(This letter was published, but buried deep in the paper with no continuation notice on the letters to the editor page)

Suburban Trends- 10/16/09
Dear Editor:


When the Republicans came back into power in 2007, their campaign slogan was "getting Ringwood back on track." But maybe it should have been "a giant step backward." Their handling of the Saddle Mountain Quarry is the most recent example. In two short years, the quarry has stopped complying with our ordinance, and has once again become a serious problem to residents in the Stonetown area.

The quarry, that exists in the Stonetown section of Ringwood has been plagued by controversy since 1990 (not five years ago as was written in the Suburban Trends article, "Quarry neighbors fed up with blasting") when it forced its way into Ringwood with the help of the all Republican Council (Republicans have controlled the Ringwood Council for 33 of the last 35 years). The quarry was originally Van Orden Sand and Gravel, but after the Braen family purchased the business they turned it into a full fledged quarry operation even though quarrying was not a permitted use in Ringwood. The neighborhood affected by the quarry operation fought long and hard to keep the quarry from devastating this pristine section of Ringwood, but without the support of their local government they failed.

The quality of life for the residents living in Stonetown deteriorated to an unbearable level, with intense blasting shaking their homes, fly rock landing in people's yards, pollution of the Westbrook, dangerous truck traffic on rural roads, noise and destruction in their once quiet residential neighborhood. Finally, in 2000 the residents' outrage forced the Borough to deny the quarry a license renewal, which Saddle Mountain challenged in court.

The taxpayers of Ringwood paid hundreds of thousands of dollars fighting Saddle Mountain. The borough attorney, Richard Clemack, earned over $150,000 in just a 4 year period. In 2000 Judge Humphries upheld Ringwood's right to control the quarry operation to protect the residents and their property. Unfortunately, the Borough never used this power. Neither Sean Isgan, the engineer hired to monitor the quarry, Ringwood's borough engineer, or the Ringwood Council forced the quarry to adhere to our ordinance prior to 2004.

When the Democrats took control of the Ringwood council in 2004 the quarry was up for relicensing. We hired the engineering firm of H2M to bring them into compliance with our ordinance -- over the objections of Councilmen Heck, Marsala, and Taukus. It took over two years of wrangling between H2M, the Council and Saddle Mountain to resolve the quarry's numerous violations. The Democrats and our borough attorney, Joseph Maraziti, worked diligently with the Stonetown residents, and forced the quarry to pay for all engineering and legal costs associated with the relicensing. Once the quarry became compliant we issued them an extension of their license, contingent upon quarterly monitoring of their activities.

Unfortunately, Saddle Mountain's compliance was short lived. When the Republicans took back control of the council in 2008, they let H2M go, rehired Sean Isgan and never monitored the quarry. It is interesting to note that the quarry operators donated $1000 to the local Republican Campaign in 2007.

Now the quarry is up for relicensing again and it is an election year, so of course the Ringwood Council is pretending to see the light. They rehired H2M, who have found significant violations. The Council claims that there are no complaints regarding blasting, however residents dispute that claim. The most disturbing violation is the fact that the quarry has blasted 60 feet deeper than allowed by the court ruling. Water for the residents in Stonetown is supplied by private wells, consequently blasting below the allotted depth jeopardizes the aquifer that supplies them with water.

It is a failure of the Ringwood Council and Borough Attorney that the quarry has gone unchecked for two years, allowing it to threaten the neighborhood's quality of life once more.

At the recent quarry hearing Councilwoman Anderson and Councilman Speer voted to stop a resolution that would immediately prohibit the quarry from blasting deeper than allowed by the court. They voted to protect the quarry not their constituents!  And at the subsequent council meeting when Mayor Davison was questioned about the depth violation he exclaimed," how did this happen?" "Weren't there supposed to be inspections?"

Wenke Taule (Former Ringwood Mayor)

Suburban Trends

To the editor,

I find Ringwood Borough’s explanations regarding the missed opportunity to receive nearly $50K in Highlands Tax Stabilization aid this year rather unconvincing. (ìCouncil trims municipal budgetî, Suburban Trends, Sunday, June 14). Initially, at the May 21^st Council Meeting, when the council first introduced the budget, I questioned why they were showing no revenue from this State aid program. Borough Manager Kelley Rohde, supported by Borough Auditor Charles Ferraioli, defended the loss of this aid, stating that the Highlands Tax Stabilization Aid program was discontinued. At the time I pointed out I did not believe this to be the case and it was my understanding the Borough simply dropped the ball on applying in a timely manner.

This aid program is written into the legislation of the Highlands Act and is awarded annually by the Highlands Tax Stabilization Board (HTSB) which is part of the State Treasury and as has been the case each year since the inception of the act. However each and every year the town must apply to be eligible to receive the aid, as they have done in the past. The Board charged with managing this aid program was created in the Highlands legislation and is appointed by the Governor. Had this program been discontinued as was presented as the excuse by the Manager, it would have required an amendment to the Highlands Act by the legislature. It would have affected all 88 Highlands communities. Can anyone be so naive as to think this would not have been newsworthy? Can anyone be so naive as to think this would not have resulted in an outcry by the affected municipalities? This program is major a financial underpinning of the Act.

The Borough Manager has since recanted and admitted that the borough simply missed the application deadline as I originally believed, but what I find equally disturbing is the fact that it appears she and the council are trying to down play this costly mistake by stating that Mount Olive only got $7000. What they are not so quick to point out is, A) Mount Olive received less than $20K in 2008, while Ringwood received nearly $50K; B) Mount Olive’s reduction was mostly due to a town wide reevaluation which does not effect Ringwood until its time to apply for next year’s aid. Do not be fooled, this was a $50K over sight on the part of the Council and ìbothî the Borough managers that our tax money is supporting.

Some may say $50K is not that much, but it could have paid 2 years worth of health insurance for our past Borough Manager Kathy Cenicola for whom as tax payers we have contributed over a $100 as a result of a deal made years ago is part of a buy out program to create a job for another councilman; it could pay for almost Ω a years salary for the latest job created for another political insider and past Republican club Municipal leader; or it could have paid for 10 years of seed money for the Ringwood Higlands Fair, and event shared by the entire community and that provided the opportunity for many of our businesses volunteer groups to raise money; or it could have simply lowered our Taxes. What the ìHeckî were they thinking; perhaps if the council would spend less time on finding ways to funnel jobs and open space funds to their friends and family they would have more time to catch these oversights. It’s your Money folks, start paying attention before your pockets are picked bare.

