Journal News Calls for Investigation into Rye City Hall in Editorial
The Journal News has published an editorial this morning, in the wake of the Schubert – Shew Affair, calling for an investigation into how business is conducted at Rye City Hall.
It says in part:
"Mysteries in Rye
[Discussing Schubert events] The public outcry over the psychiatrist stunt (Schubert was even sent the $378 bill!) was enough to bring down Shew, who was fired by the City Council last week – for reasons unrelated to the Schubert affair, the council claimed. But many more questions remain about Schubert's mysteriously evaporated pond and Rye City Hall's response to a resident's valid complaint…
The city-manager style of government is supposed to free elected officials, like the mayor and the council, from the day-to-day chores of running City Hall and allow them to focus on bigger policy issues. But could city officials have been so removed that they were unaware of Schubert's many loud and persistent complaints? Did they choose to ignore them until public outrage at the mistreatment of an 86-year-old man made it inconvenient to ignore the complaints any longer?
The city has, belatedly, launched an investigation to find out what stopped the underground stream from flowing into the Schubert property. Perhaps it should also launch an investigation inward, into how business is conducted in Rye City Hall."
Unfortunately, I believe that any investigation started now has already been tainted and obstructed by Otis and Plunkett’s s own clandestine “Investigation”.
I think the District Attorney should investigate if Otis and Plunkett conducted this surreptitious exercise to conceal their own possible culpability into the coverup.
Is “Councilman” Cunningham now going to publicly say this is all in the heads of the entire Journal News Editorial Board?
Maybe “Councilwoman” Parker will say the Journal News Editorial Board is sullying their reputation.
What are the steps that need to be taken – and who needs to take them – if an unbiased investigation is to take place? Does the Rye City Council itself have to initiate it, as I believe Councilman Sack had tried to?
Has there been any specific date as to when the new hydrologist’s report will become public?
BB Wylie:
According to the City of Rye Charter, Otis and the City Council have had the ability to conduct an investigation from the beginning. They chose not to. Why?????
Why did Otis make a motion to hire the hydrologist before Councilman Sack had the opportunity to ask for an investigation?
Why did Otis lie and say the hydrologist had no connection to Rye or for that matter all of Westchester when they already worked for Rye concerning the screw up of Beaver Swamp? By the way, Otis signed off on the Beaver Swamp and lists it on his list of accomplishments.
Why did Otis and Plunkett conduct their own clandestine and unauthorized investigation? Was it to conceal their involvement in the coverup?
§ C6-3. Investigations.
The Council may make investigations into the affairs of the city and the conduct
of any board, commission, department, office or agency thereof and for this purpose
may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require the
production of evidence.
Any person who fails or refuses to obey a lawful order issued
in the exercise of these powers by the Council shall be guilty of an offense
punishable by a fine of not more than $100, or by imprisonment for not more than
30 days, or both, and such offense shall constitute sufficient cause for suspension
without pay for a period not exceeding two months or removal from office or
employment.
I hope scooter and linus weigh in soon – the insider party line is so revealing.
My bet? This is all media bias created and fed by the pitchfork people. The old man is crazy, his water went to God, Hen Island is a non issue and Mr. Amico needs a visit from the guys in the white suits, the cops are crybabies, the bridge to no-where is fully drivable, it will never rain that hard again so no worries folks, taxes will go down – we swear – and the Mayor really, really is an environmentalist.
The NYS Attorney General should be asked to come in and conduct an investigation into how Rye government has operated for at least the last five years.
Subpoenas could be issued so Otis, Shew, Plunkett, Wilson, Toomey, Connors, Falk, Verille, Nodarse, Pickup, Morison and all the Council members who have “graced” our presence the last five years can come testify under oath as to their involvement in any illegal, improper or illicit activity.
THANKS TED,
Although some of my fans have called me crazy in the past no one has been able to fit me into one of those nice white suits yet. I WOULD NEVER FIGHT THIS HARD FOR SOMETHING I TRULY DO NOT BELIEVE IS IN THE BEST INTEREST OF ALL-ESPECIALLY THE CHILDREN!!! Scooter says I’m on that short list of self servers- I’m still waiting for him to explain how Stop Signs in Rye are self serving to just me & my family!!! What do you think Ted? HEY-Maybe the City was advised by their Attorney(s)[Plunkett] not to put a Stop Sign on Midland? mmmmmm I WONDER!!!
HAS ANYONE NOTICED SCOOTER & THE BOYS HAVE DISAPPEARED???
The Journal News calling for an investigation into Rye government is very significant given they are the official newspaper of the City of Rye.
