Category: Bergen County

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Ridgewood Water rate hike lawsuit changes course

RidgewoodWaterLogo_061912_rn_tif_

JULY 23, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY REBECCA GREENE
CORRESPONDENT |
WYCKOFF SUBURBAN NEWS

The five-year-old class action lawsuit filed by Wyckoff, and joined by Midland Park and Glen Rock, claiming overcharges by Ridgewood Water to the tune of $3.3 million has been remanded to Superior Court — a favorable development, according to local officials.

The lawsuit, which was filed in 2010, alleges that a 21 percent rate hike in 2010 and 5 percent increases in 2011 and 2012 were used to plug gaps in the Village of Ridgewood’s budget.

The towns are seeking a return of the amount officials believe their residents were overcharged: Wyckoff, 1,640,492; Midland Park, $619,635; and Glen Rock, $1,049,165.

A 25-page opinion handed down Wednesday, July 15, by the Appellate Division of state Superior Court reversed a decision by Superior Court Judge Lisa Perez Friscia in December 2013 that the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) should handle the litigation.

“We conclude the trial court misconstrued the jurisdictional provision [in state statute] causing it to erroneously transfer this case to the BPU,” the appeals panel wrote. “We discern no legal or public policy basis to defer to the BPU’s jurisdiction a function historically associated with and inherently performed by the Superior Court.”

“We’re pleased that the Appellate Division finally remanded it back to a Superior Court judge,” Wyckoff Mayor Kevin Rooney said. “We have a strong case and the facts are clear. We want our day in court.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/rate-hike-lawsuit-changing-course-1.1378875

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Mitchell: Bergen County Needs ‘Two-Party System’

11728820_961088737274871_2285387968787506221_o

Note for the editor : John actually the GOP needs to offer some competitive ideas on how to run the county , not just be the party of  “Democrat Lite “

LYNDHURST—John Mitchell, a challenger in Bergen County’s race for the Board of Chosen Freeholders said he is running for reelection in November for two reasons: 1. He wants to bring Bergen County back to a two party system and 2. He believes his budget methodology can benefit residents of Bergen County. (Alfaro/PolitickerNJ)

Mitchell: Bergen County Needs ‘Two-Party System’ | New Jersey News, Politics, Opinion, and Analysis

Posted on by — 4 Comments

A year after death of Waldwick cop, colleagues continue to chase down speeders on Route 17

DSCF3925

file photo Boyd Loving
JULY 16, 2015, 7:41 PM    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 16, 2015, 11:00 PM
BY JOHN CICHOWSKI
RECORD COLUMNIST  |
THE RECORD

While eyeballing cars from a shoulder on Route 17, police usually don’t get too excited by speeds that inch past the 55-mph limit. But when a jet-black Jeep shot by his cruiser at 79 mph this week, a Waldwick cop hit the gas pedal for a short chase that yielded a skittish speeder with a sense of humor.

“He told me it’s scary out here,” Sgt. Bob Woessner said moments later as he wrote a ticket. “He wondered how we do this each night.”

Sgt. Robert Woessner pulls over a speeding car on Route 17 south, close to the spot where Waldwick Officer Chris Goodell was killed after a tractor-trailer slammed into his police car one year ago.

The speeder might as well have been preaching to the choir. As he does most nights, Woessner was using radar to chase down speeders on a busy stretch of 17 where scariness reached a new threshold just one year ago today when a tractor-trailer slammed into a police cruiser carrying a colleague who was also pulling radar duty there. Patrolman Chris Goodell, 32, the sergeant’s close friend, was killed instantly.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/road-warrior-a-year-after-death-of-waldwick-cop-colleagues-continue-to-chase-down-speeders-on-route-17-1.1375779

Posted on by — 5 Comments

$50 grand for wi/fi for 4 people ?

Charlie-Brown-Rolling-Eyes-300x259

Tedesco unveils a very expensive initiative to bring Internet to low-income high schoolers in Bergen County

JULY 15, 2015, 7:29 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015, 9:18 PM

BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Bergen County Executive James Tedesco on Wednesday unveiled an initiative aimed at providing basic broadband Internet service to low-income families with children who are starting high school this fall.

Tedesco announced he will provide a $50,000 grant from a discretionary fund in his budget to Jersey On, a non-profit that aims to connect more low-income families to the Internet.

A wireless router is the hub of your home or business network, delivering a single Internet connection to other devices on the network, through either wired Ethernet or a wireless connection. Some routers, targeted at novice users, are easy to set up, while others take a little more know-how. Routers also vary in the throughput they can manage, depending on the antenna configuration and the hardware inside.https://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2398080,00.asp

The organization is headed by Josh Gottheimer, a Microsoft executive who is a Democratic candidate for the 5th Congressional District seat now held by Republican Scott Garrett.

