1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:
Christina Battalia has sent a response to one of our Freedom of Information Requests say that she has done some kind of bizzare investigation and has some secret “evidence” that supposedly allows her to deny our rights to access the public documents.
And things have gotten even stranger, because Christina Battalia refuses to share her secret “evidence” making it impossible for us to appeal this bizarre records denial to Mamaroneck Town Supervisor Nancy Seligson.
We are trying to have NYS “Committee On Open Government” Executive Director Robert Freeman advise Ms. Battalia and Ms. Seligson what New York States Freedom Of Information Laws actually say and what a town is permited to do with public records under those laws.
Town Clerk 740 West Boston Post Road First Floor, Room 103 Mamaroneck, NY10543
4. Experience:
Ms. Battalia refused to provide us with a short biographical paragraph, so we will try and search the internet to learn about her background and experience.
However, despite Ms. Battalia’s bizarre and hostile behavior, we must say her staff is very friendly and almost appoligetic about how she treated our FOI requests.
5. From The Town Website:
The Town Clerk is an elected official who serves a four-year term. The Town Clerk serves residents directly through the issuance of licenses and permits as well as serving as the Town’s Records Management Officer. In addition, the Town Clerk serves the Town Board as the recording secretary for all their proceedings and decisions.
Vital Records
As Registrar of Vital Statistics the Clerk has the responsibility of issuing and maintaining birth and death records. The Town Clerk holds these vital records dating from 1881.
Marriage Licenses
New York State Marriage Licenses are issued through the Town Clerk’s Office and is responsible for issuing Marriage Certificates and recording them with the State of New York. The Town Clerk is a Marriage Officer who performs wedding ceremonies.
Other Licenses
The Town Clerk issues licenses and permits for the State, County and local municipality, including but not limited to licensing for Dogs, Hunting, Fishing, as well as permits for Alarms, Garage Sales, Peddling and Block Parties.
Parking Permits
Parking permits are issued through the Town Clerk’s Office for Commuter Lot No. 1 (Myrtle Boulevard and Vine Street), Area Business for Lot No. 2 (Maxwell Street) and Overnight and 24-Hour for Lot No. 3 and Lot No. 4 (Myrtle Boulevard).
FIOA Requests
The Town Clerk is the Freedom of Information Officer, liaison to the Board of Elections and holds the designation of Notary as well as the certifications of Registered Municipal Clerk (RMC) and Certified Municipal Clerk (CMC).
The population was 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of Mamaroneck (part of which is located in the adjacent town of Rye). The majority of the town’s land area is not within either village, constituting an unincorporated area, although a majority of the population lives within the villages. Legally, the unincorporated section and the villages constitute the town as a political and governmental subdivision of New York State. The town is led by a town board, composed of five town board members, which includes the Town Supervisor, Nancy Seligson.
Much of the unincorporated section of the town receives its mail via the Larchmont Post Office and thereby has a Larchmont address.
The Town of Mamaroneck was ranked first in the list of the top 10 places to live in New York State for 2014 according to the national online real estate brokerage Movoto.
The area that is now the town in Mamaroneck was purchased from Native American Chief Wappaquewam and his brother Manhatahan by an Englishman named John Richbell in 1661. During the American Revolutionary War in 1776, the British loyalist William Lounsbury was attacked and killed by a group of revolutionaries led by John Flood. Several other skirmishes occurred that year between loyalists and revolutionaries.
The New York Legislature created Mamaroneck as a town on March 7, 1788. The Town of Mamaroneck is divided into three parts: the Village of Larchmont, an unincorporated area, and the Village of Mamaroneck, the rest of that village being in the town of Rye. This three-part division occurred in the 1890s to meet the growing demand for municipal services that the town could not provide. By definition at the time, a town could only provide basic government functions such as organizing and supervising elections, administering judicial functions, and constructing and maintaining highways.
During the 1890s, parts of the town of Mamaroneck that were situated closest to the water thrived. Larchmont Manor, with its beaches along Long Island Sound, had become well known as a summer resort for families from New York City, and people were beginning to live there year-round…..
