Poison arrows
Oh my! Pandemonium in the Council Chambers. A telling scene at approximately 11:30 pm on a Tuesday night: in the foreground, Councilman Gussen gets a tongue lashing from a resident for his public castigation of former Planning Board member Barbara Ley Toffler. In the background, Councilman Rudolph and Councilwoman Honis can be seen arguing and gesticulating after Honis took Rudolph to task publicly for what she perceived to be impolite behavior during the meeting as part of a longer tirade filled with innuendo.
Is this the end of civil discourse in Teaneck? Has the "Comments" section of the local blogosphere spilled into the real world? Stay tuned. There's probably more to come after the time out called by Mayor Katz.
posted by Teaneck Blog @ 11:28 PM
59 Comments:
Take a read before the blogging begins"
IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LIVING IN: TEANECK
By FRED FERRETTI
Published: November 7, 1982
''Teenakut,'' to its ancestral Minsi Indian tribe, ''TieneN eck'' to its Dutch settlers, ''Tee Neck,'' to Robert Erskine, G eorge Washington's cartographer, who mapped it in 1778 - is a small t own on the high ground of Bergen County four miles west of the G eorge Washington Bridge. Route 4 cuts through its center and the n ewer Route 80 runs along its southern rim.
Its racial and ethnic diversity, a source of almost excessive community pride as well as occasional friction, has long been a determinant in Teaneck's development.
Once an insular, Christians-only town of real-estate restrictions and covenants, it became after World War II, a haven for Jews who left the urban atmospheres of Jersey City, Hoboken, Manhattan and the Bronx. Now, Jews make up slightly more than 20 percent of the population.
Teaneck anticipated the national thrust for school desegregation. Well before busing and other educational devices became mandated tools for school desegregation, Teaneck, with a black population of about 25 percent of the total, created a magnet school system and alternative educational programs in a largely successful effort to avoid racial friction.
As the township's population mix changed, many of its institutions accommodated themselves to those changes. Thus Teaneck's major Roman Catholic church, St. Anastasia's, opened its doors to the members of Congregation Dar-Ul-Islah, while that Moslem's group's mosque was being built. It also housed the Chinese Community School for some of Teaneck's newer Asian residents.
''We have been enriched by all of these new people,'' said Mildred Taylor, author of ''The History of Teaneck.'' Mrs. Taylor has lived in a small frame house on Palisade Avenue for 37 years and is a member of the Bergen County Historic Sites Committee, which is currently involved in identifying and cataloguing many of Teaneck's 10,000 single-family homes.
Another longtime resident is Robert D. Gruen, a lawyer who practices in nearby Hackensack and who for eight years was Municipal Judge of Teaneck. He described the town, where he has lived for 35 years, as ''well-run by pros'' and ''as good as you'll find anywhere.''
Alfred P. Levin, whose real-estate office has been on Cedar Lane, the main shopping avenue, for more than three decades, said years ago residential zoning called for large lots, many more than a half acre. ''Then, as more people from cities came in, permissible lot size dropped to 50 by 100. Later, to prevent too much density, gradually the size has grown to 60 by 100, then 75 by 100.''
Of late, friction has developed between liberal-minded Jews who settled in Teaneck in the postwar years and other Jews, virtually all Orthodox, who arrived more recently. Most of the latter group send their children to yeshivas in New York City and in Passaic County rather than to the township's 14 public schools. A controversy arose over the Orthodox group's desire to construct a mikvah, or ritual bath, a move that the older Jewish residents opposed as divisive. It was eventually built.
Rabbi Louis Sigel of Temple Emeth, one of Teaneck's two Reform synagogues, referring to what Teaneck called, ''The Battle of the Mikvah,'' said: ''It was a problem. Non-Orthodox Jews felt that they had put a lot of investment into accommodating their Jewishness to the American scene. They resented a group of people, also Jewish, who in their more visible religious expression were 'rocking the boat.' ''
But Rabbi Macy Gordon of B'nai Yeshurun, one of Teaneck's three Orthodox synagogues, said: ''We have often been maligned as being separatists, isolationists. But, except in education, where we find it religiously necessary, I don't feel we are.''
Conflicts such as this have not torn the community's fabric, however, and for the people who live in the bucolic six-square-mile township, Teaneck is a good place in which to live, a convenient 30-minute commute to Manhattan by both Transport of New Jersey and private bus lines.
Much of its housing stock was built late in the 1920's, when the George Washington Bridge was under construction. There are vast stone Tudors, Normans, and colonials with rolling frontages along Winthrop Road, English stuccos and brick Dutch colonials on curving, maple-lined Standish Road and smaller frame and brick houses, the most numerous type, throughout the town. Prices range as high as $350,000 along Winthrop, to about $150,000 along Standish, and from $50,000 to $60,000 for the smaller, newer frames.
