January 21st 2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Insulting people’s intellectual range, calling people idiots, inventing insulting names for people who have different opinions and calling those people’s opinions outrageous – all in one paragraph – doesn’t craft a winning argument for being “above the fray” or better than the average Blog reader… And if you indeed are a very devoted and vocal supporter of the current Council majority, I don’t think it reflects well on them either. You are not doing them any favors by being so nasty and quickly reduced to the level of name calling.
Why can’t anybody just discuss the issues anymore? Agree to disagree? I have strong opinions too but make an effort not to engage in that type of behavior. It is just unnecessary and unproductive. I think if you can’t hold it together, in public or in writing, people can probably sympathize with that feeling but maybe you should reconsider participating until you can pull yourself together. This thread of comments was not uncivil at all until you took it in that direction.
It goes to the very core of the problem when even Reverend Jan Philips at the beginning of the public comment session in a public meeting accused Ridgewood residents who were about to speak as GRANDSTANDING, when almost noone had had a chance to speak .Worse yet Reverend Philips, chairs the Civility Meetings, leading critics to only assume the whole civility process is nothing more than an attack on free speech and an attempt to silence dissent.
The Ridgewood blog is often the target of these Orwellian attacks of news speak where time and time again supporters of the council majority come on the blog name calling , bulling ,attacking and threatening posters always desperate to break the veil on anonymity that protects residents .
So the message is simple you get what you give , lack of respect breads lack of respect .
threats:
70.192.73.161
We can only hope that a tree falls on the little apartment that houses the server for this website….and puts us all out of our misery. Civility will return to the village once this forum of hate and intolerance is taken down.
70.192.64.104
I guess we’ll have a lot of residents pulling candidate packets to make a run at a seat….or do the malcontents just enjoy being keyboard bullies???
Rurik Halaby
Rurik@halaby.net
173.209.21.130
The guy with the bowtie is the Curmudgeon-in-Chief, founder of Curmudgeons for a Better Ridgewood, CBR, not to be confused with Citizens for a Dead Ridgewood. I can think of many vocalantis, rhymes with vigilantes, who qualify for Sasquatch.
If James sends me his email, I will be happy to send him photographs I took at Schedler, showing what a dump it is.
If Council Members Knudsen and Sedon were to pause for a minute and think of Ridgewood’s long-term interests and not just pandering to their base base, they would work positively with the Three Amigos to turn Schedler into something we can all be proud of and one that many Ridgewood Residents can enjoy.
Rurik Halaby
Rurik@halaby.net
173.209.21.130
Here we go again, the Pravda’s nasty campaign against perhaps the sincerest and hardest working member of the Village Council. Repeat a lie enough times and you hope it becomes the truth. You want to define nasty? Listen to the vocalantis, rhymes with vigilantes, with their viciousu guerrilla campaign to tke over control of the Council and then taking us back to C
Rurik Halaby
Rurik@halaby.net
70.212.5.69
James, have you no shame? Coming up with any BS idea you could muster, with little respect for your readers intelligence? And while you are at it, why not argue for the fact that Schedler needs to be protected since a susquatch was recently seen there. Susquatch? Look it up.
Anonymous
67.86.184.189
Friends of a bio-dump. What a creepy, crap-ridden place Schedler is and they want to preserve it inviolate? All of a sudden this neighborhood nobody even knew was part of Ridgewood is run through with dedicated environmentalists? Not likely–they just like having a place where they don’t have to worry about cleaning up after their dogs, and they want to avoid extra road traffic coming through their neighnorhood. Nothing more than that. No saintly motives, that much is for sure.
James,
So I guess we should assume you only protect the anonymity of those who agree with you? Or are you also going to publish the IP addresses of everyone who has thrown insults at the current council majority or called them names? There are more than enough examples of such behavior on this blog, coming from both sides…
John , if you disrespect people they are going to disrespect you right back , no one is immune contrary to what some people think
btw John one of those comments is a “terroristic threat ” should call the Ridgewood Police and file a complaint or better yet Home Land Security ?
and John dont for get the council member making threats , on the record , on video , in the public meeting, in front of 300 people , I am not a lawyer but that dose not seem the best move
John are you not one the people who wants every one to post their names , so whats the issue when they make threats in posting their IP?
