I am new to Ridgewood, so here comes a newbie question –
Were previous village managers also as politically active as the current one? i.e. supporting and promoting specific council members and their agenda, and withholding information from other council members? Shouldn’t that be a politically neutral position?
I have wondered why the village manager , Roberta Sonenfeld has been such a vocal supporter for the council.
In the past is was a low key position, the managers just did their job.
Schoenfield was a member of the self proclaimed “Tiger Team” that worked as a self-important financial advisory committee. Now we have a permanent financial advisory committee that also is active in promoting the council projects. They are intertwined and hardly objective.
Roberta thinks she is an elected official. She is NOT. She publicly disagrees with and argues with Michael Sedon and Susan Knudsen. She never EVER does this with the other three. So, yes, she supports the agenda of the three amigos in meetings, in public, on Facebook, etc. it is disgusting. She is the hired help. She has no right to promote her own agenda or that of anyone on the council. She also,reprimands members of the public, including last week a child who spoke. She is an embarrassment to the village, for sure. But July 1 is coming and she will be gone.
Thanks James. This subject deserves it own spot. The Queen Bee is the council majorities enforcer. If you tow the party line you be unemployed.
She was hired by this council, in a 3-2 vote. It all seems very calculated and planned. Maybe our government needs to be reevaluated. Maybe we should go to a 7 person council with representatives from different districts. Way too much power for 3 people to have, the current 5 person council are suppose to be independent. This 3 bloc vote system in place right now is dangerous and should be better regulated by our village attorney who seems to be asleep. He has failed in his role as an independent attorney too. His position should be reconsidered also. Hopefully, we will never have a politician on the Dias again. He has done so much damage to the village, just a few more months and we will have so many reasons to celebrate!
Her position is a paid position. Is favoring specific council people allowed for a paid village employee? It’s now an open secret that she shared the maser report only with three council members before the Nov elections, and withheld it from other two until Dec.
We can only switch to a 7 person council in election years. This year I belive would be our option. Not at all sure the process. I’ve often wondered if that’s not a bad option, but adding more chefs to the soup at this point is a gamble.
Roberta does not seem to realize her acting skills are sub par at best. Her theatrics behind the podium and feigned shock at the residents who call BS on her- it’s getting old. As is her blatant irritation at the sight of certain neighbors who come to speak.
It amazes me anyone could take a position like that in THIS town, and then act as if Ridgewood residents are a bunch of undereducated, lazy, uninvolved, idiots.
The 4 of them up there, praise and pet each other in the most obvious way. I am sort of mind bent that more people don’t address this.
Is there any legal way to put a stop to this nonsense?
You are all a bunch of idiots. The other village managers are gone because they sucked at their jobs. At least Roberta communicates with residents and tries to provide a higher level of essential services. Stop making everything about politics.
She’s in it for the career. She simply knows who her paymasters are. That’s all.
Newbie, who fed you this question? Let me guess
Agreed 10:56, previous VMs were awful and Roberta actually cares about the Village unlike the previous carpet bigger who went AWOL during the Halloween storm of 2011 to tend to his affairs in Saddle River
yes because Gabbert got a $12,000 still making les than Tenhove the Village goes in the tank for $12- maybe 15 million by the time this is over on a county owned garage
James, whatever happened to previous bonding for a municipal garage? Where did those funds go because the Village is still paying interest on that bond but no garage was ever built. Did it go to fund the annual 4%+ salary increases from 2009 to 2015 for public safety employees when inflation was under 2% and we were in a Great Recession for three of those years?
Roberta provide a higher level of essential services.?? Can you please name one example “Anon Y Mous”?
she will be gone, and all her cron,s too,, yea her.
Time to clean from the top in the spring, first with her, then a few more.
James you are being horribly misogynistic picking on Ms. Sonenfeld the way you do. Would you have done that if she were a man? What is it you have against a strong leader who happens to be a woman? You are against her for supporting the garage. Supposedly all five members of the Village Council support the Hudson Street Garage but the disagreement is in the detail. Or are the Dynamic Duo being less than truthful with their supposed support? Yes, Ms. Sonenfeld is the best Village Manager in living history. Look at how efficiently she rallied her Team to clear the snow and leaves. And yes, under her leadership $500,000 in quarters will not disappear into thin air. And she will not go AWOL next time we get hit by a hurricane. And to all those who want to get rid of her, you may well succeed, but be careful with what you wish for. Ridgewood will be the loser.
Rurik please get up to speed with this blog , no one got more criticism than Tenhove as for playing the anti women card its pathetic even for , as for you , but thanks for the laugh
There you go again 11:40. You know they can’t take bond money to pay for salaries and benefits. You must be from the hand pick bootlickers that are on the financial advisory board or maybe a former member.
Hey Albert i thought you have a day job. They allow you to post during working hours?
Roberta has no business………..NONE WHATSOEVER………..interjecting her opinion into anything. She takes sides and argues with the Council Majority and with residents. No, Sir Rurik, this is not about her being a woman. What a pitiful sidetrack you are trying to get on. Her double-X chromosome is not at issue here. What is at issue is that she is way way too big for her britches, so to speak. She thinks she is an elected official when she absolutely is not.
