Does anyone thinks it’s a coincidence the human resource and village manager are both from Bergen leads and this residency requirement is being changed when the hr person isn’t from ridgewood. Old friends from the bergen county program . Ridgewood owes a debt of gratitude to councilwoman knudsen for standing up for ridgewood residents when aronsohn, pucc and hack don’t care about the people they represent. What’s wrong there’s no one from ridgewood to fill these jobs.
Regardless of what the law might become, the fact is that these people are not willing to hire anyone now under the current law. That is outrageous. Holding off on hiring until they can change the law. Sounds like a massive lawsuit to me.
VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD NOTICE OF PENDING ORDINANCE ORDINANCE NO. 3470 The ordinance published herewith was introduced and passed upon first reading at a Regular Public Meeting of the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, in the County of Bergen, New Jersey held on March 11, 2015. It will be further considered for final passage, after public hearing thereon, at a Regular Public Meeting of said Village Council to be held in the Courtroom of the Ridgewood Village Hall 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ on April 8, 2015 at 8:00 PM., and during the week prior to and up to and including the date of such meeting, copies of said ordinance will be made available at the Village Clerk’s Office in said Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ to the members of the general public who shall request the same. Heather A. Mailander Village Clerk VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ORDINANCE NO. 3470 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, ARTICLE VIII OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ENTITLED “RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS” BE IT ORDAINED by the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, County of Bergen, State of New Jersey that: Section 1. The Code of the Village of Ridgewood is hereby amended by changing the wording of Chapter 3, Article VIII, of the Code of the Village of Ridgewood entitled “Residency Requirements” as follows: ADD SECTION 3-57: REQUIRED RESIDENCY A. All officers and employees of the Village of
Ridgewood initially employed or appointed in the Police and Fire Departments with the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, from and after the effective date of this article, shall be bona fide residents of the Village of Ridgewood. B. Any officers and employees who are otherwise exempted by law or hold classified titles, which include both competitive and noncompetitive titles, other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, within the Police and Fire Departments, shall not be subject to this regulation. C. A “bona fide resident,” for the purposes of this article, is a person having a permanent domicile within the Village of Ridgewood which has not been adopted with the intention of again taking up or claiming a previous residence acquired outside of the Village of Ridgewood’s boundaries. SECTION 3-58: ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Applicants eligible for appointment to an entry-level position of employment in the titles of police officer and firefighter in the Police and Fire Departments in the classified civil service shall be limited to residents of the Village of Ridgewood. SECTION 3-59: ALTERNATIVE HIRING A. Whenever the governing body or appointing authority shall determine that there cannot be recruited a sufficient number of qualified Ridgewood residents for the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter in the Police and Fire Departments, the Village shall advertise for other qualified applicants. The Village or the hiring authority thereof shall thereupon classify all qualified applicants for such positions or employments so determined in the following manner: (1) Residents of Bergen County; (2) Residents of the State of New Jersey. B. In the case of classified titles, which include both competitive and noncompetitive titles and employments other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter within the Police and Fire Departments, the Village shall advertise for qualified applicants. The Village shall open all classified titles (both competitive and non-competitive), other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, to residents of the State of New Jersey, with no other residency requirements. C. No current nonresident officer or employee shall be required to become a bona fide resident of the Village of Ridgewood as a condition of their continued employment. D. Employment in the Fire Department shall be governed specifically by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-10.1a. Employment in the Department of Police shall be governed specifically by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-123.1a. DELETE: SECTION 3-60: EXCEPTIONS Whenever the Village Council or the hiring authority of the Village shall determine that there are certain specific positions and employments requiring special talent or skills which are necessary for the operations of the Village and which are not likely to be found among the residents of the Village, such positions or employment so determined shall be filled without reference to residency. The criteria for employment pursuant to this section shall be established from time to time as the need arises by resolution of the Village Council. Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage and publication as required by law.