Teaneck's tax rate of $4.62 per $100 of assessed valuation supports a variety of municipal services and amenities and the township's share of the county's maintenance. Its system of 11 elementary schools, two junior high schools and one high school, sends about 75 percent of its graduates on to higher education. Town services are overseen by Werner H. Schmid, the Township Manager.
The community's main shopping area, Cedar Lane, is a wide boulevard of service shops, food stores, restaurants and boutiques, with such names as Pickwick Village, Jade Spoon, Tabatchnick's, Look & Cook, The Judaica House and Stitches. According to Mr. Schmid, there has been a bit of a merchant-inspired renaissance that has seen storefronts refurbished and new businesses moving into the shops along Cedar Lane. The reason? According to Mr. Schmid, many residents, weary of shopping in the malls scattered about Bergen County, are ''shopping at home.''
Teaneck has municipal police and fire departments, but its trash removal is done by private carters whose services, paid by individual residents, run from $3 to $8 a month. It has a general hospital, Holy Name, is home to Fairleigh Dickinson University and, where the town meets Interstate Route 80, a $120 million development called Glenpointe. The 50-acre complex, when completed, will include two seven-story office buildings, a 14-story luxury hotel, 292 condominium units, a two-level mall of shops and movie theaters and a four-story parking garage for 2,400 cars.
Teaneck's nine-member school board is elected, three each year. Its legislature, a seven-member council, is elected on a nonpartisan basis and chooses a Mayor, a largely ceremonial position.
The Mayor, Bernard Brooks, is the first black to hold the office. To some, he is a symbol of Teaneck's continuing boast of its ability to be a place that can accommodate people's differences. The Hellers are another example. Chuck Heller, a vocational counselor to the State of New Jersey, is white and Jewish. His wife, Marcia Pinkett-Heller, who teaches health administration at Columbia University, is black. ''We are not an oddity in this community,'' said Mr. Heller. HE said that he and his wife had lived in North Bergen, East Orange a nd Hackensack before moving to Teaneck two years ago, and that ' 'either she or I felt uncomfortable in those towns.'' He said he hadb een raised in Teaneck, had ''fond memories'' of it and knew it to be' 'a town that tries to deal with all sorts of situations.''
Mrs. Heller agreed. ''There is sense of community here,'' she said. ''It is a town that has focused on itself. Neighbors are amiable, friendly, interested in one another.''
Another couple, John and Janet Graham, both black, have also lived in Teaneck for two years. Why Teaneck, Mr. Graham, who is an information systems analyst for the New York Telephone Company, was asked?
''We looked and looked,'' he replied. ''Basically, we were interested in cost, nearness to the city, population mix. The house we found suited our budget and it had the reputation for being a community where we would not be uncomfortable. We're not at all disappointed. People here are willing to recognize you and respect you.''
Et Tu Barbara Toffler.
We have had a sincere explanation from Barbara about her comments in the New York Times.
"Yitz and I have talked on several issues of common interest -- and a bit on those about which we disagree -- but always with respect, and careful listening to each other's opinions. I had earlier sought his advice about dealing with the rumor about the Applebome article, and I wanted him to have information about how I chose to handle the issue."
Last night at the Council meeting, at which Yitz was not present, Barbara attempted to character assassinate Yitz by reading aloud what was clearly a friendly private letter of advice from Yitz.
The raucous anti-development crowd that constantly packs the council hall lapped up the innuendo as the meeting was pushed further and further into the bedlam that ultimately required a police presence.
Barbara and her friends proclaimed her high level of ethics as she went about defending her indefensible role in denigrating Orthodox Jews in the New York Times.
Then when Councilman Gussen read out an Amazon book review that suggested Barbara was not an occupant of the "ethical" high ground she claims to stand on, a companion of hers threateningly rushed to the dais and the Mayor was forced to recess the meeting until the police arrived.
To think that all the bashing of the Orthodox is merely a cover for a campaign for council next year in which Toffler and Schwartz intend to try to take council control to avert bringing the township into the 21st century developmentally!
The reality is that all the Orthodox citizens want in Teaneck is to be treated equally without being turned into "Them". The speakers proclaiming, "Some of my best neighbors are Orthodox" don't know the basics of color blind pluralistic democracy as it used to be practiced and will continue to be practiced in Teaneck.
Ultimately, the voters will speak and they will not be fooled. They know we need the kind of development that will make Teaneck a better place to live for all, even if a few trees need to be removed. When the new tax rate comes out and sinks in, there will be ever more wonder at how Teaneck lags behind other communities when it comes to ratables.
This type of behavior certainly doesn't entice me to support candidates sharing their point of view for council.
Thank you channel 77.
At the council meeting I saw, I heard Mrs. Tofler read from an email from Yitz Stern that told her that the way to keep her seat on the planning board would be to make sure that she supported synagogue expansion and other issues of importance to the Orthodox. Feit's claim that Mrs. Tofler would pre-judge cases involving the orthodox pales in comparison to Stern's take on the Soprano's. If Stern were still in office now, there would probably officers knocking at his door to take him away. Stern the puppetmaster has been unmasked and we know who his puppets are.
