file photo Boyd Loving
November 6th 2015
Written by Anne LaGrange Loving
I had to shake my head when I read Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s commentary in today’s Ridgewood News Mayor’s Corner about what he referred to as “a disinformation campaign that sought to confuse and undermine” the conversation about the parking deck. How pitiful it is that our Mayor felt it necessary to fire off such harsh criticism against a document that did not support this project.
He characterized the flyer as “distorted;” it had a drawing that was not to exact scale, but unlike the official drawing being put forth from Village Hall, the flyer’s at least included surrounding buildings, thus making it in many ways a more realistic depiction of what is to come.
“Anonymous mailer?” The signs that proclaimed VOTE YES on parking had absolutely no identification as to who had produced and distributed them. What made these less anonymous than the flyer? And what is the Mayor’s great opposition to anonymity? – when we go into the voting booth, we are always anonymous.
The Mayor actually analyzed the language in the flyer and sought to identify the post office from which it was sent? Really? What is the threat that inspired such intense detective work on his part? Of course the flyer was created and sent from a person or persons who opposed the plan; who else would send it? It is dismaying that the mayor is putting so much effort into determining the source of the flyer; this level of investigation suggests that the sender/s, if identified, could be subjected to some kind of retribution. I am hopeful that the Mayor would tread very carefully here, as freedom of speech is a right and a privilege.
Amazingly, when an anonymous email was sent to Councilman Sedon’s employer minutes after his campaign became official in 2014, Mr. Aronsohn took no action. When members of the public implored him to press forward with identifying who tainted our election process by trying to derail a candidate’s campaign, Mr. Aronsohn still did not take any kind of stand. Only when publicly pressed him to DO SOMETHING did he finally, 17 months later, send a very benign request for information, with no outrage about what had happened to Councilman Sedon, and no description of how urgently the citizens of Ridgewood wanted to identify the culprit. I would have to ask the mayor why his indignation about this anonymous parking garage flyer so overshadows his disinterest in the anonymous email during the 2014 elections.
It is a sad state of affairs when our own Mayor does not encourage those who disagree with him to share their opinions with their fellow citizens, and accuses them of undermining an initiative that he supports. I did not write, pay for, or distribute the flyer, and did not even get one in the mail. But, I was very happy to see it and more than willing to share it once I saw it. The flyer provided another part of the conversation about the Parking Garage project. The last time I checked, here in America we are entitled to express ourselves. Speaking up is our right, and the person/s who sent the flyer should be applauded.
