Ridgewood NJ, This will be the fifth summer that summer sessions will be held at Ridgewood Art Institute. Young artists enjoy working intensively for a week developing their work to a higher level.
“It is exciting to see the progress the young students make within one week. In my class, they paint from still life’s and from landscapes previously created en plein air. There is no better way to learn then from real life set up. The landscape sketches help them see colors used to create atmosphere in an outdoor scene. Eventually they can paint outdoors using the information that is given and will help them translate the complicated outdoors into an understanding of colors and reasoning behind the palette of the Ridgewood Art Institute”, says Laura Paray
Since there has been growing interest within the past years, Instructors Rebecca Leer and Joel Popadics have added drawing sessions and Diana Gibson an oil painting session. The combination of drawing and oil painting sessions works well together. The kids benefit from taking both of these sessions. As the medium is different the end result is the same – creating beautiful pieces of art in the traditional manner of painting and drawing.
Ridgewood NJ, The Ridgewood blog consulted Ridgewood Attorney John Hersperger on the judges “90 days to clear way for Valley Hospital expansion”, and this is a verbatim quote:
“I completely expected this. I attended most of the hearings, and it was clear from the start that the Judge was convinced that the public interest outweighed Ridgewood’s interest, and she was going to contort the law and the facts to support Valley’s expansion. I won’t expound on this now, but with respect to the law, the cases the Judge cites do not back up her reasoning, and in fact, would support the Village’s right to zone the property as the Village sees fit. On the facts, respectfully, she cherry-picked what she needed and ignored decades of evidence clearly indicating that the Village never wanted a giant hospital at the site.
What was perhaps most disappointing was Judge’s remark (paraphrased) from the bench, in which she described that last decade of Valley’s applications as a “saga” for Valley, but just “history” for Ridgewood. Clearly, the judge saw the Village as the bad guys in this case . Honestly, after 60 or so public hearings and all the time and stress that residents endured, it was most painful to hear that kind of comment from a presiding Judge of this County.
So consider this, over the course of decades, Ridgewood has accommodated Valley’s multiple expansions (except for this last one), which has allowed Valley to grow and become one of the busiest and most profitable hospitals in the state. And when we finally say “no”, we’re the bad guys. And consider further we’re saying “no” to an expansion that would more than double the size of the facility. I’d say that contrary to the Judge’s ruling, Valley and the region actually owe Ridgewood a big “thank you” for being the municipality that took the brunt of Valley’s growth for all these years. I agree with the Judge that Valley serves a regional public need. But the delivery of that regional service, on our small local roadways, in a confined residential neighborhood, next to a middle school, should no longer be the sole obligation of Ridgewood. It’s time for a truly regional location for Valley, such as the 26.5 acres they own in Paramus, right between the Garden State Parkway and Route 17.”
First, thank you for your vote of confidence during the recent election. I am humbled by that confidence and committed to working towards solutions that are in the best interests of the Village.
Most especially, I would like to thank my campaign team: Sergio Alegre, Chad Chadwick, Wendy Dockray, Carol and Kevin Mattessich, Bill McCabe and Ann Spalckhaver. They are a great group of people who care deeply about Ridgewood. I would also like to thank many of you in the audience for your help during my campaign. It was a blast to work with you and I look forward to doing so moving forward.
We have a number of issues facing us over the coming years – a few of them 800 pound gorillas that are all too obvious. The solutions to these issues actually lie within this room with those who have influence over our Village – and I am talking most specifically about those in the audience. I sincerely hope this energizes you as; you are going to be asked to help in solving these issues. This also includes those with opposing views as; we need your inputs and help in this. They say that listening to, understanding, and incorporating opposing views and differences of opinion make for better decisions. I could not agree more. Let’s work together.
It is important that in these solutions we do what is best for our Village. These solutions can result in making our Village more user friendly, accessible, attractive to others, affordable and; a better place to live for us all. We as a community can do this if we keep this this in mind – namely in doing what is best for our Village.
Let’s also try and figure out solutions through less expensive and time consuming means such as compromise – meaning opposing sides sit down with each other and give to get and; in turn win in the end.
My goals over the coming 4 years are to work with you in solving these issues for the betterment of the Village and its residents. In touring our Village infrastructure with Roberta Sonenfeld, our Village Manager, I was struck by the fact we have a number of under-utilized assets that we can take advantage of for increased revenue generation – potentially marketing these services to other municipalities/businesses. These additional $$$ can be used for numerous initiatives, including lowering our taxes. We are going to look at maximizing these assets to increase our revenue streams with the committees I will be working on.
Job one, however, and I believe as well for my colleagues on the dais, is to solve our parking issue downtown, with a focus on a re-alignment of parking spaces and streets, a smaller Hudson St garage, and with innovative pricing – while simultaneously making our downtown more accessible, user friendly, and safer.
