People Over Party

In a meeting that saw hundreds of people form the public attend, cheers and jeers, and even an abrupt ending due to a conspicuous fire alarm, what stood out was a stunning moment where two officials from two different parties creatively refused to be silenced.

The two big agenda items were a proposed Sales Tax Cut and the fate of Putnam County farmers in their fight to be heard.

I’ve written about each extensively and you can find that here:

In the case of the Sales Tax Cut, the Legislature voted 5-4 to push through a 0.25% cut. The legislators to vote in favor were Legislators Ellner, Jonke, Addonizio, Birmingham, and Sayegh.

Ellner had admitted just 8 days prior that the math behind was faulty, but voted for it anyway.

The real core of the issue is how the cut would be used as an excuse to NOT engage in a redistribution plan of surplus funds with the towns and villages.

Despite Chairwoman Amy Sayegh saying that would not be the case in an oddly prepared statement, the very next agenda item was to simply discuss such a plan, and she along with the other four voted to not even discuss it.

As is typical, saying one thing and doing another.

In attendance were several town supervisors, such as Jackie Annabi, a Republican of Putnam Valley. She is a fierce advocate for redistribution discussions, and every other supervisor and mayor in the county unanimously signed a letter in support directed to the Legislature in support.

The other intense issue, which was a major reason so many folks were in attendance, was the fate of the inclusion period for local farms to apply for the Ag District, which could aid some farms in forgoing overbearing and unnecessary local government overreach.

Some Legislators, like Amy Sayegh, said privately through out the week to several farmers that they would support allowing a resolution to at minimum be introduced and discussed.

But, when push came to shove on April 1st, it was April Fools for the Farmers as Legislators like Ms. Sayegh chose censorship and gamesmanship to ensure it never made it to the agenda…

…and of course because it never made it to the agenda, this would mean the massive gathering of there pubic would be censored from speaking about it.

Philipstown’s Legislator, Nancy Montgomery, a Democrat, raised her hand to make a motion under “Other Business”.

Chairwoman Amy Sayegh ignored her and attempted to move to the end of the agenda for Public Speaking. Legislator Montgomery continued to assert her right to be heard on a motion and seek a second, but bizarrely, Amy Sayegh continued to talk over her and attempt to move forward.

At this point, Ms. Annabi, the Republican Town Supervisor of Putnam Valley got up, as a member of the Public and asked Ms. Montgomery, again, a Democrat, if she was a tax paying resident of the county.

Legislator Montgomery affirmed that she was, and at that moment Supervisor Annabi yielded her speaking time to Legislator Montgomery so she could at least read in the motion she wanted to make so the Public could at least hear what Chairwoman Sayegh was censoring.

Raucous applause met this moment with each receiving a standing ovation for this bi-partisan showing of People over Party.

I then rose to speak to the Legislature on both the Sales Tax and Farming issues. And despite several attempts to interrupt me and silence me, I not only again pointed out their inability to do math, but that leadership calls for putting “policy and people over politics and party”.

What we saw last night wasn’t politics as usual. It was the people demanding better of their representatives. It was a community standing together and saying: Enough.

Watch my Full Comments here: