Town thanks committee members, retirees for their service

The town of Woodbury honored Leslie Rose for her nearly 40 years of service as leader of the Woodbury Historical Society, during the December 20 town board meeting. The board also appointed Rose’s successor, Alex Prizgintas, who will assume the role of town historian on January 1 and earn an annual salary of $3,770.

Regarding Prizgintas’ appointment, Woodbury Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani said that the town was grateful to have an energized person in this role, who can connect with younger generations. According to Prizgintas’ website, he has been a member of the Woodbury Historical society since the age of 11 and was elected to their board of trustees at 14.

The town also honored Diane Marrone and Robert Anazalone for their efforts as members of the town’s Beautification Committee. Committee Chairperson Maria Hunter thanked them both for their service.

Interview complaints

While the meeting opened with positive comments regarding the dedication of long-time committee members, the meeting soon turned to concerns about the conduct of the board during the selection process. Woodbury resident Janine Monserrat claimed that Councilmember Brandon Calore had behaved inappropriately during her interview for a position on the town’s Parks Committee. During her interview on December 5, Monserrat alleged that a few minutes after her interview began, Calore left the room to go outside and see his wife. She also claimed that there was an awkward pause and silence ahead of Calore’s introduction, setting a negative tone for her proceedings.

Monserrat said that Calore was absent when she answered questions about her community involvement and her ideas for the committee and claimed that when he returned to the meeting, Calore was disruptive and carried himself unprofessionally. Monserrat claimed that Luciani approached her at a town event and shared that she had discussed the matter with other board members and agreed that Calore’s behavior was inappropriate.

Monserrat questioned why the board did not address Calore’s behavior and why he was permitted to vote, despite missing her interview. She expressed her view that the board re-evaluate its interview process and that while the board displays a unified front, it is dysfunctional and that Luciani lacks the ability to address difficult issues.

Luciani responded that, in recalling their conversation, Monserrat omitted the fact that she was cursing in front of children. She claimed that she even spoke with Parks Committee Chairperson Martha Lopez and Parks and Recreation Director Joseph Gianzero about her behavior. Luciani also claimed that she explained that Calore had excused himself during other interviews besides hers, to address the ice situation outside the building.

Monserrat refuted the claim that she was cursing at the event.

During his report, Calore commented that when the board arrived for the committee membership interviews, they found that the parking lot was a sheet of ice and snow. He said that he called his wife to bring a shovel and snow melt to the Town Hall to prevent anyone from falling. He claimed that he saw and acknowledged Monserrat while waiting for his wife outside and warned her to be careful. When his wife hadn’t yet shown, he returned to the meeting and excused himself again when his wife arrived to go out and shovel and clear the lot.

Calore said that whenever he had to leave the meeting, he explained what he was doing and he would not apologize for trying to keep residents safe.