They obviously have looked over these matters very carefully and saw what everyone else has been seeing all along (except Otis, Plunkett and City Council except for Sack) before calling for this investigation. They also saw Otis and the City Council not taking appropriate action and that probably played a big role as well.
When all the dust settles in City Hall, what is the solution for the Schubert problem?
Mechanically, it appears that a simple pipe connection to the neighbor’s drywell fixes everything.
Even if the neighbor had obtained a permit, there would not have been a guarantee that Bob’s pond would not have been affected.
If he got a permit and the pond dried up, who would have been responsible to pay to fix it?
Because the city determined that a permit wasn’t required, doesn’t the responsibility to fix it stay the same?
Either way, unless the neighbor simply does what appears to be the right thing and installs the pipe to restore the water, what should be done?
Should city tax dollars be used to fix private property? As a Rye resident, I would vote no to that.
I doubt that the City Council has the authority to demand that the neighbor pay for the restoration and if they did, the neighbor would certainly sue the city.
So, again I ask, what is the solution?
Quincy
The problem has always existed between the two neighbors,
Most of this mess is made by the pitchfork mentality and made even worse by a carpetbagger developer’s agenda to make a land grab.
Jim –
I haven’t disappeared. I just can’t stand going over and over the same old ground ad nauseam.
I’d rather enjoy a nice sunny day outside at the park than waste my time with paranoid conspiracy theorists. And if I stop responding to stupid theories of corruption and hidden agendas, it doesn’t make you, Ray or TedC right. It just means you’re more willing than me to waste time. Take a break, go outside, catch some rays, breathe a little. We’ll chat a little later, once I find something new to discuss.
Linue,
I think you spelled you name wrong. It should have been “Looney”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUDT-VsHDN4&NR=1
Jack A. (Mr. Floatie’s ass-istant)
Do you all not know how your government works???? Have you never seen your Planning Commission in action? If the dry well project went through the permit process it would have been reviewed by the Planning Commission (PC). There would have been a public hearing on the project and Schubert would have been able to explain his concerns. The PC would then have to address his issues.
To start the PC may not have let the applicant install a dry well in the wetland in the first place. If they did they would require something in writing from the applicant stating that the project would not negatively impact Schuberts pond. They would also require that the letter be written by a professional that the applicant funds……Thats right!!! the gates would have had to pay for the hydrologist not the taxpayers. Also the applicant would be required to do mitigation planting which costs big bucks. After all that the letter would be included in the resolution and the permit would have been approved with conditions pertaining to schuberts pond. On top of that it is required that the applicant fork up money for a bond which the city holds on to for a few years to make sure the work is done according to the approval and resolution. The money is not given back to the applicant until it is done accordingly. We are talking thousands here. I know! I have been through it as well as others. There are many residents out there that have been through the appropriate wetland permit process and have had to do required (expensive!) planting and pay for bonds not to mention the cost of landscape architects, wetland specialist, and representation at PC meetings.
If the dry well went through the RIGHT process and ended up drying the schubert pond there would be actions the city could take and the applicant would have to pay to rectify it.
Now we can all say would have, should have, could have. The point is they didn’t. Looking at it now we the taxpayers are paying for the hydrologist and we will probably pay for any repairs. OH… don’t forget all the fees for Plunkett to respond to the issue and the resulting mess we have now.
Has anyone asked the Attorney who represented the Gates what he thinks? I believe Jonathan Kraut, who used to be on the Rye Planning Board, was the Attorney for the Gates. He also works in Harrison as the Town Attorney.
Journal News picked the perfect time for a preemptive strike at the hydrology report. This editorial changes nothing. Who cares what an editor thinks? So now editors opinions take priority over engineer reports? These Shubert supporters are off their rockers.
“Has anyone asked the Attorney who represented the Gates what he thinks?”
Gates? They have no rights. It’s more important for Bob Shubert to have a pond than the Gates to protect their property. Didn’t you know that? Just ask Bob Schubert. He’ll tell you that.
I find it hard to believe that people are suggesting piping the water from the drywell to Mr. Schubert’s pond. That’s against NYS environmental code. Who are these “environmentalists”?
SCOOTER,
From your mouth to GOD’S EARS!!!
I AM ALSO SICK OF “GOING OVER & OVER THE SAME OLD GROUND AD NAUSEAM” “Take a break, go outside, catch some rays, breathe a little”…Last time my son tried this he ended up some place you don’t want your child to be!!!
