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Leadership Vacuum And Agenda Driven Decision Making Takes its Toll on the Village of Ridgewood

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the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, if you read The Blog, Facebook, watch Board of Ed meetings and Village Council meetings, you will come away shaking your head at all the stuff going wrong in town lately:

1. Board of Education Trustee Mohammed Mahmoud asked the auditor, the AUDITOR, who was hired by the Board:  “Are your numbers accurate?”  How insulting.  (was the guy supposed to say, “No, sir, you paid me and now I am providing inaccurate numbers.” ? ? ? )
2.  You can charge your electric car at the parking garage FOR FREE.  Yes, that’s right.  You get your car fueled up at no charge.  Maybe they will start installing gas pumps at each space as well, enabling gas vehicles to do the same?
3. Speaking of gas, another kind, when Village Hall had the fire department and police officers running through the building last week, the Mayor adjourned the meeting so everyone could safely vacate (by the way, the gas problem was resolved).  Instead of respecting the urgency (as well as the legality) of having the meeting adjourned, Councilwoman Winograd said she wanted to rebut something a resident had said.  You know, because she always has to have the LAST WORD.  Thankfully, the Village Manager shut her down (even though her mouth kept running).
4. Board of Education Trustee Sheila Brogan has an ethics violation that was reported a year ago.  The Board has said (and done) nothing, NOTHING about this.  Ummmmm, Board President Lembo???
5. The police were called (or appeared mysteriously) when friends of Schedler were parking some cars and buses along West Saddle River Road to take some illustrative photos. Why the police?  No signs along there indicate that parking is not permitted. 
6. Board of Education Trustee Mohammed Mahmoud questioned the need for annual BOE elections.  The need?  It is the law. The law – get it Mr. Elected Official?
7. Mayor Paul Vagianos attempted to prevent residents from speaking the name of any Council Member.  After prompting from a resident, it was then confirmed by Attorney Matt Rogers that residents have the legal right to address members of the Council by name.  First of all, why didn’t the Village Attorney wait for a resident to bring this up?  Second, there are THREE law-school graduates on the Council. 
8. Mayor Vagianos has been pushing and PUSHING the engineering department to make drawing after drawing after drawing of Schedler, desperately trying to find a way to get a huge field that will satisfy the sports people (to whom he is apparently beholden).  The employees were doing this on overtime ($$$).  Now as a result of budget discussions, overtime is no longer permitted.  So basically the engineering department is spending A LOT of time working on the Mayor’s incessant requests.  Other Village business that the Engineering Department is supposed to manage is just being kicked aside. 
9. The Mayor defied the Sunshine Law by conducting backroom, off-the-record, discussions in order to get the Village Manager to resign.  And then the Village Council Attorney, Matt Rogers, apparently backed him up saying this was OK.  What the heck, laws are meant to be broken, right? 
10. A high school, yes a HIGH SCHOOL, has silently appeared on Grove Street.  No signs indicate a school zone, no signs indicate a drug-free zone, just a school that the neighbors were not told about.
11. Even though the law prevents short-term (Airbnb-VRBO) rentals in Ridgewood, at least one is advertised on Spring Avenue. Likewise, the law preventing other businesses from operating out of a home is being defied, for example with in-home private music lessons.  Again, the law???
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13 thoughts on “Leadership Vacuum And Agenda Driven Decision Making Takes its Toll on the Village of Ridgewood

  1. Your tax dollars at work (not).

  2. Stupid is as stupid does.

  3. You are incorrect on #4. Look up at the appeals court dockets. The board of education has spent thousands THOUSANDS of dollars fighting the ethic violation against Sheila Brogan. She violated the law for her personal gain and now she is using tax payer dollars to fight the charges!

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  4. That’s why I make a lot of popcorn for the council meeting.
    This is great.

  5. “I understand. ” The mayors answer to everything.

  6. In #7, I think you meant to say “why DID (not didn’t) the Village Attorney wait for a resident to bring this up?”

    In-home music lessons have been given to individuals (typically children, also adults) from Time Immemorial. My piano teacher came to my house once a week in the 1950s. Is that really a problem (other than the fact that I didn’t practice enough)? If you mean group classes, that’s different.

    As for your other points . . . yes.

  7. In #5, why did Friends of Schedler need to park “some buses” as well as cars?

    1. I think they were documenting/simulating what the road access conditions might look like in the case you had an event and activity level of the type it is being said the larger field would bring. (Road becomes one way only). Probably they felt a picture is worth a 1,000 words to voice their concerns.

  8. Buses bring other high school teams to play against Ridgewood H.S. team.

  9. Is a private business really allowed in a public park???? Hmmmmm. Just add it to the list

    1. That private business has paid enough kick backs in form of meals program to the big wigs of this town. It’s not going anywhere.

  10. With any luck there will be a NORMAL council on the dais when HealthBarn’s contract expires.

  11. The people of Ridgewood did this to themselves. These sleaze bags didn’t usurp power in a violent coup d’ e’ tat. Unfortunately for the dystopian future of a once great town many clowns elected these few clowns to try to pretend that they are leaders. Barely two months in, it has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt they are not leaders. The four scumbags currently in control are only there for a few major votes to pay back their donors. Clear cutting Schedler and building Yankee’s Stadium is the first vote.
    Just wait until they install their Village Manager. That’s when the rest of their donor’s agenda will be reveled. I say their donor’s agenda because collectively and individually they are too stupid to concoct any of this on their own. They strongly believe in censorship and exclusion.
    Once their manager is in place they will use the zoning officer to go out and find any imperfection on a resident’s property who disagrees with them and that resident will get some nice fat property maintenance fines for speaking out against them. The Aronhson gang did the same thing.
    In the mean time, while they are too busy twisting the truth and exacting vengeance on the dissenters, the town will fall to shit.
    Just this year you are looking at layoffs, which will translate into service cuts and a 4 percent tax increase. Next budget will see even bigger service cuts and tax increases. At this point a majority of residents will realize the error of their ways, but it will be too late.
    Pee Wee’s big top adventure has come to Ridgewood. All we can do now is watch the circus freaks dance.

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