If Ya Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em

Change? Really?

Wow. Here in Montclair and America.

Change is the new Black. Or rather the new Snorkel Blue.

So, Noel is impressed with badd-ass Teddy.

I wonder how long she's known him and has she ever seen him in action voting NO to everything including the revamped Sunshine Laws. So, what sort of transparency are we to have?

Yes, Teddy may be for change, with him in charge nothing will get done since he votes no on everything.

Ted to transparecy- NO
Ted to change- NO
Ted to elected BOE- NO
Ted to everyone- No No NO

We call him "NO NO" Mattox in my house and we don't see anything thrive on negativity.

Well at least he didn't vote "Present" on issues.......

If he was asked it would have been - NO

prof, here are the facts on "voting present".

Ted to throwing no-bid contract money to your friends - No

Ted to spending $750K on signs no one wanted - No

Ted to giving Hartnett more money then required by state law if he is fired - No

Ted to allowing a coverup of the insurance fiasco regarding the train station fie - No

Ted to trying to get more of the executive meeting info made public - Wait, that's a Yes

Ted to wasteful spending - No

We could go on and on.

Ted to elected BOE?? Do you actually think he is for or against? Hard to tell from what you've written.

Good to see your allowing your household to learn buy soundbites instead of facts. Good for you.

Ted to revamping the Sunshine Laws- NO
Ted for transparency in government -No

No transparency in government Teddy. Isn't that part of the platform that you are running on, yet you voted against it.

You've been given the actual detailed facts...but I guess soundbites work better for you. Good luck.

If you's actually taken the time to attend a meeting ort ask any of the council members a question, you'd find out Ted is the most forthcoming of all...but that's not what you want to hear. Still not sure who you think is th better alternative? Fried?

Still not sure who you think is th better alternative? Fried?

So far, yes.

A) He's never been on the town council. That's the biggest endorsement a candidate could get at this stage in the game.

B) He doesn't just complain about what's wrong in town or sue to get his way, but takes active steps to do things about it (see Bike Montclair)... other than file law suits.

C) He didn't vote for the destruction of the Marlboro, the approval of Crisco's variances (ones that Ted voted "yes" on) or approving the variances for the Sienna.

In fact, I remember having conversations with him during the petition process where he said that he would have fought against all three measures going through.

My mind won't be made up until I'm standing in front of the voting machine, but so far Fried's looking like the best option.

I don't know who Fried is or what his background is. However, I can say for sure that I am very grateful for Ted Mattox's being on the Council. He has had the independence and backbone to ask the tough questions.

If it weren't for Ted, we would be looking at $800,000 of "Wayfinding" signs around town, courtesy of a Council majority that was intent on awarding a no-bid contract and ignoring taxpayers' objections.

If you have lived in Montclair a while, you know this is just one example. The Town government problems are ingrained. As opposed to a newcomer, I think Ted has the experience to know what's going on, and where the problems are.

Spot,

Shocking! The Obama website features loving explanations of BHO's present votes? Do you really think that's the place to find "facts" on the process?

(I guess you also think he sat at Wright's church for 20 years either not caring or unaware of his anti-everything spew? Or was he using it to get his black street cred.....?)

Regardless, his voting "present" is more complicated than the blurbs on his site. And dare I say-- calculated......

NBC news.

NY Times.

GNM and....he's got Cary Africk on his slate!

Mike ________.

Duh,

what's your point?

GNM, all valid points (and Cary IS the slate), but...

"In fact, I remember having conversations with him during the petition process where he said that he would have fought against all three measures going through."

So what were the alternatives he offered? Having a large falling down eyesore on each spot with no significant tax revenue? The Hahnes building sat empty for how long? The Marlboro Inn possibly destined for the same? It's easy to say he would have voted against those, but I'd love to here his ideas/alternatives for each site if he had any (seriously.) That is the benefit of being the newcomer, he didn't have to put his neck out when it counted and he can play armchair quarterback now.

I'll go with rubber chicken's opinion.

Jon Doh,

I usually agree with you and havent made up my mind yet on mayor, but I simply cant agree with you on the Marlboro.

How could any sane person let that POS happen?

For the taxes you say? We are more than likely losing big time on that equation, as I cant imagine anyone forking out the kind of money they did on those ticky tacky houses and not put their kids in the schools.

Its not like the former owners werent paying their COMMERCIAL property taxes.

Couldnt we have given a tax break to a retirement home or something? Even if houses are the answer, why did they need to pack 10 in there?

Dont tell me another developer couldnt have turned a profit on 4 houses. I just cant think of a bigger shame than to let that happen so Steven Plofker could further engorge his pockets and sit on the liquor license while he did it!

If Ted was one of council members that voted yes on the Marlboro project, then shame on him, that was a low point in his career. He just came down a notch for me.

