Village Council - Page 291 of 308

Posted on January 2, 2016January 2, 2016 by James — 11 Comments

Ridgewood launching redesigned website

JANUARY 1, 2016 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 2016, 12:31 AM
BY MATTHEW SCHNEIDER
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The village will launch a redesigned website to go along with the New Year, with the site set to go live on Jan. 1.

The website (ridgewoodnj.net) contains features that make the former one look ancient by comparison, according to officials.

“We are very excited about our new website, because it is more user-friendly, better organized and allows for quicker, easier access to timely information,” Mayor Paul Aronsohn said.

The new website features a search bar, so viewers can find an article or event by simply typing a phrase into the search. This makes locating services or events easier than it was on the old website, where users needed to look around manually until they found what they were seeking.

“Our past website, there was no search feature,” said Dylan Hansen, the village’s network administrator. “You pretty much had to know where something was to find anything. On our new website, you can just type something in, and it should auto-fill … with some of the top articles.”

Another inclusion in the new website is more accessibility. With the click of a button, a person can increase or decrease the text size, change the contrast of the screen’s colors and enable any highlighted text to be read out loud. This feature is aimed at assisting those with poor eyesight, colorblindness or standard blindness.

“One of the things I go onto many websites and don’t see is accessibility features,” Hansen said, noting that most people need to use programs to get these features.

He added that having these features makes the website compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

https://www.northjersey.com/community-news/town-government/redesigned-village-website-going-live-1.1483600

Posted on December 31, 2015December 30, 2015 by James — 12 Comments

HealthBarn USA operating at The Stable in Ridgewood?

December 31,2015

by Boyd Loving

According to HealthBarn USA’s website, they are now operating out of Village of Ridgewood owned property at 259 North Maple Avenue (The Stable).

https://www.healthbarnusa.com/were-moo-ving/#more-6621

I can’t recall the Village Council ever approving a resolution permitting such an operation (at The Stable).

Does anyone know how this all happened and whether it’s legal? Are they operating there for free (on the taxpayer’s dime), or is money exchanging hands? All a mystery.

Posted on December 24, 2015December 23, 2015 by James — 2 Comments

Reader says , We do not suffer from “mis-planning.” We are being burdened with the results of no planning or undisclosed planning, take your pick.

Our council lurches from project to project without a common theme or goal perhaps other than “if someone with money asks for it, then lets give it to them.” The majority on this council exhibit no sense of serving the Village of Ridgewood. They’ve never shown that they looked into the future to ask or try to divine what’s best for the Village as a whole. Instead, they appear only to react to and be driven by the demands of developers, land speculators, restaurant owners and other profiteers.

I have lived in town quite a few years now, and have had agreements and disagreements with many that always ended with a friendly handshake. Sadly, this crew has engendered an entirely different feeling. More sadly yet, they seem to smugly relish what the discord have sown.

I can think of two reason for this. One is payback to the supporters of the gang of three in the last election. The second is to secure votes and financial backing for the gang of three for the upcoming election. If our current Mayor chooses not to run next year then you can be sure that our Deputy Mayor will make a run for Mayor and Gwen will be Deputy Mayor. The plans are already in the works for this. Im sure Albert has already pick a candidate that will support his bid for Mayor .

Make no mistake readers Albert and Paul are smart people. We will not know this mystery candidate until after the election. We will again have four years of block votes and the systematic destruction of the Village . I would suggest to all voters to do their due diligence next year. Know your candidate and their history not just their talking points for the election.

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 December 18, 2015December 18, 2015 by James — 15 Comments

Ridgewood Mayor’s Hit Piece on Fellow Councilwomen Back Fires

December 18,2015
the staff of the Ridgewood blog and Readers

Editors note this article was complied with both staff and reader input

Ridgewood NJ, well Paul, how is this working out for you? Can you say BACKFIRE? You have FECES all over your face with this pitiful attempt to discredit the upstanding Councilwoman. I would suggest that you go to hell, but hell is too good for you.

Yet again our Council majority reaches new depths of hypocrisy. For any of them to talk about conflicts of interest is just laughable. They continue to hold others to standards that they have not come close to reaching themselves.

This story in the Ridgewood News attacking Susan Kundsan is pathetic. Another shining example of pathetic vindictiveness.

Just remember posters Paul Aronsohn could not do this or any thing without the help and votes from Big Al and The Valley Girl. So just remember next year when you vote all three must go. They are all Complicit in these acts. Don’t be fooled by the big words from Al or the cookies the Gwen bakes.

Aronsohn thinks he is playing with the big political boys by playing big-time political tricks, but he is the small-time type and also quite stupid. He forced his “reelection” as mayor by making Ms Hauck vote remotely from her family safari to impress dumb people such as Record reporters. He knows how to act sincere but he stares without listening and is probably the most pigheaded individual ever to sit on our dais. Once he decides something, he will move heaven and earth to make it happen. He is a classic opportunist without a single sincere bone in his carpetbagger’s body. His long series of efforts to defame sitting council members who refuse to kowtow to his every whim is an embarrassment to himself and his position and has tarnished the council for years. I would gladly throw him under a commuter train.

Unfair hit piece on Susan.From what I remember, the vote was to change the residency requirement for positions other than Police & Fire.
If the vote was to change the residency requirement for Police & Fire, then she may have a conflict.Do you wonder why people are hesitant to participate in local government? (https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-wrestles-over-whether-councilwoman-s-employee-residency-vote-was-a-conflict-of-interest-1.1474652)

However Aronsohn did attempt to delay former Mayor Keith Killion’s son from being appointed to the police department now his pulling the same nonsence with Susan Knudsen’s sons.

“Well first Paul Aronsohn had Chris Harris now he has Steve JANOSK from the Record He has the new reporter from the Ridgewood News and the Daily Voice is doing a pretty good job of keeping his smiling face and the parking garage on the front page these last couple of week.

Posted on December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 by James — 1 Comment

Ridgewood Board of Adjustment Meetings Cancelled – December 22 and 29, 2015

BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

AMENDMENT TO MEETING SCHEDULE

CANCELLED: DECEMBER 22, 2015 and December 29, 2015

In accordance with the provisions of the “Open Public Meetings Act,” please be advised that the BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT public meetings for TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015 and TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2015, in the VILLAGE HALL COURT ROOM, 4th Floor, 131 NORTH MAPLE AVENUE, RIDGEWOOD, NJ beginning at 7:30 p.m. have been cancelled.

The next regular meeting will be held on January 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. in the Village Hall Courtroom, 4th Floor, 131 North Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ.

All meetings of the Ridgewood Board of Adjustment (i.e., official public meetings, work session meetings, pre-meeting assemblies and special meetings) are public meetings which are always open to members of the general public

Posted on December 17, 2015December 17, 2015 by James — 44 Comments

Ridgewood wrestles over whether councilwoman’s employee-residency vote was a conflict of interest

file photo by Boyd Loving

DECEMBER 16, 2015, 5:43 PM LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 2015, 6:49 PM
BY STEVE JANOSKI
STAFF WRITER |

RIDGEWOOD — A question about whether a village councilwoman with sons on a police-hiring waiting list should vote on police matters has left village officials wrestling with a gray area of state law regarding conflicts of interest by municipal officials.

The issue first arose after a 2014 Village Council review of its residency requirement ordinance related to hiring municipal employees. The council voted to broaden residency requirements for civilian hires, but maintain hometown residency for public safety titles, specifically, police and firefighters.

Councilwoman Susan Knudsen has three sons ranked highly on the waiting list of Police Department candidates. In the August 2014 council action, the vote by Knudsen and her colleagues maintained hometown residency requirements for public safety officers — without Knudsen telling the rest of the council or the public about her sons, all village residents.

And that has raised concerns that she may have voted despite a personal conflict of interest, said Mayor Paul Aronsohn. Aronsohn said the Village Council and administration learned about Knudsen’s sons only when she told them in a February closed-session meeting. But the public, he said, “had a right to know the details of the situation” before the vote. “None of us were made aware that any such conflict may have existed,” he said in an email.