The problem is not that "the Orthodox" have taken over. The problem is that this is a group that seems to have one ethical disaster after another. That they happen to be orthodox only adds to the embarassment.
At the council meeting I saw, I heard Mrs. Tofler read from an email from Yitz Stern that told her that the way to keep her seat on the planning board would be to make sure that she supported synagogue expansion and other issues of importance to the Orthodox.
Did Stern really say that? Wow. How would he be able to determine what would decide how she could keep her seat?
Oh the good old days. First, I want to know how the Orthodox managed to turn a 30 minute commute into the city into a 1 hour commute on the best of days. I know they did it, I'm just not sure how.
I have lived in this town since 1990, when the town's Orthodox population was probably well under 1/2 its present size. When we moved into, I would have characterized Teaneck as tolerant (hence the comfort of multi-racial couples) but diverse only in some aggregate statistical sense. Going block by the block into, there were few instances of true intgeration and social mixing. Sending kids to the same school (where they still largely socialize among their own) and playing on the same little league teams does not diversity make.
As for tolerance, it often seems to be least present among those who champion "diversity" most.
Who knows if Yitz said that? All we ever get are assertions. For all we know Naomi Cramer wrote it; for all we know, Cramer and Schwartz manufactured the documents about the eruv that they attribute to the council majority.
There seems to be some almost mystical belief that Yitz Stern has some hold over the Orthodox population. Yitz may believe it, but the reality is that many probably do not even know who he is and if they do, what he supports.
Think about it, Yitz was on multiple councils that failed to take any significant action on development. Given the interest of many in the Orthodox in seeing the development of the tax base, exactly what insight does he provide as to how to accomplish and who is in the best position to accomplish it.
If Yitz sent the email, I would just add dumb to ineffective.
If Yitz is a Soprano, what does that make the Schwartz, Cramer, Hones and Toffler gang? Hones won't even leave Rudy's family alone, viciously attacking him for being concerned about his sick pregnant wife. Shame, shame!
Orthodox residents may not know Yitz, but everybody can see who B Toffler is. And it is not the "ethicist" she pretends to be.
Stern has no hold over the Orthodox population. In fact, most do not even know him. That's why I suspect he did not write that email.
Yitz Stern may not have hold over the entire orthodox community, but he clearly seems to think he controls a few votes on the Council.
Outside of the circus-like atmosphere, the most interesting aspect of this episode was the way it reflected on competing uses of the term "diversity."
Personally, I thought that Councilman Gussen was wrong to attempt to publicly shame Dr. Toffler in order to deflect criticism of the Council majority for not reappointing her, no matter how harsh the rhetoric and
accusations flung by the critics. Gussen is clearly a capable and
well-spoken individual who takes his duties seriously, but his taste for verbal combat could prove his undoing. In this case, he probably should have kept his clever but hurtful response to himself.
That said, Councilman Gussen separately made a great point about what "diversity" should and should not mean. His comments helped highlight the cynicism and moral bankruptcy inherent in the positions of many of the Good and Welfare speakers. Those who call for superficial diversity, the kind of social engineering that amounts to little more than categorizing individuals by race, religion, or gender and then congratulating oneself for achieving balance are not true proponents of diversity. What they are are people who want to secure seats at the table through nondemocratic means, not by their own merit or qualifications, but by virtue of their birth or heritage.
As bad as the problem of diversity is the problem of nondiversity. The counsel's determination to put their political cronies on every board of any importance is already starting to backfire.
All the fraud that happened during the election is bad enough. The continued manipulation behind the scenes by kingmaker Stern and this councils willingness to go along with it are all signs of a much bigger problem.
I am Orthodox and have never before (my attendance at last night's meeting) heard of Yitz Stern. Can someone clue me in?
Also, I thought that one of the more important and insightful points made at the meeting (by a couple different speakers)is that Orthodox individuals are just that -- individuals. We do not all share the same upbringing, the same education or the same social experiences. Case in point, I was raised as a secular Jew and have long been active in far left progressive politics; my husband was raised Orthodox and identifies as a conservative. I can honestly and earnestly say that my current religious observance in no way dictates my political views or alliances. Orthodox Jews are no more homogenous or monolithic than any other religious, racial or ethnic group. It is essentialist and reductive to argue otherwise.
I attended the meeting last night and was struck by the amount of animosity in the room.
Listening to Barbara Toffler say that she is all for diversity at the same time as she says that "People worry that there’s a group that wants this to become an Orthodox community like some of the ones in Rockland County", makes me apoplectic.
Many people claimed that these remarks were not taken the correct way, as if to say that the way they came across was meaningless. Kevie Feit went so far as to say "Would such a statement be acceptable if you removed the word Orthodox and inserted a different demographic group? I don't think so."
