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>The Ridgewood Blog Endorses our Ridgewood neighbor Todd Caliguire for County Executive

>The Ridgewood Blog is 100% in favor of Todds plan to reduce or eliminate county government at every possible level and at every possible turn. There are simply too many redundant services performed by state, county and local governments. County government has become very expensive for Tax payers who see little or no return for there money. In a county like Bergen in a state like New Jersey were you already have enormous government services of questionable merit coming form both Trenton and many local governments eliminating much of the county government is one way to start to reverse the red tide that engulfs our state and start to restore some fiscal sanity. There are simply too many redundant services performed by state, county and local governments

The Ridgewood Blog also believes its is very INSULTING for the other side to continue to praise themselves a none existent TAX CUT in Bergen county ,it is simply ridiculous to make this claim !

Todd Caliguire, age 49, is the president of ANW/Crestwood, Inc., a family owned enterprise, and global distributor of stationery.Originally from Alpine, he is a life-long New Jerseyan. Todd graduated with an engineering degree from Princeton University in 1977. Receiving both a law degree and a MBA from New York University in 1981, Todd began his legal career with the New York firm of Dewey Ballantine.In 1982, he was appointed assistant legal counsel to Governor Tom Kean, and later became Counselor to the Governor, where he served as a senior policy advisor. Todd returned to his private practice in 1987.In 1992, Mr. Caliguire was elected to the first of two three-year terms as a Freeholder in Bergen County. As a county official, he received public recognition for his work in reforming Bergen County’s antiquated contract system. In honoring his commitment to term limits, Todd declined to run for a third term.Todd’s spouse, Laurie Gayle Stephenson, is a professional actress who has appeared in several Broadway productions, including the starring role in “The Phantom of the Opera”. Todd and Laurie live in Ridgewood with their daughter, Sarah Kate.

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>The Ridgewood Blog Strongly Endorses Congressman Scott Garrett

>Election Season is at Hand …and its endorsement time so…

Ok so let’s say I know Scott Garrett personally and all I can say is that Congressman Garrett is one of the few politicians that is sincerely interested in serving his constituency. He will always hear you out even if he is on the other side of an issue. He is not a camera chaser or a press hound he is a man of substance yes that’s right he really is. He works very hard and takes little credit for the work he does and gets even less. He is often willing to take a stand based on reason and principal even if it bucks the status quo and places himself in an unpopular position. He gets no support from the local hostile left wing anti-American press so perhaps that’s why you don’t hear as much about him as you should. He is your Congressman and wouldn’t it be nice to send someone to Washington that represents the people of this district that’s not under indictment? As a district we can point to and say this guy represents us and we won’t feel humiliated like the rest of New Jersey? I don’t know about you but I am getting a little board with New Jersey being the laughing stock of the free and unfree world. I guess basically what I am saying is that Congressman Garrett is the real thing, he really does care about people .He is strong enough to say NO in the face of popular demand and knows when to say yes and push for what is right for us and what is right for America.

