-- Winter 2005 Edition --

Letters to The Editor   Naugle House I was reading about the Naugle house. I am very interested in it. I was skating one day, and instead of making a left after I went over the bridge, I made a right. I came across the house. It is absolutely beautiful. I am taking pictures of it for my photography paragraph.    That house should not be destroyed, but restored. In an area such as Paramus and Fair Lawn, it begins to build up, and we lose more history. We have lost enough already, we shouldn't lose anymore. It is a shame. To think that there were farms, and lands of wild turkeys and such. What a change from farm, to shopping capital with major malls. It is crazy to think, Paramus and Fair Lawn are that old, because you do not see anymore of its history to prove. It is wrong. I think the house should be saved, and I am willing to help  Morgan De Groot   Garbage  Can anyone explain to me why Fair Lawn stops the twice-weekly trash collection on September 15th? I assume that the reason is to save money, but it is still very warm in September, and the trash sits for an entire week between collections. Given the fact that our real estate taxes have just increased dramatically, why could we not pick up twice a week till the first of October, a mere two additional weeks? Thanks for your attention,  Harriet Levitt   Note From the Editor:  We asked Ron Lottermann, the Borough's Recycling Coordinator.  He said "The Borough policy has been to collect garbage 2 times per week for three months out of the year. This is to save money on the garbage contract.  If we were to change the collection to end twice per week on October 1, then the front end of the collection would have to be changed to start on July 1. I think that there is more of a benefit, due to the heat, to have it pick up more in June than in September.  If the Borough was to add an additional two weeks onto the twice per week collection, it would cost the Borough more money that is not reflected in your recent tax increase. Therefore, your taxes would have to go higher to cover this change.  If any of your readers have any questions about the Recycling or Garbage collection, please have them contact me at the Recycling Office (201-794-5366).   Regarding Political Cartoon (See article in last edition) I can certainly respect and understand the opinion that the U.S. was ill-advised to invade Iraq, or that we handled it badly, or that Iraq was not the biggest threat to us, etc.   But the words of 14-year-old Alex Kahn in describing his political cartoon are worrisome to me. He says that the U.S. is all too eager to "impose our beliefs upon others." Our beliefs? You mean like freedom, democracy, that sort of thing?   If he had merely said we cannot realistically invade every country that abuses its citizens, I could understand. But the notion that we want to "impose" democracy on other countries sounds like a morally ambiguous statement. Saddam Hussein and his regime was torturing, raping, and abusing the people of Iraq, and I don't believe in moral subjectivity in such matters.   Perhaps Alex meant it in a different way. I hope so. I trust that he does not believe that governments which abuse their people are just as valid as that of the United States. Paul Fitzpatrick   It Really Is Wonderful  (Regarding Radburn:  One of the Seven Wonders and Trouble in Paradise.) For the past year, my wife and I have been checking out different towns in northern New Jersey.  After reading your article about Radburn wonders article, we drove out for the day to see it.     It was even nicer than we imagined it.  I agreed with the person in your article who said, "Wow, it's like heaven on Earth".  We took our three year old son and our Golden Retriever and they both had a great time.  I couldn't get over how the people were so amazingly friendly to us.     We're coming back in the Spring to find a house.  By the way, it was really interesting reading about the people trying to improve Radburn in your other article.  Radburn seems to attract some very extraordinary people.  One additional thing.  If you hear about an available 4 bedroom, 2 bath house on one of the parks, please let me know.  Richard Conway Upper West Side of Manhattan   The Radburn Association For years, there's been a lack of free flowing information between the residents of Radburn and the Radburn Association. Recent actions of the Board have created a firestorm in the community because major decisions have been made without community input.   I feel many trustees may not have been sufficiently informed of all facts related to decisions they've been asked to make - all as a consequence of how the Association has evolved and the manner in which it conducts its affairs.   I feel there is a growing desire for some changes in the way the Association interfaces with the Radburn community and this may require changes to the By-Laws of the Association to make the governance process of Radburn more fair and accessible.  Larry Koplik   It Doesn't Sound So Wonderful To Me  After reading the story "Trouble In Paradise" in Fair Lawn News regarding the Radburn Association's obsessive secrecy with regards to its residents, I have to say you should change the title of another story in Fair Lawn News from "Radburn: One of the Seven Wonders of Fair Lawn" to "Radburn: One Of the Seven Shames of Fair Lawn".   The way the oligarchy known as the Radburn Association responds to its members more closely resembles a banana republic dictatorship or a politburo, than a resident association in the great democracy of the USA.   Fourteen years ago when my wife and I looked to buy a house in Fair Lawn, we heard stories about the Radburn Association's heavy-handedness in dealing with its residents - stories about suing residents to remove backyard sheds, to remove replacement windows that didn't meet "standards", prohibiting re-siding the outside of houses, and the like. For this reason, the first question we asked when a broker told us of a house for sale was "Is the house part of the Radburn Association? - and if yes, we're not interested".   We were about to spend a quarter of a million dollars on a house and I was NOT about to have a secretive oligarchy dictate how I had to live in the house and what I could or could not do to improve my property. I'm confident in my decisions on appropriateness and I'm always sensitive to my neighbors' concerns with the impact my house improvements might have on their property. I was not about to have a secretive oligarchy flex its power with irrational rules on how I would live in my house.   