Right off the bat I will say that I have an interest in the outcome of the poll.
I have watched it carefully over the past weeks and noticed that there has been very little activity in the past ten days. It seems to me that there is an inordinate amount of votes given to Pizza fusion and upon investigation I saw that it was posted on its web page(a national thing) urging customers to vote. See pizza fusion face book.
Since your pole appears on the Ridgewood Blog I assumed it would be limited to local residents who would be given the opportunity to voice their opinions. I also noticed that one morning between the hours of 6:30 AM and 10:00 AM they received over 60 votes which seems quite extraordinary to me.
Obviously there is tampering going on and to post these results as authentic would be an insult to any of the participants who don’t indulge in such practices or don’t have the where with all to do so. There is no doubt in my mind as to who make the best pizza in Ridgewood. Our customer base speaks volumes.
Maybe they should trade in the funny looking car for some lessons on how to make real pizza…
How is it that i am able to vote 5 times in a row just by logging off on back on again.This poll is nothing short of a sham.
Also pizza fusion is a national chain and its on their national website urging customers ( from everywhere in the nation to vote) How can somone from outside the state be allowed to vote.
The days left are constantly being reset to eight. oh, and there was already a declared winner, then it was taken away due to voting problems.
looks like it has not been fixed. you should do the right thing and remove it completely. please reply with an answer to these issues
PARAMUS – It has been nearly two years since the roars shook the ground near the 18th green at Ridgewood Country Club, and sent echoes reverberating through the trees and across the hills.
The 2008 edition of The Barclays at Ridgewood Country Club was a dazzling success by all accounts, capped off by the dramatic and noise-inducing playoff duel between Sergio Garcia and Vijay Singh.
Now, with the tournament fewer than three weeks away (Aug. 26-29), The Barclays at Ridgewood is hoping for an even better performance for an encore.
So why anonymity? First anonymity is the great equalizer whether you are a distinguished citizen or or just your basic Joe six pack anonymity gives everyone the chance to be heard and judged on the content and value of what they say and not who they are . Anonymity like voting in a voting both gives everyone the ability to voice their opinion without the fear of retribution.
Our view is that people ,politicians or institutions that malign anonymity are simply trying to get over , and squelch free speech end of story. It is very obvious when someone clueless or has an axe to grind like the village supported floggers posts a comment. Remember that sticks and stones may break our bones but names will never hurt us. If you don’t want people to complain either move to Cuba or find a more suitable vocation other than politics. Historically decent is a sign of open healthy society.
However anonymity is a privilege ,and we intend to preserve that privilege .Like so many things now a days it is very important to guard it, protect it , use it wisely and responsibly . Remember as a policy this blog allows every poster to decide for themselves weather they wish to remain anonymous or not .Those of you who attempt to skirt these guidelines may find your comments are blocked as SPAM.
As a reminder It is also important to note that all IP addresses are recorded . The policy is to not out the posters ,but it does happen from time to time. In a case where we would be asked by law enforcement to turn over an IP we would, there is no attorney client privilege or protecting of sources like in traditional journalism. Again legitimate law enforcement issues such as dealing with “threats” are not to be confused with anyone attempting to silence people,which is never going to happen.
The days of rampant unbridled criminality in State of New Jersey are rapidly nearing a close . The Ridgewood blog suggest that it is perhaps time to start listening to constituents and begin to abandon the “we know better than you mantra” before a desperate state treasury begins to search for monies that have been misappropriated ,ill spent ,wasted ,ill advised and other wise foolishly squandered.
Declining cigarette sales and disputes over how much tobacco companies owe to U.S. states may cause more than $12 billion of defaults on related bonds issued by California, New York City, New Jersey, Ohio and Virginia.
Defaults on securities that are backed only by the tobacco- company payments and were issued in 2006 and 2007 “could start occurring as early as 2030,” according a report by Richard Larkin, a senior vice-president at Herbert J. Sims & Co.
Payments in April by tobacco companies, owed under a 1997 settlement of state lawsuits claiming damages for health-care costs, fell 16 percent, according to the National Association of Attorneys General. Much of that decline stems from a 9 percent slide in cigarette sales last year, more than twice the 4 percent drop assumed in some bond sales, said Larkin, who is based in Iselin, New Jersey.
Tobacco bond defaults of $12 billion would be almost four times the $3 billion of bonds that Jefferson County, Alabama’s sewer authority defaulted on. Municipal issuers failed to pay on about $6.9 billion of bonds last year, according to the Distressed Debt Securities newsletter.
State and federal tax increases have helped push cigarette sales lower than were projected when the securities were issued. New York State raised its cigarette tax by $1.60 a pack last month, lifting the average price to about $10.80 in New York City and $8.92 in other parts of the state, according to Erik Kriss, a state Budget Division spokesman.
>Seeking Residents to Volunteer to Serve on the Planning Board
The Village Council is looking for residents who are interested in volunteering to serve as an Alternate Member for the Planning Board.
The Planning Board reviews site plans and subdivision applications; prepares, adopts, and amends the Master Plan; and makes recommendations to the Village Council regarding amendments to developmental regulations and the official map.
