Town board appointment raises questions about fairness

The appointment of Kelly Rinaldi to the Woodbury Town Board at the March 6 meeting was met with concern from Woodbury residents, as some questioned the fairness of the decision given Rinaldi’s current campaign for a board seat.

One such resident was Martha Lopez, who claimed that Rinaldi has no prior experience and that her being appointed to the board while actively running for a seat creates a conflict of interest. She also accused the board of giving political advantages to their friends and colleagues.

Lopez, herself running for the town board, also alleged that Woodbury Supervisor Kathryn Luciani pressured two political committees to walk back their endorsement of her candidacy. She also claimed that Councilwoman Teresa Luongo and Councilman Brandon Calore specifically played a direct role in persuading their committee to withdraw their support.

“That is not fairness, and it is certainly not democracy,” Lopez said. “It is an abuse of power meant to manipulate the outcome of any election.”

Councilman Brandon Calore contended that being on the board could also impact Rinaldi’s election in a negative way as people may not like her work on the board and decide not to vote for her. He also shared his support for her due to what he felt was her commitment to facts over rumors.

Rinaldi’s appointment was approved following the board’s acceptance of Councilman Robert Beckley’s resignation. According to a letter from Beckley, read by Luciani, Beckley resigned from the board because he “did not have the time required to act in the position’s fullest capacity.”