Politics in Ramapo is broken--Let's fix it together!  Click on the banner
above for information about where to vote and who is running. Then 
Vote in the Democratic Primary--Tuesday September 9. Even if you're
not a registered Democrat, you can join the revolution. Click and read how.
_____________________________________________________________________

Click on image for St. Lawrence's
midnight victory speech

The ZBA, the cops, and the Supervisor

Two homes replaced with 42, political fraud, and the machine
boss makes promises to his base--connecting the dots.

Sept. 2, 2008 The notice for the public hearing first appeared
on West Central Avenue on a cold, rainy Thursday in February.
In fact, it was February 14, Valentine’s Day. The laminated
12 by 18-inch signs were bound to trees with blue tape. What
was unusual about these notices was the middle section below the
heading: VARIANCE REQUESTED OR OTHER REASONS FOR
HEARING. A large block of text, 27 lines, followed, itemizing
not just a single variance, but a list of 50 variances. The list
was too long for anyone to stand in the cold rain and read all
the way through, in fact, it was almost too long to fit on the large
poster. Fifty variances—there was no way any board would allow
that many violations of the zoning rules, no way. (More)
 

Preserve Ramapo sues Supervisor and board
over broken pledge to protect open space

August 28, 2008 Preserve Ramapo warned the residents
last year that St. Lawrence and his board had formally dedicated only
one of the open space properties, the one that surrounds St. Lawrence's
home, and that all the rest were vulnerable and could be sold to
developers. At the time, St. Lawrence and his attorney Michael Klein
were "shocked and dismayed" at the accusation. St. Lawrence said
of our warning, "This is utter nonsense." Less than one year later, the
two have overcome their indignation and entered into a contract with
developer Jeffrey Goldstein to sell item number 16 on their list of "Open Space, Parkland and Historic
Preservation"--the Tilcon Quarry. Goldstein wants to build 440 condos on the property that had been gifted to the
people of Ramapo by Tilcon. Wednesday morning, Robert Rhodes, Chairman of Preserve Ramapo, was joined
by Legislator Joseph Meyers and attorney James Hyer as they filed a Supreme Court lawsuit to prevent the sale of
the open space property. More.

SOS site offers info on coalition's efforts
to oppose Suffern overdevelopment

August 28, 2008 On its new website, the Stop Overbuilding Suffern coalition explains,
"The SOS Coalition is not against development in Suffern. We are dedicated to a reasonable and
sustainable approach to development which does not rely on the use of Eminent Domain for private
development. We urge everyone to read the plan for themselves and understand the issues at hand
and underlying negative impacts a plan of this scalei will have on our Town, our Village and our lives." You
can read the documents at the SOS website.

Journal News: Town must formally dedicate Liberty
Rock as protected parkland

August 23, 2008 "Ramapo's decision to purchase 55 acres in Sloatsburg,
including what's known as Liberty Rock, has the elements of smart decision-making.
Now, though, one more step needs to be taken: Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence
must set forth in formal documents that the purchase will be dedicated as parkland." In the editorial
Attorney Michael Klein once again claims that all of the open space and parkland properties are already
protected even though developer Jeff Goldstein has a firm offer in his hands from the Town allowing him
to purchase the Quarry (item number 16 on the Town's official Open Space and Parkland list). Read the
editorial here and the details of the lies surrounding the sale of open space by the town here.

August 22, 2008 What do you do when you’re running
behind and time is running short. Well, Isaac Lebovits was
in a position where he could not squeeze another drop out
of the stone—the objections were exhausted and the machine
Democrats were more than a dozen down a few weeks before
their Sept. 9 Primary contest with the Ramapo Democrats for Change. As the saying goes, desperate
times require desperate measures, so Mr. Lebovits took a trip to political "deadland" to look for an
opportunity among the mummified remains of election districts done in by recent redistricting. More.

Tapping Hudson no substitute
for planning

August 22, 2008  "Responsible planning must
be based on real information, not propaganda
provided by interested parties. Unfortunately,
United Water, working closely with the Rockland
Business Association, is doing its best to mislead
the citizens of Rockland." Read the full text of
Robert Rhodes' letter to The Journal News
here.
You can also read Rhodes' July Testimony at
the Public Hearing on the Proposed United Water
Experimental Treatment Plant.

NY Assembly passes 'circuit breaker' tax relief,
but remains divided on Senate plan

August 21, 2008  "New York's Assembly passed its "circuit breaker" proposal meant
to provide property tax relief to many homeowners statewide, but the legislators
remained divided on the tax cap plan supported by the Senate and Gov. David Paterson."
Story and editorial on the circuit-breaker and cap relief plans here.

Journal News: United Water needs to be
watched more closely

August 19, 2008  "The cause of last year's over-release, United Water has said,
was a broken valve. Because of it, there was no way to gauge what was being
sent out, was the company line. Yet, that valve had been malfunctioning for 18
months. The extra release was only discovered when county hydrologist Dan Miller
observed that the West Nyack reservoir was low and investigated. It wasn't from
United Water's self-regulation." Read the entire editorial here.

United Water fined $10G for sending
too much water to New Jersey

August 14, 2008  "The DEC ruled in February that United Water had exceeded the
release limits set by a state-issued permit. The company is required to release 9.75
million gallons of water per day in the stream above the intake valves of the Nyack
village Water Department. The DEC determined that United Water exceeded its permit
limits by 231 million gallons between June 1, 2007, and Sept. 22, 2007." Story here.

Ramapo growth drains nature

August 13, 2008 "The pattern of overdevelopment in Ramapo is ecologically unsound,
leading to abuse and disregard for our natural resources. If continued, what will be
left for future generations?" Read the entire letter here.

Who gets to define 'true Democrat'?

August 12, 2008 "It is outrageous that Town of Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St.
Lawrence would publicly state that challengers to his position are not "true Democrats"
and are attempting "to hijack the Democratic party," as stated in Thursday's article, "Upstarts
plotting political takeover." I do not believe, as Mr. St. Lawrence appears to, that only
those who agree with the supervisor's actions can participate. Mr. St. Lawrence, this is
America, not a dictatorship and it is counter to Democratic beliefs for one person to control
politics and squash dissent." Full text of the letter here.

Ramapo petition drive not a plot

August 10, 2008 "As a candidate for the Democratic Committee in the Town of
Ramapo - as reported in the Thursday article, "Upstarts plotting political takeover"--I
strongly object to the term "plotting." Read Steve White's letter to the Journal here.

Supervisor St. Lawrence and his Board
are sued by worker

August 8, 2008  The Journal News reports today that the
supervisor and Town Board are being sued in federal
court by a former employee charging that he was
disciplined for refusing to post a four-foot by eight-foot
St. Lawrence campaign sign on his lawn. Tim Cronin's
lawyer explained, "We're suing over the violation of his
First Amendment right to take whatever position he wanted in a political
race." We reported on this in an extensive story titled "The Awful Price of
Independence in Ramapo." You can read that story here, and check today's update
in the Journal here.

