Town of Woodbury Threatens Frivolous, Expensive Lawsuit Against Village
After costing residents $200,000 in their last lawsuit, the Town of Woodbury is looking to file yet another lawsuit against the Village of Woodbury.
Here's a good rule to follow on Facebook. Particularly in the Families of Woodbury Facebook Group, where this happens often: If you see someone LOUDLY complaining about The Monroe Gazette's reporting, you should ask yourself a simple question:
Why?
Previously, I highlighted Mrs. Teresa Schaeffer attacking your friendly neighborhood journalist in that very group.
Why?
Because Mrs. Schaeffer's husband is a business associate of Mr. Wayne Corts and was a named defendant along with Mr. Corts in at least one civil suit in 2021.
The Monroe Gazette is currently investigating Mr. Corts., whom Mr. Michael Schaeffer testified in this affidavit is a personal friend of his:
And here’s a fun addition to that affidavit concerning Mr. Corts and Mr. Schaeffer’s safety practices:
Why?
Because Mr. Corts is currently attempting to shepherd through the construction of condominiums on the grounds of the Falkirk Estate & Country Club. A role similar to the one Mr. Corts served during the sale of ACE Farm.
Not coincidentally, one of the beneficiaries of that ACE Farm sale, Tyler Etzel Jr., is currently seeking a seat on the Woodbury Village Board this Fall.
Do you see how all these things are connected? It's not a conspiracy; it's a web of interrelated events. You just look at the facts and then look out for the aging, wheezing gasbags on Facebook who get angry about those facts. Usually, in their anger, they confirm precisely what’s being reported.
If there were nothing to hide, in other words, they wouldn't be so angry, now would they?
This week, we got another example of someone looking to divert the attention of Woodbury residents from the facts: Former Woodbury police Officer Cliff Weeks.
Why?
Well, that brings us to today's story.
One that involves the Town of Woodbury, once again, threatening to sue the Village of Woodbury and waste hundreds of thousands of dollars of your money in the process.
That number is not an exaggeration. The previous lawsuit between the Town and Village, according to The Times-Herald Record, cost taxpayers in both municipalities over $200,000.
So, why is Mr. Weeks making all that noise?
It's to protect Woodbury Chief Watson, who would lose his job should the Village of Woodbury take control of the Woodbury Police Department.
Here are the facts, as previously covered by The Monroe Gazette: The Mayor of Woodbury announced at a Village meeting his intention to take control of the animal shelter and the police department, which the Town currently operates.
The Village and the Town of Woodbury, because they are co-terminus with each other (meaning they share the same borders), operate under an inter-municipal agreement (IMA). This agreement allows for sharing departments and resources between the two municipalities.
When the IMA expires, the Village and Town can negotiate with each other to determine who controls what.
Given the recent incidents (think: kitten in the dryer) and mismanagement of the Animal Shelter under Supervisor Luciani, the Village is requesting the opportunity to fix and improve the shelter on behalf of its volunteers and your family's future pets.
Given concerns over preferential treatment to some residents over others by the police, the Village is requesting control of the Police Department to clean it up and make sure the law is enforced equally to all people, as prescribed by the Constitution's 14th Amendment.
Currently, the two municipal entities are negotiating.
But.
What's more important is that these two governments listen to what the residents of Woodbury have to say. Transparency and accountability are not just buzzwords; they're the foundation of a healthy community.
Thus far, the residents of Woodbury are concerned with the local police department's double standards concerning some Haredi residents, and the mismanagement of the animal shelter.
If you doubt this, get off Facebook, go to a Town or Village meeting, and ask your friends and neighbors in attendance what they think. Your involvement is crucial in shaping the future of our community. And if we’re being blunt, not enough of you are involved right now, which is why so much of this stupidity happens in the first place.
(Although it is worth pointing out, while I put zero value in Facebook comments, there is a persistent trend in Woodbury-focused Facebook groups of residents often complaining about the double standards concerning Chief Watson's Woodbury Police in how they enforce the law. A broken clock is right twice a day, and that's true for these specific Facebook comments.)
