>I was disheartened, but not surprised by the events that occurred and the subsequent reporting by The Record and Ridgewood News after last weeks PB meeting.
The media chose to report on a ‘raucous’ crowd rather than investigate efforts by Valley, Village officials and the media to silence the opposition.
Look at the facts:
The venue for the PB was moved to a location that could not handle the crowd. This should not have surprised the PB since this was not the first time that residents were shut out of a Valley hearing. In addition, at the last minute, residents were informed that parking would be limited, and they should carpool. If BF wasn’t available, should the PB have considered rescheduling?
Valley employees most of whom are not residents to fill seats are shuttled to the meeting. The Village reserved half the seats for Valley employees.
The police responded to a crowd of 250 people chanting ‘Stop Valley Now’ by calling in support from four other communities, as well as Bergen County Police and the Sheriff with canine support. Was this a measured response to an out of control situation, or was it designed to intimidate opponents?
The Bergen Record, has consistently supported Valley’s expansion plans, and their reporting has been short on facts. The editors of the record also opposed plans to reopen PVH. Does The Record editorial policy have anything to do with the fact that Mr Borg, President of the newspaper, is a member of Valley Hospital’s Presidents Council?
Valley is mobilizing it’s PR machine to divide and discredit the opposition. We have to stand together in opposition to Valley and public officials who thus far have refused to listen to residents.
