Put up a campaign sign, win a bundle when they screw you.
Some Village employees are reportedly fearful of retribution and have therefore chosen not to put up lawn signs supporting a candidate, or candidates, in the upcoming municipal election.
Thankfully, the United States Supreme Court recently sided with a City of Paterson, NJ employee who did receive the short end of the stick for his involvement in a local Paterson election.
It’s a shame that a good number of Village employees are fearful of exercising their respective constitutional rights, but it’s good to know they can successfully bring personal lawsuits against any bastards who elicit political payback.
Will Sign Copies of His Debut Book Go Big or Go Home
April 26,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, ACM, BMI and CMT Award winning country music singer/songwriter Scotty McCreery, who first captured America’s hearts when he won “American Idol” Season 10 five years ago at age 17, is now an author. The multi-Platinum-selling sensation will be appearing locally as part of his 14-city tour for his new book Go Big or Go Home: The Journey Toward the Dream (Zondervan, May 3). McCreery’s book is his travelogue, sharing stories of growing up in small town America with a big dream and the perseverance that led him to his country music success today. More details on the tour can be found at:
Book purchase from Bookends Bookstore is required for line entry. Books may be purchased day of or pre-ordered from Bookends here or by phone at: 201-445-0726.
The signing is limited to books only; no CDs or memorabilia please. Attendees may take photos while standing in line.
Go Big or Go Home narrates McCreery’s journey from a kid imitating Elvis on the school bus to 30 million across America tuning in to see him win season ten of “American Idol” to building a successful country music career. McCreery shares a glimpse of where he came from and the impact his faith, family and friends have had on a humble guy who keeps asking “why me?” This is his journey from his North Carolina roots to winning America’s most popular singing competition and moving on to launch the musical career he had always dreamed about.
About Scotty McCreery
Scotty McCreery burst onto the national music scene in 2011 at age 17, quickly establishing himself as one of country music’s hottest new stars. Now 22 years old, the talented singer/songwriter has sold more than 2.5 million albums and received both Platinum and Gold album certifications, debuted three consecutive albums at No. 1 on a Billboard chart, achieved one Gold and three Platinum-certified singles and two Top Ten hits, toured with Brad Paisley, The Band Perry and Rascal Flatts, headlined his own tours, and earned multiple industry and fan accolades. He was named “Best American Idol” by the readers of The Los Angeles Times in February 2016. Earlier this month he was named “Country Music’s Hottest Bachelor” by the readers of NASH Country Weekly Magazine. That publication also named him “Country Music’s Sexiest Man” in November 2015. For more information, visit www.ScottyMcCreery.com
Ridgewood NJ, all this talk about Valley Hospital being the “Crown Jewel” of Ridgewood ,but the reality is far different . Valley is according to the new OMNIA Health Alliance at “Tier 2” hospital .
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey announced the OMNIA Alliance, a partnership with 22 hospitals which have agreed to accept smaller reimbursements but would be financially rewarded for quality and keeping people healthy. Another 14 hospitals Horizon designated as “tier one” facilities also agreed to accept lower reimbursement in exchange for higher patient volume.
The 14 were ;Chilton Medical Center; Clara Maass Medical Center; Community Medical Center; Hackensack UMC in Hackensack, Mountainside and Pascack Valley; Hunterdon Medical Center; Inspira Medical Center Elmer, Vineland and Woodbury; Jersey City Medical Center; Monmouth Medical Center and its Southern Campus; Morristown Medical Center; Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; Newton Medical Center; Overlook Medical Center, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital Rahway, Somerset, New Brunswick and Hamilton; Saint Barnabas Medical Center. Hackettstown Medical Center will be added after it is acquired by Atlantic Health
However the remaining 36 hospitals in the state, were left out. The hospitals included in Tier 2 (based on the latest available information) are Bayonne Hospital; Capital Health in Trenton and Hopewell; CentraState Medical Center in Freehold; East Orange General Hospital; Hoboken University Medical Center; Holy Name Hospital; JFK Medical Center, Edison; Kennedy Health System in Cherry Hill, Stratford, and Turnersville; Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County, Willingboro; Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center, Secaucus; and Memorial Hospital of Salem County.
