Category: village of ridgewood

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Millions facing higher premium rates for flood insurance

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file photo by Boyd Loving

APRIL 12, 2015, 11:51 AM    LAST UPDATED: SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2015, 11:56 AM
BY FRANK ELTMAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINEOLA, N.Y.  — A $24 billion sea of red ink has millions of Americans in vulnerable flood zones, including homeowners still struggling to recover from Superstorm Sandy, facing steep increases in flood insurance premiums.

New legislation that went into effect this month — the second time in two years Congress has tweaked the troubled National Flood Insurance Program — allows rate increases of up to 18 percent.

“This appears to be death by a thousand cuts,'” said Scott Primiano, an Amityville, New York, insurance broker who has been holding seminars for clients to explain the new legislation. “The concept sounds good, but no one can say what the full risk is. … They are going to take it in bits and pieces every year and it keeps going until Congress determines we’ve had enough.”

Federal Emergency Management Agency spokesman Rafael Lemaitre said the flood insurance program has for decades been paying out more than it took in, with the United States as a whole totaling more than $260 billion in flood-related damages between 1980 and 2013. He said the new legislation is “intended to improve the long-term sustainability of the program while being sensitive to needs of policyholders.”

Lemaitre noted that a previous overhaul in 2012 had socked many policyholders with even higher rate hikes — as much as 25 percent annually.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/millions-facing-higher-premium-rates-for-flood-insurance-1.1307515

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Meet the Manager – Thursday, April 23 4:30pm to 7:30pm

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Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Thursday, April 23 between the hours of 4:30pm to 7:30pm. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Garden Room – on the First Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis

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Authorities Tranquilize Black Bear Roaming Around Ridgewood, NJ

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photo courtesy of the Ridgewood Police Department

April 11, 2015 11:25 PM

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. (CBSNewYork) – A black bear reportedly roaming around Ridgewood, New Jersey, was tranquilized by authorities Saturday.

According to posts on the Ridgewood Police Department’s social media accounts, the 175-pound bear was roaming the community earlier but was removed by the New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Ridgewood police tell WCBS 880 a call came in at about 8:10 a.m. about a bear in the area heading into town.

https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2015/04/11/authorities-tranquilize-black-bear-roaming-around-ridgewood-nj/

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Reader says All the rhetoric about wanting to hire the best available employee is B.S.

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Village Clerk, when acting VM, violated ordinance and was called out on it by resident. Same resident had applied for a Village position. Resident denied position in violation of residency requirement ordinance by same Village Clerk while Acting Manager. New Vm (R.S.) learns of violation in May, 2014 and decides to amend ordinance to support her Village Clerk. Councilwoman Knudsen got to close to discovering the truth and the V.M. and 3 amigos decided to sic their attack dog(labor attorney) on her. All the rhetoric about wanting to hire the best available employee is B.S.

That’s either a crass indictment, or a rare glimpse of truth and municipal reality that the public was not supposed to be afforded. One can’t necessarily decide between the two possibilities without more information or an alternative source, but you may be assured that at least one inquiring mind wants to know which is real, and which IS an illusion!

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Reader says Councilwoman Knudsen actions are an attempt to get to the bottom of this sordid affair

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Councilwoman Knudsen, if she really sits and thinks about it, will realize that she has the municipal equivalent of Legislative Privilege to shield her from negative repercussions from the actions she took in an attempt to get to the bottom of this sordid affair, and the public statements she made in attempting to articulate her impressions of the apparent suspicious misfeasance and unaccountable nonfeasance of many of those with whom she shares the local governmental stage. We should all pray for her that she not buckle or crumple under the combined weight of all the unfair attacks lodged against her in response to her probing questions (and they really do seem to be rolling out the big guns). If Ms. Knudsen backs off now the precedent will have been set and this set of circumstances will be repeated as necessary and ad nauseum until legitimate political opposition by the minority becomes a lost art in Ridgewood. On the other hand, if instead she stands her ground (as she absolutely should, since she has done absolutely nothing wrong, and so much that is so sweetly right) and manages to carry her point to its logical conclusion, we will be blessed with a shining, Patton-like example of courage which we can then use as a touchstone during future disputes with the sulphurous political element that has unfortunately surfaced in Ridgewood (and those disputes will come…).

BTW, there is no way a contracted labor attorney can go toe-to-toe with an elected member of the Village Council, regardless of the pure truth of the matter, when there the criticisms made against the former party has such a clear basis in publicly-confirmable fact.

