The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
May 5,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, This message is being distributed by Ridgewood Citizens for Reasonable Development, Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, Friends of Schedler, and The Preserve Graydon Coalition.
Information obtained today has led four major grassroots groups to create a joint statement for our constituencies.
“Alexandra Harwin’s campaign for Village Council was revealed today to have paid substantial sums to a public relations and marketing firm that prepares communities for large-scale real estate development.
The public relations company describes itself as “assessing the political landscape for real estate development” (publitics.com). One project shown on company founder Matthew Krayton’s LinkedIn page is the downtown redevelopment initiative of the City of Hackensack. Unlike Hackensack, we do not want–we cannot absorb–more large-scale high-density development downtown.
Such firms do not come cheap. How much did it cost?
Public filings required of all candidates (elec.state.nj.us) show that as of April 27–11 days before the election–the Harwin campaign had received nearly $25,000 in donations, surely unprecedented in Ridgewood, and had paid nearly $10,000 to the above-mentioned firm for direct-mail and Facebook advertising. All but three of the largest donations came from out of state. Again, this is new. Are we comfortable having outsiders influence our election?
In contrast, through April 27, Susan Knudsen’s campaign received $6,695 and Michael Sedon’s $5,500, all from local residents.
Repeated libelous accusations–once again, never before seen in Ridgewood–are typical, bullying, developers’ tactics. Very little is said in the campaign literature, and for good reason, about the challengers’ attributes. Pounding the incumbents with fictional insults does not accurately represent our Village. We must resist being dragged along through the mud.
Those of us who have seen the hate-mailers may not soon forget them, and not in a good way. Those who have not seen them are lucky. Notably, the images and nasty messages do not appear on the candidates’ websites.
Despite weeks of character assassination from the opposition, our incumbents have remained civil, in the long tradition of this Village.
The Village Council for the next four years will play a significant role in overseeing our first Master Plan rewrite in 35 years. The Master Plan becomes the guidebook and blueprint for decades to come. We must protect our Master Plan from meddling by outside interests, including developer-friendly groups that are right now seeking overlay zones to allow multifamily development in single-family neighborhoods.We know that Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon will protect us.
For the future of our Village, please share this message via email, social media, on the phone, and in person. PLEASE VOTE on Tuesday, May 8. Polls are open from 6am to 8pm.
If you have any questions, please email us at crr.ridgewood@gmail.com. “
Dear Neighbors:
Friends of Schedler is proud to endorse Mayor Susan Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon for reelection to the Village Council.
When selecting a candidate for council, experience matters. Mayor Knudsen and Deputy Mayor Sedon have a dedicated track record of service through their role on the Village Council, as well as the various committees and boards that they have served on over the years. Susan and Mike have made significant improvements to the Village, including controlling overdevelopment, achieving a positive outcome with Valley Hospital and working towards a compromise for building a garage and for developing the Schedler property.
Susan and Mike govern responsibly and are always respectful of the concerns of residents. All too often interest groups either ignore or fail to recognize the many different neighborhoods that comprise the Village of Ridgewood. Susan and Mike have demonstrated a government of inclusion, providing residents from all areas of Ridgewood the opportunity to be heard.
Susan and Mike have demonstrated their integrity by undertaking a positive campaign, focusing on their achievements and plans for the future. Friends of Schedler urges all residents to go to the polls on May 8 and cast your vote for Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon.
the staff of the Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, resident Jacqueline Hone voiced concerns over the Schedler clean up .Jacqueline Hone said the $99,000 was very large and the residents were in the dark about many aspects to that cleanup , including sidewalks.
Hone went on to voice her concerns on the discovery of artifacts on the property and speculated on the lack of qualifications of the clean up crew dealing with antiquities .
Also Hone voiced fears over over development and the loss of a natural space and also the many inaccuracies and falsehoods on the 2009 application that have still not been addressed .
Janice Willett then followed up about transparency in public notices specifically with the potential costs for Schedler if the Village does not get any grant money resident could be on the hook for the whole $635,000 to renovate a property with no designated purpose .
Dear Neighbors,
Over the past few weeks a number of the Schedler core members have had theopportunity to observe and evaluate the perspectives and agendas of the six candidates in the upcoming village council election. Based upon our meetings we hereby express oursupport for the candidacy of Jeff Voight, Ramon Hache and Bernadette Walsh.
Jeff, Ramon and Bernadette provide an honest, pragmatic, and hopeful insight into ourcommunity’s problems and needs. Their willingness to examine the issues and listen closely to the public’s questions and concerns, sets them apart from the other candidates’expected techniques and decisions. These candidates provide independent voices, but they have demonstrated that they will run a government of inclusion not just on the Schedler issue which impacts our neighborhood, but on all of the issues that impact the entire Village.
We are writing you to express our support for Jeff’s, Ramon’s and Bernadette’s respective campaigns, to encourage you to vote for them in the upcoming election and to spread word to others of the value of their policies and abilities. As a reminder, the election is on May 10.
