The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
>Bill could increase number, variety of charter schools in NJ
With the latest batch of charter-school approvals likely to be announced soon by the state Department of Education, some state lawmakers are beginning a push for a bill that could expand the alternative public schools’ movement in New Jersey. (Symons, Gannett)
>Charters Derailed in Areas of New Jersey
New Jersey is preparing to announce the confirmation of at least six new charter schools this week, but proposed charters in Princeton, Teaneck and Flemington won’t be on the list, dealing a blow to a movement to widen school choice to affluent districts. (Resmovits, Wall Street Journal)
https://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703287204575374012451800290.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
>Starting and growing a small business is no easy task. Even having the best business plan does not guarantee success. It requires (at a minimum) a balance of talent and resources, with the right level of expertise in a wide variety of disciplines. Small business owners (and employees) must remain focused on their product or service, acquiring and satisfying clients, and generating revenue and profits. To help round out their team, small business owners might enlist the help of a business coach, attorney, accountant and marketing specialist, and others. What is surprising however is that it is estimated that more than 50% of small businesses today perform their own technology planning, implementation and support; done by either the owner themselves or some other person in the office as a part time job. This is time taken away from servicing clients, the business and making money. Furthermore, the IT solutions they will have are likely to be no better than the knowledge of someone who is not versed or trained in (current) technology. Is this a cost effective or strategic approach for success? Probably not.
A Small Business IT Consultant is someone who will work with you, the business owner (or other senior executive of your firm), understand how the business operates and makes money, creating and executing a business technology strategy for success. This should include a variety of options that will enable the company to grow, improve efficiency and productivity, save and make (more) money. Essentially being successful!
While there are a number of highly skilled technology service providers who will support your small business, you will want to find one that is more than an “order taker”; performing the specific implementation and (“break-fix”) support tasks that you design. This is again a scenario that will yield you a solution only as good as your technical knowledge. This is where an IT consultant will work with you, help you and add value.
As a small business owner, you have enough things on your plate to worry about. Technology should not be one of them. Find a Small Business IT Consultant who will be your partner for success.
Alan M Buckwalter
Principal and Founder, Jefric Consulting, LLC
Small Business IT Consultant
Microsoft Small Business Specialist
Microsoft Certified Professional
alan@jefric.com
https://www.jefric.com/
https://blog.jefric.com/
https://jefric.com/blog/2009/08/18/what-is-a-small-business-it-consultant/
>Bergen County Clerk Kathe Donovan, the Republican candidate for County Executive, said today that she looks forward to meeting with the commission Governor Christie has appointed to study the possibility of a state takeover of county prosecutors offices. According to Ms. Donovan, “This is a logical follow-up to the state’s earlier takeover of the court and probation system.”
She continued, “The primary mission of the commission should be to determine if costs can be reduced without disrupting local law enforcement. The transition of the court system to the state has been seamless. Can we expect the same result with a state takeover of prosecutors’ offices?”
Donovan said that a change of this magnitude should only occur if real savings and not just a cost shift with no beneficial impact on taxpayers can be accomplished. “The Governor has identified an area of potential government reform and we should analyze it carefully. I look forward to participating in that review.”
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Obama Bumper Sticker Removal Kit – Available at BSRemoval.com – feat. Brad Stine
>If your looking to run ads or get in touch with the Ridgewood Blog please send all correspondence to onlyonesmallvoice@gmail.com
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>MUST READ – Some key excerpts from Princeton Health Care System Website:
A Closer Look at the Need to Relocate
The relocation plan has been the result of a lengthy, collaborative effort involving the input not only of PHCS officials, physicians and staff, but also local residents, civic leaders and emergency service personnel, to ensure that the project serves the healthcare and community needs of area residents.
The Princeton HealthCare System Board of Trustees in January 2005 decided to relocate the hospital after determining that a new campus would provide the necessary space for advanced medical services, easier access for patients and room to expand with the region’s growing population.
The decision followed a two-and-a-half year strategic planning process that included a careful review and analysis of the health needs of the community, changes in clinical practices and the delivery of care, technological advances, projected demographic changes in Central New Jersey, accessibility and the existing hospital facilities.
