Politics & Government
Groundbreaking Ceremony for New Firehouse Becomes Controversial
An email inviting the press to the event was followed by a 'reply-all' objection.
PEEKSKILL, NY — An email Friday inviting local officials and the press to a groundbreaking for the Central Fire House was not as innocuous as it would appear.
The initial email sent at 4:18 p.m. to a long list including County Executive Rob Astorino and State Assemblywoman Sandra Galef said:
The Mayor and Common Council are pleased to invite you to the Central Fire House Ground Breaking Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, December 21st @ 11:00 a.m., at 1141 Main Street.
They look forward to sharing this momentous event.
A reply-all response from Peekskill Deputy Mayor Drew Claxton followed quickly:
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As this has been such a joint project, and as it is a City project such that we have liberty to schedule at convenient times, I would like to suggest that the ground breaking be done on a weekend, so that all council members are able to attend, as well as our volunteer firefighters, who hold down their regular jobs during the week.
The central firehouse has been in the discussion and planning stages for almost a decade. City officials approved a resolution for the project at the end of 2015. A handful of construction bids were awarded last month.
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