Tag: Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld

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Meet the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld

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photo by Boyd Loving

Meet the Manager – Thursday, August 13 4:30 – 7:30PM

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Thursday, August 13 between the hours of 4:30 to 7:30PM. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Court Room – on the Fourth Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.

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Village Manager confirms report of illegal dumping

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August 6,2015
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJ , Ridgewood Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld has officially confirmed that illegally dumped materials were recently discovered at the Village’s Lakeview Drive compost site during a routine inspection conducted by a NJDEP employee.  Sonenfeld’s confirmation came in the form of a statement read during the Village Council’s August 5 public Work Session.

According to Ms. Sonenfeld, the illegally dumped material consisted of asphalt and concrete block and was located at the site’s south end, dumped over a protective berm.  It is believed the materials were dumped during the months of June or July, this according to Sonenfeld.  Heavy equipment and an operator(s) from the Bergen County Mosquito Control Commission are now being deployed to assist in removing the debris.

The Village Manager concluded her remarks by emphatically stating that an “active investigation” is still underway regarding the incident.  No date was mentioned regarding the availability of a final investigative report via the OPRA.

Many taxpayers are anxiously awaiting the outcome of this “active investigation” so we can learn exactly how the dumping was accomplished, who was responsible, who will be held accountable (if anyone) and what monetary liability, if any, taxpayers will be on the hook for.

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Were NJ Civil Service rules circumveneted to hire VOR HR Director?

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July 18,2015
Boyd A. Loving

Ridgewood NJj, During Wednesday evening’s Village Council Meeting, Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld disclosed that the Civil Service title for our new HR Director is actually “Confidential Secretary to the Village Manager.”

Huh?  Is this person a Secretary or a Director?  Quite a difference in job responsibilities, isn’t there?

I believe Ms. Sonenfeld indicated that “secretarial” title was chosen in order to “circumvent” certain NJ Civil Service Requirements.  I am not clear on exactly what requirements were being “circumvented,” but I now am left wondering exaclty why the Village can’t play by the rules and what liablity taxpayers are being faced with as a result of this little game.

Also, what is the Civil Service title being held by Beth Spinato, who is Ms. Sonenfeld’s “Confidential Secretary?”  Is it legit that the Administrator of a muncipality with only 25,000 residents have two (2) “Confidential Secretaries?”

I don’t know about you, but I’m a bit concerned over the apparent total disregard of Civil Service guidelines in this case, and I wonder what other shenanigans they’re playing at Village Hall and how much taxpayers will wind up paying in fines once the State gets wind of this nonsense.

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Village manager deserves apology

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file photo Boyd Loving

Letter to the Editor: Ridgewood manager deserve apology

JUNE 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015, 9:28 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Village manager deserves apology

To the Editor:

I feel very strongly that Councilman Michael Sedon should apologize publicly to Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld. By telling her she misled him regarding the budgeting of the HR person, he is basically telling her, and publicly so, that she lied to him. To mislead is to lie.

If he can prove that Ms. Sonenfeld lied, then she should be summarily dismissed for it is a horrible breach of her position to lie to the council. Knowing Ms. Sonenfeld’s integrity and business acumen, I will bet my last dollar she was totally transparent in the budget deliberations.

So either Mr. Sedon was in above his head when the budget was discussed, or he was being willfully disingenuous to accomplish some political point. If either of these two possibilities is true, then Mr. Sedon should resign.

The third alternative is to put all of this behind us with Mr. Sedon apologizing gracefully and publicly to Ms. Sonenfeld. He owes it to her, considering this gratuitous insult. Considering the abject polarization of Ridgewood politics and Mr. Sedon’s proclivity to pander to his base, I don’t think I will live long enough to see this happen.

Rurik Halaby

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-ridgewood-manager-deserve-apology-1.1359401

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HR addition spurs debate in Ridgewood

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file photo by Boyd Loving

JUNE 19, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY MARK KRULISH
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ordinances were introduced last week by the Village Council reflecting changes in the organizational structure of Village Hall, a cleanup of salary ranges for village employees and elimination of unused titles.

The new ordinance institutes a Human Resources department and creates a free-standing Department of Health, moving it out from under the umbrella of the Department of Community Services, which was eliminated. The Division of Assessments was moved to the Finance Department and a director title was created in the Building Department to accurately reflect recent hires.

“This is both a cleanup and reflects some strategic moves we’ve made with both the Building Department and with the Department of Human Resources,” said Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld.