Building on a larger site that is not in the midst of residential neighborhoods enables Princeton HealthCare System to construct a state-of-the-art facility without any of the limitations of the existing site. Building new allows the hospital to accommodate the most up-to-date medical technology; provide private patient rooms, which helps reduce the chance of infection and enables it to comply with current American Institute of Architecture guidelines and applicable code requirements; and have a helicopter pad so it can accept patients who are flown in and transport patients to other facilities when necessary.
Additionally, building a new hospital on a new site ensures there will be no disruption of service during the construction period.
Tapping into Community Support
Community involvement was critical throughout the decision-making process.
In addition to meeting regularly with two community advisory committees that consisted of concerned community leaders and neighborhood representatives, officials from Princeton HealthCare System met with area residents during more than 70 community group meetings.
The PHCS senior management team also worked closely with the Princeton HealthCare Task Force, an independent group composed of borough and township planning officials. The task force explored the options of renovating versus relocating thoroughly.
By working together, PHCS and the community reached the consensus that relocation is the best choice for the future of the hospital and the region.
https://www.princetonhcs.org/
>Valley Renewal : “ladies and gentlemen” on our Planning Board etc., did WRONG!
New Hospital Project
Princeton HealthCare System
To:Ridgewood Blog Administrator
The new University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro is slated to open in 2012. Not very many people in our area, especially Ridgewood residents, are aware of the history and background information that led to the decision to build this new hospital, nor the unbelievable parallels that can be drawn between these two towns. I am sending to you, in a separate email, their website, and hope that you will look it over. In particular, I ask that you Click On “Why Relocate” and carefully read “Why Is University Medical Center at Princeton Moving?”, being sure to continue at the “click on”. (The other parts of the website are equally informative.) If you have not learned about the details of this situation before, you will find it to be an amazing eye-opener. I, having grown up at 250 N. Van Dien before Valley was even built, and, having been trying to “Stop Valley” just about all my LIFE, find the entire article to be sadly enlightening, summarizing what Princeton did RIGHT, and what Valley Hospital and the “ladies and gentlemen” on our Planning Board, etc., did WRONG. I thought perhaps it’s about time that more people are made aware of this, and your venue seemed an appropriate place in which to inform the public. Please look for “New Hospital Project/Princeton Health Care System”.
Dolores Kennelly Carpenter
>Village looks to Tax Income from Pease Library
another great job of reporting by
MICHAEL SEDON of the Ridgewood News
Ridgewood’s proposed taxation of Pease Building income draws flack
Friday, July 16, 2010
BY
The Ridgewood News
STAFF WRITER
https://www.northjersey.com/news/98580919_Village_s_tax_proposal_draws_flack_.html
The village is attempting to tax the income generated by the rental of office space in the Pease Building, but this attempt is being questioned by the legal counsel for David F. Bolger and the Bolger Foundation, which restored the building.
“As you are very familiar, the Bolger Foundation’s gift of over $1.3 million in renovations to the former Pease Library last year, which up until this was a dilapidated building owned by the village, was known by all as having been made to facilitate the income on the property becoming available to support the Ridgewood [Public] Library, and its good works,” wrote attorney Thomas Wells in a letter addressed to the village on June 29. “The mayor and council’s stated intention to now tax this property, strikes even me, as a less cynical observer, as completely inconsistent with the spirit of the gift and the agreement between the village and the Bolger Foundation dated September 10, 2008.”
The current net income from the Pease rentals is anticipated to generate $103,200 for the library’s coffers this year, according to information provided by Library Director Nancy Greene. The 2009 rental income equaled $58,000, she added.
In a July 7 e-mail to The Ridgewood News, Village Manager Ken Gabbert said the amount of money the village intends to gain from taxing the income of the building is as yet undetermined, and it would be left to the village tax assessor to calculate the figure.
The building itself is a “tax-exempt” property owned by the village, and any tax that may or may not be realized from its rental would be assessed solely on the revenue it generates, Gabbert said.
“There is no proposed tax for the Pease Building,” he wrote. “Any profitable use of the tax-exempt building would be opened to tax per statute.”
Wells contended in his letter that a “lack of clarity” in the village’s intent, reasoning and the amount to be raised through taxation is “contrasted” by the 2008 agreement between the philanthropic organization and the municipality.
“All income collected by the village from rent paid by tenants in the building less reasonable reserves, maintenance costs, etc. should be distributed to the Ridgewood Library,” according to the agreement.
