South Orange BOT election

@marybarrmann,  as you referred to another posters mention of VGs JAC coverage, I mentioned VGs friendliness with the 2 Union residents who worked hard to shut the JAC down. One was quoted in a VG piece. I knew them both. I was usually at those TH meetings.

I do not claim to be unbiased, but despite your claim, I feel VG was.

Since the second reference to your coverage of the Run Jump Lift bid, it is pertinent since I have been writing on this thread about the fact that Bob Zuckerman brought them into the building 6 months before the RFP which is why many animal lovers will not support him.

Of course the first candidate who lobbies to return the building now vacant to a version of its former self, I would support.

Morganna said:
@marybarrmann,  as you referred to another posters mention of VGs JAC coverage, I mentioned VGs friendliness with the 2 Union residents who worked hard to shut the JAC down. One was quoted in a VG piece. I knew them both. I was usually at those TH meetings.
I do not claim to be unbiased, but despite your claim, I feel VG was.
Since the second reference to your coverage of the Run Jump Lift bid, it is pertinent since I have been writing on this thread about the fact that Bob Zuckerman brought them into the building 6 months before the RFP which is why many animal lovers will not support him.
Of course the first candidate who lobbies to return the building now vacant to a version of its former self, I would support.

 Morganna,

I'm so sorry you feel our coverage was biased. As you can see from the links, I talked to so many people — including to Ms. Perlmutter and Beth Platner and numerous times to the JAC's attorney William Strazza. We tried to get all angles. It was definitely an emotionally fraught story. 

Back to the Election: We will be posting a story about redevelopment/the latest flier etc. tomorrow. I'm hoping to have further comment from the DDF campaign, but won't hold the story past 8 a.m. (when I need to hit the road).

yahooyahoo said:

Rob_Sandow said:

yahooyahoo said:
The only way the school funding relief is going to happen for our district as a whole is at the state level.  We should be focusing on Mila Jasey, John McKeon, and Richard Codey.  
Any local politician that says they can use their contacts to change how funding is balanced between the two towns is foolish.

 
The thing is, Jasey, McKeon, and Codey also represent Maplewood, which has more voters than South Orange.  This is why I came to the conclusion that nothing would change after meeting with them and/or their representatives.  

My point was that laws/regulations need to change at the state level, not the local level.  Transferring the cost between taxpayers within the school district is not the answer.  The answer is changing the funding formula at the state level so our entire district gets some relief.

OK, yes I agree, to an extent.  Between the two issues, which are appropriation between South Orange and Maplewood, and equitable state funding, the average South Orange taxpayer pays $6000 too much.  The breakdown is somewhere in the range of $2300 in the local funding disparity and $3700 in the state funding disparity.  I'd have to go back into the research to find the exact numbers but these are close enough for discussion purposes. 

librarylady said:
 I've never hidden who I am on this board. There is no reason to hide and be anonymous if you believe in what you post. So who are you?

I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob

Expert, texpert choking smokers
don't you think the joker laughs at you
See how they smile like pigs in a sty
See how they snide
I'm crying

Semolina Pilchard
climbing up the Eiffel tower
Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna
Man, you should have seen them kicking
Edgar Allen Poe

I am the eggman
They are the eggmen
I am the walrus
Goo goo g' joob

This is not a song lyrics site.   Remain anonymous, but stay on topics.  

I just donated again to Sheena's campaign.  There are big bucks behind DDF's campaign and I don't want Sheena to be outspent on mailers, robocalls, etc. I urge anyone able to support Sheena with a few more bucks, even it you did it already.

From Sheena's response to DDF's mailer: "The Gravel Parking Lot is not owned by the Village. It is owned by a private property owner who is yet to submit a plan to the Village. As you are aware, the Village was advised the developer was interested in high-end condos ($850,000/unit) with no retail and was seeking a long-term tax abatement and would need a parking variance. It should come as no surprise I would reject such a project. There’s no reason for taxpayers to subsidize luxury housing with no affordable housing onsite. These are the type of agreements I put a stop to once I was elected. We need to negotiate from a position of strength and not desperation."

