by admin | Sep 28, 2014 | Uncategorized
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, … Dickens could have written these immortal words to describe the Town of Ramapo and its elected government. Whether the decisions made by the Town of Ramapo’s government are great or awful, wise or foolish, make perfect sense or are utterly incomprehensible, are judgments that can only be made by its residents seen through the lens of their respective world-views. The voting data for the 2013 election of two Town Council members tells the story of two Ramapos. One Ramapo seemed satisfied with the status quo and overwhelmingly voted for more of the same; the other Ramapo overwhelmingly believed the existing Town government was doing an awful job and needed to be replaced. There is nothing inherently wrong with the two council men who were elected in 2013. They were very clearly wanted by those that voted for them; the problem remains, who speaks for the rest of Ramapo? Just looking at the map we can see that the central areas of Ramapo are consistent in what they want. But the surrounding villages want something different. Why shouldn’t there be better representation; different councilmen for the different areas? There is no reason. The extremes in voting demonstrate clearly that Ramapo needs the Ward System which is offered as a choice by the laws of NY State. Given the clear geographic divide in Ramapo – two Ramapos each wanting exactly the opposite outcome on many...
by admin | Sep 24, 2014 | Uncategorized
One of the big repeat questions that I keep running into is “Where are all the signs?” People want to see signs out along every major and minor road. The answer is that hundreds and hundreds of signs went up and hundreds have been taken down. From Sloatsburg to Monsey to Spring Valley, signs are being knocked over and stolen on a daily basis. It’s absolutely criminal. With so little time in this final week there is nothing that can be done about the street signs. It’s not worth ordering more just to put them up on Monday. So now what? Yesterday someone posted a suggestion on the facebook page to do car magnets. Well we can’t make car magnets in time either but it was an inspiring thought. Here is a new sign: I AM VOTING that you can easily print and then put up in the window of your car TODAY. Drive around with these signs for the rest of the week and continue to Get Out The Vote!! You can put them in the back window, or the side windows. So if you have a car without heavily tinted windows please print and tape these up TODAY. Can you think of something better? Bigger? PLEASE DON’T BE SHY....
by admin | Sep 21, 2014 | news
I finally laid my hands on the “Community Connections” Sept. 18-25, ’14 Issue which had 2 full page ads by a Monsey activist against the Ward Referendums on pages 92-93. This man is trying to make this an orthodox vs. Preserve Ramapo issue. I started this website because I was personally tired of everything being about the Bloc vs. Preserve Ramapo. This election is not about the bloc or Preserve Ramapo, it’s about everyone in the Town of Ramapo in all the villages representing many communities. So now the effort to whip up fear has begun. I can’t wait for this to pass just so that once and for all we can prove that real democracy is the cure for racial and religious hatred. We just need to get there first. 3:10 p.m.UPDATE: I have paid for the following response to be submitted in the Community Connections. Of course I am waiting for “Editorial Approval”.Deb Munitz – Community...
by admin | Sep 20, 2014 | news
This was a big week for getting our politicians to take a stand on the Ward System. While the current administration is against the Ward System (CSL stated publically on the radio on Friday 9/19 morning that he was against it without explaining why), other local politicians have come out in favor of it and the results are resoundingly non-partisan. It makes sense for all politicians -other than those in power – to want a level playing field for their supporters and they are coming out and saying so. “Democracy functions best when it is representational. A ward system would allow Town officials to be more responsive to local issues. It would provide more opportunity for residents to have a place at the table and their voices heard. I encourage Ramapo residents to vote ‘Yes’ on both ballot questions at their regular polling places on September 30th.” Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) “Ramapo is one of the largest towns in the State and a ward system would benefit all the residents by encouraging more participation and debate among the Town’s diverse population. I urge residents to vote ‘Yes’ on the two ballot questions on September 30th. Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski (D-New City) “Whatever your political beliefs or leanings are, it appears to us that the ward system is the fairest system because council persons would be elected for a specific geographical area, thereby making the council persons more accountable for their area’s wants and needs.” The Ramapo Republican Committee “A ward system of government for Ramapo would provide all areas of Ramapo with at least some government representation in our Town. While it...
by admin | Sep 15, 2014 | Uncategorized
Saturday 9/20 and 9.27 – Mt. Ivy Diner 9:30-11 Active supporters and volunteers will be at the Mt. Ivy Diner for the next two Saturdays to answer questions while buying you a cup of coffee. Mt. Ivy Diner 1669 U.S. 202 Pomona, NY 10970 Sunday 9/21 – 10:00 a.m. Village of Wesley Hills Village of Wesley Hills Meeting Room 432 Route 306 Wesley Hills, NY 10952 Monday 9/22 – 8:00 p.m. Village of Suffern Village of Suffern – Auditorium on 2nd Floor 61 Washington Ave Suffern, NY 10901 If you are interested in hosting an informational meeting please Contact Us....