It is a shame that the borough missed this chance to provide tax relief to its residents. It is also unfortunate that misinformation is being used to justify the borough’s mistake.

Tom Mac Allen

In Ringwood, It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know

To The Editor:

The current Ringwood Administration has once again given a high-paying job to a Republican crony without benefit of an advertised job search. Scott Heck has just been hired, at $95,000 a year, as Director of Public Works. Astonishingly enough, this is the same person they created a $60,000 a year position for last year, also without benefit of a legitimate job search. I’m talking about Scott Heck, former Republican councilman, mayor, and Republican Municipal Leader. As soon as the Republicans returned to power, they immediately started to reward their party faithful. They put the Ringwood Republican Club attorney back in place as borough attorney, with an increase in pay from the last attorney. They granted Borough Clerk Kelley Rohde the additional position of Acting Borough Manager, with an increase in pay of over $40,000. Then they created for Scott Heck, the owner of a small, local landscape business, a $60,000 a year job (with $22,000 more in health benefits) as Deputy Borough Manager. This was a brand new position that was handed over to a man with seemingly no related experience. And the Ringwood taxpayer picked up the tab for their benevolence towards their pal.

Heck, whose prior work experience was running a small business, now controls a good part of Ringwood’s town business. They didn’t advertise anywhere for either of his two jobs. They didn’t interview anyone else for the first job, and supposedly interviewed only two other town employees for the second job. They just hired Heck, because “he knows more about Ringwood than anyone.” Oh come on! There are small business owners throughout Ringwood, people who have lived here for years…are they all qualified to run our town? And can no actual, trained professional manager from outside of Ringwood learn what’s needed to do the job? How can people charged with the responsibility of managing taxpayer dollars make an $82,000 decision or their recent $127,000 + decision (salary plus benefits in both cases), without any transparency in the hiring process, without even attempting to find the best person for the job? He was apparently the “best” person they knew, and he needed a job. Best is a relative term. There is no way to know whether they hired the “best” candidate if the administration didn’t even consider anyone else.

From the very beginning, they were already planning his next plum position, Director of Public Works. How do we know this? They raised the salary of just-replaced Willard Bierwas to $95,000 (a salary he’d worked his way up to over a period of over 25 years), even though it was public knowledge that he was planning to retire. Why? Mr. Heck was preparing to take the tests needed to replace him and they wanted to pump up the salary.

In what business, except a carelessly-run family business, would a newcomer get top dollar as his starting salary? In what business, except a family business, would a person who just passed the required tests receive the top of the salary scale, the salary that had been earned by his predecessor who had decades of experience? The outrageous thing, of course, is that this is not their family’s business…it’s ours, the taxpayers. After Heck was hired as Deputy Borough Manager, we were told over and over again how much he was doing for the town, how much he was needed, how he was working 24/7. Now, he’ll be working in a “significantly-reduced” capacity as Deputy but will still receive $10,000 in addition to his new salary of $95,000. Who will be doing all the things he was supposedly doing as Deputy? Is everything in town all fixed, roads perfect, problems solved? Or will he be working 48/14?

When pressed about this situation, the current administration keeps repeating that Mr. Heck is doing a great job, and no-one has complained. Neither of those statements is true if you merely look at the facts. There was an article in the “Bergen Record” in January that there was ongoing Internet blogging about the poor snow removal this year; there was the $18,000 settlement for a water main break that damaged a resident’s home (a situation Mr. Heck didn’t follow through on the day it occurred); there was the switch to salt only for road cleaning, even though salt is not good for the lakes or water system; and there was the subsequent rise in sodium levels in water testing; there is the stalled road project in Erskine Lakes because the person spearheading the work didn’t anticipate hitting rock ledge in Ringwood (seriously?), and of course, there is are still many unresolved issues with the Upper Ringwood residents. These items all point to a certain level of inexperience and poor decision-making skills. However, to be perfectly clear, even if Mr. Heck was doing a great job, it is irrelevant to the fact that his hiring was done without a proper job search. He was hired because he was a friend of this current administration and, in this economy he needed a job with health benefits and a pension, since as a self-employed landscaper he had neither.

The administration is supposed to spend taxpayer dollars in a fiscally responsible manner yet they make serious, costly hiring decisions as if they ran a local grocery store. Heck’s main advantage, if one listens to the administration and party faithful who speak at meetings, seems to be that “he knows Ringwood.” I think that’s a ridiculous argument; that only a Ringwood resident could be in either of these jobs. However, even if we assume that’s the case, I’d venture a guess that, when dozens of our neighbors have lost their jobs in this dreadful economy, there are many with management experience who would like to have been considered for either job. I’d guess that many would have been perfectly willing to take the exams necessary for Heck’s latest job. This administration owed the taxpayers a duty to explore, really examine, the credentials of more than one person before paying out these incredibly high salaries, in the first instance for a custom-made position.

The true outrage though is that they have perpetrated this exact scam before, and it continues to cost taxpayers money, more than seven years later. When Mayor Davison was a councilman, he also found himself in need of a job. Unexpectedly, the Borough Manager resigned and the council appointed one of its own, Mr. Davison, to the job with a $30,000 increase over his previous salary. Surprisingly, we continue to pay health benefits, to the tune of over $20,000 a year, to the person Davison replaced. Why have we paid close to $150,000 for benefits for someone who doesn’t work for the Borough anymore? The Borough Manager serves at the appointment of the council. When they’re replaced, they’re done. Why do we continue to pay this money? Will we go on paying forever? And who made these arrangements in the first place? Back then, the Ringwood administration included some familiar names: Taukus, Davison, Heck and Rohde. Three were councilmen and one was a part-time clerk/stenographer. When they were done with their political patronage, Davison was the highly paid Municipal Manager, Mrs. Rohde was the Municipal Clerk, Mr. Marsala was a councilman, and Kathy Cenicola was gone with perks we’re still paying for, over seven years later. If you connect the dots, they will take you right back to this administration, and the jobs they handed over to Scott Heck on a silver platter. Our silver, our platter, our taxes, our town, handed over without question to one of the people who paved the way for Mr. Davison’s equally costly position over seven years ago. Same dots, different configuration, since now Mr. Davison is the Mayor, Mrs. Rohde earns approximately $140,000 between salary and benefits, Mr. Heck earns $127,000 between salary and benefits, and Taukus and Marsala are back as councilmen. Taxpayers should be livid, I know I am.

