“The fact is Ridgewood was designated by NJT as a major transit hub several years ago and to a large extent that is why so many residents who work on Wall St have chosen to live here. Ridgewood has the reputation as the town that “has it all” great schools, charming neighborhoods, a lively downtown……and an easy commute to the city. When one gets past all the current rhetoric the three amigos are simply executing a plan and a vision for Ridgewood that was put in place long before they arrived on the scene.” Ed S
Q. What is a designated Transit Village?
A. A designated Transit Village is a municipality that has been recommended for designation by the interagency Transit Village Task Force. These municipalities have demonstrated a commitment to revitalizing and redeveloping the area around their transit facilities into compact, mixed-use neighborhoods with a strong residential component.
A municipality can be designated a Transit Village only after much of the planning and background work has already been done on the municipal level. It may only be designated a Transit Village after the Transit Village Criteria have been met.
Q. How many designated Transit Villages are there?
A. There are currently 30 designated Transit Villages. They are Pleasantville (1999), Morristown (1999), Rutherford (1999), South Amboy (1999), South Orange (1999), Riverside (2001), Rahway (2002), Metuchen (2003), Belmar (2003), Bloomfield (2003), Bound Brook (2003), Collingswood (2003), Cranford (2003), Matawan (2003), New Brunswick (2005), Journal Square/Jersey City (2005), Netcong (2005), Elizabeth/Midtown (2007), Burlington City (2007), City of Orange Township (2009), Montclair (2010), Somerville (2010), Linden (2010), West Windsor (2012), East Orange (2012), Dunellen (2012), Summit (2013), Plainfield (2014), Borough of Park Ridge (2015) and Irvington Township (2015).
By Samantha Marcus and Susan K. Livio | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on February 17, 2016 at 8:21 AM, updated February 17, 2016 at 11:10 AM
TRENTON — Here is a look at three key issues from Gov. Chris Christie’s Tuesday budget speech that could have a big impact on New Jersey residents.
1. PENSIONS
The problem: The public pension system is underfunded by about $54 billion, and the state is responsible for about $40 billion of that.
Christie proposes to make a $1.9 billion contribution to government worker pensionsGov. Chris Christie urges the chamber to put aside partisan politics and proposes to contribute $1.86 billion to government worker pensions during the 2017 Budget Address from the Statehouse in Trenton. 02/16/2016 (Courtesy of NJTV)
Since 1996, governors from both parties have contributed less than what actuaries recommended, and the state skipped payments altogether from 2001 to 2004. And while the state was taking a pension holiday, it increased benefits for employees. In 2011, Christie struck a historic pension reform deal with Democrats, in which public workers and employers were required to pay more into the system. Christie slashed payments after two years, however, to balance the budget.
What Christie is proposing: A $1.86 billion contribution in the fiscal year beginning July 1, about $550 million more than the state is expected to contribute this year.
Chances at passing: Very good.
“This budget provides a pension payment that is the largest in our state’s history more than my administration ever before, contrary to the hyperbole from special interest groups,” Christie said.
EMS personnel and Paramedics administering medical aid after passer by tip off ,in Downtown Ridgewood
February 17,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, A passerby called 911 to report an adult male experiencing a life threatening medical emergency in an automobile parked on North Broad Street in Ridgewood on Wednesday morning, 02/17.
Ridgewood PD, FD, and EMS personnel, along with a paramedic unit from The Valley Hospital, were on the scene in rapid succession to begin administering medical aid. The patient was transported to The Valley Hospital by a Ridgewood EMS ambulance.
Ridgewood NJ, after years of subtle move it looks like developers will get there “Transit Hub” in Ridgewood once and for all.Since 2012 the Ridgewood blog was featuring stories on the urban transit hub idea and now with the County Garage on Hudson Street plans can move forward with high density housing and a further transformation of Ridgewood into a small city and commuter access point to New York City. The idea seems to have been in play since the Ridgewood Train Station ,$40 million dollar remodeling job and NJT looked to build a parking garage in Ridgewood .
