NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 2:11 PM LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 10:32 PM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
After a full week of not talking about the decision to end the 14-year tenure for Bergen County’s top law enforcement official, Governor Christie said Monday that the move was “long overdue.”
But Christie’s brief comments did little to answer questions about why Bergen County Prosecutor John Molinelli was told to leave, and why that move came amid mounting questions about the prosecutor’s decision-making and motivations in recent cases.
And also still unclear is who will replace Molinelli and when, a process that could take months unless Bergen County’s delegation of five state senators reaches an agreement with Christie.
Christie made his first comments on the matter Monday, one week after Molinelli was notified that he wouldn’t be renominated for a third term.
“The fact is that it’s time for a change in Bergen County. It’s long overdue,” Christie said after a meeting in Camden where he was highlighting police reform. “When that change is officially made, I’ll give you all the reasons why.”
Christie also said he wasn’t influenced by a letter sent by the Bergen County freeholder chairwoman referring complaints made against Molinelli at recent public meetings.
New Jerseyans already know it to be true, but a Forbes analysis of state-by-state tax burdens places the Garden State near the top of its “Worst States for Taxes” list. Samantha Marcus, NJ.com Read more
Bergen County Freeholder: Mitchell, Tyburczy and Ortiz-Berger
Assemblyman Robert Auth New Jersey’s 39th Legislative District. Assemblywomen Holly Schepisi New Jersey’s 39th Legislative District.
The Cosgrove Team for Fair Lawn Council
from the staff of the Ridgewood blog
By Paul Nichols
Friday, Oct 30, 2015
When thinking of who to vote for in the 2015 election for Bergen County Freeholder we must look ahead. This year three seats on the board of seven are on the ballot, all three are currently held by Democrats who make up a 5-2 majority.
In 2016 voters again will choose three people to represent them on the board however two of those seats include the two republicans who currently make up the minority. Simply put, a victory for the Democrats in 2015 means two years of Democrat control of the Freeholder Board as well as the office of County Executive.
To operate properly government requires a system of checks and balances. The Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders is an important and necessary means of oversight in our form of government in Bergen County.
While the Freeholder Board has little control over the day-to-day operation of our county’s government it acts as a financial backstop overseeing the County’s purse.
INCREASING REVENUE Given that the new demand stream is not anticipated to cover debt service for the garage, the parking system will need to increase revenue on existing spaces if it is to be self-supporting.
There will be a natural uptick in revenue as Parkmobile becomes more utilized. Apps of this sort increase compliance and also disallow “piggybacking” onto a previous parker’s leftover meter time. We have increased revenue in 2015 and 2016 to account for Parkmobile’s impact. While a 15 percent increase is common, we are projecting a five percent increase. Extending meter hours and enforcement until 9 pm is the first recommended step. Since daytime retail and restaurant customers pay to park, it is fair to ask evening restaurant customers to pay as well. In addition, metering the streets in the evening can provide parking management solutions to crowding in the future, should the Village wish to reduce employee parking along streets that should be available to customers.
Evening rates alone will not cover the projected debt service; it will be necessary to increase rates as well. In order to achieve a debt service coverage ratio of 1.5, our projections assume the following:
• Evening rates will go into effect in 2016. • On-street meter rates will be increased to 75¢ along key streets (blocks 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10, and 11) in 2016.
• Core area rates will be increased to $1 in 2017, with the rest of the on-street parking and all off-street parking going to 75¢. This is projected to be the opening year for the garage.
• After five years (in 2022), $1 parking should increase to $1.25 and 75¢ parking should increase to $1 if necessary.
• We assume some reduction in parking demand with each increase as people look for free alternatives (farther away on street, or in private lots) or choose to go elsewhere. We use an assumption of 10%.
• We have not projected a shift in demand away from Ridgewood Avenue and other core streets to the cheaper garage or other off-street lots, as we assume the 25¢ differential will not significantly alter people’s preference for convenient spaces. We further assume that the demand reductions discussed above will cover the limited shift from more expensive to less expensive resources.
“Investigating the flyer” BRING IT ON. The Three Amigos and the Chamber should tread lightly.They may get caught up in any investigation for what they have done. I suspect the the person or persons that mail the flier have done their homework
Oh by the way, the law has been seriously broken; a major crime has been committed according to some speakers at tonight’s Parking Forum.
They wonder who committed the so-called crime of making Vote No parking flyers and didn’t sign name.
