file photo by Boyd Loving
April 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, once again the “Bergen Record” pushes a dishonest one sided news coverage of Ridgewood Politics and tries to under mine the Deputy Mayor as a favor to form Mayor and Harwin string puller Paul Aronsohn.
In its recent article , “Ridgewood election candidates talk issues, online vitriol ” the author Nicholas Katzban, North Jersey Media Staff Writer, goes as far as to make up a ridiculous story ,”Sedon, who also supports an expansion of shared services, referenced a plan he had been spearheading to use Bergen County’s central 911 dispatch. He dropped the plan after residents took issue with the fact that Frank DelVecchio, director of the county Public Safety Operations Center, had served as his campaign manager. They hinted at a quid pro quo.”That is simply a lie,” Sedon stated, arguing that his filings with the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission would show that was not the case.
Once again the use of “FAKE NEWS” to cast dispersions of Sedon and Knudsen , like the debunked “nepotism” charge ,the reality is far different ,first of all Frank was not Mike’s campaign chairman. He gave Mike some advice but he was not his chairman. Second of all Frank does not have any personal gain if they go to central dispatch. Frankly it is so stupid that somebody suggested that.
Frank is on salary he does not get more money if other towns are brought in. Mike came up with the idea as a possible way to save money. Shared services often saves money. Some are opposed to central dispatch. But that’s a personal opinion one way or the other. There’s no quid pro quo involved as far as I know. Frank would gain nothing and Mike would gain nothing.
So why did he drop the plan?
Who is Mike Sedon?
Who is John Galt?
The Borg Family are Liberal Progressives bent on destroying everything within their reach.
Nasty people..
Sedon didn’t drop the plan. It will be brought up after the election.
Lots of things will come up after the election. Like the delayed police contract.
The Borg family cashed out of The Record a while ago for some major cash.
What’s left are strictly loony left progressives employed in a dying industry..
Is this connected to lawn sign photo gate? Does Mike live on Walthery?
no lol , its democrat county , keep making up stories , your getting creamed in all the polling
Doesn’t the 911 center we use now provide a few patronage jobs for Republican partisans in the towns that it serves? I remember a Ridgewood village manager that wanted to keep it for that reason. In that case it would certainly make a great scalp for a county machine Democrat to take work from there and close it down. Sounds petty but certainly not the most petty political thing we’ve ever heard.
no
Answers: Mike Sedon is the Deputy Mayor of Ridgewood. He brought up a plan which by the way has been talked about before that in order to save money, we as a village might consider using Bergen County Dispatch. Many of the surrounding municipalities already do. By the way since it’s offered by the county we already do pay for it with our taxes. All else being equal. shouldn’t we use it? He has not dropped the idea/plan but he does need additional council support. Mike does not live on Walthery and is not part of ‘sign gate’. In fact you might have seen him walking the streets of Ridgewood going door to door to introduce himself and to speak to interested residents. He is a great person, incredibly honest and I am praying that he and Susan Knudsen are re elected. Last, the smear campaign has been against them. The other side is not running on anything except a larger garage and civility. Aronsohn and company are behind their whole campaign. Aronsohn is not a good man and that is why his new post is so distressing to me. You can say you are for helping people with disabilities but you need to back it up with good ideas and action. His ramp at Graydon pool is dangerous and shouldn’t be used by anyone let alone the handicapped. There is so much to say against the man but suffice it to say that he is no longer mayor and he is still trying to manipulate the system.