Far as I know there are five elected officials. I do not recall seeing Roberta’s name in the voting booth. Her opinion is of no importance to any discussion and I wish she would keep her mouth shut. There are two very obvious misogynists in the bunch – one wears his balding head for all to see and one covers his with a cheap rug. They have no use for women, none. If Roberta were not doing their calling, talking their talk, walking their walk, they would oust her instantly.
James: Property values? If you were a responsible journalist and not a hack, this is one important issue you will be addressing. Yes, a key driver in building up Ridgewood’s property values is to have a dynamic CBD. And yes, a vital CBD is what I have been fighting for. And yes, to preserve you have to renew. Leave it to the pathetic vocalantis and their Amen Corner on on the Village Council and Ridgewood’s CBD will do nothing but continue its slow path to oblivion.
the KEY driver in Ridgewood is the Ridgewood School system and next the towns uniqueness, a monstrous county run garage for commuters will have a negative impact on the CBD ie traffic and not help merchants much if at all , a vital CBD is a fringe benefit at best . The high density housing will be the last nail in the coffin making Ridgewood just another NJ town like Hackensack, Irvington , or Union city . The school district will also be inundated by new faces, requiring massive infrastructure improvements along with water , roads, and sewers which will push taxes through the roof ,creating more high density housing further depressing property values .
Saddle River has high property values and low taxes. Must be their thriving CBD
Rurik Halaby – your buddies are doubling up metered parking rates (or 4 times compared to 2014) and increasing the meter hours to 9pm – will that vitalize CBD?
Rurik is using the same methodology as the Obamabots, where if you criticize him you are automatically a racist. Rurik went straight for the sexism card.
so wheres the bond money 1:29? i don’t see a municipal garage. it freed up other funds to pay wages & benefits, did it?
No can’t use bond money to pay salary but I already told you that on another post. Just goes to show me that you are a shit stirrer. Maybe it went to your 0% tax increase. So you got two years of no tax increase and your going to pay for it over 30 years with interest. You must be a past member or current member of the bootlicker club aka Ridgewood financial advisory board.
It seems to me Mr Halaby that there no greater Misogynists than Albert and Paul.
Mr Halaby has conflated his Valley Hospital cheer with the Village council cheer “To preserve you have to renew”.
What does that mean?
Mr Halaby – drive on MAIN roads of village today, and you will find out how good a job is being done for Snow Removal. Then drive a few extra minutes and go to any neighboring town and see what is called ‘good job’ for snow removal.
5:11, you seem to be in the know. Where’s the money from the previous municipal bonding for a garage that was never built? Why won’t you answer a simple question given you seem to have knowledge?
I am so sick of the adage that change is necessary and good in all instances. Come on, sometimes things are best left just the way they are, if things are going well. For example, do you change spouses when things are fine? Get rid of your beloved dog just because? Buy a new house even though you love the one you are in? Of course not. Change is not good in all instances and I am sick of the way the people who oppose the GIGANTIC garage are considered to be obstructionists or sticks-in-the-mud.
I don’t know where the money went I know if you bond something you cannot spend the money on anything thing else. No special knowledge just a little research. You should try it sometime instead of throwing out the wages and benefits card
“There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right direction”- Churchhill
Hey 8:44 go to the next council meeting and asked them or Queen Bee .
Here comes the change queen.
If you don’t want to do that you could e-mail the Council or VM. Go to the Village of Ridgewood web site and you will find the addresses. When they answer you please let us know where the money is.
Here you go 8:44. See you should do a little research before you post. It would make you look a whole lot smarter. As you read the article pay attention to YOUR MAYOR’S said when he was a councilman.
The Ridgewood Village Council passed a resolution Tuesday night essentially canceling the balance on a bond ordinance and saving taxpayer money on interest payments. But, officials said, the ordinance itself is still active and could be used down the road to borrow the money again.
The unanimous vote authorizes the chief financial officer to pay back $1.6 million left over from a $3 million bond ordinance.
The bond was originally issued to begin work on a proposed parking garage at the North Walnut Street municipal parking lot and it was used to pay for environmental studies that revealed the presence of hydrocarbons at the site; the property had been home to many gas stations in past decades.
Some of the money was also used in an attempt to purchase the Town Garage property next to the municipal parking lot through eminent domain. That property was needed to build a proposed 360-space parking structure, which would have included nearly 40,000 square feet of retail.
Money was used to declare the North Walnut Street lot a “blighted area in need of redevelopment” based on the results of the environmental study. The project began with the previous council, but the current village council voted the project down, leaving the fate of the remaining bond up for debate for the past year.
According to figures provided by Village Manager Ken Gabbert to resident Boyd Loving, who spoke during the public comment portion of the meeting, giving back the leftover money will save Ridgewood taxpayers about $1,500 a month in interest payments.
“Every 30 days you are holding on to that money, taxpayers are spending $1,500 of interest for a yearly total of $18,000, according to the memo that Dr. Gabbert gave me,” Loving explained.
The council held the meeting on Tuesday night because an interest payment on the bond is due by Jan. 22.