Robin Canetti

June 9, 2009

Dear Editor:

At the April 17th Council meeting, a local resident questioned how the former Ringwood Republican Municipal Leader/ ex- mayor suddenly became the Deputy Borough Manager at a salary of $60,000 per year. The resident’s feeling was that it basically stunk of back room politics and “did not pass the sniff” test.  Even though Mayor Davison could do no more than dance around the question of how many, if any, other candidates were ever considered for the position, he was “proud to be sitting next to such a worthy person” for the job. Of course he missed the entire point…it was not about whether or not Mr. Heck is worthy of the position…it had to do with process and open government. Mayor Davison’s view might have been tainted by the fact that on one side of him sat the former Republican municipal leader earning $60,000 of taxpayer money in a job that the town never had previously as a separate position.  On his other side sat the Republican Club Attorney who received a 35% increase in retainer fee over the previous attorney. Or perhaps he remembered that when he left his job at the County, his republican cronies on the council rushed to his aid and forced then Borough Manager/ Clerk Kathy Cencicola out to create a $100,000 plus per year job for good Ol’ Walt. In municipal government, forcing someone out is a misnomer; it really means buying someone out. For example, in that case, taxpayer dollars were used to pay for her health coverage in Florida for several years. As far as I know, we the taxpayers are still paying the bill, just so the “boys” could provide a job for one of their own. It’s all part of the Republican “Friends and Family” program in Ringwood.

Next thing you know, they’ll be buying the present DPW director out so Mr. Heck can take over that department and increase his already inflated salary. Don’t forget, he likely falls into the old politician’s trick. Since having served on the council, he likely has 12 years in the pension system, a system where the payout is based on your highest three years of earning. So work three years at full salary and get retirement pay as if you had 15 years of service. Nice deal if you can get it. Again, all part of the Republican “Friends and Family” program.  Cronyism is a live and well and flourishing in Ringwood. Now we know what was meant by their campaign slogan “Getting Ringwood Back on Track”.

Tom Mac Allen
Ringwood, NJ

Suburban Trends
April 22, 2009

Dear Editor:

The Suburban Trends article on March 25, "Council seeking to curb its critics remarks," is an example of the extreme hypocrisy that the all Republican Ringwood Council exhibits. Considering what I was subjected to when I was mayor, it also proves that they are a bunch of wimps!

I laughed so hard when I read the article that my sides hurt. Mayor Davison is planning to use his gavel when he feels the council is being attacked and will even have persons removed from the council chambers. If I had tried that when I was mayor the Republicans would have gone berserk! They spent the two years that I was mayor organizing every possible group against me. Meetings became the best reality show in town as the Republicans went as far as wanting to have me arrested for removing saplings in my yard. Mr. Joe Troy proudly announced at a meeting that he trespassed on my property to count trees. I guess he was part of the Republican tree police. They seemed to forget that a whole mountain was denuded, without a permit, on their watch. And by the way, the tree ordinance Mr. Troy and company were so obsessed with still stands.

Even during those contentious meetings I treated everyone respectfully, which is more that I can say for this group.

Councilman Marsala says he "won't stand" for people accusing any council member of professional lapses. He has no credibility when making such a statement. While the borough of Ringwood was being sued by residents to perform a tax revaluation (this lawsuit sparked the recent revaluation), Mr. Marsala sat in on closed session meetings which included discussions of this legal matter even though his sister was a litigant in the suit. His failure to recuse himself during these discussions was a serious ethical lapse, especially for an attorney who should know better. I also watched Mr. Marsala almost in tears at a recent council meeting as he defended Mayor Davison and the office of the mayor, but his disrespect of me when I was mayor, even calling me a liar, was his mantra.

Councilman Taukus has always been very disrespectful to the public, which he seems to be very proud of. He also seems to think it's fun to bully the public. When Ms. Grace Hazeldine mentioned at a meeting the fact that Congressman Garrett stated in one of his 2007 newsletters that a mere walk through of Upper Ringwood by council members in 1994 (the year the superfund site was de-listed) would have revealed that much toxic sludge still remained, Mr. Taukus went off the deep end. He called Ms. Hazeldine a liar and also said she wouldn't know the truth if it "bit her in the butt." He repeated this vulgar comment at a subsequent council meeting. The fact is the Congressman did make that statement and a call to his office would verify it.

Councilman Taukus also countered Ms. Robin Canetti's assertion that the public portion of the meetings have been scaled back. As usual Mr.Taukus is using his selective memory. For the last 5 years there were two open public comment periods at council meetings. This year the Republicans dismantled that practice, narrowing the time for public comment. As the election season approaches it is the Ringwood Council, not the public, that is in campaign mode. They are shutting down public input by threatening the public, discontinuing a second public portion and limiting the number of times per week the council meetings are replayed.

The article also includes accolades for the council by their supporters. Former mayor Jerry Holt showed up at the last council meeting to praise his friends. It's no wonder since Scott Heck is using our tax dollars to repair runoff problems in Mr. Holt's front yard caused by steep slope development behind his house. This development was approved by Mr. Holt and Mr. Heck when they were council members, now they expect the taxpayers to pay for their mistakes.

Many people living on Cheshire Lane are plagued by drainage and runoff issues because of the development on Nottingham Court and Coventry Way. Some have even had to install sump pumps. It is important to note that when these developments were being built, the Ringwood Republicans were paying their engineer $160,000 a year plus an SUV . Our tax dollars are now being spent to rectify runoff problems that should have been solved by the town engineer and implemented by the developers during the building process.

At a recent council meeting Mr. Scott Heck thanked Borough Manager, Ms. Kelley Rohde, for hiring him and allowing him to use his drainage expertise to help the town. What?! He spearheaded the weakening of Ringwood's steep slope ordinance for his mentor, Pat Wallace, and now he's the expert on drainage? Mr. Heck has also touted his training of DPW employees. To hear him talk, no one in the department knew how to do anything until he came along.