All interested residents should fill out a Citizen Volunteer Leadership form (found on the Village website, www.ridgewoodnj.net, under “Forms”), and send it along with a cover letter, and a biography or resume to:
>The opposition to Valley started as an argument about the impact on the property values of Valley’ neighbors. That group (the neighboring homeowners) then masterfully played on the emotions, fears, and paranoia of the Travell and BF parents to create broader opposition and paint Valley as the “evil Empire”.
The reality is that no kids were injured the last time Valley expanded in the 1980s. Dozens of current Ridgewood homeowners attended BF at the time, including some of my neighbors, and I have never heard anyone mention any way that that construction adversely impacted their education or that of their brothers and sisters. None have ever mentioned any long-term health problems related to dust from the last expansion. You must keep in mind that Valley will have a hospital full of patients while the expansion is occurring. They will have to mitigate dust and asbestos out of their own self-interest in order to not harm those patients and provoke litigation.
The traffic argument is lame. 90% of the traffic on Linwood has nothing to do with Valley. The expansion adds no additional rooms. The only additional traffic will be from additional outpatient business, which may increase traffic by 3-5%. Not a big deal. The Van Dien intersection will get expanded, but Valley already owns a couple of the homes involved.
I also am tired of the argument that an expansion of Valley will result in Ridgewood declining and turning into Hackensack or Engelwood. Hackensack hasn’t neen an upscale town for over 50 years, and has always been far more industrial than Ridgewood. The homes around Valley are zoned residential. You couldn’t turn one into a medical building if you wanted to.
I am a Travell parent, live within a few blocks of the hospital, and am in favor of Valley’s expansion. I think that the weak state of the downtown business district, our ridiculously high property taxes, and the current fiscal situation of the town and school system are much more important issues in Ridgewood.
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>Come on. Everyone knows teaching in NJ is a racket. Work half a year, make $100K — more with summer work — pay nothing into healthcare except for a 10 dollar copay and then retire with 80% of pay as a pension.
This year we’ve seen just how greedy teachers and the unions are.
While many of us have taken 10-20% pay cuts, have not gotten raises in 2 years, or have been unemployed for months, the teachers are so greedy, they wouldn’t accept a pay freeze for just one year!!!
What’s wrong with that picture?
And the ultimate in greed — they tell us unless we vote for a 5% tax hike to pay for a 3% raise, our children’s education will suffer.
Shame on you, you greedy pigs.
If our children’s education suffer it is directly correlated with your own greed. Some teachers will need to be fired so that others can get their 3% raise.
>Don’t you see that Dowd/Cronk haven’t said one thing about what they want to do other than “cut waste” blah blah blah. Typical p.c. politician-speak.
Walsh has taken a stand on the issues that a lot of people care about.
Cronk is a puppet of his wife Melinda. I’m sure she is having Doug run to help her real estate business and also to push here Graydon initiative through.
Funny how she tried to shut her mouth the last couple months while her husband has been running. Also funny how she hasn’t showed up for any Pool Project meetings claiming to be too busy. I’m sure that will change if her husband is elected.
And Dowd has not said one thing other than regurgitate whatever Cronk has said.
The school budget vote was a referendum on the out of control spending that Cronk supported — he was a big proponent of the school bond. The Cronks believe that “you” can afford the taxes if you live here. Don’t tell me why I moved here what I should be spending my money on.
If you think you will get original leadership from these guys that won’t involve spending great sums of money (yeah, really original), think again.
>I have overheard people saying that it’s just the new people in town, the ones that just move here, that are putting up the Cronk/Dowd signs. I’ve lived here my whole life and I am seeing friends I grew up with moving back to Ridgewood and starting families. I also see Cronk/Dowd signs on their front yards. I wish them luck. It’s nice to see some of the Natives move back to the, “WOOD,” and want to raise their children in the town they grew up in, but also nice to see that they support some fresh ideas coming to the table too.
Tom Riche, is a been there done that candidate. The Village Hall bares his name, from the last time he was in office, and your wallet bares the cost ($14,000,000). Yup that’s six zeros following two numbers. You can also add him to the blame of the central business district’s failure. He sits on the Historic Preservation Commission. This committee has stopped and slowed many businesses from opening up in town. Don’t believe me, go take a look at the corner of Broad Street and Ridgewood Ave. A new Restaurant called, “Blue Fish,” just opened up. The Historic Preservation Commission told the owner that he could only place one sign with the restaurants name on it, because it’s located on the corner. Go take a look, and while your there, turn around and look at The Stable Restaurant. You’ll notice that The Stable is located on a corner also, but they have two signs. Has this commission been fair? The new restaurants owner had to come back to them with his new design, one that clearly isn’t fair. This is just one example of how the Historic Preservation Commission has slowed down an opening. There are tons, don’t believe me, go ask any business that has recently opened up in the last five years. The owners will the tell you tales of stories about Red Tape that this Commission creates. I read in the Bergen record today that he also owns EXTEL Communications Inc. in North Haledon. This company, I believe is a vendor or has been a vendor, to the Village at one time or another, and we all know how Jersey politics and bidding seem to play out down the road. I’ll admit I voted for Tom once, but as the old saying goes. Fool me once, shame on me. Fool me twice, shame on you. This time I’m sorry to say, but I can’t, and will not not support your bid for office.