On DDF's (SO Forward's) ELEC reporting, Carlos Estrella, of 10 Ridgewood Rd., donated $2600 to SO Forward. 10 Ridgewood Rd. is the address of Ridgewood Commons, at the corner of Ridgewood Rd. and South Orange Ave., almost directly across from the Gravel Parking Lot.. Ridgewood Commons is owned by Ed Ayuso, the same person who owns the Gravel Parking Lot, and who wants to build $850,000 condos and receive a long-term tax abatement. A $2600 coincidence? That's a heck of a coincidence.

mbaldwin said:
I just donated again to Sheena's campaign.  There are big bucks behind DDF's campaign and I don't want Sheena to be outspent on mailers, robocalls, etc. I urge anyone able to support Sheena with a few more bucks, even it you did it already.

DDF won't debate Sheena about redevelopment. Sheena has to be able to get the truth out. 

https://sheenacollum.com/donate/

Does this make sense? That's a big apartment building, does that necessarily connect a tenant to the owner?

cramer said:
MasterP said:
Who is Carlos Estrella?
The address for Carlos Estrella is 10 Ridgewood Rd., which is the address of Ridgewood Commons. Ridgewood Commons is owned by Ed Ayuso, who developed The Gateway. Ayuso owns the property at South Orange Ave. and Church St., and is currently negotiating with the town to develop the property. 
Just a $2600 coincidence?

If there's no debate on the property tax issue, I think the voters may be influenced. I've tried to read and contribute on this thread and Next Door where I have read speeches about the morality of wanting to consider a solution which seems fair and fair will be different according to people's economic situation and personal philosophy. Some readers who chose not to post, may feel angry that they are being chided for their interest in the topic.

If we can't have open discussions about this people will just vote for the possibility of lowering their taxes and never post their questions. I would if I didn't know the candidates.  

I left one conversation when it was suggested to those with the higher property taxes, that they shouldn't complain because it meant they would sell high and if their values went down it would lower their taxes.

I saw no one answer but I had a feeling it was going to get contentious so I left. But I am tempted to remind people who may post on both, that a few years back our values were assessed down about 1/3. Of course our taxes remained the same, so If you paid about $200,000 in taxes over say 8 years, and your home was now reduced $300,000 in value, are you supposed to cheer when you get your first offer?

A good friend in another town, is selling her home for what she paid for it years ago. Her  neighbor's house was sold below value and it is being viewed as a comp.

Let's push for a debate on that issue with objectivity.

While there is a small "press release" in the corner of the page, TapInto just goes ahead and gives it's byline to SOForward. 

https://www.tapinto.net/towns/soma/articles/south-orange-forward-releases-details-of-fire-department-consolidation-proposal

This is not how journalism works, even on the cash strapped local level. Press releases needed to be vetted and reported out, not posted verbatim. 

A lot of things piss me off about the election but the realization that what could've been a competing news source is just a megaphone for special interests is high up there for me. 

TapInto, if you dig into it, is a source that makes its money off of ads and paid press releases.  You get what you pay for, and it may be time to see how many unsubscribes we can send to lower their distribution numbers

OhHenry said:
Does this make sense? That's a big apartment building, does that necessarily connect a tenant to the owner?

cramer said:
MasterP said:
Who is Carlos Estrella?
The address for Carlos Estrella is 10 Ridgewood Rd., which is the address of Ridgewood Commons. Ridgewood Commons is owned by Ed Ayuso, who developed The Gateway. Ayuso owns the property at South Orange Ave. and Church St., and is currently negotiating with the town to develop the property. 
Just a $2600 coincidence?

 

 OhHenry - Do you know Carlos Estrella?  MasterP doesn't know Carlos Estrella. I don't know Carlos Estrella. I think someone who makes a $2600 contribution to a campaign would be somewhat known in the community. It's not a stretch to connect the dots - especially since the word was out that Ed Ayuso was contributing to DDF's campaign.

cramer said:
 OhHenry - Do you know Carlos Estrella?  MasterP doesn't know Carlos Estrella. I don't know Carlos Estrella. I think someone who makes a $2600 contribution to a campaign would be somewhat known in the community. It's not a stretch to connect the dots - especially since the word was out that Ed Ayuso was contributing to DDF's campaign.

 I'm not super plugged into insider politics and development but am learning quickly. I do wonder how someone reaches the level where they're making maximum contributions to a campaign and have virtually zero online or social media footprint in the town. I think everyone who has made significant contributions to Sheena's campaign is at least a known quantity.

