Fellow Grassrooter,

THE ETHICAL CULTURE SOCIETY IS NOW USING THE FIRST WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH FOR ITS EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING, NECESSITATING A CHANGE OF OUR REGULAR DATE.

OUR STEERING COMMITTEE HAS SELECTED THE FIRST THURSDAY AS OUR NEW REGULAR MEETING DATE.

Thurs., Sept.3 at 7:15pm
Ethical Culture Society, 687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck 07666

FEATURED SPEAKERS

Renee Steinhagen, Executive Director, NJ Appleseed,
“How We Can Insure an Honest Vote in New Jersey”

Peggy Wong, President, Coalition to Preserve the Palisades,
“Protecting the Palisades Cliffs for Future Generations”

For complete details, please open attachment.

Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County
687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666
Parking available in parking lot and on street.
www.bergengrassroots.org

The Ethical Culture Society of Bergen County does not endorse candidates or issues.
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Hi Paul,

Our Wednesday, May 6th meeting presented campaign statements by candidates in contested primaries in Englewood and Bergenfield. A reporter from The Record attended the meeting and filed a report.

But the article she wrote never appeared in print!

It was posted on The Record Website, so if you want to know about the meeting, follow this link to the Website:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/Candidates_meet_at_Bergen_Grassroots_forum.html

Thanks for all you do,
Paul

Bergen Grassroots Presents

Contested Primaries

Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Ethical Culture Society, 687 Larch Ave., Teaneck 07666
 
WE FOCUS ON DEMOCRATIC CONTESTS 
IN ENGLEWOOD AND BERGENFIELD

BACKGROUND: Bergen Grassroots believes the 2009 Democratic primaries in Bergenfield and Englewood are of special importance. Therefore, we are sponsoring a meeting that will provide residents of these municipalities the opportunity to hear from the pool of candidates. Each candidate will have five minutes for an opening statement introducing his/her candidacy. The floor will then be thrown open for questions from the audience and the moderator.
 
Englewood  Mayor     Bergenfield Council      Englewood Council-at-Large
Frank Huttle III           Robert Gillman              Lynne H. Algrant
Deirdre Paul                   Thomas A. Lodato       Vince L. Monden
Scott Reddin                   Fedra Lolos                    Horace H. Ragbir
                                             Fernando Vargas         Jason J. Snyder    

  
           “I don’t live in either town. Why should I attend?”

 Because Bergen County is a community; what happens in Bergenfield and Englewood may well bear on the future of all other towns. Besides, any candidate’s rhetoric may persuade you to volunteer for a campaign outside your hometown’s boundaries. Come and learn what is at stake in your neighbors’ back yards!

In addition, as at every Bergen Grassroots meeting, you’ll be brought up to date on recent and upcoming events. Enjoy the company and conversation of like-minded progressive people. Refreshments will be served. If you haven’t been to a Bergen Grassroots meeting before, or in a while, this is one you won’t want to miss!
 
                              Ethical Culture Society Auditorium
                          687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666
                                   (Entrance on North Street)
                       Parking available in parking lot and on street.
 
                                                 BERGEN GRASSROOTS
                                    Restoring America’s democratic ideals

Bergen Grassroots
presents
An Evening of Potpourri
Weds., March 4, 2009,7:15pm

Because our scheduled speaker had an eleventh-hour conflict and had to withdraw, we have assembled a collection of current issues of interest to North Jersey progressives. That’s you!

On Saturday evening, 800 of us gathered in Somerset, NJ at a gala ball sponsored by Garden State Equality. You’ll get a comprehensive report.

On Sunday afternoon, progressives in the Fifth Congressional District announced the formation of a 2-year-long campaign to Retire Garrett and Take the Fifth. Details will be reported by Grassrooters who attended this important meeting.

What’s happening with the Palisades Interstate Parkway cops? Important disclosures and a vigorous exchange!

A report on the soon-to-be announced appointment of the US Attorney for New Jersey.

How is Michael Kasparian progressing with the reform measures he promised at our February meeting?

And much more!

Ethical Culture Society Auditorium
687 Larch Avenue, Teaneck, NJ 07666
(Entrance on North Street)
Parking available in parking lot and on street.

Bergen Grassroots
Dedicated to restoring America’s democratic ideals
www.bergengrassroots.org

Fellow Grassrooter,

In recent days, I have spoken to a number of you and learned that you didn’t get to read the article that appeared in The Record on Thursday, Feb. 5, the day after our monthly meeting. Here’s a link that will bring you directly to it.

http://www.northjersey.com/news/bergenpolitics/39127757.html

The article doesn’t go into much detail about the question-and-answer exchange between our members and Michael Kasparian, new chair of the Bergen County Democratic Organization, and we didn’t tape it, so perhaps we can charactrize the tempo and tone this way:

Former Hasbrouck Heights Councilwoman Carol Skiba, Hackensack activist Ruth Bauer Neustadter and Steering Committee member Allen Sklar, among others, spoke about the tight-fisted control that is exercised by allies of ex-BCDO Chair Joe Ferriero in their hometowns. All speakers emphasized the need for more transparency in state and county government, leading to more openness in the County’s 70 municipal governments as well.

Thanks for all you do,
Paul

Fellow Grassrooter,

Here’s news of significant impact for all progressives:

On January 15, 2009, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that the Pay-to-Play Reform Law, based on a model ordinance developed by Citizens’ Campaign, stands on solid constitutional ground.

Most of you know that Bergen Grassroots has partnered with the statewide Citizens’ Campaign organization to promote passage of the model ordinance in municipalities throughout Bergen.

Briefly, the ordinance sets strict limits on contributions by contractors and professionals who seek to do business with the municipality. Its purpose is to keep big money out of small-town elections.

In the fall of 2007, Citizens’ Campaign began a signature-collecting campaign in Teaneck that would have placed a binding referendum on the November ballot compelling the governing body to adopt a reform ordinance. Bergen Grassroots members undertook to help Teaneck residents collect signatures. After we collected nearly twice the minimum needed, the Council quickly avoided embarrassment by adopting the reform ordinance.

The effort to gain approval of the model ordinance from the Bergen County Board of Freeholders began early in 2006. Bergen Grassroots leaders and members accompanied Citizens’ Campaign leaders to a Freeholders meeting, at which Freeholder David Ganz, who is an attorney, announced that he had spent “hundreds of hours” studying the draft ordinance and concluded that it was unconstitutional. The Citizens’ Campaign’s legal task force, headed by retired NJ Chief Justice Gary Stein, promptly disagreed with the Ganz assertion. Now, the sitting NJ high court has settled the issue conclusively.

To all those who gathered signatures in the Teaneck campaign, and to other Grassrooters who have participated in other campaigns, we have one word: vindicated!

Thanks for all you do,

Paul