Reader asks , ‘How could Alexandra Harwin possibly have any approach? She has absolutely no idea what is going on in town. She never, repeat NEVER, attends any meetings?
Reader answers ,” No specifics are necessary in a campaign if you blow all of the right dogwhistles. Progressive voters respond solely to emotional appeals so no true logic is necessary.She has a large email mailing list. Wait and watch her magic with it.”
The definition of non-partisan that people are using in these discussions isn’t accurate. Non-partisan elections are simply elections where candidates do not identify themselves as part of a political party. It has absolutely nothing to do with the particular issue being discussed. You are free to run for political office in Ridgewood as the “Pro-life, Anti-Gun, Pro-immigration” candidate you just can’t run as a “Republican.” Now it would be idiotic to run as the “Anti-gun” candidate because the village council has as much control over the gun laws as they do over the weather, but hey, if you want that to be your issue, you’re perfectly within your rights to run on that. And that is actually the point: without national parties, the issues tend to stay local not by law but because you can’t get elected without focusing on local issues.If you’re interested in snow day reading on the subject, here’s a reference: https://www2.pitt.edu/~cwb7/assets/papers/PB%2014%20article.pdf. That said, I do think that how the village government reacts to, funds security of, and otherwise supports peaceful protests is exactly the kind of issue that should be discussed among candidates. Oh, and I think any FB group that summarily dismisses non-trolling, otherwise polite members won’t be very effective at anything for very long.
March 22,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, as of 4:30PM, yesterday PSE&G was reporting about 600 customers are without power as a result of #WinterStormToby. Snow totals and winds have been lighter than expected, resulting in fewer outages. Additional crews are ready to respond to any outages that may occur if the storm intensifies .
Fortunately the storm seemed slightly tamer than expected .
PSEG also has tree trimmers available to clear downed trees and limbs from power lines. Crews from #Canada, #Indiana, #Michigan, #Mississippi, #NewYork and #Wisconsin are here to help restore power. Remember: Stay safe by staying away from and not driving over downed power lines!
At the 2pm conference call with Mayor Knudsen PSE&G reported
0 NO IMPACT ON ELECTIC PRESENTLY
o MUTUAL AID CONTRACTORS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTY ON HAND & READY TO GO
o STATE OF EMERGENCY = CREWS DEPLOY MORE FREELY
o HOSPITAL, MUNICIPAL, SCHOOL ROUTES PRIORITZEDAnd just a reminder REPORT OUTAGES BY REPORTING ONLINE OR TEXTING “OUT” TO 47734
REGISTER FOR ALERTS www.pseg.com/myalerts/register.jsp
AS ALWAYS, please check on elderly and/or disabled neighbors. STAY SAFE – STAY WARM
March 22 2018(All Day)
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Due to the hazardous road conditions from the winter storm, all Ridgewood Schools will operate under the delayed opening schedule tomorrow, Thursday, March 22, 2018. Under the delayed opening schedule, the school day will begin two hours laterthan usual.
School bus schedules will operate two hours later. Elementary school children who have not ordered lunch must bring a bag lunch to school as there will not be sufficient time for children to go home for lunch when there is a delayed opening.
March 22,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, As snow winds down and road conditions improve following yesterday’s storm, NJ TRANSIT will operate regular weekday service for Thursday, March 22. Customers may expect delays and cancellations due to the residual effects of the storm.
Access Link will resume statewide service at noon on Thursday.
Customers are strongly advised to build in extra travel time and check the status of the system prior to making their trip by visiting njtransit.com or utilizing the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories to your smartphone.
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, Newark Light Rail and RiverLINE are all expected to operate on regular weekday schedules.
The storm brought slushy conditions to parts of the NJ TRANSIT system, causing wet snow on roads and sidewalks. Extreme caution is advised when boarding or exiting buses, trains and light rail vehicles due to possible slippery conditions.
Systemwide cross honoring and cross honoring with PATH will NOT be in effect for Thursday.
