Trader Joe's: Still Up For Grabs

"For the $40,000 the Township gives the MEDC they get nineteen dedicated local residents, property & business owners that give countless hours of their time volunteering for committees & sub-committees that range from working the Farmers Market to organizing the Annual Gala which raises much of the money for the annual budget."

So let me get this straight...for OUR $40,000 one of YOUR accomplishments is raising maoney at YOUR annual gala for YOUR operating expenses?

Anyway, bring Trader Joes to the Ford site and I'll be happy.

Tom--We don't need GNC (one went out of business not that along ago in Upper Montclair, right?), but we sure need Trader Joe's. If not the Ford dealership, how about the DeCozen space on Blfd. Ave.? Oops--not much parking there, I guess.

PLEEEEEEESE.....come to Bloomfield!!!!!!

Ditch the whole Stop & Shop idea for the downtown and bring Trader Joe's there to be a flagship store so others will follow suit.

Tom - that is helpful - thank you.

Regarding the old Ford lot on Bloomfield Ave: another use I suggest is HIGH END professional office space. There is almost nothing in Montclair suitable for financial/investment firms such as small brokerages, hedge funds, money managers. If you are managing people's $, you currently need to look in Short Hills, etc for class A office space.

Since this lot is near Bay St. + Glen Ridge train Stations, it would appeal to firms with employees and customers coming from New York.

I work in the Millburn / Short Hills / Chatham area and most people would be surprised at the number of multi-billion $ firms located here (they keep a low profile).

This would be a HUGE opportunity for Montclair to build ratables, and stimulate restaurant/lunch and shopping business without overloading the demand for schools & services.

Trader Joe's_ ohhhhhh baby! Maybe they'll be massages on the second floor. Its not like the landlord has to know

So, let me understand the Montclair "proactive" stance.

First, readers of Baristanet have to call and write the Mayor, Town Council, etc. to tell them to call Trader Joe's. After pestering our "representatives" enough, they finally decide to pass the buck to the MEDC, who "makes a telephone call."

Bloomfield, on the other hand, has it's MAYOR call, visit, and invite them in to talk.

Sounds like Montclair needs a change. An elected slate that understands business, and what it takes to make things happen. And no, I'm not running.

You call it "MEDC for dummies". I call it obfuscation and treating the public like dummies.

First it was reported on the Watercooler in response to what it's structure and functions were, that the MEDC was not a "business organization" and was an organization made up totally of volunteers.

Then it was asked if they weren't most of the board is business people and what did the volunteers do.

Tom's response above doesn't tell much and just touts the MEDC.

If the MEDC receives public funds shouldn't we know where their funds go?

Their website also says that they give grants to small businesses but there is no list of small businesses that have received these grants.

Isn't it true that Mayor Remsen started the MEDC and views it as one of his progeny and that they were awarded contracts without having to bid on them in meetings that violated the Open Public Meeting Law???

I have been totally underwhelmed by the stuff at Trader Joes. As an ex-Manhattanite, I wish we could get Fairway to move to Montclair. Just stop by the Fairway on the Hudson River around 130th St and check out the cheeses, fish & meat (fresh, smoked, etc), olive oils, vinegars, granolas, nuts, beers, fruits, vegetables. An eater's delight and so much better than Trader Joe.

The Fairway will also deliver and has vegetables that are seen nowhere else.

Unfortunately, it seems like Tom Moloughney, the MEDC, and the Mayor don't seem to get it. Farmer's Markets are fine and dandy but the problem is much greater than those kinds of steps.

We need a huge effort to develop commercial ratables. We even need to convert residential into commercial.

The tax burden in Montclair is mostly on single-family homeowners. That's why our taxes suck. Other towns have many more commercial ratables, which makes their homeowner-to-commercial ratio much better.

If the MEDC knew what they were doing, they would press the Town Council for legislation that would make it favorable for developers to build commercial ratables (offices, etc.).

But instead, everybody sits on their hands while their friends (Plofker, etc.) knock down commerical ratables and pumb the area with single-family homes. Which expands our school system. Which comes back and kills the single-family homeowner (us).

We can thank the MEDC, Remsy and the rest of theTown Council for that downward spiral. Maybe their next great idea will be a cookie sale ...

They'll never go for the simple solution:
1) Don't waste money
2) Get commercial ratables
3) Pick up the garbage
4) Snow plow
5) Cut the grass
6) Enforce the law

OX,

At least we can look forward to the job Ted's lowest bidder will do in this regard, eh?

Of course, that is, if there *is* any other bidder.

And if there is on other bidder, give the contract to MEDC. If there is a lower bidder, award them the contract. What do you lose?

Just what is the MEDC contracted to do for the $40,000? What are the expenditures?

I am a Tom Moloughney fan (enjoy his restaurant and I'm sure he does a lot for the community) but his statement doesn't answer to me why the MEDC is awarded a $40,000 contract.

