Greenwood Lake Mayor Resigns
Village Board Trustee Thomas Howley was appointed acting mayor and Kelli Kelm remains deputy mayor.
By Vera Miller
Village of Greenwood Lake Mayor Matthew Buckley submitted a letter of resignation on April 16. His resignation and resignations of building inspector Michael Stearns and police dispatcher Austin Crosby were announced at the first budget workshop of the year on Wednesday night. Greenwood Lake trustees sat focused on their laptops and spoke to each other in voices that several in the audience said they had trouble hearing.
Public discussion and questions were prohibited because of “extenuating circumstances,” said Deputy Mayor Kelli Kelm. She added that questions would be answered by email. No explanation was provided for the mayor’s resignation.
In his letter of resignation , he wrote, “I had hoped to initiate much-needed changes in the village and had begun that journey. I understand that change can be challenging and met with resistance. I hope that my resignation will relieve some of the stress and encourage everyone to come together to address ongoing issues and village matters.”
After a half hour executive session, during which meeting attendees waited outside in the evening drizzle, the trustees announced that Thomas Howley would be acting mayor for the rest of the year, and Kelm would remain deputy mayor. Howley’s appointment as mayor leaves an open trustee seat. That may be discussed at a meeting next week, Kelm said.
“The new mayor wants time to think,” said Village Clerk Katheleen Holder.
During budget discussions, Shannon Modafferi, an accountant who does the Village year-end financial report, announced that recent revenue would be used to project upcoming revenue to decide budget allocations. For instance, the first mortgage tax payments would be used to predict the second ones. Those payments were 50% lower than last year, which would be reflected in the upcoming budget. Another budget meeting is scheduled for April 22 and then a public hearing on April 24.
“Public discussion will be allowed at the public hearing,” Kelm said, but not at earlier budget meetings.
“The budget workshops are for the board,” Holder said later.
The board approved numerous resolutions. Many involved applying for grants of a few thousand dollars. One approved resolution was for $100,000 for the sidewalks along Route 17A.
Some meeting attendees expressed concern about a diminishment of transparency, as correspondence was not attached to agendas, and resolution descriptions were brief. However, Holder said that the resolutions listed were short and included in their entirety. Longer resolutions would be posted online before meetings, but correspondence would not be attached. In the past, correspondence and entire lengthy proposed resolutions were attached to the agenda.
“I’ve been taking back stacks of paper after every meeting because we don’t know how many people will attend,” Holder said. “Let’s save some trees.”
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