“Ramapo Police Chief Peter Brower retired in September as the highest-paid local government employee, a report Wednesday said. Brower, after 45 years of service, earned $369,088 in the fiscal year that ended March 31, according to the Empire Center, a fiscally conservative think tank in Albany. Brower topped the top 50 list of highest paid local workers. The list included 40 police officers, and 24 of them worked for Nassau County. Ramapo Capt. Thomas Cokeley ranked seventh on the list at $274,143 last fiscal year.” Read the Journal News story here.
Ramapo in Talks Over Illegal Shortcut
“The town is negotiating a potential settlement in a dispute over an illegal shortcut built on town-owned property in a rapidly growing subdivision in an unincorporated area of Ramapo. But what’s in the agreement remains to be seen. Neighbors of the illuminated walkway which connects driveways of 1 Neva Court and 9 Quince Lane over a piece of land-locked, town-owned woods say they became aware of the 300-foot paved shortcut about one and a half years ago after strangers started appearing in their quiet residential streets, looking for the path. They urged town officials to take action against the illegal tree cutting and the walkway’s construction.” Complete Journal News story here.
Mayor Pledged to Vote Against Jewish Development Projects
“Mayor Demeza Delhomme pledged to vote against all building permit applications by Jewish developers to retaliate against Jews for supporting political opponents, according to a secretly recorded conversation obtained exclusively by The Journal News. Asked whether he would vote against, “anything a Jew brings,” Delhomme replied, “Yes,” during a conversation recorded last March at Village Hall. [Read more…]
Assemblyman Says Spring Valley’s Delhomme Interfered in Yeshiva
“A state assemblyman says Mayor Demeza Delhomme twice interfered with an assistant village building inspector by pressuring him to allow a yeshiva to be occupied without safety inspections, then ordering him to change a memo documenting that he’d interfered. Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski, D-New City, said the mayor’s chief concern should be residents’ safety and his alleged actions put students at risk. “The facts, as presented, suggest to me the mayor’s office was involved in changing the memo,” said Zebrowski, who has raised the issue with the New York secretary of state. “If somebody used their influence to change an official document then, in my opinion, it borders on criminal,” he added.” Complete Journal story here.
Spring Valley: Mayor Says Inspection Records now in Order
“Facing the threat of a state takeover of its building and fire code inspections, Spring Valley Mayor Demeza Delhomme said Wednesday that the village was getting its building department in order. The New York Division of Building Standards and Codes warned the village on Oct. 6 that it had 30 days to address longstanding concerns over fire safety in the village, including problems with inspection records, building permits and applications.They outlined four steps the village needed to take in that time span: Provide an up-to-date list of properties for inspection; review its enforcement program; provide records for three private religious schools using classroom trailers; and digitize Building Department records.Documentation that the village has taken these steps is due to the state this week.Read the complete Journal News coverage here.
Candidate Running for Town Board on St. Lawrence’s Ticket is a Felon, lives in NJ
“Samuel Tress, a Democratic candidate for the Ramapo Town Board, has a federal mail-fraud conviction and, when questioned about whether he lives in New Jersey, admitted he did. [Read more…]
Spring Valley House Fire Reveals More Illegal Apartments
“A fire in a Spring Valley home with illegal apartments revealed deplorable conditions Tuesday morning, according to authorities. After the fire was extinguished, authorities found illegal apartments in the basement and throughout the home. In addition, there were no fire alarms in the house. It’s like playing Russian roulette,” Wren said. These people shouldn’t be living in these conditions. If this had happened in the middle of the night and there were no smoke detectors working, who knows what we would have come to, Sohlman said. The fire in Spring Valley comes on the heels of a state agency ordering the village to increase enforcement of its housing codes or face a potential state takeover. The Division of Building Standards and Codes issued an order on Oct. 6 giving the village 30 days to begin inspecting buildings and schools that are riddled with fire and safety violations.” Complete Journal News coverage here.
State Warns Spring Valley to Enforce Building and Fire Codes, or Else
“New York state officials have ordered the village to immediately begin inspecting buildings and schools that are rife with fire and safety violations — or face a potential takeover. [Read more…]
S.V. Mayor Ordered Yeshiva Approved without Inspections
Published Sept. 25 in The Journal News“The mayor ordered a building official to permit a yeshiva to open, even though inspections weren’t completed to ensure the school was structurally sound and safe to occupy, according to a memo obtained by The Journal News. Another building official subsequently saw students walk inside the school at 50 Commerce Street. Mayor Demeza Delhomme’s order that Assistant Building Inspector Jackenton Lavalasse issue a certificate of occupancy for Yeshiva Oholei Shem D’nitra came under pressure from Alex Goldberger, vice president of Monsey Lumber, which is a political donor to the mayor.” Read complete Journal story here.
Spring Valley residents fed up with ‘king’-sized turmoil
The Journal News August 26, 2015 “When a video clip of Spring Valley Mayor Demeza Delhomme calling himself “king” surfaced online this week, it joined a lengthy list of high-profile personality conflicts and blow-ups at Village Hall. Residents in this diverse, working-class community say enough is enough. “The politics is corrupt,” complained Romeo Stale, 40, as he ate lunch at the Island Spice restaurant on North Main Street. “That’s always the headline. That’s all it is.” [Read more…]