Ridgewood councilman wants legal fees paid
Sunday October 6, 2013, 9:54 AM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER
The Record
RIDGEWOOD — Fourteen years ago, as Tropical Storm Floyd battered North Jersey, Village Hall flooded and its phone systems went down. In a bind, the then-governing body turned to one of its own for help: Councilman Thomas Riche.
Officials passed an emergency resolution awarding the councilman’s North Haledon-based firm, Extel Communications, a contract to restore — and eventually upgrade — the building’s telephone equipment.
It turned out to be a lucrative and lengthy deal for Riche — netting him more than a quarter of a million dollars over the years, according to village records from 2002 to the present.
But an accounting mix-up uncovered in May — that Extel had been paid twice for the same job in 2012 — sparked a debate over whether the councilman’s longtime dealings with the village violated ethics codes. In the end, Riche pulled his contract with the village.
Now, the councilman is asking the village to pay for legal fees he incurred this summer when consulting with attorneys about the ethics allegations.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn confirmed that last week the council had discussed behind closed doors reimbursing Riche’s legal fees, but would not comment further. He did say the matter is to be discussed publicly at a meeting.
https://www.northjersey.com/news/226631521_Ridgewood_councilman_wants_legal_fees_paid.html
Interesting chain of events…… spreading a Live Link would help more………. thanks……D
Yeah, right, Aronsohn will discuss this publicly but any other personnel matter will be done in private.
Why would Aronsohn reveal what was discussed behind closed doors? If its is going to be disclosed after the fact in a manner different than at a public meeting reporting on what has occurred, then don’t discuss it at all behind closed doors. Is there an ethics violation here?
Interesting indeed. Don’t you all think it’s a bit funny that this story comes out a week after Mayor Paul Aronsohn has a sit down with the papers owner Stephen Borg? The old phrase you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours comes to mind.
I find it hilarious that Jane Reilly is trying to duck this one. “I don’t remember. I’m sure I meant I don’t recall giving him a contract while he was a councilman — that is, after Floyd,” Reilly wrote in an email last week. “I’m not sure even that was a contract — or an emergency appropriate.” Yet, records show on more than three occasions, the former mayor endorsed adopted resolutions that approved work orders that made specific mention of Riche’s involvement.
Perhaps, some kind of explanation from our former Village Manager might help clear this up?
I’m no fan of Riche but how about Aronsohn claiming he didn’t know the Riche was in the telecommunications business? The guy has been on and off of the council for years. Has served on numerous other boards and you’re going to try and tell me as a councilman you don’t know what the guy does for a living? I’m sure a career politician like Aronsohn knows what everyone on the council has for breakfast every day. Believeing that he didn’t know what Riche did for a living is ridiculous. I teally think he feels he is smarter than most of the people in Ridgewood and the one’s he is not smarter than are not paying attention.
By the way; when a firm has a NJ State contract # that means the state has gone out to bid for whatever the item or service is and has found the lowest bidder. Municipalities, school boards, etc…. can purchase items from a firm using the state contract # and not have to re-bid the item so from that standpoint it really shouldn’t matter who owns the company.
Just another way to play screw the taxpayer.
Ridgewood’s Village government is a laughingstock. The VC stumbles and bumbles its way through personnel matters, ringing up unnecessary expenditures along the way. Meanwhile the Planning Board sucks up to Valley and any developer that wants to throw up a housing complex in the center of town.
Is there one person in Village government that cares for Ridgewood without a personal agenda?
Dom, give it a rest. Have a glass of wine and dream of your hero the Mayor who remind me of the dictators of the pass. Cause unrest and when the people aren’t looking get your agenda through. What a disgrace this Village has turned into and Dom your letting happen. Your would be better off dealing with your own family problems.
How could our Carpetbagger Mayor say he didn’t know. He voted on the resolution. Oh and he didn’t know that Rich owned Extel. That shows you how self consumed he is about himself and no one else.