Ms. Canetti has been very vocal in her opposition of Ms. Rohde's hiring of her good friend, Mr. Heck, as Deputy Borough Manager. This job never existed until Mr. Heck, who was a self employed landscaper, needed a job with health benefits and a pension. This new position costs taxpayers $82,000 a year, which is well over one tax point! Ms. Canetti is right to voice her concern about this issue, since the hiring process was done behind closed doors and Mr. Heck's qualifications for such a position are slim at best. It has become pretty obvious that Mr. Heck will also become the Director of Public Works, which will include a pay raise, when the newly appointed director either retires or is demoted.

Defending the hiring of Mr. Heck, Mayor Davison said it was the best decision he has made in all his years on the council. Holy cow! Listening to the Ringwood Council whine about how badly they are being treated by the public is like living in an alternate reality.

Wenke Taule

former Ringwood mayor

As we read about the corruption in lllinois, we have our own sad story of abuse of power in Ringwood.

In June, the Ringwood Borough Council voted to submit an application to the 2008 Passaic County Open Space Trust Fund committee to purchase a parcel of land owned by Genesis Real Estate, asking that a total of $1.025million be paid to the owners for the 36 acre parcel of land. Sounds good, right? Ringwood would receive Open Space Funds to expand the preserved acreage in town.

Except that the land was only on our tax rolls as being assessed at $30,600, it being argued by the owners, the Wallace family, in 2005 that the land was only worth $15,000. The tax assessment board lowered the assessment of the land 90% from $306,200 to $30,600 and the Wallace family has only been paying taxes on the current assessment of $30,600 for the years of 2006-2008. Now they want $1.025 million for their land!! While the rest of us in Ringwood are paying taxes on the full value of our homes.

But again, as in a lot of things in life, it's who you know.

I went to the June 19th council meeting to protest the application's submission, since the Wallace family of developers had previously declared bankrupcy, leaving the town of Ringwood in the lurch with approximately a half million dollars in capital improvements not completed. Pat Wallace, after having the steep slope laws changed for him in 1996 by some of these same council members led by then Mayor Scott Heck, built 35 luxury homes in Ringwood and then did not complete the project, leaving Coventry Drive and Briscoe Chase unpaved for 8 years. The week after the application for $1.025 million was submitted by the Ringwood council to obtain county money for the Wallace family, the road was finally paved after 8 years. Coincidence? The Ringwood taxpayers know better.

I brought up the fact that the council should not be negotiating a $1.025 million contract with a close personal friend. At this point, Kelley Rohde stated it was she, not the council members, who was negotiating with the Wallaces. After seeing the televised council meeting, I got more than one phone call to inform me that Kelley Rohde and the current owner of the land, Teri Wallace Bukowski, are close personal friends. This is unethical, at best.

The Ringwood council argues that the land was at the top of the Ringwood Open Space list, so that is the reason the application was submitted. I have spoken to some of the previous members of the Ringwood Open Space Committee and they are adamant that this parcel of land was NOT on the top of the list, and that it was manipulated by the current council to be so. The Ringwood Open Space Committee is appointed by Mayor Davison. Scott Heck went before the committee and I quote, "Mr. Heck speaking on behalf of Mr. Wallace" in the notes from the June 19, 2007 meeting. A clear favor for their friends, the Wallace family.

I obtained a copy of the Open Space application for the Wallace land, and found it was full of lies:

1. On page 2 of the application, it states that the town has already been awarded $200,000 in a Green Acres Grant. This is NOT TRUE.

2. On page 3 of the application, where it is asked if the property is owned by a developer, it is answered No. NOT TRUE Everyone in Ringwood knows the Wallace family are developers.

3. The description of the 36 acre parcel contains numerous misleading and incorrect facts.


In September, Councilman John Speer, made a presentation to the Passaic County Open Space Commitee on behalf of the Wallace land. I was one of several members of the Ringwood public there. When Speer was asked by the committee for appraisals of the land, he said he would rather not state them out loud, since there were members of the Ringwood public present at the meeting!! He was immediately admonished by the committee that this was a PUBLIC meeting, and as members of the public the interested audience members were entitled to know the facts. If this is a legitimate application, why the attempted secrecy? To their credit, the Passic County committee had done their homework, and were particularly upset that there would be an application submitted for a total of $1.025million for a property that had been valued on the tax rolls for $30,600. One member of the committee stated that the Wallace family can't have it both ways, paying taxes on $30,600 and then asking for a million dollars for the property.

In a quote from an article on the Suburban Trends website, Mayor Walter Davison said that the Open Space Committee “unanimously supported” the municipality’s application. Kelley Rohde said that the committee “encouraged” the borough to reapply for the Wallace property next year.

Of course Mayor Davison and "acting borough manager"Kelley Rohde, are saying this, hoping the public will fall for it. These are the same two people who attested and signed their names that all the information on the application was the truth, when it wasn't.

The plain truth is that a fraudulent application was submitted to the Passaic County Open Space Committee by the officials of Ringwood on behalf of their friends, the Wallaces. Expect all kinds of denials and explanations from the council and Kelley Rohde. If the Open Space Committee had "unnamimously supported" the application as Mayor Davison says, then why was the application rejected?

And the sad truth is that Ringwood was seen as submitting a fraudulent application to a County Committee and it was rejected. And as bad as it is that the Ringwood officials tried to get their friend a million bucks, it also means that another legitimate application was not submitted instead and the town of Ringwood lost out on the chance to obtain Open Space funds for the year of 2008. This is a disgrace for the town.

As I said, in Ringwood as well as the rest of the world, it's who you know.......and wouldn't we all like to get $1.025million for a property that was assessed at $30,600. Nice deal if you can get it....for the record, in the current Ringwood revaluation the same Wallace property ( Block 877, Lot 16) is assessed at $94,700.

Ringwood taxpayers deserve better. Remember, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Please watch the council meetings to see what is actually going on in our beautiful town.


Grace Hazeldine

Dear Editor:

My statement in the Suburban Trends article on January 7, Residents question use of grant money, was incomplete. The Trends states the council passed a resolution in November 2007 to use the remaining $177,000 of the Small Cities Grant, that was never honored. What I actually said was that the council passed a resolution on November 27 2007 to use the remaining $177,000 grant, to redirect a $204,000 grant and to apply for another DCA grant of $68,000 (already approved by the DCA) to remediate Mr. DeGroat's sinkhole. This resolution is signed by Ms. Atlas and Ms. Rohde. The November 2007 resolution confirmed what had been agreed upon by the DCA and the Borough at a meeting in Trenton on Ocotber 29, 2007.

