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Tag: Ridgewood Moms and dads
>Village Council Elections : Walsh and Riche representing fiscal responsibility? Riche’s record says exactly the opposite
>How the heck is one random uninformed prediction front paged? Riche “has shown that small changes are oftentimes as important as big flashy projects.” Really? Sounds nice, but how? And how are Walsh and Riche representing fiscal responsibility? Riche’s record says exactly the opposite. (Village Hall anyone?)
What was his big accomplishment when he served? Take your time, because there isn’t one. Then he “decided” not to run for reelection. Then he ran again in ’04 with Harlowe. The crew here has got to get their heads out of the sand. Walsh doesn’t have one idea about how to fix things. Not one.
She says that nothing can be done at Graydon because it’s in a flood plain. Her running mate built a Taj Majal Village Hall in the same flood plain. Fiscal Responsibility? How much is Riche’s pool at Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club going to run us? Proven leadership? How about saying, in the middle of a debate after identifying a specific home, that the family that rents it is about to be evicted? Untrue and slanderous. Real leadership there. Time for some new names so we can finally get something done around here.
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>If your looking to run ads or get in touch with the Ridgewood Blog please send all correspondence to [email protected]
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>SCHOOL ELECTION RESULTS : Unwillingness of Teachers to take a Wage Freeze Blamed for Budget Loss
>Ridgewood officials say rift between Governor Christie and teachers to blame for budget defeat
Saturday, April 24, 2010
BY EVONNE COUTROS
The Record
STAFF WRITER
https://www.northjersey.com/news/91992934_Christie-NJEA_fight_blamed_for_defeat.html#
RIDGEWOOD — Officials say the public fight between Governor Christie and the New Jersey Education Association — and the unwillingness of teachers to take a wage freeze — were to on Tuesday.
“We lost,” Board of Education Vice President Robert Hutton said. “The turnout at the polls in Ridgewood was over the top as board of education elections go. In the overall scheme,the governor and the NJEA warfare was brought to the forefront in this election.”
https://www.northjersey.com/news/91992934_Christie-NJEA_fight_blamed_for_defeat.html#
Our own Ridgewood Blog Poll suggested that most readers favored “a teacher wage freeze”
Yes 273 (69%)
No 120 (30%)
>Concerned Residents of Ridgewood Endorses Walsh and Riche
>Concerned Residents of Ridgewood (CRR) have decided to endorse Tom Riche and Bernadette Coghlan-Walsh for Ridgewood Village Council.
Over the last two weeks, representatives of CRR met with all four (4) candidates and discussed a wide range of issues; revitalization of downtown, parking in the business district and for commuters, the shrinking Village budgets, Graydon Pool, and the proposed H-Zone changes.
On balance, CRR feels that Riche and Walsh are the right people to be part of our Village council. Both candidates bring different experiences to the council. Walsh not only runs a successful business, but has the added responsibility of being a mother of children at Travell Elementary and BF Middle School. Richie, also a successful businessman, has a very strong record of public service in Ridgewood and has previously served on the Village Council. Importantly, both candidates are prepared to take firm positions on the important matters that are facing our Village today, rather than take a “wait-and-see” approach.
CRR urges its members to vote for Walsh and Richie on May 11 (Line #1 and #4).
>Celebrate Earth Day with The Travel Center / American Express and Smithsonian Journeys
>
Journey to Costa Rica, a land of rich natural wonders and friendly people. Travel beyond San Jose, Costa Rica’s colorful capital city, to explore the outstanding variety of flora and fauna in three important nature reserves: Braulio Carrillo National Park, Tortuguero National Park, and Cano Negro Wildlife Refuge. Learn about the many pristine natural wonders of Costa Rica during exclusive excursions and special presentations and enjoy unscheduled time for personal discovery.
Costa Rica – Nature’s Museum
*Venture off the beaten path with an expert Costa Rican naturalist to discover the nation’s spectacular flora and fauna, geological wonders, and tropical forest ecology.
*Learn about the unique flavors and processing techniques of Costa Rican coffee production at a coffee plantation.
*Enjoy a discussion on the geology of Costa Rica’s active and dormant volcanoes and their environmental and economic impact on the nation.
*Learn about the differences between Costa Rica’s varied forest environments.
*This tour is a value-priced, Smithsonian Journeys Travel Adventure. The educational portion of this tour will be provided by specially selected local guest speakers, rather than a study leader. These guest speakers have been chosen by Smithsonian to enhance your tour with insights, enabling you to more fully understand and appreciate your destination. The maximum size of your group for this destination is 40.
*Complimentary door-to-door sedan service on this air-inclusive tour; available within a 50 mile radius of Newark, JFK and LaGuardia.
From $1,499 per person, based on double occupancy
Book now for departures through April 8, 2011
Visit The Travel Center AE on Facebook to see staff photos of Costa Rica.
