Downey Road Gets a Facelift

Ten-wheelers prepare to cart away the old road surface of Downey
Road which has since been completely stripped and resurfaced.
(Image/Dick Bergeron)

One of the results of budget tightening in Bridgewater since the financial and real estate debacles of 2007/2008 is that this Township, as well as other municipalities throughout New Jersey, has had to carefully watch expenses and the outflow of cash.

 
The poor condition of some of the roadways in this Township seems to have been an unintended casualty of the need to address fiscal austerity.
 
For example, Downey Road is a short, very busy little connector that runs from Route 202/206 near the Green Knoll Grille.  It links up with Woodlawn Avenue and Garretson Road, at the point where these two streets meet at the overpass that spans 202/206.

An American Thanksgiving

Annalee Dolls in our home reflect the joyous spirit of the day.
(Image/Dick Bergeron)

This morning, after yesterday’s Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family just outside of the Nation’s Capital, I was reminded not only of how uniquely American this national holiday is, but also of how it has come to be such a significant day of celebration and gratitude for newly-minted American immigrants as well

In an above-the-fold article on this morning’s front page of the print edition of The Washington Post, writer Luz Lazo quotes Abraham Lima, a Salvadoran immigrant who says, “How can I not be thankful?” 

Several photos depict Mr. Lima with his wife, his grown children, and his granddaughter sitting at their dining room table, offering up a pre-meal prayer of gratefulness for the blessings which have been showered upon them in their new country.

Monday, November 21, 2011

Santa awaits his kids on the other side of
this three-story high Christmas tree. 
(Image/Dick Bergeron)

Each year the Bridgewater Commons Mall sets up its tall Christmas tree for the Holiday Season in the open area of the three-story atrium at center court.  That’s where parents have already begun to bring their young children to visit Santa Claus so that they can ask him to fulfill their favorite wish.

There are also two other much smaller, though just as significant Holiday trees where some of the neediest people, although they may not be able to visit the Mall and Santa Claus, can still ask in absentia for a favored wish:  

These are the two Salvation Army make-a-wish Angel Trees upon which needy people of all ages, sizes, desires, and cultures get a chance to have a tag hung on one of two trees on their behalf.

One of the Angel Trees is prominently displayed next to the up escalator near the huge Santa Claus Holiday tree in the Atrium area, about 20 feet across the aisle from the entrance to Godiva Chocolate.

Board Picks Petrozelli

At an open public meeting which began at 7:30 p.m. last night and finished nearly four hours later, the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education elected Daniel M. Petrozelli to fill the School Board seat vacated by Anda Cytroen who resigned in September.

A happy Daniel Petrozelli after his appointment to the Board
of Education.  (Dick Bergeron Image.)

Mr. Petrozelli is a licensed electrician, a seven-and-a-half year Bridgewater Township resident, and has a daughter who will be entering elementary school in this district.

He served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service from 1983 to 1986, and earned his Associate’s Degree from Raritan Valley Community College in 1989.  Petrozelli worked his way up the ladder in his trade and is currently employed by Local 102 of the IBEW in Parsippany, where he works as a certified instructor to electrical apprentices.

In a process which was completely transparent and open to the public for observation, the Board interviewed 11candidates who were queried separately in the conference room at the Wade Administration Building.  Of thirteen people who had submitted applications, eleven showed up.

Each person was allotted five minutes, during which time they were asked to explain why they wanted to be on the Board; what skill sets and experience they would apply in their role as a Board member: and, what ideas did each have to improve the educational and budgetary issues facing the School District.

This was followed by a five-minute questioning period by individual Board members, including a one minute summary by each candidate.

There even was a touch of high technology in the process, as Jacqueline Barlow, one of the candidates who was out of the country on business, was accommodated by the Board – she joined the process via a Skype video conference call.

Candidates to be Interviewed for Board Seat Tomorrow Night

Since my post of November 2nd, when I reported that six candidates had filed for an open seat on the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education, seven other candidates have since filed their petitions to be considered for this post. 

Board Members Arthur Mathur and Anne Marie Mead enjoy a
light moment at a meeting in September. (Dick Bergeron Image)

The opening is the result of the resignation of Anda Cytroen who was up for election to another 3-year term in the April, 2012, School Board/Budget Election.  Whoever is appointed to the post will need to run again for the job in April.