Why Don’t The Town and Village Just Merge?
If you're wondering, "Why don't the Town and Village simply merge?" The answer is simple: The Town government has been and continues to be, a significant source of corruption in Southern Orange County.
Merging the two entities, or, if you're State Senator Skoufis, proposing the Village be dissolved and replaced by the Town Board, would allow corruption to overtake the entire municipality. This is a serious concern given the current issues with the Woodbury Police Department.
As of this writing, the Village only has one source of corruption in an otherwise well-functioning municipal government: Trustee James Frieband, who is likely one ethics investigation away from being removed and joining Mr. Cattagio and Mr. Panella in the unemployment line.
If you want an idea of what Woodbury would look like if the Town and Village governments merged, please visit a Village Board meeting in South Blooming Grove sometime.
There, decisions are being made by a single developer (either Grand Rebbe Aaron Teitelbaum or Grand Rebbe Zalman Teitelbaum's associate, Avrum bur Jacobowitz, depending on who you want to believe.)
Residents are mocked.
Laws are violated.
FOILs are ignored.
South Blooming Grove is essentially a rogue village government accountable to nobody but hanhallah (the Teitelbaums.)
That would be the future of Woodbury if the Village and Town were to be merged without significant safeguards in place.
A functional police department that enforces the law equally is one of those safeguards that currently does not exist.
Without these safeguards, the potential for abuse of power and lack of accountability would be high in a newly merged Town government.
Make sense?
It's not "antisemitism."
It's also not anti-development.
It's using local government as a shield to make sure the laws of the state and federal government are applied equally and fairly to everyone, regardless of their religion.
That’s not happening in Woodbury right now.
Another example is in Palm Tree and South Blooming Grove, where you could lose your home if you disagree with the Rebbe. There's no one around to enforce the Federal Fair Housing Act (despite South Blooming Grove recently passing a resolution claiming to uphold that law. That's a story for another time.)
Suppose you disagree with the Rebbe in Woodbury. In that case, you have a Building Department and Village government to ensure you and your family don't suddenly find yourself out on the street.
The extra layer of local government acts as your shield to defend yourself with.
For this reason, it's wrong for people to think of the Woodbury Village and Town existing due to alleged antisemitism.
The additional government layer protects all residents, both haredi and non-haredi, allowing them to practice their faith however they'd like without fear of government-backed reprisal from the Rebbes.
What Does This Have To Do With Chief Watson?
A well-placed source in Woodbury has made allegations that Chief Kevin Watson maintains private contracts with vendors in the Village of Kiryas Joel, which — according to the multiple Woodbury residents who also brought this allegation to our attention — explains why the current police Chief would intentionally put misinformation in the police blotter concerning the bear poisoning. It would also explain why the Chief would have his dispatchers tell Woodbury residents that there is a "Religious Exemption" in the Town Code concerning noise ordinances.
The Chief does not want to get on Rebbe Aaron Teitelbaum’s wrong side.
When Woodbury residents complain about a double standard in enforcing the laws within the Town and Village, these contracts are alleged to be why.
This was not the situation under the previous police chief, Richard Vasquez, about whom Mr. Cliff Weeks made false statements in the Families of Woodbury Facebook Group.
We'll get to those statements in just a moment.
First, let's discuss proof of Cheif Watson's double standard:
As The Monroe Gazette was told by the new Woodbury Building Inspector, John Hand, there is no "religious exemption" to be found in either the Town or Village Code, meaning the police lied to this Woodbury resident.
As The Monroe Gazette was told by a spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Conservation, Chief Watson's version of events involving the poisoned bear in Highland Lake Estates differs drastically from theirs.
So. Let's stop here for a moment and address the residents of Woodbury:
Suppose you're a concerned resident of Woodbury. In that case, I encourage you to attend the Town Board meetings and respectfully request that Chief Watson be suspended until an independent investigation can be conducted.
