Mrs. Price is not correct that there are two blocs. There is one bloc running, and there are also three independent candidates. Three candidates have intentionally aligned themselves together, that is Brooks Willett and Weitz. They made it very clear that they are together, and even ran a full-page ad in the Ridgewood News to this effect. The other three candidates are not a bloc. They are independent of each other. The fact is that many MANY people support the three of them, Walsh, Hache, and Voigt. That does not change the fact that the three of them are running independently.
Next, the Attorney for the Planning Board is paid by taxpayer dollars and as such that person works for the Village. You can depict it any which way you want, but the fact remains that the Planning Board Attorney is paid for by us. So there is nothing inaccurate or twisted in stating that one of the candidates, Richard Brooks, is married to the Planning Board Attorney and as such this looks like a conflict. Granted most of the Planning Board business does not come to the Village Council for consideration or action……but some things do. And there are two representatives from the Village Council who serve on the Planning Board. There would be a potential for husband and wife to be together in this. I’m sorry, if it looks like a conflict and it smells like a conflict then it must be a conflict.
Next, the comment about “tradespersons” possibly making more than $125 an hour…..this is wrong on so many levels. Now correct me if I’m wrong here, but it sure sounds like Mrs. Price thinks she is superior to “tradespersons” and therefore her measly $125 an hour should be increased because maybe a plumber or carpenter makes more. Kiss my A*** Mrs. Price Brooks. You don’t like your hourly wage? Then don’t take it. We can get another PB attorney, and we would be lucky to be rid of such a disgruntled one. You think lowly tradespersons should not make as much as you? I’m betting they do a much better job than you do!
HACHE VOIGT WALSH are the three to elect. Save us from four more years of this systematic destruction of Ridgewood.
Most difficult issues that we have at village need approval by both planning board and the village council. If we have husband and wife working at those two places, Gail Price at the planning board and Richard Brooks at the council, how is this not a conflict of interest?
Where the hell is John V. I can’t believe he has been so silent on all these post.
So is there general agreement we need an anti-nepotism law? I would support this.
I think the conflict here is being misrepresented. The problem as I see it is simply that it would be very hard for the Council or Planning Board to decide to change attorneys if the attorney’s husband is a Council member. Debating a change in compensation would be similarly fraught with conflict. We should not have relatives of Council members hired for Village positions. It creates too many management problems. And yes, I also think that is true for applicants to the police force, etc. Maybe we could exempt Board of Ed jobs since there is a separation there.
859 – – don’t forget the fact that even if gail price were to resign today, in the remote chance that Rich Brooks was elected, he may be precluded from voting on any issue on which she gave an opinion to the planning board. – – in other words, we would have an empty chair every time there was a discussion of the multifamily housing projects, Valley hospital, parking, etc. We would have an empty chair on every major issue facing the Village. But, perhaps that is exactly what is wanted by those supporting him, I don’t know.
I met with Richard Brooks privately and he said if elected his wife would resign…why is she not saying that if it were true? Why would he have said that if there is no conflict, or perception of a conflict?
And for the record, even if she did resign that would be meaningless. He is part of a trio that wants to continue the policy’s of the outgoing trio, Roberta and the stacked planning board.
Time for a change! Voigt, Hache and Walsh. Independent.
To say nothing of Ms. Price’s ability or inability to be influenced by her husband, were he to be elected to the Village Council, one member of the Village Council would potentially have outsized influence on the manner in which the planning board conducts its business. Ms. Price, as the Planning Board’s attorney, has, in Valley Hospital-related matters, seemed to advise the board in ways that cause board members to feel constrained to vote in certain ways. More particularly, on certain occasions during the Valley Hospital expansion hearings, Ms. Price and Valley’s attorney would get into a strange kind of rhythm that would seem to stifle public comment and thereby give Valley a procedural advantage. Valley would then parley that procedural advantage to allow it to build up the public record in such a way as to produce a substantive advantage when the time came for the Planning Board to hold a vote. Ms. Price may not necessarily have intended this. One certainly hopes she didn’t. But the decision-making independence of the planning board at times seemed unnecessarily curtailed due to these procedural concerns which were periodically vehemently urged onto Ms. Price by Valley’s attorney, almost as if the Board were being bullied or manhandled. Village residents had a reasonable expectation that Ms. Price would work urgently and effectively to alleviate that unusual circumstance but for some reason her professional or procedural influence never seemed to move things in that direction. Who knows why this was the case, but what with her husband angling for an elected seat on the Village Council with what seems like a decidedly pro-Valley Hospital bent, residents can be forgiven for suspecting that his election would grease the skids for a resolution of the current expansion dispute and litigation that would weigh too heavily in Valley’s favor.
