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Legislative fix seen as only way to stop solar collapse

solar power theridgewoodblog.net

Legislative fix seen as only way to stop solar collapse

The sun may be setting on the once thriving solar sector in New Jersey unless lawmakers act soon, according to industry executives.

For the first time last week, the price owners of solar systems get for the electricity their units produced traded for less than $100 in New Jersey, a spectacular drop, considering the solar renewable energy certificates fetched $655 on the spot market at this point last year.  (Johnson, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/12/0423/1959/

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ELEC looking to force candidates to disclose info on meetings paid for with campaign funds

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ELEC looking to force candidates to disclose info on meetings paid for with campaign funds

The Election Law Enforcement Commission is calling on the legislature to tighten up campaign finance reporting by requiring candidates and elected officials to disclose who they met with when they use donations to pay for meetings and dinners.

The request was contained in the agency’s annual report, issued this month.  (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)

https://www.politickernj.com/56346/elec-looking-force-candidates-disclose-info-meetings-paid-campaign-funds

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NJ Education Reform: Forced school consolidation is off the table

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Forced school consolidation is off the table

A statewide effort to force school districts to consolidate officially has been tabled, but at least one county is still moving ahead with a plan to trim back on local districts.

The consolidation plans had been authorized under an earlier state law and initially carried out under then Gov. Jon Corzine’s administration. But acting Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf acknowledged Monday they were on hold.  (Method, Gannett)

https://www.app.com/article/20120424/NJNEWS1002/304240015/Forced-school-consolidation-off-table

 

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Motor Vehicle Accident with Entrapment, Paramus & Linwood

MVA Paramus Linwood theridgewoodblog.net

Photos by Boyd Loving

Motor Vehicle Accident with Entrapment, Paramus & Linwood

04/24/2012
Boyd A. Loving
9:54 AM

(RIDGEWOOD-NJ) Two (2) vehicle MVA with entrapment; one injury, transported to The Valley.  Both vehicles removed by flatbed tow truck.  Ridgewood PD, Ridgewood FD, Ridgewood EMS, Paramus PD, and Hackensack UMC Paramedics on the scene.

MVA3 paramus linwood theridgewoodblog.net

MVA4 theridgewoodblog.net

MVA5 theridgewoodblog.net

MVA Truck thheridgewoodblog.net

photos by Boyd Loving

 

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Taxes don’t cover N.J.’s transit debt

ridgewood train station theridgewoodblog.net

Taxes don’t cover N.J.’s transit debt

New Jersey has become so hooked on borrowing to pay for transportation projects that this year, for the first time, money from gas, sales and other taxes earmarked for transportation spending didn’t cover debt payments.

The state is not alone in struggling to find money to improve its roads and bridges, among the nation’s worst.

But federal data show New Jersey stands out as one of the nation’s biggest transportation borrowers, second in total debt only to Texas.  (Duffelmeyer, Gannett)
https://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20120424/NEWS02/304240010/Taxes-don-t-cover-N-J-s-transit-debt?odyssey=tab|topnews|text|State

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Bob Hutton ,Thank you for the kind words

cottageplaceBOE theridgewoodblog.net 1

Bob Hutton ,Thank you for the kind words.

It was a privilege to serve this outstanding district for the last nine years. I will apologize to my four former colleagues for leaving you with unfinished business, but as we know all too well an artificial time constraint is not in anyone’s best interest especially in light of the financial crossroads that this district faces. It is that unfinished business I would like to talk about.

I hope you will indulge me.

We all have heard that our teachers have felt disrespected by the action this board took by not including any salary increase in our 2011-12 operating budget. I’d like to take a moment to outline the many steps this Board took to avoid that action.

60% of you were not board members 3 years ago when we requested that the REA make a minor concession to help us balance the budget and save some programs. They were not so inclined to honor that request. The sitting board made the necessary program cuts so that we could meet our contractual obligations of teacher salary increases despite an incredibly difficult recession.

60% of you were not board members 2 years ago when in light of budget issues exacerbated by the elimination of all of our state aid, the board again made a request of the REA for concessions. Again, the REA declined, instead directing that sitting board to make the tough decisions. That full board made those tough decisions which again resulted in program cuts. I believe it is very safe for me to say that all of us felt that those cuts began the dismantling of the Ridgewood Public Schools as our parents and students had come to know them. But again, we met our contractual obligations for annual teacher salary increases and health benefits.

60% of you were not board members in October 2010 when the sitting board commenced its preparation to enter negotiations with the REA, a full nine months before the contract would expire. The board, based on the previous two years I just described, desired to stop the dismantling of our school system and thus, our contractual obligations with the REA needed to be sustainable inside the 2% state-mandated cap. Plus from that same recent history we knew that the REA was not inclined to make concessions during the period of a contract, thusly we had one bite of the apple and it had to be fiscally responsible.

