The following letter appeared in this week’s Gazette.

To the Editor:
As chair of Croton United I was gratified to read in last week’s Gazette that we have gained yet another supporter of our long-held positions concerning transparency and open government here in the village. Croton Dem Trustee Brian Pugh has now joined us in calling for the proactive disclosure of public documents and for upgrading the village’s website to make access to the information presented there easy and straightforward. These are issues that we have championed since our formation and we are proud of our record of accomplishments—notably with regard to video recording of village board work sessions and requiring the public disclosure of village contracts prior to their adoption.
Although I think his proposed “target” adoption date is unrealistic, I agree with Trustee Pugh that development of a disclosure policy should be a village priority.  But I would go even further, and I call upon Trustees Pugh and Gallelli to support the enactment of a local law that would require every future administration—regardless of political majority—to make proactive disclosure of public documents the standard practice of this village. In so doing, the current board would be assuring village residents that any attempts to lessen our commitment to the fullest possible disclosure would require both an open discussion and a public vote by their representatives.  

Trustee Pugh, let’s go beyond symbolic gestures and require real accountability from our village government.

Roseann Schuyler