Let's actually see what it sounds like in another context:
1) People worry that there’s a group that wants this to become a Black community like some of the ones in Harlem.
2)People worry that there’s a group that wants this to become a Gay community like some of the ones in Greenich Village.
Somehow though, a statment that "People worry that there’s a group that wants this to become an Orthodox community like some of the ones in Rockland County", is fine and if you don't think so - not only are you reading it wrong -- you aren't being diverse either!
Would a reasonable person still say that the same statements are "out of context"?
Emil “Yitz” Stern served on the Teaneck Council for 8 years from 1998 to 2006. For four of those years, from 2000 to 2004, he also served as deputy mayor.
He chose not to seek re-election in 2006. He did however became involved in the 2006 campaign. This included the publication of a letter emailed and published through the Teaneck Shul website supporting four of the winning candidates - Katz, Feit, Gussen and Rudolph.
The Yitz Stern years stand out only for their intense mediocrity.
As to his posting on Teaneck Shuls, if you believe that Yitz's posting and endorsement shifted a material number of votes, "overstatement" does not begin to capture your mistake.
Maybe, just maybe, it might have something to do with the fact that out of control taxes is a primary (but not sole) concern among the Orthodox - almost all of whom are single family property owners. By "coincidence," each of the four candidates who won, made this an important campaign issue.
On the positive side of things, I am sure this blog is doing wonders for Yitz's self image - so feel free to continue to portary him as the Godfather of Teaneck politics.
The earlier gang of four, with Stern, Katz, Galluci and Ostrow accomplished next to nothing.
With Stern off the council he is now in his new role as the puppetmaster. He picked up two nobodies off the street and now we have a new gang of four who seem to be more concerned about Stern's agenda and cronys than what would help Teaneck.
I do think the letters Stern sent helped a bit to put the four candidates in the public spotlight. Once that was combined with the bogus eruv campaign, with emails, phone calls and announcements pushing people to "vote Orthodox" the deed was done. The fraudulent postcards were only the icing on the cake, whoever they came from. The combined message is that your eruv is at risk from those anti-Semites at New Beginning and the only way to save it is to vote for all 4 of the orthodox.
From last nights meeting it seems clear to me that Stern keeps his puppets on very short strings. If you're held up by strings you don't need much backbone.
"Maybe, just maybe, it might have something to do with the fact that out of control taxes is a primary (but not sole) concern among the Orthodox
Every one of the candidates made taxes their top issue. Why do the orthodox have any special insight on this issue?? Why didn't anyone outside the orthodox areas think these 4 had the answer to the taxes problem?
Rudolph deserved a tongue lashing by Honis. His sloppiness, superior attitude and rudeness that he displays at the Town Council meetings on an ongoing basis are an insult to the people in the room and to the citizens of Teaneck in general. He should watch the videos afterwards to see how he looks. People who represent a municipal, religious or leadership position everywhere should be setting an example. Period. Last night the "discussion" turned into name calling - on all sides - and bad playground behavior.
I have been coming to the meetings or watching them on television for many months now, staying quiet and listening to decide if I want to get involved in our wonderful town. I don't think that I want to get involved since so many people who claim to be active members of the planning board and/or the council with high moral standards have not yet learned to play nicely with others for the sake of the township. How sad.
Yes everyone always talks about cutting taxes, but when your slate is endorsed by the Bergen County Central Trades and Labor Council, AFL-CIO (CLC), I'd say I have a fairly good basis to question whether they will be the most effective in dealing with future issues of wages and productivity.
Another candidate was running on his track record as a member of the BoE - not exactly the strongest budget cutting credentials.
I've now accounted for the top 7 vote getters in the main field (the Langford seat I think has to be viewed as its own fluke for a lot of reasons).
"The counsel's determination to put their political cronies on every board"
What political cronies? What political group are they members of?
What bothered me last night is how the people who demanded to be heard for the 2 3 minute sessions, didn't give the same respect to the council members. I guess they are very good at speaking and complaining and not very good at listening. For a group of people who consistently repeated the idea of "hearing and embracing differing opinions", I guess they mean differing opinions to others and consistent with their beliefs. THAT is not diversity, that is the left-wing totalitarianism that makes liberals like me upset.
Extremism can exist on both sides of this debate. It seemed like a revival meeting last night. You had an overly cantankerous carnival-like atmosphere. People wouldn't shut-up! You has peanut gallery comments that prohibited most from hearing everything said. You had clapping and cheering that pushed the debate on longer than necessary. You had certain people, like Mr. Toffler (I assume), Cramer, as well as others, who were making heavy breathing noises, death-stares at people, throwing their hands up in the air in an overly dramatic fashion, and disruptive outbursts that were counter-productive. Right or wrong, they made themselves look out of control and unwilling to hear differing points of view. They went there with their minds made up and had no interest in hearing what others had to say. Cramer was running around like a mad person throwing the election mailings around and saying that 'those Rabbis scared them about the eruv'. I never heard that from any Rabbi in town. And, the only thing I did hear about that, was from a comment that allegedly Toffler made to Jackie Kates about 'if they can have their Eruv, I can put my garage sale signs on polls'. She may not have meant it, but the fact that the town of Tenefly had a supreme court case about their eruv which was initiated by a non-Orthodox Jewish mayor, it is understandable why sensitivities are high. And from what I saw last night, Barbara Toffler seems to have a very short fuse and when challenged, very scary. I don't know her from Adam, but she and her husband scared me. Honestly.
