photos courtesy of Boyd Loving
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, Photos of the unlawful “One Village One Vote” billboard being removed from the Village of Ridgewood owned train trestle. Investigation underway.
The train station is owned by the Village of Ridgewood. Asper Village ordinance, “All temporary signs, including political signs, shall not be permitted to be placed on any publicly owned property, including, but not limited to, municipally owned property, library property, parks, rights-of-way trees, telephone poles, lighting stations, street or traffic signs, tree wells or planters, water utility property, and/or any other such publicly owned property within the Village.
[Added 9-7-2016 by Ord. No. 3540] “
Who put it up?
who else – ms litigation
Memories of the unethical and illegal “Vote Yes” to Massive Garage campaign using taxpayers dollars…same players…big development…they want the power back…VOTE NO. Send a message to go away.
Love the Suburban Drama!!!
Wait for Susan to chime in, she never misses a chance to have the last word at a village council meeting. We all know where she stands on this issue, not that there’s anything wrong with THAT. LOL LOL
You can’t make this stuff up!
The plot thickens . . .
The bear knows who put it up. He’s watching that intersection 24 hours a day.
The sign was approved in writing by the Village. It did not convey a political message, nor did it ask people to vote one way or the other; it merely advertised an event.
The sign was put up in line with Village policy: “The Village of Ridgewood has used the railroad trestle on Franklin Avenue as a way for non-profit Ridgewood area groups to advertise their upcoming events…. The Village Hall Receptionist handles the reservations. Please call her and reserve your time. She takes reservations up to one year in advance.” (https://www.ridgewoodnj.net/i-want-to)
This is a clear carveout from other sign ordinances with plenty of precedent. Again, the sign removed all “vote yes” messaging and only included event details for an information session. It was put up with express written permission in advance from the Village.
Similar signs have been used in the past by the League of Women Voters (also a political organization), Ridgewood Walks, and others.
While I know most on this blog do not agree with what we have to say, it was put up legally and transparently. It’s an awfully slippery slope to removing signs for groups you do agree with…
Oh please Matt Lindenberg. One Village One Vote is a political action committee and therefore subject to NJ Election Law Enforcement Commission financial reporting. I’m sure your next report will include the cost of that billboard, unless you’re planning to break the law AGAIN. No political messaging, just advertisement of your campaign page and campaign event, but no political messaging. I will say, it takes chutzpah to lie with such authority with the truth staring you in the face over and over.
If anyone is reading Matt Lindenberg’s comment and laughing- this is exactly the type of argument these guys gave to Judge Estela De La Cruz, and not sure what she was thinking that day, but she accepted their argument that it was okay to produce 500 signatures instead of required 2000.
Anonymous (perhaps we could have a civil neighborly conversation? No need for anonymity), could you please clarify which section of the election law forbids signs? Thanks so much.
Matt Lindernberg, do you want to know how to spell ri·dic·u·lous
/rəˈdikyələs/
So if I were to create a organization called “Vote Trump”, I could advertise a Zoom meeting for it on the trestle with the name of the organization in bold cap and the virtual Zoom meeting down in the corner? Don’t think it works like that.
The purpose of the sign was to invite people to a virtual coffee at which they’re going to try and indoctrinate you to vote for their stupid referendum. Don’t tell me this is not a political sign. The name of the organization is one village one vote. That’s a vote. It’s political. Lindenberg, you have lost your mind
Vote NO
Matt if you want to remove anonymity, let’s try to get 15 villagers from distinct households who would sign on a petition to confirm your theory that you were “just” promoting an event with that sign which clearly advocated to “consolidate the election”.
Just 15!
Seriously Matt Lindenberg?! You talking about a slippery slope? You guys are the ones who are circumventing the law with your little details about how you didn’t really have a political sign up there. You guys are a bunch of lying assholes
Hey Lindenberg: Why didn’t you wife submit a ballot in the May municipal election? One wife, no vote?
https://www.didtheyvote.com/did-you-ballot-count-in-ridgewood/ridgewood-districts-1-to-6/
Lindenberg is as wacky as Winograd is.
So Matthew; NJ election laws don’t prohibit use of signs, but Village Ordinance #3540 clearly does in the following instances:
“All temporary signs, including political signs, shall not be permitted to be placed on any publicly owned property, including, but not limited to, municipally owned property, library property, parks, rights-of-way trees, telephone poles, lighting stations, street or traffic signs, tree wells or planters, water utility property, and/or any other such publicly owned property within the Village.”
Since the Village owns the train station property (excepting the tracks themselves), no political signs are permitted on that property.
Understand now Matthew?
