OCTOBER 28, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
WALDWICK — A developer whose plans for an assisted-living facility were rejected by the borough’s Zoning Board of Adjustment in July has sued the board, claiming its decision was “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable,” and should be reversed.
The lawsuit filed in state Superior Court last month asks that the site plan for Formation-Shelbourne Senior Living Services’ proposed 79-unit, 94-bed facility at Wyckoff and Crescent avenues be approved because the board “did not follow the guidelines and mandates of pertinent case law” in regard to issuing variances on conditional-use requirements.
Also, it claims the decision was “contrary to the standards, criteria and requirements” of New Jersey municipal land use law, and “inconsistent” with the evidence presented during the application’s 16 hearings.
CNBC hosts progressively lost control of the event Texas Sen. Ted Cruz turned openly hostile, accusing them all of being Democrats intent on damaging the GOP field Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie soon piled on the network Donald Trump wrapped up his night by claiming he had strong-armed them into shortening the debate ‘so we can get the hell out of here’ ‘CNBC should be ashamed of how this debate was handled,’ Republican Party chairman Reince Priebus said
By DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM IN BOULDER, COLORADO
PUBLISHED: 14:44 EST, 28 October 2015 | UPDATED: 06:35 EST, 29 October 2015
Donald Trump tangled with Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Jeb Bush called on Marco Rubio – his political protege – to resign his U.S. Senate seat in Wednesday’s Republican debate which turned into a steel cage match in Colorado.
As the CNBC hosts progressively lost control of the event, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz turned openly hostile, accusing them all of being Democrats intent on damaging the GOP field.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie soon piled on the network, with Trump wrapping up his night by claiming he had strong-armed them into shortening the debate ‘so we can get the hell out of here.’
The evening event in Boulder was billed as a purely economic discussion but turned into a referendum on America’s political media, making the Republican-on-Republican rhetorical violence a secondary sideshow.
Claims of media bias became a major theme of the night, with Cruz letting loose the night’s first scathing barrage against moderators Carl Quintanilla, Becky Quick and John Harwood.
Colligan Calls for Boycott of Quentin Tarantino Remarks
The New Jersey State PBA (NJSPBA) today announced a boycott of the movies of Quentin Tarantino, the irreverent, violence-loving Blockbuster store clerk turned award-winning director of Pulp Fiction and Django Unchained. Max Pizarro, PolitickerNJ Read more
OCTOBER 28, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015, 12:10 PM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A resolution has not yet been reached in the matter of the façade color of East Ridgewood Avenue restaurant Tito’s Burritos.
The matter before the Planning Board has been carried to the first meeting in December.
The applicant, Sonic Wave ll, LLC seeks a minor site plan application to keep the restaurant’s blue exterior, which the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) contends is at odds with the guidelines set forth in the village code that aims to preserve the village’s historic downtown area.
David L. Rutherford, the attorney for Tito’s Burritos, said his client had met with the village’s Historic Preservation Commission in September, but noted that “consensus was not reached” at that meeting.
Owner Michael Caldarella said the issue boils down to “visibility” for Tito’s Burritos. The restaurant’s façade is somewhat obscured by the set of stairs that sit on the western side of the building. The navy blue exterior allows the business to stand out and draw customers in, he said.
Clearly you are not aware of the backstory. If you were, I am sure you would understand that CBR had to pay a lawyer for almost 3 years to attend every meeting for every hour to represent their and ultimately our interests as residents. I am sure you understand how much lawyers charge per hour and the amount they bill when they are doing research aside from meetings. I am sure you realize they did fundraise but ultimately there is a big gap that they filled personally for years. How much did you contribute?
Ultimately CBR was holding our council responsible and paying a fortune out of pocket for what our elected officials should do as standard operating procedure. We are at the point now with the clock running out on this council. Hopefully residents are now paying attention and will be putting pressure on so the right studies are done and responsible decisions are made.
I assure you there is nothing beyond that. No promises of anything else.
As I stated during the public comment period at the end of the October 14 council meeting, the process for completing grant applications leaves much to be desired. I particularly noted the casual ease with which the checkbox indicating that the Ridgewood population at large desires whatever is being applied for is checked. This happened with the grant for the Graydon wheelchair ramp, which after two full seasons, as I predicted for the three years in which I fought it, has never been used for its intended purpose. It was also done in the grant to level Schedler.
Let’s put it this way. We know what three of you have been doing and it is unlawful and unacceptable.
