Category: Luis Marino

David Thomas

1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:

Under Review

2. Email Address For Filing FOI Requests

dthomas@portchesterny.com

3, Mailing Address For Filing FOI Requests

Village Clerk
222 Grace Church Street Suite – 120
Port Chester, NY 10573

4. Experience:

David Thomas had been working as a consultant in his community of Port Chester, NY. He started off volunteering for the Council of Community Services as a webmaster and designing their website.

He then appointed as president of Building Community Bridges, a local organization dedicated to promoting conversation on difficult issues in the community.

After that Mr. Thomas was the web manager for the Town of Rye.

The town had developed a new website but had some trouble finding someone to add and organize the content. This was a paid consulting position for a nominal rate.

He also added content for another organization he joined called One World United and Virtuous. This also was a paid consulting position that earned a nominal fee.

Mr. Thomas has also volunteered to teach PC and software classes at Family Services of Westchester

Later Mr. Thomas was appointed Port Chester Village clerk.

Village Clerk
Village of Port Chester, NY
November 2015 – Present (9 months)

Consultant
Town of Rye, NY
March 2009 – December 2015 (6 years 10 months)
Town of Rye, NY

6. Media Reports / Related Pages

JOURNAL NEWS: 3 Port Chester trustees booted from board

Three village trustees were kicked out of office this week after they failed to sign legal paperwork following this year’s election wins.

Trustees Greg Adams, Daniel Brakewood and Luis Marino — all Democrats —  were required under state law to sign a written oath of office within 30 days from the start of their terms. They were told Thursday by the village attorney that they were out, Brakewood and Marino said.

“I’m fed up with this place,” Marino said Friday. “We have our attorney, our clerk and our village manager. I see these gentlemen at every meeting, and you’re telling me no one knew we didn’t sign the oath of office until last night?”

“I could understand if one person forgot,” Marino said. “If Luis Marino didn’t sign the oath of office, that’s on me. But three people didn’t sign? They’re screwing us.”….

….Mayor Dennis Pilla, a Democrat, said that, with a lot going on, he’s trying to be a stabilizing force to “make sure we get through all these situations.”

“Personally, it’s a lot of work,” he said Friday. “I’ve been on the phone all day with lawyers and the press with these two big issues.”

Pilla said he’ll recommend reappointing the ousted trustees in a special meeting. It wasn’t clear when the meeting would be scheduled and the Republicans didn’t immediately comment on if they’d support the reappointments.

There seems to be little case law to compare the situation to or to outline any recourse for the ousted board members, Brakewood said.

“If you get caught speeding, there’s a mechanism for you to appeal,” he said. “Here, you’re tried and punished in one swoop.”

Village business can continue to be conducted with the three remaining trustees and the mayor constituting a quorum of four. A quorum is the minimum number of elected officials needed to conduct official business, but any vote that isn’t unanimous won’t carry.

Neither Village Manager Christopher Steers nor Village Attorney Anthony Cerreto returned calls seeking comment. A receptionist at Village Hall said Village Clerk David Thomas was out of the office on Friday…..

Please Read More Here:

http://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/westchester/rye-brook-port-chester/2016/05/20/port-chester-oath-office/84666408/

DAILY VOICE: Port Chester Appoints David Thomas Village Clerk

Port Chester resident David Thomas has been appointed clerk for the Village of Port Chester. His appointment, by a unanimous vote, was made during a Village Board of Trustees meeting earlier this month.

Port Chester has been without a clerk since the summer when Janusz Richards resigned. Assistant Village Clerk Vita Sileo has been filling in. Eager to get the office of the clerk back to normal, Thomas was sworn in on Nov. 3, by Sileo and Rye Town Clerk Hope Vespia.

Previously, Thomas worked as a consultant with the Town of Rye for six years.

“I’ll have to get used to saying ‘the Village’ instead of ‘the Town,’ Thomas joked.

Thomas didn’t have the opportunity to give the town notice. He’s been putting in two hours a day for the town to transition and then working his eight hours daily for the village.

Luckily for Thomas, both entities are at 222 Grace Church St. A notable task for the new village clerk will be gearing up for the elections of village trustees next March.

All six seats are up for election and will be selected via the cumulative voting system put in place by decree from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Thomas was selected from a starting pool of 90 applicants. Port Chester Mayor Dennis Pilla called the search exhaustive. Village Trustee Dan Brakewood talked about how he “had the pleasure of working with Dave while working on the Tools for Change program” that Thomas administered for the Town of Rye…..