I WOULD ALSO RATHER ENJOY THE OUTDOORS BUT EVERY TIME I CROSS THE GOD DAMN STREET SOME ASSHOLE THINKS IT IS OKAY TO USE MIDLAND AVE. AS THEIR OWN PERSONAL AUTO BAHN!!! AND YES I AM MORE WILLING & IT IS NOT A WASTE OF MY TIME TO MAKE SURE MY CHILDREN & YOURS ALONG WITH EVERY ONE ELSES IS SAFE!!! I HAVE NO HIDDEN AGENDA….
ALL MY CARDS ARE FACE UP!!! WHAT’S YOUR EXCUSE JACKASS!!!
I guarantee you Otis, Cunningham, Ball, Pratt, Sack, Gamache and Parker all care what the editors of the Journal News thinks.
Wow! These are some very serious charges from many different sources. Can they all be wrong? I am in the costumer service business, whenever we see a pattern of complaints, we start our own investigation on a business level. I think this calls for a federal investigation. Let’s keep the investigators honest and keep the investigation out of the hands of the local officials. They seem to have their hands full.
I wish Albany would come in here and investigate. They’d laugh their asses off at Mr. Flotie and Mr. Shubert. Most counties in NY don’t even have “code”. Where is Andrew Cuomo. He’d need a week just to stop laughing at the morons that show up every 2 weeks at the Council meetings in Rye.
Be careful what you wish for.
Why don’t you ask Otis, Shew, Connors, Nodarse and Plunkett if they would welcome Andy Cuomo doing an investigation complete with subpoenas and sworn testimony?
Cuomo may be laughing, but only because these jackasses have been getting away with this for so many years right under the Rye City Council’s noses.
LET’S ALL GIVE MR.ALBANY ABSOLUTE SILENCE. IT DOESN’T DESERVE THE DIGNITY OF A RESPONSE!!!!
From today’s Journal News
Mysteries in Rye
• MARCH 23, 2009
Bob Schubert has a garden that people have paid good money just to visit. Half an acre of wetland plantings with a pond fed by an underground stream, which meanders through the Schubert property in Rye, the garden was cultivated over decades by Schubert and his wife, Rita, a one-time president of the Rye Garden Club. To get an idea of just how special the garden is, Bob Schubert, 86, told the Editorial Board, consider that a few years back, the Schuberts hosted a garden tour to benefit the Girl Scout and raised $30,000.
So when, in 2006, Schubert’s neighbor installed an underground drainage system to dry up an ever-present puddle from his own backyard and inadvertently diverted the underground stream, drying up Schubert’s pond and garden as well, it might have been enough to drive Schubert, well, crazy. Indeed, it made him angry, frustrated and set him to wondering if the many city officials who ignored his complaints were somehow in cahoots.
But crazy? No. We can be certain of that, because the psychiatrist that Rye City Manager Paul Shew sent to Schubert’s home in February to evaluate him certified as much. Calling in a psychiatrist from Westchester Medical Center to evaluate – or, perhaps, silence – a man who spent years doggedly trying to fight city hall only added a Kafkaesque twist to the Schubert tale.
The public outcry over the psychiatrist stunt (Schubert was even sent the $378 bill!) was enough to bring down Shew, who was fired by the City Council last week – for reasons unrelated to the Schubert affair, the council claimed. But many more questions remain about Schubert’s mysteriously evaporated pond and Rye City Hall’s response to a resident’s valid complaint. For one, where did the stream of water go? Was it diverted into a storm drain? A sewer? The Long Island Sound? For another, why was no permit required for the neighbor’s underground drainage system?
The city-manager style of government is supposed to free elected officials, like the mayor and the council, from the day-to-day chores of running City Hall and allow them to focus on bigger policy issues. But could city officials have been so removed that they were unaware of Schubert’s many loud and persistent complaints? Did they choose to ignore them until public outrage at the mistreatment of an 86-year-old man made it inconvenient to ignore the complaints any longer?
The city has, belatedly, launched an investigation to find out what stopped the underground stream from flowing into the Schubert property. Perhaps it should also launch an investigation inward, into how business is conducted in Rye City Hall.
Scooter,
You tell Jim Amico and the others how tired you are of going around and around the same “ad nauseam”. So regarding our situation: We the Amicos sat back for quite a while and waited for the City Council to do the right thing by our son. First we had our meeting and our appearance before the Council then we waited, and waited. We questioned them and they blamed it on the County not getting back to them. So we waited some more! However, when we decided thatwe would no longer wait, Jim investigated it further and took our plea to the County. He found out that the City could basically do whatever they wanted on Midland Avenue. Since then the Council has been pushing our situation aside with tons of bulls*** regarding mid-block stop signs and the street isn’t wide enough for this or that.Funny though there are recent mid-block stop signs in other parts of Rye and crosswalks in much needed places as well. So Scooter how do you figure we will get our stop sign? I guess sitting down and shutting up would be what you want? Well, it seems to be that the City Council is either full of cowards and idiots, or both because if you or they think that we are going to give up our fight for safer streets in Rye, then you better put on your seatbelt sweetheart because it is going to be a very bumpy ride!
