Council Meeting Blog from September 21, 2021
Written by Jaime Landis
September’s Council meeting proved to be contentious and sadly only the residents of Ringwood lose when their Council people cannot work together in everyone’s best interest.
Our NJ State Senator in the 39th District, Holly Schepisi called in to offer her extensive knowledge and leadership on the topic of state mandated affordable housing obligations. It was super informative and I really appreciated her insight. The Borough Attorney made very clear that taking fair share to court and creating a plan ensured that we minimized Ringwood’s exposure and we protected our town from a Builder’s Remedy.For those of you who might not know what Builders Remedy is it occurs when,” a developer files suit to have a specific piece of property picked by the developer rezoned to allow for the opportunity to construct housing at higher densities than a municipality would otherwise allow, provided that the developer provides a set aside of affordable units. This happens when a court decides that the municipality has not done enough to satisfy its constitutional obligations concerning the development of affordable housing. Experts contend it is impossible to win a builder’s remedy lawsuit. As a result, courts grant the developer the right to construct on their land, relaxing the municipality’s density, height, bulk and setback standards to facilitate the development. Many people ask, “ how can builder’s remedy lawsuits be avoided? “ The only way a municipality can be protected from a builder’s remedy lawsuit is to take the initiative and prepare, approve, and adopt a housing element and fair Share Plan that complies with the required obligations. From all the experts I have listened to with extensive knowledge sets in navigating fair share housing, It is evident that the Republican Council protected the integrity and charm of Ringwood by taking fair share to court. I am proud to stand on the right side of that decision and I wholeheartedly believe in the measures we have taken to protect us. My frustration lies in the fact that Councilwoman O’Keefe changes her opinion on any given day. She has made the claim that Ringwood has NO affordable housing obligation since we are in the Highland’s. The lie detector test proved that was a lie. ( Please see document from Daniel Steinhagen, Esq.) Affordable_HousingVs_Highlands.pdf (ringwoodnj.net) who has taken over for Tom Dunn since retiring. He ended his letter stating,” I cannot tell you in any stronger terms that pursuing a position that we have no responsibility for affordable housing being in the Highlands would likely result in a disaster for the Borough because Ringwood would lose its immunity from Builder’s Remedy suits and would then not be able to direct where affordable housing gets developed.” I don’t know about you, Ringwood but I am not willing to let a developer dictate the terms, aesthetics, etc. We deserve to remain in control of our destiny here in Ringwood. I can’t help to think maybe this is what Councilwoman O’Keefe wants though. She is on record at the May 2021 Council meeting saying, “ Ringwood has a strong need for affordable housing and 215 units is a drop in the bucket. We can go 100%” I cannot possibly try understanding her position on this because it literally switches every day. All I can say for certain is that either of her positions on affordable housing are very scary for our town.
As many of you know, we have also been dueling over a bond ordinance which was created in a bipartisan finance committee and then without warning voted down by the three Democrats. Months went by with no communication from them as to why they voted no or to provide an alternative plan. I reintroduced the bond ordinance in August hoping someone would come to their senses and still no communication. I reached out to Councilman Bolton in advance of the adoption to discuss this with him and received no response. They showed up again and voted no. This time they had a plan that included using grant money that we do not have the actual guidelines for yet, and also using money that is in the Ford contingency fund which was earmarked to deal with any emergencies that occur as construction starts in a month on the Superfund Site. The last time we did construction up there it cost the Borough well over a million dollars in sinkhole repairs. The Republicans would not support her plan because of the following reasons….. 1. A low interest bond plan was created already in a bipartisan committee with the input of the CFO and Borough Manager. 2. We are not comfortable leaving the residents of Upper Ringwood without a safety net in the event of an emergency as construction begins soon. 3.The Democrats put forth their plan without having spoken with the Borough Manager, Borough CFO or the Finance committee. The numbers did not even add up. That is unacceptable. When we voiced our concerns, Councilwoman O’Keefe went on record as saying she spoke to the EPA at a recent meeting and the Borough would not be responsible for anything in the event of an emergency. Mayor Schaefer pressed the issue and questioned who she spoke with. She then requested the Borough Manager to reach out to see if such conversation had occurred. Lie detector test determined that it was a lie again! ( Please see transcript of phone call with EPA representatives and the Borough Manager.)
I wish Iwas shocked but I am not. They have been lying to the residents and our community deserves better. Have you ever noticed they make claims but then never back them up with evidence or data? Start asking them to show you the proof. You deserve elected officials who will tell you the truth no matter how hard the topic may actually be. Ronald Reagan once said, “ Government’s first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.” So I ask you this….. Who do you trust to protect you, Ringwood?
