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<title>The Englewood Report</title><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/index.php</link><description>Find out what&#x27;s going on in Englewood&#x2c; NJ with The Englewood Report&#x27;s RSS Feed.</description><dc:language>en</dc:language><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><dc:rights>Copyright 2007 The Englewood Report</dc:rights><dc:date>2010-01-06T20:45:58-05:00</dc:date><admin:generatorAgent rdf:resource="http://www.realmacsoftware.com/" />
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<lastBuildDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 20:58:59 -0500</lastBuildDate><item><title>Turning a Corner?</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Politics</category><dc:date>2010-01-06T20:45:58-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/turning_a_corner.php#unique-entry-id-182</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/turning_a_corner.php#unique-entry-id-182</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[As we enter a new decade and welcome a new mayor, we at the Englewood Report hope that we may be starting a new chapter in the history of Englewood.   We no longer have a grandstanding mayor more interested in scheming for higher office than governing.   We no longer have a city council which takes its orders from the County political boss.   We have a city manager who is striving to instill pride and a sense of service in the City work force.   We have a Board of Education which has at last settled on a new superintendent.   Englewood, of course, is only a microcosm in this world full of daunting challenges at every level of government, but we would like to think that we may have turned a corner locally.


Some things we would like to see happen as we move forward are:


Decisions sooner or later to be made by the City Council about the Lincoln and Liberty school and the firehouse properties, as well as the skating rink, should take into account the social needs of the community as well as the financial needs of the City.   Our new mayor has, for example, indicated his desire for a community center facility which will bring all parts of the community together.


Developers should no longer be tempted to assume that zoning regulations can be overridden if enough favor is curried with or enough pressure is placed on City officials.


More attention should be paid to the City&rsquo;s appearance, specifically in the parks, and in the directional and informational signs at our borders and within Englewood.   A plan should be developed and implemented for the City-owned Harvey property at 500 Liberty Road.


In the public schools, the Board and Superintendent should settle their differences and not allow budget constraints to divert their attention from continuing to raise standards at all grade levels.


More attention should be directed to protecting Englewood&rsquo;s historic buildings, which clearly contribute to our attraction as a place to live and thus to property values.   For starters the Historical Preservation Advisory Committee can be elevated to the status of Historical Commission in line with our neighboring towns.


We should not be reluctant to point out the strengths which our city has, as opposed to the problems which need to be solved.   In addition to our attractive and historic homes, we have a strong and generally prosperous downtown shopping district.   We have an extraordinary number of religious institutions for a city of our size.   Englewood Hospital & Medical Center, Bergen PAC, and Flat Rock Brook Nature Center are all unique in their own ways.   There were good reasons why New Jersey Monthly magazine rated us the most livable city in the state a few years ago!]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Superintendent Controversy Finally Resolved</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Schools</category><dc:date>2009-11-02T22:01:34-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/superintendent_controversy.php#unique-entry-id-180</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/superintendent_controversy.php#unique-entry-id-180</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Now that the Englewood Board of Education has, after 20 months of wrangling and dissension, finally given Acting Schools Superintendent Richard Segall a three-year contract as Superintendent, we hope the Board will be able to better focus on its primary function, which is oversight of the Englewood Public School system.   We also hope that personal antagonisms which have too often been displayed in public meetings can be minimized.   As we said last April, such dissension "can only be demoralizing to the staff, parents and students."   In any democratic body there are differences of opinion, which should be expressed forcibly if necessary.   But the practice of democracy also includes the acceptance by those who are outvoted of the decisions which have been reached.


Despite progress which has been evident in many regards, turning around a school system which a decade ago could well have been described as "troubled," is a long-term project.   It requires clearly defined goals, ways of measuring progress toward those goals, and continuity of purpose.   As we also pointed out in April, our schools have "seen excessively frequent administrative turnover," which is not conducive to such continuity.   The selection of Segall, who is an administrator with considerable length and variety of service in our community, should be positive in this regard.


Segall, in an interview with us after his appointment as interim Superintendent, discussed his objectives for the district.   One which makes sense to us is requiring teachers to instruct students more about the ways in which knowledge can be gained, as opposed to simply teaching the knowledge itself.   Another is striving to match the gains which have been made in Reading and Writing in the area of Mathematics.


