Author: James

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Resident Proposes 8-Point Plan for a Happy Ridgewood

park

My 8-Point Plan for a Happy Ridgewood

Dear Village Council,

Thanks for listening to your Residents last night and for engaging in thoughtful, open dialogue about the issues facing our town.  All kidding in the subject line above aside, I wanted to share

My list of key points from last night.  You all have been thrown very quickly into a fire that has been burning in RW for years.  The way out that is best for RW will NOT be comfortable or easy.  You are clearly already taking some steps to mitigate future problems from the prior Council’s mess.  But to really help us, and to do the job really right, it is going to be somewhat uncomfortable for a while.  As I stated, for the past four years your Residents have really been the ones dealing with much of the uncomfortable stuff (along with Mayor Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Sedon) – rallying the troops, writing endless letters, filing lawsuits, being verbally abused by developers agents as well as prior Council members, Planning Board Members and their attorney, being physically threatened, being shut up, ignored, derided, etc., etc.

So, please don’t be afraid of the uncomfortable. We’re not.  To truly lead, whether in business, in our own families, or in Ridgewood, we all have to face the uncomfortable to get to what makes things work better.

Here’s my list.

#1.  PLEASE SET YOUR OWN AGENDA:  For the past for years the developer and their compatriots in our village governance have asserted their agendas, forcing us to follow, react and defend.  It’s time to be as strong as them and SET THE AGENDA.  Let them react and defend for once, even if some of that has to happen in the courts.

#2.  3066: Continue your work to undo Ordinance 3066.  Keep this momentum going.

#3.  RESOLVE PARKING QUICKLY AND SMARTLY:  Continue to solve Ridgewood’s parking issues in a sensible and comprehensive way.  If the Zabriske Lot Closed Session discussion is regarding a lease for parking, that is fantastic!  Keep working to get a garage size and location right.  Regarding angled parking and removal of the parallel spot buffers, please review this with Mr. Jahr, subsequent to Chris Rutishauser’s comments.  AND PLEASE GET SOME SIGNAGE DIRECTING DRIVERS TO THE PARKING LOTS!

#4.  REPEAL HIGH DENSITY ORDINANCES:  Repeal the three high-density ordinances now.  We appreciated this discussion last night.  Kudos.  There is no reason for these laws to remain on the Village’s books as an inspiration to neighboring owners or other land speculators who might buy up Village properties and seek variances or new ordinances for more high density housing.

#5. TAKE A CREATIVE LOOK AT MEETING AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS:  Take a real and creative look at ways to plan properly to meet our affordable housing needs.  Perhaps you can amend some of the village property zoning on Chestnut St to allow for potential future Sr. Affordable Housing developments, a need clearly defined but not honestly met by the current developers.  Look at other places where this can be done and include zoning for special needs.

#6.  REDO THE MASTER PLAN REVIEW:  Budget for a REAL Master Plan Review NOW and demand that the Planning Board replace the improper review done this year – where they even forgot to perform the necessary polling of residents for our views of Ridgewood’s future. Replace it with a real Master Plan Review, done by an unbiased 3rd party professional firm.  I know you know we need this.  We need a really planning bible, not a fake one.  Please put the money aside now and start the RFQs.

#7. SETTLE LAWSUITS WITH YOUR RESIDENTS QUICKLY:  Initiate discussions to Settle the lawsuits brought by your fellow citizens on the High Density and Valley matters.   This is your decision to make, not the decision of the Council Attorney, or the Planning Board attorney.  Regarding High Density, you can tell Matt now, that you want him to initiate settlement discussions this week with your fellow citizens.  It is fully within your power to set that agenda.  And don’t fear objection or intervention by the applicants.  That’s great as it will bring the parties together.  Be strong and bring them to the table too.  Right now, nobody’s talking.  If needed, ask Matt to have the court to appoint a mediator to oversee a settlement.  But let’s get this done now. Let’s stop the need for citizen groups to continue to litigate the preservation of our Village.  And please note that #8 below will help you settle these negotiations more quickly, because so much was wrong with the process.