Also in Horizon’s Tier 2: Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center, Camden; Raritan Bay Medical Center – Old Bridge and Perth Amboy; Saint Clare’s Hospital in Denville, Dover, and Sussex; Saint Michael’s Medical Center, Newark; Saint Peter’s University Hospital, New Brunswick; St. Francis Medical Center, Trenton; St. Luke’s Warren Hospital; St. Mary’s Hospital, Passaic; Trinitas Hospital, Elizabeth; University Hospital, Newark; Valley Hospital, Ridgewood; Virtua, Berlin, Marlton, Mount Holly, and Voorhees.
Horizon created OMNIA and the tiered network plan in an attempt to curb health insurance costs and provide cheaper options to employers and consumers.
Horizon examined Medicare data and looked for the hospitals with the lowest readmission rates and best scores on patient, safety and quality measures. Hospitals needed to offer a range of inpatient, outpatient and post-acute care services. They had to be using or prepared to use a “value-based” payment model that rewards preventive care. They had to score high on patient satisfaction surveys. Horizon also favored the largest hospitals and systems, including those that serve a sizable number of Horizon members.
Horizon claims they are not passing judgement on the quality of the hospital. Consumers who go to Tier 1 hospitals and doctors pay lower copays and out-of-pocket costs. They can visit hospitals and doctors classified as Tier 2 but pay higher costs when doing so.
Ridgewood NJ, from the “take back Ridgewood ” Facebook group ,Glen Rock is removing ‘non resident parking’ from the train station and moving non residents a block away. In Ridgewood, our Mayor and his team want to add more non resident commuter parking near the train station for political gains. We need to be informed and vote against his team on May 10th. We can’t afford 4 more years of this.
Glen Rock’s Borough Hall station parking lot to be designated for local commuters beginning May 1
BY RICHARD DE SANTA
STAFF WRITER |
GLEN ROCK GAZETTE
PSE&G GAS MAIN REPLACEMENT PROGRAM BEGINS- STARTING IN RIDGEWOOD APRIL 25TH
Rmidgewood NJ, This is to alert you to PSE&G’s Energy Strong gas main replacement project that will be commencing shortly in the Village.
J. Fletcher Creamer will be the contractor. Tentative start date will be this week.
Work will be in the following streets: West Glen Avenue, East Glen Avenue, Lawrence Court, Heights Road, Alpine terrace, Colwell court, Douglas Place, Park Slope, Ridge Road, Sterling Place and Glenwood Road. Streets may need to be partially or fully closed for the work to be done, depending on the situation.
The work is scheduled to take approximately 4 months. We will be working with the contractor and PSE&G to minimize disruptions to residents.
Village Police Department Traffic Control Officers will be utilized.
For further information and FAQ’s please Click Here
A question about Brooks – – since his wife is the planning board attorney who steered the Valley expansion through the Planning Board, will he ever be able to vote on a Valley related matter one way or the other? Won’t there always be a conflict of interest presented by the concern that he is merely voting to prop up and validate her advice to the Board during their deliberations?
For that matter, will Brooks ever be able to vote on any subject whatsoever that has been addressed by the Planning Board? Isn’t he going to have to sit on the sideline during the next couple of years? Even if she and her firm were to resign now from the planning board, the big decisions of the past few years are going to be fine tuned and acted on by the council over the next couple of years.
In that case, electing Brooks would equate to electing an empty chair.
MLS # 1616293
175 Oak St, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
3 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath, Col Stacey S. Hermann, Sales Associate Rose Hueneke, Broker Associate Keller Williams Village Square Realty
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 4/24
2
MLS # 1615725
333 Libby Ave, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
4 Bedroom, 2 Full Bath,
2 Half Bath, Col James P. Waddell, Sales Associate Coldwell Banker, Ringwood
Open House: 1:00 P.M. – 4:00 P.M. Sun. 4/24
22
MLS # 1604193
729 Mary Ann Pl, Ridgewood, NJ 07450
5 Bedroom, 3 Full Bath, Col Carolyn Strittmatter, Sales Associate Weichert Realtors Ridgewood
Ridgewood NJ, to some this will seem like old news that Paul was going to make a statement at the mic at the close of the League of Womens Voter Candidate Night and was shut down by the moderator . However many may be unaware Mayor Aronsohn was going to make a totally inappropriate statement regarding how wonderful Roberta Sonenfeld was as the Village Manager and then he was going to ask all six candidates if they would support keeping her on.
