Ridgewood High School Students Excel National German Exam
April 6,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The American Association of Teachers of German’s National German Exam is administered every year to 22,000 high school students. The results have recently been published, and Ridgewood High School would like to congratulate the following students: Gold Medal Winners: Olivia Rau (level 2), Max Horkenbach (level 2) and Emily Kopec (level 3) Silver Medal Winners: Kenneth Marshall (level 4), Gayeong Song (level 3) and DJ Pfeiffer (level 2) Bronze Medal Winner: Michael Muldoon (level 2) Achievement Medals: Calder Martin, Matt Rhee, Dan Christie, Kevin Moran (level 2), Tara Moore (level 3), Amaya Del Castillo (level 4) and Santiago Del Castillo (level 4).
Between Valley, Pfund, and Aronsohn, and the connections there are far too close for comfort, Ridgewood has been infested and overcome by a nasty virus for which there seems to be no vaccine. We can try on May 10 but the damage is done; guided by professional marketers and funded by construction unions and others, they craftily played the long game and won. Every possible committee, board, and commission (including a couple that hadn’t even existed before: Financial Advisory, etc.) as well as the council itself was carefully padded with acolytes, lackies, and the self-righteous and selfish who were promised various things to vote as instructed. They duly complied and what a mess we are in. In the history of Ridgewood there are various enemies of the state but Pfund and Aronsohn take the lead.
Sheila Brogan horrified the assembled multitude that night at BF and sure enough, her comments have returned to haunt us many times over. They were quickly turned into PowerPoint slides by Valley’s attorneys. Our elected BOE hires the Superintendent of Schools, not the reverse, and should have stood firm, acting as a staunch defender of students’ and teachers’ health, safety, and ability to learn and teach in peace and health. That defection was one of the harshest blows in this nearly decade-long fight to prevent Ridgewood from becoming Valleywood. Ms. Brogan’s failure to support the children and teachers was a terrible and unexpected blow. She has a great deal to answer for and should stop running for reelection to the BOE.
Ridgewood NJ, Finally the Village of Ridgewood has now joined over two dozen other municipalities, including Teaneck, Englewood, Wayne, Paterson, Pequannock and North Bergen challenging the tax exempt status of their local hospital .
According to the Bergen Record ,”Valley’s 15 1/2-acre main campus would owe about $4.5 million in taxes if it were fully assessed, according to Michael Barker, the village tax assessor.”
Since a landmark ruling in 2015 stripped Morristown Medical Center of its property-tax exemption. Many towns in New Jersey have begun looking into stripping local non profit hospitals of their tax exempt status and for Ridgewood its about time !
Lets face it for many years Valley hospital have enjoyed the services that the Village of Ridgewood has provide to them. For example police and fire response to alarms, thefts investigation altercation.
Many readers do know that when other towns bring someone to the hospital they do not stay with the patient. If the patient becomes combative or unruly the Ridgewood police have to respond and remain until the situation is resolved.
Although not well publicized, theft from patients, Doctors and Valley Hospital do occur with some frequency. These incidents are investigated by the Ridgewood Police and are added to the reported crime statistics of Ridgewood.
The fact that Valley Hospital feels that they need to” Renew” or expand indicates that the response of the police and fire will only increase. If indeed Valley Hospital feels that they are part of the community then why not pay their fair share. Why would the Village of Ridgewood have to sue them for taxes .
It is time that all parties should sit down and settle this as a real community partners. The Village and the hospital would gain more credibility if this was done in transparent and fair way. Maybe it is time to put the past aside and make Valley a real partner in the community.
Ridgewood NJ, This past Tuesday’s vote by the planning board sent a clear message to the Village of Ridgewood residents; that healthcare trumps the health and well-being of a community. Pete McKenna of the Concerned Residents of Ridgewood said it best back in May 2014: The Village will be inextricably burdened in providing a benefit to the region. Is this fair?