#8.  INVESTIGATE THE DEFECTIVE PROCESS THAT LED  TO BAD ORDINANCES:  Take Councilman Voigt’s Investigative Committee proposal very seriously… and please do it.  The Village of Ridgewood, through its Council owes Residents clarity on the matter of how these very unpopular and defective high-density ordinances got passed.  You don’t have to make this a witch hunt.  Just as your Residents have done in their legal filings, take a look at the most serious issues, while also reviewing some aspects of the aggressive politicking and keep it short and sweet.  But don’t avoid it because it is uncomfortable.   For the past four years, your Residents have not avoided anything uncomfortable in our efforts to save Ridgewood.  We will do our part to help by supporting you and providing you with a list of questions we have regarding the concerns, conflicts and issues with the defective and oft abusive process that led to passing of the high density ordinances.  Again… we support a focused investigation towards clarity and eventual closure.

And last, please have Roberta and the Village’s tech staff get all the planning board minutes and transcripts back up on the website in a manner that can be found.

Thanks again for doing the right thing for Residents.

Dave Slomin, Concerned Resident

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Rep Scott Garrett Continues to Push for Added Oil Train Safety in Bergen County

Scott Garrett
August 4,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, According to Rep. Scott Garrett we have seen an increase in the amount of oil trains travelling through our area, and many people have concerns about what this means for their homes and their families. Because of this, he recently hosted a meeting in Bergen County so town officials and local emergency coordinators could hear directly from federal regulators and representatives from the rail industry about efforts to ensure the safety of our communities.
Garret said ,”I believe it’s important that local officials and the public have access to this information, and we must keep these lines of communication open.”
And Garret Stressed , “I remain committed to hearing from all sides in order to continue my work on this important issue, and I’m looking forward to holding more meetings with New Jerseyans who have questions about train safety.”
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$100 in New Jersey is worth only $87.34

aa-toll-booth-nj-turnpike

August 5,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , new map shows $100 is not what it used to be ,this map shows how much $100 is worth in each state.

Prices for the same goods are often much cheaper in states like Missouri or Ohio than they are in states like New York or California. As a result, the same amount of cash can buy you comparatively more in a low-price state than in a high-price state.

The piece also explains what this means for people’s checkbooks and for public policy.

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U.S. Sent Cash to Iran as Americans Were Freed

Obama-Golf

Obama administration insists there was no quid pro quo, but critics charge payment amounted to ransom

By
JAY SOLOMON and

CAROL E. LEE
Updated Aug. 3, 2016 12:01 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation afterward.

Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane, according to these officials. The U.S. procured the money from the central banks of the Netherlands and Switzerland, they said.

The money represented the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-sent-cash-to-iran-as-americans-were-freed-1470181874

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Pedestrian Hit in Fair Lawn

Fair lawn Pedestrian Hit

photo courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

August 4,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Fair Lawn NJ, Fair Lawn PD, EMS, and Heavy Rescue, along with a paramedic team from St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center, responded to a pedestrian vs. passenger vehicle collision at the intersection of Fair Lawn Avenue and Plaza Road, Fair Lawn, on Tuesday night, 08/02. The victim was transported to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center with life threatening injuries. Police at the scene did not comment on whether the victim was in a crosswalk at the time contact was made, nor was there any information available regarding the issuance of a summons(es).

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“Suspicious” Fire Damages Car in Glen Rock

Glen Rock Fire

photos courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facebook

August 4,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Glen Rock NJ, Investigators from multiple agencies working at the scene of unoccupied passenger vehicle fire in the parking lot of Superfresh, located at 937 Lincoln Avenue, Glen Rock on the afternoon of Wednesday, 08/03. An engine compartment fire, deemed as “suspicious” by Glen Rock PD, heavily damaged the 4-door sedan, which was later removed from the parking lot by a flatbed tow truck. Personnel from Glen Rock PD & FD, Hawthorne PD & FD, the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office, and the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office were all observed operating at the incident.

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Secret to a happy marriage? Maybe drinking alcohol, study says

booze

USA TODAY NETWORKAshley May, USA TODAY3:55 p.m. EDT August 3, 2016

Date nights including the occasional wine or beer might not be a bad idea, according to a study published in The Journals of Gerontology.