April 6, 2015 Last updated: Monday, April 6, 2015, 9:34 AM
By Mark Krulish
Staff Writer |
The Ridgewood News
Budget season continued in Ridgewood with village officials gathering for the second of three public budget meetings on March 22 to resume discussion of departmental needs for the upcoming fiscal year.
Among the changes made in the weeks between the first and second budget meeting was a reduction in the capital budget of approximately $700,000, which brings the current number to $3,194,000.
These talks will be taken up again at 5 p.m. on April 6 in a third public budget meeting. Discussion will include more concrete numbers for each department as well as the revenue side of the budget, said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld. The village is targeting April 22 as the date for introducing the budget.
There he is Chris Harris the Mayor Press Secretary / Record Reporter writing another article for the Mayor. I was wondering what was taking him so long.
Looks like Mr. Harris didn’t even have the courtesy, nor did he take the time, to contact Councilwoman Knudsen for her side of the story. The Record’s local news coverage is getting to be as big of a joke as the Village Council is.
The article by Harris is a disgrace since the councilwoman made it clear it’s all about civilian titles. Looks like Paulie’s lackey is willing to do anything for Aronsohn and we should all be sickened by it. It Harris wants to be a real reporter he should have the decency to be honest in his reporting. The change has nothing to do with the police or fire department. I don’t know much about all of this but is seems everyone on council agreed the change was to civilian titles and Mailander agreed. No one disputed Knudsnes statement it was about civilian jobs. The inferences Aronsohn makes are despicable Harris wants to be part of this lie he should be ashamed of himself and he should be fired.
We’ve seen lots of nepotism in the village and now we are seeing Schonenfeld’s cronyism. Schonenfeld should be fired because she said doesn’t understand the basics of the job she was hired to do.
So, based on the diligent detective work by Councilwoman Knudsen, we learn that the current hiring scheme provides that Ridgewood-based applicants are to be preferred when all of the top candidates are equally qualified. This sounds reasonable. Accordingly, the burden of persuasion on whether or not to change the law should be on those who are in favor of a change.
Up until now the proponents of change have been saying that according to the current hiring scheme, the Village has not been permitted to hire better qualified candidates who live outside of Ridgewood if at least one local applicant is deemed at least minimally qualified. Now we learn that was not true. In fact, it does not take an enormous leap of faith to conclude that we were being LIED TO.
It turns out the Village has only lacked the ability to hire candidates of the SAME qualifications who live outside of Ridgewood. In other words, they have lacked the ability to discriminate against (politically undesireable?) Ridgewood residents who have the same qualifications as the best (properly politically aligned?) candidates who live outside of Ridgewood.
Why should we change the law to facilitate such a hiring practice?
One wonders if the proposed change to the law is contemplated as part of a larger plan to politicize our system of local government, which by virtue of the Faulkner Act is supposed to be completely non-partisan.
Ah yes…politics. This has been the common denominator from day one when it comes to the behavior of the Three Amigos. Why should we expect these old dogs to learn new tricks when they continue to get such great mileage out of the old ones?
Sun, April 19, 2015
Time: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Location: Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, E. ridgewood ave between Walnut St and Oak St
Ridgewood Grows Green and Yellow…
The Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands &
The Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee
Invite you and your family to join our:
Daffodil Festival & Earth Day Celebration
Sunday, April 19, 2015, 11am-3pm
Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, Ridgewood
Fine Arts Show and Sale
Crafts for Children, “Spotty Dotty Daffodil Story Walk”
Daffy Dog Parade for your Favorite Pooch at 12:30pm
Environmental Programs, Refreshments
Sponsors:
The Valley Hospital
Jacobsen Landscape Design & Construction
Please also mark your calendars for our annual:
CRPL Plant Sale
Saturday, May 9, 2015, 8:30am-3pm
Graydon Pool Parking Lot, Ridgewood
Annuals and Perennials~~Perfect Gifts for Mother’s Day!
