Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer had some choice words on his Facebook page for the Ridgewood Village Council and Ridgewood Water .
Packer states, ” The Ridgewood Village Council chose to ignore the facts set out by the expert hired by Glen Rock, Midland Park, and Wyckoff which made it clear that the Ridgewood Water rate increases of the past were not justified as previously pointed out by a judge and they have reinstated the rate increases that the judge had voided.
In short, your Ridgewood Water rates continue to reflect rate increases that a judge struck down because the Village decided that she was wrong. The Village was empowered by the judge to make this decision and, to me, this outcome is no surprise as they had a choice between admitting that money was historically misappropriated or not admitting that money was misappropriated. They chose the former as they continue to dispute clear facts that have now been laid out in court and during the rate hearing.
The meetings from 6/24 (7 hours long) and the one from a couple of days ago where the decision was made, are now on YouTube (see below).
Once I know our next steps, I will let you know.
**Please note that all views expressed in this post are solely my own.**”
photo of Skip Huisking Glen Rock Councilman -2016-2018, courtesy of his “official” Facebook page
June 17,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood bog
Glen Rock NJ, looks like Ridgewood is not the only town that has issues with social media and OPRA , a Glen Rock resident named Timothy Larkin claimed he was “banned” from participating in a public dialogue on Councilman Skip Huisking’s Facebook page, which Huisking called an “official” page of Huisking’s, where the councilman conducts official government business.
On April 10, Larkin filed a lawsuit against the Borough of Glen Rock, and Borough Clerk Jackie Scalia, for denying an Open Public Records Act (OPRA) request for access to the list of Facebook accounts blocked or removed by Glen Rock mayor Bruce Packer and all members of the Borough Council. The suit is focusing on the public Facebook pages maintained by the mayor and council members, and not their personal Facebook pages.
The lawsuits focus seems to focus on if the “official” Facebook page is in fact “official ” Glen Rock Business .
Skip Huisking Glen Rock Councilman -2016-2018 commented on his “official” Facebook page on June 15th :
“Social Media Lawsuit: As many have been following, it was heard today (6/15/18) with the judge rendering an opinion. As with most cases, there are pluses and minuses.
I can, and will, continue to administer my page as I have in the past. Namely requiring standards of civility by insisting two things (both were on my page and part of the court documents submitted);
“First, always be respectful with comments- no personal attacks against anyone or group”.
“Second, should you comment and I respond, please do not delete my responses or your original comment. Playing this ‘dirty delete’ game is against my policy of openness and transparency. I look forward to your contributions should you decide to make them.”
The Judge did require we provide the names of those blocked if requested – which I will clearly provide the list of 3 accounts blocked (As I offered in late April to settle) for not following those standards
For further detail, the opinion will be posted on the appropriate court site. I am glad the judge rendered the opinion today so we can focus on the many issues facing our Borough.”
Glen Rock NJ, Law Enforcement agencies along the Rt. 208, 17 & 4 Corridor have been experiencing a rise in the theft of high-end vehicles. In ALL cases the vehicles were unlocked with the key-fobs left in them. If a target vehicle in unlocked, and no keys are left in the vehicle, actor(s) remove valuables left in the vehicle.
LOCK YOUR VEHICLES AND TAKE THE KEYS WITH YOU!
Glen Rock NJ, A three (3) vehicle, Tuesday afternoon, 06/12, collision on Route 208 southbound in Glen Rock resulted in two (2) injuries that required ambulance transport to Hackensack University Medical Center’s main campus. Three (3) wrecked vehicles were removed from the highway by flatbed tow trucks. Glen Rock Police and EMS responded. A Hawthorne Police patrol unit assisted with traffic control.
Glen Rock NJ, like Ridgewood on Friday June 8th members of the Glen Rock Police Department along with some of their family members carried the Special Olympics “Flame of Hope” through Glen Rock as part of the 35th annual Lawn Enforcement Torch Run for the Special Olympics. NJ officers run through the streets of their communities with the “Flame of Hope,’’ which culminates in the lighting of the Special Olympics New Jersey cauldron to open the 2018 Summer Games. The run travels through more than 300 towns covering 750 miles.
Special Olympics New Jersey provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in 24 Olympic type sports for more than 25,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, completely free of charge, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Visit www.sonj.org for more information.