Just to digress for a moment – in light of the economic times during those two years, perhaps the taxpayers of Ridgewood felt somewhat disrespected by the REA. Families were making cuts, balancing tighter budgets, watching spending closely, and yet the REA would not make a single concession. Speaking from personal experience, my family was living that due to my own unemployment situation from June 2010 to April 2011. From my own networking, my situation was not the exception. One could said that there is simply a disconnect between what the majority of Ridgewood taxpayers face in their day-to-day employment and what the REA expects from this Board.

Back to the topic at hand. 60% of you did not have to work through those times, and to the best of our collective ability, the 2011 – 2012 budget presented to the public a stable, fiscally responsible budget which was balanced without any teacher salary increases, significantly helped by a partial restoration of state aid – otherwise program cuts would have been much worse. That budget reflects our current year of operations, 2011-2012. In response to the Union’s directive to make tough decisions, our Board made and implemented those tough decisions.

People have asked me why I refer to the REA as an association or a bargaining unit. My immediate response is, quite frankly, to be nice. Maybe I don’t have to be nice anymore, but at the very least, let’s be honest when we discuss these topics. The REA is a union. As with any union, it is there to fight for the best economic deal for its membership. That is its sole purpose, to the exclusion of all others. Their questioning of science kits, Ipad expenditures, roof replacement on this very structure and alike is simple — the union wants every dollar possible for its membership.

But the Board of Education does not serve the REA, it serves every stakeholder in our schools – from parents to students, administrators to taxpayers. The Board has a higher calling to be trustees of the total system. The two of you with whom I have had lengthy service and all the others over the last nine years have done that, and done it well. I have no reservation in making that statement.

For the three of you falling into the 60% category, I have a request of you. Listen to and learn from those of the 40% variety — nearly 20 years of experience and multiple past negotiations with the REA. I believe they have an invaluable background of knowledge to share. There may be an easier path, but it is not the one of a higher calling that serves all the different groups who have a stake in the success of Ridgewood Public Schools.

I suspect that if anyone has been listening they know I have now covered 100%. I have one more number to share before I close.

Most recently a chorus has been heard directly focused at the Board – settle with the teachers now. Rarely, if ever, is a chorus ever directed at the REA. Why is that? Are there not two sides to any negotiation?

Maybe my last number will shed some light on why that chorus is limited in its numbers. It happened to me prior to my tenure on the board. The number I wish to share is one.

I would hope that my family is the only one which has ever received a letter from a ranking member of the REA directed to and reprimanding my eldest son for his writing of a letter to the editor stating his ideas and opinions regarding teachers’ salaries and benefits which was contrary to the REA position during the turbulent negotiations of 2002. At that time my eldest son, the writer, had just completed his freshman year of college. This same letter included a veiled threat at my youngest son and I quote: “I also hope that as Tommy begins high school, the teachers will not associate him with your negative comments.” It made my family think twice about the good faith of the union, and whether they are acting to serve the students or merely their own membership.

I will leave you with that and simply say thank you for your service to this community and be on my way. It is my hope that all Board trustees, both now and into the future, understand the tradition, the trusteeship and responsibilities that are yours.

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Village Council Elections: Is Village councilmen Paul Aronsohn a union shill?

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Is Paul Aronsohn Village councilmen a union shill?

In a recent letter to the Ridgewood News , Paul Aronsohn was called the ‘sole voice of reason’ but one look at past political contributors to Paul an it raises more questions than it answers and perhaps sheds some light as to the on going feud with Village manager Ken Gabbert. Readers wonder if Paul is really the sole voice of municipal unions not reason and continue to speculate as to his real political agenda.

Paul Aronsohn (D)

Political Action Committee Total Contributed

Teamsters Union $10,000.00
Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers $10,000.00
United Auto Workers $6,500.00
Carpenters & Joiners Union $5,000.00
American Fedn of St/Cnty/Munic Employees $5,000.00
National Air Traffic Controllers Assn $5,000.00
Sheet Metal Workers Union $5,000.00
Laborers Union $3,500.00
AFL-CIO $2,661.00
American Federation of Teachers $2,500.00
Operating Engineers Local 825 $2,500.00
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union Local 475 $1,000.00
Service Employees International Union $1,000.00
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union Local 274 $1,000.00
Plumbers/Pipefitters Union Local 9 $500.00
Operating Engineers Local 542 $250.00

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CONCERNED RESIDENTS OF RIDGEWOOD ENDORSES KILLION, SHINOZUKA AND ARONSOHN FOR VILLAGE COUNCIL

theRidgewood blog ICON theridgewoodblog.net 28

CONCERNED RESIDENTS OF RIDGEWOOD ENDORSES KILLION, SHINOZUKA AND ARONSOHN FOR VILLAGE COUNCIL

April 23, 2012, Ridgewood, NJ – Concerned Residents of Ridgewood (CRR) has endorsed Keith Killion, Jane Shinozuka and Paul Aronsohn for Ridgewood Village Council, to fill the three open seats to be decided on May 8th 2012.