Contrary to Ms. Atlas' statement in the Trends,the money to fix Mr. DeGroat's sinkhole was in place!

In a phone call to the DCA to find out what happened to the sinkhole money, I was told that Ringwood wanted to redirect the grant money and the "sinkhole fell off the table".

My educated guess is that Ms. Atlas in conjunction with the newly elected council put the breaks on fixing the sinkhole so the new council could use the money elsewhere.

Actually, at a recent council meeting the council was asked why the sinkhole was not fixed, Councilman Taukus let the cat out of the bag by yelling, we don't have to fix it, it's on private property! I can only assume that reflects Ringwood's policy since the money is gone and the sinkhole still exists.

Wenke Taule
former Ringwood mayor

I was pleased to see that former Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bradley Campbell has agreed to assist resident Roger DeGroat in his battle to get Ringwood to remediate the major sinkhole in his back yard. After all, the borough received $238,000 in state funding to do the job back in August 2006. DeGroat has been patiently waiting ever since.

Mayor Walter Davison blames the prior council for the failure, accusing them of "redirecting the money." This doesn’t square with the facts.

In November 2007, the former council pledged to add $204,000 from an employment development grant to the $177,000 remaining from the original grant. This resolution was never acted upon when the new council, with Davison as mayor, took office in January of this year.

Surprisingly, the $177,000 is now "gone," as the grant was closed in April 2008 under Davison’s watch. The $204,000 employment development grant has been redirected again, without any public hearing or even a resolution. No work was done on the sinkhole between November 2007 and April 2008.

Where was that money spent? I would say the borough has some explaining to do.

Robin O’Hearn
Ringwood, NJ

Long-festering sore in Ringwood

It’s tragic that the residents of Upper Ringwood need legal representation in their dealings with their local government ("High-profile attorney joins fight against toxic waste," Nov. 12 ). But as Bradley Campbell — former Department of Environmental Protection commissioner and now attorney representing Roger DeGroat — states, DeGroat’s three-year struggle with the borough to fix the hazardous sinkhole in his yard is yet more evidence of the "pattern of neglect the entire community has suffered" for years.

Mayor Walter Davison, who previously sat on the Borough Council some 22 years, including several terms as mayor, blames "the prior administration" for redirecting the Small Cities Grant that was awarded to Ringwood in August 2006 to fix DeGroat’s sinkhole.

Davison’s statement is false. From the time the grant was awarded to Ringwood until November 2007, DeGroat’s sinkhole went unremediated. This failure was an ever-present issue at council meetings. DeGroat attended numerous meeting to plead his case. Promises were made but never kept. As a council member at the time, I was frustrated by this foot-dragging.

What we did not know was that there was a lack of will by the borough administration to fix the sinkhole and that it stonewalled the process by not complying with Department of Community Affairs regulations.

Wenke Taule

Ringwood, Nov. 13

The writer, a Democrat, is a former Ringwood mayor.

Ringwood Republican Cronyism Strikes Again
Four years ago, the Ringwood Republicans were voted out of office because people had enough of their running the town for the benefit of their friends and family while ignoring the rest of the residents. Developers ran rampant, clear-cutting acres of beautiful sections of town; projects were left unfinished, becoming expensive problems for the Borough; and hiring was done on a “who do we know” basis rather than looking for the best person for the job. Case in point, Ringwood had an Emergency Services head living in Texas while collecting a salary. Unfortunately, many people forgot that past at the last election and now they’re back. In their first 100 days they’ve already begun reminding residents of the bad judgment and secretive nature of past Republican administrations and are, once again, running Ringwood like their own “Mom and Pop” candy store. At the beginning of the year, Mayor Davison vowed that keeping property taxes down would be a priority for his administration but instead, he and his cronies on the council immediately began creating jobs, or increasing salaries, for friends of the “new” administration.

The first thing they did was hire the attorney for the Republican Club as Borough Attorney at a 35% increase over the former Borough Attorney, a top-notch lawyer whose firm was one of the top firms in New Jersey in government, land use and environmental law. They rescinded the Pay-to-Play ordinance, perhaps preparing for hirings to come? They gave pay increases of nearly 4% to the top two police commanders totaling more than $8,000 and lifted a hiring freeze that will allow for more higher-paid officers. Claiming to be saving money by not re-hiring the Borough Manager, a man with years of experience and education in public administration, they instead created a brand new position of Deputy Borough Administrator at a salary of $60,000, that’s right, $60,000. Having two people in the top spots doubles the amount of health benefit costs, and increases other benefits paid out as well. Is there a borough car in his future, too? The worst part is that they gave this custom-made job to former Republican Municipal Leader Scott Heck. Heck’s prior work experience was stated, in the official announcement, as “operating a locally based lawn-care service.” $60,000 for a person without any experience running any government agency, let alone the management of a town this size? There already is a Superintendent of Public Works making close to $100,000. Do we really another person to supervise public works or do we just need better management? If we need better management, maybe they should actually have hired a serious, experienced, manager instead of hiring a Deputy Manager without any. And they created this job without any public discussion, and filled it without any interview process. It’s a disgraceful use of taxpayer money and they should be ashamed of themselves.

How many other borough employees make $60,000 a year? How many other people did they interview? Is it possible there was no-one else in New Jersey with better qualifications to help manage Ringwood than a novice who ran (and apparently still runs) a small, local business? Mayor Davison stated that probably nobody “at this table” (referring to the sitting council) has more knowledge of this community than Scott Heck does. Is that how they hire for a high level management job…the most Ringwood-savvy person in a group of 9 Republicans gets the job? How many courses in budgeting, environmental and land use issues, community development, staff and municipal management, or grant writing has he taken? Apparently, to their way of thinking, just living in a community and “knowing” it is all the qualification one needs to be a Borough Manager, Deputy or otherwise. Using their logic, Councilwoman Schaefer, who has been a school secretary for years and “knows” Ringwood, could be a teacher, principal or even the Superintendent. At the end of the April 17 council meeting, all the council people gave their overwhelming endorsement of Mr. Heck, patting themselves on the back for being so “brave” to hire him. Deputy Mayor Anderson, Councilwoman Schaefer and Councilman Marsala, all veterans of the last council, said how much better everything is running now than it had the past few years. Well, for the last two years, after an alliance with Mayor Atlas, Anderson, Marsala and Schaefer were with the majority in charge. They can’t be the ones to drill a hole in the dam and then praise themselves for sticking an expensive finger in the hole to fix the problem.

