The following letter appeared in this week’s issue of the Gazette.
To the Editor,
The spate of semi-hysterical letters that has appeared in these pages in recent weeks makes it eminently clear that the Croton Dems have yet to recover from the drubbing they took at the polls last November. I guess it must be very difficult for them to accept the abject rejection of their policies and practices by the great majority of their constituents.
So despite the fact the next election is more than seven months away, they flail madly about seizing upon one topic after another in the vain hope that one of them will gain traction with the electorate. And, as always, they take some significant liberties with the facts in trying to make their case. You will recall that these are the same folks who have been cited by the Westchester County Fair Campaign Practices Committee for making misleading statements in each of the last two election campaigns.
Leading the charge are Trustees Brian Pugh and Ann Gallelli, who must be terrified that they will suffer the same fate as their former board colleagues in the next election, as they have begun their re-election campaigns early and regaled us every week with their comments on a variety of subjects. Which, of course, is certainly their right. It is most interesting that Mr. Pugh, who had barely a word to say in public during his first year on the board, has become the most vocal of them all. Perhaps it’s the freedom he feels finally being out from under the thumb of our erstwhile mayor. You go, Brian!
But I am most surprised by the reemergence of defeated Trustees Andy Levitt and Maria Slippen, key pillars of the morally and ethically challenged Wiegman administration. One would have thought that, after his obscene tirade of a few months ago, the foul-mouthed Mr. Levitt would be too embarrassed to strut once again on the public stage. But, what the heck, it’s a free country, and remorse and apology have never been high on the Croton Dems list of virtues.
Most ironic is the recent screed by Ms. Slippen touting her lifelong support of transparency and open government. Unless someone of the same name has recently moved to our village, is this not the same Maria Slippen who led the fight in the previous administration to prevent you from questioning board members and otherwise participated in that administration’s countless instances of obfuscation and withholding of data from public scrutiny? It appears that the Croton Dems do value hypocrisy among their followers. But, hey, guys, whatever you think might work.
So far, the presidential campaign has been nothing else if not entertaining. Looks like our local politics may follow a similar path. Stay tuned.
Sincerely,
Joel E. Gingold