“Residents must know that the push to prevent the massive expansion of Valley Hospital is not finished. The outgoing Council unanimously rejected the Ordinance that would have permitted the ‘Renewal’ in its current form, but the makeup of the Village Council could materially change with this election. As long as the Planning Board’s Master Plan Amendment for the H-Zone, from June 2010, remains on the books, a new Council could approve ‘Renewal’ without modification.” stated Pete McKenna, president of CRR , the grassroots organization that has opposed this massive expansion of Valley Hospital at their Ridgewood location.

“We can’t overstate the importance of electing candidates to this Council that can be relied upon to approach this situation rationally and with the best interests of the resident taxpayers at the forefront. Valley’s ‘Renewal’ is simply too much building for that fifteen acre site, in that location, and since the Ordinance’s rejection last fall, there has been no modification of that plan offered by Valley. Voters must go to the polls on May 8th, and vote for candidates Killion, Shinozuka and Aronsohn, who are the only candidates to consistently, publicly say that ‘Renewal’, as proposed and approved by the Planning Board, was wrong for Ridgewood”, Mr. McKemma added.

“To ensure that an expansion the size of Paramus Park Mall (not counting the proposed parking deck) does not get built on this site, it is as critical as ever that we elect candidates who will firmly oppose such a permanent change to our Village. As long as the 2010 Master Plan Amendment for the H-Zone remains in place, a Council biased towards advancing Valley’s ambitions could resurrect ‘Renewal’, and Valley is counting on that. It is critical that everyone that feels the needs of the residents are at least as important as the ambitions of Valley, needs to get out the vote, and vote in a council that will help put this matter behind us once and for all,” commented Mr. McKenna.
CRR has consistently stated it understands Valley’s need to modernize and even modestly expand its building. Having said that, our basic research indicates Valley could achieve all of its stated objectives in a building 400,000 square feet smaller than ‘Renewal’. Ridgewood voters have elected every candidate that has been endorsed by CRR, but nothing would please us more than to be irrelevant in future elections. It is our sincere hope that this is the last Village election where Valley Hospital’s business desires have to be considered by Ridgewood voters,” he added.
“Keith Killion established fair stewardship over the H-Zone ordinance hearings, which allowed the vastly negative impacts of ‘Renewal’ to finally come to light. This contribution during Mayor Killion’s current tenure is a vital legacy of the current Council”, according to McKenna.

Jane Shinozuka, while not an incumbent, has publicly stated her opposition to a large expansion that would alter the residential character of the Village, and she has valuable experience as a member of the current Planning Board in addition to her other volunteer positions for the Village.

Paul Aronsohn continually asked pointed and critical questions of the experts during Council’s recent hearings and was part of the unanimous vote to reject the H-Zone ordinance that would have irreversibly damaged our village.

Mr. McKenna stated that CRR invited all six Village Council candidates to meet individually with a committee of the organization. The goal was to discuss issues ranging from the central business district, Village spending and personnel, Village services, land-use and development, pedestrian safety, Graydon Pool and the existing Master Plan Amendment that would allow ‘Renewal’. “To those who think we are one-issue people, ask the candidates how well prepared we were on all of these topics,” Mr. McKenna said.

“While our primary concern as CRR is the balancing of resident needs against Valley’s desires, we are Ridgewood taxpayers and residents too and would only endorse candidates we feel will serve Ridgewood well for years to come. If you care about these issues, we urge your continued support by going to the polls and voting for candidates Killion, Shinozuka and Aronsohn in two weeks.”

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An $8 billion trick?

theRidgewood blog ICON theridgewoodblog.net 27

An $8 billion trick?
Toying with Medicare to fix elex
By BENJAMIN E. SASSE & CHARLES HURT
Last Updated: 1:41 AM, April 23, 2012

Call it President Obama’s Committee for the Re-Election of the President — a political slush fund at the Health and Human Services Department.
Only this isn’t some little fund from shadowy private sources; this is taxpayer money, redirected to help Obama win another term. A massive amount of it, too — $8.3 billion. Yes, that’s billion, with a B.

Here is how it works.

