JOEL GINGOLD, LETTER TO THE GAZETTE, THOUGHTS ON TRUSTEE SLIPPEN'S LATEST JUMBLE, LOT A AND MORE
February 9, 2025
To the Editor,
I am still shaking my head over Trustee Maria Slippen’s rather jumbled and rambling letter in last week’s Gazette regarding the development of Lot A. But those of us who recall Ms. Slippen’s last stint on the Board were not surprised.
Ms. Slippen states, “Even though I thought (and still think) that 100 units is too big, I voted yes.” (for the 100 units sought by the developer). Huh? Wha? Can anyone make any sense of this statement? I certainly can’t. When one completely reverses one’s position on an issue, it is normal to present a reason to the public. Did Ms. Slippen do so? I surely couldn’t find it. But then, I’m getting older and perhaps I just missed it.
She further stated, “I learned that the guidance memo written by the Planning Board was irrelevant. Specifically, I learned that the Planning Board had no authority to make such a recommendation.” WRONG! Ms. Slippen. WRONG!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!!
The Planning Board has every authority to make recommendations to the Village Board regarding such projects, and those recommendations are VERY, VERY relevant! Planning Board members have, collectively, decades of experience in architecture, real estate, town planning, construction, etc. etc. While the Village Board is certainly not obligated to accept the Planning Board’s recommendations, they should be carefully considered before being ignored and tossed in the trash, as the current Village Board, none of whose members has any similar experience, has done. I think, perhaps, Ms. Slippen needs to study how the various elements of village government work, before she embarrasses herself once again.
By the way, Ms. Slippen, what professional qualifications do you have that allow you to first, heartily endorse, and then, summarily dismiss the recommendations of the Planning Board?
Neither Ms. Slippen, nor the rest of the Board, has yet offered a coherent rationale for this madcap race to erect apartments on every square inch of Croton as rapidly as possible. This absence has led to the spread of numerous rumors, many of which are not complimentary to members of the Board. But this will continue unless and until the Board explains exactly what it is trying to do.
Finally, Ms. Slippen makes quite a show of her supposed focus on improving communications—I assume between the public and the Board. If I am not mistaken, it was Ms. Slippen who, in her previous incarnation on the Board, led the charge to eliminate public comments from Village Board meetings. I believe she said they were “distractions.” And those comments disappeared from Village Board agendas until Ms. Slippen, and a couple of her colleagues, were summarily dispatched from the Board by the voters of Croton.
Now that we are routinely inundated with an unending stream of letters from our Trustees telling us what a wonderful job they are doing for us, it might be incumbent on them to ensure that future Trustee letters are factual and are comprehensible to even the casual reader.
Sincerely,
Joel E. Gingold
To the Editor,
I am still shaking my head over Trustee Maria Slippen’s rather jumbled and rambling letter in last week’s Gazette regarding the development of Lot A. But those of us who recall Ms. Slippen’s last stint on the Board were not surprised.
Ms. Slippen states, “Even though I thought (and still think) that 100 units is too big, I voted yes.” (for the 100 units sought by the developer). Huh? Wha? Can anyone make any sense of this statement? I certainly can’t. When one completely reverses one’s position on an issue, it is normal to present a reason to the public. Did Ms. Slippen do so? I surely couldn’t find it. But then, I’m getting older and perhaps I just missed it.
She further stated, “I learned that the guidance memo written by the Planning Board was irrelevant. Specifically, I learned that the Planning Board had no authority to make such a recommendation.” WRONG! Ms. Slippen. WRONG!! WRONG!!! WRONG!!!!
The Planning Board has every authority to make recommendations to the Village Board regarding such projects, and those recommendations are VERY, VERY relevant! Planning Board members have, collectively, decades of experience in architecture, real estate, town planning, construction, etc. etc. While the Village Board is certainly not obligated to accept the Planning Board’s recommendations, they should be carefully considered before being ignored and tossed in the trash, as the current Village Board, none of whose members has any similar experience, has done. I think, perhaps, Ms. Slippen needs to study how the various elements of village government work, before she embarrasses herself once again.
By the way, Ms. Slippen, what professional qualifications do you have that allow you to first, heartily endorse, and then, summarily dismiss the recommendations of the Planning Board?
Neither Ms. Slippen, nor the rest of the Board, has yet offered a coherent rationale for this madcap race to erect apartments on every square inch of Croton as rapidly as possible. This absence has led to the spread of numerous rumors, many of which are not complimentary to members of the Board. But this will continue unless and until the Board explains exactly what it is trying to do.
Finally, Ms. Slippen makes quite a show of her supposed focus on improving communications—I assume between the public and the Board. If I am not mistaken, it was Ms. Slippen who, in her previous incarnation on the Board, led the charge to eliminate public comments from Village Board meetings. I believe she said they were “distractions.” And those comments disappeared from Village Board agendas until Ms. Slippen, and a couple of her colleagues, were summarily dispatched from the Board by the voters of Croton.
Now that we are routinely inundated with an unending stream of letters from our Trustees telling us what a wonderful job they are doing for us, it might be incumbent on them to ensure that future Trustee letters are factual and are comprehensible to even the casual reader.
Sincerely,
Joel E. Gingold
Thank you Joel. You were nicer about this than I would have been. I just kept saying, when reading her letter, WTF.
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