For the latest travel information, customers should visit njtransit.com, access NJ TRANSIT’s Twitter feed at @NJTRANSIT or listen to broadcast traffic reports. Additionally, NJ TRANSIT will provide the most current service information via the My Transit alert system (www.njtransit.com/mytransit), which delivers travel advisories to your smartphone. Service information is also available by calling (973) 275-5555.
Travel Advice:
Listen closely to public address announcements at stations for late-breaking service information.
Build additional travel time into your trip to a station, terminal or bus stop.
Stairs, flooring and platforms can be slippery, so please use caution when walking along wet surfaces or any outdoor surface exposed to the weather. Use extra care when boarding or exiting buses and trains.
Report slippery or unsafe conditions to bus operators, train crews or NJ TRANSIT staff.
If you park, ensure your car is stocked with a snow brush and ice scraper so you can clear your car upon returning to the lot.
I don’t think this huge budget is supposed to be aimed at any particular people except for the wealthy citizens in our town whose children must have the very best in everything and are willing to pay to support it. The Board doesn’t seem to give any thought to the fact that a large number of people in town are struggling to make ends meet and are sick of having to pay through the nose so someone’s precious darling can be treated with kid gloves. And, Just for your info–if you want the best all round education for your kids, get out of Ridgewood! We went down the educational tube years ago. A huge increase in support staff in the Ed center and a corresponding huge decline in the educational system in Ridgewood. Sure, we’re probably still in the top 1/3 and maybe even in the top 1/4 in the state but that’s a long way down from being in the top 10% of the nation
1. This shows that “arming teachers” (aka having armed personnel in schools) works
2. No students were killed by the shooter because the shooter was stopped by someone onsite with a gun
3. The incident was over before the police had a chance to arrive. Students’ lives WERE SAVED.
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and most importantly:
.
4. There will be NO WALKOUT to support this success story in stopping gun violence in its tracks in our schools
5. There will be NO positive coverage of this story since it does not advance the anti-gun (NOT THE SCHOOL SAFETY) agenda
6. This will be reported and fund raised as a “gun violence in our schools – anti-gun” story
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The Board of Ed knew exactly what it was doing when they changed the election date. This totally removed the possibility of voters voting the budget down and released a wild spending spree on the part of the board. They are literally saying, “You can’t stop us. We can charge as much as we want.” If the money was being spent to evaluate some of the teachers, maybe it could be well spent. Years ago we were actually told by a teacher on back to school night–“I’m tenured, I can do whatever I want until I retire.” This was the answer to our question about what she was teaching. And throwing more money is not going to improve our county rankings, much less state and national, any more than it helps the schools in Paterson and Newark to just throw money at them. “Gilding the lily doesn’t make it an any better lily.” Is any of this money going to be used to improve the lunchroom situation? It is neither sensible nor sanitary to have students eating on the floor. The board should be forced to seriously reevaluate this budget and see what they can cut and what is being directed towards actual needs, not frills to make Ridgewood look better.
file photo by Boyd Loving
March 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, according to FOX Business News ,”Two-and-a-half million U.S. homeowners were underwater on their mortgages as of the fourth quarter of 2017, according to property analytics provider .” and New Jersey has once again claimed the honor of leading the nation in foreclosures in 2017.According to a new report from ATTOM Data Solutions last year close to 70,000 properties went through the foreclosure process in the Garden State, still less than the roughly 74,000 in 2016. That’s far from the rest of the nation, which is experiencing 12-year lows.
Bergen County had : 3,357 (one for every 105 houses) Foreclosures, which was actually down from 2016 by -15 percent . 46 homes are currently listed in Foreclosure on Real Estate website Trulia in Ridgewood .
New Jersey is hurt in the numbers because foreclosures take longer to play out in the state, but with the new drive from Governor Murphy and the Trenton mafia to raise taxes on everything , you can be sure that added cost pressures will and drive more businesses and home owners out of the state.
