Ridgewood Council Candidates Pledge To Unify The Village, Foster Positive Communication

RIDGEWOOD, N.J. — Village Council candidates Richard Brooks, Evan Weitz, and Janice Willett have come together to run on a platform of transparent government and engaging in ongoing, open communication in this year’s election.

Brooks said that the way decisions are made within the community has changed in the quarter century he’s lived in the village — and not for the better.

“I’m concerned about the way adults are speaking to each other,” Brooks said. “The idea is that we need to change the tone of the dialogue one conversation at a time. All stakeholders need to have a seat at the table to talk about these important issues.”

The trio created Ridgewood 2020 to bring residents into discussions about the Hudson Street parking deck, the Schedler property off of Route 17, and affordable housing.

The candidates referenced the sometimes mean-spirited comments directed at village officials or other residents during council meetings.

“We’ve said many times that the public comments at meetings, that is not a place for discussion,” said Willett, a 50-year resident. “There’s no dialogue. We need to have discussions with each other about these things long before they get to that point.”

Tony Damiano, president of the Ridgewood Guild, Paul Vagianos, president of the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, two former deputy mayors, Betty Weist and Jane Reilly, and former Councilwoman Kim Ringler Shagin have endosed Brooks, Weitz, and Willett this election

The trio has met with several community organizations and downtown business owners in the hopes of finding ways to improve the Central Business District.

“One of the things that makes Ridgewood unique is the downtown,” Weitz said. “Going downtown, you see a lot of empty storefronts and the lack of parking is really hurting our downtown.”

Weitz and Willett serve on the village’s Financial Advisory Committee. They said they want to tap into the optimism people have about the village’s future, rather than perpetuate an atmosphere of fear and distrust.

“Just because we disagree with people that doesn’t mean we need to be disagreeable,” Brooks said. “When we sit together and talk about the issues, we talk about the best way of getting things done.”

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Pictured: Richard Brooks, Janice Willett, and Evan Weitz — Ridgewood2020.com