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Ramsey Civic
Association Special Meeting
August 20, 2003 - Ramsey Library
Guest Speaker,
Mr. George Bumiller
The meeting came
to order at7:07PM.
Ramsey Day
JoAnn Carroll informed the members that the favors and t-shirts had
arrived. Also that we still need more volunteers for the booth and
to march in the parade.
Candidates Night
Jim stated that Candidates Night (CN) has been set up for October 21st
at the High School. All 4 candidates have been confirmed for this
date. He also added that he wants to run an advertisement in the
Home and Store News the week prior to CN. Mayor Muti, who was in
attendance, suggested that Jim look into placing the ad in the Suburban
since their ads are cheaper and they have good coverage of Ramsey. Jim
asked for members to make donations toward the advertisement. Steve
Strollo favored the motion and Joan Keeney agreed to second the motion. The
motion was approved and carried.
BOE Tour at Dater School on August 19, 2003
Jim announced that the tour ofDater School went very well and that he
would be writing a letter thanking their host for the evening.
Nominating Committee
Steve Strollo reported that he has spoken to the board who favor the candidates
for November. He also stated that all the incumbents, except Joanne
Browne, are interested in another term.
Citizens Assistance
Joan Keeney announced that she and Angela Strollo (who was not present
at the meeting) were working with Gina Ratto and the Center for Food Action
to adopt a local family for the upcoming holidays. As more information
is obtained, Joan said she would keep the Association updated.
Jim introduced George
Bumiller, who would be giving us another view of the BOE.
George informed the
audience that he had been a Ramsey resident for 40 years, and had served
on the BOE for 14 years.
The following is
information provided by Mr. Bumiller:
- There is a lack
of communication between the BOE and the public
- There is a lot
of information that comes up at BOE meetings that is never recorded
- Without state
aid figures the BOE cannot have a firm budget to present
- It is too late
in the budget process to have public comments at the Formal Budget Meeting
- George believes
that the public should attend BOE meetings
- In regards to
the RCA, he believes members should attend, take notes and then post
them on the RCA website in a timely manner
After his initial
talk, Mr. Bumiller answered questions from the audience. (Bob Baxter,
member of the BOE, was in the audience, and also fielded some questions.)
Jim requested a copy
of the second report on Dater from Mr. Baxter so he could post it on the
RCA website.
Mr. Baxter announced
that there is a committee wide meeting on September 10th.
Mayor Muti was asked
if he could have the floor, and his request was granted by Jim.
The Mayor wanted
to inform the audience regarding the passing of a new law by New Jersey
which was lobbied by the NJEA. If an agreement is not met when the
BOE and the teacher’s union are in negotiations, the BOE could impose
its best/last offer to the teachers. With this new law, they cannot
impose their best/last offer anymore. If no agreement is met, the
current contract stays in effect. This gives more bargaining power
to the teacher’s unions. The BOE has lost a lot of leverage
with the teacher’s unions. This “bodes ill for municipalities
and increases our costs.”
Mayor Muti also wanted
to announce that he is on the verge of having contracts signed with various
unions which would have a 14% savings in health care costs.
George Bumiller provided
the audience with his e:mail address which is as follows: george@georgeforramseyandschools.com
In closing, Jim thanked
George and all in attendance for a very productive meeting.
He also wanted all members to keep in mind Ramsey Day and Candidates Night.
There were 23 people
in attendance. The meeting was adjourned at 8:27PM.
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