file photo Boyd Loving
Civility in our public discourse or Silencing Dissent
Friends / Colleagues —
I am writing to invite you to a meeting to discuss the need for more civility in our public discourse. The meeting will be Monday, November 24 at 7:30pm in Village Hall.
Specifically, we would like to begin a community-wide conversation about ways in which we can elevate public discourse and improve the way in which people publicly treat each other … whether it be at a Council meeting … on a ball field … in an online discussion … or anywhere else.
Joining me to lead this informal meeting will be Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, Rev. Jan Philips and Rabbi David Fine.
Please let me know if you can join us and if you think someone else should be invited, too. In fact, please share this invitation with those who you think should attend, but please keep me posted so that I can keep track of those planning to attend.
Thanks very much.
Paul
Paul Aronsohn, Mayor
@paularonsohn
Yes they want civility now after how they acted for the past 2!/2 years Are you kidding me. Mr. Mayor civility is not a one way street.
Hey Mayor have you sent this letter to your “ACTACK DOG” DEPUTY MAYOR ALBERT PUCCIARELL?
Is this meeting going to be televised? You know for “transparency”
So let me get this perfectly straight, after Mayor Aronsohn and his 2 sidekicks have PUBLICLY:
1) Belittled Tom Riche, accusing him of an inappropriate business relationship with the Village
2) Accused former Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh of trying to get a parking ticket fixed
3) Conducted a scathing performance review of former Village Manager Kenneth Gabbert which led to his firing
4) Interrogated Police Chief John Ward insinuating that he violated a number of Village policies by hiring 2 new police officers. Then, after the Chief was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office, refusing to offer an apology of any sort
5) Lashed out at numerous taxpayers during the public comment section of Council meetings (Marsha Ringle, Ellie Gruber, Anne Loving, Boyd Loving, Ron Verdicchio, William Corcoran, Frank Delvecchio, and more)
Now all of a sudden they’re asking for “Civility in our Public Discourse?”
Message to you Mr. Aronsohn – you made your bed, now lie in it.
The most classic case of DO AS WE SAY, NOT AS WE DO that I have ever seen.
Municipal elections must not be too far down the road. This is obviously an effort to squelch this Blog and to prevent negative letters to the editor and comments at the podium well in advance of the election.
It ain’t happening Paul, so just forget about it.
I heard that Aronsohn planned and scheduled this meeting without telling Councilman Mike Sedon nor Councilwoman Susan Knudsen anything about it. And he wants more civility? Come on now; let’s get real here.
They repeatedly ignore suggestions, complaints, concerns and wonder why we are frustrated?
So let me get this absolutely straight, after Aronsohn and his side kicks PUBLICLY:
1) Accused and belittled Tom Riche of having an inappropriate business relationship with the Village
2 Accused Bernie Walsh of trying to have a parking ticket fixed
3) Lambasted former Village Manager Ken Gabbert
4) Accused Police Chief John Ward of inappropriately hiring two new police officers
5) Dressed down Ellie Gruber
6) Dressed down Marcia Ringle
Now all of a sudden they’re calling for “civility in our public discourse?”
Give me a break!
Hey Moron foytlin, you are not fooling anyone by posting anonymous comments on your own blog. Go back to what Tom says you do best, sucking dicks!
Editors Note: Could this be the work of the Deputy Mayor Inquiring Minds want to know
Is it true that the mayor sent out invites with a note that he wants to know in advance who’s coming to the meeting?
It amazing me , the Deputy Mayor has attacked the Police chief and even attacked Charlotte Samuels who do these dopes think they are fooling
Not much help from this Blog’s usual negative posters — perhaps, they should clean up their own act here first. ?
With the exception of Gabbert i totally agree.
Its getting close for their run for re-election so their starting the campaign bull.
#11: yes. that was the email invitation with no changes.
Retired Reporter AKA DOM. You are just like them.TWO FACED.
Retired Reporter if you don ‘t like want on this blog why do you go on it. Just go back to the patch or North Jersey Dot Com. PLEASE
Ricky Fuego, number 12 Please answer your serious charge,
How did the deputy mayor attack Charlotte Samuels. What did he say? That is a very serious charge. I want it clarified. I am not the deputy mayor, just a resident who wants HONEST discourse. If I find out that that accusation was false, I am through with this blog. Statements like that should not be allowed to be posted if not true.
That makes this blog dangerous and worthless. If I don’t get an answer I am also through with this blog. So, it’s number 12 Ricky Fuego
#10 written by anonymous 3 hours ago
Editors Note ( before Ricky Fuego responds )there are thousands of these we can release all of them if you like : Hey Moron foytlin, you are not fooling anyone by posting anonymous comments on your own blog. Go back to what Tom says you do best, sucking dicks!
Editors Note: Could this be the work of the Deputy Mayor Inquiring Minds want to know
So let me get this straight. In the village “Shut up and sit down” is now the form of government? I hope Bernie runs again locally.
That’s what Chris Christy said. No one in Ridgewood said that. What is going on here. This blog is dangerous. Misquotes. Slander?
“Joining me to lead this informal meeting will be Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck, Rev. Jan Philips and Rabbi David Fine.”
A clear sign of this man’s complete failure to function effectively as a leader – He chooses the only people he believes capable of bailing him out – a bubble headed blonde and man & woman of the cloth.
Even the Bimbo and God can’t save you now sir.
You should not publish that profanity. Why do you do it? But to say the deputy mayor attacked Charlotte Samuels is a very serious charge. If not true it is slander.
The profanity against you is childish, stupid, adolescent, ridiculous.
Editors Note : there are also numerous attacks against the Ridgewood Police ,the chief and various other residents and dont forget the email hit job on Mike Sedon ….