Do you realize this is not some ridiculous request about SOMETHING MIGHT happen if there is no stop sign on Midland Ave. Wake up! SOMETHING DID HAPPEN A PARENTS WORST NIGHTMARE HAPPENED!!! RIGHT HERE ON MIDLAND AVENUE, IN GOOD OLD RYE, NY. By the way for people like you who are obviously ignorant because you feel nothing like this could ever happen to you, the pain DOESN’T GO AWAY. Nope its almost 3 years and guess what the pain is just as bad as it was the first day. So I’m thinking if it takes months or years until something sufficient is put in place for making Midland Avenue a safer street, you will be hearing from the Amicos until that time.
By the way, it sure is easy to make statements like yours when you keep your identity a secret. I’m thinking either you’re on the City Council or maybe you’d like to run for City Council one day. Or you just like to talk s**t because no one knows who you REALLY ARE.
The floating poet quoter of seventeen century a mystic seems to take such joy in the fall of a tragic figure..
“CAST ADRIFT”
Perhaps this quote from the same poet will fit you as well.
“Ask Not for whom the bell tolls.
It tolls for thee”
Quincy Dolan –
The answer to your questions lies in Chapter 195 – Wetlands and Watercourses and then in the various enforcement statutes residing elsewhere in the City of Rye municipal code.
A dishonest recurrent party line emanating from some writers here is that there is somehow an allegation that the Gates’s purposely did something wrong. To date, I believe nothing has HONESTLY been alleged that they did.
If you want to quibble, they could have been more proactive in crafting a solution directly with Mr. Schubert but the Rye City government gave them official permission to remediate their standing water problem and from the scope of the work outlined at least in the ‘pre-built’ plans, they started out with the express written intent of NOT disrupting the natural water flows to the Schubert pond. The Gates’s (to my knowledge) DID NOT dig their own trenches, excavate a deep hole for a completely new drywell, install redirective subsurface piping of indeterminate diameter running for indeterminate lengths in indeterminate direction(s)….a contractor supervised by a licensed engineer did this for them.
And immediately thereafter the Schubert Pond water flows sharply diminished, a stagnant health hazard of a stink hole resulted and we now know that there was a disagreement in the City staff over how all this was handled.
Ted, I am not “quibbling”. I am simply asking a question, which no one seems to want to answer. I do not have the time or patience to decipher the Code.
The solution can be designed and permitted by the proper professional. The means and methods of the solution are not at question here.
My question remains: Who pays for correcting the problem and who makes that determination?
I don’t want it done with my tax dollars, do you?
I think Rye should require a stop sign every 10 feet in Rye. I’m sure every parent would agree with this very simple solution.
Check this out. Check out what Myerson says. 2 MILLION GALLONS! ROFLMAO!
https://www.lohud.com/article/2009903200377
I want a stop sign in front of my house too!
I want one too! Why is Midland Ave. the only area for more stop signs?
Hey, wait a minute! I want a stop sign in front of my house too!
Quincy Dolan –
It’s not up to me or you or even (I suspect) the city council. The remedies and assignation of remediation charges are already in the city code. Some of our fellow writers have good legal type reading skills – let’s see what they discover.
On my street the cars are always speeding! We need a stop sign too! Actually we could use at least 10 more just on my block! I’m putting the City council on notice as of now!
Stop sign and 2 million gallons..myerson???
Carpet bagger again
Why don’t we ask Jonathan Kraut about the process. He used to be on the Rye Planning Commission and he apparently was the Attorney for the Gates.
Kraut would presumably know if anything was done improperly, not up to code or without the needed wetlands permit.
We could also ask Plunkett. According to his firm’s website he specializes in land use issues and government affairs.
DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP
Kevin J. Plunkett
Partner
Direct Dial: 914.607.3200
Direct Fax: 914.607.4200
Phone: 914.681.0200
Fax: 914.684.0288
Email: [email protected]
Practice Areas
Commercial Litigation
Government Relations
Biography
Mr. Plunkett is a member of the Commercial Litigation and Government Relations practice groups. Mr. Plunkett has a diverse practice that encompasses complex commercial/civil litigation, estate litigation, construction litigation and all aspects of land use, administrative and governmental law. He represents numerous government entities as Counsel and acts as Special Counsel to numerous public clients on major litigation cases as well as serving private and corporate clients on significant commercial and construction cases. He is a leading authority on RLUIPA (Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000).