Public hearing on Suffern's Orange Ave. urban
renewal plan will continues at Sept. meeting

August 5, 2008  "The Planning Board will resume its public hearing on the project at 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 10. It follows the three-hour session Wednesday during which residents aired concerns
over property condemnation, traffic congestion and population density that might result from
the construction of up to 315 condominiums. When the hearing concludes, the Planning Board
will offer an opinion to the village board on zone changes needed for the project." Journal
coverage here.

Karben DWI trial may move to Orangetown

August 5, 2008  "A justice hearing Ryan Karben's misdemeanor drunken-driving charge
will consider a request to transfer the case from South Nyack to Orangetown. Judge Mascola
is expected to rule on the issue within days. A pretrial hearing in the case has been set for Sept. 19."
Since abruptly resigning his position as State Assemblyman, Karben was hired as an attorney for
Spring Valley and Suffern and does political consulting and private legal work. Journal story here.

Rockland Sewer District #1 Processing Plant
Fails DEC evaluation

August 2, 2008  "The state Department of Environmental Conservation will issue an
"unsatisfactory" rating to a Rockland sewer plant that has been the source of foul odors,
the agency said. Meanwhile, Rockland County Sewer District No. 1 hopes to convince the
county Legislature to amend a contract Tuesday so 1.35 million gallons of sludge can be removed
from the district's plant in Orangeburg." This is the plant that Vice Chairman of the Sewer
Commission, Christopher St. Lawrence, has said has absolutely no problems with capacity. But
then, he has also denied the 3.4 million gallons of raw sewage spills last year, has claimed the
Upper Saddle River clean waters act lawsuit is history, and has lined up taxpayers to pay the
$50 million repair bill demanded in the DEC consent order and the $175 million processing
plant in Western Ramapo, so welcomed by developers (who will not be paying a dime for the favor).
Journal story on plant's "failure to effectively treat the sewage coming into the facility" here.

August 1, 2008 It’s not just a dump, it’s a Superfund
Cleanup Site. That puts it in the major leagues of
dangerous landfills. The N.Y. State Department of
Environmental Conservation will continue to monitor
the site for 20 more years to make sure poisonous
leachate doesn’t run into the groundwater. It’s 86
capped acres of fermenting garbage that has to be
vented so methane buildup doesn’t one day blow it all over the Torne Valley. And now it’s
being seriously considered as a future site for 650 living units. Once again, a really bad smell
leads back to Town Hall in the form of a damp money trail. (More)

Suffern residents assail urban renewal plan

July 31, 2008  "The village's Orange Avenue urban renewal plan was assailed last night
by some residents who raised concerns about population density, potential traffic jams
and the unfairness of eminent domain. The Planning Board also was told to consider the
overall impact of multiple housing development projects totaling more than 1,400 units
already proposed in and around the village. 'People didn't move here from Queens or Brooklyn
to live in another Queens or Brooklyn,' said David Stedge, who foresaw an eventual need for
more schools." Journal story here.

Terrible sewage odor in Orangetown neighborhoods

July 30, 2008 Tax money keeps flowing in large quantities through Rockland Sewer
District #1's pipes. In Western Ramapo, $175 million will be invested in a "toilet to tap"
processing plant that has developers climbing over each other in the Sloatsburg/Suffern
area; the DEC has ordered repairs that Sterns Wheeler say will begin at $50 million; and
now at the Orangetown end of the system there's a year-long problem that has resisted
repair and fouled neighborhoods around the processing plant. "It's almost every day since
spring," [resident] Sandra Ostrom said. "The bad thing is it gets in the house and you can't
get it out of the house. There are days when I'd like to have the windows and doors open,
but you just can't. There are days it makes me sick." Journal coverage here.

State environmental committee to hold water
meeting in Rockland

July 29, 2008 "The Assembly's Committee on Environmental Conservation will focus
on the protection of water quality and aquatic resources when it convenes at 2 p.m.
Aug. 6 in the Allison-Parris County Office Building, 11 New Hempstead Road in New City.
Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, said she requested the meeting be held in Rockland
because the county is grappling with a variety of water issues." Journal coverage here.

United Water to Ratepayers,
Haverstraw, and the DEC:
You're all Irrelevant

July 27, 2008  The mailing arrived Saturday and
it featured the decision (corporate, obviously rather
than environmental) by United Water concerning the future of water in Rockland.
"After a careful study of the local environment, the community and water treatment
processes, we have determined that a water treatment plant on the Hudson
River would be the best choice." More.

Study warns: Raw sewage makes swimming in
the Hudson hazardous

July 25, 2008  United Water plans to have us all drinking from the River by
about 2015. Because the corporation is not worried about PCBs, radioactive
leaks, and legacy pollutants, the new report by Riverkeeper and Lamont-Doherty
Earth Observatory pointing out that "discharges of raw sewage can make
swimming in the Hudson River potentially hazardous" will likely not phase them.
If carcinogenic chemicals don't deter you, what's someone peeing in the water fountain?
Raw sewage, however, often contains chemicals along with the waste, as well as
contagious elements from every household and hospital with residents who are ill.
"The sampling [from the recent study] showed that even days after a storm, some places
along the Hudson still showed high levels of pathogens--biological agents that cause
illness and disease." Journal article here. Lamont-Doherty article "Is the Hudson
Swimmable?" here.

RCC mold study to be completed next month--
Legislator Meyers says process needs more light

July 24, 2008  The consulting firm Colden Corp. examined Brucker Hall and Academic II
for conditions that could be a threat to the health of employees and students. Their report
might be ready next month. "County Legislator Joseph Meyers, D-Airmont, and two women
who formerly worked at Brucker said they disliked how the investigation was going. 'I just
feel that they're not opening up the process,' Meyers said. He said the local union and county
Health Department hadn't been included in the process, and the study's scope wasn't provided
to him, even after several requests." Journal coverage here.

Drinking Water: Public utility or private enterprise?

July 24, 2008  "United Water wants Haverstraw to approve a pilot desalination
[and purification] plant without scrutiny under the State Environmental Quality Review
Act - in anticipation of later building a full-scale multi-million-dollar facility that would
draw from the Hudson River. Water is a necessity of life. Should private enterprise
control our wallets and our water faucets?" Read the full text of the Community View here.

Ramapo zoning board approves condos for
almost 1,000 residents near Auntie El's in Sloatsburg

July 24, 2008 Sloatsburg Trustee Brian Nugent was stifled in his attempt to get information
from Ramapo through a Freedom of Information Act request, and the Ramapo Hills development
now passes to the Planning Board. This is project number 9 in a list of 14 aimed at the
Sloatsburg area, all of which will add 14,000+ new residences in the area. See chart
of the proposed growth here, and the Journal article about the ZBA decision here.

