May 13,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Make sure you see page B1 of The Ridgewood News, issue date: 05/13/2016 (Friday the 13th of all things).
There, in the left center of the page, you will find a photograph of Ridgewood Councilwoman Gwenn Hauck posing with Anastasios Kozaitis, President of The Valley Hospital Foundation, and Audrey Meyers, President and CEO of The Valley Hospital and Valley Health System.
The photograph’s caption indicates it was taken during a fundraising event for The Valley Hospital Foundation. Councilwoman Hauck was apparently an attendee at said event (whether by personal invitation or self registration is unknown).
You will no doubt recall that Councilwoman Hauck was one of two individuals who represented Village of Ridgewood taxpayers during mediation sessions held with respect to The Valley Hospital’s “Renewal” project. The other was Councilwoman Susan Knudsen.
In light of her past role as a mediator representing Village Taxpayers, the staff of The Ridgewood Blog questions the appropriateness of Councilwoman Hauck posing with Mr. Kozaitis and Ms. Meyers at the noted venue.
Is it just us, or is this rather bizarre?
It’s just you, the “staff” at the Ridgewood Blog. The day I start getting outraged about a photo op at a small town social event is the day I need to reexamine my life’s priorities.
its a monumental conflict of interest ,this is not Hudson county , keep talking it worked so well in the last election
“Upon closer observation, it becomes apparent that every strong upsurge of power in the public sphere, be it of a political or a religious nature, infects a large part of humankind with stupidity. … The power of the one needs the stupidity of the other. The process at work here is not that particular human capacities, for instance, the intellect, suddenly atrophy or fail. Instead, it seems that under the overwhelming impact of rising power, humans are deprived of their inner independence and, more or less consciously, give up establishing an autonomous position toward the emerging circumstances. The fact that the stupid person is often stubborn must not blind us to the fact that he is not independent. In conversation with him, one virtually feels that one is dealing not at all with him as a person, but with slogans, catchwords, and the like that have taken possession of him. He is under a spell, blinded, misused, and abused in his very being. Having thus become a mindless tool, the stupid person will also be capable of any evil and at the same time incapable of seeing that it is evil. This is where the danger of diabolical misuse lurks, for it is this that can once and for all destroy human beings.”
——–Dietrich Bonhoeffer
9:43 am – Was it a merely a “social event” or an important fund raising event?
You just can’t make this kind of shit up. I’m going to miss Gwenn so much. She was a constant source of material for this blog and my part time stand up comedy routine.
She can’t help herself.
Pete McKenna – Are you on this?
I’m sure Gwen sees nothing wrong or any conflict of interest.
WTF? Is this a joke or what? Cha Ching – judge will toss the mediation agreement now. Stop Valley group wins big time.
a disgraceful conflict of interest
Go back to your cocktail parties, manicure visits, and a great lifestyle built on dad’s cash, Gwenn. Politics clearly was not your thing. 20 years ago, you probably would have done well, but with the transparency of uncontrolled media (yes, we still have sites like this that don’t filter bias) these days, you were rumbled. Still, you can still be the big fish at your social gatherings, telling your glass-clinking friends what a bunch of backward-thinking boneheads we all are.
She’s probably unsure if she attended, Unsure if it was for fundraising, unsure if she donated, and unsure what day of the week it is. She will call someone, check, and get back to us. All the while she continues to metaphorically give this village and it’s taxpayers the finger.
She is snubbing her nose at the Village she claims to love. She was the Valley candidate from the get go. She fought to get herself onto the mediation team representing us against this major corporation. She and her husband kept right on donating to Valley. And now that she has screwed us big time, she is prancing and dancing with the valley high-ups.
Throughout this entire process regarding Valley, there has been one word that really defines what they have become: Arrogant.
Gotta love it 943! So pathetically true in this wonderfully insular community. And 1102 let’s not Kidd ourselfs. Could you imagine going to these cocktail parties and having to chat with these people? Good lord. I’ d drink myself blind just like the Football / Lax people. Much prefer the drunken stupor than the reality that is Ridewood.
One of the most alarming things about this woman’s (yes, “this woman” Paul – you’ve used that term yourself, right?) lack of awareness is that she’s a graduate of Ridgewood High School. What does this say about our public school system?
