Letters — Tewksbury Connect

Letters to the Editor

MARCH 2025

Stop the NHV-BOE Tyranny

Dear Editor,

I’m deeply concerned about the North Hunterdon-Voorhees Board of Education (NHV-BOE). On February 28, Board President Solino and Vice President Gallo, labeling themselves the “executive committee,” tried to fire the district’s attorney—without warning—just weeks after taking leadership.

Solino even told said attorney to stay home that night. She implied that was for a more “honest” conversation with the public. No, it was so our community would not have legal representation present while she made power moves against our interests.

Thankfully, dozens of locals and brave board members stood up, used their voices, and stopped the madness. Tewksbury resident and past BOE member Deb Bonomi framed it perfectly during her public comments: this was an ethical crisis. Another way to say it is tyranny.

To stay in power, tyranny must break rules, lie, make backroom deals, and represent special, private interests, not you. Solino, who supported book banning, and Gallo, her flat-earther partner in censorship, are tyrants. Their agenda last meeting, to fire our lawyer and install their allied crazy-town law firm, with no experience for school boards, was yet another example.

Worse, Tewksbury representatives Cagno and Anfuso-Deeney voted for this circus. In January, they voted extremists Solino and Gallo into board leadership positions, rather than the vastly more-experienced mainstream nominees, Brendan McIsaac and Tara Hintz. At least Anfuso-Deeney pumped the brakes in February by voting against the surprise law firm scheme. Cagno, on the other hand, voted in lock step with Solino and Gallo, as usual.

Watch the meeting for yourself at tinyurl.com/SolinoScheme and listen to Deb Bonomi’s insightful comments about ethics. Also, watch past and future meetings online from there on the school district’s YouTube channel.

The NHV-BOE meetings are held at 1445 State Route 31 South, Annandale, NJ 08801. Check nhvweb.net for the schedule. Attend in-person or write to the school board at that main address. Whichever you prefer, tell them to stop the tyranny.

Guy Citron, Fairmount Road West

FEBRUARY 2025

Tewksbury Chooses Book Banners and Flat Earther for Board Leadership

Guy Citron

Fairmount Rd W, Tewksbury, NJ 07830

Tewksbury Times

Submitted for Publication on Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Tewksbury Chooses Book Banners and Flat Earther for Board Leadership

The first order of business at the January 7 North Hunterdon-Voorhees Board of Education (NHV-BOE) reorganization meeting was selecting a new Board President and Vice President.

Although seasoned educator and experienced board officer Brendan McIsaac was nominated, the President’s gavel went to Kimberly Solino, who has consistently refused to protect the right to read in district libraries. She was nominated, without discussion of her qualifications, by newly elected board member Richard Lordi. Similarly, 2nd-year Tewksbury representative Kristina Cagno nominated fellow book-banner Nicole Gallo for Vice President, also without any statement of qualifications or an explanation for ousting longtime board member Tara Hintz from the Vice President’s chair. Both Cagno and newly-elected Tewksbury representative Angela Anfuso-Deeney voted for Solino and Gallo instead of moderates, ostensibly, to continue the extremist circus.

School boards are supposed to be non-partisan bodies. But these votes confirm the NHV-BOE is under the control of a far-right majority, holding a 6.3 to 5.7 vote advantage.

What does far-right look like? Gallo is the personification. She has declared that being gay is an abomination to the Lord and has claimed, as science deniers do, that the Earth is flat. Her board campaign, along with those of Lordi and Cagno, was conducted in partnership with Republican politicians, deepening the school board’s politicization. This majority is likely to reignite efforts to ban books in special service to their easily offended voter-base. That is how a once blue-ribbon school district descends into political turmoil.

As outlined by the Board attorney at the same meeting, the Code of Ethics for School Board Members prohibits: 1) rule-breaking, 2) neglecting student needs based on discrimination, 3) promoting special interests, 4) micromanaging school administration, 5) making compromising personal promises, 6) discussing confidential matters, and 7) failing to support personnel in their duties. Community observers of board proceedings have serious concerns about Gallo’s compliance with these ethical standards.

So why have our Tewksbury representatives chosen this hateful flat-Earther? Cagno and Anfuso-Deeney owe everyone an explanation.