Serious problems call for careful, deliberate thought and discussion. Creating a new, high level management position is a decision that should be made by the entire council, in a public forum. Ringwood is not Mayberry and they shouldn’t run it that way.

To the Editor:

In December 1982, the Ringwood Mines/Landfill Site was added to the National Superfund list. The reason it was placed on the national priority list was the the toxic waste dumped in Upper Ringwood by Ford from 1964-1974 threatened the safety of the residents living at the site and the Wanaque watershed. The Wanaque Reservoir is less than a mile from millions of gallons of toxic sludge, which was dumped in mines, shafts and throughout the surrounding area. Two streams originating near the mines feed into the Wanaque Reservoir, a source of water for over 2 million people, including Ringwood residents.

Instead of supporting the Upper Ringwood Community and demanding that the site be vigilantly monitored and cleaned up, in an article in the West Milford Argus on May 1,1983, then Deputy Mayor Walter Davison lamented, " We are not going to succeed (in marketing our industrial land) as long as we are on the Superfund list. We have a stigma attached to us." He continued to explain that he had encountered federal Environmental Protection Agency people at the dumps while showing a "very interested" industrial client around. The client's interest evaporated, Davison said. The article then states that Davsion desperately suggested a lawsuit against the federal government to try to remove Ringwood from the list. Councilman Ernest Schwesinger disagreed, saying he wanted the DEP-EPA to determine what the problem is, if there is one.
In other words, the health of his constituents and the water supply of over 2 million people were less important to Deputy Mayor Davison than building in the "so called" industrial area.
Fast forward 24 years, the industrial area brings in less than 3% of Ringwood's rateables, the superfund site has been re-listed (the first re-listing in the history of the superfund program) and the residents that were ignored are suing the borough. Now, Mr. Davison wants to be elected again as a borough councilman to "get Ringwood back on track." This is a very frightening thought.

The Mines/Landflll site was de-listed in 1994 with absolutely no opposition from the Ringwood Borough Council, whose members included Walter Davison and Ted Taukus. The initial clean up removed 6000 tons of sludge, recently over 12,000 tons have been removed and it is still not clean! As Congressman Scott Garret stated in his Garret Gazette, "It really doesn't take much more analysis than visual inspection to recognize that the initial clean-up had been incomplete...a thorough walk-through of the site would have led to a more complete effort in 1994. It is simply inexcusable that the citizens of Upper Ringwood have had to deal with years of living in a unclean and inhospitable environment." By taking a simple walk with their constituents Mr. Davison and Mr. Taukus would have seen that the site was still loaded with visible toxic sludge.

Ringwood must face this issue once and for all as a united community, we must protect our neighbors, protect our water supply and demand that Ford take full responsibility for the damage they have done to Ringwood.

Wenke Taule

Councilwoman, Ringwood

The Record- November 26, 2006

"Delay sought in health plan cutoff" (Page L-1, Nov. 13), on the move to curtail borough health-care benefits to Ringwood Borough Council members, requires some history.

It states that former Mayor Jerry Holt severely criticized the current council for not cutting benefits in 2006. Holt was on the council for more than 12 years and never saw fit to question what he called the council's "dirty little secret."

It seems as if council benefits were established years ago with a wink and a nod and not with the appropriate council vote. I have asked twice for information that would shed light on when the benefits were instituted. So far, no records can be found.

In August, I called for the council to discontinue health benefits. On Oct. 10, I moved a resolution to establish an ordinance to discontinue health benefits. The Republicans voted no.

On Oct. 24, I moved the same resolution adding that the ordinance establish Jan. 1, 2007, as the cutoff date to save taxpayers the maximum $100,000. It passed, 6-1. Deputy Mayor William Marsala voted no.

On Nov. 9, Councilwoman Donna Anderson, pleading personal insurance problems, joined Marsala in asking for an extension of health benefits. They said their new insurance will take time to kick in.

I would gladly have voted yes to push back the cutoff date to February if affected council members offered to reimburse the borough. After all, it is not the taxpayers' problem if Anderson and Marsala cannot put their health benefits in place in a timely manner. They have had months to do so.

as the 2007 budget process begins, Ringwood taxpayers should watch what their elected officials do, not what they say.

Wenke Taule

Ringwood, Nov. 16

To the Editor:

Re: Ringwood's 2006 Budget and Extraordinary Aid Application

When a community applies for extraordinary aid, the budget process stops! To receive aid the budget increase must register in the double digits. Once Mayor Atlas made the self serving decision to go for extraordinary aid, the budget process came to a screeching halt, since any serious cuts would have jeopardized the aid application. Because Ringwood received aid with an artificially inflated budget we will be in a difficult budget position in 2007, starting off with having to make $500,000 in spending cuts for the missing aid. Additionally, when Ringwood really needs extraordinary aid the State might not be so accommodating considering the unnecessary application this year.

In retrospect it does appear that the Republicans supported Ringwood's application for extraordinary aid from the beginning and worked behind the scenes to make it happen. Contrary to their assertions, the Republicans never participated in any of the 7 budget hearings and Deputy Mayor Marsala's grand standing claim of $800,000 in cuts were simply bogus. The heart of those cuts were simply to bond away what are normally "pay as you go" items. His numbers never added up. Former Councilman Scott Heck played the same game last year proposing cuts that he never voted on. Last year also, the Republicans blasted a 2.9% tax increase under the still intact Democratic majority but they show no embarrassment over the 5% tax increase they have stuck us with this year. The true state of events is best revealed by the fact that the council unanimously passed a resolution on March 21, 2006 directing the manager to come up with $800,000 worth of cuts which was ignored by the manager who obviously understood the intentions of the new majority.

We predict that next year, being an election year the budget process will be déjà vu all over again.

As in 2006, the new majority will be putting on a show of keeping the budget flat, but once again they will inflate the budget to obtain extraordinary aid. The Republicans are bent on protecting their turf and they will obstruct any and all attempts at streamlining the borough bureaucracy.

The Republicans will continue to tout their slogan Ringwood 1ST, meaning Republican council members and cronies first. The three Democrats will continue to put Ringwood tax payers first and are committed to a tight, honest and fiscally responsible budget for 2007. We will have to make hard choices, but that's why you elected us!

