the staff of the Ridgewood blog
In Ridgewood, NJ, political competition hasn’t always come down to just policy or popularity. For some Village Council candidates, campaigns have taken unexpected turns, sometimes facing challenges beyond the usual debate stage.
The recent hullabaloo over resident Steve Kim reaching out to council candidate Frank Mortimer’s employer is unfortunately nothing new. Back in April 2014, Village Council candidate Michael Sedon encountered one of these challenges when his employer received an anonymous letter targeting his campaign. This letter led to Sedon being forced out of his job, sparking concerns among residents about potential political influence over candidates’ employment. Sedon’s experience isn’t an isolated case; years later, candidate Melanie Hooban faced similar issues. Running as a single mom, Hooban found herself not only criticized personally but also released from her job after her employer cited a conflict between her employment terms and a council run.
Concerns over political influence in Ridgewood have been prevalent for years, with suspicions about political pressures leading to employment-related consequences. The Ridgewood Blog, an outlet advocating for transparency, has continued to allow anonymous comments as a way to protect residents who may fear reprisal for expressing their views. During a League of Women Voters forum, Mayor Paul Vagianos assured residents that reaching out to employers would not be tolerated, claiming, “This is not who we are.” However, some believe that this sentiment doesn’t match Ridgewood’s reality, with former candidates like Sedon and Hooban both faced repercussions for simply putting their names on the ballot.
As Ridgewood’s political landscape evolves, stories like these remind residents of the importance of supporting free speech and fair competition. Political change may be challenging, but for Ridgewood’s aspiring leaders, a fair and transparent process remains the ultimate goal.
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Halloween?
that photos gives me the sh$t$
Me too
change your pants
Except for the d-bag comment courtesy of Jeff voight, “I think I am the only one here with a job” might have been the second best insult from the dias.
Bullet Vote Kwak.
I did, on Sunday.
Remember; it was PAMELA PERRON who openly questioned the “legality” of The Ridgewood Blog. Surely an sleazy attempt on her part to squash free speech.
Mr. Sedon was running against a slate backed by Paul Aronsohn, and Ms. Hooban challenged Paul Vagianos.
Is Mr. Pucciarelli single again?
Wow. Well there’s the pots calling the kettle black.
Also didn’t something similar happen to Melanie Hoban when she was running?
Yes it did. Laurie Bender Weber wrote a TOTALLY FALSE condemnation of Melanie, this propelling Vagianos to victory. Thanks Laurie
funny to see a couple of vags signs with large red x thru them
I don’t trust anybody from the village scammers
And there are plenty of Vagianos, Perron, Mortimer signs in Glen Rock.
BTW, the are a lot of “Open Letter To Glen Rock” signs in GR, one of them right by the post office.
It is VERY worthwhile to scan the QR code and read the letter about what’s going on. You could just as easily be talking about Ridgewood.
And the “resignation” technique to get our Mayor incumbency for the election was used way before they dumped Biden.
So now we have a one party council and opposing party vote winners always seem to be overtaken when the absentee and mail votes are counted.
This doesn’t pass the “Smell Test”