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MontClairVoyant: Serious and Silly Superintendent-Survey Submissions
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
The superintendent search! There were public-input sessions this month, and then an online survey asking people what they want in our school district's next leader. Did you fill it out?
Sincerely,
Inboxing Day
I did, and...
MontClairVoyant: Mayor, Mikie, Mike! Some Actions Not to Like
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Mayor Jackson is said to not be seeking a third consecutive term. Others have announced for that job. Congresswoman Mikie Sherrill endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president. There was another contentious Board of Education...
MontClairVoyant: Deign to Feign a Mayoral Campaign? Yup!
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Our minds are full of Democratic caucusing folly and Republican support of dictator wannabe Trump, but there's still brain space to think about Montclair's 2020 municipal election. Will you run for mayor?
Sincerely,
Have...
MontClairVoyant: What Was the Superintendent’s Intended Intent?
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
First a prominent person in Montclair was accused of anti-Semitism and now another prominent person in Montclair is accused of racism. WHO'S NEXT?
Sincerely,
Double Trouble
I don't think this is the time and place to...
MontClairVoyant: Budget News and the Parking Deck Blues
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
The proposed 2020 municipal budget has a zero tax-rate increase, and township debt is down about $60 million since Mayor Jackson and the current Township Council took office in 2012. Good news?
Sincerely,
John Kudos...
MontClairVoyant: Has Montclair BOE Become ‘The Board of the Zings’?
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Anne Mernin resigned from the Board of Education after an anonymous email campaign questioned the tax-paying nature of her Montclair residency and whether the town should be funding her child's out-of-district placement. Thoughts...
Sincerely,
Mean...
MontClairVoyant: ‘The 800 Club’ and a 2020 Prediction Hub
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
This is your 800th "Montclairvoyant" column -- 152 for Baristanet (2017-present) after 648 for The Montclair Times (2003-17). Thoughts?
Sincerely,
Reelin' in the Years
Glad to have more separation from Pat Robertson's bizarre right-wing show "The...
MontClairVoyant: Whirring Through Montclair’s 2019 Months That Were
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
This is your last column of 2019, which means it's time for a Montclair...YEAR-IN-REVIEW!
Sincerely,
Mix of Many a Month
I'll start by reviewing your keyboard's "caps lock" feature: DON'T OVERUSE IT! LOWERCASE! LOWERCASE!
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Whatever. One...
MontClairVoyant: Tanks Rather Than Thanks for Montclair’s Two Congresspeople
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Their support for Trump's deserved impeachment is much appreciated, but Montclair's two congresspeople joined Republicans and many fellow Democrats in voting December 11 for a much-larger-than-needed military budget that gave the GOP nearly...
MontClairVoyant: Food for Thought, Whether Free or Bought
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Could you do a column about food? You know, the stuff we swallow in addition to printouts of MapQuest directions when we're finished with them?
Sincerely,
Take the Digestive Tract South
Stop living in the past...
MontClairVoyant: Holiday, Snow Day, and Short Days Create School Daze
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Early dismissal November 27, then the four-day Thanksgiving weekend, then a snow day December 2, then a delayed opening on the 3rd, then early dismissal for parent-teacher conferences on the 4th, 5th, and...
MontClairVoyant: About Thanksgiving and the Town in Which We’re Living
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
You haven't mentioned Thanksgiving in your column since last Thanksgiving. Why is that?
Sincerely,
The Cranberries
I was going to say "Stuffing Day" comes only once a year, but then I remembered mattresses...
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Are you thankful...
MontClairVoyant: Tests and Busing Are Worth Discussing
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
What were your three main takeaways from this past Monday's Board of Education meeting?
Sincerely,
Thrice and Beans
The disturbing acceptance of (too much) standardized testing, the pleas for South End-based Montclair High students to...
MontClairVoyant: Even an Iguana Would Want a Better Lackawanna
DEAR MONTCLAIRVOYANT,
Last week, you mentioned that A Better Lackawanna (ABL) will hold a musical fundraiser from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, November 16, at Montclair Brewery and also have a presence at...