JANUARY 2025

Run for Tewksbury Township Committee

Editor:

Any resident can run for a seat in our local government, the Tewksbury Township Committee. This year, there are two member seats to run for. If you are interested, or know someone who might be, please consider the following.

Based on the County Clerk’s data, in 2024 our town had roughly 2,159 Republican, 1,478 unaffiliated, and 1275 Democratic registered voters. A partisan candidate would first have to win the primary election in June to be their party’s nominee for November. That means getting at least half plus one of their party’s primary votes.

Regardless of party, or no affiliation, what you need is basic. It starts with a petition, available at the Tewksbury Administration Office. Typically, you need around ten signatures. Once that is submitted, you’re on the ballot. Call: 908-439-0022 or visit the office building at 169 Old Turnpike Road for more information about the petition.

Perhaps the most complicated support a candidate would need is a treasurer. Among many essential tasks, the treasurer files reports to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission [NJ ELEC] at points in time during the campaign regarding funds raised. Luckily, there are many people in the grassroots who enjoy volunteering that service having such credentials through other work.

Furthermore, we need Township Committee members like we need police officers, fire fighters, educators, and so on. These leadership roles empower, support, and raise the community. It is also important to remember that politics is supposed to be a public service, not Game of Thrones. No one needs permission from anyone to run, for any public office, ever. It is a fundamental civil right.

Lastly, it’s not about politics. It’s about community, democracy, and helping your neighbors. Simply trying, and bringing issues and solutions to light, is your duty as a citizen. It also makes the playing field less entitled and more competitive. That is how we improve the quality of life and representation for everyone. Give it a shot.

Good luck!

Guy Citron, Fairmount Road West

DECEMBER 2024

Dear Community Members,

I am deeply honored and humbled to accept the position on the Board of Education. This victory is not just mine, but ours, and it reflects our shared commitment to the future of our children and our schools.

To those who supported me with your vote, thank you for your trust and confidence. Your belief in my vision and dedication means the world to me, and I am eager to get to work on the initiatives we discussed throughout my campaign.

To those who did not vote for me, I understand and respect your choice. I look forward to earning your trust and confidence in the future. My goal is to serve every member of our community, and I am committed to listening to your concerns and working together to find common ground.

I also want to extend my heartfelt appreciation to all the candidates who ran in this election. Your passion and dedication to our community are truly inspiring. I welcome your ideas and suggestions and look forward to collaborating with you to make our schools the best they can be.

Thank you once again for this incredible opportunity. Together, we will achieve great things for our children and our community.

Sincerely,

Eric Schwartz

—-

Dear Editor,

First, I would like to thank you for supporting our community with all that you do. We appreciate your highlighting local activities and issues. My neighborhood participated in the T.T. sponsored Block Party Program and what a success! Great to connect with neighbors.

I am happy to see articles in the paper like the one from Guy Citron in your last issue ("Anti-Government Hate Groups in Tewksbury?") and hope to see more such articles from ALL viewpoints (My wife and I have a bi-partisan household). I wish the article could have included more information about BOE candidates to help all of us make educated decisions. Information such as who is supported by the "New Jersey Project" is important for us all to know as well as quotes from each candidate on their stances relative to important issues. I am thankful for Mr. Citron's article since it brought to my attention the NJ Project. I had no idea what it was and was able to then look into this movement for myself. Our students deserve the best non-partisan education as possible. Doing this will make sure we continue to give our students the "National Blue Ribbon School" (Best in the nation) designation they deserve.

I wish informational reporting like this could be done for other local elections such as Mayor, Town Council and even County level elections.

The best journalism gets all the information out there so the community can decide on elections and so they can go speak up at BOE and Town Council meetings making sure the government is doing the work of the people. We need to make sure that a resource as valuable at the Tewksbury Times gives clear information about issues and the full story from all sides.

Thank you,

Philip and Rebecca Stein

Tewksbury Residents

NOVEMBER 2024

Dear Editor:

Thursday, October 17th, there was a major victory for residents of the Highlands; a water protection area that covers parts of Bergen, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Warren, and Hunterdon Counties. The Highlands Council voted to reject a proposed new warehouse project over roughly 75 acres of farmland in rural Warren County. Beyond the environmental concerns of increased truck traffic, flooding, and pollution, many saw this vote as a test of whether the Council’s new “warehouse policy” could be used to redevelop undeveloped land. That was one dimension of the controversy.

