Village Council violating its own ordinance
Friday, November 22, 2013
The Ridgewood News
Boyd A. Loving
Ridgewood
Village council violating its own ordinance
To the editor:
Regarding “Funds to fix Stable accepted” (The Ridgewood News, Nov. 15, Page A5), I’m confused; doesn’t the village still have a “gift ordinance” in effect? Has anyone bothered to tell members of the Village Council? Seemingly not; at least that is the impression I’m left with following the council’s recent decision to accept a $250,000-$300,000 donation from the Bolger Foundation.
Here’s why I’m confused:
The village’s initial “gift ordinance,” drafted by Village Attorney Matthew Rogers, was approved in August 2008 following an occurrence earlier that year in which Mr. J. T. Bolger’s real estate development firm, Two-Forty Associates, received Zoning Board of Adjustment approval for the construction of a self-storage facility on Chestnut Street. The approval was granted just one calendar day after the Bolger Foundation had pledged a $750K donation to renovate the village-owned Pease Library Building. [Note: Despite having received approval, Two-Forty Associates chose not to construct a self-storage facility on Chestnut Street.]
The ordinance prohibited the Village Council from accepting donations intended for official use from entities with pending applications before either the Zoning Board of Adjustment or Planning Board. The ban encompassed a time period of 90 days prior to application submission, through the application review process, and 90 days subsequent to disposition of any application.
In December 2010, the ordinance was revised to include specific definitions with respect to donors and contributions/gifts/donations, and to establish a requirement that council members approve the acceptance of all large/significant donations through adoption of formal resolutions.
Mayor Paul Aronsohn was a member of the Village Council in 2008 and 2010; Councilman Thomas Riche and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh were both members of the council in 2010. Official meeting minutes reveal that Mr. Aronsohn supported the initial (2008) “gift ordinance” and Mr. Aronsohn, Mr. Riche and Ms. Walsh all supported 2010’s revisions. Aronsohn voted “yes” on both occasions and made public comments indicating his staunch support each time. Riche and Walsh each voted “yes” in 2010, and they too publicly voiced steadfast support for the original ordinance, and the aforementioned revisions.
Although the Bolger Foundation and Two-Forty Associates are separate entities, the foundation’s attorney, Mr. Thomas Wells, recently advised Village Council members that Mr. J. T. Bolger serves as a member of the boards of directors for both entities. Two-Forty Associates currently has an application pending before the village’s Planning Board, for more than 90 days, seeking approval for construction of high density housing on Chestnut Street
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Testament to how stupid the original ordinance was…….and how hypocritical politicians can be.
Disagree with #1. Original ordinance made sense. But, i do agree that the politicians are hypocritical
flows from the top down….
Look at the total disregard for the law in the white house and senate.
I was for it before I was against it.
Why did you turn against it? Paying to get favors is never a good thing, not for the taxpayers anyway. How in the world would Ridgewood benefit if a developer gives a gift and gets his project approved?