file photo by Boyd Loving
February 23,3016
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, While we looked away village expenses are now up 181%. We also now have the largest municipal government in Bergen County . Our village manager has hired a director of finance, a director of human resources and there are other hirings of part-time employees to fill in positions. Our village manager has not only a secretary but a full-time assistant. Some of the other positions also have assistants. Things must be good. We should expect a major tax increase down the line.
https://www.northjersey.com/…/village-reps-talk-numbers-1.15…
Im sure the Ridgewood Financial Advisory Board approved of this. Well let see who we can blame for the future tax increase. Employees, pensions heath benefits all easy targets for posters on this blog. Meanwhile Queen Bee is creating her own employment agency.
I hear that our Mayor is going to be hire by Roberta as the Village’s first ever P R person after 2016. He does have all the connection with the news outlets
8:28, you can’t divert attention away from the truth. We have a $44M annual municipal budget for a Village of 25,000 people. It makes NO sense. All of the growth in Village expenditures since 2009 have gone to wages and benefits for public safety officials at the expense of every other Village department and resident. This despite 10% of the Village staff getting laid off in 2010. The facts are clear: 4%+ annual wage growth, plus 10% longevity pay for public safety employees from 2009-2015 despite Bergen County inflation under 2% a year. This has driven us to +$100K annual pensions for all seven retiring police officers in their 50s this year (in addition to “Platinum” health plan benefits, and accumulated leave payouts of over $80K per retiree). In fact, the Village owes $7M just for unfunded retirement payouts on accumulated leave that gets awarded at the highest final rate of pay + longevity.
Oh to be a cop in Ridgewood. No crime to speak of, a few parades and festivals to pad the overtime, and retire at 50 with 100k a year.
Hey let’s blame the teachers.
The first sentence above is incorrect. The COUNCIL’S BUDGET is up by 181%, not the Village Budget overall. Quote from the article: “Sonenfeld explained the council’s budget, noting that while its expenses are up 181 percent, this is due to the expenses for four impact studies being attributed to the governing body.”
To be clear, I also am concerned about village budgets, salaries, pensions, etc. But misinformation doesn’t help us figure out solutions.
Moreover, James cut and pasted the text above from a Facebook post on the “Ridgewood Moms (and Dads)” group. The byline of the post says “the staff of the Ridgewood blog”. James, are you trying to take credit for writing the words above? That’s considered “plagiarism” by most definitions. If you’re just trying to quote someone, you should provide better attribution, as well as probably seek permission for re-printing and sharing. (Though I admit I have no idea how copyright works on Facebook posts!)
John we all read the same bs you do , get it , most dont take it on face value or even assume it as any resemblance to the truth as for the rest of silly comment oy vey lol
i happily pay taxes for three things…school, safety, garbage/leaf/snow plowing…it’s why i moved to ridgewood
James at 9:50am-
Okay, I guess we’ve established two things about yourself and the Ridgewood Blog:
1. You don’t care at all about publishing accurate information.
2. You’re willing to post anything by anyone and present it as if you wrote it yourself.
Glad we’ve got that cleared up.
John you continue to re-post inaccurate information over and over , all this time you have no clue how this blog works or where content comes from ,btw this blog has proven to far more accurate and reliable then any local new source by far . No matter how many times you quote inaccurate bogus sources they are still inaccurate , they have been proven inaccurate by action after action over the last 20 years . Now go back to the mayor and help him pack !
Oh hey. John V still has nothing better to do today. I hear there’s going to be a boom in the CBD soon, John. Perhaps a day job?
James kinda said what we are all thinking. For someone with such a short tenure here in Ridgewood, you’ve sure managed to become the errand boy for the 3 ding bats pretty quickly, John V.
What the heck will you do with your days when they’re outta here?
10:47am-
Give me a break! I’ve become increasingly skeptical of the council majority during my time in town. I’ve publicly posted about this increased skepticism online, including here and on Facebook. The commenters on this blog have contributed to that change in opinion, as have others on Facebook. I’ve also had more time to observe poor behavior of the council members, like Albert and Gwenn’s poor treatment of people at meetings. I wrote several public notes to Gwenn just yesterday criticizing her tone and suggesting she figure out a way to compromise on the garage.
Is that what an “errand boy” would do?
John – would you repost one of those here? Would be curious to read….As someone who has lived here a long time- maybe too long – I see through the PR and have historical references for the council majority’s action. I understand that you are new and have given them the benefit of a clean slate. Your eyes are slowly being opened, no?
I don’t need to defend James or anyone, but I think that is the deal here no? He re-posts material from others as a springboard for discussion …that is the way I have always viewed this blog anyway.
John V, who are you trying to kid? We read some posts on Facebook in which you defended Miss Gwenn as if she were right next to you, which maybe she was.
Put your application in 9:13. If so easy as you say you should breeze thought the testing, physical . Wha6 are waiting for?
