After Council Shuffles Its Deck, The Zoning Board Reorganizes

After the village council decided to shake up the expected structure and membership of the Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment , the board unveiled its new, leaner look on Tuesday night.

Members Shiroy Ranji, Joel Torielli and Eugene Rose were reappointed and sworn in as full members while Dave Larsen retained his role as presiding chairman.

"I'd also like to recognize that there are two members who have served this board for a number of years – Mr. Douglas Cronk and Mr. Dean Vellis . . . the two chairmen were not reappointed by the mayor and council," said Chairman Larsen after the reappointees and he were sworn in.

Larsen, who said Vellis and Cronk did a "stellar job," asked that the record reflect that the board and "all folks and residents of the village" respect, honor and appreciate the time and energy the two departed members dedicated, which he said to the audience was "basically for you," the residents of the village.

Board member Eugene Rose praised both for their "impartiality" on the board and called his time spent with them "an absolute pleasure."

"I think that word 'impartiality' is a very significant one for each of us who have influences of all kinds," Larsen remarked; influences that he said are "left aside" by members who follow the proper zoning processes and guidelines when deciding applications.

Cronk, who , had served on the board for four years. He was expected to be nominated by Larsen for chairmanship before word came he wouldn't even be on the board, much less chairman. Larsen would fill out the rest of his remaining term (one year) as a regular member, assuming the board voted in favor.

But plans changed and some say it's due to politics, which two council members denied.

Councilwoman Walsh–speaking for herself in an interview with Patch Monday–cited two reasons for the council dismissing Cronk, one being that Cronk voted to approve a driveway variance request, the other an application from Ridgewood Residents for Valley treasurer Al Jones. Walsh says Cronk should have recused himself from the Jones' two-story housing addition application because, she alleged, he gave money to Ridgewood Residents for Valley in support of an ad.

Both applications were approved unanimously and Rose, who was reappointed by the council, also voted in favor of the driveway application, records show. Cronk said the Jones application rationale for reappointment denial was Walsh "grasping for straws" and he denied ever sending any money to the pro-Valley grassroots group, which was formed several months after Jones' application was approved.

Deputy Mayor Tom Riche said if Cronk and Vellis–a youth football organizer who has supported fields upgrades that is not in line with council majority views–were interested in being reappointed, they should have told the council. Neither were approached by the council themselves to gauge interest, they said.

When asked by Patch at the reorganization meeting, reappointed member Eugene Rose said it was actually council that called him to see if he were interested in serving again, a marked contrast to Cronk and Vellis, who were "surprised" and "shocked" to find they weren't reappointed.

Larsen, when asked Tuesday night, also said he'd "never heard" in his two-plus decades on the board of a member needing to express interest in reappointment with the council.

Rose, Ranji and Torielli will serve four-year terms on the board. Both Ranji and Torielli have strong backgrounds in engineering or architecture, while Rose is known locally as a businessman. Jacques Harlow, a former council member, was nominated and unanimously approved as vice chairman.

The seven-member independent board is now without alternates though council members have said they are vetting through applications.

Tony Merlino was reappointed Board Secretary; Planner Blais Brancheau was reappointed, as was board attorney Bruce Whitaker. Member Diana Ruhl was absent at the re-organization meeting.