John V, the basic point is that people who speak against, have courage to go to the council meetings and put forward specific concerns / points / arguments. Those who are supporting these politically motivated decisions of the council members NEVER present any facts. They just say “you guys are negative”, or “look at these studies sponsored by those who are pushing for these changes”, which we all know are wrong.
So present any valid points – not try to call us ‘negatives’ / ‘road blockers’ etc etc.
Leon, as in Trotsky, a.k.a. James: You have a wonderful oportunity to develop The Ridgewood Blog into a serious medium, but somehow you cannot control your mean impulses and your biases.
Ho Ho ho Rurik, calling someone else MEAN and BIASED??? Take a look at the man in the mirror, Mr. Halliby. You are the meanest and nastiest dude in town. Almost.
9:58 is exactly right. If you do not support the council majority, you are dismissed as being totally against change and progress of any kind. Sometimes no change is actually a good thing. When Albert Pucciarelli growled at the crowd and avowed that THERE WILL BE DEVELOPMENT AT SCHEDLER! THAT IS A GUARANTEE, well, that was small mindedness at its best. Why Albert? Why must there definitely be development at Schedler? Just because you said so?
Doesn’t Knudsen’s family own property next to Schedler? Why is there no outrage about her not recusing herself from any discussion of the property?
John V loves to declare that those who post on the blog do not have the courage to speak up at meetings. Everyone I know who posts on the blog comes to the meetings. People, sometimes hundreds of people, come to the meetings and yes they also speak at meetings and yes they post on the blog, too. John V, on the other hand, by your own declaration you do NOT come to the meetings. Kind of disingenuous of you, wouldn’t you say? And I am sick to death of dismissing anonymous bloggers as cowards. Anonymous posting is part of the times. Accept that. And when you go in the voting booth, guess what, your vote is anonymous. So get off that stupid tactic that anonymity=worthless.
James, can’t your blog focus on the real issues instead of these childish grade school “he said, she said” popularity contests? State, Village and BoE theft of taxpayers, court challenge of Valley’s “not-for-profit” status based on Morristown precedent, lack of new teacher and police contracts due to union greed, awful governance by union controlled legislature in Trenton, repealing ordinance 3066, etc, etc. Instead we get “name calling” because some of your readers apparently take everything personally and have s beef with bullies like Albert; just ignore him like we just ignored all school yard bullies. Surely you can focus on real issues here instead?
we do all the time , most of the issues you mentioned where broken here on this blog first , again dont dish it if you cant take it
11:03 – thats the whole point. Do you have any reasonable / thoughtful argument to contribute to the debate or are you here just for name calling?
Government by the blog. I love it ! ! ,
https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-news-issues-correction-on-claims-against-councilwoman-susan-knudsen/
Her family owning property nearby is hardly a conflict, but if you are looking for conflicts look no further then Council woman Habernickel Hauck…
11:33 because government by open communication doesn’t exist here anymore. questions are not answered at the council meetings, information is withheld from public and selectively released to some council members, and OPERA requests cost hundreds of dollars.
Listen, it’s definitely a 2 way street here when it comes to name calling, insults, etc… James is a great referee but the name calling, insults, etc. come mostly those who are frustrated by the number of issues affecting this town…it seems that if you dare support the council regarding anything on this blog you open yourself up for rapid fire… It’s a great forum for people feeling disenfranchised by the current town administration but most of the vitriol is not from those who may be in favor of the garage, valley expansion, er i mean renewal, high density housing, etc…
There is only one Rurik, he’s easy to find. But John V. according to http://www.njactb.org there are only two people with the first name John and last initial V who are property owners in Ridgewood. So you’re a little harder to find. That is if you are a tax paying property owner.
12:30 – John V is not difficult to find. He openly posts on Facebook too. I respect him for that, though I disagree with his faith in the council majority and village administration.
Paul Smith – I disagree. You may get rapid fire arguments but not just personal insults.