Ringwood Council members

Tom Mac Allen
William O'Hearn
Wenke Taule

Suburban Trends
To the Editor,

The convoluted posturing made in the editorial by Ringwood's three Republican councilmembers in the 10/8/06 Trends rendered it almost unreadable. Their attempt to distance themselves from the bizarre budget process this year is laughable. It is most definitely a fact that those three had made a pact with Mayor Atlas from "Day 1". How else do they explain that Republican Marsala became Deputy mayor? For Marsala, the most senior councilmember, to complain now after sitting quietly thru the budget hearings claiming $800,000 worth of cuts he had in his pocket, which he never wrote down and presented to the remainder of the Council is pure grandstanding. On the day of the budget adoption vote, when asked about this he put his head down, began mumbling about a "10% cut across the board", still nothing in writing. Earlier Councilwoman Anderson said that she did not feel qualified to comment on the budget (why become a member of the council?).

The point is not that Ringwood is less deserving than a Chatham or a Newark, but that the grant was to be the SECOND step, not the crutch in place of an initial scrutiny of the budget. Were it the case that the Republican $800,000 in cuts was real, this would have eliminated the need to even ask for a state grant. Those three and Mayor Atlas formed the majority that ran the show. So what happened?

As for obtaining monies, our current "mayor plus three Republican councilmembers majority," by placing restrictions on the County engineering staff, has managed to take Ringwood from a situation where without reservation, the entire Freeholder board was solidly behind the County paying $500,000 for a roundabout at Skyline and Erskine roads to a situation where the County says, "do it yourself". We still have the dangerous intersection and no money.

The sad but true fact is that neither Atlas nor Marsala as mayor and deputy mayor exhibit leadership. One needs only to watch the Ringwood Council meetings going from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., frequently with little sense to large portions of time.

The "Ringwood First" slogan of the Republicans has me wondering:

Marsala as a Councilman and attorney sat for a year in closed council meetings failing to disclose that his sister was suing our Boro - was this a lack of "family values" or a lack of awareness on his part? Next Marsala wants to put astro-terf on ball fields, then backtracks. Councilwoman Anderson said that she did not feel qualified to comment on the budget (why become a member of the Council?).

The Republican also have taken control of the local Ringwood School Board, first wishing to spend $54 million on a new school, then simultaneously allowing the Board Secretary to quit with 60 days pay, overlappingly paying the replacement $500 per day, then saying none of this can be explained since it is "a personnel matter" wasting $30,000 paid by taxpayers.

If this is "Ringwood First", God help us.

Ted Williamson
Ringwood

Letter to the Editor- The Record

Ten members of the Assembly have recently introduced a bill that would repeal the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act. While acknowledging that the legislation has no chance of passage, they have defended the proposal by saying that they are "sending a message."

Fortunately, there is no need to read the 59-page bill in order to understand the message; in fact, the public and the Highlands Council are better off ignoring it.

For starters, the Highlands Act will not be repealed. After many public hearings, the Senate voted 34-2 and the Assembly voted 69-10 to pass it on June 10, 2004.

The bill is called the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act for a reason: More than 5 million New Jersey citizens, including the 750,000 who live in the Highlands, drink water from the Highlands. And, according to the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, the act's restrictions on development will save $5 billion in water treatment costs over the next 50 years.

So why are these legislators seeking to overturn the Highlands Act? This "repeal" bill appears to be designed to intimidate Highlands Council members into preparing a Regional Master Plan that maximizes development.

Fortunately, the council will not be so easily distracted or intimidated by a vocal minority. Our response to the council is this: Stay focused on your task of preparing the best possible Regional Master Plan, and plan to be in business for at least the next 25 years.
That's a message we all can hear, every time we listen to a glass fill up with cold, clear tap water.

William P. O'Hearn
Ringwood, March 15

The writer is New Jersey regional plan director for the New Jersey State Committee of the Highlands Coalition.

'Priorities'

Suburban Trends
February 22, 2006
Dear Editor:

Someone please explain to me the wisdom of spending valuable Council time with the following agenda items put forth by Mayor Atlas and the Council Republicans at the recent Ringwood Borough Council Meetings...

- Proposing extensive rework on the previously passed Water User's Tax Resolution to be lobbied for in Trenton. This resolution was already passed unanimously in the Fall of 2005 which included the support by current Mayor Atlas and Deputy Mayor Marsala. Let's move on...

- Creating an issue where one never existed over the Borough sponsored Highlands Fair. Much contention was created when Atlas and the Council Republicans refused to provide the same budgetary support as was given the last 2 years (and less by the way than the previously Borough sponsored 'Ringwood Days' 16 years ago). Given the current focus of promoting eco-tourism and outdoor recreation in Ringwood, the Ringwood Highlands Fair is a perfect example of appropriate investment in our community and, amounts to less than $3 cost per household. This event is a nominal and valuable investment in our community. Let's move on...

- Instituting a pre-meeting Council meeting initially proposed as being a non-televised 'practice' meeting to help shorten the length of regular Council Meetings. Not televising this public meeting was in direct conflict with the Democratic platform of open government that Mayor Atlas ran on and was elected on. After a public outcry, she agreed to televise them. The first Council Meeting with the new pre-meeting format ran a whopping 7.5 hours long to 2:30am! Maybe window-dressing agenda items like those mentioned above and the proposed new 'codes of conduct' are not the best uses of valuable Council time. (None of these items have been resolved yet by the way.) Let's move on...

Being fiscally responsible does not mean being penny-wise and dollar-foolish, and searching for those pennies in the parking lot of the Ringwood Highlands Fair is a perfect example. Rather, Mayor Atlas and the Council Republicans should focus their efforts on resolving other more significant issues and cost saving benefits for Ringwood such as the roundabout traffic solution for Skyline Drive. Per Mayor Atlas'
own research, there are at least 7 traffic engineers and experts that recommend the roundabout as the most effective and SAFEST solution to our Skyline Drive traffic problem. Passaic County is willing to pay for the feasibility study AND installation, which means NO additional cost to Ringwood taxpayers. Councilpersons O'Hearn, MacAllen, and Taule have been poised and willing to move forward on this solution for months. It's time for Mayor Atlas and the Council Republicans to stop the hand-wringing, make the informed decision, and move on.

