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I don’t know if snowman building is a good idea. You never know how they might turn out
Category: Village of Ridgewood
>CNN Poll: Majority says government a threat to citizens’ rights
>Washington (CNN) – A majority of Americans think the federal government poses a threat to rights of Americans, according to a new national poll.
Fifty-six percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Friday say they think the federal government’s become so large and powerful that it poses an immediate threat to the rights and freedoms of ordinary citizens
The Golden Toilet : Government has become a self perpetuating beast
>Come on, is this a surprise to anyone? This is just one more example of how inefficient and costly Government is. Take a look at the cost of the bandshell bathrooms. Is there anyone who doesn’t believe that a private contractor couldn’t have built those for a fraction of the cost the Village spent?
Government has become a self perpetuating beast; enacting regulations (to protect the people!) which require people to enforce, require extra hours and costs to adhere to them and thus driving up costs for everyone else. The private sector has profit as motivation, government has service as its mandate. Government should not be running businesses that private enterprises can provide cheaper.
Did you see what happened with the school system up in Providence the other day? They fired every single teacher in the system. One of the alternatives they are looking at is hiring a private contracter to provide teachers and manage the school system. Think they can do it cheaper?
>Snow, Snow Snow
>
>THE RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26
>WEATHER ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26
Posted Thursday at 6:50 p.m.:
THE RIDGEWOOD PUBLIC SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, DUE TO THE WINTER STORM. ALL BEFORE-AND-AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES FOR FRIDAY ARE ALSO CANCELED.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO CHECK THE WEBSITE FOR UPDATES REGARDING SCHOOL-RELATED
>Public Still Not Buying "Obamacare"
>A CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey :
Twenty-five percent of people questioned in the poll say Congress should pass legislation similar to the bills passed by both chambers, with 48 percent saying lawmakers should work on an entirely new bill and a quarter saying Congress should stop all work on health care reform.
>Village of Ridgewood was offering "free" garbage service : We’ve been trashed!
>For years, the Village of Ridgewood was offering “free” garbage service to local schools. After getting caught and held accountable, it then solicited bids to collect schools’ garbage and found the town (public sector) losing bid was 2 times more expensive than a private contractor’s winning bid. (town bid $130K vs private bid of $62K)
The town’s operations manager unwittingly explains why his garbage hauling bid lost so badly to the private sector: “I can’t say that we can compete with private industry. We have to account for the equipment, and they can spread it over a whole lot bigger territory.”
No, duh – it’s called efficiency and economies of scale (and in his case, waste, featherbedding and inefficiency). Of course, to fully realize this cost saving, the town gov’t needs to sell equipment and reduce hours (or compensation) for its operations employees, who presumably have less work to do. Let’s hope they do — and pass along that savings on to taxpayers.
Original article:
>Ridgewood Art Institute : Diana K. Gibson- Oil Painting Workshop
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Diana K. Gibson- Oil Painting Workshop
Painting Brass and Copper
Sunday, March 14, 2010 10AM to 4PM
Snow date, March 21, 2010
Ridgewood Art Institute
12 East Glen Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
The workshop will take place in the north lit west studio of the RAI. The class will start with a brief discussion about how to approach the north lit subjects. How to use a prismatic palette will be discussed in detail. Students will have their choice of several different brass and copper still life setups to paint from. Study of massing, values, edges, atmosphere, mood and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. A brief demonstration will be offered. Bring your lunch. Kitchen facilities are located on site.
More details:
Learn how to make metal luminous! Working from life, students will be taught to simplify and compose a still life painting through the usage of form, composition, color, perspective, planes, and light. How to use a prismatic palette will be discussed in detail. Study of massing, values, relationships, edges, progression, atmosphere, mood and prismatic light effects will be strongly emphasized. Students will have their choice of several different north-lit brass and copper still life setups to paint from. Beginning and advanced students will benefit from individualized attention. This one day workshop is appropriate for painters of all levels of skill. Those new to oil painting are especially welcome. A supply list is available.
For more information visit the artist’s website: https://www.dianakgibson.com/
>Move over, investment bankers. The next victims of populist backlash are going to be state- and local-government workers
>
Banker Bonus Anger Is Shifting to Government Workers
Commentary by Joe Mysak
Feb. 24 (Bloomberg) — Move over, investment bankers. The next victims of populist backlash are going to be state- and local-government workers.
As usual, it’s all about the numbers, except this time we’re not talking about dollars in a bonus check. No, this time it’s about numbers of jobs.
Businesses have fired 8.5 million people, or 7.4 percent of those on the payroll when employment peaked in December 2007. Local governments kept hiring through September 2008, and since then have fired 141,000 workers, less than 1 percent of the 14.6 million they had at the top, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
In good times, few people focus on how government payroll expands, or how elected politicians raise salaries and enhance pensions and benefits. Americans like government services, and their public officials are happy to comply with their wishes.
