Village Council members and local merchants may not know the exact route to downtown's recovery, but they agree on one aspect: Negative press is hurting Ridgewood.

Carlene Magurne owns Shop Central, and she told council last night she's considering leaving Ridgewood.

Commuting from Old Tappan, she picked Ridgewood initially because "It's the Rodeo Drive of New Jersey." She's tired of all the negative press.

"It's a wonderful town. I brought my business here, and I want to get the most I can," she said.

Deputy Mayor Keith Killion agreed on the negative effect of negative press.

"The crime rates are down—there's a lot of things good about Ridgewood," Killion said. "The council and store owners need to say good things. They need to look at it positively. We need cooperation, but negativism isn't helping anyone."

Killion said "the press" mostly prints negative stories and neglected to publicize recent openings at Crumbs or Joaillier. Initially, he believes, people thought getting the word on the village's troubles would be a good thing, but instead it has yielded negative results. 

"For some chamber members, it's really worked against them. Whenever it comes to Ridgewood, the press likes to listen to certain members," Killion said.

Killion later clarified that he wasn't blaming the Chamber of Commerce for negative press, just certain members. 

In her informal lunch discussions, Councilwoman Anne Zusy said participants seek to squash negative publicity. She said they discussed public relations strategies and events.

"There's a lot of different aspects to what I'm calling 'Revival Ridgewood,'" she said. She highlighted the informal discussions at her home, and invited people to attend. "Hopefully, we can brainstorm and feed off each other."

She said the first meeting was "satisfactory, with lots of ideas," and mentioned it went on for three hours. Zusy also asked merchants to consider staying open later.

Mary Gorman approached council raised concerns over parking. The owner of the Curtain Exchange wanted to hear council's strategy.

Mayor David Pfund told Gorman council will focus on the feasibility of a Hudson Street garage, as all members agree parking is an issue.

"We're looking at this from several angles to see what we can do," Pfund said.

Pfund pointed to NBC 4 and (201) Magazine's recent positive coverage. "Hopefully, the chamber will run with that. We're a quality town with well-lit shops and dining." 

The magazine recently named Ridgewood "Reader's Choice—Best Downtown Shopping." Pfund said the chamber is paying for two banners to advertise the distinction.

Council is also looking at options to deal with landlords. Some vacant shops have been so for several months. One resident suggested imposing a tax on those landlords, but the council and village manager noted several legal complications that could arise with that option.