From May 2000 to February 2008, Mr. Plunkett was a partner in the law firm of Thacher Proffitt & Wood in New York City and White Plains. From 1979-2000, Mr. Plunkett was a partner in the law firm of Plunkett & Jaffe, P.C. and concentrated on complex civil litigation and governmental law matters. Before that, he was an Assistant District Attorney in the Felony Trial Bureau of the Westchester District Attorney’s Office. He currently serves as Village Attorney for the Village of Dobbs Ferry and is Corporation Counsel for the City of Rye.
Appointed Positions
Member, Governor Spitzer’s Second Department Judicial Screening Committee
Chairman, Governor Pataki’s Second Department Judicial Screening Committee (1997-2006)
Member, Character and Fitness Committee, Second Judicial Department, Ninth Judicial District (1988-1997)
Memberships
American Bar Association
New York Bar Association
Florida Bar Association
Board Member, New York State Thruway Authority (2007-present)
Board Member, Taconic State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commission (2006-present)
Board Member, Westchester ARC Foundation
Board Member, Board of Visitors of Pace University School of Law (2000-present)
Chairman, Greenway Conservancy for the Hudson River Valley (2000-present)
Director, Tappan Zee Real Estate Investment Trust (1998-2007)
Director, Union State Bank and its Holding Company (1998-2007)
Director, Tarrytown and North Tarrytown Savings and Loan, Tappan Zee Financial (1989-1998)
Trustee, Westchester Arts Council
Trustee, Iona College (1995-present)
Advisory Member, Teatown Lake Reservation
Seminars
Lecturer, “Hot Topics in Land Use Law”, NYSBA Municipal Law Section Fall Meeting, West Point, New York (2007)
Lecturer, “Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act”, 19th Annual Rockland municipal Planning Federation’s Dinner, Pomona, New York (2007)
Judge, “Reargument of Palsgraf v. Long Island Rail Road”, Historical Society of the Courts of the State of New York, Pace Law School, White Plains, New York (2006)
Panelist, “Reinventing Redevelopment Law”, Pace Center for Continuing Legal Education, New York, New York (2005)
Panelist, Strategies for Resolving Land Use Disputes: When to Litigate and When to Collaborate, Pace Law School, White Plains, New York (2003)
Admissions
New York
Florida
U.S. Supreme Court
U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals
U.S. Districts Courts, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York
Ask Kraut –
I read somewhere that Mr. Kraut is still the Gates’s attorney so he would likely be silent on any public forum because he is going to look after their interests.
And remember that the Planning Commission never got to see this matter at all so no one who is on, or was on Planning is up to speed yet. CCAC also never did their own work on this one – they were instructed to rely on an official city position which has now been called into question.
oh my word infestation of lawyers.
Just what we need.
Please understand if they get into this mess, the only winners will be them
Unless lawyers are representing themselves then all lawyers have clients. Clients make decisions and honest lawyers can help craft fair solutions, advantageous to all parties. There are already almost half a dozen lawyers involved here including individual Rye City council members. Why should we accept that lawyers always do bad things?
I don’t need a stop sign but I would like a canal dug from my house to the Sound so I could dock a boat at my house and be able to get to the Sound. I’m putting the Council on notice that if I don’t get a canal dug they will be corrupt and must be covering something up. I know I made the decision to buy a house that is not located on the Sound but it’s the govt’s responsibility to take care of what I want. I am responsible for nothing related to my life.
“Why should we accept that lawyers always do bad things?”
Spoken like a true lawyer.
