>Rally on 5/13 @ 10:30 am at the Statehouse Annex in Trenton.
The Opportunity Scholarship Act (S-1872) will have a hearing this Thursday at 10:30 am in the Senate Economic Growth Committee. This bill will provide a lifeline to children in the state’s lowest performing public schools — expanding choice and opportunity while driving needed reform.
Come Out and Show Your Support!!! Support School Choice in the Garden State!!!
Tweet about the Opportunity Scholarship Act with hashtag #NJOSA
>Unions likely to oppose Christie’s proposed spending, labor restrictions
New Jersey’s public employees unions are likely to push back hard against a package of proposed laws to reduce government spending that Gov. Chris Christie is unveiling Monday. Christie’s proposed reforms include putting a permanent 2.5 percent limit on annual raises for public workers and forbidding property tax increases of more than 2.5 percent without voter approval. (AP)
https://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20100510/STATE/100510011/1098
>Our national debt is simply unsustainable. We have reached a point where our current debt and deficit levels are hurting our economy and the prospects for job creation and future economic growth.
It is almost unheard of for Congress to consider bills to actually eliminate wasteful programs or reduce unnecessary spending. That’s why we are launching YouCut, a first of its kind project designed to reverse the culture of spending in Washington to a culture of savings.
The YouCut project is designed to challenge Congress’s culture of spending. It is a first of its kind effort designed to engage the public in refocusing Congress’s priorities. With a deficit near $1.5 trillion, we don’t think it is too much to ask of Congress to spend some time debating bills to actually reduce spending.
How it Works: The project revolves around a very simple two step process:
1. Each week, the House Economic Recovery Working Group will post online (at https://republicanwhip.house.gov/YouCut )a list of five proposals to reduce wasteful or unnecessary spending. The public will have a chance to vote online or on their cell phones on the proposal they would most like to see Congress take up the next week. (You Vote)
2. And the next week House Republicans will force the House to vote on whether or not to take up and debate the bill. (We Cut)
Each week relevant floor speeches, bill summaries, and vote tallies will be posted online for the public to review. The American people will also have an opportunity to recommend their proposals to reduce wasteful spending. Each and every day, families in New Jersey have been forced to make tough decisions on a daily basis—cutting back on things they realize they can no longer afford. Why should the federal government act any differently?
Rep. Scott Garrett
>i do not agree one bit. i have three young children and i do care very much about the schools. but to say there is no fat is laughable.
first of all, teachers are still getting raises this year that probably cost $1m. i know they have contracts but contracts are meant to be reopened when they needed. Other towns did it. Ridgewood can too.
second, the empire building being done right now with the bond issuance is insane. we can’t maintain our current physical plant on the regular operating budget (hence the deferred maintenance in the bond) but we are ADDING MORE TO THE PLANT with the bond. give me a break. turf, bleachers, dozen classrooms, etc. It’s fat.
I’ve had this argument a dozen times on this blog. People have said, things are different now, we need more space, etc. I think that is b.s. The people that say we need all of this shit are probably adding on to their mcmansion-wannabe and trying to get 100% lot coverage past the zoning board. kids do not need all of this stuff.
this is going to bankrupt the town and its residents.
so, in my opinion, there is more to cut. reopen teacher contracts. reopen administrator packages (i.e. fishbein), cut back on the proposed expenditures from the bond referendum.
that would be a start.
when i said there is fat, there is more than just the basic salaries. the benefits need to be cut asap. no normal orgnization would stand for 20+% benefit cost growth. cut back on the bennys and/or make the teachers pay more (if they pay anything at all).
btw i pay over $5k for my share of my medical from work. teachers have to suck it up.
the real answer to the negotiations with the union is coming:
state negotiators appointed to the towns to negotiate the teacher contracts.
this will level the playing field.
no more amateurs at the BOE taking on professional negotiators.
this is what i hear is coming down the road from a reliable source in trenton.
-Thed.
>Congratulations Bernie and Tom from Concerned Residents of Ridgewood
Bernadette and Tom,
Congratulations on your resounding win last night. By winning with such a large margin, the people of Ridgewood have also given you a strong mandate to take with you to the council.
The election fought over:
· Revitalizing downtown
· Fiscal responsibility
· Preserving Graydon
· Limiting excessive expansion by Valley hospital
…and another one was added last night; backlash against attempts to win the vote through slick marketing! Yesterday people chose substance and integrity over hype!
Congratulations again,
Paul Gould
on behalf of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood
https://www.stopvalley.com/
>The Fred d’Elia Memorial Day Ridgewood Run is a family-focused day of events that provide a fun environment in a festive open-park atmosphere. Seven distinct events provide the center of activity. They start at 8:30 AM and continue until after the conclusion of the Fun Run at noon. The road races are run through the tree-lined streets of the Village of Ridgewood NJ. Ridgewood is located in Bergen County bordering Rockland, Westchester, and New York counties.