Paul D’Arpa posted a more detailed response on the Friends of Schedler Facebook page
Dear Neighbors,
Over the past few weeks a number of the Schedler core members have had the opportunity to observe and evaluate the perspectives and agendas of the six candidates in the upcoming village council election. Based upon our meetings we hereby express our support for the candidacy of Jeff Voight, Ramon Hache and Bernadette Walsh.
Jeff, Ramon and Bernadette provide an honest, pragmatic, and hopeful insight into our community’s problems and needs. Their willingness to examine the issues and listen closely to the public’s questions and concerns, sets them apart from the other candidates’ expected techniques and decisions. These candidates provide independent voices, but they have demonstrated that they will run a government of inclusion not just on the Schedler issue which impacts our neighborhood, but on all of the issues that impact the entire Village.
We are writing you to express our support for Jeff’s, Ramon’s and Bernadette’s respective campaigns, to encourage you to vote for them in the upcoming election and to spread word to others of the value of their policies and abilities. As a reminder, the election is on May 10.
Would you approve the construction of a 90-foot baseball diamond on the Schedler property? Why or why not?
Coghlan-Walsh: I have never been nor will I ever be in favor of a 90 foot baseball field on the Schedler property. The dangers of those balls going into the highway far outweigh the need for another baseball field.
Hache: As a father of three small children, I have serious concerns regarding the safety of a 90-foot baseball diamond on Schedler. We also have to consider the adverse impact on noise levels the clearing of the trees would have on nearby residences. Although I would prefer to have a passive park area on the site, I am willing to support the 60-foot diamond as proposed by Schedler residents. I would also support directing part of the $670,000 accumulated through the open space tax to repair and preserve the Schedler house. It could perhaps be used as a facility for community programs and activities, similar to how The Stable has been used next to Graydon.
Voigt: No. And you’d say no, too, if you realized that the only way a 90-foot diamond gets built there is if home plate is on Route 17. But more to the point is that all of this has an impact on the people who live there. We’re really a Village of neighborhoods and; respecting those neighborhoods and the people in them is important.
There has been no better opportunity than now to unite all Village neighborhoods. Citizens for a Better Ridgewood has its roots on the West Side and favors slower growth in high density housing. The Concerned Residents of Ridgewood is based in the Travel/BF/Somerville neighborhood and favors a smaller-scale modernization effort by the Hospital. Friends of Schedler are in the neighborhoods east of Route 17 and favor preserving the woodlands on that property. Most recently, a group of tax payers from all over town that favors a 4 level garage over a 5 level garage has successfully petitioned to bring that issue to a vote.
After 4 years of a “Council majority” that has claimed to know what’s best for the rest of us and has insulted anyone that has disagreed with them, it looks like we might actually be able to take the town back from special interest groups and Council members with personal agendas.
Candidates Bernie Walsh, Jeff Voight and Ramon Hache have the very unique opportunity to unite these neighborhoods in our quest to preserve our property values and the charm of our Village. Please vote for them on May 10.
March 10,2016
Linda McNamara
Ridgewood NJ, Last night’s meeting has truly changed the conversation or at least it should. Roberta is holding on to a 100,000 dollar check from the RBSA that has” Strings Attached” re: not to be used unless a 90 foot baseball diamond is to be built. My mini financial transactions with the village advised me to deposit all checks and cash within 48 hours of receipt. But even more disturbing is that we also heard last night that there is an additional $100,000 in Open Space accounts available for approved projects. How is it that when Isabella Altano came before the council with 45,000 dollars for the purpose of a matching grant to stabilize the Schedler/ Zabriskie House, she was told that there wasn’t a single penny available for grant purposes and that no staff could be used to help her with other grant opportunities. Obviously, this wasn’t true and the only thing that one can surmise is that the council majority along with Roberta had no intention of doing anything to help Friends of Schedler in their quest to save the house and develop the property in a fitting manor.
But this wasn’t the worst revelation that occurred last night. Ridgewood Water is in trouble. Sludge pipes disintegrating releasing toxic sludge into the streets that was diverted into the streams and Kings Pond! And the on going problem of toxic contaminants seeping into the ground water at the Town Garage and municipally owned sites for many years! Now it is reported in The Record that Ridgewood is one of 5 towns in the Bergen/ Passaic area with PFOA toxins in the water at high levels. Why isn’t this a top priority at the municipal level? We should be investigating filters for the wells and immediately remediate the situation at the Town Garage and abutting municipal sites. Use eminent domain to gain control of the site we don’t own, fix the huge problem there and then develop it in a manner that is best suited for Ridgewood. I hope I hear back because at this moment in time I believe it is my civic duty to contact the DEP and ask them to revisit their recommendations for cleanup that have been ignored for the last 8 years. We are currently looking to bond approx. 11 million dollars for a garage and while this is important it is not nearly as important as our water.
