Park Ridge Council Passes Repeal Into Law
Updated: Sep 28
On September 22nd, 2026, Park Ridge Council by a 3-2 vote on party lines declined to table and passed the repeal of Ordinance 101-34-C.8, which previously barred the posting of poltical or any other signs on public property. Absent from the meeting was Councilman Gregory C. Hoffman, whose vote was, nevertheless unnecessary this time, because Republicans hold a 4-2 Council majority, and all Republicans in attendance voted in favor of final passage.
Dr. Howard Fredrics, again, spoke before Mayor and Council to encourage tabling of the repeal and to remind them of the timeline of the repeal's introduction on 4/28/26, exactly 12 days after Lori Fredrics filed her Civilian Complaint against Councilman Hoffman, and 8 days after the Judge sitting before Westwood-Hillsdale's Municipal Court remarked, in the presence of Hoffman, that he found it "interesting" that Hoffman stood accused of violating the Ordinance. Questions remain as to whether or not the repeal implicates members of Council in Local Government Ethics Law violations and/or other violations of provisions of NJ law, as questions of propriety or the appearance thereof surround the timing of the repeal measure, particularly since the Ordinance has been on the books since 2014, and since the purported rationale for repeal refers to a SCOTUS case from 2015, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, whose fact patterns are quite different from those surrounding the Park Ridge Ordinance. Meanwhile Councilman Hoffman and Lori Fredrics are both due to appear in Westwood Hillsdale Municipal Court on September 28th at 2pm to answer respective charges against them. Readers can attend the hearing by linking below: Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 898 9432 2867
Passcode: 999668
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