#1. so here is a pic of Paul Vagianos’ invitation to his party at the “clubhouse”, with his fellow restaurants owners,
landlords, developers, investors and everyone else who stands to make a HUGE PROFIT off of the garage and multifamily housing.
#2 But you can only play with us “if you sign a pledge”
This is absurd.The three respectable candidates will absolutely not be signing this ridiculous pledge.
Thank you Jeff Voigt, Bernadette Coghlan-Walsh and Ramon Hache for pledging to represent the people of Ridgewood as independent candidates.
Paul Vagianos, landlord/restaurant owner – hanging up sign at KEN SMITH SITE, recently rezoned for high density housing at 35 units per acre – under the guidance of PLANNING BOARD ATTORNEY GAIL PRICE – wife of Rich Brooks, Village Council Candidate –
Sign endorses the Three New AMIGOS…slogan is Ridgewood 2020 A Clear Vision For Our Future .Shouldn’t RIDGEWOOD be thinking PROGRESS well past 2020?
#3 A sign supporting Richard Brooks, Evan Weitz, and Janice Willett for Village Council recently appeared in the window of the former Ken Smith Motors building, a property now managed by Onyx Equities, LLC. Ridgewood resident and local property developer John Saraceno is a principal of Onyx Equties, LLC.
The Mayor and his two running mates have empowered these people. There is no going back now. The end of Ridgewood as we have know it. Thanks to all the residents that voted for these three during the last election.
Clear vision on development is “build baby build”.
Until now I thought that 20/20 was referring to four years from now.
Men should pledge themselves to nothing; for reflection makes a liar of their resolution. Sophocles
No politician should sign a pledge created by a special interest group. They are running for office to represent ALL residents.
The very idea that Paul came up with this is an insult to Ridgewood residents.
Are they kidding! Doesn’t Vagianos own the building next to where the parking garage is going to be built? Isn’t Saraceno involved in Fish, as well as a developer in the CBD? Now I applaud our business owners and understand why they want the parking garage, but signing a pledge because they want you to is unwarranted and wreaks of politics. It is devious considering that there will be a binding referendum at this point, what is the purpose of this so called “forum”; to only try and embarrass Voigt, Walsh and Hache? I was going to vote for Willett, Brooks and Hache, but have now changed my mind…. Can’t afford people so aligned with the current three council members and Vagianos/Saraceno. Now I will be voting for Voigt, Walsh and Hache. Good job Ridgewood 2020; you just convinced me to NOT vote for you.
Send a message. Stop patronizing “GREEK TO ME” Maybe some signs should appear in the planters.
This is so beyond the pale that one is compelled to check with another source before commenting as one would simply not think that Paul Vag’s letter was for real. Paul Vag says “you can come join my public debate” but he insists “so long as you pledge to accept my views.” NO candidate should accept an ultimatum or a demand like this. This is what you expect in North Korea where everyone gets one vote for one candidate, the exulted leader. Its not America, and it is certainly not the Village of Ridgewood.
Have these people no sense of shame? Have they no sense of decency? Have they no pride in themselves? Is there no shred of dignity left in these cronies, or did the loss in the last election mortally wound them beyond any hope of repair that they should stoop this low.
Clearly, the downtown developers are are desperate and concerned over losing money in their business interests to have gone to this depth. I would like to see which cowardly candidate accepts this demand – – which one of them pledges their dignity in exchange for votes.
I would like to see each and every one of the candidates stand up and denounce this assault on our democracy. They have all been mouthing the words “independence” “progress” “whats right for our Village.” Well, now is the chance to stand up and give meaning to those words. It won’t take any courage or any strength. It will simply take common sense to say “no, Paul, I don’t won’t any part of you, your petty partisan politics or your childish, pathetic pandering.”