With innovative pricing, the parking utility can be a more significant revenue and surplus generator for the Village – helping to defray other costs. Let’s also re-think high density housing downtown in a way that makes sense, fits with, and actually enhances the character of our Village. Additionally, Valley Hospital needs to be a better neighbor and come up with solutions that actually make sense for our neighbors in the surrounding Valley area. Having relevant expertise in the field of healthcare, I am confident Valley can work towards this and in turn thrive in this rapidly evolving healthcare market. With these and other initiatives, I plan to reach out to all relevant constituencies whether they be developers, Valley, the chamber of commerce, and the residents to keep the dialogue going in order to work towards viable solutions.
Not surprisingly, some of these issues have been hotly contested with the outgoing council majority – Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Councilwoman Gwen Hauck. I have to thank them for teeing up a number of them. It can safely be said that there was never a dull moment in
Village Hall with you on the council. One of my concerns is that future council meetings may not be as entertaining as they have been in the recent past.
Interestingly, by your making us keenly aware of these issues it may make the path towards resolution easier. Let’s use any momentum that has been gained through this process in putting some of these issues to bed.
I look forward to working with the residents and various boards and committees on these and other initiatives. We have many committed, smart, and talentedcitizens on our boards and committees and in our Village who can help in figuring out how to make this a better place to live. This is what I am actually looking forward to most – in working with you to accomplish this. My commitment is to work hand and hand with you and; in ensuring those who do the work, get the credit and recognition.
I also look forward to working with the new council – Susan Knudsen, Bernie Walsh, Ramon Hache, and Mike Sedon. You the residents have voted in 5 independently minded people and now the fun begins.
They say what you put into something is what you get out of it. I wholeheartedly agree. This is going to be my second full time job and I am confident it will be time well spent and extremely gratifying.
Lastly, I would like to thank my family – my wife Patty and my children, Ryan, Kevin, and Emily. We have lived here for over 23 years and call Ridgewood home. It is a great place to raise a family and live the rest of your life in. Patty and I plan on doing so and in calling many of you our friends and neighbors over the coming years.
Let’s all work towards making Ridgewood an even better place to live than it
Ridgewood NJ, After what has been called by some as the “Reign of Terror” , the newly elected Village of Ridgewood Council opened on Friday with the election of its two remaining council members to the position of mayor and deputy mayor.
A celebratory atmosphere greeted the new council in what can only be characterized as a triumph of the people .
Councilwomen Susan Knudsen, who was elected to the council in 2014, was unanimously voted in as mayor and Councilmen Michael Sedon also elected in 2014 was then named deputy mayor by the same 5-0 vote.
Over the last several years Knudsen and Sedon made up the council minority often voting against their former colleagues . For their efforts they were often ostracized but continued to fight for sanity in a Village government driven by bullying tactics ,special interest and machine politics.
The pair is joined by newly-elected Ramon Hache and Jeffrey Voigt and former Councilwoman Bernadette Coghlan-Walsh to form the Village Council for the next two years.
Ridgewood NJ, CRR ‘s Pete Mckenna commented to the Ridgewood blog on the recent ruling ,that Ridgewood has 90 days to clear way for Valley Hospital expansion .
“The Judge’s decision is disappointing, but not surprising given the way she conducted these hearings.
I think this decision should have a chilling impact on municipalities across the state. If this decision is upheld it would indicate that localities have no say in controlling land-use within their borders if a hospital is involved.
If Ridgewood isn’t permitted to determine that 1 million square feet of building is too much for this sensitive site, than what are municipalities to do when applicants come forward with plans that are completely out of sync with their surroundings?
The Judge relied on the flawed 2016 Master Plan Amendment that is the subject of CRR’s current litigation.”
U.S. stocks booked a fourth straight daily gain Friday, and the Dow and S&P 500 marked their best week this year as stocks clawed back some of the losses scored in the wake of the tumult that followed the U.K.’s decision last week to sever ties with the European Union.
Better-than-expected manufacturing data combined with fading worries about the Brexit, or British exit from the EU, stoked appetite for equities.
Hillary Clinton could be interviewed by the FBI in the coming days as part of an investigation into the former secretary of state and her staff’s use of private email to conduct official U.S. State Department business, according to a source familiar with the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation.
The Justice Department’s goal is to complete the investigation and make recommendations on whether charges should be filed before the two major party conventions take place toward the latter half of July, the source said.
Home secretary vows to make sure Britain leaves EU, saying there must be no attempts to ‘remain through the back door’
Theresa May has launched her bid for the Conservative leadership, pledging that “Brexit means Brexit” and that there would be no general election before 2020.
