Ridgewood NJ, Rica plead guilty stealing 500k. The Village insurance claim was for 850k. That left a balance of 350k, which someone kept (many suspect Rica had help ).
In the real world, guilty or not, Chris Rutishauser would have been fired. 850k was stolen under his watch. He had to have known, he should have noticed a decline in meter revenue or deposits? He ran, and continues to run a questionable department with no accountability.
The attached Rica Report was submitted by the Village to the Board of Fund Commissioners, Municipal Excess Liability Joint Insurance Fund. It outlines the total amount of quarters stolen and what needs to be done for this to never happen again.
OUR VILLAGE, THE ENGINEER, NEVER IMPLEMENTED ANY OF IT! All recommended safety measures have been met with strong opposition from Mr. Rutishauser and his organization(s). Why doesn’t the Village Manager and Council take action over this matter?
Note the closing statement. It says, the Village needs to have a process for reporting the collections and reconciling those reports to funds deposited/recorded. Security and technological advancement is also needed.
What gives the Village Engineer the authority to decide against practical safeguards, policies and procedures that protect public funds and his department from theft and fraud?
Every one of the above posts gives a clear example of what Ridgewood is really all about. “Redistribution ” “scourge ” “housing projects”.
You people are just so completely self centered its borderline appalling.
You worked so hard did you? At the big bank in NYC where they taught you how to “Wells Fargo ” all your clients? Right 11:18?
You think your biggest problem is your perceived arrival of George Jefferson and the subsequent demise of steppford wood. Your wrong. Remember you just vote Big Murph to be our next Gov and he’s going to have his foot so far up your Ridgewood Counntry Club ass your heads going to spin. Shocked ? Yea, I bet you are…..
I doubt the Village ever revealed how much cash was actually collected from parking meters. Just as they never publicly stated how much money was being diverted from water company revenues to the Village’s general fund. That’s why cash continues to be king in business – you can easily lie to anyone about how much you took in.
Remember 2-5 years and the current Valley location will be a good number of affordable housing units
The same folks who vote for leaders who support these ideas seem to be shocked when it hits home
The new governor and team are all for this with Bergen County and towns like RW in the cross hairs
Valley will be missed and those who voted for all of this will seem shocked
Personally, I think that the Village was okay with no jail time for Tommy Boy because if they weren’t, he would have made embarrassing statements in court that would have exposed how easy it was for him to steal the money. Also, he would have revealed who else either stole in the past, or was currently stealing. It would have been very bad press for the Village. And the Village knew they were being covered by insurance, so it wasn’t their problem to collect from Tommy anyway. It’s now the insurance company’s problem. I wonder how long it will be before the insurance company puts a lien to Tommy’s house, or just takes the house?
Overdevelopment is the most pressing issue facing those of us who own homes in Ridgewood. The “affordable housing” scheme is socialism, pure and simple, as it is designed to redistribute wealth from those who worked hard and saved.
Ridgewood has done nothing to fight this scourge. Sadly, our last Mayor and his cronies fostered overdevelopment. But we can no longer blame the former regime, as the cronies have lost their clout. Besides, we can’t deny Ridgewood’s development shills openly touted the view of a Ridgewood re-modeled in the mold of a communist 1950’s Eastern European city. And that is what Ridgewood and the rest of New Jersey will slowly devolve into if this forced redistribution of property is not brought to a halt, now.
It is not clear what our current council is doing as our property values delcine and our taxes rise. The housing projects now underway in Ridgewood will weigh us down like anchors made of disgarded heaps of socialist concrete housing blocks. And what if we really do need thousands of more units to satisfy the courts’ hunger for buildings to re-order our society? This Council needs to take action. We need somthing more than debates over the number of construction trucks that will be allowed to speed through our Village streets each day (a move akin to re-arranging deck chairs on the Titanic.)
Positive action is possible. Among other things, our council should be acting in tandem with other towns to stop this overdevelopment nonsense. The overdevelopment crisis should be an agenda item at every council meeting. It is that serious.
