the staff of The Ridgewood Blog
Ridgewood NJ, since 1992, the “Order of Business” at Village Council Public Meetings has followed the prescribed outline noted in Chapter 3-13 of the Village Code (see below). Notably, the initial public comment period is, and has been since 1992, scheduled to take place early in the meeting.
At the request of Village Councilperson Siobhan Winograd, Village Council members are now considering a change to the established “Order of Business” that would permit the initial public comment period to be moved further into the meeting, following any scheduled presentation(s). Ms. Winograd’s thought process is that by moving public comments back (following any presentations), the presentation(s) may answer questions that members of the public would have asked in the absence of the presentation(s).
Some members of the public have verbally objected to this planned change claiming that residents who want to speak don’t always have comments pertaining to scheduled presentations topics, so why should these residents be forced to wait (for what could be 90 minutes) before being allowed to speak. Many speakers have put in long days at the office, and/or have children waiting at home. A lengthy wait to speak would be a hardship for these individuals.
What do you think? Should a meeting schedule that’s worked without a significant hitch for over 30 years be changed at the request of Councilperson Winograd, or left alone?
“Ms. Winograd’s thought process?” What a riot! She’s unfiltered. No “thought process” accompanies anything that leaves her mouth.
All that is necessary here is to know who proposed the change. If it was Siobhan, then the idea sucks.
So she wants to screw the people that pay the bills. Nice touch.
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
She just won’t shut up, will she?
Just because it’s been some way for 30 years doesn’t necessarily kean it’s ideal. Take the source of the suggestion out of the equation, and it’s an idea at least worth discussing, even if the decision is not to implement it.
It is a horrible idea and no other council that I am aware of in the state of NJ moves public comments from the beginning and end of the meeting. She wants to believe that she is in some way relevant aside from her sports loving crowd which only favor her antics because she is promising to get them a shiny new field. If that goes away, I would be willing to bet her popularity declines. She needs to stop talking and start listening. This will be very hard for someone who exihibits the very narcissistic tendencies that have been displayed.
Glen Rock does
Different town, different people, different scenario. We cannot compare apples and oranges. Ridgewood already has field envy over the Glenrock turf field, so let’s leave it at that. Ridgewood has an insane amount of fields, so we don’t need that and we don’t need to model their pubic commenting or anything else.
Mrs. Due Diligence has spoken.
That hag hates free speech and any kind of freedom in general. This is another way to censor the public. It’s like her stupid dial-in idea. They allow the public to call in at council meetings, but residents rarely get a chance to speak because these turds fill all the meeting time with their lies and stupid observations. Then they cut the meetings off at 11 p.m. further eliminating public comment.
I guess if your entire term on the council is built on lies and constructed narratives you probably wouldn’t want to give the public too much of a chance to call you out on it. And I thought I was a douche bag.
This will cut down on public comment. Which is what Siobhan wants. Because every member of the public is Dc matter than she.
Consider reading your comments before hitting Send.
The problem is she is thinking, stop thinking on how to screw the residents Wine-O it doesn’t help you.
Clearly meant to discourage people from speaking. Those pesky tax payers have so many opinions.
Winograd spoke and spoke and spoke at public comments before she was elected. She loved the opportunity to speak. Now she wants to squelch it for others.
Shioban and Paul Vagianos remind me of Gwen and Paul A.
Are they xxeeping together yet?
Totally!
Unnecessary.
No, but Paul and Pam are definitely bed, I mean block voting.
This is absolutely a strategic attempt from this idiotic stick figure without a soul to suppress people from speaking. Why? Because this way if comments are limited, they already cut them down at the end of the meeting from 5 minutes to 3 minutes, she can grandstand and spew her lies and misinformation, which she does all of the time, and no one will wait until the middle or end of the meeting to speak. So while she goes on and on about transparency, this is really a way to stop people from speaking. This person needs to be removed from the dais altogether. she is a danger to our village and our tax dollars.
Fine. So someone with a brain and heart, please run for Council.