Sedon = 2300$ a tree and planted 250. That is his contribution
So 12:57 you want Ridgewood to enter into a deal with politically corrupt Bergen County Government to save a few dollars ? Aronsohn is hip deep in Bergen County politics and you bash him ever chance you get but yet you want rRdgewood to enter into a deal with the very machine he is part of. You are a hypocrite. When I call the Ridgewood Police for an emergency I don’t want to be put on hold because of a large incident thats is taken place in another town. Maybe Sedon should do a little more research into what has happen in the past with Bergen County Dispatch and not fall for a sales pitch from a representive from the County . There are just as many municipals that are not going with the County Dispatch. Maybe Sedon should ask them? We all know what happens when the Village hires the lowest bidder. You get what you pay for. Next time your having a medical procedure may you should as for the lowest bidder. Let me know if you fell safe doing that. Finally your comment ” By the way since it’s offered by the county we already do pay for it with our taxes.” This service is not. There are extra charges that go along with that service its not free.
5:16 PM. You haven’t followed the issue. Past councils have also considered it. I did add “all things being Equal,” If our local Dispatch is better or offers quicker response times then we don’t do it. Why not call the towns in our area already using it? It is offered by the County and yes there is a charge but it is significantly lower. Than what we currently pay.
6:16 I said that. “There are just as many municipals that are not going with the County Dispatch. Maybe Sedon should ask them?”
Editor’s note: On Feb. 20, the Record ran a story about the county’s push to consolidate 911 dispatch services under one roof at the Public Safety Operation Center in Mahwah — something Fair Lawn’s council discussed doing last year. Compelled by the recent Record article, the president of Fair Lawn’s International Association of Firefighters — which represents the dispatchers — and the president of Fair Lawn’s Policemen’s Benevolent Association have co-authored a response:
In response to the recent article “County to bring 911 service under one roof”, The Record, February 20, 2012, I felt compelled to address some reasons why consolidating dispatch services would not be beneficial in a borough the size of Fair Lawn, with a population of over 31,000 people.
‘s Communications Division properly and promptly answered over 11,400 9-1-1 calls as well as over 150,000 phone calls for service in 2011.
Fair Lawn uses unique addressing in which a majority of properties have “dashed” addresses and people who call for help reference the section of town that they are in. Having someone who is not familiar with the borough handle emergency calls could have tragic consequences and potentially delay emergency responses. Having a local dispatcher familiar with the intricacies of the town will save valuable time in an emergency and sustain the safety of all personnel at an emergency incident. A local dispatcher knows the streets, people, and problems and is a familiar voice to someone in their time of need.
Located next to Paterson, this past year the Borough has seen an increase in bank robberies, burglaries, assaults and car thefts.
For an emergency call originating in Fair Lawn to be transferred over 11 miles to Mahwah and then back to Fair Lawn could be a catastrophic waste of time, and seconds count when it comes to saving lives.
Joe Cecere
Dispatcher, Fair Lawn Police Department
President, IAFF Local 4840
and
David Boone, President, Fair Lawn PBA #67
Questions remain after Oakland tour of county dispatch center
Rodrigo Torrejon, Franklin Lakes – Oakland Suburban News Published 12:00 a.m. ET March 10, 2016
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Oakland — Borough officials and representatives of the police and fire departments toured the Bergen County Public Safety Operations Center (PSOC) dispatch service facilities in Mahwah Feb. 18 as part of an exploration of switching the borough’s services.
The tour, guided by Frank DelVecchio, the center’s communications director, was the latest step in preliminary “informational” meetings conducted by members of the public safety committee and public safety departments to ascertain the viability of switching dispatch services to the centralized location. The county operation, at 285 Campgaw Road, currently serves 23 municipalities, including Midland Park and Wyckoff.
According to PBA president Detective Mark Piercy, the department currently has two full-time dispatchers and four or five per diem dispatchers.
“They got a tour of the facility and some of the technology we deploy,” DelVecchio said in a phone interview last week. “I thought it went well. We basically showed them what we’re capable of doing and how we operate.”
The visit came in the wake of public concerns regarding any potential switches in service. Last April, PBA Local 164 sent a letter to residents notifying them that members of the Borough Council had met to discuss a switch to the centralized call center.
Residents then appeared at a subsequent council meeting to express their reservations about any potential switch, citing dispatchers’ possible lack of familiarity with the area and delayed response times. Mayor Linda Schwager as well as Borough Administrator Richard Kunze at the time assured residents that any groups formed to vet the issue were “exploratory” and any discussion was preliminary.
