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Mike Boone and Dominic Ferry are the two candidates running for one seat on the Verona Board of Education on Tuesday, November 7.

To help readers to get to know the candidates, MyVeronaNJ interviewed both separately via Zoom last week. There were four questions that were the same for both the candidates, and another four that were specific to an individual candidate’s background, platform or public positions. You can read each candidate’s response to all eight questions on the pages below, which also include ways to learn more about them on the web and social media.

Mike Boone Dominic Ferry

Both men have been residents of Verona for two decades and both have two children who have gone through, or are still in, Verona’s public schools. Boone, who has had a long career in communications, now leads operations for digital publications and marketing communications at Interpublic Group (IPG), a global advertising and marketing company. [Full disclosure: This reporter worked at The Wall Street Journal when Boone worked there, but we did not work in the same area or country.] Ferry, a native of Belleville, has spent 36 years in Nutley’s Water Department, where he is now assistant superintendent of public works. He also owns his own consulting company.

The Board of Education election is Tuesday, November 7. The candidates are listed on the back side of the mail-in ballot, along with a proposal to increase the amount of Verona’s open space levy to three cents per $100 of assessed value from two cents. The open space trust fund was created in 2019.

Representatives of two cancer support groups that got their start in Verona gathered in the center of town on Tuesday evening for a flag raising to mark breast cancer awareness month.

WINGS, which stands for for Women Inspiring Nurturing Giving Strength & Support, runs programs on the using the healing arts—music, art, movement, writing, and the like—to alleviate anxiety among women cancer patients before, during, and after treatment. On October 18, they will hold a session on nutrition, while their November 15 session will be about healing movement. All programs, which are held at the Verona Community Center, are free, but participants do need to register in advance.

The Minette’s Angels Foundation was created 20 years ago to honor a Verona resident and nurse who passed away after a 10-year battle against breast cancer. Ken McKenna, the widower of Minette Grosso McKenna, told those gathered for the flag raising about how the foundation has expanded over the last two decades. It continues to provide assistance to those in treatment and supports research, but it now offers three scholarships to nursing students and has expanded from Verona to serve patients across northern New Jersey. McKenna noted that the foundation has granted funds to Trinitas’ Comprehensive Cancer Center in Elizabeth to support the cost of wigs, lymphedema sleeves and gloves, mastectomy bras and prostheses. He stressed the importance of this assistance in a disadvantaged community where women too often have to choose between buying food and buying the medicine they need for their treatment.

Tonight, Wednesday, October 4, representatives of Minette’s Angels will be at Verona High School for the annual “Dig Pink” fundraiser held by the volleyball teams of Verona and Cedar Grove to benefit breast cancer research. The game begins at 7 p.m. On Thursday, October 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. the foundation will host “Real Panthers Wear Pink,” a benefit walk in Cedar Grove’s Panther Park.

Yesterday, many Verona residents were surprised to learn that, because of a water main break in the Passaic Valley Water Commission (PVWC) system, Verona had to boil its water before drinking. Why, they asked, are we buying water from an outside source when we have our own wells?

Short answer: We haven’t been able to use our wells since August 2021.

We’re getting closer to being able to use them again, but the rehabilitation work has taken far longer than town officials originally thought, at a much greater cost. In the meantime, instead of using mostly well water mixed with a bit of PVWC water, Verona has had to be entirely on PVWC supply.

The legacy of ‘forever’ chemicals

Two years ago, Verona’s wells had to be taken offline after the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection found that water from them was not in compliance with the state standard on Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), one of a family of chemicals known as PFAS that have been used to make things like non-stick pans, stain repellants and firefighting foam. Though largely discontinued, the so-called forever chemicals have leached into groundwater all across the U.S.

In 2018, New Jersey set a drinking water standard for PFOA at 14 parts per trillion (PPT) and municipalities were told they needed to be in compliance by 2020. New Jersey’s rule was far stricter than the federal standard established in 2016, and they meant that more than 100 entities, including towns like Verona, were out of compliance.

