September 6,2016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Breaking Update : (8:17 pm)the Ridgewood blog has learned that the now former Village manager was escorted out the building after misusing her Village email by sending out misinformation about her departure.
Ridgewood NJ, various sources have confirmed as of 9:17 am this morning Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld as tendered her resignation . Her last official day is Friday . We are not sure if she will be at the Council meeting tomorrow night . Heather Mailander will take over temporary manager duties.
Woo Hoo!
Oh my word, this is wonderful news!!!
Feel that breeze out there today? Started at 9:17 this morning. Fresh air blowing into town. Thank GOD
WOW
Good bye, good riddance, don’t let the door smack you on the way out.
This is a tremendous loss for our town. Roberta worked hard and cared about this town and should be thanked for her hard work and dedication. This is just so sad.
can’t wait for the spin doctors, rurik gwenn, pukearelli, etc
New beginnings…first day of school and first day of freedom for Ridgewood. thank you all who made this happen.
Who is next? All corruption should be rooted out.
David Zrike – can you please give us an example of what good she did for the Village during her time here?
Guess she felt like the minority council members felt for the last couple of years.
Sucks to be in the minority doesn’t it Roberta?
Well, if this is true, a fact is a fact.
Now Wooooudn’t it be Wonderful if the new manager had a background in Environmental Science and was an Animal Rights , wildlife advocate. Enough with the business and financial backgrounds already.
Just thinkin of Schedler, Van Neste and some lovely foxes out there…..
Well, if this is true, a fact is a fact.
Now Wooooudn’t it be Wonderful if the new manager had a background in Environmental Science and was an Animal Rights , wildlife advocate. Enough with the business and financial backgrounds already.
Just thinkin of Schedler, Van Neste and some lovely foxes out there…..
Early on I wanted to say to her that didn’t she realize that the council could change and her treatment of Mike and Susan could potentially hurt her. But as I witnessed her bias increasing, I thought her actions were beyond what any reasonable person could participate in. Hence, she is not reasonable. After this last election, it was only a matter of time. She wasn’t the town’s village manager, she was Paul, Albert and Gwenn’s sidekick and acted as a 6th council member. She had no municipal experience and worse, treated people differently according to whether or not they supported her agenda. I for one am glad that she has resigned and that the new council has a chance to hire a real VM who views the entire council equally and with respect and also the residents who will pay his/her salary.
She was very capable. She got caught up in the politics and dug her heels in for the wrong reasons.
This was a real job and she needed to be neutral, not fighting with residents.
Right on, 3:19. You can keep someone around with a less-than-great attitude if they’re highly competent, experienced, and brilliant. Maybe you can keep someone around who’s less than great, but their sunshine makes everybody happy and they get things done. People kept saying that at least she wasn’t an alcoholic like previous managers. Can you imagine hearing someone say that about yourself in your job? Talk about faint praise.She worked hard–many hours–we know this because she mentioned it a lot. But what was she doing? Working on projects behind some council members’ backs and intended to foil the wishes of residents. Determinedly following through on Aronsohn’s plans. This woman was a hiring disaster except for the person who hired her. Unqualified for many important Village Manager tasks, requiring expensive outsourcing and in one case, the excuse for creating an HR position for a friend that quickly morphed from part time to full time. Let’s get rid of that person and that position soon. Sonenfeld was incompetent, defensive, “attitude” prone, disrespectful of council members and the public, all too willing to do the former mayor’s bidding. Shockingly, did not hesitate to chew out council members–totally unacceptable. Expressed far more personal opinions than a manager should. Waster of money, pusher of projects we didn’t need–most recently the digging up and overhauling of Van Neste, which fortunately was caught in time. Cashed in her favor-chips with that HR job and giving her Health Barn friend part of a municipal park (let’s rip up that contract asap). Never learned the true role of a village manager. We will be far better off without her. Aronsohn’s legacy is now diminished in the most significant way since the council election. CLEAN HOUSE. (Judge Pfund needs to go, too.)
You don’t campaign for 3 candidates that lose 67% of the vote and survive. You don’t shout down residents in Van Neste Park on an issue that loses 67% of a second vote and survive. Are you paying attention Mr. Saraceno and Mrs. Meyers? Do you sense that nobody wants what you are suing the Village to get?
3:19 completely agree and very well said. 3:11 don’t forget about the Healthbarn business in a neighborhood park. This was done by the village manager for a friend. That contract has to be re visited quickly. How it even happened is astounding. Healthcare is making money off of tax payers dollars. We tax payers are financially supporting this business that operates in our park. Crazy!!! and thank God Van neste will be saved. Oh the destruction Roberta and friends have caused.
I wonder how many commenters have ever had a conversation with Roberta? who would want this job now? it’s getting awfully political in this town.
I think that every village employee is at risk of having anoymous bloggers pile up the bile.
How will we ever hire and retain a good person? People in this town do not agree on everything. The VM is guaranteed to be disliked because we love to rip people apart when they look at us the wrong way.
We have started looking like an angry mob looking for the next person to turn on. How can we ever have a normal person in that job?
I have a suggestion , represent the people and do not act like a self absorbed A-hole , shut up and do your job and never forget who pays your salary , listen to people when they speak and that would lower your risk of having anonymous bloggers pile up the bile
Why today? She could have done this after the election.
Remember Ahronson was trying to have the council publically commit to supporting her.
Ding dong the wicked witch is dead.
Ms. Sonenfeld was completely unqualified with ZERO municipal experience. She was rude, nasty, bossy, a total train wreck.