James Foytlin a.k.a P.J. Blogger

Congressman Scott Garrett

Congressman Scott Garrett represents New Jersey’s Fifth Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. Sworn in to the 108th Congress on January 7, 2003, Scott serves as a member of the House Financial Services and Budget Committees. He is a member of both the Financial Services Oversight and Financial Institutions and Consumer Credit Subcommittees. Serving in his second term in Congress, Scott is working to strengthen America’s future. Faced with unprecedented challenges around the world and here at home, Scott is fighting to strengthen our economy, win the war on terrorism, secure our homeland and improve the quality of life for every New Jerseyan. To stimulate our economy, Scott worked with President Bush and House leadership in 2003 to pass a robust tax relief package to create jobs and spur economic expansion. This important legislation will help ensure our nation has an economy strong enough to employ everyone willing to work, and to meet the emerging needs of the American people. These policies have successfully transformed the job climate; since May 2003 the United States has gained 3.5 million jobs. A member of the Congressional Homeland Security and Port Security Caucuses, Scott has also delivered more than $50 million in new homeland security dollars to further safeguard New Jersey against terrorist attacks. To support the needs of our first responders, ensure greater port security and provide defense against nuclear or dirty bomb attacks, this new funding builds upon the other significant steps Congressman Garrett and his fellow members in Congress are taking to protect our communities and neighborhoods. Scott has also been a strong advocate of distributing homeland security funding to areas deemed to be at greatest risk of an attack, which would lead to more funding for New Jersey. A strong supporter of preserving our open spaces, Scott cosponsored and helped pass a law to protect the Highlands region and ensure that quality of life continues to improve for the 20 million people who are living, working and visiting the region. Testifying before a House Resources Subcommittee, Scott stated he wants to ensure that New Jersey’s most beautiful natural treasure is enjoyed by our future generations. As a member of the House Budget Committee, Scott is working to reduce the federal deficit, and eliminate waste, fraud and abuse in government. For his efforts to control runaway federal spending, Scott has been named a “Taxpayer’s Friend” by the National Taxpayers Union. From 1990-2002, Scott served in the New Jersey General Assembly, where he was the senior Assemblyman for the 24th legislative district as well as the Assistant Majority Leader and Chairman of the Banking and Insurance Committee. During his tenure he also served on the Assembly Education, Transportation, Agriculture & Natural Resources Committees, and Joint Committee on Public Schools. During his tenure in the Assembly, Scott was also a member of the Task Force on Business Retention-Expansion-Export, the Legislative Bi-Partisan Auto Insurance Study Panel, the Governor’s Property Tax Study Task Force and the Women’s Advisory Committee. Scott has been recognized both nationally and statewide for his leadership. He received the “Proactive Policy of the Year Award” from the New Jersey Business and Industry Association for auto insurance reform that was described as “the most important legislation of the decade.” He also earned the “Legislative Leadership Visionary Award” from the National Association of the Self-Employed, and was named “Legislator of the Year” by both the Building Officials Association of New Jersey and the National Association of Small Business Owners. Scott is a dedicated family man, legislator, and leader in our community. He participates in numerous volunteer and charitable organizations. He is past president of Big Brothers, Big Sisters and sat on the Sussex County Board of Agriculture. Scott was born in Bergen County on July 9, 1959. After graduating from High Point Regional High School, Scott went on to graduate cum laude from Montclair State University. He earned his J.D. from Rutgers University Law School. Scott now resides in Wantage Township in Sussex County with his wife, Mary Ellen and their two daughters, Jennifer and Brittany.

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>Ridgewood Taxpayers Association; "Local Taxes have been increased by all Elected Officials"

>Effective Tax Rate for Ridgewood!

The following comes from the Village Finance Department

2006 2005 2004 2003 2002 2001


County Open Space $0.0100 $0.0100 $0.0100 $0.0050 $0.0050 $0.0050
County $0.2620 $0.2520 $0.2430 $0.2300 $0.2400 $0.2130
School $1.7670 $1.7010 $1.6290 $1.5600 $1.4840 $1.4120
Village $0.6260 $0.5920 $0.5730 $0.5400 $0.5060 $0.4900
Village Open Space $0.0050 $0.0050 $0.0050 $0.0050 $0.0050

As you can see over the past few years NO ELECTED OFFICIAL in our local government (school, county, and council) can claim to have lowered taxes.


see tax chart https://ridgewoodtaxpayers.net/taxrate2006.htm

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>Congressman Scott Garrett will be walking the Village this Sunday

>Congressman Scott Garrett Applauds Today’s Signature into Law of Secure Fence Act as Critical Measure to Keeping our Country Safe and Secure

Washington, D.C.-Congressman Scott Garrett applauded the President’s signature today of the Secure Fence Act of 2006, H.R. 6061, which authorizes the construction of a 700-mile fence at critical points along our southwest border and authorizes the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to maintain operational control of our border and ports through enhanced Border Patrol operations, physical barriers, and state-of-the-art technology.