To 12:11 p.m. OPERA tickets are cheaper you don’t have to pay hundreds of dollars to see the Metropolitan Opera.
James: Look up the definition of the word “threat” A threat is a statement of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile action on someone in retribution for something done or not done. NOT once did I threaten someone. Please issue a retraction and an apology. Regarding your disclosing my email address and IP address, you broke one of your rules, which does not appear on the Blog anymore, which is that email addresses are not disclosed. I am taking measures to ensure my email address is not hacked. Thank you. Rurik Halaby
Not you Rurik
1230, why are you looking? How about you send your first name and initial so we can see if you’re a tax paying property owner too.
John V is all bark and no bite. Show us your face, come to a meeting and kiss up,to the council majority with all of us watching, why dontcha.
Paul Smith – While there is some truth to your comment, please consider the fact that there would be less vitriol here if our Council majority, 1.) Didn’t always appear to have met separately and made up their minds long before the public was allowed to comment. 2.) At least put forward the appearance of caring at all about what the public had to say. 3.) Refrained from their now well-documented threats and insults from the dais.
While some of the commentary here is immature and inappropriate, most of it is well thought out and heartfelt. I’m sure you’d agree that the Council majority has mistreated more than a few well-meaning tax payers that waited hours for their 5 minutes at the microphone. Given that, you can hardly blame those who respond passionately here.
I think that the Ridgewood Blog does a pretty good job of moderating and keeping things on point. If there are more comments against large construction projects than there are in favor, that just might be an indication of how the tax payers feel in general. I guess we’ll find out in May – anyone willing to wait 3 hours to comment publicly against something will surely spend the 10 minutes it takes to vote.
Your points are legit and a lot of people I’m sure agree… but I do enjoy when a council supporter throws out some barbs and all of a sudden people are aghast and refer to “childish” comments… In terms of the “threat”, we should defend the “victim” that was victimized from the dais as long as we can put sidewalks on his street. And yes, the vote will show how the silent majority of this town truly feels. Anyway 2:58, well said.
11:19, as James said at 11:18, “dont dish it if you cant take it”. It goes both ways and just because you don’t like one Councilwoman, it seems to blind you about the other… That’s not being reasonable, that’s name calling
This thread sure blew up! Been shoveling, sledding, and watching football all day. Will now start responding to some specific things said about me…
James at 10:05am-
If someone makes a threat, I have no particular problem with you “outing” them or reporting them to police. You should just try to be consistent!
—-
James at 10:53am-
Yes, Albert P did seem to make some sort of threat. Not sure what that has to do with this though?
—
James at 11:04am-
I have no problem with people being anonymous, here or elsewhere. (If I’ve said such in the past, I take it back, though I don’t believe I ever said so.) My only suggestion for the anonymous posters here would be to pick a pseudonym or fake name so discussion can be more productive and consistent over time.
9:58am-
I disagree with your assessment, particularly the use of the word “never”. I have witnessed folks on both “sides” talk about the facts and be perfectly fair, honest, and respectful. I have also witnessed people on both sides simply accuse the other side of manipulating information or being disingenuous. There don’t seem to be any innocent parties here, though I certainly agree that our elected officials should be held to the highest standards.
11:10am-
I think you might be confusing me with someone else? Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t believe I’ve ever talked about people here lacking “courage” regarding speaking at council meetings. I’ve almost exclusively focused my comments on the “facts” and my interpretation of them, along with responding to those spreading misinformation or using “poor logic” – in my opinion of course!
The main reason I don’t attend council meetings is that they are on weeknights and last a long time. With a busy job, two kids, and stuff to do around the house I haven’t had the time. I think it’s great how many people stay involved with town issues. It’s critical to having a well functioning town government.
Again, I really don’t think I’ve been someone here calling people cowards. I do my absolute best to avoid name calling since it’s so toxic to a good discussion.
No problem with people choosing to post anonymously! I just think it’s a bit hypocritical for James to “out” people given that having an anonymous forum is important to him.
