Village Council Elections - Page 4 of 5

Posted on February 13, 2016February 13, 2016 by James — 26 Comments

Councilwomen Gwen Hauck Announces her re-election bid for Ridgewood Village Council

February 13,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, Councilwomen Gwen Hauck has announced her re-election bid for Ridgewood Village Council. On her email she lists village hall as the mailing address for her campaign?Maybe that is ok in NJ, but it does seem odd. Maybe she should also have add. ” Or visit my Field Office located at The Valley Hospital Campus in Ridgewood.

Gwen’s term on the Village council has been marred by controversy . In 2012 when she ran Gwen promised a return to a more “healthy dialogue” in the Village , results have been anything but. Gwen’s is part of the triumvirate known in the Village as the “3 Amigos” which includes Mayor Paul Aronsohn ,Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli and Gwen Hauck . The 3 Amigos are led by Mayor Paul Aronsohn and vote as a block on all issues .

Gwen known for her cookie baking for senior citizens had her tenure on the Village Council marked by massive conflicts on interest with Valley Hospital , the over reliance of electronic devices during council meetings, her absence during a key reorg vote, the use of a taxpayer funded newsletter to self promote ,the constant documented attacks from the dais on Village residents , and now the revelation of her implication in the whole sale murder of “wood turtles” at Irene Habernickel Family Park a “Threatened Species” and most recently totally ignoring and some suggest covering up of an alleged assault at a Village council meeting on a Ridgewood resident.

Dear Friends,

I am very excited to announce that I will be running for re-election on May 10, 2016.

Over the next five months I will be hosting focus groups in many of your neighborhoods to explain what I have accomplished and what I believe in. Most importantly, I will be listening to what residents have to say.

Ridgewood deserves diligent, centered leadership. Ridgewood deserves someone who works to find common ground; someone who works for all citizens, a practical problem solver who considers economic, political AND administrative details. My goal is to be that leader for you.

I have created a website, GwennHauck.com, which will highlight current council issues and my thoughts on them. I hope you will find this to be a place you come to understand my views on the current events that are affecting Ridgewood.

Find something interesting? Email me directly after you read an article to share your views. Want to join the discussion? Sign up to host a focus group where residents can learn more about me, and I can learn more about the issues that concern them.

Let’s work together to make us all proud of Ridgewood.

Sincerely,
Gwenn Hauck
Copyright © 2016 Gwenn Hauck – Village of Ridgewood Council, All rights reserved.
You indicated you were interested in hearing my thoughts.

Our mailing address is:
Gwenn Hauck – Village of Ridgewood Council
131 N. Maple Ave.
Ridgewood, NJ 07450

Posted on January 2, 2016January 1, 2016 by James — 32 Comments

Look Who is Getting Ready to Run for Ridgewood Village Council

January 2,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , Gwenn Habernickel Hauck is getting ready to run for Village Council ( https://www.gwennhauck.com/ ) . Gwen is a current Village Council member and is a key member of the Council Majority ,know to most blog readers as the “3 Amigos” .

While Mayor Aronsohn is as many have long expected moving on , Gwen is preparing for a new electoral challenge. Gwen has long catered to the senior set in town ,but has become a very controversial figure on the dais . Her tenure has been dominated by her unwillingness to address the obvious conflicts with Valley Hospital, her frequent non sequitur out bursts , her addiction to electronic communications during council meetings and he unwillingness to listen to alternative point of views .

It is important to note you get the Government you vote for. So all you posters on this blog that voted for the 3 Amigos and now posting negative opinions about them let us remind you what your vote did and how it screwed the rest of us.

Yes Westsiders, hows your leaf pick up coming along and the high density housing ,cant wait for little Johnny to lose his AP spot, ah?

Yes Preserve Graydon Group hows the new ramp looking , we hear 3 people have used it in 2 years? And the far east side Schedler Field hows the house coming along and enjoy the 90X60 baseball field , especially the lights at night and the traffic .

And of coarse we are all looking forward to paying for the 5 story parking garage through increased in parking rates and hours and of coarse as the Walker report stated ,increased property taxes .

