by Kristina Gabalski
A number of Brockport residents would not let Mayor Connie Castaneda speak as board members wrapped up their reports during the June 12 regular meeting of the Brockport Village Board.
The mayor was commenting on statements made by trustees regarding the upcoming referendum on code enforcement when several residents began a verbal exchange with her, preventing her from finishing her comments.
Among other things, residents told the mayor to “shut up” and “stop the lies” and left the meeting after the mayor tried to regain order and threatened to call 911 after asking those involved in the exchange to leave.
Trustees Carol Hannan, Kent Blair and Margaret Blackman left their seats on the platform during the exchange, but did not leave the meeting.
The meeting was the first since the mayor notified the village she intends to sue over her arrest in March by Brockport Village Police on charges she allegedly illegally rented out an apartment in her home.
During public comment, two residents asked the mayor to resign, while others, including Pam Ketchum and Valerie Ciciotti, made statements in support of the upcoming referendum.
Ketchum described the conflict created in the village between landlords who convert neighborhood properties to rentals and owners of single family homes as “acrimonious.”
“I request everybody vote ‘yes’ for the referendum,” she said.
When the verbal exchange occurred, the mayor had been responding to comments made by Trustee Scott Hunsinger in a written statement (he was excused from the meeting) in which he asked all registered voters to go out and vote in the June 19 village election and wrote, “the truth will set you free.”
Many in the audience and trustees became agitated when the mayor began speaking about the fire district discussions which happened a year ago. Trustees questioned if her argument had anything to do with the code enforcement issue at which point some members of the audience became involved.
“I’m sick and tired of having this board talk about, ‘the truth will set you free,’ ” the mayor said and finished her comments once many in the audience had left. She stated that trustees had not been truthful regarding concerns that the Fire Department was being sold for $1 during fire district discussions with the towns and also stated that a letter that went out after an initial agreement with the towns fell through, “was not factual …. not truthful about what was negotiated the first time.”
Following an executive session, the mayor reminded those still in attendance that anyone who wishes to speak during a village board meeting “must be recognized by the presiding officer (the mayor).” She said the audience must observe rules of procedure including maintaining a courteous decorum and good taste. She noted that Police Chief Daniel Varrenti was present during the meeting and verbal exchange.
The proposition which will appear on the June 19 ballot asks voters to decide whether the village’s code enforcement officer/inspector should be removed from the supervision of the mayor and instead directly report to and be supervised by the chief of police. The issue has produced strong responses from both sides.
The mayor has said no. In February, when she was the only board member to vote against setting the mandatory referendum on the issue, she called the proposition “troubling and dangerous.”
During the June 12 meeting, Mayor Castaneda noted that she had received a letter from John Galligan of the NYS Conference of Mayors stating he was “not aware of any village in the state where one department head supervises another.”
“The idea (of code enforcement being supervised by the police chief) was first brought to the board by Trustees Hunsinger and Blair,” who traveled to the Town of Gates to see how code enforcement supervision was handled there, the mayor said.
In a letter written to Castaneda, Gates Police Chief David DiCaro stated that the building inspector and fire marshal there remain separate from the police department, the mayor said.
Trustees Kent Blair, Carol Hannan, Scott Hunsinger and Margaret Blackman have all stated they support the referendum and condemned what they called fear tactics used by those in opposition who warn the change will turn the village into a police state.
The code enforcement officer needs “full time support and a full time supervisor,” Trustee Kent Blair said during the June 12 meeting.
He said the mayor works on a part-time basis and that the change would not be a “power play.”
“The mayor oversees the entire village,” Blair said. “Just because it’s always been done this way doesn’t mean it’s the right way. If we don’t make a change, nothing will change.”
“I support this vote which will have a very positive effect on the village without any extra cost,” Trustee Carol Hannan said. “I have nothing but the highest regard for the Brockport Police Department.”
“I am dismayed at some of the public’s complaints about a ‘police state,’ ” Trustee Margaret Blackman said. “I have had many occasions to work with Chief Varrenti, most recently on the village court issue, and have always found him to be professional, smart and fair. I know the police officers in our department and have done ride-alongs with them on their night patrols. I am proud of Brockport’s fine police department and know them all to do their job fairly and professionally.”
Blackman made her comments during her report and also responded to the mayor’s legal case against the village. “The mayor’s arrest and intent to sue have had a serious effect on the municipal work environment and disrupted the business of the village,” she said. “Needless to say, it is difficult for a village board to try and work together to do the village’s business when one member of that board has allegedly violated the code she is sworn to uphold and filed an intent to sue the village. Legally, matters are even more complicated as our village attorney has had to recuse himself from any dealing with the case against the mayor.”
Trustees planned to hold a special meeting on Thursday, June 14 at 5 p.m. for the purpose of appointing a special counsel to the village.
The village election is set for Tuesday, June 19 from noon to 9 p.m. at the Village Hall, 49 State Street.
