| Author | Message | ||
     Strawman Supporter Username: Strawberry Post Number: 4597 Registered: 10-2001 |
Yes, folks it's official.. The man who pretty much tore this town apart wants more blood.... | ||
| marie Citizen Username: Marie Post Number: 1271 Registered: 6-2001 |
and a Dollar Store on SA... | ||
| Reflective Citizen Username: Reflective Post Number: 763 Registered: 3-2003 |
Well, at least this time he has a track record, rather then being regarded as only a grass roots neighborhood association organizer. Hey, look at the bright side, MOL will be the most exciting website on the east coast. Dave, are you responsible for getting vic back in the game? Smart marketing move.  | ||
| wendy Supporter Username: Wendy Post Number: 568 Registered: 5-2001 |
marie, I assume you're serious about what you just posted since I didn't see a smiley face. Did you read Vic's post in the thread about the dollar store or do you just not believe him? His first paragraph said: "The Springfield Avenue Partnership had been in discussions with the real estate broker and the owner of the building, sharing retail ideas and shopping interests identified though resident surveys. We brought a few prospects to the building but in the end the landlord and 99 cent store negotiated a lease." I came out of my self imposed hiatus from posting on soap box (yeah, I'm sure so many of you missed me and those who didn't I really could care less) to just say that anyone who thinks Vic doesn't have the best interests of Maplewood at heart in all his decisions is truly blinded by myopic vision. Let's not shoot the messenger again. I for one plan to support Vic in his run for the township committee. Vic doesn't just talk the talk; I know personally he walks the walk. | ||
| sbenois Supporter Username: Sbenois Post Number: 13265 Registered: 10-2001  |
There is no doubt that Vic has the best interests of Maplewood at heart. And he is a tireless worker. Always has been. And he's got one other big thing going for him...he's a Met fan. As you know Wendy, my fellow baseball suffering friend, that's waaaaaaaaaaay up there on the importance scale. | ||
| Parkbench87 Citizen Username: Parkbench87 Post Number: 1761 Registered: 7-2001  |
S, What do you mean way that being a Met fan is way up there on the importance scale. It's the only thing that really matters | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 7746 Registered: 5-2001 |
Doesn't look good for the former Mayor. Yank fans out number Mets fans two to one in Maplewood.  | ||
| sbenois Supporter Username: Sbenois Post Number: 13266 Registered: 10-2001 |
Yeah but you're overlooking one important thing Bobk, Met fans get three votes One as a Met fan One as a Yankee Hater One as a Red Sox fans because we're Yankee haters By this measure, Frederico and Ian are toast. | ||
| jeffl Supporter Username: Jeffl Post Number: 1005 Registered: 8-2001 |
Re: Straw's post... Don't take the bait. Don't take the bait.Don't take the bait. Don't take the bait. | ||
| wendy Supporter Username: Wendy Post Number: 569 Registered: 5-2001 |
Hey, Jeff....I have one word for you: BORING!  | ||
| tom Citizen Username: Tom Post Number: 3132 Registered: 5-2001 |
The rough English translation of "pretty much tore this town apart" is, "he raised my taxes." On the other hand, where we once had a prosperous western part of town with below-market taxes and booming equity; and a stagnating eastern section with flatlining values, now people from the Irvington border to the Reservation are doing pretty well. My propert has pretty much doubled in value since the reval. Plus, Vic worked overtime to get buses off Boyden Ave., after he was out-of-office, and even though he wasn't affected by it personally. I didn't notice the Mayor down at NJT in Newark complaining about them. | ||
| Strawman Supporter Username: Strawberry Post Number: 4600 Registered: 10-2001 |
"my property has pretty much doubled in value since the reval." Try again...Your property doubled since the real estate boom, not the f****** reval. | ||
| Reflective Citizen Username: Reflective Post Number: 771 Registered: 3-2003 |
Tom well! if your property has doubled in value since the property tax revaluation, how much have your taxes increased? Tom- Have they doubled? Last - The only reason for our property values increasing was the Mid Town Direct! The reval was a politically motivated ploy to divide Maplewood and it did. Property values throughout all Maplewood should have increased due to the positive and desirable addition of the MidTown Direct. (30 minutes from midtown). But the reval didn't address property values it addressed assessed values of each property. The assessed values on the west side were significantly higher then on the east side, the VIC and jerry stronghold. I am in the middle side(my term, then and now) and my taxes increased $3400 in one year! Let's also remember that the east side was made aware of their assessment value and its implications before the election and that the west and middle sides were not notified until after the election. And I will never forget Bert looking at us in town hall saying this was a coindence and not intentional. Used to have alot of respect for him You have to ask yourself, Self- why was it that ELLEN, BERT and CECILIA didn't run for re-election in the two years following the property tax reval? And was it really a surprise that in the third year, the two remaining property tax reval incumbents(VIC and jerry) were defeated? Nope! Not to most of us, only to them. | ||
| Fruitcake Citizen Username: Fruitcake Post Number: 197 Registered: 9-2003 |
Continue The Progress. | ||
| sbenois Supporter Username: Sbenois Post Number: 13275 Registered: 10-2001 |
The reval was a politically motivated ploy to divide Maplewood? The reval was first discussed in town hall in 1999, perhaps even '98. This is a fact beyond question. Indeed, if you look back in the archives on MOL you will see that the Reval was mentioned in the 1/1/2000 Reorg Meeting Speech. This was long before there was any rancor in the midst and thus any need for DeLuca or Ryan to require a scenario that would "help" them politically. They didn't need any help. They were in office and everything was hunky-dory. Further, suggesting that pushing forth a reval to divide the town would somehow help them politically is illogical. That they pushed it through despite the political fallout says alot about their character. The issue has never been the need for a reval - it's the way that it was carried out and communicated that opened them to questions. | ||
| Bob K Supporter Username: Bobk Post Number: 7751 Registered: 5-2001 |
The areas of town where housing values have increased the most are in the areas where taxes were cut the most, Hilton and the area east of Boyden. However, if you look at South Orange the areas near the border, expecially "Tuxedo Park" around Seton Hall have seen a similar increase in value, in spite of very high tzxes. I think during the reval in 2000 there was a mind set that housing values were increasing quicker west of the railroad than in other parts of town that wasn't really true. Because the inspections started in the east and values were set based on sales earlier in the year the reval was tilted towards not recognizing a rapid runup in prices thorughout the town. During the reval process I posted maybe a hundred examples of this and there were numerous examples where houses on the "Westside" sold at or below the reval numbers in late 2000 and early 2001. | ||
| sac Supporter Username: Sac Post Number: 1858 Registered: 5-2001 |
Ask anyone in office ... a reval is a political nightmare. Certainly not something you want to have take place on your watch if you can avoid it. That's one reason that they tend to get avoided and postponed as long as possible ... resulting in even more problems when they finally do occur. Whatever you may think about our last reval, it is inconceivable that the decision to do it would have been for political gain of those in office at the time. | ||
| tjohn Citizen Username: Tjohn Post Number: 2929 Registered: 12-2001  |
It appears that the people who blame all of our national problems on Clinton also are likely to blame all of our local problems on Vic and Jerry. | ||
| growler Citizen Username: Growler Post Number: 436 Registered: 11-2001 |
By law, didn't the reval have to happen anyway? Vic has worked very hard for the progress of the town and deserves credit. He will be a welcome addition back into the mix. | ||
| Maple Man Citizen Username: Mapleman Post Number: 501 Registered: 6-2004  |
at this time, a more relevant issue than revaluation, (which is now 4 years in the past) would be how Vic feels about the appropriateness of invoking eminent domain to force propety owners to sell out to developers. |
