Republican Manuel Alfonso
BY TODD SOUTH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
Among the otherwise quiet races for Bergen County offices this year, the sheriff’s contest has emerged as the most heated, with a challenger who has accused the incumbent of political cronyism in hiring and “double-dipping.”
It’s certainly been the most visible county election in 2016, with billboards along major roadways and targeted Facebook and TV placements devoted to the race.
BY JOHN BRENNAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The sale of $1.15 billion in bonds to fund the remaining construction of the American Dream Meadowlands shopping and entertainment complex will not take place as scheduled on Friday, a state official said Wednesday.
But Wayne Hasenbalg, the president of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which owns the land where the $5.2 billion project is being built, added that he does not foresee any impediments to a closing taking place within the next 30 days.
Editor, The Ridgewood News:
Re: “Planning Board lawsuit dismissed,” The Ridgewood News, October 28, Page A-2.
Former Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s contention that both his and former Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli’s acceptance of gratis tickets to a political fundraiser, and subsequent attendance at the event, was entirely appropriate based on who else was in attendance, is simply preposterous.
Of those attendees referenced by Mr. Aronsohn (“all five Council members at that time,” “the Village Manager, County Executive, and multiple Freeholders”) only he and Mr. Pucciarelli were full voting members of the Planning Board at that time. As such, only he and Mr. Pucciarelli were in positions to cast votes on a then pending amendment to the Village’s Master Plan that could have favorably impacted the local real estate developer who provided the gratis tickets. Neither Mr. Aronsohn nor Mr. Pucciarelli should have set foot in that event venue for any reason whatsoever.
And with respect to Mr. Aronsohn’s claim that Village Attorney Matt Rogers previously advised that “it was both fine and appropriate that we attended as a courtesy to the visiting governor,” you and your reporter should have treated this statement as nothing more than hearsay unless Mr. Aronsohn was willing and able to produce a piece of correspondence or official transcript verifying its authenticity.
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood NJ
Following is an email I wrote tonight to the Village Council with commentary on the meeting of Wednesday 2 November.
Dear All:
To Bernie, I apologize profusely if my comment about Trump in any way reflected an intent to interfere in how various members may vote. You know how strongly I feel about the greatest of our rights as American citizens, and in no way would I ever do that. What I tried to say was how ironic it was with perhaps as many as three people on the VC being possibly Trump supporters and thus people speaking so loudly about how the country is being ruined with over regulations, here we have a VC that is regulating the town to death. Listening to your discourse on various matters, I could only think of a Soviet Politburo making plans.
To Jeff, you are one bright person, but unfortunately ,you continue to underestimate the intelligence of others. Including yours truly, with your answer about the garage. You made reference to the garage by itself not being a solution to the 1,000 space shortage. The garage with 350 spaces (?) would have made quite a dent, far more than whatever spaces you might achieve with your antics of repricing, Uber, etc.
To Susan, you would have made an unbelievably clever trial attorney. You are smart, articulate, and have an uncanny ability to come up with red herrings. You blame the lack of having a garage to the June elections, when in fact you did everything in your power to torpedo the garage from day zero. You seem to forget that if you had acted responsibly last year, the work on the garage would have started in November and it would have been done by now. The borrowing would have been at historically low interest rates, an opportunity we will not see for decades. History will not judge you well for that.
Lack of transparency in Village business. This opaqueness is reflective of the Mayor’s drive for total control of Village business. In 48 years of living here, I have not seen such a dictatorial attitude. Yes, welcome to the Soviet Republic of Ridgewood. I suggested you follow Mayor Aronsohn’s example of writing a monthly column on what is happening and why, but one of your enablers quickly came to your defense by stating this is unnecessary since the Ridgewood News reported on VC meetings. I don’t quite see that.
The Mayor’s style of governance is slowly beginning to impact our lives. Village Hall is closing on itself, after two years of a dynamic open operation under Roberta. Village employee morale is imploding! And it won’t be long before we go back to the bad old days of a bureaucratic non-responsive Village Hall. Also, many committee an board positions are going unfilled, as people get turned off with the Mayor’s antics. And to those misfits in the audience who cheered Roberta’s firing, just wait a few months.
