file photo by Boyd Loving
JULY 23, 2015, 5:58 PM LAST UPDATED: THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2015, 6:01 PM
BY CHRIS HARRIS
STAFF WRITER |
THE RECORD
RIDGEWOOD — The council’s decision to appoint a human resources director was challenged last week by residents who suggested the hiring might have violated village ordinance.
Ridgewood’s council voted 3-2 on July 15 to update the ordinance that lays out the village’s organizational structure. The move formally establishes a human resources department and creates a director’s position for that department.
Roberta Sonenfeld, the village’s manager, said at last week’s council meeting that the ordinance was being updated to reflect operations in Village Hall.
Sharyn Matthews, director of the village’s new human resources department, was hired in the fall as a senior personnel assistant, earning $92,000. Matthews, whose pay will remain the same, holds degrees in labor relations and human resources from Cornell University and Mercy College and is certified as a senior human resources professional.
The changes approved by the council last week effectively eradicated the Department of Community Services, Sonenfeld said, while moving some of its subdivisions to other departments and adding some new positions.
“The intent of the ordinance,” Sonenfeld said, was to clean up the language in the code “to reflect what is and has been reality.”
There are two questions. 1. Was an HR director necessary when the Village Manager is supposed to manage this function as part of her $150K salary? 2. Did the Village Council violate the Village Code by hiring Matthews prior to creating the position.
The answer to (1) is open for debate. Some agree. Others don’t.
The answer to (2) is unequivocal – the code was violated, and the VC was well aware that they barreled ahead without following the letter of the law.
Yes, Paul, the system is broken. And you deliberately broke it.
The question is WHY? What was the big hurry? Why not get things straight before hiring someone? Why all the subterfuge?
Thank you Mike Sedon and Susan Knudsen for standing up to your law-breaking colleagues on the Council. At least we can be proud that 40% of our elected officials follow the laws they were hired to observe.
And we have people in town that have the know how to handle the problems that come up on a day to day. we have unions that know what the law is, and to top that we have civil service.
Come on all you defenders of the trio. We arer anxiously waiting to hear how the spin doctors spin this one.
“The intent of the ordinance,” Sonenfeld said, was to clean up the language in the code “to reflect what is and has been reality.”
What a load of BS. Clean up the lanugage in the code? Come on, Roberta, do you think that we concerned citizens of this town are stupid? You hired for a position that did not exist. The Council knew you were doing this, and two objected. You did not care, because you had the vote of the threesome in your pocket, so you knew that the hiring would go through. Your “clean up” statement is clearly intended to imply that this was along-standing discrepancy, instead of a very recent discrepancy that you intentionally created in order to hire Ms. Matthews.
Paul – The system is not broken, I agree with you on this.. The system is fine. You and your buddies bent the rules, broke them in half. But the system that is in place is fine. If only you and Albert and Gwenn and Roberta had respect for the law.
Jim Griffith was one of those defenders at the last council meeting. He was yelling at the podium defending the 3 amigos.
Rurik Halaby where are you. We know you read and post on this blog. Nothing to say?
OH WE ARE GOING TO CLEAN UP IN MAY, SEE YA, IT’S TIME FOR ALL NEW AGINE , IT SEEMS TO US WE THE PEOPLE OF RIDGEWOOD NEED TO CLEAN UP UP TOP EVERY THREE OR SO YEARS. AND ALL THE NEW ASS KISSER,S WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. YOU WILL BE OU TOO. SEE YA, .
Thanks 12:17, whoever you are. My doctor tells me I have so much fun taking on the vocalantis (a compound word combing Vocal and Anti, and that rhymes with vigilantes) that I should do it no more than twice a month. Plus I think James owes me a thank you note, if not a bunch of flowers. Everytime I get on I seem to triple the traffic. Hey, what are friends for? My last thought, when is Ms. Walsh announcing she is running for the seat she gave up for her run for the county board of freeholders. Her apearance at last week’s Council meeting was very much of an opening salvo of the Bernie Blitzkrieg. Just think, the vocalantis win their third seat, and we will all live happily thereafter. A Do-Nothing Council that says No to everything, and Camelot continues its slow decline to oblivion.
I am looking forward to Mayor Knudson, council members Sedon and Walsh.
I hope that the current council does not do too much damage before this happens.
I do know we have two new people running in may.
Ho ho ho, please note that Rurik is NOT DEFENDING his beloved foursome of Paul, Albert, Gwenn and Roberta. And why is he not? Because he knows they are wrong on this.
They are in big trouble now when one of their only two supporters no longer can come to their defense.
Have a nice weekend, you four. Your day is coming soon.
Rurik, I think you are right about your generating a lot of interest. Let us know if James sends you something! I agree that this may be the beginning of a return by Bernie, and I am delighted. Unfortunately with the current proposals to change the Master Plan, Camelot may be no more.