We need a vision to move forward. Council elections are not that far off in the future, and we need to consider whether those running are ready to provide such vision, or if they too will stand still in the myopic self-delusion that seems to grip so many
Ridgewood NJ, Months after Thomas Rica (while employed by the Village of Ridgewood his supervisor was Village Engineer Christopher Rutishauser) plead guilty to stealing almost 1/2 million dollars in coins from the Village of Ridgewood over a two (2) year period, employees of the Village’s Signal Division (under the leadership of the same Christoper Rutishauser) were observed collecting coins from parking meters in empty, unsecured pickle buckets.
When asked during an open public meeting of the Village Council why no state of the art security measures had been added to the coin collection & storage processes, particularly in light of Mr. Rica’s actions, Village CFO Robert G. Rooney said that such security measures would be “too expensive.” Furthermore, all attempts made in recent years by Village Council members to replace coin operated parking meters with multi-payment method kiosks have been met with strong opposition from Mr. Rutishauser and his organization(s).
Now, is it just me, or doesn’t this all strike you as a bit odd?
1) Almost 1/2 million in coins goes missing because of an “inside job,” but it’s too expensive to install state of the art security measures? WTF? Are you for real Mr. Rooney? Frankly, I’m surprised the Village’s insurance company didn’t mandate stronger security measures after paying out over 3/4 million dollars to settle the claim. Absolutely unbelievable. And if that isn’t a joke in and of itself,
2) The leader of the department responsible for collecting cash from parking meters and placing it in storage strongly opposes any attempts on the part of elected officials to cut the number of meters and introduce kiosks that accept alternate forms of payment (credit and debit cards)? Hmm. Makes you wonder, doesn’t it? Is someone trying to prevent the end of a gravy train?
We wonder who else knew about this. Some say he had help you never know right. But really can you imagine how much money must’ve been stolen throughout past 40 years before this incident. Do you think he’s the first person, we doubt it very much. Back in the day when all the books used to be pencil and paper no computers maybe one or two people controlling all the funds coming in and going , It would not shock me in one second . In the end accountant has the full power see a file to invest not invest please. Maybe in the end the village deserved it. Can you imagine what he knows all the dirt skeletons yeah. And boy oh boy there’s a lot of it ‘ especially back in the day when the Ridgewood counsel controlled all the newspapers in town the local press the real estate market in So on , Just like the Nazis did in Germany same shit, just a different continent, and you know it’s sick they know it to
Wouldn’t it be nice to only pay for what you’re going to use? Senior Centers only paid for by seniors. Graydon Pool funded by the little tikes brave enough to swim there. The town could issue a pass for those willing to fund road repairs! ‘Sorry sir, it appears you did not contribute to the pothole repair on Linwood Ave last summer. You’ll need to go around…’ These shared communal expenses are such a nuisance. Why should I have to pay to fund the Fire Department with their big, fancy, red and extremely expensive trucks if my house isn’t the one burning to the ground? Perhaps they could bill the careless culprit after the flames are out and the embers cool off? The idea to create an environment that attracts residence from varying age, interests and yes even income (hard to believe that we’re not all rich), is so passé. So what if the families with kids thinned out and moved to other, more affordable communities and therefore changed the trajectory of the future of Ridgewood? Does it matter if the High School kids who scoop ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s or make espresso at Ridgewood Coffee Company are no longer filling those jobs? Maybe some of those senior citizens will be looking for some extra tip money to fund the Senior Center!I think we may be on to something!
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Water has offered an update on the Water Main Replacements at Stream Crossings. Ridgewood Water announced in July it was going to upgrade water mains at four stream crossings. Water mains were to be replaced at four stream crossing :
Linwood Ave. at the Saddle River
North Irving St. at the HoHoKus Brook
East Ridgewood Ave. at the HoHokus Brook
Spring Ave. at the Hohokus Brook
Construction activities have been completed at the East Ridgewood Avenue stream crossing and nearly completed at the North Irving Avenue stream crossing. Final testing and tie-ins will be completed this week at North Irving Street.
In the meantime, Devens Construction will mobilizing to the third stream crossing, Spring Avenue on or about Tuesday, November 14th. Construction activities will include setting up temporary fencing for pedestrian traffic and moving equipment and materials on site, followed by sheet piling of the stream bed and construction of the new water main. We anticipate approximately six (6) weeks for completion of the Spring Avenue stream crossing barring any unforeseen conditions.