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College coach from Ridgewood charged with dozens of sexual offenses involving players

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by Paul Milo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
on April 09, 2015 at 10:24 PM, updated April 10, 2015 at 12:24 AM

A women’s college softball coach who lives in Ridgewood was charged Thursday with more than 90 counts of improper sexual contact and behavior, The Journal News of New York reported.

Kurt Ludwigsen, 43, worked as a coach at Nyack College between September and last month, when he was fired after the administration of the Christian school began to receive complaints from parents. Ludwigsen, also known as Kurt Vogner, is accused of behavior including harassment, kissing and unwanted sexual touching involving the 13 players he coached.

Ludwigsen has been charged with 44 misdemeanor counts of forcible touching, 49 misdemeanor counts of second-degree harassment, and one misdemeanor count of third-degree sexual abuse.

He was being held on $15,000 cash bail in the Rockland County jail.

https://www.nj.com/bergen/index.ssf/2015/04/college_coach_from_ridgewood_charged_with_dozens_o.html

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Reader says Village Council Meeting a disgrace

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The meeting was a disgrace. Go to villageofridgewood and follow them on ustream (upper right corner) there are 2 parts to the meeting. Click on the one that shows the black screen and not a person. Go to 15:25-that’s basically when the bashing of councilwoman Knudsen starts. It is beyond my comprehension that she asked for some information to help her understand an ordinance they were voting on. Knudsen still has not received all the information she asked for, And the mayor gets the labor attorney to come to the council meeting to blast Knudsen and threaten her under the guise of “she’s here to explain things”.
If the labor attorney wanted to explain things, she could have picked up the phone weeks ago to speak with Knudsen and not left her in the dark about things since Knudsen’s request of March 11th.
They should all be ashamed of themselves, but of course this is typical of Aronsohn, Pucciarelli and Hauck. The village manager is a hot head. She can barely control herself. You can tell when she gets angry. She can’t stop fidgeting. Scratching her head constantly, bouncing in her chair, turning red, fanning herself etc. Shame on Matt Rogers for allowing the bashing to continue. I thought his job is to represent the council. He certainly did not represent councilwoman Knudsen last night.

Village of Ridgewood Public Access (180:00)
Village of Ridgewood Public Access
Wednesday at 4:57pm
50 views
https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60890176

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Ridgewood eases residency requirement

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APRIL 10, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD – The Village Council, after hours of debate that included allegations of harassment, has voted to eliminate a residency requirement for most civilian hires.

The 3-2 vote at the Wednesday council meeting ended weeks of often contentious discussion on the change and opened up all municipal positions not affiliated with the police and fire departments to applicants statewide.

Councilwoman Susan Knudsen and Councilman Mike Sedon cast the two dissenting votes, arguing that village openings should be filled with qualified village residents.

“I have faith in our residents,” Sedon explained. “Getting rid of this [residency requirement] is a disservice to the town.”

Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck all insisted that the village would benefit most from hiring the best possible candidates for each position, regardless of their address.

https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=73630&action=edit

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Ridgewood faces tax increase under ‘recommended’ budget

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April 9, 2015    Last updated: Thursday, April 9, 2015, 4:02 PM
By Darius Amos
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News

Emphasizing an investment in personnel and the revitalization of village services, Ridgewood finance officials this week unveiled a “recommended” spending plan that would boost 2015 municipal taxes by 1.2 percent over last year.

For the typical Ridgewood household, this budget would increase tax bills by $46.72, based on the average assessed home value of $690,662.

The proposed $47.06 million budget was one of three spending scenarios presented by Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld during a special public meeting on Monday.

Each plan calls for a tax increase, a situation that the municipality avoided while crafting budgets during the previous two years.

Sonenfeld explained that keeping taxes flat while maintaining a high level of municipal services “is hard,” particularly during years when Ridgewood is obligated to pick up certain expenses, such as increases related to police and fire department contracts. This year was no exception, she said, noting that the police department budget will increase by more than $500,000 over last year’s actual amount spent.

“We took the message that the council gave us very seriously – with tax increases you would like to see service improvements and improvements in quality of life in the town. I think we all agree with that,” said Sonenfeld, who, along with treasurer Steve Sanzari, formulated the recommended budget using previously provided input from Ridgewood’s department leaders.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/recommended-plan-would-boost-tax-bills-by-46-1.1306062

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Dom, ” I have lost all confidence our Councilmen (for now) on the public behavior of these matters”

DomNizza005_theridgewoodblog

4-8-2015 Public meeting.

