Letter to the Editor: Gromack Aghast at County’s Proposed Lawsuit Against Clarkstown

Dear County Legislators,

I just learned you voted (with the exception of Legislator Frank Sparaco) on Tuesday, August 7, 2012 to sue the residents of the Town of Clarkstown for reverting Samuel Road in Nanuet to its former dead end status. I don’t know if I am more shocked or disappointed that prior to taking this vote against our residents in the County Legislature you did not think it was important to call me to learn the background and the truth as to why the Town reverted this road to its former dead end status, which was for the safety of our residents. I would also like to note this has been studied for two years by the Clarkstown Police and the subject of a professionally engineered traffic study.

I don’t think there has ever been a time in my 28 years as a public official that I never returned a call or refused to hold a meeting at the request of another elected official to discuss or clarify an issue, especially affecting the safety of our mutual residents. What in the world were you thinking that night? For your information, the action the Town took had the support of Clarkstown Police Chief Michael Sullivan, the Nanuet Fire Department and the Nanuet Ambulance Corps. (Please see letters enclosed.) A simple call by any of you to me, Town Board members Shirley Lasker, Frank Borelli, George Hoehmann, Stephanie Hausner or Police Chief Sullivan would have provided all the answers that you needed to vote “no” to sue your own town. I am sure the 82,000 residents of “your” Town do not understand or appreciate the action you took against them. Your two hour long debate on this matter would have been more fruitful trying to solve the many problems confronting County Government. What a shame, what a shame.
I would also like to note, the Rockland County Legislature press release of August 8 takes a negative swipe at the men and women of the Clarkstown Police Department. For the record, the job they do protecting the residents of the Town of Clarkstown is second to none and I find those remarks insulting to the professionalism and integrity of our Police Department. As always, I will be more than happy to meet with all of you, along with Chief Sullivan to further explain the facts on this issue, which you obviously were not aware of. On behalf of our mutual residents of the Town of Clarkstown, I respectfully request that our Clarkstown Legislators sponsor a new resolution rescinding the one which was passed suing the Town at your next Legislative meeting on Tuesday September 4, 2012.

Sincerely,
Alexander Gromack
Town Supervisor

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