The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
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Ramsey NJ, an “anonymous” message challenging the Ramsey school district’s book choices that was emailed to students’ families set off a contentious school board meeting on Tuesday night. Many residents wanted to know where the sender had acquired their email addresses, calling it a security breach, while others took issue with the book-banning message.
Continue reading “Anonymous” Email from the “Ramsey Parents Union” Rattles School District
Reader says the Sendon Email was interference with the election process and someone tried to sabotage his job and or his candidacy
I think if the Mayor had even ONCE voiced any outrage over this, and if he had pushed for an investigation, and pursued follow-up, then we would all feel more trusting of him. Yes, it was sent to the Prosecutor’s office, only after certain citizens expressed their anger. Molinelli determined it was not a prosecutable crime, and then it was eventually sent to the Board of Elections (not sure I have the correct name of the agency). Then we heard nothing. Nothing. I am quite certain that if the action had been taken against Mr. Aronsohn, he would have called out all the militia to cross state lines and subpoena the editor at the Staten Island newspaper. This is not such sensitive information that it would be so difficult to obtain. It is disgraceful that this has not been pursued with all possible resources.
The anonymous contact with Mr. Sedon’s employer (a newspaper in Staten Island) informed them that he was a candidate for public office. As such, it was indicated that this was a conflict of interest and I think Mr. Sedon’s employer told him to quit his candidacy or quit his job. The reason the anonymous caller did this was to get Mr. Sedon to quit his candidacy. Instead, he quit his job, and went on to win by a wide margin over the third candidate. If Mr. Sedon had been working for, let’s say The Ridgewood News, then this would have presented a big problem because he could not report on meetings and deliberations of which he was a part. But, this newspaper was in another state, where there could not even be a conceivable problem with him serving on a council in Ridgewood.
You choose to say that it was not such a terrible crime. Well, maybe not. It wasn’t murder or violence. But it most definitely was interference with the election process and someone tried to sabotage his job or his candidacy. Public information that was being relayed – yes, with the express purpose of putting this man off the ballot. It was disgusting.
This business stinks to high heaven. And It DOES seem of a piece with the Mayor’s bat-phone style interactions with The Ridgewood News to squelch political opposition. It has done brutal damage to our local political culture, so frustration that no culprit has been tracked down and held to account is perfectly understandable. The fact that this seamy event is seemingly being swept under the rug, or thrown down some kind of 1984-type George Orwell ‘memory hole’, tempts ordinary residents who had nothing to do with any of it to pretend that it never happened, or that the related civic damage is either not real or not lasting. In the end, though, we know this is just a convenient charade, and we are appalled at the absence of forthright leadership at the Village Council level.
file photo by Boyd Loving
Reader says Mr. Sedon is not the only wronged party. This was an act against our community, against our clean election system.
The village should initiate an investigation immediately.
This crime was committed against Ridgewood as well as against Mr. Sedon. Our elected officials should have authorized whatever legal fees would be needed to pursue the facts and bring the perpetrator to light. It is two years later, but it is still not too late. Draft a resolution or whatever it is you do, and let’s get on with it. Unless there is some reason that someone on the dais does not wish to pursue this???
There are 2 reasons why the Council have drag their feet. One is the longer it goes the harder it is to investigate. Second is they don’t want the public to know the answer. The answer may not fit in their civility matrix. The three amigos should be just a upset as Councilman Sedon and the public because an investigation show Transparency in the council and something similar could be done to them in the upcoming election. So why are they not pursuing this? I will leave it up to the readers to speculate.
This incident will remain an appalling blot on Ridgewood forever whether it is investigated or not, but especially if it is not. I’m still in shock that the truth has not been pursued avidly. Failure to pursue this points a gigantic finger at those in charge. They are failing in their duty to preserve democracy (forget civility) while making it clear that they are implicit. Developments should be on the front page routinely as they are for the theft of our quarters–which morally and as an insult to the electoral process was LESS bad.
Reader asks why no current member of the Council seems at all bothered by this subversion of the election process.
Funny that no current member of the Council seems at all bothered by this subversion of the election process. One would imagine that our elected leadership might want to maintain some level of integrity to the election process where those that seek public office aren’t personally harassed on the very day that their candidacy is certified. After all, this is the very same process that put them into office in the first place. One might imagine that as human beings they might have expressed some sympathy for what a bum deal this young man got for answering the call to public service.
Even the most cynical among us would expect at least a superficial statement from our elected officials condemning this brutally unfair and potentially illegal tactic, the timing of which is highly suspicious. So why the deafening silence?
Readers suggest *criminal* interference with Mr. Sedon’s employment
the person that contacted Mr. Sedon’s employer has crossed the line and hopefully will be exposed through a governmental investigation. In my mind, the only person or people that would do that would be:
a) somebody that was running against Mr. Sedon
b) somebody that is afraid that Mr. Sedon wouldn’t support their issue (i.e Valley or downtown overdevelopment)
I think it was probably item b and possibly item a as well.
This blog is here to counteract the hot air coming out of the government (i.e. Arohnsohn and his self-serving pronouncements) and the corporate interests.
Therefore, comparing this blog’s purpose and the probably *criminal* interference with Mr. Sedon’s employment is like comparing apples and oranges.