The close proximity to New York City gives families from the NY Metropolitan area a chance to celebrate the holiday by spending a fun-filled weekend that concludes with a day of healthy exercise. At the Ridgewood Run, one spouse might run the 10K, the other the 5K, and then accompany the children in the Fun Run.
The Ridgewood Run has established itself as the must-run road race in the NY-NJ-Connecticut area on Memorial Day. The North Jersey Masters (NJM), the premier running club in Northern NJ, has been the organizer of the race since it’s inception in 1976. In those years NJM has built a reputation for hospitality and the ability to put on a quality day for all participants (see Race History).
Race Amenities in 2010 are: commerative t-shirt, a Flat & Fast Course, D-Tag Timing, a Baggage Check Area, Mile Clocks, Water Stops, Certified Routes. Other extras are: a Family Team competition in the 5K, Hotel discounts, and Photographs by Ken Shelton Photography.
Awards and Prizes are plentiful: 1) Prize money to the top three finishers in the Elite 1-Mile races, top 3 finishers in the 5K, and the top 10 Masters finishers in the 10K. 2) New Balance Gift Certificates to the top three finishers in each five-year age-group bracket. 3) Finisher’s Medal to all registered finishers of the Ridgewood YMCA Fun Run/Health Walk.
Online registration is open
https://www.njmasters.com/RidgewoodRun/index.html
May 31st at 8:30 am
>May 13th ,14th and 15th
Spring Sidewalk Sale Days
Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce
The Spring Sidewalk Sale is known for beautiful clothing and dry goods, all at beautiful prices. This popular event runs for three days to accommodate all!
>Just look at the school budget yourself and you will see that it truly is cut to the bone. The quality of the schools is going to suffer, and it will start next year. If you want to argue about the public information officer, I have to say — it is smart for them to keep someone around to COMMUNICATE with parents and the community. Not long ago, you would have been crying for a lack of transparency and never knowing what’s going on. As a parent who went through the system twice, I can say the current communication is way better than before. Don’t you want to know what’s going on? And don’t say let the secretaries do the communicating — many of them have been fired, and many of the rest can barely communicate themselves (hanging on to their positions thanks to state tenure laws). Have the administrators communicate? We’re almost out of them, too. Theyre firing 6 of them this year and those remaining have to pick up all their responsibilities. Where does it end?
I commend this BOE for cutting over $6 million. I have to ask, on what planet is $6 million in cuts not enough? The line has to be drawn somewhere and I’m glad the BOE cares enough about the schools to stick to it. Their job is to provide the best education possible — not to blindly follow voters who are mad about their property taxes and who haven’t a clue what is required to educate 5700 students of all levels. Sorry, but that’s the fact.
>Great news: Bernie Walsh and Tom Riche won the Village Council election last night
Ridgewood residents overwhelmingly elected the two candidates who had pledged to preserve Graydon. They will take office July 1.
Tom and Bernie expressed heartfelt thanks to all members of our Coalition who wrote letters to the editor, solicited votes, distributed flyers, spread the word on the internet, and—most important—voted.
Our attorney Stuart Lieberman responded via BlackBerry at 3:15 AM to our report of the election results: “Omg! You guys rock. Go democracy. Congrats.”
Here’s the scoreboard on the wall in the Senior Center at Village Hall where the candidates gathered to learn the election results as they came in. The numbers across the top represent voting districts.
The newly elected Council members and their supporters, including Marcia, Suzanne, and Alan, headed for an impromptu celebration at Bernie and Mike Walsh’s house. Also of our group, Eileen Negrycz gave Bernie a bouquet and Tim Collazzi and Danny Castellanos arrived later. Other guests included outgoing Councilman Pat Mancuso and former Council members Quentin Wiest and Jacques Harlow as well as friends and family.
How you can celebrate: Buy Graydon badges for your family. Ridgewood residents (ages 2-61) pay last year’s prices through May 22. Ridgewood seniors age 62+ pay $15. Ho-Ho-Kus and Midland Park residents also welcome.
Residents of additional towns may join if sponsored by a Ridgewood resident with a current badge. Information: 201-670-5560.
The Parks & Recreation Department is holding its first-ever special Graydon badge senior signup tomorrow (Thursday, May 13) from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM on the first floor of Village Hall. Every Ridgewood resident age 62+ is encouraged to come buy a badge. Cash, check, or Visa or MasterCard accepted.
For free door-to-door transportation for the badge day, reserve a ride on the Senior Bus at 201-670-5500 x200. Call today (Wednesday) for a ride on Thursday.
Other ways to buy badges
Looking to the future with relief and anticipation,
Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!”
[email protected]
https://www.preservegraydon.org/
>Read this article in the Bergen Record.
I can not believe that we saved money by renegotiating our insurances and they are still looking to save the information officers position? It is time to listen to the voters. Cut the budget!!! It is time to fire the Superintendent for not being fiscally responsible.