The tour of the Mahwah facilities was an opportunity for borough and public safety officials to ask any questions about the center’s capabilities.
“The county explained the operation,” said Kunze. “The various agencies that were present were able to ask questions about the operation. We asked a variety of questions over staffing; what extra services the dispatchers would or would not do; specific operational questions; the technology that’s utilized.”
Schwager emphasized the importance of having all the public safety representatives involved and the steps to be taken moving forward after a March 3 follow-up meeting with Councilmen Eric Kulmala and Russell Talamini, Kunze, Piercy, and representatives from the police department, fire department and first aid squad.
“Everybody asked questions,” said Schwager. “We have discussed the follow-up of what we heard and saw.”
According to Schwager, there are still technical questions on the part of those involved for tech representatives from the county center to be resolved at a meeting not yet scheduled.
Schwager also said because Oakland handles some calls from the Passaic County Mutual Aid, an efficient dispatch service was paramount.
“We all agree that it’s going to save a lot of money, but at what price?” said Schwager. “Our residents need the best safety they can get. We need to look at the safety of our residents. We want to make sure that our residents are safe.”
Calls to Piercy were not immediately returned.
eonard Eisen, 762 Upper Boulevard, stated that he read a newspaper article about how the Borough of Midland Park is anticipating a smooth transition in switching dispatch services. According to the article, the service will be provided to them by the County at a cost of $160,000 per year for the next five years, with no annual cost increase during that time. The article mentions that the Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch service is almost double that price, and Mr. Eisen said if that is wrong, he would like for the information to be corrected. He does not understand how the County could provide the same service for half the price, and Mr. Eisen noticed that the Township of Wyckoff is also anticipating using the County service. Mr. Eisen wanted to know why the Northwest Bergen Dispatch service costs twice as much. Ms. Sonenfeld responded that the Borough of Midland Park previously used the Township of Wyckoff, and paid Wyckoff approximately $260,000-$270,000 to do so. Representatives from Midland Park came to Ridgewood with a request for a proposal, and the rate quoted by Ridgewood was cheaper than what Midland Park had been paying to Wyckoff for the same services. It should be noted that Midland Park was also paying the Borough of Paramus for 911 services. The Ridgewood price quote was thought to be fair and competitive. Ms. Sonenfeld pointed out that the Bergen County dispatch center located in Mahwah was built under the assumption that if such a facility was built, municipalities would make use of it. However, the reality is that the facility is approximately 80% vacant. It seems that, in an effort to get customers, the Bergen County dispatch facility has lowered its rates to be competitive, which Ms. Sonenfeld believes is part of the reason why Midland Park is switching to that service. She noted that Ridgewood has been in discussion with Bergen County regarding a couple of issues, and this is one of those issues.
The Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch service is a regional hub, offering dispatch services to several different municipalities, in addition to the Borough of Glen Rock and Village of Ridgewood. Ms. Sonenfeld stated that one of the objectives for 2015 is to work out how the dispatch center will operate with the County, and whether there will be an opportunity to create hub-type relationships. Another concern that is being discussed is the level of services provided by the County. Ms. Sonenfeld mentioned that it is hoped that the Northwest Bergen Central Dispatch Center, which serves as a backup when the County dispatch center is down, could have a stronger strategic relationship with the County and other entities. It is her understanding that the County facility cannot cover all 70 municipalities in Bergen County.
And he will receive a pension, paid for partly by our taxes, for his new appointed job in the state government.
Maybe when we save all this money by going to county dispatch we can buy the telephone co building and turn it into a performing arts center.
All these comments on the Village Council and spending or saving money but not a word about the BOED. Remember 2/3 of your tax bill goes to them. I saw were a few post on the BOED budget. Nothing about the members of the BOED . They spend our money and run unopposed. I don’t understand it.