Pope Francis spoke out Friday over the increasingly aggressive nature of much political discourse and the use of social media as a forum for personal abuse.
In a message published on the same day that the Twitter-friendly pontiff met Apple boss Tim Cook, Francis said digital technology and the Internet could help bring people together but also had the potential to create deep wounds.
“Our words and actions should be such as to help us all escape the vicious circles of condemnation and vengeance which continue to ensnare individuals and nations, encouraging expressions of hatred,” he said.
The pope urged politicians and others in positions of power “to remain especially attentive to the way they speak of those who think or act differently or those who may have made mistakes.”
And he emphasised the importance of everyone applying the same principle to encounters in cyberspace by showing respect for “the neighbour whom we do not see.”
“It is not technology which determines whether or not communication is authentic, but rather the human heart and our capacity to use wisely the means at our disposal,” Francis said.
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.
Ridgewood NJ, It is remarkable how rude Gwenn, Albert, and Paul are. Not just this week, not just this month, not just any current issue. This has been going on for as long as they have been in office. They were wildly inappropriate to Tom Riche, to Bernadette Walsh, to Ken Gabbert, to John Ward, to Susan Knudsen, to Mike Sedon, to Heather Mailander…..and these are just the elected officials and employees to whom their wrath has been directed. Then we have citizens who come to meetings that they lash out at, and indeed THREATEN. What the heck? How in the world do they get away with this?
And then there are the more subtle (well, less subtle than yelling, but still clearly wrong) incivilities, such as:
1. not allowing anyone to ask a question – or staring mutely while questions are asked, promising to answer them at the end, and then never answering them.
2. telling a nervous first-time citizen YOU ONLY HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO SPEAK AND DON’T ASK ANY QUESTIONS, thus making the person feel like they have already done something wrong before they even get to the podium.
3. allowing some residents to speak well after the buzzer goes off, but stopping others in mid-sentence when the 5 minutes is up.
4. talking among themselves when a resident that they do not like is speaking. (such private side-bar conversations, by the way, are a VIOLATION of the open public meetings act)
5. leaving the dais to talk to someone in the audience or in the hallway, thereby indicating to whatever member of the public who is at the podium that their words are not worth listening to.
6. not bothering to reply to the emails of certain residents
7. interrupting speakers they do not like, thus getting the speaker off base and thus cutting into the speaker’s allotted time.
8. texting while on the dais, yes, we see you doing this, thereby breaking their own rules and at the same time indicating that whoever is speaking is not worth listening to.
9. loudly popping open soda cans and eating during meetings. Really? You are up there chewing and slurping when a meeting is going on. Come on, no one on the dais is starving. Hold off on your dining until you are home. Can’t do without food for a few hours? Really
I know of several individuals who feel they have been targeted by the village after making complaints. At the time, I told them to contact the village manager. I thought that was the way to go. Most people feel too uncomfortable expressing their concerns at a public meeting. I now feel that is the only way to go. My own personal experience occurred two years ago. I had sent a letter to the Ridgewood News. I had forwarded a copy to the council. At a council meeting, I was approached by the mayor and he asked me to pull it. I said I couldn’t because it was past the deadline and I was under the impression they were printing it. It was not an inflammatory letter. It was not printed and I later found out through many sources that the mayor had gone to the paper and intervened. The mayor had implied that I had gotten it all wrong but later admitted that he had. I think at best , the actions taken by the mayor and subsequent cover up was problematic.
Many people believe that the email to Mike Sedon’s place of employment did come from the village as it was sent immediately after his petition was handed in at that location. I hope it wasn’t so but it seems like a familiar pattern.
If somebody knocks on your door with the permit inspection hammers swinging within a month of a public comment including that homeowners Name recording at a meeting…doesn’t take much imagination to connect the pieces and possible motives here…for goodness sake Rwood take back your Town…
This whole matter goes back to yet another ill-conceived comment made by a man that wants to be our next Mayor. Regardless of whether there’s any correlation to surprise inspections and summons’ to Mr. Pucciarelli’s very public threat, one has to question the man’s judgement for making the comment in the first place. This is not the first time Mr. Pucciarelli has spoken before thinking.
JANUARY 15, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Urging council to keep trying on garage
To the editor:
I thank the Village Council for the time and effort spent trying to solve the parking issues in Ridgewood, but remain disheartened after the meeting on Jan. 6.
As Councilwoman Knudsen stated, the referendum was a vote for a parking garage on Hudson Street … not IN Hudson Street. Many residents were unaware of the size and scope of what they were being encouraged to vote for in the referendum.
Furthermore, aside from one vague, not widely circulated, and still anonymous flyer, there was very little public opposition. There were no “vote no” flyers all over town or on school property.
