Several residents of the Village of Mamaroneck have joined this month to form an ad hoc taxpayer watchdog group, aiming to address growing concerns over perceived wasteful spending in the Village.
Calling themselves the “Mamaroneck Taxpayer Watchdogs,” the group is ramping up challenges to decisions made by the Village that have resulted in a number of costly lawsuits in recent years. Litigation fees and settlements paid by the Village of Mamaroneck to fight development is in the millions, while a recent lawsuit launched by Planning Board Member Cynthia Goldstein has so far cost the Village nearly a quarter-million dollars in legal fees.
This rampant legal spending comes at a time when residents in the Village have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic which, according to Mayor Tom Murphy, has “affected the people with the least resources the most.”
Murphy stated back in August that the Village’s budget had been cut by approximately $2.5 million, with the Village deferring capital projects and delaying hiring as a result.
“The spending by the Village board has proved to be both wasteful and costly to taxpayers,” said Guisela Marroquin, a village resident and member of Mamaroneck Taxpayer Watchdogs. “We felt compelled to bring this fiscal negligence to light, so that more of the residents affected by these actions are made aware of just how big a problem it has become.”
She notes that the group has created a website (www.mamaronecktaxwatch.com) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/mamaroneck.taxpayer.watchdogs) to keep the community informed about taxpayer spending in the Village. She invites others to join the cause.
Marroquin is particularly incensed by the irony of the Goldstein lawsuit.
“As a result of the conflicts of having a member of a Village Committee/Board pursuing action stemming from an ethics complaint, the Village has paid nearly $100,000 so far to the law firm of Leventhal, Mullaney & Blinkoff. A portion of those fees went towards research and drafting of documents for Ms. Goldstein to file an Article 78 petition against the Village. Essentially, the Village is paying attorneys to sue itself. All the while, there are Village residents who cannot meet their basic needs due to the turn in the economy and other effects of the current public health crisis and yet these legal matters come at a cost to all residents of the Village.”
Mamaroneck Taxpayer Watchdogs argues that the Village continues to waste taxpayer dollars and opportunities for revenue by preventing reasonable development.. For example, litigation expenses incurred to fight Westchester Day School, Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club, Ralph’s Ices, Hampshire Country Club and Sheldrake Estates is now at nearly $2 million. The settlement with Westchester Day School back in 2008 was $4.75 million.
Daria Locher, a Mamaroneck School District resident and member of the new Watchdog group, believes that this behavior on the part of Village officials is to the detriment of the majority of village residents, who would benefit from the additional tax revenue generated by such development.
“I think if residents knew that the village has spent $7 million dollars on failed lawsuits and lawyers over the past ten years, they would be appalled,” notes Locher. “Well, I am here to tell you that they have in fact spent that kind of money. That money should have been spent on infrastructure, vital services, wellness and going back to taxpayers.”
Echoing this sentiment is group member Kevin Duarte, a Village resident, who says he cannot understand how Mamaroneck officials can justify allocating so much money on legal fees, while at the same time cutting millions of dollars from its budget and services.
“With a pandemic in full swing, and thousands of Village residents hurting, how is it possible for Village officials to cut our budget, yet pay lawyers hundreds of dollars an hour to defend the Village’s denial of development projects and other matters? This is highly irresponsible management of taxpayers’ money,” stated Duarte.
At the Village of Mamaroneck’s January 11 Board of Trustees virtual meeting, Locher raised the questions concerning an ongoing lawsuit involving AVC Properties, for which the village has already spent more than $100,000 on legal fees, addressing a project involving only three houses.
“Why can’t you tell us exactly what this lawsuit is, and have you tried to negotiate with the other side?” Locher asked.
“I am not going to discuss litigation like that,” was Murphy’s response.
