Category: Uncategorized

Reader says Ridgewood residents swallow elephants but choke on flies

Amidst 4 large housing development,parking garages, secret meetings, 40 plus e-mail between 2 council members,attorneys and developers it seems the Council and residents concerns focus on “vicious dog” ordnance what ever that is .

By all appearances, the Mayor and his running mates are in favor of the 4 proposed housing developments which is their right. With this right, however comes the responsibility to tell their constituents why they favor such aggressive development. What’s the benefit to the Village? What’s in it for the tax payers? Why do you take the developers at their word that there will be no adverse impact to our community as a result of these projects? Until they answer these questions, there will be a legitimate suspicion of impropriety.

I think it is important to find out what ties the developers and their attorneys have to the community. There are some very cozy relationships involved…influenced pedlars abound.

Readers Ask,  Do these Planning Board Resignations have anything to do with that purported “pressure”?

At the last Village Council meeting, someone mentioned that they heard that members of the planning board were feeling pressured by Aronsohn and Pucciarelli. Do these resignations have anything to do with that purported “pressure”? Yes, I know the “pressure” is a mere rumor, but just wondering if anyone knows anything more.

They were both smart to get out before Aronsohn and Pucciarelli push along their construction agenda. Anybody else think it’s odd that we have 4 housing projects in the works, yet still no solution to parking and revitalizing the business district?

PSE&G Warns Customers about Payment Scam

Hispanic customers targeted

February 13, 2013

Ridgewood NJ,  PSE&G is alerting its customers not to be defrauded by a scam in which individuals misrepresenting themselves as PSE&G employees threaten to turn off electric and gas service if payment is not made to them that day.

The scam, which has been reported across the country, involves payments using Green Dot MoneyPaks and seems to be targeting Hispanic neighborhoods in PSE&G’s service territory. As noted on the MoneyPak packaging and on the company’s Web site (www.moneypak.com), to protect themselves from fraud, consumers should treat the MoneyPak like cash and only use the MoneyPak number with businesses on their approved partner list.

“We take very seriously any attempt to defraud our customers,” said Joseph A. Forline, vice president of customer solutions for PSE&G. “We are working closely with law enforcement to investigate these scams. In the meantime, we ask our customers to be wary of callers who demand immediate payment and threaten service termination. When in doubt, hang up and call PSE&G directly at the phone number listed on your bill.”

PSE&G alerted the public to a similar scam in January 2012. Reports indicate that this scam is again targeting Hispanic customers, but this time not exclusively.

Here is how the scam works:

• A Spanish- or English-speaking individual pretending to be a PSE&G employee calls customers saying their service would be disconnected if they do not make a payment using a prepaid debit card. In some cases, the call is prerecorded.

• Customers are told to purchase a Green Dot MoneyPak at a pharmacy or convenience store, use cash to put money onto the card, and then provide the number on the card to the person who called them.

• Customers are advised that if they do not immediately call back and provide the MoneyPak information, their service will be turned off that day.

• Typically, after the customer provides that MoneyPak number, the scammer transfers the funds to a prepaid card, and cashes it in at an ATM.

What to do if you get a call

When PSE&G makes an outbound phone call to customers, customer-specific information is shared with the customer. That information includes the account name, address, number and current balance. If customers do not receive this correct information, they likely are not speaking with a PSE&G representative. If customers feel uncomfortable and they know they have an outstanding balance that needs to be resolved, they should hang up and call PSE&G directly at 1-800-436-7734 or visit a local PSE&G Customer Service Center. Service Centers are open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM with locations listed on customer bills and online at: https://www.pseg.com/centers.

Any customer who has doubts about the legitimacy of any call from PSE&G, especially one in which payment is requested, should call the utility directly.

PSE&G is working with law enforcement to investigate the matter and is also reaching out to its contacts at local community service agencies asking them to spread the word to their clients.

Ridgewood Police Remind You to Move Over

Working on the roadside is a dangerous and sometimes deadly job. That’s why the Division of Highway Traffic Safety is asking motorists to Make the Move. What’s the Move? When you see flashing lights on the side of the road, slow down, and if it’s safe, Move Over – away from police, fire crews, paramedics and tow truck drivers. If you make the move, others will follow.

To learn more about New Jerseys move over law click on the link below.

https://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/move-over-law/

Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving
Christ Episcopal Church, Ridgewood Celebrates Shrove Tuesday In Style
February 12,2013
Boyd A. Loving
7:53 PM

Ridgewood NJ, Shrove Tuesday was celebrated at Ridgewood’s Christ Episcopal Church with a pancake supper and pancake relay races (indoors, of course). Parishioners of all ages partook of the buffet style meal, which included pancakes, sausages, and salad. Blue and Red teams were then formed for the traditional pancake relay races. Fellowship and fun was had by all attendees!

