Columns/Opinions

People attending meetings of the Livingston Township Council will now have to go through a metal detector prior to entering the conference room or Council chambers at Town Hall. Monday evening marked the first appearance and use of the security checkpoint, which was located outside the conference room where the meeting was held at 7:30 p.m.

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The Livingston Community Players (LCP), a long-time Livingston theater group, has appealed to the township for funding to keep the group from “going dark” – a theater term for closing down. There has to be a way to keep this from happening. A non-profit organization that has provided quality community theater to the township for more than seven decades (under a few different monikers) should be cherished.

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With Election Day behind us and Veterans Day in front of us, it is a good time to think about “honor,” whether that means honoring voter decisions or honoring those who have fought on behalf of our great nation. These two significant days of our year present us with an interesting timeline. On Tuesday, we face the election results; cheer if our candidates win, jeer if they do not. Over the next few days, we begin to shake off our “winner/ loser”attitudes and take steps to move forward and work with what we have. And on Saturday, we pay tribute to all of the men and women who have served in the United States military services that protect our great nation.

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In this week’s edition of the West Essex Tribune, the two candidates for the Livingston Board of Education – Charles “Buddy” August and James Calderón – have been given space to summarize their campaigns. Residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, November 7, and decide which of the candidates will fill the one, three-year seat that is available. In the last four weeks, candidates have had the opportunity to use the pages of the Tribune to answer four specific questions. They have attended debate events and spoken before various community groups.

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One very important piece of Livingston’s identity that may not be recognized enough is its commitment to the arts. This commitment is evidenced by the township’s thriving arts culture. Livingston has performing and visual arts covered. In the performing arts category, Livingston offers theater, dance and musical opportunities. In the realm of visual arts, the township boasts a variety of organizations, exhibitions and classes that encompass everything from watercolor to photography.

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We recently attended two community programs, held just a few days apart. One was about “fake news,” and the other was about senior bullying. Two very different topics, but they share several characteristics in common. They are both problems, they are both dangerous, and they both reflect a polarization of people. And, they both require us to be knowledgeable, thoughtful, and pro-active.

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In this week’s edition of the West Essex Tribune, the two candidates who are vying for one seat on the Livingston Board of Education will answer the second of four questions that have been posed to them by the Tribune and the League of Women Voters (LWV). Now is the time for residents to begin to become educated about the candidates. Reading candidates’ answers to these questions, one of which will be published in each issue of the Tribune from now until the November 7 election, is a place to begin the process. In addition, residents should also attend the upcoming LWV Candidates’ Night, which will be held next Wednesday, October 18, at 8 p.m. at the Senior/Community Center on Hillside Avenue.

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The Livingston Fire Department will once again celebrate the beginning of National Fire Prevention Week with its annual Open House and we encourage all residents to attend. It will be held this year on Sunday, October 8, from 1 to 5 p.m. The goal of the program is to educate residents about fire safety issues; and it’s designed to do so in a family-friendly, and fun way.

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We learned this week that long-time Livingston resident and community volunteer extraordinaire, Bob Leopold, has resigned from the Planning Board after 24 consecutive years of service. Leopold is a former township councilman, two-time mayor, former Planning Board chairman, and over the decades has been on about a million committees in town. A million may be an exaggeration, so we requested a list of entities to which Mr. Leopold has dedicated his time.

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National Newspaper Week, which has been in existence since 1940, runs this year from October 1 to 7. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank our readers for their support. The West Essex Tribune is an independent business, and we are proud to be one of the last such independent newspapers in the state.

This year, the theme of National Newspaper Week is “Real Newspapers... Real News,” and that is exactly what we strive to be on a local level.

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