Lawsuit upholds due process and need for open decision making
To the Editor:
In his lawsuit Pound Ridge resident John Nathan lays out in detail the active and behind the scenes actions by Supervisor Kevin Hansan and the town board in 2021 as they received information from Westchester County elected officials, organizations, consultants and lawyers regarding cannabis. Despite every nearby town having public hearings on this matter in 2021 and then deciding to opt out, Pound Ridge showed no transparency and made a secret decision not to opt out. In addition to being an abysmal example of governance from any angle, these actions likely violated numerous New York state laws that are intended to stop such backroom practices.
I encourage anyone interested in our local government to read the full 33-page lawsuit. Nathan’s well-written complaint systematically uses documents obtained under FOIL to show the town board was engaged with almost everyone on the cannabis issue except for the very citizens they were elected to represent. In my opinion, the clear evidence that the town board violated numerous sections of the Open Meetings Law is incontrovertible. The cannabis store operator also showed a disregard for law by opening when a moratorium was in place not allowing that action. Unfortunately, the Office of Cannabis Management in Albany hardly covered itself in glory in this situation as it issued a license during the moratorium and after representations said it would not do so.
Hopefully this lawsuit will result in a court upholding the rule of law by requiring that the effect of the board’s apparently illegal action is unwound, and that due process is followed. Due process and the need for open and transparent decision making have always driven my views on this matter. This has nothing to do with a second bite of the apple over cannabis opt-out policy and everything to do with giving residents their first bite of this apple.
Jock McCown
Pound Ridge
A sigh of relief, but we need to be mindful that we need to contribute
To the Editor:
We are familiar with losing coverage of local news. In my time in the town of Lewisboro, we have lost not only The Record-Review, we have also lost the Lewisboro Ledger as well. It is a national trend that local news sources can't make ends meet, so it is with great joy and relief that I write a letter of gratitude to my fellow neighbors and others who are making The Recorder the newspaper of choice for Lewisboro, Pound Ridge, and Bedford.
The Pew Research Center finds “A large majority say local news outlets are at least somewhat important to the well-being of their local community. Most people also say local journalists are in touch with their communities and that their local news media perform well at several aspects of their jobs, such as reporting the news accurately. At the same time, a relatively small share of Americans (15%) say they have paid for local news in the last year.”
It is important that we have local journalists and photojournalists cover our neighborhoods. It brings transparency to government and school boards. It increases a sense of community by providing a forum for our cultural and literary groups somewhere to promote events and ask people to volunteer and contribute.
While we celebrate and breathe a sigh of relief, we also need to be mindful that we need to contribute — not only material, but mindful consideration of others’ perspectives in civic discourse. We also need to support this newspaper with subscriptions and advertisements of our local businesses. When we take care of each other, our community becomes stronger.
Mary Shah
South Salem
Navigating change with trusted local journalism
To the Editor:
Change is inevitable and 2024 is certainly on pace to continue the succession of “unprecedented times” that have brought significant shifts to our community. We are witnessing changes across the board — new industries from pickleball to cannabis, and technologies such as battery storage and electric vehicles are reshaping our local landscapes. Post-pandemic trends that brought young families, like mine, to the area in recent years, have opened a new chapter of change for our neighborhoods, schools, and downtowns.
These local changes coincide with a broader political landscape that grows more unpredictable by the day. The upcoming election, especially New York’s 17th Congressional District race that encompasses our area, is one of the most consequential in recent history and will play a critical role in determining control of Congress and the country’s direction.
The Recorder is an outgrowth of change. When northern Westchester unexpectedly became a news desert earlier this year, The Recorder emerged to fill the gap, offering reliable, fact-based reporting to help us understand the challenges and opportunities of our time and the changes taking place all around us.
Amid this change, accurate and trustworthy local news is essential, especially in an era where misinformation can easily take root. I want to recognize the entire Recorder team for stepping in when many believed local journalism — especially print — was fading. Their efforts have created an invaluable resource for our community as we navigate whatever change is in store next.
Zach Silber
Bedford
Editor’s note: The author is a member of The Recorder’s Working Group of volunteers that has helped develop and launch the new nonprofit local news organization.