Airmont Reverses Several Laws Deemed Discriminatory

Airmont decided to change some of its local laws. Deputy Mayor Downey, Trustee Shimon Moses and Trustee Isaac Weiss issued a statement saying that the village had reversed several "discriminatory laws."

A crowd of approximately 250 people came to participate in Monday night's public hearings on Zoom and YouTube regarding several controversial laws proposed and passed by the administration of former Airmont Mayor Philip Gigante.

The Board made some compromises too. An amendment that would have extended Airmont's noise law for two hours on Saturday and Sunday mornings was cut in half. Snowblowers and snowplows will now be permitted at any hour. Homeowners can also now mow their lawns anytime after 9:00 AM.

Mayor Bubel clarified that emergency generators would be considered a reasonable sound and are exempt from any noise restrictions.

Gigante's controversial year-round no parking law is now a thing of the past. Residents will still be prohibited from parking from midnight to 6:00 AM from November 1 to April 1 to allow easy snowplow access.

One controversial Gigante law that remains is the no-knock law which the Board did not seek to repeal.

For three decades the village has been accused of discrimination against Hasidic Jews. Some residents say village laws are enforced only against the Ultra-Orthodox community.

Some residents say the village is trying to keep its small-town feel and avoid the deep troubles in Ramapo where illegal homes, schools and commercial buildings abound and building and safety codes are not enforced, The Journal News has reported.