Columns/Opinions

Opinion

Monday night’s Township Council meeting was well-attended for several reasons, mostly due to the influx of first responders on hand to honor Livingston’s living legend, Charlie Schilling. Others, however, were there to find out who would be named our next Council member among Scott Goldman, Laurie Kahn, and Michael Vieira. Unfortunately, they left with no answers.

In a statement to the Tribune on Tuesday, the Council said they have chosen to send the decision back to the Livingston Democratic Committee, where 52 township residents will vote on the selection.

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For federal workers residing in Livingston, or anywhere in the United States for that matter, it has been a weird and difficult month to say the least. As the government shutdown extends past the 30-day mark, the bank accounts of furloughed employees, some of whom live in town, are being stretched thinner and thinner. After all, even those of us lucky to have a comfortable cushion of savings would likely feel the pressure of two missed paychecks.

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At the January 14 Township Council meeting, mayor Al Anthony announced the three residents selected by the Livingston Democratic Committee as candidates to replace Michael Silverman. Michael Vieira, Laurie Kahn, and Scott Goldman are the three nominees, and the Council is now tasked with selecting one to serve until a general election can take place in November. We expect them to read the candidates’ cover letters and resumes, as well as learn more about them through interviews.

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Following the formal resignation of councilman Michael Silverman on January 1, the Livingston Democratic Committee must, within 15 days of that resignation, select three nominees to fill the vacant seat. We are inching closer to that first hurdle; with a Township Council meeting scheduled for next Monday, January 14, we expect to hear more about those nominees at that time. The seat must then be filled by January 30, and the newlyselected Council member will hold the position through 2019. A selection of a candidate to fill the remainder of the term, one year, will be determined through an election this coming November.

This year’s township reorganization meeting, a roughly two-hour event held on New Year’s Day at the Senior/Community Center, saw the Council welcome three members back after winning reelection; bid a fond farewell to another who is soon moving from town; and install a new mayor and deputy mayor. Hundreds of volunteers were appointed or reappointed to various committees.

That a packed crowd filled the building to capacity on a morning when some in attendance were undoubtedly not feeling their best after a late night of New Year’s celebration is a shining example of what makes this township so special:

Engagement. Activism. Stewardship. Participation. Responsibility.

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The proposed renovation of Riker Hill Art Park is long overdue, and the county quickly stepped up its commitment to the site after last October's meeting. Within weeks, workmen were busy cleaning up the access roadway, clearing weeds that inhibited the sight line for motorists, putting in new curbing, painting lines on the road, and installing flashing stop signs and intersection warnings. Two beautiful monument signs have been erected, one on Beaufort Avenue and one on Eisenhower Parkway. Our scraggly, dilapidated park is soon to join the ranks of Essex County's gems.

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As far back as we can remember, “The Rock” has been a part of Livingston. For those who don’t know which rock we’re referencing, it’s the huge one on Shrewsbury Drive, on the northbound side just past the spot where Laurel Avenue and Shrewsbury Drive come together.

Although we’ve done some asking around, nobody seems to know where The Rock came from, nor when the tradition of painting The Rock began. However, for many decades, going back to the 1970s and perhaps even earlier, The Rock has been painted for a variety of reasons.

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While opening night may have been canceled due to inclement weather, Livingston’s annual Camuso Holiday Display, featuring activities and Christmas and Chanukah displays for all ages, is now up and running through the end of the month at the Livingston Oval, weather and ground conditions permitting. The display will be open on weekdays from 5 to 9 p.m., and on weekends from 5 to 10 p.m. It will be closed next Monday and Tuesday, December 10 and 11.

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The elections are over and our Board of Education and Township Council continue to devote untold hours in the performance of their duties, which include making decisions on controversial issues. As volunteers who give considerable time and service to these administrative bodies, they are often passionate about the issues that come before them. The community members who attend the meetings of these organizations are often equally passionate about the topics being discussed, and that passion can sometimes make us lose sight of how we react to others.

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Two weeks later, many of us are still having nightmares about our commute home during the season’s first (and horribly memorable) snowstorm on November 15. The conditions were awful, and fast-falling snow in greater quantities than anticipated resulted in miserable road conditions and hours of gridlock. In the end, the November 15 storm served as a not-so-subtle reminder for all of us that it’s time to prepare for the winter. It’s not coming, folks. It’s already here.

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