Its as clear to me now as it was before they rolled up with a bulldozer on that site. The plan sucked, 99% of the town was against it and I am reminded of this travesty every time I drive by.

For shame Ted of you were a part of the Marlboro mess. For Remsen, that will be your legacy, since it happened on your watch. Enjoy.

Jon,

I didn't have time for an in-depth conversation on the topics (I was on my way to lunch with the wife and he had other signatures to gather), but I imagine his repeated use of the word "variance" in the pejorative would indicate his solution would have been to force the Plofmeister to actually build something that didn't need a dozen of the things (for a change).

I would also hope that his disgust at the dismantling of the Marlboro would have helped find a buyer for the property who would have respected it's status as a historical landmark. But, I don't want to put too many words in the man's mouth and don't really see a point in speculating on something that it's way to late too do anything about.

Jimmy, we probably still (mostly) agree. Yeah, crisco is a POS and if there are kids in the houses, we are losing tax dollars. I think if you asked Mattox he'd agree it was his biggest mistake, the end result anyway.

Educate me if my memory is bad, but the owner was losing money and looking to sell, which they did. Plofker bought it. At one point he offered to sell it to any buyer that "would make him whole". No one stepped up on the offer. The place required extensive upgrades to continue to be used.

Regarding the taxes, if the owner ceased ops and moved out and the place sat empty, wouldn't the assessed value decrease resulting in less tax paid?

I believe there was some attempts to bring in a big name to donate some money for a kid's community center. That never went anywhere. Also, the neighbors were blocking any and all attempts to do anything with the property (at least until they realized the ultimate direction, then they were falling over themselves to agree to changes).

Anyway, I agree that what we ended up with was terrible, but I do remember at the time thinking there were limited choices and having a falling down eyesore sitting on the site wasn't a great solution.

(GNM)Regarding the variances that Plofker got that turned it into what we see now, was that the council or the planning board? They repeatedly tried to find a buyer for the property (remember the religious museum was once proposal). You could argue they didn't look long enough, but at the time, we were coming off how many years of the Hahne's building sitting empty.

As far as the Hahnes building, wasn't that a big part of Remsen's campaign? To do something with that building/site?

So now we have a new hotel...wait, no, now it's an apartment building or condo (who didn't see that coming) proposed for the lot across the street. Any bets on what happens there?

"No one stepped up on the offer."

Untrue untrue. legitimate offers were made.
Plofker refused to sell to them.

from the Watercooler 7/10/2004

"Landmark Developers, a group that buys, restores and commercially operates
historic buildings offered to buy out Mr. Plofker and provide him a
reasonable profit even before he closed on his contract with the last owner.
Landmark was also prepared to put in some $1.5 million into a cosmetic
restoration of the building.

Now, most recently the Keils, a local couple, are prepared to purchase the
Inn also reportedly above the last purchase price. They too are willing to
continue to operate it. And although their offer is on the table now, the
developer has apparently not responded."

Let's speak the truth here Teddy!

I may be wrong, it's been a long time. I don't remember Landmark Developers or what they were planning to do with the building. I do remember Keil and that he didn't offer what Plofker paid for the building (did not offer to make him whole on the deal) and that was why Plofker didn't take that offer. Could be wrong, that's the way I remember it. What did Keil offer?

Who approves the variances?

Keep the misinformation coming Teddy.

Keil offered 2.5 million for the Marlboro Inn and was prepared to run it as an Inn.

It was on the Watercooler, on Baristanet and in the Newark Star Ledger.

Ted, you also voted not to landmark the Marlboro Inn saying that it wasn't historic. Tobin voted to landmark it.

Even though the Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously in favor of landmarking the
Inn you decided to overlook their Official Vote.

You stood with Joyce Michaelson who decided that she didn't need to listen at the public hearing and read a pre-preared statement.

It's a scene that any of us who came to the hearing will not forget.

You should be personally ashamed Ted, you are not different from Michaelson, no wonder you continue to attack Tobin, you wish you could be more like him.

A vote for Ted is a vote for Christopher Court and ALL developers who want to destroy Montclair as we know it!

Ok, some more info on the Marlboro Inn. The previously posted Watercooler post was on June 10, 2007 and there were a flurry of posts in this time frame. At this point, the issue was all but over. Plofker had bought the Marlboro Inn, the Town Council had apparently not done what was needed to put obstacles in his path (i.e. landmarking), and Plofker had sued the Town to obtain demo permits (and won).

Here is a post from one of the Marlboro neighbors advocating its teardown.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MtcWatercooler/message/19719

Mattox joined the new Town Council in July 2007. So blaming him for Plofker tearing down the Inn is a bit misplaced. Russo?s slate was running the show at that time (including Remsen, Michaelson and Tobin).

Regarding the two offers, apparently neither had financing in place,and Plofker was not obligated to sell anyway (offering money you don't actually have).

