Category: Village of Ridgewood

>Last week, Rick Shaftan reported a 7-point Christie lead. Now his findings are being echoed by a second public poll.

blog.savejersey.com/2009/11/02/christie-pulling-away-new-dem-poll-reports-christie-6.aspx

From the Democrat polling firm Public Policy Polling:

“Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine 47-41 in PPP’s final poll of the New Jersey Governor’s race, with Chris Daggett at 11%.

Corzine had pulled to within a point of Christie on our poll three weeks ago after trailing by as many as 14 points over the summer, but his momentum has stalled since then and Christie’s built his lead back upto 4 points last week and now 6.

Christie’s advantage is due largely to his support from independents and because he has Republicans more unified around him than the Democrats are around Corzine. Christie leads Corzine 52-29 with indies, as Daggett’s support with that group has declined to 16%. Christie is getting 82% of Republicans to Corzine’s 72% of Democrats.

As the campaign concludes it seems like Daggett’s presence in the race has actually ended up hurting Corzine more than Christie, contrary to the earlier conventional wisdom. 45% of Daggett voters say the incumbent is their second choice to 36% for the challenger. Daggett’s backers report having voted for Barack Obama by a 67-23 margin last year.

As is the case around the country this year enthusiasm is on the Republicans’ side in New Jersey. 47% of Christie’s supporters say they’re ‘very excited’ about voting this fall to just 34% of Corzine’s. The electorate is also likely to be more Republican leaning this year with likely voters reporting that they voted for Obama by a 54-43 margin in 2008, a spread narrower than the actual 57-42 result in the state.

In a finding symbolic of how unenthralled New Jersey voters were with their choices this year Christie is polling at 47% despite the fact that only 40% of voters think he made a strong case for why he should be elected Governor. Fully 27% of Christie’s supporters don’t feel he made the case for himself but Corzine’s approval rating with that group of voters is only 3%, and those folks seem to have picked Christie as the lesser of two evils.

Corzine could still win with an exceptional Democratic turnout on Tuesday but there aren’t a lot of factors in the race pointing to that as a strong possibility.”

Full results here…

Permalink: blog.savejersey.com/2009/11/02/christie-pulling-away-new-dem-poll-reports-christie-6.aspx

>https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703932904574511612622116146.html

Chris Christie’s Next Case: Who Stole My Election?

By JOHN FUND

The race for governor in New Jersey is so close in final polls that it may well end up in a recount — the 1981 election did and was decided by less than 1,800 votes. If there is a recount, you can bet disputes about absentee ballots will loom large. Moreover, if serious allegations of fraud emerge, you can also expect less-than-vigorous investigation by the Obama Justice Department — which showed just how seriously it takes such allegations when it walked away from an open-and-shut voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia earlier this year.

Plenty of reasons exist for suspecting absentee fraud may play a significant role in tomorrow’s Garden State contests. Groups associated with Acorn in neighboring Pennsylvania and New York appear to have moved into the state. An independent candidate for mayor in Camden has already leveled charges that voter fraud is occurring in his city. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party in New Jersey is taking advantage of a new loosely written vote-by-mail law to pressure county clerks not to vigorously use signature checks to evaluate the authenticity of absentee ballots, the only verification procedure allowed.

The state has received a flood of 180,000 absentee ballot requests. On some 3,000 forms the signature doesn’t match the one on file with county clerks. Yet citing concerns that voters would be disenfranchised, Democratic Party lawyer Paul Josephson wrote New Jersey’s secretary of state asking her “to instruct County Clerks not to deny applications on the basis of signature comparison alone.” Mr. Josephson maintained that county clerks “may be overworked and are likely not trained in handwriting analysis” and insisted that voters with suspect applications should be allowed to cast provisional ballots. Those ballots, of course, would then provide a pool of votes that would be subject to litigation in any recount, with the occupant of New Jersey’s highest office determined by Florida 2000-style scrutiny of ballot applications.