Concerned citizens submitted letters and showed up in-person demanding the Council follow its own mandate to protect our natural resources, namely the water supply. Other points to consider were sticking to the Highlands Master Plan, addressing technical inconsistencies that exploit the NJ Redevelopment law, and the fact that warehouse demand has significantly fallen, whose jobs will soon become automated. For context, the typical narrative is that these mega-structures are the only way for rural economies to survive, and that everything else has been tried. Yet locals are increasingly aware that their small-town quality of life goes hand in hand with support for main street businesses, vibrant communities, outdoor recreation, agriculture, heritage tourism, and land preservation. Only developers, land speculators, their politicians, and lawyers seem interested in overdevelopment.

The corruption behind warehouse sprawl was mentioned as another aspect of the problem. Several people pointed out that State Senator Doug Steinhardt, who represents Somerset, Warren, and Hunterdon, has several conflicting interests in the matter. For example, he is partner in a law firm that has a specialty in representing warehouse development, and he is the Chairman of the Warren County Republican Committee [Party]. He is also being investigated by the FBI in connection with the purchase of public land that was flipped for a warehouse deal in Southern Jersey.

Highlands Councilmember Dan Bush, who is also listed as Hunterdon County Administration Division Head, made the motion to vote and voted yes to pave over the farmland. His stated reasoning was that redevelopment designations are a question of “home rule”, and thus local Planning and Land Use Boards should be the ultimate authority. However, seeing as how there is virtually no opposition party in Warren County, Steinhardt has massive influence as a political boss to choose who leads those local governments, and potentially what developments related to his businesses get approved.

The last, and perhaps most upsetting point raised, was that intimidation to silence the matter has become the norm. At public meetings, people are afraid to speak up about their local warehouse issues, and Steinhardt’s possible involvement. There’s been stalking, cars tampered with, children threatened, and reputations smeared with lies, to name a few tactics. When contacted, local law enforcement has been unable to provide security or answers. How could citizens be expected to exercise “home rule” under such conditions of “mob rule”?

The Executive Director of the Council, Ben Spinelli, pointed out that in addition to the value of protecting our Highland’s drinking water, which millions of New Jerseyans rely on, random periods of drought such as we are currently in and torrential downfalls that create floods are our new reality. He stressed that preserving land in response is one way we stay resilient despite such climate change. If you agree and see warehouse sprawl as the emerging statewide issue that it is, tell that to the Highland’s Council at: highlands@highlands.nj.gov. Your voice absolutely matters because this was a close vote, the Council needs to hear it from you, and they are listening. Please speak up.

Guy Cirtron

Fairmount Road West

Califon, NJ

Dear Editor:

In the May 2024 issue, there was a letter to the Editor regarding the disappointment in the full-page ad from the April issue displaying book burning. The editor’s response included a statement that they were working on an article to explain the background information and “book-banning pressures.” Where does the editorial board receive their information to completely convey from both sides and why is the Tewksbury Times becoming involved?

In the June 2024 issue, there was a full-page article reviewing the May 7th NHV Board Meeting where the members voted on a book that was challenged by a concerned parent. If you view the YouTube video of the meeting, you will see that board discussion from all sides was omitted in this article.

Points to consider:

Understand that concern for obscene material and instructional information on how to sext, seek porn and insert plugs into your backside being available to minors is not book banning.
It is interesting that someone tried to submit an ad to this paper including illustrations regarding this book and it was denied due to being inappropriate. (See Tewksbury Connect website Letters to the Editor button – June letters)
The Tewksbury Times is allowing contributions from a leader in a politically- slanted activist group.

Lastly, the Board of Education meeting for August was on the 13th and with an August 15th deadline, somehow an article pertaining to the meeting made it to the front page. The article begins by stating that there is an increasing pattern of board members choosing to abstain from important votes. If you notice from the minutes, board members have been absent during summer meetings and when they return, they need to abstain from certain votes. The board member that the Staff Writer is referring to who abstained in the August 13th meeting is not a representative for Tewksbury Township. The article insinuates it is someone representing our township. If abstaining is an issue, why not call out the Board Member who steadfastly abstains on budget item because he does not “understand”. Also, there was not a presentation on Strategic Planning that night as is stated in this article; it was on the Board’s goals. My point is, be aware that the writer of these articles is not providing you with accurate and balanced information.

