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Ken Gabbert file photo Boyd Loving

Seeking a sound reason for Gabbert’s ouster
Friday, August 30, 2013
The Ridgewood News

Seeking a sound reason for Gabbert’s ouster
Martin Cohen

To the editor:

Mayor Aronsohn is reported to have said that he led the ouster of Village Manager Gabbert because it is time for new blood in that office.

My understanding is that Mr. Gabbert has been in office for four years, which to me doesn’t sound like a long tenure, in fact I would call it brief, especially in Ridgewood where deliberations seem to move at thumbnail-growth speed.

Maybe I just don’t understand how things go, but I thought it was the village manager’s job to tend to the day to day running of the village, leaving it to the council for the creative vision. Since, despite a significantly curtailed municipal budget, things seem to go pretty well in the everyday operation of the village, I would have guessed that Mr. Gabbert was doing his job (I wasn’t too happy about his extraordinary $12,000 raise in a time of austerity, but the council who did that is now history).

– See more at: https://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/221749401_Letter__Seeking_a_sound_reason_for_Gabbert_s_ouster.html#sthash.C6QRS2hd.dpuf

file photo

Ridgewood Knights Stickball Tournament – Taking It To the Streets

Ridgewood Knights of Columbus – Taking It To the Streets for Fourth Annual Stickball Tournament.

Ridgewood-NJ-August 29, 2013: The Ridgewood Knights of Columbus Council #1736 is once again proud to be hosting their annual stickball tournament, now in its fourth year, on Saturday September 14th beginning at 11:00 a.m. on Passaic Street in Ridgewood. The entrance fee is $100 for a team of four. There will be trophies for first, second, and third place. Refreshments, hotdogs, and hamburgers will be served. There is also a 50/50 raffle. Benefit proceeds will go to the Social Service Association of Ridgewood. Registration is open to all.

“Since the inaugural event in 2010, this has grown every year and is a huge success, and we expect this year to be just as lively”, said event coordinator Rich Paliotta. “Last year the Knights went head-to-head with Ridgewood’s Finest and Bravest. We encourage other local organizations sign up and join in the activities this year.”

For an application or questions, email:

[email protected] or [email protected].

The Ridgewood Knights will be celebrating their 100-year anniversary, and the stickball tournament will kick off the start of the fraternal year. Many activities are being planned throughout the year to commemorate the anniversary, culminating with a grand gala on June 14, 2014.

Media Contact: Ridgewood Knights of Columbus – Richard Hrvatin (201) 410-3041.

Obama fails to lead by blaming today’s black problems on the legacy of discrimination
Published by: Herman Cain

We can solve these problems, but not if we focus on blaming the past.

One principle of leadership is that the tone is set from the top. When the leader asserts that a problem can be solved, the troops will take on the mindset of solving the problem. When the leader’s priority is to assign blame for the problem but not to focus on solutions, blame becomes the rule of the day.

So the tone set by the president of the United States is crucial in determining whether we will solve long-term problems or just sit around pointing fingers at each other. A lot of black people thought that the election of the first black president would usher in a time in which we would finally embrace real solutions to the problems facing the black community. Barack Obama has been a huge disappointment there.

Rarely has this been so evident than in his recent comments at a town hall meeting in New York.

With black unemployment returning to double the rate of whites, the president told a town hall in New York that minority populations are struggling economically because of past discrimination, and because of anxiety over his vision of wealth redistribution.

A lot of people don’t like to hear this, but we have to be honest with ourselves: The lack of wealth in the black community has nothing do with the legacy of discrimination at this point. Are you going to blame the increase in babies born out of wedlock on the legacy of discrimination? Are you going to blame the high dropout rates on that?

The problem with focusing on such lame is that it does not help people feel the resolve that we can solve those problems. A leader who encourages you to take ownership of the situation is really telling you that it’s within your power to solve the problem, and that you have a responsibility to do it. A leader who tells you it’s all someone else’s fault might make you feel better, but he doesn’t put you in a position to take action and make things better.