"no other bidder"

The municipal budget and the BOE add up to $159 million. (61M municial, 98M BOE)

$40,000 is 2.5 hundreths of ONE percent of that figure. (if you make $100k per year salary that would be $25).

Isn't that very the definition of a "mountain out of a mole-hill"?

And what would the savings be? $5 for every $100,000? $2?

Let's keep the "scandal" in perspective, eh?

p.s. boiling,

have you asked as the article says, "Eva Marie Santiago at 973 509 1188 or eva@montclair- medc.org" for the MEDC budget?

no, have you?

i did, roc, and she said they spend $3000 a month on their monthly beer, booze and beef meetings and $4000 a year on aspirin and lipitor.

OX, you seem to have some good ideas and experience - maybe you should offer your volunteer services to MEDC? That's what all the other Board members have done over the years - they had ideas, experience and a desire to see positive change. Pitch in instead of blasting them!

There were things that were there that are not. I was at these places. I would like to get involved with this type of thing, if there is a number I can call or place to go. I don't know these places. I wasn't at these places.

ROC,

Listen, the law says "lowest qualified biddger." The town seems to have a knack for contracting with losers and scam artists.

It seems like we're always suing contractors who do work for us. The sidewalks in Watchung come to mind. I understand that is in litigation.

And bankruptcy? I wanted to contact the guy who did paving on our street for the town because it was crumbling and when I called learned they had gone out of business. Many more tales like these!

How many contractors are we suing?????

And how about the crummy work? Don't get me started!

but roc, money doesn't grow on trees. you know, a penny saved is a penny earned, don't you? i wasn't born with a silver spoon in my mouth.this may seem like small potatoes to you but i don't have money coming out the wazoo. Some people don't have two nickels to rub together while the town laughs all the way to the bank with our money.

"no, have you?"

I wasn't asking, you were. But I take it that the answer to your questions is not really the issue.

"but roc, money doesn't grow on trees. you know, a penny saved is a penny earned, don't you?"

Good advice cliche.

But, we'll need a lot of pennys, to be sure.

Let's say Ted's lowest bidder manages on $15,000 less than $40k. Why THEN the average Montclair taxpayer will have saved $0.70!

Or, put another way, if we want our property taxes to go down 25% we are only 5,000 "scandals" (of a similar size) away from our goal!

GO TED!

p.s.

tough, we'll have to "take off" the cost to the taxpayer of the 5000 lawsuits, so it may take more than 5000 to get to the goal.

"though,..."

Pennypincher,

And you see absolutely no connection between "lowest qualified biddger." and a "knack for contracting with losers and scam artists" I suppose.

Regarding the former site of Montclair-Bloomfield Ford ..... I heard a rumor that a Mazda dealer was interested in it..... Anyone else hear that ?

That would be odd, since Ford owns Mazda (or at least a chunk of it).

Tom - Thank you for the info. I realize it doesn't cover how the detail's of the town's contract with the MEDC; but I don't think that the average board member that volunteers their time for the MEDC would even know about the contract. I've served on volunteer boards and committee's and information like that was never discussed. I never knew much about what the MEDC does, but now I do. Keep up the good work.
P.S. Where can I get a raffle ticket for the Civic Hybrid?

Skip Joe's..........Bring us a Wegmans.

You know ROC, you truly are an idiot.

"Or, put another way, if we want our property taxes to go down 25% we are only 5,000 "scandals" (of a similar size) away from our goal!

GO TED!"

So from your perspective, it's only worth stopping town council scandals if they are over $x? What is that limit for you?

And the way I see it, the lawsuit has already saved the town $750,000 as it killed the wayfinding project which was illegally awarded. Do you think it will cost the town that much in lawyer fees? Even though Trembulak as the township attorney could defend against the lawsuit. I doubt it, so I see the lawsuit as already having saved the town money, not costing it money.

My wife works at the BOE.

And Ted beats his wife.

"And the way I see it, the lawsuit has already saved the town $750,000 as it killed the wayfinding project which was illegally awarded."

Yea? Which firm was awarded a $750k contract?

Cloud and Geshen (sp?) was awarded a $126,000 contract (illegally per the lawsuit - try reading it). The head of the MEDC estimated that the wayfinding project would cost another $600,000 or more.

So even if you want to try and say (and I know you will) that only $126,000 had been awarded SO FAR (even though your buddy Remsen and Co. had said they had every intention of proceeding with the project), that is still $126,000 saved without a question. The remaining $600,000 saved is based on whether you think the council would have proceeded with the project. Having gone to these concil meetings (and I know you were not there) it was pretty obvious to anybody that attended that it was a done deal.

