file photo by Boyd Loving
COUNCILMAN VOIGT’S ACCUSATIONS AGAINST MAYOR WERE FALSE!!!
December 28,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
In regards to Councilman Voigt’s accusation against Mayor Knudsen, “Based on the facts and circumstances presented, there was no violation of the law/Faulkner Act.”
During closed sessions, in November, Mayor was cleared of all wrong doing. In December, Councilman Voigt publicly accused Mayor Knudsen of breaking the law. At the time he made this accusation he knew it was untrue. With malice and intent he stated it loudly, clearly, and rudely during a public meeting. A week later, in a room full of firefighters waiting to be promoted, he blew his top again. This time, Councilman Voigt had a message for residents about his ruthless attacks, “I can’t and won’t apologize. I don’t intend to and I just want to make sure people know that.” As if that wasn’t enough, he then turned to social media to expand his smear campaign and started a movement to talk about Mayor Knudsen, behind closed doors, with residents.
We now have documentation that Mayor Knudsen did not break the law. What we do not have is any sort of explanation, apology, motivation, or contrition from Councilman Voigt regarding this malicious character assassination. Why is he so loud when lying, and so silent when faced with the truth?
The question now is, why did Councilman Voigt lie and stoop to such levels; slander, libel, defamation and intentional malice? Why is Mayor Knudsen his target?
Document posted to Facebook, on “It Takes a Ridgewood Village” group, December 28.
I thought that all correspondence between any councilperson and the town attorney were privilege communication and could not be release to the public. That what I was told when I tried to opera an e-mail. Strange
Not to be too skeptical but it would be more helpful to see the actual communication from Matt Rodgers in a letter or the original email rather than a copy and paste of the text into another email. If this whole accusation turns out to just be about the mayor adding herself to some email chain then Voigt is crazier than I even thought.
Thank you Jacie Hone. Concerned and involved residents are our finest asset . Without this we might not know how false councilman Voigts declarations are. He sure as hell is not clarifying the record for us. What a horrible person he turned out to be.
Agreed 9:52.
I still can’t see which law was supposedly broken. We have lots.
This is highly unusual. Why would the Mayor cut and paste and email to a resident that includes both privileged closed session information and information from the attorney. I agree let us all see the whole thread and since it is now out in the open hear from all of the council not just Susan and Jeff.
total speculation here but based on the reference to Faulkner laws, he has to be accusing her of overstepping her bounds because the council is supposed to be 5 equal members. None has any rights over any others. All decisions are supposed to be done through council not by the mayor. He must be saying she directed the Village Manager or someone else to do something involving the FAC that was not approved by the council. Again, I am grasping at straws here. I’d love to see the whole story laid out so we can better assess who is the problem here.
Okay, so that issue can be put to bed.
Jeff’s not a dumb guy, why would he make an error like this…?
There may be more to is 2:40. We are being supplied with one sided information.
Oh this is rich, some toady of the mayor lobs a softball out there on Facebook and the mayor has some canned response at the ready including an edited self serving opinion from the village attorney. I thought this village attorney was evil and incompetent? Oh he was, until he was this crowds useful idiot. Everyone is catching on madame mayor. The more people see the less they like. Bye Felicia.
I agree with many of you. My letter to full Council, and subsequent emails thereafter, called for a public explanation. Perhaps a statement will be made at the next Council meeting and the Village Attorney can set the record straight.
5:25. I know many people in town, lived here for 30 years.
I have never met anyone that did not respect Mayor Knudsen. People may disagree with her but they all respect her.
It sounds as if Councilman Voigt was trying to politicize an ordinary policy disagreement, took a procedural punch in the schnozzola in very short order, was taken aback by the ferocity and effectiveness of the Mayor’s defense of her reputation, and is unfortunately still reeling somewhat, not knowing how best to save face, or if he even can.
5:25 Hi Jeff.
7:21 Hi Susan.