the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, It has come to the attention of The Blog that those who run the “Ridgewood Walks” consider themselves to be more important than the average citizen. At the Ridgewood Guild’s Winter Festival in Van Neste Square on Saturday, Ms. Jeanne Johnson brought her group to the front of the long line for the horse and carriage rides. Little children, babies in strollers, parents, grandparents, everyone waiting in line for the horse rides had to move back so Ms. Johnson, who proclaimed herself to be a V.I.P., could get her group onto the ride without waiting. How sad that at a family event, intended to create good will, camaraderie, and happy memories, someone with an outsized ego had to teach the children in line that everyone is equal, but some people are more equal than others.
VIP – Very Incredibly Pathetic. Shame on you, Jeanne Johnson.
“Ridgewood Walks” needs to walk themselves to the back of the line and wait politely like everyone else. What asses!
Jeanne Johnson’s ego is as big as the world. and it must be fed
Wasn’t she a big supporter of the Aronsohn/Hauck team?
VIP = Very Irritating Pimple
One of the walks she promoted was hosted by Jeffrey D. (douchebag) Voigt, he who uses profanity, vulgarity, harasses people at the bank, exhibits road rage. Yes. Ridgewood Walks is a great organization. Said no one ever.
OH look, there are some of the children behind her who she shoved out of the line so she could waltz onto the carriage and act like a big shot.
Tony Damiano, a perfect bookend with Jeanne Johnson. Oh man, what a motley crew.
Shame is a great motivator but we should all wonder if anyone who walked to the front of the line had any. There will always be a few who think some animals are more equal than others. My advice to those who hold VIP status is to do yourself a favor and exercise some humility.
By the way, who issued these VIP passes? It would be good to know what qualifies a person or group of people to receive said status.
How pitiful. Needing to hold up a little sign and feel important. Someone said this is elitism. Geez Jeanne Johnson. Get a life.
i was thinking about doing a ridgewood walk but knowing who she supports just changed my mind.
Don’t hate the player…
Several organizations in town have assumed a false mantle of authority that they do not possess. Ridgewood Walks and some other groups have NO formal connection to Village government.
I was in The Tea Shop today and some people waiting for tea were talking about the winterfest and how lovely it was…..and they were talking about how incredibly long the line was for the horse ride. Guess they weren’t near the front when Jersey Jeannie butted her obnoxious self to the front, or they surely would have been talking about that, too.
Isn’t guild a one man show?
No one knows what the guild is. But Jeanne Johnson feels it confers VIP status on her.
Not connected to the VC usually means a very successful program. RW walks hosted multiple events and had a great participation rate. Many VC didn’t host this year because they are really about development and bringing more traffic into the area by way of the garage and developments. We have been waiting over two years for the master plan and the recommendations will come just in time for the next election how convenient, watch
Yes, the Guild is basically Tony and everyone else comes afterward. No offense intended, but Tony’s Mango Jam store is basically a high-rent Etsy store. Unfortunately, that’s why the smartest people in the VC room want to build a 12 million dollar garage, plus overruns, for dying businesses. As for the self-anointed groups, they should be more self-aware. I find some of their walking tours interesting, but that doesn’t automatically make JJ a celebrity VIP…except in her own mind.
So, this story is really about folks standing there and watching a horse’s ass ride roughshod through our town?
Jeanne Johnson is a kind woman who tries valiantly to do good for our community. She’s out in the town doing good. She’s not hiding behind her computer saying disparaging things about fellow residents . I am proud I call her my friend.
Erin Taddei
Do Gooders deserve to be first in line. They deserve rewards like having their pic in newspapers all the time and always standing first in line. Right up in front.
Take me for example, I am out in the town just doing my own chores and minding my own business, not doing any special good or bad. And I don’t mind standing at the end of the line and waiting my turn.
Agree with Erin and Diane – – let’s move do gooders to the front of all lines. Hell, let’s pay their taxes for them.
Diane, no one should mind waiting in line and waiting their turn. But people do take offense when self important jerks, butt their way to the front. Do gooders do not have the right to butt their way to the front.
Erin Taddei – I am glad Jeanne is your friend. You should advise your friend that sometimes people make mistakes and the right course of action would be for her to admit this.
OMG! I am being sarcastic making fun of do gooders who push themselves to front of line. Not serious that they should!
Diane
Do-gooders like Jeanne Johnson just want adulation and VIP passes. They are not really do-gooders. True do-gooders just do the work, behind the scenes, and do not demand preferential treatment and praise.
Yes such a VIP Ms Ridgewood walks didnt want her kids walking 3 blocks to school
Erin Taddei, have another drink. You must be drunk to describe Jeanne Johnson as working “valiantly” to do good. Give me a break.
Dictionary definition of VIP: a very important person; a person who is treated better than ordinary people because they are famous or influential
REALLY Jeanne Johnson????
