The BERKELEY Times Vol. 29 - No. 27
In This Week’s Edition
MICROMEDIA PUBLICATIONS
Senator-Elect Amato Looks Back On A Lifetime Serving Berkeley
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Government Page 6
Community News Pages 7-11
Dr. Izzy’s Sound News Page 12
Inside The Law Page 15
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Photo by Chris Lundy Senator-Elect Carmen Amato will represent the town in Trenton next year. By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – Mayor Carmen Amato sat down with a reporter during his last month as mayor, in an office with awards and other memorabilia, and said that leaving this post – which he’s had for 12 years – was bittersweet. Becoming elected as a senator for District 9 is a dream, but it means he won’t be involved in the day-to-day operations of a town that he loves
so much. Moving up to Trenton is not his first change in scenery. He has been an elected official for more than three decades. He started as a Berkeley Board of Education member before moving on to Central Regional, then Township Council. With State Senator Christopher Connors not running for re-election, Amato decided to take a shot at the post. It will be
the first time that someone held the seat without the last name Connors, as Christopher’s father Leonard was first voted into that role when the 9th District was redistricted in 1981. It’s been Republican ever since. Amato will be joining Assemblyman Brian Rumpf and Stafford Mayor, Assemblyman-elect Gregory Myhre in making laws for the state from our area. Throughout his tenure as mayor, the Township Council frequently sent resolutions to the governor, the 9th District, and other decision makers about what they thought should happen on the state level. Now, Amato will be the one making the decisions. To a point, at least. As a Republican, he’s in the minority in Trenton, and as a junior member of the Senate, he’ll have a lot of fighting – or reaching across the aisle – to do in order to make progress.
“I’ve already got a to-do list,” he said. One item involves an unfunded mandate that the state compels towns to do. Disabled veterans don’t have to pay property tax. Amato has always said that this is a great program, and a wonderful way to thank veterans. However, the towns lose out on tax revenue. In a town with a huge senior population, like Berkeley, that means that they lose out on quite a bit. In 2020, Berkeley officials estimated that they lost out on $1,188,068.59 in taxes. Connors and his team had previously written a bill requiring the state to reimburse towns for these amounts, and Amato vowed to continue working toward that end. The 9th District was redrawn after the census, and Amato now represents Manchester, another town with a large (Amato - See Page 4)
Longtime County Leader Vicari Bids Farewell To Public Office Photo By Bob Vosseller Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners Joseph H. Vicari reflects on his long career in public office.
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By Bob Vosseller OCEAN COUNTY – He’s been a fixture in county politics for more than fou r de cades and his name wa s c o n s pic u ou sly absent from the ballot this year in the slot of
Ocean County Commissioner. Joseph H. Vicari, the longest serving freeholder/commissioner in the state, is saying farewell. He first beca me f reeholder i n 1982.
His sunset f rom public office however comes with many fond memories, some challenging times and a host of accomplishments. In his private life he ser ved as a
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(Vicari - See Page 4)
December 23, 2023
Trans Policy Stays, Despite Debate By Chris Lundy BERKELEY – A move by two board members to fight the state’s policy on transgender students failed as the rest of the board voted to keep the policy. The policy (nj.gov/education/safety/sandp/climate/docs/Guidance. pdf ) sets out rules to allow all students of any sexual identity to feel safe in an educational setting. One issue in particular is that if a school official learns that a child is not straight, they must keep that child’s secret from the parents. One buzzword that politicians have been using lately is “parental rights,” stating that parents are the first and best advocates for their children. They say that if something is going on with their kids, they have a right to know. Gay rights advocates have been explaining that the policy needs to stay because nonbinary children are more likely to be abused by parents who are homophobic, and they are more likely to r un away from home if they are outed. Central Regional Board of Education me mb e r s He at he r Koenig and Merissa
Borawski had campaigned on fighting sex education policies that came down from the state. During a recent Board meeting they tried to get a vote going to repeal it as it applies to Central. Koenig said the school district should not be replacing the role of parents. When discussing the well-being of children, parents come first. “I would like to keep parents involved,” Borowski said. “(This policy) keeps our children in jeopardy.” They discussed other school districts who were attempting to repeal it. Board President Denise Pavone-Wilson noted that these districts were opening themselves to litigation from the Trenton, and also put themselves in a position where they could lose state funding. Board attorney Christopher Dasti advised that the best thing to do was to keep the policy. Several board members said that even if you don’t like the policy, you are required by law to accept it. Koenig and Borowski voted to remove the policy, but they didn’t garner enough votes to get it to pass.
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