On July 21, 2014, after Councilman Pucciarelli had raked me over the coals (and before he did more of it) for my comments on the way the election of mayor and deputy mayor had been arranged with the help of Skype, the mayor took over. In one of his comments he used phrasing identical to what is in his email message posted here.
I was startled, considering that I hadn’t used profanity, approached the dais, even raised my voice–merely exercised my civil right to speak. Haul in the clergy to teach us how to behave? It sounded canned. Five months later, we see that it was.
Next Monday night’s meeting has clearly been in the works since at least early summer. Those words were on the tip of his tongue in July.
[about 16 minutes in:] https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/49862179
Is the intention to use the clergy’s comments as an excuse for rewriting ordinances on public deportment at meetings? Is it appropriate in the first place to introduce clergy to discussions of public issues in such a setting? No.
Should this not be a real public meeting with appropriate public notice–not a private meeting in which the names of attendees are checked in advance? What is happening here? These sort-of-private, sort-of-public meetings on important topics that legally squeak through because fewer than three council members are present are an insult to residents and to the rules of governance. All council members SHOULD be present to hear such things if they are heard at all.
At a council meeting on July 21, 2013, after the Village had refused to buy a Mobi-Chair for Graydon after years of empty talk about making Graydon handicap accessible, I suggested from the podium that the mayor resign, with an apology, from Access for All. I said I could see an invisible “H” on the wall behind the dais, and it stood for Hypocrisy.
[about 10 minutes in:] https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/36140109
That H is getting bigger.
The Mayor needs to look at the man on his left on the dais. This is the most uncivil of all public servants you would ever hope to never meet. The Deputy Mayor is a vicious, nasty man,
Oh please make some more false allegation’s james you moron. It will be nice to see you in court trying to back them up when you are sued. You really are the village idiot.
I think Monday for the meeting we will publish the last 2 moths of your cowardly comments
Go right ahead moron.
Personally, I refuse to attend a meeting called for the sole purpose of silencing those who disagree with their way of conducting business. “You’ve been bad, now it’s time to teach you how to behave.”
The Mayor has fired up his base I see.
Its all about the base,bout the base,bout the base. No treble
Self-important ninnies on all sides here.
Lord, what did I get into, moving out here to the boonies? This place makes Hoboken look refined.
BASS!!!
Maybe I was wrong in another thread about Ridgewood going down the tubes. Look, another fine resident is in trouble, this one for demonstrating his status as a Responsible Gun Owner.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-man-charged-with-aggravated-assault-1.1139156
I am going to the meeting to say that I have the right to disagree with current proposed policy like high density and not be ridiculed afterwards and told that I am uncivil.
I think that the mayor, hauck and pucc need counseling. I suggest professional help with anger management although religion is never bad.
#35 A parody (/ˈpærədi/; also called spoof, send-up or lampoon), in use, is an imitative work created to imitate, or comment on and trivialize[citation needed] an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of satiric or ironic imitation.
#38 Rev.Al has religion. He holds people hands as they pass through. Just ask him.
Bill Cosby went around the country telling people how to comport themselves, too. It’s called “projection.”
Sincerely,
S. Freud
#35, didn’t realize you were trying to be cute. Tone is often not conveyed properly online, and you would be surprised how many people actually think it is base…carry on…
I will translate for #41 To save some of us the time of looking it up.
transitive verb
: behave; especially : to behave in a manner conformable to what is right, proper, or expected
Thanks #42
Our Mayor’s calling for civility is a clear sign that his opposition has gotten the better of him. His own tactics to date have been anything but civil and anyone that hasn’t been living under a rock in this town for the past several years knows that civility was ditched by the Mayor and his running mates long ago. Just ask anyone that has ever disagreed with any of these 3.
Desperation and hypocrisy have a most recognizable smell.
Fits the bill S. Freud. Nice job.
Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against unpleasant impulses by denying their existence in themselves, while attributing them to others.[1] For example, a person who is rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude.
According to some research, the projection of one’s negative qualities onto others is a common process in everyday life.[2]
Blame and Selfishness
People who blame others tend to overemphasize themselves while at the same time underemphasizing the negative effects of their actions
This is our Council.
Blame shifters are incapable of taking responsibility of their actions. It’s a defense reaction and a way to make them feel like they were in the right for what they did.
So who is on the invitation list?
I guess only the Mayor and his cohorts know who they sent the e-mail to.
Im sure it was a select few.
This thing stinks on so many levels.
1. The mayor has absolutely no right to tell us how to speak, unless of course threats are made or profanity is used. Other than that, we as US citizens can say what we want at public meetings.
2. We are not in kindergarten. We do not need to be told how to behave. This is so embarrassing for him, actually for all of us, to have our government “leader” telling us to go play nice in the sandbox.
3. He himself does not behave in a civil manner at all times, and even though he winds up being apologetic he will do it again and again and again. Some of the many examples of his uncivil behavior are listed in earlier posts on this thread.
4. The Deputy Mayor is a million times worse than the Mayor. He absolutely cannot keep his hot temper in check and he makes snide comments on a regular basis. He is everything that a leader, a public figure, should NOT be. He really is so much lower than the Mayor.
5. Councilwoman Hauck is, likewise, quite capable of spitting venom and sarcasm from the dais and she does it often.
All in all, this meeting is a ridiculous folly. Paul must want to posture as a great peacemaker, a world diplomat. Forget it Mr. Mayor. You have set the tone with your horrible group of three, you guys are nasty and vindictive, way WAY worse than anyone who speaks up at meetings.
Paul Aronsohn believes as MIT Dr. Guber does that we voters are stupid .
Well I bet there are at 2 people on that e-mail invitation. Chris Harris from the record ( Official Paul Aronsohn spokes person) and Dom ( Official Paul Aronsohn cheerleader )