One full month after announcing sale of Tilcon Quarry
St. Lawrence decides to sit down with Suffern

July 22, 2008  "Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said he would attend a
village Board of Trustees meeting next month to explain the town's sale of the former
Tilcon quarry. His appearance at the Aug. 4 Suffern meeting was urged by Trustee John
Meehan, who, during a July 7 village board meeting, called St. Lawrence's behavior
'absolutely unacceptable.' " What's more unacceptable is the fact that the Quarry is
an Open Space parcel that was supposed to be protected. It was sold to a developer
who is a serious political backer, having cut the third largest check to St. Lawrence's campaign--
just behind the number two donor, Michael Tauber, the developer who brought the RLUIPA
lawsuit against Pomona. Developer Goldstein, of Arco Management, wants to build 440 units
on the quarry site. St. Lawrence has offered a bonus for even higher-density development.
The current proposed number of units will increase Suffern's overall population by 10%-15%.
Journal coverage here. Details on the announced sale here.

O&R granted 9% rate increase over three years:
St. Lawrence approves--Vanderhoef balks at hike

 July 18, 2008 "The PSC approved an increase of about 3 percent for each of the
next three years after holding public hearings and conducting negotiations with
interested parties, including Rockland County and the town of Ramapo. Ramapo
Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence signed off on the final version of the plan,
while County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef did not, citing poor timing in the
face of a challenging economy. St. Lawrence has praised the plan." The rate hike
kicks in in two weeks (Aug 1) in the month with the highest usage of the year.
Complete Journal News coverage here.

Jaffee Co-Sponsors "Circuit-Breaker" Bill

July 18, 2008 "The circuit-breaker bill (A01575B/S1053B) is a first step toward
urgently needed property tax reduction. While the circuit-breaker bill will
provide significant relief to Rockland taxpayers, property tax reform requires
a multifaceted approach." Read the full text of the Assemblywoman's letter here.

Why is United Water
Ducking an Environ-
mental Impact Study
for its Pilot Water-
Treatment Plant?

Coverage of the Haverstraw
Town Board meeting here.

Do You Really Want to Drink
Hudson River Water?

July 12, 2008 "United Water New York's
proposal to build a reverse osmosis desalinization
and filtration plant to supply Rockland County with
drinking water from the Hudson River leaves many
with a bad taste in their mouths and concerns about
the quality of our drinking water, how the plant
will affect the ecosystem of the river, the
increased development it will bring on land - and at
what costs?" Read George Potanovic's Community
View here and please attend the public hearing Monday.


          Photo  George Potanovic, Jr.

DEC demands United Water test site plans

July 12, 2008 "The state environmental agency has ordered United Water New
York to submit detailed plans for its Hudson River water treatment plant so the
agency can determine whether an environmental review is required. In a letter
dated Monday, the state Department of Environmental Conservation informed
United Water that a third party had provided the agency with a copy of the company's
application for a special permit from the town of Haverstraw." Journal story here.

Politicians: It's property taxes, stupid

July 10, 2008  "Gov. David Paterson, Assembly Speaker Sheldon
Silver and former Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno agree
that property taxes are seriously threatening to drive homeowners
out of their houses. But they couldn't agree to do anything about it."
Read Irv Feiner's Community View here.
 

Embattled Pomona to celebrate 40th

July 9, 2008 "The village will celebrate its 40th anniversary Sunday,
coinciding with its second annual music festival and craft fair. The
village was formed Feb. 3, 1967, to 'fulfill the vision of a close-knit
community vested in their rural roots.'" Currently, the village has about 3,000 residents
in one of the more bucolic corners of Ramapo--a corner that is threatened by an
urban explosion of upwards of 10,000 residents on the Tartikof and Patrick Farm
projects. Journal story here.  

Rockland hires firm to test
for toxic mold at RCC

July 8, 2008  "Colden Corp., a national consulting
firm, was hired to examine some campus facilities
where health and safety concerns have been raised.
The review will include Brucker Hall, the 171-year-old
administrative building where many of the worker
complaints have originated." Journal story here.

Ramapo Hills developer takes second crack at
zoning variances

July 7, 2008  "A developer seeking to build 263 condominiums will ask approval for a second
time from the town's Zoning Board of Appeals. The Ramapo Hills development by Baker
Residential Limited Partnership of Pleasantville is proposed off Route 17, just south of Sloatsburg."
The builder needs a super-majority vote to overcome objections to the project by the County.
The Journal story is here.

"A Fed Bear is a Dead Bear"

July 7, 2008 On the day before Independence Day,
Bob Rhodes took these photos of a young bear
that was wandering the neighborhood. He describes
what he saw and offers some old advice to those who
would want to protect these animals and the neighbors as well. (More) 

Robert Rhodes Announces
Preserve Ramapo Plans to
Sue Ramapo over Sale of
Quarry to Builder

July 3, 2008 "We believe this sale is illegal.
A municipality is not allowed to give gifts to
private parties. The fact that the developer is a generous contributor to St. Lawrence’s
election campaigns does not give him the right to accept gifts from the town of Ramapo."
The Chairman of Preserve Ramapo explained that they are in the process of researching
the sale and gathering documents for the action. (More)

Lower Hudson Sierra Club
looks at United Water's solution
for Rockland's Water Crisis

July 3, 2008 "At a recent public meeting with
William Janeway, director of NYSDEC (Dept. of
Environmental Conservation), Region 3, United
Water's proposal [to use the Hudson as a source
of drinking water] raised many more questions
than it provided answers. A long list of questions
asked by the public and environmental activists
painted a skeptical view about potential health
impacts, sustainability, and the indirect costs to
ratepayers and all residents of the lower Hudson
Valley." You can read the entire article by George Potanovic, Jr.--it is on the front
page of the recent issue of Terra Firma available as a PDF here.

Property taxes may dominate
state elections

July 3, 2008 "The state Legislature left the Capitol last week
without addressing the state's soaring property taxes, but the
issue remains the hot topic as lawmakers headed back to their
districts to seek re-election. The demand from voters and special-
interest groups to deal with the state's high tax burden is putting
increasing pressure on legislators - desperate to retain their jobs
after November - to do something about it… Yet the tax cap has
its opponents: in particular, powerful teacher unions who fear a
cap would limit school spending. Union support and money will be
critical for candidates in competitive races this year. The Working Families Party countered
the business groups' efforts and started its own website Monday, www.taxcutnow.org, which
instead promotes tying property taxes to income - called a circuit-breaker." Full text of the
article here and visit the Working Families taxcutnow website to calculate your situation.

United Water finds temporary solution

July 2, 2008  United Water is still running behind, trying to catch up to the need created by
developers who are dropping plans like leaves all over Ramapo, with some projects adding a
thousand or more residents at a time. The utility announced yesterday it has found three sources
to temporarily fill the dangerous gap. It was ordered to do so by the Public Service Commission.
And yet the assumption persists that builders have the right to continue covering the valleys and hills,
and residents are required to subsidize their projects with skyrocketing costs in the hundreds of
millions to expand the sewer system, and water rates that in the near future will be unmatched
throughout the state. Unmatched because United Water has decided the only way out, long-term,
is to process Hudson River water. Journal story here.  