As I said in my column yesterday about the 1963 March on Washington, I took inspiration from that event to embrace aresponsibility to do the right things and succeed. How could I do any less after Dr. King and those who struggled along with him gave their all to win us the rights that should have been ours all along? There are voices in the black community, particularly Bill Cosby, who are telling the black community to knock off the crime, knock off the drugs, knock off dropping out of school, knock off having babies out of wedlock – that it’s time to honor our legacy and heritage by making the most of what Dr. King gave us. Many do, of course, but far too many have become mired in the mentality of poverty.

He doesn’t deny the legacy of slavery and discrimination. How could anyone? He simply says that today we have the opportunity to take our lives in our own hands and do what’s right – and we must.

I welcome Mr. Cosby’s message and I echo it. But it would really be powerful if that message came from the first black president of the United States, instead of the same old story of why it’s always someone else’s fault. That’s the tone a real leader would set.

Village Council Officially Appoints Interim Village Manager
August 27,2013
Boyd A. Loving
9:52 PM

Ridgewood NJ, During a Special Public Meeting of the Village Council held on Tuesday, August 27 at 6:00 PM, Village Clerk Heather A. Mailander was officially appointed as the Village’s Interim Village Manager beginning on September 1.  Resolution number 13-204, entitled “Appointment of Interim Village Manager,” was approved by Council members unanimously.

The Interim Village Manager position is required due to the imminent departure of Village Manager Dr. Kenneth Gabbert, whose employment was terminated by Village Council members effective August 31.

Ms. Mailander will be paid a stipend (above and beyond her regular salary) of approximately $3600 per month for the duration of her interim assignment.  In 2009, Ms. Mailander served as Interim Village Manager for five (5) months following the retirement of former Village Manager James Ten Hoeve, and prior to the hiring of Gabbert.

Dr. Gabbert will receive a severance package consisting of at least $46,250 in salary, plus payment for all unused vacation and sick time (final dollar figures not yet made public).

Steve Lonegan speaks in the Berkeley Township

What’s the Story, Cory? : Cory Booker should  immediately release his tax returns.

“Cory Booker promised the people of New Jersey that he would be transparent. But he has neither followed through nor said when he will follow through.”

METUCHEN, NJ – Today, Mayor Steve Lonegan, Republican candidate for the United States Senate, called on Cory Booker to immediately release his tax returns. More than two weeks ago, a Booker campaign spokesman said the campaign would release Cory Booker’s tax returns, but Booker has failed to fulfill that commitment.

Lonegan said, “Cory Booker promised the people of New Jersey that he would be transparent. But he has neither followed through nor said when he will follow through.”

Ironically, in 2002, Cory Booker called on his opponent to release his tax returns, arguing that the tax returns would “provide the only clues as to how many deals the mayor is involved in … and the only record of the money [Sharpe James is] making on the side.”

Lonegan cited recent media reports that a company called Waywire, in which Booker reportedly has a major financial interest, is on the verge of bankruptcy. Questions have arisen as to where Booker received the money that he invested in the floundering corporation.

“Since Cory Booker has received $8 million in campaign donations and has at least $1.5 million of stock in a start-up company, delaying the release of his tax returns appears to be a deliberate attempt to conceal his sources of income and his real connection to Waywire,” Lonegan said. “Mayor Booker was right in 2002 when he said that the voters deserve transparency, and he should be transparent now.”

Lonegan served as Bogota Mayor for twelve years, winning three times in a town that gave Barack Obama 67.5 percent of the vote in 2012. He served for seven years as state director of Americans for Prosperity New Jersey, where he helped defeat liberal attempts to expand big government. Steve Lonegan is the conservative Republican candidate in the New Jersey special election for the United States Senate. Lonegan stands firmly on the bedrock conservative values of small government, fiscal responsibility and individual liberty.

DHS employee behind website promoting race war on paid leave

The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that an employee who runs a racist website predicting and advocating a race war has been put on paid administrative leave.

Ayo Kimathi, an acquisitions officer for Immigration and Customs Enforcement who is in charge of buying weapons and ammunition for the government, operates the website named “War on the Horizon.” It includes descriptions of an “unavoidable, inevitable clash with the white race.” Kimathi is black.

Kimathi, who calls himself the “Irritated Genie,” told his supervisors that the website was set up to sell concert and lecture videos.