State law is clear on conflicts of interest: No government officer or employee, it says, “shall act in his official capacity in any matter where he, a member of his immediate family, or a business organization in which he has an interest, has a direct or indirect financial or personal involvement that might reasonably be expected to impair his objectivity or independence of judgment.”

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-wrestles-over-whether-councilwoman-s-employee-residency-vote-was-a-conflict-of-interest-1.1474652

Posted on December 8, 2015December 8, 2015 by James — 5 Comments

Public Hearing on Ridgewood’s High Density Housing will continue during the Village Council meeting WEDNESDAY evening..

THIS Wednesday, December 9th at 8:00 pm at Village Hall

PLEASE try to attend the meeting. The Mayor and Council will be discussing TWO very important issues that could change the character of our village forever: Multi-Family Housing and the Hudson Street Parking Garage. It is crucial that as many residents as possible attend the meeting to show the Mayor and Council that residents remain vigilant and demand responsible decision-making. On September 30, more than 600 residents turned out and our voices were heard when the Council voted 4-1 to perform studies to understand the effects of adding high density housing to the CBD before voting. Let’s continue to have a voice!

Agenda:

At approximately 8:30 pm, after presentations, Village Manager and Council reports, and comments from the public, a $12.3 million bond ordinance will be introduced to fund the Hudson Street Parking Deck. The parking garage discussion is relevant to the high-density housing debate. If the largest of the 3 parking garage options is approved (which is likely, as it is favored 3-2 by a majority of the Council members), the new parking garage could set a precedent for the height, size and bulk of future buildings in the CBD, and could have implications for the size of any new apartment buildings. See attached for photos of the proposed garage, particularly the view on Hudson Street.

The Public Hearing on Land Use and Development (High Density Housing) will continue, and the Mayor and Council will discuss the next steps to be taken with regard to the four independent studies approved onSeptember 30, including financial impact, comprehensive traffic, school impact, and infrastructure studies. We must demand Village Council members honor their commitment and hire an independent firm to conduct all of the promised studies, taking into consideration the effects of adding four multi-family developments, a 98-unit assisted living facility and a large parking garage all at once.

Please come to the meeting at 8:00 pm on Wednesday. Let’s show the Mayor and Council that we did not forget what they voted for on September 30th!

If you can not attend the meeting, you can watch the meeting on Fios Channel 34 or Cablevision Channel 77.

Thank you for your continued support.

Citizens for a Better Ridgewood

[email protected]

Posted on November 23, 2015November 23, 2015 by James — 5 Comments

Village Council : And you wonder why “our public gets so frustrated?”

Village _council_meeting_theridgewoodblog

file photo by Boyd Loving

November 23,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, as an observer of council meetings for well over 25 years, talk of transparency is missing the point. The problem is we don’t have transparency and that is why in this time of many issues( Valley, CBD Development, Habernickle, Schedler, Parking Garage, Garber Square, Coin Gate ,recent hirings and council majority treatment of the minority in the past several years) the public is frustrated and is demanding to be heard.While public comment is allowed , answers are not always forth coming and sometimes not at all. It is clear that separate meetings should be held when the topic of interest is so controversial. To try to hold a regular business meeting at the same time is really not possible. Everyone is short changed.

Certain council members have stated that the meetings do not begin until after the public comments have concluded . This suggests that public comments are not a valuable part of the meeting. This is extraordinarily disrespectful to those who come to speak.

At each of the recent very long meetings, both Council women Gwen Hauk and Council member Albert Puccarelli have made derogatory comments about the length of time that the public comments consumed. It is very clear to all of the residents that although you claim to love public input, in fact you find it to be a time-consuming annoyance that delays the start of the “real meeting.”The Fact that so many people are upset and speaking out should be an indicator that something is wrong with the process. Many residents have been trying to say this for months but to no avail.