“Don’t let it be forgot,That once there was a spot…..Camelot”
Anon 8:50, whoever you might be, i have and will continue to defend Ms. Sonenfeld, and I feel her job should be insulated from dirty politics. The vocalantis are looking for any excuse to upset the existing order, and are using the hiring as a stupid campaign issue. Barnyard politics, throw enough manure on the barn wall and hope some of it will stick. I wish Ms Walsh would get off her high horse. Where was she when we lost $500,00 in quarters. She was against the firing of the former Village Manager, and voted against the hiring of the present one. She has an ax to grind.
Anon 10.11 Ridgewood is Camelot only in the mind of the vocalantis and their vision that seems not to extend past their nose. If people really cared about Ridgewood in 2025, i.e. have a concern for the future of the town, they would realize we have to renew to preserve all that is good about the town. You don’t fight change. You adapt or you die. Read history.
trump, trump, trump, ======== jobs.
Rurik Halaby Where was your hero the Mayor when all the quarters were taken ? After all he’s been there for 7 years.
Rurik, You do fight change when it does little, or nothing, to benefit the majority. From what I can see of your posts, everything you promote fits into that category. I’m still waiting for an answer on Valley’s not paying taxes. How the hell does that benefit Ridgewood ?
Anon 8:51, please look up my letters in the Ridgewood News. A vast majority are critical of the Mayor. Not because I hate him, but to give him ideas to become the best Mayor Ridgewood ever had. I have no animus against any of the Council Members. When I disagree I make my thoughts clear to them.
You know what, Rurik? Listen to your doctor and stop posting on here. Your rambling rants make no sense and add nothing to any meaningful conversation. Attacking Ms. Walsh is completely ridiculous. She blew,the horn on this illegal hiring. This is not a minor issue. It is major and it speaks to the total incompetence of our ego-driven foursome (the VM being the fourth). Walsh was right to vote against her hiring. She had no municipal,experience and no knowledge of civil service. And we are paying heavily for her significant inadequacies. Roberta has to go, along with the three amigos. As soon as the election next May, and the reorganization next July, Roberta can post on her LinkedIn account that she is once again out of work. What a relief that will be.
The only ax that Bernie has to grind is that this Village deserves competent and honest elected officials and a competent VM. go Bernie! We need you more than ever now.
Bil H. I realize the flavor of the week and a weak and mindless argument is to take on Vallley for not paying taxes. Are they following the law or not? What good do they do for Ridgewood? Twent-five percent, yes 25%, of Ridgewood’s Residents use Valley every year. And to have one of the top 15 hospitals in the State in our backyard. What does Valley do for Ridgewood? It saves lives and makes us recover from illnesses. That’s all that they do for Ridgewood. I have a feeling you are a healthy man who thinks you will never be hospitalized. I pray you are right. But if not, you will be pleased to have a world class hospital minutes away from where you live.
Anon 1:42 from the tone of your email, your friendship with Ms. Walsh, and the subject matter, I think I know who you are. And in al candor considering your cowardice in not identifying yourself I don’t think I will bother responding to your rants!
Rurik, the number of possibilities for 1:42 is rather lengthy. At least four of them no longer live in Ridgewood.
Bernie, please run for office. We need you back!
Rurik, “mindless argument ?” Take a look at the play this is getting in the Star Ledger and the Morris County papers. Even the head of one of the bigger healthcare systems admits that something should be worked out financially to compensate the municipality these hospitals are not paying taxes in. Nothing heard from Valley though. Interesting.
And by the way, do you think the law should be changed like the judge in Morristown believes ? The law is outdated, and that’s why he ruled the way he did. Stop with the rhetoric and answer the question for a change.
Bernie Walsh has many, many friends and supporters, Rurik.
How can illegal,hiring practices be diminished to a minor issue Rurik? Breaking the law by our elected officials is MAJOR.
Anon 10:43. I challenge you, Ms. Walsh, and all the trouble making vocalantis to come even close to proving the hiring was “ilegal.” To use a great expression, “put up or shut up.”
Bill H. 8:47 pm. Is that a dare or a double dare? In either case, my question to you, is the Valley doing anything illegal by not paying local taxes? If the anti-Valley vocalantis would stop thinking like a bunch of lemmings and focus on what is important, which is what can we do to ensure tha Valley Hospital, Ridgewood’s Crown Jewel, continues to provde the residents of Ridgewood with first clas care, you will focus on more important matters than on one court case. Again, barnyard politics throw manure on the barn and see what sticks.
“vocalantis” ?
I’m sorry Rurik, what I meant to say was that you are not only pedantic but you are also didactic.
Rurik, Typical response from a Valley supporter, ie. avoid the question because I have something to gain from not answering. No one ever said a hospital operating as a non-profit was illegal, just that nowadays the business model they use (make a lot of money and don’t pay taxes) just isn’t fair to the communities where they are making the money. Now, if that does not sound like a Valley/Ridgewood scenario I don’t know what does. Ridgewood has lost millions, not the other way around.
And by the way, there are two primary reasons why “The Crown Jewel” wants to stay in this town. First, why not stay where you don’t have to pay taxes ? Second, it would be to inconvenient to move it.
Ridgewood can exist very easily without Valley., but I have to say that Valley is acting like they would have a hard time existing without Ridgewood.
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