For complete details on this 9-day tour, stop in or call:
The Travel Center / American Express:
50 E. Ridgewood Ave.
in the Village of Ridgewood
(201) 447-3311 or
Complete information also available on our NEW website:
https://www.thetravelcenterae.com/
>Dr.Fishbein suggests that Village Council members might actually vote to INCREASE!
>Letter From Dr. Fishbein to Parents and Guardians – What Chutzpah!
The Fly believes that Dr.Fishbein is delusional to suggest that Village Council members might actually vote to INCREASE the Board of Education’s 2010-2011 budget.
Not even the best comedy writers for Saturday Night Live in its early years could have come up with such an outlandish suggestion.
You’ve got to read this to believe it . . .
>BOOKENDS: Sean Hannity,Saturday, April 24th @ 9:00am
>
Only event in the Tri-State!
Sean Hannity
Just Announced***Saturday, April 24th @ 9:00am
will be signing his new book Conservative Victory.
Can’t make the signing? We are taking phone orders for signed copies until Thursday(4/22) @ 8:00pm.
Bookends, 232 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
>SCHOOL ELECTION RESULTS, : The most generous taxpayers in America said "stop!" in rejecting a majority of school budgets in yesterday’s elections
>Claiming victory in school budgets’ defeat, Christie urges governing bodies to seek wage freezes from teachers
The most generous taxpayers in America said “stop!” in rejecting a majority of school budgets in yesterday’s elections, and public officials who fail to hear the human cry do so at their own peril, said Gov. Chris Christie. “I would urge and encourage municipal governments to heed the words of the voters who voted yesterday,” the governor said at a noon press conference, a day after voters rejected nearly 59 percent of the 537 school budgets presented statewide. (Pizarro, PolitickerNJ)
https://www.politickernj.com/max/38560/claiming-victory-school-budgets-defeat-christie-urges-governing-bodies-seek-wage-freezes-t
$48 million dollar Referendum : BOE should not have rammed the $48m bond thru in December.
>The tools at the BOE should not have rammed the $48m bond thru in December. What a scam that was…
There was so many things wrong with the way they went about it:
1. should have put in on the general ballot in november instead of its own ballot in december OR put it at the same time as the budget vote. they only did this because they knew less people would come out in december to vote against it AND that the NJ budget cuts were coming. additionaly, it costs money to hold a special election so yet again they wasted money.
2. they put a package deal together so they people with leaky roofs would vote yes even if they were not in favor of a dozen new classrooms, new bleachers, and new turf fields (which were, by the way, voted down by the general public when specifically asked whether they wanted to pay for them on the ballot two years ago).
3. there is no logic to the fact that they are claiming to need a dozen new classrooms while school populations are hundreds less than in the 1970s. why would we possibly need these things? if certain schools are too crowded, rebalance the boundaries like they did with somerville a few years ago. it’s not like you’d be sending your kid to inner city schools if they had to go to a different elementary school in Ridgewood.
4. as mentioned in point 2 above, the put deferred maintenance items in the bond. ok, fine, fix the roofs, wiring, etc. that was neglected in prior years that should have been handled in the operating budget BUT AGAIN, do not add new infrastructure (classrooms etc.) that we will not be able to maintain because obviously we can afford to maintain what we have already (hence the deferred maintenace in bond).
We need somebody on the board who will say NO to the teachers’ union, who has kids who will feel the impact of any cuts/reductions to keep them honest, and will not empire-build. We have to get back to basics and for once stabilize the taxes and let incomes catch up. 4% increases to the budget are not stable when there is essentially zero inflation.
>SCHOOL ELECTION RESULTS, : I suggest Laurie and her mates lick their wounds and open their ears
>Blogger Laurie Goodman openly laments the budget loss, she can’t help but call out a fellow citizen for being under-informed and angry lunkhead in true Alinsky style.
If this guy was underinformed, whose fault was it? LG will probably say that he should have one to the budget meetings and open houses (for indoctrination purposes) to get the ‘facts’. Truth be told is that the whole reason for a representative democracy is that no one can know all the facts.
I’m sure the guy has read a blog, the Ridgewood News or approached by the HSA moms who troll Ridgewood like it’s Stepford.
Laurie has a cure to her problem (as do the seemingly clueless BOE members): the mirror. If she was listening to her constituents, she would know that the economic lag in education is about 24 months. Instead of waking to the alarm, the BOE keeps hitting the snooze, expecting things will turn around and Trenton will honor its $10 million dollar coupon for a huge referendum.
We in the private sector face a daily onslaught. Government has been a sacred cow, but when you have endured all you can in the private sector, the knife must turn to BOE & VC budgets.
I suggest Laurie and her mates lick their wounds and open their ears. A small dose of humility goes a long way in mending fences.
