NJ21st submitted a series of questions to Berkeley Heights Township Administrator Liza Viana over the past two weeks, covering sewage plant violations, repeated neighborhood flooding, and the township’s role in the ongoing turf field dispute with the Board of Education.

Below, are the questions I asked over the course of several emails and her reply to my questions in full (focused on Sewage and the email exchange with the BOE on the Turf Field) so readers can judge for themselves.

The Questions

On Township References to NJ21st in Turf Field Disputes

As a result of an OPRA request, I became aware of comments made by Councilwoman Poage and Town Administrator Viana regarding NJ21st in communication with the BOE over the turf field.

Ms. Viana – not once have we resorted to name-calling. What would it feel like if people referred to you as a ‘town secretary’ or a ‘political operative paid by the Township’?

Why did you and Councilwoman Poage choose to reference NJ21st in BOE communications, while declining to answer substantive questions about the turf field and your own actions?

On DEP Violations in Connection with the Sewage Plant

Will the worker who filed the complaint that triggered the DEP violations receive commendation for protecting staff?

Draft contracts reviewed by NJ21st suggested fines and violations would have been covered upfront in a sale agreement with NJAW. Were these violations a driving consideration for pursuing that deal?

Why were frontline workers offered less job protection than the Director in that draft agreement?

Have families in flood-prone areas near the plant been notified of potential risks?

Was any health risk assessment conducted for residents in this neighborhood?

Is the Township facing additional fines beyond the $38,000 already cited?

If errors were attributed to DeBlock, why does the Township continue to do business with them?

The DEP noted lab errors almost always under-reported violations. Has that pattern been acknowledged or addressed?

Is there a detailed record or report of how this issue was reviewed by the Township?

Was the Board of Education — a major user of the sewer system — ever formally notified, given potential health implications for students and staff?

Township Administrator’s Response

John, this is my response to this and all of your other emails, and it is as forthright yet respectful as I can possibly be on this topic, and hopefully you can respect this: I am choosing to spend my time doing work for our residents, period. Getting things done and addressing their concerns as best as I can is my priority. I don’t think the average taxpaying resident would prefer me to instead spend my time and energy answering emails such as these.

Sure, you can continue your OPRA requests in your search for “wrongdoing”, since you tend to suspect some type of inappropriate shenanigans going on in government. But we are always attempting to do good things for the residents of this town the best we can. The Township will work with the BOE leadership the way we collectively think is best for this town. We will focus our energy on what is constructive. Our residents want to see things getting done, they want us to take care of problems, they want to feel like they are being heard. THIS is what we strive to do every.single.day. And we will work to be as transparent as we can while doing it.

Will we make mistakes? Probably. Will we try to learn from them? Absolutely. Are we always doing our best? Without a doubt.

You can pick this email apart all you want; I’d love it if you actually published this in its entirety. But you probably won’t. But I’m not going to worry about it – I’m going to keep putting my energy into doing positive things for this town. I’m not only the Township Administrator, but I’m a resident, and a mom of two kids in this district. I have a vested interest to do my best every day. As I’ve said before, I always welcome constructive feedback on how we can be more transparent or communicate things better. If you ever have any recommendations along those lines, I will be happy to read them.

Thank you and good luck.

Editor’s Note

NJ21st published the Township Administrator’s reply in full, exactly as written, so residents can evaluate for themselves whether it addressed the questions posed.

On 09/16/2025 the current Administrator of the sewage plant did an effective job of conveying improvements made to the plant during the Town Council Meeting and stated the plant is in compliance or working toward compliance in several areas.  As reported, we assumed that this was the case given the DEP inspections, citations and subsequent corrective actions plans.

The concern now has more to do with the lack of communication on the part of the township in connection to the incidents listed in the DEP citations and what, if anything, the town will do in the future to ensure residents are informed.

Email Chain that Includes Township Administrators Response

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