Columns/Opinions

Welcome to the Tribune

While the West Essex Tribune’s regular readership will not notice many changes to this week’s issue, some are picking up our paper for the first time. This week’s edition is a TMC (Total Market Coverage) issue, the second of four newspapers this year that we will send to every home in Livingston.

Dear Editor: A Livingston resident called me this week to report how he was scammed by someone pretending to be from Microsoft, texting him and stating his computer was hacked, loaded with malware and needed to be repaired.All that was required was granting entry to his computer and a few minutes to correct it to avoid any contamination.

Of course this was a scam using false identification. The scammer had used AI to create a false Microsoft listing and what seemed to be legitimate Microsoft identification.

Allowing the scammer to take control of his computer resulted in the taking of much of his personal information. This led to the taking of thousands of dollars from the resident’s bank account. Plus, an attempt at identity theft. The attempt at identity theft was thwarted but required changing credit cards, bank accounts and other asset registrations, plus freezing credit bureau accounts.

Last month, the Township Council issued a proclamation and passed a resolution declaring “Book Choice Freedom” in Livingston.

The resolution confirmed the township’s support of residents’ freedom to read whatever books they please, and denounced censorship and the efforts of “some individuals, groups, and public authorities” to “remove or limit access to reading materials, to censor content in schools, to label ‘controversial’ views, to distribute lists of ‘objectionable’ books or authors, and to purge libraries of materials reflecting the diversity of society.” The resolution also noted that “the freedom to read is essential to our democracy,” and that the township “encourages free people to read freely, now and forever.”

Through the end of this week, concluding on June 4, the Livingston Police Department is conducting a seat belt enforcement and education initiative, as part of the national “Click It or Ticket” campaign to crack down on unbuckled motorists and passengers.

These check points can easily be spotted throughout town – and that’s the point. This high visibility, high saturation patrol is designed not simply to hand out tickets, but rather to reiterate the lifesaving value of wearing a seat belt. It is something that is so simple, yet so many people still choose not to buckle up despite it being the easiest way to protect oneself on the road. More than 15,000 lives are saved nationally each year due to seat belt use, according to the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety.

In March, Senator Anthony Bucco introduced legislation, S3739, which would delay the state’s fourth round of Fair Share Housing obligations by three years. Last week, that bill added several co-sponsors in Senators Jon Bramnick, Edward Durr, Holly Schepisi and Kristin Corrado, indicating some level of support for it.

The next ten-year round of affordable housing requirements is currently slated to begin in 2025, while the bill requests a delay to July 1, 2028. The COVID pandemic and related shutdowns, which have stymied municipalities from satisfying their third round obligations, was cited as the reason for the delay.

This certainly reflects the situation in Livingston, where the town is still dealing with legal battles related to its third round obligations.

Dear Editor: Helen Keller said, “Alone we can do too little, together we can do so much.”

The Lions Clubs International is a 107 year organization. The Livingston Lions Club is a local chapter 77 year young organization. Our school Leo Club is 45 years young, the first club established in the state of New Jersey. This club is mentored by Kelsey Collins and led by president Irene Chi. Great team.

Lions and Leos work hand in hand, and follow our Lions Club’s International constitution, bylaws, protocols, policy, and branding guidelines.

Our Leo Club advisor, Twinkle Bhatt, has decided to step down and explore other areas of personal interest. Thank you for your contributions. We will miss her.

We wish our past Leo Club advisor a great success, in future endeavors on Girlstawk event.

A few weeks ago, I left on a scheduled two week vacation to Europe, leaving the Tribune in the trusted hands of my co-workers. This is nothing new – we have a small staff, and so everyone is cross-trained to do various jobs, covering for those who take time off.

What wasn’t expected, though,was what happened shortly after my departure. The facility where we print the Tribune suffered a fire in the press room, damaging the presses and rendering them unusable. We needed to find a new printer, who can handle newspapers, in a matter of literally one day – we received the news about the fire on Monday, and we print on Wednesday morning, in order to get the papers in the mail to subscribers on Thursday.

The Memorial Day Parade is right around the corner, and will take place on Monday, May 29. Local dignitaries, veterans, bands, organizations, floats, and more will travel the usual route down South Livingston Avenue, through Livingston Center, continuing on to North Livingston Avenue. The parade is one of the things that makes Livingston so special – a timehonored tradition, reflecting a slice of “small town America” and celebrating our veterans and what they’ve sacrificed for our nation.

Over the next few weeks the township will be collecting money to fund the upcoming parade, and we encourage our residents to offer their support.

This past weekend, May 6 and 7, was National Fallen Firefighters Weekend. Tribute was paid to the 144 firefighters nationwide, who died in the line of duty in 2022 at a ceremony in Emmitsburg, Maryland.

In Livingston, the Fire Department participated in a Light the Night initiative as a tribute to those fallen firefighters. Fire Chief Chris Mullin asked the community to swap out regular outdoor light bulbs for red ones, as a symbol of support and comfort to the families nationwide who were honored and remembered last weekend.

One World Trade Center in New York City, the Reunion Tower in Dallas, and the LAX Pylons in Los Angeles were some of the notable buildings that participated in the Light the Night event this year. The lighting initiative began on Thursday, May 4, which was International Firefighters Day, and extended through Sunday, May 7, the night of the memorial service in Emmitsburg.

Stormwater Monies?

Dear Editor: Livingston’s next budget will be discussed at a Town Council meeting this May. I ask the Town Council to tell us at that meeting if their proposed budget will include money for the renovation of our town’s stormwater drainage system.

I know that the current budget sets aside money for repairs when any of our town’s infrastructure breaks or fails. I assume our next budget will have similar funding. I am not asking about this repair money. I am asking about whether the next budget sets aside any money for renovations of components of our stormwater drainage system. For example, much stormwater piping in the vicinity of Scott Terrace is currently “inadequate” and needs replacement. Will there be money set aside for such stormwater system renovations? If so, how much?And which parts of the system are scheduled to be renovated this coming year? Matthew Boxer Trombley Drive

To the Editor: