Columns/Opinions

The Tribune received two letters of applause this week, one lauding a Livingston Post Office mail carrier, and the other, deputy mayor Michael Vieira, who will serve as mayor in 2023.

Honest Mail Carrier

“Many people say that the true definition of integrity is ‘doing the right thing when no one is watching,’ ” wrote Juan Quintero of Hllside Avenue. “I wanted to share this story with the rest of the community. The U.S. Postal Service has – at times deservedly – received much criticism in the last few years, but this will not be one of those times.

“My elderly out-of-town mom mailed my wife a birthday card with a gift card inside. The envelope arrived soaking wet from a recent rainstorm and the gift card was missing from the envelope. I went to the Post Offi ce to report what I assumed at the time was a theft even though I had no expectations about recovering the card or the funds on it.

December 23, 1982: The Livingston Board of Education scheduled a special meeting to conduct a formal vote on whether to close both Burnet Hill and Harrison Schools at the end of the 1983-84 school year, the Tribune reported on its front page 40 years ago this week.

In keeping with a long-established tradition for its last issue before Christmas, the Tribune printed a story of “Christmas in Old Livingston” by Freeman Harrison.

The Township Council approved a liquor license transfer that in effect gave the green light to a major expansion of Sweet Maggie’s Pub in the Livingston Mall.

The Council also voted to reject bids received for emergency repairs to a sanitary sewer main.

The current campaign of the United Way of North Essex, which included Livingston in its service area, had reached 50 percent of its goal.

It was brought to our attention this week that a photo in the “40 Years

Ago” column of the October 20 edition of the Tribune was printed with a different caption for the same school. Below is the photo with the correct caption.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and as we continue through this holiday season, we wanted to reflect on some matters that are regularly brought up around this time.

It is well worth a reminder to drive safely this holiday season. As a deterrent to dissuade drunk driving, police departments statewide are expected to once again add extra enforcement on the road through New Year’s Day as part of the annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaign.

This holiday season, make smart choices, and make sure those around you are doing the same. Sometimes we have to make others’ choices for them, which may cause some friction, but is well worth it in the end. In addition, respect the police officers who will be out in full force to ensure that our roadways remain as safe as possible, as we bustle from parties, to malls, to grocery stores, and everywhere in between.

As winter approaches next week and with the sun setting by 5 p.m. (Wednesday, December 21, will be the darkest day of the year), we must remember, as drivers and pedestrians, to be wary of others on the roadways. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic nearly three years ago, many more people have taken to the streets to get some fresh air and exercise, and drivers must remember to be careful, particularly when it gets dark out. And walkers, runners, and bicyclists should not assume that motorists can see you; particularly when navigating around leaf piles into the center of streets, be sure to look out for vehicles, wear reflective clothing, and use flashlights.

Last month, Livingston said goodbye to one of its most beloved employees, Liliana Branquinho, who is leaving after serving as Livingston’s senior and adult enrichment and special events supervisor for nearly 11 years.

From concerts to senior socials, Healthy Bones classes and special programs, residents surely know Liliana’s face, and most know her by name. She helped run the Fourth of July and Memorial Day celebrations, the Intergenerational Prom, and the outdoor summer concert series, to name a few of Livingston’s most popular annual gatherings. Outside of those public-facing events, she led a variety of fitness classes, held information sessions, and so much more. She loved working with seniors, particularly veterans, and it showed; she was always happy to take the time for a nice long chat with “her” seniors, and despite some late nights as a result of the occasional evening programming, she always did it with a smile on her face.

While mentioning things to do in town this holiday season, we would be remiss not to highlight the Camuso Display, which will by lit up for the season each night at the Oval starting on Saturday, December 3. There is no fee to enter the display.

For those who are not familiar with the Camuso Holiday Display (and if you have spent a December in Livingston – or read a recent edition of the Tribune – how could you not be?), the spectacular figures were created by the late Ernest Camuso, a toymaker and machinist by trade, and displayed annually on the front lawn of his Burnet Hill Road home. The display grew larger and more elaborate every year, and served (and still does) as a fundraiser for the Cooperman Barnabas Burn Unit.

As readers can learn more about in our feature elsewhere in this issue, the

almost lost a century’s worth of history a few months ago. Mold had been found on the bound volumes that hold every edition of the newspaper, and library officials feared they could not be saved.

Thanks to the quick thinking of Livingston Fire Department president and historian Tom Cooney, though, it appears that those decades of history will be preserved. The mold will be removed during a painstaking months long process (with help from the Fire Department 100th Anniversary Committee and the Camuso elves), after which they will be stored in the Camuso barn on the Oval, hopefully a dryer location than where they had been stored in the library.

The Township Council will make appointments to Livingston’s many advisory committees at the annual organizational meeting on New Year’s Day, and now is the time to apply. The Council hopes to attract new residents – and those who have not previously been active in the community – to serve on any of its many committees. Livingston’s volunteerism is a large part of what makes this community so special. This is your town; we strongly encourage all residents to take pride in it and become an active, involved member of the township.

Those interested in joining a committee must email a completed application to townclerk@livingstonnj.org, no later than November 27. A bipartisan committee (which residents may also apply to join!) will then review the applications and make recommendations to the Council. That committee will begin meeting in early December to review submissions.

There has been a troubling rise in anti-Semitic statements and activities globally, nationally, and locally of late.

From shameful anti-Semitic comments and behaviors from celebrities Kanye West and Kyrie Irving (a West Orange native), to hateful words and drawings found in our schools, and now threats to New Jersey synagogues, this cannot simply be brushed off as an aberration. The influx of anti-Semitic activity our community is dealing with is undeniable, upsetting, and unsettling.

Many in this community met just a few short weeks ago to discuss this issue, and we believe that our police department and school officials are taking the matter very seriously. While these are important measures to take, it is clear that those actions alone are not enough on their own to stop more hate-related incidents from occurring in the future.