Section: Editorial

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What Were Croton Officials Thinking When They Faked Residents' Water Bills?

December 29, 2006

Although the odor still permeates the air, the dust from Croton’s officially imprimatured water bill hoax may have settled enough for Crotonblog to analyze the reverberations and implications of this example of fiscal bad management. Crotonblog offers this piece as a follow-up to the “What’s Up, Doc?” piece of December 22 entitled, “Are Croton Officials for Real? Or Do They Just Play at Being Officials on TV?”

Every community is interested in the image and public face it projects, the way the world sees it. Croton boasts of its history as the starting point of the Old Croton Aqueduct, the engineering marvel that supplied pure Croton water to New York City in 1842. Croton is proud of the massive Croton Dam, reputed to be the second largest cut-stone structure in the world after the Pyramids of Egypt (although the dam is not in Croton but actually in Cortlandt). Croton also basks in its cultural heritage. In the early years of the 20th century, it was a bastion in the fight for women’s suffrage. Making it a veritable “Greenwich Village of the North,” the bohemian journalists, novelists, poets, playwrights, actors and artists who settled in Croton’s bucolic precincts made the world sit up and take notice.

But that proud history and heritage have all been eclipsed by one tragicomic managerial decision that left an ugly stain on Croton’s good name and now throws into question the administrative oversight of this tiny village of some 7,800 souls. Are the unelected, appointed officials of Croton autonomous, with the Mayor and members of the Board of Trustees serving only in an occasionally advisory capacity? Or are the elected officials truly in charge, in which case either the water-bill hoax had their blessing or it represents monumental aberrant behavior and notoriously bad judgment on the part of the unelected, appointed officials involved.

There may be some elected officials—but few residents—who will want to play down what happened and sweep it under the proverbial rug. Among the unanswered questions in this sordid affair is why the village government felt it had exhausted all traditional avenues of communication before concocting and resorting to an underhanded ruse. Did the village note in its monthly newsletter that certain residents were dilatory about responding to requests to set up an appointment? Did the village send certified letters to wayward residents to ensure that they had received proper notice and establish proof of receipt? Was the residents’ tardy behavior mentioned in public as a nudge at broadcast board meetings?

Did the village make arrangements to perform the desired installation at hours other than so-called “normal business hours” on weekdays to accommodate commuters who are away from Croton during the day? If so, did the village supply postage-paid reply cards on which residents could set their own appointment times? Or does the village insist that the Water Department’s working hours are so absolutely inflexible that “it’s our way or the highway”? (In this case, the highway turned out to be the low road.) Yet the village can respond to water emergencies 24 hours a day. There are many imaginative strategies by which the desired cooperation could have been achieved without resorting to the subterfuge of false billing.

One of our obligations as adults in our society is to set an example for young people. What kind of an example did village government set in this instance except to show young people that any means, however underhanded and reprehensible, are acceptable to achieve an end? If the net result of this incident is that young people trust government even less than they already do and become even more cynical about the world we are leaving them, then what happened has long-lasting and earth-shaking dimensions, and must be roundly condemned. It is bad enough that our national government used lies and deceit to trick this country into a futile and bloody war. Has deception as policy now trickled down to the ultimate local level, a tiny village? If so, then from top to bottom it is a dishonorable world we have made and which we will bequeath to our children.

The inevitable follow-up to the question asked in the title of this editorial is “And what has their hoax wrought?” To understand the magnitude and the consequent impact of this foolish decision to scare residents into compliance by using the power of government to manipulate the village’s supposedly impregnable record-keeping systems, Crotonblog has examined how the rest of the world saw the incident.

The story began, of course, with a December 21 report by Robert Marchant of the Journal News, a Gannett newspaper. Gannett just happens to be the largest chain of newspapers in the United States. Although The Journal News often has difficulty breathing life into pallid news stories originating in this part of Westchester, when the water bill hoax story fell into their laps, they knew they had a story with “legs,” and they knew exactly what to do with it. In newspaper parlance, they “fronted” the story. They not only put it on the front page, they made it the day’s lead (pronounced “lede”) story, positioning it “above the fold”—on the top half of the front page. This makes it visible to readers even before the newspaper is unfolded, signifying that in the editors’ eyes this was the most important news story of the day.