*** CORRECTION – RECYCLING PICKUP***ON THURSDAY, MARCH 22ND AND FRIDAY, MARCH 23RD***
March 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood Nj, the Village has issued a correction for it’s latest E-Notice , “As a correction to the previous E-Notice, pickup of recycling for Area 3 on Thursday, March 22nd and for Area 4 on Friday, March 23rd, will take place as scheduled, on those dates.”
UPDATE ON SPECIAL PICKUP – TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES
The Parks and Street Departments began the collection of tree limbs and branches on March 19th, in Section A (using the leaf pickup schedule), and the volume was greater than expected. Given the fact that there will be another nor’easter tomorrow, the crews should be able to complete Section A by the end of the week, and might be able to move on to Section B. Pickup in Section B will resume next week, and once all streets in Section B have been picked up, the crews will then move on to Section C. Once all streets in Section C have been picked up, the crews will then move on to Section D. Please be patient, as our crews work to remove the many tree limbs and branches which fell during the March 7th storm.
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.
BULK PICKUP, RECYCLING, AND GARBAGE COLLECTION
The bulk pickup, on the East Side, will take place on March 21st, and our crews will do their best to complete it, weather permitting. On March 22nd and March 23rd, all garbage cans must be brought to the end of your driveway (not in the street), for the safety of our Village employees. Backyard collection of garbage will resume on March 26th, weather permitting. Please remember that our crews will not resume backyard collection of garbage unless there is a clear path to the garbage cans. Therefore, if the path is not clear, please continue to bring your garbage cans to the end of your driveway in order to have it picked up.
March 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, After two major nor’easters earlier this month, PSE&G is preparing for a new massive storm that will hit already saturated landscapes and has the potential to bring down additional trees and power lines. PSE&G has mobilized nearly 600 mutual aid and contract employees and urges customers to remain safe.
“The landscape is fatigued, the system has been stressed and we’re expecting outages,” said John Latka, PSE&G senior vice president of electric and gas operations. “While we will be prepared to respond as quickly and safely as possible, we’re urging everyone to take precautions, particularly by staying away from and not driving over downed wires. If possible, people should stay off the road tomorrow so that our crews can do their work.”
Latka said the predicted combination of ice, snow and wind gusts could also cause motorists to veer off the road and strike utility poles. The storm, which starts tonight, is expected to last through early Thursday.
PSE&G will have personnel ready to respond to any outages and emergencies beginning Tuesday night. The utility is also ensuring that additional supplies, including poles, transformers and other pole-top equipment, are on hand. Employees work closely with county and municipal emergency management personnel to inform them of outages and expedite restoration efforts. Some 170 mutual aid line personnel are en route to assist and more have been requested. Crews are coming to New Jersey from Canada, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New York and Wisconsin. Another 115 contract line personnel and 300 tree trimmers have been secured.
PSE&G urges its customers to be cautious during and after the storm:
Downed wires should always be considered “live.” Do not approach or drive over a downed line and do not touch anything that it might be in contact with.
To prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, do not run any gasoline powered engine, including generators and snowblowers, in a garage or any other enclosed space.
Customers should report downed wires or power outages by calling PSE&G’s Customer Service line at 1-800-436-PSEG. Also, customers can report outages at www.pseg.com or by texting “OUT” to 4PSEG (47734). The utility’s mobile-friendly website includes an “Outage Map” that is updated every 15 minutes and displays the location and status of power outages in PSE&G’s service area.
![Russia_VanessaVoisin21[1]](https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Russia_VanessaVoisin211.jpg "JOLT Facebook Group Begins Purge of Non Conforming Members")
photo Soviet Purge
March 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the JOLT Facebook group begins purge of non conforming ideology in order to maintain intellectually purity. Reader explained , “The JOLT kicked Laurie Bender out because she asked a question of former councilman Hauck. That’s all I need to know about the JOLT. Laurie Bender is worth 1,000 of Gwenn Hauck”
Its seems you must be in 100% compliance with the JOLT promoted doctrine .