Now the good times are over, at least for a while, and Americans find themselves with local-government payrolls that in many cases remain at record levels. They also now see unions refusing to reduce headcount, and are forced to wonder what planet the union bosses are on.
https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aPQaYEiezekQ
>Empirical evidence to support their claims that CMP is a "dismal failure"
>In response to “They have no empirical evidence to support their claims that CMP is a “dismal failure” in Ridgewood.”
Oh, but we do. Fortunately the Asbury Park Press makes all NJASK data for the last few years accessible to everyone. So let’s do our own Middle School Achievement Monitoring Study and examine the percent advanced proficient data for our middle school grades.
Laurie Goodman has pledged to provide parents with accurate information, and so I am sure she will confirm these numbers, even though the news ain’t good.
Over the last 4 years in the 3 middle school grades, only one of our 12 classes scored above the mean for J districts. Meanwhile top schools like West Windsor Plainsboro and Cranbury were above the mean in all 12 classes. Haddonfield was above the mean in 10 of the 12. One out of 12 isn’t very good for RPS, is it?
More bad news – if we compare each of our cohorts to their own performance when they were in elementary school, ALL of them are worse relative to the mean. Since Ridgewood was re-classified as a J district in 2005, ALL five fourth grade classes have been above the mean, and four out of five 3rd grade classes were above. You can verify for yourself that our 8th graders were 7.6 above the mean and our 7th graders were 7.3 above the mean back when they were in 4th grade. The underperformance of our middle school kids is very real and unmistakable. It’s uncanny that EVERY class that comes through declines so steeply after encountering CMP. My goodness, this is sad.
There’s more. In 2007 and 2008, our 7th graders’ scores were closer to the mean of the AB districts (Newark, etc.) than to the highest performing J districts. But yes, in 2009 our 7th graders actually scored closer to Cranbury than to Newark!!! Finally! Is this the “improvement” that Laurie is referring to?
So, is this the empirical evidence that you wanted? Are their enough data points for you to conclude that CMP is a dismal failure in Ridgewood? If not, there’s more – stay tuned.
And one last comment to the concerned parent who wrote “I want a good foundation for college prep.” You have every right, in fact an obligation, to insist on a math program that prepares your child for college. I’m sure you did not move to this town so that your kid could use Newark’s remedial math program.
>Gov. Chris Christie : Stop hiring lobbyists and end “golden parachute” payouts
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N.J. Gov. Christie cracks down on state’s independent boards and authorities
Governor Christie ordered hundreds of state boards, authorities and commissions to stop hiring lobbyists and end “golden parachute” payouts, and said Tuesday that some of those agencies could eventually be eliminated altogether. The agencies also face new restrictions on travel expenses, all part of an executive order issued by Christie, his 15th since taking office last month. Roughly 700 boards, authorities and commissions operate in New Jersey. But not all of them – including the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, a frequent target for Christie – fall under the control of the governor’s office. (Reitmeyer/Young, The Record)
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>It’s Hammer Time : Municipalities brace for steep cuts in state aid
>https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/municipalities_brace_for_steep.html
Municipalities brace for steep cuts in state aid
By Star-Ledger Staff
November 29, 2009, 10:45AM
In Hope Township, Mayor Tim McDonough said he’s considering cuts to “sacred cows” like money for senior groups, food banks and recreation programs.
Paterson Mayor Jose Torres said the city may trim budgets for police and fire protection.
All across New Jersey, municipal officials are faced with grim cost-cutting choices as they brace for the possibility of unprecedented cuts to state aid by year’s end, leaving them little room to maneuver.
Jennifer Brown/The Star-LedgerGov. Jon Corzine delivers his 2009 budget speech to a joint session of the New Jersey Legislature.
Gov. Jon Corzine said Thursday he might give towns only a portion of a planned December payment to help patch a growing budget deficit that now stands at $1 billion.
Faced with strained finances, municipalities are already scrambling for savings as they struggle to keep their heads above water, experts and government officials say.
“This isn’t like the good old days, when you adopted the budget and you waited until the following June to put together another budget,” League of Municipalities Executive Director William Dressel said. “Now we’re going month to month, week to week.”
On Wednesday, the state revealed it may freeze up to $400 million in payments to municipalities, schools, higher education, hospitals and pensions.
To cope, towns could lay off workers, borrow money, cut services or spend surpluses. Next year, they may have to raise property taxes to compensate, Dressel said.
Corzine hasn’t said where he’ll cut, but local leaders are holding their breath.
New Jersey municipalities have relied on regular state assistance to fund services since the early ’90s, said Mary Forsberg, who leads New Jersey Policy Perspective. That keeps property taxes, already among the highest in the country, from rising even faster.
“I’ve been through a lot of these budget crises,” Forsberg said. “This is the most serious of any of them that we’ve had.”