And we all know village employees are not always in a position to speak freely to the public. They have concerns about their jobs. That is the case every where. I am deeply concerned about our village committees and feel they may be compromised because of the active participation of some of our professionals. It is beginning to feel like that some of the committees are extensions of the Village Council snd not necessarily representing public opinion.

Posted on November 18, 2015November 18, 2015 by James — 27 Comments

Albert, Paul, and Gwenn have all admitted to violating Resolution 13-87 No electronic communication by elected officials during public meetings

file photo by Boyd Loving

Albert himself created a document that forbids any electronic communication by elected officials during public meetings. Albert, Paul, and Gwenn have all admitted to violating this. It is Resolution 13-87. Go to this link on the Blog:
https://theridgewoodblog.net/ridgewood-council-must-follow-meetings-protocol/#comments

Ridgewood Council must follow meetings protocol

To the Editor:

In response to concerns voiced by several residents regarding Village Council members’ adherence to provisions of the Open Public Meetings Act, the council unanimously adopted Resolution 13-87, “Village Council Meetings and Communications Protocol,” in April of 2013. This document, which was developed by the council with the very best of intentions, is a list of “dos and don’ts” for the five elected council members to follow when discussing, investigating, or preparing for deliberation of municipal business.

Item No. 4 in this list reads as follows: “Telephonic or electronic communication between or among Council members or between a Council member and a member of the public during public meetings is prohibited.” In the 2013 public work sessions at which this document was edited, the clause prohibiting contact with members of the public was specifically inserted.

At both the Oct. 22 and Nov. 5, 2014, Village Council meetings, it was revealed that some members have their telephones and/or tablets on during meetings, and receive and reply to messages from family members. Resolution 13-87.4 does not allow for any exceptions to the prohibition, and family members are certainly members of the public. Both Mayor Aronsohn and Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli have clearly indicated that they have no problem breaking this rule in order to communicate with their families. As one resident stated on Nov. 5, this does not meet the high standards they set for themselves.

Our Village Council members put in long hours conducting business for Ridgewood, so one can imagine their temptation to be in touch with family during an evening meeting. Unfortunately, when their own rule is being broken, with private communications occurring during public meetings, members of the community are left with no way of knowing whether electronic exchanges might be taking place regarding substantive matters on the council agenda. If such interactions were to take place, this would seem to contradict the principles of the Open Public Meetings Act.

It is my hope that, moving forward, the Village Council will start following this document to the letter of their own law. Having telephones and tablets turned off and out of reach during these public meetings would completely eliminate any hint of impropriety.

Anne LaGrange Loving

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-ridgewood-council-must-follow-meetings-protocol-1.113352

Posted on November 17, 2015November 17, 2015 by James — 12 Comments

Why is the Village Council Not Talking about a PILOT program for Valley Hospital?

November 17,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ, once again we would like to call attention to the article in NorthJersey.com https://www.northjersey.com/news/n-j-towns-may-push-hospitals-to-pay-up-more-could-seek-property-tax-deals-with-non-profits-1.1453139 which speaks about the current trend in NJ to take away the non-profit status of hospitals.

In the article it states that Morristown Hospital has agreed to pay $15.5 million over the next decade to settle demands for property taxes and that Valley’s Hospital tax liability would be $4.5 million in Ridgewood if its main campus were not exempt.

The article goes on to state Mayor Aronsohn has not been able to bring this issue up because of Valley’s pending application for approval of building plans. Which seems to open the door for Valley expansion and leaves many residents are still looking for some clarification on this as I don’t understand how one issue precludes the other.

Council women Gwenn Hauck’s has articulated over and over that the potential for money is an important factor in the Village Council’s assessment of the High Density Housing issue. Clearly the Judge in Morristown has just given Ridgewood a much simpler path to a financial windfall then increased High Density Housing could.

Posted on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 by James — 16 Comments

How can the Village Council put together Bond Ordnance before the final Parking Garage Design is Decided ?

Village_Manager_Roberta_Sonenfeld_theridgewoodblog

November 13,2015

the staff of the Ridgewood blog

Ridgewood NJ , Prior to the Nov 3rd referendum, Mayor Aronsohn and Councilwoman Hauck were telling people “If you think we need more parking, vote yes. This is not the final design. We will get public input about the size, design, financials, etc before decisions are made.” It appears now that many people voted yes on the bond referendum, trusting those statements and that they would have input.