The reign of error is almost over.
I guess the Ridgewood Church League will finally get field time once the Memorial Day soccer tournament ends. This is the next thing in town that needs fixing…how can one guy run the fields here for so long…? Isn’t it time someone look behind the green curtain…?
Who in the world would think this was “just” a social event? This was a social event for the monster that is trying to swallow Ridgewood. And she feeds the beast.
Let’s all (well, at least most of us, as evidence by the election results) take this whole experience as a massive lesson in what can happen when so many of us take our eye off the ball and get too busy with our lives. This is what happened when the 3-amigos got in.
9:43 – Yes, you’r right, no one really cares about Valley’s massive expansion, just the staff of the Ridgewood blog. Said. No. One. Ever.
The reign of error is a good one!
Simply unbelievable. Un-friggin’ believable. Both of her middle fingers are extended up an displayed right in the faces of Ridgewood’s residents. She’s got a set of balls on her bigger than Roberta Sonenfeld’s.
Many do care about the massive Valley expansion! No other hospital in and around NJ is trying to expand in an area as small as the 15 acres the hospital sits on. They may not pay taxes yet but that is coming. They are buying up practices all over Ridgewood as well as properties in the village and in surrounding towns. Valley is a corporation and they are motivated by profit. How else can they pay ia CEO over 2 million dollars? Let them succeed in their plans for massive growth but not at a site in the middle of a residential community, next to a school and on the corner of one of the busiest intersection in Ridgewood. Gwenn should have recused herself from any Valley proceedings because of her strong connections and her public statements supporting anything that Valley wants regardless of how many ordinances and variances need to be changed in order to allow for this. As homeowners, we must abide by restrictions to what can be done on our own properties, why would we allow Valley to do otherwise? This expansion will not increase the number of beds, they will just exist in private rooms.. Medicare covers semi private. It appears that Valley will be catering to another segment of our society. The removal of their not for profit status can not come soon enough. At least then we can put aside the notion that this expansion is for the ” greater good”.
Yes Linda!!!
Linda McNamara, concerning Medicare; If the patient is admitted to a provider which has only private accommodations, and no semiprivate or ward accommodations, medical necessity will be deemed to exist for the accommodations furnished. Beneficiaries may not be subjected to an extra charge for a private room in an all-private room provider.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone could scare up a shot of Bernie Walsh with Pete McKenna of the CRR… Would that be any different?
Maybe Mrs. Hauck thinks the expansion is needed because she has a better understanding of the hospital and its needs because of her involvement with it over the years. Any-who, tell it to the Judge ya’ll!
Bernie is not negotiating for the Village of Ridgewood and donating to Valley is a huge conflict of interest (illegal) for Gwenn which she has previously lied about
Hauck & Co have already done the damage. Valley now has become too big a monster to deal with. Ridgewood future belongs to Vallay. I won’t be surprised if at some point in the next few years we will be called the Hospital Village. They own a large strip on N Maple Ave by the border with HHK which is a dump right now. I doubt new VC can do much about Valley. They may be more successful with the garage and CBD though.
6.40
She did a heck of a job. Now all these suckers who dislike her can do nothing about it. She did what you had to. Nice , very neat job by Ms Hauck.
this past three of the council that will be out the door in july had way to much b s for us. what a crew.
6:40- The only things she understands about “the hospital and its needs” is what every other supporter understands: Do whatever is necessary for management to keep their high paying jobs, keep the doctors happy by staying close to their offices in and around Ridgewood, and try like hell to compete with Hackensack. Oh, and if we have to screw up an entire town to do it, so what. One thing for Gwenn, she certainly understood their business model.
6:40- is that you again, Gwennie? Or your hubs posting for you… Either way, maybas we’ll sign your name at this point. No one, and I mean NO ONE else in town would be defending you at this point. Even anonymously.
9:40pm – Rurik will once she is back from vacation
I have a question for any of the 118 women affiliated with the Women for Health group. Assuming most are mothers or grandmothers, and that probably none reside near Valley Hospital, how would these ladies feel if any of their children, or grandchildren, were to be subjected to the 7-10 year projected expansion( noise, traffic, dust, etc.) that the kids at Travell and Ben Franklin will be looking at if this proposal goes through ?