Don’t you know that only Vote Yes Parking signs are allowed. Those signs are not signed either; but that is OK.
And it is OK that they are placed all over Ridgewood on PUBLIC PROPERTY.
Dictatorship is alive and well in Ridgewood N.J.
So what are we going to do about it. Well, I am going to vote no on parking.
Watch out for dictatorial council practices in future. Attend meetings and let them know that democracy is NOT being practiced in Ridgewood.. Democracy in name only; not in practice.
Investigating the flyer? Are you kidding me???? What the heck is going on around here? Do they investigate every real-estate postcard that comes in the mail? Every advertisement? Such an investigation is illegal I am sure of it. And by the way, Mr. Transparent Mayor – where was all this super sleuthing when the anonymous email was sent to Mike Sedon’s employer? You were not in the least bit curious or concerned, and in that instance a HUGE ethical breach had been committed.
Let them go ahead and accuse someone about the flyer. We will be all over them like fire ants. They will rue the day they started this investigation.
NOVEMBER 2, 2015 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2015, 11:35 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A presentation of the current plans for the proposed Hudson Street parking garage was provided to the village’s Planning Board at the Oct. 20 meeting, allowing members the opportunity to have a question and answer session with designers and architects.
Tim Tracy, principal for Desman Design Management, gave the board a primer on the garage, which will give Ridgewood a net gain of approximately 300 spaces over the current set up on Hudson Street.
Tracy reviewed the size constraints for the site as the process by which Desman arrived at the solution of building a cantilever over the sidewalk for the top levels of the garage that was able to give the village more spaces and better parking efficiency by adding an additional row of spaces.
Although the garage is exempt from zoning standards, Tracy noted they tried to come as close to complying with regulations as possible without sacrificing efficiency. One example is the rear yard setback, which is required to be 26 feet. With the eastern end of the garage considered the rear of the property, the setback there is approximately 23 1/2 feet.
The five-level, four story parking facility currently sits at 51 feet high, although Tracy said when the final design is complete, the building will be closer to 48 feet. A couple of the driving factors in that regard are the eight-foot clearance required on the ground floor and the supporting slabs on the cantilevered section.
The height of the building was certainly the concern of some board members. Nancy Bigos asked if the garage could be built as at least a partially underground structure to ease the scale of the deck.
Key verbatim assumptions/findings taken from the Village Council commissioned parking study prepared by Walker Associates:
Easing crowding does not, in and of itself, create a new revenue stream; it transfers revenue
from other metered spaces in the Village. The garage will likely encourage people to come
downtown who have been avoiding it due to parking constraints, but this is not a quantifiable
revenue stream and is not included in our analysis. More conservatively, we project the
following net new revenue streams for the garage:
• The 72-space Brogan Cadillac lot on South Broad Street at Essex Street and at the 92-
space Ken Smith Motors lot just east of the train tracks and north of Franklin Avenue are
going to be demolished for development. Both of these dealerships have closed and
lease out their parking. The Ken Smith Lot is permit parking for downtown employees.
The Brogan Lot accommodates commuters during the day and is leased out for
restaurant valet parking at night. We anticipate these demand streams would transfer
to the garage.
• We understand from Village staff that there are other restaurants downtown that use
valet services in private lots that would use the garage instead (probably doing away
with valet service since self-park options would be easier).
• The Village used to have 120 non-resident commuter permits, but doubled non-resident
permit rates because there was not enough space for these commuters. Currently
there are very few non-resident commuters parking in the train station area. The Village
plans to reduce the non-resident commuter rate to $875/year to increase that demand
stream again.
It is typical in downtowns that the revenue stream in a given garage is not sufficient to cover its
operating costs and debt service. Downtown parking systems are just that – systems – that rely
on pooled revenue from all resources, and especially the on-street meters (which tend to
have the highest turnover), to cover the higher cost associated with building and operating a
garage. This is the case in Ridgewood, where the net new revenue projected for the garage
is not projected to offset its expenses. Therefore, our revenue projection includes all downtown revenue and all expenses associated with the parking system. To operate the
garage and have a revenue-positive parking utility (with funds available for other parking lot
maintenance projects), we project that the Village will increase meter rates as follows:
• In 2016, meters will be extended until 9 p.m. and meter rates on key downtown streets
will increase to 75¢.
• In 2017, 75¢ meters will be increased to $1 and the rest of the on-street and off-street
meters will increase to 75¢.
