Some Changes in Store for Township Council in Primary Race Lineups

The deadline for filing petitions for the June primary shows some interesting developments in Woodbridge ward council races this year.

One way or the other, there will be changes in the makeup of the Woodbridge Township Council come November, at least among the ward seats which are all up for grabs. Two longtime ward councilmen - Charles Kenny and Bob Luban - will not be returning to their council seats. Kenny is making a run for Middlesex County freeholder on the Democrat ticket, while Luban will be running on the Republican slate for the State Senate seat for the 19th District. Kenny has held his First Ward, which includes Woodbridge Proper and Sewaren, since 1998. Luban has represented Colonia in the Fifth Ward for 28 years. The challengers who will be running for the First Ward are Nancy Drumm, a marketing and membership director for the YMCA. Drumm, who is a …

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Tom Maras

8:46 am on Thursday, April 4, 2013

Is it Party time again? The voters in Woodbridge Township will, in a few months, have an opportunity to tell their elected government if they want chance or more of the same. For me, the answer is easy: CHANGE! But not for change sake alone. My feelings about the McCormac administration, its tactics, policies, bonds, taxing, SPENDING, more taxing, bonding and more SPENDING shenanigans are well …   more ›

Hurricane Sandy

Woodbridge Flooding Victims Express Frustration, Muted Hope After March

Members of the Woodbridge Flood Zone group gave eloquent - and painful - testimony about their Sandy devastated homes at the town council meeting.

Residents of Woodbridge's flood-prone areas were polite, but the patience was becoming threadbare. That was the sentiment at Tuesday's council meeting from the dozens of homeowners who marched down Main Street to Town Hall to keep the pressure on after years of having their flood-battered homes ignored. Most are members of the ad hoc Woodbridge Flood Zone - a group begun by Monique Coleman, who expanded their efforts into a meeting and a frequently updated website - own some of the more than 600 homes in the township that experienced moderate or severe devastation from Hurricane Sandy. The township administration was prepared for the marchers. Mayor John McCormac gave a speech to update residents on progress being made to get the …

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floodvictim2

5:28 pm on Monday, March 25, 2013

First of all Mr. M aras we really do not need your help. I sat near you at the Council meeting last week and you were alseep at your chair for most of it. When you got up you were disrespectful to the Council President. Nobody else in our group was. Mr Coyne was respectful and presentable and you were not. You actually appeared to be inebriated and you were slurring your words. You will notice …   more ›

Hurricane Sandy

VIDEO: Woodbridge Sandy Flood Victims Beg for Help

Residents of flood-prone areas of the township showed up at Tuesday's council meeting, pleading with elected officials for help months after Hurricane Sandy.

Months after Hurricane Sandy's storm surge inundated parts of Woodbridge and destroyed homes, the residents of those areas took matters into their own hands. They converged on Tuesday night's council meeting and turned a reorganization session of the council into a Hurricane Sandy forum. Heidelberg Avenue homeowner Monique Coleman led the charge with a prepared statement, asking for tax relief, home buyouts, and the creation of a flood advisory board made up of residents to tackle ways to alleviate flooding problems. "I urge you to pursue meaningful efforts at long-term flood reduction," Coleman said, brandishing a petition with more than 50 signatures of homeowners in the flooded sections of Woodbridge. She would've had more people sign…

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Charles Kenny, Kyle Anderson to Head Council

The two councilmen were chose to serve as president and vice president of the body at Tuesday night's reorganization meeting.

The votes were in Tuesday night at the Woodbridge Council reorganization meeting, and it was unanimous.  Councilman Charles Kenny was picked to be president for 2013, and Councilman Kyle Anderson was chosen to serve as the governing body's vice president. Kenny will replace outgoing Council President Gregg Ficarra. The counci meeting was packed with Boy Scouts and nominees for various positions filled by the council and Mayor John McCormac, who also stopped by the reorganization session. By far, though, the citizens who showed up for the reorganization weren't there for the festivities. They were there to express their concern about the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy, more than two months after the superstorm's tidal surge wrecked their …

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