By FF3, Lead Editor A nearly 200-year old painting, appraised at $125,000 and belonging to the Belleville Historical Society, was removed from the Belleville Public Library and now hangs on the wall in Michael Melham’s office at Town Hall. The… Continue Reading →
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 →
by FF3, Lead Editor Belleville Watch is often accused of criticizing our elected officials and “being negative,” without offering an alternative. I offer this in hopes of inspiring larger conversations about what Belleville could be. To Begin…. Belleville is a… Continue Reading →
By FF3, Lead Editor Two public meetings were held last week. One — the Belleville Board of Education on Monday, January 25th — permitted residents to attend. Since bringing back in-person meetings in late September 2020, the BOE put in… Continue Reading →
(Editor’s Note: The following was sent via e-mail this morning to Vincent DeFilippo, Health Officer for the City of Orange, NJ, from which the Township of Belleville contracts public health services. According to Mayor Michael Melham, Mr. DeFilippo made the… Continue Reading →
Mayor Michael Melham says tough financial decisions need to be made due to revenue shortages. Belleville residents need to know how their tax money is being spent. A forensic audit of Town Hall would help. In 2020, as if dealing… Continue Reading →
If Planning Board approves, School 1 property will feature a residential section facing Academy Street (The Belleville Planning Board will have a meeting via Zoom on Thursday, November 12th at 7 p.m. The School 1 property is slated to be… Continue Reading →
Mayor Melham and the Town Council have no problem issuing pricey water bills to Belleville residents, allegedly to cover a $1.6 water utility deficit. That’s probably not shocking when you consider their refusal to support a criminal investigation into a… Continue Reading →
Nothing makes a civic watchdog happier than to see people attending public meetings and demanding answers and accountability from their elected officials. Belleville residents demonstrated that spirit at last Tuesday’s Town Council meeting at the Belleville High School auditorium. People… Continue Reading →
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