Reader suggests Roberts Rules of Order a good read for the Village Council
Hey there Mr. Mayor you chair the meetings. Surely you are well-versed in Roberts Rules of Order. As such, you know that part of Roberts Rules reads as follows: “Avoid all personalities. Never allude to another person by name or to motives.” Under points of order it reads, ” Infraction of the rules or decorum in speaking must be raised immediately after the error is made.”
So do you mind telling the citizens of Ridgewood why you allowed TWO of your elected comrades to speak so nastily and dismissively to Councilwoman Knudsen? Why didn’t you rein them in, or at least reprimand them immediately and publicly ? Some leader you are. You certainly have no regard for civility.
Al and Gwenn were completely uncivil to Susan, in different ways. Al, by not being able to control himself and say to Susan, “it’s not all about you, don’t flatter yourself”. Gwenn was uncivil by gushing over the data that Tom had provided and inferring it was a waste of his time. Wasn’t he just doing his job? Isn’t that data important so the council members can vote having actual facts? Susan always delves further to get the whole picture before voting. I may not always agree with her, but I am confident she never votes without having the facts.
Reader asks I would like to know if Councilman Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck recused themselves from that closed session discussion on Valley
RULES FOR SOME BUT NOT FOR OTHERS ?
I would like to know if Councilman Pucciarelli and councilwoman Gwenn Hauck recused themselves from that closed session discussion on Valley. After all, Mr Pucciarelli stated during his campaign several times that he would recuse himself if Valley came to the council. In fact, he was very upset that one of his running mates, Russ Forenza, did not disclose his wife’s affiliation with Valley and therefore, Russ would have to recuse himself if he won a seat on council.
The Village Manager was so concerned whether Councilwoman Susan Knudsen should recuse herself from the (Residency) discussion because Susan had relatives on the current police or fire list that she informed Mr. Roger who then suggested to Susan that she recuse herself even though it plainly stated that they were not going to discuss police or fire. When question about this at an open meeting Mr. Roger said something to the effect that you never know were these discussion lead to. Whats changed? If these two did not recuse themselves then how do we know that Valley Hospital maybe privy to inside information. Our Mayor should have know that this would be a hot button item and for transparency reasons he could have made an announcement prior to going into closed session that these two would not attend. I get it .They are just to busy taking care of the chamber and the developers that they don’t have time for civility or transparency
MARCH 29, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015, 1:20 AM
BY MARC FISHER
THE RECORD
GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz is a lightning rod for controversy, a stickler for process, an evangelist for conservative principle, a constitutional wonk in ostrich-skin cowboy boots.
Marc Fisher writes for The Washington Post.
TED CRUZ looked out over a sprawling audience of Iowa farmers and agri-business leaders, people who rely on federal subsidies of ethanol, and the man who would be president stuck it to them.
“I know you’d like me to say I’m for the renewable fuel standard” — that’s the subsidy of their product — “that’d be the easy thing to do,” he said. “But I’m going to tell you the truth.” He’d take away their subsidy, he said with a big smile.
The farmers sat on their hands.
A week earlier, in a vast ballroom at Maryland’s National Harbor, where blood-red conservatives gathered to evaluate a showcase of Republican presidential wannabes, Cruz was again the steely man of principle. He railed against Washington, slammed his opponents (“Hillary Clinton embodies the corruption of Washington”) and asked the true believers to demand of their candidates, “When have you been willing to stand up against Republicans?” The son of a Cuban man who saw what happens when freedom is stripped away swore that “I’ll die before I let it happen again.”
This time, the crowd stood as one, roaring with admiration and hope.
A ‘modern Jeremiah’
His father describes Cruz as a “modern Jeremiah,” delivering the final warning before the collapse, sending an unpopular but vital message. His Harvard law professor, Alan Dershowitz, calls him “off-the-charts brilliant.” Sen. John McCain, the Arizona Republican and unsuccessful presidential candidate, once dubbed Cruz a “wacko bird.” His own wife says Cruz’s supreme certainty had a way of being “irksome.”
