The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ali Harwin, the controversial Village council campaigner known for race-baiting and anti-Catholic rhetoric, has resurfaced—this time as the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair at Somerville Elementary School.
![mudslinging[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/mudslinging1.gif "Reader says The fact that over 2000 Ridgewood residents support the hatred, lies and vitriol of the Harwin campaign is a strong indicator of the caliber of individuals migrating to RW and it does not bode well for the future of the town")
Congrats to Knudsen and Seldon.
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However, it is shockingly sad that Harwin (especially) and Willett each got over 2000 votes.
Just goes to show what an ugly direction Ridgewood is heading.
The fact that over 2000 RW residents support the hatred, lies and vitriol of the Harwin campaign is a strong indicator of the caliber of individuals migrating to RW and it does not bode well for the future of the town.
While there is no law to my knowledge that sets out a minimum time that a candidate for Council needs to have lived in town, Ms. Harwin is a perfect example of someone who has just not lived here long enough to be considered qualified. From an issues standpoint, she did not experience the battle that Valley waged on the Village or the Village Hall construction fiasco. While she incorrectly blames the current Mayor and Deputy Mayor for our unsustainable tax increases, she didn’t even live here when the real problem started. Her very short tenure as a resident really shows through in her lack of familiarity with the issues. She didn’t live through the personal agenda driven rancor that the previous Council majority spewed for 4 year nor did she see how those agendas were voted down in the last election by a two thirds to one third majority. Funny that she talks about how we need change while campaigning on a platform that was in place for four years and was so roundly rejected just two years ago. Of course how can she be expected to know these things because she’s so new to town. I would suggest that she go to a couple of Council meetings before trying to sit on the dais. Sit in on a budget meeting or two as well. Mike Sedon, for example sat in on every Council and budget meeting for years before he ran. Our current Mayor is a long time resident who served on several committees before running for Council herself. All of Ms. Harwin’s mud slinging and misrepresentation of the truth aside, she’s just not nearly experienced enough to take on the job that she seeks.
This Village needs to come to the realization that the Harwin camp is not looking to better Ridgewood in any way, this candidate and her wannabe political groupies are looking to use this town as a stepping stone for what they think is the beginning of some pipe dream of a NJ political career. The math on the garage doesn’t add up and i’m surprised that a candidate that will drop her Ivy League education on anyone that will listen can not look at projected financials and figure that out. I’ve listened to council meetings where one pro Harwin supporter actually used the argument that a garage would result in less pedestrian / automobile accidents….this is the type of nonsensical argument that this group will throw out for effect. As is the similar argument the Harry Truman look alike threw out about the garage being the foundation for the future of Ridgewood. People, we need to use our brains…we need to vote in residents who are looking to better this town and effectively manage budgets so that the over taxation of residents does not lead to an exodus of the people from this town. The argument that since this parking debate has gone on for 20+ years so we should just build a garage makes no sense. We need to plan for the future by looking towards the future, not the past, as some residents would like. As someone that grew up in this town, I could care less that my parents generation wanted a garage, that belief doesn’t better this town or pay the bills. This garbage and slanderous platform that Harwin and her irrelevant, wannabe “political players” have launched should be beneath every resident in this town. They are not good for Ridgewood now and will not be good for this town in the future. The main problem we have is that this town’s majority have no idea about the weasle know nothings that are trying to change the core of Ridgewood. Get out and spread the word. The former mayor and his cronies are the past…..do not let these sub intelligent hacks dictate the future of this town.
July 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, those residents who are concerned with the current level of over development in Ridgewood ,she remain vigilant .the village dogged a bullet during the last election no matter what the Aronsohn and Co. protors want you to think. Candidate Harwin was promoted by the Queen of overdevelopment state Senator Loretta Weinberg.
Don’t think this Village Council Election is all about high density house and forced over development ,think again ,Harwin is bragging all over the internet on her endorsement of “high density” Senator Loretta Weinberg.
Weinberg has continually promoted over development in Bergen County .
Harwin: So grateful to be endorsed by Loretta Weinberg, NJ State Senate Majority Leader and women’s leadership pioneer.
“Now, more than ever, we need to elect strong, progressive women, and it is in that spirit that I hope Alexandra Harwin gets elected to the Ridgewood Council. She’s smart. She’s thoughtful. And she would bring to Village Hall a welcome mix of energy, passion and integrity. Ridgewood is lucky to have Ali Harwin. I hope you vote for her on Tuesday, May 8.”
