Gwenn Hauck - Page 2 of 3 - THE RIDGEWOOD BLOG.

Posted on August 5, 2016 August 5, 2016

More Shenanigans being Uncovered at Ridgewood Village Hall

August 5,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Word on the street is that former Village Council member Gwenn Hauck paid the bill from Tim Hillman (the video promoting a “yes” vote on the parking garage funding) out of her own pocket, and then submitted a request for reimbursement to the Village (which was subsequently approved by an unnamed employee).

The Ridgewood Blog wonders if Council members paying bills and then requesting reimbursement is an accepted financial practice in NJ municipal government?

Seems to us as if someone was trying to pull a fast one on taxpayers.

Posted on July 26, 2016 July 26, 2016

Reader says I am still very annoyed to read that Gwenn Hauck was so involved in the Duck Derby

Whoever wrote that about Gwenn Hauck was on point. Why was she there in some kind of official capacity? Does she work for the Village? Is she an elected official? No, she does not and she is not. She is a VOLUNTEER on a committee. The event should have been run by an employee of the Village, not by a committee volunteer. Sorry, Mrs. Hauck, we no longer need or want you around. I was not at the duckie derby, but I am still very annoyed to read that she was so involved in it.

Posted on July 16, 2016 July 16, 2016

Reader says Never Again Will Ridgewood Officials Act Like “Dirtbags”

file photo by Boyd Loving

Aronsohn, Pucciarelli, and Hauck went after Tom Riche publicly and aggressively and in the most disgusting meeting I have ever seen. Matt Rogers told them to manage this in closed session but they wanted to have a public flogging so they went against the recommendations of our village attorney and they were like the bullies in Lord of the Flies that night. Riche did NOTHING underhanded. Everything he did for the Village was above board and with the full knowledge of the Village Officials. They treated Riche like a criminal and it was just a taste of the things to come from the three dirtbags. They went on to do the same to Bernadette Walsh, John Ward, Heather Mailander, and others. They should have been taken out in handcuffs the three of them. Their names and their faces should never hang in village hall. They were a plague, the three of them, and their toxic germs are still scattered around town. Never mind sweeping them out the door….we need to completely sanitize everything and everyone that ever had contact with them.

Remember, these are the same 3 dirtbags who accused former Police Chief John Ward of violating a local ordinance (the BC Prosecutor’s Office cleared the Chief of any wrong doing), allowed the Village’s former labor attorney to defile the reputation of Susan Knudsen during an open public meeting, claimed that Bernie Walsh tried to fix a parking ticket (all she did was to have a conversation with the then Chief of Police about the supervision of parking enforcement agents), and called Bernie Walsh a liar in public after Ms. Walsh stated that she’d observed Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld and former Mayor Paul Aronsohn shouting at then Councilwoman Susan Knudsen in a hallway at Village Hall (which did happen).

As I stated previously, every single bit of trash they talked was bullshit. The biggest bunch of dirtbags ever.

Posted on May 23, 2016 May 23, 2016

Reader says The recent election has shown that two thirds of the electorate favor more moderate development projects

Ridgewood is where it is because our Council has been governing for the benefit of the few and not for the benefit of the many. The tax payers have been fed a steady diet of “take it or leave it”, oversized initiatives with no option to compromise. Why? Because the Council majority has been answering to Valley and the developer special interest groups. If Valley Hospital could have moved off of its completely unreasonable expansion plan 10 years ago, they’d be finished with their construction by now and we’d have a more modern hospital. Whose fault is that? Same goes for the CBD – not a single person who thinks 35 units per acre is too dense has ever advocated for vacant car dealerships. That is the rhetoric of the now-vanquished Ron Simoncini and his “Truth About Ridgewood.” The recent election has shown that two thirds of the electorate favor more moderate development projects. It’s time to undo what the last Council has put in place and start over. Smaller hospital, smaller garage, smaller apartments.

Posted on May 16, 2016 May 16, 2016

A Perfect Storm in Ridgewood Developed and Pushed the Council majority to the Curb

May 16,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, readers continue to takes issue with Gwenn “drunken tiriad” at village hall after the humiliating defeat of the Aronsohn slate .Many residents can’t get over the fact that Gwenn lost it the night everyone met at the Community Center to hear the election results. She certainly had been drinking but that really is a non issue( Many drunks are nice!) .

Gwenn literally went into the face of a resident screaming and cursing and saying, ” Are you fucking gloating” and other curses. Her extremely rude husband who,is known for his rudeness, grabbed her to take her away all the while smiling and saying, ” we have freedom of speech, she can say anything she wants!” A classy act .

All three of the outgoing council members have demonstrated serious narcissistic rage issues. So many have witnessed these rants or have been the victim of them.

They have held these anti free speech civility meetings for two years basically attacking everything and everyone but themselves.