I would like to suggest as other residents have done in letters to the editor, stick with the original intention of our earlier Tewksbury Times and omit these types of articles. We enjoy the latest news from our volunteers, organizations, events, and fundraisers. I know many community members who are just tossing their copy into recycling and do not want to support this paper.

Andy Patykula

Old Turnpike Rd

Mr. Patykula:

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions.

It is doubtful that any publication can “completely convey from both sides” all aspects of any issue. As a small publication, reliant on donations for financial support, we do not have a large staff to draw on. We rely on writers who are willing to share their time to write for us, and use our editorial judgment in assessing the merits of any given article. We are always ready to hear multiple opinions. Our policy is to publish every letter to the editor. If there is not sufficient space in our paper edition, letters are published online, in their entirety, as we do not edit letters. The only caveat on this policy is that letters containing blatantly offensive language (we are all familiar with the “7 dirty words”) or defamatory content will be rejected in their entirety, at the editor’s sole discretion, since we do not edit letters. Why we are involved in the question of book banning and intellectual freedom should be self-evident.

In regard to your first Point to Consider, concern about any subject does not equate to book banning. Removing a book from a school library collection, over the protest of professional librarians and parents who wish that book to be available could be considered book banning. Our understanding is that at present a parent may inform the high school librarian that they wish any book not to be available to their own child, and that wish will be respected. This seems a more reasonable solution than restricting access to certain books to all children.

Revisiting the issue of the proposed ad that was not accepted for our May edition, if you read the entirety of our editor’s response, you will see that the problems with that ad were that it was submitted without advance notice at 4:30pm on the day of our deadline, by which time all space (certainly full pages) had already been allocated, and that there was uncertainty about the source of the ad. An offer was made to include an ad in the following month’s edition, or to run the content as a Letter to the Editor, but there was no response to that offer from the potential advertiser. Additionally, we noted that the illustrations included in that proposed ad were too graphic for our family publication. As stated, “We are mailing directly to all homes in our township, many of which have school-age children in them. If the materials you reference might cause concern by their existence in a library collection, how much more concern would they cause if we were to force them directly into our neighbors’ homes?” To clarify, we did not find the illustrations offensive, but do understand how some people might find them inappropriate for our younger readers. To that extent, we decided to err on the side of caution.

You note that we are “allowing contributions from a leader in a politically-slanted activist group.” You appear to be referencing Guy Citron, whose affiliation with North Hunterdon Voorhees Intellectual Freedom Fighters is noted under his articles. The Tewksbury Times welcomes contributions from a variety of writers. If someone chooses not to write to us, we cannot force them to do so. We included Citron’s affiliation to make it clear to readers that his words may be biased.

Yes, the article about the August 13th NHV Board of Education meeting was submitted by our deadline of August 15th. We heartily applaud people who submit content prior to our deadline. The writer—again, Guy Citron—was asking the question whether abstaining from voting is giving adequate representation to one’s constituents. Citron used the August 13th meeting as “the most recent example,” he did not single out (or even name) the board member in question, and the specific district that s/he represents is irrelevant. The North Hunterdon-Voorhees Board of Education manages our high school. That particular vote on that particular question was secondary to his larger question: Are you representing your constituents when you abstain from a vote? It is conceivable that if one were on vacation for the prior month, one might not have sufficient information to cast a well-considered vote (although it seems unlikely that someone would return from a trip the day before the meeting, and have no time to become acquainted with agenda items), however, that was not the question, which was a much more general inquiry: Is abstaining a valid representation of constituents? Citron raised a question, and concluded his article with the words, “What do you think?” To this date, we have not heard any answers to that question, although, apparently, you believe that under some circumstances there could be mitigating factors under which an abstention would be the prudent course of action.