Discussion of the ordinances took place at a June 3 meeting, where Sonenfeld explained the Human Resources department would also assume supervisory roles in the Employee Benefits and Payroll Administration functions of the government.

Councilman Michael Sedon, who voted against the introduction of the ordinances, said the first time he heard there would be a full-time Human Resources department was at the first budget hearing in February. Sedon said he did not have an opportunity to give input on such a service, which he believed was already being provided.

 

 

https://www.northjersey.com/news/hr-addition-spurs-debate-1.1358917

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Meet the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld

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File Photo by Boyd Loving

Meet the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld – Monday, June 29th 4:30 – 7:30PM

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Monday, June 29 between the hours of 4:30 to 7:30PM. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Court Room – on the Fourth Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.

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Ridgewood councilman’s question worth considering

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JUNE 12, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JUNE 12, 2015, 12:31 AM
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Councilman’s question worth considering

to the editor:

During the June 3 Village Council work session, Councilman Michael Sedon asked if the salary of Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld should be reduced in order to offset the “six figure” salary of the newly created position of human resources director. Quite frankly, this question had been on my mind, and Councilman Sedon’s idea was, in my opinion, worth considering.

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld’s reply included that she is not “outsourcing” any portion of her job, and that she is “still responsible” for human resources. Perhaps, but the fact remains that the overall salary now allocated to manage human resources has abruptly increased by at least $100,000.

Moreover, I was quite surprised to hear Ms. Sonenfeld state that her salary is “already down,” which was followed by a comment from Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck that she thinks Sonenfeld is “already the lowest paid manager in New Jersey,” and by Mayor Paul Aronsohn’s response that he “can’t imagine that [reducing her salary] would be the plan.”

Ms. Sonenfeld’s salary, established by Village Council members, is what she agreed to just over a year ago when she was hired. No one forced her to take the job or the salary. For her to now publicly complain that it is so low, so soon after she came on board, and especially when some of her responsibilities have now been delegated to a new hire, is quite disheartening.

Finally, Ms. Sonenfeld’s tone, when she replied to Councilman Sedon, coupled with the quick dismissal of Sedon’s suggestion by three of his colleagues, illustrates that civility is still not consistently practiced under Mayor Aronsohn’s leadership.

Anne LaGrange Loving

Ridgewood

https://www.northjersey.com/opinion/opinion-letters-to-the-editor/letter-to-the-editor-ridgewood-councilman-s-question-worth-considering-1.1354676

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Meet the Manager – Saturday, May 23 9:00AM to Noon

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file photo by Boyd Loving

May 22, 2015

Ridgewood NJ , Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Saturday, May 23 between the hours o f9:00AM and Noon. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Court Room – on the Fourth Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.

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Meet the Manager – Thursday, April 23 4:30pm to 7:30pm

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Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Thursday, April 23 between the hours of 4:30pm to 7:30pm. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Garden Room – on the First Level of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis

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Meet the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld – Tuesday, February 24th 5:00pm to 7:30pm

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Meet the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld – Today Tuesday, February 24th 5:00pm to 7:30pm

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Tuesday, February 24th between the hours of 5:00pm to 7:30pm. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Council Chambers on the 4th Floor of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.

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Ridgewood manager waives pay for CFO work

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Ridgewood manager waives pay for CFO work

JANUARY 16, 2015    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015, 12:31 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER |
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld is waiving her right to a compensation that will save taxpayers up to $35,000.

According to the non-unions officers salary ordinance, Sonenfeld is entitled to $5,000 to $35,000 for serving in the position of temporary chief financial officer (CFO).

Sonenfeld has taken on the position – which she cannot hold for more than a year – while the village continues its quest for a new CFO, who would also serve as a new director of the parking utility.

The former CFO, Steve Sanzari, who will remain the village treasurer, will serve as Sonenfeld’s temporary deputy chief financial officer for a stipend of $1,000 per month, according to a resolution that the council unanimously approved on Wednesday.

Sonenfeld is also serving as head of the parking utility for the time being, at no additional compensation.

“My feeling was I didn’t want the village to expend any more dollars on this,” Sonenfeld said. “I’m just putting everything into my regular workday.”

