Reader Spells out the Differences in the Village Council Candidates
While the papers have been giving you the impression that all 3 candidates are the same it is an over-simplification. Knudsen and Sedon have been attending VC and PB meetings for years because they are genuinely interested in the municipal issues and feel they can contribute sound, non-partisan perspectives.
Jim Albano has only started to attend these meetings since his candidacy. Why did he suddenly become so interested in our municipality that he wanted to be on the council? How about attending a meeting first? How about reading the paper and submitting a Letter to the Editor? How about standing up at ONE of the 7 years of Valley Hospital meetings to speak out (either for or against)? How about attending a meeting on the downtown development? He has been interviewed by all the grassroots organizations in town and all of them found him to be a pleasant person that loves Ridgewood, but was totally unprepared to have a meaningful conversation on the big issues in town including, but not limited to development, budget, services, parking, shared services, schools,etc.
This is all in addition to the fact that he has only voted twice in a municipal election in over 20 years (doesn’t sound too interested in Ridgewood to me!) and he has failed to submit tax returns on behalf of the RBSA, for which he is President, for at least 6 years and has not informed the RBSA members that their donations have not been tax deductible all that time. You might hear him tell you where he stands on things, but he has no track-record to prove it. That’s why I’m voting Sedon and Knudsen. Hope that helps.
This is one thing the reader neglected to spell out. Has anyone asked mike how many meetings he attented after he let the ridgewood news and he wasn’t being paid to attend. is it true that mike was being paid to attend and cover those meetings by the ridgewood news who he was working for at the time. I wonder if he wasn’t being paid if he would be at those meetings. I’m betting with young children he probably be a coach or volunteer to one of the sports groups in town.
Please watch the debate video and decide for yourself who to vote for; you will be glad you did. It was an eye-opener for me.
https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/46870228
Sums it up perfectly.
Mike left the Ridgewood news early in 2011. He has been to almost every council meeting since and most of the planning board meetings. That’s 3 years going while he was not employed by the Ridgewood News. If you’ve ever been to one, you’d know he’s always there. Also-if you’ve ever been to one, you’d know they can be torturous and you really have to be interested to stay awake!
So let me get this stright # 4 mr/ms anonymous. You will vouch that mike was at all meetings since he left the ridgewood news. Are you the attendance taker at these meetings. Oh wait they only take attendance of the sworn in officials. Is there another mr/ ms anonymous that can vouch mr/ms anonymous ?
best more on , lets face it your guy was according to him working 12 hours a day and almost never voted in a muni election or in his words attended a meeting
Please watch the debate video and decide for yourself who to vote for; you will be glad you did. It was an eye-opener for me.
https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/46870228
He isn’t my guy. It’s just a question when anonymous person can vouch for someone. Can you prove that YOU are at all the meetings. That’s what’s wrong with this media a anonymous person can vouch for someone. How about next planning/council meeting you wear a name tag mr/ms anonymous and I’ll introduce my self to you. That’s if you are even there. I find it difficult to digest special intrest groups are endorsing 2 people with combined total of 21 yrs in our village. To me his voting record doesn’t mean a thing. It’s his 40 plus yrs in the village witch spells to me experience and knowledge of the happenings of the town. Unless he lived in a cocoon I’m sure he knows the issues. So to me 40 yrs plus trumps 22 combined
and the fact that the RBSA mislead donors , knowingly violating the law is no big deal ?
Come on James I took you for a intelligent guy. Do you have proof that they mislead donors knowingly ? In the country I live in your innocent until proven guilty. Funny I see how your game is played. Your bat your ball your blog you write what you want. You get backed into a corner you switch gears. James a question for you. Are you even a tax payer in our village ?
you are kidding right?- Tax court is Napoleonic Code Guilty until proven innocent , donors were put at risk and if a big one gets audited , I wouldn’t want to be you
I don’t hold the lack of filing against Mr. Albano and, for me, it is a non-issue in this election. I know, and like, all of the candidates. But I did watch the video (several times, in fact) and my votes will be going to Sedon and Knudsen because they are simply better informed and seem to be more genuinely interested in the outcome of several huge issues facing our Village. Despite the fact that some consider them to be “newbies”, they seem to have put in an tremendous amount of time and effort into our Village. It is the breadth of their experience, rather than the length of their residency, that I am weighing in their favor.
non issue for you big issue for a town that had a guy just take $460 grand from the parking meters and a big issue for those that donated
#5 yes, Mike is at almost every meeting. I bet you aren’t. He definitely is. Long before he was running for office he was there. He is interested. Get it? Mike actually cares.
I’m not kidding. Why would I kid. I’m asking if you have proof that they KNOWINGlY mislead donors. I think someone didn’t do what was suppose to done. Honest mistake maybe. Any case thank you for the healthy conversation it will be over tomorrow May the best man man oh woman win !
This guy acts like another one who wants to insult the intelligence of the majority of residents in this town. He shows up at the PB meeting the other night, salutes the flag, says hello to the Ridgewood News reporter, and leaves. (But HE DID show up !)
And some people will vote for this guy. What a country !
According to the IRS website, a letter went to every organization that had lost its tax-exempt status due to failure to file forms. This letter was sent in 2011. Somebody at the RBSA received it…and filed it.
When the treasurer took off some years ago, wouldn’t the president have been expected to find somebody to review the books and make sure everything was in good shape?
This didn’t happen yesterday, either.
Regarding Mike Sedon’s longevity as a resident, doesn’t anybody remember that Aronsohn had lived here for maybe a couple of years before running for council? He picked our town as a target, moved to it, and got himself elected by the innocent electorate that had never seen such politicking before. This was to be a steppingstone to higher office, but the big guys don’t seem interested, so he has stayed put.
For his next act he pulled in two bewildered residents who had never considered running for council as long as they would do his bidding. Sure enough, has had his 3-2 vote on countless important issues.
Now he has selected a fourth potential sycophant to do his bidding in a four-year term that would continue for a couple of years beyond the 2016 election, when he might personally be gone. And yes, with any luck at all he and his compadres will quit or be booted off the council two years from now and we can return to sanity in this town if they have not managed to destroy it completely.
Okay, I’ll bite at your vitriol #17. Mr. Pucciarelli and Ms. Hauck are “bewildered residents” ? What 3-2 votes exactly are you complaining about ? Please be specific and point to important votes where the future of our Village was “destroyed”.
Albano is a puppet candidate with some sad little tale of woe about us needing another baseball field. So they give him that and he votes in favor of doubling the size of the hospital, putting up all those new condos and then giving that guy who stole from the parking meters his job back?
You are right in everything except parking meter job. Rumor has it the the Deputy Mayor friend retired police captain has his eye on that job. That will be the vote.