Please Read More Here:

http://portchester.dailyvoice.com/news/port-chester-appoints-david-thomas-village-clerk/606284/

BLACK WESTCHESTER: Port Chester Appoints David Thomas Village Clerk

Port Chester resident, David Thomas, has been appointed Clerk for the Village of Port Chester. The unanimous vote was taken at the Village Trustee meeting on Monday, November 2……

Please Read More Here:

Port Chester Appoints David Thomas Village Clerk by Joan Grangenois-Thomas

PORT CHESTER DAILY VOICE: Port Chester/Rye NAACP To Host Annual Freedom Fund Luncheon

…The Robert Brown/M. Paul Redd Freedom Fund Luncheon is “an annual event to recognize the contributions of those in the Port Chester/Rye community who have contributed their time and expertise to help others,” according to the release.

The honorees at this year’s luncheon are Hattie Adams, Ida Kilpatrick, Luis Marino and David Thomas, according to the release, and Robert Izard, who was instrumental in the formation of Carver Center, will receive special recognition….

Please Read More Here:

http://portchester.dailyvoice.com/news/port-chesterrye-naacp-to-host-annual-freedom-fund-luncheon/408481/

PORT CHESTER PATCH: Friends of the African-American Cemetery is Formed

Goal is to conserve, rehabilitate and transform cemetery into a place of historical remembrance, reflection and education

Port Chester resident, David Thomas is pleased to announce the formation of the Friends of the African American Cemetery, Inc., a registered New York State non-profit organization. The cemetery is situated within the Greenwood Union Cemetery, located at 215 North Street in Rye. The one acre parcel was donated by the Halsted family 150 years ago with the condition that it “shall forever hereafter kept, held and used for the purpose of a cemetery or burial place for the colored inhabitants of the said Town of Rye, and its vicinity free and clear of any charge therefor…”

Of the 119 known persons buried at the cemetery, 22 are veterans of the Civil War, Spanish American War, World War I and World War II. The last burial was held in 1964…..

Please Read More Here:

http://patch.com/new-york/portchester/friends-african-american-cemetery-formed

GO FUND ME: African American Cemetery Rye Town

$230 of $1,500 goal raised by 6 people in 10 month

https://www.gofundme.com/cy3px6ve

FACEBOOK:

https://www.facebook.com/townofrye

TOWN OF RYE DISSOLUTION STUDY

The links above will give you all the information one might need to evaluate the Dissolution of the Town of Rye, its varying impacts on the successor communities, and the options available for the sharing of services.

If you have any questions, please communicate them to your respective Steering Committee member in your community.  The steering committee members are:

Town of Rye

• Gary J. Zuckerman- Supervisor
• Debbie Resiner, Town Confidential Secretary

Village of Port Chester

•   Dennis Pilla – Mayor                            
•   Christopher Steers, Village Manager          

Village of Rye Brook

•   Paul Rosenberg – Mayor                       
• Christopher Bradbury, Village Administrator

 Village of Mamaroneck

•   Norman Rosenblum- Mayor
• Richard Slingerland, Village Manager

http://www.townofryeny.com/town-of-rye-dissolution.html

Also:

Public Meeting on Rye Town Dissolution Feasibility Study and Village Alternatives Analysis to be Held Sept. 10

Opportunity to Learn about Project and Provide Feedback

Town of Rye, NY – August 2, 2011 – A public meeting will be held on Saturday, September 10 for residents and taxpayers to learn about – and provide feedback on – a recently-initiated study of dissolution of the Town of Rye and an analysis of associated village governance and service alternatives.  The community forum will be held from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Village of Port Chester Senior Community Center, 222 Grace Church Street, Port Chester, NY.

A joint Steering Committee of Town of Rye, Village of Port Chester, Village of Rye Brook and Village of Mamaroneck representatives was formed in 2011 to begin the process of analyzing the potential benefits and drawbacks of a range of structural and governance alternatives for increasing government efficiency and promoting taxpayer savings. There are four key objectives for this study:

1. The study will analyze the feasibility of potentially dissolving the Town of Rye’s government in order to eliminate an administrative level of government and, in so doing, possibly generate property tax relief for residents;
2. The study will analyze alternative forms of government, particularly separate coterminous town/village options in Port Chester and Rye Brook, as a means of improving cost effectiveness and enhancing shared services;
3. The study will consider governance and service options for the Rye Neck section of the Village of Mamaroneck that is within the Town of Rye; and
4. The study will evaluate potential shared service alternatives between and among the Town of Rye and Villages of Port Chester, Rye Brook and Mamaroneck.