Here is the truth about the founder of “the truth about ridgewood” facebook page, who is backing these three candidates. What favors will he expect from them after they are in the office?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdBw1bCMTfE
It reminds me of the time when Alfalfa signed a contract to sing opera in the street. Only to get a job crooning at Club Spanky. But as luck would have it, he was then forced to honor his contract to sing in the street. Hey Paul, go scratch.
THIS:
“Send a message. Stop patronizing “GREEK TO ME” Maybe some signs should appear in the planters”
In Summary,…:
Support the Slum Maker Garage ..these are ruthless people..money doesn’t make
destroying a way of life and our small town culture a virtue..the traffic will be insane during peak.People will be injured and some killed by cars..
They have showed their Hands…time to vote them all out and start a real
renewal,get out the Vote Ridgewood,,..
This post should be called The Empire Strikes back and the imperial march song should play while you read it.
This clubhouse is where all this crap started..Nothing good comes from those walls ( ie original parking garage bonding Referendum ) since the car dealership ended.
PS VOR FIX YOUR CURRENT CRAPPY SURFACE LOTS potholes & litter..AND PAINT SOME YELLOW LINES ..not sexy enough for the rich crowd wanting to wreck our schools with rentals gone wild?..?.
ITS CREEPS TO ME..
A developer in NJ has recommended a couple of candidates…?
Follow the money…..
This is the craziest sh!t I’ver ever seen. You can come to our forum but only if you agree with us and sign our pledge. This is an “ecletic mix” of citizens?
It’s a sad day for the residents of Ridgewood. Obviously these developers don’t care at all about our town, just about their profits.
The candidates at the League of Women Voters forum all talked about bringing the village together.
I would like to know if any candidates signed this pledge and if any candidates attended this meeting for a local special iinterest group.
Truly unbelievable! Time to move out. Valley, Developers, Town Official in cahoots … follow the money is right!
No 929. Not time for good folks to move out. Let’s ask these mean spirited bullies to leave. The candidates need to say no to this ridiculous demand and we need to say no to these ridiculous people.
Boycott Greek to Me….in fact boycott all of the CBD…
This really does belong under, “You can’t make this —- up !” Are these people signing kid’s up for a high school sorority/fraternity ? Boycotting the Greek place is easy for the simple reason that the food is certainly nothing to write home about, As for the rest of the CBD, more than 50% of the time it looks like it’s already being boycotted, so you probably won’t even see much of a difference if people did. But moving a few homeless folks into the garage should help with that issue.
Wake up, Ridgewood ! These clowns, just like those at Valley, are nothing more than opportunists trying to capitalize on fulfilling their business fantasies at the expense of an entire town. The very least one could do is get out there and vote against people who are going out of their way to wreck the great things Ridgewood has going for it.
Where the hell has John V been ?I would like his take on this.
12:12pm. He quit. May be he will be back after the elections.
An Eclectic Mix is a rich man’s Motley Crew.
9:25
Weitz Willet and Brokks signed the pledge.
Bernie Jeff and Ramon refused.
12:12 who could possibly want his opinion
I’d rather see all the candidates be allowed to appear. This is being done like those Anti-tax groups or Pro-life groups that hold conferences and only invite candidates that take a pledge. I have never understood the point of only hearing from people that already agree with you.
These are the same people that claim that those that favor the smaller garage design are “devisive”. They clearly seek to continue the same level of hypocrisy of the current Council majority. Maybe they can squeeze in a civility meeting while they’re all there.
I’m kind of disappointed in the Park West for being a party to this.
I don’t boycott any establishment. I just patronize the ones who value my business without having to pledge my loyalty.
I see so many comments of people being shocked about developers being sneaky or restaurant owners being greedy. NAIVE. This naivete brought to power Aronsohn’s gang. Where have you people been living? Developers are the synonym of blood sucking. Restaurant owners would charge for breathing air if they could (not all of them, absolutely not, but many yes especially a greek one). Forget about them, think about your place, your village, your kids future. CBD district looks ugly and needs some makeup such as street paving, fixing sidewalks, painting. All streets and sidewalks around the village look tired. It shouldn’t take selling CBD to developers to make it look nice and attractive. A dedicated council with a little fantasy could make CBD great again, can make it Yuuge .
