June 5, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • Page 3 Ridgewood Councilman defamed and defended in disagreement by John Koster The Ridgewood Village Council and some residents are still sorting out the pieces of a disagreement in which Councilman Thomas Riche was defamed for contracting work with the village and defended by others who say he helped out in an emergency. Riche’s electronics firm, Extel Communications, supplied $24,000 in electronic communications equipment after a public council vote with Riche abstaining, which Village Attorney Matt Rogers described as entirely legal. However, Riche later put in a new invoice for $8,000 for repair work on the telephone system at the Ridgewood firehouse after being requested. Riche’s emergency work was approved by Fire Chief James Van Goor, and Ridgewood officials say he kept the work for Ridgewood as inexpensive as possible. Riche’s company is reportedly the only authorized dealer of the necessary equipment in the immediate area. Mayor Paul Aronsohn, Deputy Mayor Albert Pucciarelli, and Councilwoman Gwen Hauk criticized Riche for the second job done for the village and opposed vendors being members of the local municipal governments. Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh said the whole thing was legal. “It appears no good deed goes unpunished,” Walsh said. “The firehouse was literally inoperable and you stepped in...” Several members of the audience, including Roger Wiegand, Ron Forzenza, and Ron Verdicchio, did not disagree with the concept that council members should not be vendors, but criticized the three council members who were Ridgewood boys and girls who are ages four and five are invited to register for 2013 Fall KinderKickers, an introductory soccer program coordinated by the Ridgewood Soccer Association. Each week, professional soccer trainers teach participants basic soccer skills and soccer-oriented games in a non-competitive environment. The focus is on having fun and promoting physical fitness. Fall KinderKickers will be held on Saturdays for eight weeks beginning Sept. 7. Schedules with starting times will be posted on the Ridgewood Soccer Association’s website shortly after Labor Day. Register for KinderKickers soccer program running mates and often vote in bloc for their criticism of Riche. Other residents agreed that council members should not do business with Ridgewood. The way the meeting was handled, however, was strongly criticized by some others. Riche said after the meeting that he had cleared everything he did with Village Attorney Rogers before the installation and affirmed that he had done nothing illegal or unethical. Confronted with an emergency that could have left the firehouse without telephone service, Riche first sent in a crew from Extel Communications in North Haledon to install temporary equipment that he took off his own shelves but for which he did not charge the village. He later revitalized the defunct older telephone system with new state-of-the-art Toshiba equipment, which he essentially sold to Ridgewood at a discount. “Over the years, I’ve given Ridgewood thousands and thousands of dollars worth of equipment, but I’ll never do that again,” Riche said. “This whole thing was purely political.” The cost is $100 per player and includes an official team jersey and soccer ball. Players should wear shin guards, sneakers or cleats, and bring a water bottle to each session. This fall, for the first time, parents may register to be assistant coordinators. No soccer experience is necessary. The Ridgewood Soccer Association offers programs for players in grades one through 12, and special needs sessions for children ages five through 14. To register, visit www.ridgewoodsoccer.org. Questions may be directed to registrar@ridgewoodsoccer.org.