Preserve Ramapo

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‘Yeshiva clause’ in New York budget plays politics with children’s education: Assemblyman

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NY Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski

The following editorial by Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski appeared in The Journal News

“In the 11th hour of state budget negotiations, Simcha Felder, a state Senator from Brooklyn, proposed to strip the State Education Department of their authority to regulate curriculum in certain private schools.This proposal, the Senate Republican/Democratic dynamics, and Sen. Felder’s refusal to vote for a budget without this change sent the entire state budget into chaos. At the center of the debate was the following question: Should New York enforce its law that requires private schools to provide a “substantially equivalent” curriculum to the public schools? [Read more…]

Reimer, Mackenzie, and Cairns running for Suffern School Board

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Candidates for Suffern Central School District BoardThree newcomers will be vying for seats on the School Board in the Suffern Central School District, May 15. The importance of school board positions has become manifestly clear to the residents of the East Ramapo Central School District, and Suffern voters should pay attention to this election and get out and vote.

Here are the candidates—their experience and thoughts on the election: [Read more…]

SEC wants to end Ramapo case as St. Lawrence fights back

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The Bond Buyer logoStory posted by Kyle Glazier in The Bond Buyer

“WASHINGTON – The Securities and Exchange Commission is asking a federal court to skip the trial and rule against former Ramapo, N.Y. town supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence due to his earlier criminal conviction, a request that has drawn opposition from St. Lawrence’s attorney.

At issue before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York is whether or not to grant summary judgment against St. Lawrence, who was convicted last year on criminal charges for masterminding a scheme to conceal Ramapo’s financial troubles in the bond documents for municipal securities issued over a period of five years. [Read more…]

Patrick Farm: Judge reverses rulings, sending housing plan back to square one

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Landscape Photo of the Pond on Patrick Farm

Patrick Farm pond

“A judge sent Patrick Farm’s developers back to square one by rejecting all remaining approvals for construction of a 474-unit housing development in the woods outside Pomona, development opponents said Tuesday.

State Supreme Court Judge Thomas Walsh reversed his previous decisions and followed the edicts of the state Appellate Division panel that issued a series of blows to the developer in November by annulling a zone change and site plan approvals. [Read more…]

Delhomme sues Spring Valley for $147K from failed try to oust him

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“Former Mayor Demeza Delhomme has gone to court to force the village to pay his nearly $150,000 legal bill to fight off an attempt by citizens to oust him from office.

Delhomme’s lawsuit argues that New York’s public officer’s law states the village must pay his legal costs, particularly since a referee refused to kick him out of office, ruling that’s a decision left to the voters. Delhomme lost a September primary election won by Alan Simon, who later replaced him as mayor. [Read more…]

Gordon Wren Jr. to retire as emergency services chief

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Gordon Wren inspecting housing

Gordon Wren Jr. Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News

“Gordon Wren Jr., who has guided Rockland County’s response to countless fires, floods, explosions, hurricanes, blizzards and other natural and man-made disasters, is retiring after more than a quarter century.

Wren, 70, of Wesley Hills, will leave his post as the county’s director of fire and emergency services on April 30. [Read more…]

Pomona: Judge clears the way for rabinnical college dorm school application

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“A rabbinical college is preparing to apply for approval for the first phase of its dormitory school in Pomona following a judgment and injunction handed down this week in the nearly decade-old legal tussle.

The judgment forces the village of 3,200 to accept and process the Congregation Rabbinical College of Tartikov’s site plan application to house 250 students and their families along Routes 202 and 306, according to Paul Savad of Nanuet, one of Tartikov’s attorneys. [Read more…]