–Laura Kapuscinski

Every so often, the Township of Berkeley Heights names a “Day” after someone — usually a resident, sometimes a local figure — as a gesture of community appreciation. It’s a nice idea. But recently, a question came up:

How exactly does someone get one?

So we asked.

I sent an email to Mayor Angie Devanney and Council members asking what criteria the town uses to decide who gets recognized. It was a respectful and reasonable question:

“Would you please be able to share the criteria used to determine your selection for a qualifying community member to receive a special accolade with a day named in their honor?

Is the individual selected vetted? If so, by whom and what is that process?”

Fair enough, right? If the town is giving someone a public honor — complete with a township seal and public proclamation — you’d expect there to be some process. Or at least a quick explanation.

Instead, after four days, I got this response:

“Great people in the community helping to highlight other great people in the community!! Like most of what I do, it’s organic.”
— Mayor Angie Devanney

That’s the answer. “It’s organic.”

No criteria. No vetting. No indication that any process exists at all.

Why This Feels Off

Look, I’m not saying proclamations need to go through a five-step vetting board or FBI background checks. But if the town is publicly celebrating someone — especially with language that suggests they’re a model of civic virtue — shouldn’t there be some thought to how that decision is made?

Is this just one person’s decision based on relationships or popularity?

It’s Not Just About the Day

Yes, these “Days” are symbolic. But they’re still official. They say something about what — and who — the Township values.

If they’re handed out without any guardrails, it risks turning something meaningful into something political. It also raises the uncomfortable question: Who’s not getting a day, and why?

This article isn’t a knock on anyone who has had a day named after them or gotten a Township award, it’s more about fairness and inclusivity. The Town (and other organizations to be fair) have a long history of recognizing individuals in ways that are either self serving or politically convenient and that practice harms the credibility and value of the recognition.

When we reduce these awards down to who the Mayor, Council and the groups that support them favor, it turns what ought to be an incentive for good works to one that requires political loyalty and obedience.

We weren’t trying to start a fight. We just asked a basic question. And when the answer is “it’s organic” — and nothing more — that tells its own story.

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