Under the present economic conditions, Green said, the library could use all of the additional income it can get. The village’s appropriation to the library from the general tax levy dropped $39,000 this year, and its mandated expenses, such as union salaries and health insurance premiums, rose more than $81,000, she said.
Between the loss in tax dollars and the rise in expenses, that equals a $120,000 shortfall for the library, which is only partially supported by the $103,000 cushion offered by the Pease rentals. That would still leave a $17,000 revenue gap for the library this year.
Since 1997, the size of the library’s main building on North Maple Avenue has grown by 70 percent; its usage has gone up 89 percent; its book and media holdings have increased 41 percent; and it offers 139 percent more computers and computer services, according to information provided by Greene.
“So this year we cut part-time professional staff, August Sunday hours and our collection budget,” Greene wrote. “Thanks to the support of the council and gifts from the Friends [of the Ridgewood Library] and [Ridgewood Public Library] Foundation, we are among the best and most utilized libraries in Northern New Jersey.”
E-mail: sedon@northjersey.com
https://www.northjersey.com/news/98580919_Village_s_tax_proposal_draws_flack_.html
>Help Stop New Jersey’s Cap & Trade Program!
This Tuesday Americans for Prosperity will hold an important press conference rally in Morristown against Cap & Trade with Assemblywoman Alison McHose and Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll.
If you are unwilling to pay twice as much for your electricity bill in the name of bogus “climate change,” then join us this Tuesday to help put a stop to New Jersey’s Cap & Trade program.
Unbeknownst to many New Jerseyans, our state is already participating in a Cap & Trade program identical to the one Barack Obama, Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are trying to ram though in Washington. The Cap & Trade program is called the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative – or RGGI – a coalition of ten northeastern states from Maine to Maryland.
RGGI is being looked at as a model for a federal program. In fact, the bill’s language actually states that it is a prelude to a federal program.
That’s why it is no coincidence that the current head of the EPA is none other than Lisa Jackson, the former head of the DEP under Jon Corzine.
Believe it or not, RGGI has already held seven auctions of carbon permits since 2008 which has amassed a whopping $660M! This cost will be passed along to consumers in the way of higher and higher energy costs.
The Heritage Foundation analysis of the Waxman-Markey Cap & Trade bill estimates that by 2020 New Jerseyans could pay 58% more for gas and 90% more for electricity. An estimated 65,000 jobs could be lost. Cap & Trade is nothing less than a stealth energy tax that will cause irreparable harm to our economy.
That’s why you and I need to stop this program now.
On Tuesday, we will join with Assemblywoman Alison McHose and Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll who have introduced legislation to repeal RGGI and end New Jersey’s participation in this program.
You and I need to stand up with these two courageous lawmakers and send a strong message to Trenton that taxpayers will not allow Cap & Trade to take root in our state.
If you would like to join us on Tuesday, please contact our office at (201) 487-8844 or e-mail our Communications Director, Mike Proto, & mailto:mproto@afphq.org > mproto@afphq.org
for more details. We will also need volunteers on Monday to help us prepare for this important press conference.
On to Victory,
Steve Lonegan
State Director
Americans for Prosperity-New Jersey,
24 River Road, Suite 205, Bogota, NJ 07603
>Yesterday’s Ridgewood News article (July 2, 2010) reported that more Graydon badges had been sold by July 1 than by the same date last year. That was an understatement; in fact, by July 1 of this year, more seasonal Graydon badges had been sold for this summer than in ALL of last year.
Furthermore, as of July 7, according to the badge office at Graydon yesterday, ongoing sales of seasonal badges and day/guest passes had brought in nearly a quarter of a million dollars, with more to come. The Parks & Rec office is receiving 10 calls a day from people asking how to join. The trend is UP. Use the FREE ONE-DAY PASS (any day, weekend or weekday) from the spring Parks & Rec flier (ask for a copy if you can’t find yours) for a family of up to 6 (bring proof of Ridgewood residency–owner or renter), valid through July 18, during the heat wave and see what you’re missing. The water’s cool, the sand is soft, and the rafts are as popular as ever.
Enjoy ping-pong, basketball, volleyball, bocce, croquet, brand-new decks of cards, dominoes, board games, Pro Kadima (big wooden paddles, played on beach without table or net), freshly painted shuffleboard and hopscotch courts, and more. Bring your child to Story Time today (Thurs. 7/8) at 2 PM. Former mayor and longtime Councilman Patrick A. Mancuso will read the first story, followed by teacher Anna Spalckhaver. The reinstated beloved tradition of Story Time continues every Thursday for the rest of the summer (through September 2).