Read more: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/08/24/dhs-employee-behind-website-promoting-race-war-on-paid-leave/#ixzz2d7j0h35C

Back-To-School Shopping Costs: How Much Parents Should Expect To Spend This Year
The Huffington Post  |  By Rebecca Klein

Whether your child attends public school or private school, high school or college, back-to-school shopping is always an added expense. But this year, the cost is expected to be slightly less per family than it was last year.

While back-to-school spending last year averaged $688.62 for families with K-12 children, spending this year is expected to average $634.78, according to the National Retail Federation. In total, families are expected to spend a total of $26.7 billion for K-12 children, although that number reaches $72.5 billion when college-aged kids are added to calculations.

The biggest cost for back-to-school shoppers? Apparel and accessories, followed by electronics.

While average spending is predicted to fall from last year, the president of the National Retail Federation said in a statement that “spending levels are still well above where they were a few years ago.”

“The good news is that consumers are spending, but they are doing so with cost and practicality in mind. Having splurged on their growing children’s needs last year, parents will ask their kids to reuse what they can for the upcoming school season,” said NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay. “As they continue to grapple with the impact of increased payroll taxes, Americans will look to cut corners where they can, but will buy what their kids need.”

Capital One broke down the cost of back-to-school shopping per child, finding that 32 percent of parents plan to spend $100 or less per child, and that 21 percent plan to pay more than $200 per child. Still, 21 percent of parents spend more on September school supplies than they save for their child’s college education each year, according to Capital One’s data.

Huffington Post blogger Adam Levin recently pointed out that it is important for parents to have an established budget before they start shopping. He also noted that sometimes it is better for parents to shop without their kids, in order to avoid pressures to make unnecessary purchases.

“Unless it is absolutely necessary (or a family bonding exercise) to have them with you, it’s best to leave the munchkins at home,” writes Levin. “If you want to know their preferences, browse with them online before hitting the stores. The last thing you need is to be weaving through crowds at Staples, Kmart or Target, or navigating several online retailers, while fending off cries of, ‘Mommy, I really NEED to have this.'”

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/back-to-school-shopping_n_3751079.html

ObamaCare’s architects reap windfall as Washington lobbyists
By Megan R. Wilson – 08/25/13 12:06 PM ET

ObamaCare has become big business for an elite network of Washington lobbyists and consultants who helped shape the law from the inside.

More than 30 former administration officials, lawmakers and congressional staffers who worked on the healthcare law have set up shop on K Street since 2010.

Major lobbying firms such as Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock, The Glover Park Group, Alston & Bird, BGR Group and Akin Gump can all boast an ObamaCare insider on their lobbying roster — putting them in a prime position to land coveted clients.

“When [Vice President] Biden leaned over [during healthcare signing] and said to [President] Obama, ‘This is a big f’n deal,’” said Ivan Adler, a headhunter at the McCormick Group, “he was right.”

Veterans of the healthcare push are now lobbying for corporate giants such as Delta Airlines, UPS, BP America and Coca-Cola, and for healthcare companies including GlaxoSmithKline, UnitedHealth Group and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

Ultimately, the clients are after one thing: expert help in dealing with the most sweeping overhaul of the country’s healthcare system in decades.

Read more: https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/318577-architects-of-obamacare-reap-windfall-as-washington-lobbyists#ixzz2d4fDbLOF

NSA having flashbacks to Watergate era

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By KEN DILANIAN | Tribune Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is facing its worst crisis since the domestic spying scandals four decades ago led to the first formal oversight and overhaul of U.S. intelligence operations.

Thanks to former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden’s flood of leaks to the media, and the Obama administration’s uneven response to them, morale at the spy agency responsible for intercepting communications of terrorists and foreign adversaries has plummeted, former officials say. Even sympathetic lawmakers are calling for new curbs on the NSA’s powers.

“This is a secret intelligence agency that’s now in the news every day,” said Michael Hayden, who headed the NSA from 1999 to 2005 and later led the CIA. “Each day, the workforce wakes up and reads the daily indictment.”

President Barack Obama acknowledged Friday that many Americans have lost trust in the nation’s largest intelligence agency. “There’s no doubt that, for all the work that’s been done to protect the American people’s privacy, the capabilities of the NSA are scary to people,” he said in a CNN interview.

https://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/08/25/200325/nsa-having-flashbacks-to-watergate.html#.UhqoSH-ne8E