Devens Construction will be coordinating with the Ridgewood police who will be directing traffic around work areas on an as-needed basis. Expected work hours will be Monday through Friday, 7am – 5:30pm, weather permitting and possible Saturday workday.
Ridgewood NJ, Thanksgiving is a time of family and food and NJ TRANSIT is offering additional trains and buses this Thanksgiving and to make it even easier for customers to unite with family and friends, travel to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, or get started on holiday shopping at various malls throughout the state. Plus, feel free to bring your holiday helpers as kids ride free* the entire long weekend!
NJ TRANSIT will once again offer “early getaway” rail and bus service on Wednesday, November 22, for the benefit of customers leaving work early, and to provide additional capacity for customers traveling to Newark Liberty International Airport. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is typically the busiest day of the year at Newark Airport’s rail station, with ridership levels about twice that of a typical weekday. Customers are urged to purchase their tickets early – round trip preferably – to avoid lines or download NJ TRANSIT’s mobile app available free at the App Store and Google Play.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, NJ TRANSIT will add extra trains and buses to the schedule in the morning and midday hours to accommodate customers traveling to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Then on Friday, November 24, traditionally the busiest shopping day of the year, enhanced bus service will be offered to shopping centers throughout New Jersey and additional trains will operate to and from New York.
NJ TRANSIT customer service representatives and volunteers will be deployed at major facilities throughout the holiday weekend to assist customers with their travels.
For complete schedule and fare information, customers may visit njtransit.com or call 973-275-5555.
On Wednesday, November 22, trains will operate on a weekday schedule on all lines with additional “early getaway” service from New York Penn Station, Newark Penn Station and Hoboken Terminal starting at 1 p.m. on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Morris & Essex, Pascack Valley and Port Jervis lines. Newark Light Rail, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail and River Line Light Rail service will operate on a weekday schedule. Bus schedules vary by route—customers are advised to check their timetables or visit njtransit.com for schedule information. Selected routes will operate on special holiday schedules to match service with ridership demand, including early getaway service from the Port Authority Bus Terminal and on the No. 64 and 68 bus routes from the Hudson River waterfront between noon and 4:30 p.m. to accommodate the heaviest travel, with less frequent service during the traditional rush hour and later in the evening due to lower ridership. Special holiday timetables are available on njtransit.com.
On Thanksgiving Day, November 23, trains will operate on a weekend/major holiday schedule. To accommodate customers traveling to and from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, NJ TRANSIT will add extra trains on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast, Raritan Valley, Morris & Essex and Port Jervis lines. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule; Newark Light Rail and River Line will operate on a Sunday schedule. Holiday bus schedules vary by route—bus customers are advised to visit njtransit.com. Selected bus routes will operate extra service to and from the Port Authority Bus Terminal for customers attending the parade.
Note: Thanksgiving shoppers: Service on the No. 111 bus route from New York to the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth will begin operating at 8:15 a.m. Thanksgiving morning, November 23. The No. 40 will operate on a special holiday schedule serving Jersey Gardens all night long. Service on the No. 163, 171, 175 & 770 bus routes to Garden State Plaza in Paramus will operate on a Saturday schedule to serve the mall all day.
On Friday, November 24, one of the busiest shopping days of the year, trains will operate on a modified weekday schedule on all rail lines with additional New York-bound trains between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. on the Northeast Corridor, North Jersey Coast and Morris & Essex lines. Customers are encouraged to travel early, if possible, when ridership is light. There will be adjustments to morning peak period service on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Lines, with select trains either not operating or combined with other trains due to expected light ridership. Customers should visit the printable schedule page at njtransit.com or use the “Station-to-Station Trip Planner” for Friday’s rail schedules. Hudson-Bergen Light Rail will operate on a weekend schedule. Newark Light Rail will operate on a Saturday schedule. River Line will operate on a weekday schedule. Holiday bus schedules vary by route—customers are advised to visit njtransit.com.