Linus,Patty T.,Sarah C.,etc.,
WOW! YOU PEOPLE REALLY HAVEN’T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS & REALLY DO NOT KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT ME! I SHOULDN’T BE EXPLAINING MYSELF TO SUCH IGNORANCE BUT I WILL ANYWAY….. Yes my immediate goals are for Midland Ave. & not just for the intersection where “JARRID WAS KILLED” but I have to start some where. MY ULTIMATE GOAL IS FOR CITY WIDE STREET SAFETY. IF A CHILD IS NOT SAFE ON MIDLAND THEN A CHILD IS NOT SAFE ON MILTON OR FOREST EITHER & PROBABLY A LOT OF OTHER STREETS IN RYE. I GREW UP ON THESE STREETS & KNOW ALL TOO WELL THE DANGERS IN RYE. MY CLASSMATE & FRIEND WAS KILLED ON PLAYLAND PRKWY. 32 Years ago. Before that a 10 yr.old girl in 1957 on Midland Ave. 1 block up from Jarrid’s accident. Not to mention other classmates & friends over the years that have been struck by cars,& all the multiple accidents on Midland Ave. Had the past Council Members & Mayor’s been paying attention doing their jobs we wouldn’t be having this conversation & I wouldn’t be talking to a HEAD STONE!!! SO….WHY DON’T YOU GROW A PAIR YOU INSENSITIVE COWARDS & IDENTIFY YOURSELF W/AN ADDRESS & I WILL BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD IF IT SO WARRANTS!! I HAVE NEVER IN MY LIFE WITNESSED SUCH OUTRAGEOUS DIS CONCERN FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN & FOR A FAMILY SUCH AS MINE WHO HAS BEEN FORCED TO ENDURE THE “WORST”!! STOP SIGNS COST $350.00 – HOW MUCH IS YOUR CHILD’S LIFE WORTH? AND OF COURSE THIS STARTS W/JARRID BUT IT ENDS W/EVERY CHILD IN RYE YESTERDAY,TODAY,TOMORROW!!!
P.S. I WILL BE WAITING FOR YOUR ADDRESSES!
I WONDER IF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO WALK THE TALK W/AN IDENTITY…PRETTY EASY TO THROW STONES FROM A CLOSET!!!
Instead of spending $350 dollars on a stop sign in front of my house I want an I-Phone from the city. I’m putting the city on notice that if I don’t get an I-Phone they will be labeled corrupt and covering up something.
“Some of our fellow writers have good legal type reading skills – let’s see what they discover.” tedC
That is really what I am looking for, Ted. The whole issue is a mess and everyone is quick to assign blame only, but no one is discussing the reasonable legal solution.
JUST AS I THOUGHT NO IDENTITY!!!!
Wow! you people are all nuts! You don’t get it. First of all if you knew anything you would know that where my son was killed was NOT in front of my house. It was however, at the intersection of Palisades Road and Midland. So for you the coward that signs their name differently each time,get a damn clue. Stop making such a fool of yourself with your pathetic sarcasm. Jane R./Valerie H. and whatever else you go by what the hell did you mean by “I am responsible for nothing related to my life”.
Ted C
Do you know if Otis and the Rye City Council have had Shew and Plunkett sign sworn affidavits detailing their involvement in the Schubert matter and subsequent coverup?
Great Timing,ha,ha
Timing is everything! Gates definitely have rights which DO NOT give them the right to destroy a neighbors property. Since so far the Gates have chosen to stay out of this it doesn’t make them much of a neighbor. As PIGDOG so kindly brought to all your blind eyes…had this been done right from the VERY BEGINNING this thread would not exist!!! As we all can see most things in Rye are not done in the Proper Order. Schubert supporter or not I no more than the next want my tax dollars going to private property. Maybe next time[November] we will be more careful who we put in charge!!!
TO THE SMART ASS,
You actually think mocking a family that has buried a child is a smart choice? Get a grip dude. You are treading on “VERY DANGEROUS GROUNDS” and I pray for your sake that you never identify your self to me!!! Most people know of my anger & where it comes from & if you think you can defend that…GOOD LUCK! I’m sure you will say something stupid after you read this & that is fine because you know the deal. ONCE A COWARD ALWAYS A COWARD!!!
You obviously have no belief in a “HIGHER POWER”….
I DOUBT YOU WILL HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS WHERE YOUR GOING!!!
Sorry, I was away yesterday at the Yonkers sewage plant with Commissioner Meyerson. As usual he’s full of it.
An investigation in Rye, now that’s something I can get “behind”! We need moral “fiber” and commitment from our politicians. We also need to “flush” out the bad ones. It’s a “crappy” job, but someone has to do it. If you want things to really “happen”, vote for someone who has his “crap” together.
When I woke up this morning, I felt like myself. How about we just sit back and watch my latest clip of the Rye City Council meeting? Have a great day. I hope you don’t feel like me all day.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSG1KaerSKM&feature=channel
I can’t believe the people on here who would make light of a family’s pain and suffering of losing their child. You should all be ashamed of yourselves, but I guess you are not since you do not give your true identities. Be careful, because what goes around eventually does come back around to bite you in the rear.
Kim Morane,
THANK YOU. AND YES- ALTHOUGH I DO NOT WISH THIS ON ANY ONE NO MATTER HOW BIG OF AN ASS THEY MIGHT BE…WHAT GOES AROUND DEFINITELY COMES AROUND!!! SOME PEOPLE SHOW THEIR TRUE IDENTITY JUST BY NOT REVEALING IT!!!
