Gwenn Hauck Hospital Auxiliary
Readers Once again raise Questions on Village Council member Gwenn Hauck’s Objectivity
I think she cannot be objective. She spoke in front of the previous council at the prior h-zone hearings asking that council to vote yes for the expansion. She said the people at the hospital are her friends and she trusts them.
Village Council member Gwenn Hauck is a past vice president not of the hospital itself but of the Hospital Auxiliary.
The public record states that Ms. Hauck received a campaign donation of over $800 from the hospital’s PR director, Ridgewood resident Megan Fraser, and her husband, on village council election day in May 2012.
Since Ms. Fraser had been appointed VP for Communications and Marketing at Valley three years earlier, in May 2009, according to the Valley website…
https://www.nypsystem.org/press/2009/05/ridgewood-resident-megan-frase.html
…Ms. Hauck accepted a significant (for a council election) donation from an officer of the hospital.
And yes, she organized major fundraisers during her time on the Auxiliary.
She says she can be objective about Valley’s proposal if the Planning Board votes yes, tossing the decision to the Council.
What do you think?
yes, she can be objective. Gwenn was elected by an electorate that was well aware of her background…..those who operate in a vacuum are not ones to throw themselves into the ring.
Seems unlikely to me that she can be objective. Seems just the opposite..
She got elected because she ran with Aronsohn and Pucciarelli.
Objective ? Really ? If you really believe ANYONE could be remotely close to being objective after volunteering for an organization,the family giving money to it, etc., you really have your head in the wrong place. If she voted against it even she might have a hard time getting a room if she ever needed one.
If you think she could not be objective and ought to recuse herself, please consider making that point at a council meeting or writing a letter to the editor now. If the PB passes the buck to the council by voting yes, it will be decision time and too late for this point to be made.
Whether she can be objective or not is not the issue. It is the mere appearance of impropriety that is sufficient for honest people to recuse themselves. There is no question that if Hauck votes in favor that there weill be an appearance of impropriety and she knows it. Failing to recuse herself means that Hauck does not care if the people of Ridgewood continue to have faith in their government.
Just because people knew she volunteered for Valley before the voted for her did not mean that they would not expect her to do the right thing and recuse herself from voting on anything relating to Valley once elected. An honest person does not even want there to be any appearance of impropriety.
Please, there is no question she ran at the request of Valley and is there to do what Valley wants — isn’t that exactly how democracy works? Folks needed to get out and vote for Keith Killion, but they were too fixated on his vote for the Police raises and we ended up with a council that could care less about the town and is happy to turn it over to developers.
Keith Killion recused himself on the subject of police raises, and did so publicly, what buried him was Gabberts 12% raise.
#8, what are you talkling about? The issue isn’t that she ran on a platform in favor of Valley — she would have every right to do so and to vote in favor of Valley’s proposal if that were all there is here. The issue is that she actually did work for Valley and has a close relationship with Valley. That is where it changes from democracy (just a simple politician viewing the issues objectively and voting her conscience) to the appearance of impropriety (she is not viewing the issue objectively because of her prior work for Valley).
This website cites NJ cases on conflict of interest for municipal officers. If Hauck votes she is a fool and the lawsuit will come quickly.
https://www.njslom.org/magart_1207_pg18.html
Ah yes….when you can’t get your own way, lawyer up and file a garbage suit.
so you mean its only good when Valley does it ?