Part 8: Rampant patronage, corruption, and gross fiscal mismanagement under Gromack

         This week we continue to explore some of the rampant patronage and corruption under Gromack and his Merrie Band of Rubber Stamping Council Members, as well as their gross fiscal mismanagement, which has brought the Town of Clarkstown to the brink of a Moody’s downgrade, the alleged need to sell Middlewood, the senior center in Nanuet; and a potential bankruptcy in years to come. We are grateful to Michael N. Hull, who has compiled much of this information on his web site, “Clarkstown—What They Don’t Want You to Know.” 
         
* Adding insult to injury of the soaring tax rates for 2014—3.5% for residents and up to 16%-17% for business owners—the total Town liability now stands at an extraordinary $110,000,000—and rising fast. That equals the amount owed by the entire County of Rockland, which has a credit rating barely above junk status. For good measure, in October 2013, the Town went to the market for a $5.2 million bond anticipation note. Good for Town businesses and taxpayers, Mr. Gromack?
         
* “In the negotiations with the PBA for the period Jan 1, 2013 through Dec 31, 2017 the Town Board approved 2.5 percent increases each year. The resolution to approve the agreement was a ‘late addition’ to the Town Board’s agenda the same evening and was passed within hours without public notice.” It is also noted that the 50 highest paid employees of the Town are all police officers. Good for the public…or good for Mr. Gromack?
         
* Tom Nimick, who advocates for ethics and adherence to the Open Meetings Law,” has recently provided this scathing indictment of Supervisor Gromack and ALL OF THE Board members:
          “1) The town board has failed to exercise proper oversight of town operations.
          “2) The town board failed to follow proper procedures in its hiring of the recently arrested Bronx GOP chairman, Jay Savino, and the past hiring of County Legislator, Frank Sparaco.
          “3) The town board failed to exercise proper ethical standards in its practices.
          “4) The town board failed to exercise responsibility with respect to conflicts of interest.
          “5) The town board failed to permit proper public input into its deliberations.
          “6) The town board failed to act responsibly with respect to the town’s rising debt.
          “7) The town board failed to act to to control rising salary costs including their own.”
          Who’s minding the store, Mr. Gromack?
         
* With property taxes rapidly rising—16%-17% for businesses alone just in 2014—and property values falling by an estimated 25% over the past five years, it’s fair to ask, “What are Town taxpayers getting in return for their hard-earned tax dollars—besides an extraordinary amount of patronage that benefits Supervisor Gromack?” That’s precisely the question that residents of Upper Nyack asked themselves in early 2011, with their concerns picked up by CBS News. One wonders whether they—and residents of other Clarkstown hamlets—might wish to seriously consider such a divorce. Who’s minding the store, Mr. Gromack?
         
* Just a few months ago, Gromack and the Board agreed to refund $5 million to the Palisades Center Mall. This comes at a time when the mall is undertaking an expensive renovation.
         
* Will Gromack direct the Town assessor to reassess the mall’s value upon completion?
         
* Prior to the settlement, the Town and school district had spent upwards of $1 million to fight the mall’s tax certiori complaint.
         
* Commonly-accepted wisdom is that the mall was able to file its complaint due to the lack of an updated Town-wide assessment. Who’s minding the store, Mr. Gromack?
         
* Ever hear of a town raising taxes through a school tax bill and making it seems as if the school district is increasing the tax rate? Well, now you have, courtesy of Gromack and the Board, who for 2012-2013 and beyond started charging a 1% “processing fee” to every district within its geographic borders. That’s at least $2 million in new property taxes, with more than $1.5 million from Clarkstown Central School District residents alone. Gromack claims that the Town is mandated to impose this tax, but conveniently ignores the fact that he has lawful discretion to reduce or waive it entirely. Moreover, this tax was imposed without a public hearing, without a public notice, and without a public announcement—despite an internal memo from many months earlier stating that the Board was in fact planning to impose this tax—yet taxpayers were only notified when the school district tax bill went out. Good for the public…or good for Mr. Gromack?
         
* At the last meeting of the year in 2011, “Supervisor Gromack demanded a vote to eliminate the position of deputy town attorney in order to hire a private law firm to handle the workload.…In reality, it is a thinly veiled triangle that ties The Bronx GOP with the Rockland GOP with the County of Westchester, specifically, the law firm of Joseph J. Savino.” By now, everyone with a pulse knows about Mr. Savino’s saintly reputation. Good for the public…or good for Mr. Gromack?
         
* Savino, whose contract was extended in December 2012, was arrested four months later on corruption charges alleging that he accepted bribes related to fixing the Republican nomination for New York City mayor. In December, 2013, he pled guilty to bribery charges in Federal District Court in White Plains. Why was he hired in the first place? And why was his contract extended? Who’s minding the store, Mr. Gromack?
         
* “Supervisor Gromack opposes term limits.” Other than the fact that it clearly benefits him—he just won a sixth term—through his cozy relationship with Board members and hand-picked senior officials, one might well question why he continues to cavalierly dismiss the wishes of thousands of Town residents who have signed a term-limits petition. Perhaps it is telling that he refuses to engage in a give-and-take or answer questions as to any alleged benefits to the public of not having term limits. Good for the public…or good for Mr. Gromack?
         
* “Clarkstown provides 29 employees (including people like the Town Insurance Manager) with town paid automobiles which are available to them on a 24/7 basis. The justification for this practice is that these people may need to come in at odd hours and it is appropriate to provide them with a vehicle instead of justi reimbursing them for mileage.” What is the cost of these vehicles, fully maintained at taxpayer expense, and when was the last time the Town Insurance Manager was required to come to Town hall at, say, 2 a.m.? Who’s minding the store, Mr. Gromack?
         
* With all of the above having occurred within the past two-plus years of this writing, one may well wonder what goes on behind closed doors and how Gromack and the Board can adequately explain these many actions so highly detrimental to the financial and reputational well-being of the town and residents.
         
* It’s also fair to ask: Who are the clowns that run this town who have just locked themselves into a court-ordered mandate to clean up properties at 139 and 141 Massachusetts Avenue, Congers, which will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars on the alleged basis that fill placed there is hazardous—when Town DEC Director Kalarickal and founding and the managing partner of the the Town’s own consulting engineering company have since 2002 formally and explicitly identified our fill as non-hazardous in numerous documents?
         
* In light of these well-documented, egregious instances of patronage and corruption, and considering what else may have occurred that is not herein identified, it’s fair to ask, As Gromack continues to consolidate his iron grip on the reins of government, will this be good for the public…or good for Gromack? We’ll leave it to you to decide—and we think we already know your answer. (We'll have more next week and beyond on the malignant, duplicitous, conspiratorial, and outright illegal actions of numerous Town officials, judges, and other “players.” Also, see our web site, townofclarkstownvgoldberg.org, which now has some 925 hits in just a few short months.)