"Maybe their next great idea will be a cookie sale ..."
Well, maybe it will be, but if it is, at least they are attempting to help the town. Unlike morons like you that want to just complain about everything and offer no help to inprove things. Get your lazy butt off your couch and get involved! If you don't like what the MEDC is doing, be a board member(there is always vacancies). If you dont like what the Town council is doing, run for council or get behind and support a candidate that you feel will improve things! Stop whining and be part of the solution. There are many boards and committee's that need volunteers, just see the Linda Wynat the town clerk and make a difference, not just noise.

"OX, you seem to have some good ideas and experience - maybe you should offer your volunteer services to MEDC? That's what all the other Board members have done over the years - they had ideas, experience and a desire to see positive change. Pitch in instead of blasting them!

Posted by: helen | September 27, 2006 3:04 PM "

The only volunteers that are accepted are Friends of Remsen- so don't bother volunteering.

Did you notice that there's nothing written about volunteering on the MEDC website and that Tom's message above doesn't ask for volunteers or tell any detail about the committees or volunteering.

Ox is obviously an idiot,

Remedial English including spelling sure should be in your future.

It's Wanat, as you'd know if you ever bothered to volunteer for anything.

That saved $600,000 should go to pay the tree cleanup bill and to hire a certified arborists to protect and maintain our trees in the future.

Isn't the MEDC just a club for business people in Montclair?

There's no list of committees on the website.

If they wanted volunteers they'd be telling people what commmittees were open for volunteering and not just putting our PR posts here and on the Watercooler.

GOOD TRY TOM! NO SALE

If you look at the MEDC board bios, you will see that it is not a business-owners club--many have no business involvement in Montclair. They provide varying perspectives, from business (which makes sense, doesn't it, for an economic development organization?), to real estate, to Montclair State, to the community at large. And you don't have to be a friend of Remsen to be involved. I feel quite sure that volunteers are always welcome!

I heard that a MEDC shill tried to convince the watercooler that the MEDC was NOT a business organization.

and then Tom had to admit that it was one.

hib,

according to you real estate isn't a business, Montclair University is not a business. I wonder what else isn't a business?

Maybe Italian Restaurants aren't a "business" anymore either.

Please list those with no business interest in Montclair- I saw only 1 or two.

I can't believe that you base your judgement on a feeling.

"I feel quite sure that volunteers are always welcome!"

Did this train of thought come to you as a revelation or as a psychic experience in the night.

If Tom wanted volunteers or encouraged them he would have said so.

It's a closed club.

Some of the MEDC board don't have bios listed- how can you tell if they are business owners or not?

They are all business owners they just don't want YOU to know the funny biz that they are in

I'm sorry for offending any volunteers of the MEDC. I guess I want to only offend Mayor Remsy and his followers who don't get what he's doing. Those followers would be much of the MEDC (his organization) and much of the Town Council (his slate).

Montclair is a great town. BACKSORE is completely correct. Town leadership could get a huge amount if Class A office space ratables if they had the will. Those ratables would greatly help the average taxpayer in Montclair. The ones that debate the idea of leaving the town everyday because of the taxation.

Unfortunately, filling the town with Class A office space is not likely to happen without Town Council legislation motivating developers to build commercial office space instead of residential units. The Mayor and many of the other Councilors seem too close to the residential builders (Plofker, etc.) to go against them. These builders have contributed greatly to their campaigns and such.

That Marlboro Inn fiasco was the perfect example of what is wrong with leadership. They traded a commercial ratable that required almost no services for 10 huge single-family homes that could contribute as many as 40 kids to the school system. That is a gigantic revenue positive to revenue negative swing.

The recent downzoning of 200 properties was another gigantic lost opportunity to help the economics of taxation in this town. Empty-nesters are great for helping the tax problem because their kids are out of the public school system.

And all this happens with the town having an organization called the Montclair Economic Development Corporation acting as though they know what's going on.

They know what Remsy wants. That's what they know. And Remsy wants what his backers want. That's more single-family residential construction.

"Unfortunately, filling the town with Class A office space is not likely to happen without Town Council legislation motivating developers to build commercial office space instead of residential units. "

How do you motivate commercial development? Perhaps, lots of parking?

"How do you motivate commercial development? Perhaps, lots of parking?"

But NOT prohibitive parking rates or policies. I've heard scores of people say outright that they avoid shopping in Montclair because of the horrible parking situation.

"But NOT prohibitive parking rates or policies. I've heard scores of people say outright that they avoid shopping in Montclair because of the horrible parking situation."

They have ESP these scores of people? About the (as yet) unimplimented price hikes?

No, ROC, as we've all established, our parking rates are already higher than those of surrounding communities, even before the hikes. That's IF you can find a spot, either on a street or in a lot (a desirable one).

hey, i posted this news a year ago and barista did a whole article about how there was no validity to it and how they even called TJ headquarters etc. TJ is going to end up in Bloomfield, i think they already decided, now it is just where and how.