Today I learned that Bergen County Open Space official Robert Abbatomarco had written to Village employees noting numerous discrepancies and missing information related to the Schedler grant application. The county considers the October 14, 2015, public hearing on the grant application to be the only official meeting of record regarding the development of Schedler. Once again the Council has “put the cart before the horse” and proceeded as a few insistent people wished before inviting public comment in the proper way.
The county now demands a new resolution that incorporates and represents the public comments made on October 14. Reports and public comments from 2012 and earlier shall not apply. We all know what happened on October 14. I got home from that meeting at 2:45 AM. (In the future, for everyone’s sake, it would be most helpful for topics of wide general interest to be given discrete meetings and not be crammed into general meeting agendas. Trying to exhaust people into not speaking obviously does not work.)
An honest summary of the comments made that night would reveal without question that the neighbors of Schedler and many of their fellow Village residents living elsewhere in town are adamantly opposed to a 90-foot field and other issues, such as clear-cutting the trees that are their only defense against the noise, traffic, and pollution of nearby Route 17.
It is clear from the county’s notification that the pending council resolution was passed in violation of Open Space guidelines and must be revoked and revisited. I hope that will happen tonight, to clear your names.
Inexplicably and unforgivably, although the county’s notification was sent to the Village last month, Village staff clearly ignored it and proceeded to present resolutions and schematic drawings in spite of it. The public was shamefully disinformed. All staff members involved should be reprimanded and ideally terminated.
Please revoke Resolution 15-257 this evening and START OVER.
Ridgewood NJ, With the prospect of being out of State on Election day, I mailed my absentee ballot in so that my voice will be heard on the parking garage “referendum” question. My vote was a resounding NO for some very obvious reasons.
– The property is not suitable for such a large structure
– Cost overruns are inevitable
– On street parking rates will escalate to $1.00 per hour and enforcement will be until 9PM
– Cost of meter enforcement is drastically understated
– A single structure at the west end of the business district will not relieve the parking issues on lower Ridgewood Avenue. Those attending the movies will not scramble up to Hudson Street to park
– The restaurants will cut “deals” for valet parking in the garage thereby skewing the cost justification estimates presented
– We, the taxpayer, will subsidize any and all shortfalls in revenue to pay the multi decade debt service
So what is the real answer to the “parking issue”….. those of us who have been in the Village for many years and have seen the constant drone of ” Oh my God, I had to walk a least a block to get to my pedi/mani appointment and it started to rain on my freshly painted toes on the way back to my car…..OMG my day was ruined because of the parking situation in Ridgewood”
The answer… one level above grade open parking structures at Cottage Place, Walnut Street and Hudson Street. No fancy 4 story facades. Do the numbers…we can have 3 simple structures for the price of one 4 story behemoth on Hudson Street. And, parking will be readily available for the ENTIRE business district not just the few well connected restaurant owners. If this plan moves forward get ready to present your 8:49 PM parking tickets to the three amigos…. Maybe they can chip in to pay them for you…it’s a good thing at least some of them have a day job!
Mitchell criticised the Democrat-controlled freeholder board who ignored the scandal until OPRA requests by the Bergen Dispatch forced the issue.It’s an interesting story you can find linked here.
After the Bergen Dispatch broke the story Mitchell called for his Democrat opponents on the Freeholder Board to ask New Jersey’s Attorney General to step in. OPRA requests by the Bergen Dispatch were answered with no communications to the Attorney General from the Democrat Freeholders as existing , but mysteriously, days later, undated letters were provided to the Dispatch containing the Freeholders’ request to the Attorney General. (Bergen Dispatch, 10/23/15
Why did Christie pick now to replace Bergen County prosecutor?
OCTOBER 27, 2015, 8:38 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015, 11:19 PM
BY DUSTIN RACIOPPI
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD
It was no secret that Governor Christie wanted someone else leading the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. The question at hand is: Why now?
A little more than two years ago, Christie thanked Prosecutor John Molinelli for his many years of service and said he looked “forward to a swift confirmation for his successor.”
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, issued the following statement after voting for H.R. 1090, the Retail Investor Protection Act:
Rep. Garrett speaks in support of the Retail Investor Protection Act
and the retirement savings of hard working New Jersey families on the House Floor.
“Today the House stood up for New Jersey families who are scraping and saving their hard-earned money to have a comfortable retirement by giving them the ability to make investment choices that are right for them. If the Department of Labor (DoL) rule goes forward, access to good financial advice will become a privilege enjoyed only by the wealthy. The Retail Investor Protection Act will ensure that the DoL’s proposed rule won’t inflict even more damage on middle and lower income Americans who are seeking guidance from a financial professional about their retirement savings.”