As is the case every year, three members of the Board may be seeking reelection at the end of their three-year terms next April.   We would suggest that if those members whose terms expire in 2010 cannot adjust to the decision which has been made, and work cooperatively with their fellow Board members and the Superintendent, they should not count on electoral support which may have been available to them in the past.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Controlling Our Growth</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Development</category><dc:date>2009-11-02T22:05:07-05:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/controlling_our_growth.php#unique-entry-id-179</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/controlling_our_growth.php#unique-entry-id-179</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[There is currently concern being expressed by some of our citizens over certain language which appears in the proposed updating of Englewood&rsquo;s Master Plan.   While their concern may be exaggerated because of the limited influence of the Master Plan on policy, we think the issue which is the cause of their concern is an important one.   Do we in fact want to deliberately encourage further population growth in Englewood&rsquo;s 5-square mile area?   After an influx following World War II, our population in the 2000 census was nearly unchanged from the 1960 census, at 26000+, but that number will almost certainly show a new high in the 2010 census due to significant new development in the current decade.   Our view is that limited population growth can be positive for the economic and social health of the community, as long as its attendant costs are reasonable.


The public school construction program authorized in the 2004 referendum, and nearly completed now, provided for some expansion in the number of students to be served, but there has been no effort to our knowledge to gauge how many more new housing units can be built in Englewood before we will need further school expansion.   From the point of view of local taxes, this is the crucial question, since new development is generally tax-positive until it requires the building of more schools.   In recent years new market-rate housing construction here has had little effect on the school population, but there is no guarantee that this will continue to be so.   There is plainly a disconnect between 1) the efforts of the Board of Education to raise standards to meet the needs of more families and 2) the implicit assumption of the Planning Board that the schools can absorb limitless additional population.


Previous Master Plans have targeted the Office-Industrial zone in the southwest part of Englewood, containing largely low-rise commercial properties, for more intensive mixed-use development.   The objective has been to increase property tax income from this area, preferably from office and hotel buildings which require minimal additional costs to the City government.  &nbsp; As implemented, however, developers have pleaded an inability to profit from any construction but rental housing.   They have thus been allowed to build projects which, while adding to our tax revenue, bring in significantly less than they might, and also present the possibility of greater school costs in the future.


In addition to further development in the industrial area, the draft Master Plan also addresses the downtown business area and adjacent properties.   In particular it recommends residential development of the site presently occupied by the vacant Lincoln School and then says (provocatively to some) "Liberty School presents more complex planning issues but should also be partly or wholly a residential development, although a mix of uses may be possible."


At some time in the next several months, decisions are likely to be made regarding the future use of the Lincoln and Liberty School sites, which have been declared surplus by the Board of Education and are owned by the City government.   Those decisions will be made by the 5-member elected City Council, and not by the unelected Planning Board.   Indeed history shows that Planning Board recommendations are frequently ignored or rejected by the Council, and there is no reason to assume that the council will on this occasion allow language in the Master Plan to override its judgment.


The eventual Council decisions should take into account 1) the financial desirability of recovering all or part of the funds advanced to the Board of Education for the school properties, 2) the financial desirability of placing some or all of these now tax-exempt properties on the tax roll, 3) the possibility that there may be publicly beneficial not-for-profit uses for them which would justify the forgoing of tax revenue, 4) the desirability to the community of job providing businesses, 5) strategic timing, which would appear to suggest waiting until real estate market conditions improve before making any move with important long-term implications, and, finally, 6) as explained above, the implications to the school system of further population expansion.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>A Repeat of a Sad History?</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Bob&#x27;s Corner</category><dc:date>2009-08-10T20:38:38-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/a_repeat_of_a_sad_history.php#unique-entry-id-178</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/a_repeat_of_a_sad_history.php#unique-entry-id-178</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[Remember Jim Florio, the one term governor of New Jersey, elected in 1993 and turned out of office in 1997?


The 2009 Gubernatorial campaign has the look and feel of the end of Florio's tumultuous first (and last) term.   &nbsp;Back in 1994, Governor Florio rammed through a sudden tax increase that so ticked off NJ voters that they held the grudge for four years.   &nbsp;The Republican candidate Florio lost to, Christine Todd Whitman, had a particularly effective campaign message: I am not Jim Florio.   &nbsp;Whitman, the elected protest candidate, turned out to be quite the irresponsible Governor, &nbsp;rewarding the voters with a lethal dose of "fiscal conservatism" which featured raiding the state pension fund and increasing state debt from $7 billion to $16 billion. 

