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Posted on July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 by James — 4 Comments

Ridgewood council makes changes to organizational structure

Village _council_meeting_theridgewoodblog

File photo Boyd Loving

JULY 24, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JULY 24, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

An ordinance to reflect structural changes made within the village government’s organization was passed last week, though not without dissenting opinions of some members of the council and public.

The alterations were adopted by a 3-2 vote and reflect internal changes being implemented by the village, including the establishment of standalone departments for Health and Building and Inspections. Previously, these departments were under the supervision of the Department of Community Services, which no longer exists.

The village has also added a Division of Assessments under the supervision of the Department of Finance and a secretary to the Department of Planning to perform various administrative functions. The new mandate also lists additional duties for the Division of Parking and Traffic.

However, much of the discussion on this ordinance in the past month has been centered on the establishment of a Human Resources Department and the appointment of its director, Sharyn Matthews, and that was the case again during last week’s public hearing.

Resident Anne Loving commented that she did not understand why the ordinance was being changed after decisions relating to the creation of new departments had been made.

“There’s some sort of salary and benefits package which will be recurring every single year,” Loving said. “That job used to be managed under the village manager, so I personally feel like the taxpayers are getting shafted on this.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/council-approves-change-to-structure-1.1379885

Posted on July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 by James — 32 Comments

Ridgewood residents question timing of organizational restructuring

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

JULY 23, 2015, 5:58 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, 6:01 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The council’s decision to appoint a human resources director was challenged last week by residents who suggested the hiring might have violated village ordinance.

Ridgewood’s council voted 3-2 on July 15 to update the ordinance that lays out the village’s organizational structure. The move formally establishes a human resources department and creates a director’s position for that department.

Roberta Sonenfeld, the village’s manager, said at last week’s council meeting that the ordinance was being updated to reflect operations in Village Hall.

Sharyn Matthews, director of the village’s new human resources department, was hired in the fall as a senior personnel assistant, earning $92,000. Matthews, whose pay will remain the same, holds degrees in labor relations and human resources from Cornell University and Mercy College and is certified as a senior human resources professional.

The changes approved by the council last week effectively eradicated the Department of Community Services, Sonenfeld said, while moving some of its subdivisions to other departments and adding some new positions.

“The intent of the ordinance,” Sonenfeld said, was to clean up the language in the code “to reflect what is and has been reality.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-residents-question-timing-of-organizational-restructuring-1.1379799

Posted on July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Donald Trump makes a Texas-size splash with visit to Mexican border

By James Hohmann July 23 at 8:05 PM

LAREDO, Tex. — A defiant Donald Trump, visiting the U.S. border with Mexico here Thursday, said again that he will not apologize for his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration or back away from his plan to build a wall between the two nations.

During a whirlwind visit — it was less than three hours from when his jet touched down to when it took off — Trump blazed around in a presidential-style motorcade that included seven SUVs and even more police cars. Local officers blocked off roads, including Interstate 35, for Trump’s entourage.

The Republican presidential candidate, leading the GOP field in national polls but increasingly under fire from the establishment wing of his party, said repeatedly that he had been told he would be in “great danger” if he visited this town of 236,000 in southern Texas — even though Laredo, which is roughly 96 percent Hispanic, has a significantly lower murder rate than Trump’s home town of New York City. He would not say who had told him that he was at risk.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-makes-a-texas-size-splash-with-visit-to-mexican-border/2015/07/23/277670c8-316b-11e5-8353-1215475949f4_story.html

Posted on July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Port Authority to reconfigure gates at NYC bus terminal in effort to reduce delays

JULY 23, 2015, 3:47 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, 6:13 PM
BY SHAWN BOBURG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A planned reconfiguration of gates inside the Port Authority’s midtown Manhattan bus terminal is expected to reduce delays in the cramped building, agency officials said Thursday.

The changes, to take effect in early September, would consolidate NJ Transit bus service on the building’s third floor, eliminating the operational mess that ensues when private carriers and New Jersey’s mass transit buses try to navigate around each other in the same space. Currently, the third floor is split among NJ Transit and private bus operators.