Glen Rock NJ, A two (2) vehicle, Saturday morning, 06/09, collision at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and Rock Road in Glen Rock required the services of Glen Rock Fire Department to mitigate a crash related fluid spill. No injuries were reported in the crash. Both vehicles were removed by flat bed tow trucks. Glen Rock PD is investigating the incident.
Glen Rock NJ, A Wednesday afternoon, 05/23, collision between a Mustang convertible and a commercial pick up truck at the intersection of Hamilton Avenue and South Maple Avenue, Glen Rock, resulted in a non life threatening injury to the Mustang’s adult female driver. Glen Rock Police and EMS personnel responded to the incident.
Glen Rock NJ, A 164 pound male, black bear was captured in the rear yard of 545 Doremus Avenue, Glen Rock, on Sunday afternoon, 05/20. NJDEP Fish & Wildlife Division employees were assisted by Glen Rock PD and Tyco Animal Control Services. No injuries were reported during the capture. The bear had been perched in a tree for several hours following a chase by Glen Rock Police officers after it was initially spotted walking along Lincoln Avenue, Glen Rock. The bear was lured into the NJDEP owned trap by a bag of donuts and some molasses. He was tranquilized prior to being tagged, tattooed, and loaded into a pickup truck for transport to a NJDEP managed forest area.
Glen Rock Police thanked TYCO and the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, “the bear that was found in a tree in the rear yard of a Doremus Avenue residence today was tranquilized and transported to a safe environment in Western New Jersey.”
Ridgewood Deputy Mayor Mike Sedon was not available for comment .
Glen Rock NJ, The Glen Rock Police Department will be presenting a scam and fraud workshop on Wednesday May 23rd at 7:00pm.
On Wednesday May 23rd, 2018 at 7pm in Borough Hall Council Chambers, Glen Rock Police Department’s, Detective James Calaski will present Residents with information on:
Grandparent Scams
Craigslist/eBay/Online Postings
Diversion Burglaries
Fake Lotteries
Utility Scams
And More
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock Police Department issues a scam alert, saying “We were just notified that a chimney repair/sales/inspection company is calling residents which may be a scam. They are very aggressive and trying to give the impression that they are working for the Borough of Glen Rock or that the Borough setup and is requiring the inspection. A phone number provided by the resident comes back to a disconnected number which also fuels our suspicion. While there are legitimate and reputable chimney companies out there, unfortunately this is a area that has been rife with fraud in the past. The GRPD recommends residents should always research companies and seek out trustworthy recommendations from people you know before hiring a company for chimney work or any service. Although cold calling can be a legitimate way for companies to earn new business, be extremely wary of any company displaying aggressive tactics, uses pressure or fear to get your business and will not honor callbacks or waiting for you to do your research.”
The GRPD will be presenting a scam and fraud workshop on Wednesday May 23rd at 7:00pm. Check back later for additional details
Glen Rock NJ, An intense, but brief, rain storm with high winds tore through Northwest Bergen County early Thursday evening, 05/03. Among the many reported downed trees and large tree limbs was this one, which landed on the roof of a single family home on Prospect Street in Glen Rock, Glen Rock Police and Fire Department personnel responded to investigate. The home was unoccupied when the limb fell and structural damage appeared to have been minimal.
Glen Rock NJ, A Glen Rock resident has filed suit against the borough for denying a records request, and in so doing, has brought to the forefront the continuing legal debate about whether elected officials’ social media accounts constitute a government property to New Jersey Superior Court.
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/glen-rock/2018/04/19/glen-rock-nj-officials-facebook-pages-public-documents-says-suit/528481002/
Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer had this is say on his Facebook pages :
April 21 at 9:05pm ·
I cannot comment on ongoing litigation but I want to make it clear that when OPRA (Open Public Records Act) requests are made, elected officials play NO part in whether or not they are granted. As the Borough Clerk is in possession of those records that fall under the rules, it is the Borough Clerk who makes such decisions, at times with the help of the Borough Attorney.
There are times where there are questions as to what constitutes a government record and unfortunately I cannot comment any further.
You can find lots of info about OPRA here:
*Part 2 on OPRA requests*
When a Borough Clerk is not in possession of an item that is requested, it is not possible for the clerk to provide that record. That does not inherently imply that the record is not subject to OPRA but, for example, if governing body members have Facebook pages on their personal email accounts, it is not possible for a Borough Clerk to access them and provide information.
While I cannot talk in detail about the current lawsuit regarding OPRA and Facebook accounts, our Borough Clerk has no access to our accounts and the heart of the issue is whether or not she should.
