Our future as an inclusive community
Where is the vision for the current leadership of our community?
JUNE 2, 2014 LAST UPDATED: MONDAY, JUNE 2, 2014, 5:38 PM
Letter: Our future as an inclusive community
Martin Walker
To the editor:
Congratulations to the winning candidates of our recent council election. We are extremely fortunate to have had three such talented and committed villagers running, but I am dismayed that not one of them articulated a vision of Ridgewood’s future as an inclusive family community, one that includes and fosters all generations.
Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon rightfully insisted that village planning must shift from ad hoc responses to individual developer’s proposals, but our village politics as a whole seems stuck in the “tail(s) wagging the dog” syndrome. Some folks don’t like taller poles, our council must respond. Other folks don’t like construction, our council must respond. Others don’t want trees cut down, our council must respond. Still others don’t want public land fully public, but instead devoted to their kid’s favorite sport … ditto.
Now we read that one Planning Board member objects to a Walnut Street downtown location for assisted living because of “traffic.” Earlier objections reported have been “height.”
When will Ridgewood ever progress beyond the “not this, not that” level of leadership in community development? At what point can we break away from Washington, DC’s politic gridlock mentality by fully acknowledging that “NO” is not a plan?
Leadership requires elaborating on and then acting on choices. The greatest level of authority in community leadership accrues to those whose vision encompasses the widest sectors of a community projected the farthest into the future. Leadership for property value enhancement via educational excellence only looks as far into the future as the high school graduation dates of our current school population.
Leadership for family-oriented community includes allowances for the possibility that babies being born into our community could live out their lives and also die here. I see no plan addressing whether or not our children should have the ability to live here at all. I see no plan addressing whether or not our Ridgewood community should even include grandparents. No plan addressing whether Ridgewood should be a place to retire to versus retiring from.
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Great editorial. I wish someone like Mr. Walker had chosen to run for village council. We could certainly use someone who stands for something for a change.
Who we get is never who has the best vision. The voter turnouts are so absurdly low that it only takes someone with a reasonably organized campaign and base. I bet even if their lives depended upon it, most residents would not be able to name even one of their council members.
This is a great editorial. We need to come together as a village and stop saying NO to everything
Government breeds mediocrity.
Most people who have been successful in private life are not going to suffer the fools who have made careers through politics.
Yes it is selfish and unfortunate but public service does not attract the best qualified individuals.
Michael Bloomberg was the exception.
New York City was never more responsibly managed.
Reasonable people must try to guide and monitor the actions of those individuals who willing subject themselves to political life.
Yes Mr Walker attends the Citizen Safety meeting and complains about traffic on his street and speeding in town. Ironic that he would write this letter. I guess its ok if its not in his back yard.
I agree with much of the editorial but take some issue with the implication that saying no to projects being advanced by special interest is somehow a negative thing. Standing up to special interests like Valley and those that want to build huge apartment buildings in the center of town has been a triumph of grass roots community involvement in Ridgewood over the past 7 years.
I couldn’t agree more that we need better vision and better leadership. Our current leadership is the dog being wagged by the tail of would be developers.
The town needs an integrated plan that includes a modernized (not doubled in size) hospital, additional parking, something at the Ken Smith site and a general upgrading of the CBD. The town should lead an RFP process that dictates the scope of any individual project. We should do realistic, believable analysis on the traffic impact and how many additional kids are going to end up in our schools.
No individual developer will care a lick about any of that unless we tell them that they don’t get to build anything until they meet the town’s guidelines.
Until then I think that no is a perfectly acceptable answer.