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On council’s vote on residency hiring

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Editors Note : several erroneous statements in this letter must be addressed , italics is mine
PJ Blogger Founder of the Ridgewood blog and King of the Anonymous bloggers  
to the editor:

While watching the council meeting last Wednesday, I was appalled by the rancor and allegations of harassment.

Our councilmen and councilwomen donate an inordinate amount of time and energy for the betterment of Ridgewood. There is a growing tendency on the part of our citizens to vilify some of our council because of disagreement with their positions on public policy and local law. This has got to stop. 

Actually it is three members of the council who continue to attack and vilify the opposition , 

Anonymous blogging is an especially onerous method of this, seeing that a forum already exists at every council meeting by going to the podium and stating your name and address. Criticize the ideas if you must, or add constructive ideas regarding the dialogue or issue at hand, but do it openly and expose your views to public debate.

This is a perfect example of the previous statement , you are responsible for your own behavior , poor manners and an ill temper are no ones fault but your own 

During the heated discussion of the residency requirement, it has come to light that one of the two dissenters on the council has a personal stake in the eventual outcome that was not previously made known. I find that there are few coincidences in life, and it appears that the catalyst for one of the dissenting votes bears this out. If you have three sons on the current village list with aspirations to pursue careers with the police force, a dissenting vote on this issue of civilian hires can be seriously construed as another dissenting vote down the road on uniformed employees, and a potential conflict of interest.

To our knowledge Public safety employee hiring was not effected by the “residency ” rule change making the hole conflict issue specious.

Regarding this question of residency preference, Deputy Mayor Pucciarelli summarized it best in voting against continuing the preference: The people of Ridgewood are best served by hiring the most qualified candidate for village jobs, whether they are residents of Ridgewood or not. The village does not need to fill civil service positions as a way of providing work for residents which could become a recipe for patronage and nepotism.

No one would argue that hiring the best for the Village , but it seems the change in the law will open the floodgates for importing more partisan hacks in in attempt to destroy the Village ie welcome to Hudson County .

Glenn F. Jorgensen

Ridgewood

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Reader says All the rhetoric about wanting to hire the best available employee is B.S.

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Village Clerk, when acting VM, violated ordinance and was called out on it by resident. Same resident had applied for a Village position. Resident denied position in violation of residency requirement ordinance by same Village Clerk while Acting Manager. New Vm (R.S.) learns of violation in May, 2014 and decides to amend ordinance to support her Village Clerk. Councilwoman Knudsen got to close to discovering the truth and the V.M. and 3 amigos decided to sic their attack dog(labor attorney) on her. All the rhetoric about wanting to hire the best available employee is B.S.

That’s either a crass indictment, or a rare glimpse of truth and municipal reality that the public was not supposed to be afforded. One can’t necessarily decide between the two possibilities without more information or an alternative source, but you may be assured that at least one inquiring mind wants to know which is real, and which IS an illusion!

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Reader says Councilwoman Knudsen actions are an attempt to get to the bottom of this sordid affair

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Councilwoman Knudsen, if she really sits and thinks about it, will realize that she has the municipal equivalent of Legislative Privilege to shield her from negative repercussions from the actions she took in an attempt to get to the bottom of this sordid affair, and the public statements she made in attempting to articulate her impressions of the apparent suspicious misfeasance and unaccountable nonfeasance of many of those with whom she shares the local governmental stage. We should all pray for her that she not buckle or crumple under the combined weight of all the unfair attacks lodged against her in response to her probing questions (and they really do seem to be rolling out the big guns). If Ms. Knudsen backs off now the precedent will have been set and this set of circumstances will be repeated as necessary and ad nauseum until legitimate political opposition by the minority becomes a lost art in Ridgewood. On the other hand, if instead she stands her ground (as she absolutely should, since she has done absolutely nothing wrong, and so much that is so sweetly right) and manages to carry her point to its logical conclusion, we will be blessed with a shining, Patton-like example of courage which we can then use as a touchstone during future disputes with the sulphurous political element that has unfortunately surfaced in Ridgewood (and those disputes will come…).

