Private Tour, Public Questions: Does Recreation Department Invite Lead Council & BOE to Violate OPMA?
The New Jersey Open Public Meetings Act (OPMA) 10:4-7 clearly states: Legislative Findings and Declaration: “The Legislature finds and declares that the right of the public to be present at all meetings of public bodies, and to witness in full detail all phases of the deliberation, policy formulation, and decision-making processes of public bodies, is vital to the enhancement and...
Smiles for the Camera, Silence Behind the Scenes
An ongoing crisis of transparency and trust in Berkeley Heights The work of our elected representatives is arguably difficult—and often thankless. But lately, the endless parade of staged photo ops and plastered-on smiles pushed out by the Township feels increasingly out of sync with the outright hostility and dysfunction that rears its head during election season. So what’s real—those smiles...
Turf or Grass? Environmental Concerns for Lower Columbia Field
The Berkeley Heights Township’s lease of the lower Columbia field has been approved, but there is much to be done before residents will see a playing field at this location. One of those things needs to be a review of environmental conditions in that area and how placing a turf field in this location will impact the ecosystem. According to...
Council Passes Lease in Special Meeting as Residents Raise Transparency Concerns
The Berkeley Heights Town Council held a Special Meeting over Zoom this past Tuesday at 3:30 PM. The only item on the agenda was the lease agreement with the Board of Education for Lower Columbia property. Councilmember Margaret Illis was absent, and both Council President John Foster and Vice President Susan Poage—who are employees of the school district—recused themselves due...
BOE Representative Joly’s Comments on CMS Lease Agreement During the 03/25/2025 Town Council Meeting
The majority of residents who attended and spoke at the 03/25/2025 Town Council Meeting expressed concerns about the project, the information published by corporate media and/or the process surrounding the agreement. Most residents were not aware that the meeting was zoom-only. As predicted the measure passed with Foster and Poage abstaining due to their employment with BHPSNJ – though both...
A Disturbing Abuse of Power: How the Berkeley Heights BOE Budget Meeting Became the Mayor’s Playground
I’ll keep this short. For years, parents have asked the District to adjust the rotate-and-drop schedule to allow for core classes like math to be taught every day. During the February 14 Math presentation, Dr. Curtiss shared that tutoring support could be available—but only if the District chose and funded one of the new proposed math approaches. That left many...
The Facts They Won’t Print: What Hyperlocal Media Left Out On The Lease Agreement Articles
As our local hyper-local media outlet continues to push incomplete timelines and the false narrative that insurance issues were the reason the Mayor and the Recreation Department locked students out—we believe it’s important to set the record straight. Instead of a productive budget meeting focused on our students, the discussion devolved (yet again) into political theatrics driven by the Mayor’s...
John’s Notes on the 03/18/2024 BOE Meeting-Turf Field and Budget
The Board of Education (BOE) was placed in an impossible situation last night by the Mayor and the Recreation Department. A room packed with residents that had only been exposed to the Mayor’s version of events, thanks to what we now know were fabricated rules regarding contract negotiations—where confidentiality seemingly only applies when it suits the Mayor – who apparently...
The BHPSNJ BOE Must Remain Focused on the Budget
We received confirmation from BOE Vice President Dipti Khanna, reinforcing what our sources within the Municipal Government have been telling us all along. The CMS Lease Agreement unexpectedly appeared on the same agenda as the Budget, prompting us to reach out to Dr. Feltre, Ms. Bradford, and Ms. Khanna for clarification. Below is a breakdown of Ms. Khanna’s response: “On...
Laura Kap Live From the Columbia Tennis Courts- Time For the BOE to Convert the Pickleball Courts?
It appears that the courts the Township converted for pickle-ball are actually on BOE property. If this is the case, perhaps the District can remove these and set up tennis courts for our students. Of course, this is a joke; we would never recommend affecting people that way – because we don’t take pride in power plays for personal or...
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