8:59, this is not a nepotism issue and we need no such law. Ridgewood residents shouldn’t be made to fear being aced out of positions with the Village due to their family’s tendency toward public service. You are clealy tring to wedge a red herring into this discussion.
Anonymous May 3, 2016 at 9:25 am — his wife would resign but her firm may still represent. Same thing happened at the valley hearings few weeks ago. She excused herself but the attorney sitting at the dais is a good friend of hers and works for her law firm.
8:59 am Hi Roberta.
Sounds to me like he’s an empty chair.
8:21am-
I’ve pretty much stopped engaging here and on Facebook, thus the silence from me. The way people in this town speak to each and treat each other is just embarrassing. These forums have become an echo chamber of conspiracy, hostility, and hysteria. Even many people I respect seem to have gone off the deep end in how they are treating their fellow citizens. I don’t particularly care “who started it”, I’m just upset that people of all sides are continuing it. Perhaps things will change with a new council, whoever ends up being elected, but I have little hope. Thus, I’m spending my “free time” on more positive and productive and affirming hobbies. Nice job EVERYONE making Ridgewood so disappointing to a newcomer. Starting to think I should have picked a different community…
9:49 so if nepotism is not the issue what is?
Gail Price represented the Village, not Valley. (there is plenty of room for reasonable debate over whether she did a good or a bad job but legally she was on “our” side.) Why is there a conflict if the Councilperson has a relationship with a representative of Ridgewood? You cant have a conflict if you are on the same side. It would be like saying a lawyer represented me in litigation so I can’t hire that person’s wife. It makes no sense. There is no conflict if you are on the same side.
That’s why nepotism is the actual issue to discuss here. It is wrong in the corporate world and wrong in the private sector. We need to make sure our village can operate like a business not like an “old boys club” where the police chief is the nephew of the mayor.
Writing new laws wouldn’t help much. Let’s just not elect Brooks while replacing his wife’s law firm and there you go.
John V
We’ve lived this for the past 10 years. The level of disdain that the bodies that govern and plan for our future have had for the residents’ concerns has been frightening. It sounds like you missed the near riot in 2010 when residents were locked out of the PB meeting at GW when the Valley zone was originally amended.
This is why we are so vigilant. Decisions have been made without listening to residents. Even the last PB Whispering Woods meeting was a joke. They went through the motions and let residents speak but the outcome was preordained.
Thx for listening.
One thing has been made perfectly clear by Gail Price’s postings. She is unhinged and needs to be removed from such an important position.
John V you TOTALLY should have. Because people are just egging you on to see how obnoxious and slithering you can be.
Why did someone have to poke the bear. He’s the worst. I miss Rurik when John V gets involved. Go awayyyyyy John V! There’s another community with your name allllll over it…. Somewhere.
Gail and the daughter have LOST their damn minds. Please. I almost want them elected to have such entertainment for a while. Good grief. There’s just a LOT going on there.
Geezzzus……the PB Attorney has lost her mind. She is rambling and ranting. How much does she get paid? She is definitely paid way way too much.
8:28pm-
“Obnoxious”. “Slithering”. “The worst”. Thanks for proving my point about the way people treat each other in Ridgewood! What would you think if your kids were calling other people such names anonymously online?
I’m a citizen and a resident of Ridgewood, just like everyone else. I have kids and a wife and a dog. I own a house and pay my taxes. I work locally.
In addition to my own family, I have 14 other relatives living in town believe it or not. My great-grandfather lived on Hillcrest. My grandfather was president of the Upper Ridgewood Tennis Club.
Yes, I’ve offered opinions different than what many of said on these forums. But I have never been mean to anyone, and I’ve always been respectful. That’s the difference between me and you and many of the other commenters here and on Facebook. I treat people respectfully, no matter what their opinions are. You don’t.
It is the way people are treating each other that is ruining Ridgewood. It’s that simple.
John V- You are right in some respects about the way a few people treat others, but you’re old enough to realize that there are yo-yo’s wherever you go in life. The garage, HDH, the Valley debacle, and this extremely important election have brought out the worst in people ( well, some), But, an awful lot of that is frustration with the garbage that has been going on of late. I hate to say it, but a great deal of it is justified. You and your 14 relatives should be appalled that a small group of people are hell bent in ruining a really nice way of life for their own personal gain. My advice: You don’t come across as a dope, so ignore the jerks and keep contributing.