Plofker also posted on the Watercooler in June 2007 in regards to this?

?Landmark Properties made an offer to purchase the property in December of 2003. The offer was rejected because we did not believe Landmark would be successful in obtaining approvals to substantially enlarge the inn and parking lot, and we were not willing to carry the property while Landmark attempted to do so. Landmark also rejected our offer to assign our sales contract to them and purchase the property directly from the Calder's.?

Mattox was newly seated and his exposure to this incident, along with the remainder of the council was to not try to landmark it at this later date. Apparently neither the Montclair HPC or HPS thought the building should be declared historic (which would not actually have stopped the demo anyway).

So now we have Crisco Court?why? Variances were granted, 4 in total if memory serves. Did the Town Council grant the variances? No, that would be the result of the zoning and planning boards including Susswein and Michaelson.

Why was Tobin not able to do anything stopping the teardown in the 4 years he was on the council (and Mattox wasn't). He failed. Stop blaming Ted for tobin, Micaelson, Remsen's failure in the months leading up to June 2004 when Mattox wasn't even on the council.

Teddy,

I blame you for YOUR OWN FAILURES. Own up to them and stop saying that you were "new" or "didn't know" or that someone else voted the same as you or they were not able to do anything.

YOU VOTED AGAINST LANDMARKING THE MARLBORO INN. Did someone blackmail you to vote that way? Were your wife and kids being held hostage? Way there a gun to your back?

Take responsibility for your own actions.

YOU voted against the Sunshine Laws and against the Marlboro Inn.

You don't regret voting that way.....sooooooo

A vote for Teddy is a vote against transparency and a vote for developers in our community.

You don't like when he votes no against the majority, you don't like when he votes with the majority...

Done deal by the time Mattox took office. Only thing left was a last ditch landmark that would not have prevented a teardown. HPC and HPS said it wasn't historic (only the buyer's paid consultant said it was). It was zoning (Susswein) and planning (Michaelson) that approved the variances.

You trade in soundbites and bad information.

You use the few facts that support you (generally out of context), hide any that don't and throw in a few lies when necessary. Good for you..have at it.

I've given you the Marlboro facts, and previously the Sunshine facts.

Better yet, for anyone actually interested in the facts, call the 3 mayoral candidates and ASK them.

"Ok, some more info on the Marlboro Inn. The previously posted Watercooler post was on June 10, 2007 "

More misinformation Teddy.

The post that I quoted was posted on Sat Jul 10, 2004 12:08 am.

Get your facts straight.

So, if elected Mayor, how long will you be "new" for?

How long will you vote for ordinances that you haven't read or don't know enough about?

I blame TED for TED. Own up to your mistakes Teddy instead of weaseling just like Michaelson.

Ted voted against landmarking the marlboro Inn and against the revamped Sunshine Laws and now he thinks he can weasel out of these votes by blaming Tobin.

What does Tobin have to do with YOUR vote TEDDY?

So, how did you vote Teddy?

For Landmarking
Against Landmarking

For the Sunshine Laws
Against the Sunshine Laws

which is it? The town council meeting notes don't lie.

Fried may be a nice guy and all, and he has the distinct advantage of not being Joyce Michaelson, but what has he done other than run Bike Montclair, which is memorable mainly for their infamous rush-hour bike race in Upper Montclair? It's not enough just to want to be mayor.

walleroo,

your memory is failing. That was a bike race sponsored by a local bicycle store and approved by Hartnett who later apologized.

Bike Montclair had nothing to do with the race - their Tour de Montclair is always held on a weekend. That race was held on a Thursday evening.

Here's Fried's statement:
?I am running for Mayor because I want to help revive the community activism that makes Montclair exceptional.

At the same time we need responsive, bold leadership to make the economic decisions that are essential to renewing Montclair, preserving our economic and racial diversity, and strengthening the fabric of our community.

As a lifelong communications and marketing professional, I intend to use Montclair?s great ?brand? to help build our local economy.?

A 19 year resident of Montclair, Jerry Fried has always been active in the Montclair community, schools and athletics.

He is the founder and former President of Bike Montclair, which works to make Montclair a safer place for pedestrians and cyclists and has been instrumental in procuring hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants for the town.

For 5 years he has organized the annual Tour de Montclair, an enormously successful recreational bike ride which draws hundreds of residents, from 6 to 86.

Fried also founded TrueJustice, an interfaith oureach group, in the days after 9/11. The group organized visits, discussion forums, workshops and dinners to bring together members of Muslim and non-Muslim congregations and groups.

Active in the Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, which has a long history of social justice and philanthropic actions in Montclair and beyond, he has delivered lay sermons on topics such as "Building Community Through Cycling" and "A Communion of Gifts", has taught Religious Education, and has chaired several committees.

What's this? Fried sponsored a bike race that shut down all of montclair for an entire weekend?