Verona originally thought it would cost $1 million to put new filtration systems on our two wellheads, one located in the Verona Community Center’s annex building and the other across Fairview Avenue from Verona High School. But supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic, combined with rising demand from stricter PFOA standards across the U.S., have pushed the price tag higher. In a May 15 presentation to the Town Council, the firm retained by Verona to do the work, Jacobs Engineering Group, said the cost would now be $5.5 million. The Jacobs representative stressed that the firm has designed Verona’s systems so that there will be multiple sources for its components, which should help to hold the costs where they are now.

Funding the remediation work

How the work gets paid for remains to be determined. Verona officials intend to apply to the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank (I-Bank), an independent state financing entity that offers low interest rate loans. There’s also the state’s Water Infrastructure Investment Plan (WIIP), which is funded by the federal government’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. In addition, Verona is a party to a class-action settlement with one of the makers of PFOA chemicals, though the town has not disclosed the terms of that settlement.

Jacobs expects the Linn Drive well to be back in service next year, but the Fairview Avenue well won’t be online until 2025. Verona has to construct an entirely new building to house the filtration equipment there, and town officials are hopeful it won’t be delayed by state approvals. The Fairview Avenue property is a so-called Green Acres site. Mayor Christopher Tamburro said Wednesday that town officials are working to keep the permitting process moving. “Nobody is sitting on their hands,” he said. “It needs to get done, but the regulatory side is significant.”

In the meantime, Verona residents must pay a surcharge for the extra PVWC water we need to buy and weather any problems that arise with that supply. As of Thursday morning, the boil water notice remains in effect, which means that residents need to boil any water they intend to drink for one minute.

Governor Phil Murphy today announced his nomination of Verona resident Justin Zimmerman as commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance. As commissioner, he will lead the department in regulating the banking, insurance, and real estate industries as well as operating Get Covered New Jersey, the state’s official health insurance marketplace. Zimmerman currently serves as acting commissioner of the department and will continue to serve in his current role pending his confirmation by the Senate.

“Justin Zimmerman has been an asset to the Department of Banking and Insurance since day one of my administration, and I have no doubt he will continue to do an excellent job in his role as commissioner,” said Governor Murphy. “In addition to the time he has already spent serving as acting commissioner, Justin’s prior experience as the department’s chief of staff makes him more than qualified for this position. His skilled leadership and thorough understanding of banking and insurance policy have helped countless residents throughout our state and will serve him well as he continues to lead this department.”

“I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as commissioner in an administration that is dedicated to improving the lives of New Jerseyans,” said Department of Banking and Insurance Acting Commissioner Zimmerman. “It is an honor to be nominated to lead the department’s committed public servants as we continue our efforts to protect residents, enable access to quality, affordable health insurance and ensure that the department’s regulated entities operate in accordance with the law. I thank the governor for his confidence and for this opportunity, and I look forward to continuing to work on behalf of the Murphy administration to create a stronger and fairer New Jersey.”

Zimmerman joined the department in January 2018, serving as the department’s chief of staff, where he oversaw the executive management team and managed all aspects of the department’s policy implementation under the direction of former Commissioner Marlene Caride. Following Commissioner Caride’s recent departure to join the judiciary as a judge of the New Jersey Superior Court, Zimmerman took on the role of acting commissioner.

During his tenure as chief of staff, the department developed and implemented numerous consumer protections and programs impacting countless New Jerseyans, including New Jersey’s out of network law, student loan protections, mortgage servicers licensing, expanded reproductive health care access, and Get Covered New Jersey.

Prior to joining Governor Murphy’s administration, Zimmerman served as chief of policy and legislation to the New Jersey state Senate president pro tempore, where he focused on expanding access to quality affordable health care for New Jerseyans, and the expansion of voting rights and civil rights. He began his career as a public servant working as a briefing aide to Governor Jon Corzine and director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs for the New Jersey Department of State.

