Did you know??? | June 13, 2007
Did you know that beneficiaries of the largest proposed real estate development in this part of Orange County are actively promoting the Mayor for reelection by writing letters, planning parties, and making numerous phone calls for him?

These individuals, as major shareholders in Tuxedo Park Associates, and their partners recently sold approximately 1900 acres surrounding Tuxedo Park to the Related Companies. That development, Tuxedo Reserve, in its original plan would have added over 2450 housing units, with many immediately visible from our roads. After years of diligently opposing this development, which would have tripled Tuxedo’s population, the Town Board, the Village Board, the public, the editors of TPFYI and others, were able to get the plan reduced to less than 1200 units. Nevertheless, the tax burden and the impact of this development will hit us in the near future.

We are concerned to find that Tuxedo Park Associates is still the owner of record for approximately 40 acres adjacent to Tuxedo Park near the Wee Wah Beach Club.

Did you know that Mayor McFadden was the first mayoral candidate ever in Tuxedo Park to send out a campaign solicitation letter in which he was aiming to raise a war chest of $25,000? This letter was sent out in April before he even had anyone to run against, and yet he states that the opposition was to “go negative early.”

Did you know that long time Village Attorney Jim Sweeney resigned after 30 years of service to the Village, during an email exchange with Mayor McFadden at the time of the Vernon recusal issue? (April 06) Sweeney was replaced with an attorney from Albany, Jim Roemer. When questioned, the Mayor stated that Jim Roemer represented McFadden’s business of which he is Founder and CEO. (See Refusal to Recuse)

Did you know that one of the benefits of being a Trustee or Mayor is full medical insurance coverage for the individual and a 50% contribution for the family? Currently the only Trustee taking advantage of this is Deputy Mayor Trustee Hansen. When this benefit was first instituted approximately seven years ago, the costs were far less than they are today. This year, the cost to the Village is over $10,000 per year for the Hansen family. We have no recollection of this matter being divulged during the Budget debate in April/May as perhaps it should have been. More importantly, the Village government needs to reexamine the percentage of total costs that it is willing to pick up for our Trustees relative to other NYS Village governments. In these days of ‘open and transparent government’ these expenditures should have been disclosed.


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