Residential developers aim for piece of proposed $1B Urban Transit Hub expansion
Governor Christie’s proposed state budget includes a $10 million grant to help launch the new medical school planned by Hackensack University Health Network and Seton Hall University, and contains several other items that affect hospitals, including a major reduction in charity care funding.
The governor pointed with pride to the impact of his 2014 decision to expand Medicaid to include poor, childless adults, through funding from the federal government under the Affordable Care Act. “More of our poor [are] receiving good health care,” he said, “and charity care in our hospitals [is] dramatically reduced.”
The addition of 434,000 people to the Medicaid rolls over the last two years has meant fewer uninsured patients in the state’s hospitals. Calling this a “fundamental shift,” Christie proposed cutting the state’s allocation for charity care, which compensates hospitals for the treatment they provide the uninsured, by $75 million. When federal matching funds are included, that means hospitals will lose $150 million, a reduction of 30 percent from the current level of funding, to $352 million.
At the same time, the budget would increase funding for graduate medical education — the extra costs incurred by hospitals when they train interns and residents — by $61 million. The net effect is an $89 million reduction in aid to hospitals.
Chamber of Commerce/Paul Vagianos begged the council to cooperate with each other and “do this in house”…see video of Council meeting Jan 27th…
Roberta dodging his questions of “will this be open to all Bergen County residents?”— the answer is YES, Roberta
Yes, Paul Aronsohn has been “working with the BCIA for 3 years” on this scheme-WHY? Yes, this will cost more than funding within the Village of Ridgewood Yes, parking meters in CBD will be extended until 9pm and increase to a triple the rate it is now Yes, Ridgewood residents will pay the same as out of town commuters Yes, this garage is for Bergen County, not for the people of Ridgewood who will pay dearly for it
Yes, the 3 amigos are shoving this thru as an end run around our municipal government. It is disgraceful and Ridgewood deserves so much better.
To sign the petition, go to https://www.no2bcia.com to find locations and people to sign with. Thank you!
The petition is to repeal ordinance No 3519, which allows the village to enter into a 25 year lease purchasing agreement with the Bergen County Improvement Authority (BCIA)
Far as I know there are five elected officials. I do not recall seeing Roberta’s name in the voting booth. Her opinion is of no importance to any discussion and I wish she would keep her mouth shut. There are two very obvious misogynists in the bunch – one wears his balding head for all to see and one covers his with a cheap rug. They have no use for women, none. If Roberta were not doing their calling, talking their talk, walking their walk, they would oust her instantly.
Roberta has no business………..NONE WHATSOEVER………..interjecting her opinion into anything. She takes sides and argues with the Council Majority and with residents. No, Sir Rurik, this is not about her being a woman. What a pitiful sidetrack you are trying to get on. Her double-X chromosome is not at issue here. What is at issue is that she is way way too big for her britches, so to speak. She thinks she is an elected official when she absolutely is not.
I am one of the petitioners and I can tell you that many who have signed for me state categorically that they voted YES on the November referendum and are furious at the way the Council Majority is trying to shove this huge garage through by having the county bond it.
No one is happy with the County bonding it. They want a garage, almost everyone wants a garage, but they want a reasonable size and they want Ridgewood to issue the bond. And to answer your snarky suggestion, we are not collecting email addresses. Leave that level of underhandedness to those who use private email lists such as CHURCH GROUP lists to disseminate their campaign information. (yes, you know who you are).
We Mourn the Loss of Gerald F. DeSimone – True Patriot
This is one of the saddest emails we’ve ever had to send. One of our own Patriots has departed G-d’s earth and we are wounded with this great loss.Gerald F. DeSimone, 82, of Wanaque, formerly of Ridgewood, entered into eternal rest on February 10, 2016. Survived by his wife Patricia nee Stankan, his daughters, Erika, Andrea and son in law Bryan Daly.
Editors note: Gerry ran the Ridgewood 4th of July Committee for years, he is probably best known for bringing Buzz Aldrin to a Ridgewood 4th Celebration. Gerry was a personal friend of this blog and instrumental to its founding . Through Gerry I meet Rep. Scott Garrett, yelled at Tom Kean Jr, fell out with Kevin J. O’Toole and had many fun filled adventures in New Jersey politics.