BTW, there is no way a contracted labor attorney can go toe-to-toe with an elected member of the Village Council, regardless of the pure truth of the matter, when there the criticisms made against the former party has such a clear basis in publicly-confirmable fact.

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Ridgewood eases residency requirement

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APRIL 10, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2015, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD – The Village Council, after hours of debate that included allegations of harassment, has voted to eliminate a residency requirement for most civilian hires.

The 3-2 vote at the Wednesday council meeting ended weeks of often contentious discussion on the change and opened up all municipal positions not affiliated with the police and fire departments to applicants statewide.

Councilwoman Susan Knudsen and Councilman Mike Sedon cast the two dissenting votes, arguing that village openings should be filled with qualified village residents.

“I have faith in our residents,” Sedon explained. “Getting rid of this [residency requirement] is a disservice to the town.”

Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Al Pucciarelli and Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck all insisted that the village would benefit most from hiring the best possible candidates for each position, regardless of their address.

https://theridgewoodblog.net/wp-admin/post.php?post=73630&action=edit

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Reader says Does anyone thinks it’s a coincidence the human resource and village manager are both from Bergen leads and this residency requirement is being changed when the hr person isn’t from ridgewood?

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Does anyone thinks it’s a coincidence the human resource and village manager are both from Bergen leads and this residency requirement is being changed when the hr person isn’t from ridgewood. Old friends from the bergen county program . Ridgewood owes a debt of gratitude to councilwoman knudsen for standing up for ridgewood residents when aronsohn, pucc and hack don’t care about the people they represent. What’s wrong there’s no one from ridgewood to fill these jobs.

Regardless of what the law might become, the fact is that these people are not willing to hire anyone now under the current law. That is outrageous. Holding off on hiring until they can change the law. Sounds like a massive lawsuit to me.

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The proposed ordinance change that started the fire…..

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VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD NOTICE OF PENDING ORDINANCE ORDINANCE NO. 3470 The ordinance published herewith was introduced and passed upon first reading at a Regular Public Meeting of the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, in the County of Bergen, New Jersey held on March 11, 2015. It will be further considered for final passage, after public hearing thereon, at a Regular Public Meeting of said Village Council to be held in the Courtroom of the Ridgewood Village Hall 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ on April 8, 2015 at 8:00 PM., and during the week prior to and up to and including the date of such meeting, copies of said ordinance will be made available at the Village Clerk’s Office in said Village Hall, 131 N. Maple Avenue, Ridgewood, NJ to the members of the general public who shall request the same. Heather A. Mailander Village Clerk VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ORDINANCE NO. 3470 AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 3, ARTICLE VIII OF THE CODE OF THE VILLAGE OF RIDGEWOOD ENTITLED “RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS” BE IT ORDAINED by the Village Council of the Village of Ridgewood, County of Bergen, State of New Jersey that: Section 1. The Code of the Village of Ridgewood is hereby amended by changing the wording of Chapter 3, Article VIII, of the Code of the Village of Ridgewood entitled “Residency Requirements” as follows: ADD SECTION 3-57: REQUIRED RESIDENCY A. All officers and employees of the Village of
Ridgewood initially employed or appointed in the Police and Fire Departments with the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, from and after the effective date of this article, shall be bona fide residents of the Village of Ridgewood. B. Any officers and employees who are otherwise exempted by law or hold classified titles, which include both competitive and noncompetitive titles, other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, within the Police and Fire Departments, shall not be subject to this regulation. C. A “bona fide resident,” for the purposes of this article, is a person having a permanent domicile within the Village of Ridgewood which has not been adopted with the intention of again taking up or claiming a previous residence acquired outside of the Village of Ridgewood’s boundaries. SECTION 3-58: ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS Applicants eligible for appointment to an entry-level position of employment in the titles of police officer and firefighter in the Police and Fire Departments in the classified civil service shall be limited to residents of the Village of Ridgewood. SECTION 3-59: ALTERNATIVE HIRING A. Whenever the governing body or appointing authority shall determine that there cannot be recruited a sufficient number of qualified Ridgewood residents for the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter in the Police and Fire Departments, the Village shall advertise for other qualified applicants. The Village or the hiring authority thereof shall thereupon classify all qualified applicants for such positions or employments so determined in the following manner: (1) Residents of Bergen County; (2) Residents of the State of New Jersey. B. In the case of classified titles, which include both competitive and noncompetitive titles and employments other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter within the Police and Fire Departments, the Village shall advertise for qualified applicants. The Village shall open all classified titles (both competitive and non-competitive), other than the entry-level titles of police officer and firefighter, to residents of the State of New Jersey, with no other residency requirements. C. No current nonresident officer or employee shall be required to become a bona fide resident of the Village of Ridgewood as a condition of their continued employment. D. Employment in the Fire Department shall be governed specifically by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-10.1a. Employment in the Department of Police shall be governed specifically by the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:14-123.1a. DELETE: SECTION 3-60: EXCEPTIONS Whenever the Village Council or the hiring authority of the Village shall determine that there are certain specific positions and employments requiring special talent or skills which are necessary for the operations of the Village and which are not likely to be found among the residents of the Village, such positions or employment so determined shall be filled without reference to residency. The criteria for employment pursuant to this section shall be established from time to time as the need arises by resolution of the Village Council. Section 2. This ordinance shall take effect immediately upon passage and publication as required by law.

