
Laura’s Notes on the 08/19/2025 Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting
Following a doozy of a day with the Township and flood repairs (that’s a follow-up article, stay tuned!), the advertised Zoom livestream for the in-person Council Meeting was set to begin at 6:30. Unfortunately, any resident who followed instructions on the Township website to watch the livestream was met with a blank screen—and learned through the grapevine that Zoom would...

NJ21st Investigates Berkeley Heights Storm Damage Assessment
Emergency Bond Spending in Berkeley Heights- Storm Recovery or Misplaced Priorities? by Laura Kapuscinski I visited the majority of specific addresses listed in the Township Storm Damage Assessment. . My research was based on the very specific house numbers and scope of work listed on the Township’s Assessment Report. While several houses did not seem to have sustained noticeable damage,...

From Affordable Housing to Emergency Bonds – A Full Night for Berkeley Heights
Berkeley Heights Council meets tomorrow- Tuesday, August 19 – starting with a session on the Connell rezoning. Two ordinances are up for a final vote. The council is set to vote on an ordinance that evens out the affordable housing rules for new developments. Currently, for-sale projects of five or more homes must include 20% affordable units, while rentals only...

Debris Chokes Passaic River: Post-Storm Visit Raises Questions for Berkeley Heights Mayor and Council
Debris Chokes Passaic River: Post-Storm Visit Raises Questions for Berkeley Heights Mayor and Council -Michael Leblond Last week’s town council meeting brought renewed attention to debris in the Passaic River, with one resident saying an eight-foot section of fencing was swept away in the July 14 flood. The following day, I visited Passaic River Park at the end of Lawrence...

Shauna’s 08/07/2025 TC Meeting Notes: Berkeley Heights Officials Pressed on Creek Maintenance and Flood Response
The emergency meeting of the Berkeley Heights Town Council was set to be a quick adoption of a resolution for a bond to provide for street and culvert repairs after July 14th’s record rainfall. Instead, multiple residents showed up to voice their frustration and anger with the lack of action on the continued flooding of the Briarwood Drive area of...

Berkeley Heights Resident Flags Major Budget Increases Hidden in Capital Plan
One resident’s comment uncovers a deeper—and still unexplained—layer to the bond plan After the second attempt to hold an emergency bond ordinance meeting on Zoom was derailed by another disruption, one Berkeley Heights resident (Joe Iadanza) sent in a comment that cuts further to the heart of the issue. “For the second time the zoom meeting was hacked. It is...

Another Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting, Another Round of Porn – 08/05/2025
-Michael Leblond The zoom meeting opened with a light hearted discussion of grilling and cleaning up from the storm on July 14th. The meeting began promptly at 4:45, official attendance was taken, meeting information was reviewed. Meeting parameters were set and attendees were told if an incident similar to the August 4th meeting occurred, the meeting would be terminated. Within...

Take 2: After Zoom Incident, Residents Still Left Without Answers on $3.5M Bond
The Berkeley Heights Town Council is holding an emergency Zoom meeting to introduce a $3.565 million bond ordinance today at 4:45pm. The meeting was supposed to occur yesterday however the Township was unable to manage the zoom meeting where an attendee was allowed to share pornography that then led the township to cancel the meeting altogether despite several residents being...

Berkeley Heights Town Council Meeting Disrupted by Offensive Zoom Bombing
The special meeting called by the mayor and Town Council to adopt an ordinance for storm repairs was hijacked three different times by a spammer, causing the meeting to be shut down and restarted. Images were pornographic, racist and derogatory in nature. At different times, what appeared to be swastikas appeared in the pornographic images. Town Administrator Viana came onto...

Without a Project List, Council to Introduce $3.5M Ordinance for Road and Bridge Work — Questions Residents Can Ask
The Berkeley Heights Town Council is holding an emergency public meeting to introduce a $3.565 million bond ordinance this Monday (08/04) at 3:30 pm. The meeting is being held over Zoom, with a hard stop at 4:30 p.m., and is labeled as an emergency under N.J.S.A. 10:4-9b — the law that allows public bodies to meet with less than 48...