Background:
The DoL’s proposed rule changes to The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) could limit the access of middle and lower income Americans to retirement planning and investment guidance. Because of the heightened liability for providers contained in the rule, account minimums will rise – in some cases to as high as $100,000 – leaving millions of Americans without access to their financial advisor. The Retail Investor Protection Act would prohibit the Secretary of Labor from issuing any regulation that would define when an individual would be considered a fiduciary until 60 days after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issues a final rule which would govern standards of conduct for dealers and brokers under the Dodd-Frank Act.
The NJ Assembly elections are predicted to be the lowest voter turnout races in years – yet much hangs in the balance of the outcome. After the dust has settled, a number of crucial healthcare issues being addressed in the NJ Legislature remain unresolved, and New Jerseyans will still face a maze of obstacles when they look for accessible, affordable, quality health care. Ann Twomey, PolitickerNJ Read more
A new Rutgers poll suggests that New Jersey residents are as uninformed and uninterested as ever when it comes to state-level politics. PolitickerNJ decided to visit the Cherry Hill Mall and see whether people at one of South Jersey’s biggest commercial centers would buck the trend. JT Aregood, PolitickerNJ Read more
Embattled LD38 assembly candidate Anthony Cappola has issued a letter to the Secretary of State in order to ensure that any votes cast for him on November 3 will be counted. Alyana Alfaro, PolitickerNJ Read more
Indoctrinated: Some can recall a time when our campuses of higher education were zones where free speech thrived. That was another era, though. Today’s students want speech restricted. How did it come to this?
The results of a poll that should be shocking, but sadly aren’t, show that 51% of students favor their “college or university having speech codes to regulate speech for students and faculty.”
Oddly, 95% say that “the issue of free speech” is important at their college or university, while 73% believe that the First Amendment is “an important amendment that still needs to be followed and respected in today’s society.” Only 21% told the Buckley Free Speech Survey that it is “outdated” and “can no longer be applied in today’s society and should be changed.”
Maybe these findings are not so odd, after all. In today’s America, “free speech” and “First Amendment rights” tend not to include any expression that doesn’t conform to left-wing ideology.
Seven years ago, almost two entire college generations in the past, the Acton Institute observed, “Students at colleges and universities who articulate conservative and traditional views are at particular risk of bullying and indoctrination by campus administrators and faculty who are zealous ideologues.”
Read More At Investor’s Business Daily: https://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials/102715-777695-politically-correct-conditioning-starts-when-kids-are-young.htm#ixzz3psV4RWsp
RHS Bands Hold Annual Poinsettia and Amaryllis Sale November 1-18
Ridgewood NJ, RHS Students will be selling door to door Sunday, November 1 from 12:30-4:30 p.m.
Sizes and prices as follows:
6″ Red or white – $10
10″ Red or white – $25
Amaryllis – $15
Orders accepted until 11/18/15.
Orders/ checks should be made out to RHS Band Assoc. and mailed c/o Lorissa Lightman, 659 Spring Ave., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
Delivery dates are December 5 and 6.
Please contact Lorissa Lightman: [email protected] for more information.
For more information on the band program and a list of events, visitwww.rhsbands.org.
OCTOBER 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2015, 5:39 PM
BY RICHARD NEWMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
The teller-less bank branch has arrived in Bergen County.
Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank has opened its first New Jersey branch with no teller counter and no tellers in downtown Ridgewood, where Sealfons furniture store used to be.
The 1,315-square-foot storefront has a staff of two and a “discovery table” where customers can sit and peruse an iPad or plug in their own laptops or tablets. It also offers a pair of ATMs that allow customers not only to withdraw cash and deposit checks but cash checks as well.
“We call them Batman and Robin,” said branch manager Angela Isaacs.
Banking officials say it may be the first teller-less branch in New Jersey, but it almost certainly won’t be the last, reflecting the industry’s changing direction in branch building – as well as an increased focus on cross selling banking services.
“The trend for branches is fewer of them, and, generally speaking, they are smaller in size,” said John McWeeney, president of the New Jersey Bankers Association, who added the PNC’s teller-less branch in Ridgewood is the first one that he has heard of in the state.
“Teller transaction activity is dropping significantly, McWeeney said. “It’s a trend we will see more of.”
