https://icareridgewood.org/
BPU Hearing on PSE&G Project – September 9th
The Board of Public Utilities (BPU), the State regulatory agency, will hold a hearing on PSE&G’s regional transmission upgrade project. The project includes installing 90 65 feet tall utility poles with 69-Kv lines in Ridgewood. The hearing will take place at 6PM in the Freeholder’ Public Meeting Room at the Bergen County Administration Building in Hackensack.
At Assyrian Orthodox Church In Paramus.
Lonegan Says No War Mr President
“While there has been much tragedy, the war in Syria is not simply between the Syrian government and the Syrian rebels. We must work with our allies to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the war, but punitive actions in Syria will not deliver stability to the region.”
METUCHEN, NJ – Mayor Steve Lonegan, Republican candidate for the United States Senate, warned about inserting American military power in Syria yesterday and today continued his opposition to the President’s position.
Today, President Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry once again stated their support for military action in Syria without a clear plan of action.
Lonegan said, “Even without approval from Congress and our closest international allies, President Obama insists on military intervention in Syria.”
“While there has been much tragedy, the war in Syria is not simply between the Syrian government and the Syrian rebels. We must work with our allies to provide humanitarian aid to those affected by the war, but punitive actions in Syria will not deliver stability to the region.”
Yesterday, Lonegan introduced Councilman Mike Ghassali and Archbishop Cyril Aphrem Karim at a press conference to call on President Obama and Senator Bob Menendez not to engage in a military action in Syria.
“I want to thank Mayor Lonegan for taking a strong stand on the bombing in Syria,” Ghassali said. “That is the right decision to make.”
Archbishop Karim followed those statements and proclaimed “war will not benefit anyone.”
Lonegan also addressed President Obama’s unilateral pronouncement that he would view certain actions by the Syrian government as a “red line” and implied that he would commit the American military to respond in a punitive way against the Syrian government. “The President should not intervene militarily without the consent of Congress. And given the facts we have today, I would vote against sending American men and women into Syria as a member of the United States Senate,” Lonegan said.
Lonegan served as Bogota Mayor for twelve years, winning three times in a town that gave Barack Obama 67.5 percent of the vote in 2012. He served for seven years as state director of Americans for Prosperity New Jersey, where he helped defeat liberal attempts to expand big government. Steve Lonegan is the conservative Republican candidate in the New Jersey special election for the United States Senate. Lonegan stands firmly on the bedrock conservative values of small government, fiscal responsibility and individual liberty.
Photo is courtesy of Ridgewood Tax Assessor’s Offfice
Council will accept “secret” bids for Gilsenan/Gap property
August 31,2013
Boyd A. Loving
12:40 AM
Excerpted verbatim from the RFP for development of property on East Ridgewood Avenue between Gilsenan Insurance/Real Estate and The Gap:
“As all elements of proposals are considered negotiable, the Village does not expect to disclose the identity of competing parties or details about their respective proposals until such time as the public purpose for doing so no longer exists, i.e., when contract negotiations are concluded and Village Council approves of proposed award of lease. Thereafter, all proposals and a joint report of the Village Manager and Village Engineer will be available for public inspection.”
https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013CompleteRFP.pdf
It has been common practice to make bid submissions available for public inspection immediately following the advertised bid opening. Why not in this case? Who is bidding on this project; the CIA and NSA? Is this even legal?
So much for “transparent” municipal government.
Repairs to sewer line could cost Village of Ridgewood
Thursday August 29, 2013, 3:48 PM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER
The Ridgewood News
Ridgewood is moving ahead with the purchase of more than $71,000 worth of wetlands credits to meet requirements set forth by the state Department of Environmental Protection.
A resolution adopted by the Village Council authorized the mayor to enter into a purchase agreement with Pequannock Properties Developers for the acquisition of 0.11 acres of wetlands credits, which are needed following the completion of the Saddle River Bank Erosion and Sanitary Sewer Restoration Project.