...While Governor Corzine has some plausible deniability regarding responsibility for the tanked economy of NJ, USA, he has little excuse for his "go along to get along" approach to County Bosses whose support he courted, regardless of the cost to his credibility and reputation.   &nbsp;Now that the Democratic political perp walks continue, candidate Corzine has chosen State Senator Loretta Weinberg as his running mate to, no doubt, buff up his thin ethics resum&eacute;.   &nbsp;After all, while the Governor was making nice with the Bosses, Senator Weinberg --&nbsp;famously and repeatedly -- got in the grill of now indicted BCDO Boss Joe Ferriero.   &nbsp;Weinberg's nervy exploits against Ferriero and his cronies have been chronicled here in&nbsp;The Englewood Report.  &nbsp; When Corzine's new running mate was introduced to a cheering throng of supporters in Englewood&rsquo;s own Bergen PAC theater, she thanked the Governor for being on "her side" in her running battle with County boss Ferriero.  ...  Corzine be able to bask in Loretta Weinberg's moral authority? ...  &nbsp;But, then again, the incumbent governor is running against a protest candidate who, like Whitman, has some obvious and critical weaknesses of his own.   &nbsp;Twelve&nbsp;years after Whitman challenged the Democratic incumbent,&nbsp;history&nbsp;is repeating itself.


Now, as before, the Republican gubernatorial candidate's chief claim to fame is that he is not the Democratic incumbent.   Yes, Christie made a name for himself as a prosecutor who made a small dent in the subset of NJ corruption that is illegal.   &nbsp;But even that record is undercut by some inconvenient truths.   For one, while posing as the Avenging Angel of the Pay-to-Play State, Christie himself awarded a huge, sweetheart, suckup, no-bid contract worth tens of millions to a political crony -- lobbyist/"consultant", Republican ex-Attorney General and Christie's former boss, John Ashcroft.   This should lead any alert, Independent voter to immediately suspect the character of someone who can deliver political goodies in the millions while disingenuously claiming to be a reformer.   &nbsp;Such a voter will be forgiven if they imagine what a gladhanding Christie might do with billions if elected Governor.   &nbsp;But, this is not all. 

...For those who think that it's time for NJ to have a prosecutor as governor, need we point out how major examples of the species (Elliot Spitzer, Rod Blagojevich and Rudy Giuliani) turned out?   Insatiable grandstanding, ethical grandeur, sanctimonious anger, arrogant swagger and large personal appetites are the sine qua non of the stereotypical testosterone laced prosecutor who works the courts.   But that macho junk isn't predictive of success in an executive who has to work the legislature.


This election season, there are two things worth remembering before pressing the lever in anger:


"Be careful what you wish for, you might get it" and "those who cannot learn from&nbsp;history&nbsp;are doomed to repeat it."]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Choosing a Superintendent</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Schools</category><dc:date>2009-07-20T00:36:05-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/choosing_a_superintendent.php#unique-entry-id-177</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/choosing_a_superintendent.php#unique-entry-id-177</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[The Englewood Board of Education, having finally started a search process for the crucial post of Superintendent of Schools, has requested public input to assist them in making their decision.   This newsletter commends the Board for doing so, and would like to weigh in with its own suggestions.


Ideally, the superintendent should be a person with vision, leadership qualities, and political skills.   He/she should be able to develop objectives for the school system, achieve board and public support for them, and have the management skills to make sure the plans are implemented.   The person chosen should make a multi-year commitment to the district, since meaningful objectives are likely to take time to reach.   The Englewood Public Schools have in recent decades seen excessively frequent administrative turnover, which may have bred cynicism among the staff which will need to be overcome.


We hear a lot about the need for our schools to give children the skills they will need to survive and prosper in the competitive global economy.   And at the same time, of course, we have to motivate the children to want to acquire these skills.   We need committed and capable teachers, but we also need school leadership which respects and supports them, and educational organization which maximizes their effectiveness.