Extra bus service to New Jersey malls
Starting Friday, November 24 and continuing through December 26, NJ TRANSIT will offer additional bus service to major New Jersey shopping destinations to accommodate extended store hours and busy shopping times throughout the day. Throughout the holiday shopping season, extra trips or expanded service will be offered on several bus routes serving malls and shopping centers throughout the state, including Garden State Plaza, Jersey Gardens, Livingston Mall, Harmon Meadow/Mill Creek in Secaucus, Willowbrook Mall, Wayne Towne Center Mall and West Belt Mall.
*Kids ride free on NJT
For the Thanksgiving holiday, NJ TRANSIT’s Family Super Saver Fare, which allows up to two children 11 and younger to travel free with each fare-paying adult, will be in effect from 7 p.m. Wednesday, November 22 until 6 a.m. Monday, November 27.
NJT Travel Tips :
Check Schedules in Advance: Additional service will be provided on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Plan your trip online to take advantage of extra trains and buses.
Travel Early on Friday, November 24: On Friday, NJ TRANSIT rail lines will operate on a modified weekday schedule with additional trains during the late morning hours. Avoid the crowds by traveling during the traditional peak-period (6-9 a.m.) when ridership is light.
Allow Extra Travel Time: Traffic congestion during the holidays may affect bus travel times to and from New York City, so customers should plan accordingly.
Ticketing: Purchase round-trip tickets at the start of your trip to speed your return. Use ticket vending machines or see a ticket agent, if available, to avoid possible surcharges. Bus customers departing Port Authority Bus Terminal are reminded that tickets must be purchased before boarding the bus.
Luggage: Travel as light as possible. Passengers with luggage or packages should use the overhead racks or designated luggage spaces. On multilevel trains, customers with large bags should use the mezzanine levels at the ends of each car.
Bus Gate Changes: Some gate changes have been made at Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. Customers are reminded to check the public timetable for new departure gate information.
Ridgewood NJ, ‘Tis the season to Shop Small®! On main streets across America, small businesses are getting ready to welcome customers on Small Business Saturday, celebrated this year on November 25th. Results from the 2017 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, released today by the National Federation of Independent Businesses (NFIB) and American Express, show six in ten (61%) U.S. consumers are aware of Small Business Saturday going into the day, and of those, 82% plan to shop at a small, independently-owned retailer or dine at a small, independently-owned restaurant on the day.
Created by American Express in 2010 as a way to help small businesses get more customers, Small Business Saturday is held annually on the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Now entering its eighth year, the day is embraced by independent merchants of all kinds—from traditional brick and mortar retailers to service providers to e-commerce businesses. And as consumer shopping habits continue to evolve, they are prioritizing small businesses – even those online: the report found that 59% of consumers said they are likely to seek out a small, independently-owned retailer when shopping online on Small Business Saturday.
“Small Business Saturday provides people an opportunity to discover and celebrate the variety of small businesses that make their communities thrive,” said Elizabeth Rutledge, Executive Vice President, Global Advertising & Brand Management at American Express. “Beyond visiting their favorite go-to spots, shoppers say Small Business Saturday inspires them to visit places they have not been to before and would not have otherwise tried.”
Consumers Will Make Small Businesses a Big Part of Holiday Shopping Plans
Among those who are aware and who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday this year, 65% say the main reason they will support local, independently-owned retailers and restaurants is because they value the contributions small businesses make to their community.
The 2017 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey found:
As much as 80% of all consumers surveyed say at least some of their holiday shopping will be done at small, independently-owned retailers or restaurants;
Three-quarters (75%) of all consumers surveyed are planning on going to one or more small businesses as part of their holiday shopping;
90% of all consumers surveyed agree it is important for them to support small, independently-owned restaurants and bars;
Of consumers who are aware of Small Business Saturday, 89% agree that the day encourages them to Shop Small all year long, not just during the holiday season;
For those who are aware and who plan to shop on Small Business Saturday, 44% plan to spend more this year compared to last year.
Nine-in-Ten U.S. Consumers (90%) Say Small Business Saturday® Has Had a Positive Impact on Their Community.
90% of consumers aware of the day say Small Business Saturday inspires them to explore new independently-owned retailers and restaurants.
“Supporting small businesses is critical to the health and livelihood of our national economy and local communities,” said NFIB CEO and President Juanita Duggan. “We are proud to partner with American Express to bring attention to the importance of small business and look forward to another successful Small Business Saturday.”