A memorial mass will be celebrated on Saturday February 20th at 10:00 am at the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park.
Gerry was a Korean Veteran. A wonderful husband and family man. He was an unselfish fellow who helped many conservatives in Bergen County with his heart and head. It’s truly a sad day for us all especially for those who had the pleasure of meeting and working with him.
Gerry was instrumental in the formation and growth of NJTPC; he was the creative force in our having the July 4th Float in the Ridgewood Parade – a tradition we have been keeping since the inception. He always had time to support the very basis for good government – small, lean and honest politicians. He did not tolerate fools gladly; his talk was straight and unabashedly true to conservative ideas and ideals. We are so very fortunate to have known him and his influence will remain with NJTPC as it should.
Our sincerest condolences for Pat and his family as well as other friends and associates. He contributed to the NJ Tea Party Coalition as a Board member who knew how important our constitutional liberties are.
Rest in Peace Gerry – you will be in our hearts forever!
Please help the residents of RidgeCrest Senior Housing prepare for disasters and storms by giving them emergency “Grab & Go” bags.
“Grab & Go” bags give senior a sense of empowerment and security knowing that they are prepared in the event of an emergency.
Items needed for the 150 Ridgecrest “Grab and Go” bags include:
Whistles
Rain Ponchos
Light Weight Blankets
Light Weight Flashlights
Travel Size First Aid Kits
Also included in the “Grab & Go” bags will be Personal Medical ID Cards and a bottle of water
Once the items are collected, each bag will be put together and distributed during an emergency safety demonstration for the residents.
This petition is to seek to protest and repeal Ordinance 3519-An Ordinance authorizing the execution and granting of a lease purchase agreement with the Bergen County Improvement Authority relating to issuance of County Guaranteed Lease Revenue Bonds for the Village of Ridgewood parking Deck Project (i.e. Hudson St garage).
You must be a registered voter residing in the Village of Ridgewood to sign the petition.
This has nothing to do with the design or scope of the parking garage-just to stop the funding of it with the BCIA, until Ordinance 3519 can be submitted to the electorate (Village of Ridgewood residents/registered voters) for a vote at next election as a referendum question.
If you have any Questions, please email [email protected]
As of Monday Feb 15, the petitions will be available at following times/locations:
Lorraine Reynolds house, 550 Wyndemere Ave/come to door off John St., Monday, Feb 15th – 1pm-4pm.
Anne Loving, call cell 201-723-8017 to make appt to sign.
Melanie McWilliams – 431 Bogert Ave – Feb 15th-Feb19th (M-F) 9:15-12:15pm, call/text to confirm 201-675-8937
PLEASE CHECK BACK AS TIMES/LOCATIONS WILL BE ADDED.
PLEASE EMAIL [email protected] if you are a registered voter
and can help canvas neighborhoods this week when it’s not so cold out!!!
WE ARE WELL ON OUR WAY RIDGEWOOD!
Please let us know if you want to be part of the petition to say No 2 BCIA,https://goo.gl/forms/KpPtDY2We9
Below are some reasons why people feel we should not have a lease/purchase agreement with the BCIA (Bergen County Improvement Authority):
1. The BCIA will cost us more than what it will cost us to bond through Ridgewood. Yes, the BCIA can get us a better interest rate by 0.03%- to 0.08% compared to what we get from a Ridgewood Issued bond, but that is so small and it eventually costs more to go with BCIA, because of their initiation fees, and annual fees as well as multiple lawyer fees. Here are the final costs -https://mods.ridgewoodnj.net/pdf/manager/hudson/20160129BCIAFin.pdf
2. The BCIA financial comparison from the above link, does not consider the fact that we will now have to charge out-of-town commuters the same price as Ridgewood commuters (a requirement by the BCIA to treat all county residents the same.). Suppose we issue 50 out-of-town commuter passes at $300 less than what we could have charged them, that’s $15,000 more per year for the next 25 years by going through the BCIA. Will non-resident commuters take many of the spaces, leaving few spaces for our own commuters?