Rockland budget hearing turns into forum on mold issue

July 2, 2008 "The county Legislature's public hearing on the $57.4 million proposed Rockland Community
College budget was overshadowed yesterday by conversation about the possibility of toxins at the campus.
Kevin Plunkett, the White Plains attorney hired by the county for issues related to the mold controversy,
told the crowd yesterday that the county has agreed to hire Colden Corp., a Philadelphia-based consulting
firm that specializes on occupational health and safety, to analyze the college. Legislature Chairwoman
Harriet Cornell, D-West Nyack, said there would be another hearing held on the mold issue once the
findings from Colden are released." Complete Journal coverage here.

Double-dipping in Ramapo

Item from the Ramapo Town Board report: "Retain the law firm of Stolzer and Greene of Washington,
D.C., to assist the town's special counsel, Holland and Knight of Manhattan, to defend the town against
a lawsuit by Chestnut Ridge, Montebello, Pomona and Wesley Hills in opposition to zoning for adult student
housing. Stolzer and Greene will be paid up to $25,000." The notice serves as a galling reminder for those
living in the villages rightfully suing the Town over its unfair gift of ASH zones to certain developers
that they are also paying out of the other pocket for Ramapo's defense of the indefensible.

Art event Thursday

Artists from Haiti are in Rockland this week for an
expo and sale of their works at the parking lot of the
International Food Mart on Route 59 in Spring Valley on
Thursday July 3 from 10 AM to 6PM.

East Ramapo parent floats petition to keep district from
renting out school space

June 27, 2008 Upset that an entire floor of classrooms at the Elmwood School would be rented out during the
upcoming school year and suspicious that the deal would be quietly settled after school was out for the
summer, Peggy Hatton showed up at Margett's school with this petition in hand. She had checked with
the Ramapo police the night before and knew what the procedure was to legally perform her appeal
to the parents who would be showing up for one of the last days of school. The Principal apparently
did not have the same understanding of parent's free-speech rights, and she called the cops to have
Peggy removed. The Police showed up, but not to stop the parent gathering signatures on the sidewalk--
rather, they went inside to talk to the principal. Later, a strange comment was given to the Journal News reporter by
"Superintendent Ira Oustatcher [who] said the district was in negotiations to rent out the bottom floor,
and that any information about the deal--including who would be renting it--could jeopardize it." Not much of
a civics lesson for the kids, either from the principal or the superintendent. Journal story here. 
 

RLUIPA Law Was Passed Anonymously

June 25, 2008  Harvey Sigal of Suffern points out an amazing fact about the RLUIPA legislation
that is currently being used by developers in Ramapo to eliminate all zoning restrictions--the
bill was passed anonymously, creating a "no-names no-blame" cover for our legislators. Read
the Community View here.

Victims of toxic mold at RCC
denied chance to speak at County
Legislature committee meeting

June 26, 2008 "Imagine going to work, feeling like
you have the worst flu of your life for a YEAR PLUS,
having your hands and face/mouth go numb the minute
you walk into the office, having your mouth taste like
sheetrock/dust, picking up your phone and realizing you
don't know your home # anymore - or the name of the
woman you say good morning to every day for nearly
2 years - you know it is in your brain - but you can't find
it. That was my existence every day. Today, I can't walk up a hill or stairs without gasping for air. I have
a handicap permit for my car. I carry an inhaler to breathe. It won't get better - in fact, it will likely
just get worse over time." This is part of Melissa Gluckmann's story that was not heard because Legislator
Philip Soskin shut down public comment after speaking to the County's attorney. (More)

Ramapo Water Tariff Reaches First Stage

June 25, 2008 It was reported in today's Journal that United Water New York "is preparing to
test various water-treatment methods as it seeks to tap the Hudson River to supply Rockland
County's homes and businesses." United Water's dishonesty and Ramapo's shortsightedness is
now going to cost all of us. (More)

Pomona sends comments and corrections to Ramapo
related to environmental review for Patrick Farm

June 25, 2008  In a letter sent yesterday, Mayor Sanderson addressed a number of
problems in the Ramapo Scoping document that outlines the environmental issues to
be studied before the Patrick Farm development can begin. Items include: "The document
proposes one environmental review for three distinctly separate actions, which is incorrect; the
physical setting is Rural (non-farm), not Suburban-Residential; the number of parking spaces
listed should be at least tripled; and the population number is grossly understated." Understating
the impact on the Scoping Document and environmental review makes approval that much
easier for the developer. Both the full letter and Scoping document here.

DA's welfare fraud sweep nets 43

June 24, 2008 "This administration is dedicated to pursuing fraud," District Attorney
Thomas Zugibe said yesterday. 'This investigation was very complex, intensive and
expensive. We want the money back, stolen from taxpayers.' Zugibe said his office
would demand that everyone who is convicted repay the money stolen. He said that
any requests for prison or jail sentences would be determined on a case-by-case basis
when prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Maria DeSimone. The investigation
produced the first major welfare fraud arrests in a decade across Rockland, authorities said."
Complete Journal News story with list of arrests here.

Schoenberger ends his obstruction to voting
machines for the disabled

June 23, 2008  "Legislator Ilan Schoenberger, D-Wesley Hills, was the one who initially
pulled the item off the Legislature's agenda earlier this month, much to the consternation
of election officials." The request was for four new positions "to facilitate the use of more
than 100 handicapped-accessible voting machines." The machines are needed for state and
federal compliance, and Joan Silvestri, Board of Elections Commissioner, said, without them
the county risked "losing about $3 million in federal funding." Journal story here.

Meyers and Suffern unhappy with St. Lawrence
brokering high-density housing

June 20, 2008 Responding to St. Lawrence's plan to sell the quarry, County
Legislator Joseph Meyers, D-Airmont, said, "The town of Ramapo should not be
acting as a real estate broker, a land purveyor, acquiring property for free and then
selling it to developers to encourage large-scale multifamily development." Suffern
Deputy Mayor Dagan LaCorte said, "He took this property two years ago without notice to
the Suffern Village Board with the promise of flood mitigation and possibly recreational
use. Now he's saying if you want flood mitigation, you're going to have to take 440
condominiums." Read James Walsh's coverage in The Journal here.

Patrick Farm To
Have nearly 500
Residential Units--
61 of the 207 acres to
Be Downzoned to MR-8

June 19, 2008 Developers Yechiel and
Isaac Lebovits have submitted a
Draft Scoping Document that will be
reviewed by the Ramapo Town
Board in a public meeting scheduled for
Monday, June 23 at 6:30 at Ramapo Town
Hall on Route 59. The builders propose the
construction of 497 dwellings on the 207-acre historic site. The proposal includes
a map change of 61.3 acres now zoned for R-40 (one residence with 40,000 feet) to
MR-8 (multi-family housing with 8 units per acre). The village-size development is
expected to increase local population with numbers that could match the entire
population of the Village of Pomona as it exists today. The site is located over a
primary aquifer. Read The Journal News story here. A PDF of the 17-page scoping
document is available here. 

You Be the Judge

June 15, 2008  In a week with numerous articles about the
properties that have been taken off the tax rolls and
a lively colloquy on the Journal blogs, Supervisor St.
Lawrence has offered his own take on tax exempt
properties in Ramapo. We offer his comments and then
something of a litmus test of his sincerity over those remarks. Read what
he said here, and see what you think.