— Senator Loretta Weinberg — with Alexandra Harwin and Loretta Weinberg.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/weinberg-endorsement-of-harwin-key-to-high-density-development-efforts-in-ridgewood/
May 7,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, don’t think this Village Council Election is all about high density house and forced over development ,think again ,Harwin is bragging all over the internet on her endorsement of “high density” Senator Loretta Weinberg.
Weinberg has continually promoted over development in Bergen County .
Harwin: So grateful to be endorsed by Loretta Weinberg, NJ State Senate Majority Leader and women’s leadership pioneer.
“Now, more than ever, we need to elect strong, progressive women, and it is in that spirit that I hope Alexandra Harwin gets elected to the Ridgewood Council. She’s smart. She’s thoughtful. And she would bring to Village Hall a welcome mix of energy, passion and integrity. Ridgewood is lucky to have Ali Harwin. I hope you vote for her on Tuesday, May 8.”
— Senator Loretta Weinberg — with Alexandra Harwin and Loretta Weinberg.
Senate Democrats Block Cardinale’s Efforts to Provide Affordable Housing Relief
June 20, 2017
Citing pleas from both local officials and residents who are concerned with the cost and impact of building thousands of new units of affordable housing on their little remaining open space, Senator Gerry Cardinale (R-39) attempted to force Senate votes yesterday on a pair of bills he sponsors that would provide temporary relief to municipalities. Both efforts were immediately blocked by the majority Senate Democrats.
Senate Democrats blocked votes on a pair of bills sponsored by Sen. Gerry Cardinale that would provide affordable housing relief to municipalities. (Pixabay)
“We’ve heard repeatedly from mayors, councilmembers, and residents that their towns cannot absorb the thousands of units that the Fair Share Housing Center has demanded they build,” said Cardinale. “It’s clear that the Legislature must regain control of a housing policy that the New Jersey Supreme Court has recklessly advanced beyond its mandate and at the expense of property taxpayers and local communities. I’m saddened that New Jersey Democrats continue to support an activist Court that wants to pave over New Jersey.”
The bills Cardinale attempted to advance, S-3080 and S-3081, would impose a moratorium on affordable housing litigation and establish an “Affordable Housing Obligation Study Commission,” respectively.
Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg stood on both occasions for Senate Democrats to table Cardinale’s motions to relieve his bills from the stalled committee process and bring them to the Senate floor for consideration.
“There aren’t too many people in Bergen County who are happy with the expensive affordable housing policies that Majority Leader Weinberg continues to defend,” said Cardinale. “I’m surprised she’s fighting so vigorously for overdevelopment, crowded schools, and higher property taxes throughout Bergen County.”
Cardinale’s efforts on the Senate floor followed a well-attended public meeting held by the 39th District legislators last week to hear the substantial concerns of public officials.
Assemblywoman Holly Schepisi and Assemblyman Bob Auth (both R-39) sponsor the identical versions of Cardinale’s bills in the General Assembly, A-4666 and A-4667, and have been strong advocates for affordable housing reform.
“The Fair Share Housing Center has issued local municipal obligations that would require just about every open field and every wooded lot in Bergen County to be replaced with high-density housing,” added Cardinale. “Democrats may be happy with that, but we’re not. We’ll keep fighting to preserve our towns and protect our property taxpayers.”
Trolls ,Bigots and Fools
May 4,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Many thought that the 3 Amigo’s Aronsohn , Hauck and Pucciarelli hit the all time low in Ridgewood politics but Arosohn’s pulling the strings for the Narcissistic driven Harwin campaign continues to break lower lows Attacks have been made on Village institutions, Jamboree, OLMC , the Ridgewood Police and Fire Departments as well as Preserve Graydon ,the Ridgewood Wildscape Association and Friends of Schedler. And once again the whole East Side of 17 was written off by perspective councilmembers .
But most distasteful have been the nonstop misogynistic attacks on the mayor. Attempts to bully the mayor during public comment by Mr Halaby, Lehmann and Delzio in the most frat boy , vulgar ,and bigoted tone have not done much to ingratiate the Harwin cause with Villagers .