To order: www.cfrpl.org. P.O. Box 123, Ridgewood, NJ 07451
April 4, 2015 Last updated: Saturday, April 4, 2015, 1:21 AM
By CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — A councilwoman is urging that a vote to revise a residency rule for hiring new employees should be indefinitely postponed.
Councilwoman Susan Knudsen wants the council’s Wednesday vote on the amendment deferred “so we make sure that we get this right” and to dispel “fundamental misunderstandings about the proposed change.”
Knudsen opposed the change during public talks last month.
The council voted in August to update its residency ordinance for civilian hires with a tier system, which the state has since determined is not permitted.
The system, which officials claim was developed to attract the best qualified candidates, was approved by the entire council.
It would have given preference for village openings to Bergen County military veterans, followed by all county residents, then residents of contiguous counties and lastly, all other state residents.
Readers says Demand that the council represent the residents of Ridgewood by getting all of the facts before voting on the residence ordinance
People need to go to the council meeting on April 8th and demand that they NOT vote on the residence ordinance until there is full transparency on what is going on.
We need to demand that Ridgewood residents get a preference when the village is hiring. As long as the qualifications are equal, Ridgewood residents should get preference. We are the one’s paying the taxes or the high rents to live here. Why shouldn’t we be the one’s to work here as long as we are qualified. There is something going on here that smells bad. Who have they hired not following the civil service rules? I bet there were many. This all needs to get out in the open. Councilwoman Knudsen should be supplied with the information she is asking for and not be stonewalled for a month. The residents need to get their heads out of the sand and wake up. Do you understand what is going on right in front of us? This is an incredibly bad situation and needs to be clarified before any vote is taken.
Go to the council meeting, Wednesday, April 8th, 8:00pm at village hall. Demand that the council represent the residents of Ridgewood by getting all of the facts before voting on the ordinance before them. Let’s get everything out in the open. After all, the mayor’s favorite term is “transparency in government.” I think it’s time the village had some of that transparency.
It’s true. Unfortunately Ridgewood residents are not paying attention. They are trusting that our elected council people are protecting them, but they are not.
Councilwoman Knudsen and councilman Sedon are the only one’s trying to protect our rights as village residents. Please go and click on the link to the previous story, then click on the link to the ustream video https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60629688 of the April 1st council meeting. Go to minute 24:00 when councilwoman Knudsen starts to explain the run around she has been getting for a month about information she has asked for in order for her to make an informed decision before she votes April 8th on the ordinance regarding residency preference.
The rest of the council should have been upset that Knudsen was being blocked from receiving information. Instead, the village manager, the mayor and councilwoman Hauck seemed more concerned that Knudsen was speaking about this information in public. Sedon was not present at the meeting. I applaud councilwoman Knudsen for bringing this information out into the open.
What is happening with the majority of our council? Why are they always on the defensive? They should be thanking Knudsen for bringing this to light. After all, they have been following an ordinance about hiring practices that is inconsistent with the law.
All hires since Aug 2014 should be reviewed to determined if they were done according to law. Who was skipped over that should not have been? Who was hired that should not have been? Did these hires take place according to civil service rules? Instead of gushing over the village manager’s performance, let’s make sure her performance practices are according to law.
Message to Ms. Sonenefeld: The hiring and firing of Village employees is certainly within your purview, but that in and of itself is no excuse whatsoever for not keeping the ENTIRE Village Council informed of your plans with respect to holding positions open in expectation of an ordinance change. Personally, I’d like to see the complete list of job applicants for those open positions, now on hold, to find out exactly who it is from Ridgewood that you don’t want to hire.
Ms. Roberta:
1. You are not an elected official. You should not insert your opinions and commentary incessantly. We are not interested in your opinions. What are you, the fourth AMIGO? Your gratuitous swipe at Ms. Knudsen last night was completely uncalled for. Councilwoman Knudsen conducted a calm and fact-filled discussion. At the end of it, you had the audacity to state that you had prepared a joke but now you didn’t feel like it. That was insulting and unprofessional. You were clearly stating that you did not like Councilwoman Knudsen’s discussion. That is just tough luck for you. You are not, I repeat YOU ARE NOT an elected official. Your opinions are not germane to any discussion. Keep them to yourself and just try to do your job.
