file photo by Boyd Loving
I enjoyed reading Ms. McWilliams’ letter. I applaud her courage in expressing her views openly and not hiding anonymously behind James’s apron strings. I also think she writes well, which makes me think she should be hired to edit the Ridgewood Pravda, I mean Blog, with its 5th Grade English.
Having said that I disagree with most of the opinions she expressed. Let’s start out with the three candidates she is supporting:
Bernadette Walsh: I like Bernadette and I think she is sincere. But let us not forget the 7% tax increase happened under her watch. As did the disappearance of $500,000 in quarters from the town coffers. She also supported keeping the part time Village Manager who ran the most inefficient Village Hall in Ridgewood history. Compare that to where we stand with Roberta’s capable management.
Ramon Hache: Kennedy once said beauty is grace under pressure and here Ramon buckled under pressure. His braggadocio in wanting to take Valley to the mat legally is pandering at its worst. Ramon, face reality, the courts will not let Valley not renew. You are burning our money on a useless legal crusade.
Jeff Voigt: A very bright person who can do a lot for Ridgewood if he was wasn’t out to out-Trump with his Trumpian appeal to the basest of people’s instincts. What miserable pandering.
Yes, I support Rich Brooks, Evan Weitz, and Janice Willett. As I mentioned in a letter to the editor, they represent the decent Ridgewood we moved to 47 years ago.. They also have the integrity, intelligence, capability, and courage to move us with confidence into the future. Yes, let us think Ridgewood 2020 and not just fight these rear guard actions. That does no one any good.
Regarding Ms. McWilliams comments re Valley, the apartments, the garage, etc., I think they ring hollow. I don’t see how these issues could have been discussed more openly allowing EVERYONE an opportunity to express their views. Face it, the Vocalantis are against any change and they think they can preserve Camelot by soaking it in formaldehyde. Believe me that is the best way to ensure killing it. To preserve you have to renew, and renewal and adjusting to change can be painful. But then a painless society is a dead society. Read America’s history. We are not where we are because we have avoided painful choices.
“Face it, the Vocalantis are against any change and they think they can preserve Camelot by soaking it in formaldehyde”… Rurik hits the nail on the head with this one.
Damn, he’s inspirational. Makes me want to vote for his three candidates because of his positive, forward way of thinking. I must copy these words for my Hawes age children to draw inspiration from.
Some men are born great, others achieve greatness, and still others, like rurik, thrust the title of greatness upon themselves.
Bravo, fair Rurik, for all you have done to bring the community together.
Hail Rurik, for his compassion and open-mindedness.
Booyah, Ruick, for your independent way of thinking.
It appears the floodgates have opened as the blog has (at least temporarily) changed its censoring ways. Nice job Rurik! If I can offer some constructive criticism, you should lose the bow tie and tweed sport jacket. I would suggest a visit to MacHugh’s but they’re just another example of what happens when one doesn’t embrace change. Good luck to all the candidates tomorrow and thank you for your service.
Rurik is our secret weapon
3:11- Rurik has never “hit the nail on the head” with any comment he has made regarding Ridgewood. People here are not “against any change,” just change that is over the top, and potentially destructive. Why anyone thinks all change is good is not only beyond me, but also beyond most who have any basic intelligence. This guy lacks any kind of credibility at this stage.
Nasty grouch insulting three great residents and then pandering to the Vagianos 2020 puppets.
Hey, James, as in Leon Trotsky, the Ridgewood Pravda, I mean Blog, must be hard up on news to feature my visage twice in two weeks. LOL
Didn’t Weitz move here like 3 years ago? How does he represent “the decent Ridgewood we moved to 47 years ago”?
4:22, wasn’t a problem with Sedon though?