Does anyone know if Roberta and her pose received a raise for this year? Do you need a security clearance to get that info or spend hundreds to opra that info. That information
I don’t think you spend hundreds to OPRA…
12:02, you can’t divert attention away from the truth. We have a $44M annual municipal budget for a Village of 25,000 people. It makes NO sense. All of the growth in Village expenditures since 2009 have gone to wages and benefits for public safety officials at the expense of every other Village department and resident. This despite 10% of the Village staff getting laid off in 2010. The facts are clear: 4%+ annual wage growth, plus 10% longevity pay for public safety employees from 2009-2015 despite Bergen County inflation under 2% a year. This has driven us to +$100K annual pensions for all seven retiring police officers in their 50s this year (in addition to “Platinum” health plan benefits, and accumulated leave payouts of over $80K per retiree).
11:19am-
Sure, happy to post my comments to Gwenn.
Comment #1:
I very much support the garage and am happy with the current plan. And I recognize this is exhausting. But rather than expressing exasperation at Mike and Susan, why not instead try to find common ground for a compromise? We all want whats best for Ridgewood. I really believe that getting 1 more vote is possible here. “Blaming” the other council members is not a great way to reach a compromise!
Comment #2:
Gwenn, from listening to previous council sessions, it looks like the major request from Councilman Sedon was for a firm plan regarding funding, i.e. rates and hours.
Councilwoman Knudsen’s major concerns were about the scale of the plan and impact on OLMC.
Both Mike and Susan expressed a willingness to vote for a town-funded garage in the February 10th meeting. My hope is that either Mike or Susan would compromise and find the 324-spot garage acceptable to self-bond. Mike specifically said he liked that the latest design was a compromise based on feedback.
Perhaps all it would take to secure Mike’s vote is to release the proposed rates and hours for the 324-spot garage? Or to secure Susan’s vote some good discussions with OLMC and other neighbors with the latest renderings?
I think what we’d like to see is an honest, sincere, friendly effort to make it happen!
James,
Re: inaccurate information-
What I often post here is something like “Source X says A”, and then I provide a link to the study where source X says A. You may disagree with Source X b/c it’s not rigorous enough or it makes wrong assumptions or it’s not realistic or whatever. That’s totally fine! I’ve always been willing to concede “A may or may not be true”, or “A is only true if these assumptions are true”. Even if you disagree with A, me saying “Source X says A” is not “inaccurate information”. Source X does in fact say A!
But your blog post today doesn’t meet this same test.
The text you posted above is as follows: Ridgewood News says “Village expenses are now up 181%”. So, using the same formula, Source X (Ridgewood News) says A (Village expenses are now up 181%). But that’s actually not at all true! Source X (Ridgewood News) wasn’t talking about A (Village expenses), it was talking about B (Council expenses). Thus, Source X says A is “inaccurate information”. Source X says B is “accurate”.
In conclusion, you have posted inaccurate information: The Ridgewood News did not report that Village expenses have increased by 181%, b/c they haven’t. The Ridgewood new reported that Council expenses have increased by 181%. It’s that simple, and that’s all I’m saying here.
lol John i love that you think you are the soul interpreter of all information and criticize everyone else for doing what you do. It isnt what it says its something else ah yea right .Keep going we all need the comic relief in the middle of the day. A better use of your time might be working for north jersey media , they owners think residents should do what they are told , question nothing ,read only what your told , they make the “news ” , your too stupid to live you own life , I know they are going out of business but for you it would be a noble cause you would fit right in , as for the creepy stalker thing ,you may want to give a rest your just too obvious
James and others,
Re: sourcing –
Fair enough regarding how this blog “works”. I guess I was used to seeing some note upfront, like “Reader says” or “Letter says” or “Commenter says”. In this case all that you put up there was “the staff of the Ridgewood blog”, which most people would interpret as saying the words below were written by “the staff of the Ridgewood blog”.
I like your blog and I appreciate that you’re willing to call people out on misbehavior, or dig into the dirty details behind things. But I think your blog could be even better! My suggestions:
– Cite your sources
– Improve the legibility of what you write. Use punctuation so your thoughts are clearly separated. Just do the basics here.
– Improve the formatting of the stuff you copy and paste. Make it clear that different paragraphs are by different posters or commenters.
– Don’t be so defensive if people point out things that are obviously wrong, like what I pointed out today. There’s no shame in correcting things that are wrong.
– Lastly, don’t half-ass things. You’ve got a good audience and loyal commenters and often real “scoops”. Make how you post and write as good as the quality of your audience and content.
John, I am trying to figure out why you think anyone cares what you say ? please enlighten us ;credentials , success stories , educations , blogs you run , …. You could also submit articles anytime ???
Anonymous at 11:34am-
I’m not trying to kid anyone! If you’re referring to yesterday’s back and forth I had with Anne Loving, my intention was to argue AGAINST Anne, not FOR Gwenn. There’s a big difference there. I felt that Anne’s charges of “attack” were unreasonable, as was Anne’s argument that Facebook is an inappropriate forum for council members to discuss controversial issues.