The move to not cancel the actual bond ordinance will allow the council to borrow up to $1.6 million again if it decided to use the funds to remediate the contaminated North Walnut Street municipal parking lot or purchase the Town Garage property.
Mayor David Pfund mentioned “flipping” that money to a proposed parking deck at a Hudson Street municipal lot, but Gabbert informed him that doing so would require a new ordinance since the money was originally bonded for a project in the North Walnut Street Redevelopment District.
Councilwoman Anne Zusy asked how difficult it would be to borrow the money again if the council were to proceed with a project on North Walnut Street. Gabbert said that it would take at least two months to introduce and adopt another ordinance, not including the time it would take to negotiate a purchase price for the Town Garage property with its current owner, Ridgewood 120 LLC, should that be the route the council takes.
Pfund described the ordinance as an “unfunded authorization” that would allow the town to borrow the remaining $1.6 million to purchase the Town Garage property if it decided to move in that direction.
“You can cancel the ability to borrow under this bond by being in a position of revising or amending the ordinance, or canceling the ordinance that’s in existence. That’s a separate vote,” said Village Attorney Matt Rogers. “This is a resolution to specifically deal with the cancellation of the amount to reduce the bond to what we’ve used, basically.”
After Deputy Mayor Keith Killion suggested the council discuss purchasing the Town Garage property, Rogers said the conversation should be saved for closed session.
Councilman Paul Aronsohn went on record with his long-held position that he was not in favor of purchasing the Town Garage property, and he felt the bond ordinance should be canceled Tuesday night.
“I’ve been directed by the council to contact the other side [Ridgewood 120 LLC] to see if there was a way that we could negotiate a price for the property,” Rogers said. “That’s all my charge was, Paul. That’s all I was asked to do.”
Rogers also noted that in order to cancel the bond ordinance a “super majority,” or four votes, would be required. A super majority is necessary for any action to take place regarding a bond ordinance, he said.
“With the issue of remediation still outstanding, and the issue of possibly purchasing Ridgewood 120 LLC, 120 Franklin Ave., unresolved, but under consideration, this is what I thought,” Rogers said.
Councilman Pat Mancuso discussed a Jan. 6 council meeting, during which a $1.75 million estimate was given in relation to constructing one level of parking at a Hudson Street lot.
“This is what I’ve wanted to achieve, spreading out the parking,” Mancuso said. “I am not for the big parking garage on Franklin, I am not for that at all. And I agree with Paul — let’s vote on it, get it out of the way and move forward.”
Killion added that a past parking committee recommended “six or seven years ago” to construct single levels of parking at a variety of municipal lots throughout the Central Business District. Zusy said that the same thought was submitted as part of recommendations made by a more recent parking committee, of which she was a member.
Pfund almost ended the meeting without a vote, but Aronsohn and Killion pushed for a formal vote to pay back the remainder of the bond to avoid paying interest on money that the council is not going to use right now.
“So this vote is showing our approval and desire that the money gets paid back so there’s no interest,” Pfund said just before the vote was taken.
See 8:44 you can use your computer for other thing. Be informed. Make sure you read the whole article and what each Council Member said it will surprise you.
So where was the $1.4mn spent if they only paid back $1.6mn of a $3mn bond? The article mentions some of the $3mn was used to pay for environmental studies that revealed the presence of hydrocarbons at the contaminated North Walnut Street site, and some of the money was also used in an attempt to purchase Ridgewood 120 LLC, 120 Franklin Ave, i.e. the Town Garage property next to the municipal parking lot through eminent domain. Those environmental studies and an “attempt” top buy Ridgewood 120 LLC, which obviously failed, cost $1.4 million? That smells pretty bad.
Thank you 9:38. That was very helpful. Some how we have moved away from spreading out the parking to a single massive garage, leaving the contaminated site at Walnut un remediated and still seeping toxins and now moving to an agreement with the BCIA that will cost us more than bonding ourselves and will open the garage to the county. Commuters may benefit but diners and shoppers will not park there. There will be no attendant according to,Roberta and I believe that will create safety concerns.
12:37 – Linda – if there is going to be no attendant, then the “height” of the garage is going to go up by another 4 feet from what’s being shown to us now. Currently the roof level has a 3 feet wall as per the drawings. 3 feet is low enough for an accident. That will go “UP” once that happens.
Thats a good question 11:42. I will try to do some more research to get the answer but the above was all I found on the subject.
Nothing on the web 11:42. I would suspect they went throw the money on attorney and studies. Remember this garage study went on for some time even before the above council talked about returning the money. I guess the only way to really know is OPRA the information. To the point of other posters the Village can really spend money and when they say that a garage is only cost 12 million don,t believe it.
7:37AM – when was this money spent? There is a 350K environmental study for Hudson Street lot in 2010, and then the environmental studies were done again for the Hudson St lot in 2014/2015:
https://archive.ridgewoodnj.net/agenda/SHORT4.1410a.htm
3251 – Hudson Street Parking Lot Environmental Investigation ($350,000) – Funds an environmental investigation and related engineering in connection with the Hudson Street parking lot
Hey guys to use Alberts words “I have a day job” Do the work yourself.