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
– Present (9 months)
Consultant
Town of Rye, NY
– (6 years 10 months) Town of Rye, NY
Video Technician
FocusVision Worldwide, Inc. – (7 years 1 month)
Location Unknown
TECHNICAL WRITER
GIANTBEAR INC.
JUNE 2000 – APRIL 2001 (11 MONTHS)
Location Unknown
Trainer
Direct Media, Inc.
March 1997 – February 2000 (3 years)
Trainer
Executrain of Westchester
1996 – 1997 (1 year)
Mr. Thomas still is available for consulting and can be reached at 420 Elm St. Port Chester, NY 10573 (914) 980-6160
5. From The Village Website:
The duties of the Village Clerk include responsibility for the care and custody of all official records and documents of the Village, for protection and preservation of the Village’s past history, administration of all municipal and special elections, the accurate record of Board of Trustee proceedings, actions and documentation of Board of Trustee Meetings, administering the Village’s records management program, receiving and filing claims against the Village, maintenance of the Village Code and providing research and information services to the public and Village personnel.
The Village Clerk’s Office provides a current list of Village Boards and Commissions. Village Board of Trustee Minutes are prepared by the Village Clerk and are the permanent record of proceedings of each Board of Trustee meeting.
Other services that are available in the Village Clerk’s Office include:
Municipal Parking Permits
Alarm Permits
Taxicab Licenses
Freedom of Information
Handicapped Parking Permits
Registrar of Vital Statistics, i.e., Birth Certificates, Death Certificate
Marriage, hunting, fishing and dog licenses provided by the Rye Town Clerk, 3rd floor 222 Grace Church St, Port Chester, N.Y. 10573; (914) 939-3570 or visit their website.
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…..
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…..
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……
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….
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…..
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:
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:
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;
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;
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
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.
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.
1. Freedom Of Information Compliance And Knowledge Ratings:
Village of Rye Brook Administrator / Clerk Christopher Bradbury quickly and rapidly acknowledged and completed our freedom of information requests for public documents. His staff is a pleasure to deal with and it is easy to give a rating of Five stars to Christopher Bradbury.
Westchester’s newest municipality has an exceptionally well run and modern public records management operation and one of the most courteous clerk’s offices in the county.
Mr.Bradbury’s staff are very helpful to both residents and nonresidents and often help them complete FOIL request forms. Too often city, town and villages in Westchester asks a record seeker if they live in the community, but the Rye Brook clerk’s office shows no favoritism.
Mr.Bradbury’s staff even goes so far to suggest other public documents that a public documents record seeker also might want. Person’s with disabilities are given any reasonable accommodation needed to get public information that they need.
We are told that other municipal administrators and clerks often seek out Mr. Bradbury for advice and guidance.
On our opinion Rye Brook has prospered and been very well served, because for sixteen years Mr.Bradbury has made accountability and transparency a priority in the village he administers.
Rye Brook is a very inclusive community that easily shares public documents and public information.
Village Clerk
938 King Street
Rye Brook, NY 10573
Village of Rye Brook,
4. Experience:
Christopher Bradbury Bio:
Christopher Bradbury has served as Administrator and Clerk for the Village of Rye Brook since August 2000. Prior to Rye Brook he was the Assistant to the City Manager in the City of Rye from 1992-2000, and was an Administrative Intern in the Village of Croton on Hudson’s Village Manager’s Office from 1990-1992.
Christopher Bradbury Education:
BA, Hobart College (1989)
MPA, Pace University (1992)
Rye Brook Responsibilities:
The Village Administrator is the Chief Administrative Officer of the Village. It is the role of the Administrator, with the help of his staff, to operate and handle the daily business of the government.
Under the direction and policy established by the Board of Trustees, the Administrator has many duties to perform. These duties include:
Supervising and coordinating the activities of all Village departments and employees as prescribed by law.
Informing the Mayor and Trustees of all Village activities and recommending needed actions.
Representing, or supervising the representation of the Village in affairs with employees, other governments and administrative agencies, and the public.
The Village Administrator serves as the Budget Officer and prepares the tentative budget at the direction of the Mayor and the Village Board.
