Former Ridgewood Mayor Cleared Of Ethics Charges

RIDGEWOOD, NJ - Former Mayor Paul Aronsohn and Village Manager Roberta Sonenfeld were cleared of charges of wrongdoing after their appearance in a taxpayer-funded video.

A local administrative judge cleared Aronsohn and Sonenfeld of their charges last week, which first came to light six years ago. In a video paid for by Ridgewood funds and posted on the Village website. The video encouraged Ridgewood residents to vote “Yes” on a fund, estimated to cost over $10 million, for a new municipal parking garage.

The Local Finance Board alleged this violated the Local Government Ethics Law because it encouraged citizens to vote “Yes” to finance the cost of constructing the parking deck. A hearing was held in July 2020.

The first complaint was filed in 2016 by John Paff, Chairman of New Jersey Libertarian Party. In a letter to the Local Finance Board, he claimed Aronsohn and Sonenfeld “used or attempted to use their official positions to create and appear in a video which is intended to secure an electoral advantage”.

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