Unlike the Village Council the Ridgewood blog has a “no threat” policy , John you really should watch the video otherwise you have nothing to say of substance on the matter
12:30pm-
I am indeed a tax paying property owner here with a first name “John” and a last name that starts with “V”. I’m okay with not being truly anonymous, but I just don’t like being “google-able”!
12:38pm-
That’s correct, I do post on the Ridgewood Facebook groups as well. I’ve mostly been trying to play the same role I do here, foster fact-based discussion and speak against misinformation and bad logic. I agree that my opinions may seem to have “faith” in the council and administration. While I’m relatively neutral to negative in my opinion of the “three amigos”, I am generally in favor of more development, and thus generally “agree” with them on those issues.
2:11pm-
I like to think my “bark” at least is pretty effective! Apologies for not being able to make it to council meetings. Just personal priorities for weeknights. It’s just easier for me to engage on all of this online and over email than in person.
john you have no bark and people see you as a distrust worthy pawn
James at 8:39pm-
I did watch the video of Albert’s final comments on Jan 6. If that was “not a threat” as he said, what could it have possibly been? He almost certainly lost any hope of me voting for him with that comment! And I am aware that’s sort of par for the course for him as well.
I’m glad you have a “no threat” policy. But I didn’t think you had a “no name calling” policy? If name calling will lead to posting of IP addresses in the future, you should make that official!
John – I am a mother of two teens and work full-time in NYC so I’ve got a long commute. I make it a priority to watch the meetings on LiveStream or Channel 77 as I prepare dinner, do dishes, make lunches, etc. I get up early so I don’t always make it to the end but it’s work trying if you can fit it in.
James at 9:06pm-
I’m sorry that you have that opinion James, but I’m glad that at least a few others here do not share that view and are willing to engage in positive dialogue.
John your trolling the blog looking for information
James at 9:34pm-
Please say more. I’m curious what you think my motives are and why I’m looking for “information”?
John V – you should work on summarizing your point of view into a single, succinct, coherent post.
8:03pm-
Sure, happy to do so:
***
Personal philosophy: Be fact-based, logical, and fair. Try to understand others positions. Avoid name-calling and ad hominem attacks. Admit when you’re wrong or have made a mistake.
***
Political philosophy: Mostly libertarian / classical liberal, but more sympathetic to the moral concerns of those on the left than I was 10 years ago.
***
“Development” philosophy: Economic growth requires land development. Since economic growth is mostly good, land development is mostly good. Most places should be denser than they are currently. We should have a long-term perspective regarding “change”. People got used to change in the past, we will similarly get used to change today. Try to avoid being especially over-protective of housing prices or school systems, since on net such over-protection isn’t good for the world. All people matter and should have their interests somewhat included in a moral calculus, including non-voters, future residents, adjacent populations, etc.
***
Conclusion regarding current Ridgewood issues:
– Garage: Things to make downtown Ridgewood more “vibrant” are a generally a good idea, such as adding more parking. Garage should probably fit on the lot and be a “reasonable” scale. Finances need to be a bit more certain before proceeding with the current project, such as by raising rates and hours in advance of construction.
– Housing: More housing is generally a good idea. Thus, I support new apartments downtown, though perhaps at a slightly smaller scale than the current plans. In this specific case, the “process” that was followed to approve individual developments via spot changes to the master plan changes was not a good idea.
– Schedler, etc: No particular opinion on other issues since I haven’t studied them.
My comment still awaiting moderation?
John V. 10:16 am – as a resident what can you do to make sure that the garage is ‘reasonable’ scale and the correct ‘process’ is followed for housing and has slightly ‘smaller’ size?
There are hundreds of residents who will support this.
John V. Come to the village hall, council meeting this Wednesday at 7:30 (or soon after that) and request the council to work on a reasonable size garage and finalize the finances before moving forward with the lease agreement with BCIA – https://www.facebook.com/groups/RidgewoodVillage/permalink/1678599625691140/
4:26pm-
Very good questions.
For garage scale, I think the residents have done a good job indicating they don’t want a garage that takes up half of Hudson St. Hopefully they just do a reduced scale garage version and get the council to approve it rather than taking it to the county.