Associated Press writer Jim Fitzgerald also recognized it as a story of wider significance and rewrote Marchant’s account for a national audience. And what a national—or rather international—audience it turned out to be! Newspapers as well as radio and TV stations in the U.S. and Canada immediately picked up the embarrassing story and ran with it. It would be no exaggeration to say that the report spread like a California wildfire. Ironically, publicity hounds like Donald Trump cannot buy fast-breaking saturation exposure like this. His publicists would give their right arms for the kind of notoriety this story achieved. Even the respected financial magazine Forbes saw the hoax as an unusual action by a governmental entity and reported it.

It remained for the freewheeling blogging world to latch on to the story and provide the most pithy and scathing judgments on the Zambrano-Herbek folly. One blog labeled the story as “weird news” and described Croton-on-Hudson as “the village of the scammed,” a play on the title of the cult film classic, “The Village of the Damned.” Another advised readers to stay away from New York, calling it “The Vampire State,” twisting the state’s own self-applied motto, “The Empire State.” But the unkindest cut of all was the perhaps inevitable reference on one blog to Croton-on-Hudson as “Scrotum-on-Hudson.”

For all these reasons Crotonblog feels justified in asking Croton officials what they were thinking when they embarked on this Nixonian tactic. Can you imagine the uproar that would have ensued had any of the monopolistic public utilities—ConEd, Verizon or Cablevision—had tried to pull off a shabby stunt like sending fake bills as a device to get customers’ attention? Crotonblog’s reaction to the unseemly mess is to give the back of its hand to Messrs. Zambrano and Herbek. Nice going, fellas. You really did Croton proud. And, incidentally, you just happened to set a new record for adverse publicity. Even stories about child molestation by clerics don’t get this kind of attention.

To show readers of Crotonblog how far and how fast the story traveled, here’s a small sampling of the story’s embarrassingly wide exposure: Radio and TV: Fox News, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, 1010 WINS (NY), WTOP (DC), WJLA (DC), WRAL (NC), CBS2 (CA), CBS4 (FL), CBS5 (WI), CBS7 (IL), KSL-TV (Salt Lake City). Newspapers: Akron Beacon-Journal (OH), Albany Times Union (NY), Ann Arbor News (MI), Bay City Times (MI), Belleville News-Democrat (IL), Biloxi Sun-Herald (MS), Bismarck Tribune (ND), Boston Globe (MA), Bradenton Herald (FL), Casper Star Tribune (WY), Centre Daily Times (PA), Charlotte Observer (NC), Columbus Ledger-Inquirer (GA), Contra Costa Times (CA), Denver Post (CO), First Coast News (FL) as “strange and unusual news,” Flint Journal (MI), Fort Wayne Journal Gazette (IN), Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (IN), Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (TX), Grand Rapid Press (MI), Helena Independent Record (MT), Houston Examiner (TX) as “strange news,” Jackson Citizen Patriot (MI), Kalamazoo Gazette (MI), Kansas City Star (MO), Lakeland Ledger (FL), Lansing Bureau, Lexington Herald Leader (KY), Macon Telegraph (GA), Miami Herald (FL), Minneapolis-St. Paul Pioneer Press (MN), Monterey County Herald (CA), Muskegon Chronicle (MI), Myrtle Beach Sun-News (NC), New Orleans Times Picayune (LA), Newsday (NY), NY Daily News (NYCity), NY Post (NYCity), Saginaw News (MI), San Jose Mercury News (CA), Sioux City Journal (IA), South Florida Sun-Sentinel (FL), Staten Island Advance (NY), The State (SC), Toronto Globe & Mail (Canada), Washington Post (DC), Wichita Eagle (KS), Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader (PA), Worcester Telegram (MA).

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Crotonblog's Roll of Honor: 156 Who Voted Against the Iraq War

November 10, 2006

Four years and one month ago, on October 11, 2002, a crucial vote was taken on a joint resolution that enabled President George W. Bush to wage the unpopular war that we are still fighting in Iraq (news). In the 100-member Senate, 21 Democrats, one Republican and one Independent voted nay on that joint resolution allowing President George W. Bush to go to war with Iraq. In the 435-member House of Representatives, 126 Democrats, six Republicans and one Independent also voted nay on the same resolution.

Had a majority of senators and representatives voted against this irresponsible resolution, more than 2,800 members of our armed forces would be alive today. Follows are the names of the senators and representatives who had the courage to resist the stampede to a foolish war. History has proven them to be right.

