As seen on Village Council TV:
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, at the September 10, 2025 Village Council meeting, resident Steve Friedes gave a sanctimonious speech about how (1) elected officials are to be completely trusted and their decisions should never ever be questioned (apparently we do not live in a democracy here); (2) all of us are neighbors and we must be neighborly and respectful.
A little context here. This is the person who is the administrator of the highly exclusive Facebook page called Ridgewood Moms and Dads. Before she was elected to The Village Council, Siobhan Winograd was also an administrator of Ridgewood Moms and Dads. Since she has been elected, she has remained in touch with Friedes about what should and should not be posted (yes, The Blog has documentation of this). This is the only FB page on which Ms. Winograd posted her comments, even though she is well aware that the page (and therefore her comments) is not open to the entire public that she was elected to serve. Mr. Friedes’ Facebook page is the definition of BULLYING with Mr. Friedes at the helm. People are kicked off regularly for writing comments that he does not like. Some people who apply to join are denied before they even get a chance (presumably because they don’t meet some unspecified criteria). Online discussions are regularly shut down with comments brought to a halt. So, yeah, Pastor Friedes, thanks for your unctuous sermon.
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What a jerk. Friend of Siobhan, so it figures.
A Napoleon wannabe.
A class A prick.
An absolute asshole.
He gave his ridiculous speech, walked back to his seat, picked up his backpack, and strode out of the room with his wife in toe. What an entitled bastard!
Probably in tow.
This guy is such an intolerant jerk. Just listened to his love-thy-neighbors crap. Nope. Just nope. He is the WORST
What a jerk.
I’ve seen this clown around town…mouthpiece for Peewee and Schibboleth.
He tag teams with Leonard Diamond when he doesn’t like someone’s opinion.
Steve runs a site called “teacher by nature” ..The man controlling and censoring encourages openness? Looks like a privileged “hippie” to me.
Boof ass bitch ????????
Well he has no problem with his ego. It’s enormous
Get him a haircut and a decent looking shirt
I feel bad for his kids if he has any
Looked like a total brown-nose…
When you look up the word weasel in the dictionary, his face is pictured.
The weasels have already issued a cease and desist letter…….
Oh, he’s part of the puppet crew,
Holy male Yenta….
grow so balls there jerkey.
Think his name is spelled Freides and be careful he is an accomplished weightlifter!
The timing of this speech is ridiculous – clearly there are lots of questions about Ridgewood governance, he can’t paper over that
Yep, I’ve seen this guy at the Y.
Did he really come to talk to council about a local Facebook group??? Give me a break! he needs to get a life- this is like high school drama.
He had the audacity to say that he doesn’t care at all about Kensington. Said he doesn’t even wanna know about it. Well, how can he care or not care about it if he doesn’t even know about it
Steve is a really nice guy. None of the negative commentators know him. You are taking liberties in your characterization of his message. Start your own Ridgewood Facebook Group, there are other unsuccessful ones out there
The blog and RMAD are for anonymous character assassination.
And for the record I did not call out anyone by name.
anonymous poster attacking anonymous posts….
Steve is such a conceited jerk.
No, this guy is a straight up. Bully, you’re probably part of his group clearly. The towns had enough of this shit.
Why would we want to get to know this dude? His values are all screwed up. On one hand you’re preaching about respect to neighbors, but then how do you then turn your back on them by saying you don’t wish to hear about a controversial project that will affect their daily lives? How sad for you.
For the record I did not call anyone out be name. HAHAHAHAHA. So it was Steve defending himself anonymously.
All you need to do is tune in to the weekly episide of Vagianos’ Magical Mystery Tour on YouTube to witness the grandstanding, including Steve F. sauntering in like a white knight to defend his fair maiden and FB cohort, Siobahn Winograd. What a joke! Who would take advice from this pint sized wingnut? Half of the village has been blocked or booted off Ridgewood mom’s and dads Facebook site and at the end of the day saw right thru the large gaps in the controlled narrative and your antics. By the way, Weird Al Yankovic called and he’s flattered you’ve chosen to become a mini-he.