The $50,000 will provide a pocket-sized Wi-Fi hotspot device good for up to five wireless devices at no cost to 531 freshmen within the county whose families are eligible for the free or reduced-cost lunch program, starting this fall.

Those families also will receive free wi-fi for the four years that their student is in high school.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/tedesco-unveils-initiative-to-bring-internet-to-low-income-high-schoolers-in-bergen-county-1.1374635

Posted on by — 2 Comments

Ridgewood woman sues judge in challenge of layoff

Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino

Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino

JULY 14, 2015, 6:23 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015, 6:39 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

A Ridgewood woman has sued a state administrative law judge, claiming the judge has been violating her right to due process as she contests her dismissal from the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office.

The federal lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Newark by Alexis Fitzsimmons, an advanced practice nurse laid off from the Sheriff’s Department in the spring of 2011. Days after losing her job, Fitzsimmons — who’d been working as the department’s chief nursing officer — challenged her dismissal, contending it was “illegitimate” and political retaliation, the suit reads.

Fitzsimmons’ lawsuit, filed June 15,  claims she lost her job soon after Bergen County Sheriff Michael Saudino assumed office. The suit claims Saudino’s move was sparked by “groundless rumors” he had been told claiming Fitzsimmons was romantically involved with his predecessor as sheriff, Leo McGuire. Fitzsimmons’ suit further claims she was given 20 days’ notice prior to her dismissal and not 45 as is required by law.

Months later, the Civil Service Commission cleared the way for Fitzsimmons to appeal her layoff. The matter was assigned to New Jersey Office of Administrative Law Judge Irene Jones. Jones is named as a defendant in Fitzsimmons’ suit, as is Judge Laura Sanders, who oversees the administrative law office.

In February of 2013, Fitzsimmons’ suit claims, she filed a motion to compel the Bergen County Sheriff’s Office to provide discovery as well as answers to several questions. For nearly eight months, Jones declined to rule on the motion, reads the suit. Then, a two-page order issued September 30, 2013 denied the motion without offering any explanation for the opinion.

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-woman-sues-judge-in-challenge-of-layoff-1.1374091

Posted on by — 9 Comments

Lawsuit against Ridgewood Water to be decided by Superior Court judge

Ridgewood_water_theridgewoodblog

JULY 15, 2015, 2:19 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, JULY 15, 2015, 2:23 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Years-long litigation against Ridgewood Water must be decided by a Superior Court judge, a state appeals court ruled on Wednesday.

The Appellate Division of New Jersey’s Superior Court reversed a trial judge’s 2014 decision transferring the suit to the Board of Public Utilities for resolution.

In a 25-page ruling, the Superior Court Appellate Division remanded the matter back to the trial court, noting “this is not a case requiring the particular expertise associated with the jurisdiction of the BPU.”

Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn declined to comment Wednesday, citing the ongoing nature of the litigation.

The class action lawsuit was filed against Ridgewood Water in Superior Court by Wyckoff officials in 2010, with the municipalities of Glen Rock and Midland Park joining the action as plaintiffs a year later.

The lawsuit alleges the water utility raised its rates in 2010 by 21 percent and that rates further rose 5 percent in 2011 and 2012.

The suit contends the rate hikes were approved in an ordinance adopted by the village council, and characterizes the increases as “arbitrary, capricious and unreasonable and, accordingly, should be declared invalid and unenforceable.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/lawsuit-against-ridgewood-water-to-be-decided-by-superior-court-judge-1.1374549

 

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Weinberg v. Yudin and the Bergen County Property Tax Question

1074588_10200198490786569_1154426284_o

John Mitchell, Taxpayer Advocate Award to Bergen County Sheriff Mike Saudino. Under Sheriff Saudino’s leadership the taxpayer has saved over $2.5 million through prudent budget cuts and significant overtime reductions. Bravo Sheriff Mike!! 

Three Democrats will try to fend off a challenge by Republicans led by Bergen GOP Chairman Bob Yudin

By Alyana Alfaro | 07/14/15 1:35pm

In the upcoming November 2015 election, Bergen County Republicans will have the chance to usurp three seats on the Board of Chosen Freeholders currently occupied by Freeholder Vice Chairman Steve Tanelli, Freeholder Tracy Silna Zur and Freeholder Thomas Sullivan Jr.

The incumbent Democrats are opposed by Republicans John Mitchell, Ken Tyburczy and Daisy Ortiz-Berger.

For Bergen County Republican Chairman Bob Yudin, the main determining factor of the upcoming November freeholder election is going to be property taxes.

