file photo Boyd Loving
Residents and Council Class Over Councilwomen Hauck’s Selective Skype Appearances at Council Meetings
Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Village Attorney Mathew Rogers each got nasty with Village resident Marcia Ringel during last night’s Village Council Work Session. Mr. Pucciarelli went so far as to raise one of his arms and point a finger aggressively at Ms. Ringel as he addressed her from his seat on the dais.
All of this came after Ms. RIngel suggested that Mr. Rogers’ professional opinion regarding the legality of Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck’s July 1 meeting participation by Skype was result driven (i.e., votes needed to ensure outcome of election for Mayor and Deputy Mayor) as opposed to being based on an existing Village ordinance or precedent.
This blogger finds it somewhat amusing that just prior to Ms. Ringel being publicly thrashed for suggesting there was only one reason for the July 1 Skype connection, Councilwoman Hauck had been officially recorded as being absent from the meeting at which the thrashing was taking place.
It was convenient for Ms. Hauck to connect by Skype to the July 1 meeting, but not convenient last night?
And a upstanding citizen of this community is verbally abused in public for suggesting that politics may have played a large role in the incident?
Have members missed meetings in the past where votes were taken?
If there are other votes while the african Queen is away will she be phonong it in again? Are they postponing votes to wait for her return?
It is the look and smell of a conflict that is a problem.
Don’t get mad when residents ask questions. Answer them honestly.
Appalling if any council member was threatening in tone to a Villager.
It is absolutely crazy that there was such a nasty reaction to a question from a resident. They are our elected officials and should be held accountable to the residents. Good for Ms. Ringel for pointing this issue out.
I also have no issue with Ms. Hauk going on vacation, wherever that may be. But then as a public official, there should be complete transparancy over which meetings she will Skype into and why. And which meetings she wil not Skype into and why.
who care ‘s anyway.
What makes her an upstanding citizen???
Puch almost hit knudson twice with his arms flying. He’s an embarrassment treating a member of the community so viciously and almost hitting a council member. Such a dope.
Marcia here. Hit a nerve, I believe. Why attack me endlessly instead of addressing the points raised? I have lowered the tenor of colloquy? I don’t think so.
Village attorney ought to sue me for slander, quoth the Deputy Mayor. Nothing I said was slanderous–merely embarrassing.
Mayor himself has gone around town telling people I don’t like the handicapped. THAT’S slander.
Everybody who thinks I ought to be ashamed of myself, as the Deputy Mayor also asserted, please raise your hand. Or maybe some other persons ought to be ashamed.
She skyped for one reason only- to vote for Pucc as deputy mayor. Ahronson and Pucc use her for her vote.
When will she grow a spine and think for herself? My guess is that she will be voted out before she thinks for herself.
Marcia. Don’t back down. The mayor, deputy mayor and invisible woman are acting like middle school bullies. They have no good explanation for what they did so they snipe behind your back.
I wish that we could vote them out tomorrow. I am counting the days.
The Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli called Marcia Ringel’s statement last night at the Village Council meeting a “slanderous personal attack” on the Village Attorney Mathew Rogers according to videotape of the meeting on the Village website. He added “perhaps he can sue you”.
We know that Mr. Rogers can’t sue Ms. Ringel. A standard defense to
defamation is privilege. When the defendant is a certain type of public
official or the statement was during certain official proceedings, the
statement was “privileged” and therefore the plaintiff cannot successfully sue for slander.
However, Ms. Ringel may be able to sue Mr. Pucciarelli for slander. Ironically, after Mayor Aronsohn admonished the tone of Ms. Ringel’s statements and asked everyone from now on to “put aside accusations”
and also “put aside personal attacks”, Mr. Pucciarelli could not stop himself. He said Ms. Ringel is “a very angry person” and is “loose with the truth”. I think Mr. Pucciarelli himself would agree he committed slander.
I guess it’s up to Ms. Ringel to decide if she wants to sue or just get an apology for this slanderous personal attack by Mr. Pucciarelli. We will
see at the next meeting or before. To paraphrase, “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the Village Council.”
Watch our elected officials in action here:
https://www.ustream.tv/recorded/49862179
Ringel statement begins shortly after 9 minutes.
Pucciarelli response begins at around 13 minutes. He goes into a spin like John Belushi in one of the characters he used to do during the news segment of SNL where he fell off his chair at the end.
Anyone who would like a response to the unanswered questions posed at the meeting might consider asking the council at the next council meeting next Wed., July 16, at 8 PM.
Wear a hard hat and bulletproof vest in case a council member becomes violent.
Hauck, hereinafter referred to as “the invisible woman.”
I just love the Ridgewood Blog.
Even the best years of Saturday Night Live weren’t as good as the 3 Amigos escapades in space.
Mrs. Ringel you are owed an apology. Thank you for standing up!
Pucciarelli was just being his usual hot-temmpered self, waving his arms around, pointing his finger and screaming. He is an absolute embarrassment and needs to be removed from the dais immediately.