3. Once we take money from the BCIA, it will be issued like a loan, not like a Home Equity Line of Credit. We cannot draw the funds when we need them, i.e. as the project goes along. We will have to start paying interest on ALL of the money from day 1, which is May 2016, and the garage will not be complete until Feb 2017. Once the BCIA bond is issued in May 2016, we won’t be able to pre-pay for 10 years. We are locked into the interest for 10 years, even if the design & scope changes to a smaller design and we need less funds.
4. The county will own the garage for next 25 years. They may add more conditions later, for now they have asked us to treat non Ridgewood commuters at the same price.
5.The lease agreement also mentions that the BCIA will build the garage and lease it to us. It’s not clear / not explained to us how much control they will keep during the ‘build’ phase.
6. Overall, all of the benefits explained to us for going through the BCIA route are financial. In the end, with all those benefits, if it still costs more, and if we don’t retain full control of the garage and the process, then why go through the county?
7. We can and should do this with a Ridgewood Issued bond. It is our fiscal and resident responsibility to make sure this bond is issued through Ridgewood and not the County.
I am new to Ridgewood, so here comes a newbie question –
Were previous village managers also as politically active as the current one? i.e. supporting and promoting specific council members and their agenda, and withholding information from other council members? Shouldn’t that be a politically neutral position?
I have wondered why the village manager ,Roberta Sonenfeld has been such a vocal supporter for the council.
In the past is was a low key position, the managers just did their job.
Schoenfield was a member of the self proclaimed “Tiger Team” that worked as a self-important financial advisory committee. Now we have a permanent financial advisory committee that also is active in promoting the council projects. They are intertwined and hardly objective.
Atlantic Stewardship to Sponsor Social Security Seminar
Social Security continues to play a critical role in a retirement strategy. Is yours taking full advantage of what Social Security offers?
Thursday Feb. 18
5:30 – 7:00pm
Atlantic Stewardship Bank
190 Franklin Ave
Ridgewood, NJ
Speaker/Host: Catherine Barbier
Financial Consultant
Learn 7 keys to enhancing Social Security benefits:
Keys to help you understand the basics of Social Security, including when you should start taking benefits.
Keys that take a deeper dive into Social Security, such as working in retirement.
Finally, taking the next step at this insurance sales presentation with the Rethinking Retirement Strategies.
WHAT: “So Amazing,” a one-woman show by Ho-Ho-Kus resident Diana Brown, based on her experiences being recruited into a local church she says was a cult that brainwashed her before she was eventually able to break free.
WHERE: Kraine Theater, 85 E. Fourth St., Manhattan.
WHEN: Tuesday at 7:10 p.m., Feb. 20 at 8:20 p.m., Feb. 24 at 5:30 p.m., Feb. 27 at 3:20 p.m., March 5 at 1:40 p.m.
Actress, playwright and cult survivor Diana Brown has a message for her audience: Watch who your friends are.
The 26-year-old Ho-Ho-Kus resident says her one-woman show, “So Amazing,” is based on her yearlong experience being lured into a cult at age 23, brainwashed and eventually escaping to reclaim her life and reconnect with her family.
For some of us, it might seem impossible to imagine how anyone could take psychological and physical control over our lives against our will. But, she argues, that’s the point. This isn’t something that just happens to runaways or people estranged from their families, neither of which she says she was. This could happen to anybody. Everybody is vulnerable, to greater or lesser extents, she insists. And a cult’s recruiting tactics tend to be pretty universal.
“The first thing that is most prevalent is ‘love bombing’ – when someone wants to be your friend really bad, and everything they say is along the lines of, ‘You’re so nice, you’re so beautiful, you remind me of someone.’ They make you their best friend as fast as they possible can and they make you think they love you more than the people who really love you the most – your friends and your family,” Brown says.
A graduate of Rutgers University (2011), Brown has performed earlier versions of “So Amazing” at TheaterLab in New York City and the International Cultic Studies Association conference at La Fonda on the Plaza in Santa Fe, N.M. She has performed stand-up comedy at Gotham Comedy Club and Eastville Comedy Club.
