The Candidates We Could Agree On: Local Endorsements for 2025

Union County Clerk: Peter Kane

We don’t know much about Peter Kane, to be honest with you; we just know that he is not Joann Rajoppi. In Berkeley Heights alone, ballot designs have raised serious questions about whether the County has worked too closely with both party machines, making it harder for independent candidates to get elected. Several residents have reached out to us about the last two elections with concerns about how certain candidates from one party seemed to get just enough votes to squeak by while the other side received bipartisan support, no questions asked, for questionable projects.

This year, another bad ballot for Berkeley Heights went out, misinforming voters about the number of BOE seats up for grabs despite our prior communication with that office. That prompted us to reach out to state-level officials demanding oversight of Rajoppi’s handling of Berkeley Heights ballots. Add to that the question of who is at the table when ballots get evaluated, and it becomes a recipe for elections to turn into negotiations between two party machines instead of reflecting what voters actually wanted.

Again, we have no idea if Mr. Kane will be any better, but we do know that Rajoppi has been terrible. With that said, no one pays much attention to this specific race, so we’ll likely be stuck with her for another term.

Whatever the outcome, we strongly recommend that independent candidates in Union County, especially those from Berkeley Heights, have their own representation at the table when ballots are reviewed.

Berkeley Heights BOE: Arik Samson and Javier Morales

Only two candidates demonstrated a real understanding of the BOE’s role and conducted themselves ethically during the election season: Arik Samson and Javier Morales. Gale Bradford wasn’t even a consideration. She became president with strong county-level backing and has since repaid that favor by blocking discussion and opposing any effort to improve our schools. Along with her running mates, who advertised together with Terrero, she has shown little understanding of proficiency scores in math and science or the Board’s responsibility to make sure funding reaches classrooms, not consultants. Arik and Javier provided textbook, informed responses in both areas and have kept their distance from the political noise.

We could not come to full agreement on Terrero. She came through on some key decisions this year and has been reasonable as a BOE member. Her responses to candidate questions weren’t perfect, but they were good enough. That said, her history on the PTO involved consolidating influence and pushing out anyone who advocated for stronger accountability in the District. Her last-minute tactic of advertising as a ticket with Bradford and Moore, without clear funding disclosure and then listing one that didn’t exist, also raises questions.

Berkeley Heights Town Council: Michael Kaminsky and Glenn Endick

Susan Poage’s time in office, after a decent first year, has been an unmitigated disappointment. She seems to have taken the same “distance myself from the day-to-day so I can’t be blamed” approach to governance that we’ve seen before. Under her tenure, she said absolutely nothing while the Sewage Plant was investigated and found to have violations posing a risk to public safety.

That alone is unacceptable.

The Township has been cited for the same issues in its audits year after year; she voted to dissolve the local ethics board; she supported allowing the Township Administrator to serve as both CFO and QPA, even on an interim basis, which is a clear conflict of interest; and then approved a problematic shared services agreement to fill the role. She seldom asks questions as the Council passes one no-bid contract after another, and during the Mayor’s wellness campaign she was prepared to promote the same discredited ideas that created problems in our schools. Every one of her campaign talking points says the opposite of what her record shows. Work to solve flooding? There is no evidence of that before residents made it a public issue. Then came the incident of locking kids out of tennis courts so the Mayor and Recreation Commissioner could get their way.

The fact that Alvaro thought it was a good idea to run on the same ticket as her is an automatic disqualification. Democrats need to start running candidates who are willing to stand up to what has become a two-party oligarchy.

Kaminsky and Endick are saying all the right things, and they deserve a chance to deliver. If they win, we’ll be watching closely to see whether they simply co-opt our platform and fade into the Devanney–Varnerin circle, or whether they stand by their word. All indications so far are that the Varnerin camp isn’t thrilled with their emphasis on transparency and accountability and, based on inside sources, offered little to no support. During our interview, both went on record calling out the use of private emails for public business. Those are good signs that we may be looking at the real deal.

NJ21st Team