Councilmen Voigt a Harwin ally has also attacked female Villagers from the dais and in court ,claiming “harassment”. The school boy mentality of these “masculinity challenged “, “men ” along with several others in the Village only further push voters to the Kundsen and Sedon corner .
Looking at the various mailers side by side, what is apparent is that Ms. Harwin’s pieces are all attack oriented, using false innuendo to smear opponents. There is little to her pieces that hints at any actual experience in governance . Mayor Knbudsen has long standing roots in the community, as dses Councilman Mike Sedon. They have participated in many ways to help our Village – any number of advisory boards, committees, you name it. Mike was even a writer for the Ridgewood News, giving him a special insight in what is going on here, and how issues evolved over time. That is why they have not been looking for quick fixes to complex issues like housing, master plans or parking garages. Instead they have been doing things the right way, with comments from Village residents and thorough research and hard work. You don’t just parachute into a community and now how it works, what it’s’ soul is. You need to know the network of people who make our Village work. Ms. Harwin in contrast is a relative newcomer. She has relied on advisors such our recently tossed out Paul Aronsohn to tell her that the issue are. Looking over her mailings, her qualification seems to be a career in civil rights litigation. And while I am sure she fights hard for her clients, this does not prepare her for governance. At best she is qualified by being well meaning. And from what we have seen recently in Washington, lack of experience in governance at best leads to delay in getting to know ho things are done. At worst…
Vote for the qualified, proven candidates running for Council. Don’t be complacent and assume that the people you know will be the best Councilmen in our Village will win. in the election. Seeing the way this campaign is turning with such well organized attacks on quality people, you can bet that there well be a get out the vote effort – make sure you get out to vote too. And do not be surprised if a late mailing arrives on your doorstep with new false accusations with no time to rebut them – that is the way apparently Ms. Harwin’s team works.
Harwin is portraying Ridgewood as some sort of hostile community in which people are marginalized for being jewish, gay, black, etc. This is completely untrue and horribly inflammatory. I am a minority, my skin is DARK. No one bothers me, no one ever has, no one bothered my kids, this is a wonderful community filled with educated easy going people. Harwin thinks she needs to save us from inequality what a crock of shit. She is trying to make trouble where none exists.
April 28,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Dana Glazer posted in the Facebook group “It Takes a Ridgewood Village” of his ejection from the Women for Progress Facebook group:
Dear It Takes A Ridgewood Village Members,
I want to share that I have been removed by Erin Chung from her Women for Progress FB group for posting the below message.
I bring this to your attention not out of spite but to make you aware that not everyone who professes to progressive/democratic ideals is necessarily truly aligned with them and that they should be seen for who and what they are.
As you know, Ridgewood is having a Village Council election in a matter of days. Given that we have a non-partisan local government, the candidates should be evaluated on their own merits and not in relation to their national affiliations. I’m a strong supporter of Mayor Susan Knudsen because she has been nothing but honest, reliable and hard working in her stewardship of Ridgewood. Having interacted with her for several years now, I know her heart is in the right place and that she is a good and well-meaning person. So, for a candidate like Alexandra Harwin to oppose her with an intentionally disingenuous smear campaign to rile up Democrats against her and use our ‘Blue Wave’ as a weapon is flat out wrong.
Women For Progress has been working hard to support Ms. Harwin, ignoring Ridgewood’s non-partisan framework. That is misguided. But to do so with the knowledge of her tactics is to condone this wrongful behavior – and that needs to be addressed.
I hope that you will share this note with other Democrats in our area so that people can know the truth about the situation. Thanks for doing your part.
Sincerely,
Dana
_______________________________________________________
Fellow Progressives,
As a Ridgewood resident, I am deeply concerned about Women for Progress’ involvement in the upcoming Ridgewood Village Council election and how it could negatively impact our common goals for November.
Today I received a flyer in the mail from ‘Harwin for Council’ that grievously associates Mayor Knudsen with Nazism.
This is wrong.
This is not who we are as progressives, Democrats or frankly, Americans.
This is what we are fighting against: Trumpian smear tactics that viciously and falsely attack the character of the opposition.
In the same way that it is important to call out and denounce such tactics when it comes from the Conservative side, so too is it essential for us to speak out against a candidate who professes to have progressive values but chooses to use these same attacks.
To have Women For Progress associate with this candidate in any way will only damage the group’s reputation when it comes to November because to support such a candidate is to support an individual willing to go low to win – and that we cannot abide.