The planning board majority (6 in total out of 9; Aronsohn, Nalbantian, Reilly, Joel, Abdalla, Thurston) who voted in favor of the settlement stated that the Village runs the risk of losing a further lawsuit and as well, if the Village loses the lawsuit would keep in effect the 2010 Master plan H zone, a more egregious plan. However, in the settlement that was negotiated between the planning board and Valley, the terms appeared to fall squarely in favor of Valley, with Valley reducing its size (bulk) by only 3% (and gaining most of what it wanted – to the detriment of the health and well-being of the Village). The total floor area is now going from 562,000 sq ft. (of hospital above grade structures) to over 1,024,500 square ft. of above grade structures which includes: 653,500 sq ft. for the hospital; 95,000 sq ft. for enclosed rooftop areas; 245,000 sq ft. for parking decks; and 31,400 sq ft. for atriums and courtyards. I will get back to this.
The term inherently beneficial was used frequently throughout the Whispering Woods hearings (4 in total) and was used as a “stick” by Valley in gaining the expansion approval by the Planning Board. It is unclear to many whether the concept of inherently beneficial applies to zoning or planning (including me). However, it was used generously through-out these hearings. An inherently beneficial use of land serves the public good and promotes the general welfare. As many may know, courts view hospitals under a more favorable light than other types of development (because it is an inherently beneficial use) and due to this, Village concerns about the size of the development may be discounted. However, courts also view schools as an inherently beneficial used of land. This was lost in the sauce but mentioned by Lorraine Reynolds back in May 2014. So a question becomes: Does healthcare trump
education? The negotiating team lead by Charles Nalbantian (Chairman of the Village Planning Board), who developed the terms of this agreement, thought so.
The Village’s Master Plan has suffered significantly in this process and; as well with other issues that have faced the Village including high density housing. The primary objective as stated in Ridgewood’s Master Plan is the preservation of Village residential in residential neighborhoods. Further, as defined in the Master Plan, building should continue to respect the neighborhood character and the rights of adjacent property owners. These rights (while not explicitly stated in the plan) likely include quality of life, safety, security and a sense of belonging to a community. Interestingly, these rights affect one’s health and healthcare. These rights have been violated by developers and by Valley.
John Hersperger, Village resident, at the 4/5 Whispering Woods hearing stated the following: Developers through the use of Ordinance 3066 have ripped the Ridgewood Master Plan to shreds for the purpose of their own self- interests and not the Villages. Developers as a group, petitioned the planning board at the same time and turned what should have been zoning issues into planning issues. I would agree with John. This Ordinance needs to be modified significantly or repealed. The Valley decision by the planning board could not have come at a worse time for Valley and the Village because of this.
The 3 dissenting views on the planning board by Susan Knudsen, Wendy Dockray, and Debbie Patire all concluded the same thing – the Valley decision does irreparable harm to our Master Plan; calls into question what really is beneficial and; whether a hospital interests should trump the well-being of a Village.
Wendy also stated that the Planning board on behalf of the Village should stand up and fight for what is right, despite the risks. If we go on to a lawsuit, there likely would be other opportunities to negotiate terms which would benefit both parties.
I was frankly surprised, with having several lawyers on the planning board, that no case law was cited. A recent NJ Supreme Court case in Princeton called into question the concept of an inherently beneficial use of land by a hospital and whether functions in a hospital such as administration, billing, and marketing should be considered inherently beneficial. If these are not inherently beneficial, they could be moved to other locations. If this “concept” were applied to Valley it might lessen the bulk of the Valley expansion in a meaningful way.
Here is what I would do if elected to the council: 1) Propose modification to or repeal of Ordinance 3066; 2) Work with Valley and the CRR (if possible, as there is a 5/9 court date on the second count of the lawsuit – Valley v Village Council and the council may not have any ability to negotiate based on the results of this case) in crafting a fair and equitable resolution to the Valley expansion.
A follow on blog will address the issue of how Valley might improve its image with the Village.
By Bradford Richardson – The Washington Times – Thursday, April 7, 2016
PayPal drew a line in the sand when North Carolina enacted a law prohibiting people from using the restrooms of the opposite sex, but critics say that line got washed away on the shores of Malaysia, a nation that consistently ranks among the least LGBT-friendly in the world.
The company canceled its plan to build a global operations center in Charlotte after the passage of HB2, which CEO Daniel Schulman called discrimination against the transgendered. He noted that the move would cost North Carolina 400 well-paying jobs.
But Malaysia’s Penal Code 187 — which punishes homosexual conduct with whippings and up to 20 years in prison — did not stop PayPal from opening in 2011 a global operations center there that it estimated would employ 500 workers by 2013.