At the Nov 9th council meeting, during the manager’s report, Roberta spoke of the parking committee coming to the Dec 9th council meeting with their recommendations. She said the parking committee has taken input from residents. That seems to be news to a lot of people .Most residents were not aware of any meeting where the public was allowed to give their input on record. The informal “parking forums” that took place were not “on the record” . Residents expected there to be council meetings dedicated to the discussion of the parking garage. Members of the parking steering committee should be present to hear all comments. After public comments, the council should discuss in front of the public, their thoughts on the structure.

During the managers report on Nov 9th, Roberta also suggested putting together the bond ordinance for the garage at the Dec 9th council meeting. This clearly sounds to us that things are being done backwards yet again. How exactly can you have a dollar figure for a bond when the design has not been decided? How can the design be decided before you have had a formal public meeting where everybody can express there opinions? Why is money being wasted asking the architects for different renderings, when you haven’t heard the public yet? Maybe someone will have ideas that should be incorporated into the new designs and should be heard before the architects are asked to come back with multiple designs?

Once again it seems that the residents are feeling their voices are not being listened to again regarding the many significant issues facing the village: high density housing, parking Schedler, and Habernickel.

Posted on November 13, 2015November 13, 2015 by James — 13 Comments

Neighbors question Ridgewood’s proposed use of Gate House

NOVEMBER 13, 2015 LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

A change in use for the Gate House at the Irene Habernickel Family Park has prompted the concerns of residents on Hillcrest Road and its neighboring streets as it raises several quality of life issues for them.

An ordinance and a resolution to authorize the lease and its execution were approved on Sept. 30; however, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld announced last week the village had not yet signed the lease.

A public hearing was held last Wednesday at which neighborhood residents brought forth their own issues on the subject, which included misgivings about traffic, excess parking on streets and the use of a residential area for a business.

Green Acres, which reimbursed the village for the purchase of Habernickel Park, required the hearing for the purpose of public information and the planned recreational and educational use for the Gate House has already been deemed approvable, according to Sonenfeld.

The anticipated lessee of the Gate House is Health Barn USA, which offers year-round educational programs for children, ages 3 to 15 years. Programs are attended by 10 to 15 kids per class and the summer camp has a maximum of 25 attendees, said owner Stacey Antine. For typical programs, children are dropped off and picked up by their parents. Health Barn only receives buses for school field trips, which take place during the day from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and for special needs children, said Antine.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/neighbors-question-use-of-gate-house-1.1454555

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

Village of Ridgewood’s Salary Ordinance Staff Update

file photo by Boyd Loving

NOVEMBER 11, 2015 LAST UPDATED: WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2015, 9:13 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

The village’s professional staff last month gave an update to the council regarding an ongoing project related to cleaning up Ridgewood’s salary ordinances and ranges.

The issue of updating the salary ranges and titles was first broached in September when Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld presented the possibility of hiring certain employees at a salary higher than the minimum listed in the village’s salary ranges.

The purpose of changing the ordinance was to give the manager discretion and flexibility in hiring employees with qualifications that would suggest bringing them in at a higher salary and allow the village to get the best employee for the position. The ordinance could extend to both public safety and non-public safety employees.

At that time, Sonenfeld also offered to include in the ordinance a provision that anytime an employee is brought in at a salary higher than the low end of the pay range, the details would be discussed during the open session portion of a council meeting for the sake of clarity.

Since then, Sonenfeld, Village Clerk Heather Mailander and Human Resources Director Sharyn Matthews have met several times to continue work on the ordinance and discovered more aspects in need of an update.

Discussion focused on the addition of new titles and the deletion of unused ones. Sonenfeld said ranges had not been adjusted, but new ranges would be presented for consideration when the yearly salary ordinance is adopted.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/update-offered-on-ridgewood-salary-ordinance-1.1452857

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