Since The Tewksbury Times was revived last year, under the aegis of Tewksbury Connect, we have taken on the larger goal of informing residents not only about fundraisers and recreational events but also about some of the larger issues that confront us all as residents, voters, taxpayers. As Arthur Miller said: “A good newspaper, I suppose, is a nation talking to itself.” In that spirit, we are endeavoring to spark conversations that will lead to greater engagement, neighbor to neighbor, and within our larger community. How the members of our school boards comport themselves, what land-use decisions our local officials make, what capital projects the County Commission funds, and what issues all of these public servants decide are worth their time have ramifications for all of us. It behooves us to pay attention, and we, at The Tewksbury Times, are making our own small effort to bring issues to the attention of our readers, fully understanding that our reporting cannot be exhaustive. We endeavor to keep articles brief, and well headlined, so our busy readers can tell quickly what they want to read, and what to skip. If someone prefers to throw the baby out with the bath water and recycle the entire edition, unread, that is certainly their choice to make. We believe, however, that most people would rather be informed about local issues, even if they do not agree with the particular word choice of a particular writer.

– editor

OCTOBER 2024

Dear Editor:

Guy Cirtron
Fairmount Road West
Califon, NJ

SEPTEMBER 2024
Dear Editor:

Points to consider:

Understand that concern for obscene material and instructional information on how to sext, seek porn and insert plugs into your backside being available to minors is not book banning.
It is interesting that someone tried to submit an ad to this paper including illustrations regarding this book and it was denied due to being inappropriate. (See Tewksbury Connect website Letters to the Editor button – June letters)
The Tewksbury Times is allowing contributions from a leader in a politically- slanted activist group.

Andy Patykula
Old Turnpike Rd

Mr. Patykula:

Thank you for taking the time to share your opinions. It is doubtful that any publication can “completely convey from both sides” all aspects of any issue. As a small publication, reliant on donations for financial support, we do not have a large staff to draw on. We rely on writers who are willing to share their time to write for us, and use our editorial judgment in assessing the merits of any given article. We are always ready to hear multiple opinions. Our policy is to publish every letter to the editor. If there is not sufficient space in our paper edition, letters are published online, in their entirety, as we do not edit letters. The only caveat on this policy is that letters containing blatantly offensive language (we are all familiar with the “7 dirty words”) or defamatory content will be rejected in their entirety, at the editor’s sole discretion, since we do not edit letters. Why we are involved in the question of book banning and intellectual freedom should be self-evident.

– editor

Hi, Edwin,Please see the attached full page ad and contract-
[The ad was received via e-mail at 4:35pm on the day of our deadline.]
Let me know if you need anything further from me.

Cindy Entwistle

Cindy:I'm sorry, I could not include your ad in the May issue.We are a small publication and an additional full page ad is too much space for me to accommodate at the last minute. We will see if we can get you in the June issue.Frankly, we are concerned by the Tallahassee billing address you gave, and thefact that your homespun-looking ad seems to have come from a PR firm.Areyou a Tewksbury resident currently at your winter home?If not, we will definitely want to include information about the source of your ad.If you are not aware,The Tewksbury Times Is a local publication for and about the residents ofTewksbury Township and our immediate area.As you can see from our website,our mission is to encourage and facilitate conversations among our neighbors,not to get drawn into national culture wars.Additionally, the illustrations in your ad are too graphic for our publication.Weare mailing directly to all homes in our township, many of which have school-agechildren in them.If the materials you reference might cause concern by their existence in a library collection, how much more concern would they cause if wewere to force them directly into our neighbors' homes?If you area Tewksbury resident, we certainly do not wish to give offence,however since we are all about neighbors connecting with neighbors, it is not inour interest to include any information that may tend to be misleading about the source of any content, paid advertisement, event notice, or Letter to the Editor.We will certainly need to clear that up before proceeding.Since we will not publish the illustrations you had included, I would invite you simply to submit your comments as a Letter to the Editor, for which there is no fee involved.Please see ourLetters Policy, along with our other contribution guidelines.We have no interest in sharing what Marleigh Schaffer or GraceEnglish have to say, but we are very much interested in helping you participate ina conversation with our neighbors.