Even Gods whales blow hot gas every 10 or 15 minutes. Tuesday will be the day of wreckining Ahab
Rurik Halaby self anointed community leader
Posters let me know if this reminds you of someone who post on this blog. Heres a hint RH
The serial bully displays behaviour congruent with many of the diagnostic criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder. Characterised by a pervasive pattern of grandiosity and self-importance, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, people with narcissistic personality disorder overestimate their abilities and inflate their accomplishments, often appearing boastful and pretentious, whilst correspondingly underestimating and devaluing the achievements and accomplishments of others.
Often the narcissist will fraudulently claim to have qualifications or experience or affiliations or associations which they don’t have or aren’t entitled to. Belief in superiority, inflating their self-esteem to match that of senior or important people with whom they associate or identify, insisting on having the “top” professionals or being affiliated with the “best” institutions, but criticising the same people who disappoint them are also common features of narcissistic personality disorder.
Narcissists react angrily to criticism and when rejected, the narcissist will often denounce the profession which has rejected them (usually for lack of competence or misdeed) but simultaneously and paradoxically represent themselves as belonging to the profession they are vilifying.
Fragile self-esteem, a need for constant attention and admiration, fishing for compliments (often with great charm), an expectation of superior entitlement, expecting others to defer to them, and a lack of sensitivity especially when others do not react in the expected manner, are also hallmarks of the disorder. Greed, expecting to receive before and above the needs of others, overworking those around them, and forming romantic (sic) or sexual relationships for the purpose of advancing their purpose or career, abusing special privileges and squandering extra resources also feature.
People with narcissistic personality disorder also have difficulty recognizing the needs and feelings of others, and are dismissive, contemptuous and impatient when others share or discuss their concerns or problems. They are also oblivious to the hurtfulness of their behaviour or remarks, show an emotional coldness and a lack of reciprocal interest, exhibit envy (especially when others are accorded recognition), have an arrogant, disdainful and patronizing attitude, and are quick to blame and criticise others when their needs and expectations are not met.
The DSM-IV Diagnostic Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder are:
A. A pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, lack of empathy, as indicated by at least five of:
1. a grandiose sense of self-importance
2. is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
3. believes that he or she is “special” and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other special or high-status people (or institutions)
4. requires excessive admiration
5. has a sense of entitlement, ie unreasonable expectations of especially favourable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations
6. is interpersonally exploitative, ie takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends
7. lacks empathy and is unwilling to recognize or identify with the feelings and needs of others
8. is often envious of others or believes that others are envious of him or her
9. shows arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes
There have been no better spokespeople for those of us that favor a smaller garage, lower density housing and a smaller hospital than Mr Halaby and Mrs Hauck. We just sit back and let them talk as they unwittingly prove our points. Mrs. Hauck’s comments today on Facebook were particularly helpful to the grassroots causes. Hopefully they each find time after dinner tonight to get a couple of more posts in.
He seems to have small hands in the picture, much like Trump.
My computer just blew up. Why? Oh, right, because Halaby’s photo appeared on the screen.
5:31 – For years Mike Sedon attended every single council meeting, never missed one. First he attended as a reporter for The Ridgewood News. After he moved to another newspaper, he continued to attend every meeting, often speaking up, clearly he was sincerely invested in Ridgewood governance. So you, whoever you are, are an uninformed a-hole.
5:31 – whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat? Mike Sedon has been at every single council meeting for years. Well before he decided to run for the Council; first as a reporter and then as a plain old citizen.
Never trust a man in a bow tie……
Every single Village Hall meeting, poor guy
There do seem to be a group of people that think freeze wrapping Ridgewood will protect property vales, all the while supporting candidates who will raise annual property taxes more than the 2% cap in the name of paying for “emergencies” like retroactive wage increases
The Harry Truman look doesn’t work for me….I would pay to get Rurik a new “look.”
He’s so hot (for an old guy).
I do not know Seadon and I knew that he was a reporter covering Ridgewood.
Harry Truman HAHAHAHA That was funny.
7:42, you missed the obvious point. How long had he lived in the village before he ran? Watch the name typing, you shake your father’s hand with those fingers?
Dom has been silent for quite some time. Rurik, you’re no Dom