Government
By MICHELLE BARTIROMO
January 15, 2023
Running for council was the worst experience of my life. It’s time that my story be heard and I’m sharing my experience that the people of BH will acknowledge how awful it was and to act and begin to do better, starting now. When I ran for council this past fall I had a vision for this ...
NUTLEY, NJ — In a vibrant community like Nutley, residents, business owners, and stakeholders all want to be heard. Instead of having your ideas getting lost in the fractured world of social media, share your thoughts with the TAPinto Nutley audience. TAPinto Nutley welcomes letters to the ...
I applaud the council for not subjecting our township administrator to a public performance review at the January 4 reorganization meeting. Whether you are appointed or voted in, public office is not easy. We have a Mayor-Council-Administrator form of government. The administrator’s position ended ...
As my Dad used to say, “you have to consider the source.” Ms. Ranaletti, the wife of a man who is both listed as a realtor on realtor.com and who also chairs the Wayne Planning Board, launched a personal attack against me in her recent TAPinto letter. Here are the facts: On Jan. 4, the Town ...
In a recent Letter to the Editor, Joann Ranalletti takes exception with another Wayne resident, Dianne Douthat who objected to the Mayor being given a full-time position and full-time benefits including a dramatically higher pension and lifetime medical coverage, all on the backs of the Wayne ...
When I heard about the Berkeley Heights Town Council meeting on January 4th, I expected to hear about praise for our Township Administrator from the governing body. After all, over the past four years, Liza Viana oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars of new development in town, including the new ...
First, I would like to wish everyone a very Happy and Healthy New Year! As we begin 2023, we have a great deal to look forward to. So many big things are on the horizon here in Woodland Park and we have a lot of work to do. I want to congratulate our new Council Members, Christine Tiseo, ...
Dear Editor, I enjoy reading detective novels for relaxation. There are often recurring themes that the hero uses to solve the mystery. Two of them are “follow the money” and “beware of circumstances.” So how does this relate to the issue before the council regarding the mayor’s request to make ...
I am writing this letter in the hope that it will cause residents to consider the following points and ask the Mayor to slow the approval process, so we can more fully explore all the project’s ramifications. Much of the published information regarding the One Westfield Place project by ...
Can someone please tell us when and if the new bridge that was built on Two Bridges road is ever going to open? That bridge has been completed and there has not been so much as a parked work vehicle anywhere near it since August yet the bride remains closed. At first it was a minor ...
Westfield taxpayers should pay close attention to the Mayor and Council’s real estate development financing proposals, in particular, the proposed use of Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTs) and ask whether these are a fair deal for the taxpayer. Taxpayers lose because: 1) The developer gets a ...
Mayor Brindle has repeatedly stated that residents need to learn the facts about the One Westfield Place proposal before coming to a final conclusion. But at the same time she is accelerating the public review and approval process and rejecting calls for a non-binding referendum. As many ...
To the Editor: A number of people have suggested that the One Westfield Place redevelopment project be put to a referendum. Doing so would violate New Jersey law. Here’s why. Westfield adopted an ordinance for development of One Westfield Place under New Jersey’s Local Redevelopment and ...
Dear Editor, It is outrageous that Wayne should foot the pay raise hike and accompanying medical insurance for Mayor Vergano just because he has decided to retire early from his present place of employment. In total a raise of 647%. And it is even more outrageous in how the council and Mayor ...
Appalled. A word that conveys 1.) a feeling of dismay, 2.) a measure of that feeling (which is strong), 3.) sudden onset of 1 & 2; shock. Despite the implicit strength that comes with the use of this word, it barely begins to cover my internalization of the event at hand. I’ll start with the ...
The public ousting of Liza Viana was irresponsible and unwarranted. Since no reason was ever communicated to either Liza or the town, residents are left to speculate as to the reason. The appearance indicates this was planned due to rumored claims that council members efforts to communicate went ...
In a stunning 4-2 vote, and the first official business of the new BH Town Council, members Kingsley, Varnerin, Couto and Foster voted against the reappointment of Liza Viana as Township Administrator. This vote, to publicly fire Liza from her job, came with no warning, no discussion and not a ...
The newly re-elected Berkeley Heights Mayor failed to secure the advice and consent of the Town Council for all of her appointments, leading to a chaotic and confusing situation at the reorganization meeting on Wednesday, January 4, 2023. I would like to publicly to apologize to the residents and ...
I am angry and disappointed that a majority of the Council acted in such a callous method at a public meeting. No one deserves to be fired in public. At the very least the resolution should have been tabled or moved to executive session. There may be protocol about how resolutions are presented ...
I'm shocked and saddened that four Council members voted against Liza Viana's reappointment as Berkeley Heights Township Administrator -- Manuel Couto, Jeanne Kingsley, Jeff Varnerin and John Foster. Not only has Liza competently and thoroughly handled complex township issues over the past four ...
Dear Editor, Mrs. Douthat‘s letter to the editor is denigrating our Mayor and Council for their proposal to make the Mayoralty of Wayne a full-time job, basically because Mayor Vergano, in her view, wants to make more money, have a pension and have lifetime insurance. She obviously forgets she ...
It is the day after one of the most disgusting local events I have ever witnessed. The Reorganization meeting for the Township Council started off with a majority of no votes by the new council president John Foster, council vice president Manny Couto, long time councilmember Jeanne Kingsley and ...
Our mayor and town council have taken the position that they will not put the issue of whether to enter into the Redevelopment Agreement for the One Westfield Place project to a non-binding referendum. To be clear, this decision is within their discretion. What I find unacceptable, however, is ...
As a 30-year resident of Westfield, former downtown property owner, and a former Chairman and Board member of the Downtown Westfield Corporation, I have watched downtown Westfield change from its peak in 2004 after being named a Great American Main Street to today. Mainstreets in NJ and around ...
As a doctor, I see the development of a town a bit like plastic surgery — a little touch up here and there, done gradually over time and with restraint, and you end up a perky and revitalized version of yourself (disclaimer: I’m not a plastic surgeon!) Too much all at once and you become shockingly ...
Full disclosure: I ran for Town Council in 2017 and 2019, and part of our platform was building affordable housing for veterans and disabled people. Recently, many residents of Wayne were surprised to discover that their part-time mayor has requested a full-time position with a hefty salary ...
To the Westfield Community — On behalf of myself and HBC | Streetworks Development, I hope your holiday season was filled with warmth, celebration and much-needed connection with friends and family. As we enter 2023, we continue to invite you to our Preview Center to share your voice and ...
Westfield Wonderland The holidays are over, but one song keeps playing over and over in my mind, especially when I think about the One Westfield Place overdevelopment project (with apologies to original songwriters and for rhythmic stretches). Crosswalks click, are you listenin' On the one ...
I believe in smart development and In fact, I’m not against logical well-planned growth. However, I’m also a Preservationist and I believe that proper growth must take into account a town’s character and historical context if they have it and Westfield, as one of the oldest towns in the United ...
Dear Editor: This process has certainly been a long one, and for those of us who are fairly new to the inner workings of City politics – it has also been quite eye-opening. Through all the back and forth, however, for me there are really three simple takeaways, which I would summarize as ...