And lets not forget the 0% tax increase for two years and all that money taken from the emergency fund ,the down grade of municipal services ?

Don’t forget the increase in the debt service which we will be paying for long after you 3 are gone. And of coarse our personal favorite ,fill the Village with high density housing destroying the very character , and turning Ridgewood into just one more New Jersey dump waiting to be the next Hoboken, the key word is like Bayonne ,”waiting”.

ALBERT J PUCCIARELLI 2078 55.50%

KEITH KILLION 1711 45.70%

RUSSELL R FORENZA 817 21.82%

PAUL ARONSOHN 2479 66.21%

MARY JANE SHINOZUKA 1484 39.64%

GWENN H HAUCK 1727 46.13%

Posted on January 2, 2016April 4, 2016 by James — 23 Comments

Ridgewood Mayor Sets the Record Straight not to seek re-election

file photo by Boyd Loving

Ridgewood Mayor’s Corner: Plans for the new year

JANUARY 1, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Welcome to a New Year – one full of new challenges, exciting opportunities and endless possibilities.

Indeed, 2016 promises to be a big year for our country and for our community. Big changes in leadership along with big decisions on key issues will lead to important results nationally as well as locally.

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-guest-writers/plans-for-the-new-year-1.1483657

Posted on December 20, 2015December 20, 2015 by James — 12 Comments

Reader Says Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli is starting to make his bid for re election next year

Deputy_Mayor_Albert_Pucciarelli_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

Albert switches side because he is trying to redeem himself with voters. He is starting to make his bid for re election next year. Notice how low key he has been hoping that voters will forget what he has done. He probably has a running mate already pick out. It is no surprise that he wants to be Mayor. The funny thing is that the same voters that voted for the 3 amigos will vote for Big Al and his new coalition. Right now his buddies Paul is taking all the heat and Al is good with that distraction from him. Don’t be fooled. Al is worse the Paul could ever be. He is a Narcissist and vindictive. So if you don’t want the next four years the same as the last four year then vote and get your family and friends to vote. We must get rid of these three. They are a cancer.

Posted on September 5, 2014March 2, 2021 by James — 30 Comments

Mike Sedon Election Issue

file photo by Boyd Loving

Mike Sedon Election Issue

September 5th ,2014
Anne LaGrange Loving

Ridgewood NJ, At the Wednesday night Village Council Work Session, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld announced, in the form of “breaking news,” that she had just that afternoon received an update about the “Mike Sedon Election Issue,” as she called it. Readers will recall that this past Spring, someone sent an anonymous e-mail to Councilman Mike Sedon’s employer. The purpose of the e-mail was to derail Councilman Sedon’s campaign, suggesting that he could not serve in a public office and also work as a reporter for The Staten Island Advance. After Councilman Sedon filed a complaint with the Ridgewood Police Department, the matter was referred to the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office for investigation.

At the September 3 Village Council Work Session, Ms. Sonenfeld said she had called the Prosecutor’s office for an update, and has learned that the matter has been transferred to the State Board of Elections. She will be getting a name from the State Board, will be following through on this important matter, and will keep us updated. Although Councilman Sedon was elected by a wide margin and is now serving as a member of our Ridgewood Village Council, the fact remains that someone tried to prevent him from being elected. The victim of this malicious act was not just Councilman Sedon; it was our entire community and our clean election process. When the coward who sent this e-mail is revealed, the stain on our Village’s reputation will be erased.

Posted on May 10, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 3 Comments

Reader says Allowing people and companies to continue to deduct their donations allowed them to commit fraud for years without realizing it

Reader says Allowing people and companies to continue to deduct their donations allowed them to commit fraud for years without realizing it

The IRS site says that as of March 15, 2011, it revoked the tax-exempt status of organizations that had not filed for AT LEAST 3 consecutive years. Since taxes are not due until April, that means 2010 didn’t count. The three years would have been 2007-09. But there is no way of knowing when they last filed properly. Even RBSA may not know, since the CPA who fled without warning was apparently the only accountant in the state.

