NorthJersey.com – Sonia Sangha – Staff Writer
Barbara Colonna had a secret.
For most of her 56 years, she led a solitary existence to protect her identity.
But now that she has filed as a Republican candidate for Haworth Borough Council, she’s breaking her silence.
The 5-foot-3-inch woman with bobbed salt and pepper hair and piercing green eyes was once a man named Edward.
After becoming more involved in town, it made sense that eventually she would run for council. But what would she tell people about her past?
She started with her running mates. When they were not alarmed, she was encouraged.
Her slate plans to run on a platform of openness. If she was to preach it, she reasoned, she would have to practice it.