Happy Thanksgiving, Berkeley Heights
We want to express our thanks and gratitude to the families and public employees who are part of the BHCW community and who have read, participated in, and contributed to its mission. We are extraordinarily privileged to live in a country where we can speak and vote as freely as we breathe and where our children do not have to...
Susan Poage Emerges as The Strongest Voice of Reason on the Berkeley Heights Town Council this Year
Last night, the Council approved a controversial 11th-hour measure to fund a redevelopment study involving multiple properties. Much like the surprise hike to the cost of the Municipal Building under the Woodruff Administration, this information occurred immediately after an election was decided. Why would such important matters be kept from the public and candidates? Wouldn’t bringing this up during the...
Responses to Constructive Feedback and Questions on BHCW’s Reporting on the Declines
During the 10/12/2023 BOE Meeting, I invited all BOE Members present and members of the Administration to a public debate on the declines. I am still waiting to hear from someone on my offer. Over the past month BOE Members and several community members on different forums provided BHCW feedback on our articles and I want to provide these concerns...
Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, and Jacobs Has Over 86,000 Reasons to Be Thankful for Berkeley Heights
I should start out by acknowledging that our District has taken a small step in the right direction by publishing the Bill List and Transfer Report with this month’s Board Meeting Packet. However, considering all the claw-backs over the past three years, we are far from where we need to be. So yes – it is a good step- but...
What The New Berkeley Heights BOE Must Do In The First Three Months of 2024 To Rebuild Our District
A historically low turnout election still produced 2000+ votes, affirming change…..now what? While the BOE election was uncontested, the message was clear- the community wants things to change. While thousands were likely spent on the Town Council Election (something we will write about), it would be a surprise if the BOE candidates who garnered an overwhelming vote count given the...
Illis/Machado Take Council, Joly/Akiri take BOE
It appears, based on the tickets we’ve seen, there was a “behind the scenes” write in campaign to take votes away from Sai (two names consistently came up). It doesn’t appear to amount to much at all so far but I guess just enough to give her a lower count and maybe float a behind the scenes network strategy for...
Lift A Finger Here Guys…
Please get out and fulfill your responsibility to vote for Board of Education and Town Council. If you already voted, ask your friends and neighbors to vote. Polls are closing at 8pm-there are only a few hours left. It takes a few minutes – you had a week to get this shit done. Check your Polling Location
Sai’s Remarks During Public Comment Portion of 10/12/2023 BOE Meeting
Questions about the District’s Legal Representation Remain Unanswered While we may be growing tired of hearing about Dr. Varley’s nepotism issue, we are still with no answers a year later. In this clip, Ms. Akiri again asks questions on the cost of Dr. Varley’s case and whether she will be expected to reimburse the District for her legal fees, given...
All The Endorsements: Sai, Natasha, Tom, Margaret, Matsikoudis
Board of Education: Sai and Natasha Sai and Natasha have both worked extraordinarily hard over the past few years. They were present at most, if not all, BOE Meetings this year. It wasn’t just showing up to meetings; they put in hours of research and effort in between to inform the community of important issues involving our schools at an...
“They Just Want to Tear Things Down”
Another thread of misinformation running from the very top of the BOE throughout the community is the lie that we seek to tear our schools down. So, let’s look at the facts of just the past few weeks: Our most prolific contributors (in writing and helping with research) are coaches, are members of parent organizations that support our schools, and...
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