New Jersey Governor Chris Christie issued a conditional veto on a measure that would have imposed a permanent ban on hydraulic fracturing — a/k/a “fracking” — in the Garden State. Instead, Christie has suggested a year-long moratorium on the practice.
The debate over fracking in New Jersey is mostly symbolic. New Jersey has exactly zero oil and gas wells. It is, however, the nation’s #7 natural gas consuming state (5% of the nation’s total consumption), ranking ahead of Texas. Since 90% of gas wells are completed with a frac treatment, an anti-fracking New Jersey is a little like an obstetrician who promotes total celibacy among his patients.
Village Council Special Public Meetings Concerning Proposed Valley Expansion
The Ridgewood Village Council will be holding Special Public Meetings concerning the proposed Valley Hospital expansion in the Ridgewood High School Campus Center, 627 East Ridgewood Avenue, on the following dates: November 22, and November 29, 2011.
The meetings will begin at 8:00 p.m. The doors will open at 7:45 p.m. and seating will be on a first come, first served basis. The meetings will also be televised on Cablevision Channel 77 and through computer video streaming (limited viewers due to bandwith limitations). Agendas for each meeting will be posted on the Village’s website prior to the meeting.
At www.cato-at-liberty.org, Wally Olson sums up the accomplishments of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Helping the disabled feels so right and necessary that it is hard for the public to understand why we libertarians view the ADA:
“as a coercive and fabulously expensive government venture into what ought to be private decision-making.” But Olson lays out some good reasons:
“in recent months a New Jersey jury ordered a rheumatologist [3] to pay $400,000 for not providing a deaf patient with a sign language interpreter at his own expense… a federal appeals court ruled that [5] the nation’s paper currency unfairly discriminates against the disabled and must be redesigned (thus taking a different view from the National Federation of the Blind, which doesn’t think there’s a problem); a police dispatcher won a settlement [6] in her lawsuit saying she was unfairly discriminated against because of her narcolepsy (tendency to fall asleep at inappropriate times…”
Few public officials dare fight back. It is political suicide.
You have no idea what Jack may have went through, or what they are capable of. What, did Jack dare to speak out or disagree with them , and all their friends and relatives they hire? They hire friends and relatives at enormous salaries, while they cut program after program for our kids. One example, they made the Board Secretary the Boss over the receptionist (another BS job DeSimone invented) why? because she’s a friend, and when administrators get a raise, she gets a raise. Instead of 10 vacation days a year, she now gets 22 a year. My other favorite is when DeSimone invented a job for a man to take job descriptions for HIS staff at 600/day. Paid out over 30,000. It was rumored he was Desimone’s son’s father in law. Keep paying all those taxes, they know a lot of people, and the Board Members go along with everything, and Fishbein owes DeSimone because he hired him. Governor Christie are you listening?
>Other towns nearby – even with larger populations – pay less for the same functions we pay more for here
I don’t know much about Aronsohn, many on this blog say he has another agenda, but I don’t know about that.
What I do know is that mistakes of the past aren’t nearly as impt as not making them over and over again. At least he objects – often the only one– and is “put down” by the others – for what reasons I have no idea.
Many of the top VH officials are paid much higher than their counterparts in other nearby towns of similar size. That can be shown by lookups using public databases.
Other towns nearby – even with larger populations – pay less for the same functions we pay more for here.
Whether similar mistakes were made in the past doesn’t mean nearly as much as stopping this practice going forward.
Is the job of Clerk (as one example) here really so much more challenging than the same job in Mahwah or Paramus that it justifies paying $110,640 while Mahwah paid $67,940 and Paramus paid $62,000 for that same position?
Same question re Tax Collector, who here was paid $103,344 – while Mahwah paid $67,436 and Paramus paid $82,420. Is that job really so much more complex here to justify the big diff in pay?
Those are just 2 examples – many more can be found easily.
If you analyze more top positions and compare them, you wind up with a very large savings to taxpayers that other towns are able to achieve for providing the same services and functions– because they pay the top officials less than we do here.
So, why can’t we do that too? With the money saved, you could have funds to hire more people to get out and do all the needed work, couldn’t you?
Population of both Mahwah and Paramus per 2010 census data is just slightly higher then Ridgewood’s population. Mahwah:25,890 Paramus: 26,342 Ridgewood: 24,958.
Note: numbers from 2010 and sourced from: https://php.app.com/NJpublicemployees11/search.php Numbers do not include perks, pensions, bonuses, overtime and any other benefits, per that link.
