April 12,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the continued bogus nepotism attacks on the Mayors sons are doing nothing but undermining the authority of both the Ridgewood Police Department and Ridgewood Fire Department . Ridgewood is a state of New Jersey Civil Service municipality, candidates are ranked based on standardized test results ,dispersions to the contrary are nothing more than attacks on members of Ridgewood PBA Local 20 and Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47.
According to the “Bergen Record” Councilman Jeff Voigt wondered how a fire chief or police chief would be able to properly supervise the mayor’s kids, even if she is not directly involved in overseeing the department. It raises thorny issues, he said. And again letting Voigt make fallacious assertions , “That puts them in an uncomfortable situation,” he said. “They [the kids] may even get preferential treatment.”
So Jeff Voigt , Rurik Halaby, Don Delzio, Janice Willett, Alexandra Harwin and the rest of their band of misfits followers all think the Ridgewood Police and the Ridgewood Fire Department are failing to adequately protect the public?
And In effect saying that the Chief of Police Jacqueline Luthcke and Fire Chief James Van Goor can not properly supervise their staff?
Ridgewood needs council members who wish to retain the old-time charm and quaintness of Ridgewood, Who vote against apartment buildings in the CBD. Who understand the importance of keeping land undeveloped.
Therefore I vote for Knudsen and Sedon.
Although I would have preferred no parking garage and no development at Schedler I understand that Knudsen and Sedon are far and away the only reasonable choice on May 8.
The other candidates want a much larger parking garage and full development of Schedler.
So let me understand this. ROBERTA HAD the list before 2015. She did not appoint knudsens because she was serving the previous Mayor. Then she appointed them in 2016, because their was a new Mayor.
Unless Roberta can prove that those two mayors asked her to do this, she was trying to please her bosses by doing something wrong?
There is a simple solution to all of this. Produce a copy of the list and we can all see where the Mayor’s sons fell in relation to other candidates. It will either be clear that they were at the top of the list or not.
The only examples of nepotism I have witnessed in recent years is when Paul Aronsohn and company got rid of Ken Gabbert and replaced him with Roberta Sonenfeld who was a friend of the former mayor and had no municipal experience. She in turn hired an odious women to be a part time Human Resource director, then made her full time on the sly and because she truly was the wrong person for the job( lacked any and all interpersonal skills} was terminated within a years time. In addition, Mayor Knudsen’s sons scored at the top of the list and one son was a volunteer fireman for several years before his appointment.
Aspersions, not dispersions, which is not a word. But yes. The mudslinging has reached a grotesque energy level. Could we please hear what’s so great about the challengers instead of endless slander and libel about the incumbents?
I agree with 9:25 AM. I would like to add that we do know what the challengers are running on: fiscal conservancy, large garage, inclusiveness ( I guess the rainbow flag controversy which wasn’t one), nepotism ( which they are confusing with civil service) and a baseball field at Schedler(?). Listen to the budget presentation and see if you feel like the current council has been remiss on anything except for Jeff Voigt who believes he will be Mayor if the challengers get in. Now that would be a travesty.
It seems like people don’t understand how it all works. The Police and Fire Chiefs are in charge of their respective NOT the Council. To imply otherwise is just flagrantly irresponsible. Council members are a short-term part of the town whereas Chiefs of Departments are career long-term members of said Department.
The village all ways did what ever they like!
What els is new!
The power of the pursestrings 10:29. Any council can control any Dept through the budget process.
I have an idea….make all 4 candidates take the civil service test. Whichever two score the highest gets the Council seats.
Great idea 8:12 PM!
8:35, the state administers the testing and provides the list in order of highest test scores down. You would have to OPRA the state for that list. Why don’t you.