This investigation should center on what contracts the Chief maintains with vendors within the Village of Kiryas Joel, if any.
I also encourage you to request that the Town drop its threat of legal action against the Village. A lawsuit would violate your elected official's fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of Woodbury residents.
It's clear from these two incidents, and if the allegations are proven to be true about the contracts, that the Woodbury Police Department is not acting in the best interest of residents under the Town's direction, and a change is needed, despite what folks like Mr. Weeks want to tell you.
What About That Old Chief?
Mr. Weeks said the following:
Above: The Monroe Gazette did FOIL the Town of Woodbury for Mr. Week's disciplinary record, and we hope to share with you what we find. We’d also like to point out that Mr. Weeks, during his time with the Woodbury Police Department, often patrolled Woodbury Common.
Woodbury residents should ask Mr. Weeks to clarify how much he made in overtime during his time with the police department in patrolling Woodbury Common on their behalf. Woodbury residents should also ask Mr. Weeks if he ever solved this very troubling gastrointestinal mystery.
As you might have guessed, if you've made it this far, Mr. Weeks needs to be more honest with the residents he once swore to protect and serve.
Let's again look at the facts:
Our current Chief, Kevin Watson, was appointed Chief of Woodbury police in December 2016. The position had been vacant for over a year after the Town of Woodbury suspended Richard Vasquez, the former Chief.
Why?
Vasquez is a former NYPD detective, which is what Weeks meant when he referred to the former chief as an 'out-of-towner who barely passed the test."
Mr. Weeks did not mention that the former chief was also a recipient of the NYPD Combat Cross.
This is the second-highest award that can be given to NYPD officers. According to the NYPD, the award is given to those "having received Honorable Mention awards, successfully and intelligently perform an act of extraordinary heroism while engaged in personal combat with an armed adversary under circumstances of imminent personal hazard to life."
During his time serving the people of Woodbury, Richard Vasquez received a thirty-day suspension after the Town of Woodbury Supervisor, Ralph Caruso, tried to get Vasquez to use a local vendor that Vasquez had said was racist and corrupt. In a statement at that time, Vasquez said:
"This incident stems from my refusal to use a vendor who I believe to be corrupt and racist. After learning that this vendor wasn’t properly doing the work he was paid to do, offering me a bribe, and referring to me using a racial slur", the Town Supervisor still insisted that I use this vendor."
You can hear the entire conversation between Vasquez and Caruso below.
In the conversation recorded by Mr. Vasquez, Caruso is pressuring Vasquez to use McKenzie Motors, a local vendor, despite Vasquez's objections.
During the conversation, Vasquez points out that they (the police department) were saving the Town of Woodbury money and that the cars were being serviced properly.
Vasquez can be heard saying to the Town Supervisor that McKenzie Motors wasn't fixing the cars properly, costing the taxpayers money. The Supervisor can be heard pressuring Vasquez and saying, "I am asking you to do it."
Another example of a corrupt Woodbury Town Supervisor. The kind the Village is designed to protect against.
At 9:24, you can hear Vasquez say that Mackenzie Motors's owner wanted to bribe Vasquez, which the Supervisor acknowledged is a crime, and then proceeds to disregard what the Chief said about it.
The suspension against Chief Vasquez came after this conversation and during Vasquez's campaign for Rockland County Sheriff.
During this time, Sgt. Kevin Watson, not yet the Chief, was a member of the Woodbury Police Benevolent Association, and is alleged to have been involved in a campaign to get rid of Vasquez so that he could be appointed to the position of Chief.
What would Mr. Watson’s motive be for participating in such a scheme?
In the recorded audio discussion above, Vasquez can be overheard explaining to the Town Supervisor how certain officers abused the overtime system and cost Woodbury taxpayers a lot of money.
One of those officers Vasquez singled out was our current Woodbury Chief, Kevin Watson.