This town needs help. It seems like the non-jews and non-Orthodox have some very big preconceived notions about us, our community, and what we actually believe. I sensed an actual fear, like the orthodox were going to change the town into 1954 Selma. It was really ridiculous.
We are different. In many ways we are separate. We have strange customs. We look funny. By the very design of our religion, we spend a lot of time with our own community. None of this is wrong or bad! We should mingle more with the rest of the town, and we have been. The school system being integrated would help things a lot, but would cause many problems as well. It really won't happen.
One thing I will say, Adam Gussen was totally right in his initial statements on diversity. THat is exactly the point; you cannot say that diversity can only be achieved by doing something illegal like hiring on the basis of race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation. I think that the "gang of four", as they were referred to, looked at qualifications, not religion.
I found the tone and tenor of negativity and caustic hatred were towards the Orthodox, last night. And if one thing came out of all that transpired, it was that I hope the people watch themselves and their colleagues on a replay and say why do I come across as such a hothead? Why do I sound like a raving lunatic who doesn't listen to others opinions that I disagree with. The mean-spirited comments were really from one side and could only be classified as angry.
THis was one thing and one thing alone. A person who's term had EXPIRED and the majority of the council decided to look for another qualified individual. Barbara Toffler isn't owed the position, it is an appointment with a term. What it looked like to a layman was sour grapes and almost like an ego-trip by Toffler that 'her position' was "removed" from her. Nothing could be farther from the truth. SHe may be very smart, but her humility needs a lot of work.
"puppetmaster"
If you think that Yitz Stern is controlling anything on the council, you really need to get your head examined. We are not talking about Karl Rove here, folks. Sure he helped people get into office, as would anyone else who had served many years in dedication, and who knows the lay of the land. This happens in the most conservative areas as well as the most liberal areas. Just like Cramer and Schwartz helps people, Yitz can help as well. I don't see your point here.
It sounds a lot like grasping at conspiracy theories and fear mongering without any evidence. I think you are trying to create a straw-man or boogieman to answer for your election shortcomings. I understand that you may feel like you have been slighted and certainly the election material was offensive. But how about the high road here folks. Get a grip of what you are doing. I know you think that you are trying to make things better. But it comes across as, literally, crazy. Especially when you keep talking about diversity and mutual respect, but then in action, show a disrespect and group-think bias towards an entire group.
If indeed this was initiated by one person, then why denigrate the many. Certainly you should see the logic in that. But the comments yesterday I heard in the peanut gallery, really surprised me. The same people who said how they weren't biased against the Orthodox, were making comments like, "see, the Orthodox did it again".
Just because the religion mandates a kind of 'barrier', if you will, between us, why should we be seen as the enemy of open-minded determination?
Correction......
on the Eruv comment. It was made by Mrs. Cramer, NOT Barbara Toffler, publicly. Apologies.
observer-
Funny thing is, THIS whole event will galvanize the Orthodox community against New Beginnings more than ever before. The childish and reckless behavior by some members of the council, as well as the pro-Toffler-at-any-expense crowd, will prove to be their undoing. There are plenty of self-made sound bites that will hurt the ears of the majority of the voting public. If Barbara Toffler has any intention of running for council, I fear it will be a waste of campaign contributions. Better off giving it to habitat for humanity. Surprisingly, ROn Schwartz was very even-keeled last night. There were a couple of questionable statements and a few outbursts about allowing people to speak past the 3 minute allotment (which, apparently, the New Beginnings supporters think they are not bound by) as well as speaking over the questions by the Mayor towards the township attorney. The problem, as I see it last night, was there was a group of obnoxious know-it-all's who didn't think they had to follow any rules... and funny enough, they were the one's accusing the 4 members of the council for the same.
One Interesting theory an be:
According to Sigmund Freud, PROJECTION is a psychological defense mechanism whereby one "projects" one's own undesirable thoughts, motivations, desires, and feelings onto someone else.
Hmm, sounds plausible following the display last night.
Not talking about Karl Rove? It looks like Karl Rove came to town and gave a free seminar to the majority of bloggers posting here.
Haven't you heard, Karl Rove is retiring from his great success at the White House to take the Schwartz-Cramer-Toffler team under his wing. Of course, there ain't much he can l'arn 'em. They already know his tricks.
Excerpts from six different reviews of Toffler's book:
"The author sounded like a child who was left out of the 'in' group and therefor, nothing went her way."