• If needed, rates would increase by 25¢ after five years.
• Commuter permit rates would increase by $25 in 2021 and 2025.
Experts say Tuesday’s state Assembly elections may draw one of the lowest voter turnouts New Jersey has ever seen. In fact, a Rutgers-Eagleton poll released this past week showed three-quarters of New Jersey residents had no idea at all there was an election coming up. But there are at least a few races generating drama — with both Democrats and Republicans hoping they can grab a few new seats in the lower house of the state Legislature. Brent Johnson, NJ.com Read more
A preliminary report from New Jersey’s Election Law Enforcement Commission reveals that county party coffers during state elections have seen a continuing slump during this year’s elections. The release cites the growth of independent PAC spending, limitations on contributions from public contractors, and overall contribution limits that have not kept pace with the rate of inflation. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
Tuesday limped lamely into view without suggestion of epic consequences. Clearly by the end of the night, as Rutgers-Eagleton polling showed 76% of New Jerseyans claimed zero knowledge of a coming election, no one would be able to lay claim to a Ben Hur moment. Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ Read more
First Responders are my Heroes……and that certainly applies to this brave group from Fair Lawn. The Cosgrove Team hosted a wonderful event recognizing their fabulous EMS personnel, fire fighters and other stand outs for the life saving work they do. Bravo! — with Ken Tyburczy, John Gil andJohn Cosgrove at Fair Lawn AC.
Posted by Matthew Gilson On November 02, 2015 0 Comment
By Matthew Gilson | The Save Jersey Blog
#1 – Freeholder Race
The main attraction county-wide is yet another annual Freeholder Board control battle. The race for two three-year terms is growing increasingly competitive with former Freeholder John Mitchell looking to return to the post he held for three years and Ramsey CouncilmanKen Tyburczy mounting a strong showing. For the Democrats, Steve Tanelli is the stronger of the two incumbents and will be challenge to beat, but look for Republicans to pick off at least one of the two with Tracy Zur being exceptionally vulnerable. For the one-year term, union strongman Tom Sullivan takes on Daisy Ortiz-Berger. Ortiz-Berger would bring desperately needed diversity as the five old white Democrats currently on the board do little to address the needs of the county.
#2 – District 38
What can be said that has not been said? All that aside, District 38 remains our strongest opportunity to pick up a seat north of the Atlantic City Expressway. It is unknown what kind of impact Anthony Cappola remaining on the ballot will have in the race to replace Assemblymen Timothy Eustace and Joe Lagana, but a strong showing even in a loss could set Mark DiPisa up nicely for a rematch in 2017. Which brings us to our next race…
#3 – Fair Lawn
Mayor John Cosgrove and his team can take complete control of local government with a sweep on Tuesday. Cosgrove himself is a heavy favorite to win re-election, and his team of John Gil and Marc Zharnest has made an aggressive push to incumbents Kurt Peluso and Lisa Swain. The signs say “The Cosgrove Team” for a reason; he is incredibly popular and has a tremendous record as the mayor and decades of community service. Looking ahead to 2017, Cosgrove, the favorite to take on Senator Bob Gordon, would be hard-pressed to pass on a run with a strong victory tomorrow.
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Emergency Services volunteers wore special pink uniform shirts throughout the month of October as part of its annual campaign to raise awareness about Breast Cancer. Volunteers are using the Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign to encourage members of the public to take steps that will help detect the disease in its early stages, including self-exams and regular mammograms. While a lot of progress has been made in increasing awareness about breast cancer and the benefits of early detection, there is still a long way to go in combating the disease.
file photo courtesy of Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company
November 1,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
RIDGEWOOD, NJ, The Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company will present the comic opera Ruddigorefor their Fall 2015 production. Performances will take place at the Fair Lawn Community Center on Sunday, November 29 at 2 pm; and at the Ridgewood United Methodist Church on Saturday, December 12 at 7:30 pm; and Sunday, December 13 at 2 pm.
The opera is directed by Nell White (Teaneck, NJ), Ruddigore is a comic opera with several humorous characters, from crazy professional bridesmaids to ancestral ghosts. Although it contains some Halloween-like elements,Ruddigore is more of a romantic farce than anything else. Music Director Paul Geidel (Yonkers, NY) leads an ensemble of teens and adults from the surrounding metropolitan area in singing a very beautiful and challenging operatic score.