Would Mt. Carmel not have fully mobilized before the vote if they had any inkling the impact would be so great? Do you doubt that the 4,000 families of the parish would not have voted down the referendum had they realized there would be a 10-foot narrowing of Hudson and loss of precious on-street parking?
Overwhelmingly the residents who attended the meeting on Jan. 6 agreed to parking — even parking at that imperfect location — but not such a dramatic encroachment into the street, infringement on church life, and congestion to that area of the village in general.
As mentioned numerous times, the town while not legally required to follow its own rules and ordinances, should be expected to do so in all but emergency situations.
The word compromise was often used, but would be more easily achieved if a design was presented that stayed within the footprint of the current Hudson Street lot. Instead all of the options were variations on the same too big for the property design.
Mayor Aronsohn has stressed how important it is to get it right on parking, but isn’t that worth asking the architects to come back with some new ideas that a majority of interested parties can get behind before seeking funding from the county? We have waited decades for a solution and are nearly there, yet suddenly weeks are too long to wait for new drawings?
Lastly, while the financing scheme is not quite buttoned up, there was actually little disagreement around the costs of the garage. How sad then that the majority of council feels the need to seek financing elsewhere and hand the reins over to the county. By doing this, we would incur needless extra financing fees and perhaps ultimately lose some control over the project — design aesthetics, number of spaces dedicated to residents outside of Ridgewood, measures to take if meter revenue is below expectations, etc.
Can this really not be worked out without going that drastic, precedent setting route?
We have agreement on the need for parking, acceptance if not full agreement on location, and agreement on cost. There are a few months left for the council to figure this out together … I urge them to keep trying.
Our council lurches from project to project without a common theme or goal perhaps other than “if someone with money asks for it, then lets give it to them.” The majority on this council exhibit no sense of serving the Village of Ridgewood. They’ve never shown that they looked into the future to ask or try to divine what’s best for the Village as a whole. Instead, they appear only to react to and be driven by the demands of developers, land speculators, restaurant owners and other profiteers.
I have lived in town quite a few years now, and have had agreements and disagreements with many that always ended with a friendly handshake. Sadly, this crew has engendered an entirely different feeling. More sadly yet, they seem to smugly relish what the discord have sown.
I can think of two reason for this. One is payback to the supporters of the gang of three in the last election. The second is to secure votes and financial backing for the gang of three for the upcoming election. If our current Mayor chooses not to run next year then you can be sure that our Deputy Mayor will make a run for Mayor and Gwen will be Deputy Mayor. The plans are already in the works for this. Im sure Albert has already pick a candidate that will support his bid for Mayor .
Make no mistake readers Albert and Paul are smart people. We will not know this mystery candidate until after the election. We will again have four years of block votes and the systematic destruction of the Village . I would suggest to all voters to do their due diligence next year. Know your candidate and their history not just their talking points for the election.
Ridgewood NJ, Just when I thought I’d seen it all, the latest “Ridgewood Parks and Recreation News” arrived at my home via US Mail this week, and in it I was shocked to find notice of a upcoming program entitled: LETS STAY ACQUAINTED WITH GWENN HAUCK “Community Wide Outreach of Available Senior Services.”
The Councilwoman’s name was printed in bold caps and was highlighted in yellow. The names of no other Village Council members appear anywhere within the two (2) page newsletter, nor, for that matter, do the names of any Village of Ridgewood Parks and Recreation Department employees.
“Mayor’s Office Hours For Residents”, “The Mayor’s Corner,” now “LETS STAY ACQUAINTED WITH GWENN HAUCK.” When can we expect the Deputy Mayor to announce his regular offering?
Can we just put an end to all of this self promotion, please. Next thing you know, we’ll be painting the names of Council members on municipal vehicles and hanging names off of signs to our parks just like they do in Hudson County. We’ve got to stop this ego driven madness now.
Anyone pointing fingers at past Councils about conflicts of interest is clearly trying to divert attention away from the several conflicts with the current Council. Mr. Killion is long gone folks. We have several critical issues before this Council and the 3 majority members all seem to have cozy relationships with the parties that have a lot to gain from their “YES” vote. Money has already changed hands from Mr. Saraceno to our Council majority in the form of $1,000 fundraiser tickets for them and their dates. Mr. Pucciarelli and Mrs. Hauck have clear conflicts on the Valley Hospital lawsuit.
Apologists for the Council majority cry “old news” when these conflicts come up yet they point fingers at past Councils as a convenient way to deflect any blame that comes their way.
In response to concerns voiced by several residents regarding Village Council members’ adherence to provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act, the council unanimously adopted Resolution 13-87, “Village Council Meetings and Communications Protocol,” in April of 2013. This document, which was developed by the council with the very best of intentions, is a list of “dos and don’ts” for the five elected council members to follow when discussing, investigating, or preparing for deliberation of municipal business.
