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Several city residents showed up to the city council meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 8 council meeting detailing alleged remarks made by Councilman Leo Battaglia, who was apparently overheard making derogatory comments about Royals FC Coach Shaun Holder on Sept. 12.
Battaglia, at the Oct. 8 meeting, said:
"I want to make it very clear I never intentionally made any kind of racial statement about any person. I've been very involved in the recreational program in the city for many years. I'd never make any intentional racist statements about anyone."
Battaglia said he's withholding further comment pending an investigation into the incident, saying "we're going to prove to you that it's a bunch of lies."
Battaglia emigrated to Hackensack from Ecuador nearly 50 years ago and founded the city's Junior Soccer League in 1986. A retired business owner, Battaglia was a recreational coach for decades an was integral in bringing Hackensack a sports dome located near Johnson Park, to help kids stay active year-round.
Mayor John Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Kathy Canestrino, and Councilwoman Stephanie Von Rudenborg feel that it is in the city's best interest for Battaglia not to seek re-election next year.
The three publicly called for Batagglia to apologize to Holder and anyone else impacted by his words at last week's council meeting. However, Battaglia refused and feels he did nothing wrong, the mayor said, noting he will not be a candidate on his team in next year's election.
"Leo Battaglia has been volunteering his time running and coaching soccer programs in Hackensack for over forty years, working with hundreds of children and adults," Labrosse said.
"This is the first instance that we are aware of where he has been accused of making any racially insensitive statements, and he has been facing challenges in his personal life that we feel may have contributed to this situation. But it’s clear to us that he made a mistake and needs to take accountability, and that now we should come together as one city and try to put this incident behind us.”
Holder was the first to speak during the public comment portion of the meeting this week. He said that on Sept. 12, Battaglia tried to have his team removed from a field that they had permits to play on, going as far as bringing police to the field, and then to another facility that they relocated to.
Then, on Sept. 16, Battaglia showed up to a game in Paramus "to slander and berate me and my players," Holder said.
City resident Nelly Zorrilla tells Daily Voice she was sitting in the stands when she overhead Battaglia, in Spanish, call Holder a racial slur. He then allegedly said: "He should know that the goalkeeper should be at least 5' 11" or have skills, but [Holder] is an idiot."
Holder, in speaking to the council, said: "[Battaglia] made comments about the skills and appearance of the team... in front of my colleagues, friends, and family that come to support our game. I can only believe his actions toward me are a result of the color of my skin... I share this because I managed to do things a lot of people thought weren't possible. I hope Hackensack can make a stand together in saying this kind of behavior is never okay."
The alleged remarks made by Battaglia appear to have spawned misconduct by Hackensack Councilman Gerard Carroll, who Canestrino said called her Thursday morning.
"He was very concerned about what happened, as was I," Canestrino said. "All of this is very disturbing to everyone that's sitting here on this desk tonight."
Canestrino further said Carroll told her he was going to come to the meeting "and we were all going to be very unhappy because he was going to say the entire council are racist.
"I actually begged [Carroll] to reconsider and call out the individual that he is concerned about, not the rest of this council that had nothing to do with this issue. "I asked him to do what was correct and not to call this entire council racist."
And so, Canestrino and Labrosse have removed Carroll from their ballot for re-election.
The following statement was issued to Daily Voice from a City of Hackensack spokesman:
“As soon as other members of the City Council became aware of Councilman Battaglia’s actions the matter was immediately referred to the City Manager’s office for investigation. Mayor Labrosse, Deputy Mayor Canestrino and Councilwoman Von Rudenborg believe strongly that this conduct was not appropriate and they have each publicly called on Councilman Battaglia to apologize to Coach Holder and anyone else affected by this incident. Elected officials should be held to a high standard of conduct, and while he has been a dedicated public servant for many years it is clear that Councilman Battaglia did not meet that standard in this instance.”
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