Examining the Fragments left behind in Vision 2030’s Trojan Horse
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Village residents who have walked The Five Stairsteps leading into Ridgewood’s journey are uncovering that the path to graduation is paved with political convenience, deceit, and questionable connections.
Things are gonna get easier for Ridgewood residents who are undoing the school board’s Gordian knot. Things will get brighter in Ridgewood now that residents have identified the strands between Cottage Place administrators, Democratic Party representatives, and the Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, Jacobs Law Firm.
It is established that Ridgewood’s Vision 2030 plan is the wagon that the Democratic Party would like to wheel through all of New Jersey’s public schools. One of the strands in the knot is that Cottage Place administrators were hired as politically connected pawns to help establish this framework. Another strand tightening the knot is that administrative personnel were reorganized to ensure personnel followed what local Democrats, including both Senator Benji Wimberly (D-#35) and Joseph Lagana (D-#38) (who has received election campaign donations from Ridgewood Mayor Paul Vagianos), need for their future maneuvers within the State House.
Ridgewood Blog has previously reported on the close association between the Ed Center administrators, Paterson School leaders and state Senators Joseph Lagana and Benji Wimberly. Sen. Joseph Lagana is a Principal Partner at the Cleary, Giacobbe, Alfieri, Jacobs Law Firm that protects Ridgewood’s Board of Education. Senator Benji Wimberly is Paterson School’s recreational director who worked alongside Ridgewood’s current Business Administrator/Board Secretary, to bring the community school model into Paterson. Now Ridgewood’s Board of Education is entangled with Paterson’s personnel, contracts, and political players.
To understand the direction of Ridgewood Schools, one can look at Paterson’s recent history. According to an August 1, 2023 article from Northjersey.com, Benji Wimberly, a state Assemblyman at the time, and Paterson’s Mayor Andre Sayegh had a falling out. Mr. Wimberly, according to the article, had a track record of supporting winning board of education members for a decade, including current member Kenneth Simmons. Flavio Rivera, a former Wimberly associate, decided to run for school board with Mayor Andre Sayegh’s support. Mr. Rivera cites his reason for running was the double-digit tax increases Paterson residents encountered between the years 2019 and 2022. The Mayor’s preferred candidates won which brought about changes in that city.
Mr. Richard Matthews, who was appointed as Ridgewood’s Business Administrator in July 2024, resigned from the Paterson School District once his allies at Paterson’s Board of Education lost control. Ridgewood’s current Business Administrator is associated with the faction that is aligned with long-time Paterson Board member Ken Simmons and Senator Benji Wimberly.
In April 2025, according to another Northjersey.com article, Paterson awarded a $450K contract to the law firm of Buglione, Hutton and DeYoe of Wayne. This firm has political ties to Paterson’s current board of education leadership. Board President, Eddie Gonzalez, decided to drop the politically connected firm of Shabazz and Woolridge Law Group without a public explanation. Senator Benji Wimberly and Essex County Democrats, the article shares, are politically aligned with the Shabazz and Woolridge group. Kenneth Simmons, who remains on the board, complained that the switch was just another example of leaders less concerned for taxpayers and educating children and more protective of self-serving contracts and agendas. According to Northjersey.com reporter Joe Malinconico, Paterson then froze spending on the custodial services provided by ACB Services, the same custodial company that was recently awarded a contract with Ridgewood Public Schools.
Another thread in the knot reveals that Monello Landscaping Industries has previously contracted with Paterson Schools during Mr. Matthews’ tenure. Monello Landscaping Industries now has a significant financial contract to beautify Ridgewood’s grounds.
It only takes a few minutes of whirling around for residents to realize Cottage Place insiders are leading taxpayers down diverging paths. There is a “For Sale” sign attached to Ridgewood Schools and Ms. Brogan’s succession plan includes passing the keys right into the hands of Joe Lagana and Benji Wimberly, the two state Senators who are brokering the deal behind the scenes with other Democratic legislators, especially those on the Education Committee.
It is just a matter of time until Ridgewood residents uncover the real reasons for these new hires, new organizational charts, new visions, and new contracts that have taken place in rapid succession over the past two years. This vision is looking like it is for political convenience among a few self-serving elite.
Someday we can put it together and we’ll get it all done.
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