Hold on to your wallet - here comes Levy-son

Mr. Levison,

Too bad you will not respond to the assertion that the sewer fee is a backhand effort to squeeze some long overdue money from Seton Hall.  If that institution can afford more than ten cents to employ Alex Torpey, it certainly can afford to make a reasonable payment for services to SO to avoid the need to squeeze already overburdened taxpayers.  I guess that the truth is too painful.

Maybe.   Maybe not.   I've never spoken to someone who was upset about their sewer bill.   Maybe it's just the crowd I hang out with.

michaelgoldberg said:

Jeff - I don't think the thread titles can be updated on the new Board.

Although, I suspect more people are concerned about what is being done to their sewer bills than a thread title.

Mr Levison I think has directly addressed this earlier.  If you do some research you might read it.  

Dan Dietrich.  

Howard, do you still get paid $600/year to participate in the Joint Sewer Meeting, or has that fee gone up, as well?

Speaking of gutless - a poster making attacks without disclosing his name.  

festus said:

This fee (tax) is the gutless wonders' on the BOT effort to stick it to Seton Hall.  Since the gutless wonders on the BOT, especially Howard Levison and Professor Torpey, do not have the physical equipment to lay it on the line to Seton Hall that it is time for that institution to pay up, they go to the back door and stick it to all homeowners.  They can not show any data to justify this miserable action, but in their perverted minds that is irrelevant.  I challenge, Levison, Davis Ford and Rosner to justify this increase.

michaelgoldberg said:
Howard, do you still get paid $600/year to participate in the Joint Sewer Meeting, or has that fee gone up, as well?

Received our increased sewer bill in the mail today, which reminded me that we never got an answer to the question if Howard's stipend for being part of the Joint Sewer Meeting was also increased from $600/year?

It's more than $600 / year, isn't it?

dave said:
It's more than $600 / year, isn't it?

Think the Joint Meeting of Essex & Union County's annual board "stipend" actually is about $6,500. It's tough work, but someone has to do it.

Trans_Parent said:

dave said:
It's more than $600 / year, isn't it?

Think the Joint Meeting of Essex & Union County's annual board "stipend" actually is about $6,500. It's tough work, but someone has to do it.

I'm not quite sure how the question is relevant to the sewer fee. I think that all of the representatives from each town get the same stipend. Is the implication that Howard gets an increase because the sewer fee went up?

michaelgoldberg said:

michaelgoldberg said:
Howard, do you still get paid $600/year to participate in the Joint Sewer Meeting, or has that fee gone up, as well?

Received our increased sewer bill in the mail today, which reminded me that we never got an answer to the question if Howard's stipend for being part of the Joint Sewer Meeting was also increased from $600/year?

eta - I don't see why Howard should answer the question. It's irrelevant.

cramer - if a Politician is raising our taxes, it's a fair question to ask if they are giving themselves a raise at the same time.

michaelgoldberg said:
cramer - if a Politician is raising our taxes, it's a fair question to ask if they are giving themselves a raise at the same time.

Maplewood increased its sewer fee this year. Should Maplewood residents be asking their joint meeting representative if his/her stipend increased?

Of course, but that is for the taxpayers in MW to inquire about.

michaelgoldberg said:
Of course, but that is for the taxpayers in MW to inquire about.

But they haven't. You raised the question to try to be cute and to stir things up.

cramer said:

michaelgoldberg said:
Of course, but that is for the taxpayers in MW to inquire about.

But they haven't. You raised the question to try to be cute and to stir things up.

Michael would never do something like that Cramer....

cramer said:

michaelgoldberg said:
Of course, but that is for the taxpayers in MW to inquire about.

But they haven't. You raised the question to try to be cute and to stir things up.

It's a legitimate question and Howard's silence speaks volumes.

If I wanted to stir things up, I'd ask Elissa Malespina about her "book" and if she wants to share the REAL reason she chickened out of running for BOE.

Michael thanks for asking about the "book" it is going well and is almost done. Should be out by the end of the year. I am hoping you will buy a copy.

I did not "chicken out" I had an amazing opportunity come long and choose to take it. How can anyone pass up the opportunity when a publisher comes to you and asks you to write a book.?It was something I was not even thinking about doing.

Btw I also have a podcast that is in the top 10 of all K-12 educational podcasts on ITunes I hope you will subscribe and listen...since you seem so interested in what I am doing.

michaelgoldberg said:
cramer
said:

michaelgoldberg said:
Of course, but that is for the taxpayers in MW to inquire about.