Listen up young people and future generations of Ridgewood, this will be your future if you vote for people like this person who does not take resident concerns seriously and only prioritizes their own special interests to satisfy their own ego. There is nothing that this person does that is genuine. If you want a true lesson in hypocrisy and misinformation that some people call lying, gaslighting, manipulation and deviciveness, then this is what you will be stuck with. Your tax dollars are important so please vote with a clear mind and don’t get fooled by someone who makes you think that they care and looks to suppress what the public has to say because it doesn’t fit the narrative that they feel is convenient.
Regret to say that a current leading contender for the presidency is this times a zillion.
Obviously a reason had to be given, but it doesn’t work at all. For example, if that were the real point, a revised rule could say that comments related to presentations on that meeting’s agenda would be taken after those presentations. And then after each presentation, allow comments about it, with the usual time limits.
This ploy is clearly a lame excuse for smothering public comment, which is actually very rarely about presentations–which tend to be overlong and boring.
Many people simply could not or would not do it even if they wanted to make a statement. Quashing public opinion is not the job of their elected officials.
They keep trying. Vagianos has made several inroads and this is a new one.
It’s wrong. If they do it, a more enlightened future council will rescind it.
The existential risks are getting worse in this village, day by day, but people who can vote on things that do not benefit the public. Council persons and the mayor who push their private agendas, very much like Vagianos, Whinograd, Weitz and Perron will do much harm to the democratic process because of their longing to control the agenda at every twist and turn. Supressing the voice of the people who pay their taxes and want to institute their public right to speak. Shameful.
Ouch a gaduche
Nice photo
Somebody got some bad chardonnay…
Don’t look away Ridgewood residents. Once again, Councilperson Cringeworthy and is trying to suppress public comments but wants to make it look like it is a public benefit. The smoke and mirrors show as part of Vagianos’ Magical Mystery Tour continues. It is usually “Keep em guessing” and now the order of the day is “keep em quiet”.
One very obnoxious broad and I use that term broadly. Who put her in charge of Ridgewood?
They represent the public; they just don’t want to hear from them.
Do you think her husband encourages her ?
The voters! The voters of Ridgewood elected that, on purpose. This doesn’t say much about the majority of Ridgewood’s population. I feel bad for the smart folks, who saw this coming, but they are now stuck with the results.
There is a “rich and stupid” guy out there who might elaborate further on this topic.
This dip shit has already done some damage in Ridgewood with her nonsensical ideas and continues to do so. I have never seen anyone try to take so much credit for things that she isn’t responsible for. It is all about her scorecard, even if she has to misrepresent the truth in order to do so. So unethical and immoral person telling the public when they can and cannot speak is really insulting.
If I had a dollar for every dumb idea, lie, attempt to manipulate, misinform, gaslight or sneak something thru under the publics watchful eyes along with all of the other shenanigans, I could afford to retire. Changing something that has worked effectively seems cruel and counterproductive.
she is behind almost every bad idea. It is unfair to make the public wait until after 8 PM when parents are trying to put kids to bed after dinner. They just don’t want us to speak. Period.
People at an election year saw the mayor. Counsel and manager will perform their act like usual. You’ll see. They are spending money like crazy to make themselves look good. Look what we did. Meanwhile, many departments throughout the village are short on staff.
worst morale ever. The village is in deep doodoo and the businesses are departing which is not a good combo, tell me Vag isn’t worried. He is Mr. CBD and there are many vacant spots. Not good.
For example the huge pavilion that is supposed to go up at Habernickel. Why?
Thanks to Siobhan Winograd Ridgewood no longer votes in 65% of our budget. Now suddenly she wants to hear the public?!!! Don’t be fooled by her again.
They don’t want you to speak up front because that’s when most people are attentive and listening. Many drop off as the meeting progresses.
Election year. Now all of a sudden they want to hear from the public. What BS?
Winograd had egg on her face tonight. The whole stupid idea of hers was dropped
POWER TO THE BLOG!!!!
When is she out???
There’s a word for this style of government…
Totalitarianism