The move was presented as another stop-gap measure to improve service out of the often-criticized terminal while the Port Authority explores options for replacing the building.

“We believe that our commuters will experience a more reliable trip while we work with staff to develop a new modern facility,” said Port Authority Chairman John Degnan.

Last year, amid pressure from commuters and some New Jersey lawmakers, the Port Authority agreed to put $90 million into improvements at the bus terminal, including revamped bathrooms, new air conditioning units and repairs to ceiling tiles. The agency also added new traffic management personnel inside the terminal last September to help keep buses moving, a change that agency officials said created significant improvement

https://www.northjersey.com/news/port-authority-to-reconfigure-gates-at-nyc-bus-terminal-in-effort-to-reduce-delays-1.1379713

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

Scientist warns the world to ‘think twice before replying to alien signals from outer space’

Scientist warns the world to ‘think twice before replying to alien signals from outer space’

VICTORIA RICHARDS

Thursday 23 July 2015

A scientist responsible for finding signs of life on other planets has warned that human beings should probably think twice before making contact with aliens.

Professor Matthew Bailes is based at Swinburne University in Melbourne – and is leading Australia’s efforts to find signs of extra-terrestrial life.

But he warned that making contact with aliens capable of transmitting powerful signals to Earth over tens of thousands of light years could lead humanity into disaster, because they’re likely to be so much more advanced.

“The history of weak civilisations contacting more advanced civilisations is not a happy one,” he said.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/scientist-warns-world-to-think-twice-before-replying-to-alien-signals-from-outer-space-10408201.html

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Judicial Watch: New Documents Show IRS Used Donor Lists to Target Audits

JULY 22, 2015

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained documents from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) that confirm that the IRS used donor lists to tax-exempt organizations to target those donors for audits. The documents also show IRS officials specifically highlighted how the U.S. Chamber of Commerce may come under “high scrutiny” from the IRS. The IRS produced the records in a Freedom of Information lawsuit seeking documents about selection of individuals for audit-based application information on donor lists submitted by Tea Party and other 501(c)(4) tax-exempt organizations (Judicial Watch v. Internal Revenue Service (No. 1:15-cv-00220)).

A letter dated September 28, 2010, then-Democrat Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) informs then-IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman: “ I request that you and your agency survey major 501(c)(4), (c)(5) and (c)(6) organizations …” In reply, in a letter dated February 17, 2011, Shulman writes: “In the work plan of the Exempt Organizations Division, we announced that beginning in FY2011, we are increasing our focus on section 501(c)(4), (5) and (6) organizations.”

In 2010, after receiving Baucus’s letter, the IRS considered the issue of auditing donors to 501(c)(4) organizations, alleging that a 35 percent gift tax would be due on donations in excess of $13,000. The documents show that the IRS wanted to cross-check donor lists from 501(c)(4) organizations against gift tax filings and commence audits against taxpayers based on this information.

A gift tax on contributions to 501(c)(4)’s was considered by most to be a dead letter since the IRS had never enforced the rule after the Supreme Court ruled that such taxes violated the First Amendment. The documents show that the IRS had not enforced the gift tax since 1982.

But then, in February 2011, at least five donors of an unnamed organization were audited.

The documents show that Crossroads GPS, associated with Republican Karl Rove, was specifically referenced by IRS officials in the context of applying the gift tax. Seemingly in response to the Crossroads focus, on April 20, IRS attorney Lorraine Gardner emails a 501(c)(4) donor list to former Branch Chief in the IRS’ Office of the Chief Counsel James Hogan. Later, this information is apparently shared with IRS Estate Gift and Policy Manager Lisa Piehl while Gardner seeks “information about any of the donors.”

Emails to and from Lorraine Gardner also suggested bias against the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. An IRS official (whose name is redacted) emails Gardner on May 13, 2011, a blog post responding to the IRS targeting of political and other activities of 501(c)(4), (5) and (6) organizations:

https://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-new-irs-documents-used-donor-lists-to-target-audits/

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — 5 Comments

Obama Administration Strips Requirement to Defend The United States From Citizenship Oath

Katie Pavlich | Jul 22, 2015

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has “clarified” requirements for individuals becoming naturalized citizens by stripping out the requirement of defending the United States through military service.

