Village of Monticello should be dissolved

by: Bill Liblick

The time has come for officials to seriously consider dissolving the Village of Monticello and absorbing it into the Town of Thompson. Two factors come into play as to why one would logically reach such a conclusion.

First off, the taxable income base that the municipality continually relies on for its survival is increasingly being diminished. With the likelihood Monticello Raceway and the Racino will be relocating to the former Concord site, all the current revenue streams will be exiting as well. Cappelli and Associates have made some assurances.

No one really knows what will happen to the raceway location, and how many years it will take to develop.

Then there is Broadway and all the vacant properties. Yes, some developers have indicated their desire to open stores and nightclubs, but we heard all that before.

Even more importantly, the lack of leadership, political infighting, and placing personal vendettas over properly running the Village of Monticello should lead one to logically conclude that the Village must be disband.

The constant turmoil cannot continue to exist.

Village trustee Carmen Rue, an outspoken maverick for the people, won her seat last spring running as an insurgent as did her running mate Mayor Gordon Jenkins.

Rue immediately distanced herself from Jenkins and quickly became his leading foe on the Village Board. Jenkins seized control with the appointment of his “sort of relative” Theodore Hutchins as a trustee.

John Barbarite who had been fired as Assistant Village Manager was promptly appointed Village Manager without any advertisements for the position. Depending on whom one speaks to, Barbarite is either doing an outstanding or horrendous job.

My intent is not to praise or criticize Barbarite, Jenkins, any of the village trustees, or employees.

However, there must be some condemnation on how board meetings are being run. All one has to do is go to the website carmenrue.com to understand what I am talking about.

One might initially conclude the website is subjective and misleading, but it is not.  Rue uploads all the minutes and audio files of the meetings. Read some of the minutes, listen to the audio, and you will unquestionably understand what I am talking about.

People who reside in the Village or have a commercial interest are often treated with disrespect if they do not support the leadership in power. Instead of compromise and working towards a goal of making the Village stable, there is nothing but disarray.

This is no way to run a government.

Last week a lawsuit was filed against the Village alleging discrimination along with many other charges. This litigation should be taken very seriously even though it is nothing new to a municipality or a Mayor that is familiar with lawsuits.

Last year, Jenkins filed a lawsuit along with trustee Scott Schoonmaker against then Mayor Jim Barnicle charging he illegally gave himself a pay raise when he took over as acting Village Manager after the resignation of Richard Sush.

The lawsuit which was dismissed by Judge Robert Sackett reeked of petty politics and pure hatred from the start. Some might conclude the plaintiffs in this new litigation show signs of similar behavior.

Who really gets burnt from all this? Village taxpayers that’s whom! These type of lawsuits costs thousands of dollars in legal fees to defend.

The Village of Monticello, often regarded as the county seat, is going through hard times. The municipality is plagued with crime, gangs, drugs, lack of affordable housing and a stable economic base. It clearly cannot continue to survive with status quo. Dissolving the village might be the only way to go.

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