Spring Valley Treasurer resigns

Spring Valley Village Treasurer Greg Smith announced his resignation from office on Monday morning, after alleging that Village Mayor  Alan Simon had attempted to fire him.

Speaking to the Journal News following his resignation, Smith stated that the village board of trustees had intervened when Mayor Simon attempted to remove the Treasurer from office, asserting that Simon did not have the authority to fire Smith. Smith did not offer an explanation as to why Simon sought to terminate his position, nor has Simon offered a rationale for his actions.

“The board told me the mayor can’t fire me,” Smith said. “I resigned (Monday morning). At this point in time I need to move forward and not discuss the mayor and the circumstances. Two staff members went to the hospital with anxiety. They missed work.”

Mayor Simon has a history of refusing to speak to members of the press, most notably in the wake of the 2021 Evergreen Fire which destroyed a Spring Valley Nursing Home and claimed the lives of Firefighter Jared Lloyd and one Evergreen resident.  When state officials entered Spring Valley Village Hall to investigate reports of falsified inspection records regarding the home, Simon fled from an RCT reporter seeking a comment on the investigation. Judge Kevin Russo latter dismissed charges that Spring Valley officials knowingly  provided inaccurate information on the status of the facility. 

Simon has been a controversial figure in local politics who has been witnessed shouting at a member of the public and a village trustee  during separate Spring Valley board meetings.  

As reported by the Journal News, Simon has previously attempted to remove officials from office but was prevented from doing so by Village Trustees. In 2023 Simon was prevented from removing Spring Valley police chief and school resource officer from their positions.