By Edmund Tom Maciejewski Opinion | October 13, 2026

Disclosure: I am campaigning for Berkeley Heights Township Council.

Do you remember when John Foster voted against reappointing Township Administrator Liza Viana, then voted yes thirteen days later?

Laura Kapuscinski reported Foster's apology in her January 24, 2023 article:

"I did not have enough information to make the decision I made. That was my mistake."

Kapuscinski's account.

Foster's no vote came at the January 4, 2023 reorganization meeting. He joined Jeff Varnerin, Manuel Couto and Jeanne Kingsley in rejecting Viana's reappointment by four votes to two. Viana had worked while battling breast cancer, Mayor Angie Devanney said in her January 17 statement. Her last chemotherapy was in August 2022, according to the mayor. January 4 minutes, p. 2; January 17 mayor's statement.

I remember Jeff and Debra Varnerin coming across as angry at the January 4 meeting. Jeff had lost the 2022 mayoral election to Devanney by 941 votes, about 15.2 percentage points. Debra told me she managed his campaign. During that race, Kapuscinski described responses by Jeff and Couto as a "smear campaign against Mayor Devanney and Liza Viana." Official 2022 results, p. 4; Kapuscinski's October 13 commentary.

Foster reversed his position at the January 17 meeting. Viana's reappointment passed, 5-0, with his yes vote. Jeff had participated by Zoom but was absent after 7:20 p.m., before the vote. January 17 minutes, pp. 1 and 5.

That history is relevant again as Foster runs for mayor in 2026. His election filings name Jeff as campaign treasurer. Debra told me she manages Foster's campaign. NJ ELEC, D-1 report 3946069.

In my view, choosing Jeff and Debra Varnerin for these key campaign roles shows extremely bad judgment.

Does John Foster have the judgment to be mayor? I don't believe so.