And it is the organization which is the main responsibility of the superintendent.   Considering its budget and staff size, the Englewood Public School district has many of the characteristics of a small-sized business corporation, and the responsibilities of the superintendent resemble those of the chief executive of such a corporation.   Management skills, which may not always be sufficiently valued by persons trained in education, are crucial for success.


Dr.   John Grieco, who served as superintendent from 2002 until his death in 2005, had many of the qualities to be sought.   His creation of the Academies@Englewood and his successful initiative to modernize the system&rsquo;s physical facilities have left a permanent mark on Englewood.   We are unlikely to find another Grieco, but we should seek someone who is equally unafraid to challenge the status quo and equally successful in achieving his goals.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Huttle Wins in a Squeaker</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Politics</category><dc:date>2009-06-07T22:37:53-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/huttle_wins.php#unique-entry-id-176</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/huttle_wins.php#unique-entry-id-176</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On June 2, 2009, possibly the hardest fought primary election in Englewood&rsquo;s history was won by attorney Frank Huttle by a margin of 15 votes over Third Ward Councilman Scott Reddin.  &nbsp; In the contest for the Democratic Party endorsement for mayor, Huttle received 1285 votes to 1270 for Reddin and 224 for Democratic Municipal Committee Chair Dierdre Glenn Paul.  &nbsp; In the contest for Council at Large, Huttle&rsquo;s running mate, leadership consultant Lynne Harwell Algrant, received 1343 votes to 885 for Reddin&rsquo;s running mate, attorney Jason Snyder.


&nbsp;


Following the announcements by Mayor Michael Wildes and Councilman-at-Large Gordon Johnson that they would not seek reelection, the Englewood Municipal Committee solicited candidates to run for these positions in the June Democratic Primary and in the November General Election.  &nbsp; After listening to presentations from persons interested in running, the Committee on March 18 gave its official endorsement to Huttle and Algrant.  &nbsp; Normally this endorsement in Englewood is equivalent to election, since running against &ldquo;the party line&rdquo; in a primary is difficult, and there has been no significant Republican opposition in November for twenty years.  &nbsp;


&nbsp;


But this time Third Ward Councilman Scott Reddin, who had for some time made no secret of his desire to succeed Wildes, announced his candidacy, and the campaign began.  &nbsp; Initially, &ldquo;Reddin for Mayor&rdquo; signs appeared on streets throughout the City.  &nbsp; Signs with Huttle&rsquo;s picture followed., and then signs urging a vote for Reddin and Snyder.  &nbsp; Only in the last stage of the campaign were signs for Glenn Paul, and for Algrant, seen.  &nbsp; The street signs were supplemented by lawn signs, and the total accumulation would suggest that there has been no recession in the business of local sign makers.


&nbsp;


The last five Democratic primaries in Englewood have been characterized by contests between candidates aligned with the Bergen County Democratic machine and candidates opposed to the machine.  &nbsp; In this year&rsquo;s primary, however, none of the candidates were aligned with the machine, and there were no significant policy differences among them.  &nbsp; There has been nonetheless a degree of bitterness evident, stemming from personality differences and from a perceived challenge to the controlling City Council majority, consisting of council members Reddin, Ken Rosenzweig and Charlotte Bennett Schoen.


&nbsp;


The five candidates presented their platforms at various public forums, notably that of the League of Women Voters on May 21, where they appeared before an overflow crowd.  &nbsp; The usual campaign brochures, handshaking and doorbell ringing were supplemented by letters and emails of endorsement, and by recorded phone appeals.  &nbsp; Based on the volume of signs, mailings, and phone calls, as well as the retention of campaign workers to canvass the City, Huttle clearly outspent the other candidates by a significant margin.


&nbsp;


The Englewood Report commends all the candidates for running a largely clean campaign, focusing on positive arguments rather than on tearing down their opponents.  &nbsp; Englewood can only benefit from this example of democracy in action.]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why Jason Snyder Is Running For Council</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Politics</category><dc:date>2009-05-31T12:52:08-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/jason_snyder_statement.php#unique-entry-id-175</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/jason_snyder_statement.php#unique-entry-id-175</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[For the first time in years there are vacancies in both citywide offices and the people of Englewood have an opportunity to chart a new course forward. ...  Yet we cannot just irresponsibly cut taxes, because that would inevitably lead to unacceptable cuts in services, which would inevitably most affect those who could least afford it.   These times call for someone with the background and experience to assist the Council in its important work.