The Steering Committee issued the following statement: “We encourage residents to attend this important forum.  We have a strong commitment to engaging the public as we undertake this examination of dissolution and shared services.  The September 10 forum offers an excellent opportunity for residents and stakeholders to learn more about the study approach and offer feedback about which services are most important to them.”

The meeting will include a brief overview presentation by the study consultant, the nonprofit Center for Governmental Research (CGR).  Community members can meet the CGR project team leaders, and learn more about the study’s methodology, timeframe and objectives.  The meeting will also provide the public an opportunity to comment on the study.

CGR will also outline a newly-launched project website, which will be a key vehicle in facilitating public engagement as the study process unfolds.  The website www.cgr.org/ryetown will offer access to meeting information, reports and key data components as they become available.  By going to the website, community members will also be able to email comments to the Steering Committee.

In addition, they can sign up to receive email “alerts” when any significant new information is posted to the website.

Tentative September 10th meeting agenda:

• Introduction – Steering Committee Members
• Project Overview – CGR
• Website and Methods of Public Input/Information – CGR
• Comments from Public

Steering Committee Members

Joe Carvin, Supervisor, Town of Rye

Bishop Nowotnik, Purchasing Director and Confidential Secretary to the Supervisor, Town of Rye

Dennis Pilla, Mayor, Village of Port Chester

Christopher Russo, Village Manager, Village of Port Chester

Joan Feinstein, Mayor, Village of Rye Brook

Christopher Bradbury, Village Administrator, Village of Rye Brook

Norman Rosenblum, Mayor, Village of Mamaroneck

Richard Slingerland, Village Manager, Village of Mamaroneck

Daniel Sarnoff, Assistant Village Manager, Village of Mamaroneck

About the Center for Governmental Research (CGR)

CGR is a 96-year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan, independent consulting organization with significant expertise conducting local government consolidation and shared service studies and developing implementation plans. CGR is headquartered in Rochester, NY and in July was engaged by the involved municipalities to serve as study consultant.

http://www.village.mamaroneck.ny.us/Pages/MamaroneckNY_News/I01772728

7. Notes

This Ratings Page Has Been Updated With Additional Information

About Port Chester, New York

Port Chester is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is part of the town of Rye. As of the 2010 census, Port Chester had a population of 28,967.

The village name is pronounced with the same syllable stress pattern as that of the county which contains it, i.e. PORT ches-ter, not Port CHES-ter.

Port Chester is one of only twelve villages in New York still incorporated under a charter, the other villages having incorporated or re-incorporated under the provisions of Village Law.

n 1660, three settlers from Greenwidge (now Greenwich, Connecticut), Thomas Studwell, John Coe, and Peter Disbrow, arranged to buy Manursing Island and the land near the Byram River from the Mohegan Indians. The land that they bought is now Port Chester. The village was originally known as Saw Pit for the saw pits which were in use during the time. Logs were cut in holes in the ground for wood to be used for shipbuilding. The name of Sawpit was used for the first time in 1732. The village eventually outgrew this name and became Port Chester by incorporating as a village in 1868. When Port Chester was first incorporated, it was considered a major seaport.

In 1665, Sawpit was claimed by both New York and Connecticut. However, the land was given back to the New York Colony by Connecticut in 1683. This struggle over the ownership of Sawpit continued for almost 105 years. In 1788, the Legislature of New York ruled that Sawpit was a part of the town of Rye in New York.

Travel was considered dangerous in the early years of Sawpit as good roads were hard to find. The Boston Post Road, King Street, and Grace Church streets are some of the early migration paths in the Sawpit/Rye settlement. Other roads were usually dirt, which made transportation via water important.

The local waterways, the Byram River and Long Island Sound, were a key part of the growth and development of Sawpit/Port Chester. Early residents took part in boat building, farming, and shell fishing.

The Bush-Lyon Homestead, Capitol Theater, Life Savers Building, Putnam and Mellor Engine and Hose Company Firehouse, St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places …..

Please Read More Here:

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