Interesting quote from Dec 8 2010 Village Council meeting where officials from other towns were objecting to Ridgewood Water rate increase is below. Perhaps this is just an error in the minutes, but they ARE the “official” minutes. Supposedly the Clerk reviews them and the Council approves them prior to being published. (link for full minutes:) https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/minutes/PUBLIC12.810.htm
QUOTE FROM MINUTES: Councilman Riche thanked everyone for their comments and emphasized that he understands the hardships facing all residents, not only in Ridgewood but in neighboring towns as well. He stated that everyone is doing less with more. END QUOTE
Yeah, over at VH that last sentence seems to be all too true. At least Riche seems to have recognized it – IF the minutes are right. Now, why not do something to change it?
>Older, Suburban and Struggling, ‘Near Poor’ Startle the Census
WASHINGTON — They drive cars, but seldom new ones. They earn paychecks, but not big ones. Many own homes. Most pay taxes. Half are married, and nearly half live in the suburbs. None are poor, but many describe themselves as barely scraping by.
Down but not quite out, these Americans form a diverse group sometimes called “near poor” and sometimes simply overlooked — and a new count suggests they are far more numerous than previously understood.
When the Census Bureau this month released a new measure of poverty, meant to better count disposable income, it began altering the portrait of national need. Perhaps the most startling differences between the old measure and the new involves data the government has not yet published, showing 51 million people with incomes less than 50 percent above the poverty line. That number of Americans is 76 percent higher than the official account, published in September. All told, that places 100 million people — one in three Americans — either in poverty or in the fretful zone just above it.
> NJ Senators support Bill encouraging more irresponsible federal spending
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2011 BY HERB JACKSON WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT THE RECORD
Congress kept Amtrak running another year and gave the railroad $15 million to plan a new Hudson River tunnel, but high-speed rail funding was eliminated in a spending package that passed both houses on Thursday.
Bigger mortgages will also qualify for government backing under the bill, a grant program for hiring local police survived possible elimination, and several disaster aid programs got extra money.
The spending bill provides $1.4 billion to keep trains rolling. That includes $15 million Sen. Frank Lautenberg sought to start planning a two-tunnel project under the Hudson, known as Gateway.
“The existing tunnel is more than a century old and not capable of adequately servicing our state’s growing number of commuters,” said Lautenberg, D-N.J. “I’m pleased this bill includes funding to move forward.”
Lautenberg originally sought $50 million for the project, which would ease a bottleneck blamed for frequent delays on NJ Transit commuter trains. But many programs were cut: President Obama sought $8 billion for high-speed rail projects nationwide that Congress did not fund at all.
> Foreign hackers targeted U.S. water plant in apparent malicious cyber attack, expert says By Ellen Nakashima
Foreign hackers caused a pump at an Illinois water plant to fail last week, according to a preliminary state report. Experts said the cyber-attack, if confirmed, would be the first known to have damaged one of the systems that supply Americans with water, electricity and other essentials of modern life.
Companies and government agencies that rely on the Internet have for years been routine targets of hackers, but most incidents have resulted from attempts to steal information or interrupt the functioning of Web sites. The incident in Springfield, Ill., would mark a departure because it apparently caused physical destruction.
Celebrate our anniversary and Black Friday with a SALE! Buy 1st item and get the 2nd item 50% off. From November 19th to November 26th.
It’s the time of year when we say thank you to our customers for supporting us for the last few years. It has been an amazing journey and we have loved every minute of it.
Just visit our store and you get to enter your name in the draw for an exclusive piece of jewelry.
We will be serving coffee and breakfast on Black Friday (November 25th) from 10am to 12 noon. Don’t forget to share this offer with your friends and family!
>Ridgewood council’s decision time nears on Valley proposal
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011 BY KELLY EBBELS STAFF WRITER THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
After five years of strained and divisive hearings on the Valley Hospital “Renewal” project, Village Council members are readying to decide the fate of the proposal.
This Tuesday, council members will, for the first time, publicly voice their thoughts on the proposal; they are expected to vote at the following meeting on Nov. 29.
The question of “Renewal,” which has taken the local limelight since it was first proposed in 2006, has been an acrimonious one for Ridgewood. Last June, when the Planning Board voted 6-1 to allow an amendment to the Master Plan that would permit the hospital to expand, police were called in from neighboring towns to handle an overflowing crowd outside George Washington Middle School.