In short, are the unseen parts of governing body members’ Facebook pages, such as admin settings, block lists, etc, government records? No court has ever made a determination to date on this and the information has never been provided based on my own informal conversations with other municipalities.
In Part 3, I will share an email that I received from the NJ Government Records Council last October.
*Part 3 on OPRA requests*
I believe in full transparency and open access to all records as appropriate. There is a line that protects the privacy of governing body members though and there are times when that line is not clear.
After an OPRA request was received for information relating to a Facebook page last year, I wrote to the state authority on such matters, the NJ Government Records Council (https://www.state.nj.us/grc/). As this is uncharted territory, I wanted to gather all of the facts.
Here is the response to my query and the last paragraph responds to my specific question:
Thank you for contacting the NJ Government Records Council (“GRC”). The information provided by the GRC is guidance and does not constitute legal advice or a final decision of the GRC regarding whether a particular record is exempt from disclosure or not since the provisions of the Open Public Records Act (“OPRA”) are applied to the specific facts of the request and/or complaint. The GRC cannot tell you exactly how to respond to an official OPRA records request because your response must depend on the specific facts of the records request.
Generally, OPRA provides that “. . . government records shall be readily accessible for inspection, copying, or examination . . . with certain exceptions . . .” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1. There are 25 specific exemptions from disclosure included in OPRA.
Additionally, OPRA defines a government record as a record “made, maintained or kept on file . . . or that has been received in the course of . . . official business . . .” N.J.S.A. 47:1A-1.1. Also, OPRA requires a custodian to grant or deny access as soon as possible but no later than seven (7) business days from receipt of the request. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(i). OPRA further requires that custodians inform requestors of the lawful basis for any denial of government records. N.J.S.A. 47:1A-6.
Regarding your inquiry, the GRC has no prior decisions regarding social media and OPRA. Additionally, the current state of the law doesn’t specifically contemplate the disclosability of social media posts. It’s an awfully tricky situation given the interactive nature of social media. At some point, these types of issues will need to be decided either through new legislation, court decisions or Council adjudications.
Glen Rock NJ, Glen Rock Mayor Bruce Packer has asked people to please remove the orange ribbons from trees , the color orange is apparently used to communicate a need for construction.On Facebook he explains,”I realize that we live in a time where it is easy to attribute negative intentions to any message that might appear to infringe on your civil liberties.A few days ago the Borough asked people to please remove the orange ribbons from trees as the color orange is apparently used to communicate a need for construction or action by some of our local utilities or cable companies. I am frankly still not completely clear on what the color is used for but I have confirmation that it is used.
I took it upon myself to contact Ridgewood Water and PSEG to let them know that some of our residents have orange ribbons on their tree which should not be misinterpreted. I did not reach out to the local cable companies, who apparently also use this color but likely higher on a pole, nor local tree services who may or may not use this color.
We are in a Borough that has a mayor that has been a proud member of the group, Mayors Against Illegal Guns (https://everytown.org/mayors/ ) since his first year in office (2016) and that has a Mayor and Council that has read and unanimously approved a proclamation for Gun Violence Awareness Month every June that this administration has been in office.
We proudly invited the students to a council meeting the evening that they staged the school walkout to give them an opportunity to share their message with residents.
I have personally offered my help to the students, if needed, to help them to continue to get their message out but they are an amazing group and quite self sufficient.
It is this Mayor and Council that represent the Borough so I would hope that it should be obvious that a request from the Borough to move orange ribbons from our DPW does not reverse all of that.
There is no ordinance that can be enforced which would allow us to force you to move ribbons from trees on your property. However, orange ribbons on a right of way (within 10 feet of the street) are in violation and are at higher risk to potentially be misinterpreted.
If you don’t want to move your ribbon to something other than a tree or further away from the street, that is your prerogative but this request has nothing to do with political stands and everything to do with the color orange. My ribbon would still be displayed on my front railing if it hadn’t blown away.
You still have a right to disagree but the Borough has no intention of preventing anyone’s right to free speech.
Glen Rock NJ, A mini van collided with a utility pole at the intersection of Heather Lane and Maple Avenue in Glen Rock on Thursday morning, 03/15. The vehicle’s driver was transported by an ambulance from The Valley Hospital to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson with non life threatening injuries. A flatbed tow truck removed the wreck. Glen Rock Police and Glen Rock Fire Department responded to the incident. A portion of Maple Avenue remained closed for an extended period while crews from PSE&G worked at the scene.