I don't know any of the players in this story, but I'm finding this historical narrative fascinating.  Finding a direct link from a developer/property-owner to DDF would be of note. If Ayuso were to make that donation in his own name, it would not be unethical or illegal, would it? But to make it via another name is obviously evasive - if true. That's why I question it.

Sheena's letter of response is like a slo-mo slum dunk. 

cramer said:
 OhHenry - Do you know Carlos Estrella?  MasterP doesn't know Carlos Estrella. I don't know Carlos Estrella. I think someone who makes a $2600 contribution to a campaign would be somewhat known in the community. It's not a stretch to connect the dots - especially since the word was out that Ed Ayuso was contributing to DDF's campaign.

NJ spreading the SO Forward propaganda that was posted in TAPInto that the merger would be dangerous for South Orange. 

Here is link

And here comes the NJ FMBA...

https://www.sofirefacts.org/

MasterP said:
And here comes the NJ FMBA...
https://www.sofirefacts.org/

"Paid for by the NJ FMBA" is the way that the NJ FMBA gets around the NJ ELEC reporting requirements. The NJ FMBA hasn't  contributed directly to DDF's campaign so DDF (SO Forward) doesn't have to report it.  

Anyone get Sheena's mailing yet? Mine arrived. Loved the oops we ran out of room directive to go to the online site. Clever.

Also got the 3rd one from DDF on the local projects.

MasterP said:
And here comes the NJ FMBA...
https://www.sofirefacts.org/

 I have shared the following image(click to zoom in) with the FMBA summarizing DDF's attendance (or lack thereof) at Public Safety Committee meetings for 2016 and 2017 (I could not find any for 2018, and 2007-2015 weren't any better).  They need to understand they are supporting a candidate who has not made Public Safety a priority.

mayhewdrive said:
 I have shared the following image(click to zoom in) with the FMBA summarizing DDF's attendance (or lack thereof) at Public Safety Committee meetings for 2016 and 2017 (I could not find any for 2018, and 2007-2015 weren't any better).  They need to understand they are supporting a candidate who has not made Public Safety a priority.

 Really, they don't want to lose their overtime.  That's all.

From Sheena on Nextdoor:

Sheena Collum

"There will be no debates. My opponent, a 12-year Trustee, does not have the time for it."

mayhewdrive said:
From Sheena on Nextdoor:
Sheena Collum
"There will be no debates. My opponent, a 12-year Trustee, does not have the time for it."

 Is tonight's LWV meeting at SOPL still on?

librarylady said:

mayhewdrive said:
From Sheena on Nextdoor:
Sheena Collum
"There will be no debates. My opponent, a 12-year Trustee, does not have the time for it."

 Is tonight's LWV meeting at SOPL still on?

 To my knowledge, yes.  Although it is not a "debate".  The LWV typically sends questions to the candidates in advance and often the candidates give pre-written/scripted answers.

FilmCarp said:
 Really, they don't want to lose their overtime.  That's all.

 And, hey, I get that.  It can be a substantial part of their income. But if there's a more efficient way to do things, that's just how the world works.

And now SO Forward has video! Posted to their Facebook page, just as misleading as their flyers. And basically lifts from the NJ FMBA's site they put together for this election.

Apparently, the video was paid for by SO Forward, so she can still claim to be free of PAC money.

librarylady said:
 Is tonight's LWV meeting at SOPL still on?

 Do you know the time? I can't find the post.

Morganna said:
 Do you know the time? I can't find the post.

 7 PM  And I believe that besides the pre-released questions there will be questions from the audience

is it televised?

From Facebook - -

————————————

Ask your questions - TONIGHT!

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS OF MAPLEWOOD-SOUTH ORANGE TO HOST CANDIDATES NIGHT

The League of Women Voters of Maplewood-South Orange will host a Candidates Night for the candidates for the South Orange Municipal Election.  The forum will be Thursday, May 2, 2019 starting at 7:00 at the South Orange Library, 65 Scotland Road.  The Municipal election is Tuesday, May 14, 2019.  
This is your opportunity to meet the two candidates running for Village President and the nine candidates running for the three Trustee positions.  There will be prepared questions for the candidates plus an opportunity for attendees to submit their own questions.  
The League of Women Voters’ mission is to “Make Democracy Work!”  This forum will provide an opportunity for a civilized conversation about the issues facing South Orange.  
Be an informed voter.  Come out, meet the candidates and hear what they have to say.  
Then, of course, VOTE on Tuesday, May 14, 2019!