Author name: Brian Rock

If you use a car to get around, bus stops might be invisible to you. But I pass them every morning – along with the people who use them – when I’m out for my run. There are lots of ways that our streets fail pedestrians and cyclists. But there are also problems for people […]

This year, West Orange received almost $10 million in preschool expansion aid from the state. That’s enough to provide free pre-k to over 500 of our students. When I first ran for the Board in 2021, this was still a dream. Thanks to a committed group of parents, staff, and Board members, it’s now a

If you asked me what street in West Orange was complained about most frequently, I’d venture to say it was Gregory Avenue. It’s a fairly busy street, carrying traffic from South Orange and Maplewood to and from I-280. But it’s also a residential street with houses along each side. And it passes near three schools

I’ve spoken with multiple people who said some version of the following: “I’d probably spend more time downtown if there was somewhere to park.” But here’s the thing. There is plenty of off street parking downtown. But if you don’t spend a lot of time there, you may not even know where it is. Another

Before I moved to West Orange, I lived in downtown Newark on Halsey Street. It was great and I loved everything about my apartment … except for parking. There was no off street parking and every road in the immediate vicinity was metered. Some days, I’d be up early enough to move before the meter

Take a look at Essex Green. And then head west on the map about three miles and take a look at the Livingston town Center. What you’ll see is the tale of two centers. Essex Green is cut off from the rest of West Orange by I-280 and by roads lacking sidewalks. Even getting around

When you talk about development, the topic of PILOTs and tax abatements inevitably comes up. There’s often a misconception here, with people thinking that this means that a development pays no taxes at all. But the fundamental belief that most people have – that PILOTs are good for developers and bad for the rest of

Last year, West Orange’s budget process dragged late into the fall. It was so late that the 4th quarter tax bills were delayed because they couldn’t be calculated properly. This started with the Mayor. The budget wasn’t presented to the Council until late April. But after that, the Council engaged in a lengthy series of