Say it ain't so Jerry!

Township Manager Joseph Hartnett has asked that the following message be
posted regarding Thursday's Bike Races in
Upper Montclair:

I would like to thank the many citizens who have contacted my office to
express concerns with yesterday's bike races. I apologize for the
inconvenience and traffic problems that resulted.

All proper permits
and insurance coverage were obtained. The organizers paid all costs,
including the hiring of the off-duty Police Officers who worked the
event

As Township Manager I have the final approval on issuing the
permit and I take full responsibility for that.

All involved thought
they were doing a good thing to promote the community and to hold an
event that the people of Montclair would enjoy.

Teddy, teddy, teddy

Start campaigning by telling us what YOU are going to do for Montclair not what other people have done or want to do.

Do you have a positive bone in your body? Why can't you name one thing that you are planning to do instead of complaining about others?

Whine, whine wine - that's all that our Teddy does.

Got any new ideas Ted? Got any ideas for Montclair? Got any positive ideas for Montclair?

Show us that you can play well with others. We've only seen you pout and take your ball home!

"Fried may be a nice guy and all, and he has the distinct advantage of not being Joyce Michaelson, but what has he done other than run Bike
Montclair"

So, what we have is rude Joyce, nut-job Ted, and Fried the "nice guy." And you're having a problem making a choice?

Ted Mattox -- In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts

Will Fried be planning any more rush hour races this year?

What are my choices again? Not nice Joyce, nice guy Ted and bike nut Fried?

Is it true Fried will be shutting down all main thoroughfares during rush hour for his bike friendly campaign?

Jon,

If you read the comments above, you will see that Fried was not involved with the rush-hour races. Those were the product of poor planning on the parts of Hatnett and a bicycle shop owner.

You lose a lot of credibility by stooping down to other people's levels of muck raking, FYI.

GNM,

I'm confused here. Fried's bio says, "For 5 years he has organized the annual Tour de Montclair."

I thought that was the thing that closed down the streets a few years back, no.

Please explain.

Because I also associate him with that event- and won't vote for him because of it.

I feel bad if I've silently blamed the poor guy.....

Will Teddy be plannin any more lawsuits against the township this year?

Ted Mattox -- In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts

Just one more, the one to shut down Fried's semi-annual Tour de Montclair, the one that shuts down the entire town during rush hour.

ABJ - Anybody but Joyce!!!

My goodness, I just read the Thrive Montclair bios. Ted has surrounded himself with attorneys and a developer.

JOANNA D. BRICK- an attorney with broad legal experience. She employed at two large law firms where she worked on environmental asbestos litigation

Sumana Rangachar- Elder Law and Disability attorney that worked as in-house counsel at Wall Street Financial Corporation

MARK REYNOLDS- Vice President and Counsel of AXIS Reinsurance Company - where he serves as manager of the company?s contract department and as legal counsel to the underwriting staff

ROGER PLAWKER - managing partner of the well-known Roseland law firm. Plawker?s wife, Emily, teaches law at Rutgers Law School-Newark.

STARR DANIELS - a construction professional who owns her own Montclair based construction management firm

My goodness; I like lawyers who work on the right side of environmental litigation and disability and elder law. Some financial institutions advise their clients on how to make appropriate financial arrangements for their parents and disabled children. I would not read anything too nefarious into this.

But you may, mommy, of course, if that's what you want to do.

So, Litigious Teddy mattox (LTM) has just announced that he will be filing a lawsuit to keep non-profit Bike Montclair from having it's annual Tour de Montclair bike event.

the 2008 theme is;"Reduce Your Carbon Footprint"

I repeat the refrain

Ted Mattox -- In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts

The event's theme for 2007 was:?Safe Routes to School,? (SRTS) a federal, state and local initiative that encourages children and adults to walk or bicycle to school, and for drivers to be more cautious of pedestrians and cyclists. The program also aims to reduce traffic congestion around schools and promotes physical activity among students.

The 2006 theme was ?Keep Kids Alive, Drive 25??

I think that it's nefarious that he's (Teddy that is) threatening another lawsuit--see above

"The Township of Montclair has been awarded $324,000 from the N.J. Department of Transportation (DOT) for a Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program at Rand School. The elementary school is one of 29 in the state to be selected by the DOT to benefit from the SRTS grants.

The primary goal of the Safe Routes to School grant program is to enable and encourage walking and bicycling to school while enhancing the safety of these trips. The program helps the environment by easing traffic jams, curbing air pollution, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and further improves children?s health by providing regular physical activity.

This grant will help to pay for infrastructural improvements and educational programs to make it safer for school children to walk and bicycle to and from school. Improvements planned for Rand School include high visibility crosswalks, new sidewalks, lighting, bicycle parking and traffic calming measures within the school zone.