The story "Trouble In Paradise" highlights the Radburn Association's most egregious contempt for its residents that I've heard about in my 14 years living in Fair Lawn. Even the strongest proponents of the "Radburn Experience" are revolting against the association's secrecy, largely in response to the Daly Field debacle.   My wife and I are glad we did not buy a house in the Radburn Association (and I have not painted my house purple). Thank you,  Gary Kane   Note From the Editor (who lives in Radburn):  Personally, I can't think of anywhere else that I'd rather live.      Another Supermarket is Needed  I moved to Fair Lawn almost two years ago and was surprised to find out that the Radburn area doesn't have a supermarket. How can Radburn be called a planned community without housing a supermarket? Why was it necessary to locate another discount chain drug store (Eckerd) when the town already had a CVS. That is just stupid planning on the part of those in charge. I have spoken to many neighbors who feel exactly the same way as I do. I hope that the Plaza Building, currently under construction, will house some great stores - restaurants, food stores, etc. How can I find out what stores are moving to the building. Please, let's not have yet another completely and totally unnecessary chain drug store or bank. The vast majority of my neighbors are driving to Ridgewood to go shopping and eat in restaurants. Shouldn't those who are in charge of planning try to get residents shopping where they live?  Carol Rothkopf   Tattered Flag I’m 25 and a resident in Fair Lawn .  I’m also a former Marine.  I’m just inquiring on an issue that is deeply troubling myself.  I live next door to Boston Market on Broadway in Fair Lawn , and my issue is this.  The American Flag which is supposed to be a symbol of our freedom, that so many people have given their lives for isn’t flying proud in front of that establishment.  Actually one of the strings is broken so it is laying on the branches of the tree below the flag pole.  The ends are tattered and torn, and every time I see our flag like that it hurts me.  I just today talked to the manager and a comment she made deeply disturbed me.  When I brought up the condition of our flag she actually said "I know". Any help you could give would be greatly appreciated by myself and any other patriotic Americans left. Greg Kahwajian   Regarding Martini and Flax (See 2004 article) It's outrageous that the state is paying millions of dollars for the last 15 years for John Martini's lawyers.  The man is a cold blooded killer.  Either kill him or let him rot in his jail cell.  What a complete waste of money.   I thought you'd appreciate what the victim's wife had to say a few years ago about Martini. Sy Rosenthal   Testimony by Irving Flax’s widow, Marilyn Flax, before a State Commission studying the death penalty. I decided to come today to unmask the veil that I have had before me for over 9 years and to tell you things that my own family does not know.   When my husband was murdered and John Martini was arrested, his 1st comment was, and it was recorded in the press: 'I don't care if they give me the death penalty because they don't blank kill in New Jersey.  He seemed to know something that day that obviously 9 years later is being held true. That's really scary to me....   'He told me, 'No, I have your husband, I kidnapped him and I want $100,000! If you get something like that, it is almost unbelievable...I remember sitting on my bed when I got that call and I hung up the phone and I had doodled $100,000.   A little bit later I got another call from the same man, and he was harassing me on the phone, telling me that if I called the police, that he would have somebody one day come back and kill me....   That day was a complete nightmare for me. I don't think that I really, when I look back and register, that the only way I was able to do what I needed to do, was that I was almost in a play, I was playing somebody's else's role.   I negotiated with the killer over the phone for $25,000...I had to drop off the ransom money, and this is why my case is unique, speaking to the killer and having to drop off the ransom money. I was wired. I had a bullet proof vest on me. I had an FBI agent crouched in the back seat of my car. I was supposed to throw the money out the window...   I remember my breath, I was breathing so hard, and I remember the crunching of the bullet proof vest every time I moved, and of the silence. And then I saw my husband's car drive up to the parking lot of the Forum Diner in Paramus.   I had my brights on because I wanted to see the man that had threatened my husband's life over the phone...I also felt at that moment that I would never see my husband again.   I saw him (Martini), and I am so sorry now that I didn't run him over with my car because that is really what I wanted to do. I assumed the authorities would do their job and would pick up the killer and my husband would come home safe to me, but that didn't happen, either.   The FBI lost him for whatever reason. I have a lot of anger there. My husband was found the next day shot with 3 bullets in the back of his head 5 minutes away from my home. I tried everything to save my husband's life. I did everything I needed to do. But I was let down by the authorities.   It caused tremendous trauma for me...Mental abuse is much worse because you can't see anything. I look normal. You might be seeing me shake a little bit because I am tense, But you can't imagine what I have gone through, what I feel inside, and I need today to make at least 1 of you feel the horror, the terror, the fear that I have lived with for 9 years....   John Martini is an evil, calculating killer. He killed my husband because he had killed somebody else and he needed the money to get away....   John Martini has had more than a half dozen public defenders defending him. Why? What is the Public Defender defending? Certainly not the public. They are not helping us. I think maybe their title should be public offender, because they are offending anybody who believes in the system."   I feel like I am fighting an empty battle. I do know that I am not going to give up. I want John Martini to be the 1st person executed in New Jersey.   I felt that eventually time would heal...I didn't want to be like this. I don't want anybody to have to go through what I am going through.