board of Education

Marcia Lyles Accepts Terms of Modified Contract, Leading the Way for Her to Become Jersey City’s Next Superintendent

Marcia Lyles Accepts Terms of Modified Contract, Leading the Way for Her to Become Jersey City’s Next Superintendent

Dueling petitions in Jersey City over school superintendent contract/b

JERSEY CITY AND BEYOND – A Jersey City parents' group and the Hudson County Republican Club have launched dueling petitions regarding the contract offered to presumptive Jersey City superintende...

Board of Education Deadlocks on Contract for Superintendent Pick Marcia Lyles

Board of Education Deadlocks on Contract for Superintendent Pick Marcia Lyles

Board of Education Approves $40K Settlement with Business Administrator Alleging Wrongful Termination

JERSEY CITY BRIEFS

JERSEY CITY BRIEFS: Fulop to protestors: Hey, at least I’m doing something Several residents attended the Aug. 1 City Council meeting to confront Councilman Steven Fulop regarding a meeting he orchestrated in ...

Board Plans to Fill Vacancy Left by Marvin Adames, Who Says Marcia Lyles Will be “Superb” Superintendent

Board Plans to Fill Vacancy Left by Marvin Adames, Who Says Marcia Lyles Will be “Superb” Superintendent

State Senator Calls for Investigation into Hiring of Jersey City’s New Superintendent, Meeting Between Board Members and Cerf

State Senator Calls for Investigation into Hiring of Jersey City’s New Superintendent, Meeting Between Board Members and Cerf

Schools Matter: New Jersey's big fat corporate ed reform liars

Schools Matter: New Jersey's big fat corporate ed reform liars: Al denounced the idea of charters when it became clear that the concept had changed and was being hijacked by corporate and business intere...

Leaked Fulop e-mail references confidential 'Cerf meeting'/

bLeaked Fulop e-mail references confidential 'Cerf meeting'/b: JERSEY CITY - The same week that Ward E City Councilman (and future mayoral contender) Steven Fulop had to explain more than $18,000 in campaign donations from a law firm with ties to Spectra ...

Jersey Jazzman: Secret Meetings With ACTING Commissioner Cerf?

Jersey Jazzman: Secret Meetings With ACTING Commissioner Cerf?: Oh, my : The same week that Ward E City Councilman (and future mayoral contender) Steven Fulop had to explain more than $18,000 in campaig...