Next up for removal:
Chris R.
Tim C.
Blais B.
Nancy B.
Janet F.
John S.
Sharyn M.
All should be gotten rid of pronto.
I know. While I think that her resignation is a good thing I would like to leave her alone now. I feel bad that we are piling on.
The next one will be a Democrat with strong ties to the County.
oy vey
Completely agree with @3:45. She seems very bright and competent. Sadly she was too political and that was her downfall. Completely biased and untrustworthy, she needed to go.
Now all the dirty little secrets are going to come out. Who she gave big raises to. How she spent money and the project that she was going to bond. There are more large project that have been in the works beside the garage.
Karma
Maybe she will find a job at Valley Hospital.
I refuse to accept responsibility as a stoning mob. Sonenfeld’s demise had many causes, all of them her own fault for serious lack of judgment. 6:13, good list (although incomplete). With Gail Price and Roberta Sonenfeld off the books, the most constructive next heave-ho would be Blais. He’d get a fine pension and could tell all the nice folks at Unemployment that the devil was in the details, but don’t ask him about the details. His long and hopeless tenure with this town has been a train wreck in altogether different ways from Price’s and Sonenfeld’s. USELESS OR WORSE and at a high price in more ways than one. Now more than ever we need a competent planner who actually plans, not dithers. Also Pfund.
Essential for Janet Fricke to receive Ye Pinke Slippe. Who knows how much inside info she has slipped to attorney husband working at Gail Price’s firm, and more? Gotta go.
Can someone explain why Chris R. is on the list? He’s a long time Village employee and in the 25 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never heard anyone call for his resignation. It seems to me that through the past Council’s tenure, he simply was doing what was asked of him as the Village Engineer.
Escorted out of the building for misuse of her official, taxpayer funded e-mail? How fitting. The woman has turned out to be a nut job. Another documented failure of the Aronsohn administration. How many more will there be?
Hold her severance payout until the ethics complaint is heard.
Roberta was horrible, completely ill suited to the job. Not going to pretend otherwise. Thank GOD she is gone.
Roberta’s true colors are really shining through. Hey bitch, you stunk at your job. Show a modicum of class and exit quietly.
Boy oh boy she has her little fan club posting all over facebook. So unprofessional. You lose your job, hold your head high and move forward. She is worse than a mean-girl middle-schooler. Just an embarrassment to our Village.
6:13 and 8:41 have you ever actually attended a planning board meeting or spoken to BB??? Fools.
He’s an asset.
What misinformation was in her parting emails?
She should have turned her intensity towards the new council agenda.
9:26 – no severance when you quit.
disappointed as it was under her tenue that Village Services and communications have improved the first time in 25 years.
Hope it’s not the inmates running the asylum now ?!
we get the government we deserve.
9:03 He completely dropped the ball on the 60 foot Utility poles being installed down Maple, Spring and Hope Street! He should have been fired 3 years ago for that!
I heard she was a competent administrator, but the few times I spoke with her, I had the sense she did not understand numbers, so I never formed an impression of her abilities one way or the other. At the same time, I believe she too strongly pushed Paul Aronsohn’s self-promotion and political agenda, by, for instance urging people not to sign the parking petition. I also thought her letter to the editor a few weeks back regarding Schedler was completely off the mark and bizarre. Having politicized her position and made it personal, she created her own fate.
Perhaps it is her method of leaving that most reveals her true character and ability. Arrive on Tuesday to announce you are leaving a CEO role on Friday and then send emails to staff saying its all too hostile for you to stay on??? A person in that position – – someone who signed up to promote and preserve the health, safety and welfare of 25,000 people – – should have the fortitude and wherewithal to give adequate notice, ensure a smooth transition and go out with head held high. Instead, we get more drama.
I hope her exit is orderly and her huge army of supporters do not start trouble.
Those who say she was competent just because she emailed some somewhat well crafted emails probably have never worked in their life or worked at some bullshit place. Competence and someone who picks fights with residents cannot go together. Being a VM in a rich town must be a great pleasure as you get to manage a lot of resources for the general good. Unfortunately she was only competent at stupidity. Good riddance.
“huge army of supporters” like who?
She couldn’t just walk away. As if ethics violations, citizen complaints and lawsuits against her weren’t enough…she ultimately lost all control and GOT HERSELF physically removed from Village Hall. Thanks for the perfect parting gift, Roberta. Amazing! #gameover #robertasonenfeld
“9:03 He completely dropped the ball on the 60 foot Utility poles being installed down Maple, Spring and Hope Street! He should have been fired 3 years ago for that!”
Your kidding right? You think PSE&G even has to answer to a municipal government? They are a BPU governed entity worth billions. They do what they want. Trust me. Not even Fullop can get them to pave curb to curb. Lobbying works when you have unlimited cash. And because we bitched about the poles, we were last for Sandy restoration. Take it as they give it so we aren’t screwed when we need them.
9:27 – I think you were addressing 8:22am’s comments not mine (9:03) . I agree with your response. The Village pulls no weight with PSE&G . . . they own those rights and there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
8:22 am – your comments it ridiculous. Chris R. had nothing to do with the tall polls from PSE&G. Lots of other towns now have the tall polls; Ridgewoodians were the only ones dumb enough to think that they had a “right” to stop their installation.
Not stop installation but at least temporarily intercede based on a published plan, there is plenty of precedent for that. If memory serves, the village was able to squeeze at least some beneficial changes out of PSE&G to the new utility pole installation plan.