"What's interesting here is the fact that Barbara Toffler, who clearly considers herself to be an "ethics expert", openly confesses that she was just as ruthless and greedy as everyone else at Andersen. But the reader is left wondering if she ever really quite gets it - does she understand she's just as morally culpable as the Andersen partners she eviscerates? She certainly doesn't seem to be too troubled by her own long list of questionable actions, in any case. The old joke about the definition of "chutzpah" being a person who murders his parents and then pleads for mercy because he's an orphan gets an update here: an unethical peddlar of "ethical services" who turns a quick buck by selling her story. You might feel like taking a shower after you finish this one."
"It was written by an ethics consultant who clearly didn't follow the standards that she is trying to preach, it left a bad taste in my mouth. As other reviewers have mentioned -- the author is jaded, bitter, and angry at herself, but still tries to "teach" the readers a moral lesson."
"For an "ethics expert", she seems as culpable as those she blames. Much time is spent talking about her enemies."
"Tends to be a bit preachy, self-righteous, apologetic and hypocritical--often all at once."
"I had the displeasure of meeting Ms. Toffler a number of times at Andersen. Her personality made Leona Helmsley seem like Miss Manners by comparison. She was abrupt and rude to almost everyone she met and would never have fitted in at any large professional firm."
"I had the displeasure of meeting Ms. Toffler a number of times at Andersen. Her personality made Leona Helmsley seem like Miss Manners by comparison. She was abrupt and rude to almost everyone she met and would never have fitted in at any large professional firm."
lol That's my favorite. ;>
Gussen just couldn't help himself in his effort at character assassination of Barbara Toffler at Tuesday's Council meeting. So he (or a "friend") typed up the details he shamelessly tried to read into the record last night.
This page at Amazon.com, where Mr. Gussen seems to have scraped up his negative book reviews, consists entirely of reviews by readers, without a single professional reviewer among the rabble. As unfamiliar as I am with such book reviewers as "Purplelabrador" or "A Reader", and as wonderful as it is that average Joes are trying to put their two cents in, these reviews have no worth whatsoever in evaluating the critical value of the book. Furthermore, there are a significant number of positive reviews and a few rather selective extracts in which Mr. Gussen (or a like minded lackey) deliberately ignores positive aspects of the book from some of these reviewers (see all of GavinFarrMedia, not just Mr. Gussen's choice).
In addition to the positive blurbs for the book from such meaningful figures as Paul Volcker and Arthur Levitt, Jr. (former SEC chair) comes this real review from From Publishers Weekly: "The doomed accounting firm of Arthur Andersen emerges as a grown-up version of Lord of the Flies in this fascinating insider exposé. Toffler, a Columbia Business School professor and an expert on management ethics, provides an engrossing history of the accounting firm, from its early days as an icon of financial probity to its demise after a drumroll of accounting scandals culminating in the Enron and WorldCom bankruptcies. But the book's greatest strength is the author's first-hand account of corporate corruption. Toffler spent four years at Andersen selling ethics consulting services to clients while her own ethics were affronted and compromised by the atmosphere at Andersen. As a consultant, Toffler wasn't involved in the auditing shenanigans that brought Andersen down, but there was sleaze a-plenty-outrageous over-billing and forcefully selling consulting services clients didn't need-in her bailiwick. Her observations of this sordid milieu, of bullying bosses, desperate sales pitches, jockeying for power and demeaning motivational hoopla, are both funny and revealing. Looking beyond the "bad apples" to the "rotten culture," Toffler blames Andersen's problems on an ethos of conformity and deference to senior managers, bizarre compensation schemes that set partners at each other's throats, and the relentless pressure for lucrative consulting tie-ins that made auditors acquiesce in clients' fraudulent bookkeeping. The result is a case study in "group dependency," in which moral chaos mounts as good people do nothing. Toffler's acerbic wit and keen analysis make this essential reading for anyone concerned with the profit-driven turpitude of corporate America."
One doesn't have to be deep in the belly of corporate America to see unethical behavior. Mr. Gussen put on quite a display of venality last night.
Wasn't she part of that group deep in the belly of corporate America?
Sad that the majority of people posting on this blog and others seem more interested in punishing Barbara Toffler than they are in working together to fix what is clearly a problem in town.
The point is there was no problem before she and her pals dragged the Times into town to manufacture a crisis that does not and did not exist here.
The Orthodox residents of Teaneck are exactly like everybody else in town and are fully integrated into the fabric of community life with no agenda to control anybody or anything.
Those involved in getting the Times article run are genuinely bad people. keeping that small group from positions of influence in town is good for Teaneck.
The Orthodox residents of Teaneck are exactly like everybody else in town and are fully integrated into the fabric of community life .
You sure about that? That is why they have their own shops, baseball teams, schools, and so on, right?
8:50--
YOU are the problem in Teaneck. YOU are a bigot. Check the Ambulance Corps; check anything else going on in town and you will find the Orthodox blending in.
