>Whether we are talking about our fire department, police department, other VOR departments, or our school system, it seems nepotism is alive and well in Ridgewood or is it? It seems that this topic has ruffled some feathers.
Some families in the village have a proud history of public service but offering employment to a relative, despite the fact that there are others who are better qualified and willing to perform the job, would be considered a form of nepotism.
Hundreds of applications are received when an opening occurs in our fire department, police department or in our school system. When a relative is hired for one of these open positions it is only natural to question whether or not he/she was the best candidate.
Does knowing someone or being related to someone get you the job? Does nepotism create an environment conducive to preferential treatment to family members? When relatives work in the same department or unit do work-related issues arise that can negatively affect that department or unit? Or is it simply a matter of good people looking to carry a tradition of public service ?
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>apparently a uniformed brother showing up at a meeting in support of his brother is what has gotten this discussion heated. probably was not in good taste to make that showing..i wasnt there..i dont know either brother..that being said… those who think nepotism is part of the hiring process when it is governed by civil service procedures are the same folks who will argue the earth is flat. despite FACTS to PROVE otherwise…they cannot see it any other way.. so…IF the earth is flat…then nepotism=hiring/promotions.. you just cant get some people to see the FACTs.. not worth the effort pressing the comp keys here since the ‘FLAT EARTHERS” wont see it any other way. Perhaps someone can post a link with the Civil service procedures because if someone has an “ISSUE’ with the process, that would be where to make it..rather than BASELESS ALLEGATIONS painting all the PD/FD family relations with a ‘brush’ due to the apparent disagreement they have with the Bombace brothers.
>11:24 there you go again. How can allegations of family relations in the PD/FD be “baseless” when such relations actually exist. It’s either a fact or it is not. Since you know firsthand about working with members of your family in the FD, perhaps you can enlighten the discussion as to why saying so is a “baseless allegation.”
Such nonsense and name calling too. Jonathan Swift could have a field day with you and your twisted logic.
>Ridgewood just can’t seem to control its budget. Having to keep the “family” happy certainly contributes to this liability.
THe fire chief should not have shown up at a BOE meeting to defend his little brother, in full uniform, no less. That showed incredibly poor judgment.
He has a right to the microphone like any other citizen, but he should have had something math related at stake, rather than just a plea to leave his brother alone. He forget that his brother is impacting the lives of many parents and their children. He is not just a private citizen.
Such poor judgment comes from a history of free wheeling family-style governance absent any checks and balances.
This has to stop.
>Some people just don’t know how to correctly use those big words like “slander” and “baseless allegation.” Get out the dictionary boys.
>1156 you are apparently CLUELESS. what is it about the FACT that CIVIL SERVICE exams govern the hiring and promotion process? it is a FACT. I am NOT a member of the FD. Simply someone who has lived here probably a LOT longer than you have and can COMPREHEND FACTS. Rather than throwing that nepotism word around, you might first educate yourself to the ACTUAL PROCESS. But since you cannot remove your blinders, its a waste of time. According to your logic, any relation of the same last name working for the village of Ridgewood was given preferential treatment in the hiring process DESPITE the CIVIL SERVICE rules, DESPITE that commission ADMINSTERING the TEST, PROVIDING THE LIST, etc etc. You are IGNORANT to the facts. It is quite OBVIOUS your beef is with the 2 bros on the FD. Since you have no FACTS to back up your BASELESS allegations, you should quit slandering the hard working village employees in the FD and PD who obtained their jobs through the process of civil service…but again..we cannot convince you the earth is not flat either so its pointlesss to suggest you see LOGIC. Either back up your delusional comments with facts or SHUT UP.
>You keep raising your voice like that 12:15 PM and you’ll have a heart attack so chill.
>According to Civil Service regulations, you must live in Ridgewood to be appointed to the Police and Fire Department. Once you are hired, that doesnt mean that you must continue to live in Ridgewood.
>According to the first post on this blog (1:35 PM) if you want preferential treatment or a promotion you need to get tight with a council member. No thanks. None of them do it for me. Well, maybe Jacques Harlow.
>Why does the Bombace name keep coming up in discussion? Here a Bombace, there a Bombace, everywhere a Bombace Bombace — they’re at the fire station, village hall and the education center.
Normally, just Mark Bombace is mentioned because he is president of the board of education and as such makes major decisions which will affect our children for years to come.
But then James Bombace jumped into the educational fray and is now talked about.
Honorable mention goes to Vicki Bombace who was outted by those bloggers Andrew & Sue.
When you have three members of the same family working at three different major locations in the village, it’s only natural that their name will come up under several different headings. Today it is nepotism.
