the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, the Ridgewood Board of Education Public Meeting will be Monday night September 23, 2019 7:30 PM to 9:30 PM at the Education Center, 49 Cottage Place .
The deadline for returning applications to the Board Secretary’s Office, 49 Cottage Place, was Tuesday, September 3, 2019 at 4 p.m. Interviews took take place at the Regular Public Meeting on Monday, September 9, 2019 at 5 p.m.
The Board interviewed the following candidates for the vacant seat: The interviews may be seen in the webcast of the Board meeting.
1. Charles Krause
2. Mary Micale
3. Michael Lembo
4. Joseph Madison
5. Saurabh Dani
6. Rositsa Hayvanovych
7. Muhammad Mahmoud
8. Michael Linn
9. Wilma Watson
10. Robert Schermer
At the next public meeting on Monday, September 23 the Board will nominate and vote on the candidates. Public comments will start sharp at 7:30pm .
At all regular meetings, two opportunities are provided for citizens to make comments. The public comment periods will be scheduled after presentations. or just prior to the end of the meeting, whichever occurs first. The first opportunity may be limited by the presiding officer . in order for the Board to continue with its scheduled agenda. The second opportunity will occur at the discretion of the presiding officer taking into consideration a break point in the agenda.
Interviews were just a formality. It’s a “club” and they have already assured Mary Micale that she will continue to be part of the club.
Board president was ready to appoint her on 9th Sept, without even calling references provided by all candidates.
As said at the last BOE meeting and posted to Facebook,
“Mary Micale was helped by a board member and therefore given an unfair advantage over the other nine applicants. I hope our BOE will not ignore that and and by doing so, allow this process to be tainted by one of the four current board members. We deserve transparency on our board of education… independent thinkers, not predetermined allies.”
Mary’s appointment will be a campaign death for her and all that support her. Sleep on that Wilson et al.
Let’s speak openly about the real reason this Board wants Mary Micale and the importance of this open position (which is only a 6 month position). In the next six months before a member can be elected, the Board majority needs to deliver on their promise (to special interest groups); commit to multi million dollar projects and move the election back to November so residents won’t be allowed to vote or change the school budget. None of what they are planing will directly impact the children’s programs, education or stop the decline in school ranking. Residents pockets will be tuned inside out and we will all be financially crippled by debt. WAKE UP RIDGEWOOD!
Board of Education President, Jeannie Wilson appeals her personal home property valuation to significantly lower her own property taxes ($ 1,608,600.00 down to $ 1,225,600.00). At the same time, and privy to financial records, she stands behind and aids in increasing property taxes for everyone else. Unfair advantages, appointing an ally with a pre existing relationship, and unethical practices is just a portion of what this Board is doing. Tomorrow’s decision will be so telling.
See link to official public records. https://tax1.co.monmouth.nj.us/cgi-bin/m4.cgi?district=0251&l02=025102607____00005__03_____M&hist=1
There will be much backlash if they appoint this Mary. Believe me. Wait for it.
So connecting the 3rd and 4th comment, Board President gets her taxes lowered in anticipation of the tax increases she helped generate. Meanwhile the rest of us are going to hell in a basket while she remains unaffected and continues to benefit. Where do I sign to get these people out?
Saurabh Dani is far and away the most qualified. Let’s face it, he is more qualified than those on the dais. Knowledgeable, smart, no person agenda. Of course they wont want him
. They will pick Miss Mary Mouse
I watched the 10 interviews. It’s clear Saurabh Dani is the right choice. Mary Micale kept repeating she’s a good fit because she’s good at completing what she’s told to do. Then, when asked if she had a conflict of interest her reply was…”well, not really.”
We don’t need a puppet or personal assistant on the Board. doing what your told, being a gopher, isn’t a fit. “Not really” having a conflict is the most suspicious thing a person can say.
Wilson was appointed, not elected, four years ago. Mary Micale fought hard in Wilson’s favor to have her appointed. At the time, Mary vouched for Wilson saying they worked together for years; YWCA and Foundation. That alone should recuse Wilson form interviewing and nominating this candidate. Instead, she lead the interview. It was so obvious that Mary was given information other candidates didn’t have. Clearly, her interview was coach and scripted.
Now it’s time to return the favor.
It would appear that Mr. Morgan’s property taxes were lowered as well. Property tax records indicate the following shift: from $17,789.65 to $14,940.54. Assessed value was lowered from $703,300 to $575,300.
Anonymous, but Mr. Morgan has not violated any other ethics rules. Unlike the board president, he has had a good record on the board so far.
The public has one last opportunity to be heard before this crucial position is filled. Tomorrow night come and speak up!
Education Center
49 Cottage Place
3rd floor.
Time: 7:30pm.
Any resident can appeal taxes and given they are high, we should all try it. Good for them.