“This Act, which was signed into law today, takes a significant step towards keeping our country even more safe and secure,” said Garrett. “By authorizing the construction of a fence and authorizing DHS to maintain operational control of our border and ports-providing them with cutting-edge equipment and technology-we are acting to stay ahead of terrorism, keeping control of what comes into our homeland.”

Initial funding in the amount of $1.2 billion for the construction of this fence and additional border security measures–such as vehicle barriers, tactical infrastructure, and technology–was approved as a part of the Fiscal Year 07 Appropriations bill and additional funding will follow. Congressman Garrett voted in favor of Secure Fence Act in September of this year.

Additionally, Congressman Garrett voted for the Homeland Security Appropriations Act, which was also signed into law, providing amongst other things, $2.27 billion for border patrol funding to help add an additional 1,500 new Border Patrol agents for a total of 14,800 agents; $5.2 billion for the Secure Border Initiative, helping to provide tools and personnel needed to prevent terrorists and other criminals from crossing our border; and $4.2 billion for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Audrey C. Jones

Press Secretary

U.S. Rep. E. Scott Garrett (NJ-5)

1318 Longworth Building

Washington, D.C. 20515

(202) 226-0443 Direct

(202) 593-1399 Cell

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>Readers Sound off : Non partisan elections stifle public debate of the issues.

>The complacency displayed in the last municipal election and the missteps and wrong doings of the council and the school board are a result of nonpartisan elections. Remove the political tension between the two parties and you have a free for all where both sides join together to steal as much as they can because they have no fear of being caught.

Non partisan elections stifle public debate of the issues. Adherents of this arrangement have appeared on this board from time to time telling posters to stop their complaining. If you want things to improve, bring back the two party system. Let the two sides slug it out, dig into each others doings and dealings and air the dirty laundry. It’s messy, it’s uncomfortable but it’s democracy,

Just my two cents.

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>NJ Transit Revises Train Station Plan

>On Wednesday, October 18th, representatives from NJ Transit publicly presented their revised plan to make the Ridgewood Train Station ADA compliant.

Significant revisions to NJ Transit’s previously presented plans include: 1) Overhead canopies that don’t cover the entire length of either the inbound or outbound platforms; 2) neither platform will extend as far north as was originally proposed; 3) the addition of sidewalks to facilitate access between Wilsey Square’s parking area and the inbound platform.

It is anticipated that Village Council members will approve this revised plan via resolution at their October 25th Work Session.

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>RHS Marching Band To Perform Exhibition for Community

>The Ridgewood High School Marching Band is inviting the Ridgewood community to its first ever Mid-Season Showcase, a free exhibition performance, on Saturday, October 28, 2006, at 4:30 PM at the RHS football stadium. The band will present its award-winning show entitled “Southern Sketches,” which uses traditional American music, dance, motion, and colors to portray the story of Smalltown, America.
The band has had an excellent start to its competitive season so far with 1st, 5th, and 3rd place finishes at competitions in Somerville, Giants’ Stadium, and Hillsborough, respectively. It has also received awards for Best Music, Best Visual, Best Colorguard, and Best Percussion. Under the guidance of second year director James Garde,
the band will compete at the All-States’ Championship in Allentown, Pennsylvania the following week.
The RHS band program is one of Bergen County’s largest, composed of over 200 students who participate in more than a dozen ensembles. The curricular bands, Marching Band, Jazz Ensembles, Chamber Ensembles, Winter Colorguard and Twirlers are all recognized nationally, regionally, and locally for superior performance. Individually, members of the RHS Bands are chosen annually to perform in honor ensembles at the county, region and state levels.

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>10/18 Park, Fields, Facilities & Recreational Master Plan Meeting

>The next meeting of the Parks & Recreation master planning process is scheduled for Wednesday, October 18th at 7:30 p.m. in the Ed Center, 49 Cottage Place. The target group for this meeting is the Planning Board; Park, Recreation & Conservation Board; Open Space Committee; BOE Facilities Committee.
Future meetings will be held on: October 30th at the Ed Center; November 29 at the Sydney V. Stoldt, Jr. Court Room at Village Hall, 131 North Maple Ave