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The Art of Traveling Well
Aboard The Yachts of SeabournSM
Your browser may not support display of this image.
From the moment you step on board a Seabourn yacht, you begin to appreciate what it means to travel well – enjoying open bars and alternate dining venues, Charlie Palmer’s award-winning cuisine, and the Marina with its complimentary water sports.
The Spa at SeabournSM is a lavish sanctuary where healing therapies soothe the senses and ocean views renew the spirit. You’ll also find your suite a relaxing retreat, a luxurious haven after spending the day ashore.
But it’s the service you may appreciate most of all – the staff member who knows your name, the suite stewardess who draws your lavender bath, the deck attendant who brings you a fresh fruit sorbet. You can sense instantly that they are consummate professionals, often anticipating your needs before you ask. Not surprisingly, Seabourn service has become the gold standard of the industry.
And now, The Travel Center / American Express is pleased to introduce the newest yacht in Seabourn’s fleet…The Seabourn Sojourn. Currently in Scandinavia, the Sojourn will travel through the Mediterranean before making her maiden voyage in the Caribbean in late Fall. She will carry 450 passengers through the Panama Canal over the holidays and then sail to Australia to embark on a World Voyage.
The Sojourn offers the finest of amenities with gratuities neither required nor expected. Enjoy open seating dining options which range from formal to laid-back. In addition to 24 hour room service, meals can be served course by course in the privacy of your suite.
Stay tuned as we anticipate the addition of another yacht in the fleet…Seabourn Quest, which will debut in June 2011.
Exclusively for readers of The Ridgewood Blog, Seabourn is offering $50 off per person now through July 23, 2010 in addition to the Cardmember Annual Travel Benefit and features provided by the American Express Cruise Privileges, Mariner Club, or Gold Card Destinations programs. Contact your Travel Center / American Express travel professional today:
The Travel Center / American Express
50 E. Ridgewood Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
(201) 447-3311
“Ridgewood’s only travel agency.”
RidgewoodAmex@gmail.com
Or visit our NEW website: www.TheTravelCenterAE.com
Connect with ‘The Travel Center AE’ on Facebook
Follow ‘The Travel Center’ on Twitter
The Seabourn fleet is registered in the Bahamas
>Free family day offer expires July 18
Our motto regarding Graydon is “Come see for yourself,” so this spring’s Parks and Recreation flyer included a special coupon for a free day at Graydon, any day, weekday or weekend, through July 18, for Ridgewood residents. Families (up to 6 members) residing in Ridgewood (bring proof of residency) are eligible.
If you or someone you know (Ridgewood residents only) would like to try Graydon Pool for free, this coupon is a wonderful opportunity. If you did not receive the flyer in the mail, ask at the badge office about the spring Parks & Rec flyer containing this year’s coupon.
Come to Graydon and join in the fun! Cool off and bring the kids to Story Time.
Swimmingly,
Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!”
info@PreserveGraydon.org
https://www.preservegraydon.org/
>ELEC to push for ‘Pay to Play’ law reform
The state Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) plans to push to reform the state’s questionable and confusing ‘pay to play’ law to strengthen the measure that took effect in 2006. The commission, which is responsible for tracking campaign finance in the state, called the law “confusing” and said with the inclusion of the “fair and open” provision, which allows municipalities to bypass the pay to play restrictions in awarding contracts so long as the request for bids is advertised on the township’s Web site or in a local newspaper, the law has a huge loophole. (Isherwood, PolitickerNJ)
https://www.politickernj.com/elec-push-pay-play-law-reform
>FAQ: How Gov. Christie’s Property Tax Reform Would Work
The historic deal reached this weekend between Gov. Chris Christie and lawmakers over a new 2 percent property tax cap includes several exemptions. And lawmakers will be in session over much of the summer to consider a package of other legislation that could profoundly affect how local governments manage and pay their employees. We’ve prepared this guide to help you understand the cap, and the proposed legislation. (Celock, Westfield Patch)
https://westfield.patch.com/articles/faq-gov-chris-christies-property-tax-cap-and-proposed-toolkit