If the new council is only better in this department, we are most definitely in a better place. The behavior has affected so many areas of village government including not allowing for real conversation about problems in the departments.

Add that to the fact that the village manager acted as a 6th council member and was encouraged to do so made it impossible for Susan and Mike to have the impact they tried so hard for.

Fortunately, for residents a perfect storm developed: so many citizen groups with a variety of issues speaking out at once. There was no way they were going to beat that and that it is why they tried to push everything through in such an aggressive manner so quickly.

Posted on April 19, 2016 April 19, 2016

Readers take on Ridgewood’s East Side vs West Debate

“Ms. Hauck got elected last time because the West side of Ridgewood voted and the Eastside did not. Check the records. I believe this “committee” came into existence after that election. Most of those in administration, on the board, and doctors from Valley that live in Ridgewood are also from the West side, and, I would be willing to bet, most of this front they call a Financial Advisory Committee live on the West side. Get it ? It is nothing more than a power play by a relatively small group of people with big money and egos that could care less about the overall well being of Ridgewood. And you are right 1:44, that could easily happen, but not just to that neighborhood.”

While others say , ” please don’t make this a West v. East thing. That tears a community apart and it’s insulting. I happen to live on the West side, within spitting distance of the East side – the argument that we are 2 separate groups doesn’t fly.”

Lets face it , “that has been the undercurrent for several years and now with all of the disputes going on, especially with the so called “crown jewel”, a lot of people are making this an east side west side thing… and some postings implying people living near the hospital are suckers, selfish, nimby etc. has done wonders to cement that feeling…and yes it is unfortunate but it is becoming a huge reality…”

“I’ll stick to my original comment for which I think I’m entitled after 33 yrs. It’s a power play, pure and simple. I have not said anything that people who have resided here have not said privately, trust me. But if nothing else, maybe it will get the people in this town to wake up, vote these people and their friends out, and stop the train wreck. That’s what the statement was intended to do. Sometimes being “politically correct “”does not work.”

“I live on the west side and I have email from Gwenn saying the previous administration did not take care of the west side and she and the current administration are making sure that west side is not neglected. So, she definitely tried to play that card.”

Posted on April 15, 2016 April 15, 2016

Ridgewood Council Member Late Payment of Taxes Resurfaces as Issue with Tax Increase Looming

April 15,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, The Village Council’s move to increase taxes in the Village brings up an old issue that never seems to die . OPRA Request submitted to the Clerk’s Office on April 24, 2015 regarding: Property tax payment history from 1/1/2012 through 4/1/2015, date payment received, amount of payment, interest charged, if any, for blocks & lots #3214-23, #2011-3, #1601-27, #2901-2, #4201-22.02.

The OPRA request indicated Council Women Gwenn Hauck has had issues in the past paying her property taxes on time .

In case you did not know, generally payments are considered late only they are received after the 10th calendar day; if day 10 falls on a weekend, it’s moved to the next day of business at Village Hall.

Posted on April 10, 2016 April 9, 2016

NJ Law states that a conflict of interest need not be financial in nature but merely a perception of partiality to the issue in question

Readers say , “no money need change hands for a conflict of interest to exist. It even looks worse when you see it all in writing. NJ Law states that a conflict of interest need not be financial in nature but merely a perception of partiality to the issue in question. This is clearly more than a perception, it is a reality. Gwenn morally should have recused herself but since she hasn’t , the Council should have asked her. It is their right and also protects the reputation of the governing body.

Ms. Fraser was more than an employee of Valley, but also an officer. And yes, she was already an officer at the time of the donation.

Can anybody donate to a cause they approve of? Sure. But Ms. Hauck was running for a representative elective office that was going to make important decisions about the hospital. Even merely to protect her from any taint of a conflict (political donations are in the public record), most people would not donate to the campaign. The fact that that happened was one of many indications of how confident they were about being immune.

Regarding Bernie Walsh, I don’t get it. Any candidate can express an opinion. That means she never pretended to be neutral. or lied to get votes, unlike some. And no money changed hands.

Ms. Fraser is of course entitled to her opinion but would have done better to protect her favored candidate by not donating to her campaign. Council members of a different stripe might have urged such a person to recuse. The killer is that recusal is entirely a matter of conscience.

As for Mr. Albano, why do you think a call was made (in my opinion, not an email message) to Mike Sedon’s employer claiming a “conflict of interest” (which did not exist) to try to force him choose between his job and his council candidacy, leaving the field open to candidate Albano?

Posted on April 9, 2016 April 8, 2016

Gwenn Hauck endorses Richard Brooks for Ridgewood Village Council : “Kiss of Death”

Will this be the “kiss of death” for Richard Brooks?