“There was a four percent increase in the total budget this year under the Democratic majority,” Yudin said. “That increase led to increased property taxes.”

According to Yudin, since Democrats currently have the majority on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders—only two of the seven members are Republican—the issue of increasing the budget became a partisan one.

“To call it non-partisan is a joke,” Yudin told PolitickerNJ. “We need a serious reduction in the budget. The Republican Party in Bergen County is overwhelmingly in favor of a reduction in property taxes.

Eschewing Yudin’s argument, Democrats note that the chairman of the budget process was Freeholder John Felice, a Republican; and that the budget passed 7-0 with GOP support.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-37), also believes that property taxes are an issue in New Jersey. However, she thinks that the issue stems from a reduction in state funding to schools and counties, not a function of there being a democratic majority on the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders.

“I think property taxes are a problem in New Jersey, a big problem,” Weinberg said. “But I don’t think that anybody believes that one party or the other owns it or that one group of freeholders is going to find a unilateral solution.”

Read more https://politickernj.com/2015/07/weinberg-v-yudin-and-the-bergen-county-property-tax-question/

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Surprise plea in jogger’s death; admission of guilt brings tears of relief to Paramus family

gabrielle-reuveni

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE REUVENI FAMILY
Gabrielle Reuveni

Surprise plea in jogger’s death; admission of guilt brings tears of relief to Paramus family

JULY 10, 2015, 12:54 PM    LAST UPDATED: SATURDAY, JULY 11, 2015, 12:30 PM
BY ABBOTT KOLOFF AND CHRISTOPHER MAAG
STAFF WRITERS |
THE RECORD

Gabrielle Reuveni’s parents had waited almost three years for this moment: an admission by the man who killed their daughter that he was under the influence of painkillers when his pickup swerved off a Pennsylvania road, striking a young woman who aspired to a future of helping others.

Philip Cise, 51, stood in the chambers of a Pennsylvania judge on Friday, even as potential jurors were assembled in the courtroom for jury selection to hear the case against him, pleading guilty to homicide by vehicle while driving under the influence, the most serious charge that he faced.

Reuveni, 20, Paramus High School’s 2010 valedictorian and a member of her university track team, had been running along a road near her family’s vacation home in the Poconos on July 14, 2012, when, witnesses say, Cise, a Morris County man with a long history of mental illness and minor criminal offenses, swerved for no apparent reason. Authorities said he told them he had taken painkillers obtained from a friend

https://www.northjersey.com/news/man-pleads-guilty-to-vehicular-homicide-in-death-of-gabrielle-reuveni-1.1372376

Posted on by — 1 Comment

Major Crash on Rout 17 South takes out Utility Pole

17south_crash_theridgewoodblog

photos Courtesy of Boyd Loving’s Facesbook

Major Crash on Rout 17 South takes out Utility Pole
July 07,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Paramus NJ, The male driver of a 4-door Toyota Corolla was transported by ambulance to Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus following a rollover crash on Route 17 southbound near Route 4 at approximately 10:00 AM on this Friday morning,
17south crash3 theridgewoodblog.net

 

The crash severed a utility pole, knocking out phone and electric service to a nearby Porcelanosa tile showroom. The right shoulder and two (2) travel lanes of Route 17 southbound were closed due to the incident. The Corolla was removed by a flatbed tow truck. Paramus PD, EMS and FD Companies 2 & 4 responded to the incident. NJDOT crews assisted in blocking traffic lanes. PSE&G crews arrived at approximately 10:45 AM to attend to the utility pole issues.

Posted on by — 4 Comments

Proposed assisted living facility in Waldwick rejected

sn-solanawaldwick_theridgewoodblog

JULY 9, 2015    LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015, 2:53 PM
BY MICHAEL OLOHAN
CORRESPONDENT |
WALDWICK SUBURBAN NEWS

Waldwick – Following more than two hours of testimony Wednesday, July 8, by residents who have been opposing construction of an assisted living facility on Wyckoff Avenue, the zoning board voted 5-2 to reject the application after 13 months of hearings.

The board will formalize its decision by resolution at its Aug. 12 meeting, said board attorney John D’Anton. He said the developer, Formation-Shelbourne Senior Living Services, would then have 45 days to file an appeal in state Superior Court.

Formation-Shelbourne had originally proposed an 85-unit, 100-bed facility, to be known as Solana of Waldwick, on 3.5 acres that is now occupied by four single-family homes at 237, 239, 241, and 247 Wyckoff Ave. Formation-Shelbourne attorney Robert Podvey said the applicant had submitted a final revised site plan on July 7 that reduced the number of units from 85 to 79 and the bed count from 100 to 94. He said the facility was moved back on the property approximately 16 feet from Cambra Road neighbors by removing six residential units on three floors.