In addition to those who filed on November 2^nd; namely, Jacqueline M. Barlow, John Chang, Michelle Moore, Joan L. Muldoon, Daniel M. Petrozelli, and Terri B. Yessman, seven other aspirants have submitted their paperwork.  Filing for the job was closed on November 9^th.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday, November 15^th,  at a Special Board Meeting, and following a one-hour closed-door meeting on another topic which will begin at 6:30 pm in the Wade Administration Building in Martinsville, the Board will reconvene in open public session  at 7:30 pm to interview candidates for this vacancy.

The names of the additional seven candidates are listed below in alphabetical order:

Penn State at Halftime

Both teams pause in a pre-game prayer for victims of sex abuse.
(TV Screenshot/Dick Bergeron)

The second quarter between the Nittany Lions and Nebraska’s Cornhuskers has just ended as I am writing this post. 

But it’s halftime for more than just a football team today.  The leadership of Penn State University, as well as that of its athletic program is also in the midst of its own halftime. 

Both are losing badly.  Maybe we should put the kids in charge. 

It’s hard to find the right words to categorize the shameless acts which are alleged to have been committed on the campus of Penn State University by people entrusted with the welfare of young people. 

Bridgewater Township Election Results: Republicans Win Mayoral and Council Seats

The Great Seal of Bridgewater Township, NJ (Image/Dick Bergeron)

The contest for the Bridgewater Township Mayor's post and the two Council seats is over.

Dan Hayes garnered 3,815 votes for the Mayor's job, defeating Jim Ventantonio and George E. Jones who tallied 2,552 and 1,613 votes, respectively. Hayes will succeed current Mayor Patricia Flannery who declined to run for another term.

Similarly, Republican incumbents on the Bridgewater Township Council, Matthew Moench and Christine Henderson-Rose garnered 4,679 and 4,567 votes, respectively, defeating Democrat challengers Mary Pranzatelli and John Rooney who won 3,068 and 2,927 votes, respectively.

Bridgewater to Select New Mayor on Tuesday

Initially, Bridgewater officials did not expect such a large turnout for the debate between the three mayoral candidates which took place on Thursday evening, November 3^rd, at the Bridgewater Municipal Complex. 

However, the world of politics in Bridgewater is still vibrant, and that means that high-profile local contests usually attract large gatherings.  Bridgewater residents had already filled a relatively small conference room to overflow capacity, even as other citizens began to fill the corridors.

Dan Hayes, Council Member and mayoral candidate.  (Image/Dick Bergeron)

Nonetheless, contingency plans had already been made by the League of Women Voters and the Township – the venue was quickly changed to the much larger public meeting room just a few feet away. 

The Township Council had already been in closed session, but it graciously gave up the larger room, and a swap was quickly made.

Running for the mayor’s office are three very qualified candidates, all of which have experience in the affairs of Bridgewater, and some of whom know this town like the back of their hand.  This race was prompted by the announcement by current Bridgewater Mayor Patricia Flannery that she would not run for another term of office.

In alphabetical order:

Six Candidates Apply for School Board Vacancy

Much of the attention in the local Bridgewater political realm is currently focused on the general election that will be held on November 8, 2011, for candidates hoping to fill the empty mayoral spot created by Mayor Patricia Flannery, who decided not to run for a third term, prompting a three-way race for that seat. 

The ballot for next Tuesday’s election  also includes contests for two seats on the Bridgewater Township Council; two on the Somerset County Board of Chosen Freeholders; and, in the 23^rd District, one seat for State Senate and two for the Assembly. 

Anda Cytroen, far left, with Board colleagues, 5/17/2011. (Image/Dick Bergeron)

However, there is another open seat for which you won’t get to vote for until April 2012, but which is also a critical post:  A vacancy occurred as the result of the resignation by Anda Cytroen, who, until recently, was a member of the Bridgewater-Raritan Board of Education.

Ms. Cytroen’s 3-year term was scheduled to expire next April, at which time, in the normal course of events, she would have decided whether or not to run again.

But Cytroen’s in-term resignation means that the B-R BOE must fill her position with a person who, after appointment to the Board of Education, will occupy that post until next April, when the seat will be up for grabs again in the School Board/Budget election.