The DEP recently identified a shortage of wetlands in the village as a result of the project, further ruling that Ridgewood either purchase credit or create a mitigation plan. Ridgewood’s overall lack of wetlands, however, eliminates the latter option, village engineers have said.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/221688551_Repairs_to_sewer_line_could_cost_Village_of_Ridgewood.html#sthash.8Gv9kii3.dpuf
Planning Board Meeting – September 23
PLANNING BOARD
AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
Work Session & Public Meeting: Monday, September 23, 2013
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board has scheduled a special public meeting and work session for MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013, in the VILLAGE HALL COURT ROOM, 4th Floor, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ beginning at 7:30 p.m
The Board may take official action during this Work and Public Meeting at which time the Board will have discussion regarding multi-family housing and mixed-use developments in and near the CBD.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Click Here for Public Notice
Jane Wondergem
Secretary to the Board
Fall Programs for All Ages – Ridgewood Recreation
FALL PROGRAMS WITH RIDGEWOOD RECREATION
Ridgewood Parks and Recreation is now accepting registration for fall programs set to begin in September. There is something for everyone!
The following link will bring you to the Recreation Homepage where you will find all program details and registration forms which may be downloaded. You will also be able to link to Community Pass for online registration if it applies.
Recreation Homepage
Please call the Stable Recreation Office at 201-670-5560 with any questions or if special accommodations are needed. New program suggestions are always welcome.
Please be sure to bookmark the Recreation homepage on your computer for easy access to updated program and special event information.
Planning Board Amended Meeting Schedule – September 3 Cancellation
PLANNING BOARD
AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE
CANCELLED: Work Session & Public Meeting: Tuesday, September 3, 2013
In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the Planning Board public meeting and work session for TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2013, in the VILLAGE HALL COURT ROOM, 4th Floor, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ beginning at 7:30 p.m. has been cancelled.
All meetings of the Ridgewood Planning Board (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public.
Click Here for Public Notice
Jane Wondergem
Secretary to the Board
Reader says Thank God for CCR since the elected officials are doing nothing to protect the residents.
Thank God for CCR since the elected officials are doing nothing to protect the residents.
Let’s hope that residents understand how critical a time this is. If the Planning Board allows Valley to have its way, a rubber stamp awaits with Councilwoman (and former Valley VP) Hauck for the next step. She has no intention of recusing herself and it looks as though Councilman (and former Valley attorney) Pucciarelli may “unrecuse” himself to see that the dump trucks roll as quickly as possible.
Let’s hope that the CRR caught a break when the late August meeting was postponed until September 30 when more people are in town. Plan to show up at that meeting and be heard.
Anyone in town who has not made a donation to the legal fund of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, the ONLY group in town advocating for ALL residents’ rights, or in fact anyone who has done so but not recently, please send one immediately, whether $50, $500, or $5,000.
This means you and your neighbors! Please do not assume that other people will handle it all. And guess what? Many or most residents who can write a check for thousands of dollars without thinking twice are more interested in their social life through Valley than in recognizing the significance of this decision to the future of the Village. (To rich people who do “get it,” apologies.)
The families living near the hospital must not be allowed to shoulder the financial burden alone. Spending 10 million hours on research etc. over 7 years is more than enough of a “donation.”
While you’re on the stopvalley.com site, after sending some money, keep reading. You’ll learn a lot. It is not too late to make a difference yet, but it will be soon!
file photo by Boyd Loving
Readers debate what is adequate Policing for the Village
25 police officers and 15 upper level members. Maybe there really are too many chiefs. If you read the roster there is a friends and family special going on.
https://rpd.ridgewoodnj.net/index.php/department-roster
….
The supervisor # is not high the ptl # is low .Ridgewood has the lowest number of cops to residents ratio in all of Bergen county.To the best of my knowledge supervisors supervising relatives has not been allowed since chief Lipuma , and captain Landers, allowed Bill Amoruso to supervise his brother Sean. But that’s 5 years ago. Nepotism, is virtually impossible in the hiring process due to civil service rules and reg’s. The State police/FBI, UCR, report recommends Rwd pd carry 56 cops, the town paid a lot for a study several years ago that said no less than 44, cops believe me the dept. is thin ( manpower wise).
Obamanomics :33 Shocking Facts the Media Shamefully Ignores
By Noel Sheppard | August 25, 2013 | 11:14
Potentially the most dishonest aspect of the Obama-loving media’s reporting since January 20, 2009, pertains to how they’ve almost totally ignored how poorly the economy is performing.
On Tuesday, Michael T. Snyder, author of the gloom and doom book “The Beginning of the End,” wrote a fabulous piece titled “33 Shocking Facts Which Show How Badly The Economy Has Tanked Since Obama Became President”:
#1 When Barack Obama entered the White House, 60.6 percent of working age Americans had a job. Today, only 58.7 percent of working age Americans have a job.