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Halloween Safety Tips for Croton's "Goblins"

October 28, 2006

Prevention of accidents is always better than engaging in vain regret. Any accident or injury to a child is always tragic. Old-fashioned common sense can prevent accidents from happening on Halloween. Here are some safety tips for children and adults that will make for a safe Halloween:

• Motorists should watch for children darting from behind parked cars and be on the lookout for children, especially children in dark clothing, walking along roads, medians or curbs on Halloween.

• Parents of trick-or-treating children can get so caught up in the spirit of fun themselves at this holiday they might forget some simple safety rules that could save headaches and heartaches. Having a safe Halloween will make this ancient holiday even more fun.

The following are a few common sense tips that can help:

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Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right...

October 4, 2006

The Happy Tots Child Care Center moved back in to the Church of the Holy Name of Mary on August 15, 2006. The school program first set up back in the gym and then moved back into four classrooms. And since then, the Happy Tots staff has not willing to sign a temporary lease that would terminate on December 31, 2006. Thereby, no lease currently exists. Why would the church allow that to happen?

In the meantime, the Church of the Holy Name of Mary raised the rent by a whopping 38%. Worse, for the program, is that Happy Tots Child Care Center now has half the space they originally had. The school now requires less space now because of their recent drop in enrollment of a third to half compared to Spring 2006 (see: “Fate of Croton Daycare Center Hangs in the Balance…”). What message might that be sending to parishioners and neighbors alike?

Meanwhile, Happy Tots Child Care Center had a hearing in the Town of Cortlandt on October 3, 2006, for an approval from the town board to begin renovating the old WHUD building on Station Way in Peekskill as their new home. So, the staff continues to tell parents that the new site will be ready in two months, but it seems like anyone who thinks they know anything about the school’s future plans also knows they may be wrong.

So, it appears that the Church of the Holy Name of Mary continues to not want to have anything to do with Happy Tots and will make it unbearable for them—but so far, not in a way that brings any attention to them. While Happy Tots wants to stay in business, they are fighting with the church to do so, but on the other hand telling parents not to worry. One might wonder who really loses out in this game.

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Transparent Scare Tactics in Croton That Are Truly Scary--for Democracy

August 16, 2006

Two weeks ago, Croton’s three Democratic trustees were fingered as the “Cash for Trash Trio.” But last Monday night, the real enemy of “the few” was re-introduced to Croton residents as the “Trash Terrorists” by the “Trash-sniffing Twosome.” And, according to the shared logic of Robert Wintermeier (watch video or search) and confederate Richard Pellicci (watch video or search), these “Trash Terrorists” are part of what the Twosome describes as the “Trash Alliance” with whom the “Cash for Trash Trio” allegedly sympathizes.

Holy Dick Cheney Batman!

That’s right, Robin, Croton Republican Committee affiliate and Maria Cudequest (search) trainbearer Robert Wintermeier used the “T” word in a feeble attempt to scare residents into supporting his idol’s hysteric cause.

And most recently, the only letters relating to the “fight,” that have graced the “letters” section of The Gazette, flagrantly disguised as desperate calls to battle, came from cheerleader Maria Denise Cudequest, her live-in companion, a local recluse named William Rooney whose relationship is so close that he writes in her inimitable letter-writing style, and a self-congratulating community gardener known as “Rich” to Trustee Thomas Brennan but known to those who favor childishly drawn editorial cartoons diguised as letters to the editor as Richard Pellicci.

Then came Thursday and the Batphone started blinking.

And with it, the arrival of the August 10, 2006 edition of The Gazette, which has become a community bulletin board for the Johnny-one-note bellyachers. Hardliners Don Daubney, David Goldman, Marie Yurchuk and Richard Pellicci (of course) all answered their own call by writing to denounce any participation by the Village in discussions about the future of the property at 1A Croton Point Avenue (the hideout for the “Trash Alliance” of “Trash Terrorists”).

Most slumber-inducing of all the letters was the one that marked the return of corpulent GOP Chairman Rob DiFrancesco (remember him? if not, search.). It was Rob who led his Republican candidates to a crushing defeat in the Village election held last March. It was that very trouncing which subsequently left the former Republican majority powerless only after one-year of having their own way. Needless to say, Mr. DiFrancesco comes late to the game. After all, he was in Middle School when former construction and demolition (C&D) transfer site operator Metro Enviro opened in 1996. The letter—like others written in his echo chamber—lacks merit, is toned in aggression and will not likely draw the additional support he seeks for his mayor’s unpopular cause.