Seeing the VC at work, I can only think of a puppet show of The Wizard of Oz. Easy to sort who’s who.
It is getting late. Cynthia comes to work with me tomorrow meaning we have to be at the station by 06:20. Otherwise no place to park.
I will be posting this letter on FB.
Cheers,
Rurik
Hackensack NJ, The Attorney General Christopher Porrino and U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman have been formally notified of Josh Gottheimer’s deliberate and fraudulent alteration of a government document by the Office of Congressional Ethics in a desperate attempt to mislead the public.
The actions by the Gottheimer campaign violated both state and federal laws including 18 U.S.C. 1001 (false or fraudulent statement or document within the jurisdiction of the legislative branch of the Government of the United States), 18 U.S.C. 912 (impersonating any department or agency of the U.S.), §2C:21-1 (forgery) and §2C:21-4 (falsifying or tampering with records).
Gottheimer’s campaign admitted his forgery to the Star-Ledger: “An official with the Gottheimer campaign confirmed that it had produced the ad and manipulated the image.”
Yesterday, the billboards propping up the lies from the Gottheimer campaign were swiftly pulled.
November 4,2016
The Staff of The Ridgewood Blog
It was brought to our attention that many landscapers operating in the Village are doing so without the requisite permits and vehicle decals required under Village of Ridgewood Code 186.
When we started asking some landscapers why they did not have Village of Ridgewood issued permits and decals, several told us that the Village has no authority to regulate their respective operations; the NJDEP is the sole authority with respect to regulating landscaper contractors.
We don’t know if this is true or not. Can anyone help us understand if Village Code 186 (excerpt noted below) is lawful or unlawful?
Thank you.
[Amended 11-28-2012 by Ord. No. 3357]
All landscapers and landscaping firms depositing yard waste in the street for customers within the Village of Ridgewood shall display an annual decal as evidence of a current annual permit as required by the provisions of this chapter. Proof of being permitted pursuant to this chapter shall be demonstrated by the display of a decal, which will be issued to each permit holder. The decal shall be displayed by the permit holder on each vehicle the permit holder owns or operates within the Village of Ridgewood in connection with the permit holder’s landscaping business.
The sole exception to the above permitting requirement will apply only to landscapers who do not utilize a motor vehicle to transport equipment used to provide landscaping services.
November 4,2016
The Staff of The Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ, Shortly after 4 PM on Thursday, November 3, the North West Bergen Central Dispatch Center received a telephone call from a female requesting a police response to Ridgewood High School, located at 627 East Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood. The caller informed the dispatch center that she was either sexually assaulted, or was the victim of unwanted sexual contact at the high school (a language barrier hindered communication).
Two (2) Ridgewood PD uniformed Patrol Officers and a uniformed supervisor were immediately directed to the high school and all arrived on scene within 3-5 minutes of being dispatched. The officers and their supervisor were observed interviewing two (2) females and two (2) males outside of the school’s main entrance. It is not known whether the female caller was one of those being interviewed, nor is it known whether the alleged perpetrator was one of those being interviewed.
Within 15 minutes after the arrival of officers, the civilians who were being interviewed were all observed entering the same vehicle, leaving the parking lot, and driving westbound on East Ridgewood Avenue. They were followed by the Patrol Officers and their supervisor, who had arrived in 3 separate marked police vehicles. Their destination was unknown.
What we DO know:
What the caller reportedly told the 911 operator
That police were dispatched and responded immediately
That no ambulance was observed arriving at the scene or attending to a victim
That no one was observed being placed in handcuffs at the scene
What we DON’T know:
Exactly what the caller said to the 911 operator
What was said to arriving police officers by those being interviewed
Whether the victim or the alleged perpetrator(s) were among those being interviewed
Where the civilians and police officers were going after they left the RHS parking lot
Whether or not a crime of any sort was committed
Whether RHS administration was informed of the incident and what action, if any, was taken by them
As more details of this incident become available, if they are made public, The Ridgewood Blog will report them to you.