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Reader says There he is Chris Harris the Mayor Press Secretary

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There he is Chris Harris the Mayor Press Secretary / Record Reporter writing another article for the Mayor. I was wondering what was taking him so long.
Looks like Mr. Harris didn’t even have the courtesy, nor did he take the time, to contact Councilwoman Knudsen for her side of the story. The Record’s local news coverage is getting to be as big of a joke as the Village Council is.

The article by Harris is a disgrace since the councilwoman made it clear it’s all about civilian titles. Looks like Paulie’s lackey is willing to do anything for Aronsohn and we should all be sickened by it. It Harris wants to be a real reporter he should have the decency to be honest in his reporting. The change has nothing to do with the police or fire department. I don’t know much about all of this but is seems everyone on council agreed the change was to civilian titles and Mailander agreed. No one disputed Knudsnes statement it was about civilian jobs. The inferences Aronsohn makes are despicable Harris wants to be part of this lie he should be ashamed of himself and he should be fired.

We’ve seen lots of nepotism in the village and now we are seeing Schonenfeld’s cronyism. Schonenfeld should be fired because she said doesn’t understand the basics of the job she was hired to do.

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Reader wonders if the proposed change to the law is contemplated as part of a larger plan to politicize our system of local government

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So, based on the diligent detective work by Councilwoman Knudsen, we learn that the current hiring scheme provides that Ridgewood-based applicants are to be preferred when all of the top candidates are equally qualified. This sounds reasonable. Accordingly, the burden of persuasion on whether or not to change the law should be on those who are in favor of a change.

Up until now the proponents of change have been saying that according to the current hiring scheme, the Village has not been permitted to hire better qualified candidates who live outside of Ridgewood if at least one local applicant is deemed at least minimally qualified. Now we learn that was not true. In fact, it does not take an enormous leap of faith to conclude that we were being LIED TO.

It turns out the Village has only lacked the ability to hire candidates of the SAME qualifications who live outside of Ridgewood. In other words, they have lacked the ability to discriminate against (politically undesireable?) Ridgewood residents who have the same qualifications as the best (properly politically aligned?) candidates who live outside of Ridgewood.

Why should we change the law to facilitate such a hiring practice?

One wonders if the proposed change to the law is contemplated as part of a larger plan to politicize our system of local government, which by virtue of the Faulkner Act is supposed to be completely non-partisan.

Ah yes…politics. This has been the common denominator from day one when it comes to the behavior of the Three Amigos. Why should we expect these old dogs to learn new tricks when they continue to get such great mileage out of the old ones?