It is Cruz’s ramrod devotion to principle — or, its flip side, an unyielding insistence on getting his way — that could propel him to the front ranks of Republican contenders for president or render him unelectable.
Cruz, 44, was a marvel in high school, a kid who memorized the Constitution and wowed audiences with his speaking skills. In college, he was a prodigy and a pest; the same people who avoided having dinner with him went out of their way to watch him debate. As a politician, the senator from Texas is what he’s always been — a lightning rod for controversy, a stickler for process, an evangelist for conservative principle, a constitutional wonk in ostrich-skin cowboy boots.
Those who find his newly announced presidential campaign thrilling and those who find the notion of Cruz in the White House disturbing agree that his devotion to principle reminds them of that of Barry Goldwater, the movement conservative and 1964 Republican presidential nominee who famously said “I’d rather be right than president” and got his wish.
Uncertainty
Beneath Cruz’s mesmerizing speaking style — midnight-smooth delivery, never ruffled, even as he drops lacerating lines about the evils of Obamacare (although he acknowleged he signed his family up for Obamacare last week) — and his unthreatening appearance — suits, slicked-back black hair, baby-faced complexion — how the senator would govern remains unclear. Is he a rigidly uncompromising originalist or, as Cruz argues, more like Ronald Reagan, who preached conservative populism but governed as a dealmaker?
Although his father often proudly introduces his son guaranteeing that “Ted will not compromise,” Cruz says he follows Reagan’s approach: Push for limited government, but take what you can get. Despite the popular caricature of him as inflexible, Cruz says, “If they offer you half a loaf, you take it — and then come back for more.”
Northern Bergen office vacancies skyrocket as companies flee New Jersey’s Anti Business Climate
MARCH 29, 2015 LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY LINDA MOSS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
* Shifting preferences are likely to alter the look of many now-empty large corporate campuses
Northern Bergen County, once a magnet for corporations, has lost some of its luster as a number of companies leave the area, sending its office vacancy rate soaring to nearly 40 percent, according to one real estate firm.
In the first quarter so far, the northern corridor of the county, including towns like Montvale and Park Ridge, had 2.25 million square feet of its total 5.8 million square feet of office space unoccupied, according to JLL, a real estate firm with offices in East Rutherford.
That translates to a 39 percent vacancy rate in the quarter, up 70 percent from the year-ago period’s 23 percent, JLL reported.
The Hertz Corp.’s former headquarters in Park Ridge, a 226,000-square-foot property, is on the block after the auto-rental giant’s relocation to Estero, Fla. And Pearson Education’s exit a few months ago from its leafy campus in Upper Saddle River added 475,000 square feet of vacant office space.
“You’ve got almost a million square feet just in Montvale,” said JLL Managing Director Tom Reilly.
Vacancy rates could rise even higher when Mercedes-Benz USA moves its U.S. headquarters from Montvale, where it has three buildings, to Atlanta over the next couple of years. That relocation, announced in January, would add as much as 310,300 square feet of vacant space in the region.
The Ridgewood Art Institute Sponsor Show
Opening Reception April 12th, 2pm – 4pm
Exhibition Dates: April 12th – May 7th
Gala Drawing: May 8th 8pm
The Sponsor Show is a Historical annual event at The Ridgewood Art Institute. On the night of the Gala Drawing each sponsor is guaranteed to go home with an original painting! For only $275, become a sponsor and begin creating your painting wish list at our Opening Reception. Your sponsorship helps us to continue providing fine art classes and exhibits. A limited number of sponsorships are sold each year so don’t miss out!
Sat, April 04, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, East Ridgewood Ave
Meet the Easter bunny under the tent and have fun in Ridgewood!
9am-11am – Breakfast with the Easter Bunny
at The Office Beer Bar & Grill
reservation required 201-652-1070.
In Memorial Park at Van Neste Square
11am-2pm
-Easter Bunny arrives at 11am-weather permitting
-Families will be able to take pictures with the Easter Bunny.