Photo credit: Boyd A. Loving

Photo by Boyd Loving

Readers Debate Tiger Team Report focus on Village Worker Salaries and Benefits

All the suggestions from the tiger team revolve around reducing employee wages and benefits, dismantling contracts, changing work rules. It’s not the employees fault the village is in the mess that it is, and no mention is made of a multimillion dollar cost over run when rebuilding village hall, nor is there any mention made of the squandering of cost savings from the pension contribution holiday left over from the Whitman years. No mention made of reining in costs of health care legislative help needed of course. Maybe someone can sugar coat what they want to do by calling it something else but it is what it is.

or

You obviously have not read the report. That is not what the group recommended at all. Most of the recommendations had nothing to do with employee benefits or wages.

The recommended contract changes were about simplifying the contracts and correcting certain unrealistic policies that cannot be sustained to bring them more in line with best practices in the private sector. However, starting salaries look like they have increased and the rate of base pay increases are higher than current levels in the first half of most employees’ careers. The big changes seem to be eliminate accumulated sick day pay, which is basically “double dipping” on the same pay and reducing excessive pension obligations to levels that are closer to what they were originally intended to be.

The report doesn’t blame the employees (I think it actually says that). Nor does it seek to punish them. You can blame whomever you want. But, the reality is that the current contract structures are unrealistic and unaffordable. The taxpayers can’t afford to keep paying more and, in private, many employees will admit that they knew this day was coming.

Readers Debate Independence of proposed Financial Oversight Board

The Tiger Team recommended a Financial Oversight Board.  The Council is elected by law. The recommendation in the report that was published on the village website proposed the following process…

“FOB members may include any Ridgewood resident, who is not a member of Village Management or the Village Council. Nominations for the charter FOB members may be submitted by the Village Council, or any interested eligible resident may nominate himself or herself, according to a process defined by the Village Council. After the charter FOB members are approved by the Village Council, all future nominations would be made by the FOB members, with final approval to be made by the Village Council.”

Clearly, the idea is to create a group that is independent from the politics within village management or among Village Council members (which is probably a good idea, given behavior of the Village Council in recent years). It does not appear to be an “appointment”. I suspect that any interested resident could be nominated.

Reader says Many of you seem too willing to throw up your hands and say “it is too difficult to make changes”

Read the report that was posted on the village website at this address to answer your questions:

https://www2.ridgewoodnj.net/main_recent.cfm?ArticleID=1128

Most of what they suggest in the report can be implemented relatively quickly. The section that discusses changes to the contracts is pretty dramatic. Most of it can, in fact, be implemented without changes from Trenton when the current contracts expire. The obvious challenge is getting the union negotiators to agree to dramatic overhauls of contracts that have become the “default” starting points during every negotiation. The issue is usually over how much of an increase the village will agree to, not whether another increase is even appropriate, let alone whether a new structure would be more appropriate.

Many of you seem too willing to throw up your hands and say “it is too difficult to make changes” or “we don’t know what we will get with change”. Of course changing decades of entrenched behavior is difficult. If it was easy, it would have been done a long time ago. But, our backs are against the wall now and we can’t afford to allow the existing behavior and policies to continue. We may not know whether change may bring some new challenges. But, we have a very good idea of what we stand to gain and we know very well what the current policies have brought us…and we cannot tolerate them anymore.

I suspect that many of the comments arguing against change to our municipal management are from municipal employees, who are afraid of the change and may not have a thorough understanding of what the report has recommended. It is hard to imagine that any Ridgewood taxpayer would suggest that we shouldn’t investigate the POSSIBILITY of exploring every recommendation in the report to see what we find out. If a recommendation can’t be implemented for some reason, so be it. But, we can’t be so apathetic that we are willing to accept the admonishments of anonymous naysayers on this blog as reasons not to try.

Reader says get our fiscal house in order before we commit to opening the Village to another 500 households

I am struck by the fact we seem to be sticking our heads in the fiscal sand as we begin a big public debate over opening the town to development. Let’s put first things first and get our fiscal house in order before we commit to opening the Village to another 500 households.

I don’t know if I agree with the entirety of the Tiger Testament, but I sure would like to see some of those issues addressed before we talk about welcoming another 500 households to town. I would like to hear a rationale piecemeal response to the major points raised. I would like to see debate on points worth debating. I would like to see action on points worth taking. Or, I would like to see each of the Council members go on record now as to why they have considered the Tiger Testament, and rejected for the ultimate benefit of Ridgewood.