This my personal opinion on last nights public meeting.

1. A delay of almost 50 minutes before beginning the scheduled agenda to hear a “personal grievance”statement  by the employee labor attorney for the Village.
2. It was not on the agenda and a matter that should have first been discussed in a closed meeting.
3. Sadly, the Mayor permitted the “employee” to make her statement at the public Village meeting hoping to “clear the air” and be helpful. “which was a BIG mistake.
4. I have lost all confidence our Councilmen (for now) on the public behavior of these matters.

I have been a residence in Ridgewood since 1948 and have seen “many meetings” —  that one was the worse..

Respectfully,        Dominick Nizza ,Robert Street. Ridgewood

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Judge: Ridgewood doctor accused of stockpiling bomb-making materials can represent himself

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APRIL 8, 2015, 1:57 PM    LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015, 5:19 PM

BY KIBRET MARKOS
STAFF WRITER |
ASSOCIATED PRESS

A Ridgewood doctor accused of stockpiling bomb-making materials and weapons at his home can represent himself in his upcoming trial, a judge in Hackensack ruled Wednesday.

Judge Edward Jerejian granted Roberto Rivera’s request to be his own lawyer, after a lengthy line of questioning to make sure that he understood the charges against him and that he was knowingly waiving his constitutional right to have an attorney.

Rivera, who has been represented by the Bergen County Public Defender’s Office since his arrest in 2012, had stated from the outset that he wanted to be his own attorney and has maintained his position despite being advised to get legal representation, said Ian Silvera, who has been Rivera’s attorney.

“I still take the position that it’s bad idea for a client in any criminal matter to represent themselves,” Silvera said at a hearing Wednesday.

Police said they went to Rivera’s home in November 2012 on a hazardous-material report and found large amounts of nitric acid, hydrogen peroxide, glycerin, sulfuric acid and other chemicals used for making explosives. They said they also found bomb detonators, two assault rifles, a .40 caliber handgun and a large-capacity magazine. Authorities did not say why Rivera was stockpiling the materials or whether he had any plans to use them.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/judge-ridgewood-doctor-accused-of-stockpiling-bomb-making-materials-can-represent-himself-1.1304765

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Here’s the Top Concern for Many Municipal Bond Market Analysts

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By Bill Lucia
April 7, 2015

Public pensions are one of the top issues confronting the municipal bond market, according to the vast majority of credit analysts responding to a survey released on Monday.

The survey asked 162 municipal bond credit analysts to name the five most important issues or trends currently facing the market. Of the respondents, 86 percent included matters related to pensions, such as funding levels and pension obligation bonds, on their top five list.

The second most-noted topic was Puerto Rico, which 50 percent of the analysts included as one of their top five issues or trends. The island commonwealth is currently mired in a debt crisis.

Tom Kozlik, a sell-side municipal credit analyst at the Philadelphia-based financial services firm Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC, conducted the survey.

While he emphasized that he was not speaking for all of the respondents, Kozlik said that, for him, public pensions are a key source of concern.

https://www.govexec.com/state-local/2015/04/public-pensions-municipal-bond-market/109510/?oref=state_and_local_nl

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Village Council and Village Board Meetings

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file photo by Boyd Loving

04/07/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court RoomAvailable
04/08/158:00PMVillage Council Public MeetingAvailable
04/14/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting
04/21/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court Room
04/22/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
04/28/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Work Session
05/05/157:30PMPlanning Board Public Meeting – Village Hall Court Room
05/06/157:30PMVillage Council Public Work Session
05/12/157:30PMBoard of Adjustment Public Meeting

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Reader says At this point, every agenda item that this Council majority brings to the table is worthy of a second look

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file photo by Boyd Loving

In a broader sense, this issue is like many others in that we have a Council majority that meets separately from the entire Council and outside the public eye. They come to each Council meeting with their own agenda and publicly humiliate any non-majority Council member that questions or disagrees with their agenda.

Whether these 3 violate the Sunshine laws is a topic for another post. Or maybe a special prosecutor. Regardless, the sad truth is that Ridgewood is being run by 3 individuals that think they know better than the rest of us. They preach transparency while they exclude their constituents and Council mates from the governing process. They preach civility as they engage in petty name calling and public condescension. They insult our intelligence by acting this way and thinking that nobody notices such blatant hypocrisy.

Let’s hope that Ms. Knudsen and Mr. Sedon have the courage to stand up to these 3 every step of the way. At this point, every agenda item that this Council majority brings to the table is worthy of a second look