The home secretary, who campaigned to remain in the EU, positioned herself as the candidate of stability and experience.
Asked for her pitch, she said: “I’m Theresa May and I’m the best person to be prime minister.”
The event was electrified by Michael Gove’s surprise announcement just minutes before she stood up that he would run for the leadership because, he said, Boris Johnson was not a suitable candidate.
Bookmakers were making May the favourite, followed by Gove, even before Johnson dramatically announced later in the morning, after she had made her speech, that he was not going to stand.
Slush funds to pay ‘personal consultant’ Huma Abedin, a $34,000 a night Caribbean holiday for daughter Chelsea and payoffs to silence Bill’s sex accusers – How Hillary has used donations to the Clinton Foundation as her ‘personal piggy bank’
Jerome Corsi claims in his book, Partners in Crime, that the Clinton Foundation is ‘a vast, criminal conspiracy’ and ‘a slush fund for grifters’ The money that was donated to help earthquake victims in India and Haiti and HIV/AIDs sufferers has mostly enriched the Clintons, Corsi claims The Clinton family also schemed to monetize the White House Hillary used her position as Secretary of State to leverage lucrative deals for the Foundation as well as six-figure speaking fees for Bill Clinton The scheme engineered through the Foundation has enriched the Clintons by hundreds of millions of dollars It also added $2billion to the Clinton Foundation and raised $1billion for Hillary’s second run for the presidency Corsi claims that the Clinton Foundation is ‘a philanthropic foundation the Clintons appear to use as a personal piggy bank’ Corsi is a political commentator and author of two New York Times bestsellers that criticized the Democratic party
By CAROLINE HOWE FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:44 EST, 29 June 2016 | UPDATED: 17:07 EST, 29 June 2016
The Clinton Foundation is ‘a vast, criminal conspiracy’ and ‘a slush fund for grifters’ with thousands of honest people who are victims after contributing their hard-earned money to what they believed would be used for philanthropic causes.
In truth, the money that was donated to help earthquake victims in India and Haiti and HIV/AIDs sufferers in the Third World has mostly enriched the Clintons and their friends through scams spanning the globe, claims author Jerome Corsi in his book, Partners in Crime: The Clintons’ Scheme to Monetize the White House for Personal Profit, which will be published in August.
Driven by insatiable greed while crying they were near-broke, the couple schemed and Hillary used her position as secretary of state to leverage lucrative deals for the Foundation as well as six-figure speaking fees for Bill Clinton.
The scheme engineered through the Foundation has enriched the Clintons by hundreds of millions of dollars as well as adding $2billion to the Clinton Foundation and raising $1billion for Hillary’s second run for the presidency, writes Corsi in his upcoming book.
Fill ‘er up – for now. The Senate isn’t expected to take any action on either of the proposed bills that would raise the state’s gasoline tax by 23 cents overnight. If legislators passed and Christie signed a gasoline tax bill on Thursday, gasoline that costs $2.06 per gallon would have cost $2.29 per gallon on Friday morning. Mike Davis, Asbury Park Press Read more
First I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Jacquie Luthcke on her new role as Chief of the Ridgewood Police Department. I would also like to thank every from our community and region who worked with me and our department over the past 35 plus years to help make Ridgewood a safe and wonderful community. I am proud of the successes and the level of excellence the department has achieved over the past six years even in face of many challenges. Our community should be proud of the fact that the Ridgewood Police Department has achieved and maintained national recognition in many areas including; recognition as a flagship /benchmark for excellence organization from the commission on law enforcement accreditation (CALEA), recognition for our community policing youth ambassadors program from the international association chiefs of police association (IACP), and recognition for our community policing and trust initiatives. Regionally the department and its members are recognized for their level of training and preparedness in handling critical incidents as well as their efforts in ensuring that our community is resilient to hazards and threats whether natural or human. While just a few of the department’s many achievements it should be noted that these achievements were due to a truly collaborative effort even in the face historically low staffing levels. These achievements are a testament to the character and competence of the members of the Ridgewood Police Department as well as their love and commitment to their community.
It has been my honor to have served a community I love and will always think of as home. I have been fortunate to have met many wonderful people within our community, many of which remain friends. Words cannot express the pride and love I have for the men and women with whom I have served and who continue protect and serve Ridgewood and the Region.
I look forward to seeing the continued successes of the Ridgewood Police Department and our community under its new leadership.
Ridgewood NJ, In case you missed it, earlier this week Rep. Scott Garrett asked Fed Chair Janet Yellen why the Fed of pursues policies that help the rich at the expense of the poor. Garrett schooled Fed Chair Yellen on the damaging impact her policies have had on the middle class in this country . Garret said the net effect of Fed and administration policy has been to widen income inequality.