My apologies for not getting back to you sooner, but deadline time is always hectic, and we needed time to understand the nature of your submission and how we could best accommodate your needs.Thank you.Edwin

Edwin and Diana-I wish I could say I was surprised at your reply. I certainly am not.I was told to get the ad in by the 15th of the previous month and I did just that.Taking 3 days to respond to me after a few emails – you put me on the backburner for obvious reasons.Your concern has no merit – I have lived in Tewksbury for 26 years. As a matterof fact, a neighbor of Darcie Venito for almost 20 years, who has advertised withyou in the past continues to do so now. She can vouch for me if need be.My “home-spun” looking ad was a letter I created and then shared with Moms forLiberty as to not write anything that did not reflect exactly what they stand for andfight for.I did not want to mis-represent them in any way.You can understandthat, right? Many of the ads that are placed in the Tewksbury Times are createdby ad agencies, or graphic designers. I don’t see a problem here.My favorite part of your email is the 3rd paragraph - where you are in totalagreement that the graphic illustrations I shared in the ad are not appropriate forschool aged children.Precisely why I created the letter in the first place. Thesebooks have no place in our school libraries and no librarian should recommendthem to a child without their parent’s knowledge.There should be nopornography in our schools & no sexualization of our students.If you want topurchase these books for your family, they are readily available for purchase;either in a bookstore or on line. Have at it- fill your child’s bookcase if that is whatyou wish to do.A full page ad depicting “the burning books” while defaming Moms for Liberty asa hate group is OK for you to publish, but when I want to show our communitywhat is exactly is in these books, that is “off limits” according to you and Diana.Hypocrisy, no?Have you ever witnessed anyone burning books, as depicted in the ad that I wasresponding to? I have not and that is certainly not what Moms for Libertyadvocates for.As parents, we should have the right to know and have the right to approve ordisapprove of what is being taught under the guise of “Comprehensive SexEducation” to our children, at all age levels.You are correct, we need to educate our community.I hope you now understand the “nature" of my submission

Cindy

-----------------------------

Editor:

Thank you for taking the initiative to restart the Tewksbury Times, but after only afew issues, it's apparent you are going to gaslight controversial issues in the Editorial section and whatever article you are going to write on book banning,Moms for Liberty and whatever else you deem extremist. In your own words youdesire to " spark a conversation among residents and that goal won't be helpedby guiding comments." But you are guiding commentary and articles. So here's asuggestion, how about you refrain from the editorial section altogether and anytopic that might be divisive or one sided? As a long-time resident, I'd greatlyappreciate it if you would just promote local events and discuss town news in animpartial way, as opposed to stirring up a peaceful community with divisivecommentary. And hell, you might even save a tree by keeping your paper to 12pages as opposed to 16 pages. Our country is divided enough and the last thingthis town needs is to see more political inflammatory issues in an alreadystressful election year.Respectfully –Carol Ponzo, Felmley RoadDear Carol,Thank you for taking the time to write! I couldn't agree with you more.The mission of Tewksbury Connect is: "Tewksbury Connect works to increaseconnections among the residents of Tewksbury Township, by sharing information,and public education, while encouraging participation from the next generation ofcommunity leaders."Our intention was/is to provide a forum for the sharing of ideas, to let neighborsknow what neighbors are thinking, and not to discriminate, but to let peoplespeak for themselves. However, we are now considering that our good intentionmay be too easily derailed by people not accustomed to civil discussion. Amonthly publication of limited space may not be as conducive to discussion aswe would like.Our Board is currently looking at options, and the possibility for unintendedconsequences, and I will definitely add your comments to our deliberations.Thank you, again.EdwinThank you for getting back to me. We always enjoyed Tewksbury Times in the“old days” when you ran it and I think your mission of connecting Tewksbury Residents is admirable, but we’re all looking for peaceful common ground without controversy, politics, full-page one sided ads and gaslighting editorial comments.Cheers and be well!!

Carol Ponzo, Felmley Road

MAY 2024

Editor:

Thank you for all the hard work bringing this newsletter back to life. As a relative newcomer to our community, I find myself deeply enamored with the charm of ourtown. However, amidst this admiration, I feel compelled to address the amount ofnose-picking that I’m witnessing throughout Tewksbury. I’m not sure folks realize,but nose-picking is the #3 cause of automobile accidents, the #5 cause of divorce among individuals ages 3 to 5, and seismologists have recently concluded that increased nasal excavation in town has led to the recent earthquakes we’re all experiencing. There are non-existing surveys available to explore for anyone who may find this unbelievable. Anyway, thanks again for all the hard work with this newsletter and I’d implore all residents to take your fingers out of your nose and put them into the voting booths come November.
Thom Hinkle, Tewksbury Resident