Parks Committee chair calls for better handling of volunteer issues

Town of Woodbury Parks Committee Chair Maria Lopez, addressing the town board during the January 16 meeting, called for better handling of incidents involving town volunteers, following the resignation of Parks Committee member Michelle Valente.

Lopez claimed she was speaking on behalf of Valente and shared that Valente felt as though Woodbury Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani was using her as a pawn in her dispute against Janine Cortese (identified by her maiden name Monserrat in a previous issue, per Supervisor Luciani). Lopez expressed Valente’s view that she was placed in an uncomfortable position and forced to resign under false accusations.

During the December 19 town board meeting, Cortese claimed that Councilmember Brandon Calore had behaved inappropriately during her interview for a position on the town’s Parks Committee. She also questioned why Calore was permitted to vote on her application for the position, when he had left the meeting during her interview.

Cortese further claimed that the board did not address Calore’s behavior and that Luciani was unable to handle difficult issues. In response, Luciani commented on Cortese’s behavior at a recent event, claiming that she was cursing in front of children, which Cortese denied.

Lopez asked the board to consider ways to better support the town’s volunteers and manage conflict in a more constructive manner. She also called on the board to develop consistent guidelines for handling volunteer-related issues across all committees.

School zone safety

During the meeting the board announced that it was working with the town of Monroe to apply for grant funding for improving safety in school zones. The towns are seeking funding through the New York State Local Government Efficiency Grant program to enhance school safety zones by installing enhanced visibility signage, radar speed signs, and other measures to alert drivers and improve pedestrian safety. Luciani thanked Monroe Town Supervisor Anthony Cardone and the town of Monroe for their support in this endeavor.

Grant wins

In other grant news, the board shared that the town police had received a $10,200 grant from Albany for traffic services.