Absentee voter fraud is in danger of becoming a hardy perennial in New Jersey. Atlantic City Councilman Marty Small and 13 campaign workers were indicted in September on charges of conspiring to commit election fraud using absentee ballots. One worker pleaded guilty last month. In Newark, five campaign workers were indicted in August on charges involving absentee ballot fraud.

https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703932904574511612622116146.html

please email the Ridgewood blog @ [email protected] if you have any election day issues.

>https://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/11/02/judicial-watch-nea-propaganda-effort-grew-out-of-obama-campaign/

Press release from Judicial Watch:

“(Washington, DC) — Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that it obtained more documents from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to the NEA’s controversial August 10 conference call encouraging artists to create work that promotes the Obama agenda. The documents consist of internal NEA emails indicating the idea for the NEA propaganda effort grew out the Obama campaign while also providing new details regarding White House involvement. The Corporation for National and Community Service, which runs the AmeriCorps program, was represented during the call. The agencies and the White House were supposedly promoting the administration’s United We Serve political initiative. The emails include the actual conference call invitation, which details the controversial policy agenda that was being promoted. (The controversial call was first uncovered by www.BigGovernment.com. Other documents about the call were first released last week by Judicial Watch.)

“The following are email excerpts:

July 28, 2009, 4:47 pm, Email from unknown Obama campaign activist to Yosi Sergant, former NEA Communications Director: “It was good to see you a few weeks ago in Washington. After our conversation, I thought it would be a really good idea to convene via a conference call some significant tastemakers/producers who can support United We Serve. As many of us contributed our services to the campaign, I would love to gather some of those folks to use their enthusiasm to get behind the President’s very important service initiative. Here are some people who I think should be part of the call. [Names redacted.]
August 6, 2009, Conference Call Invitation sent via email by Yosi Sergant: “A call has come in to our generation. A call from the top. A call from a house that is White. A call that we must answer. And to answer it, we need you…United We Serve is President Obama’s call to service challenging all Americans to engage in sustained, meaningful community service. With the knowledge that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when given the proper tools, President Obama is asking us to come together to help lay a new foundation for growth, focusing on core areas of the recovery agenda – health care, energy and environment, safety and security, education, community renewal.”
August 6, 2009, 9:46 pm, Email from Unknown to Yosi Sergeant: “How can I get down Yosi? I’m working with [redacted] doing brand consulting and event production for [redacted]. Love to see how we could collaborate our corporate funds with what you’re working on.”
August 12, 2009, 3:30 pm, Follow-up Email from Unknown participant to Yosi Sergant. “As per a suggestion on the call, below is a list of action items that might be helpful to inspire an idea on how you can participate in the campaign…Ex) If you are a graphic designer tap into your professional network and organize other designers to create a series of United We Serve posters that can be featured in print, through social media and on serv.gov. Ex) If you are a DJ, tap into your professional network and organize other DJs to promote Serve.gov or a specific local opportunity on the radio or at a club.”

“The documents also detail the use of the 9/11 anniversary as a vehicle for this political effort.

“‘These new documents leave little doubt that the NEA conference call and the ongoing United We Serve effort are direct extensions of the Obama presidential campaign. Taxpayers should be outraged that their tax dollars were used to promote political ‘art’ for the Obama big government agenda,’ stated Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.

“Visit www.JudicialWatch.org to read Judicial Watch’s NEA documents.”

https://bighollywood.breitbart.com/bighollywood/2009/11/02/judicial-watch-nea-propaganda-effort-grew-out-of-obama-campaign/

>A local business owner in Ridgewood will be starring in the 2nd season of her own television show on Bravo.

Tabatha Coffey of Industrie Hair Guru in Ridgewood has become a favorite on the network. Please be sure to tune in and watch your neighbor as she assists sloppy salon owners get back in shape.

https://www.bravotv.com/tabathas-salon-takeover

>Lively Meet and Eat Monday, November 23rd, 6:00-7:30 p.m., Hosted by Ridgewood’s Authentic Neapolitan Trattoria

A Mano the winner of the Ridgewood Blog 2009 best Pizza in Ridgewood Contest !