The entitlement crowd is at it again, and with no shame at all. But that’s not surprising. Predators and their offspring operate at a compassion deficit. Mocking a family that is asking for a simple safety measure to prevent other tragedies from occurring.
There are enough people in this town who are not content to let it be run by cronies or a hedge fund trading Boss Hogg. And in case you haven’t noticed, there is a national turn towards populism.
When wealthy families quietly petition and network “their kind” to get safety regulations – such as the traffic cop at the high school on weekday mornings – no one mocks them. No one makes snarky comments or points out the hypocrisy of this same crowd whose teenagers imagine they have a “right” to block traffic, muck up parking, pollute the air by driving mummy’s SUV to school in a town where the farthest walking distance is two and a half miles.
Ignore this trash – they’re the emodiment of dead ideas and souls. A few stop signs or sleeping policemen on Midland would benefit the community enormously. Use the PTO listserves to network. It took just one parent (one of those Junior League types) to grandstand and take over the RHS and RMS listserves to get that crosswalk cop in the mornings.
Maybe you can siphon off some money from the personal GPS systems purchased for the middle school orienteering elective for a simple stop sign.
And may I apologize for the creeps out there – they know not what they do. They’re quite limited, really.
Has Rye conducted this investigation yet?
And who do you want to head this investigation? Plunkett?
The city can’t investigate itself, so they would have to hire an outside firm. At hundreds of dollars an hour. Isn’t this one of your major complaints, that the city is spending millions on consultants and outside law firms? And if, God forbid, the investigation didn’t show wrong-doing, you would say “what did you expect? The city hired the firm that did the investigation!”
???
Dear Average Citizen:
According to the City of Rye Charter, the Rye City Council had and still has the ability to conduct an investigation. This would cost taxpayers nothing. They have chosen not to do it.
Why wasn’t an investigation done?
What was Plunkett’s, Shew’s and Otis’s involvement? Did they impede or block an investigation for their own personal gain or to coverup their own misconduct?
C6-3
The Council may make investigations into the affairs of the city and the conduct of any board, commission, department, office or agency thereof and for this purpose may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths, take testimony and require the production of evidence. Any person who fails or refuses to obey a lawful order issued in the exercise of these powers by the Council shall be guilty of an offense punishable by a fine of not more than $100, or by imprisonment for not more than 30 days, or both, and such offense shall constitute sufficient cause for suspension without pay for a period not exceeding two months or removal from office or employment.
Of course the Council can do the investigation. Do you think that they would be considered an “unbiased tribunal?”
More importantly, if the Council did the investigation and determined that there was nothing more than a de minimis level of wrong-doing involved in the workings in City Hall, would you accept that result?
Any investigation into how City Hall executes its powers MUST be done by an independant body, with NO connections to City Hall.
You, more than most, know how to properly perform an investigation.
Or we could ask the Big Braciole to look into it!!!
“A de minimis level of wrong-doing involved in the workings in City Hall”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUDT-VsHDN4&NR=1
Average Citizen:
The Big Brasiole or Don Fannucci.
Let’s put Otis and Plunkett under oath at City Hall so we can all hear what really happened.
Has Shew been bought off again yet? If not, someone should drive up to Massachusetts and give him a subpoena too.
Steve Otis received the endorsement from the NY League Of Conservation Voters.
Any guesses who sits on the Board of Directors of the NY League of Conservation Voters?????
None other than Rye Corporation Counsel Kevin Plunkett.
Is this endorsement pay back for the salary, outside legal fees and employee benefits that Plunkett receives from Otis in his role as Mayor of Rye?
You be the judge.
https://www.nylcv.org/evaluate/candidate/steve_otis
“Steve Otis received the endorsement from the NY League of Conservation Voters.”
The definition of conservation;
Official supervision of rivers, forests, and other natural resources in order to preserve and protect them through prudent management.
https://healtheharbor.com/video/itsnotfunny.html
Mayor Otis’s actions do not preserve or protect and his management is not prudent.
Dear Heal the Harbor:
I was in no way saying that Otis deserved the endorsement. I believe Otis’s record is very clear that he is not pro-environment.
Otis signed off on turning the Beaver Brook into the Beaver Swamp. He now has Plunkett making lots of money trying to fix Otis’s reputation. Otis could care less about the new flood plain he created. While most communities are working on mitigating flooding, Otis has created a new potential for disaster.
Otis and Shew lied about what they were doing to address environmental concerns and safety hazards on Hen Island.