Brown is careful to straddle the line when talking about fact and fiction. For example, she insists the main character in her self-produced show is not her, but a fictitious character based on her. And the character’s name? The same as hers – Diana.
“It’s not an exact portrayal of my experiences. I don’t mention the name of any cult in this play. What this play says could be said of many cults out there. I don’t want to be pointing a finger at any particular cult. But I think the characters are all relatable in that the way someone gets recruited into a cult is pretty cookie-cutter and repeated throughout the world. I have met many cult survivors who have told me the exact same things. Who knew that me, a regular girl living in New Jersey, could have so much in common with a girl in California? This is how cults recruit. This is how people get brainwashed.”
As heavy as some of the material may sound, Brown, who plays various other characters besides the one who is based on herself, says the piece is a comedy. She said her purpose here is to entertain — not just report. It is not a portrayal of the particular church of which she was a member, the World Mission Society Church of God in Ridgewood. The church is an offshoot of the South Korean World Mission Society Church of God, with more than 2 million followers worldwide.
Over the past seven years, the church has quietly gone about its business as its local membership expanded tenfold, and it opened what it called numerous affiliated churches along the East Coast. It was praised by political leaders for public service that included cleanup efforts after Superstorm Sandy.
But some former members have said publicly that the church has a largely hidden dangerous side, recruiting young people at malls and on college campuses and showering them with affection before eventually encouraging them to cut ties to family members who are critical of their new beliefs.
Two former members have alleged in lawsuits — one was dismissed and one is pending — that they gave substantial amounts of their money to the church after it drew them in without initially revealing its true theology. They alleged that they were pressured to spend most of their free time at the church and were kept so busy they did not get enough sleep, which made them more susceptible to the teachings.
Readers not happy with council response to unacceptable attacks of residents :
Seriously, someone argues it is ok to knock a camera out of a person’s hands? Yes, no one should shove a camera in someone else’s face. But that is not what happened here. (And if it did, someone should have called the Police earlier.) Condoning and urging violence between Villagers cannot be viewed simply as the ravings of a self-styled curmudgeon. It is what we would expect to hear from a fascist who seeks to undermine democracy. Sadly, the comment personifies the mire into which we have been led by members of our Council.
This just in from Big Al – clearly he is running on defense. We know that Albert hates Dana, we heard him threaten Dana a few weeks ago, then we saw him join in a middle-school-boys’ bashing of Dana in cahoots with Aronsohn and Bob Fuhrman. Albert may claim that he does not want to outlaw taping, but he sure as hell does What he hates more than anything is that all of his nasty, inappropriate outbursts have been caught on tape by the Village cameras (and by other peoples cameras) and replayed over and over and over. It makes it impossible for him to escape the truth about himself, that his temper is unmanageable and flares up often and publicly. So read what Albert is saying here:
·If the reference in this article to an ordinance “introduced” at the January 27 Village Council meeting is referring to a draft ordinance that I circulated for comment, that ordinance does not purport to prohibit or restrict video or audio recording at Council meetings. It would require that participants at meetings that are not otherwise being recorded, such as a meeting of the Arts Council, be informed that the meeting is being recorded.
Albert Pucciarell
Reader says Delzio was standing with his foot inside the legs of Dana’s tripod. He had his face in Dana’s face. He was twisting his neck and putting his face in front of the camera lens. Dana was silently standing there with his camera, as he is entitled to do by law. He did not rise to the provocation of this aggressor at all. The only thing he did was take out his cell phone AFTER Delizio started cell-phone-taping HIM. Delzio was 100% aggressor and Dana was 100% passive, quiet, and orderly. You did not see what happened, and your wife sure as heck did not because her eyes were glued onto Jim Griffiths’ event. So your commentary is less than meaningless. You constantly criticize the blog, but you are posting based on the skewed report that your friend Gwenn gave you – and remember, GWENN STATED THAT SHE DID NOT SEE ANYTHING and that NO ONE SAW ANYTHING. Consider your source. Have some warm milk and go to bed.