April 9,2016

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood Nj, Is Richard Brooks Campaign for Village Council over before it started? Richard Brooks the husband of Ridgewood Planning Board attorney Gail Price who seemed to have been more interested in representing Valley Hospital than the Village of Ridgewood and who’s stewardship led to Valley getting everything they wanted with no compromise in a mediation settlement .

Now to make matters worse for the Brooks campaign, the conflict of interest councilwomen of the year Gwenn Hauck who is so intertwined with Valley Hospital she can not seem to remember whether she got a check or gave a check , whether she paid her property taxes or as some allege is responsible for the mass murder of wood turtles ,an endangered species; has endorsed him. Apparently Gwenn has looked up from her ipad for a brief second and seen the light.

While some will say it was nice of her to take a break from ranting against Ridgewood residents , while others suggest that Gwenn suffers from a mild case of “foot in the mouth” disease and the Brooks endorsement is just more of the same .

Our modest suggestion is that perhaps Gail should sharpen up those resume skills , but on the other hand Valley might be hiring.

How anyone could support a candidate who is being endorsed by Gwen is beyond our comprehension :

https://www.gwennhauck.com/views/richard-brooks-for-ridgewood-village-council/

Posted on March 24, 2016 March 24, 2016

Ridgewood Village Coucil Majority Votes For High Density Housing In Ridgewood

file photo by Boyd Loving

March 24,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ,last night It was a very predictable, 3-2 votes on anything meaningful and the majority stating all the reasons they were voting yes except representing the people. The leaving council majority aka the 3 amigos are enacting a “scorched earth policy” as they will be gone. Turn out was lower than expected because so many saw the vote as a for gone conclusion.

Zoning vote 3-2
Garage vote 5-0

All 5 voted for the Village to bond the garage not the county., Susan and Mike had no other choice but to vote that way because the council majority aka the 3 Amigos would have just gone to the BCPA. This way Ridgewood may retain control of the size, commuter parking and rates. Mike said something about researching a surcharge for businesses owner that are close to the garage to defray cost of maintenance.

The traffic study spokesman talked about increased traffic in several locations( 2 on Broad) and that is without the consideration of the garage. He mentioned some additional policing. No one in the garage discussion talked about the need for policing there or the need of an attendant. I believe I could live with the garage if it was one deck shorter, remained completely on the foot print and the street parking spaces would remain on Broad and Hudson Streets. Local business in those locations will take a hit without them.

Residents again questioned how is it that the council majority refuses to listen to the public? Could it be that they truly are in their own heads and are immune to incoming sounds,like the voices of the residents?

One nuclear physicist spoke wondering how they could be so emphatically certain that the were correct and that the developers could see no cause for concern? He said nothing is that certain and his world is one of exactness.

Mike and Susan seemed on there game and nobody clapped for Rurik and Jim when pontificated .

For most residents it is just too much development/ construction at once ,Yes these developments will bring traffic. The Hudson garage will not be enough. and the business owners must be salivating but most central business district businesses will not survive the construction phase.

Lastly Former Mayor Kieth Killion gets the last laugh , so many voted for this trio ,now buyers remorse .

Posted on March 18, 2016 March 18, 2016

Readers say Our Mayor has moved onto his own agenda exclusively and Ridgewood is on the Chopping block

file photo by Boyd Loving

Our Mayor has moved onto his own agenda..exclusively and Ridgewood is on the chopping block. Sleazy, self-centered government and years of scheming and plotting by some of our fellow residents has led our village down this dark hole. Ridgewood use to be a great town, under great stewardship for most of its history, until Aronsohn plotted and schemed to get the wrong people on the planning board and council. Collectively what is occurring right now will forever change the Village. A few will benefit from these sell outs, particularly Aronsohn in his bid for senator next year. All of this sleazy sellout of our village is what’s going to drive the good people away over the next decade, the decline will occur, and so the very thing you say you love you will have destroyed.

This is a shocking development on a couple of levels. First that Valley can sue us asserting that the needs of the region justify (in their estimation) such a profoundly negative impact on the town. Second, that Ridgewood can allow a Valley insider to negotiate a settlement when she had sworn an oath to represent the Village. It really is time for a citizens’ revolt at Village Hall since the Council majority are clearly using their remaining months in office to put their personal agendas in place. Shameful.

Posted on February 27, 2016 February 26, 2016

Gwenn Hauck continues to use Village Hall as a mailing address for her campaign

file photo by Boyd Loving

February 27,2016

by Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ, On Friday, February 12 at 9:00 AM and again on Friday, February 26 at 6:44 AM, e-mail messages supporting the re-election campaign of Village of Ridgewood Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck (originating from the domain www.gwennhauck.com), were sent to selected Ridgewood residents/voters.

Clearly, both messages were purely political in nature and substance. That is, they were not intended to communicate any official Village of Ridgewood matters to the selected recipients.

