Debate Over Holiday Decorations Has Florham Park Neighborhood Divided

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- A debate over holiday decorations has a New Jersey community divided.

With the 4th of July a week-and-a-half-away, people living in the Beechcrest section of Florham Park said something is missing from the mulch in their neighborhood welcome Island -- July 4th decorations.

"That's for sure -- decoration drama definitely," Aneta Mascaro said.

Mascaro has lived on Elmwood Drive for 10 years and loved all the different displays, especially the one that was up over Memorial Day.

"Halloween, Easter, Hanukkah, Christmas, everything. It's nice and colorful," she said.

Some thought it was a little too colorful.

"It was just too much. It just screamed a yard sale, garage sale," Julie Carter said.

"I pulled in one time, and I'm like 'oh my gosh, it's screaming,' I don't know. Too much, it's a distraction," Barri Larsen said.

The decorations started going up a couple years ago. They were the idea of a man named Joe Orme. His yard is the most decorative around. People even donated money for the project.

CBS2's Jessica Layton tried talking to him, but he wanted nothing to do with the controversy. A controversy that's made its way to town hall.

Some say the spirit in decorating the little island in the first place was to try to unite the community, instead it's divided the neighborhood.

"The neighbors here are pretty funny," one resident said.

What may have been funny is now getting nasty.

"One of our residents felt compelled to call police. That's how divided it got," Carter said.

"It's childish, that's what I think," Mascaro added.

The future of the decorations will be discussed by borough leaders at their next meeting.