Rockleigh - Time For Change

11/29/2021

Mark your calendars...Mayor and Council meeting is Monday, December 6, 2021 at 8pm at Borough Hall...all are welcome!!

11/18/2021

The election has finally been certified and while we are disappointed in the outcome Peter, Fred and I are so grateful for all of you who came out to vote and support us.
It was VERY close!
We hope that we have energized other borough residents to become/stay involved with the issues our town faces.
We will be posting and mailing out a complete calendar of borough meetings when it’s available but mark your calendars…the next Mayor and Council meeting is Monday, December 6 @ 8pm at the Borough Hall.
The best way to make sure the borough official are working FOR you is to come out and listen to what they are doing. Every meeting is open to the public and there is time to voice any issues or concerns for the Council to address.
Again, thank you for your support!

11/03/2021

Ballots are still being counted! Win or lose we are so happy that a 'change' in Rockleigh has happened...unprecedented number of voters came out for a non presidential election!! Thank you!!

11/02/2021

Today is the day...GET OUT AND VOTE!!

10/24/2021

This week early voting locations are open and if you are voting by mail now is the time to drop off ballots!!!
IT’S TIME FOR CHANGE!!
Lisa, Peter and Fred are ready to get to work for Rockleigh!!

10/14/2021

Core Issues: Addressing our
Present Concerns and Planning for the Future

• The county property (48 acres) within the Borough of Rockleigh be re-zoned Husbandry – Equestrian and Organic Farming - 3 Acre minimum lot sizes, NOT Industrial.
Approximately 7 years ago, the State of NJ and Bergen County initiated discussions to sell the 48 acre property north of Paris Avenue and west of Piermont Road. At that time the Borough of Rockleigh quickly rezoned the property for industrial use. Do we want to be known as an “Industrial Park” or a Historical Town with horse farms, farming, and large homes? We would like to see this property re-zoned prior to sale of the property.

• EPA issues with the Carlee Factory need be actively addressed and communicated to the residents of Rockleigh.
For more than 10 years, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) deemed Carlee Corp. a contaminated site. See DEP file – Master File Site ID 14157 PI Number 006034 CARLEE CORP 28 PIERMONT RD. Residents have tried to find out what contaminants are present and how residents have been affected, to no avail. We would bring transparency to such a serious issue by keeping residents updated and ensuring that efforts are taken to remediate any toxic substances in our town.

• Address and comply with affordable housing requirements imposed by Federal and State government.
Approximately 2 years ago, the Borough of Rockleigh was cited as not meeting its requirements for affordable housing requirements. On March 10, 2015, in a unanimous (6-0) decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court clarified the procedures for determining affordable housing in the 566 municipalities in the state. As a result of the long history of inaction by the Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), the Court found “there no longer exists a legitimate basis to block access to the court” for parties concerned with municipal compliance with the constitutional obligation to provide a realistic opportunity for the provision of affordable housing. The Borough is scheduled to be re-examined in 2025. What are we actively doing to meet our requirements? Due to their inaction, many other municipalities have been subject to steep fines and finding themselves at the mercy of developers building large affordable housing developments that affect the dynamics of the town. We would engage the residents to determine the best course of action and proactively address these requirements.

• Independent leadership and fair representation.
This would involve ensuring that all correspondence, grievances or complaints to the Borough is addressed promptly, respectfully, and compliant with the standards and ethics bestowed upon the governing body. This would also include all Boards, Committees and Independent Boards – like the Board of Education. An example is that all Northvale Board of Education and Old Tappan Northern Valley District Board of Education meetings are attended by at least one designated member of the Rockleigh Board of Education and detailed minutes / notes are recorded.

• Accountability and transparency at all levels of governance. This would include having all Borough of Rockleigh meetings audio recorded including those of all Boards and Committees. Also, all outside contracts and vendors operating within the Borough, including the vendors authorized by the Board of Education, should be reviewed annually and go to bid at least every 2 years.

• Zero-tolerance for discrimination, physical or verbal abuse, un-ethical behavior, defamation, disrespect, offensive actions, slander, vilification, libel, etc. within the governing body of the Borough of Rockleigh or within the Borough itself.
All residents and non-residents of Rockleigh or anyone else all need to be treated with respect, courtesy, civility, and without discrimination. The governing body of the Borough of Rockleigh must adhere and enforce these principles to the highest of standards and take appropriate actions when offenses occur.

• The Planning Board within the Borough of Rockleigh has always been controversial. A complete review by the Mayor and Counsel and the Planning Board should be conducted to address all issues or concerns residents have brought up.
By example:
** Extended discussions over 12 months to institute a Pool Ordnance, a Shed Ordinance, & Solar Panel Ordinance are not considered effective or efficient processing of legislation,
** fee structures to applicants, capped fees, and responsibility of fees,
** conflicting variance requirements,
** extra burden of processing an application for a non-conforming residential lot which is automatically thrown into a variance application is not effective or efficient processing of legislation, ETC.

10/14/2021

Dear Rockleigh Residents,

Most have probably noticed lawn signs asking for you to Vote in the upcoming election.

Despite our best efforts to demand a more fair and equitable governmental process, we believe that the current candidates for reelection no longer represent these values. We respectfully submit our candidacy for Council because we want to address pressing issues that affect all residents.

To that end, we write to inform you of our platform, which aims to increase transparency of governmental decisions, provide fair representation to our residents, that will candidly engage on important matters, and improve the efficiency of the town’s response to resident petitions and grievances (including Planning Board submissions, resident complaints, decisions regarding our education system, etc.). The following list briefly lists some core priorities of this slate of proposed councilmembers.