You just could not make something like this up, no matter how hard you tried.
Thanks Matt for giving me the laugh of the century.
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.
It’s a fucking political sign Matt, no doubt about it. Get real man.
It’s amazing I told you more and more shit will come out and it’s coming out. It’s amazing they think they can do whatever they want. They try it, and if you don’t fight back they win. That’s why I fight back. Never ever trust them. They are all full of shit.
Perhaps this will be a lesson to everyone as to why you must vote NO! The One Village One Vote petitioners are despicable.
It wasn’t illegal. Permission was given in writing.
Hey Lindrnberg – the LWV is not political. They never advocate a vote one way or another on issues. They never support a candidate. They simply encourage everyone to vote, they host candidates debates, etc. Tour OVOV is purely 100% political.
Hi Matt
You said “It did not convey a political message, nor did it ask people to vote one way or the other; it merely advertised an event.“
So going forward, candidate and referendum “coffee hours” aren’t political right? They are simply events like the Halloween Parade. Hmm…
And sure, point to the receptionist. Point to the Village manager. It’s never you. Own up.
No, no, a thousand times NO!
I love how only one person on this thread of hate spewing commentary uses his name.
That tells me who is honest and who is not. Although after years of reading this blog it’s pretty easy to identify the anonymous authors. 🙂 oh and Steve Kim- the publicity hound. Steve you don’t think Matt put that poster up himself in the cover of darkness? It was approved by someone at Village Hall.
I want to know who in Village Hall approved it ?
KIm Ringler-Shagin, OVOV de-facto attorney, appears to be teeing-up the lawsuit on FB “It Takes a Ridgewood Village” page Ringer-Shagin state “Now, a content based removal will trigger more costs to taxpayers if we face a lawsuit for violating free expression based on content. Here we go again!🤪” I love her use of “we” to mean the Village when it is she and her OVOV cronies who will be suing the Village causing the Village (“we”) to spend money defending itself. So the OVOV people claim to be focussed on saving money yet they’ll sue at the drop of a hat. What a bunch of self-serving social-sluts. Oh, I a HATE the smiley face at the end. WTF Kim . . . you’re going to cost the Village a ton of money and you throw in a happy face for good measure.
Matt, please tell us exactly who gave permission for this sign? This is a very important question.
I love the anonymous posters who whine about anonymity. I am anonymous and proud of it. . Lindenberg is using his name but he is a liar. Yes, the sign was approved for hanging by SOMEONE at Village Hall. But by lindenbergs own admission they did everything they could think of to circumvent the law. They knew exactly what they were doing and they almost got away with it but nope, they got caught. . The sign was unlawful pure and simple. Glad it is down. HAHA to OVOV
Steve Kim is exactly right. I am going to have a BIDEN coffee on zoom. But I am calling it a coffee. So that’s not political right?!
Liberal Mission Statement:
Do as I say, not as I do.
We are in the final stretch with a rotating staff reaching out telephonically to Ridgewood residents….Just Vote No!
Vote YES!
Hello,
Attached please find your confirmation letter and sign instructions.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call me.
Thank you!
Michele Locorriere
Afternoon Receptionist
The Village of Ridgewood
131 N. Maple Avenue
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201-670-5500, ext. 200
Fax – 201-251-8576
Notice: You are advised that copies of correspondence, including e-mail correspondence and attachments, between the public and the Village of Ridgewood are obtainable by any person filing a request under the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) unless subject to a specific OPRA exception. There should be no expectation that the content of emails exchanged between the public and municipal officials and employees will remain private.
So the receptionist gave permission. Permission granted. Wait a minute, this violates the law. Permission now denied. Bye bye sign
So the OVOV people, who purposely tried to circumvent the law, are now going to throw some receptionist under the bus. What a bunch of lowlife scum of these people are
Do you know what they should take those damn signs off the Trussell bridge. Such a joke. Put them up take them down, change them make up your damn mind. So embarrassing. Who is making these decisions. The damn politics in the Village of Ridgewood’s getting worse not better. Still dirty shit going on amazing. Boy oh boy I was told a long time ago there is a playbook, now I really really truly believe it.
In the end the mayor is the boss ,and the council, and then they dictate down, don’t they. All the top brass know this. Pretty much everyone has someone to answer too.Political game going on. He said she said I said we said you said they said. He said she said I said, you get it
Stop cherry picking your responses. Don’t you believe in freedom of speech? Why so one sided?
I agree no more train trussle signs. People don’t know how to use that medium properly and their signs are not legible.
Vote NO
Too late. I voted “yes”.
Maybe if you had some b….bravery you’d stop lobbing insults behind anonymity.
Sanity won