Supervisor Cardone Restricts Other Monroe Town Board Members From Doing Their Job

Who, or what, is a "liaison" and why are half of them Tony Cardone?

Note: This is a developing story. 

On November 8th, 2023, Maureen Richardson was elected to the Town Board with a whopping 1766 votes. 

That may not sound like a lot, but in a local election, 1,500 votes is often enough to win yourself a seat in local government. 

I think this is something Supervisor Tony Cardone recognizes, and knows it’s a threat to him and his handpicked Acting Supervisor, Dorey Houle.

Houle was defeated in her previous run for State Senate by roughly 1,400 votes.

Councilwoman Houle is running again for the State Senate, and again against Skoufis, this November.

So, that 1,500 number is worth paying attention to.

Potentially feeling threatened, Supervisor Cardone has since taken numerous actions to restrict and block Councilwoman Richardson from doing much of anything.

For example:

While meeting with a member of the Monroe Conservation Commission, Richardson was told by Cardone that she should not be meeting with any member of the commission at all.

Cardone’s reasoning was that Richardon was not the “liaison” for the Conservation Commission.

But so far, Supervisor Cardone has not shared internally, nor with the public, who these “liaisons” are for 2024.

In documents obtained by The Monroe Gazette, for 2023, Supervisor Cardone is listed as the sole “liaison” for 9 committees: 

Highway, Zoning, Finance, Assessor, Town Clerk, Maintenance, Parks, Harriman Village Board, and Historian.

Supervisor Cardone shared “liaison” responsibilities in 2023 on 3 additional committees: Theater, Grants, and Insurance.

Of the 24 committees, Cardone served as the “liaison” for half of them.

Councilwoman Bingham, the sole Democrat on the board in 2023, was restricted to only two committees: Water and Moodna. The latter of which she shared responsibilities with Mike Mcginn.

(Worth noting about former Councilman Mcginn, despite ethical concerns, Supervisor Cardone appointed Mike McGinn to Monroe’s Ethics Committee. So all of the issues discussed here would go before a former board member and friend of the Supervisor, which is an entirely separate issue.)

By comparison, Councilwoman Dorey Houle, had less experience and time served on the Town Board than Bingham, served on 5 committees: Planning, Senators office, Climate Smart Community, Conservation Commission, and Monroe Village Board.

The Senator's Office liaison position was created specifically for Councilwoman Houle after she ran, and lost, against Senator Skoufis.

If you’re confused by the existence of the liaisons, I am as well. And we’re not alone.

The Association of Towns stated that Supervisor’s powers are outlined in Town Law section 63 and none further except for adopted rules and procedures by the town. 

While town law section 63 enables committees and subcommittees adopted by the supervisor, they do NOT grant or diminish the authority of another board member. 

I reached out to Senator James Skoufis’s office. He told me:

“Every board member is independently elected to represent the entire town. Council members do not answer to or report to the supervisor, no matter how much the supervisor may think he is their boss. Council members are entitled to have conversations with town stakeholders and any suggestion otherwise is both legally wrong and reeks of bullying.”

I reached out to the senator to clarify what laws Supervisor Cardone may be breaking.

I also asked Councilwoman Richardson for comment. She told me:

“As all board members ultimately cannot act as individuals or represent the town of Monroe as a whole, because we are all only one vote on the board. There is no universe where the supervisor or a liaison / committee can prohibit another councilmember’s appropriate interactions with a committee, constituent, or stakeholder— especially when they are desired or appropriate.

It’s worth noting that even if the supervisor could diminish another board member’s rights and authorities granted by the electorate, the clear public mandate was that I was elected to serve the public on matters of preservation. Any action diminishing an elected official by a Supervisor who has no public mandate, because he ran unopposed, is denying the public of a public servant ready and willing to work.”