>Upgrade outdated policies to encourage competition
Let’s face it: In the current political climate, it’s hard to get agreement on anything. Yet while everyone seems to agree that it’s important to take actions to improve New Jersey’s economy and stimulate job creation, not everyone sees eye-to-eye on how to do it. (Galandak, NJBIZ)
https://www.njbiz.com/opinion/86382-corner-office-john-galandak
>Harsh words for political bosses from ex-governor
Richard J. Codey enjoyed wide popularity during a 14-month tenure as New Jersey’s governor.
His reward: a clobbering by the Democratic machine after he returned to the state Senate, Codey says in his upcoming book. (Jordan, Gannett)
https://www.thedailyjournal.com/article/20110314/NEWS01/103140312
>Bill would expand “accountable” HealthCare in New Jersey
With 400-plus visits to Trenton area hospitals during 2010, Betty racked up some serious healthcare bills. She also wasn’t getting any healthier. And as a homeless drug addict with no income or insurance, the cost of her care — hundreds of thousands of dollars annually — fell largely to the public. (Stainton, NJ Spotlight)
https://www.njspotlight.com/stories/11/0313/2353/
>New Jersey Hospital Association opposed bill that would force non-profit hospitals to reveal finances
Bayonne Medical Center and Meadowlands Hospital in Secaucus are among the for-profit hospitals that would have to reveal financial information under proposed state legislation praised by labor leaders but opposed by a statewide hospital lobby. (McDonald, The Jersey Journal)
https://www.nj.com/news/jjournal/index.ssf?/base/news-5/1300083924161390.xml&coll=3
>Schools Development Authority (SDA) questions about how projects are picked
>the Village of Ridgewood : REGISTRATION Reguired for Landscapers and Landscaping Services
REGISTRATION Reguired for Landscapers and Landscaping Services
Registration is now in progress for Annual Landscapers permits – available at Village Hall, Monday to Friday from 8:30AM to 4:30PM.
Ordinance #2995 requirers all landscapers and businesses performing landscaping services in Ridgewood to be registered with the Village. Ordinance # 2995 is actively enforced. There will be no further warnings of this requirement
>Michigan bill would impose “financial martial law”
by Stephanie Condon
Michigan lawmakers are on the verge of approving a bill that would enable the governor to appoint “emergency managers” — officials with unilateral power to make sweeping changes to cities facing financial troubles.
Under the legislation, the Michigan Messenger reports, the governor could declare a “financial emergency” in towns or school districts. He could then appoint a manager to fire local elected officials, break contracts, seize and sell assets, eliminate services – and even eliminate whole cities or school districts without any public input.
The measure passed in the state Senate this week; the House passed its own version earlier. The two versions of the bill are expected to be reconciled next week, and Republican Gov. Rick
https://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20042299-503544.html
>FLOOD: the fields will be cleaned and reopened in a fraction of the time it would take to clean and reopen them if they were grass
None of you have any idea of what you are talking about in regards to the make up of the “pellets” in the turf. They are not crumbs from old tires and they don’t float so the amount that were possibly washed away were minimal. And if everyone is so worried about the environmental aspect of pellets washing down river away from where we live where is your concern about what kind of contamination came down the river from the sewage treatment plant up in Waldwick?
That’s why the fields are closed and that would not be any different if they were grass, dirt, black top, concrete, denim, or any other surface. The fact that the fields are artificial grass is significant in only one way…..the fields will be cleaned and reopened in a fraction of the time it would take to clean and reopen them if they were grass. We’ve had the fields flood before (and they’re going to flood again) and the results were the same. You couldn’t see it because the fields were in such bad shape and were more or less dirt to begin with but the same silt, mud and debris were deposited and the fields were closed for weeks and longer. The new fields will get cleaned up and they’ll be back in service. The notion that somehow we wasted money putting them in just because we had a flood is a bunch of bullshit being used by the adjacent neighbors who are upset that the fields are being used, period. If those fields were still grass we’d have the exact same conditions as we have right now except the fields would be out of commission for the rest of the spring which is exactly what those neighbors were used to and would like to have happen again. Unfortunately for them that is water under the bridge, pun intended.
>The Donovan administration and Policemen Benevolent Association Local 49 representing the Bergen County Police Department have reached agreement on a revised contract which will result in millions of dollars in savings for taxpayers and avert police layoffs.
The revised contract replaces an 11th hour agreement executed by former County Executive Dennis McNerney on is last day in office. That agreement, which called for a whopping 9.79 percent salary increase in 2010 and provided for retroactive payment of those raises to January 1, 2010, was severely criticized by incoming County Executive Kathleen Donovan who promised to offset the significant additional costs by laying off as many as 25 County Police Officers.
Under the restructured agreement, County Police have agreed to replace the 9.79 percent increase and retroactivity provision with a new four year contract which averages 2.4 percent per year. In addition, the County Police have agreed to participate in the Direct Access Insurance Plan currently offered by the County and will contribute 1.5 percent towards health care benefits cost.
The County Police will dismiss any grievance or litigation that is pending relating to health care contributions. The revised contract will eliminate the necessity for the layoffs in 2011.