Item No. 4 in this list reads as follows: “Telephonic or electronic communication between or among Council members or between a Council member and a member of the public during public meetings is prohibited.” In the 2013 public work sessions at which this document was edited, the clause prohibiting contact with members of the public was specifically inserted.
At both the Oct. 22 and Nov. 5, 2014, Village Council meetings, it was revealed that some members have their telephones and/or tablets on during meetings, and receive and reply to messages from family members. Resolution 13-87.4 does not allow for any exceptions to the prohibition, and family members are certainly members of the public. Both Mayor Aronsohn and Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli have clearly indicated that they have no problem breaking this rule in order to communicate with their families. As one resident stated on Nov. 5, this does not meet the high standards they set for themselves.
Our Village Council members put in long hours conducting business for Ridgewood, so one can imagine their temptation to be in touch with family during an evening meeting. Unfortunately, when their own rule is being broken, with private communications occurring during public meetings, members of the community are left with no way of knowing whether electronic exchanges might be taking place regarding substantive matters on the council agenda. If such interactions were to take place, this would seem to contradict the principles of the Open Public Meetings Act.
It is my hope that, moving forward, the Village Council will start following this document to the letter of their own law. Having telephones and tablets turned off and out of reach during these public meetings would completely eliminate any hint of impropriety.
OCTOBER 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Village officials must steer clear of conflicts
To the Editor:
On July 3, 2013, Paul Aronsohn and his wife, Gwenn Hauck, and Albert Puciarelli and a guest, attended a fundraiser for Chris Christie at the Bank of America building. Each was comped at least $1,000/person (an item of value) by an event host, John Saraceno, who also happened to have an application before the Planning Board — The Enclave — now being voted on by the council as part of B-3-R rezoning.
Chapter 3; Section 53 of the Village Code, entitled conflicts of interest and penalties, states:
An elected official:
Shall not: Accept or solicit anything of value as consideration for or in connection with the discharge of his official duties.
Shall not: Accept any gift or gratuity, whether in the form of service, loan or promise or in any other form, from any person, firm or corporation which would tend to influence them in the discharge of their official duties.
Penalties for violating the ordinance include: suspension, removal from office, jail, fine or community service.
At a meeting on July 10, 2013 (per the minutes), Mayor Aronsohn asked Village Attorney Matt Rogers to look into the gift law related to the comped tickets. On July 11, 2013, Rogers was quoted in The Ridgewood News: Attending the fundraiser “falls outside the village’s gift ordinance” and was “completely appropriate” for the elected officials to attend. “It would have been a disservice if they did not attend.” There appears to have been no further discussion in the public record thereafter.
In his Ridgewood News reply, Rogers did not address the conflict of interest ordinance, which is Chapter 3, choosing only to focus on the appropriateness of attending the fundraiser (attending the event and accepting an item of value are separate issues). He is correct that it would have been a disservice for the council not to attend – provided they paid for it. Since it appears they did not pay, “accepting an item of value” becomes the issue; falling under the conflict of interest ordinance. Prima facie this looks to be a conflict of interest.
Of further concern is there may be other “business relationships” which may affect council member’s impartiality. These include a working relationship that Mayor Aronsohn and Pucciarelli have with Saraceno — as members of the Ridgewood Library Board of Trustees.
At a July 2015 council meeting, Aronsohn, Pucciarelli and Hauck voted in favor of introducing an ordinance for the B-3-R zone (where the Enclave is situated).
As a member of the zoning board, in order to steer clear of any conflicts of interest, we are requested by legal counsel to recuse ourselves from any personal or business relationships we might have with applicants. The council should be held to the same standards that other village sanctioned boards are held to.
The people of Ridgewood deserve an answer from the village attorney as to whether council members have a conflict of interest in this important issue facing us. If the attorney is unwilling to examine this, have an independent third party do so.
Ridgewood NJ, Finally, it has become abundantly clear, that the current Council majority totally disrespects the will and wishes of the taxpayers of Ridgewood. The Ridgewood “elite” has woken from their Pinot Noir induced stupor and seen and heard the arrogance of the three worst Council members of all time.
They are, by far, the most self-serving, small minded nit wits ever to grace the dais. The jig is up! Their back room dealing and campaign donor promises, at the expense and pain of the Ridgewood taxpayers, have come to light and people now have seen the three deceitful Council members as they truly are.
Let them know it’s time to pack their “carpet bags” and move on. Al can go back to his day job, Gwenn can get back to her regularly scheduled nail and hair appointments and Paul can move to Washington and help Hillary pack for prison.