Ridgewood NJ, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) is reminding the millions of Americans who will travel over the Thanksgiving holiday to plan ahead for a non-drinking driver to get them safely to their destination.
From 2012 to 2016, drunk driving crashes killed more than 800 people over the long Thanksgiving weekend, making it the deadliest holiday on our roads (6 p.m. Wednesday to 5:59 a.m. Monday).
“Thanksgiving is a time for families and tradition, and each of us can do our part to prevent the 100 percent preventable tragedies caused by drunk driving,” said MADD National President Colleen Sheehey-Church, whose 18-year-old son Dustin was killed in a teen drunk and drugged driving crash. “Please take advantage of the many options for getting home safely — a designated, non-drinking driver, rideshare, taxi or public transportation.”
In addition to MADD’s Tie One On… for Safety® red ribbon holiday campaign, MADD joins the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in urging everyone to “Make It to the Table: Don’t Drink and Drive this Thanksgiving Eve.” On Nov. 22, the day before Thanksgiving, MADD will blitz its social media channels with reminders to plan ahead by designating a non-drinking driver, using public transportation, rideshare or taxi if plans include alcohol.
MADD encourages everyone to spread the word on Nov. 22 and throughout the holiday season by using MADD’s holiday hashtag #HomeForHolidays, along with #buzzeddriving and #designateddriver.
“Thanksgiving Eve is just the beginning of the busy holiday season, and MADD will be out in full support of law enforcement’s efforts to protect our roads through New Year’s Day,” said Sheehey-Church. “Our wish is for everyone to make it home for the holidays.”
InfoClick Here for the Schedler Park and House Grant Timeline – as reported by the Village Manager at the September 16, 2015 Village Council Public Meeting. Wednesday, August 12th the Village Council discussed the use of the Schedler property.
They voted on the following resolutions:
Click Here for Schedler Property Resolution including House Click Here for Resolution to apply for Schedler House Grant
Reader Issues a Warning from Habernickel Family Park ……Or they can call it passive and put all kinds of parks and rec sports on it while travel sports are going on at the same time all the while a business is cashing in on our tax dollars with up to 25 cars dropping off and then again an hour later picking up clients and this goes on for hours in a PARK that is also used for baseball , soccer and lacrosse; there is NO passive in Ridgewood. With all this happening at once the neighborhood streets already in terrible shape are more dangerous then ever and at time impassable by pushing parking onto the street because guess what, we gave away 12 spots in the parking lot to a private business. Or they could always keep the schedler Home and restore it then rent it out for way below market value, use tax payers money to put in lights, cameras, walkways and provide all kinds of services for a private business to flourish in a neighborhood. So be weary of any decision on the table…our voices do not matter!!!!
Ridgewood’s former public works inspector who stole nearly half a million dollars in loose parking meter quarters from the village was seen on Thursday working in the Village. Yes Thomas Rica working at a job site on Valley View Avenue in Ridgewood, on Thursday afternoon, (11/16/2017).
For those who do not remember Rica said he stole $460,000 and received no jail time, according to a plea deal he reached with the county prosecutor’s office. A judge later upheld the agreement for five years’ probation, which disappointed local officials and taxpayers . Rica was forced to pay back at least half of the money .
Auditors later found that nearly $850,000 was in fact stolen from the now-infamous coin room where collected parking meter quarters were stored. Reader pointed out at the time that the “coin boy” stole the equivalent of 50 lbs of quarters a day from Village hall. This fact made it hard to believe that he acted alone ,but not coconspirators ever came to light.
It appears as though Rica drove the dump truck pictured here and was observed operating the mini-excavator. The equipment is owned by Della Rica & Sons, Inc. of Glen Rock, a company we believe is owned by Thomas’s brother Randy. So although there were rumors that Thomas got a job as a pipeline inspector, it appears as though he’s working locally for his brother.
Police were on the scene because of the open trench and work taking place in the roadway was being done without the proper notification to the police department (generally the contractor is billed for a police officer to guard the excavation on an overtime basis , we guess Randy somehow didn’t know that?).
