The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Englewood NJ, Dwight-Englewood Head of School Jeremy Gregersen addressed the school community via email on Tuesday regarding a group text exchange among certain middle school students that contained racially charged jokes and other offensive language.
Continue reading Dwight-Englewood Students Involved In Racially Charged Group Text
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Trenton NJ, Senator Kristin Corrado (R-40) issued the following statement criticizing the Murphy administration for their response to a Department of Justice (DOJ) report that said New Jersey provided constitutionally deficient care to veterans:
Continue reading Senator Corrado: Murphy Administration Takes No Accountability Over DOJ Report
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the New Jersey Business and Industry Association is opposing a bill that would permanently eliminate a requirement for students to pass a standardized test to get their high school diploma.
Continue reading Don’t Eliminate Standardized Test Requirement for High School Diploma
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Blog has learned from several sources that newly elected councilwoman Pamela Perron is spreading misinformation about the initiative to consolidate local elections to November. When questioned at meetings as well as in emails with various residents, she is unequivocal that residents will still get to vote on the School Board budget proposals . . . sometimes. When called to task on this, she spews various legalese, but does not amend her hard-line stand.
“This complete lack of transparency and accountability is an affront to anyone who believes that government should operate as a fair and open servant to the American people “, Scott Garrett
Garrett Bill to Shed Light on FSOC Passes Committee Activities
Nov 4, 2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, issued the following statement after the Financial Services Committee passed his bill, H.R. 3557, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) Transparency and Accountability Act:
“The Financial Stability Oversight Council is a powerful government body created by Dodd-Frank that holds closed-door meetings, refuses to publish substantive transcripts, and stonewalls requests from Congress when we need more information about its operations. This complete lack of transparency and accountability is an affront to anyone who believes that government should operate as a fair and open servant to the American people. With the committee passage of my bill, the FSOC Transparency and Accountability Act, the American people are one step closer to seeing behind the shroud of this secretive and unaccountable government body.”
The FSOC Transparency and Accountability Act would:
Garrett Introduces Bill to Hold FSOC Accountable to the American People
Sep 18, 2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05), Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises, today introduced H.R. 3557, the Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) Transparency and Accountability Act, to bring much-needed transparency and accountability to the FSOC.
“The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) is one of the most notorious examples of the kind of secretive and unaccountable government bodies that could only be a creation of Washington, D.C. The Dodd-Frank Act vested the FSOC with the authority to designate nonbank financial institutions as “too big to fail,” essentially giving them unprecedented authority over an entire sector of the U.S. economy without adequate checks and balances.
“The Council continues to hold closed-door meetings, refuses to publish substantive transcripts, and stonewalls requests from the people’s representatives when we need more information about its operations. No agency should be allowed to operate above the law in this way, and my bill will shed some much-needed light on this shadowy government body.”
Garrett’s legislation would:
Subject the FSOC to the Government in the Sunshine Act
Subject the FSOC to the Federal Advisory Committee Act
At all FSOC meetings, allow for the participation of all members of the Commissions and Boards represented
Require that any vote taken by the principal of a Commission or Board represented must first be taken by that Commission or Board and the principal must then in turn vote that same decision at the Council
Allow for Members of Congress on the Congressional oversight committees of FSOC to be able to attend all FSOC meetings
A previous version of the legislation passed the House Financial Services Committee in June, 2014.
Readers says Valley’s Board of Trustees needs to be accountable for this adversarial action.
The Valley Board of Trustees/Directors has not only allowed but financially rewarded the mismanagement of this now disgraced entity for it wrongful and failed attempts to bully the entire region.
The names of Valley directors should be made public so they can directly hear the wide annoyance at the poor decisions of its management team including the latest slap in the face to our village who has hosted and subsidized their tax free entity which is a farce to be discussed in detail another day.
First there was the Pascack Valley fiasco where Valley tried to sue to close that hospital agaisnt the wishes of that region instead of capitalizing on a golden opportunity to cheaply purchase a properly situated location that would have expanded their regional scope and market share while appeasing two communities. Valley’s lack of vision and their unethical legal maneuvering failed causing much lost of respect and goodwill and likely much business from that area , now Valley and its Board are repeating the same error that will further tarnish their standings in our community and the legacies of their predecessors.
The management and Board of Hackensack Hospital showed itself to be more attuned to the marketplace and prepared and likely will be again when other opportunities arise. Valley’s embarrassing doubletalk and repeated attempt to blatantly overdevelop a limited site despite knowing past rulings and objections reveals arrogance, incompetence and their over reliance on past back room brokering instead of sound management . To try to force something so sizeable and detrimental upon this town against its wishes was a Valley blunder and PR disaster and this high handed suit just tops off their list of errors.
There needs to be accountability for this adversarial action. Again, who are the Board of Trustees/ Directors? Time for them to be identified and properly addressed in good form for wearing blinders and showing disregard. I fully support and stand with the rightful decisions of our planning board and council and will gladly pay more taxes if that is what is required to fend off an hypocritical entity that argues positions without merit solely out of self interests and employs distasteful tactics to boot.
Our town reps were recognized by our residents for their thoroughness and integrity in this wasteful fiasco and my hope is that they wont feel pressure to succumb to the pressure tactics of a bully. Valley and its loud lawyers can scream like petulant children who don’t get their way to an absurd request . They can rant and threaten all they want but the resolve of this community to stand up for itself and its future generations will remain . High time for the Valley’s Board of Trustees to step up and stop the nonsense once and for all or face the music from the community