Ramapo: Private schools,
religious uses account
for much of tax breaks

June 13, 2008 "The town is home to
1,352 wholly exempt parcels, which have
an assessed value of more than $267 million,
or 13.18 percent of Ramapo's total assessed
value. The list of wholly exempt parcels in Ramapo shows that schools, both public and
private, and religious uses, namely synagogues and churches, account for the highest
proportion of exemptions." Journal News coverage here.
Charts of the growth of the exempts here.

Tax exemption reform debate gets rolling

June 13, 2008  "A bill sponsored by Little and Galef would require local governments
to prepare tax-exemption impact reports, which would have to be posted with annual budgets."
Assemblywoman Galef said "the public was unaware of the number of exemptions already in
place and that many new ones were proposed each year. State Senator Little said that while
many tax-exempt organizations provided public services, others didn't seem to, and that made
their status unfair to other taxpayers." Journal News story here.

Where the tax-exempt
properties are in Rockland

June 12, 2008 Today, The Journal News ran the
first of a two-part series on tax-exempt
properties in Rockland. It came as no
surprise that they found the largest number of
tax-exempt properties in Ramapo. We charted
the paper's numbers and dropped down one
level to look at the numbers sorted by village, listing which villages in Ramapo have the
highest number of exemptions. Click here for our charts and a site where you can view
the addresses and names of tax-exempt properties in Ramapo. The Journal News
story is online here. 

State property tax study shows only six counties
in the entire country worse than Rockland

June 10, 2008 The chairman of the State Commission on Property Tax Relief revealed
how bad the property tax situation is in Rockland. There are 3,143 counties in the United
States (including 64 parishes in Louisiana), and Thomas Suozzi explained that we rank near
the very top of that list (7th highest overall) "paying property taxes on owner-operated residences--with
a median tax amount being $7,041 per household." Ironically, Suozzi made the announcement on
Supervisor St. Lawrence's weekly cable show in Ramapo--Ramapo, the home of 7 talking clocks that
cost the taxpayers roughly a quarter million dollars. Journal story here.
 

Times Editorial Favors Circuit Breaker over
Cap on Property Taxes

June 4, 2008  In an editorial titled "Property Taxes '08," The New York Times characterizes
the property tax cap proposed by Nassau County Executive, Thomas Suozzi, as "little more
than a campaign rallying cry for suburban and upstate lawmakers. As communities in California
and Massachusetts have learned the hard way," the editor explains, "a tax cap is a
dangerously blunt instrument." A better way "is a 'circuit breaker' program that would freeze
individual property taxes when they become too large a percentage of a homeowner's income."
Full text of the editorial here.

June 4, 2008 It’s called misdirection. It’s what magicians do
to distract the audience from seeing what’s actually going on.
According to Wikipedia, "One of the most important things
to remember when thinking about misdirection is that a
larger movement conceals a smaller movement." Consider
two stories that appeared in The Journal News today.
On the front page is a story about Ramapo buying land for
open space preservation, and on the inside pages there’s a story about a plan to build
263 condominiums on Route 17 in Sloatsburg. (More)

Fix East Ramapo's state aid

May 30, 2008  An editorial in The Journal News explains a key problem with state aid
to the East Ramapo School District. Almost 17,000 of the 25,000 school-age kids are not
counted in the formula that allocates the district's share of state aid (they attend private
schools), yet the State mandates that these children receive services, busing, books, and
equipment paid for by the school district. The formula has to be adjusted, counting all
the kids in the district, and our elected officials have to get the changes made in Albany.
Read the editorial here.

The Back Door to the Board Room

May 29, 2008  On May 20, the day of the school board
elections, a dangerous precedent played out in full view
of the public, but it went by mainly unnoticed. A
candidate was granted a seat on the Board of Education
in East Ramapo. He was not elected, he was appointed
after hiding out throughout the campaign. More.

Ramapo School Board OKs austerity

May 28, 2008  The East Ramapo Board of Education voted 5 to 2
this evening to adopt an austerity budget for the district.
The alternative was to return the budget to the Superintendent's
office for further trimming. The meeting room at district headquarters
on South Madison held an overflow crowd, and many took the opportunity to express their
views on  an increase of 3.36% that would create an 11.5% tax increase. Members on
both sides of the issue acknowledged the State's failure to fairly fund the school district.
More. 

St. Lawrence and board approve zone change
for high-density senior development

May 29, 2008 "The Town Board last night approved a controversial zone change for a multifamily
senior development in a single-family neighborhood." Original zoning would allow 14 houses, but
the approved zone change will permit 88 units on the same site. The 11 acres are adjacent to one
of Christopher St. Lawrence's Adult Student Housing zones, which further complicates the situation.
Journal coverage here.

Assembly Speaker Silver won't back
"circuit-breaker" to control property taxes

May 28, 2008 "The Legislature's top Democrat signaled yesterday that he would block
passage of a bill this year designed to tie property-tax bills to a homeowner's income.The
so-called "circuit-breaker" proposal is expected to be a key part of an overall plan to deal
with fast-rising property taxes that is to be presented by a committee to Gov. David
Paterson next week. Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver yesterday cast doubt he'll back
that idea." Journal story here.

Suffern urban renewal discussion postponed

May 25, 2008  "A discussion of the village's proposed urban renewal plan has been
scratched from the agenda of a special village board meeting scheduled for Tuesday. The
village is awaiting an urban renewal plan that would serve as a blueprint for condominium
development along part of Orange Avenue. It could be a few weeks before the board gets
that plan from Saccardi and Schiff Planning and Development Consultants of White Plains."
Complete Journal story here.

Rockland water supply focus of Suffern program

May 22, 2008  And so it begins, with an "informational" meeting at Suffern Library
during which the cost of the resident subsidies for developers relating to water
was added to the tab. With out-of-control growth, encouraged by Ramapo
politicos, having outstripped resources and infrastructure, the bills are now
being itemized. The technology of last resort, processing sewage for drinking water
(nicknamed "toilet-to-tap"), will cost homeowners $123 million at the western
end of town, and an energy-intensive, very expensive processing plant will be
built to draw Hudson River water for our coffeemakers and the baby's bath at the other end.
No need to worry about the high-density developers--they can now afford the
best bottled water imported from European springs. We, however, are likely looking at
future water bills that will be the highest in the state. Journal coverage here.  

Sales fall through for 2 large Ramapo tracts

May 21, 2008  Sales of the Edwin Gould Academy (Lakeside) property in Chestnut
Ridge and the New York Country Club in New Hempstead have expired, and the
properties revert back to the original owners. A collapsing real estate market was
blamed. The two properties total more than 300 acres, and the development of
both would have a significant impact on the villages in which they are situated.
Journal story here.

School Election Results:

East Ramapo--Budget voted down 3-to-1, incumbent Nathan
Rothschild returns with two new board members: Moshe Hopstein and
Aron Wieder. Journal coverage here. 

Ramapo Central--Voters approved the budget, a proposition for
capital improvements, and both incumbents will return.
Journal coverage here.