For housing process, that ship has already sailed I’d say. For some reason they took up the re-zoning on a piecemeal basis rather than as an overall downtown plan.
For housing scale, I’m not sure there is a compromise, since some people truly don’t want any apartments at all in Ridgewood for various reasons. I’ve seen the Citizens For A Better Ridgewood say they’re okay with the 12 units per acre as currently zoned. I think the proposals are for 35 units per acre? So maybe something like 25 units per acre might be a better compromise?
John V. Not sure why we are all spending so much time trying to convince you of anything but I guess it is a nice test to see which arguments are compelling. Do you still believe the garage will lead to more vibrancy if it is essentially a commuter lot?
John V, you’re a sucker for anchoring…
John V. I am saying your opinion is same as many of the other residents. How can we make it happen? What can we do for this council to listen to us? Residents have done a good job of voicing their concerns, but to deaf ears. What would you do differently to make this council listen?
6:18pm-
I slightly disagree that the garage would be essentially a commuter lot. During the day it sounds like it would “mostly” be filled with commuters and CBD employees. At night “mostly” filled with CBD employees and restaurant-goes. That would free up street parking for shoppers and other people visiting towns. So yes, on net I believe it would be good for making a more vibrant downtown.
7:13pm-
Aren’t we all “suckers for anchoring” when it comes to a negotiation? Each side proposes an “ideal” and then negotiate to an acceptable alternative. I’m personally fine with the “big” garage A as proposed, but others have legitimate concerns so compromise seems reasonable. I’m personally fine with dense 35 units per acre, but others want something smaller for legitimate reasons.
You do raise a legitimate point though about anchoring as a common cognitive bias!
7:16pm-
I disagree that the councils ears have been “deaf”. Wasn’t the delay in the vote for the master plan change (and the vote more studies) a sign of at least some listening? And the mayors switch to supporting the lower height building a sign of some listening as well?
I am not privy to any insider information, but if I were betting I would say the most likely situation is for a ~300 space lot, funded by the town itself, 5 levels but not encroaching on Hudson st.
7:16pm-
To add on further. The frustration with the council seems legitimate. All I’m saying is that the process is somewhat working in terms of “listening”, though clearly with great effort by those opposed to the projects. A better/different council would perhaps have followed a better/different process that was less contentious. But given that people still disagree on whether there is a shortage of parking or not, who knows if a different process would have lead to anything better!
10:08pm John V. Look at the agenda for this Wednesday’s council meeting. It’s being voted for through BCIA, with a design that still doesn’t fit the lot.
6:18pm John V – In a BCIA funded garage, Ridgewood will not be able to restrict it to Ridgewood residents. It will need to be treated same for all Bergen County residents. It will be filled mostly with county commuters and we won’t be able to give any preference to CBD employees. Thats my information, based on facts, not an assumption. If you know better, please present facts which show that a county funded / county owned garage will allow preferential treatment to town residents.
8:35am-
That’s correct, the BCIA vote is this week. I agree that truly “listening” would have involved coming back with a redesign and re-vote before proceeding for BCIA money.
All your facts are correct as far as I know re: the constraints around a BCIA funded garage. It seems like all-around a really, really bad idea. I’m not in favor of it.
Pure speculation: perhaps its just a “bluff” by Aronsohn et al. to get 4 votes for a town-funded garage once a smaller design is completed? I see that there are motions to give more to the design consultants on the agenda, presumably for a re-design?
John V. 9:05 AM – I hope you are correct and eventually it’s all negotiating techniques and we end up with a reasonably sized garage funded locally.
I don’t think that is the case though. It sounds like the Mayor is pushing through BCIA to gain points at the county level, as he has already announced he wants to run at county level. He needs to gain points with the county / state democratic leadership – and he has always been in favor of a BCIA funded / county garage for commuters – https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=site:northjersey.com+ridgewood+BCIA – look at these news releases. The Mayor has been working with BCIA for a while now.
Not sure why the other two council members are not opposing this, specially when deputy mayor is running for re-election and has said he wants to do what’s good for Ridgewood.