file photo by Boyd Loving
October 17,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Aronsohn, Hauck, and Pucciarelli use the word “civility” so often that you might just think that they are disciples of the church of kindness. And yet, what are we seeing under this reign? We are seeing so much hostility in the meetings that it is an embarrassment to behold.
The three of them have attacked Councilwoman Knudsen ruthlessly, as well as Councilman Sedon, former manager Ken Gabbert, Village Clerk Heather Mailander, former Councilman Tom Riche, former Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh, and Chief of Police John Ward. They also have gone after certain members of the public, as when Aronsohn and Manager Sonenfeld double-teamed Mrs. Reynolds and badgered her about something she said. She had been neither incorrect nor impolite, yet they decided they could bully her because they did not like her message. They permitted the former labor attorney to go on a 50-minute rant, a verbal assault, against Councilwoman Knudsen. They publicly annihilated Tom Riche, against the advice of Matt Rogers, because they wanted to be bullies. When people go to the microphone to speak, Aronsohn will let someone with whom he agrees talk way past the 5-minute mark, while he shuts down anyone he does not like as soon as the buzzer sounds. This is despicable. Mayor Aronsohn, members of the public elected you (or at least some of them did) and they have a right to speak. And Aronsohn often strolls out of the meeting to schmooze with one person or another in the hallway, thereby thumbing his nose at whoever is speaking or whatever is being discussed in his absence. One of them was heard screaming at Councilwoman Knudsen to the point that the witness advised Susan to file an official report. The three of them have admitted that they text or email during the meetings, thereby disregarding that they are conducting an OPEN PUBLIC meeting. The list just goes on and on.
And why the heck has Aronsohn allowed three consecutive meetings to extend into the wee hours of the morning? Why doesn’t he manage things better, schedule more hearings, and make them have defined end-times, so that people can get home at a reasonable hour? This is another form of bullying, when you think about it. The idea seems to be that if they go late enough, people will get tired and head home before speaking. Seemingly many people are mad enough that they stay as late as 2:45 AM.
Anyone who watches these meetings can see that the hostility level is unprecedented. This past week one resident called another an “s.o.b,” and what did Aronsohn do? Nothing. One resident called three others liars, and what did Aronsohn do? Nothing. People are at the point of tears, they are angry, frustrated, they are pleading, they are screaming. People are getting babysitters and missing evenings with their families and going to bed a few hours before they have to start work again, and when they are at the meetings the anger level is off the charts. Residents are coming together to sue the Village. Residents are spending unprecedented amounts of money to take out newspaper ads that encourage residents to fight city hall. The entire atmosphere is toxic and completely unproductive. The topics are many – Schedler, Parking Garage, High-Density Housing, the ramp to nowhere, the bike lane under the train trestle, and on and on. Their ill-advised projects have pretty much antagonized the entire populace of Ridgewood. They have made sure that no resident would feel at peace. What a complete train-wreck this entire administration has proven to be.
And what do they do? Preach civility! Egad, how disingenuous.
Paul and Albert and Gwenn like to think that there are a few “bad apples” in town who are their only critics. They blast this Blog for the anonymity of its posters. Um, excuse me….have you seen the hundreds of residents who come to the meetings and complain about your plans and your policies? Not only are their numbers huge, but they are not anonymous. Have you read the published letters in the newspaper to which authors’ names are attached?
You three have carved your legacies in this town, and the image is miserable to behold. Yes, you will be remembered long after you have gone. Everyone remembers the people who ran over them, bullied them, and wreaked havoc. We won’t forget you, but oh, we will be so glad to see you go next July.