Ridgewood NJ, In a unanimous vote, the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors appointed William (“Bill”) Crosbie as the new Executive Director of NJ TRANSIT during a special meeting today. The appointment is effective on or about April 25, 2016.
Mr. Crosbie succeeds Dennis J. Martin, who has served as the agency’s interim Executive Director since December, 2015. Mr. Martin will resume his previous position as VP/GM of NJ TRANSIT’s Bus Operations Division.
“I would like to thank Governor Christie and the NJ TRANSIT Board of Directors for this tremendous opportunity to serve the more than 900,000 people who utilize the New Jersey Transit system each year,” said incoming Executive Director Crosbie. “I am anxious to roll up my sleeves and stand shoulder to shoulder with the men and women of NJ TRANSIT to address the service, safety, equipment and facility needs of our customers and our infrastructure.”
Prior to Executive Director Crosbie’s appointment, he served as President & CEO as well as Regional Director for North America for SYSTRA USA, an international transportation engineering consulting firm. During his tenure, he was responsible for leading day-to-day operations as well as the strategic development of the firm.
In addition to serving as Vice President of Railroad Programs for the Parsons Corporation, Executive Director Crosbie spent more than seven years as the Chief Operating Officer of Amtrak where he directed the transportation, engineering (infrastructure), mechanical (rolling stock), police and security, environmental, health, and safety functions.
“Bill Crosbie brings a depth of background in operations, transportation, engineering, finance, and security to New Jersey Transit that is perfectly suited to address the needs facing the agency at this important time,” said Acting Transportation Commissioner and NJ TRANSIT Board Chairman Richard T. Hammer.
Executive Director Crosbie is a transportation security expert and Professional Engineer with more than 30 years of experience in the transportation field. He is a regular guest lecturer at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School on intelligence analysis, cyber security, and infrastructure protection. He has served on numerous Boards including the Boards of Directors for Washington Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and Chicago Union Station.
Executive Director Crosbie holds a Master of Arts degree in Security Studies from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and an Honors Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
The state on Monday will order three New Jersey municipalities that have not revalued property in at least a quarter century to conduct revaluations that will affect property taxes for thousands of residents, NJ Advance Media has learned. Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Outspoken in their defense of President Obama’s right to get his Supreme Court nominee considered, New Jersey Sens. Bob Menendez and Cory Booker sing a different tune when it comes to whether Governor Christie should be able to do the same thing. Herb Jackson, The Record Read more
New Jersey tax collections will come in about $162.1 million short of Gov. Chris Christie’s expectations for the current and upcoming fiscal year, the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services told lawmakers Tuesday. Samantha Marcus, NJ.comRead more
Ridgewood Nj, the folks at WalletHub sent us some polling data on the correlations between credit scores and life style choices , here is what they found :
The free-credit-score website WalletHub today released its 2016 Credit Score Fun Facts, which are based on a nationally representative survey that revealed a number of crazy correlations between our credit standing and our likes, dislikes and lifestyles.
You can find a handful of highlights below:
Celebrities: 88% of people with excellent credit prefer Taylor Swift to Kanye West.
TV Hosts: Charlie Rose has the most fans with excellent credit (66%), while James Corden has the most fans with bad credit (41%).
Music: Pop music has the most fans with excellent credit (52%), and Hip-Hop has the most fans with bad credit (43%).
Sports: Hockey has the most fans with excellent credit (53%), and soccer has the most fans with bad credit (34%).
Pets: Dog lovers are more likely to have excellent credit than cat owners (46% vs. 40%).
Politics: John Kasich has the most supporters with excellent credit (60%) and Hillary Clinton has the most supporters with bad credit (26%).
Banking: USAA is the most trusted bank among people with excellent credit, and Capital One is the most trusted among those with bad credit.
Tech: iPhone users are the most likely to have excellent credit (56%), while Blackberry users are the most likely to have bad credit (46%).
Rep Scott Garrett on Department of Labor’s Fiduciary Rule: Another roadblock between people and their financial goals
Apr 6, 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, issued the following statement after the Department of Labor (DOL) announced their finalized rule for retirement advisors—known as the “fiduciary rule”—that could turn retirement planning into an unaffordable luxury. The hyper-partisan rule was unveiled at the liberal think tank, the Center for American Progress, with a group of Democrat lawmakers.
