Trustee Responds to Op-Ed: "I Consider It A Great Insult"

Contributed by Joseph E. Keyes, Jr., Patchogue Village Trustee

While it is generally refreshing to hear an opinion that is supported by fact, obviously well thought out, and thoroughly researched, it is likewise discouraging to hear one that is none of those. The latter is the case, I believe, with the , wife of Village Justice Chris McGuire, and recently printed in Patchogue Patch.

I’ll address specifically, for the time being, the portion of Ms. McGuire’s ‘venting’ which refer to me.

Ms. McGuire accuses me, as well as Trustees Krieger and Devlin, of not “fighting on behalf of the Village residents”, in our decision regarding the New Village project. I wonder if it will come as a surprise to Ms. McGuire that I AM a Village resident, as are my children and grandchildren. My decision regarding the project, while admittedly not easily reached, is one that I am proud of and will steadfastly defend. Truth be told, I was literally ‘on the fence’, that is to say that I could have gone either way, at the time that the community forum (the one that the Mayor allegedly resisted - where did she get that from?) was held. After listening carefully to the many opinions offered, many well thought out and educated, some not so, my own opinion started to ‘swing’. After many hours of research, many conversations with residents both for and against, and countless hours of lost sleep, I became extremely confident that the project was right for Patchogue today, and extremely hopeful that it would be right for Patchogue’s tomorrows. I have no idea where Ms. McGuire got the notion that Mayor Pontieri forced my hand or influenced my opinion at any time, in any way. Fact is, other than exchanging a few pleasantries (“Hi, how are you, good to see you, etc”) I’ve never had a conversation with Ms. McGuire. For Ms. McGuire to imply that my decision was anything less than one that I arrived at ‘on my own’ is an insult. It would be, I suppose, easier for me to accept Ms. McGuire’s opinion of my decision had she taken the taken the time to speak with me about it instead of rushing to the false conclusion that I was forced to make it.

I believe that it is also worth noting that in early Dec 2009, the entire Board of Trustees was notified by Rob Loscalzo, of Tri-Tec, that a hotel was no longer part of the plan. There were no secrets. All Board members were well aware of the change, and not one Board member publicly raised an objection to that change. Nor did a single Village resident, to the best of my recollection. The plan was voted on in March, 2011. So for 15 months the entire Board, and any truly community-minded resident, were well aware of what the new plan consisted of. Is that Ms. McGuire’s idea of rushing the approval?

Ms. McGuire also stated that Trustees Krieger, Devlin, and myself “have never once opposed a single position the Mayor has taken”. I really wish that she would have been specific, because the fact is, she’s wrong. I opposed the Mayor when he suggested that we go out to bid a second time for a custodial contractor, which he did to appease a few Board members who were opposed to hiring in-house. As it turns out, our ultimate decision to hire in-house is saving the Village a minimum of $6,000 per yr, and has afforded us much more flexibility as to the job description and tour of duty as compared to a contractor. And, no, I did not object to the Village’s purchase of a vehicle worth $4,000 for $2500. A good idea is, after all, a good idea.

At the risk of repeating myself, I will conclude by saying that I consider it a great insult for Ms. McGuire to assume that Trustee Krieger, Trustee Devlin, or myself, stood by idly rather than fight on behalf of the residents when, indeed, firstly, we are residents ourselves, and secondly, we put as much into our decision as did our respected colleagues who opposed the New Village project. We fought on behalf of the residents we represent with as much fervor as those Trustees who opposed.

Respectfully submitted,

Joseph E. Keyes, Jr. Trustee