The study looked at drinking behaviors of 2,767 older married couples, who supplied data twice over four years. Participants were 50 or older. Researchers found couples who drank had “decreased negative marital quality over time.”

In other words, couples who reported drinking even one drink a year were more likely to say their partner doesn’t let them down, get on their nerves or criticize them. This could be interpreted as happiness, but it’s difficult to prove.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2016/08/03/secret-happy-marriage-maybe-drinking-alcohol-study-says/88002166/

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N.J. taking in more Syrian refugees as U.S. increases resettlements

muslim rape culture

 

Ignoring objections by Governor Christie and presidential nominee Donald Trump that refugees from Syria pose a security risk, the Obama administration has sharply increased resettlements, with New Jersey taking in almost as many people in the past month as it did in 2014 and 2015 combined. Herb Jackson, The Record Read more

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N.J. town drops hammer on police chief over pro-racial profiling email

wyckoffpolicecarboyd1

 

Police Chief Benjamin Fox should be demoted to patrolman and suspended without pay for 180 days for violating the Attorney General’s guidelines against racial profiling, township officials have decided. Anthony G. Attrino, NJ.com Read more

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Village of Ridgewood Council Meeting ; is the Honey Moon Over?

Bike_Ridgewood_Public_Library_theridgewoodblog
August 4,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, It was a long night and long agenda at last night council meeting. Yes , some readers suspect the Honeymoon  is over. It also seems that after spending in excess of  six hundred thousand dollars on plans, study and test for the Hudson Street garage some council members seem to want to build it somewhere else.  Perhaps the Walnut St lot and the Town Garage property. We wonder if the expense of purchasing  the Town Garage and the environmental  clean up of that property will cost the Village tax payers.
However we can not blame the new council for trying to clean up the mess of the former council after all the “3 amigos” were voted in by residents so the residents are in essence cleaning up the mess they created .And this mess is a very big mess !

The Board of Trustees of the Library are back with force. We now have council members talking about a performing arts center next to  the library. What will be the cost to the taxpayers to build, staff and maintenance for this building. Maybe this new council should complete on thing before moving on to other projects and they should remember that they have a fiduciary responsible  to ALL residence .

As NJPAC’s total expenses grew, so did its state funding. The annual grant from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts increased from $750,000 in 1999 to a peak of $1.7 million in 2005, before falling back to $1.1 million this year.In contrast, NJPAC’s expenses for artistic programming have remained flat. In 1999, the arts center spent $10.6 million on concerts and other events, and according to its tax returns it recently spent $10.9 million..

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Ridgewood Committees Need to more than looking for solutions to self-interests and perceived problems

Ridgewood_-Village_Hall_theridgewoodblog

In the past shade tree and project pride were committees that performed a real service. HSA work with the schools and offer support.

Now we invent committees that invite input and look for solutions to self-interests and perceived problems.

We know that the CBD wants development of parking and high density housing (and turfing of Schindler, from the softball days). A 6 person committee with 3 business owners will undoubtedly find a list of demands from business owners. Now the village will be expected to come up with solutions for their business problems. I would love it if the committee questioned the sidewalk encroachment of some restaurants and requested that the brick wall at GTM be removed. And no signs in planters in the CBD. Those planters are maintained by the Project Pride Committee – a group of selfless volunteers working to make the town look better for all of us.

How about a Green Village committee. 6 residents who want to maintain the character of the village while evolving over time. Invite Artists, Architects, parents, commuters, over 55 and others to join. Let’s see what they propose.

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Sweeney bombshell: Investigate NJEA, cops union for extortion over pension threat

Ridgewood EA teachers protest
By Samantha Marcus | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on August 03, 2016 at 12:16 PM, updated August 03, 2016 at 5:34 PM
 TRENTON — Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Wednesday that threats by public worker unions to withhold campaign contributions unless the Senate passes pension legislation amounts to “bribery” and “extortion” and should be investigated by state and federal officials.

At a Statehouse news conference, Sweeney (D-Gloucester) responded to reports the state’s largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, told county Democratic Party chairmen it wouldn’t release campaign cash until next spring as a cudgel to force action on a proposed constitutional amendment guaranteeing billions of dollars in contributions to the government worker pension fund.