-Activities for the children in the Park* and maps available for location of the in-store activities.
FUN FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY
*Ben & Jerry’s sponsoring an “Egg Extravaganza” for ages 2-7 years.
To reserve your spot and details call
201-689-1122, www.njbenjerry.com, or stop by
104 Franklin Ave, Ridgewood, location.
Ridgewood Public Library has artist’s work on display
MARCH 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY EILEEN LA FORGIA
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Medy Bozkurtian’s “Spring Fever” exhibit at the Ridgewood Public Library evokes renewal and hope, something the artist feels we all need.
Enjoying the exhibit earlier this week was a familiar pastel artist from the village, Ethel Jamroz.
“My mother and I stop in every month – we enjoy the art shows,” said Nancy Jamroz.
The 26 watercolor and oil paintings represent some of Bozkurtian’s favorite places from her travels. “Provence Poppies” and “Mediterranean Vista” were inspired by France, “Capri Corner” and “Hills of Tuscany” by her many trips to Italy and “Café on Lake Lucerne” by Switzerland.
“After the Rain” and “Morning Walk” are two of her latest paintings. They were done after she returned last year to Bulgaria where she was born. They depict scenes in the historic section of Plovdiv, one of the oldest cities in Europe with a 6,000-year history.
“Having escaped Communism in the 60s, it was an emotional experience for me to return to a free Bulgaria after so many years,” she said. She sketched there and then painted the scenes in watercolor when she returned home.
“Being of Armenian descent, I also painted scenes like ‘Welcoming Committee’ in a mountain valley in Armenia with an old church in the background,” she said. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide said the artist noting that it is close to her heart.
MARCH 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015, 8:27 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Celebrate poetry
To the Editor:
Here is an invitation to our friends and neighbors to celebrate National Poetry Month in April 2015.
Established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, it is the largest literary celebration in the world with schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers and poets celebrating poetry’s vital place in our culture.
Visit poets.org and learn the many ways you can celebrate with your family and friends, and sign up for a “poem in your pocket” day, April 30. Many of our New Jersey teachers will be having “dear poet” projects.
Special treat on Tuesday, April 7 at 1:15 p.m. at the Ridgewood Public Library, The College Club of Ridgewood will bring Renée Ashley, one of our best known New Jersey voices and popular nationally recognized New Jersey poet. She is a beloved member of Fairleigh Dickinson University’s Graduate low residency program in Creative Writing and Literature and will present “The Magical Art of Reaching Into Us,” telling her poetry story and sharing poems with our members and friends to come. Join us.
And for those who have enjoyed New Jersey Geraldine A. Dodge Foundation’s Poetry Festivals, Ashley will be joining with other New Jersey poets at “Jersey Voices: Rediscovering the Poetry State,” on April 24 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center at 8 p.m.
Menendez gets support on legal costs; backers of Israel see political overtones to indictment leak
MARCH 26, 2015, 5:57 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2015, 11:41 PM
BY HERB JACKSON
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT |
THE RECORD
Sen. Bob Menendez, fuming over leaks about a looming corruption indictment, could see a surge of contributions to his legal defense fund because disclosures about a Justice Department probe came while he was having highly visible disputes with the White House.
Several pro-Israel activists said people were motivated by the possibility that anonymously sourced reports of Menendez’s facing criminal charges are linked to the Paramus Democrat’s criticism of the Obama administration’s handling of nuclear talks with Iran and relaxation of restrictions on Cuba.
“The majority of people I’ve spoken with feel he’s getting a bad rap, that the prosecution has political overtones to it,” said Ben Chouake, president of Englewood Cliffs-based NORPAC, a committee that raises money for Democrats and Republicans who support Israel. “On this particular matter, even Republicans will be supporting Bob Menendez.”
Menendez already raised nearly $900,000 for legal costs between April and December last year, and more than $100,000 of that came from ardent Israel supporters. As 2014 ended, the legal expense trust fund had $104,000 on hand.