This is worse than sloppiness. Allowing people and companies to continue to deduct their donations allowed them to commit fraud for years without realizing it. A group too busy “helping the kids have fun” to control its finances should not be sitting on giant nest eggs.

Posted on May 10, 2014May 10, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Reader says Jim Albano has his hands full , too busy to be informed and should clean up his mess before he runs for Village Council

Reader says Jim Albano has his hands full , too busy to be informed and should clean up his mess before he runs for Village Council

It has been 6 years since they have filed tax returns! 3 years before it was revoked and 3 years since. Which happens to be the entire tenure of RBSA President Jim Albano.
, you hit the nail on the head! If he cannot resolve the RBSA tax issue in 6 years, he is definitely not cut out to be a councilman. There a 6 members of the RBSA Executive Board, 22 RBSA trustees and thousands of parents through the RBSA organization over 6 years. They couldn’t find anyone to do their taxes? Then maybe they should have suspended the program or at least part of the program until someone stepping up to the plate (pun intended!)

One thing for sure, Jim Albano has his hands full and he is too busy to be an informed and active member of our village council. He should clean up his mess and run again in a couple of years when he is ready to be a truly active member in Village issues.

Posted on May 7, 2014May 8, 2014 by James — 5 Comments

Village of Ridgewood Municipal Election May 13th

Village of Ridgewood Municipal Election May 13th

3 Candidates are running for 2 Village Council seats.

James Albano , Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon are running for two open seats on the Ridgewood Council.

Polls are open from 6am to 8pm. For election questions, please call the Village Clerk at 201/670-5500 x 201

Posted on May 3, 2014May 3, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Reader says Albano Supporters Continue their Campaign of Negativity

Reader says Albano Supporters Continue their Campaign of Negativity

The letters to the editor in today’s Ridgewood News in support of Albano were interesting. A couple had nasty rants about a woman who was not even running and the others praised him for his service to youth sports.

If you are going to write in supoort of a candidate, stick to the subject. Writing negative comments about a resident does not make Albano look any better.

Keep it positive. I associate the negativity with your candidate.

Posted on April 28, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 23 Comments

More election shenanigans?

file photo Boyd Loving

More election shenanigans?

A reader reports hearing rumblings of “Sedon For Council” and “Knudsen For Council” lawn signs being stolen and replaced with “Albano For Council” lawn signs.

file photo Boyd Loving

Have any other readers heard these rumors and/or been the victim of such a theft/replacement?

Has Ridgewood PD received any reports of these rumored incidents?

file photo Boyd Loving

Posted on April 28, 2014April 28, 2014 by James — 1 Comment

Candidates Night for Municipal Election – Tuesday, April 29th at 7:30PM

Candidates Night for Municipal Election – Tuesday, April 29th at 7:30PM

Meet the 3 candidates for Village Council and hear their views!

The League of Women Voters is holding Candidates Night for the Village Council on Tuesday, April 29 at The Village Hall , Fourth Floor, 131 North Maple Avenue at 7:30.. There are three candidates vying for two open Village Council seats: James Albano, Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon. There will also be television coverage on Channel 77 for Cablevision users and Channel 34 for Fios users. The League of Women Voters of Ridgewood is a NON PARTISAN, yet political organization whose members become active and informed participants in government.

The Ridgewood Municipal Election will take place Tuesday, May 13.

Posted on April 17, 2014June 27, 2021 by James — 9 Comments

Readers says RBSA email seems like a clear violation of the rules concerning a non-profit business participating in politics

Readers says RBSA email seems like a clear violation of the rules concerning a non-profit business participating in politics

Now this seems like a clear violation of the rules concerning a non-profit business participating in politics. Given the corporate sponsors for the teams, I presume that RBSA is a registered 401c3 organization.

Even if this email is just being sent to email addresses collected as part of the non-profit’s activities this is a huge violation of election law. The email is also completely unclear about who is organizing the committee. Is it the RBSA or is it Gary as an individual???

Subject: Albano For Council!

