There’s a real conflict if he is voting on things or even commenting on things that could affect his clients or potential clients. He can add his comments from the podium along with the rest of us. Did the council know he was actively involved in real estate projects in Ridgewood when they appointed him? What the hell were they thinking????
Even if he currently does not do business with these firms he may hope to work with them in the future.
He should enter the discussions because of his experience but he should not vote.
Thurston is not afraid of developers . . . he IS a developer.
Mr. Thurston has been active as a Real Estate Professional for over 30 years. After graduating from Law School in 1982, Mr. Thurston spent two years in Dallas, Texas practicing real estate law. He then moved back east and spent the next four years practicing real estate law in Philadelphia and Manhattan at the law firms of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Shea and Gould. In 1987 he left legal practice and joined The Binswanger Company headquartered in Philadelphia where he managed the National Industrial Brokerage Group for four years and then the International Group for the next five years. He then joined NAI in New Jersey and managed the Corporate Services Group for two years. He was recruited to start up and manage the National Office Sales force at Equis Corporation. He moved to Marcus & Millichap in 1999 to manage the New Jersey office. He is a Director in the Company’s National Office and Industrial Properties Group and in it’s Net Lease Properties Group and specializes in the sale of Retail, Office, and Industrial Properties in New York, New Jersey, Northern New Jersey and Bergen County and in Single Tenant Properties Nationwide.
David Thurston’s background certainly gives him an interesting perspective in all of this. Since he is involved in the sale of commercial real estate in Ridgewood, should he recuse himself from these discussions? Is there potential conflict of interest” Or does he bring years of valuable experience to the table? Interesting.
“Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale The Lincoln Building, an office property at 45 N. Broad St. in Ridgewood. The 24,000-square-foot multi-tenant property sold for $3.9 million. David Thurston of Marcus & Millichap’s New Jersey office represented the seller, a partnership, and secured the buyer, a local limited liability company.”
“Mr. Thurston has been active as a Real Estate Professional for over 30 years. After graduating from Law School in 1982, Mr. Thurston spent two years in Dallas, Texas practicing real estate law. He then moved back east and spent the next four years practicing real estate law in Philadelphia and Manhattan at the law firms of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius and Shea and Gould. In 1987 he left legal practice and joined The Binswanger Company headquartered in Philadelphia where he managed the National Industrial Brokerage Group for four years and then the International Group for the next five years. He then joined NAI in New Jersey and managed the Corporate Services Group for two years. He was recruited to start up and manage the National Office Sales force at Equis Corporation. He moved to Marcus & Millichap in 1999 to manage the New Jersey office. He is a Director in the Company’s National Office and Industrial Properties Group and in it’s Net Lease Properties Group and specializes in the sale of Retail, Office, and Industrial Properties in New York, New Jersey, Northern New Jersey and Bergen County and in Single Tenant Properties Nationwide.”
Thurston’s comments during the March 17th planing board meeting were so biased towards the developers. He absolutely showed by his own words that he cannot be impartial. He should recuse himself.
This article is a conglomeration of comments. Not necessarily in context. Having two guys with commercial real estate experience may be a benefit to the Planning Board or maybe not. We will have to see how this plays out. But, at the very least, everyone should know who is on the Planning Board and what their interests may be. Certainly someone who gains from buying/selling commericial real estate in Ridgewood discloses that.
My question . . . who appointed these two?
Is this David Thurston related to the Thurstons who are married to one of the Tarvin’s (as in Tarvin Real Estate)??
Thurston should recuse himself for sure since he has an interest in everything going on. Did anyone ask him about any conflict before he was appointed? Who appoints these people to the board? a commercial broker with a building right in the middle of the downtown mess before the planning board. According to his linkedin he graduated from George Washington university and shares his alma mater with the mayor. Aronsohn and thurston have shown the hand to support the applications. Maybe they both need to step away. Something fishy.
The Village Council made the appointments
If we could see the councils comments about him before he was appointed, I would bet Aronsohn, Pucciarelli and Hauck were for his appointment and Sedon and Knudsen were against.
When was he appointed?
Gimme a break. Maybe the new qualification for any new appointment should be ignorance. I do want people who know what they are talking about to be involved. Otherwise we are at the mercy of the do nothing loud mouths who seem to dominate every town meeting.
“Otherwise we are at the mercy of the do nothing loud mouths who seem to dominate every town meeting.”
Earth to Rurik Halaby: You are the biggest “do nothing loud mouth” of them all. Do the citizens of Ridgewood a big favor by remaining in your seat during every future town meeting and keeping your mouth shut.
Why does someone call people who want to preserve the beauty of Ridgewood “do nothing loudmouths”? Why do so many people without vision equate overdevelopment with growth? Its easy to grow – – its much tougher to preserve and strengthen.
There is much that is beautiful about Ridgewod and frankly much that is ugly, including c.1950’s boarded up car dealerships. You don’t preserve Ridgewood by mothbaling the CBD. You preserve the character of the town by helping it move with the times. And what is so ugly about the design of the apartments?