As for Bernadette Walsh, I really don’t know anything about you, besides what little bios I read in the local rags. I understand you seem to have the support of the, “Save Graydon,” peeps. Graydon has being dieing. It died with the fish kill. I was born and raised in this town and spent every summer living at the pool. I love it and it has a special place it my heart, but it’s only open for two months and it’s been losing money hand over fist. This season it’s being opened, yet Village employees are facing losing their job. It doesn’t seem right, does it? I can’t vote for you this time around based on what little knowledge I have of you. Enjoy your Summer at Graydon 🙂 Maybe next time around I’ll give you a shot.
Tuesday May 11th, can’t come soon enough. I can’t wait to vote for Ridgewood’s future, because this Native is tired of living in the past, and looking for a rebirth.
As for Doug Cronk and Brian Dowd you have promised that you will resolve some long standing issues. I’m giving you a shot, and holding you to it. If you win, I hope I’m happy with some of the results.
Good Luck to everyone, and make your vote be heard!
>I didn’t realize that there is nothing as important in this town as some made up projected view of Graydon. Not education cuts, not other wasteful spending (like that done under Riche’s first term as Councilman), not property taxes.
Just Graydon – something that has been losing money despite Riche’s boondoggle there, despite Walsh’s silence on what should be done to stem the loss of money going forward.
What about all of the other very important issues facing this Village? Is one issue that doesn’t even register as a top ten issue for most residents supposed to trump the other very real issues going on and facing this Village?
Get real–
let’s look for real comprehensive and responsible leadership. Not “one issue” blinders that ignore most of the Village.
Vote for real leaders with real ideas, not ones endorsed by single issue groups that ignore everything that is important to everyone else in the Village.
TRENTON — A state appeals court today rejected Gov. Chris Christie’s executive order curbing political donations by public worker unions.
The three-judge panel said Christie’s action infringed on separation of powers with the Legislature, and such donation limits cannot be imposed by a governor unilaterally.
“We do not reach this conclusion lightly. Nor do we otherwise discount or question the Governor’s policy objectives or his considerable and well-established constitutional authority over the Executive Branch and the management of the State workforce,” the judges wrote. “We simply hold that what (the executive order) seeks to achieve must be pursued through legislation.”
• N.J.’s largest state worker union files challenge to Gov. Christie’s ban on political donations The order, signed by Christie on his first full day in office in January, broadened campaign finance rules to limit donations by labor unions that have public contracts. Christie said he was simply bringing unions in line with other “business entities,” such as law and engineering firms that have state contracts worth more than $17,500. Those businesses are barred from donating more than $300 to statewide campaigns, but freer to give in local races.
Several unions sued, saying the order violates members’ First Amendment rights by barring them from supporting candidates and participating in the legislative process. Organized labor, a traditional Democratic constituency, worked feverishly against the Republican Christie during the gubernatorial campaign.
They also said collective bargaining contracts could not be treated like business deals.
The ruling will take effect July 1, “in the interests of accommodating potential review by the Supreme Court.”
The Communications Workers of America, the largest state workers’ union, said it was “gratified” by the ruling.
“The Court rightly held that the Legislature never intended to restrict the right of labor unions to participate in the political process, and the governor has no power to do so on his own,” said Hetty Rosenstein, CWA New Jersey State Director. “Today’s decision is a valuable reminder of the wisdom of our system of three co-equal branches of government.”
Christie said he was not happy to see the order struck down, and would consider whether to appeal the ruling, seek legislation, or pursue another route to accomplish the same goals.
“We’re going to look at all of our different options,” Christie said at a press conference. “The executive order was about achieving a policy objective, and that is to level the playing field.”
“I don’t think that there is one class of speech that should be regulated, and another class of speech that should not be,” the governor said.
Adding unions to the pay-to-play restrictions had been praised by the Election Law Enforcement Commission, the state’s campaign finance watchdog agency.
>Assumes Senate Sponsorship of Bill to Remove Decal Provision
Senator Tom Goodwin (R-14) announced that he will be introducing legislation that would remove the decal provision in Kyleigh’s Law. The legislation would remove the requirement that all drivers under age 21 who hold provisional licenses would have to display a reflecting decal on each license plate of any motor vehicle they drive.
“I understand the tragedy that prompted Kyleigh’s law, but I am concerned that a well-intentioned response to that tragedy will put other teens at risk,” stated Goodwin. “I continue to support the common-sense reforms to our graduated driver’s license system that will make teen driving safer, such as the extended nighttime driving curfew and revised passenger restrictions in Kyleigh’s Law.”
Under the current law which went into effect on May 1st, a holder of a special learner’s permit, examination permit or provisional driver’s license would have to display the decal while driving. The legislation is sponsored in the Assembly by Assemblyman Robert Schroeder, Assemblywoman Charlotte Vandervalk, and Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll.
“I worry that the decal requirement will turn our children into targets for criminals and predators,” said Goodwin. “We want to make certain that our children drive safely while ensuring that the entire community is safe.”
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