If you have a heart attack make sure the medic who treats you isn't one of the Orthodox ones.
Try shopping in any store in Teaneck. Are there any that have refused to serve you?
Which baseball team rejected your child?
Sick,sick,sick!
I repeat: what is the purpose of punishing Barbara Toffler? Hasn't that now been done? Shouldn't we be working together to solve our problems? I question the motive of continued name-calling and mudslinging -- that will never solve anything.
Anonymous 8:50am, not that your ridiculousness should have to be answered, but here I go:
1) "That is why they have their own shops...": There is nothing stopping you from patronizing a shop or restaurant owned by an Orthodox Jew, unless it's something inherent in you.
2)"...baseball teams...": If Teaneck Southern did not play many of their games on Friday night and Saturday, I'm sure there would be no need for a league that does not play on the Jewish Sabbath.
Would you rather that the Orthodox make a stink to "force" Teaneck Southern to not play on the Jewish Sabbath?!
In Teaneck sports where games are not played on Friday night and Saturday (like Teaneck Jr. Soccer and Teaneck Basketball), there is plenty of "integration" between Orthodox Jews and the rest of the community.
By the way, how many Teaneck Southern games are played on Sundays before noon? Would it be safe to say.... NONE. Could that have something to do with respecting the sensibilities of church goers? That's very admirable, but then don't tell me that my kids have to play at a time that they are prohibited from doing so.
3) "...schools...": I suppose the Orthodox Jews of Teaneck are sending their kids to private school.
It would be a heck of a lot easier on me if I didn't shell out $10-15,000 a year per child for school.
If all of the parents of kids in private school decided suddenly to send their kids to the Teaneck public schools, do you have any idea what kind of chaos and budget crisis that would cause?
4) "...and so on...": Care to elaborate on your yada, yada, yada?
"You sure about that? That is why they have their own shops, baseball teams, schools, and so on, right?"
Shops: Yes, we do need to buy Kosher food, which necessitates Kosher groceries and restaurants. Also, we sometimes need to buy prayer books or ritual items, which calls for Judaica shops. And some women wear sheitels or head coverings, so we need wig and hat stores.
Teams: I don't have children (yet), but of the Orthodox families I know, many of the children participate on town teams. Moreover, some of the parents coach these teams.
Schools: I believe that someone else on the blogs has eloquently discussed the need for Yeshivas (religious schools). Still, let me say this -- I attended public school for many years and went on to attend an Ivy League for college and graduate school. However, I was not raised Orthodox. Orthodox Jews do not send their children to private schools because public schools are academically inadequate or because we seek to isolate ourselves. The simple fact is that yeshivas instruct our children in Jewish law and Hebrew, serve Kosher food and offer (for those parents who so desire) single-sex educational opportunities.
[As an aside, I attended a private boarding school for the last two years of high school and -- contrary to common expectation -- found that institution to be much more socially and economically integrated than my local public school.]
Ultimately, diversity and acceptance and integration do not mandate an abandonment of tradition or culture. To do so would be to impoverish the gifts we have to offer one another.
The anger and resentment directed towards the Orthodox on these blogs is saddening. My husband and I recently moved to Teaneck from NYC and I hate to think that we might have made a mistake.
YOU are the problem in Teaneck. YOU are a bigot. Check the Ambulance Corps; check anything else going on in town and you will find the Orthodox blending in.
Outside of the Ambulance Corp I dont see it.
Try shopping in any store in Teaneck. Are there any that have refused to serve you?
I am not Jewish. Hence I do not frequent the Jewish shops on Cedar Lane, they do not sell anything I want or need.
Which baseball team rejected your child?
Sorry my kids do not play BB, they play soccer. And last I checked any kid can get on a BB Team here in town or am I mistaken?
Sick,sick,sick!
As my kids say, Whatever?!?!
"I am not Jewish. Hence I do not frequent the Jewish shops on Cedar Lane, they do not sell anything I want or need.":
Sorry that you're offended by "Jewish shops". Actually if I'm not mistaken, aside from kosher food establishments (I'm sure you need to eat. While you may choose to refuse to eat kosher food, food is still something you "need")on Cedar Lane there are a grand total of 2 stores (Judaica House and Zoldans) that sell products primarily for Jewish use on Cedar Lane.
Contrast that with the 15 - 15!!!! - hair and nail salons on the street. If I was as self-centered as you, I would ask that all "those shops" be closed down, since I have no use for them.
As for the restaurants on Cedar Lane, a quick survey of the Cedar Lane website shows that of the 40-45 restaurants listed, less than 10 of them are kosher. Considering that the large Orthodox population of the town, it doesn't seem that <25% kosher is a large portion.
