Readers call for outside counsel to investigate conflict of interest’s between Gwen Hauck and Valley
I don’t think Matt Rogers should be the one to weigh in on this. I think we need to consult outside counsel so that it’s all above board. If she really took money from Megan Fraser, Vice President and officer of Valley Hospital only days before an election that would give her voting power to their fate, she should recuse herself.
Why else would Megan Fraser have given her the donation? And I believe it is different than Walsh and Riche in that the ad CRR and PGC put in the paper just told people to vote for them – it didn’t pad their campaign coffer. I went online to see the documents that Hauck submitted. She clearly did not post all of her financials correctly.
That will be the next snafu for her, not reporting all her campaign monies correctly. I’m sure people are already notifying the authorities and we’ll see her slapped with a fine. Otherwise we will all call Ridgewood News for $400 full page color ads! Did she really expect us to believe that?
An independent counsel investigation is a good step – provided it can be acomplished in a timely manner. Otherwise Hauck gets to cast her (less than impartial and objective) vote
Not if the PB does the right thing. I trust they will.
what is difference between having an ad paid for or donating the money directly to the candidate. Seems to me like you just don’t like her which is fine, but giving Richie and Walsh a pass is laughable. I thought the reason you give money to a particular candidate is because they believe in what you believe in.
#3 wrote ”
what is difference between having an ad paid for or donating the money directly to the candidate. Seems to me like you just don’t like her which is fine, but giving Richie and Walsh a pass is laughable. I thought the reason you give money to a particular candidate is because they believe in what you believe in.”
Bingo!
Residents that put themselves out there as candidates for positions such as these tend to be serial volunteers by nature…..and I don’t mean that in a bad way. To expect them to have had no connection to groups or causes that are parties to the resolutions they vote on is a bit unrealistic. Those that would qualify as such are the ones that no one would vote for in the first place.
Who gave Mr. Richie a pass? He’s already voted yes AND no on the issue. As for Mrs. Walsh, she’s never worked for any of the organizations that supported her the way Mrs. Hauck worked for Valley. No comparison.
Are we equating cleaning out a public pond with the Girl Scouts once a year with spending years raising millions of dollars for a (I don’t care what its legal category is) for-profit hospital at countless social events, including their biggest annual “do”s?
How come her avid boosterism about Valley was suddenly tempered, at least in public, once Aronsohn had personally tapped her to become his third vote for anything he wanted as a 3-2 majority? He personally called Pucciarelli, too. Yes, he is that devious and more.
Get her off the dais NOW for any upcoming meetings or hearings and especially the biggest council decision Ridgewood has seen in a very long time. Do residents understand that this vote would not just be to let Valley expand, but to CHANGE THE MASTER PLAN OF THE TOWN?
Is this the person you want as the deal breaker determining an epic change?
Yes, she came in third in the May 2012 election by a tiny number of votes. That is no mandate of the people, especially considering how relatively few residents vote at all (which is sad).
If the Planning Board says no, fine. But if they say yes again, things will proceed swiftly. Raising the recusal issue at that time would be too late.
I cannot believe the CRR folks have not looked into this.
Even if she did all the volunteering in the world, she still accepted ( for her campaign) money from an Officer of Valley Hospital days before the election.