The league knew he was planning to say something and we were confident that the moderator would allow questions only and might have intervened anyway but the moderator was adhering to the format and when Mayor Aronsohn came to the mic, she closed public comment to move on to closing statements.
After the May 10th election the Village needs a massive house cleaning ,to clear the Village of all personnel who are paid by the taxpayers of Ridgewood who harbor under some confused notion that they work for some one else . If you work for the Village of Ridgewood you work for the Residents of Ridgewood period, you do not work for Valley Hospital, you do not work for the Hudson County Democratic Political machine , you do not work for the mayor, developers or any other special interest group . It is time for many to focus on their resume and move on .
Ridgewood NJ, Dan Schlossberg will sign his new book: When the Braves Ruled the Diamond along with Erik Sherman with his new book: Kings of Queens. Bookends in Ridgewood , Saturday, April 23rd @ 1:00pm.
Appearing authors will only autograph books purchased at Bookends and must have valid Bookends Receipt.
Availability & pricing for all autographed books subject to change.
First In Line Certificate use is the the discretion of Bookends. Blackout dates may apply.
Bookends cannot guarantee that the books that are Autographed will always be First Printings.
Autographed books purchased at Bookends are non-returnable.
While we try to ensure that all customers coming to Bookends’ signings will meet authors and get their books signed, we cannot guarantee that all attendees will meet the author or that all books will be signed. We cannot control inclement weather, author travel schedules or authors who leave prematurely.
Bookends, 211 E. Ridgewood Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-0726
I am a lifelong resident of the Willard School area and might happily live the rest of my life without going near the Valley Hospital except when I need its excellent services or am visiting nearby friends.
That said, I don’t accept the “greater good”argument you raise. I am gravely concerned with the effect of ten years of construction on our school children at BF and Travell as well as on Valley’s immediate neighbors. And, yes, perhaps one could say I am not being entirely altruistic – – but that’s because I realize if you hurt part of the whole without good cause, you hurt the entirety of the whole.
For example, as property prices decline near Valley due to construction and expansion, so do prices throughout the entire town. And even if the reduction in real estate value is confined to that portion of town, that means the rest of our taxes go up to make up for the shortfall resulting from the reduction in real estate prices. And think of the young couple that has heard great things about Ridgewood and for the first time pulls down Linwood avenue to go see their realtor. At the first traffic light they come to, they will be greeted by a 1,700 car garage. Does that garage foster the image of a town they want to move into, or does it cause one of them to turn to the other and say, “honey, take a right over to Glen and let’s go check out Waldwick and Ho-Ho-Kus?”
And in terms of three “minds being made up,” I think Voigt hit the nail on the head when he noted at the debate that he just met this week with the Valley CEO, its director of communications and its legal counsel. He went alone to discuss the construction and see what compromises might be reached. If you listened to the debate, you heard he did not get much of a response. Hache, too, spoke eloquently regarding his affinity for the Hospital in contrast to his concerns over the expansion. So, I don’t think the they (or Walsh) are closed to the notion of compromise and discussion. In fact, I think the three have demonstrated just the opposite.
I can’t think of a single person who wants to see Valley shut down. But, by the same token, are the goals of the Valley expansion worth sacrificing the standards of living for a whole section of town? I view Voigt, Hache and Walsh as three candidates who are not willing to sacrifice that part of town, or any part of town for that matter, in the pursuit of some undefined goal of “progress.”
That’s why this election really is all about where we live and how, and whether we want to maintain the vibrant vestiges of our Village life or change into something else. Perhaps I am being selfish here, and not thinking of the greater “regional good,” but don’t years and years of tax payments lead all of us to vote for candidates who want to preserve the Village for Villagers?
Gov. Chris Christie was on the presidential campaign trail last fall and didn’t show interest at the time in standing with the nearly 14,000 citizens who signed Asbury Park Press petitions calling for a property tax cut. Bob Jordan, Asbury Park PressRead more
Ridgewood Nj, Council Candidate Jeff Voigt reflects on the League of Women Voters Candidates . Jeff told the Ridgewood blog ,”Night It was great to see so many residents turn up for the debate. It really shows how concerned and involved we all are in our Village on where we are headed. Secondly, the questions posed by the LWV provided to us and; as well those asked and not revealed were spot on – they hit all the key issues. It was a great opportunity for us to state our positions and how we think about these issues.”