Ridgewood NJ, Third party sources were shocked to discover that Josh Gottheimer has falsified Federal government documents in a campaign ad against Scott Garrett, and have since pulled Gottheimer’s ad.
Shockingly, Gottheimer admitted his deceit to the Star Ledger: “An official with the Gottheimer campaign confirmed that it had produced the ad and manipulated the image.”
Falsifying government documents is a federal crime under 18 U.S. Code § 912.
After cease and desist letters were sent to TV stations and advertising companies, Gottheimer’s campaign pulled the billboards advertising Gottheimer’s fraudulent claims from two locations in New Jersey.
What more admittance of guilt do we need? Gottheimer has been caught red-handed and must apologize to the voters in New Jersey’s Fifth District.
As Democrat desperation intensifies Gottheimer Campaign goes off the rails plays anti-Semite card against Garrett in a purely gutter politic move.
“My family fled Nazi-occupied Europe to escape persecution because of their Jewish heritage. I find this flyer to be disgusting, and I would never authorize such a deplorable document to be produced by our campaign or any affiliated group. I would also call on the media to get an honest answer from the Gottheimer campaign as to whether this is a political ploy manufactured by them to fabricate a hate crime. We think that these documents should be turned over to the authorities to see if their origin can be determined.”
Teaneck Councilman, Jewish Link Co-Founder and prominent Garrett for Congress supporter Mark Schwartz issued the following statement regarding an anti-Semitic flyer that is allegedly circulating in the Fifth District:
“I know Scott Garrett – he is a good man who has run his campaign with integrity, despite being unfairly targeted by mudslingers on all sides. He is one of the strongest supporters of the State of Israel we have in Congress and has been a loyal friend of the Jewish people. I am appalled by the tenor of the campaign being run by his opponent, and I know Scott Garrett had absolutely nothing to do with this disgusting flyer.”
Senator Mike Doherty (R-23) has announced his opposition to Public Question #2, a ballot measure before voters this year to amend the New Jersey Constitution to dedicate state gas tax revenues to the Transportation Trust Fund (TTF).
Sen. Mike Doherty opposes the passage of Public Question #2, saying the failure of the measure may prevent billions of new borrowing and force leaders to address out-of-control transportation spending. (SenateNJ.com)
“I believe the passage of Public Question #2 would give the state the green light to add $12 billion in new debt,” said Doherty. “Our state is in the fiscal hole it’s in because we keep borrowing for things we can’t afford, when we really should be tightening our belts.”
Doherty said the failure of Public Question #2 would put the state’s ability to issue that planned debt in jeopardy.
“The failure of Public Question #2 would send the Governor and legislative leaders the message that New Jerseyans want them to address the out-of-control cost of our transportation projects, as I’ve long advocated,” added Doherty. “If we don’t address spending, we’re just wasting billions and counting down the days until someone in Trenton calls for the next gas tax increase.”
He highlighted language in A-10, the legislation enacted to reauthorize the TTF, which directly links the state’s authority to borrow to the passage of the ballot measure.
Specifically: “Commencing on the day that Assembly Concurrent Resolution No.1 of 2015, a constitutional amendment to Article VIII, section II, paragraph 4 of the New Jersey Constitution, takes effect, and ending June 30, 2024, the authority shall not issue transportation program bonds in excess of $12,000,000,000.”
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No.1 (ACR-1) was the legislation to amend the constitution which appears on the ballot as Public Question #2.
“There’s much dispute about what will happen if Public Question #2 fails, but we know for sure what happens if it passes — $12 billion in new debt,” said Doherty. “That’s enough for me to vote ‘NO.’”
Doherty is the sponsor of legislation to repeal the gas tax (S-2717) and reduce New Jersey’s highest-in-the-nation road costs (S-1888).
An online petition he maintains with Senator Kip Bateman (R-16) to repeal the recently imposed 23 cent per gallon gas tax increase can be signed athttps://www.senatenj.com/gastaxrepeal/.