Here's a web site for more info on roundabouts for anyone interested...
http://www.roundabouts.net/roundabouts.html

John Klemek
Ringwood, NJ

In 2002 there was a special borough election to fill Walter Davison’s council seat. Tony Torchia was running unopposed, which I found disturbing, because I felt it was only right that Ringwood residents had a choice. Through a write-in effort my name was placed on the ballot. One evening as I was handing out literature at the Stop & Shop, a woman asked me how many women there were on the Ringwood Council, and I said “None!” She was astounded. She stopped another woman and loudly asked, “Do you know that there are no women on the Ringwood Council?” Well, I hope she's watching this reorganization meeting. I think I started something. The Ringwood Borough Council is now a majority of women. We've come a long way in a short time!! I want to thank all the residents of Ringwood for giving me the opportunity to be Ringwood's first woman mayor

When I became mayor in 2003, I would tell everyone I went from mother to mayor in a split second. Raising three teenage daughters was and is at times hair raising, but presiding over the council meetings for the last two years at times set my hair on fire!

In spite of all the political wrangling, this council can be congratulated on its accomplishments. We passed a fiscally responsible budget even as our garbage, pension and health care costs increased dramatically We improved our recreation fields and facilities, bonded for two new fire trucks, continued our aggressive road paving program, and will build a new borough garage which will incorporate solar energy. We requested and received over one million dollars in grants. Thanks to Councilman Mac Allen's persistence, now have 25 MPH speed limits around our lakes.

In response to Sam Close and Ray Dwyer's neighborhood action committee, we resolved the second MTBE spill on Skyline Drive and together lobbied NJDEP to obtain a $4 million reimbursement for a new water line for the affected residents. We passed ordinances to protect our environment and water supply. We wholeheartedly supported residents in their quest to get Ford Motor Co. to clean up toxic sludge at the former Superfund site in Upper Ringwood. And I want to thank Wayne Mann, Viivan Miiligan and Jay Van Dunk for the tremendous work they do. We completed the Upper Ringwood playground with a basketball court on the way, acquired Martini field as open space, and Deputy Mayor O'Hearn has encouraged a development of a five year plan for Ringwood Recreation. We provided residents with more information than ever through our borough newsletter and webpage, Channel 77, and special open public meetings on important issues. We enjoyed the fun-filled Ringwood Highlands Fair and earth day hike, and we are well on our way to solving the Skyline Lakes dam problem with the help of Jim Martucci and the SLPOA board- Thank you Jim!
Hopefully, in the new year a decision will finally be made on the the Skyline Drive traffic debacle. I tried extremely hard to move this forward, but met with considerable partisan resistance.

I want to thank Ken Hetrick for his help and his knowledge of municipal government. His professionalism is unparalleled. I want to thank all the employees at borough hall, for the great job they do, the police department for their excellent work in keeping Ringwood safe, all the emergency services for their selfless dedication to our town and all the volunteers on our boards and commissions who give so unselfishly of their time for our community. And a special thank you to my husband Peter Sando and my three daughters; Britt, Breeze, and Bliss for their support and love.

I want to thank Joe Maraziti, our borough attorney, for his hard work and expertise over the last two years. Joe has been a real asset to the borough and we are fortunate to have him representing us. And a special “shout out” to the Cable TV Committee for staying tuned in at those long council meetings where public input was accepted as never before

My tenure as mayor will be linked to the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act that became law in 2004, which I strongly supported; and also my support of the Upper Ringwood residents in their quest to finally get Ford to clean up the toxic sludge in their backyards. If you think about these two major developments, they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but connected. Ringwood as host to the second largest reservoir in New Jersey, where Ford dumped toxic chemicals. virtually on its banks. I think the Highlands Act will be a force that will compel the DEP and hopefully the EPA to direct ford to finally clean up this superfund site so that we can put this behind us once and for all. The Ford issue looms large in Ringwood and we are very fortunate to be represented by Joe Mariziti's law firm, experts in environmental law.

My work as mayor is finished, but I will continue my duties as Councilwoman with the same diligence as always. Ringwood, as part of the Highland Council's pilot planning program is in the process of designating redevelopment areas, which will enable Ringwood to look for an area that would be right for a senior/teen recreation center, connect our shopping centers with the library, and plan to incorporate our natural beauty and history in a tourism plan. I learned over the holidays that Skylands Manor will become a bed and breakfast, which will be a great addition to our tourism plan.

As a community working together we can overcome the challenges that face us and make Ringwood even better than it is today.

The next order of business will be the nomination for mayor for 2006. During the council meetings it always made me a little more secure to see Bill O'hearn sitting to my left. During his time as Deputy Mayor, he worked very hard behind the scenes, working with recreation to solve outstanding problems, attending Lakeland and Ringwood Board of Education meetings as the council liaison, as a member of the Ringwood Education Foundation, the Skyline Dam Committee, as a basketball and soccer coach and as our “in house” open space expert. Many times Bill was voice of reason at our council meetings. His clarity of vision helped us focus, when situations seemed confusing. His integrity and his ability to listen and find solutions to problems is an asset that will serve him well as mayor.

That brings me to the next topic, the selection of mayor and deputy mayor. I’ve thought long and hard about this. I know that there has been a lot of talk around town about this, speculating on political deals and back room negotiating, but there's only one way to make this decision, by looking at the qualities and qualifications of the candidates and voting your conscience. For this reason, I intend to nominate Bill O'Hearn for mayor and Joanne Atlas for deputy mayor.

Comments following Record's "Toxic Legacy" series

I followed the "Toxic Legacy" series (Oct. 2-6) very closely. I hope that the publicity given this environmental travesty might be the spark needed to finally, after 30 years, compel Ford Motor Co. to find its conscience and clean up the toxic waste they left in people's back yards and virtually on the banks of the Wanaque Reservoir.

This Superfund site may be the only one in the nation on which families actually lived. I congratulate The Record for taking on this issue.

It is true that without the help of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., the Ramapough people's legal firm and Catalano and Plache, Edison Wetlands and the state Department of Environmental Protection, this prematurely delisted Superfund site would never have gotten the attention it deserves.

But the real heroes of this story are the Ramapough Mountain Indians. They have lived this nightmare for more than 30 years and have decided after years of intimidation to unite behind their eloquent leader, Wayne Mann, to say, "Enough!"

Because of Wayne and community leaders like Vivian Milligan and Jay Van Dunk, the residents of Upper Ringwood have found their voice, and they will not be stilled until justice is done.

Wenke Taule

Ringwood, Oct. 11

The writer is mayor of Ringwood.