The Ridgewood Blog Brings a Free Market Laissez-faire Point of View to Local, New Jersey State and National Issues.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, from a new performing arts center to a decades-old tax issue, the Village of Ridgewood, NJ, has been busy working on a number of significant projects. Village Manager Keith Kazmark recently provided an update on five key initiatives that will shape the community for years to come.
Continue reading The Valley Hospital Tax Saga and More: An Update on Ridgewood’s Top Projects
photo courtesy of the Village Manager Keith Kazmark
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Village of Ridgewood recently celebrated the grand opening of a new pavilion at Habernickel Park, a structure that will provide a much-needed community gathering space with shade and shelter. This addition, fully funded by Ridgewood taxpayers, was envisioned as a hub for families, community groups, and local events.
Continue reading Ridgewood’s New Pavilion Is Open—But Who Will Get to Use It?
Donna M Rolando , Staff Writer, @Dmmrolando6:59 p.m. ET June 22, 2017
RIDGEWOOD — It’s not only newspaper reporters that are the watchful eyes and champions of transparency at municipal meetings these days.
The League of Women Voters of Ridgewood, a nonpartisan group that advocates for good government, has introduced a local Observer Corps program to stay on top of municipal news through a team of volunteer reporters.
“It’s intense work but if you like to write, and you’re interested in good government and love your community, it’s a good way to participate,” said Pamela Perron, coordinator of the local Observer Corps.
Reader says Ridgewood is actually the perfect place to screw the taxpayers. Why? Because Ridgewood types are completely oblivious to matters of local government
The impression I get out of all of this, is that Rica was the only person who was flat-out stealing in the pure sense of the word. Although still stealing by definition, the other shrinkage was probably all down to a sense of entitlement by certain other employees who felt it was perfectly acceptable for the Village to pay for their coffees, lunches, etc. I believe that this was an ingrained practice, going back years, probably unofficially sanctioned by certain senior officials. I believe it was this aspect that made the prosecution of Rica very tricky.
You know, I came to Ridgewood almost 20 years ago, and I naively thought that it was probably above all this kind of crap that so often affects municipalities of a lower class standing. I admit that this was naive. I thought the Village was somehow a reflection of the general high levels of sophistication of its residents. Please stop laughing. I really did. Coin Boy and its wider story is just the latest chapter in my utter disgust at municipal government. Who remembers the on-duty cop who was busted for having sex with an under-age girl at the back of Starbucks? Not only did he not go to jail, but he kept his job! That was real am-I-living-in-an-alternate-universe result.
The more I study New Jersey’s enormous history of municipal government issues of corruption, nepotism, laziness, cronyism, etc., it makes for extremely depressing reading. I now think that I had Ridgewood completely the wrong way around, and that it’s actually the perfect place to screw the taxpayers. Why? Because Ridgewood types are completely oblivious to matters of local government, being caught up in their stressful Wall St jobs, their busy social lives, and best of all, the transient nature in which they live here just for the school years.
For those who don’t easily sport sarcasm, the last bit is just that.
You know folks, let’s just laugh it off at our next cocktail party. Just one bad apple, right? This is a great town. You know, they actually come round the back and pick up my garbage. What a town!