Thank you for your time and for doing the right thing by speaking against this wrongful behavior.
April 27,2017
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, in their latest campaign pitch , the Willett and Harwin camp have accused Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen and deputy Mayor Mike Sedon of being NAZI sympathizers for among other things posing with the Easter Bunny , planting flags with American Legion Post 53 at Valleau Cemetery for forgotten veterans ,and thanking all those who helped with the Memorial Day Service and Remembers the Fallen military hero’s, on this blog.
While the Willett and Harwin campaign have already been outed for being anti Catholic ,undermining the police and fire department you can now add hating the Easter Bunny and denigrating the US Armed Services and its veterans to the list.
In the mailing the Ridgewood blog was called a “right wing blog “, who dared to state the obvious that using children to make cheap political points is a bit reminiscent of “Hitler Youth” , sorry folks it is what it is.
Still no word from Harwin and Willett denouncing the bigoted Hans Lehmann letter or explaining their position on the anti minority ,white only LGBT flag that they attempted to pressure the council into hosting over Village Hall?
The entire mailing fails to understand how the Ridgewood blog functions and how news is disseminated on this site .
April 27,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Garden State Equality (GSE), New Jersey’s largest LGBT advocacy and education organization, today announced its endorsements for the May non-partisan municipal elections taking place in New Jersey.
The candidates receiving endorsements from GSE are:
Czezre Adams for Newark City Council;
Ras Baraka for Mayor of Newark;
Reed Gusciora for Mayor of Trenton;
Alexandra Harwin for Ridgewood Village Council;
Elvin Montero for Trenton City Council; and
Jason O’Donnell for Mayor of Bayonne.
According to Garden State Equality , “Each of these candidates has a clear and defined history of working with and supporting issues of importance to the LGBT community, according to the organization. Whether it be marriage equality, anti-bullying laws, flying the pride flag, or engaging in proactive discussions on how to best achieve true equality and fairness for the LGBT community, these individuals have shown they are committed to the cause of LGBT rights”
But the questions still arises will Ms. Harwin distance herself from the “white only” exclusionary gay flag that ignores minorities in the LGBT community https://www.newsweek.com/rainbow-flag-pride-month-lgbt-625801 and https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/13/health/new-pride-flag-colors-trnd/index.html
Willett and Harwin have also not distanced themselves from the clearly bigoted and anti Catholic “Hans Lehmann letter ” . Suggesting those who preach are usually guilty of what every they are trying to promote . Silence on this both issues only implies that Willett and Harwin are in full agreement with anti Catholic and minority sentiments.
https://theridgewoodblog.net/will-willett-and-harwin-distance-themselves-from-a-rainbow-flag-excludes-minority-lgbts/
From Jim McCarthy,
Candidate Alexandra Harwin Asked Me to Send You All This Note
Earlier this evening (April 23rd) I attended a meet and greet Alexandra Harwin held at a Downtown business. At the end of the evening she said that municipal election turnout is frequently light and because “people have a hard time processing information” that it would be helpful if we contacted our friends and neighbors and shared our impressions of the evening’s session.
Ok, not my idea but I always try to be helpful when someone asks me to do something for him or her.
My overall impression of Candidate Harwin was one of insufficient substance and a lack of familiarity with the issues to such a degree that I do not understand what she offers to the Village.
The candidate is clearly bright, but anyone who has been to more than 1 Village Council Meeting (a category that may not include Ms. Harwin) knows these are not Mensa conventions.
The platform consisted of only 4 planks, 3 of which came across as pure platitudes:
Lower taxes
Better Services
A revitalized downtown
These were presented as if the incumbent candidates support higher taxes, worse services and have downtown decay as a goal. Luckily they don’t, and they have the added benefit of an extensive command of the facts and a demonstrated willingness to do what’s right in a professional and civil way despite being relentlessly bullied and subjected to slanderous attacks.
Stylistically, there was a large amount of talking at people about the theoretical components of a problem like parking (eg it is because there is a multi-year “overall shift toward more a more parking intensive set of service oriented businesses like restaurants and nail salons”- mystery solved) but not much substance on solutions, nor any demonstrated familiarity with the history that preceded this moment in time. There was also a fair amount of ungracious Monday morning quarterbacking about things the Council had done to try and solve various issues (eg “the downtown valet experiment was ill conceived”). Those who cannot do teach; those who have not even tried commentate.
