Government

March 27, 2024

At Tuesday’s Town Council meeting, the 2024 Municipal Operating and Capital Budgets were presented to Westfield residents. If you didn't have a chance to tune in, please take a few minutes to review the presentation and the budget details on the Town website (www.westfieldnj.gov) because you are ...

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As a small business owner who features small businesses throughout the state on our hyperlocal media platform, one thing that rings true of all of them is clear regulatory guidelines are needed for operation. One area that’s becoming increasingly troublesome for our state’s small retailers that ...

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Montville does not have a Mayor in a real sense of the word. That doesn’t stop the Republicans who get that title by virtue of the votes of 4 members of the governing body from acting as if they have some exalted position. Our Charter says that no elected official is more powerful or can do more ...

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Dear Editor: We see our politicians indicted for many reasons, but using their knowledge as a politician to buy stocks is not currently illegal.  Any other job that gives you insider information requires oversight and restrictions on trading.   The Ending Trading and Holdings in ...

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The Union County Manager has proposed a 1.75% tax increase. For the average Westfield resident, that is in excess of $325. Coming on top of last year's $500 school tax increase and the proposed $347 school tax increase, residents are looking at a total INCREASE of almost $1,200 a year. It is ...

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Please take action now.  New Jersey residents and elected officials throughout the state have expressed concern over A4/S50, the “fast-tracked” Affordable Housing Bill, which was passed in the Assembly on February 12th, and is now scheduled to be heard in the Senate Budget and Appropriations ...

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Due to a cancelation of a cruise, I have extra money in my credit card account. I called the Montville tax office to pay my taxes for at least this year in advance. I was told that in order to pay by credit card, there will be a 3% charge. I would think the tax office would appreciate having ...

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I am a 25-year resident of Westfield, NJ and was absolutely appalled by the display by Mayor Shelley Brindle during this week's town council meeting. The mayor began the meeting by reading from a court document and sharing the details of the case brought by taxpayers to block the massive ...

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A recent article highlighted: “S1253 would establish an elementary school wellness program that uses therapy dogs. Therapy dogs that have been trained and registered to a handler would provide ‘animal assisted therapy’ in classrooms. The program is a part of state initiatives to improve student ...

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I write in response to recent assertions made regarding the effectiveness of our council, particularly in addressing the concerning rise in home break-ins and car thefts within our community. The newly elected council members have diligently assessed the efforts made by the previous majority and ...

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The following is a brief excerpt of a three-page letter that was read to the mayor and town council on Feb. 13, 2024. I am a licensed professional engineer who is affiliated with the Westfield Advocates for Responsible Development. We have tracked over 20 large construction projects that have been ...

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Dear Editor, Last week, my colleagues and I held the 2024 Budget Workshop.  This public meeting provided another important opportunity for the governing body and residents to hear directly from the leaders of the town’s various departments about budgetary needs in the upcoming fiscal year. As ...

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On Feb. 12, our newly elected Republican council members issued a press release for a crime bill without even giving their Democratic counterparts any advanced notice. If the legislation is so helpful, why wouldn't they solicit support for it? There does not seem to be any plan or desire on ...

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Dear Editor, Tonight the City Council will be asked to review, and vote on, two pieces of legislation that have stoked community interest and are worthy of our support. The first is a proposal sponsored by Councilmen Russo, Presinzano and Ramos requiring bicycle delivery personnel to become ...

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I am writing to inform my Bernardsville neighbors of the February 8th meeting of our Planning Board to consider Advance Realty’s “Palmer Square” development plan.  The developer plans to construct a four-story, 55 foot-tall apartment building around the existing Palmer Building.  The new building ...

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Dear Editor, Bigger storms, larger rainfalls – unfortunately, it’s our new normal under climate change. The Township continues to invest strongly in new stormwater sewer systems, but those can only go so far.  That is why many residents who have basements rely so much on their sump ...

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It has come to our understanding that the Armory on Hamilton St. in Franklin is a possible site for processing some of the migrants bussed from the southern United States to New Jersey. We’ve been led to believe individuals will only be there for documenting and to transfer to transportation to ...

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Editor's note: At its January 22 meeting, Princeton Council heard from several dozen residents, almost all of them agreeing with the letter below objecting to the decision to dismantle the Civil Rights Commission, the Human Services Commission, and the Affordable Housing Board and consolidating ...

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I am dismayed by the proposed consolidation of three key municipal Boards and Commissions (BCCs) that have contributed to improving the lives of our most underserved residents: the Human Services Commission, the Affordable Housing Board and the Civil Rights Commission. Ordinance 2024-01 was ...

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If you are a resident of Westfield, it is absolutely vital you review the Facebook Live Westfield NJ replay of the Town Council Meeting from Jan. 2, 2024. Our town has, in the past, been based on democracy. The current mayor has curtailed and even eliminated not only our residents' chance at ...

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Dear Editor: First off, I want to thank Ken Simmons for his quick response to my request, since I have not had any response from the mayor or my local councilperson. I have requested several times that speed bumps be installed on Drake Lane and Woodlake Drive. The metal gate on Woodlake that ...

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In the most recent TAPinto Millburn/ShortHills article "Deputy Mayor Provides Flood Mitigation Update", Deputy Mayor Vinayak referred to a large, expensive, underground Rahway River "Bypass Pipe" project as the "solution" to mitigating downtown and residential flooding. The success of this ...

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Mayor Brindle's advocacy for one seat ride is directly opposite to her support of the One Westfield development. One Westfield will reduce parking space making it more difficult for commuters to get to the train. Even if you are fortunate enough to get a parking space, waiting to get into and ...

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As the dust settles on the November municipal election, the new question is what will be the impact for Westfield and its residents? With a 4-0 sweep electing new representatives, the voters signaled a strong disapproval of the mayor and council’s One Westfield Place (OWP) redevelopment ...

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Regarding the November 27, 2023, TAPintoMillburn/Short Hills article entitled "Explore Millburn Executive Director Presents 2024 Budget"; As the article noted, indeed there are some serious issues on the table regarding conflict of interest with Director Steve Grillo performing similar services for ...

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On September 6, 2023, Montville’s Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBOA) voted 5-2 to grant 18 variances to the developer, Diversified Properties LLC (Diversified), effectively overstepping their authority and re-zoning seven land parcels currently zoned for single family development into one large ...

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New Jersey is known as the birthplace of college football, with Rutgers and Princeton playing the first college football game in 1869. Since then, college football – and all college sports – have come a long way. But perhaps no period has been as transformative for where college athletics are ...

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New Jersey is known as the birthplace of college football, with Rutgers and Princeton playing the first college football game in 1869. Since then, college football – and all college sports – have come a long way. But perhaps no period has been as transformative for where college athletics are ...

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To the Editor: With hostilities in the Middle East entering a fifth week, anxiety, tension, and fear continues to affect many of us here in East Brunswick. This is most pronounced in the Muslim and Jewish communities as many folks have deep ties to the region in conflict. Many of our ...

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On November 1, 2023, Nouvelle LLC the owner and developer of 261 Rock Road will deliver the keys to the apartment dwellers at the first multiple-family affordable residential apartment complex pursuant to a prior settlement agreement with Fair Share Housing Center, a New Jersey advocacy group for ...

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