Berkeley Heights independent deLuna challenges rivals before Nov. 3 vote

George deLuna, the independent candidate in Berkeley Heights' three-way mayoral race, issued a pointed closing argument Oct. 28 challenging both party-backed opponents to explain how they would govern differently from each other.

In a candidate statement published by NJ21st, deLuna said Council President John Foster, a Republican, and Council Vice President Susan Poage, a Democrat, "voted the same 98% of the time," a figure he attributed to an AI-generated search of council records. That claim has not been independently verified.

"How would we know the difference?" deLuna wrote, questioning why neither opponent maintains a campaign website or social media accounts. "I do. Why don't they?"

DeLuna, who said he is self-funding his campaign, framed the race around transparency on two issues: payments in lieu of taxes, known as PILOTs, and the $50.4 million school bond referendum voters approved in March.

PILOTs and school money

DeLuna argued the township should not "automatically approve every PILOT and new housing development" while the Board of Education receives none of the PILOT revenue and taxpayers fund school upgrades.

Berkeley Heights has six active PILOT agreements, with more than $2 million a year flowing through them, according to an analysis published by BerkeleyHeights.news. Under a standard PILOT, payments go to the municipality rather than being split among the municipality, county and school district as conventional property taxes are.

Voters approved two school bond questions on March 10. The first authorized $21.2 million in bonds for security, technology and building upgrades across six schools. The second authorized $29.1 million for HVAC, roofing and classroom work, according to the New Jersey School Boards Association. State aid covers about $16.9 million of the total cost. MyCentralJersey reported the second question would raise annual property taxes by about $250 for the average home.

DeLuna's statement implies a direct link between PILOT revenue bypassing schools and the need for the bond referendum. No source in the public record establishes that connection. The bond referendum funded building upgrades, and the township's 2026 budget presentation noted that two newer developments, the Carriages at Berkeley and Connell, pay conventional taxes, with portions going to the school district.

Council dynamics

DeLuna listed the council's party affiliations, noting that Democrats hold five of six seats, with Foster as the sole Republican. He argued Democrats elected Foster as council president, suggesting the partisan divide is less meaningful than it appears.

He also described a recent council meeting where council candidate Tom Maciejewski asked about PILOTs and Poage "suddenly had to go to the bathroom and left the room." DeLuna did not specify the meeting date. NJ21st separately reported that the July 21 council meeting featured tensions over PILOT questions and other issues, though it is unclear whether deLuna was describing that meeting or a later one.

An Oct. 20 NJ21st editorial noted that deLuna lists himself as both chairperson and treasurer of his campaign. The same editorial described Poage and Foster as "more of the same" but questioned whether deLuna "has not made himself public enough to gain traction."

Neither Foster nor Poage has publicly responded to deLuna's Oct. 28 statement as of publication. No response from either candidate appears in the available record.