I’m not in any camp and remained undecided until hearing two candidates speak at coffee. Harwin was pleasant but lacked substance. No grasp on issues, memorized talking points and knows a great deal about herself. Mrs. Harwin did not answer questions. She was accompanied by Paul Aronsohn and Gwenn Hauck. Another coffee was for Knudsen and Sedon and only Knudsen attended. The mayor was gracious and well informed on many issues. She is a wealth of knowledge and discussed issues I was unaware of. Questions were asked and answered without hesitation. Knudsen spoke well of Sedon. Not a fan of Willett. She and Harwin have dirtied themselves by mudslinging and I’m not impressed. The mayor is a class act. I voted Knudsen and Albano in 2014 and will be voting Knudsen and Sedon this time
Harwin has shown she doesn’t have a grasp of the issues in the village. She shows by her alliance with Paul Aronsohn and her subsequent Facebook ads she is no more than a partisan extension of Paul’s betrayal of Ridgewood and the village taxpayers. That she embraces the actions of supporters Rurik Halaby and Jeff Voigt and their allergy to facts and decorum shows she supports their style, tactics, and deception. That her supporter Al Pucciarelli advocates a chilling proposal to ban video coverage of public meetings shows she is unqualified to preserve the rights of taxpayers. Her support and contradictory position on the money-losing garage proposal shows she has no comprehension of municipal budgets, fiscal planning, and tax burdens. That she proudly carries the loud support of ethically disgraced Roberta Sonnenfeld tells voters she is willing to break the rules when it serves her best.
Ridgewood NJ, Village Manager Heather Mailander issued a special update on a special pickup for tree limbs and branches . The Parks and Street Departments have finished Area A, Area B, and Area C for the special pickup for the tree limbs/branches. The pickup in Area D has begun and will continue until all of the streets in Area D have been picked up. If you live in Area D, please have all of your tree limbs/branches at the curbline (not blocking your sidewalks) by this date. Please do not place yardwaste at the curb during this pickup, because it will not be picked up. Yardwaste collection begins on April 16th. Please check the Village website, under My Village Services, to determine your yardwaste collection day.
As a reminder, the crews will remove the limbs and branches from every street in each section only once and after this pickup has taken place, there will be no additional pickups for these tree limbs and branches.
Early bird discounted registration for Graydon Pool will take place April 1st through April 30th
. Please click on the picture of Graydon Pool at the top of the Village website to register at discounted prices.
The final voter registration for the May 8th Municipal Election, for Village Councilmembers, will take place on April 17, 2018. Voter registration will take place in the Village Clerk’s Office from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and then voter registration will continue in the lobby of the Ridgewood Public Library from 4:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. This is for new voter registrations only or if you have moved into or within Ridgewood, it is an opportunity for you to re-register with your new address.
Enjoy the warmer weather at the Village’s annual Earth Day Fair and Daffodil Festival, which is sponsored by the Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee and the Conservancy for Ridgewood Public Lands, along with the Village Recycling Department. This event will take place on April 22nd from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., in Memorial Park at Van Neste Square, and will feature recycling information, games, educational displays, crafts, music by Blue Plate Special, a petting zoo, a daffy dog parade and more!
Ridgewood NJ, Village of Ridgewood Mayor Susan Knudsen announced Friday afternoon , “As Promised – Ridgewood Village Council approved the hiring of NV5 to begin the Village Master Plan vsioning process. Details will be announced soon!”
The Mayor goes on , “Ridgewood is embarking on the development of a new Village Master Plan to replace the current, outdated document which is about 35 years old. A Master Plan encompasses all zoning laws and regulations that shaped the Village into the community it is today. From downtown development to the allowable property setbacks in everyone’s neighborhoods, the document is critical in maintaining the character of the Village. Our goal is to allow for smart development that doesn’t overwhelm streets and neighborhoods while supporting a vibrant and healthy Central Business District.”
“A new Village Master Plan document will guide Ridgewood’s development 40 plus years into the future making it critically important for trusted, experienced Council members to be active participants. Council members with a proven track record of protecting resident property values, Ridgewood neighborhoods, and the character of the Village we call home. Mayor Knudsen is the most experienced Council member in the area of Municpal Land Use making her participation important to the future of the Village. Experienced Council members with a comprehensive understanding of Municipal Land Use patterns, development and zoning, will serve the community best as we begin the exciting Master Plan process.”
The Master Plan project will commence in May with public engagement, charrettes, surveys, and more.
Ridgewood NJ, Special Friends of the Library Donor Appreciation Event on Friday, May 11 at 6:30pm. Wine & cheese reception and live jazz followed by a live staged reading of the Tony Award-winning play ART and talkback with the cast: Diane Carlin Sims, Mark Kaplan and Ciaran Sheehan. *This is an invitation-only event. Invitations will be sent to Friends’ Donors; *registration is required. If you would like to donate to the Friends and be added to the invitation list, please visit the Friends webpage or stop by any Library service desk. https://www.ridgewoodlibrary.org/friends Questions: [email protected]
Ridgewood NJ, at Wednesday nights Village Council Meeting the Village council was expected to leave unchanged water rates going back to 2010 that were invalidated by a Superior Court judge last year in response to a lawsuit by the three neighboring towns. The towns, which are customers of village-owned Ridgewood Water, allege they were being overcharged.