The one area in which Ms. Harwin spoke more passionately was about inclusion. I agree with her overall conclusion that the Council’s handling of the Pride Flag display was not good. I completely disagree with her theory as to the cause. There is no evidence in the record that the Mayor, Deputy Mayor or any other Council member was unsympathetic to the issues represented by the LGBTQ community. In prior years the Council authorized display of the flag but in this case the request got bogged down. If you have spent any time watching the Council work, the overall style was consistent with their usual methodical and process oriented mindset. But that missed the boat on the empathy and emotional side. In direct conversation with the Mayor, I know she feels similarly and she has expressed a resolve to do better this time around.
In summary, I was left with the impression of a candidate who has much less to offer the Village than the Village needs. We have capable and dedicated candidates in Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon, who while human and imperfect, are the most engaged, capable and collaborative people on the ballot. I hope this helps you all if you are having trouble processing all the available information ☺.
Jim McCarthy
People can be supported by people they like and trust only to learn that those people are not what they thought. That particular helper has fooled plenty of people before. It is to Susan’s credit that she recognized the truth and turned away. Isn’t this what blog posters have been begging Harwin to do from the beginning, on the assumption that as a newbie in town she didn’t realize whose claws she had fallen into? Yet weeks and weeks later, nothing has changed and that support has not been repudiated. One concludes that it’s all fine with her. This speaks volumes…
I grew up in Ridgewood and we always took pride in this being a “non-political party” place. Not since Paul Aronson saw this as a stepping stone to reverse his previous two failed attempts at running for Congress. He put a voting bloc together of three and basically ignored Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon until the Village got fed up with the political games and tossed them out. Looking at Ms. Harwin’s campaign piece that arrived in the mail yesterday obviously same inaccurate smear campaign tactics as was the case before. So lets answer some of her charges:
1. Higher taxes – as we all have always knows, the Council has little control over Village spending – this is a school cost issue.
2. Nepotism – hiring by the police and fire department is by state law subject to exam and qualifications. The Mayor can’t do anything to influence this.
3. Fines to residents for leaves – this is a close one to my heart, as last fall we received a summons, as did everyone else on our end of the street. The leaf ordinance was passed by the previous Aronson team, not by Susan Knudsen’s administration. We contracted the Mayor and she could bnot have been more helpful researching the issue for us, talking to the contractor hired by the previous administration, and ultimately telling us what we needed to present to the Court – she told us we needed proof, what kind of proof and how to present it – when we went to Court all charges dropped.
4. The charge is made that Susan Knudsen is somehow responsible for storefronts not being filled. Funny how same problem at malls all over the country. Yet I see Amazon Prime trucks everywhere. We used to have TWO hardware stores in Ridgewood – now we go to Home Depot. The economy is changing from brick and mortar across the country and this means change for the Village too. Hard for me to fault the Mayor for a national trend, and did-honest for Ms. Harwin to do so.
5. My Dad was on the Planning Board in the 70’s and a parking garage was on the agenda then. The Aronson administration was in favor of a garage that would include retail space on the first floor to pay for it – how would more competition for Village merchants help them – so this was dropped. Next a mega-garage was proposed for the Hidson lot, over-hanging the sidewalk – an eye sore as well as an impediment for parking that was not paid for at the garage for church goers (not just Mt. Carmel as some have said but also the United Methodist Church also across the street. In the face of overwhelming upset the Aronson administration backed off on this as well. If we are going to build a garage (*which we need to do) this will involve a bond issue that will cost tax payers for 20+ years – so we want to do it right. Susan Knudsen has been working with the current Council to do it right, and attacking her for not just doing what previous administrations had been unable to do is again not honest.
6. The Harwin mailing also mentions a “failed valet parking experiment” – hard for me to blame the current Council when this was initiated by the Aronson administration.
I look at the two mailings we received yesterday – the Knudsen/Sedon piece noting issues being worked on and achieved, and the Harwin piece full of lies and blaming the current Council for things initiated by her patron, Paul Aronshon. Not much of a doubt in my mind that I am voting for the honest candidates trying to pull our Village back from the mess created by the Aronson team, instead of the one who is spreading lies and backed by the previous failed administration. Don’t be complacent as often happens in non-national elections – this is important, and whether you agree with my comments above or not, get out and vote.