Woodbury Continues To Be The Dumbest Town in America
Just when you think this situation couldn't possibly get dumber, it does. A quick note about the August 1st, 2024 Woodbury Town Board meeting.
I’d like to invite you to watch last night’s Woodbury Town Board meeting.
If you do, you’ll hear and see the following:
-The Town Board trying to amend the Ethics code because, in their own words, the current Ethics Code prohibits them from hiring their kids to work for the town.
-The Town Board is picking a fight with their Beautification Committee Chair (again!) because of the ongoing feud between the Town and Village.
-Then, after that happened, the Town Board complained about people writing bad things about them online (that’s me), on Facebook, and elsewhere, implying there’s some kind of hidden agenda or conspiracy against them.
Have You Guys Tried … Not Doing Shady Shit?
Because seriously, I wouldn’t give a piss about what the Town Board did if they didn’t behave like lawless bullies. That’s true for Monroe. That’s true for South Blooming Grove.
Would you care if your elected officials acted like responsible adults and followed the rules?
Probably not!
But do me a favor: Take the time to watch the meeting.
Listen carefully to what the Town Board says when pressed about their reasons for amending the Ethics law, and then listen to the exchange between Maria Hunter and the Town Board that follows.
DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT. WATCH THE MEETING FOR YOURSELF.
It’s not hyperbole. It’s not an agenda. It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. Lord knows I’ve spent a TON of time attacking Democrats as much as Republicans. Especially lately.
It’s not anti-women (seriously, Theresa? You’re supposed to be the cool one. And besides, I happen to think women are smarter than men, and most members of my gender are too fucking dumb to run things. Myself included. I am a dumbass. I have no problem saying that.
But.
Nobody asked my opinion on gender politics. And gender ain’t got nothing to do with what’s going on in Woodbury.
So, as a supporter of the Matriarchy, don’t try to hang that anti-woman shit on me when your own party is actively telling women what they can and can’t do with their bodies:
When it comes to the Woodbury Town Board: It’s your behavior that people have a problem with.
They can’t be this dumb …
Can they?
The T-shirts may suggest so.
But the solution is simple. If you don’t want people to write about you … Don’t do shady shit.
Follow the rules of the Town you were elected to represent.
Nobody will say boo if you do.
I won’t! That’s a promise. I would never say anything about the Town of Woodbury if they cleaned up their act.
For example:
Don’t hire your family members to work for the Town. This isn’t a private business; it’s a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. There are plenty of well-qualified people who need and want the work. Find them.
-Make sure the new Town Ethics Code prohibits Woodbury Police Chief Watson from having contracts with outside vendors that could influence how he enforces the law.
-Make sure everyone gets their garbage picked up the way your own contract says it should, and that the garbage company is recycling what they’re supposed to be recycling.
-Make sure our men and women in uniform are well compensated and well trained, but also not abusing the overtime system in such a way that rises to the level of potential pension fraud.
-Don’t pick fights with your Committee Chairpeople because you’re in some weird pissing match with the Village. Again
And let’s be clear: This pissing match IS weird. But, and this is an important point: This is also not unusual across New York State.
When I lived in Potsdam many moons ago, the Town hated the Village and vice versa because there was one family that dominated Village politics. To this day, despite their feuds (and fiscal stress from aging infrastructure, the Village of Potsdam has been against dissolving. Where’s Senator Skoufis on that one?)
The infighting is not unusual, which is another reason why State Senator Grievances is missing the mark on his proposal: Towns and Villages often do NOT get along.
That is the ONLY reason our State Senator is getting involved here.
It’s also the same reason he responds to anything related to Rebbe Teitelbaum as “fear-mongering.”
Skoufis doesn’t want anyone to discuss Kiryas Joel / Palm Tree or Rebbe Teitelbaum because he wants the Rebbe’s votes.
This proposal, to create one board to govern both Town and Village, can get those votes for him. One board is much easier to take over than two. We’ve already seen what happens when the Rebbe gets involved with Woodbury politics. Just ask local residents how they feel Village Trustees Fabbro and Frieband are doing.
Skoufis does not want any discussion involving the theocracy next door, which means Southern Orange County residents, and the people he represents, have no voice in what the future of our region will look like.
You do not hear anyone else in state government, to my knowledge, pushing for similar bills to the one Senator Grievances just proposed.
The message for the Woodbury Town Board is clear: Just behave yourself.
Are there going to be weird assholes who will still complain about you if you do all of those things I just listed above? Sure.
But I won’t be one of them.
More Important Things …
Now. Let’s talk about my agenda for a second.
It’s very simple: If you’re a bully, I will fight you.
Do you know what the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics says?
“Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable. Give voice to the voiceless.”
That’s my agenda. It’s there for all to see. If you hear anyone say, “What’s that Mendelson dude’s agenda?” It’s the above. Plain as day: Hold powerful people accountable.
That’s why I write about South Blooming Grove. (Bullies: All of Them)
That’s why I write about the Town of Woodbury. (Bullies: All of Them)
That’s why I write about the Town of Monroe. (Bullies: Cardone, Houle, Scancarello)
It’s also why I don’t often say much about Chester, the Town of Blooming Grove, Washingtonville, the Village of Woodbury, the Village of Monroe, Cornwall, etc.
That doesn’t mean those places are perfect. It just means the level of bullying on the part of the government or powerful local entities has not yet risen to the level where I need to spend hours turning over every rock I can.
If that changes, trust me, you’re going to fucking hear about it. Because that’s my job.
I hope that makes sense. I think most of you get that. There’s always going to be a portion of people who don’t. Or don’t want to believe that. But that’s the guiding principal here for as long as I keep doing this and from wherever I keep doing this.
The important thing, and I want everyone to hear me on this, is that YOU — Yes, YOU reading this — go to your local meetings and speak up.
Where I am? LA. Southern Orange County. Doesn’t matter.
Why? Because I don’t matter.
I’m not running for office. I’m not playing any sort of political game here. I just really don’t like bullies, and it’s my job as a reporter to defend people from them. That’s the whole game here. The rules are easy to understand. Don’t treat people like shit, and we won’t have a problem. Man. Woman. Democrat. Republican. Haredi. Not Haredi. I don’t care. The rules apply to everyone.
Tikkun olam. You know what that means? It means, as a Jew, I have a responsibility to do what I can to help make the world around me better than how I found it.
Speaking of going to local meetings, did you catch part two of the new weekly series? I’m looking to train and empower community members to go to their meetings and speak up.
Why? Because when you do, you get what you saw during last night’s Town Board meeting in Woodbury: people speaking up and pushing back against a bunch of bullies, looking to literally rewrite the law so they can hire their own kids and pay them with your money.
And when people spoke up? The Town Board backed down.
Now they’re going to re-write the whole Ethics Code. It’ll be up to you to make sure that new Ethics Code has some teeth and enforcement capability.
But I hope you all see there was a win here this week. You showed up. Things changed. You show up again, things will continue in that fashion.