In July, Superior Court Judge Lisa Perez Friscia ruled in favor of Wyckoff, Midland Park and Glen Rock, which are served by Ridgewood Water and had sued the village over rate increases between 2010 and 2012. The three municipalities argued that Ridgewood Water was using the excess fees to cover unrelated operating costs for the village. The judge, in her ruling, called Ridgewood Water’s rate hikes arbitrary, and told the village to recalculate the charges.
Ridgewood complied an in December Howard Woods, a consultant hired by the Village to recalculate the correct rates, released a 247-page “initial report” , stating that customers were instead undercharged for their water usage during the first two years covered in the lawsuit. An appeal by Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff of the July decision is pending. Beyond a recalculation of rates, the towns seek $13.4 million in refunds and $3.6 million in damages.
At Wednesday nights council meeting , there was a decision to delay action on the two ordinances by the Village Council . Representatives from the other three towns took to the lectern to lecture and attempt to pressure the Village Council for what they felt was a bold disregard for justice. The ugly reality for Glen Rock, Midland Park and Wyckoff is that the Judges ruling stuck the three towns with huge court costs .
Ridgewood NJ, according to Councilmen Ramon Hache, “The budget process is never easy, especially in an age of budget caps that are below the rate of inflation. Basically we have to, at a minimum, deliver the same level of services every year with a limited capacity of raising revenues to meet the increased cost of delivering those services.” Hache goes on , “Changes to federal income tax laws at the end of 2017 have adversely impacted many of our residents by sharply reducing the amount of state and local income taxes (“SALT”) they can deduct in determining taxable income. Mindful of this, we worked very hard with our department heads to come up with a budget that would not place an additional undue burden on our residents. On April 11, the Village Council will introduce a municipal budget with a property tax increase of 0.99% over 2017. Please note this is just the municipal budget and does not include the Board of Education or the county.”
Perhaps the two challengers running for Village Council should advance some ideas on what they would do to improve the Village if elected before engaging in mud slinging. There does not appear to be any substance to these two. Mrs. Knudsen and Mr Sedon have served the Village competently and honestly during their term in office. While I don’t agree with them on every issue, they have maintained a level of civility and professionalism that the two challengers completely lack. These two political wannabes are obviously surrogates of the previous Council majority that was essentially run out of town two years ago. Let’s not look back. Vote Knudsen and Sedon.
Mrs. Valdes, I believe James (and the “staff”) were pointing out the irony of the exclusivity inherent in the actions of the “inclusive” crowd, demonstrating how difficult it is to represent all citizens when you seek to divide them into aggrieved groups for purely political gain. I’ve got a unique idea, let’s just fly the American flag over Village Hall (quelle horreur!) as a symbol that all citizens of the Village are valued, not just those the Left values (in line with that “regressive” and antiquated, but truly inclusive “E. Pluribus Unum” thingy)? Honestly, I cannot even conceive of anything more trivial these matters are. The fact that we are even discussing this tripe shows how bad things will get if we elect “Social Justice Warriors” such as Harwin to the VC. The roads will still be bad, the same debates over parking, bloated school budgets and overdevelopment will rage, but we will be knee-deep in the divisive identity politics which has made normal social interaction stunted in this country. Why did we need to have this silly debate over a flag over Village Hall anyway? Are we going to fly flags in support on our non-LGBTQ citizens as well? Does Ridgewood have some history of anti-LGBTQ pogroms that I haven’t heard about? Thanks, but no thanks. I want the VC to stick to issues of improving quality-of-life issues, not wasting time on “Animal Farm” group pandering (I submit your INGSOC-esque “secondary marginalization” comment as a tiny preview of what we can expect) and speech codes to stifle legitimate debate by candidates using the Village as a stepping stone into state and national office.
Ridgewod NJ, reportedly during the meet and greets currently being held for Council Candidate Alexandra Harwin , Ms. Harwin refuses to answers questions .Instead she speaks for 20 minutes or so . The content of speech is limited to her background and career . Ms. Harwin does not address and of the issues currently facing Ridgewood .
It is also being reported the former Mayor Paul Aronsohn accompanies her to many of those meet and greets suggesting Ms. Harwin is being run for office instead of running for office. It also begs the question will the questions she receives at candidates night from the League of Women Voters be pre approved by Paul Aronsohn?
THE SPRING SEASON IS ALMOST UPON US, SO LETS KICK IT OFF WITH THE…………
RBSA OPENING DAY PARADE & FAMILY FUN DAY
APRIL 21, 2018
9AM – 2PM
Parade begins at the Ridgewood Train Station in Wilsey Square and marches to Veterans’ Field for Opening Ceremony and activities
Sample fare from the Metro area’s best food trucks
Browse the Vendor Corner
Hangout at the Entertainment on Wheels Zone
Dance to the Live Deejay
Lots of Inflatables
Participate in Baseball & Softball Instructional Clinics
Sports Demonstrations
Carnival Games for all ages
Raffles
Ridgewood NJ, last night at the Ridgewood Village Council meeting the Mayor Susan Knudsen addressed the comments made in public comment and the recent article in the Bergen Record . The mayor said the Village Attorney Matt Rogers is going to put out a legal memo on any alleged impropriety in the Village of Ridgewood’s hiring practices .