Sewer system fixes will be costly

May 20, 2008  In a letter to The Journal News, Robert Rhodes describes the
corner Rockland County Sewer District #1 has backed itself (and the taxpayers)
into. "We are talking about improvements that will take many years, require that
roads be torn up in dense and poorly drained areas, and could cost hundreds of
millions of dollars." Full text of the letter here.

Learn about 'circuit breaker' bill to zap
property tax burdern

May 20, 2008  Irv Feiner explains how the Little-Galef proposed "circuit breaker"
legislation "will reduce our county, town, village, and shool tax bills by 20% to
60% for more than 85% of Rockland taxpayers." Irv's Community View, with a
link to a handy calculator here.

The New Non-Free Enterprise Zones in Rockland

May 19, 2008  Ramapo Supervisor St. Lawrence, who is also the Chairman of
the Solid Waste Authority, has proposed a government-controlled "flow control"
that would prohibit private transfer stations for waste to continue operating in the County.
If they wanted to stay, these private companies could only accept waste from outside
the county--everything else would be have to be sent to his Waste Authority sites.
"[Legislator Joseph] Meyers said all this amounts to a monopoly on waste management and
'that's really unheard of in America.' The only entity still allowed to use a private transfer
station would be Chestnut Ridge, which has a contract with the IWS transfer station through
2014. After the contract ends, Chestnut Ridge would be required to dispose of waste in an authority
facility like everyone else, St. Lawrence said." What he didn't explain was that this would cause
a substantial raise in the Village taxes. Both Meyers and Legislator Ed Day want the proposal
tabled for further discussion and investigation. Journal story here. Meeting to discuss this proposal
is Tuesday night, 8 pm, at the County Legislative meeting.

May 16, 2008 Some things you take for granted--like democratic
elections. After the election, they count the votes, and before that,
the candidates campaign--showing up at grocery stores, on the inside
pages of the newspaper--taking hold of your sleeve wherever the
opportunity presents itself. But not this time in the School
Board Elections in East Ramapo. Two candidates have been out talking
and giving interviews, but two others just suddenly quit without any explanation, with only
one week to go before election day. And then there are the final two, who are
more like shadows with nothing more known about one of them than just his name,
and little more about the other. Should stealth candidates be tolerated in a system so
dependent on an informed electorate?  More.
 

Journal News endorses Steven White for
East Ramapo school board slot

May 14, 2008 Steven White is an activist in Spring Valley whose good
efforts on the part of the community have not escaped the notice of
Preserve Ramapo. It doesn't surprise us, then, that the Journal News favors
his candidacy for the East Ramapo School Board. It's important that voters come out
this Tuesday (May 20) to support White in his bid for a seat on the board. More.

Jaffee likely to face Chris Sampson in primary

May 14, 2008  State Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee will be opposed by the Ramapo Town
Clerk, Chris Sampson in this year's Democratic primary. So far, three other candidates have
dropped out. Sampson, who was appointed, not elected, to his position as clerk might have
a difficult time running away from his record as the functionary who unilaterally tossed out
thousands of signatures of residents who petitioned for the right to vote on a single district
system of representation on the Ramapo Town Board. Each time that Sampson rejected the
petitions, he did so after listening to the objections from three or four individuals who were
assumed tied to developers in Ramapo. The reasons he gave for denying the residents a referendum
vote on the issue were based on specious technicalities relating to the wording in the petitions.
When he had been asked to provide what he, and the Supervisor, might deem a technically
correct form to use for the petitions, he refused. Journal story here.
 

Xylene detected in some local wells

May 14, 2008  The County Health Department has notified 140 homeowners that m- and
p-Xylene has been detected in groundwater near their private wells in the Campbell and
Myrtle Avenues area. The Department has asked that the residents test their well water.
Journal story here.

Montebello curbs tree clearing

May 13, 2008  The Village of Montebello will consider changes to its environmental
regulations regarding cutting trees. "Changes include requiring commercial tree
cutters to be licensed by the village. New rules also base the number of trees that
can be cut on the size of lots, rather than a specific number for all properties."
Read the Journal story here.

Aquifer also threatened by NJ developments

May 10, 2008 Two environmental activists in New Jersey wrote to The Record concerning
a development in Mahwah. They explained, "[The] Mahwah Planning Board voted 5-3 to turn
an expanse of woodlands at the foot of Stag Hill Road, just 300 feet from the river and in
close proximity to three wells, into a 760-space parking lot. More than 200 trees will be
cut down, with negative impact on wildlife and water. The huge impervious parking lot
will cause surface water runoff with increased amounts of oil, sludge, car drippings and
other contaminants to further degrade water resources." Read the entire letter here.

Preserve Ramapo editorial policy and anti-Semitism

May 9, 2008  Over the last week, we received a couple e-mails and one supporter
expressed his concern in person--all worried that our coverage of the arrest of Avrum
David Friesel in London could be perceived as anti-Semitic, especially by those who
already oppose what the organization represents. Operating from the principle that for
every reader who writes in, there are ten more who feel the same but don't take the
initiative to write, we have decided to explain our position on this issue. Read our open
letter here.
 

Hillburn and county knock heads over sewer fees

May 6, 2008  At a legislative committee meeting, legislator Joseph Meyers noticed
an unusual favor extended to Hillburn residents: a 50% reduction on sewer taxes over
the next 30 years. When other members of the committee looked over the terms, they
also had objections. The agreement, made five years ago, is part of the $130 million
project that will extend the sewers to Hillburn and Sloatsburg. With exploding costs
for sewer district repairs and extensions, the county is now going to take a second
look at the agreement. Journal story here.

Paying the lawyers is worth it in Pomona

May 4, 2008  A Pomona resident wrote in the Journal News,"There are a number
of credibility issues that the rabbinical college has never resolved. It is not an
accredited educational institution, as required by the village code. Simply calling
yourself a college doesn't make it so. Requiring accreditation by municipalities for
zoning purposes is not unusual. The claim by the head of the religious organization,
Rabbi Chaim Babad, that there is a huge demand for rabbinical judges that other religious
institutions could not fulfill was also never supported with any evidence." Read the
complete letter here.

A Developer still wins at Patrick Farm

May 2, 2008  An original member of Keep Ramapo Green who served on the Citizen's
Advisory Council for Ramapo's new master plan seven years ago has written to the
Journal News warning that nothing has changed at Patrick Farm. Other than St.
Lawrence's attempt to crawl out from under his onerous Adult Student Housing plan,
it looks like the developer is still set on his original plan of "attached housing in the center,
and single-family homes around the perimeter"--a high-density core with a one-acre-lot
shell on the outside. Read Marlaine Paone's letter here.

A Scandal's Trail

May 2, 2008 A Journal News editorial begins, "Avrum David Friesel faces 11-year-old
charges of scheming to steal millions of dollars in federal funds. His capture this week
in London revives the sting of public scrutiny of the New Square Hasidic community and
reopens wounds that hobbled Rockland Community College for years. There are distant
memories of the Clinton's as well; Hillary Clinton's 2000 Senate run and Bill Clinton's
last-day-in-office commutation of four New Square men's prison terms raised questions of
trading presidential favors for votes." Read the complete editorial here.

