file photo Boyd Loving
Ridgewood’s manager settling into new role
AUGUST 18, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 2014, 1:25 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
In her first four months as Ridgewood’s new village manager, resident Roberta Sonenfeld has struck a different tone in local government, with the help of her private sector background and eager-to-learn, hands-on approach to the job.
Sonenfeld has already had one-on-one meetings with more than 60 village employees from several departments, including health, fire, police and finance, with plans to meet with all roughly 270 individuals who work in village government.
“I think the morale is improving. I think that she took the time to meet with everyone and find out what’s needed, what’s happening,” said Supervisor of Health Dawn Cetrulo, who has already had her one-on-one with Sonenfeld. “I think she’s listening. She’s talking to each of us and making a lot of changes, a lot of positive change.”
“We (recently) had a staff meeting,” added Cetrulo, “and you could just tell that the feeling in the room was positive. It was a nice experience.”
The public has experienced a difference, too: Sonenfeld brought brownies to this Wednesday’s council meeting.
– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/ridgewood-s-manager-settling-into-new-role-1.1069246#sthash.yTMmsaxP.dpuf
She is off to a good start and I hope it continues.
Please stop Dom.
Your nauseating.
Why does Ridgewood have 270 employees in a Village of 24,958 people? That’s one municipal employee for every 92 people…. overkill ? There must be ways to make municipal goverment more efficient than that? What processes can be automated or offered on-line? Where are there redundancies and overlap in service and responsibility? Thankfully we have a Six Sigma blackbelt looking at all of this, keep up the great work Roberta !
You have more people because you have paid fire ,paid ambulance, and paid water department, add those up and it comes to approx. 80 employees add in the crossing guards, and the cops and your well over a hundred. Personnel are necessary to provide safety and service.
If some trimming can be done Roberta will find it and do it. Her experience in the private sector makes her unusually well qualified to seek out inefficiencies. Wall Street is probably the most demanding sector of all and she performed at a very significant level. She is a real winner and a nice person as well.
Sell the Water Company!
You’re*
Your grammar is nauseating.