By the way October 13 is the last day to Register to Vote in Nov. 3 Election. On Tuesday, October 13 from 8:30am to 4:30pm, voter registration forms are available in the Village Clerk’s Office on the 5th Floor of Village Hall.
On October 13 from 4:30pm to 9:00pm the Village Clerk will be in the Ridgewood Library Lobby with forms to assist residents with voter registration.
For a Brit, he’s pretty clear on the evils of tyrrany.
Here he demonstrates clearly that he must have visited Ridgewood in person at some point in the recent past, and that when he did, he enthusiastically imbibed the message of public civility imparted by our treasured public icons, the three amigos:
Pat Condell’s words: “When you’re imposing tolerance and respect on people, there’s no need to actually show them any. Just keep throwing mud until it sticks, because you’re up to your neck in double standards here, so you need to be extra vigilent against unwelcome opinion, which in your position can be more than inconvenient (if that wasn’t outrageous enough), it can be downright threatening. So anyone trying to stir up healthy, rational debate should always be swiftly marginalized and crushed, in the spirit of reconciliation and healing. And, if your conscience troubles you, just remind yourself that you’re doing the wrong thing for the correct reason, and you’ll be fine.”
Civility Forum – May 11th at 7:30PM The next Civility Forum will be held at 7:30pm in the Senior Lounge at Village Hall. Rev. Jan Phillips will lead the discussion. Everyone is welcome to attend.
Regarding “Ridgewood eases residency requirement” (Page L-3, April 10):
The Ridgewood Village Council meeting of April 8 was the third consecutive meeting at which uncivil behavior on the part of some elected and appointed officials completely overshadowed the business at hand.
While The Record article indicates that the village’s labor attorney, Beth Hinsdale-Piller, “clarified a number of items,” it fails to mention the derogatory tone of voice and accusatory language (directed squarely at a current council member) utilized by Hinsdale-Piller throughout her remarks.
While Hinsdale-Piller had requested that no interruptions be made during her statement, the council member who was the subject of her remarks was not extended the same courtesy and was repeatedly interrupted by others.
Rude comments from the council’s dais seem to have become the norm in Ridgewood. Recent meetings have included attacks on current and former members of the council, the police chief and members of the public.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn summarized the meeting by saying that the discussions had been “good” and “healthy,” even if “not always friendly,” thereby completely minimizing the vituperative nature of these meetings.
In February 2013, Aronsohn publicly apologized for such behavior, saying the public deserves a working council, not a fighting council. More than two years later, we continue to witness argumentative, sarcastic and downright nasty comments from certain elected and appointed officials.
Ridgewood residents deserve better, and we deserve it now.
The meeting was a disgrace. Go to villageofridgewood and follow them on ustream (upper right corner) there are 2 parts to the meeting. Click on the one that shows the black screen and not a person. Go to 15:25-that’s basically when the bashing of councilwoman Knudsen starts. It is beyond my comprehension that she asked for some information to help her understand an ordinance they were voting on. Knudsen still has not received all the information she asked for, And the mayor gets the labor attorney to come to the council meeting to blast Knudsen and threaten her under the guise of “she’s here to explain things”.
If the labor attorney wanted to explain things, she could have picked up the phone weeks ago to speak with Knudsen and not left her in the dark about things since Knudsen’s request of March 11th.
They should all be ashamed of themselves, but of course this is typical of Aronsohn, Pucciarelli and Hauck. The village manager is a hot head. She can barely control herself. You can tell when she gets angry. She can’t stop fidgeting. Scratching her head constantly, bouncing in her chair, turning red, fanning herself etc. Shame on Matt Rogers for allowing the bashing to continue. I thought his job is to represent the council. He certainly did not represent councilwoman Knudsen last night.
Village of Ridgewood Public Access (180:00)
Village of Ridgewood Public Access
Wednesday at 4:57pm
50 views
https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60890176
In a broader sense, this issue is like many others in that we have a Council majority that meets separately from the entire Council and outside the public eye. They come to each Council meeting with their own agenda and publicly humiliate any non-majority Council member that questions or disagrees with their agenda.
Whether these 3 violate the Sunshine laws is a topic for another post. Or maybe a special prosecutor. Regardless, the sad truth is that Ridgewood is being run by 3 individuals that think they know better than the rest of us. They preach transparency while they exclude their constituents and Council mates from the governing process. They preach civility as they engage in petty name calling and public condescension. They insult our intelligence by acting this way and thinking that nobody notices such blatant hypocrisy.
Let’s hope that Ms. Knudsen and Mr. Sedon have the courage to stand up to these 3 every step of the way. At this point, every agenda item that this Council majority brings to the table is worthy of a second look
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