#2 Since Obama has been president, seven out of every eight jobs that have been “created” in the U.S. economy have been part-time jobs.
#3 The number of full-time workers in the United States is still nearly 6 million below the old record that was set back in 2007.
#4 It is hard to believe, but an astounding 53 percent of all American workers now make less than $30,000 a year.
#5 40 percent of all workers in the United States actually make less than what a full-time minimum wage worker made back in 1968.
https://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/08/25/33-shocking-facts-about-obamas-economy-media-shamefully-ignore
Read more: https://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2013/08/25/33-shocking-facts-about-obamas-economy-media-shamefully-ignore#ixzz2d5NciGMM
Lonegan Calls for Booker’s Transparency
“What is Cory Booker hiding? Cory Booker pontificates about fairness and transparency, but the people of New Jersey want action, not vapid, hollow rhetoric. New Jerseyans have had enough of liberal politicians who think they are better than everyone else. If Cory Booker really believes in fairness and transparency, he will take the time to make sure that his city complies with the New Jersey Open Public Records Act as soon as possible, and not a day after the special election.”
METUCHEN, NJ – Steve Lonegan, Republican candidate for the United States Senate, spoke out today about the city of Newark’s lack of cooperation with an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request. A similar request was made for Mayor Lonegan’s records as mayor of Bogota, and was answered promptly as required by law (see attached document).
– OPRA Request to Bogota and Reply from Bogota
– OPRA Request to Newark
– OPRA Reply from Newark
– OPRA Second Reply from Newark
Lonegan said, “When a mayor spends the people’s money, he or she ought to be accountable to the public. New Jersey law requires that these records be available upon request.”
The Lonegan campaign requested seven types documents from the city of Newark, relating to Newark as a whole and Cory Booker’s expenses as mayor. After unilaterally extending the deadline to August 14th, the day after the Democratic Primary, Newark did not even meet its self-granted deadline.
On August 15th, the Lonegan campaign received an email from the city of Newark, complying with the requests about Newark in general but completely ignoring the requests about Cory Booker’s expenses as mayor.
The Lonegan campaign has still not received an answer regarding those documents.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee thought it proper to have Lonegan’s expenses as mayor as potential ammo in this race. A review of the documents led to the following reply from the Bogota Clerk’s Office:
Mayor Lonegan had a tiny office which barely fit a desk and a chair; he had no employees, no per diem expenses, no travel, car, phone, credit card receipts, office expenditures; no cell phones; no computers and for several years, he refused payroll compensation for himself.
“What is Cory Booker hiding? Cory Booker pontificates about fairness and transparency, but the people of New Jersey want action, not vapid, hollow rhetoric. New Jerseyans have had enough of liberal politicians who think they are better than everyone else. If Cory Booker really believes in fairness and transparency, he will take the time to make sure that his city complies with the New Jersey Open Public Records Act as soon as possible, and not a day after the special election.”
Lonegan served as Bogota Mayor for twelve years, winning three times in a town that gave Barack Obama 67.5 percent of the vote in 2012. He served for seven years as state director of Americans for Prosperity New Jersey, where he helped defeat liberal attempts to expand big government. Steve Lonegan is the conservative Republican candidate in the New Jersey special election for the United States Senate. Lonegan stands firmly on the bedrock conservative values of small government, fiscal responsibility and individual liberty.
Reader says fire and police had no choice to address the situation.
The crowd overfilled the room and fire and police had no choice to address the situation. PB Chairman and Aronsohn tried very hard to come up with a solution for 45 minutes. There are legal issues here and the right decision was made. Gail Price was not even there. I agree Valley representatives and attorney are smart a***s.
Please don’t overlook the real news here. Valley’s attorney, Jonathan shrill drill, was forcefully objecting to CRR standing and forcefully objecting to CRR using Valley’s own documents to support opposition to the huge expansion. Preposterous as it is, Drill objected to his own clients legal position and reasoning on PVH reopening.
Pete McKenna presented himself as a true gentleman. I hope the board took to heart his words about the seven year nightmare, the burden this has placed on their fellow residents, the turmoil and uncertainty suffered through daily. Residents like McKenna should be able to find comfort and peace at home in Ridgewood not a 2,651 day nightmare.
What was that 1983 PB quote? 30 years ago “valley needs to find another solution other than expansion”?