Ladies & Gents of the RBSA and Friends,

As you know, Jim is running for Village Council. While he is not just the “sports candidate”, the issue of the badly needed 90′ field, along with an all purpose field (read: soccer & lax) at Schedler is certainly a timely issue here.

(In case anyone is wondering, like the other two candidates, Jim is opposed to the three high density housing projects before the Planning Board. He realizes however, that the vacant lots of long gone businesses neither benefit nor beautify the Village and is seeking sensible development, that enhances, rather than detracts from our quality of life.

Similarly, he feels the current Valley Hospital expansion proposal, like the one before it, is far too intrusive to the neighborhood and our community as a whole. He recognizes the need for a hospital to stay current and calls on Valley to withdraw the current plan and make more of a good faith effort to work with the community to find a plan that works for all.

If you have any specific questions you’d like Jim to address, he is always available.)

The key to winning is always getting your supporters to the polls. With a paltry 20-22% turnout (maybe less) expected on May 13, that will be even more true in this election. We need to get the youth sports community energized and involved, spearheaded by the largest youth organization in town, the friends and families of the RBSA!

I’m asking two things: will you please take an Albano lawn sign? And, would you be willing to be part of a committee that will coordinate our get out the vote effort? This will involve networking, making lists, sending emails and maybe making a few election day phone calls. The anti-sports forces are mobilizing, so this is crucial!

Please let me know – lawn sign and/or committee? Election is 4 weeks from today, so it’s a short sprint. Time to rock & roll. Thanks for anything you can do.

Gary

Please note new email: [email protected]

Posted on April 12, 2014April 12, 2014 by James — Leave a comment

Municipal Candidates Coffee for Senior Citizens

Municipal Candidates Coffee for Senior Citizens

Held At Ridgecrest on Ridge Road

Candidates Coffee All Ridgewood senior citizens are welcome to join us on Tuesday April 15th at 10:30 am in the Community Room of the Ridgecrest Apartments (7 Ridge Road). Village Council candidates James Albano, Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon will hear your concerns, ideas and points of view over light refreshments before sitting for a panel discussion led by our moderator.

This is a unique opportunity for both the candidates and you, our valued resident, to address the needs and expectations of Ridgewood’s growing senior citizen population. Don’t miss this chance to have your voice heard by our community leaders and hear their positions on the issues that are important to you. Call 201-248-2730 more information.

Posted on April 11, 2014April 11, 2014 by James — 2 Comments

Ridgewood urged to investigate email sent to candidate’s employer

Ridgewood urged to investigate email sent to candidate’s employer

APRIL 11, 2014 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014, 12:31 AM
BY DARIUS AMOS
STAFF WRITER

Candidate’s former employer contacted

The village will respond to continued calls for an investigation of a purported anonymous message sent to the employer of a Ridgewood Council candidate, but officials caution that they are still uncertain which direction to follow.

At least two residents urged current council members this week to look into an email that was delivered last month to the editor of the Staten Island Advance, a newspaper where Ridgewood resident Michael Sedon was employed. Sedon told The Ridgewood News that the email, whose sender is unknown, suggested that a conflict of interest existed if he continued to work as a reporter while campaigning during the municipal election season.

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/village-urged-to-investigate-email-1.899078#sthash.9DG9NrTQ.dpuf

Posted on April 10, 2014April 10, 2014 by James — 8 Comments

Reader asks why no current member of the Council seems at all bothered by this subversion of the election process.

Reader asks why no current member of the Council seems at all bothered by this subversion of the election process.

Funny that no current member of the Council seems at all bothered by this subversion of the election process. One would imagine that our elected leadership might want to maintain some level of integrity to the election process where those that seek public office aren’t personally harassed on the very day that their candidacy is certified. After all, this is the very same process that put them into office in the first place. One might imagine that as human beings they might have expressed some sympathy for what a bum deal this young man got for answering the call to public service.

Even the most cynical among us would expect at least a superficial statement from our elected officials condemning this brutally unfair and potentially illegal tactic, the timing of which is highly suspicious. So why the deafening silence?

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