The most oppressive aspects of the ObamaCare law don’t kick in until after the 2012 election, when the president will no longer be answerable to voters. More “flexibility,” he recently explained to the Russians.

Read more: https://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/an_billion_trick_ImTBFfz7MeuZLJY7JzXEIJ#ixzz1suKaWTDd

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Aronsohn : Ridgewood Clearview Cinema

Paul Aronsohn theridgewoodblog.net 1

Aronsohn : Ridgewood Clearview Cinema

Clearview Cinema Warner Quad in Ridgewood selling out to Aronsohn!!

Against their own company directed guidelines of inappropriate advertising, Clearview is allowing Councilman Aronsohn, the Liaison to the Chamber, to advertise a political spot on their marquee.

When contacted Clearview Corporate said they would contact local theater about the violation.

It should also be noted that Village Code 190:122 is also in violation. Wonder if the sign police will be going after a sitting council member or just brushing it under the rug.

You would have thought Councilman Aronsohn would have checked with officials before doing something so stupid.

I want answers!!!!

https://www.clearviewcinemas.com/screenvision.shtml

Update : According to sources , ” I was told that the local manager made a mistake and the sign would be coming down; Paul will receive a full refund. The sign violates Clearview Cinemas’ policy against political signs. Honest mistake by the local manager.”

 

 

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The cost of high taxes is an obstacle to investment and job creation

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The cost of high taxes is an obstacle to investment and job creation

Reader responds to comment and reminds us of the obvious the cost of high taxes is an obstacle to investment and job creation

” Who is he kidding? Just go back to 1994 under Whitman and look at all the debt the state has accumulated in that time ,this is more of the same bs. First pay your bills and debts then talk about cutting taxes.”

You clearly don’t understand economics, and the competitive nature of States. If you lower taxes, you attract investment in the State. If you lower taxes, you also leave more money in the pockets of the people, who in turn, spend it in the State. If you do all this at the same time when you cut wasteful State Government spending, you are on the way to a much better place.

Now on a Federal scale, the same thing applies to international competition. We currently have the highest corporate tax rate in the industrialized world, but the likes of Obama simply don’t understand the free market. Don’t feel bad. If the President doesn’t, you can’t be expected to know.

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Pascrell-Rothman race the number of new voters in Passaic County has nearly quintupled

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Pascrell-Rothman race the number of new voters in Passaic County has nearly quintupled

MONDAY, APRIL 23, 2012
BY ZACH PATBERG
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD

The neck-and-neck primary war between North Jersey’s two entrenched Democratic congressmen has triggered an early explosion in new Passaic County voters to a level not seen since Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential run spurred the highest turnout in election history.

The surge could signal reinforcement for Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., the longtime lawmaker forced by redistricting to energize a countywide constituency that hasn’t seen a congressional primary in decades.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/148472915_Pascrell-Rothman_race_energizing_voters.html

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Ridgewood Schools Alumni Principal Jean McTavish Prepares ‘Hard to Reach’ Kids for College

traditionofexcellence theridgewoodblog.net

Ridgewood Schools Alumni Principal Jean McTavish Prepares ‘Hard to Reach’ Kids for College
April 23, 2012 8:22am | By Leslie Albrecht, DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

UPPER WEST SIDE — Principal Jean McTavish sometimes describes the students at Edward A. Reynolds West High School as “hard to reach and hard to teach.”

The 550-student school on West 102nd Street between Amsterdam and Columbus avenues, is an alternative transfer high school that serves students aged 17 to 21-years-old who’ve had trouble finishing high school for various reasons.

Some have been in jail, some have been pregnant, some are HIV positive, some have lost parents to crime or violence.

“We have every kind of possible issue that you can imagine here,” McTavish said. “Just about any problem that you can think of that’s associated with poverty.”

https://www.dnainfo.com/20120423/upper-west-side/principal-jean-mctavish-prepares-hard-reach-kids-for-college#ixzz1sssF02so

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SUPPORT RHS ORCHESTRAS: BUY PLANTS AT GOFFLE BROOK FARMS

gofflebrood farms theridgewoodblog.net

SUPPORT RHS ORCHESTRAS: BUY PLANTS AT GOFFLE BROOK FARMS

The RHS Orchestras and Goffle Brook Farms are joining together to raise funds to support the RHS student musicians. Between April 28 and May 28, Goffle Brook Farms will donate 10% of purchases to the Orchestra Parents Association.

Goffle Brook Farms, located at 425 Goffle Brook Road in Ridgewood, sells a wide selection of annuals, perennials, herbs, planters and much more. Shop as often as you like! Click here for the form, or simply tell the cashier you are participating in the RHS Orchestra fund raiser.