The Days of "Trust Me, Bro" Are Over For FOIL Requests
An Article 78 has been filed against South Blooming Grove, now here's how you can help push back against the Clovewood project that threatens the Ramapo River.
Hello, my friends.
I am still under the weather, but I realize there’s a bit of an information gap concerning Clovewood and South Blooming Grove that I’d like to address briefly. I also have a recommendation for those of you across Orange and Rockland County who have been stonewalled on FOIL requests.
We’ll resume covering South Blooming Grove this week, including the recent Village Board and Planning Board meetings.
Some things are going on right now that I can’t talk about.
For example, with the help of Amy Lavine of Liberty Street Legal, I have filed an Article 78 proceeding against Mr. Joel Stern, Fake Mayor George Kalaj, and the Village Clerk, Kerry Dougherty.
You can read all the associated court documents here.
I can’t say more about this specific case, but you can certainly read the documents now that they are publicly accessible.
What I can tell you is that if you’ve tried to get information from the Village of South Blooming Grove—I know a few of you have been waiting over a year for a response—it’s time to push back.
I want to recommend all SBG residents, as well as those in the surrounding area with unfulfilled FOILs, to reach out to Amy.
Let her help you get the information you need. Because at this point? The only way to save this Village is through the Courts.
To be successful, we need access to the information the Village has refused to turn over.
As you will see this week, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has essentially abdicated any and all responsibility concerning Clovewood.
So, the only way to stop Clovewood is through the courts.
I also want to make this suggestion to my friends in Rockland County.
For example, the Village of Airmont has stonewalled the release of documents concerning its former village attorney, Scott Ugell, in much the same way as the Village of South Blooming Grove.
I believe Mr. Ugell improperly used his position as Village Attorney to sway the development of a piece of property that he wanted to use for his marijuana-growing operations, 375 Route 59.
If I can obtain this documentation, I can merge it with everything I have from South Blooming Grove and attempt to get Mr. Ugell disbarred.
So, if you live in Rockland County, and you’ve been stonewalled on FOIL requests, reach out to Amy.
As far as Clovewood Itself Goes …
Here’s what I can say:
-It’s known in the community that these are groups of residents meeting to discuss their legal options. I cannot get into any more details on that at this time. Just know there will be a time when I can share this information, and I will do so at the first opportunity. Essentially, I will wait until I have permission from these groups. This is to protect their legal strategy from being defeated before it even has a shot at success.
-It’s also known that the Town of Blooming Grove has the absolute wrong guy, and firm, for tackling Clovewood in court. Town of Blooming Grove residents should request that the Town find new legal counsel and not leave taking on Joel Stern in court to this fool.
-I am currently speaking to various municipalities, environmental groups, and at least one Native American Tribe, about the Ramapo River and the damage both Clovewood and the overloaded Orange County Sewer District 1 will do to it. That’s all I can publicly say for now.
If you live in Orange and Rockland, even if you have no idea where South Blooming Grove is, you will feel the impact of this project, as it’s essentially a new city being grafted onto an environment that’s not at all able to sustain it.
-I have been in touch with the DEC. Currently, the only permitted activity at the Clovewood site involves topsoil disturbance. I have asked the DEC to clarify what this means specifically and how they differentiate between topsoil disturbance and construction since Mr. Joel Stern has repeatedly demonstrated — via both his public comments and through the Fake Mayor’s Public Comments — the belief that construction can commence. To be clear: It cannot.
-There are two things you can do right now concerning Clovewood, and so we’ll close with this:
Mr. Joel Stern co-owns the Rapid Care (815 NY-208, Monroe, NY 10950) with the other de facto Mayor of South Blooming Grove, Isaac Ekstein. If you need to go here in the event of an emergency, you should do so. But beyond that, I encourage all Monroe, Blooming Grove, and other area residents to boycott this business. This is one way you can send a loud and clear message to Mr. Stern that his behavior as the de facto Mayor of South Blooming Grove needs to change. (Also, he’s allegedly tampered with medical specimens at this Rapid Care, which is a crime.)
If you see construction vehicles or any other construction activity at the Clovewood site, you should photograph it, write down the day, date, and time that it occurred, and email me at bjmendelson@duck.com. I will provide this information to the appropriate parties concerning their potential legal actions.
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