A Mano will be hosting a free Pappardelle pasta and Neapolitan pizza demonstration Monday, November 23rd from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. to showcase the artisanal techniques involved in preparing these favorites. This event is open to the public; reservations are required and are limited to the first fifty respondents.

Pappardelle, a flat ribbon of pasta, comes from the Italian “pappare” which translates to “gobble up.” Prepared with flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt, pappardelle is usually served with rich, hearty sauces. A Mano’s acclaimed Neapolitan pizzas will also be prepared and sampled at the demonstration. A Mano, meaning by hand, is one of three U.S. pizza restaurants to receive prestigious certifications from both the Verace Pizza Napoletana and Associazone Pizzaiuoli Napoletani, the recognized authorities of Naples, Italy on traditional Neapolitan Pizza.

A Mano co-owner, Fred Mortati and A Mano’s pizzaiuoli

What: A free educational Pappardelle and Neapolitan Pizza preparation demonstration

When: Monday, November 23rd, 2009 from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Where: A Mano, www.amanopizza.com
24 Franklin Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Phone: (201) 493-2000

Reservations Required: Space is limited to the first fifty people. RSVP to Heidi Raker, [email protected] at Raker Goldstein & Co., (201)784-1818.

>THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

https://www.app.com/article/20090915/NEWS/90915011/-1/FRONTTABS01/N.J.+teachers+unions+battling+over+health+benefits

New Jersey teachers unions are still winning their members raises, but there are tough negotiations over benefits.

The result is more school districts than usual have begun classes for the year with unsettled contracts.

The New Jersey School Boards Association says that about one-fourth of the state’s nearly 600 districts are currently in negotiation. Usually, about one-fifth of districts don’t have settlements.

The districts have agreed to pay raises averaging about 4 percent.

The heart of most negotiations is benefits. Most teachers don’t pay any health premiums. Many school districts say they should start doing so.

https://www.app.com/article/20090915/NEWS/90915011/-1/FRONTTABS01/N.J.+teachers+unions+battling+over+health+benefits

>Group is formed to fight proposal
Friday, September 4, 2009
BY MICHAEL SEDON
The Ridgewood News
STAFF WRITER

https://www.northjersey.com/news/57154972.html

Residents who live near the Lakeview Drive composting facility have begun to rally opposition to a proposed cellular tower that the village is considering placing there.

Ridgewood resident John Tripi canvassed his neighborhood upon receiving an official notice in the mail from Village Hall that the Village Council is seeking proposals to place a 150-foot cell tower on the site.

The council is only obligated by the state to notify residents within 200 feet of a proposed construction site, but since there were no properties within the 200-foot range, the village engineer was directed by the council to send notices of the proposed cell tower to residents up to 500 feet away as a courtesy after the Aug. 5 council work session.

Tripi spoke for a group of residents calling themselves Parents Against Cell Towers (PACT), and he outlined the group’s concerns Tuesday evening in the home of Mountain Avenue resident Debi Broatch.

“Although we appreciate the advancement of modern technology and enjoy the convenience of cell phone use, we’re not in favor of the installation anywhere near the vicinity of our homes,” Tripi said. “When we chose to buy our houses there were no cell site towers here, and I think they’re just a Trojan Horse rolling in that has only inherent problems once it opens up.”

Dorothy Stikna, the village’s chief financial officer, said Ridgewood is currently facing a $1.5 million budget gap, and based on the revenue generated from the cell tower located at the village’s Waste Water Treatment Plant on Prospect Street in Glen Rock, the village envisions a single carrier paying $42,000 annually. The Prospect Street tower, co-owned by Glen Rock and Ridgewood, is being leased by four carriers: AT&T, Sprint/Nextel, Verizon and T-Mobil, Stikna said.