We welcome the opportunity to speak with any resident about our platform and hope to earn your vote. We can be reached by email at [email protected]

Respectfully yours,
Lisa , Peter, and Fred

10/08/2021

Here is some great voting info!!

10/08/2021

https://www.state.nj.us/state/elections/voter-registration.shtml

NJ Voter information about the November 3, 2020 General Election.

10/02/2021

October 12 is the deadline to register to vote in the November 2 election...its SO easy...go to state.nj.us...to fill out online application!!

09/30/2021

Peter Walsh, MD
Child Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry

FAMILY

The first time I rode my bike up Piermont Road I had the same thought I think many people have, “what a beautiful slice of country in the middle of the suburbs”. It was 1998 and I had recently moved to Bergen County from New York City with my wife Stephanie Cohen-Walsh MD and two young daughters - Sydney and Chloe. Before long Stephanie, an avid horsewoman and native Bergen County girl, had us both saddled-up and spending much of our free time at Rockleigh Equestrian Center. Three years later due to the unfortunate passing of the farm’s owner, we were given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go out on a limb and purchase the farm.

Having recently graduated from my residency at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center in NYC, I had established one of the first Child/Adolescent and Adult Psychiatry group practices in Manhattan and Stephanie was early in starting her practice of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery concentrating on breast cancer reconstruction at Hackensack University Medical Center. Despite our busy medical careers, we felt we could not think of a better situation in which to raise our children, frequently host my large and close knit family and become part of a larger community. We cherish the natural charm of the farm and realize that as a focal point of Rockleigh it is imperative to keep our County’s rare open spaces maintained as best as possible.

Raising Sydney & Chloe, in the town of Rockleigh has been a wonderful experience. We believed in the public school system and sent them to Northvale Elementary School followed by the Northern Valley Old Tappan High school.

In my profession, I focus on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In addition to my practice, I have been a clinical attending teaching Psychiatry residents and medical students at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital for over 20 years. I have been director of both the Columbia Pediatric Psychiatric Emergency Services and the Pediatric Trauma Clinic. I have also developed psychiatric trauma centers throughout Eastern Europe following the fall of the USSR.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

With my professional expertise and credentials, I had the urge and volunteered my services to the Northvale School system, writing and consulting with the faculty on their bullying policies and psychological services for the school population. I also substituted for the school nurse on occasion. My wife and I contributed financially during that time to allow the Northvale School to establish an outdoor classroom, improved biology lab, and the resource room at Nathan Hale. The experience at the school steered me to serve on the Rockleigh School Board of Education from 2002-2009 whereby I was also instrumental in establishing the Rockleigh Seat on the Northvale School Board of Education.

After serving with the Rockleigh School Board of Education, I was asked to serve on the Rockleigh Planning Board which I did from 2011-2019. I gained first-hand experience with the system of government and how it directly affects the homeowners and the town as a whole. When the COVID pandemic became a reality, many Rockleigh residents may not be aware that our Ambulance Corp. from Northvale suffered a significant attrition and was seriously in danger of not being able to adequately service the Rockleigh community full time. Since April 2020 I have volunteered as a driver and assistant to the Northvale Ambulance Corp. So, if the unfortunate happens and you need assistance from the NVAC on Sunday night into Monday mornings, I will be there to get you to the hospital quickly and safely!

PHILANTHROPY AND CHARITY

My wife and I both have a fundamental philosophy of giving back to our communities and beyond. From 2002 to 2010 we ran a riding camp at REC for economically disadvantaged children in NJ ages 10-14. In this program the children had a free summer equestrian camp for 6 weeks, benefitting from the country environment in Rockleigh. During the camp we also provided academic tutoring to enhance their school functioning in the fall. In 2008 Stephanie co-founded a Pediatric Surgical mission called Operation International Kids that provides free surgical treatment for children in economically disadvantaged countries throughout the world. In this completely voluntary organization I became the coordinator and on-site clinical director of a team of 20-25 surgeons, pediatricians and nurses that have completed 12 missions traveling to 7 countries on 3 continents.

In 2016 during one of our missions, I was in a slum in Nairobi, Kenya known as Kibera. I came upon a small all-girl’s school which was an oasis in the middle of the largest slum in Africa. The school, Shining Hope for Our Communities (SHOFCO), had absolutely no psychological services in a community where 40% of the girls younger than 14 had suffered a sexual assault. I developed a partnership with the school as a Child Psychiatric Consult. I am also the primary author and developer of a Cognitive Behavioral Group Treatment program focused on identifying and treating children who have been physically or sexually abused. I travel to Nairobi yearly for direct treatment and supervision. I also work remotely weekly with their social workers. Some indications that this program’s success is that graduates of the program have begun attending boarding schools here in the U.S. Stephanie and I host them for 3 weeks each August to help them acculturate prior to starting their school year.

Moving to Rockleigh has been a defining event in my life and my family’s lives. Owning Rockleigh Equestrian Center is a constant labor of love and passion. Our Family and the Rockleigh Equestrian Center have been the center of our professional lives, our community service, and our philanthropic charitable works. It is our desire is to keep the Rockleigh Equestrian Center supporting itself, be a pristine focal point within the beautiful town of Rockleigh, and for our family to continue serving the Rockleigh-Northvale Communities, as well as, continuing our philanthropic charitable works domestically and internationally.