I first met Barbara Cifelli-Sherry, who died today aged 80, in 1997. That was the first…
Category: Columns
Columns, mostly written by the Observer staff. Occasionally, we run guest columns, too, which will appear here.
COMMENTARY — Santos leaves legacy that will be hard to surpass
In 1998, the campaign I was working with said it needed a candidate to run against…
COMMENTARY — Hague, Azzarto and their own ‘Field of Dreams’
The “Field of Dreams.” It was 1989. I was a high school freshman when it came…
What if instead of kids being butchered in Uvalde, it was politicians? Would THAT even matter?
Close your eyes for me and do a little fantasy meditation for a moment. In the…
COMMENTARY — Archdiocese & NJ Reentry Corp. hit grand slam with new addiction program
Last week, Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, the archbishop of Newark and James E. McGreevey, New Jersey’s…
COMMENTARY — Sometimes, the most heroic moments happen when no one’s looking
If there’s one thing certain about cops, it’s that they go about their business, each and…
Brilliant thinking of 3 Kearny cops leads to arrest of alleged murderer
Imagine this. It’s dark. It’s late at night. You’re a cop. And there appears to be…
The Hudson Reporter’s demise is nothing to celebrate. It’s maddening
Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, was the day The Hudson Reporter newspapers died. What was once a…
COMMENTARY — A year ago, Pronti’s words rang strong. They still do to this very day …
The tragic loss of Baby Giovanna remained on my mind for days on end after it…
Such sweet sorrow saying ‘farewell’ to McCurrie and Cardoso
I first met Albino Cardoso around 1998 when I took a shot at running for office. We lived…
Marking World Aids Day – December 1
World AIDS day always reminds me of my past, because I have seen far too many…
COMMENTARY — Remembering how sports united a region & nation
One swing of Mike Piazza's bat on Sept. 21, 2001, helped so many feel that the…
COMMENTARY — Suicide … never the answer, no matter how bad it might get
Man depression sucks. When I first realized I was too often too sad, it was 1989,…
REFLECTION — Sept. 11, 2001: The one day in my life I expected to die
Editor’s note: This reflection was originally written Sept. 11, 2011, for the 10th anniversary of the…
Mets blow chance — again — to show the world they’re New York’s best team
Those of us who are old enough to remember 1978 (I was 4) recall when the…