40-45 restaurants listed
We are talking about Cedar Lane, Teaneck NJ, right? Where are all of these restaurants you mention? I only come up with this list;
Restaurants / Take-Out
Annapurna Indian Grocery grocery store not a restaurant
Aquarius Health Foods (this really is not a restuarant)
B&B Cafe
Bischoff's - Confectioners/ Ice Cream Parlor
Butterflake Bakery not a restuarant
Cafe Adam
Cedar Lane Grill
Coliseum Pizzeria
Duomo Italian Restaurant
Empire Hunan II
Esme Bistro
Fancy Delights
Five Star Coffee Shop
Geronimo! Hot Spot
International House of Pancakes
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Limone's Farm not even on Cedar Lane
Louie's Charcoal Pit
Mabat
Ma'adan Glatt Kosher
New Asia Chinese Takeout
Noah's Ark
Pizza Crave
Sababa Grill
Shelly's Vegetarian Restaurant
Subway
taste budzz restaurant
Taipei Noodle House
Three Star Bagels & Restaurant
Veggie Heaven Restaurant
Victor's Pizzeria & Italian Restaurant
And I am not offended by the "jew" shops I just have no use for them, I am sure that there is some market for them, perhaps if I ever get chemo I can frequent some of the hat or wig shops.
Ok, I apologize for the 40-45.
From that list there are 24-25 restaurants on the list you noted, 8 are strictly kosher. Still only 32% (a 7% difference from my earlier posting). Hardly overwhelming given the makeup of the town.
Anon 12:27 --
The comment re: chemo was gratuitous. Why are you so angry (at an entire group of people)?
Listen here you myopic, racist...
Noone was forced to open up or close a store on Cedar Ln. It's a free market and if another store could do better, it would buy out something else.
You have no use for the stores, but I don't see you saying that you have no use for the tax revenue they generate for the town.
The comment re: chemo was gratuitous.
What are you talking about? Dont people that loose their hair to chemo wear wigs and hats? That is what I have observed.
Why are you so angry (at an entire group of people)?
Not angry, actually in-dfifferent would be a better word.
Anon 12:37: While I do not agree I agree with Anon 12:27 on the issue being discussed, I don't believe he/she meant to be offensive to cancer patients with his/her chemo comment. I think it was just an innocent lighthearted comment.
Listen here you myopic, racist...
A short sighted racist? Well isn't that a new one.
Noone was forced to open up or close a store on Cedar Ln. It's a free market and if another store could do better, it would buy out something else.
Yup, what is your point? Do we all have to excude excitment/joy over what is on Cedar Lane? Are we supposed to frequent these places even if we do not have a use for them, just because some "group" owns the shops?
You have no use for the stores, but I don't see you saying that you have no use for the tax revenue they generate for the town.
How much do they really generate in tax revenue? Is it enough so al the residents in town can get a tax break? Nope!
Anon 12:46: "Is it enough so al the residents in town can get a tax break? Nope!"
Take these stores off of the tax roll and see how much higher your taxes shoot.
Cedar Lane was nothing to talk about 15 years ago when I moved into town and there were 2 kosher restaurants and a Judaica site. In fact, it was still much better off than the Englewood shopping district. Kosher/Judaic shops have moved in to fill a vacuum caused by a town that failed to attract other businesses or upgrade its infrastructure like Englewood did.
The death of the Cedar Lane - blame the malls, Staples, Home Depot and others.
The failure of the Cedar Lane district to attract a broader range of stores - blame the town and the 75% or so non-Orthodox residents of Teaneck who failed to sufficiently patronize the stores that were there.
Wait, didn't the town spend millions in upgrading the district. Sure did. Made it a much more appealing place to shop - right?
Why can't we have a ballot initiative in which Teaneck gets to vote on the proposition that "the citizens feel it is wrong and immoral to force the township not to have businesses open on Sundays."
Also why can't we challenge the Blue Law in court?
I have heard that no other county in the nation has so restrictive a Sunday law.
If it were possible to do business Sundays in Teaneck, many national chains would have reason to be interested in opening in Teaneck.
Wait, didn't the town spend millions in upgrading the district. Sure did. Made it a much more appealing place to shop - right?
Yup spent millions but it still is not an appealing place to shop and it is even a worde mess to drive through!
If it were possible to do business Sundays in Teaneck, many national chains would have reason to be interested in opening in Teaneck
while I agree that the blue laws need to go I do not think getting rid of them will do anything to bring more business into town.
Also how does Englewood manage with the blue laws in place to attract the business it has?
Englewood had Shoprite as an attraction plus it does not have the Orthodox image that Teaneck has.
plus it does not have the Orthodox image that Teaneck has.
Oh my god, Teaneck has an Orhodox image! Get outta here!
LOL!(Laughting Out Loud) Thanks Anon 7:21. I needed that.
welcome 10:14
Towns change. If you don't like what Teaneck has become. Move. Otherwise, open your own stores on the Lane and stop whining.
the fact that we couldnt get a starbucks as an anchor on cedar lane is inexcusable. the store is still vacant. someone explain that to me.
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