Sanzari previously received a $5,000 stipend, on top of his $110,000 salary as treasurer, for working as CFO.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/sonenfeld-waives-pay-for-cfo-work-1.1196446

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Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld says NO Lead in the Drinking Water

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Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld says NO Lead in the Drinking Water 
January 5th 2015

Dear E-Notice Residents,

It has come to our attention that the public education notice regarding lead test results has created concern among some of the residents in our service area.  Please be aware that the language in the notice is prescribed by regulation and may cause undue concern.

The water supplied by Ridgewood Water does not have lead in it.  A small number of homes in the Ridgewood Water service territory have plumbing materials that can leach lead into the water which caused an exceedance of the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for lead during routine testing in 2012.  Regulatory agencies require that water utilities test for lead by setting up “worst-case-scenarios” at locations at increased risk such as those known to have lead service lines.  Additionally, the samples taken for testing must be water that has been undisturbed and in contact with the household plumbing for at least 6 hours.  These samples are usually taken in the morning before any water has been used including the flushing of toilets.  Therefore, samples are usually collected by residents.   Each participating resident received the test results for their specific location.

Additionally, virtually every faucet has brass components that contain a percentage of lead.  This is why it is prudent to let a faucet run for several seconds before using the water for cooking and drinking, especially if the faucet has not been used for several hours.  If your service line is made of lead, run the water for a longer period to clear all of the water from the service line.  Please call 201-670-3372 if you are unsure of your service line material.

Ridgewood Water will start using a phosphate-based additive later this year that will also address this issue by coating the lines and faucets effectively stopping the leaching of lead into the water.

There will be a presentation at the Council Meeting this Wednesday that will provide a forum for additional questions and answers.   You may also watch it on TV.   You are invited to attend and voice your concerns at that point or you may call Ridgewood Water at201-670-5500 ext. 273 or 275.

Best Regards,

Roberta Sonenfeld

Village Manager
201-670-5500, ext. 203

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Meet the Village Manager – Saturday, November 22nd 9am to Noon

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Meet the Village Manager – Saturday, November 22nd 9am to Noon

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld will hold office hours for Ridgewood residents and business owners on Saturday, November 22nd between the hours of 9am to 12 Noon. This is an opportunity to share your thoughts and provide input to Roberta. These sessions will be scheduled at 15 minute intervals and will be held in the Council Chambers on the 4th Floor of Ridgewood Village Hall. Please contact Beth Spinato at 201-670-5500, ext. 203 to make an appointment. Walk-ins are welcome but should realize that the schedule may already be booked. We will announce the schedule for these meetings on a monthly basis.

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Ridgewood plans to seek new CFO

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Ridgewood plans to seek new CFO

NOVEMBER 21, 2014    LAST UPDATED: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014, 1:21 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD

RIDGEWOOD — The village will start the search for a new chief financial officer.

Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld said officials have “decided not to renew Steve Sanzari’s contract as CFO.”

However, Sanzari will retain his position as the village’s treasurer, Sonenfeld said.

Ridgewood’s next CFO will also be responsible for overseeing the village’s Parking Authority, Sonenfeld added.

Sanzari will continue to earn a base salary of $110,197.61 as treasurer. He had received a $5,000 stipend as CFO — a post that will end Jan. 1. The village is open to negotiate the salary for the next CFO, Sonenfeld said.

The village manager appointed herself the Parking Authority’s head after first assuming the office last spring.

https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-plans-to-seek-new-cfo-1.1138629

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State says Ridgewood must replace land

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State says Ridgewood must replace land

OCTOBER 6, 2014    LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2014, 11:06 AM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS

Ridgewood has been tracked down for a 32-year-old gaffe.

According to the Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld, the village was recently told by Green Acres, a state conservation program, that it needed to make amends for a piece of Green Acres-encumbered land on South Broad Street that Ridgewood sold to the Bergen County Housing Authority – way back in 1982.

The village sold what was a public playground to the Bergen County Housing Authority to provide public low-income housing, Sonenfeld said, and now the diversion “has to be adjusted.”

“In order to correct this, we need 1.9 acres of open space. The other requirement is that we have to spend at least 1:1 value for the property that was sold to Bergen County Housing … And we have to replace the outdoor facility [the playground] that was on that property when we sold this,” Sonenfeld said, later noting that the village needs to buy “more than one parcel” of land and is currently in negotiations with one party.

“We need to do this, because if we don’t,” she noted, “we’re not eligible for future Green Acres grants, and we’re not eligible to get payments on our current outstanding grants.”

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/states-says-village-must-replace-land-1.1103368#sthash.AD706r2H.dpuf