Reader says Ridgewood is actually the perfect place to screw the taxpayers. Why? Because Ridgewood types are completely oblivious to matters of local government
The impression I get out of all of this, is that Rica was the only person who was flat-out stealing in the pure sense of the word. Although still stealing by definition, the other shrinkage was probably all down to a sense of entitlement by certain other employees who felt it was perfectly acceptable for the Village to pay for their coffees, lunches, etc. I believe that this was an ingrained practice, going back years, probably unofficially sanctioned by certain senior officials. I believe it was this aspect that made the prosecution of Rica very tricky.
You know, I came to Ridgewood almost 20 years ago, and I naively thought that it was probably above all this kind of crap that so often affects municipalities of a lower class standing. I admit that this was naive. I thought the Village was somehow a reflection of the general high levels of sophistication of its residents. Please stop laughing. I really did. Coin Boy and its wider story is just the latest chapter in my utter disgust at municipal government. Who remembers the on-duty cop who was busted for having sex with an under-age girl at the back of Starbucks? Not only did he not go to jail, but he kept his job! That was real am-I-living-in-an-alternate-universe result.
The more I study New Jersey’s enormous history of municipal government issues of corruption, nepotism, laziness, cronyism, etc., it makes for extremely depressing reading. I now think that I had Ridgewood completely the wrong way around, and that it’s actually the perfect place to screw the taxpayers. Why? Because Ridgewood types are completely oblivious to matters of local government, being caught up in their stressful Wall St jobs, their busy social lives, and best of all, the transient nature in which they live here just for the school years.
For those who don’t easily sport sarcasm, the last bit is just that.
You know folks, let’s just laugh it off at our next cocktail party. Just one bad apple, right? This is a great town. You know, they actually come round the back and pick up my garbage. What a town!
So very true nothing ever really goes wrong in fantasy land.
Ha!
The laughing stock of bergen county……
How utterly pathetic…….
In addition to our wonderful record on municipal fovernmnet in Ridgewood, it looks like NJ is also doing a good job at screwing unsuspecting taxpayers as well https://watchdog.org/199387/new-jersey-expensive-roads/
Couldn’t agree more: the history of corruption, nepotism, laziness, and cronyism in Ridgewood is stunning… It’s the perfect place to screw the taxpayers, exactly because so many residents are oblivious to local government matters. Most residents are caught up in our stressful jobs, commutes, after-school and extra-curricular shuttles, and too many are transient, i.e. they llive here just for the school years. Meanwhile, the municipal unions have racked up decades of wage and longevity bonus growth at rates 2 times inflation. They’ve insulated themselves from any increases in health care costs while the rest of us pay higher and higher out-of pocket premiums. In addition to funding the BoE, our property taxes fund $22,000 comprehensive health care plans for maximum $480/year out-of-pocket premiums for municipal workers. Taxpayers bear all of the liability for any annual increase. How is this fair?
It’s not just Ridgewood; the state is screwing taxpayers every chance they get. Here’s the real reason why the Dumbocrats in Trenton want to raise gasoline taxes by 25 cents a gallon: New Jersey pays 12 times above U.S. average for roads at $2,027,711 per mile on the 3,338 miles of state administraed roads and highways. The second-highest state is Massachusetts at $675,312 per mile, with a very similar number of milles, yet NJ spent triple that. So instead of just raising gasoline taxes to fund this black hole, why aren’t we asking the obvious question: “Why does the New Jersey spend 12X more on its highway system than any other state? And how did the Transportation Trust Fund end up with $15 billion in debt?” https://watchdog.org/199387/new-jersey-expensive-roads/
https://watchdog.org/200210/nj-100k-pensions-double/
Since the 1980s, unelected Village managers and Village Councils elected with less than 5% of the eligible vote have agreed to cozy collective bargaining contracts with our municipal workers. The BoE, also elected with less than 5% of the eligible vote, has done the same with teachers & school administrators. And what is the result? Elected officials, Village managers and the BoE for the past 35 years have promised away benefits the Village couldn’t realistically afford. As an example, more than 80% of participants in health plans are enrolled in NJDirect 10 or NJDirect 15, where benefits exceed the “platinum” plans available through federal health exchanges. From 2018, a new 40% excise (i.e. “luxury”) tax on those health plans that exceed a federal cost threshold will cost NJ $58 million in, rising to $284 million by 2022. Who will pay for that? 100% taxpayers.
who pays $ 480 the police. not the little man in a town job. the police and fire need to pay what the rest of the workers do. it,s more then 480, so people get your info right.
Agreed info man, it’s not fair that a select few public safety employees and retirees up to age 65 get “platinum” health care plans worth $22,000 a year for an out of pocket maximum of $480 for life, plus the Village has to bear the entire cost of any premium increase above and beyond that amount. They also have low doctor’s visit co-pays of $15 and branded drug co-pays of only $10. How is that fair to the rest of us who pay much higher annual premiums, co-pays, and out of pocket maximums for similar comprehensive coverage? Why are there no limitations on preexisiting conditions or any health screens when switching plans during open enrollment periods? It would be nice if the Village Manager, Mayor and Police & Fire Chiefs could answer these questions given taxpayers seem to bear unlimited liability for the future costs of these promises while the employees are protected.