As Latin Mass gains popularity, some in North Jersey reluctant to ‘turn back’
MARCH 28, 2015, 11:41 PM LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, MARCH 29, 2015, 9:18 AM
BY BILL ERVOLINO
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
On Thursday, March 19, about 60 Catholics from North Jersey celebrated the Feast of St. Joseph with a high Mass at a church in Bergen County. The service began at 7:30 p.m. with a solemn procession, replete with flickering candles and incense, and ended 90 minutes later, with the priest shaking the hands of attendees — and requesting that neither his name nor the name of his church be revealed in this article.
We have 15 latin Masses in New Jersey listed as active. In a state with a population of 8,938,175 the percentage of the residents that are Catholic is 39%. By our math there is one latin Mass for every 232,393 Catholics in the state.
March 29 at 3PM at West Side Presbyterian Church, 6 South Monroe St., Ridgewood. Matthew Polenzani, the Met’s leading lyric tenor will join forces with the esteemed collaborative pianist Ken Noda Ina unique collection of art songs. Their far ranging program will include favorite songs of Beethoven and Ravel, rarely performed songs by Liszt… and classical lyrical works by Samuel Barber. Tickets: Purchase at the door
Matthew Polenzani was the recipient of the 2004 Richard Tucker Award and Metropolitan Opera’s 2008 Beverly Sills Artist Award. An avid golfer, he makes his home in suburban New York with his wife, mezzo-soprano Rosa Maria Pascarella and their three sons.
Matthew Polenzani is one of the most gifted and distinguished lyric tenors of his generation, Matthew Polenzani has been praised for the artistic versatility and fresh lyricism that he brings to concert and operatic appearances on leading international stages.
Ken Noda studied with renowned pianist/conductor DANIEL BARENBOIM and made his concert debut in London in 1979 with the maestro conducting the English Chamber Orchestra. He has since performed as soloist with the great orchestras of the world: the Philharmonic Orchestras of Berlin, Vienna, New York, Israel, and Los Angeles; the Symphony Orchestras of London, Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto and San Francisco; the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre de Paris, and the Philharmonia Orchestra of London – under such famed conductors as Claudio Abbado, Daniel Barenboim, Riccardo Chailly, Rafael Kubelik, James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa and Andre Previn.
While the United States moved out of Yemen last week, this week a Saudi Arabia-led coalition of a reported 10 mostly Arab states moved into Yemen with airstrikes aimed at the continuing chaos there.
The immediate—but not the only—target of the coalition air campaign is the Houthi rebels who recently swept out of northern Yemen, captured the capital, Sanaa, and are moving to push the recognized Yemeni government into the sea in the south.
While the conflict is currently an air campaign, seemingly designed to punish the aggressors, slow their advance and perhaps push them back to the negotiating table, an escalation involving coalition ground troops is possible.
Indeed, in a media gaggle in Washington, D.C., the Saudi ambassador to the United States stated the coalition was ready to do “whatever it takes” to protect the government of Yemeni President Abed Raboo Mansour Hadi.
But while the direct target of the Saudi-led coalition is the Houthis, the indirect target is elsewhere. The (mostly) Sunni Arab intervention into Yemen is about Shia Persian Iran—1,500 miles away.
As we know, the Iran-backed (Shia) Houthis are taking it to the Saudi-supported (Sunni) Yemeni central government. The rebels may seize the city of Aden as well, Hadi’s displaced capital, possibly turning Yemen over to an ally of Iran.
While Tehran’s ties with the Houthi are murky, the rebels will need outside support if they take over the country and could deepen relations with the Iranians. In other words, an Iranian satellite state on the Saudi southern border is possible.
Since Riyadh (and others) see Tehran as not only ambitious in the Middle East and the Muslim world but as ascendant in the region (e.g., Iraq and Syria), expansion into Yemen spells “trouble.”
If Yemen becomes a client state of Iran, Tehran could send the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, intelligence and security forces there to assist the Houthis and advance its interests.
