BERKELEY HEIGHTS 2022 BOE ELECTION- CANDIDATE RESPONSES TO QUESTION 4
This is the last in a series of questions BHCW posed to BHCW Candidates. We received responses from Gale Bradford, Natasha Joly, Neil Hemman, Doug Grober, Sai Akiri and Dipti Khanna,. We would like to thank all the Candidates who responded to our questions throughout this series- taking the risk of putting their thoughts in writing for the public to...
Dr. Thomas H. Foregger Endorsement of Sai Akiri
Dear Editor, I am writing as a member of the Berkeley Heights Board of Education but the views expressed are mine and not those of the Board. I have been pleased to have Sai Akiri as a fellow member of the Berkeley Heights BOE. She ran on a platform of improving the quality of education for all students in the...
Angela Penna’s Struggle Continues
Angela Penna’s most recent response to TAPinto featured two of the following statements: “Within the school system I have worked at every level of the PTO and have consistently delivered on goals to raise funds, support ideas, and help bridge the communications between the parents and the faculty. This is something I have clearly loved to do. Nobody does this,...
Sai Akiri is a Hero.
There is an old story about Salazar, a former Dictator in Portugal, my dad told me when I was a kid. One day he was riding around in his car with an advisor when he noticed a young girl eating grass at a park. He commented on it, and his advisor responded, “the people are hungry, Antonio.” Salazar then had...
Why there needs to be a change in the Board of Education
John Sincaglia I have been a resident of Berkeley Heights since 1988. I had the honor to serve as a Board member from 2004-2016. Both before and during my tenure, the Board functioned collaboratively , even though there were often significant differences of opinion. We always were willing to listen and respond to members of the public, whether it be...
Vote Sai Akiri for BOE; Column 7-2
Sai has proven through her time on the Board that she has the patience, dedication and confidence to serve the needs of our children, our Educators while representing the members of our community. Sai has engaged with residents, parents and stakeholders. Sai not only responds to emails made to the Board but she reaches out to residents to listen to...
Integrity and Truthfulness Count from Our Mayoral Candidates
Varnerin’s Misinformation Uncovered When it comes to the position of mayor, honesty and integrity matter. I served with Mayor Angie Devanney on Council for three years from 2019- 2021 and I know first-hand her veracity and commitment to the Township is beyond reproach. When applying the same moral measure to Councilman Jeff Varnerin, I have my doubts. In a recent...
Vote For Sai Bhargavi Akiri (Column 7-2)
I recently met Sai Bhargavi Akiri and have started to follow our local BOE and have seen how the individuals on our BOE interact. Sai is polite and articulate. She is courageous in the face of group-style bullying and overly-obvious and dramatic disrespect. I give her a lot of credit to be able to absorb the scowls and maintain her...
Unnecessary “Lawsuits” and The Blame Game
In what has to be the most brilliant irony of the year, Berkeley Heights BOE Member Angela Penna penned a candidate statement which included the following: “Board members are engaging in their own forms of political posturing and grandstanding; particularly when they disagree with their fellow board members.” “We see statements in social media suffixed with “This is my personal...
ANGIE DEVANNEY; THE BEST PERSON FOR THE JOB!
I met Angie in 2016, as I walked into my first PTO meeting at Mountain Park. During her time as President she ran organized, detail-oriented and engaging meetings. There was not a hurdle she did not surpass or a task that was “too much.” She made time for every person and addressed every comment, question and concern with care and...