...&nbsp; Since my graduation from Harvard Law School, I have worked as a corporate finance lawyer in New York, Silicon Valley and London, as well as General Counsel for a startup technology company in Englewood....  &nbsp; I will bring those same skills to the City Council and the budget, always keeping in mind that every dollar the Council spends comes from real, hardworking people, who cannot be used as ATM machines to fund entrenched interests.  &nbsp; To my knowledge, I am the only one among the current City Council members, as well as those running in the Democratic primary for the Council, who has such training and experience.


...&nbsp; But there are other potential solutions to the problem, including ways of bringing in additional revenue, without increasing the burden on the residential taxpayer or cutting services.  &nbsp; Englewood has recently had a spate of residential real estate development, which has not always worked for the benefit of the people of Englewood.  &nbsp; At one development in particular, the developer was granted a variance to build residential housing on the condition that it also build office space.  &nbsp; Here we are five years later, and the residential housing (more profitable for the developer) has been built, but not the office space (more profitable for Englewood).  &nbsp; By the developer&rsquo;s own estimates, the city of Englewood is losing almost a million dollars a year in tax revenue because of the developer&rsquo;s breach of contract.  &nbsp; The City must vigorously enforce its agreements and collect every dollar owed to it those who do business here....  &nbsp; How many jobs would the City need to cut in order to achieve the same impact as an extra million dollars a year in commercial property tax revenue?


...[I note that this particular developer is appearing before the Planning Board this week to justify its actions, and for the Planning Board to determine if any corrective action is to be taken.  &nbsp; I call on the Planning Board to do its duty and to protect the interests of the residential taxpayers by holding the developer responsible for its breaches.]


...As we look forward, I am calling on the next mayor &ndash; ideally my running mate, Scott Reddin &ndash; to appoint people to the Planning Board who are knowledgeable in various disciplines and committed to Englewood, rather than those who are political contributors or easily influenced by the interests of the wealthy and powerful.  &nbsp; And any new development must maintain the character of existing neighborhoods as much as possible, with priority given to development of the downtown corridor and the industrial zone.

...The city should also be exploring all options when it comes to consolidation of services with other local municipalities.

...&nbsp; This includes revamping Englewood&rsquo;s website, which should be the public face of a city but in Englewood&rsquo;s case does not, as it currently stands, accurately reflect the character of our city.

...Finally, I am calling for Englewood to be on the forefront of the good government movement by adopting a set of principles that many people call &ldquo;radical transparency&rdquo; or &ldquo;open government.&rdquo;...  &nbsp; Documents, contracts and proposals (including drafts), arguments for and against proposals, the decisions about the decision-making process itself, and final decisions should all be accessible and archived on the city&rsquo;s website in perpetuity.

...We are facing challenging times, but I am encouraged by the love for Englewood that I encounter when talking to people in our city.  &nbsp; I am humbled and thrilled to be running for office in such a prominent, vibrant and diverse city, which has become an outstanding example of independent thinking and vision for the rest of Bergen County.  &nbsp; If you give me the chance to represent you, I promise that I will always act out of my concern for the best interests of the city and its residents.  &nbsp; We may not always agree with each other on every issue, but as long as we can treat each other with respect, and with honesty, I know that under a transparent administration we can truly enhance Englewood&rsquo;s reputation as the crown jewel of Bergen County.
]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Why Lynn Algrant Is Running For Council</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Politics</category><dc:date>2009-05-31T12:52:12-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/lynn_algrant_statement.php#unique-entry-id-174</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/lynn_algrant_statement.php#unique-entry-id-174</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[I have lived in cities in different parts of the country, so I truly appreciate how special Englewood is.   Until I was 14, I lived in Melrose, MA, a town about the same size as Englewood. ...  Prior to Englewood, I spent my adult years in New York City and Cleveland.   Englewood inspires a strong sense of place and a powerful sense that each of us matters.   Our attachment and commitment to Englewood is a huge part of the city&rsquo;s vibrancy&mdash;and it is something I know my girls, Isabel (9) and Haley (6) will feel growing up here.