The applicant’s engineer, Joseph Miele of Dresdner Robin, Fairfield, said it had also slightly reduced the building’s floor area ratio and impervious coverage, though both still required variances. The facility required a total of four variances, including ones for side parking and its height of three stories. It also required a minor subdivision.

Board members Eugene Sullivan, George Tencza, Ken Gurian, Jesus Mones and Stan Wekarski opposed the application, while member George Pedersen and chair J. Patrick Hunter favored it.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/business/proposed-assisted-living-facility-in-waldwick-rejected-1.1371608

Posted on by — Leave a comment

Grand Jury Indicts former Ridgewood Lacrosse star In Mother’s Death

nicholas-piotti

July 1,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blogRidgewood NJ, A grand jury has indicted a former Ridgewood Lacrosse Star Nicholas Piotti of Ho Ho Kus for the killing of his mother.

Piotti was accused of stabbing and beating his mother to death in the fall of last year.

Nicholas Piotti, 24, was indicted on a first-degree murder charge in the killing of his mother, Karen, and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon

According to prosecutors, the 63-year-old victim suffered multiple stab wounds and beating trauma in the Sept. 1 attack.

Piotti’s lawyer said last year his client had psychiatric problems and he’d pursue an insanity defense.

Piotti, is due back in court in August and is currently being held in the Bergen County Jail in lieu of $2 million bail.

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Midland Park principal accused of filing false complaint in retaliation

Nick Capuano3

JUNE 29, 2015, 7:29 AM    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2015, 2:30 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

MIDLAND PARK – A borough couple are claiming in court papers that the principal of a Midland Park school reported them for child abuse and neglect in retaliation for a complaint the couple filed with the state Department of Education about the prolonged bullying of their child.

A lawsuit, filed May 21 in Bergen County Superior Court, alleges that Midland Park Jr./Sr. High School Principal Nicholas Capuano made “defamatory” statements about Cyril and Cathy Burke to the state Division of Child Protection and Permanency with “actual knowledge” the statements were false. He did so, the suit said, as retribution for the Burkes’ April 11, 2014, complaint to the Education Department regarding several years of “harassment, intimidation, and bullying” their child faced while attending the school.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/midland-park-principal-accused-of-filing-false-complaint-in-retaliation-1.1365119

Posted on by — 4 Comments

N.J. residents don’t want north Jersey casinos, poll finds

Xanadu_main_theridgewoodblog

TRENTON — Casinos in north Jersey? The odds are against it.

A Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind poll of 913 New Jersey residents released Tuesday found 56 percent oppose allowing casinos outside of Atlantic City, while just 37 percent support it.

“The public is questioning the logic behind allowing the spread of casino gambling,” said Krista Jenkins, a political science professor of political science and director of PublicMind. “They don’t seem to be sold on the idea of saving the gaming industry in the state by allowing it to spread.”

And despite a major push in recent months by politicians and business people who want to expand casino gaming, public opinion has not moved significantly from the last time FDU asked the question in February.

“This degree of attentiveness isn’t turning many people on to the idea. or the premise that the money can and should be rightfully used in places other than where the casinos are ultimately built,” said Jenkins

The polls are important because allowing gaming outside of Atlantic City would require an amendment to the state constitution. That requires voter approval.

North Jersey lawmakers, including Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D-Hudson), want to put the question on the ballot this year. South Jersey lawmakers have resisted that, even though some – including Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) – have been open to allowing casino gambling in northern New Jersey if hundreds of millions in proceeds go towards helping Atlantic City rebuild.

Supporters of expanding casino gaming have proposed dedicating $100 million a year in north Jersey casino proceeds to the struggling resort, which saw four casinos close in 2012.

https://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/06/nj_residents_dont_want_north_jersey_casinos_poll_f.html

Posted on by — 8 Comments

Concerns about civil liberties in the air as Bergen seeks to use drones

Drone Surveillance

JUNE 23, 2015, 3:57 PM    LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, JUNE 23, 2015, 10:19 PM
BY JOHN C. ENSSLIN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

Bergen County’s recent bid to be the first county in New Jersey to add drones to its toolbox for handling emergencies comes amid a growing national debate over the use of unmanned flying machines by government agencies.

Leaders of the county’s emergency management operation are seeking freeholder approval to acquire two drones, which would be used for purposes ranging from finding a lost child to getting a bird’s-eye view of a fire or disaster.

Civil liberties advocates say that’s fine. But they worry that what they termed “mission creep” could open the door to other uses for the new technology and lead to questions of who is watching whom and for what purpose.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/concerns-about-civil-liberties-in-the-air-as-bergen-seeks-to-use-drones-1.1361322