“Saving for the future shouldn’t be a privilege for the wealthy, and Washington doesn’t need to put another roadblock between people and their financial goals. By ignoring the advice of the SEC and Congress, the DOL’s rule will increase the cost of retirement advice for lower- and middle-income Americans while creating a preferred class of rich investors. I will continue to fight for everyone’s right to get good financial advice because—unlike this administration—I believe in the people of New Jersey to make the best choices for their families and their futures.”
The DOL fiduciary rule could result in many people finding out that their accounts are too small to qualify for professional advice because providers will be forced to only service large accounts. In many cases, minimum account balances will increase substantially, effectively shutting down the ability of average investors to receive advice. It could also limit access to financial products that people are able to utilize when developing a retirement savings portfolio.
In October, Congressman Garrett voted for H.R. 1090, the Retail Investor Protection Act, which would block the DOL’s rule and ask for advice and expertise from the Securities and Exchange Commission before implementing any new rules.
Ridgewood NJ, Rather a quiet meeting but we did get a bit of a lecture from our council pilot, Albert. Residents both in Ridgewood and surrounding towns are concerned about the change in flight routes in and out of Teterboro that will increase the number of planes flying over our area and will bring increased noise. Albert who loves planes explained how this change was for the greater good and well, planes make noise.
It looks as though the council is due in court on May 9th as they were also sued by Valley along with the Planning Board. The PB settled as per the vote on Tuesday. A trial is expected to last anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks. Not sure this is this another chance to stop Valley?
It is interesting that a new council will be elected on May 10th. Also, we will be going to trial against Wyckoff, Glen Rock and Midland Park for improper use of funds by Ridgewood Water. That case should be decided in the next week or so. Nothing was mentioned at the meeting. In all, nothing of consequence was mentioned.
Regarding the Valley Hearings, the lawyer for Valley, Mr. Drill, used Sheila Brogan’s testimony of 2013- 2014 to contradict the statements made by the people regarding construction hazards for several years in the area when she said that she saw no problems because they have had construction projects at several of the schools in the past and all was manageable. People were so upset when she said this because it was like comparing apples and oranges. But her cavalier statement became a big part of Valley’s deflection of any concerns about its close proximity to Benjamin Franklin.
Bizarro World (with apologies to Seinfeld) by Anne Loving
So tonight at the Village Council Meeting two very strange things happened.
1. Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld stated that she has started going around to parking lots to check on availability and has found ample available spots in the Cottage Place lot as well as in the N. Walnut lot. First of all, why is she doing an informal unscientific study of available parking when countless dollars have been spent on actual parking studies? Second, so many people have stated that there are always available spots if one is willing to walk a couple of blocks, so this is not news. And, of course, most bizarre of all is why in the heck is Roberta reporting about all this available parking when she is spearheading the gigantic garage that is supposedly so necessary?
2. Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck issued a parental reprimand to those who use social media (she being a major contributor herself). She said that before anyone posts, they should do a “gut check” (I think that was her term) and ask themselves if what they are about to post is something they would put in a national newspaper. Wait a minute, this is coming from the person who has called residents various unflattering (and highly inaccurate) names including “stalker,” “creepy,” and “terrorist.” And this same councilwoman kept dead silent when a member of the public called an entire group of fellow citizens “fornicators.” Huh? Might one suggest that the good Councilwoman gut-check her own language, and control the council meetings when members of the public use vulgar language.
Ridgewood Nj, Council Candidate Bernadette Coghlan-Walsh ,released the following statement to the Ridgewood blog on the Planning Broad Special Public Meetings , “While I applaud all the members of the Planning Board for their dedication and hard work, I feel they fell short of representing the residents last evening. As PB attorney Katie Razin stated in her comments, each member of the Planning Board should be deliberating on the process based on the facts presented and public approval. I interpreted that as examine the evidence and listen to public comment and decide for yourself as to whether or not the public approves of this expansion plan. The residents who showed up this past week and en masse last night, in my opinion from their statements into the record, were not in approval of this mediation agreement. To disregard the resident’s voice, is to disregard the process. “