Otis, Shew and Plunkett at the very least botched the Schubert matter. I believe there may have been lies told and a coverup initiated by Otis who saw to it that no real investigation was done.
Have you ever been stuck in traffic on Theodore Fremd Avenue at Purchase Street. This has been an ongoing problem during Otis’s entire tenure yet he refuses to address it. Traffic backs up to Locust Avenue sometimes. A real environmentalist would not allow these needless emissions vehicles taking detours thru downtown tying up traffic there.
People in this community are tired of Otis. Four more years of his “it’s all about me” monarchy is not in the cards. Without a change of Mayor the circus will remain and so will all the same clowns.
This is what Otis allows to continue on his watch;
https://healtheharbor.com/gallery/video/environment.html
From Mr. Otis’s New York League of Conservation Voters 2009 candidate questionnaire (where it’s claimed readers can learn about the candidates environmental record and priorities) –
Question – Please articulate specific policy and budgetary proposals that would advance the goal of protecting our extensive shoreline and improving water quality:
Answer – “Through the variety of land use acquisitions, wetlands projects, and flood mitigation policies described above we have continue to be very active in coastal and watercourse policies to PROTECT Long Island Sound.”
Comment from Milton Point – liar, liar, pants on fire.
Those FOIL responses for Plunkett and the law firms he was or is a partner in covered from 1/1/2001 thru 12/31/08.
$9,718,000.
I wonder what the 2009 totals are going to be.
If Otis leaves how will that effect Plunkett’s City of Rye taxpayer paid pension and health insurance? If he stays on for 5 years and turns 55, he may be entitled to these benefits for the rest of his life.
We Rye Taxpayers already have to pay for the lifetime benefits for Shew and Morison who both only worked in Rye for 5 years.
Besides Plunkett, how many more patronage appointments will Otis make that we have to pay for the rest of our taxpaying lives?
Take Plunkett off the taxpayers dole now before it’s too late.
Get rid of Otis now before it’s too late.
We can’t afford 4 more years of Otis spending our tax dollars for his own political patronage and political aspirations.
I hear that French routed Me Me Otis in the Rye Sound Shore Review poll. How convenient that those poll numbers have not been posted for all to see.
Everyone is tired of Me Me Otis’s circus. He has to go along with his circus clowns Culross, Connors, Plunkett, Nodarse and Pickup.
We will have to clean up the elephant dung they leave behind, but it will be worth it to rid ourselves of Me Me Otis and these clowns.
Mimi,
Always love your stuff. You are one tough girl. How come you don’t write nicey nice like Charmian?
We got a very positive reaction with Heal the Harbor at the train station today. I think about 70 percent of the commuters didn’t want to hear about the Hen Island violations – THEY ALREADY KNEW ABOUT THEM!
Many of them said it’s all about the TAXES AND FAILED LEADERSHIP and then peaked at the island photos, charged out the back door of the station, slid past Mr. Floatie and zoomed past the Mayor and up the ramp to the platform. Over 480 Heal the Harbor flyers went out – many to knowing nods and grim faced voter “Change Agents.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EChWR1_Ah4
Why do we have environmental laws? (Feb 2008 – Rye Record – 10 Signers Below)
In the City of Rye New York, it’s a question being debated in public right now. Rye isn’t a very big City, but it’s a pretty nice one and most people who live here would like it to stay that way. That’s why a few years ago the voters approved the establishment of laws to protect our coastal wetlands and watercourses. The laws passed say that anyone damaging these unique ecosystems would be in violation of these laws.
These laws are carefully drafted, have real teeth and charge the City with enforcement. Many voters have come to see these laws as protecting some of the most important and vulnerable parts of the City’s diverse ecology and geography. In a more commercial light, these laws support the value of our collective properties.
Today there’s problem on Milton Point. One man is standing up repeatedly to the City Council asking them to enforce the laws and help him repair the damage his wetland property sustained through a construction error. His name is Bob Schubert and he shouldn’t have to ask for help more than once. The Journal News saw this right away and published an article.
Bob is a quiet man but a determined one and all of us named below are grateful for his diligence and tenacity. We’re behind you Bob and we want the laws respected and enforced.
Ted Carroll, Dick Schneider, Joe Murphy, John Carolin, Tom Saunders, Sis D’Angelo, Ed Collins, Tom Fendler, Joe Latwin, John Scully
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wju1Oz4Sy9w
Has Me Me conducted an investigation into the City Hall shenanigans as highlighted by the Journal News yet?
Did the informal and improper investigation that Me Me and Plunkett did impede and obstruct any potential for a real investigation?