Laurie Bender on Facebook commented , “As a former member of Ridgewood Jolt, I am all for the causes they represent. However, if they are going to exploit having the ear of a section of our community in order to cast doubt on our current VC by publishing biased remarks and misinformation in contemplation of our local elections, I will call that out.
My views on topics of the current national discourse are beyond liberal, but that has nothing…ZERO…to do with our local nonpartisan government. And trying to interject those topics into that discussion in the context of upcoming elections is about as disingenuous as can be.
When a page administrator allows a former VC member to criticize the current VC on her page, that she describes as “issue based” with its “main focus on issues of national importance,” while censoring any rebuttal, she is indeed complicit with an attempt to tie divisive state and national politics in with our local nonpartisan government as we approach a local election.
I am posting here with the purpose of urging my fellow residents not to allow yourselves to be exploited. Certain members of our community are attempting to connect our current incumbents with a very false narrative that I have seen repeated by at least one of those challenging for a seat on the VC. The other challenger openly admitted to me her alignment with at least one of those people when she prepared to run in the previous VC election.
We have a NONPARTISAN local government. Please do not fall for any attempt make connections with and exploit your feelings on current matters that are indeed very important, but not part of the job our local officials are charged with. Please do not reward partisan style smear campaigns with your votes.”
All Village offices will be closed on March 21st, 2018 due to incliment weather. Sanitation and Recycling Pickups will continue until weather no longer permits.
March 21, 2018 Village Council ‘s Special Public Budget Meeting is Cancelled
The Village Council’s March 21, 2018 Special Public Budget Meeting CANCELLED – Due to the predicted nor’easter, the Village Council’s Special Public Budget Meeting scheduled for March 21, 2018 has been cancelled and rescheduled for March 26, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. and will be held in the Court Room of Village Hall.
UPDATE ON SPECIAL PICKUP – TREE LIMBS AND BRANCHES
The Parks and Street Departments began the collection of tree limbs and branches on March 19th, in Section A (using the leaf pickup schedule), and the volume was greater than expected. Given the fact that there will be another nor’easter tomorrow, the crews should be able to complete Section A by the end of the week. As soon as they finish Section A, they will proceed to Section B, then Section C, and finally Section D. Please be patient, as our crews work to remove the many tree limbs and branches which fell during the March 7th storm.
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.
BULK PICKUP, RECYCLING, AND GARBAGE COLLECTION
The bulk pickup, on the East Side, will take place on March 21st, and our crews will do their best to complete it, weather permitting. Recycling will also be picked up on March 21st, weather permitting. On March 22nd and March 23rd, all garbage cans must be brought to the end of your driveway (not in the street), for the safety of our Village employees. Backyard collection of garbage will resume on March 26th, weather permitting. Please remember that our crews will not resume backyard collection of garbage unless there is a clear path to the garbage cans. Therefore, if the path is not clear, please continue to bring your garbage cans to the end of your driveway in order to have it picked up.
PARKING ON STREETS PROHIBITED ON MARCH 21ST TO ALLOW FOR PLOWING
To allow the Village crews to clear the streets of snow, we ask that as the snow intensifies during daylight hours, that residents refrain from parking their vehicles on the streets. In addition, residents are prohibited from parking on the streets overnight on March 21st into the morning hours of March 22nd. Please be aware that there is a protocol for plowing roads, which is as follows: The primary roads into the Village are plowed first, which include the roads into the Village, particularly those by the hospital and the schools. The secondary roads, located off of the main roads, are plowed second. Finally, the tertiary roads, such as cul de sacs and dead ends are plowed. Due to the large amount of snow which will be falling, over a short period of time, the crews may take some time to get to the secondary and tertiary roads.
SNOW REMOVAL
Snow must be removed from all residential sidewalks within 24 hours of it forming. Please do not put the snow into the street, put it back onto your property.
POWER OUTAGES
High winds from the storm may again cause power outages. Please stay away from downed wires. If you experience a power outage, please do not call the Police Department unless there is an emergency. Please call PSE&G directly at 1-800-436-7734.