After all, Mr. DiFrancesco is really back in the thick of it because under-performing rookies Mayor Dr. Gregory Schmidt (see: “What’s Up Doc?”) and Trustee Thomas Brennan are both up for re-election in six months time and are seen as very vulnerable.

In a scene befitting Police Commissioner James Gordon, but played by Village Manager Rick Herbek, was the revelation of very serious developments in the case of the “Trash Alliance” to residents during the Monday, August 14, 2006 board meeting (agenda).

In the following video, Manager Herbek describes a realistic scene where Buffalo Southern Railroad, now armed with an interim track agreement with rail owner CSX, seeks to take delivery of three train cars full of building sand—held since May 2006—and begin transporting gypsum-board scraps from Buchanan-based drywall manufacturer Lafarge North America Inc., by rail out of Croton.

Soon, there may well be lots of new sand delivered to Croton for both members of the “No Negotiating” contingent of Mayor Dr. Gregory Schmidt and Trustee Thomas Brennan to bury their heads in.

Video clip:

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Putting the Croton Express Back on the Right Track

July 28, 2006

In their letters in the July 27, 2006, issue of The Gazette, fellow travelers Richard Pellicci and William Rooney proudly unveiled their latest creation—“cash for trash.”

Brilliant. Take the very complicated issues facing the village over the former C&D (construction and debris) facility at 1A Croton Point Avenue and boil them down to a three-word rhyming jingle. Then repeat. And repeat.

The jarring reality this time around for Maria Cudequest’s coalition of unwilling soreheads, which also includes Don Daubney, Susan Konig, Joanne Minett and Robert Wintermeier, is that the community is tired of their one-note whining and is no longer listening to them.

In Mr. Pellicci’s griping letter (does he write any other kind?), he repeats “Where is the outrage?” three times. Then he asks residents to go to village board meetings and ask the “cash for trash trio” (refering to Trustees Gallelli, Kane and Wiegman) these questions: “What gives you the right to overrule Mayor Schmidt who vowed to keep Croton free of garbage? What gives you the right to put our health and welfare at great risk again?”

What gives them the right to outvote the Mayor (not “overrule”—he’s not King Gregory the First) is nothing more than the good old democtratic process at work. As for the worn-out argument that our health and welfare was put at risk, there never has been a shred of tangible evidence of that.

Frustrated must be this band of self-appointed activists who have been, as Mayor Dr. Gregory Schmidt says, “in this fight” for the last eight years. Disappointed, too, must the Mayor have been that no one showed up at the microphone last Monday night to berate the “cash for trash trio” for their reasoned decision to ask special counsel Michael Gerrard to draft a counter to the offer made by Regus Industries CEO Andreas Gruson at the recent “listening session.” And lonely must have been ringleader Maria Cudequest when no one from her posse of hard-riding vigilantes joined her at Tuesday night’s Planning Board meeting, where Regus’s operating permit application was undergoing a formal review.

Yawn.

Once legal fees surpassed the staggering mark of one million dollars under Mayor Schmidt’s leadership (see: “What’s up Doc?”) and Maria Cudequest’s guidance, it quickly became obvious that the Croton Express was careening down the wrong track completely out of control. Croton’s Democratic majority should be commended for finally taking charge and addressing the crucial issues surrounding 1A Croton Point Avenue (see: “The Devil is in the Details: 1A Croton Point Avenue”). Bravo!

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Village of Croton-on-Hudson Gets Top Bond Rating from Moody's

July 20, 2006

Croton-on-Hudson once again has been assigned the top debt rating for a village of its size and demographic characteristics by Moody’s Investor Services. This was pointed out by Village Treasurer Abe Zambrano at the July 10, 2006 regularly scheduled Village Board meeting (see video clip and transcript below) at which Mr. Zambrano called attention to the recent issuance by the village of $2.27 million of Public Improvement Bonds. Additionally, Croton has $12.11 million of outstanding parity debt that has also been reaffirmed with an “A1” rating.

Issuance of these types of debt instruments is a regular practice of the village, and other municipalities, to meet certain recurring financial obligations and to take advantage of the now-ending low interest rate environment that the economy has enjoyed.