New Square fugitive, Avrum David Friesel,
arrested in London

April 30, 2008  "One of two remaining fugitives accused in an $11.6 million
swindle from federal subsidy programs was arrested yesterday in London.
Avrum David Friesel, the son of New Square's mayor, was wanted from a
1997 indictment that accused him and six others of fraudulently obtaining
federal funds for a variety of bogus educational and housing purposes."
Read the Journal News complete coverage here. See also two articles below.

Background related to the Friesel arrest:
Charges and outcome of original trial in November 1999

New York Times article on the pardon: Four Who Got
Leniency Defrauded U.S. for Religion

Update: London stakeout pays off in arrest of
New Square fugitive 

May 1, 2008  "Information came our way about some possible English ties,"US Marshals spokesman
Dundon said. "We liked a few addresses where we thought he might be living. We contacted the
London Metro police and they set up surveillance." The Journal article also presents reactions from
some members of the Skverer Hasidic community in New Square. Story here.

Investigators seize more Section 8 records
from Spring Valley

April 30, 2008 "Federal and Rockland investigators yesterday seized computer records
from the village's Section 8 office as part of a continuing grand jury investigation into
the use of federal housing money. With a grand jury subpoena, investigators spent a
couple of hours at Village Hall downloading the records outlining payments to landlords
for tenants' rents and other information." The search follows seizure of similar records
one week ago at the same office. Journal News complete coverage here.

Third-party political endorsements @ $900 per?

April 27, 2008 On Sunday, The Journal News reported "Rockland's Independence Party
has not filed financial disclosure reports in more than a year despite collecting thousands
of dollars from candidates as well as a $10,000 donation from the county's Republican
Committee, records show. Candidates who sought the party's endorsement were asked
at the beginning of the interview process if they'd be able to pay a $900 fee to cover
advertising costs. As a result, far more candidates gave to that party than to any other
in the county. The party, which has 4,792 registered members, hauled in more than $12,500
from candidates who sought County Legislature, town supervisor, district attorney and sheriff
seats." Full story can be read here. We will link to the financial report once it is filed
with the State.

HUD investigation follow-up

April 25, 2008  The Journal interviews a number of Valley residents. Their take on
the subpoena and demand for records here.

HUD agents, DA seek records at Spring Valley HUD office

April 24, 2008 "Agents from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development office
in New York City and members of the Rockland District Attorney's Office were at the Spring
Valley HUD office yesterday collecting information on Section 8 housing. Rene Febles, in HUD's
Inspector General's Office, said he 'can't confirm or deny' that the Spring Valley HUD office
was the target of an investigation. Spring Valley Attorney Bruce Levine said he was in his office
at Village Hall when the enforcement officers arrived and that he examined a subpoena and
search warrant they handed him. 'They wanted to obtain certain records relating to clients of
Section 8,' Levine said. 'We can't say what it is. We don't really know what it is (they were seeking).
We are cooperating with them fully.'" Complete Journal News story here.

Developer who demolished 100-year-old historic
cottage in Montebello to pay reparations

April 23, 2008  Amona's Joon Management One Corp. has agreed to contribute
$10,000 for historic preservation in Montebello and to build a house on the site
of the Fant Farm caretaker's cottage that will partially replicate the original
building that it destroyed without a permit. The cottage was visible from
Spook Rock Road, just south of the golf course. The developer has also been
issued a stop work order by the county Department of Highways for work on
an access road that was constructed, also without a permit. Attorney Michael Klein
of Suffern represents the developer. Journal Story here.

In struggle for its survival, Village of Pomona
may raise taxes 70 percent

April 21, 2008 To fight the RLUIPA lawsuit brought by the Congregation Rabbinical College of
Tartikov, Pomona will propose a $376,000 rise in its budget from this year. The increase includes
$250,000 for legal contractual fees to prevent the real-estate developer from Brooklyn from establishing
a residential complex that could house up to 10,000, according to the original plans (see those
here). Mayor Sanderson has reduced his $16,000 salary and expense account to $1. Cynically, Tartikov's
attorney, Paul Savad, "said the village should settle the case to stop bleeding taxpayers." This is
the same lawyer who promised to use RLUIPA as a bludgeon against these same villagers when he
threatened them with his client's very deep pockets. ("We couldn’t do it without it," Mr. Savad
said of the [RLUIPA] law. As for the battle to come in Pomona, he said, "We’re very well financed." 
The New York Times--January 21, 2007.) Journal story about the current budget here.

Preserve Ramapo Asks: What Will Rockland Look Like
in Twenty Years?

April 20, 2008  Download your copy of the editorial as it appeared in the Journal News
special Earth Week pullout Go Green. The piece, as it appeared in the the supplement,
is available as a PDF here.

Supreme Court rejects
Michigan religious land
use (RLUIPA) case

April 16, 2008 "The US Supreme Court
has decided not to hear an appeal from
the Michigan supreme court filed by a
church in Jackson over the city’s refusal
to grant an exemption from zoning laws.
The Greater Bible Way Temple sought to
build an assisted living apartment complex
on land it owned but the land was not zoned
for that purpose. The church applied for an
exemption and, when they did not get it,
filed a lawsuit based on the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA)."
Patricia Salkin, Dean of the Albany Law School had commented on the original state decision
against the RLUIPA suit: "This case continues a string of recent opinions that reiterate that
RLUIPA does not exempt religious organizations from zoning.  In addition, it appears as though
the courts are starting to take a hard look at exactly what types of ancillary uses run by
religious organizations actually constitute the exercise of religion." The article, Salkin's
commentary and background, and the full text of the Michigan decision here.

Lawsuit over pay-to-play politics

April 18, 2008  Mike Dietrich, in a letter to The Journal News, explains his response to the
handing out of contracts and political donations: "I pointed out that the Waste Authority's outside
counsel (from New York City) was paid $104,000 to prepare a "friend of the court" brief on behalf
of an upstate authority, containing a mere 13 pages of argument. I doubt the authority pre-approved
such extravagant waste of taxpayer dollars, amounting to $8,000 per page. I also found that the law
firm's PAC and a partner contributed more than $10,000 to officials who might have influence in the
firm's hire. Big bucks to a law firm. Big political contributions. It smells. So I sued." Besides being
head of Solid Waste, St. Lawrence is also a sewer commissioner who receives generous political
donations from Stearns and Wheler, a favored engineering contractor for the sewer authority. Full
text of the letter here.

Study of ground water this summer

April 15, 2008 "A groundwater study to help understand how arsenic and other heavy metals
may enter some drinking water wells in Rockland could start during the summer. County personnel,
with assistance from Lamont-Doherty, will collect the samples. The county has a contract with a
private lab and will send some samples there, while Lamont-Doherty scientists will run specialized
analysis on other samples, [County hydrologist] Dan Miller said. The study will focus on how arsenic
and other heavy metals may make their way into some wells, and Miller pointed out that the study
was not being done to hunt down arsenic. 'The primary focus of this study is to try to gain a better
understanding as to why we find arsenic in some wells, and the mechanism for how it gets to those
wells,' Miller said." Read the Journal story here.