Please remember that our tree crew can only remove a tree or limb blocking a street if it is not entangled in wires. Once PSE&G has removed wires from downed trees or limbs, our tree crew will be able to remove the downed tree or limb and open up the street.
FIRE HYDRANTS
If you have a fire hydrant on your property, please clear it of accumulating snow. The house you save could be your own!
OTHER INFORMATION
Please remember to check on the elderly and share this information with your neighbors. Stay safe and warm.
For continuing updates, please see the Village website at www.ridgewoodnj.net.
file photo by Boyd Loving
March 21,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, do to the anticipated heavy snow garbage collection will revert to curbside .
March 22 and 23, 2018 – Garbage Collection
GARBAGE COLLECTION – March 22 and 23, 2018 – To ensure the safety of sanitation staff, with the forecast of a heavy snow predicted for Wednesday and the early morning hours of Thursday, all garbage cans must be placed at the end of your driveway on March 22nd and 23rd. Rear yard garbage collection will resume next week, and we remind you that you must have a clear path shoveled to your garbage containers.
March 21, 2018 – East Side Curbside Bulk Pick Up
EAST SIDE CURBSIDE BULK PICK UP – MARCH 21, 2018 – After reviewing weather forecasts, curbside bulk pick up will be collected on Wednesday, March 21st as scheduled. Our crews will begin collection earlier than usual, so please have your bulk placed curbside on Tuesday night, for an early morning pick up. We will make every effort to complete the collection, weather permitting. If you are able to wait until the next scheduled East side bulk pick up, scheduled for April 11th, it would be greatly appreciated.
STORM UPDATE❄️: Due to the storm, the Ridgewood Public Schools will be CLOSED on Wednesday, March 21. All before and after-school activities are also canceled. Please stay safe and warm!
2018-2019 PROPOSED PRELIMINARY BUDGET
Click here to view the budget presentation.
The Board approved the following to Resolution on the 2018-219 proposed preliminary budget, which represents a 3.62% increase in the tax levy:
i. Approval: Resolution for Adoption of the 2018-2019 Proposed Preliminary Budget for Submission to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools
WHEREAS, in accordance with N.J.A.C. 6A:23-A-10.3(b), a district can request use of banked cap only after it has fully exhausted all eligible statutory spending authority in the budget year;
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the 2018-2019 school year budget includes allowable health care adjustments in the amount of $1,066,597 in accordance with N.J.S.A 18A:7F-39(e); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the 2018-2019 school year budget includes banked cap, in the amount of $415,090 in accordance with N.J.S.A 18A:7F-39(e); and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Ridgewood Board of Education approves the 2018-2019 school district proposed preliminary budget, as follows, for submission to the Executive County Superintendent of Schools:
Budget Tax Levy
General Fund
$105,180,990
$94,831,243
Special Revenue Fund
1,301,871
0
Debt Service Fund
3,685,136
3,164,901
Total Budget
$110,167,997
$97,996,144
The district has proposed programs and services in addition to the Core Curriculum Content Standards adopted by the State Board of Education.
Information on this budget and the programs and services it provides is available from the school district.
There should be raised for the General Fund Tax Levy $94,831,243 for the ensuing School Year: (2018-2019).
The General Fund includes $100,000 which is to be withdrawn from Emergency Reserve and $50,000 which is to be withdrawn from Maintenance Reserve.
CAPITAL RESERVE STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Included in budget line 620, Budgeted Withdrawal from Capital Reserve – Excess Cost & Other Capital Projects, is $1,500,000 for the following construction projects:
• Education Center Window Replacement
• Paving and Sidewalk Repair Throughout the District
• Ridgewood High School Heating Pipe Renovation
• School Lock Down Security System
The total cost of these projects represents expenditures for construction elements or projects that are in addition to the facilities efficiency standards determined by the Commissioner as necessary to achieve the core curriculum content standards.