Big dog energy.
Oh Steve, you shouldn’t have.
No really, I mean you shouldn’t have.
This guy believes residents should blindly trust and not question the elexted leaders?Excepr the current council’s motives and character are entirely suspect, therefore scrutiny is entirely legit. They dont get a hall pass for misdeeds just because they are your friends.
I think he was addressing this to Mr. Halaby who has behaved in a very inapprpriate manner, even being rude to a former councilperson and is rarely respectful to members of the public. That would make sense.
This picture. Hahaha
A speech about respect from a social media nazi who repeatedly for years has has become a local legend by manipulating and managing to boot many off his exclusive page. Its laughable.
Looks like this guy has finally taken his head out of someone’s ass just in time to pen this crap. Guessing the council needed their egos stroked since they’ve lost the respect of residents.
Any FB group with a name of (fill in town name) Moms/Dads/both will be as much fun as your local HOA…………………………………
For anyone who watched that meeting on youtube or was there for that matter, to listen to this guy state emphatically that he doesn’t wish to know about the kensington project and he wishes to leave everything up to our elected leaders is just so incredibly rude. I don’t know where this guy lives, but perhaps they can put the assisted living facility next door to his house and we’ll see if he wants to leave things up to his elected leaders that he loves so much. What a selfish jerk.
Motives and character, very interesting. Acting the part of town tool isn’t working too well for you now is it?
This village is a joke, it’s so embarrassing, I wouldn’t tell anyone I live in this town, or will work in this town. The place is so mismanage. They need to clean house and bring it all new management from outside.
A fool knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Mr. Friedes is a fool squandering his attention otree frivolously on a council that residents are beginning to realize are devisive and driven to afvance their own agendas. We need competent leaders. Put that on your Facebook page.
The party‘s over, the lady behind the curtain is making the decision to bring outside new management, we have to clean house. What’s going on? Is a big joke. We have a individual of interest to take over director position, this individual is coming from another town with tremendous amount of experience
Awfully glad I never joined Facebook from day one.
Well folks, I think we have our first act for the new PAC coming to Ridgewood. Except i think we need a little more sizzle and a little less steak.
Ridgewood is a woke town. They fly the rainbow flag in June. They are aligned with the radical left. Until people wake up and turn off their cable news and open up to the common man, they’ll never know the other side
Don’t go into the light Carol Anne!
Actually, I think this current Ridgewood administration headed up by a hardcore pro dev business owner having a vested interest in almost every project that gets top billing, supports friends businesses who get contracts, gives money to his committee head friends, support or appoint other friends to committees, allegedly and is perceived to expand his own pocketbook and interests
Seems to be more trumpian than anything that would happen on the left side of politics or where a vested interest would not be present.
Where was steve with his advice When his pal Winnograd went after the last mayor and council with her disrespectful demands for attention. Did she act in a respectful manner? Did she allow elected leaders to do their job? Did she thank them for volunteering their time? No she did not. she was part of a small, but very vocal minority.So there you go.
He wedged himself in between two people who were there to speak about something terrible that they are in opposition to because it affects their lives but goes on to preach to everyone about respect. Unfortunately for him, he missed the mark by about a million miles and sanctimonious doesn’t even begin to describe his arrogance. Whether he came up with this idea to speak publicly at this time or was encouraged by the council who often has people come to support their views.It is very poor timing and very disrespectful.Take a lesson out of your own playbook, steve, and get a life.
Typical intolerant leftist liberal. Barf.
You know what the Canadian band Klaatu said in 1976? “Calling occupants of interplanetary craft, most extraordinary craft” This guy looks like he’s from outer space.
Mr. Cancel culture to the extreme.
Steve has a boner 24/7