In highlighting how much overtime was being used up in 2014, Vasquez told the Supervisor he had only worked 70 hours, while Watson had racked up over 609 hours.
Later, with famed Civil Rights attorney Michael Sussman representing him, Vasquez was acquitted of all charges brought against him by the Town. He resigned, and upon agreement not to sue the Town over what they put him through, Mr. Vasquez received a large sum of money to settle the issue.
Here's another thing that gets lost in discussions about Vasquez, and Mr. Weeks certainly doesn't want you to know about:
In addition to the abuse of overtime, Vasquez didn't let the Woodbury police officers get away with any BS.
At 17:45 in the audio recording, Vasquez discusses with the Town Supervisor Woodbury Police officers who were sleeping during their shifts and barely doing their jobs when they weren't sleeping.
Vasquez pointed out that in three months in 2014, only eight summonses were written by the Woodbury Police Department, Something Vasquez described as "despicable."
So, it's not a surprise that there would be former officers like Weeks who would have an axe to grind with Vasquez and a vested interest in praising Watson.
Now, let's get to that future lawsuit.
The Lawsuit: “Govern Yourself Accordingly”
In documents obtained by The Monroe Gazette, the Town of Woodbury has hired a new attorney: Edward J. Thater of MMP & S in Purchase, New York.
In his letter to the Woodbury mayor, Mr. Thater, on behalf of the Town of Woodbury, requested that all discussions the Mayor is having with various parties throughout the Town and Village concerning his takeover of the Woodbury PD cease, stating that the Mayor cannot legally have these conversations. (The Monroe Gazette has reached out to the Woodbury Village Attorney to see if she agrees with this legal interpretation.)
The letter from Mr. Thater goes on to say, "The Town is prepared to take whatever necessary steps, including bringing appropriate litigation against you personally, to protect Woodbury PD's contractual relationships. Govern yourself accordingly."
This is the opening salvo of what's going to be an expensive, pointless, and unnecessary lawsuit on behalf of the Town against the Village, in order to keep what appears to be a corrupt police force operating under their purview.
How can you stop this?
Simple. Copy and paste the following email:
To: supervisor@woodburyny.us, Mayor@villageofwoodbury.com, KWatson@woodburypolice.org
Subject: Suspension of Hostilities and Investigation Into Chief Watson
Body:
Dear Supervisor Luciani,
I have copied Mayor Andrew Giacomazza and Woodbury Chief Kevin Watson on this letter.
I am asking you to immediately cease all activity concerning threats of litigation against the Village of Woodbury. The previous lawsuit between the municipalities resulted in a loss of over $200,000 for all Woodbury residents.
It is clear that the Woodbury Police Department, which the Mayor has requested control over in the new Intermunicipal Agreement, needs a change in management. Removing it from the town's control will allow this change to happen.
If you insist on retaining control of the Woodbury PD, I request that Chief Watson be suspended with pay until a thorough, fair, and independent investigation can be conducted into allegations concerning private security contracts he holds with various vendors within the Village of Kiryas Joel.
Woodbury residents are concerned that the existence of these contracts has influenced law enforcement decisions made by the Chief and other Woodbury PD officers, resulting in a clear violation of our 14th Amendment right to equal protection under the law and our 5th Amendment right to due process.
These allegations should be treated with the utmost seriousness. Residents of Woodbury are entitled to know how much money the Chief is making, if any, from these contracts and whether or not this money is influencing the decision-making capability of the police department you are responsible for. I hope this investigation occurs much faster than your promised investigation into County Waste Management and the documented violations of the new agreement with them.
There is no other condition for the Town to keep control of the police department. If you do not conduct this investigation, I will endorse the Village taking control of the police department and encourage my friends and neighbors to do the same.
Thank you.
(Your name)
As always, there’s more to this story, but this should be enough to get Woodbury residents demanding action be taken by their elected officials to stave off a dumb, pointless, and expensive lawsuit and bring about needed restructuring of the local police department.
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