Ridgewood Village Election Guide 2018

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — It's already time to head to the polls in Ridgewood.

Polls are open at 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 8, in Ridgewood's non-partisan municipal elections.

Four people are running for two, four-year seats. Challengers Janice Willett and newcomer Alexandra Harwin are running against incumbents Susan Knudsen and Michael Sedon, the mayor and deputy mayor.

Willett ran unsuccessfully in the 2016 council election. Knudsen and Sedon has served as mayor and deputy mayor since 2016.

The ongoing issue of the Hudson Street parking deck, improving the Central Business District, communicating with residents, and encouraging more participation in local government are all items of contention and recent discussion between the candidates.

Parking

Voters approved a non-binding referendum for the garage in 2015 by a 2-to-1 ratio and then voted down bonding $11.5 million to finance the 325-space garage by the same ratio in June 2016. The Village Council approved the design 5-0 before the second referendum went to voters.

Sedon and Knudsen are opposed to a larger parking deck.

The council examined smaller designs from four developers for a three-level, 250-space deck that would fit exactly at the Hudson Street lot.

"When I became mayor, we decided to respect the voters who did not want an oversize garage," Knudsen said.

But Harwin and Willettt favor a larger footprint for the parking deck.

Willett said extending the deck six feet on the sidewalk would add 60 more spaces to its footprint.

Willett said during a candidates night last week Knudsen was in favor of a plan backed by the slogan, "one level down, shuttles on the ground."

Knudsen denied the allegation, saying she never signed a petition in support of such a plan.

"The suggestion that we have to plan for anything other than what is planned for the Hudson Street lot is irresponsible and disrespectful to the voters and shows a lack of understanding of the immediate traffic congestions in one of the worst areas of Ridgewood," Knudsen said.

Knudsen and Sedon urged residents to vote "no" to the second referendum.

Central Business District

All four candidates agreed that revitalization and improving downtown Ridgewood is essential to the village's economy.

Both Harwin and Willett are in favor of amending zoning ordinances to allow "on site" services to be provided by local businesses.

"Many ordinances date back to the 1970s are not relevant in 2018," Willett said.

Harwin agreed.

"We need to make sure Ridgewood is friendly to e-commerce businesses," Harwin said.

Sedon said building a parking deck and revamping the Master Plan and zoning laws are important steps in making the downtown more business friendly.

Communication

Harwin said, at the debate, she would "transform how the village shares information with residents."

She said documents that are discussed in public should be "promptly" posted online.

"Our village's website needs a major upgrade to communicate better what our village government is actually doing," Harwin said, who noted she will hold regular office hours.

Sedon mentioned that all background information regarding issues, ordinances, and resolutions have been added to Sunshine binders that are made available at Village Council meetings.

Knudsen said she believes in "absolute transparency," when it comes to village government, noting that the binders given residents "unprecedented access to documents" and that officials are working to get more documents online. She said both she and the council have Facebook pages and officials use social media to engage with residents

Knudsen also said that a redesigned village website would be launched "soon."

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