file photo by Boyd Loving
To the Editor:
I read Darius Amos’ report of the Village Council April 8 meeting (“Hiring eligibility expands,” April 10, page A1) and, although I always like Darius’ reporting, I believe he missed out on the most important part of the presentation by the labor attorney for the village.
Someone, I don’t know who but I can guess, invited Ridgewood’s labor attorney, Beth Hinsdale, to speak before the scheduled public portion of the meeting. Everyone in the room had to sit quietly and listen for over 45 minutes as she skewered Councilwoman Susan Knudsen. From her first erroneous statement to the end, it was an attack on the person of a council member who dared to ask a question, or question an answer.
Ms. Hinsdale also impugned an employee of Civil Service, calling her incompetent. Nobody stopped this presentation when it became personal, not our mayor, not our attorney, not our manager, nobody. This confrontation did not belong at a public meeting; if Ms. Hinsdale had a problem with something a council person said, it should be resolved either by a brief statement of facts or a letter read by the mayor.
Ms. Hinsdale even inferred illegalities on the part of Ms. Knudsen because of her sons, which in the end was the final straw for me.
Incredibly, with composure, Ms. Knudsen refuted some of the charges, especially the charge that the Civil Service employee who gave an official answer was incompetent, and even having the composure to apologize for any misunderstanding.
But this was not enough as the accusations continued until Ms. Hinsdale finally stopped talking.
I urge all residents to see the video of the meeting for themselves and decide if this is the kind of government we want to support, or do we want to reform. I said at the meeting we should forget about civility and focus on good governance, which is being totally ignored these days.
Ellie Gruber
Ridgewood