A ledgend in her own mind
Another Ridgewood pompous blow hard
Pushing little childern out of the way go Ridgewood
Wait. Why would ANYone even bother to say anything here.
I mean. Erin TADDEI coming to anyone’s defense is like its own special death blow. Those 2 are like the town jokes. Just sit back and let them pat each other on the backs.
Is Anyone ever surprised they don’t see a MR taddei or a MR Johnson sticking up for the many many varied embarrassments of their spouses??? That should scream volumes. So we don’t need to!
THIS is the town loony toon who has now decided to stick up for the town self described vip. Dumb and actually dumber.
There’s nothing more we can do here people except sit back and watch the bottled red heads pat each other on the back.
So a neighbor reportedly cuts a line & this is the response?
-incredibly pathetic
-an ass
-ego as big as the world
-slamming political affiliation
-an irritating pimple
-making fun of her volunteer org intended to bring people together
-big shot
-Motley crew
-pitiful
-get a life
-Obnoxious self
-a celebrity in her own mind
-a horse’s ass
-self important jerk
-just wants adulation
-another Rwood pompous blowhard
-pushing children out of the way
-Town joke
And when someone defends her they are both called dumb and dumber
Gee…why don’t we put her in a red cloak and stone her to death?
How is this the town I have lived in for 35 years? It’s unspeakable, the way we are treating each other and it has to stop.
Someone else defending bad behavior. This is pitiful
“How is this the town I have lived in for 35 years? It’s unspeakable, the way we are treating each other and it has to stop.” –
I have news for you. I have lived here much longer than 35 years. And way back when I was a child we did not like people who butted and bullied their way in front of lines and acted more important than everyone else. This behavior was not tolerated then and it should not be tolerated now and I agree with everyone who has expressed disgust with the self-appointed VIP’s.
Get a life. The majority of these responses are simply cruel and needless. I feel sorry for anyone who feels they have to bash someone trying to do good to this extent. It’s pathetic.
No one should ever ever let someone else step on them. Dehumanize them even in a small way like going in front of them in a line.
We’ve had enough of dehumanization in America with racism, with women non equality in many ways including pay scale, the #Me Too Movement, with religion and with rich folks stepping on and crushing the poor. It is vital to not let anyone else treat you unjustly and it is MANDATORY that it be reported in places like this wonderful BLOG. That is the AMERICAN WAY.
This is Holiday Time,
No one should push themselves in the front of the line,
Not White people,
Not Black people,
Not Rich people,
Not Poor people,
Not Do-Gooders,
Nor those who think they are too good to stand in the back of the line,
This is Holy Days Time,
Time to remember that we are all special, unique,
And at the same time connected to all mankind.
Dear Anne Loving and your “Anonymous” friends,
You are misinformed. I did not cut the line at the Winter Fest event and I did not steal a seat from anyone on the hayride. The Ridgewood Walks group had a “back stage” look at Winter Fest. It included a VIP pass on the hay ride, which was offered to us, not requested by us. When I saw that the line was long I made my group wait, right along with the others. The only difference was that we walked around the park instead of standing on line. We had someone hold a place for us. That person let every one else who joined the line know that a party of 8 (not 15 as you mentioned) would be boarding the ride before them.
When I got back to the loading area I spoke to every single person on the line and thanked them for their patience. I wished them a happy holiday and gave them candy canes and other gifts. No one. Not a single person expressed angst. Everyone was cheerful and happy.
It is beyond me how you feel justified to assassinate my character here and on other digital platforms. You saw a mere glimpse of something and made up a negative story about it. If you were truly concerned about the people who were left waiting in line you might have spoken to them yourself. You might have even taken the time to speak to me. Your outrage over something that didn’t happen is confusing.
I appreciate your concern, but the degree in which it was expressed was completely unwarranted. There are lots of people in our beautiful community who work diligently to place a spotlight on all the great things we have to appreciate here. It would be a shame if their desire to do good is snuffed out by untrue accusations and character assassinations. In the future, please make sure your facts are correct before you try to tear people apart. Better yet, look for the good in everyone. I promise you, you’ll find it.
Jeanne Johnson
I hope that everyone on this blog who has written with such venom feels good and silly now. I have been watching this thread in horror, wondering where any of you get off criticizing a person who is doing so much good for our community, giving of her own time and energy. It is despicable and you are bitter and twisted. Do you know that Jeanne has secured more than a million dollars in grant money for our (YOUR) community through her “do-gooding”…..have any of you? Gimme a break. Petty children. You are the ones who should be ashamed of yourselves.
We support our dear friend Jeanne Johnson. For all the ‘anonymous’, if you have the courage to write such disparaging and rude comments, own it by adding your name.
Laurie and Tim Kane
Thats not a charity by her. Doen’t she make money with those grants? I will call it an employment or side gig.
As far as her podcasts go, her questions include long statements as part of framing the questions. I think those statements are over 80% LIES.
VIP pass was “offered to us, not requested by us”, really?? So JJ of guild offered it to JJ of walks?