Fishkill: Town Names Police Commissioner
A veteran Police Department officer who left the agency in 2019, citing a hostile work environment, and lost his certification to work in law enforcement was recertified by the state this month and named to the newly created position of town police commissioner.
The Town Board voted, 3-2, on Feb. 5 to create the part-time position and, by the same vote, to appoint Scott Bierce. His state records were updated to show that he resigned rather than being fired for cause.
Supervisor Ozzy Albra said Bierce had been decertified despite a lack of due process. “This is what ‘backing the blue’ is all about,” Albra told Mid Hudson News. “I stuck with him, and we were proven right.”
Louise Daniele, a retired state police commander and former Town Board member, offered to serve as commissioner without pay. Bierce will earn $35,000 annually.
Poughkeepsie: District Changes School Names
After creating an ad-hoc committee and surveying the public for ideas, the city school district on Feb. 18 approved new names for two schools and an administration building.
The Samuel F.B. Morse Elementary School was renamed the Sojourner Truth Elementary School, the Gov. George Clinton Elementary School became the Roberto Clemente Elementary School and the Columbus School, used by administrators, is now the Jane Bolin Elementary School.
The board said it wanted to change the names because Clinton and Morse supported slavery and Columbus contributed to its spread. Truth (1797-1883), a former slave, was an abolitionist from Ulster County; Clemente (1934-1972) was a professional baseball player and humanitarian from Puerto Rico; and Bolin (1908-2007) was a Poughkeepsie native and Yale Law School graduate who became the country’s first Black female judge.
White Plains: Lawler Comments Prompt Outcry
Democratic leaders criticized Rep. Mike Lawler, a Republican whose district includes Philipstown, for remarks he made at a meeting on Feb. 20 with the Westchester County Board of Legislators.
Legislator Jose Alvarado asked Lawler about fears in the Latino community concerning the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency. “When somebody like me is approached by ICE, what should I carry on me to demonstrate that this immigrant is the vice chairman of this board?” he said.
“If you are asked for information, cooperate,” Lawler responded. “I wouldn’t expect you are, I don’t know, I assume you’re a citizen. Maybe you are not, maybe you are.” After people began to laugh, Lawler added: “You are telling me that ICE was approaching you.”
“That’s the point that I’m making,” said Alvarado, who came to the U.S. in 1982 from Honduras and became a citizen in 1989. “Do you walk about with your birth certificate? I don’t, and I am a citizen. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be duly elected to serve on this board.”
In a statement, Lawler’s office called the criticism “overblown and hyperpartisan,” adding that “those engaging in this absurd character assassination only do so because they can’t debate immigration policy or defend their own radical beliefs and votes.”
Hyde Park: Martial Arts Instructor Arrested
New York State Police troopers on Feb. 5 arrested a martial arts instructor on allegations that he sexually abused children.
Tyler G. Leclerc, 28, of Staatsburg, was charged with a felony and two misdemeanors and remanded to the Dutchess County jail. Police said Leclerc is accused of abusing multiple children over several years.
The school, which had six locations and students as young as 3 years old, has deleted its website and social media accounts. According to The Daily Catch, the school founder, Leclerc’s father, was convicted of raping a minor in 1998.
In Albany, a state senator said she would introduce a bill to require background checks for instructors in afterschool programs such as martial arts academies, dance studios, tutoring centers and art schools.
Putnam Valley: Firefighter Loses Home in Fire
A Putnam Valley firefighter and his family lost their Peekskill Hollow Road home and possessions in a fire on Feb. 10.
Fire Police Officer Juan Garcia and his wife, Linette, had lived in the home for 30 years. Everyone escaped injury, although the family dog, Loki, was killed.
A clothing drive organized by the town was suspended after two days because of the outpouring of support. A GoFundMe account at dub.sh/garcia-fire has so far raised more than $34,000.
Kingston: ICE Visits But Actions Uncertain
The mayor announced on Facebook that agents from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Control Service were in the city on Tuesday (Feb. 25), but that he and other local officials were not sure what the agency was doing.
Sheriff Juan Figueroa told the Daily Freeman that “the federal government is not required to advise communities of their operations. … These are somewhat considered confidential investigations.”
In English and Spanish, the city advised residents on Facebook about their rights when interacting with federal agents. Alderwoman Jeanne Edwards posted a photo of a black pickup truck and a black SUV outside a house. “Ice is in Kingston. Foxhall Ave. Community take care of our Latino community,” she wrote.
In 2017, Kingston adopted a resolution declaring the city “welcoming and inclusive” toward undocumented immigrants, and in 2019 then-County Executive Pat Ryan signed an order prohibiting county employees from disclosing information about an individual’s immigration status to federal authorities unless required by law.