Airmont begins work on new master plan

April 11, 2008  "Though no timetable has been set for adopting the plan, Airmont is likely to
begin an environmental review late next month of subjects addressed in the draft plan. The
potential for development has caused concern among planners and residents about the capacity
and condition of sewer lines. Intersections, particularly the infamously jammed Airmont Road and
Route 59 corner, are another concern as traffic increases. Even water supply, so easily taken for
granted when turning a faucet, is an issue, as Rockland's chief supplier considers a desalination
plant on the Hudson riverfront." Complete Journal story here.

Spring Valley taxes--now that's a crime

April 15, 2008  Irv Feiner comments on the 10% jump in Spring Valley taxes. Read his letter here.

Spring Valley property taxes continue to soar--
Up 60% since Darden took over in 2002

April 10, 2008  "Residents assailed the plan. Ten speakers during the Tuesday night public
hearing at Village Hall said they thought village funds were being mismanaged, the board was not
being frugal enough, the police department should possibly be abolished and Mayor George Darden
should not raise his salary." With this year's proposed raise, Darden's mayoral salary will
be $102,650. When asked why he didn't cut his salary, he essentially said, Because I'm the decider.
One resident explained his taxes are now higher than his mortgage. Journal story here.

Suffern adopts 6 percent tax rate hike

April 8, 2008  "Mayor Keegan blamed declining revenues and property assessments for much of
the tax impact. Property assessments dropped nearly $3.3 million. Those reductions included
property that the Salvation Army took off the tax roll, Zordan has said, as well as assessments
disputed by property owners." Complete Journal story here.

Overdevelopment is the issue, not religion

April 7, 2008  "Residents in the Town of Ramapo, as well as Rockland and the Lower Hudson Valley
are at a crossroads: We cannot continue this unbridled growth and expect our resources to sustain it."
Read the full text of the reader's letter here.

Sewers no bargain if you can't use the system

April 6, 2008 In a letter to the Journal, a resident offers a response to Julius Graifman's
letter describing what a bargain the sewer system is. The resident writes, "I have been living
in my house in unincorporated Ramapo on Route 202 for 23 years, paying taxes to the sewer
district every year. No doubt that when the expansion for western Ramapo is completed, I'll be
paying more, and when they finally get around to fixing the myriad problems of inadequacy,
constant overflows and spillage, I'll be paying even more." Complete letter here.

Chestnut Ridge tax rise a barely noticeable 0.018%

April 6, 2008  "Stable property taxes have been hallmark of this Ramapo village since
its incorporation two decades ago. So it may be unsurprising that Mayor Jerome Kobre's
proposed budget for 2008-09 has a minuscule tax increase of 0.018 percent." Story here.

Legislature to hold public discussion of Rockland
Sewer District #1--Spills and Repairs on Agenda

April 3, 2008 County Legislator Joseph Meyers has requested a public meeting to
discuss the large number of spills that have plagued the Sewer District over the
last 3 or 4 years. The meeting will take place Tuesday April 8 at 7pm in the
Chambers of the Rockland County Legislature. Chairman of the Legislature's
Planning and Public Works Committee, V.J. Pradhan, has invited the Sewer
District's Executive Director, Dianne Phillips, other senior personnel and
engineers as well as the Supervisors of Clarkstown, Ramapo, and Orangetown.
Residents who have a particular interest in this matter are encouraged to
attend and speak on the topic. More information here.

Pomona is on right side of RLUIPA debate

In a Community View submitted to the Journal News, a resident takes exception to
attorney Paul Savad's claim that the Tartifkof application in Pomona can be compared
to the Civil Rights Movement. "Do not insult millions of Americans by comparing this to the
civil rights laws of the 1960s. Those laws were meant to be inclusive for all. It gave equal
rights to people, not special rights above the law. The civil rights laws did not try to create
private, separate communities for minorities; it pushed us forward to unite groups and share
in a common community. It rightly protected people to have "equal" access. They broke
down "black" and "white" college barriers to make America a more inclusive place. It did
not create new minority colleges at the expense of diversity. In many ways it is the opposite
of what Mr. Savad proposes." Read the full text of the letter here.

Wesley Hills to raise tax rate 2%

April 3, 2008  With the proposed village budget, "the owner of a home with the
median assessment of $67,000 would pay about $637 in village taxes, up from
about $625." Mayor Goldsmith has even proposed a personal pay cut to keep taxes
in line. Journal story here.

The Bloc--Not really a Monolith

April 3, 2008  A curious letter in today's Journal News complains about the
lack of coverage in the press after a visit by ex-president Bill Clinton to Monsey
to attend a fundraiser. This non-story, along with a protest by religious leaders in the
same community earlier this year sparked by another fundraiser, contrast starkly with
the monolithic support given to Senator Clinton in the state race in 2000. More

Letter writers answer RLUIPA attorney Savad

"What Savad chooses not to mention is that an unintended byproduct of the law allows
developers to wield the RLUIPA sword as a weapon for economic gain." Read the full text
of this and two other letters responding to Savad's defense of the RLUIPA legislation here.

St. Lawrence can't slam United Water

March 28, 2008  "Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence, says he is unhappy
because United Water raised our water rate by 51 percent in 2006. What hypocrisy! He
must know that Ramapo's comprehensive plan, which he pushed through in 2003, and
amendments made to that plan more recently are responsible." Read the full text here.

   The new residential look for St. Lawrence's Ramapo  photo©rosspilot.com

March 25, 2008 In a Community View in today’s Journal News, Phil Tisi continues the water war between
United Water and Supervisor St. Lawrence’s office. This has been going on for a month or so now, and as
the two sides point and throw brickbats at each other, there is silence over the fact that they both have
actively conspired to destroy the water supply that has served this region for eons. (More)

No Wal-Mart; What Next?  JN editorial on development in Monsey

March 24, 2008 "St. Lawrence told Journal News staff writer James Walsh last week that he preferred to
await a developer's request for a zone change (to develop the Drive-In site in Monsey). In Ramapo
especially, where density crops up quickly and then spreads, the zoning needs to dictate the development,
not the other way around. While we understand St. Lawrence's concerns, especially about incurring lawsuits
from developers and neighboring villages alike that past zone changes have spurred, we still believe that
the town must articulate the vision, and set the framework, not the developer." Read the full text of
The Journal News editorial here.

Wesley Hills sewage backup
claim still under review

March 22, 2008  "More than seven months have passed since sewage
overflowed into Raphael Ziegler's basement. He said this week that
despite assurances by county officials that he would be fully compensated
for his family's losses, he has yet to receive a check." Full story
as covered in James Walsh's The Watcher column here. For a
clearer picture of how often these "home invasions" occur,
click here for the a list of current events and cost to the homeowners.

Founding mayor of Wesley Hills retired, not resigned

March 21, 2008 Mayor Bob Frankl writes, "Eliot Spitzer resigned; Richard Nixon resigned; Ryan Karben
resigned. I retired on the 25th anniversary of the village's incorporation. There is usually a negative connotation
relating to a resignation. I can assu