Page 12 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • May 9, 2012 Council candidates (continued from page 3) decision, along with Killion and the other three council members. The other three candidates at last week’s event urged some sort of mutual agreement through further talks that could satisfy both Valley Hospital and the neighborhood – which strongly opposed the expansion for reasons of traffic, safety considerations, and property values. Forenza said he could have a deal worked out between Ridgewood and Valley within 12 to 18 months. “Bring people together in dialogue,” said Pucciarelli. “See if the parties can come together. There are smart people on both sides.” “The master plan is not the law,” Hauck said. “The ordinances are the law. Determine what improvements are necessary to keep the hospital modern and efficient. Work for agreement before a new proposal.” Killion was the only candidate to defend the now-seated council’s 4-1 vote to grant a 12 percent raise to Village Manager Ken Gabbert, a move Aronsohn has strongly opposed. Killion argued that Gabbert, even with the 12 percent raise, is paid less than the previous village manager, James Ten Hoeve. Killion also said Gabbert’s negotiations to convince newly hired police officers to accepted a slower pay increase scale and to pay part of their own medical expenses had saved the taxpayers $200,000 over the career life of each new police officer. Killion said this more than covered the increase – even at a time when layoffs had put Ridgewood employees out of work. “It was definitely the worst decision the council has made in its history,” Aronson said. “A 12 percent raise. It’s egregious! There’s no way you can justify it. It speaks of the distance between the council and the rest of the village.” “I do agree with Mr. Aronsohn,” said Forenza. “Twelve per cent is an outrageous figure!” “It was a bad thing, a poor choice of them to accept a raise,” said Hauck. “I would not have voted for it.” Shinozuka said she thought the issue was past history and had been belabored. Ultimately, Shinozuka acknowledged she would not have voted for it either. The lines that appeared to be drawn – Killion, Aronsohn, and Shinozuka against the hospital expansion and Pucciarelli, and especially Hauck and Forenza, in favor of an adjusted expansion – wavered for some observers as Aronsohn, at the end of the two-hour meeting, threw his own endorsement behind Pucciarelli and Hauck – and implicitly broke with his fellow hospital expansion opponents, Killion and Shinozuka. The decision raised consternation with some members of Concerned Residents of Ridgewood, an influential local political group that previously endorsed Killion, Aronsohn, and Shinozuka for council based largely on their opposition to the Valley expansion plan. The other points listed by the League of Women Voters or handed up on file cards from the standing-room-only audience provoked less controversy. All six candidates said that serious attention had to be focused on budget control. All support carefully supervised mixed commercial and residential uses to help revitalize the central business district, and all said Ridgewood’s trees should be restored. The League of Women Voters asked the candidates about another issue: shared services. All of the candidates said they want to see more shared services with neighboring towns, including Ho-Ho-Kus, Glen Rock, and Midland Park. Forenza added Wyckoff because the Ridgewood Water Company also serves Wyckoff. Most did not want to see the state or county police take over the local police departments, an idea they said would be dubious, inefficient, and ultimately more expensive. “I think that a municipality like Ridgewood might not be the best candidate for a state police department or fire department,” Shinozuka said. Pucciarelli said Ridgewood already provides some police services for Ho-Ho-Kus and Glen Rock and did not want an expansion to the county or state level. “To go to a county system just goes to a larger bureaucracy,” said Killion. He supported shared services with neighboring towns, but not a comprehensive police or fire department. “Shared services are a must,” Aronsohn said. “I have reservations about anything with county services because that just becomes more expensive.” “If state police could save millions of dollars, it might be worth a look,” Hauck said. She said the best idea, would be shared operations that included Glen Rock, Ho-HoKus, Waldwick, and Midland Park and pointed out that every police chief deleted from the roster would represent a substantial savings. The candidates were also asked how they would like to see Ridgewood five or 10 years in the future. All said they wanted to avoid urbanization and wanted to save trees, but Killion won a ripple of favorable response when he said he would like to see a town without artificial turf or illuminated sports fields for out-of-town athletes. Aronsohn, a graduate of George Washington University, had worked as an aide in the Clinton White House and for New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey. He is a strong advocate of help for special-needs students and supports Killion on issues of flood control. Forenza is a graduate of Don Bosco High School, has a BA and an MA from Seton Hall in finance, and has completed state financial courses at Rutgers University. He had 20 years experience in major banks before signing on with the financial office of the City of Paterson. Hauck is a graduate of Wooster College in cultural area studies, focused on Central America, which she has visited as part of her education. She has been active with Valley Hospital, the Red Cross, Girl Scouts, and Home and School activities. Killion, a graduate of Ridgewood High School, served with an engineering battalion during the Vietnam War and worked in contracting. He served 30 years on the Ridgewood Police Department, left as a captain and the chief of detectives, and recuses himself whenever voting on financial questions that involve the police force. Pucciarelli graduated from Fordham and from Fordham Law School with a law degree and has a degree in Russian studies. He is a 22-year veteran of the Ridgewood Zoning Board and the Ridgewood Planning Board, and a member of the Ridgewood Library Foundation. Shinozuka is a graduate of Fordham with a degree in literature, serves on the Ridgewood Planning Board, and has served on the Benjamin Franklin Middle School Executive Board, and as a Home and School Association representative to the Ridgewood Education Foundation and volunteer ESL tutor. When the council reorganizes after the May election, a mayor will be selected internally from among the council members.