Candidate Comments During the 09/05/2023 and 09/19/2023 Town Council Meetings: Margaret Illis (D)
Comments on the Affordable Housing News and Littell-Lord Bids In this clip, 2023 Town Council Candidate Margaret Illis (D) speaks on the Littell-Lord Renovation (agenda item on rejected bids) and on the announcement that the town still has to allow for 30 more Affordable Housing units (a total of 115 additional apartments). We are going to start with the 09/19/2023...
Mayor Devanney’s Response to Resident Concerns on Proposed OPRA Reform
In this clip, Mayor Devanney responds to my concerns regarding OPRA reform. The Mayor’s response does not address the specific concerns of the letter connected to legislation proposed by Assemblyman Danielsen that would, in fact, impact residents and journalists. I also believe it overstated the cost and work involved in automatically making documents public – especially when you consider the...
Mayor Devanney Clarifies CMS Field Discussion Between Rec Department and BOE
We will be posting about the BOE Agenda later today but I wanted to share this update. I received clarification from Mayor Devanney regarding the CMS/BOE Field discussions in response to an email I sent the Town Council and BOE surrounding the process on this issue. 2023 Candidates for both bodies were cc’d on the email. This article will be...
Questions To The Town Council Candidates – Question 3
Third in a Series of Questions to the 2023 Berkeley Heights, NJ Town Council Candidates Flooding has been a topic in town for some time and is often tied to the issue of over development which all the candidates have spoken to more recently. This question has a few parts: (1) Do you agree that flooding in Berkeley Heights is...
Is Curbside Recycling a Scam?
The Skeptics May Have a Point.. As the Western World seeks to explore recycling of ever more complex materials (lithium-ion batteries, anyone?), it may be worthwhile asking how we’re doing on just the simple materials. Where did the scam idea come from? Many skeptics repeat this, which implies that they have also given up and thrown recyclables in the trash:...
BHCW 08/21/2023 Newsletter
What’s Important to Know About Berkeley Heights This Week… Online Version PDF Version See All Newsletters
Why Are We Flooding?
Increased Flooding and What We Can Do. I’ve addressed it all in my own short time in this region: standing water after a “sort of” wet monsoon, flash flooding from tropical storms, and basement flooding. We have to ask, why are we flooding? There are a few reasons, but perception is the first thing to consider. We are hyper-aware of...
Aging in Place (ADU’s), Mother/Daughter, Lofts Are Currently Illegal in Berkeley Heights
And That Doesn’t Make Sense Some would say NJ is in a housing crisis. Some would say it’s a self-inflicted wound of high taxes and high cost of living that are irreversible while affordable housing was the construction industry’s wet dream of an answer. Additional Dwelling Units were another answer. ADUs are a zoning allowance for a second, usually separate...
07/16/2023 Newsletter
What’s Important to know about Berkeley Heights This Week…. Online Version PDF Version See All Newsletters
2023 Town Council Candidates on 311 Springfield Avenue
Opposition leads council to tabling redevelopment study… 2023 Berkeley Heights Town Council Candidates Edmund Tom Maciejewski (R) and Margaret Illis (D) express their positions on the redevelopment study during the 06/13/2023 Town Council Meeting. This is an important issue for voters as the prior Mayoral Administration engaged in an Affordable Housing approach many residents felt was not effective for the...
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