>State privatization task force meets in Summit; union members present their case
>By Liz Keill
April 20, 2010, 9:00AM
https://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2010/04/state_privatization_task_force.html
SUMMIT — Saving taxpayer dollars, as most residents know, has become a major theme in Governor Chris Christie’s administration. And one of those tools would be to privatize some products or services.
About 80 people, many of them state union members, gathered at Summit High School on Wednesday, April 14, to testify before a state Privatization Task Force appointed by Gov. Christie.
The task force has been charged with finding $50 million in savings in the 2011 budget and $100 million in savings for the year.
“We’re looking for ways to outsource or turn over to the private sector whatever services we can,” said task force member P. Kelly Hatfield of Summit.
“We hope to give elected officials the tools that they need to make local government more cost effective,” said Hatfield, who is a former member of the Summit Common Council and Board of Education. The task force was asked to apply the “yellow pages test,” she said, to determine if there was a duplication of services being offered by the private sector or by non-profit organizations. “How can we eliminate impediments? New Jersey has made some mistakes,” she said. A few years ago an effort to privatize motor vehicle inspections led to long lines and a cumbersome process.
The task force has been meeting since March 11 and has interacted with the four major unions in New Jersey, including the New Jersey Education Association and the Communication Workers of America.
Hatfield said other states have been doing this reduction in state government successfully, citing Texas, West Virginia and Virginia as examples. In Texas, she said, highway work and infrastructure projects are being handled by the private sector.
https://www.nj.com/independentpress/index.ssf/2010/04/state_privatization_task_force.html
>Defeated School Budget Now Faces Scrutiny By Village Council
>One of the roles assumed by New Jersey’s municipal governing bodies is as referee when a school budget is defeated. Having been defeated by 102 votes, the proposed $78.8 million Ridgewood Budget now heads for review by elected members of Ridgewood’s Village Council.
The last time The Fly can recall this happening in Ridgewood was 2004, when the Village Council, led by former Mayor Jane Reilly, passed the voter defeated budget with cuts totalling only two-tenths of one percent. Ms. Reilly was offered a paid position with the Ridgewood Board of Education following her departure from public office in the summer of 2004.
By New Jersey state law, if a school budget is defeated, the budget is sent to the municipal government for their recommendations. A municipality is under no obligation to cut the school budget, but the reality is that if the voters defeated the budget, then the taxpayers are demanding some relief. That message is not lost on municipal officials, and they are often forced to find a middle ground between the wants of a school board and the decision of the voters.
Generally, the budget will be sent to the finance committee of each municipality and out of respect to the school board, a meeting is held between the two bodies to discuss what budget cuts are possible. After the municipality makes its recommendations, taxpayers can expect to hear how draconian the cuts are from both school officials and representatives of the teachers union. The public will then hear that the school may not be able to function with such tight restrictions and how the children will be deprived of the finest education.
Some of this is true, but most of it is rhetoric. With few exceptions, most of the recommendations made by municipal officials are modest in size and rarely cut deeply into a schools budget. Whenever you read about significant cuts to a school budget, you can bet that the school district will automatically appeal to the county education commissioner. At this point, the commissioner has the power to reinstate many, if not all, of the proposed budget cuts and the school district winds up winning in the end.
By restoring many of the recommended cuts, the voting result is circumvented and the taxpayer winds up footing the bill. The entire process is out of whack and there has got to be a better way of making the vote count. However, until the electorate of our state has the stomach and political will to reform our school funding formulas, we are stuck with the charade of voting on school budgets.
>Today was the LAST DAY on which anyone who wishes to vote in the May 11 Council election
>Besides being School Board/budget election day, today is three weeks before our Council election and therefore the LAST DAY on which anyone who wishes to vote in the May 11 Council election, but has never registered to vote, may do so.
According to today’s square on the Village Calendar, the lobby of Village Hall will be open tonight from 4:30 to 9 PM for that purpose. It doesn’t get more convenient than that.
Any 17-year-old resident who will be 18 on or before May 11 may do this. Teens should be encouraged to become politically active and protect their own interests. They must show I.D. proving age and address.
Have a teenage neighbor who qualifies? Consider offering to take him or her to sign up to become a proud voting American. And of course any adult who has never registered before might consider doing so as well.
Questions: Village Clerk’s office, 201-670-5500, extension 201, before 4:30 PM.
Marcia Ringel
Co-Chair, The Preserve Graydon Coalition
>THE RIDGEWOOD ELKS invites all to our annual Beefsteak Dinner.
>All proceeds go to the Special Needs Children and Camp Moore Sunshine.
These organizations are geared towards these special needs children
and appreciate ours and your support.
Saturday April 24th 7 PM to Midnight
All you can eat dinner includes beefsteak, beer, wine, soda and
great DJ music. Our cash bar is open for other drinks.
Cost $35.00 in advance or $40.00 at the door.
Ridgewood Elks -111 N. Maple Ave 201-652-1100
Thanks
Chris & Liz