My Experience: I am running for Councilperson-at-Large because we are at a critical juncture.   The decisions we make in the next few years will determine the community we will be in the future.    My work as a management consultant has equipped me with financial and people management skills, the ability to assemble task forces to accomplish great goals, and the ability to quickly learn about organizations through asking good questions and listening well.  


Financial Responsibility: We have to ensure that we are an affordable city for citizens of every economic level.    To that end, we need to make smart, innovative choices about how we govern the City and explore making strong, creative alliances with other towns, the county and the state to purchase equipment and explore other efficiencies.   Shared services will not be easy to accomplish, but they may be necessary for the long-term fiscal health of our City.  


Downtown Prosperity: City planners all over the country are trying to create shopping districts like ours.    In Cleveland a developer built a &ldquo;Village&rdquo; to give people a sense of what we have on Palisade and Dean and other downtown venues.    We need to make sure that we continue to promote Englewood in such a way that these businesses thrive.    We also need to make sure that local entrepreneurs have the opportunity to flourish in our central business district.


Greening Our City: We can become a model community for energy efficiency.    I would like to see the City promote and assist homeowners in making their homes more energy efficient &mdash; by installing insulation, new windows and other capital improvements.    This initiative would lower utility bills and increase the value of our beautiful older homes.   We could create a number of good local jobs in the process.


...We offer a wealth of talent, good ideas and commitment to the City.    At the same time, however, I hear real frustration and resignation in the voices of people who don&rsquo;t feel the town is really responding to the needs of its citizens.  


Government: We all want to be heard, understood and served by our government.   We need a government that is open and transparent; a government that earns and maintains the trust of its citizens; a government that is smart, efficient and forward thinking.   I believe that I have the skills to bring more people into direct involvement with the City and the big decisions we face, so that we are all confident that the choices we make together as a City have been well considered, are ethical and fair &mdash; even when we disagree.   With your support, I want to help create the future that Englewood needs and deserves. ]]></content:encoded></item><item><title>Packed House for Local Candidates</title><dc:creator>TheEnglewoodReport@gmail.com</dc:creator><category>Politics</category><dc:date>2009-05-31T12:49:35-04:00</dc:date><link>http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/packed_house.php#unique-entry-id-173</link><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.theenglewoodreport.com/files/packed_house.php#unique-entry-id-173</guid><content:encoded><![CDATA[On May 21, 2009, three candidates for mayor and two for the council-at-large seat in Englewood&rsquo;s June 2 Democratic primary appeared at the annual Candidates Night sponsored by the League of Women Voters (LWV).  &nbsp; The venue was as usual the Public Safety Complex, but, not as usual, there was standing room only.  &nbsp; This is likely due to the fact that four of the five candidates are new faces for most voters.  &nbsp; The exception is Third-Ward Councilman Scott Reddin who is running for mayor.  &nbsp; The standard LWV format strictly limits the time for candidate statements, for questions from the public, and for answers to those questions.   The moderator, Peggy Kabokow from Demarest, strictly enforced these rules and successfully maintained order throughout.


&nbsp;


Incumbent mayor Michael Wildes announced several months ago his decision not to run for reelection.   Of the candidates to succeed him, Reddin stressed his &ldquo;proven track record&rdquo; and record of accomplishments in seven years as Councilman.  &nbsp; Dierdre Glenn Paul, who is Chair of the Democratic Municipal Committee, spoke of her interest in education and health issues and her leadership experience.  &nbsp; Frank Huttle, who was endorsed by that Committee, pointed out his professional qualifications as a lawyer and accountant and his success in creating the Bergen Performing Arts Center.


&nbsp;


The council-at-large seat is currently held by Gordon Johnson, who is also State Assemblyman from District 37.  &nbsp; Johnson is running for reelection as assemblyman but has chosen to relinquish the council seat.  &nbsp; Of four original candidates to succeed him, Horace Ragbir and Vince Monden have withdrawn, leaving political newcomers Lynne Algrant, who has the Municipal Committee endorsement, and Jason Snyder.  &nbsp;&nbsp; Algrant detailed her experience as a management consultant, in communication, and in leadership training.  &nbsp; Snyder pointed out his background as a corporate finance lawyer and his leadership position in Bergen Grassroots, a good government advocate.


&nbsp;


More complete statements from all five candidates are available elsewhere on this site.]]></content:encoded></item></channel>
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