Municipalities have already been cutting costs in ways big and small.
New Brunswick eliminated 25 full-time jobs in 2008, then another eight this year. Mount Arlington shares its municipal court with four other towns. In Lambertville, metered parking is in effect three hours longer and the city has imposed a $35 fee for what had been free trash collection.
More cuts like those being weighed in Paterson and Hope Township are still possible, but Forsberg criticized local officials for not cutting more.
“Municipalities are complaining a lot about their situations, but I don’t think many municipalities have really seriously tightened their belt,” she said. “Reality has not sunk in.”
FROM BAD TO WORSE
Bad financial news has been constant background music since Corzine took office in 2006. Falling revenues helped drive down the state’s budget from $33.5 billion in 2007 to $29 billion this year.
Corzine is asking his departments to come up with $400 million in spending cuts by Tuesday, but the state also says it needs $350 million in additional spending, according to a financial disclosure statement released last week.
Tax revenue through the year is off more than $412 million, though two big payments are still pending: holiday sales tax and April income tax.
Gov.-elect Chris Christie, who takes office Jan. 19, said the budget gap is his first priority, saying: “The news of the last 48 hours just shows how desperately out of control government has been in New Jersey.”
Christie’s transition team is scheduled to meet for a second time with Treasury officials next week, and there are already signs of disagreement. Rich Bagger, one of Christie’s top fiscal advisers, said the $350 million in extra spending is unacceptable.
“These budget shortfalls make it clear that the Corzine administration must take urgent and immediate action to bring the budget under control,” he said in a joint statement with Robert Grady, another Christie adviser.
The spending includes items such as Medicaid waivers from the federal government that have not yet come through, Bagger said.
Treasury representatives, who were furloughed Friday in a cost-cutting measure, did not return messages.
FOGGY FORECAST
The state promised $1.77 billion in municipal aid this fiscal year, down from $1.83 billion in the fiscal year that ended in June. Municipalities use the money to fund anything from police and sanitation to health programs and public employee salaries, Dressel said.
Bradley Abelow, Corzine’s former treasurer, said there have always been mid-year budget adjustments at the departmental level, but the economic crisis has stumped forecasters.
“In the past, they’ve been off a little bit, but over the last two years (revenues) have been much harder to project,” he said.
Officials across the state rely on the state’s projections and commitments to plan their budgets, which causes a ripple effect when goals aren’t met.
New Jersey is likely to face more financial pain. In the last fiscal year, the state’s shortfall grew to $4 billion by June. The state is legally required to keep a balanced budget, so state leaders raided rainy day funds and dedicated revenue sources, took millions in federal aid and delayed worker pension and school aid payments.
They also cut department spending and delayed a state employee salary increase.
“No matter how pessimistic the revenue estimates are, they turn out to be not pessimistic enough,” said Jon Shure, deputy director of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
By Chris Megerian and Lisa Fleisher/The Star-Ledger
John Reitmeyer and Mike Frassinelli contributed to this report.
https://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/11/municipalities_brace_for_steep.html
>$48 million dollar Referendum : You get what you pay for
>You get what you pay for. If you want second rate teachers with a high turn over, then pay less and reduce benefits. If we want our schools to be nothing more than day care centers with minimum wage workers your taxes will be reduced. However, the value of you house will also be reduced. Even if you don’t have children in the school system this will cost you in the long run.
I think the BOE has made some poor business decisions and that the administration is top heavy. BUT, I still believe that we get above average service from the hands on class room teachers.
Don’t forget, no one is breaking down the school house doors in the nation looking for teaching jobs. Most of us in Ridgewood could not afford to live on $100,000 a year, even with the top level health benefits and a good pension.
>Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce: Holiday Networking in Ridgewood
>Ladies Night Out Networking: Holiday Baking
Mon, December 07, 2009
Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Location: Ridgewood Culinary School, 223 Chestnut Street, Ridgewood
Cost: $35 per person
You are invited to Networking – Holiday Baking Style
Food provided by Whole Foods Market
Chefs Nancy and JoMarie
While you are Networking, enjoy cooking, eating and take home goodies to share at the office and/or home.
$35 per person. Reservations only, limited space. Door prizes! Bring your favorite wine to share a glass with someone else. Do not forget the business cards and 30 second commercial.
RSVP to the Chamber Office, (201) 445-2600 or email info@ridgewoodchamber.com.
Networking in Ridgewood
Tue, December 08, 2009
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM
Location: Artis Gallery, 11 Prospect Street, Ridgewood
Cost: $10 per person
Start the holiday season by networking your business! Enjoy wonderful hors d’oeuvres, beverages and a lot of holiday spirit!
FREE PARKING AFTER 6PM.
Cost: $10 members; $15 non-members
Please RSVP to the Chamber by 12/7. Call (201) 445-2600 or email info@ridgewoodchamber.com.
