Wednesday, 1 November 2023 n www.TheObserver.com n Volume CXXXVI, Issue No. 26
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LIBRARY BLISS
BELLEVILLE n BLOOMFIELD n EAST NEWARK n HARRISON n KEARNY n LYNDHURST n NORTH ARLINGTON n NUTLEY
Branch building will see major upgrades, keeping in line with Humphrey’s long-term vision & goals By Kevin A. Canessa Jr. kc@theobserver.com
Josh Humphrey has always been a visionary. Going back to when he was a youngster, he always saw things globally, never narrowly. So none of this should come as a surprise to anyone who has known Kearny’s long-time library director. He’s been at the helm of so many upgrades and changes to a library that has always been a model system, the envy of the region if you will. Now he will oversee yet another ambitious project, a one-story addition to the branch in the northern part of town — and it will require no additional new funding to pay for it. But don’t just think
of this as a simple addition, because it’s much more storied than that, as you’re about to find out. “The Kearny Public Library has been thrilled to serve the Town of Kearny since the main library was built in 1907. It has long been our goal to serve as the living room and center of this vibrant community,” Humphrey said. “With this in mind, we are always looking to improve both our services and our buildings to better serve our many patrons. Our newest project has the potential to be our best yet.” That may be an understatement. “The branch library has been a part of Kearny’s library system since the town ac-
Artist’s renderings via Josh Humphrey
quired its location in 1927 at 759 Kearny Ave. Since that time, we have embraced the branch as a unique neigh-
borhood library.” Humphrey said. “Using our reserve funds, we are currently planning a project that will see us expand
the branch with a one-story addition at the back of the building that will measure See BRANCH, Page 19
1998 RESURFACES LAST WEEK AT COUNCIL MEETING Fireworks flew as rendez-vous was reminiscent of an extremely hectic era & atmosphere once common in Kearny By Kevin A. Canessa Jr. kc@theobserver.com
When the Kearny Town Council got together Tuesday, Oct. 24, it was as if someone had turned on a time capsule that brought everyone inside that chamber back to 1998 — and then set off a few fireworks once everyone got there. What normally involves matters of routine got particularly contentious at the public speaking portion of the meeting as resident Angela Kolbinger took to
the microphone. Kolbinger, a resident of the Second Ward for 50+ years, covered a gamut of gripes she had with interim Mayor Peter P. Santana. She didn’t hold back much and was extremely loud and animated in her questioning. “I left you a message, Pete, never heard back from you,” Kolbinger excitedly said. “I am upset with you. I am upset with every councilman who has done what they have done to Carol Doyle. I am
sick. I am so disheartened that you, Pete, would allow, 25 years, ago, the woman in your picture, her father didn’t become the judge. “Why do we have to bring up my past, your past? You could have stopped that. But you choose not to do that. I am out there, Pete, and I am home sick and still fighting. People don’t like what you did to her and I don’t think you’d like it done to you.” Kolbinger later said she was referring
to former Councilwoman Susan McCurrie, who as chairwoman of the Kearny Democratic Party, unilaterally removed Doyle from her county committee seat last month. It didn’t end there, however. “I didn’t like the comment you gave me the one night we were outside and you said you’re disappointed in me because I put up Carol Doyle’s sign,” Kolbinger said. “And I said to you, ‘I interview every See COUNCIL, Page 18