Included within the body of both messages was this information:

“Our mailing address is:
Gwenn Hauck – Village of Ridgewood Council
131 North Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450”

131 North Maple Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 is the address of Village Hall, a building paid for by Ridgewood’s taxpayers and staffed only by employees of the Village of Ridgewood (whose salaries are paid for by taxpayers).

I am flabbergasted that Ms. Hauck could believe her status as a sitting member of the current Village Council would entitle her to use taxpayer funded facilities & services in connection with the receipt and handling of mail related to her re-election campaign.

Perhaps this practice MAY be lawful, but it certainly seems completely unethical, disrespectful, arrogant, and downright STUPID.

Let’s hope that Ms. Hauck just didn’t know any better as opposed to it being a deliberate effort to thumb her nose at us all.

The use an official Village of Ridgewood mailing address for Ms. Hauck’s re-election campaign must cease immediately.

Posted on January 9, 2016 January 9, 2016

Readers Say Gwenn Hauck has absolutely no business representing Ridgewood in a lawsuit

Gwenn Hauck has absolutely no business representing us in a lawsuit. For crying out loud, this is glaringly apparent. This is not about what platform she ran for office on, this is not about whether she loves valley hospital. This is the fact that there is a major lawsuit against Ridgewood and one of the two elected official on the mediation is a person who donates big money to them. How can anyone not see the conflict here? She is supposed to be representing US against THEM in this lawsuit, but she funnels money to them.

I love how Mrs. Hauck and her apologists cite the letter of the law when pushing back on such an obvious conflict of interest. I have no problem with her supporting Valley – it’s her right. I also have no problem that she ran for office for the sole purpose of voting yes on the Valley expansion should it ever come to a vote before the Council. Her problem now is that Valley has sued the Village and she swore an oath to represent the best interests of the Village. It is impossible for her to do this given her adamant, long-standing and very public support of Valley. Even if Valley is not paying her, there is still a conflict.

Anyone who does not see this or admit to it is either dumb, playing dumb or unethical.

Posted on October 22, 2015 October 22, 2015

Village of Ridgewood officials must steer clear of conflicts of Interest

Officials must steer clear of conflicts

OCTOBER 22, 2015 LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Village officials must steer clear of conflicts

To the Editor:

On July 3, 2013, Paul Aronsohn and his wife, Gwenn Hauck, and Albert Puciarelli and a guest, attended a fundraiser for Chris Christie at the Bank of America building. Each was comped at least $1,000/person (an item of value) by an event host, John Saraceno, who also happened to have an application before the Planning Board — The Enclave — now being voted on by the council as part of B-3-R rezoning.

Chapter 3; Section 53 of the Village Code, entitled conflicts of interest and penalties, states:

An elected official:

Shall not: Accept or solicit anything of value as consideration for or in connection with the discharge of his official duties.

Shall not: Accept any gift or gratuity, whether in the form of service, loan or promise or in any other form, from any person, firm or corporation which would tend to influence them in the discharge of their official duties.

Penalties for violating the ordinance include: suspension, removal from office, jail, fine or community service.

At a meeting on July 10, 2013 (per the minutes), Mayor Aronsohn asked Village Attorney Matt Rogers to look into the gift law related to the comped tickets. On July 11, 2013, Rogers was quoted in The Ridgewood News: Attending the fundraiser “falls outside the village’s gift ordinance” and was “completely appropriate” for the elected officials to attend. “It would have been a disservice if they did not attend.” There appears to have been no further discussion in the public record thereafter.

In his Ridgewood News reply, Rogers did not address the conflict of interest ordinance, which is Chapter 3, choosing only to focus on the appropriateness of attending the fundraiser (attending the event and accepting an item of value are separate issues). He is correct that it would have been a disservice for the council not to attend – provided they paid for it. Since it appears they did not pay, “accepting an item of value” becomes the issue; falling under the conflict of interest ordinance. Prima facie this looks to be a conflict of interest.

Of further concern is there may be other “business relationships” which may affect council member’s impartiality. These include a working relationship that Mayor Aronsohn and Pucciarelli have with Saraceno — as members of the Ridgewood Library Board of Trustees.

At a July 2015 council meeting, Aronsohn, Pucciarelli and Hauck voted in favor of introducing an ordinance for the B-3-R zone (where the Enclave is situated).

As a member of the zoning board, in order to steer clear of any conflicts of interest, we are requested by legal counsel to recuse ourselves from any personal or business relationships we might have with applicants. The council should be held to the same standards that other village sanctioned boards are held to.

The people of Ridgewood deserve an answer from the village attorney as to whether council members have a conflict of interest in this important issue facing us. If the attorney is unwilling to examine this, have an independent third party do so.

Jeff Voigt

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/ridgewood-news-letter-officials-must-steer-clear-of-conflicts-1.1438261

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