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Spring Valley fails to provide public documents under FOIL, lacks transparency

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SV Mayor Alan Simon Photo: Journal News file

Mayor Alan Simon’s administration has failed to produce dozens of public documents under state law, creating a lack of transparency about salaries, meeting agendas, policy votes and how taxpayer money is spent.

During Simon’s first year in office in 2018, the village has missed deadlines or failed to provide The Journal News/lohud with agendas of government meetings, votes during those meetings, and minutes about who spoke during the sessions.

The Journal News/lohud made about a dozen requests for information, and follow-up reminders, with the village responding several times, but always in violation of the legal deadlines.

Simon and Village Clerk Diana Montgomery, who is the village’s public records officer, have not responded to requests for comment. Simon, a former judge, prosecutor and defense attorney, once worked with the state Freedom of Information Law as the Ramapo town attorney under two town supervisors. [Read more…]

Fonvil sentenced, but Spring Valley still seeks responsible governance

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Vilair Fonvil at his sentencing Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News

The following editorial from Nancy Cutler appeared in Thursday’s Journal News.

“Another public official in Ramapo — Spring Valley this time — got time for abusing the public trust.

Former village Trustee Vilair Fonvil was sentenced on Sept. 17 to a year in the county jail — he faced up to 15 years in prison — for pocketing some $11,000 in precious village taxpayer dollars. He spent two days there until he was released pending an appeal.

A conviction is another stumble along the troubled path of Ramapo and Spring Valley’s ruling class: Remember when the village’s former mayor and deputy mayor got popped for taking separate, unrelated bribes on the same development project? Or when the state installed a monitor to ensure the local school district, East Ramapo, provide even the most basic education for children? Or when former town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence’s securities fraud trial was closely watched in hopes it would shed some light on the town’s mysterious and sinking finances? [Read more…]

Spring Valley Meeting Wed Night on Whether To Cancel a Vote on a Ward System

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On the last day of their tenure as the Spring Valley Village Board, Mayor Demeza Delhomme, along with Village Trustees Emilia White and Schneider Laurent voted in the majority to schedule a referendum on whether or not to establish a ward system in Spring Valley for the election of six trustees. The Referendum is slated to be held on the upcoming general election of November 6th, 2018.

However, this Wednesday night, June 6 at 8:00 PM the new Spring Valley village board, headed up by Mayor Alan Simon, is holding a public hearing on whether or not to cancel the election day referendum outright and deny the people of Spring Valley the right to decide for themselves how they will be represented. [Read more…]

Spring Valley Mayor Alan Simon curses out trustee, fires director during rant

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Spring Valley Trustee Sherry McGill (Photo: Journal News File)

Mayor Alan Simon cursed out Trustee Sherry McGill before a meeting on Wednesday, leading critics to say such bullying is what got Simon removed as a judge by the state courts.

Simon went off on McGill after she questioned his decision to arbitrarily dismiss and also curse at the village’s after-school program director during a discussion about the program, residents said, repeating what McGill told the public.

“The fact that he felt so comfortable telling her (McGill) to, ‘get the (bleep) out’ shows the lack of respect that he not only has for women but also women of color and such behavior will not be tolerated by this community,” said Hamadi Martin, a member of the grassroots activist group “We the People.” [Read more…]

Rudy Laurent sworn in as SV trustee, replaces convicted Vilair Fonvil

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Rudy Laurent Photo: Mark Vergari The Journal News

“Outgoing Mayor Demeza Delhomme swore in Rudy Laurent today as the new village trustee and deputy mayor.

Laurent will replace former trustee Vilair Fonvil, who was found guilty of corruption charges earlier this month, and so, lost his trustee seat.

“This is quite a beautiful present on this Thanksgiving period,” Laurent said after being sworn in at the Village Hall, where he was accompanied by his family. [Read more…]

State’s fiscal monitoring offers bark with no bite–Just ask Ramapo

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A Community View by Bill Weber Published in The Journal News Wednesday,  November 22, 2017

The fiscal stress monitoring system was set up by New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli so that citizens, government officials, and other interested parties could access information related to the financial condition of municipalities and school districts.

According to the website, “The Fiscal Stress Monitoring System (the System) is OSC’s program to objectively identify issues with budgetary solvency — the ability to generate enough revenue to meet expenditures — for each county, city, town, village and school district.” [Read more…]

Spring Valley trustee Vilair Fonvil found guilty

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Photo of Vilair Fonvil in court

SV Trustee Vilair Fonvil Photo: Ricky Flores/The Journal News

“Spring Valley Trustee Vilair Fonvil today was found guilty of corruption charges accusing him of stealing $11,000 from a summer camp program, ending his stormy career as a village official.

Co-defendant Jermika Depas, the camp program’s coordinator, was acquitted of all charges.

Rockland County Court Judge Kevin Russo found Fonvil guilty of stealing $11,000 in village funding for the 2016 summer camp program. [Read more…]

Spring Valley Tax Insanity

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Steve White

Three Spring Valley trustees have caused a tax catastrophe for the village.
Almost 2,000 taxpayers had a double-digit increase in 2017! Over 700 got a 50% increase in one year, and for 200 unlucky homeowners taxes more than doubled!
How did this happen? Trustees Grossman, Fonvil and McGill abolished the Assessor’s Office, and gave the job to the towns of Ramapo and Clarkstown.
This was done over the objections of village trustee Emilia White.
Last November, The Journal News quoted trustee Emilia White: “I don’t know how anybody in their right mind would think of giving the town of Ramapo the job of assessing the village’s property while the town itself is under investigation for fraud.” [Read more…]

Tax Watch: Spring Valley tax mess gets messier

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Spring Valley homeowner Steve White says the loss of the village’s assessor has led to a shift in the property tax burden from commercial property owners to homeowners. (Photo: David McKay Wilson/The Journal News)

“The property-tax mess that has engulfed Rockland County’s biggest village this summer just got messier.

It’s a mess that involves inaccurate tax bills sent to every Spring Valley property owner, a consolidation of assessor services encouraged by the Cuomo administration that went horribly wrong, and unprecedented tax breaks available to just one part of the village.

It’s a tale of two villages.

Those living in Spring Valley’s Clarkstown section will absorb the full tax impact of increases caused by the consolidation effort, with some seeing their village taxes double or even triple to as much as $4,600. [Read more…]

Spring Valley trustee Vilair Fonvil arrested on corruption charges

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Vilair Fonvil with his attorney Ken Gribitz Photo: John Meore/The Journal News

“Spring Valley village Trustee Vilair Fonvil was arrested Tuesday on corruption charges accusing him of running a scheme to pocket money meant to pay for busing village children to camp last summer, Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Zugibe announced.

Fonvil was charged with four felonies: receiving reward for official misconduct; corrupting the government; grand larceny as a crime of public corruption; and money laundering.

Fonvil, 54, whose address was listed as 23 Devon Drive, West Orange, New Jersey, surrendered Tuesday morning to members of the District Attorney’s Office Special Investigation Unit. [Read more…]