August 1
...serving up your daily dish.
And we thought Montclair was Baristaville's mecca for conflict of interest. Over in Glen Ridge, there's a movement afoot to ban/restrict leaf blowers. As I sit serenaded by some this very minute, I can say, yes, they are annoying, except when it's my lawn that's getting "blown." But if you're going to lead a movement, shouldn't your motives be pure (or at least beyond reproach). A reader writes...
Did anyone else notice in last week's GR Voice the article about a proposed blower ban/restriction in GR. The councilwoman promoting the ban, Elizabeth Brewster, is also a partner in a "blower-free" landscaping company called "Eco-Ladies." That nugget was kind of buried after the jump but it caught my eye. Colour me cynical, but does this border on a conflict of interest?
Colour Color me confused (and not British). Does this mean the "Eco-Ladies" refuse to blow, no matter what the circumstances? Aren't there situations when blowing becomes necessary? Do they wear T-shirts that say "Eco-Ladies Don't Blow." And are there a lot of unhappy Eco-Men in Glen Ridge?
UPDATE: We spoke to Councilwoman Brewster who said she would recuse herself if voting to ban leaf blowers ever came before the council. Brewster, along with fellow Ridger Kathy Lawrie, started Eco-Ladies as a result of their passionate dislike for blowers. The ladies currently have three clients for their quieter, gentler services and wanted to offer homeowners an alternative to blowing. The ladies use battery-operated equipment as well as doing much of the work by hand. According to Mayor Carl Bergmanson, the movement so far hasn't garnered a lot of support, since most of Glen Ridge seems pro-blow.
perhaps they pick up the leaves one by one in short skirts?
Posted by: realhawker | Aug 1, 2005 9:23:34 AM
Why don't people want to rake leaves anymore? (And then use them as mulch?) Or, if that's not possible, hire a kid to do it? Why have we become so dependent on machines? What's wrong with a little exercise?
Posted by: Miss Martta | Aug 1, 2005 9:26:37 AM
Liz ... Don't think your double entendre's made it past my watchful eye. I'm calling Jerry Falwell.
Posted by: Shabe | Aug 1, 2005 9:52:44 AM
Ecological Calvinism. I surely hope there is not a total ban so close to the border of Montclair.
Surely our fundamentalists will then begin to wail that our "sins" too be washed away.
Posted by: Right of Center™ | Aug 1, 2005 9:54:46 AM
Maybe they just don't like the noise, ROC.
Posted by: youstinkinbastarrdsihateyoupeople | Aug 1, 2005 10:35:13 AM
ooops, sorry about the nom de plume
Posted by: youstinkinbastarrdsihateyoupeople | Aug 1, 2005 10:36:47 AM
So is the councilwoman trying to drive the other landscapers out of business? By using her position in government to enact ordinances that would hurt them and benefit her?
Posted by: HST | Aug 1, 2005 10:59:15 AM
Quite frankly, I think the whole story will 'blow' over.
Posted by: frosty | Aug 1, 2005 11:35:57 AM
Why not limit blowing to certain times of day, or schedule different neighborhoods of Glen Ridge to specific days of the week? I understand the annoyance with hearing the blowers all week long, but I don't think it needs to be all or nothing.
Posted by: Jessica | Aug 1, 2005 12:01:29 PM
Why not limit blowing to certain times of day, or schedule different neighborhoods of Glen Ridge to specific days of the week? I understand the annoyance with hearing the blowers all week long, but I don't think it needs to be all or nothing.
Posted by: Jessica | Aug 1, 2005 12:04:35 PM
If you've got allergies, those blowers are tools of the devil, they blow up huge clouds of allergens that would otherwise remain on the ground. Ever walked through one of those clouds? One more reason why asthma rates are on the rise. Ban 'em and good riddance!
Posted by: curmudgeon | Aug 1, 2005 12:34:49 PM
"Why not limit blowing to certain times of day..."
In the spirit of constructive civic discourse, I offer the following Proposed SChedule for Noise Making in Glen Ridge:
6 am to 7 am: Time for stockbrokers and corporate lawyers to leave for work. Permitted noises: picking up WSJ from front driveway; scuffling of leather-soled shoes, clicking of stillettos.
7 to 7:30: Moderate leaf blowing, under 4 hp engines only.
7:30 to 9: Time to get kids off to school/camp. Noises limited to shouting, skipping, crying and screaming.
9 to 9:30: Leaf blowing permitted.
9:30 to 11pm: Lawn mowers permitted, no leaf blowers.
11 pm to noon: Edge trimmers permitted, no leaf blowers or lawn mowers.
noon to 3 pm: Siesta. No engines (including cars); no talking above a whisper.
3 to 4 pm: children again (see above).
4 to 4:30: Motorcycle revving allowed on alternate days.
4:30 to 5:30: Moderate leaf blowing permitted.
5:30 to 7 pm: Lawyers return home, noises limited to throat clearing, nose blowing, peck on cheek.
7pm to 8:30 pm: Dinnertime. Noise limited to abuse directed at family members.
8:30 to 10 pm: Dog walking time. Noises limited to yanking on leash and muttering "where did he go?"
10pm to 11 pm: Meditation and /or reading time. No noises please.
11 pm to 11:30: Daily Show (laughing permitted).
11:30 to midnight: Bacchanalia (raping, pilloring etc) allowed by permit only.
Midnight to 6 am. No talking in sleep.
Posted by: walleroo | Aug 1, 2005 12:39:04 PM
i agree with the blow ban. i work at home and as soon as the season comes to open the windows, i have to close them again because of the endless noise and dust. i also would support a pesticide ban. our neighbors spray and spray and it comes into our windows and stinks up our house. we are against the use of poisons yet we are subjected to it endlessly. our neighbors have two very small children and i wonder what their health repercussions will be...
Posted by: julia | Aug 1, 2005 1:11:21 PM
there are much more important causes in the world, is this really worth the time?
Posted by: jimmythecreep | Aug 1, 2005 1:20:48 PM
Not nearly as important than, say, telling other people that their concerns are trivial and a waste of time...
Posted by: Right of Center™ | Aug 1, 2005 1:31:31 PM
"Not nearly as important than, say, telling other people that their concerns are trivial and a waste of time..."
LOL! Classic!
Posted by: Miss Martta | Aug 1, 2005 1:57:43 PM
Right about now, somebody will come along and complain about the same 5 or 6 people who always ruin it for everybody else...
Posted by: walleroo | Aug 1, 2005 2:07:36 PM
I just want to know what "pilloring" is, walleroo. Is that where you tie someone to a column and tickle them to death with a goose feather? Or is it a device made out of those same feathers that, you know, goes around "something" and fills up and hardens the old pillowcase?
Also, how does it go with raping?
Posted by: cathar | Aug 1, 2005 2:29:45 PM
note to self-see if husband can get spell check working in time for next post--lol
Posted by: cstarling | Aug 1, 2005 2:49:21 PM
My blower converts to a vacuum. Can I use it to swallow up the leaves? Winky-winky.
Posted by: Shabe | Aug 1, 2005 3:14:35 PM
isn't there a solution about the leaf blowers? why can't the manufacturers make a muffler, or a quiet leaf blower? It shouldn't be that difficult. also, perhaps some kind of a hood or whatever to keep the leaf blowers from directing the leaves, dirt, etc. upward, and just keep them moving forward at a lower angle to the ground. if the manufacturers could adapt the blowers to quieter and cleaner specs, maybe everyone could be happy.
Posted by: fran | Aug 1, 2005 3:16:39 PM