Bill H at 10:45am-
I initially thought it was just a few people as well. But over time several of the people that I disagreed with on the issues, yet still had a lot of respect for, started to use the same tactics that “the worst” in town were using. That was the last straw for me, thus leading to general disengagement. I don’t see much hope in the situation at this point. I’d be happy to re-engage once a civil discussion becomes possible again. At this point it just isn’t. I agree with you that the developers and politicians are probably more than 50% responsible here. That still doesn’t excuse everyone else’s behavior!
John, If several people are going out of their own comfort zone there must be something wrong which is making them frustrated.
Please look back at the valley hearings which you probably watched from home. So many residents went there, spoke eloquently and at the end of the hearings, the planning board members just read out their prepared statements. No-one was heard. There must be something wrong in the current government which is making that many people mad. It’s not that we want only our ideas implemented, we just want to get heard and be part of the discussion. Some of Ridgewood residents are very well qualified to provide their inputs.
People who were part of voter fraud in the past are backing up the block of Brooks, Willet and Weitz. They are donating heavily for their campaigns. Who will these elected council members represent if they know the residents mostly opposed them and the real estate lobby supported them? The three council members who have disturbed the long standing culture of Ridgewood of a non partisan government, are working hard to get a new ‘block of three’ elected, and that makes us VERY worried. If this block wins for next 4 years they will treat this as an approval of high density, valley, and most importantly the partisan politics and will go full speed on destroying the town.
Please don’t vote on one issue that you care too much about. Please look at long term (beyond the size of one building). Even Mike Sedon has now endorsed the three independent candidates. Take his word – I know you think he is a balanced guy 🙂
John V- Bottom line…People are fed up with a small group using Ridgewood for personal gain.
7:00pm-
1. To me, “going out of their comfort zone” does not describe someone who on no evidence accuses fellow residents of financial interest in an issue just b/c they have a differing opinion. I call that dirty, unethical tactics. When the “sane people” in town started doing that to their opponents, I realized it wasn’t worth it to engage anymore.
2. I agree that a vote for Willet, Weitz, and Brooks is a vote in support of more development. A vote for the other three is a vote for less development. The residents will be able to decide what they prefer.
3. I disagree that a vote for the Ridgewood 2020 group is a vote for “more of the same” in terms of partisanship or politics or lack of listening. I give people the benefit of the doubt. I hope if any of them win you all would do the same. The conspiracies being spun by people on this blog (and by Jeff Voigt for that matter) don’t give me much hope. Nor does the name calling and simple guilt by association that everyone here likes to play. Again, my basic conclusion is hopelessness on anything improving in terms of “getting along” after this election. That opinion has literally nothing to do with the candidates. It has everything to do with the way people in Ridgewood treat each other online and in person.
there you go again digging yourself in a hole 2020 is Willet, Weitz, and Brooks end of story
Bill H at 8:20pm-
I understand the facts and logic that would lead you to believe that development is all about personal gain for developers, but I consider it an incomplete picture of what’s going on. My views, as I’ve stated before:
Garage: Option D is the right balance. Issue is about a vibrant CBD, which is important fo business owners but also important for people like me that are heavy consumers of those businesses.
Housing: Slightly smaller than 35 units per acre makes sense for Ridgewood. More housing is very very important to society as a whole, not just developers. The future people who will live in such housing matter too. All towns should be building at somewhat greater density than is typically seen, Ridgewood included.
Valley: I know very little about the issue. Not sure valley has done “enough” to minimize the impacts the re-build will have on the village, both during construction and long-term. They really should be paying property taxes.
John V – Dude you need anti depression medication.
James, not sure what you are trying to say? I am aware that the Ridgewood 2020 group is Willet, Weitz, and Brooks. What I wrote above was that a vote for them seems very much like a vote in favor of more development. Whether a vote for them is a vote for more partisanship, vitriol, lack of listening, etc remains an open question. I would hope everyone would keep an open mind if any of them win.
John V: 9:11pm. Are you doing what you are telling others to not do? Naming calling for Jeff without providing any proof to substantiate your words?
10:42pm-
Sorry, was trying to keep it brief. Jeff Voigt conspiracy is trying to link garage height to train tunnel to NYC.
John V, 8:06 – How do you call that a conspiracy without knowing all the details, at the same time when you are asking us to keep an open mind for others?
8:11am-
I researched it extensively and found no linkage whatsoever between that tunnel project and the Ridgewood garage. If Jeff has evidence otherwise, I’d encourage him to present it. Until then, I’m very comfortable calling it an unfounded, unconfirmed conspiracy based on complete lack of evidence that there’s a linkage.