>Why does the Bombace name keep coming up in discussion? Here a Bombace…because his brother the chief made a clown out of himself showing up at the math moms and other BOE meetings ,it was poor judgement and degrades his job as top fire dog,and involes him in the math debate when he says he dioesnt want to get involved and its his brothers business
>It’s true. The Bombace’s have no one to blame but themselves for being in the limelight. They’ve put themselves out there for all to criticize.
>Yes the chief is misrepresenting himself and his office showing up at these meetings like the fire department supports TERC ,to bad the department of education doesn’t and TERC’s been banned in California…
>I know there is a firefighter whose wife signed the math petition. I could understand that firefighter showing up at the boe meeting. Instead Chief Bombace whose name is not on the math petition shows up in uniform no less. Intimidating his own firefighters? Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
>Chief Bombace whose name is not on the math petition shows up in uniform no less…That is a disgrace to the uniform
>This is nepotism at its worse …
>That is a disgrace to the uniform…
It’s also a disgrace to the firefighters he leads. In addition to being pathetic and simple minded.
>Careful what you post here people or James Bombace just may show up at the next board meeting with his axe. Now that would intimidate the hell out of me.
>James Bombace just may show up at the next board meeting with his axe …or dressed like Colonel Klink heheheheheheh…
>He definitely will be in disguise … he’ll probably borrow Andrew & Sue’s paperbag.
>Nah. James will want to speak and their paperbag has no hole for a mouth. I’m thinking he’ll come as Cousin It.
>James Bombace as “Cousin It”? I can see that because he would want to stay with the nepotistic theme.
>10:07 be careful or I may die laughing……
>who gives a dam as long as you bums do the job.and thats that we need the job don and they must do it and thats that no bs.no boss,s in town care about if you are related or not do the dam job or find a nother.how you like that.
>The Bombace brothers outed themselves into this discussion.
Most Village residents didn’t know the BOE President was a firemen and had no clue his brother was the chief. If they had kept quiet, the town would not know they were related and in the same business.
The Bombaces are like the Kennedy’s in Boston…
>Kennedys are college educated
>hope they are better drivers than Teddy
>10:36- and that means????
>Dear 8:02
You must have missed the information provided on this blog that Bombace, aka boe president does not have a college education. That may explain why he’s so insistent that our children become dumbed down with TERC.
While Regina Botsford and Deborah Ives do have a college education, they were, unfortunately, victims of the Marxist pro-egalitarian and feminist agendas of Montclair State and Rutgers, middling schools with much to be middling about.
I would hardly call that an education.
>The following question was posted under another heading further down this blog:
“Let’s say you have a applicant for police or fire who is #1 on his test, passed the psychological & fitness tests, no problem with background … and this person is passed over for a Vet, minority or female. How much lower can their test score be for them to be able to trump the #1 candidate?”
Is there anyone from our fire or police departments who could answer this question? Inquiring minds would like to know. Thanks.
>Good question 9:42, but I’m sure its not something those who benefit from are willing to talk about.
It would help to know how/why a #1 candidate would get trumped for a “minority” or a vet.
I’m sure the person defending special circumstances for Vets on this blog would know…will they tell?
We’ll see.
>know this who cares what you all think any way.why dont you go and call the ridgewood paper.hummmmmmm.
>Uh oh … Starbucks is unhappy with their recent bad publicity. I’m heading over to The Ridgewood Coffee Company for my daily fix of caffeine.
>We are experiencing first-hand the “code of silence” from our police and fire departments regarding 9:42 AM’s question. Their silence is rather deafening.
Just how much leeway is given to Vets (I’m not talking about an animal doctor here) or minorities for them to bypass a #1 candidate for a position in our police and fire departments?
>Veterans serving overseas in wartime are placed #1 on list over every other test taker. Minorities and females have no preference and just have to do the best they can.
>WELCOME TO THE RIDGEWOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT SOON-TO-BE MARINE VET BOMBACE!! You have been pre-approved.
>IF Vets are #1 no matter what, do they even have to bother to take the test?
>Above 2:00 PM posted, “Even when there is an opening, only the top scoring test takers have the possibility of the job. Hopefully, the young Mr Bombace will take the fire test and based on his veteran status (gained for overseas wartime service in the Marine Corps) will be number 1 on the civil service list as per the guidelines of the State of New Jersey.”
You say, “only the top scoring test takers have the possibility of the job.” How top scoring do they have to be?
You say, “Hopefully the young Mr Bombace will take the fire test..” You mean he doesn’t have to because his Vet status automatically puts in #1 in civil service or do you mean hopefully he’ll get a top score? What is a top score?
>So if a Vets is placed on the top of the list, he can work anywhere…like the beautiful Jersey Shore or ritzy Red Bank.
How many other towns in the area have full time fire departments? Can’t one of the many Bombaces go work somewhere else if they are so fully qualified?
