file photo by William Thomas
April 28,2016
Anne Loving
Ridgewood NJ, Mayor Aronsohn After stating that my question would be answered “at the end of public comments” this evening, you then chose to ignore my question and end the meeting. Even when I attempted to remind you that I had an unanswered question, you refused to follow through on your word that questions would be answered and allow the Village Attorney to address the issue.
No problem, I answered it myself by looking at the Village Code (pasted below). As I already knew, dogs are prohibited from most Village parks, so you as well as anyone else who had dogs at the event last Sunday were in violation. How convenient that you chose to ignore my question rather than admit at the public meeting that you broke the law. And for your information most, if not all, of these parks have signs stating this law.
As I indicated, I completely disagree with this ordinance and firmly believe that dogs should absolutely be allowed in all Village Parks. It is my experience that humans create much more waste in parks than dogs do, as witnessed by the countless cigarette butts, soda cans, candy wrappers, and water bottles that are found scattered about. In general, I think dog-owners tend to be very cautious about picking up after their pets. Many towns even provide “poopie bag” dispensers to make clean-up extra convenient.
I would love to see this ordinance rescinded. But until or unless that happens, dogs are prohibited in the parks listed below. It is always good to know – and obey – the local laws, especially when you are an elected official.
§ 212-29Dogs.
Dogs are hereby prohibited from certain parks as follows: Citizens Park, Graydon Park, Maple Park, Pleasant Park, Twinney Pond Park, Van Neste Park and Veteran’s Memorial Field.