However, I get the sense from things I have read and heard recently that some on the council believe we will build our way out of financial problems with the new massive developments proposed for downtown. Some folks seem lulled by the promise of money from developers for quick fixes in the downtown area, coupled with the illusion that 500 new families will somehow inject needed cash into our town

From what i see and hear in town, we are gearing up for another massively devisive showdown as committees are formed, litigation plans, citizens unite, etc., to fight over the new development. It makes me think of a homeowner debating how to remodel attic space while neglecting the termites eating away at the house’s foundation.

SANITATION COLLECTION IN SNOW OR ICY CONDITIONS

We are currently experiencing snow and ice weather conditions. During this icy weather, residents are required to bring their garbage cans to the curb for collection.

Village of Ridgewood staff will only pick up garbage and recycling at the curb in snow and ice conditions. Ice condition is when ice is present in driveways and sidewalks.

Sandy relief group raises $1M, skirts N.J. law

A Sandy relief group that has raised $1 million in cash is not a tax-exempt organization, as it claims, nor is it registered in New Jersey to operate as a charity, an Asbury Park Press investigation found.

In addition, the Hurricane Sandy Relief Foundation, run by a Sparta couple, solicits funds on its website using the name of a legally registered charity headed by New Jersey first lady Mary Pat Christie, the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund. State law prohibits such practices, according to the state Division of Consumer Affairs, which regulates charities.

Also, HSRF’s co-founder, John Sandberg, claims to have a degree from Seton Hall University, yet the school’s registrar’s office says he didn’t graduate. Two of the corporate “sponsors” cited on the HSRF website, www.sandyrelief.org, say they aren’t sponsoring the foundation. To maximize the website’s visibility, Sandberg says he registered 120 different Internet domain names related to Sandy relief. Last week, his site ranked No. 1 in a Google search for “Sandy relief fund,” ahead of the American Red Cross, the Robin Hood Foundation, and Mrs. Christie’s charity.

Meanwhile, the foundation has yet to distribute more than $800,000 in cash donations, according to Sandberg.

https://www.app.com/article/20130210/NJNEWS2003/302100015/NJ-charities

Senator Menendez speaking at Ridgewood REORG photo by Boys Loving

Reader Claims Photos of Senator Menendez  Appear to inappropriately Associate Village Council

Readers says ,”Every time I see a picture of Aronsohn or other Village Council members inappropriately associated with a story about the Menendez scandal I wonder whether the Ridgewood Blog can be held liable for a defamation of character suit.

Maybe James should reconsider his fast and loose practices on this Blog, in favor of more responsible behavior???

Are you suggesting that Village Council member knew anything about his alleged violations? If you want to post something about Menendez, that is fine. But, if you are going to show a picture, have the decency to show a picture of Menendez or someone related related to the story, not an unrelated member of Ridgewood’s Village Council.”

Editor’s Note : Perhaps the council should have thought of that before you invited the Senator ?

Tiger Team : Changes to the contracts are exactly what must occur to avoid the out of control budget increases over the next few years

I read the report closely and most of the recommendations do not require any changes to contracts. But, at the end of the day, changes to the contracts are exactly what must occur to avoid the out of control budget increases over the next few years. We obviously cannot continue with the status quo. I looked at the contracts that were posted on line and they specifically say that the terms of the existing contracts do not have bearing on future contracts. So, why not make sensible changes when the contracts are up? At the very least, we need a permanent financial committee to look at these issues every year.

If you don’t agree with the recommendations they came up with in the report, how would you suggest Ridgewood avoid $1-2mm of budget increases each year?

Carlo’s Bakery Opens in Ridgewood !
February 10 , 2013
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, After a couple of false starts , “Cake Boss” star Buddy Valastro opened the much-anticipated Carlo’s Bakery on Wilsey Square in Ridgewood .

As predicted the line stretched all the way down the block, but waiting in the cold and snow after this past weekends huge snow storm for star studded treats prepared by the “Cake Boss”  Buddy Valastro hime self was well worth the wait .

Long lines lasted well until 3pm . The day before Buddy Valastro ‏ assured his fans that ,”I’ve got the whole famiglia workin hard at Carlos Ridgewood today. It’s really comin together. Can’t wait for you all to see it.”

Carlo’s Bakery is located at 12 Wilsey Square ,Ridgewood Nj

Photo from the Ridgewood PD

CERT Volunteer Application

The Ridgewood Office of Emergency Management (OEM) and the Ridgewood Police Department jointly hosted an information session and organizational meeting for residents interested in volunteer opportunities to assist OEM and the Police Department.

If you were unable to attend the meeting, you may complete the form below and submit to jkleiman@ridgewoonj.net or jward@ridgewoodnj.net or questions at 201/670-5500 x380.

https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/2013CERTAPP.pdf