>”While Regina Botsford and Deborah Ives do have a college education, they were, unfortunately, victims of the Marxist pro-egalitarian and feminist agendas of Montclair State and Rutgers, middling schools with much to be middling about.”
What are you talking about? Does everyone now think that they are experts on education? Can you contrast the above mentioned education with that of Columbia’s Teacher College or Felician College? You sound like a person who is just afraid of women in administration.
>3:37 did you mention teachers college at Columbia because you are in the know, or because it has the Columbia name attached to it?
Teachers college is perhaps the best known bastion of feminist propaganda training. They just have higher SAT scores,which gives them a somewhat better chance of withstanding the leftist training.
Hugo is up for a speaking gig. He’s going to bring his buddy Sean Penn along to opine on the evils of capitalism.
There is no such thing as an “expert on education.” One would have to be an expert on something more specific, like math, languages, science, technology, etc. One can have education management expertise, but even that is too vague to make much sense…these are more skills than anything else. And education pedogogy is the worst of those.
>Botsford and Ives are not related, so they should be down below in the “spending too much for bad math” post.
Remember, we are talking about nepotism…any chance there might be a policy put in place in Ridgewood going forward? Maybe the next candidate for mayor can campaign with that one.
>There is nothing wrong with women in administration or any position of authority as long as they perform their duties as the position requires using a well thought out, balanced and intellectually defensible reasoning. What we have here are radical feminists trying to destroy the educational system for all while advocating for leftist radical experimental feminist programs that have no basis in scientific fact. They make no bones about teaching to the girls. Unfortunately, this also contains, “the boys be damned” as well. I find this marally repugnant that the very people we have given the responsibility of educating all of our children have decided not to do this. Instead they lie and obfuscate. This scandal is alot bigger than Ridgewood. We are all damning ALL of our children if we let the advocates rule because these crapola programs work for no one, not even the girls they pretend to be designed for. These idiotic “programs” come out of the misandroid programs focused in the women’s departments in the colleges driven by grant money. The only ones who benefit are the recipients of the grants. No one else.
>Nepotism is not only legal in New Jersey, it is practiced by almost one in five lawmakers who have put family members on their payrolls.
You’ll need to write to your local congessman about this one, it’s legal.
>What are the chances that there will be a job opening at the fire department when the young Marine arrives home? I can’t imagine that there’s a huge turnover at the fire house.
>Bill: S2430/A3147/A3874, signed by Governor Corzine on July 18, 2007, changes when proof of veteran status is required for civil service examinations for certain veterans [PDF].
Veterans will be able to establish veteran status 8 days prior to list issuance.
New Jersey values the contributions that our veterans have made, and continue to make, for our country’s freedom and for other nations around the world. As such, New Jersey’s merit system provides absolute veterans preference in employee selection. This means that qualified veterans are placed at the top of an open competitive employment list ahead of non-veterans regardless of their scores. Disabled veterans and veterans are placed on promotional lists according to their scores, but they have preference over non-veterans when a disabled veteran or veteran is at the top of a certification of the list to an appointing authority.
For information on obtaining Veterans Preference on DOP examinations, you must apply to the New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs by completing the Civil Service Veterans Preference Claim Form. [PDF]
Click here to see if your service qualifies you for Veteran’s Preference
>Aside from your well thought opinion, can you point to some outside source that that supports your argument? Since we are clear that you are not an expert on education, maybe you can back up just one of your comments. How about explaining “leftist radical experimental feminist programs that have no basis in scientific fact.” This information is not on the web site at Columbia or at Rutgers. Assigning negative sounding labels to people and institutions does not further your argument.
This blog is interesting, but as commenters move from reasoned debate to angry name calling the blog no longer provides any useful information. We are allowed to post as “Anonymous” but we should try to post as if the whole town knows who we are. Let’s raise the bar.
>Do we have any firefighters and policemen who were actually #1 on the testing?
It does bother me that we are not always getting the most qualified individual for the job. It seems it would be a bit demoralizing for the vet, minority or woman who trumps the #1 candidate.
>I think someone should audit the school system and see how many boys have IEP versus girls. I think you would find that the boys are “classified” three times more often than girls.
Expectations are set lower for the boys and the schools get funds for those boys with IEPs. Since the boys have some sort of learning disability, their test scores might be weighted differently and certainly expectations of their academics is lower…
Poor parents aren’t told what most educators know … that boys are naturally behind girls in language but usually excel in traditional math and science. So they think their boys are slow since they read late and write little.
There may not be a feminist agenda in the district but there is an anti-boy one.
>These education feminists are like a hurricane. They roar in and leave way too much damage in their wake.
By the time we out them and they move on to the next victim town, we have a huge mess on our hands to clean up.
>Is this particular site about nepotism or education? I’m confused.