2. You need to stop interrupting when one of our elected officials is speaking. Watching the tape, it is so distracting when you keep interjecting. Stop it. We did not elect you to represent us and we do want to hear what our elected officals have to say.
First Councilwoman Susan Knudsen was told to recuse herself from a closed meeting on this subject at the suggestion of the Village Manager and now information was withheld from her about this same subject.What the hell is going on in Village Hall. Who is the employee that contact Civil Service and who directed this employee to do this, Why can’t Councilwoman Susan Knudsen have that information. Why didn’t the attorney contact the Councilwoman and speak to her about this issue instead of directing another Village employee to withhold the information. WHO IS RUNNIG THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD.?
The circumstance described by Ms. Knudsen demonstrates that public matters are being discussed, and decisions made, by a majority of the council in advance of the public meeting during which the discussions and decisions are supposed to take place on the record. This reduces the public meeting to the status of a charade, because the result desired by the majority has already been determined in advance! As we all had suspected, it now appears clear that the Sunshine Law has been violated. Violations of the Sunshine Law don’t just happen–they are usually undertaken when the majority wants to avoid scrutiny for something they wish to do that the public might find odious. We all owe Ms. Knudsen a debt of gratitude for sticking to her guns and airing this issue out publicly.
MARCH 31, 2015, 7:12 PM LAST UPDATED: TUESDAY, MARCH 31, 2015, 7:12 PM
BY JIM NORMAN
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
A former bookkeeper at the Ridgewood YMCA who was arrested last April on charges of stealing from her employer in a variety of ways was formally indicted on those charges Tuesday, accused of a seven-year scheme to divert at least $80,000 in credit card charges and stolen property to her own benefit, Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli said.
Catherine Easer, 55, who lived in Mahwah when she was arrested, was named in a five-count indictment charging her with two counts of second-degree theft and three counts of third-degree theft.
The indictment accuses her of fraudulently using credit cards issued by The Home Depot, Exxon Mobil and Staples in the name of the YMCA, of using a computer to advance a fraud scheme to deprive the YMCA of more than $5,000 worth of goods, services, information and money, and of taking more than $75,000 worth of property from the YMCA.
The precise nature of her alleged actions was not spelled out in the indictment. However, the three-page document said the actions involving the misuse of computers started in April 2007 and ran until January 2014. The alleged misuse of the Home Depot and Exxon Mobil credit cards ran from May 2009 to December 2014, and the misuse of the Staples card allegedly started in December 2010 and ended in January 2014, the indictment said.
The most serious count of the indictment said the alleged thefts of $75,000 worth of property from the YMCA started in May 2009 and continued until January 2014.
BOMBSHELL REVELATION – Councilwoman claims information deliberately withheld from her
April 1 ,2015
Boyd A. Loving
11:15 PM
Ridgewood Nj, During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Work Session, Councilwoman Susan Knudsen revealed selected details of official correspondence related to the Village’s hiring practices, including a document in which a Village employee was reportedly directed (by an attorney employed by the Village) not to release publicly available information to Ms. Knudsen.
Councilwoman Knudsen also revealed that an unnamed employee or representative of the Village supposedly corresponded with the NJ State Civil Service Commission in February of this year to advise the Commission that several open positions (jobs) would not be filled until after Village Council members voted to change an ordinance related to preferential hiring treatment for Village residents (the plan is to remove any preferential hiring treatment for Village residents except applicants for public safety jobs – this ordinance change will be officially voted on during the Council’s April 8 Public Meeting).
According to Ms. Knudsen, Village Council members were reportedly never told that open positions (excluding pubic safety jobs) would not be filled until after the ordinance was changed.
Catch the full action/complete bombshell discussion beginning at 23 minutes 54 seconds into the linked broadcast below:
