Category: Kerry Batchie

Mixed Results In Elmsford, New York

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Under Review – Mixed Response – some freedom of information requests quickly answered and other freedom of information requests dating back to June have been ignored.

Village of Elmsford Clerk Fran LeFevre seems to be disorganized and not very good at records management.

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

franlefevre@elmsfordny.org

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Town Clerk
15 South Stone Avenue
Elmsford, NY 15023

4. Experience:

Fran LeFevre did not respond to a request for a brief biographical paragraph outlining her experience and education.

We have been unable to learn if Ms. LeFevre has benefited from higher education or earned certifications in here chosen career.

Village Administrator Michael C. Mills joined the Village of Elmsford in November 2002 as the Village’s first Village Administrator. Mr. Mills is a graduate of the University of Louisville in Kentucky. Prior to coming to Elmsford Mr. Mills’ governmental experiences include serving as the Executive Director of the Office of Community Development for the City of Kingston, New York, where he was born. Mr. Mills also previously served five years as a Member of the Kingston City Schools Consolidated Board of Education.   As well as a 9 year stint as Village Manager of the Village of Ellenville, New York. Mr. Mills and his wife Janice have two children, Nicholas and Samantha.

5. From The Village Website:

Village Administrator / Village Clerk

Blank Voucher	Elections	Dog Licenses (Town of Greenburgh)
Access to Village Records	Access to Village Records by email	Park Ues Permit

What is the role of the Village Administrator? The Village Administrator is appointed by the Mayor and Board of Trustee. He oversees that the rules, regulations, local laws and codes of the Village, and all other governmental jurisdictions as applicable, are fairly and efficiently administered. Supervises and coordinates the day to day activities of all Village departments. Recommends to the Mayor and Board of Trustees appointments, promotions or dismissals of all Village employees in accordance with applicable statutes. Represents the Village in collective negotiations with employees. Acts as budget officer in preparation of the tentative budget and oversees the implementation of the Village Budget. Supervises the purchase of all materials, supplies and equipment and the letting of all contracts. Makes recommendations to the Mayor and Board of measures and programs to help improve the efficiency and economy of Village government or promote the health, safety and welfare of the residents of the Village. Maintains a liaison with other governments and administrative agencies as a representative of the Village. Investigates and responds to inquiries by Village residents and other interested persons concerning Village government operations and services. Attends all meetings of the Board of Trustees, preparing all Board agendas and assembling all relevant information regarding agenda items for review by the Mayor and Board of Trustees. Serves as the public information officer of the Village. Serves as the principal grants person for the Village. Discharges such other duties and responsibilities as may be assigned by the Mayor and Board of Trustees.

6. Media Reports / Related Pages

JOURNAL NEWS: Former Elmsford cop faces shoplifting charges

A former Elmsford police officer who retired amid controversy in 2010 is facing a shoplifting charge for allegedly leaving a Greenburgh supermarket without paying for more than $400 worth of groceries.

Mark Danuff, 48, of Greenburgh, was arrested in November and charged with petty larceny,

Danuff was forced to stop working in May 2010 after a police investigation into alleged misconduct involving the removal of items from a commercial property. He then used sick and vacation time for three months until his retirement, reaching 20 years of service that allowed him to qualify for a regular pension.

No misconduct was ever proven and Danuff was never charged criminally or administratively.

Village officials insisted they had no basis to punish Danuff. His use of accrued time was typical of how many municipal employees wind down their careers, they said.

On the afternoon of October 8, a store manager confronted Danuff in the parking lot of Stop & Shop on White Plains Road after an employee told her the ex-cop had left the store without paying for groceries worth $428, according to a police report.

When the manager asked if Danuff had a receipt, he showed her an old receipt and then told her his wife was still in the store. He then left the groceries with the manager, got in his car and drove off, she told police.

The manager, who took photos of the car and got Danuff’s license plate number, did not want to press charges but wanted him banned from the store. But store security officials later notified police that they did want an arrest made…..

…The probe did not result in charges, but village officials negotiated a separation agreement with Danuff in late May. He did not return to work but remained on the payroll until early September by using 64 of his 85 accrued sick and vacation days.

That allowed him to reach 20 years of service and qualify for a $50,316 annual pension.

Had he left before September 2010, Danuff’s pension would have been lower and he would have had to wait until age 55 to start collecting it. By reaching 20 years of service, he will collect more than $600,000 in pension payments by the time he’s 55.

The village provided the agreement in response to a Freedom of Information request. But two lines that referenced the probe were redacted, with Village Administrator Michael Mills citing privacy concerns….

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/2015/12/25/elmsford-cop-face-shoplifting/77825724/

DAILY VOICE: Village Of Elmsford Makes It Official With Swearing-In Ceremony

The Village of Elmsford held its 103rd organizational meeting Monday at Village Hall as Mayor Robert Williams and other elected and appointed officials were sworn into office.

Williams, Trustees Michael Eannazzo and Sydney Henry Jr., Village Justice Judge Richard Leone and Deputy Mayor Edward Rush were sworn in during the ceremony Monday.

Village Clerk Fran LeFevre officiated at the swearing-in ceremonies as family and residents looked on. The Village Board then approved a number of Mayoral and Trustee appointments.

http://greenburgh.dailyvoice.com/politics/village-of-elmsford-makes-it-official-with-swearing-in-ceremony/572766/

NY TIMES: More Noise on the Library Front

LIBRARIES are usually quiet places. But in Greenburgh, a noisy debate over money and a library expansion broke the silence months ago.

For seven years, Elmsford, a semiautonomous village in the Town of Greenburgh with no library of its own, paid for its residents to use the Greenburgh Public Library. But when the most recent contract was about to expire five months ago, negotiations over a new deal grew testy.

Elmsford, which paid about $258,000 for library services in the 2005-6 fiscal year, wanted to keep paying that rate. But library trustees pushed for a roughly 30 percent increase, hoping to put Elmsford on par with what Town of Greenburgh residents were paying.

When the negotiations soured, Elmsford filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a planned renovation and expansion of the library, set to break ground next month. Elmsford officials said the lawsuit, since dismissed, was not a negotiating ploy. But trustees cried foul, and an already tense relationship worsened.

A short-term extension of the old contract, at a slightly higher rate, kept services in place through September. Then, last month, Elmsford agreed to a four-and-a-half-year contract with nearby Ardsley Public Library at a rate of $258,000 a year. Because anyone holding a card from any Westchester public library can use the 38 libraries in the Westchester Library System, Elmsford residents can continue to use Greenburgh.

The deal stunned Greenburgh library officials.

“It was just such arrogant, miserable, uncooperative, litigious, obstructionist behavior,” said Susan Wolfert, vice president of Greenburgh library’s board.

Michael Mills, the Elmsford village administrator, said it was unreasonable for Greenburgh to ask for a substantial increase in annual fees when the library planned to operate out of temporary quarters during the expansion project.

But the fight is not over.

Siobahn A. Reardon, director of the Westchester Library System, said the Elmsford-Ardsley agreement seemed to run afoul of the libraries’ “code of service.” The code allows libraries to sign service contracts with “contiguous” areas. Ms. Reardon said the libraries had always defined “contiguous” as adjacent. Elmsford and Ardsley do not share a border…..

Please Click On Times Logo To Read More Here:

WESTCHESTER MAGAZINE: Cracking the Case on the Elmsford Morning Siren

Q: I have lived in Elmsford for two years and am inquiring about the loud sirens that go off every morning at 8 am and periodically throughout the day. I am not a complainer, as I use it as a backup should my own alarm clock fail in the morning, but I was always interested in the genesis/meaning of the siren. —Eric Gerringer, Elmsford

A: Nationalized healthcare? Whatever. Cash for old cars? Boring! In Westchester, we do social programs right. And that’s why, Eric, Elmsford has sounded the town alarm clock every morning since before 1910. Because, as they say, ‘Elmsford—the village that never sleeps…past 8 am.’
April Fool! Did we get ya? No? Next year, then. So, you’re not hearing things. The sound to which you refer, according to Elmsford Village Administrator Michael C. Mills, is an 8 am daily test of the Elmsford Fire Department siren……

Please Read More Here:

http://www.westchestermagazine.com/Westchester-Magazine/April-2013/Cracking-the-Case-on-the-Elmsford-Morning-Siren/

DAILY VOICE: Elmsford School Board President Matthew R.C. Evans Steps Down

….Mayor Robert Williams, who has a daughter in the ninth grade at Alexander Hamilton Jr./Sr. High School, praised Evans’ capabilities.

“As a board member, he brought in the right people that we needed to give the best education to our students,” he said.

Superintendent Dr. Joseph Ricca also spoke about Evans’ positive contribution to the board…..

http://greenburgh.dailyvoice.com/schools/elmsford-school-board-president-steps-down/664788/

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Elmsford, New York

Elmsford is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. Roughly one mile square, the village is fully contained within the borders of the town of Greenburgh.

Elmsford was largely farmland throughout its early history. The construction of railroads in the late 19th century brought new prominence to the area, and in 1910 it was incorporated as a village.

The area was known from colonial times as “Storm’s Bridge” and later, “Hall’s Corners”, names derived from the principal landowners of the times. In 1870, the growing village was officially renamed “Elmsford” in honor of a local landmark, a giant elm tree (since deceased). The names Elmsford and Storm’s Bridge are reminders of the nearby Saw Mill River, which once had significant tributaries flowing through the village.

Revolutionary War hero Isaac Van Wart is buried at the colonial-era cemetery of the Dutch Reformed Church (Rte. 9A). In 1780, Van Wart and fellow militiamen John Paulding and David Williams captured the British spy Major John André, a crucial informant to Benedict Arnold. The village still has streets named for each of the three patriots.

A longstanding legend holds that Elmsford is the birthplace of the term “cocktail“. According to the tale, a local colonial tavern (sometimes said to be established by town father Isaac Storm) had run out of wooden stirrers during the war and started using the quills of roosters‘ tailfeathers to stir their drinks; a more embellished version holds that the roosters were plundered from nearby Tory farmers.

Much of Elmsford developed around the New York and Putnam Railroad station, with train service beginning in the 1870s. Commuter rail service ended in 1958, and freight service ended in 1975. The railroad bed is now the South County Trailway and North County Trailway. The train station building is now a restaurant.

The Elmsford Reformed Church and Cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

As of the census of 2010, there were 4664 people, 1,618 households, and 1101 families residing in the village. The population densitywas 4306 people per square mile (1,641.3/km²). There were 1618 housing units at an average density of 1,585.9 per square mile (610.0/km²).

There were 1,618 households out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.5% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.88 and the average family size was 3.39.

The village population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 12.8% from 18 to 24, 33.5% from 25 to 44, 24.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35.1 years. Males make up 50.9% of the population while women make up 49.1% of the population

The racial makeup of the village was 46.4%% White, 20.5% African American, 0.6% Native American, 10.5% Asian, 0% Pacific Islander, 18.0% from other races, and 4.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 38.0% of the population.

The median income for a household in the village was $74,069, and the median income for a family was $84,698. Males had a median income of $43,649 versus $41,356 for females. The per capita income for the village was $32,448. About 8.58% of families and 10.86% of the population were below the poverty line….

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmsford,_New_York