Jeff went on ,”I would personally say hats off to both Bernie Walsh and Ramon Hache – they both did a really nice job.They would represent the interests of our Village well. If all three of us were elected, we would think about issues independently and critically and; come up with solutions that were best for the Village. As well we would complement Susan Knudsen and Mike Sedon on the council.”
Summing up evening Jeff said ,” I found it almost fitting that at the end of the night Mayor Paul Aronsohn was not allowed to ask a question – almost as if this current Council majority was being silenced. I know this was not intentional by the moderator, but it sent a rather strong message to the audience and those listening – that it is time for our Village to move on. This also means our moving on from the policies and ways of doing business that have existed and; unfortunately would be replicated if Evan Weitz, Janice Willet, and Richard Brooks replaced them (and who are all actively supported by Paul Aronsohn).”
RIDGEWOOD WATER FORUM – APRIL 21 @ 9AM AND APRIL 25 @ 7:30PM
April 20,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, The Village of Ridgewood is hosting a Municipal Information Forum for Ridgewood residents regarding Ridgewood Water. The intent of this forum is to educate the public on how water is delivered to your faucet. It will deal with current issues in the news as well as discussing the quality of our water, sustaining water for the future, budget and capital investments and our short-term and long-term strategies.
The Information Forums will be held on two separate dates. The first on will be Thursday, April 21 from 9 to 11 am. The other is Monday, April 25 from 7:30 to 9:30pm. These Forums will take place in the Youth Center at Village Hall.
To let us know you are attending or if you have any questions, please call 201/670-5500 x203.
Reader gives their take of the League of Women Voters Candidates Night .
Not much fireworks tonight – but a few immediate take aways about the three candidates supported by the Mayor and the developers..
Weitz is too busy to have gone to Council meetings during the past two years. And, he was too busy to vote. How the heck is he going to fulfill his duties should he be elected?
Willet is happy with the housing density because she believes it is a good thing to bring more students into our Ridgewood school system. At the same time, she is going to hold down costs. Not quite sure how she is going to balance the two. She doesn’t quite seem balanced.
Brooks is in favor of nepotism rule, and apparently he does not think anyone should be deleted if they have a connection to someone holding a public position. He forgot to mention his wife is the planning board attorney so he did not explain how he is going to be able to vote on anything important that comes before the council in the next couple of years should he somehow be elected. Frankly, he seems a bit dull.
Many were very impressed with Hache, his honesty about what can and cannot be done in Ridgewood with regard to high density, not saying he will try to limit it, that means nothing. Hache did not pander for votes.
I thought he was right to leave option open about eminent domain on the toxic site of town garage. It’s vital that toxic site be cleaned up, if a private owner cannot be made to do it; taxpayers must pay for it.
The town should not sell our water facilities and lose control.
Hache stated most clearly on not wanting a large field at Schedler.
Rurik was out of order when he spoke; he had to be told to sit down, because he couldn’t stick to the issues. He had to beg Walsh for a personal clarification that she was not insulting his wife’s work at Twinney’s.
That’s what we need at council meetings. A presiding official to monitor those who insult others, like Rurik and to tell them to sit down immediately. Those who cannot stick to the issues.
Ridgewood NJ, This is to alert you to PSE&G’s Energy Strong gas main replacement project that will be commencing shortly in the Village.
J. Fletcher Creamer will be the contractor. Tentative start date will be next week.
Work will be in the following streets: West Glen Avenue, East Glen Avenue, Lawrence Court, Heights Road, Alpine terrace, Colwell court, Douglas Place, Park Slope, Ridge Road, Sterling Place and Glenwood Road. Streets may need to be partially or fully closed for the work to be done, depending on the situation.
The work is scheduled to take approximately 4 months. We will be working with the contractor and PSE&G to minimize disruptions to residents.
Village Police Department Traffic Control Officers will be utilized.
For further information and FAQ’s please Click Here