Additionally, the grant will pay for the development and distribution of a Safe Routes map, education and encouragement activities, increased enforcement in the school zone, and a local SRTS program coordinator stipend.

The Township of Montclair is committed to making the community more bicycle- and pedestrian-compatible. Due initially to the efforts of the bicycle and pedestrian advocacy group Bike Montclair, the municipal government has supported plans to ensure that residents feel comfortable and secure walking and biking around town. Shoppers should be able to get to Montclair?s business districts, commuters to their bus stops and rail stations, and students to their schools without everyone using their own car or SUV.

see the Montclair website for the rest of this statement.

http://www.montclairnjusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1205&Itemid=336

Looks like Ted want this effort stopped.

"Just one more, the one to shut down Fried's semi-annual Tour de Montclair, the one that shuts down the entire town during rush hour."

The Tour de Montclair takes place on Sunday, May 4 at 12:30 PM.
The Tour de Montclair has ALWAYS BEEN ON SUNDAY AFTERNOON.
It is also an ANNUAL, not a semiannual event.

The bicycle race that caused the traffic tie up was a different event. I don't know who ran it or what if anything Jerry Fried had to do with it, but if you want to discuss it PLEASE GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT.

Ted Mattox -- In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts

Do you think that Noel Brogan knows that Ted plans another lawsuit and that this one is against an organization that supports kids walking and bicycling to school.

Does Noel Brogan support this kind of behavior? Is that what she stands for? Is that why she gave Teddy her endorsement?

Prof,

Don't know if you consider the after-church stampede to Raymond's a form of "rush hour", but Tour de Montclair has always been held on Sunday afternoon (to the best of my or Google's knowledge).

(now off to bed after a fun night out)

GnM,

So then what was that ride bike ride through Montclair a few years back during weekday rush hour?

Seemed like a "Tour de" something or other... (What with the fat guys in skin-tight shirts, shorts and funny shoes...)

I think that's what's confusing me here.

Didn't you see my post above where Hartnett took responsibility for it?

Why would the Town manager think that tying up traffic all over town during a weeknight was ok?

The race was called "Giro New Jersey-Montclair"

The race was the brainstorm of Ray Smith, owner of the Montclair Bikery on Valley Road, member of the board of directors for the New Jersey Racing Association, and president of Premiere Cycling Promotions.

?We know a lot of people start their Memorial Day weekend on Friday,? said Smith. ?So we thought what a great way to kick off the holiday, a free event that has something for everyone.?

Montclair organizers predicted the race would easily draw big names if held on May 25, because two days later in Somerville the Kugler-Anderson Memorial Tour of Somerville occurs, bringing the world?s top cyclists near Montclair.

The Montclair race covered Bellevue and Lorraine avenues and Park Street and Valley Road. The race is a criterium, a race held around a town?s center. Organizers expect it some day to have sidewalks lined with people, creat-ing a stadium effect, with excitement generated as racers pedal in a tight pack, whizzing around curves. The criterium has drawn the attention of sponsors such as Redken Fifth Avenue NYC, which packaged 6,000 goodie bags with haircare products and coupons. Other major supporters included North Fork Bancorp and Prudential Financial.

Smith said he and fellow organizers for years had been kicking around the idea of a professional biking race in Montclair, and recently realized that the key to the event?s success would be creating an old-fashioned town festival. Activities included a moonwalk, booths, food, live bands and fireworks. The day?s biking events included the Montclair Challenge Twi Lite Bike Criterium, which is a Category 3 race for amateurs and professionals, the Age 45 and over, and the Mickey Franciose Memorial Pro 1-2, in honor of a late Montclair resident who was heralded for his bicycle racing skills. Franciose founded The Olympic Shop, which his son, James, operates.

The event also included a community ride for families and the Prudential Retro 3-mile Running Race and The American Mile Challenge.

GnM,

I found THIS which answers my question about the famed "Tour de Montclair."

The race that clogged the road was the Giro New Jersey.

So I apologize to Mr. Fried, although I can't say his slate will get my vote...

OK, I've been lurking, reading all of the political posts and trying to extract some LITTLE amounts of truths that might be present.

As an undecided voter I've come to this.

1. I won't vote for Joyce. She's had her chance (8 yrs. at least) and done nothing with it. She's helping run the town in the exact direction I don't want. Regardless of her new pledge, she's the status qou (huge tax increases, spend, spend, spend, favors for friends, not interested in the public comment).

2. I may vote for Mattox as he is obviously the anti-Joyce and has spent the last 4 years fighting mostly against her. He appears to be wiiling to fight against a majority (and often get pummeled) when he doesn't think what they are doing is right.

3. I may vote for Fried. He represents a person not caught up in the fighting....but I have some reservations. Why would I vote for someone that has only shown an interest in town politics in the last month or so? His platform is the same as every other candidate, even Joyce's so that doesn't move me in any way.

