by Frank F. Fleischman III (FF3,) Lead Editor With everything that has happened in Belleville in the past few years, you’d think the media would be falling over each other to report on them. But that has rarely happened. There… Continue Reading →
By Frank Fleischman III (FF3,) Lead Editor (Headline with apologies to the late writer Edward Abbey.) Belleville has had a long history of nasty politics and often scheming and self-serving politicians. Our town is worth fighting for, one step at… Continue Reading →
Longtime Belleville resident and former Roosevelt Avenue commercial property owner Jeff Mattingly helped lead the fight against plans to redevelop the Valley section wholesale in the early 2000s, supported if not spearheaded by then-councilman (and now mayor) Michael Melham. Here,… Continue Reading →
BetterBelleville — consisting of Mayor Michael Melham and at-large councilpersons Naomy DePena and Thomas Graziano promised transparency in government and a break from Belleville’s political past. We believe they have failed in this endeavor and do not deserve re-election.
Belleville has seen bad politicians come and go but we believe that never has a Belleville mayor like Michael Melham so blatantly and arrogantly grabbed for power, control, and benefit. Throughout the past four years of Melham’s reign, his running mates on the Town Council have been largely silent. For these reasons, it is our opinion that Melham and BetterBelleville do not deserve re-election.
By FF3, Lead Editor Note: This is the second part in a multi-part series about the Planning Board and its activities since the election of Mayor Michael Melham’s BetterBelleville slate of candidates in 2018. You can read Part One here…. Continue Reading →
Since 2019, Mayor Michael Melham has claimed the right to appoint almost all members of the planning board, despite contrary evidence. The planning board’s vice-chairman challenged the mayor’s claims at a recent planning board meeting. by FF3, Lead Editor Note:… Continue Reading →
by FF3, Lead Editor To Whom It May Concern, I am going to assume you are either the owner of one or both of the properties around the Soho Hospital (the owners of both properties have the same address in… Continue Reading →
A recent New York Times article about Belleville painted an idealized picture of the town, especially from a real estate point of view. Here, Belleville Watch highlights some of the things that maybe realtors and politicians would rather not discuss.
By FF3, Lead Editor Throughout my adult life, I have held firm to three simple values: good government, civic engagement and responsible development. A year ago, when Essex Watch founder Lee Dorry invited me to become editor of Belleville Watch,… Continue Reading →
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