The petition has already been signed more than 18,000 times.
By Nikita Vladimirov
Two sources within the FBI told Fox News on Wednesday that the investigation of the Clinton Foundation is likely to lead to an indictment.
Fox News’s Bret Baier said Wednesday that the FBI probe into a possible pay-to-play scheme between Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and the Clinton Foundation has been going on for over a year.
Sources told the news network that the investigation, which is conducted by the White Collar Crime division of the FBI, is a “very high priority.”
One source further stated that the bureau collected “a lot of” evidence, adding that “there is an avalanche of new information coming every day.”
Baier also said that the Clinton Foundation probe is more expansive than previously thought, and that many individuals have been interviewed several times throughout the course of the investigation.
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 02, 2016 at 11:30 AM, updated November 02, 2016 at 4:23 PM
TRENTON — Now that New Jersey’s new 23-cent gas tax increase is on the books, a ballot question asking voters to dedicate the billions of dollars in new revenue to transportation projects is suddenly getting lots of attention.
The once-virtually uncontested question that passed the Legislature with just one “no” vote has become a flashpoint in the fight over the new tax, which hit gas stations Tuesday.
Now supporters of the ballot question are worried voters angry over the higher gas tax will reject the measure.
BY HANNAN ADELY AND DAVE SHEINGOLD
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD
The majority of schools across North Jersey improved their scores in the second year of new state exams, according to state figures released Wednesday, a trend that officials expect to continue as more students take the tests and get used to them.
Of the 367 regular public schools in Passaic and Bergen counties, about 83 percent showed gains in the tests known as PARCC that were given in math and English in Grades 3 to 11.
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 02, 2016 at 6:55 PM, updated November 03, 2016 at 7:07 AM
TRENTON — New Jersey’s distressed government worker pension system is now the worst funded in the U.S., according to a report by Bloomberg.
The Garden State’s public pension fund has languished near the bottom, but has now dropped below Kentucky and Illinois for last place, according to the report.
Their analysis compared the states’ funding ratios, or their assets in relation to their pension debt.
As of July 1, 2015, New Jersey’s state and local pension funds have just 37.5 percent of the funding it needs to pay for future benefits. That is based on new reporting standards that require the state to project lower investment returns and had bleak consequences for the state’s estimates.
By Michael Symons November 2, 2016 7:21 PM
Over the last seven years, more than $99 of every $100 spent on transportation projects by the state Department of Transportation and NJ Transit has been borrowed.
From 2010 to 2016, less than $76 million out of almost $9.4 billion in cash outlays have been from current revenues, according to the Transportation Trust Fund Authority.
The rest has come from borrowing that has contributing to nearly $16 billion in debt. Yearly payments on that debt will be around $1.3 billion through 2029, then more than $1 billion annually for a dozen years after that.
Read More: Half of NJ’s new gas tax is being used to pay back old debt. Can state curb that trend? | https://nj1015.com/half-of-njs-new-gas-tax-is-being-used-to-pay-back-old-debt-can-state-curb-that-trend/?utm_campaign=Observer_NJ_Politics&utm_content=New%20Campaign&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=New%20Jersey%20Politics&trackback=tsmclip
By Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on November 02, 2016 at 2:53 PM, updated November 03, 2016 at 7:07 AM
Will a 23-cent increase in the gas tax prompt lawmakers to repeal the state’s prohibition against drivers pumping their own gas to ease the pain at the pump?
New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states which ban drivers from pumping their own gas. However, legislative leaders on both sides of the aisle expressed strong support for keeping the ban in place on Wednesday.
Prices increased at this Shell Station on Route 27 in Iselin after the state gas tax was hiked on Tuesday. (Photo by Larry Higgs | NJ Advance Media, for NJ.com )John Shabe | NJ Advance Media
Most say that repealing the law would not be enough to help drivers who are feeling the sting of higher gas prices after the tax increase took effect on Tuesday.
State Senate President Stephen Sweeney reiterated his earlier position that he would not post a bill repealing the self-serve ban, by offering a one-word comment, through a spokesman. No.