In a sign of being naive myself I hope Voigt & Co can reverse the damage done by…. duh
Weitz, Willet and Brooks signed the pledge?
Publicly sold their souls to the devil.
1:46 park west??? You’re surprised?????
Saraceno owns the park west loft. Ya see?? How dirty it all gets…?
2:14. Not if the people blindly voting for them don’t know about it. Spread the word
20-20 means perfect vision. I can see clearly that I will vote for Hache Voigt and Walsh.
They signed it, really? That is very small thinking, signing a pledge to any agenda not of your own making?
They can vow to improve parking, vow that the day they leave office there will be more spaces then when they came in or something similar but a pledge like that is inappropriate for council candidates or those already elected.
It all makes sense now… the garage would conveniently give Valley Hospital an offsite parking location for their contractors while they spend the next 20 years disrupting lives and destroying Ridgewood by building a humongous Taj Mahal in a small residential neighborhood. The candidates that signed this outrageous pledge are the ones NOT ENDORSED by the Concerned Residents of Ridgewood. This is not a coincidence.
Note that general voter support for a garage in the business district of Ridgewood should not be mistaken for support for THIS GARAGE, with THIS PLAN, and in THIS LOCATION. Open parking spots are almost always available in the planned garage location IF willing walk further.
Does Saraceno own the Park West building or are you saying that he just uses the loft a lot.
All 3 have already publicly supported Design D. What’s the big deal with the pledge? The surprise is Hache didnt sign it. I had heard he supported D and there were even lawns with the Design D sign and a Hache sign.
2:34 – I like what you did there . . . 20/20 for Voigt, Bernie and Hache!!!
I thought Roberta said we didn’t need a garage . . . that there’s plenty of empty spots if the fatasses in Ridgewood would walk a couple of blocks after stuffing their pieholes.
There is something unseemly about Paul Vaggianos demanding a signed pledge.
WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS?
I used to like him from the RSA days but things have changed. I have a hard time looking at that insincere man
Yes 5:33 she did say that but they are in the wrong location. ( Cottage Pl.) The problem is that there are not enough space around Fish, Greek to Me, Park West and roots. That where the power is.
Is it coincidental that a zoning change is being suggested on the property off of West Saddle River Rd and Racetrack Rd which would shift some of the “low income housing” burden away from the “downtown developers” granting them even greater profits?
Garden Homes will built apartments near the proposed Hudson St garage location. They need this extra parking as not enough parking is planned in their proposals.
New Sign on Its Greek To Me: “All are welcome to come and eat my crappy food, as long as you sign a pledge that you will never go to any other restaurant ever.”
A blog is a forum for people to share ideas and opinions. One Vaggianos supporter thinks that a blog is journalism. And this is coming from someone who says that he worked in publishing. He wants censorship of the blog, probably because he disagrees with some of the posts.
“The Ridgewood Blog is journalistic malpractice. It should be shut down. As a former publisher it is an embarrassment to the publishing profession. It’s a sad state of affairs that this is a newspaper’s last resort to generate readers and ad revenue.”
sounds like Halabooby lol
Every time I think I’m jaded something happens that shocks me. I can’t imagine asking candidates to sign a pledge to vote a certain way (it doesn’t even sound legal) and I can’t imagine their signing it. Why–so they can go to a party–I mean exclusive “forum”? Oh boy, too easily bought. “What if they gave a political party and nobody came?”
12:18. Yes, how wonderful if none of the candidates had taken them up on their stupid invitation. That would have been hilarious. But the fact that the three amigos’ little protégés are the only ones who signed tells us all we need to know. They can be bought by the developers and restauranteurs.
Vote HACHE. VOIGT. WALSH
my heavens – all this just because of a garage…….