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Readers says Demand that the council represent the residents of Ridgewood by getting all of the facts before voting on the residence ordinance

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Readers says Demand that the council represent the residents of Ridgewood by getting all of the facts before voting on the  residence ordinance

People need to go to the council meeting on April 8th and demand that they NOT vote on the residence ordinance until there is full transparency on what is going on.

We need to demand that Ridgewood residents get a preference when the village is hiring. As long as the qualifications are equal, Ridgewood residents should get preference. We are the one’s paying the taxes or the high rents to live here. Why shouldn’t we be the one’s to work here as long as we are qualified. There is something going on here that smells bad. Who have they hired not following the civil service rules? I bet there were many. This all needs to get out in the open. Councilwoman Knudsen should be supplied with the information she is asking for and not be stonewalled for a month. The residents need to get their heads out of the sand and wake up. Do you understand what is going on right in front of us? This is an incredibly bad situation and needs to be clarified before any vote is taken.

Go to the council meeting, Wednesday, April 8th, 8:00pm at village hall. Demand that the council represent the residents of Ridgewood by getting all of the facts before voting on the ordinance before them. Let’s get everything out in the open. After all, the mayor’s favorite term is “transparency in government.” I think it’s time the village had some of that transparency.

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Readers : Village Hiring Practices Come under Scrutiny

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file photo By Boyd Loving

It’s true. Unfortunately Ridgewood residents are not paying attention. They are trusting that our elected council people are protecting them, but they are not.

Councilwoman Knudsen and councilman Sedon are the only one’s trying to protect our rights as village residents. Please go and click on the link to the previous story, then click on the link to the ustream video https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/60629688  of the April 1st council meeting. Go to minute 24:00 when councilwoman Knudsen starts to explain the run around she has been getting for a month about information she has asked for in order for her to make an informed decision before she votes April 8th on the ordinance regarding residency preference.

The rest of the council should have been upset that Knudsen was being blocked from receiving information. Instead, the village manager, the mayor and councilwoman Hauck seemed more concerned that Knudsen was speaking about this information in public. Sedon was not present at the meeting. I applaud councilwoman Knudsen for bringing this information out into the open.

What is happening with the majority of our council? Why are they always on the defensive? They should be thanking Knudsen for bringing this to light. After all, they have been following an ordinance about hiring practices that is inconsistent with the law.

All hires since Aug 2014 should be reviewed to determined if they were done according to law. Who was skipped over that should not have been? Who was hired that should not have been? Did these hires take place according to civil service rules? Instead of gushing over the village manager’s performance, let’s make sure her performance practices are according to law.

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Readers Not Happy With Village Managers Performance at Council Meeting

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file photo by Boyd Loving

Message to Ms. Sonenefeld: The hiring and firing of Village employees is certainly within your purview, but that in and of itself is no excuse whatsoever for not keeping the ENTIRE Village Council informed of your plans with respect to holding positions open in expectation of an ordinance change. Personally, I’d like to see the complete list of job applicants for those open positions, now on hold, to find out exactly who it is from Ridgewood that you don’t want to hire.

Ms. Roberta:

1. You are not an elected official. You should not insert your opinions and commentary incessantly. We are not interested in your opinions. What are you, the fourth AMIGO? Your gratuitous swipe at Ms. Knudsen last night was completely uncalled for. Councilwoman Knudsen conducted a calm and fact-filled discussion. At the end of it, you had the audacity to state that you had prepared a joke but now you didn’t feel like it. That was insulting and unprofessional. You were clearly stating that you did not like Councilwoman Knudsen’s discussion. That is just tough luck for you. You are not, I repeat YOU ARE NOT an elected official. Your opinions are not germane to any discussion. Keep them to yourself and just try to do your job.

2. You need to stop interrupting when one of our elected officials is speaking. Watching the tape, it is so distracting when you keep interjecting. Stop it. We did not elect you to represent us and we do want to hear what our elected officals have to say.