Croton has had an Aaa or A1 rating on its general obligation and/or public improvement bonds since 1998—the earliest date from which Moody’s has been tracking the village’s debt. Since 1998, Croton has issued GO bonds every year except for 2001 with maturities ranging from 10 to 20 years. Thanks to the fiscally conservative nature of Croton’s borrowing practices established many years ago, its stable tax base and the ability to meet interest obligations on the outstanding and new debt; it is not surprising that the village has enjoyed this rating for a number of years.

Despite Mayor Dr. Gregory Schmidt’s statement, “…just as a quick, whatever, you [Treasurer Zambrano] did point out that last year we did very well, and that was with a bunch of amateurs who ran the village last year, so I just wanted to point out that the amateurs did okay last year contrary to popular belief…” about the latest “A1” rating by Moody’s, the fiscal conservatism that led to this reaffirmation of the village’s debt rating was not a result of his supervision.

Rather, the favorable Moody’s rating is a product of the village’s long-established practice of managing its financial position through its Village Manager’s Office and the Village Finance Department. With all due respect to Mayor Dr. Gregory Schmidt, it is Manager Herbek, Treasurer Zambrano and the village staff who deserve credit for continuing to manage village finances in a responsible and conservative manner.

Video clip:

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Video transcript:

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No Need for an Information Blackout After a "Listening Session"

July 9, 2006

In her comment to “Please Light a Candle, Mr. Mayor,” ex-trustee Georgianna Grant reminds Crotonblog of the story of the fat lady trying on shoes in a shoe store. She sought a shoe that was small on the outside and large on the inside. Mrs. Grant cannot have it both ways. Her complaint about our call for the Mayor to disclose to the public what was said by Regus CEO Andreas Gruson to village representatives at the recent so-called “listening session” only clouds the issue.

As Croton residents know only too well, Mayor Schmidt has not delivered on his campaign promise of open government. His administration has been as secretive as the Bush administration and just as brashly absolute in its refusal to negotiate on any matter.

Mrs. Grant justifies an information blackout about what was said by Mr. Gruson at the “listening session” by incorrectly comparing it to truly adversarial negotiations between the village and Metro Enviro in which she participated as a trustee. Crotonblog would point out that in announcing the village’s participation at this session, Mayor Gregory Schmidt assured agitated, unhappy citizens that the village would do no more than listen to what Mr. Gruson had to say. Mrs. Grant’s statement that questions of legal strategy or tactics were involved is questionable, since doing so would have contravened the mayor’s assurances.

It escapes Crotonblog how reporting to Croton’s citizens what Mr. Gruson said at this “listening session” could be of any assistance to what Ms. Grant alludes to as “the enemy” since “the enemy” was present at the meeting and doing all the talking, while Croton’s representatives, we were assured, would do nothing but listen. Far from persuading Trustee Thomas Brennan, as Ms. Grant hopes, of the need for secrecy, we expect that this incident will only reinforce his past calls for more openness in government and cause him to reiterate them.

Crotonblog was designed and created to fill a large void in Croton news coverage left by the traditional media. We can only fulfill that mission if village government is timely and totally transparent in its dissemination of information.

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Its Not That Dogs Aren't Cute, BUT...

July 8, 2006

So, its a beautiful Saturday morning in the Village of Croton-on-Hudson and your neighbor’s dog won’t stop barking… Yeah, its awkward to go on over and say something. People get offended and such. But the loud barking continues… Hello? Fortunately, there is a village code specifically about DOGS that you could email over to them.

Like a virtual fence, reading it can make for better neighbohood relationships. Because in reality, we should leave the police to tend to the responsibilities that are greater than this—if possible. The complete village code library is available online here.

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Attention Hudson Valley Drivers

June 30, 2006

In case you are planning to hit the roads for the July 4th holiday weekend or trying to sneak out of work early to reach your favorite weekend spot on this beautiful Friday, you may want to check out this website hudsonvalleytraveler.com to find out the latest local traffic conditions. Another one of our loyal bloggers, “KS”, turned us on to the site the other day and we think it is an excellent resource for finding the least congested way around our piece of this crowded planet. We find the site to be user-friendly and informative enough to become a regular part of your pre-travel planning. Everyone hates getting stuck in traffic; especially on get-away day. A couple of clicks around hudsonvalleytraveler.com might save you hours of frustration on the roads - and quite a few bucks on gas too!

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