She reiterated that the simple fact is “Ridgewood is a state of New Jersey Civil Service municipality,” ,meaning candidates are ranked based on standardized test results. The list exists and any one can access it . In Ridgewood the village manager is the hiring authority for the village and is required to adhere to state of New Jersey hiring regulations. Council members are prohibited from any involvement.
The mayors son’s took the civil service exam in 2013 a full year prior to the mayor running for the Village Council.
The Mayor called the allegations of nepotism a lie and a fraud being perpetrated on the Village , and not only questioned the honesty of the conspirators but also challenged the competence of attorney’s who have not read the law it self and are totally unfamiliar with New Jersey Civil Service code.
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Police have issued a traffic alert for East Saddle River Road and Paramus Road Paving today. Linwood Avenue east bound traffic will be detoured at N.Pleasant Ave. to East Glen.
East bound Traffic on East Ridgewood Ave at Paramus Road is being diverted North on Paramus Road. Best route to Rt 17 is E.Glen Ave. or Grove Street to Midland Ave. Additionally the exit ramp from route 17 south onto East Saddle River Rd is closed and being detoured to Linwood Ave. please allow extra time or choose an alternate.
photos from Road Work on Paramus Road on Wednesday April 11,2018
Ridgewood NJ, the continued bogus nepotism attacks on the Mayors sons are doing nothing but undermining the authority of both the Ridgewood Police Department and Ridgewood Fire Department . Ridgewood is a state of New Jersey Civil Service municipality, candidates are ranked based on standardized test results ,dispersions to the contrary are nothing more than attacks on members of Ridgewood PBA Local 20 and Ridgewood Professional Firefighters FMBA Local 47.
According to the “Bergen Record” Councilman Jeff Voigt wondered how a fire chief or police chief would be able to properly supervise the mayor’s kids, even if she is not directly involved in overseeing the department. It raises thorny issues, he said. And again letting Voigt make fallacious assertions , “That puts them in an uncomfortable situation,” he said. “They [the kids] may even get preferential treatment.”
So Jeff Voigt , Rurik Halaby, Don Delzio, Janice Willett, Alexandra Harwin and the rest of their band of misfits followers all think the Ridgewood Police and the Ridgewood Fire Department are failing to adequately protect the public?
And In effect saying that the Chief of Police Jacqueline Luthcke and Fire Chief James Van Goor can not properly supervise their staff?
Ridgewood NJ, a reader said , “James you may be intimidated by a strong civil rights attorney but Harwin could be what’s in the best interest of those of us who actually own our homes and pay taxes.” Funny you should say that ,the staff got a giggle out of this one , you don’t know this blog very well do you ?
So as a “strong civil rights attorney” you really should address the overt racism implied by pushing the Village of Ridgewood to hoist a “white only rainbow flag in the Central business District but also at Ridgewood High School .
Philadelphia is redefining the LGBT pride flag. The city has a launched a new campaign, “More Color More Pride,” adding one black and one brown stripe to the traditional six colored rainbow. The new design will be, from top to bottom: black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
“The black and brown stripes are an inclusionary way to highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community,” said one source involved with the flag-raising event who asked not to be named. “With all of the black and brown activism that’s worked to address racism in the Gayborhood over the past year, I think the new flag is a great step for the city to show the world that they’re working toward fully supporting all members of our community.”
A spokesperson for the event would not confirm the new design, but in a statement described the flag reveal as “a special, can’t-be-missed unveiling and raising of a brand-new Pride flag which promises to be a step toward inclusivity, to spur dialogue within the community, and to impact the worldwide conversation.”
Lookin for input from the LGBTQ Black and Brown community. Will be introduced at Philly Pride this year. In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag. An iconic symbol of LGBTQ+ unity. So much has happened since then. A lot of good, but there’s more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+ community. To fuel this important conversation, we’ve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown. It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community. (Black Lives Matter Hudson Valley).
Let us call out the rainbow flag wavers for what they are – racists. No I am not kidding. And this is not a conservative accusation. PROGRESSIVES are calling the rainbow flag racist because it excludes minority LGBTs.
Philly has now added a brown and a black stripe to make the flag inclusive (see link below).
So let us call out those flying a rainbow flag without black and brown stripes in a white town like Ridgewood for what they are – racists.
I sense a huge opportunity for 4 members of the council to seize the initiative, call out the flag bearers for their bigotry and install an inclusive version of the flag.
![mudslinging[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/mudslinging1.gif "Reader suggests the two challengers running for Village Council should advance some ideas on what they would do to improve the Village if elected before engaging in mud slinging")