Also, The best qualified to fill a strategic position should get the position. This does not require someone to over analyze a bid. It’s also important to hire a person with good ethics, morals and an upstanding resident. Hosting a FB page that promotes bullying and swearing and not kindness, or empathy should be disqualified. We don’t want our children looking up to that person as a role model.
“role models”? You must be kidding right?
“backdoor deals”
“ethics violations”
“hiding information from tax payers”
“Using tax payer money to extend their own terms in office”
“misleading agendas and minutes”
You want your children to learn from these existing board members?
Tax Payer, Shiobhan Winograd is not one of the 10 candidates.
Let me get this straight: the argument is that since the candidate was astute enough to contest the real estate taxes that were imposed, somehow that shows lack of fitness for office? I don’t know anything else about this candidate – and, frankly, concluded long who they RW’s school district is a fraud beyond recovery. But this argument seems to lack merit.
Bill Grae, read again… Current Board President and Vice President, not candidate. They get their taxes lowered about 25% while passing tax increases and debt to residents.
Siobhan Winograd’s FB page is the biggest bullying, exclusionary site in town. She epitomizes controlling the message to an echo chamber. All who are excluded laugh at her diarrhea commentary because, yes, we can see what people are posting there.
The other two FB pages, both of which are partially overseen by Saurabh Dani exclude NO ONE, and include EVERYONEwho asks for membership. That is the dead-opposite of bullying
Saurabh Dani are you kidding me?????? What makes him more qualified than the others? He and Steve Kim are trying to ruin Ridgewood. We need people who are always bashing this town to get out.
Trying to ruin? – Examples please!
By asking questions and more transparency? Looking into books and telling where the issues are or questioning wastage?
Are you financially or in some other way getting incentive by some of these misdoings?
Bashing this town? Bringing light and transparency to a subject, informing the public on what’s going on, and holding an administration accountable is called integrity and ethics. It’s about time this town open their eyes and see what’s really going on. Ridgewood is about to hit a financial crisis and tax payers need to brace for the storm. People playing ostrich, with their head un the sand need to start listening to what Steve and Saurabh say, they haven’t been wrong yet. The truth hurts.
Saurabh is an absolute asset. Ridgewood is so fortunate to have him
Dan Cummings posting anonymously
I live by the motto “if you have to ask how much, you can’t afford it.” That’s why a lot of people move to Ridgewood so the high costs keeps the less desirable people out. Stop complaining about everything and find somewhere else to complain if your taxes are going up. I have houses in Paterson and Clifton for rent if you want to live there. Plenty of people love Ridgewood. It’s a group of people that probably haven’t lived here for many years who want to change things. I read in another post that the biggest complainer, Steve Kim, doesn’t even send his children to the Ridgewood schools. I would love to know why he chooses not to send them to Ridgewood. He wants to expose everything but yet doesn’t think the Ridgewood schools are good enough for his children. It’s bad enough that people drove Valley Hospital out. God forbid Ridgewood has 21st century technology.
To the landlord of Paterson and Clifton homes, like it or not, things will have to change in Ridgewood.
Days of “you scratch my back and I scratch your back” are over.
Landlord – If Steve is not using the school system even after paying taxes, then it means he an afford it more than you! Sorry, that the non desirable people are doing much better than you but they want accountability and want to prevent kickbacks, which help others buy property in Paterson, Clifton. Maybe time to move and play the system there if its not going to work here anymore
Landlord, the ones who are changing RW is your kind. You are interested to turning this place upside down with high density housing, deterioration of village services, tax increases etc. Shame on you.
Idiot. Just goes to show you know nothing. I am totally disgusted over the high density, the parking garage, and cutting down trees to make more parking spots at the train station. We can spend our taxes in better ideas. We desperately need our roads repaired. In the world today, money talks. I still love this town. I’ve lived here my entire life, and plan to die here. I’m just tired of the people moving here from the city and try to change everything. If people don’t like the politics in Ridgewood they are free to leave. You can go back to the craphole country or city you came from.
Landlord nails it: why appoint someone that’s lived here a minute and a half to something as important as school board? Just because someone pigeons around the internet (makes a lot of noise and craps all over everything) doesn’t make them qualified. Listen and learn for a while then make your contribution. And if along the way you suffer a rebuke, maybe take a minute away from your amen choir echo chamber and look inside yourself and think about why so many people of goodwill react to you so negatively.
Good lord you all need hobbies. There’s engaged citizenship and then there are anonymous fanatics glued to their computers, seeking validation from forums and facebook groups designed to bully people. Get off your computers, go spend time with your families. Maybe some sunshine and vitamin D will help bring some positivity and perspective, maybe the village will stop laughing at you all.
I. Spection, the candidate selected hasn’t lived here for more than a few seconds, he is not registered to vote in our State, has never participated in any Ridgewood election and his children mainly attended private schools prior to Ridgewood. Listen and learn for a while then make your contribution.
RHS Grad, clearly not your birth name, people who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones…how was your morning on The Blog?