Ridgewood Village Council Election Profiles: Pamela R. Perron

RIDGEWOOD, NJ — Many Bergen County towns are seeing heated local races on Nov. 5. In Ridgewood, four people are running for three seats in a non-partisan election for the five-member Village Council.

Every two years, the council chooses a mayor from among themselves.

The candidates for a four-year term are:

• HyunJu Kwak
• Francis "Frank" Mortimer Jr.
• Pamela R. Perron
• Paul Vagianos (incumbent mayor)

Patch is running profiles of all four candidates (look at Ridgewood Patch for the others).

Here is incumbent Deputy Mayor and Councilwoman Pamela R. Perron's profile.

Name: Pamela R. Perron
Age: 68
Education:
JD - Tulane University Law School, cum laude, 1982
BA - Columbia University, School of General Studies, cum laude, 1979
Occupation: Retired lawyer
Past volunteer jobs and any government service:
• Village Council member since 7/1/2020; Deputy Mayor since 2022
During my Village Council tenure, I have served as Village Council liaison to Green Ridgewood, Green Team, the Open Space Committee, the Ridgewood Chamber of Commerce, the Central Business District Advisory Committee and Shade Tree Commission Committee
• Planning Board member since January 2023
• Thirty years’ experience representing the United States of America in federal court 1985-2015.
• Contract attorney for the State of New Jersey, Public Defender’s Office, representing indigent clients in N.J. Superior Court 2016-2023.
• League of Women Voters (LWV) member from approximately 2014 to present. I served as LWV Director and as Vice President
• Jamboree performer and backstage worker
• GeesePeace and Girl Scout leader

Other experience relevant to the position:

I have attended the New Jersey League of Municipalities’ three day conferences each year 2021-2023 for training on municipal matters including budgeting, finance and ethics.

Do you have any relatives in town government or the schools now, or working on town boards or schools? Who?

No.

How long have you lived in town, and where did you grow up?

I was born and raised in Ridgewood, attended Somerville Elementary School, Benjamin Franklin Junior High School, and Ridgewood High School. I moved back to Ridgewood in 1992 and have been here ever since.

1. What do you think are the most important issues facing your constituents, and what will you do to address them?

Keeping property tax increases low while continuing to provide high quality services. Budgeting is the Village Council’s primary responsibility.
However, the increasing cost of goods, services and health care continues to put pressure on the Village budget.
If re-elected, I plan on:
o offsetting expenditures with grant funding
o repairing infrastructure while maintaining our AAA bond rating. I prioritize road resurfacing, tree planting, river maintenance, refurbishing the pedestrian tunnel, and upkeep of our precious parks
o exploring additional shared services. I’d like to explore additional avenues with Ridgewood Public School District for landscaping and possibly other services
o moving garbage collection to front-yard collection, with appropriate exceptions

Revitalizing the Central Business District (CBD) - Empty storefronts downtown devalue commercial property. Commercial ratables have
declined due to online shopping and COVID. As a result, residents pay a greater share of costs.
I have been working to establish a Special Improvement District (SID), which could help our business community pool resources to fund
initiatives that enhance Ridgewood’s appeal as a destination for commerce. SIDs have been very successful in Summit, Princeton and Montclair.
Protecting our environment – The climate crisis causes flooding of homes and government properties. We need a variety of solutions to mitigate
damages. I will focus on U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recommendations, stormwater management and tree plantings.
Additionally, we must remove PFAS from our drinking water by following our PFAS treatment Master Plan.
Last, we must reduce the Village’s carbon footprint by reducing our reliance on fossil fuels.

2. Why should someone choose you over your opponent(s)?

I was privileged to grow up in Ridgewood, benefitting from everything our town has to offer. Now is my time to give back. Since retiring from the law, I have had the luxury of spending my full-time efforts on Village of Ridgewood matters.
My accomplishments on the Village Council include:
Bringing back hybrid access to Council meetings
Passing the anti-nepotism ordinance
Hiring a new Village Manager who in turn hired a new Director of Communications
Taking possession of the Town Garage property on Franklin Avenue and approving the building’s demolition
Deploying a new Village website
Contracting a grant writing firm
Improving and communications and transparency
Spearheading the feasibility study to create a special improvement district to promote economic development
Passing an ordinance that expands permissible business uses downtown
Initiating the Open Space Committee’s ParkWalks program
Shepherded the Open Space Master Plan
Working on lead service line replacement and PFAS treatment
Building sidewalks on East and West Glen, Clinton Avenue
Planting 681 trees with more coming

I will not disparage any opponent, as running for office is not easy, and the public deserves a choice. That said, I have worked well with Paul Vagianos and Frank Mortimer on many Village matters. We are independent candidates who sometimes disagree; nevertheless, we respect one another and get a lot done for the public good. I look forward to continuing our productive collaboration.

3. Should you win, how would you get people more involved in the issues who either
aren't involved, or who supported your critics? How can town politics become more
inclusive instead of divisive?

I have observed a most remarkable change since January 2023. When a problem comes to the Council’s attention, it is usually through a resident’s heartfelt complaint.
People express anger, fear and resentment. The current Council listens and actually hears all sides of the issue. With the help of our Village Manager, we not only respond quickly with a full, transparent explanation, we also take action to remedy the situation.
This way, residents feel heard and respected. Beyond that, I now see the same people who complained bitterly are signing up to volunteer on our various advisory committees, like the Citizens Safety Advisory Committee, the Shade Tree Commission or Green Ridgewood. We invite complainers to become doers.
This transformation is how we dispel divisiveness. We recognize their truth and engage residents to participate in local government.
When I meet residents, I ask them, “How do you think Ridgewood should improve?” Their ideas give me direction and focus. With this in mind, I am creating a residential flood advisory committee to get input from residents whose homes have been flooded. We will collect their experiences as the foundation for solutions.

4. What is one local issue that no one really talks about, or has spoken publicly about, that you think should be addressed while you're in office?

The woods and trails that I walked as a child in Ridgewood have been decimated. Deer and invasive plants are destroying our parks and wildscapes. The Dunham Trail and Twinney Pond need attention now before it is too late.

5. To which political party do you belong? Who did you vote for in the last presidential election (if you're willing to say), and do you think it should matter in terms of your candidacy?

The Village Council election is non-partisan. This frees Councilmembers to make decisions based on the facts rather than on ideology. I would not have run for office if I had to toe a party line. Consequently, my party affiliation is not pertinent.

6. What else would you like people to know?

The next round of affordable housing is coming up. With my service on the Planning Board as well as on the Village Council, I am uniquely positioned to work in the public’s best interest and plan to satisfy the state’s requirements.

Other Information

• You can submit your ballot any time through 8 p.m. on Election Day.
• Want to vote on the machine? Polls will be open a few before Election Day for early voting, and then on Election Day from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. See the early voting hours here.

Got a letter, press release, or event to post on Patch? You can do it for free. Just follow these instructions.

See the New Jersey voter information portal and election timelines here.

See the timeline for the general election here.