“Effective July 21, 2015, new guidance (PA-2015-001) in the USCIS Policy Manual clarifies the eligibility requirements for modifications to the Oath of Allegiance. Reciting the Oath is part of the naturalization process. Candidates for citizenship normally declare that they will “bear arms on behalf of the United States” and “perform noncombatant service in the Armed Forces of the United States” when required by the law. A candidate may be eligible to exclude these two clauses based on religious training and belief or a conscientious objection,” an email from USCIS clarifying the requirements states (bolding is mine).

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2015/07/22/obama-administration-strips-requirement-to-defend-the-united-states-from-citizenship-oath-n2028889

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — 4 Comments

Paramus has second thoughts about raising age for local cigarette purchases

bikeattheCigarshop theridgewoodblog.net 1

JULY 22, 2015, 9:28 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015, 9:46 PM
BY ALLISON PRIES
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

PARAMUS — The Borough Council should abandon an ordinance to raise the tobacco buying age to 21, Paramus’ attorney recommended during a council work session Wednesday night.

Attorney Paul Kaufman told the council that the ordinance it introduced June 9 could make the borough vulnerable to costly litigation because of concerns over preemption by the state law and enforceability.

The way the law is written, Kaufman said, it’s silent on whether the tobacco buying age would be preempted by the state law, which puts the purchasing age at 19.

Related: Paramus to discuss tobacco-buying age

“I don’t think the taxpayers here should have to pay $100,000 in legal expenses to find out the answer,” he said.

Kaufman also said that it “breeds disrespect for the law to enact an ordinance that’s not enforced.”

Instead, Kaufman suggested the council pass a resolution urging the state to amend the statute.

“I get the point that when you enact an ordinance like this that you’re sending a message to the state Legislature,” Kaufman said. “I think there’s another way … to get that point across.”

The resolution could be brought to the state by hometown Assemblyman, and former Councilman, Joe Lagana. Also, the Paramus clerk could share the resolution with the Bergen County Municipal Clerks’ Association of New Jersey to spread the word, Kaufman suggested.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/paramus-has-second-thoughts-about-raising-age-for-local-cigarette-purchases-1.1378601

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — 4 Comments

Trump to Anderson Cooper During Interview: “The People Don’t Trust You And The Media”

In an interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper that was broadcasted tonight Republican candidate for president Donald Trump berated the reporter for continuing to address polls that shed him in a negative light instead of polls showing his upper-tier status.

“I am leading across the board,” Trump said in the interview. “And then you hit me with this poll that I didn’t see before, where oh, gee, it’s not even that kind of a poll. All i know is I have a very big group of support. And I think one of the reasons.”

“Let me tell you. The people don’t trust you and the people don’t trust the media. And I understand why,” Trump lectured Cooper.

Trump also said the American dream is “dead,” but he will revive it and “make it bigger, better and stronger than ever before.”

“You know I tell the story, the American dream — I talk about the American dream in speeches,” Ttump said. “The American dream is dead but I’m going to make it bigger, better and stronger than ever before. The American dream is dead. But i’m going to make it bigger, stronger. Right. And I go ‘boom!’ and I do it with great bravado and the audience goes crazy. ”

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2015/07/22/trump_to_anderson_cooper_during_interview_the_people_dont_trust_you_and_the_media.html

Posted on July 23, 2015January 21, 2019 by James — 6 Comments

South Bergen towns sue COAH, seek protection from litigation

JULY 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, 12:32 AM
BY KELLY NICHOLAIDES
STAFF WRITER |
SOUTH BERGENITE

The municipalities of Carlstadt, East Rutherford, Lyndhurst and Rutherford have filed lawsuits in Superior Court against the Council on Affordable Housing and Mt. Laurel ruling.

The municipalities seek declaratory judgment granting temporary immunity from exclusionary zoning lawsuits also known as builder’s remedy lawsuits, five months to complete an updated affordable housing methodology and judgment of compliance and repose, the documents read.