Sweeney also said his office received a direct threat from the president of the Fraternal Order of Police. He penned letters to the U.S. attorney and state attorney general requesting investigate the threats as violations of both state and federal bribery laws.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/08/sweeney_calls_for_investigation_of_njea_pension_vo.html#incart_river_mobileshort_home_pop

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Hillary Clinton’s Ten Year, Trillion Dollar Tax Increase

hillary-clinton-what-difference-does-it-make

Details and Analysis of Hillary Clinton’s Tax Proposals

January 26, 2016
By
Kyle Pomerleau,
Michael Schuyler
 Key Findings:
  • Hillary Clinton would enact a number of tax policies that would raise taxes on individual and business income.
  • Hillary Clinton’s plan would raise tax revenue by $498 billion over the next decade on a static basis. However, the plan would end up collecting $191 billion over the next decade when accounting for decreased economic output in the long run.
  • A majority of the revenue raised by Clinton’s plan would come from a cap on itemized deductions, the Buffett Rule, and a 4 percent surtax on taxpayers with incomes over $5 million.
  • Clinton’s proposals to alter the long-term capital gains rate schedule would actually reduce revenue on both a static and dynamic basis due to increased incentives to delay capital gains realizations.
  • According to the Tax Foundation’s Taxes and Growth Model, the plan would reduce GDP by 1 percent over the long-term due to slightly higher marginal tax rates on capital and labor.
  • On a static basis, the tax plan would lead to 0.7 percent lower after-tax income for the top 10 percent of taxpayers and 1.7 percent lower income for the top 1 percent. When accounting for reduced GDP, after-tax incomes of all taxpayers would fall by at least 0.9 percent.

Over the past few months, former Secretary of State and Senator Hillary Clinton has proposed a number of new and expanded government programs.[1] In order to pay for these new or expanded services, she has proposed raising and enacting a number of new taxes. Her plan would increase marginal tax rates for taxpayers with incomes over $5 million, enact a 30 percent minimum tax (the Buffett Rule), alter the long-term capital gains tax rate schedule, and limit itemized deductions to a tax value of 28 percent. Her plan would also restore the estate tax to its 2009 parameters and would limit or eliminate other deductions for individuals and corporations.

Our analysis finds that the plan would increase revenue by $498 billion over the next decade. The plan would also increase marginal tax rates on both labor and capital. As a result, the plan would reduce the size of gross domestic product (GDP) by 1 percent over the long term. This reduction in GDP would translate into 0.8 percent lower wages and 311,000 fewer full-time equivalent jobs. Accounting for the economic effects of the tax changes, the plan would end up increasing federal tax revenues by $191 billion over the next decade.

https://taxfoundation.org/article/details-and-analysis-hillary-clinton-s-tax-proposals

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The Legend Speaks — Schlafly Thunders for Ryan Ouster: ‘Get Rid of Him!’

Phyllis Schlafly

by JULIA HAHN
3 Aug 2016

JANESVILLE, WI — Coming on the heels of her pivotal endorsement that helped propel Donald Trump to becoming the Republican nominee, conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly is once again entering the 2016 electoral fray.

After ending the presidential ambitions of Sen. Marco Rubio, the living legend now has her 91-year-old sights set on the highly controversial House Speaker Paul Ryan, who leads America’s globalist political sect and is nominally a member of the Republican Party.

Ryan has faced a spirited challenge in his August 9th open primary election from Wisconsin businessman Paul Nehlen.

Nehlen has managed to significantly close the gap in polls despite virtually no national or local media coverage, sabotage by the state party, and an absence of Washington conservative media figures like Mark Levin, who has spent much of his recent time arguing against the use of Lincolnian tariffs.

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Schlafly, a national conservative who has led the conservative movement for generations, called on the American people to “get rid” of Speaker Ryan.

Schlafly explained that Ryan has repeatedly demonstrated that he is “not really for America” and is “not for American citizens.”

“Get rid of him! We don’t want anybody who believes in open borders,” Schlafly told Breitbart. “Obviously Paul Ryan is not an ‘America first’ guy.”

https://www.breitbart.com/2016-presidential-race/2016/08/03/schlafly-thunders-for-ryan-ouster/