In a letter to MyRye.com, Rye Mayor Josh Cohn admonishes The Rye Record and its publisher Jon Elsen for operating as (mayoral candidate Josh) “Nathan’s virtual press office for the past two years”.
The letter:
Thank you to Rye Record Editor Jon Elsen for his long overdue disclosure of a 25- year close friendship with Josh Nathan and his work on Nathan political campaigns. This explains why the Record has served as Nathan’s virtual press office for the past two years. It also explains the ode to Nathan that is the Record’s October 24 pre-election issue.
What it doesn’t explain is why Elsen’s endorsement of Nathan doesn’t stop at puffery but launches full-bore attacks on the other two candidates.
And, while he’s at it, Elsen attacks me. Having nothing bad to say about independent candidate Rick McCabe, Elsen says crazy bad things about me and tries to pin me on McCabe. This is pure fiction. In fact, I have not signed McCabe’s petition, endorsed him, or donated to his campaign. And from what I’ve seen, McCabe appears to be too genuinely independent to act as anyone’s surrogate. Elsen’s fiction is repeated in a vituperative and error-laden diatribe by Lisa Tannenbaum; one no responsible publication would print.
On another note, ethics code review remains a priority for me. I am firm in my desire to see ethics code and board reform in Rye before my term ends. For further information on the why, the what and the stonewalling by the present council majority, please see my recent guest opinion in MyRye.com titled, “Rye’s Real Ethics Violation: Tarring Innocent Volunteers Carolina Johnson, Julie Souza and Ben Stacks.” For the nitty gritty, go to ryeny.gov, click Government, then Mayor, then May 7, 2025 message. There you will find the statement of principles by the authoritative New York Conference of Mayors (NYCOM) that is clearly at odds with the behavior of what Elsen describes as our “excellent” board of ethics. (I guess if he says it, it must be so.)
Fixing our ethics board and code would be a quick, easy and inexpensive lift for a council with nothing to hide. Fixing our press, though, can’t be the council’s work. Elsen self-righteously claims that he is “committed to covering our local government and elections thoroughly, fairly and accurately.” Well, as a participant in our local government, I haven’t seen that. But that is what Rye needs to demand.
Mayor Josh Cohn
True! Thanks for doing the right thing for Rye for many years.