file photo by Boyd Loving
June 11th 2015
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ, During Wednesday evening’s Village Council meeting (06/10/2015), Mayor Paul Aronsohn boasted that he and other members the current Council were personally responsible for enhancing the public comment segment(s) of Village Council meetings by increasing the amount of speaking time allotted from 3 minutes to 5 minutes per individual speaker.
In reality, the 5 minute time limit per individual speaker was established by Ordinance 2442, which was adopted on January 11, 1994. Neither Mr. Aronsohn, nor any other current Village Council member, served on the Council at that time.
On July 11, 2014, a resident became aware that the then in place 3 minute time limit per individual speaker was not consistent with what was established by Ordinance 2442 (a 5 minute time limit), and made Village Clerk Heather Mailander aware of the discrepancy.
Subsequent to receipt of this resident’s advisory, Ms. Mailander notified Mr. Aronsohn and other Council members of the issue and the time limit was adjusted to be consistent with the aforementioned ordinance.
I do so wish that Mr. Aronsohn would stop stretching the truth to bolster his political career.
Fortunately, some of us have been around long enough to remember things as they actually happened as opposed to the “world according to Paul Aronsohn.”
“world according to Paul Aronsohn.” Praise be to God.
The writer uses the phrase ” stretching the truth”. I like the phrase ” deceiving the public”.
Typical politician and jerk, heaping praise upon himself for others’ deeds and denying all wrongdoing. Always the sound bite, never the sound.
Just the nature of the beast.
The Mayor has developed a very annoying habit of thinking the voters of Ridgewood believe everything he says, or that Chris Harris of The Record writes.
We did not believe the Mayor when he said that HSA and BOE concurred with the Council’s decision to repave Clinton Avenue without sidewalks (turns out neither organization gave an okay to such plans), and we don’t believe anything else he says either.
And we are very skeptical about any article Chris Harris writes about Ridgewood in which the Mayor is quoted.
Why do you think Village Attorney Mathew Rogers is holding his hand to his head in the above photograph? Maybe he finally realized that he works for a bunch of complete assholes.
Get a life folks. many more important Ridgewood topics. I don’t agree with mayor most of time, but he just meant he was implementing five minute rule.
If you pester and complain on small things the big things will never get done. You have to distinguish between the two.
He and village planners have turned village into a city with recent vote and you are complaining about the above. Where were you all these years when Pfund changed the master plan rules. I am at the podium complaining , folks. But not about petty stuff.
4:55 pm – It’s like Broken WIndow Policing – Call them out on even the smallest of lies to establish an atmosphere in which no lies from the dais are acceptable. Make them understand that we are watching every move they make. Come election time next year, all of the lies, small and big, will be remembered.
Yes,yes 5:23 pm
To 4:55 PM, I very much like and appreciate the Ridgewood Blog and its opportunity to anonymously express opinions.
I am a bit confused (or perhaps doubtful), about your complaining about others residents “petty” concerns – but announcing that on your important issues “I am at the podium complaining, folks”.
If your are really at the podium in public, why do you speak anonymously here?
Note to Paul Civility Aronsohn:
When Boyd Loving clarified that error of yours last night, you could have been civil by saying something along these lines – ” thank you Boyd for clearing up,this error on my part. I place the highest value on transparency and accuracy, and I appreciate that you clarified this for the record.” But, no, you just stared at him with those uncivil eyes of yours and said not a word. You are your own worst enemy Mr. Mayor. You could have scored some points with your stupid civility campaign with just a few brief words. But no, not you. You a re fueled by an ego that cannot EVER acknowledge even the slightest error.
Well, let’s review the tape. Our Mayor starts out the public comments portion by stating that a resident can only speak for 5 minutes (which is a gift from him personally). Then the resident is to sit down, And then, after the resident is seated, the council might decide to respond, or not, or to discuss, or not. Paulie Boy has heard “complaints” from “some people” that there is too much back-and-forth. Seriously? So the public comments portion is to be curtailed so that there cannot be any actual discussion with the taxpayer who takes the time to speak up?
Anyway, right out of the gate the first speaker (talking about Kings Pond) winds up getting feedback and comments from Albert, Mike, Susan as well as Gwennie Girl – so obviously the council is pretty much completely ignoring what the Mayor requested. It was hilarious.
Are you starting to understand, your highness Aronsohn, that nobody respects you? Not even your buddies on the dais.