Among the first acts of the newly elected Westfield Council members was an attempt to remove Thomas Jardim as the Town Attorney, claiming that he had provided “bad advice” about whether approval of the One Westfield Place redevelopment project could have legally been the subject of a “non-binding re...

“Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” - Winston Churchill With this pithy statement, Winston Churchill aptly summarized what we have come to learn over the past 250 years in this country: demo...

Scotch Plains Mayor Losardo Outlines Goals for 2024There is something special about this time of the year. The new year is a rebirth, a time to recharge, set goals and focus on what is most important for ourselves, our families and our community.I am proud to be submitting my fourth annual “Mayor’s ...

For some time now I have been thinking about writing a letter to the editor to help address some confusion about how municipal government works.After reading our new Councilman Kiefer’s letter in the Tap, I realized that, as we enter a new legislative year, now would be a good time.I was interested ...

There they go again! Santa Claus apparently paused his round-theworld trip a few weeks ago to hand out plenty of goodies to state and county government officials in the form of outrageous pay raises. Unlike the ugly sweater or the tacky knick-knack, however, we the people who pay those government sa...

It has come to my attention that over the New Year’s weekend, Fanwood was one of several New Jersey municipalities where buses presumably carrying migrants from Texas arrived so they could be loaded onto trains to New York. The New Jersey Governor’s office, in remarks to the news media, has conclude...

Westfield Police Chief Christopher Battiloro advises residents that there has been a very significant uptick in recent vehicle thefts and attempted vehicle thefts, including residential burglaries and attempted residential burglaries in which high-end vehicles appeared to be the intended target.Over...

As everyone prepares for the winter recess, please be reminded that you are invited to our in-person Open House on Thursday, January 4 at 7 p.m. in the Cranford High School Lower Gym.Community members can talk oneon- one with district leaders and the advisors who helped plan the January 23 bond refe...

A collaboration with the Westfield High School Journalism ProgramStop Competing, BringBack the Casual Music FanI have found myself too often in a situation where I am talking about music to someone, and suddenly I am forced to pick who my favorite artist is or what song I like the most. It isn’t the...

It’s time – actually may be pastime as I am sending this late to the newspaper -for my annual – ‘garbage after Christmas letter’! I think things are getting better in the garbage world, but we still have a long way to go. The sight of plastic bags in our streets, or hanging from trees and poles has ...