Council Surprise: Two Zoning Board Members Dumped

In an unexpected move by the village council, former council candidate Doug Cronk and member Dean Vellis of the Ridgewood Zoning Board of Adjustment will not be reappointed to their positions on Tuesday at the board's reorganization meeting.

Cronk with Brian Dowd and was defeated by current members Deputy Mayor Tom Riche and Councilwoman Bernadette Walsh. Both Cronk and Vellis questioned whether the vote not to re-appoint them was politically motivated, since Cronk had campaigned against two of the council members who voted against him and Vellis had pushed for a policy the council voted against.

While he said he "couldn't discuss anything from closed session," Riche said Monday that board members "are not lifetime appointments" and the council "looks for people with varied, diverse backgrounds."

"There was a consensus on the part of the council" to not reappoint both Vellis and Cronk, Riche said. "It was a majority."

Councilman Paul Aronsohn, however, said there was no consensus.

"I supported their reappointments, because by all indications, both seemed to be doing a great job on the Board."

Like Riche, Walsh denied politics played any role in the denial of reappointments. "That's completely not true," the councilwoman said.

"The council can appoint whoever they want or not reappoint whoever they want. Speaking for myself, I reviewed some of the things they had voted yes to, didn't agree with their votes and felt perhaps it was time to have new people on the zoning board."

“The strange thing about that explanation is that four of us were up for reappointment, we have all voted consistently, yet only two of us were dismissed,” Cronk said in response.

“It’s also alarming that Ms. Walsh is saying that Board members should worry less about how variance applications meet land use requirements, and more about how they meet her requirements.”

Should Cronk have recused himself on an application?

Walsh, in a phone conversation Monday, cited two factors in her decision—a driveway widening application on South Pleasant that was approved unanimously by the board, as well as what she believed was a "conflict of interest" from Cronk not recusing himself when Al Jones, treasurer of the Ridgewood Residents for Valley (the pro-Valley expansion group) came to the board for a zoning variance to his house.

Walsh alleged Cronk, who's served on the zoning board since June of 2007, gave money to Ridgewood Residents for Valley in the form of ad support.

"I'm not saying any impropriety was done but we want the members to be as neutral as possible on the zoning and planning. I think we've done a very good job of selecting appointees," Walsh said.

“It’s really concerning to me that Ms. Walsh choose these two properties as the reason for my dismissal from the Board,” said Cronk.

“The Jennee application was for a driveway modification and the Jones application was for a modest renovation. Both were unanimous decisions by the board. The organization she mentions—which, incidentally, I have never given money to—did not even exist until well after the application was approved."

"She’s grasping at straws to justify her actions, and that’s more ridiculous than the decision itself,” the now ex-zoning board member said.

Beyond that, one council member said he didn't recall a discussion on any of those reasons amongst the council.

"In fact, the Board of Adjustment is an independent body, and therefore, discussions of specific decisions might be inappropriate in this context," Aronsohn told Patch Monday. "This is the first I'm hearing of this."

He declined to comment when asked if the move appeared politically-motivated.

Shuffling a short deck?

Cronk, who was expected to be nominated chairman of the board when it reorganized on July 12, said he was "worried" politics are seeping into town.

"It makes people second guess their decision to get involved in helping the village. It's sad and doesn't bode well for Ridgewood," he said.

Riche took a different perspective.

"I feel that it's often a good thing to shuffle the deck once in a while," Riche said, "Board members serve at the pleasure of the council. They [Cronk and Vellis] should have verbalized their interest in serving again," Riche said.

“It has never been policy to inform the council if you intend to stay on the board, so if the current council is implementing that policy, they should probably communicate it,” Cronk said in response to Riche's statement, adding that few members complete their terms because of the time commitment, including two within the past six months.

"You shouldn’t worry about shuffling a deck when you can’t even find all the cards.”

Mayor Killion declined to comment on the matter, calling it a "personnel issue." Councilman Steve Wellinghorst, a former zoning board member, did not respond to a request for comment on Monday.

Zoning board members speak out, ask for a 'reason'

"I don't understand it," Zoning Board Chairman Dave Larsen said of the moves to not reappoint the two members. He said he'd like some answers from the mayor and council, which has been largely mum thus far.

"I've heard from other sources that this sounds like a political thing," Larsen, who planned on nominating Cronk for chairman and finishing the remainder of his one-year-term as a regular member, said. "What else could it be? I have not complained or been uncomfortable with the performance of either [Cronk or Vellis]."

Larsen, who's served nearly 30 years on the board and who was not consulted on the decision by the council, said the move is a bad one.

"It's not good business, it's not good administration of the village, and it doesn't look good to people who may want to be volunteers," he said. "I've put thousands of hours into what I'm doing [on the board] and I think we have people out there like Doug who are willing to put in the same. To kick them out for political reasons, that's awful."

Vellis, a business owner and resident for over 20 years, initially thought his lack of reappointment was simply because his qualifications weren't as strong as other members. Now, like Cronk, he believes he was taken out for his opposition to a council stance.

"I run the junior football program in town, I'm a proponent for youth sports and certainly support a lot of things that have recently been of issue with the council," he told Patch. "But I certainly never thought this kind of thing would be motivated by that. I'm dumbfounded and offended," he said.

"You do it because you feel a loyalty, a commitment to the village," he said of serving on the board. "And this is the payback from the leaders, the people we're doing this for and supporting? This is the payback—'your services are no longer needed.' OK, at least give me a reason."

Council looking for replacements

The appointments taking over for Cronk and Vellis have yet to be officially decided, but the current alternates—Hans-Jergen Lehmann and Shiroy Ranji—are expected to move to full-time membership while two new alternates have to be found.

Joel Torielli, formerly an alternate member of the zoning board, took Beth Lorenz's seat, expiring on June 30, 2011.  Lehmann and Ranji became alternates. Like Torielli, Vellis and Cronk, Ranji's term expired June 30.

The village website notes the board is still seeking applications for both the zoning and planning boards.

New members must hear tapes of application hearings—like the controversial cell tower proposal near the Ho-Ho-Kus border—to be eligible to vote.

The zoning board will reorganize Tuesday, July 12, at 7:30 p.m. in the Sydney Stoldt Court Room in Village Hall.