But they haven't. You raised the question to try to be cute and to stir things up.

It's a legitimate question and Howard's silence speaks volumes.
If I wanted to stir things up, I'd ask Elissa Malespina about her "book" and if she wants to share the REAL reason she chickened out of running for BOE.

Oh, c'mon, Michael, you're better than this.

According to the JMEUC's 12/14/14 board meeting minutes (last page), http://www.jmeuc.com/dept/administration/official-business/index.php, the Chairperson receives $12K annually and other board members receive $6K annually.

BTW, all "official business" documents of the JMEUC have been saved and posted so it's impossible to search them. And, NONE of the resolutions or other documents referenced in its agendas and minutes are available on its website.

Let's hoped the water that it processes is more transparent than its official business.

Nice research. $6000 per year for 10-11 meetings, whether you attend or not (according to the minutes above). Sure makes an 8% sewer tax increase much easier to swallow for the person receiving the stipend.

Talk about disingenuous behavior by one of our own. I would challenge Mr. Levison to show that he is pure of heart by donating his stipend to the Village. Not likely to happen but maybe this will raise some opposition to his holding the position next year. Come on Trustees, why should he lap up all the cream?

I'm sure that Kathy Leventhal, Maplewood's representative to the Joint Meeting, had to think long and hard about giving up the stipend before she made her decision not to seek re-election to the TC. I think that she held that position for more years than Howard. Shame on you, Kathy, for lapping up all the cream.

festus said:
Talk about disingenuous behavior by one of our own. I would challenge Mr. Levison to show that he is pure of heart by donating his stipend to the Village. Not likely to happen but maybe this will raise some opposition to his holding the position next year. Come on Trustees, why should he lap up all the cream?

eta - There should be an emoticon.

Did I forget to mention that on page 3 of the 12/18/14 JMEUC board meeting minutes, http://www.jmeuc.com/upload/Min._12-18-2014.pdf, a majority of paid Board members adopted Resolution 104, authorizing a Pay Increase for Applicable Board Members?Of course, the resolution isn’t posted, so there’s no way to know how much money they voted for themselves or to whom it applied.Maybe Trustee Levison will share this undisclosed information during his monthly Village Board update.

The vote was 5 to 4, and Levison and Leventhal opposed the increase – hopefully without a wink and nod to their assenting colleagues.

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, and I know you are Jewish, Michael, but that title read as antisemitic to me.

I always thought @michaelgoldberg was an Anti-Dentite

Yada Yada Yada @sodawg

unfortunately, it seems he is not, and his act is growing old.

Did Michael ever raise the issue about the stipend when he was on the board and how many increases were passed on his watch?

mbaldwin said:

michaelgoldberg said:
cramer
said:

michaelgoldberg said:
Of course, but that is for the taxpayers in MW to inquire about.

But they haven't. You raised the question to try to be cute and to stir things up.

It's a legitimate question and Howard's silence speaks volumes.
If I wanted to stir things up, I'd ask Elissa Malespina about her "book" and if she wants to share the REAL reason she chickened out of running for BOE.

Oh, c'mon, Michael, you're better than this.

michaelgoldberg said:
8% increase to the Sewer Fee (to $280) is on the agenda for Monday's BOT Meeting.
http://southorange.no-ip.org/WebLink8/DocView.aspx?id=136896&dbid=0

This equates to a 70% increase in the sewer fee since Levison and Davis Ford took office 8 years ago.
I don't think we had sewers when Rosner took office

2008 - $250

2009 - $250

2010 - $250

2011 - $260

2012 - $260

2013 - $285

2014 - $285

2015 - $280

Difference between $250 in 2008 and $280 in 2015 is $30, or 12%.

btw - 2015 is less than 2014, so there's a decrease from 2014.

jeffl said:
It seems that I make more comments about rude behavior than I do about the content of folks' posts, so that makes me kinda a jerk myself. That's especially true when I don't know much about the content of what's being discussed, which is certainly the case on this thread. So I'll admit to being a kinda jerk. That being said, from the thread title to the constant obsession with this one issue, to the personal attacks on Mr. Levison and now Ms. Malespina...Dave, Jamie, can you close this thread? The OP (who I do not know, has gone overboard, no?

+ 1 and suggest that MG try apologizing to bookbabe.