According to Ms. Donovan, “The County Police have negotiated a contract which reflects current standards, is fair and just for all concerned, and, most importantly, saves Bergen County taxpayers over 2 Million dollars. Unlike the McNerney “give-a-way”, this new contract provides appropriate cost of living increases without unduly impacting taxpayers.”
Local No. 49 President Vincent Sileo, said that the new contract protects a number of officers “who would have lost their jobs if the old contract had remained in place.” He said that “We negotiated in good faith with the Donovan administration and reached a just agreement which respects the needs of our members and County taxpayers.”
The agreement was unanimously ratified by the union members.
>Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn will be discussing the relationships between New Jersey political parties and the teachers, police, and firefighters unions.
Alan Steinberg to appear on News 12 New Jersey
NewJerseyNewsroom.com columnist will discuss politics along with Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn
NewJerseyNewsroom.com columnist Alan Steinberg is scheduled for a weekend appearance on “New Jersey Power and Politics” on News 12 New Jersey. The show is hosted by Jim McQueeny .
Appearing with Steinberg will be Ridgewood Councilman Paul Aronsohn. They will be discussing the relationships between New Jersey political parties and the teachers, police, and firefighters unions.
The show is broadcast on News 12 New Jersey this weekend at 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. on both Saturday, March 12, 2011 and Sunday, March 13, 2011.
https://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/state/alan-steinberg-to-appear-on-news-12-new-jersey
>Robert Ellis of Ridgewood Dies After Early Morning Shootout With Police
NJ Man Dies After Early Morning Shootout With Police
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) – A New Jersey man was shot dead after a standoff with police at his parent’s residence early Saturday morning.
At 1:30 a.m., two Washington Township patrolmen arrived at 568 Jackson Road for a disturbance call. When the officers arrived at the scene, police said 48-year-old Robert Ellis of Ridgewood, N.J. opened fire in their direction.
The police returned fire resulting in the man’s death,according to a release from the Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office. Ellis was pronounced dead at the scene around 2 a.m.
https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2011/03/12/n-j-man-dies-after-early-morning-shootout-with-police/
>
$4 Million, plenty of engineers and consultants, and look what we’re left with. How much will the cleanup cost?
>
>Dan
I read your emails to Tom with great interest and frankly disbelief.
It is incredible that you can write that “we do not have crumb rubber on our fields.” Every parent of a child that has played on these fields would be amazed to hear that all the crumb rubber that has been tracked in since these surfaces were opened did not come from the fields and will want to know exactly where the kids have been picking up all that shredded tire stuff. Of course the fields have crumb rubber. This was a major point of discussion with the DEP when you applied for permits. There are three very large sacks of crumb rubber over by the right of way near Stevens. Perhaps you misunderstood the question.
I am very concerned that you have further taken a “hands off” attitude toward the situation that the BOE’s project has created. You tell Tom that the “RHS fields are closed”, presumably because it is unsafe to use these fields until they have been cleaned. This sound reasonable given that we do not know what pollutants the flood has deposited on the artificial turf surface the BOE installed. As the owner of the fields, the BOE has decided that closure is necessary to protect the public. However, you then say it’s not your problem because “we do not have the resources to post people to police the area”. In private industry, the owner of a project that has a major public safety issue is also responsible for enforcing that decision. Failure to do so exposes the owner to damages if someone is hurt. To summarize, as the owner of the fields the BOE has determined that it is unsafe to use them, but aside from telling the Village of your decision, you do not propose to do anything to protect the public? As a taxpayer, I certainly hope that no one is injured this weekend due to the BOE’s negligence. I might suggest that you somehow cordon off the fields with yellow tape, provide signage as to the fact they are closed and access is forbidden and consider stationing a custodian over the weekend to prevent their use.
When these fields were proposed and the DEP permits were sought, you personally assured the public that the construction of artificial turf surfaces in the flood plain would not pose a major problem. A number of the neighbors tried to point out the questionable basis for these comments. Even damage from a minor flood such as the one that occurred last night seriously belie your position.
As you can see, I have copied the press, Village Council and BOE members on this correspondence in the hope that they will find your responses as questionable as I have.
Regards
Jim Morgan
>OUR NEW TURF FIELDS ARE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (NO IDEA WHEN).
Thought you should also be aware of this info below.Forget about Lightgate, this is really Fieldgate now!
Both Stadium and Stevens Fields are now closed until further notice. Even though Dan says clean up will begin on Monday who knows with “testing” (for what?) this whole thing will take let alone cost! Since the BOE does not care to secure the fields as noted below I think your blog is the best way to get the word out to non-Sports groups who have not been told that OUR NEW TURF FIELDS ARE CLOSED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE (NO IDEA WHEN).
Also in case of another flood that will come sooner or later THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN. It’s why the neighbors originally said, before even Lightgate, that to put turf in a flood zone was simply crazy! Unless you have millions of dollars to waste. That’s Fieldgate!I am sure you will be as flabbergasted as we are to learn that Dan did not know the fields have crumb rubber. I feel like this is a bad dream, it can’t be reality! Beam me up, Scotty!