The cast features Abigail Stokes (Kearny, NJ) as Rose Maybud, Dennis Oliveira (Kearny, NJ) as Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd/Robin Oakapple, Paul White (Teaneck) and Josh Miller (Bronx, NY) as Sir Despard, Eileen Mager (Haworth, NJ) as Mad Margaret, Eileen Karlson-White (Teaneck) and Francesca Stokes (Kearny, NJ) as Dame Hannah, Richard Damaso (New Milford, CT) as Richard Dauntless, John Holmboe (Pearl River, NY) as Sir Roderic, Joe Rothstein (Elizabeth, NJ) as Old Adam Goodheart, and Joy Forlenza (Franklin Lakes) and Hannah Haas (Allendale) as Zorah.
Tickets are avalable at ridgewoodgands.com. Tickets are $20 online and at the door. Children 12 and under are admitted free. The Fair Lawn Community Center is located at 10-10 20th St., Fair Lawn, NJ. The Ridgewood United Methodist Church is located at 100 Dayton Street in Ridgewood, NJ. For further information, call 973-423-0300.
The Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, a nonprofit performing ensemble, has presented full productions of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan on a regular schedule since its founding in 1937.
Televised Parking Deck Information Session – Tonight- Nov 2 @ 7:30PM
Cablevision (Channel 77) and FIOS (Channel 34) will broadcast live tonight starting at 7:30PM the CBD Forum with details of the Hudson Street Parking Deck. If you cannot attend the meeting at Village Hall tonight, please tune in!
Ridgewood Information Forums – Hudson St. Parking Deck – November 2
Two important forums scheduled in Village Hall – 4th Floor Court Room – to discuss the proposed Hudson Street Parking Deck: Wednesday, October 21 and Monday, November 2 from 7:30pm to 9:30pm. Village professionals as well as the design team from Desman Associates will be on hand to discuss all aspects of the proposed parking deck, including the design and financials. All are welcome to attend. All questions are welcome!
Questions:
Official Parking Referendum Question
Community Support
President of the Chamber of Commerce statement
Financial Advisory Committee Statement
Historic Preservation Commission Statement
Study,Design, and Analysis
Walker Parking Preliminary Financial Analysis – October 2, 2015
Walker Parking Consultant Study – July 5th, 2015
Walker Parking Floor Plans
Resolutions
Resolution 15-222 : Non-Binding Referendum – Nov 3, 2015 Ballot
Does the fact that this Parking Garage Plan up for a vote mean that it is a political issue? Please read the following:
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A quote from the IRS web site is below.
(begin quote)
The Prohibition on Political Campaign Intervention
Under the Internal Revenue Code, all section 501(c)(3) organizations are absolutely prohibited from directly or indirectly participating in, or intervening in, any political campaign on behalf of (or in opposition to) any candidate for elective public office. The prohibition applies to all campaigns including campaigns at the federal, state and local level. Violation of this prohibition may result in denial or revocation of tax-exempt status and the imposition of certain excise taxes. Those section 501(c)(3) organizations that are private foundations are subject to additional restrictions that are not described in this fact sheet.
What is Political Campaign Intervention?
Political campaign intervention includes any and all activities that favor or oppose one or more candidates for public office. The prohibition extends beyond candidate endorsements. Contributions to political campaign funds or public statements of position (verbal or written) made by or on behalf of an organization in favor of or in opposition to any candidate for public office clearly violate the prohibition on political campaign intervention. Distributing statements prepared by others that favor or oppose any candidate for public office will also violate the prohibition. Allowing a candidate to use an organization’s assets or facilities will also violate the prohibition if other candidates are not given an equivalent opportunity. Although section 501(c)(3) organizations may engage in some activities to promote voter registration, encourage voter participation, and provide voter education, they will violate the prohibition on political campaign intervention if they engage in an activity that favors or opposes any candidate for public office. Certain activities will require an evaluation of all the facts and circumstances to determine whether they result in political campaign intervention.
(end quote)
Some more info at this link: https://www.blueandco.com/nfp_03082012.html
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The above is from The Blog in 2012 regarding Mr. Aronsohn using a Jamboree emailing list to promote his own campaign. Now we have a situation where a private email listing was used by one of our elected officials to promote the VOTE YES campaign. What does anyone think about this? I mean, besides the fact that it was unethical and just plain wrong. For his information, it totally pissed off some of those who received it, who felt it was beyond the pale. Can you say BACKFIRE?
