By Erin Lee Crowley, Bill Gouldman, Nancy Montgomery and Laura Russo
In an era when trust in government feels more fragile than ever, we, four members of the Putnam County Legislature — three Republicans and a Democrat — stand united to confront a disturbing truth: Some within our ranks are failing the people they were elected to serve.Â
While we often differ on policy, we share an unwavering commitment to transparency, accountability and the respect every taxpayer deserves. Yet recent actions by certain legislators have shattered the public’s trust, exposing a pattern of misconduct and self-interest that demands immediate attention. It’s time to pull back the curtain on the dysfunction eroding the integrity of our legislature.
First, the decision by the Legislature’s chair, Amy Sayegh, to exclude certain legislators from committee appointments reeks of the petty clique politics that have plagued this body for too long. Every legislator is elected to represent roughly the same number of constituents across Putnam County and denying them committee roles diminishes the voices of those voters. This is governance by exclusion, not collaboration. Sayegh must do better.
Then there’s Vice Chair Greg Ellner, who has taken an even darker turn by threatening to sue a constituent for daring to criticize his voting record. This blatant attempt to silence legitimate public criticism is not just shocking — it’s unacceptable. The public has every right to hold us accountable, and Ellner’s actions reflect a hostility toward transparency and open discourse.
Ellner’s hypocrisy doesn’t end there. He campaigned against pay raises for politicians, but once elected, he voted in favor of them; for instance, in November, he voted to override the county executive’s veto of 2.75 percent cost-of-living raises for the sheriff, county clerk and three coroners. Public service is not a means for self-service, yet Ellner’s actions suggest otherwise. Now, instead of owning up to this broken promise, he’s attacking a constituent for calling him out.
This pattern of self-serving behavior extends beyond Ellner. For years, some legislators actively blocked efforts to livestream public meetings, despite repeated calls from us and the public. It took relentless advocacy — four years of proposals by Legislator Montgomery and 20 months of pressure from County Executive Kevin Byrne — before even partial livestreaming was adopted. Still, the Legislature drags its feet on full transparency.
If livestreaming had been implemented earlier, the public might have uncovered secretive dealings sooner — like a sitting legislator allegedly failing to disclose that her son-in-law was the buyer agreeing to purchase a county-owned property in Carmel; that over $400,000 in federal grant money was initially earmarked for a bar at the county-owned golf course; or that, in 2017 and 2018, a family member of then-Legislator Carl Albano was living rent-free at the county-owned Tilly Foster Farm. These examples highlight why transparency isn’t just a buzzword — it’s essential to rooting out corruption.
Sayegh must immediately implement full livestreaming of all public meetings or explain why she won’t. If Putnam taxpayers were fully informed of this nonsense, they’d demand it.
Finally, earlier this month, a rushed and poorly conceived update to the legislative manual passed by just one vote. Among other changes, it gives Sayegh and committee chairs the power to require individuals speaking before the legislators to swear an oath before offering comments. This rule, championed by recently returned Legislator Dan Birmingham, is nothing more than an intimidation tactic designed to stifle public criticism. We believe it’s unconstitutional, and when we raised these concerns at the Jan. 7 meeting, we were dismissed outright — further proof of the disdain some legislators have for differing perspectives, even from their colleagues.
This new rule only compounds an existing, deeply flawed policy: The public is allowed to comment on issues before the legislature only after a vote has already been taken. It’s a rule we’ve tried to change because it effectively tells the public their input is irrelevant, and it defies common sense. Together, these policies reflect a disturbing disregard for transparency and disrespect for the very constituents the legislature is supposed to represent.
These actions are not just isolated incidents; they represent a pattern of self-dealing and disregard for public accountability that has no place in Putnam County government. As legislators from both the Republican and Democratic parties, we call on our colleagues to abandon these divisive, undemocratic practices and instead prioritize transparency, accountability and respect for the people we serve. Anything less is a betrayal of the public trust.
The authors are four of the nine elected members of the Putnam County Legislature. Crowley (Carmel/Mahopac), Gouldman (Putnam Valley/Lake Secor) and Russo (Patterson) are Republicans, and Montgomery (Philipstown/Putnam Valley) is a Democrat. Along with Sayegh (Mahopac/Mahopac Falls), Ellner (Carmel/Lake Carmel) and Birmingham (Mahopac/Brewster), the other members of the Legislature are Toni Addonizio (Kent) and Paul Jonke (Southeast).
Editor’s Note: We’ve added links for readers to news coverage of incidents the legislators cite.
This joint statement is clear evidence of the lack of transparency in Putnam County, leading to corruption. The list of outrageous actions and behavior by the very people governing our county is outrageous. Oath-taking in order to speak, only being able to comment on actions after they have been approved and no livestreaming of meetings are just the tip of the iceberg.
I couldn’t help but feel proud of the Town of Philipstown when reading its public notices in The Current: All its meetings are livestreamed. The four legislators who have taken a stand should be lauded for their stance. Please keep up the fight for honest government.
This is unbelievably brazen and outrageous. Thank you to the bipartisan bloc for exposing these anomalies of government.
Damn good on you for publishing this.
I’ve been extremely appreciative of your coverage of the local angle of important national political issues and events, such as Preparing for ICE and reports on the detention and pardoning of residents involved in the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol. This is what we need from journalists: the courage to state the facts simply and transparently, without editorializing and censorship.
I was even more pleased (and quite surprised) to read the column authored by four of the nine members of the Putnam County Legislature, a group I’ve all but given up on. At this moment in our history, there is nothing more important than a Republican politician willing to stand up and do the right thing, and I am most grateful to Legislators Crowley, Gouldman and Russo, who had the courage to call out the malfeasance at the Putnam County board, along with Legislator Montgomery. Of course, with all the secrecy surrounding the typical dealings of the Legislature, few residents would know of the unethical actions of its leadership, so their highlighting of it is crucial.
This is what many have been saying for years! Thank you!
Thank you to the four of you for advocating fair practices and outing corruption. Our county needs more legislators like you! Time to vote out self-interest and bias in our county seats.
I want to thank the Putnam 4 for their column, which showed courage and dedication to the principles of democracy and government accountability.
It is beyond the pale for an elected county legislature to stifle dissent and punish members for their opinions and/or personalities. As a Philipstown resident and Putnam County taxpayer, I condemn not assigning my representative a seat on any committee. That action reeks of extreme partisanship and autocracy.
Local government has always been heralded as the gold standard of American democracy. Here in Putnam, the Legislature operates behind a curtain of secrecy and deception and thwarts reforms encouraging dialogue and participation.
Any legislature that fights against greater transparency obviously has something to hide, and the insider deals and misappropriation of funds for pet projects are directly tied to these flaws. For too long, the Legislature has operated like an old boys’ network or fiefdom, where decisions are made in private sessions and public scrutiny is avoided. The Putnam Legislature has become the gold standard for small-town insider dealmaking and corruption-tainted, autocratic, arrogant government.