LETTER: For the Mayor, It’s Time for a Reset
In a letter, Ridge Street resident and City of Rye Finance Committee member Jono Peters says the Mayor and his three council allies made a mistake suing the City’s Board of Ethics. He argues a true reset requires two further actions.
Peters’ letter:
Thursday, August 10, 2023
Last night I attended Rye’s City Council meeting, and I was reminded that our City is well run. Presentations on the City’s financials and capital plan show remarkable progress. The professionalism of the Senior staff is impressive. And we are especially lucky to have our City Manager, one of the best I’ve seen in my forty years as a resident.
Of the current Council, Josh Cohn, Julie Sousa, and Ben Stacks showed foresight in appointing Greg Usry as City Manager. It was a bold decision for which they faced criticism. It was an extremely consequential decision, and I was reminded of that last night.
I believe they and Carolina Johnson made a mistake in suing the BOE. They have now withdrawn the suit and it’s time for a reset. The way the Mayor conducted last night’s meeting seemed to reflect his realization of this and it is good for our City.
I believe a true reset requires two additional actions by our Mayor which I urge him to consider.
1) Stop litigating the suit in the press. Let’s hear nothing further about the BOE or NYCOM.
2) Postpone any review of the BOE. I suggest doing it next year when a new Council can oversee a thoughtful, deliberate, and non-partisan discussion to determine if any guidelines need be updated.
Let’s aim to be the thoughtful, fact-based, and consensus seeking enterprise we know we can be.
Jono Peters
