South Blooming Grove leaders remove public comment section from board meetings, residents say
News 12 reached out to Mayor George Kalaj multiple times for comment, including the possible removal of public comment and village elections, but haven’t heard back from him in months.
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Residents are expressing renewed concerns with leadership in South Blooming Grove after they say the public comment section was recently removed from board meetings.
The alleged decision follows years of complaints and concerns about a variety of issues impacting the village, including the large number of construction sites, a no-bid sanitation contract and the lack of municipal water, that residents regularly raised during meetings.
“The government of South Blooming Grove is not acting in the best interest of its citizens in a wide variety of issues,” says Ryne Kitzrow. “From legislation to listening to constituents to improper and illegal development that’s happening all over the community, and that’s causing a lot of cascading issues.”
Kitzrow lives on the border of the village and town near Satterly Creek – which he says is being polluted by two nearby multifamily housing construction sites.
“Sediment runs off the hillside. I see that right outside my bedroom window 45 minutes later,” says Kitzrow. “It’s a continuing issue, an outstanding issue, of turbidity in the water. In at least two instances, there was coloring put in the water.”
The DEC confirms it has issued multiple fines to the developers of one of the sites, Clovewood, including two for runoff in recent weeks.
Other residents have reached out to News 12 for months with some of these concerns as well as what they believe appear to be missed elections for some village leaders and say these issues can now no longer be raised at village meetings.
News 12 reached out to Mayor George Kalaj multiple times for comment, including the possible removal of public comment and village elections, but hasn't heard back from him in months.
Assemblyman Brian Maher says he’s also fielded “numerous” complaints.
“Our office has had numerous calls and in-person meetings over the past year with concerned residents of South Blooming Grove. I have had direct conversations with South Blooming Grove’s municipal leaders about these concerns and have also been working with appropriate state agencies, including the NYS Comptroller’s Office, in an effort to address these ongoing issues,” Maher says.
News 12 has reached out to the Orange County Board of Elections about when elected positions in the village expire but officials say South Blooming Grove oversees its own elections.
The Department of State says local government leaders can decide whether to include public comment at meetings and that it's not a requirement under New York’s Open Meetings Law.