In this clip Garrett turns the Fed’s own language against itself and details how Fed policies have hurt African America’s and other minority groups , as well as the middle class .
2. Statement of Compliance with the Open Public Meetings Act
3. Roll Call of Current Village Council – Village Clerk
4. Flag Salute
5. Invocation – Father Ronald Rozniak – Our Lady of Mount Carmel RC Church
6. Recording of Song by Ridgewood Resident, Kristen Plumley, Soprano, “Simple Gifts”
7. Comments from the Public (Not to exceed 5 minutes per person – 30 minutes in total)
8. Approval of Minutes
9. Resolution #16-181 – Approval of Girl Scout Gold Award
10. Remarks by Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck (as she leaves the dais)
11. Remarks by Councilman Albert J. Pucciarelli (as he leaves the dais)
12. Remarks by Mayor Paul S. Aronsohn (as he leave the dais)
13. Reading of Certificate of Election of Ramon M. Hache – Heather A. Mailander, Village Clerk
14. Oath of Office Administered to Ramon M. Hache by James J. Tedesco III, Bergen County Executive
15. Remarks by Councilman Hache
16. Reading of Certificate of Election of Jeffrey Voigt –
Heather A. Mailander, Village Clerk
17. Oath of Office Administered to Jeffrey Voigt by Sergio Alegre, Esq.
18. Remarks by Councilman Voigt
19. Reading of Certificate of Election of Bernadette Coghlan Walsh – Heather A. Mailander, Village Clerk
20. Oath of Office Administered to Bernadette Coghlan Walsh by Bergen County Freeholder Maura R. DeNicola
21. Remarks by Councilwoman Walsh
22. Roll Call of New Village Council – Heather A. Mailander,Village Clerk
23. Call for Nominations for Office of Mayor by Heather A. Mailander, Village Clerk
24. Administering of Oath of Office to Mayor by Matthew S. Rogers, Village Attorney
25. Call for Nomination for Office of Deputy Mayor by Mayor
26. Administering of Oath of Office to Deputy Mayor by Heather A. Mailander, Village Clerk
27. Remarks by Deputy Mayor
28. Remarks by Mayor
29. RESOLUTIONS
THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTIONS, NUMBERED 16- THROUGH 16- ARE TO BE ADOPTED BY A CONSENT AGENDA, WITH ONE VOTE BY THE VILLAGE COUNCIL. THERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION BESIDE EACH RESOLUTION TO BE CONSIDERED ON THE CONSENT AGENDA. EACH RESOLUTION WILL BE READ BY TITLE ONLY:
16-182 Appoint Village Attorney
16-183 Appoint Village Labor Attorney
16-184 Appoint Village Prosecutor
16-185 Appoint Public Defender
16-186 Appoint Community Development Representative
16-187 Appoint Representative to Open Space Trust Regional Committee
16-188 Appoint Members to the Planning Board
16-189 Appoint Members to the Zoning Board of Adjustment
16-190 Appoint Members to Community Center Advisory Board
16-191 Appoint Members to Financial Advisory Committee
16-192 Appoint Members to the Ridgewood Arts Council
16-193 Appoint Member to the Shade Tree Commission
16-194 Appoint Members to the Parks, Recreation and Conservation Board
16-195 Appoint Member to the Green Team Advisory Committee
16-196 Appoint Village Council members as Liaisons to Various Boards and Committees
30. Comments from the Public (Not to Exceed 5 minutes per person)
I am pleased and honored to announce that Captain Jacqueline Luthcke will be Ridgewood’s next Chief of Police and Ridgewood’s first woman Chief of Police effective July 1, 2016. Captain Luthcke is eminently qualified to serve in this capacity. She started her career with the Ridgewood Police Department in 1996 as a patrol officer advancing to Sergeant in 2005, Lieutenant in 2008 and Captain in 2010. Jacqueline has been active in the Ridgewood community and has been the face of the RPD to our community. Jacqueline has had a distinguished career and has impressive credentials. I am absolutely confident and certain that she will make an excellent Chief and that out community will be well served.
Mayor Aronsohn will be swearing Chief Luthcke in on Friday July 1st at 9:00 A.M. at BF Middle School where the ceremony will be attended by the graduating class of the Junior Police Academy.
Please join me in congratulating Jacquie and in wishing her the best as the Ridgewood Chief of Police, Roberta
RIDGEWOOD — A state judge ruled Thursday that the Village Council has 90 days to adopt an ordinance putting into effect master plan changes that clear the way for a vast expansion by The Valley Hospital, or else the hospital may “move to enforce” her decision through a court-appointed special master.
The ruling, issued by state Superior Court Judge Lisa Perez Friscia, said the council ordinance must be consistent with April Planning Board approvals allowing the hospital to nearly double in size, from 565,000 square feet to 961,000.