John , NJT wanted to build a garage at Ken Smiths , some time before you moved here , they also renovated the train station as “Key ” transit hub for NJT ,John please stop
8:45…John, I agree, some people are over the top with their nasty characterizations of you. I don’t agree with you but won’t attack you for your opinions. And, I think you have been respectful throughout this dialogue. The other side have their nasty attacks too, The Truth about Ridgewood FB page is a perfect example. It’s both sides. Quick question, in your research with respect to the garage, do you believe there is any connection between the garage and these high density developments? Also, Mt. Carmel and the surrounding area will be greatly impacted by the garage that does not fit on the lot and is 61 feet tall. Those for the garage NEVER tell people it’s 61 feet tall. To me, omitting information is lying. That is 11 feet taller than the church. It’s a negative for the church and a positive for SOME businesses. Personally, I think the church is more important in this decision. It will be there a lot longer than businesses. Now, if the 3 bloc council would have designed a garage that they were originally selling to voters…on the lot, a deck, it probably would be half finished now. But, because of the way it unfolded, the referendum, the lies and sneaky plotting to get it done was a last straw for many residents. Ridgewood is a wonderful town, the best! People are passionate, to a fault sometimes, but things will right themselves soon, I hope. And, as Bill Mc Cabe eloquently wrote, we can all get back to being neighbors, dads & moms and hang up our civic hats.
9:36 am pls stop engaging with him. Not worth it.
John V- Glad to see you’re back ! It’s just not “about personal gain for developers.” Besides developers, you have people who own restuarants wanting to build a garage when all you need are a couple of strategically placed decks for a hell of a lot less money. Do you need all that high density housing ? No. Does Valley need to expand on a postage-sized piece of property in a residential zone when they had(and have) options ? No.
But what this relatively “small group” of people do have in common is greed, and what they want to do is maximize that greed at the expense of ruining this town.
Anonymous at 9:36am-
Completely agree that both sides have been nasty. The current VC + “development” side have probably even been nastier, particularly since they have more power.
Re: garage and high density developments. No specific linkage I’ve found. The primary motivation really does seem to be about peak demand parking, particularly at night for the restaurant traffic. If the idea of having a garage in Ridgewood was brand new, I would be much more suspicious about the transit and housing as the “real motivation”. But a municipally funded garage has been discussed for decades in Ridgewood, back when those lots were still prosperous car dealerships and before “Midtown Direct” was even a thing for NJ Transit.
One thing I found was that there is an ordinance “on the books” currently that allows CBD residents to buy overnight permits in public lots. The fear would be that new multi-family developments wouldn’t build enough parking, thus incentivizing their residents to park in public lots at night. That ordinance should be re-written in some way to reduce that potential impact, such as by significantly increasing the price of an overnight permit in a village lot.
Agreed that garage process has been terrible, and that the presentation hasn’t been particularly honest and forthright. Even saying that, in my opinion building anything smaller than Option D is a waste of money when calculated on a cost per net new space basis. Some may conclude that means the Hudson St lot is just a bad site then for a garage. Others (like myself) may conclude that the height and density is a reasonable compromise. To each their own. Special election vote should reveal what people prefer in terms or trade-offs.
James at 8:50am-
The “key station” program was about prioritizing upgrades to improve handicapped accessibility, not about planning for transit-oriented development or parking: https://www.njtransit.com/tm/tm_servlet.srv?hdnPageAction=Project042To
It’s not surprising to me that Ridgewood would be designated such a priority, given the high-level of ridership and the fact that it is served by two lines. Do you know of a specific link between the Gateway project and the garage, or is this just another “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” sort of thing? That’s fine if so, but Jeff V is presenting it as if it’s the primary motivation, which is just crazy to me.
John V,
My opinion is that we could spend a lot less money by buying the Ken Smith property thru eminent domain if necessary and making that permanent parking. Rip down the old buildings and you’ve got even more spaces. Finally, reline parking spots in the streets for diagonal parking and you have a low impact, probably lower cost solution. Plus it will be in a better spot. Problem solved! As you mention, usually there are enough spots so why spend 10m plus on a solution for peak usage? It won’t be used most of the time therefore it’s a waste of money to build the structure. The parking garage would only be used at peak times because, face it, nobody wants to park in a garage when there’s street parking available like there is most of the time back there.
Hi Hohm – actually the special election won’t reveal that at all. You are smart enough to have figured that out by now!
sorry meant John!