Ridgewood Water in Non-Compliance for 2011 and 2012
August 20,2012
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water reports that the Ridggewood water system violated drinking water standards in 2011 and once again 2012 .
Through these are not emergencies Ridgewood claims to be taken the corrective measures necessary to remedy the situation .
Ridgewood water is required to monitor drinking water for specific contaminants on a regular basis, but during the 2011 and 2012 time period the Water company claims to have inadvertently been in non compliance with monitoring certain contaminants making the water quality assurances inaccurate .
Ridgewood water claims to have monitored Nitrates in all 51 active wells but 1 . Nitrates in drinking water above 10ppm pose health risk in infants of less than 6 moths old and high nitrate levels can cause “blue baby syndrome”.
Dual citizenship may pose problem if Ted Cruz seeks presidency
Sen. Ted Cruz’s birth certificate shows he was born in Canada in 1970. It was released exclusively to The Dallas Morning News.
By TODD J. GILLMAN
Washington Bureau
Updated: 19 August 2013 03:51 PM
Ralph de la Cruz: As for Sen. Ted Cruz, call him Canadian
Mark Davis: A Cruz-Christie ticket may be the only way to beat Clinton
WASHINGTON — Born in Canada to an American mother, Ted Cruz became an instant U.S. citizen. But under Canadian law, he also became a citizen of that country the moment he was born.
Unless the Texas Republican senator formally renounces that citizenship, he will remain a citizen of both countries, legal experts say.
That means he could assert the right to vote in Canada or even run for Parliament. On a lunch break from the U.S. Senate, he could head to the nearby embassy — the one flying a bright red maple leaf flag — pull out his Calgary, Alberta, birth certificate and obtain a passport.
“He’s a Canadian,” said Toronto lawyer Stephen Green, past chairman of the Canadian Bar Association’s Citizenship and Immigration Section.
The circumstances of Cruz’s birth have fueled a simmering debate over his eligibility to run for president. Knowingly or not, dual citizenship is an apparent if inconvenient truth for the tea party firebrand, who shows every sign he’s angling for the White House.
“Senator Cruz became a U.S. citizen at birth, and he never had to go through a naturalization process after birth to become a U.S. citizen,” said spokeswoman Catherine Frazier. “To our knowledge, he never had Canadian citizenship.”
The U.S. Constitution allows only a “natural born” American citizen to serve as president. Most legal scholars who have studied the question agree that includes an American born overseas to an American parent, such as Cruz.
The Constitution says nothing about would-be presidents born with dual citizenship.
Detractors have derided Cruz as “Canadian Ted,” saying he can’t run for president because he wasn’t born on U.S. soil.
Cruz, a Harvard-trained lawyer and former clerk for the U.S. chief justice, disagrees. He reasserted last week that being an American by birth makes him eligible.
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20130818-born-in-canada-ted-cruz-became-a-citizen-of-that-country-as-well-as-u.s..ece
New Jersey’s Boomerang Generation
Posted: Aug 16, 2013 3:59 PM EST Updated: Aug 19, 2013 10:57 AM EST
By Kate Mosso, @ChasingKate
Newark, New Jersey (My9NJ) –
Is 27 the new 18 when it comes to living at your parents’ house?
According to the US census Bureau, at least 1 in 4 N.J. adults, ages 18-31 live at home and 42% are 24 or older. Experts call it an “epidemic” of millennials leaching off their parents, but does a bad economy and student loan debt crisis justify the situation?
A new survey from Coldwell Banker says parents in the Northeast region are more lenient on this than anywhere else in the US on children moving back home.
But, according to the survey, more than two in three Americans believe that too many adults living at home with their parents are avoiding responsibility, and 65 percent believe too many young adults who move back home after college are overstaying their welcome.
https://www.my9nj.com/story/23158585/new-jerseys-boomerang-generation
At least Chief Ward gets off his ass and participates, Ward is workin with a skeleton crew. down from 52 to 39 or 38. Can’t use a summer hire due to insurance regs, and possibility of injury. supervisors down from 14 to 10, calls for service up from 8500 to 24000 app over the past 10 years, so at least he’ll go out and do something. It doesn’t affect his job he’s always available on cell phone, maybe the new Village Manager will let him run his dept.
…
Sgt and Lt should get out there and maybe even the Captain. But just remember the upper management have other duties such as planing so overtime doesn’t go out of whack and training schedule, firearms reports and it goes on.