The Village Administrator also serves as the Village Clerk. The Village Clerk attends to various concerns of the residents and issues legal notices related to all Village business, including public hearings and contracts. As the official “keeper of records” for all municipal documents, this is done in accordance with state mandates. This office also prepares the agenda for the Village Board Meetings, compiles the minutes, and files local laws. The Village Clerk’s Office also assists in the formation of resolutions, issues handicapped parking permits, peddler and vendor licenses.
JOURNAL NEWS: Rye Brook sues Port Chester over fire service
…According to the lawsuit, Rye Brook is seeking the reinstatement of the paid Port Chester firefighter to staff the night shift in the Rye Brook firehouse and reimbursement for legal fees and overtime costs that Rye Brook has been paying its own firefighters to cover the shift.
Rye Brook Village Administrator Chris Bradbury said it costs about $2,000 per night to cover the night shift with paid Rye Brook firefighters. An agreement between the village and the Rye Brook firefighters union mandates a staffing level of at least two firefighters per shift.
“The fire services contract is very clear that Port Chester will staff the Rye Brook firehouse with a paid firefighter,” Rye Brook Mayor Paul Rosenberg said. “We have no other choice but to go to court and seek a court order which would mandate the reinstatement of the Port Chester paid firefighter.”….
DAILY VOICE: Rye Brook Board To Discuss Affordable Housing
…Fair and affordable housing (FAAH) has become a major project for Rye Brook after a settlement between the county and the Department of Housing and Urban Development mandated that certain municipalities must increase the number of affordable-housing units by 2017.
While Port Chester is not required to create more affordable housing under the settlement, Rye Brook is. The village passed legislation in December that approves the creation of a floating zone within Rye Brook, the application of which is subject to the boards discretion. It allows for the village to waive dimensional zoning requirements of a particular village zone to comply with the requirements of fair and affordable housing applicants.
The villages planning consultant prepared a paper to identify sites that are seen as affordable housing possibilities, said Rye Brook Village Administrator Christopher Bradbury after the settlement.
Over 20 sites were listed in that report. Those had some potential to be a resource to the community, to developers and to the county, said Bradbury, adding that the sites were not exclusive. There could be others.
Bradbury says the village currently has 48 units of affordable housing….
Rye Brook has been designated as a Tree City USA for 14 years.Rye Brook is located in southeastern Westchester County and shares its eastern border with Greenwich, Connecticut. The village was an unincorporated section of the town of Rye until the its incorporation and establishment on July 7, 1982 the area.
In 1982, 150 residents of the unincorporated area proposed to establish the village of Rye Brook and organized a petition containing 1,536 signatures. The petition drive, which contained the signatures of approximately 36% of the registered voters in the unincorporated area, was organized by the Independent Civic Association. It was reported by The New York Times that one resident commented, “There is a time for a community to redefine itself,” further stating that residents of the unincorporated area “should be able to elect their own officers” and “protect their tax base.”
A Pace University consultant study was completed in 1981 for the Village of Port Chester to determine “what change or changes, if any, in the Village governmental structure would best serve the Village of Port Chester today and in the years ahead.”
The residents of the unincorporated area voted on June 23, 1982 to create the Village of Rye Brook. It was the first village created in New York State in 54 years. The referendum to create the new political identity passed with 58% of the voters in favor (1,991 to 1,434). The first election in the Village’s history was held to elect a mayor and four trustees. The first village official was Lee Russillo, who was sworn in as Rye Brook’s first Village Clerk, and was responsible for the first election day.
In 1983, 800 Westchester Avenue, described as the “Taj Mahal of Rye Brook” and the “contemporary equivalent to the classical villa,” was constructed as the General Foods Corporate Headquarters.
Trustees:
Susan Epstein
David Heiser
Jason Klein
Jeffrey Rednick
Rye Brook has its own police and fire departments. The fire department is made up of one firehouse, and the Port Chester Fire Department has a contract with the village to respond to calls.
Village of Rye Brook Administrator: Christopher Bradbury
Village of Rye Brook Police Department Chief: Chief Gregory J. Austin
