Judge Rejects Port Chester Petitions Demanding Public Vote on Paid Firefighters

PORT CHESTER, NY — The ups and downs of the controversy over Port Chester’s elimination of paid firefighters took another turn when almost all signatures on petitions to demand a permissive referendum were rejected by a judge.

State Supreme Court Justice Emmett Murphy said Monday the village’s cost-cutting decision was subject to a public vote, but then tossed the petitions out, saying the signers’ election districts were not included, an article at lohud.com said.

The Port Chester village board voted May 2 to eliminate paid firefighter positions, leading the Rye Board village board to sue over breach of contract.

Part of the agreement between the municipalities was that Port Chester had to supply a professional firefighter for overnight hours at the Rye Brook firehouse.

The feud is being turned over to a mediator.

For more details, including who on the village board raised objections to the petitions, read the complete article at lohud.com here.

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