>Press Release – Ridgewood Police Department On November 14, 2011 at 5:34 PM the Ridgewood Police responded to a report of a child struck by a motor vehicle on Overbrook Road. The accident occurred in thedriveway of 420 Overbrook Road. A vehicle driven by Mirjam Kaiser, 24, of Ridgewood,drove up the driveway of 426 Overbrook Road and crossed the grass to go arounda vehicle parked in the driveway. The 6 year old female was playing in front of theparked vehicle and was struck. The victim was transported to the Valley Hospital bythe Ridgewood Ambulance Corp. The victim was pronounced dead on the way to thehospital. No charges have been filed at this time and the investigation is ongoing. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Details emerge in death of child
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2011 BY MARLENE NAANES STAFF WRITER THE RECORD
Au pair who killed girl never saw her
RIDGEWOOD – Kelly Creegan, the 6-year-old fatally struck by a car on Monday, was playing in front of a parked car in a friend’s driveway when the accident happened, police said in a statement Thursday.
Mirjam Kaiser, 24, the friend’s au pair, drove up a neighbor’s driveway and crossed a grass median to get to her own driveway, hitting the child who was playing in front of a parked car there, police said. Kaiser did not see the girl, police said.
Kelly’s mother and the girl’s friend were there at the time, said Detective Christopher McDowell.
Kelly was taken to Valley Hospital and was pronounced dead on the way. No charges have been filed, and the investigation is ongoing, McDowell said.
Kelly, a first-grade student at Somerville School, was hit about 5:30 p.m. on Monday. Authorities have released few details on the incident, which Bergen County Prosecutor John L. Molinelli has described as a “tragic” accident.
Letter: Former fire chief James Bombace corrects ‘misleading’ statement
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
Former chief: Manager should be in charge
To the editor:
At the last council meeting, Deputy Mayor Tom Riche stated: “When the Emergency Operations Center is activated … all command and control immediately goes to the Emergency Operations Center and the director of Emergency Management. So the village manager theoretically at that point is no longer in charge.”
Nothing, however, could be further from the truth.
Downtown for the Holidays 2011 Fri, December 02, 2011 Time: 5:30 PM – 9:00 PM Location: By the NJ Transit Train Station, End of East Ridgewood Ave and Broad Street
Please come join us Friday December 2, 2011 for our annual tree lighting at the “traditional location” – east side of NJ Transit Train Station.
Shop and Dine in Ridgewood. Join us for dinner at one of Ridgewood’s finest. Make your reservations NOW!
The music starts on E. Ridgewood Avenue at 5:30pm, stage performances begins at 7:00pm, Tree Lighting Celebration around 7:30pm, stage entertainment over around 8:00pm
After the stage entertainment….
Entertainment back on the street from 8:00-9:00pm
In the park- Santa will be in his house from 8:00-9:00pm By the park- there will be a live band playing from 8:00-9:00pm with lots of surprises in between. Don’t miss the double-decker bus for picture taking!
Streets re-open at 9:00pm
This will be a fun and festive evening for the entire family.
E. Ridgewood Avenue will be closed off at 4:30pm. For more information, call 201-445-2600, info@ridgewoodchamber.com. facebook.com/twitter
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3RD:
If you want to continue the festivities: Join Santa for breakfast at Park West Tavern Call for reservations: 201-445-5400
Santa will be coming up E. Ridgewood Ave in a big village fire truck straight to Columbia Bank to give gifts to all visiting children from 10:00am- 2:00pm. Art of Motion will be entertaining from 10:00am-2:00pm.
10:30am- Free children’s holiday moviefor the entire family to enjoy!
11:00am- 4:00pm FREE Trolley rides for shoppers, children, and families Ride the Holiday Trolley every Saturday until Christmas! Memorial Park at Van Neste Square visit Santa at his Ridgewood home! Bring your list!!!!!!
>N.J. officials debate budget cuts as state revenue continues to fall short of projections
New Jersey’s revenue collections continue to fall short of projections, but whether the decline is related to severe weather or a stormy economy – or combination of both – is still uncertain. But no matter the cause, the steady declines have raised the possibility that the state might have to consider painful mid-year cuts to pay its bills.
“I am not ruling that out, but it’s too early to say.” said Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth), the ranking Republican on the Assembly Budget Committee. “We just have to keep an eye on the numbers, and see if the economy and Wall Street bounces back, but we’ll be ready to act.”
October revenue collections fell 3 percent short of projections, the third consecutive month the state has missed its target, according to figures released yesterday. Overall, the state has $210 million less revenue than it expected to collect in the first four months of the budget year, figures show. (Renshaw, The Star-Ledger)
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