But Tripi argued that contract negotiations and possible legal disputes caused by a carrier attempting to pull out of a lease or modifying it can interrupt the revenue stream.

“Verizon’s use of the property is conditional upon it obtaining necessary government approvals and performing sufficient soil testing,” according to www.celltowerattorney.com, a Web site that deals specifically with advice on cell tower contract negotiations. “The landowner must cooperate with Verizon in obtaining such approvals.”

Tripi also cited “hazardous material” that can be stored on site for a backup power source, or the decline in property values that a cell tower could potentially inflict on surrounding homeowners.

Village Engineer Chris Rutishauser explained the hazardous material that can be associated with backup generators might be diesel fuel or natural gas, depending on the type of generator. Because of his familiarity with the Prospect Street cell tower, he said he envisioned a similar structure would be proposed at the composting facility.

In addition to the group’s aforementioned issues with the proposed tower, Tripi said, “there is still a concern regarding our health, and the presumed non-rebuttal silence muzzling citizens is unacceptable.”

“Cellular phone towers, like cellular phones themselves, are a relatively new technology, and we do not yet have full information on health effects,” according to a summary of radio frequency (RF) waves cell towers at www.cancer.org. “In particular, not enough time has elapsed to permit epidemiologic studies. There are some theoretical reasons why cellular phone towers would not be expected to increase cancer risk, and animal studies of RF have not suggested a risk of cancer.”

PACT also contends that tax-exempt property cannot be used for profit. But Village Attorney Matt Rogers explained that tax-exempt properties can be used to “create revenue for the village,” and he compared the proposed cell tower site to the former Pease Library building, which is currently being rented to private businesses to create revenue, primarily for the Ridgewood Public Library.

Rogers added that cellular service providers “just can’t go around building towers wherever they like; they have to build them in specific areas that provide coverage where it is needed. They have to prove [before local planning or zoning boards] that where they propose the site is going to provide the coverage they need for that low-coverage area, and then they have to satisfy the FCC in terms of frequency emissions.”

Ridgewood Fire Department Chief Jim Bombace said the department would not need special equipment to deal with any potential problems at the proposed tower.

“There’s really only one thing that we have to be concerned about, and that is should an electrical problem occur, we have to disconnect whatever power is supplying that facility before we can put water on it,” Bombace said. “Generally speaking, the equipment is reliable.”

Tripi said PACT wants a withdrawal of the application, contract and the bidding.

E-mail: [email protected]

https://www.northjersey.com/news/57154972.html

>Internships

We are searching for qualified and hard working interns to assist our district staff and gain firsthand knowledge about how a Congressional office provides constituent services and interacts with the community. Applicants must be self-motivated, have a desire to work in a fast-paced environment and be reliable. Internships are unpaid, however, interns can arrange to receive academic credit for their work. If you would like to learn more about this exciting opportunity please contact either Andrew Whitehouse in my Glen Rock office at 201-444-5454 or Dana Coates at 201-300-2000 in my Newton office.

Academy Nominations:

If you are a resident of the 5th Congressional District and interested in attending one of the five U.S Service Academies, I can nominate you! To apply to a service academy please send an e-mail to my staff with your name, address, date of birth, social security number and a brief essay about why you would like to attend a service academy. Also, please contact the service academy admissions office for other directions. Please send you email to Dana Coates, at [email protected]

>If your looking to run ads or get in touch with the Ridgewood Blog please send all correspondence to [email protected]

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>A NOTE TO PARENTS AND GUARDIANS: REMEMBER TO UPDATE EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION
Parents and guardians are required to update emergency contact information online through Community Pass, no later than 11 p.m. on September 14. This information is important when treating your child during an emergency. Some of this information may also be used for the Home and School Association student directories. Updating is easy: go to https://register.communitypass.net//ridgewood and follow the prompts for new or existing users, then choose the Emergency Contact/Directory Form under Ridgewood School Forms. Your school office can answer general questions on emergency forms. For technical questions, contact Jason Peckis at [email protected].