The COAH process has inundated courts since the agency failed to adopt new third round regulations. COAH third-round obligations from 2004 were challenged in 2007, with the Appellate Division invalidating various aspects of regulations, and a revised third round was published in 2008, only to have amendments added. The transfer of jurisdiction to the courts later showed that the growth-share methodology was invalid, and COAH should use methodologies adopted in the first and second rounds. COAH deadlocked on adopting revised third-round regulations, and the Fair Share Housing Center filed a motion to enforce litigants’ rights. The court ruled COAH’s administrative process non-functional, and allowed developers to go directly to court bypassing the agency — setting up towns for lawsuits from builders.

Although municipalities had until July 8 to submit their affordable housing plan to the court, East Rutherford, along with at least 70 municipalities, is asking for a five-month extension from the date of the court ruling and opted to hire experts to come up with a new methodology to calculate fair share housing since COAH failed to adopt revised regulations. The towns hired Robert W. Burchell and Rutgers, in a Municipal Shared Services Defense Agreement to prepare a statewide fair share affordable housing analysis to be undertaken by Rutgers and Burchell. Burchell will analyze any challenges to the Initial Fair Share Analysis and prepare a rebuttal report for the court

https://www.northjersey.com/news/towns-sue-for-5-month-coah-plan-extension-1.1379122

Posted on July 23, 2015January 20, 2019 by James — Leave a comment

Unfair coverage of Garrett

Regarding “Garrett criticized after refusing to donate” (Page A-1, July 17) and “Waldwick still waiting on honor for slain Marine” (Page L-3, July 17):

The Record featured a one-two punch attack on Rep. Scott Garrett, R-Wantage, unworthy of an objective newspaper. The first punch, displayed above the fold on the front page, declares that Garrett has “stayed out of sight” (implication: cravenly) to avoid the “uproar” generated by a handful of politicos and advocates supposedly unhappy about his not donating to a GOP campaign group.

This hit piece seizes on inside-the-Beltway gossip to provide a soapbox for those who do not share Garrett’s positions and views, such as his being (shockingly?) “a Christian whose children were home-schooled” and labors to discredit him as an outlier within his party. Whatever limited merit such one-sided, meandering commentary might have as an editorial, it hardly warrants treatment as news, let alone on the front page.

The second punch thrown is a non-news item in the local section, which lends its soapbox this time to complaints from Waldwick Mayor Thomas Giordano, who bizarrely asserts that Waldwick is “still waiting” because of Garrett. The mayor says Garrett “really dropped the ball” and “hasn’t done much” to have the town post office renamed to honor a local hero, even though the congressman has three times introduced a bill to rename the post office.

In short, The Record publishes parochial gossip, partisan sniping and personal ruminations masquerading as “news” to portray Garrett as overly conservative and ineffec-tual.

Douglas Mayer

Allendale, July 17

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/the-record-letters-thursday-july-23-1.1379252

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Garrett , Boehner feud Spills into Campaign Finance

Scott Garrett defends handling of funds, won’t say if stance on gays played role

JULY 22, 2015, 11:24 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015, 11:29 PM
BY HERB JACKSON
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT |
THE RECORD

Rep. Scott Garrett broke a silence he’s maintained for nearly a week and said Wednesday that he is refusing to support the House Republicans’ main campaign fund because of a series of disagreements with the leadership of Speaker John Boehner.

Garrett, however, would not discuss a media report that he told colleagues one of his reasons for the dispute was that the campaign fund had supported gay candidates.

That report led to condemnation from Democrats and gay rights advocates, and criticism from a few Republicans aimed at Garrett, R-Wantage, one of the most conservative members of the House and chairman of a powerful subcommittee that regulates the finance industry.

At issue was campaign money, and whether Garrett, who had more than $2.2 million in his campaign account as of June 30, would be sharing some of what he raises with the party so it could elect Republican candidates. In part because of his subcommittee chairmanship, Garrett has raised nearly $1 million in each of the last two election cycles from people and committees tied to finance, insurance or real estate businesses.

Interviewed as he went from his office in the Rayburn Office Building to the House floor in the Capitol for a vote Wednesday night, Garrett said he had a history of voting against the party line.