Iran’s naval forces could make port calls or even be stationed in Yemen, in close proximity to the Red Sea/Suez Canal, the Gulf of Aden, and the Arabian Sea.
Equally troubling, Iran, with the largest ballistic missile force in the Middle East, could also deploy these powerful military assets to Yemen, threatening regional land and sea targets and transit lanes.
Essentially, the Arabs and their partners here see the potential for plenty of Persian perfidy in Yemen.
The coalition is, of course, worried about the Islamic State and al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen, in light of the death and destruction they’re causing elsewhere, but? considering the threat felt from a major power like Iran, it’s likely secondary.
One can’t also help but sense the coalition feels a need to deal with Iran in Yemen because of declining levels of U.S. regional engagement, a possible warming between Washington and Tehran over a nuclear deal and increasing Iranian influence in Syria and Iraq.
One thing is clear though: Yemen isn’t only a terrorism tinderbox, it’s become a geopolitical one, too.
MARCH 27, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015, 8:27 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Print
New tests are not good for children
To the editor:
The Common Core State Standards and PARCC testing are expensive: lots of new technology, increased bandwidth, lots more technical support personnel, more administrators – and we the taxpayers are footing the bill.
That would be fine if all this were good for our children, but it’s not. Our children are learning less: they’re reading less classic literature because they’re reading more informational texts; they’re doing less math because they’re writing essays about math; they’re doing way less social studies and science because they’re spending endless hours practicing for the PARCC.
Younger children are on keyboards practicing their typing skills instead of using paper and pencil which research shows leads to enhanced cognitive development.
They’re also watching lots of movies. Presumably their teachers are too busy to teach as much as they used to.
During the testing season, libraries resemble test prep centers more than they do traditional libraries. And now the giant publishing firm Pearson, the makers of the test, is employing a company in Utah, Caveon, to spy on children’s social media sites to see what the kids are saying about the PARCC test they’ve just taken.
Teachers are stressed, passing the stress onto the children. Teachers are afraid to say what they really think about all this for fear of losing their jobs. The teaching profession has been degraded and will continue to be degraded as long as this regimen prevails.
Turmoil is the word I most frequently hear. Is this the tradition of excellence in education that we brag about here in Ridgewood?
Interestingly, the people who most vociferously support the Common Core State Standards and PARCC testing do not send their kids to schools that use either the Common Core State Standards or PARCC testing, yet they want the rest of us to do so. How does that make any sense in a democracy? In an oligarchy, yes, a system of government in which the monied elite dictate to the masses what to do for the financial benefit of the monied elite.
The children of Silicon Valley executives go to schools which not only do not use the Common Core State Standards or PARCC testing, but also use NO technology – that’s right – NONE – and why? Their tech-free teaching methods are designed to foster a lifelong love of learning and to teach students how to concentrate deeply and master human interaction, critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills. Isn’t that what we are trying to do? How did we get it so wrong?
Increasingly, we parents and grandparents in Ridgewood want the Board of Education to figure a way out of this mess. It’s unsustainable. In the short-term we want the Board of Education to provide our children a “technology-lite” alternative to the heavy duty technology path it has charted.
We have done all this for all the wrong reasons. It is time to think about the children. Let’s eradicate the stench of corporate greed from our fine Ridgewood schools.
Readers challenge idea of a private corporation abridging students first amendment rights
“The Ridgewood Public Schools guards our data and only shares with state and federal officials the information that is required by law. We make every effort to teach our students about good digital citizenship and with the beginning next school year, we will teach it more formally through a Digital Citizenship Curriculum, from kindergarten through Grade 12.”DANIEL FISHBEIN
Students in New Jersey were told repeatedly that they had no choice about taking a test(PARCC) which then resulted in their private information being given to Pearson and also restricted their first amendment rights.
I love how all the NJ DOE apologists are glossing right over the fact that our schools were being asked by a private corporation to discipline a student. What’s next? If a kid tweets that the school lunch is disgusting, will the school punish him on behalf of Aramark??