Zimmerman was born and raised in New Jersey, growing up in Essex and Union counties. He received his bachelor of arts from the University of Mary Washington. He lives in Verona with his wife, Laura, and their two children.

Verona’s lack of Mexican food is about to end. In the next few months, not one, but two taco-focused restaurants will be opening near the center of town.

The first, Mad Taco Express, has been “coming soon” for months. Located in the former Lucy’s Diner near the entrance to Verona Park, it is the brainchild of Anthony Tortoriello, a partner in Avenue Bistro. He said this week that he is hoping for a September opening. Mad Taco Express doesn’t yet have a website.

The second tacoria is so new that it doesn’t yet have a name or a design. But it, too, has ties with an existing Verona restaurant. It is being opened by Skopos Hospitality Group, the owner of The Parkside Social, and it will take over the space next to Parkside at the corner of Bloomfield Avenue and Rockland Terrace. The building held a dry cleaning and fur storage business, Gemmell’s, for many years, but it has been vacant for about a decade. And for about that long, would-be business operators have tried unsuccessfully to buy it.

Dean Maroulakos, an operating partner at Skopos, said that the Gemmell’s building came on the market earlier this summer and Skopos bought it. He says it needs extensive renovations and, though there is already a dumpster and workers on the property, the new restaurant likely won’t open until January.

Unlike Mad Taco Express, the Skopos restaurant will serve alcohol, and Maroulakos says Skopos is already planning a mix of margaritas and other drinks. “Tequila and mezcal are really hot right now,” he adds.

It will be able to do so under quirk in New Jersey’s liquor laws that allows one restaurant to piggy-back on the liquor license of another if they operate as a single place of business. Both The Parkside Social and the new tacoria would be Skopos properties and restaurant workers will be able to pass from one to the other thanks to a doorway in the back. Maroulakos said, however, that the two restaurants would have separate kitchens and bars.

The tacoria would be Skopos’ first foray into Mexican food. The company operates Cowan’s Public, The Barrow House, The Vanguard, Franklin Social, Gus’ Last Word, and The Junto Attic Bar, all of which have an updated American tavern approach to their food and drinks. Maroulakos says that the tacoria would have a “casual vibe,” but would offer some of the composed plates that The Parkside Social has come to be known for.

Connor Demasi threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game with just 24 seconds left in the fourth quarter to lift Verona to a 34-31 victory over Madison in Madison.

Demasi found Bodie Maisano on the 5-yard game-winner for the fifth lead change of the back-and-forth battle. The touchdown was set up by a bad snap on a punt play in the final minutes, which gave Verona possession at the Madison 35.

Complete Box Score »

It was a much better offensive showing for Verona (1-1) than its 10-7 loss to Lakeland the previous week. Though the end result was more enjoyable for Verona coach Kevin Batty, the way his team got there was not.

“It definitely made my blood pressure go up,” Batty said. “It was a tremendous game. If you didn’t have to coach, it had to be a great game to watch.”

It was certainly a big showing for Demasi, who completed 20 of 26 passes for 360 yards and the four scores.

Three of Demasi’s TDs went to Zach Garmont, who finished with eight catches for 280 yards.

The duo connected for TDs of 10, 25 and 70 yards in the first half when Verona, after falling behind 7-0, built a 21-17 halftime lead.

Madison (0-1) took leads of 24-21 and 31-28 in the second half, but Verona kept finding answers.

A 2-yard run by Maisano gave Verona a 28-24 lead in the third, but the Hillbillies missed a field goal in the fourth quarter and would not take the lead again until the final minute.

“We just clicked,” Batty said about the increased offensive production from the opener. “The kids worked extremely hard this week in practice. We made mistakes last week, but we found a way to fix it.”

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Tim McClain may be reached at [email protected].

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