Garrett, 56, now in his seventh term, mentioned his opposition to Boehner’s reelection as speaker in January and his opposition to an important rule in June that set up votes on a trade package that was a top priority of President Obama.

“You know how I voted for the speaker. You know how I voted on the rule. You know how I’ve not always supported leadership. You know that I don’t necessarily support all the things they do. So it’s somehow a surprise to you that I don’t necessarily support where they spend their money?” Garrett said.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/scott-garrett-defends-handling-of-funds-won-t-say-if-stance-on-gays-played-role-1.1378620

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — Leave a comment

N.J. pension investments see a drop-off in returns

JULY 22, 2015, 5:49 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015, 10:53 PM
BY SALVADOR RIZZO
STATE HOUSE BUREAU |
THE RECORD

New Jersey’s pension investments are still making money, but the gains appear to be in sharp decline this year, state officials said Wednesday.

Governor Christie’s administration has helped delay a looming crisis in the pension system by playing the global markets over the last five years, drumming up more than $35 billion just by picking winning investments.

But the solid pace of growth for the pension system’s $79 billion portfolio will taper off in coming years, state officials said, opening a new problem for the retirement funds at a time when they already face a series of funding troubles and a political logjam.

“We can’t plan on double-digit returns forever to keep the fund afloat,” Thomas Byrne, chairman of the State Investment Council, said at a meeting Wednesday. “We can’t control market conditions.”

After years of neglect from politicians in both parties, the state pension system is facing $40 billion in unfunded liabilities — making it one of the worst-funded in the country — and it needs every dollar it can find to avoid a bankruptcy expected within the next decade.

At stake is the income security of more than 773,000 public workers and retirees enrolled in the system.

Since Christie took office, the investment portfolio’s performance had been one of the bright spots for the troubled pension system, producing healthy gains above 10 percent in four of the last five years — in other words, more than $35 billion from 2010 to 2014.

But the heyday may be ending. New Jersey is not likely to hit its target rate of 7.9 percent investment gains for the 2015 fiscal year, which ended last month, Byrne said.

Pension investments had posted gains of only 4.58 percent through May, a month before the end of the fiscal year, Byrne said. A final report for the entire year will be released in September, officials said.

The state is on track for a much lower rate of growth compared with the previous fiscal year. In May 2014, for example, returns of 14.3 percent had come in by that point in the fiscal year — far above the 4.58 percent seen this year. In May 2013, growth was at 13.3 percent.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-gains-on-pension-investments-appear-on-the-decline-this-year-officials-say-1.1378571

Posted on July 23, 2015July 23, 2015 by James — 4 Comments

Ridgewood Water rate hike lawsuit changes course

JULY 23, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY REBECCA GREENE
CORRESPONDENT |
WYCKOFF SUBURBAN NEWS

The five-year-old class action lawsuit filed by Wyckoff, and joined by Midland Park and Glen Rock, claiming overcharges by Ridgewood Water to the tune of $3.3 million has been remanded to Superior Court — a favorable development, according to local officials.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2010, alleges that a 21 percent rate hike in 2010 and 5 percent increases in 2011 and 2012 were used to plug gaps in the Village of Ridgewood’s budget.

The towns are seeking a return of the amount officials believe their residents were overcharged: Wyckoff, 1,640,492; Midland Park, $619,635; and Glen Rock, $1,049,165.

A 25-page opinion handed down Wednesday, July 15, by the Appellate Division of state Superior Court reversed a decision by Superior Court Judge Lisa Perez Friscia in December 2013 that the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) should handle the litigation.

“We conclude the trial court misconstrued the jurisdictional provision [in state statute] causing it to erroneously transfer this case to the BPU,” the appeals panel wrote. “We discern no legal or public policy basis to defer to the BPU’s jurisdiction a function historically associated with and inherently performed by the Superior Court.”

“We’re pleased that the Appellate Division finally remanded it back to a Superior Court judge,” Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney said. “We have a strong case and the facts are clear. We want our day in court.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/rate-hike-lawsuit-changing-course-1.1378875

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