“BOE President Michele Lenhard told the council that the board had cut its budget “to the bone” for the past two years and couldn’t cut any more.”
What planet are you living on Michele?
>NJ Elec. Cronk and Dowd took $1500.00 from the NJ Laborers Union in Jamestown NJ
>N.J. governor proposing spending, labor restrictions
Democratic legislative leaders have proposed a special tax for Garden State residents who earn $1 million or more. Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver say the tax would apply to 16,000 taxpayers. The lawmakers also want to reinstate property tax rebates for senior citizens and eliminate a proposed $310 copay for seniors in Gov. Christie’s budget. (AP)
N.J. Gov. Christie, Democrats offer dueling tax plans
New Jersey’s political divide grew wider Monday as Republican Governor Christie advanced sweeping plans to slow the growth of property taxes while Democrats proposed raising income taxes on the state’s wealthiest residents to pay for senior programs. The dueling proposals — and sharp-edged rhetoric in back-to-back news conferences — showed the governor and Democratic lawmakers drifting apart with less than two months to go before the state budget deadline. Neither the budget nor Christie’s reforms can move forward without bipartisan support. (Heininger/Fleisher, The Record)
>Tuesday is Election Day
We know that Graydon is not the only issue. But it is a significant and symbolic one. Graydon is the heart of the Village, both literally and figuratively. Yet some wish to rip it out and pave it over.
Important points to consider before pressing the button
• Flood hazard zone. Among the candidates, only Bernie and Tom understand the expense, danger, and recklessness of paving over a flood hazard area that repeatedly experiences severe flooding.
Residents who are relatively new to town cannot imagine the destruction that Ridgewood has already experienced from floods, including canoes down the streets and evacuations. They cannot fathom how much worse the situation could be without Graydon, our 3-million-gallon catch basin—now routinely emptied to make room for all the rain when big storms are predicted. Excess water also seeps down through the sand afterward. Those tons of water could end up in our neighbors’ basements and worse.
DO NOT BELIEVE protestations that certain minds are open to improvements at Graydon of the type we envision. DO NOT BELIEVE that a Request for Proposals (RFP) would merely invite “new ideas”—it’s a contract document for a big construction job.
Electing the other candidates would be Graydon’s death knell.
• Fiscal restraint. Bernie and Tom know that taking out additional large bonds could compromise Ridgewood’s ability to borrow. They urge financial caution.
• Independent thinkers. The other two candidates could form a three-vote majority with a like-minded sitting council member.
• Homegrown campaigns. No huge donations. No expensive political consulting agency. No multiple mailings of glossy flyers. No ten million yard signs on unoccupied property. Just the candidates.
Village Council elections have low turnout. Make sure every registered voter in your household visits the polls between 6 AM and 8 PM.
RIDGEWOOD IS COUNTING ON YOU TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
VOTE FOR COGHLAN-WALSH AND RICHE.
x Line 1: Bernadette Coghlan-Walsh
Line 2: [ignore]
Line 3: [ignore]
x Line 4: Thomas M. Riche
Endorsement by Concerned Residents of Ridgewood
https://www.stopvalley.com/CouncilMay11_2010.html
Endorsement by the RHS Class of 1977 blog administrator
https://rhs1977.blogspot.com/2010/05/vote-for-storing-flood-waters-at.html
Endorsement by the Ridgewood Blog
https://theridgewoodblog.blogspot.com/2010/05/ridgewood-blog-endorses-tom-riche-and.html
Votingly,
Marcia Ringel and Suzanne Kelly, Co-Chairs
The Preserve Graydon Coalition, Inc., a nonprofit corporation
“It’s clear—we love Graydon!”
[email protected]
https://www.preservegraydon.org/
>13th Annual Junior Woman’s Club of Ridgewood Spring House Tour
Thursday, May 13, 2010
9:30 am to 3:30 pm
Tickets $40 (tax deductible)
Available for sale at Mango Jam, Town & Country Pharmacy, Karma Organic Spa and at The Women’s Clubhouse/215 West Ridgewood Avenue
>Interesting how the one female candidate is continually treated in such a disrespectful manner. All the digs about her being a house wife/girl scout leader/club luncheon lady/not educated enough/out of her league/part-time/work from home…. Come on people!! These comments made about her are despicable, shameful and totally inappropriate. Ironically, she’s the only one to have the courage to say where she stands on each issue and back it up with thoughtful, reasonable answers. She does this knowing she will lose votes to the RPP group. In the same blog I hear complaints about how the PG group is smearing the Cronks. Are you kidding? They are defending Graydon due to the constant SMEAR of Graydon the RPP has lead for years. How hypocritical! As opposed to the bullying campaign tactics run by the Cronk/Dowd team Bernadette has led a clean, honest & respectable campaign. Win or lose Bernie, you should be proud of yourself as we are.