Think John Adams and the Boston Massacre (https://www.john-adams-heritage.com/boston-massacre-trials/). No one else would defend the British soldiers. He believed they deserved a fair trial so stepped up and led their defense. Same principle…
James at 3:02pm-
And I love that you just wrote “soul” instead of “sole”…
so did I lol
James at 3:08pm-
Obviously I wouldn’t write here or on Facebook if it wasn’t inherently enjoyable to me. My previous jobs (academic research and management consulting) left a lot of time for analysis, debate, and writing. My current job doesn’t let me do as much of that day to day. Thus, it’s fun for me to “stretch my legs” here and elsewhere, and keep my writing mind “fresh”.
My overall goal is to improve level of debate here and elsewhere through fact-based analysis, rigorous logic, a willingness to admit I’m wrong, and just generally being “polite”. I’d be more than happy for you take a straw-poll of your readers whether my comments are appreciated or not!
John as I suspected
This is a forum for thoughts and opinions. John V you seem to be under the mistaken notion that adding your name gives some special weight to yours. The fact that most are anonymous causes each to be viewed skeptically and any value of those opinions is determined solely through the readers own logical assessment. As someone who is largely a consumer of thoughts on this site I would prefer for all to be anonymous so that I can assess each thought on its merit and decide for myself what makes sense.
3:35pm-
Thanks for your comment. I respectfully disagree re: names. Personally, I like to be able to have “ongoing” conversations with folks over time, but I see your point about removing “identity” and just focusing on “facts”. I think James has found a nice balance here.
Are you willing to say more about me thinking my comments have some sort of “special weight”? In what ways have I given that impression? I’ve actually been deliberately trying to avoid giving such an impression, such as by being as explicit as possible and linking to sources, so I’m genuinely curious where I’ve gone wrong.
James at 3:44pm-
Care to say which specific things you have now confirmed to be true about me?
John you are a legend in your own mind lol
Hello All – we should appreciate that he is using his real identity and not being anonymous. He is not like some other posters on facebook who are posting specific agenda and showing as if they are innocent, or those who are constantly posting ‘i have an item for sale’ to keep our important posts down.
Like most of us, he also has strong opinions, but I don’t think he has hidden agenda to support the Mayor and his team.
From 3:35 to John V…if you truly want to exchange views and opinions you will remove your name. We aren’t sitting down for coffee or a beer (although i’m sure we’d probably end up each agreeing more that way). Your name in this forum is irrelevant and detracts from any points you might make.
1:01pm, yes you do. In Roberta’s kingdom – yes you do.
James at 4:12pm-
Great idea for the title of my autobiography! Haha…
The manager is making a new post for mr john spano too. more money for the dirty top dog,s. And that guy was backing tommy rica, aka coin boy. hummmmmm. why was that.
4:33 pm more details please?
To 4,33. why u ask , Well frank is gone. Mr gabbert is gone, Mr spano is the only one left that knows info on this. They
need to keep info under the rug like they always did in the past. Some day it will come out., the talk in the back room is giving this slob a new job in town. This has been going on since fall of 2015.More and more bull shit. This man should be told it,s time to go.The fly in the room know’s the real scoop.This needs to be stop’ed.
I just see this. every one knows that coin boy has a lot of dirt on the village and top managers. hop some day it will come out.
Well I guess Spano told you to get off your fat butt and do some work.
Yes John, as someone said you are a legend in your own mind. You really do think you are the smartest person, the best diplomat, the psychologist, the analyst……………..we are all kind of sick of your pomposity.
So true ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I have disagreed here [and elsewhere] with John V on the garage but never with his sources or methods. It isn’t that hard to figure out who he is. He has been honest about his time spent living here, his passion for dispassionate arguments and the fact that in his short time studying this and the high density housing he’s become aware of the exploits and unpleasant tactics of Paul. Al, and Gwen. He also doesn’t need me to defend him but I did anyway.
I agree Bill M. A challenge now and then is a good thing when based on facts and true differences in opinion. No quarrel here.
Thanks 6:25 and 6:34, stunning that Spano is still employed. He must have dirt. Another question, but I thought Tommy Boy was making restitution to the Village for the money he stole as part of his plea deal with the County. Where’s that money? If he’s not paying it, why doesn’t the new Bergen County prosecutor lock him up?
Spano has been bull shit’ing every one on top of him. for years. I wonder about the manager what she thinks of him. she must be in the clouds. or she just don’t care. what a joke, and 6,49 yes u are so true. well his time will come.
He is a waste of money, And big money too, we wonder how much he makes. we herd that the top just got a pay raise. what the % is we don,t know. that should of been in the ridgewood news. more stuff swept under the mat.
Some one said last week in village hall he must be up too $130 grand. wow my taxes go to him for what.
jerry 130,grand for what, To bull shit every one. The top dog’s are running scared , They don’t know what is going to happen in the new vote.the new mayor is going to clean house right from the top, first the manager then all the suck ass under managers will be sent right down the river. see, ya.
well how much did the top get , any one know.%