Can anyone offer an HONEST opinion on why I should vote for Fried over Mattox other than vague promises they've all made, or why I should vote for Mattox over Fried (is there some actual real bad stain I've missed on his voting record)?

Thanks.

in a word

LAWSUIT

Mattox is willing to file as many as it takes to get his way and it's his way or the highway - see above where he threatens the Tour de Montclair with a lawsuit

Ted Mattox -- In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts

(Oh, and bitPusher, lay of the CAPS a bit, eh? You can make your point by just writing.)

Moreover, I corrected the confusion about the bike race above.

So while you might want others to get the FACTS STRAIGHT. Perhaps, next time- since you seem to care so much- you can try searching here on Baristanet for the FACTS.

That's all I did.

(And I don't think the google search feature is case sensitive.....)

it was your confusion!

I asked for honest info (obviously there is only one lawsuit and the slogans don't lend me to believe in your honesty).

While not my favorite way of getting things done, I'm OK with the original lawsuit. From everything I've read it had to do with money going to two organizations that other council members are or were a part of, and it seems to have been the thing that killed the signs deal that looked expensive.

Does anyone obviously not so far into one or the other's camps have any thoughts? Profwilliams?

I've formed an opinion because of past performance.

Ted goes ballistic at the drop of a hat. And sometimes he drops his own hat.

He's willing to vote on ordinances that he hasn't even read. And admits later that he didn't have enough time to read them, but he votes anyway.

I want someone who takes a measured approach and doesn't blame others for his/her decision. Who listens and doesn't fly off the handle.

That's not Teddy or Joyce.

Mattox vs. Fried?

Other than saying no to EVERYTHING, including the bills that had to be paid on a regular basis because Ted hadn't had a chance to review all the expenditures that week and he didn't trust anyone else, What has
Ted DONE for the town?

Can you imagine a town that can't spend ANY money until it's reviewed by the part time council?

How long could the town run this way? A week?

Off the top of my head, with regard to Fried, How about the $300 -
$400K in grant money he brought in in the last year?

OK, he wasn't
sitting in on Council meetings. He was out doing positive things.

Like bringing in $$$ to the Town.

Well, at least that is somewhat more honest.

I've watched the meetings on ch. 34 and actually attended a couple where big issues were up for vote (teardowns, wayfinding, etc.)

I've never seen Ted go ballistic. He seems very friendly and very approachable, more so than any other member of the council. If he looks heated when debating Joyce or Ed, so much the better for me. I don't want whoever wins to bow down to them especially if they are in the minority.

I've seen a few ordinances where it seems no one has read them (i.e. the alcohol/minor ordinance which even the Town Manager and Town Attorney couldn't agree on), but I've never seen any evidence that he hasn't read ordinances based on his comments.

They are all volunteers and many have full time jobs. I can understand their time is somewhat limited and they can spend 40 hrs. researching every ordinance (if we want that, we would need a full time paid council...anyone want that?)

So, I do see you formed an opinion, but from what I've seen, I don't agree with the facts you've presented.

Please, anyone who isn't solid in someone's camp?

Fried, through bike Montclair, has gotten federal grant money for the town for his efforts to make the town more pedestrian and bike friendly. This group is an asset to the town and is NOT the same group who staged that other bike event. He's also responsible for TrueJustice. He has been actively in the community for many years. He's also got Cary Africk on his slate. Check out Cary's postings on the Watercooler. He's pretty relentless when it comes to shining a spotlight on specifics when it comes to wasteful spending, the BOE budget and town planning. Not to mention his OPRA filings. Here are a couple of men who are consensus builders and have quietly worked on issues for the betterment of the community. Mattox is best known for his lawsuit and the slate has an awful lot of attorneys on it.

hiding, while I confused Giro New Jersey with Tour de Montclair, both events involve a bike race in town, no? So forgive me for conflating the two.

Further, had you bothered to simple re-read the above posts you would find several folks also "confused" including Mr. Roo and Mr. Doh.

Danny: I have no idea. I must admit to having committed only a cursory glance at the issues and slates involved. Though Ted seems like a "You'll be hearing from my lawyer" type, while Africk, et. al. strike me as a "can't we all just get along?" types.

Neither of which seem capable to doing much.

That said, I'm willing to give Africk a try. And hope he's able to deliver on his promises.

Whereas, Ted doesn't impress me at all.

OK, finally one notch for Fried. I thought it interesting that all of the Fried supporters had to say about him was "He's not Ted"...not good enough.

And please more honest info for an undecided. I mentioned I watch the meetings and it's easy to go to the website to see the voting records. I know Mattox doesn't vote against all expenditures. But he does seem intent on keeping an eye on spending, something the remainder aren't interested in.

