Dep. Mayor: Op-Ed Response, In Defense of the Truth

Contributed by Patchogue Village Deputy Mayor Jack Krieger

I read the written by Mrs. Elisabeth McGuire, the wife of Patchogue Village Justice Christopher P. McGuire, in which she continues the relentless attacks on the Mayor and my fellow Trustees who voted in favor of New Village at the Four Corners. She uses her lawyer-sharp skill at rhetoric to appoint herself as a crusader and the voice of the people. Although her tactics and intentions are quite well known to anyone who has heard it all before, she continues to conjure up a brew of frustrated, twisted lies that have become all too commonplace lately. Bottom line, her words cannot be trusted.

Mrs. McGuire has shown a great propensity at using innuendo and clever juxtaposition to present her lies. It’s a sly game of deception that we have all grown weary of. She would like you to believe that Mayor Pontieri and Tritec “secreted the plan’s changes, rushed its approval, resisted our having a community forum, and ignored our community’s input in order to meet their financial goals.” Really, Mrs. McGuire? Just because she wasn’t paying attention, chose not to get involved and didn’t know what was going on, she claims that it was all done in secret. I can count on two fingers the number of public meetings she was at when New Village was discussed. If she wasn’t there herself, then from whom is she getting her misinformation? She also neglected to mention that every Board member, including those who voted against New Village, was aware of the changes for more than a year before they were voted on and were always kept in the loop throughout the process. I knew, so they must have known, too. The approval was not “rushed” as she claims. In fact Trustee Crean, as Commissioner for Economic Development, was responsible for keeping the Village Board and Community appraised of any changes in the development. How can anyone claim that they didn’t know? I was at a meeting with him where Tritec presented the changes and he stated, “Apartments are better than a half built hotel.”

No one resisted a community forum and in fact we welcomed it. I remember clearly that Mrs. McGuire’s hope for a groundswell against the project that night never materialized and it led me to feel more confident that New Village was a project that had support from a great many residents. There was also a public meeting of the Planning and Zoning Board held, issues were discussed, and if she had taken the time to be there she would have noted the fact that very few residents were in attendance and there was little if any opposition. I guess she does not remember either of those nights.

The pattern of lies continues.

The Judge’s wife also states “It is a little known fact that Tritec’s CEO, James Coughlin, is also Chairman of the Community Development Corporation, (CDC) of Long Island.” It is not a “little known fact,” in fact, it’s written in plain sight, right on the Tritec website and once again she neglects to tell you the rest of the story. She misleads by saying “According to Tritec’s own website, Coughlin manages over 2000 units of Section 8 housing in this capacity.” What capacity? It does not say that at all, it says this… “Jim is Chairman of the Board for the Community Development Company of Long Island, a not-for-profit organization that has a staff of 70 people, manages over 2000 units of Section 8 housing and provides affordable housing assistance and community-based lending.” Sounds to me like they are trying help people find affordable places to live during these tough economic times. I think that’s a good thing.  

And, what exactly did she mean when she wrote “misleading renderings of its enormous rental project in the windows?”. What is misleading about the renderings? She never explains. Truth be told, the renderings aren’t misleading, her statement is. She does try to cover her tracks in follow up comments by saying “if you look closely, from the people to the automobiles to the landscaping, you will see how unrealistic they are.” C’mon Mrs. McGuire, they are computer-generated renderings, the standard in the business. You should know that and I think the rest of us are smart enough to understand it without you bending the truth.

Now that her previous accusations against the Mayor are falling on deaf ears, Mrs. McGuire has shifted her anger and frustration to the . Mrs. McGuire claims “Tritec and the Mayor want to increase profit by reneging on the deal to save our landmark library.” That is a lie and nothing could be further from the truth. The Mayor is working harder than anyone to save the library. He is determined to preserve the library and have it restored, and returned to the tax rolls without putting a tax burden on our residents. In fact, Trustees McGiff and Crean were at a meeting on Friday, October 7 in the Mayor’s office and discussed various options with Tritec; including moving the building to a prominent site on North Ocean Avenue, a proposal to turn it into a sculpture studio and to start looking for grant funding. Mrs. McGuire knows this to be a fact but she decided that you didn’t need to know it and neglected to include it in her article because that would have been the truth.

Mrs. Mcguire also accuses the Mayor and Tritec of “discussing the demolition despite taking a state grant for $1,000,000 for its relocation.” They are not discussing the demolition. Demolition would be the last resort, and it isn’t Tritec’s decision to make anyway. More importantly, Tritec has not taken any money from the state for relocation and they have always stood firm on their agreement to move the building wherever the Village Board wants it to go. The truth is that Tritec must complete the project and expend the funds in accordance with the conditions of the grant before they receive one penny from New York State, but again Mrs. McGuire neglected to tell you the truth. Do you see a pattern her?

She calls me a “yes” member of the Village Board for my record of voting in favor of Mayor Pontieri’s position every time. I cannot be proof positive, but yes I may well have. Mayor Pontieri’s initiatives have improved the quality of life in Patchogue Village over the past seven years and except for New Village, all the Board members, including Trustees McGiff and Crean have voted in line with the Mayor on nearly every position he has taken. You can ask them. They also voted in favor of all of the following housing projects that the Mayor has brought to the Village; Bay Village, ArtSpace, Copper Beach Village, Riverview and Riverwalk. All high density projects that have removed blight and brought more fine people to our Village who shop in our stores, eat in our restaurants, pay taxes, volunteer and contribute to the community, and some are even renters. I would really like to know what Mrs. McGuire and her ilk have against renters?

Mrs. McGuire also accuses Trustee Devlin, Trustee Keyes and myself of not “fighting on behalf of the Village residents.” Does she really believe that only she and her cohorts have the best interests of the village in mind? Well, Mrs. McGuire, I have chosen to fight for the Village residents who want New Village to move forward and do agree with the positive direction that Mayor Pontieri has taken this Village. That is the beauty of a democracy. Everyone gets to have a voice. Her lopsided view that only she and her small group of sympathizers know what is right for our residents is very distasteful, reeks of elitism, and is exclusionary and simple-minded.

 In 2004, Patchogue was a village on the edge. A village with a set of complex problems that called for one simple solution, leadership. Since taking office, Mayor Pontieri has been that leader and the catalyst for the revitalization of Patchogue Village. I am proud to serve in his administration and I support him wholeheartedly. Yes, I have voted “yes” on Mayor Pontieri’s initiatives and they have proven to have an extremely positive impact on our Village and its residents. Truth is… his record of accomplishment speaks for itself.

You can look it up.