And I know who he has on his slate, but having Cary, doesn't mean I voting for the remainder (and generally Cary seems very cozy with Ted when I've watched the meetings). I think overall his slate is somewhat weak with Only Fried and Cary having a chance. I've met Fried, he's a nice guy, but he needs to be more than that. His lack of any involvement, from what I can tell (opposite of Cary) worries me that he doesn't know what he's walking into, especially if he ends up in a voting minority (like Ted is know and like he'll probably be if he wins).

As far as the grants, that's great, but this town is the least ped/bike friendly I've ever seen.

Come on, I've got Sunday morning here trying to decide (well, I've got another month, but thought this would be a good place to start). Something other than vote Fried because he's not Ted and I like him...

Prof,

Mr. Doh is Teddy himself.

No, he didn't confuse the race. He set out to confuse you. And NO roo didn't seem confused he knew that Fried runs Bike Montclair but didn't mention any race.

I no more believe that than you are Jerry Fried (are you?) Seriously, you're just wasting my time.

He's obviously a shill for Ted the same way you, montclair mommy and Belletones are shills for Fried.

That's why I specifically was looking for unbiased or at least honest opinions.

There a meeting later today where all of the cadidates are invited to speak.

Why don't you attend and give us your impressions.

Today (Sunday) from 3:00 to 5:00 PM the Interfaith Environmental Coalition
and Blue Wave NJ will co-sponsor a candidates' forum for those running for
township Council on May 13.

All the candidates for mayor and all but one
of the others have said they will be there!

It will be at Bnai Keshet,
99 South Fullerton Avenue.

Dear zo,

No, I'm not Fried and I'm not a shill for anyone.

I'm just tired of Ted and Joyce. I've made up my mind. Don't blame me if you haven't read or seen enough to make up yours!

Check here for Mr. Roo's confusion (sorry to bring you into this, Roo).

Further, I had already conflated the two Montclair bike races before Mr. Doh posted here (and until I read a name associated with a post, I don't believe any one is who they say they are...

"I've already told you...I am Ted "badass" Mattox! What else do you want...you got me!

You thought wrong.

It's Tobin's slate. He assembled it. He's running it. He just couldn't get enough petitions signed to run for that position (Jesus, even Noel came close).

I never said I didn't like looking at fried's junk as he showcases it around town.

Boy, you are mean and humorless (which must mean you are Gerry Tobin!) I have feelings too.

Oh yeah....vote badass!

Posted by Jon Doh | March 30, 2008 10:12 PM "

I'm not blaming you for having made up your mind. I'm blaming you for offering bs instead of something honest...I think that Fried and Mattox are probably staying as far away as possible from this site...even Africk no longer posts. Probably a smart move based on the posts.

So I'd offer, your posts are more mean-spirited than informative (you're not the only one). I'm looking for the latter. I hope your views don't mirror Fried's.

At the very least, thanks for the info on the meeting. That actually was helpful.

Like prof said, for all I know Jon Doh is the same person as Hidinginbaristaville or Jerry Fried. Is there anyone else with some useful insight or opinion? Prof, you seem to be the only one this morning not shilling. I'd love to hear what you think on the two candidates?

The meeting has been posted everywhere. I guess you don't read the local papers or belong to any of the local discussion groups where people offer their opinions on matters of local concern.

No bs has been offered here (except by Teddy who wanted us to believe that Fried sponsored the Thursday afternoon/evening race that clogged Montclair's streets).

Opinions have been!

I'm certainly not a spokesperson for anyone or I would have announbced it.

Vote badass! I'm hidinginbaristaville!

OK Teddy, that's enough!

Please note that the above post is not from me - and my addy is capitolized.

For information on Ted Mattox and his slate, visit
Thrivemontclair.com.

Fried is a nice guy who has done, in a word, nothing.

Maddox may be nuts, but he also is the only person running for mayor in at least 20 years who actually DID SOMETHING to halt spending. It happened to be a lawsuit, but so what? He filed the lawsuit to put a stop to non-bid spending programs, of which the infamous "wayfinding" project is the most prominent. The town dropped wayfinding as soon as Maddox filed his suit. I'll take my chances with Maddox.

As for you, belletones, you protest too much.

roo,

if you're voting for Litigious Teddy I haven't been protesting enough!

Sorry you're willing to vote a nut into office.

Ted Mattox -- In Your Guts You Know He's Nuts

Danny,

Here's the impression I've got so far (Haven't
completely made up my mind one-way or another yet)

Mattox seems like he is contrary for it's own sake
(see his voting record where he votes against paying
for mandatory expenses just because everyone else
voted for it) and has voted "yes" on a few items that
I feel were not in keeping with the will of the people
(see that whole Marlboro mess).

On the other hand, he did deep-six the Way Finding
Signs program (even if it was through litigious
means).

Fried has done plenty for this town RE: Pedestrian
and bicycling safety. It may not look seem like it,
but ask anyone who's been a chronic hoofer in this
town and things *have* gotten better. He's brought in
a ton of cash via donations and chasing down grants
for things like the "Safe Ways to School" initiative
and there is also gears in motion that are supposedly
going to make Bloomfield Ave a much safer stretch for
both bikers and pedestrians. He also has a lot of
very pragmatic stances on budgeting and quality of
life issues.

On the other hand, he has no real experience in the
public service circle (let alone mayor) which has me a
little afraid that he's going to be Affric (sp?) &
Tobin's puppet.

This first salvo (the environmental meeting later
today) should give a good glimpse into the slates.

Thank you Mike and Walleroo. Good info. I guess I'm not as negative to Ted voting against Joyce/Ed/Tobin when it comes to throwing money out the door. Tax increases have been in the double digits the last 2 years (plus an increase in service fees and a reduction in services) so that's a big issue for me and Ted seems to be the only roadblock to this.

As far as the town getting better in terms of pedestrians...maybe, but it's hard to believe as I waited for someone to cross at a crosswalk this afternoon and was almost rear ended twice only to have both cars fly around me in the left lane almost hitting the pedestrians (and of course no one coming the other direction stopped).

I checked out the Bike Montclair website and the action plan was interesting, but looked so expensive as to make wayfinding a drop in the bucket. Are we really planning on getting grants for the entire action plan? How much is coming out of Montclair taxpayers pockets? Do we really need this or do we just need to enforce (crack down) existing laws?

Prof, thanks for the response. No argument on Africk, but he's not running for Mayor, Fried and Mattox are and there's no way I'm voting along one line this year.

I think I'm late for the meeting! Vote badass!

Teddy,

easy to set it up and ask one of your kids to press post after you're gone.

Vote lard-ass!

Of the three candidates for mayor, Fried actually came by my (4th ward) door this weekend. I was quite impressed actually.

what mode of transportation did he use?

My current rankings (not set in stone):

1) Fried-seems reasonable. Has Cary Affrick with him (plus). Has Gerry Tobin with him (negative). I don't think I could vote for anybody that is on the current council.

2) Mattox-I like his anti spending stance. I like that he turned on the rest of the council that was out of control in every way. I don't like that he didn't have the judgement to not run with Tobin/Remsen/Michaelson. I don't like his Marlboro Inn involvement. I'm not sure he has a grand vision.

3) Michaelson-she's just too cold and calculating for me. She has no problem helping out her friends over the will of the people. Having to build that new school for $35 million because she apparently pushed for the sale a BofE school in the past is a deal killer for me. That's a judgement issue for me. I just can't understand the wisdom of selling off school property. I watched a Ch. 34 council meeting where a citizen brought up the issue to her. She was nasty and wouldn't address the issue. Reminds me of Clinton's Iraq vote.

I'm a little uncomfortable with the slate approach. I'll probably mix and match. I don't like the idea of a team of people deciding things privately, which is the natural thing to do when you have a slate.

For mayor, it will probably be Fried or Mattox.

what mode of transportation did he use?

Humvee.

Just kidding. He was on foot and was joined by Sandy Castor (at large candidate).

I hope he noticed the deplorable conditions of our curbs ;)

Fried slate for me with an abstention for the 1st ward.

I can and will not vote for anyone with any connection to the tax and spenders among the current leadership slate.

Did anyone notice that Teddy papered all of the cars parked for the environmental forum with his flyers.

That wasn't very envionmental was it?

Papering the cars with flyers is just another example of Mattox's need to garner attention. There seems to be an overwhelming sense from him that it's about him. Fried and Africk seem more concerned with town issues and less concerned about focusing attention on themselves just for the sake of getting attention. The rest of the slate - other than Tobin - also seem to have worked on community issues for the sake of betterment rather than accolades and a little bit of local power. I'm going with the bunch of do-gooders who have already done work for the community.

Can anyone offer an HONEST opinion on why I should vote for Fried over Mattox other than vague promises they've all made, or why I should vote for Mattox over Fried (is there some actual real bad stain I've missed on his voting record)?

DannyZo,
I'm pretty late to this party, and hate that I didn't know about the environmental forum. Anyway, on your question - the reason to not vote for Ted is that he does not have leadership qualities or a vision for the community. Nor does he understand why he, or we, should have a positive vision, goals and strategies to achieve them, not just react and gripe AFTER others try to implement their plans (wrong or right). He also exhibits characteristics similar to a spoiled 2-yr old.

Joyce is just a cold aristocrat who has no understanding of or respect for working people.

The Fried ticket has Africk and Fried, who at least exhibit leadership and organizational skills.

I admit that on earlier threads, I advocated candidates running on tickets. It seems, at least for this election, I was wrong, and we will have to pick 'n' peck across lines, even though the "pickins are pretty slim."