Tony Cardone Wants to Defund The Police

A look inside the stalling negations between the Town of Monroe and Village of Monroe over expanding the Village's police presence in the Town.

Image via the Village of Monroe Police Department

In May of 2025 — without publicly discussing the proposal, asking for public input, or bringing the proposal to a vote — Monroe Town Supervisor Tony Cardone sent an inter-municipal agreement (IMA) to the Village of Monroe.

This IMA would allow the Village of Monroe’s police officers to patrol the entire Town, 24/7.

Something long desired by Town of Monroe residents, ever since the State Troopers cut back their presence in our area.

So, of course, Tax Hike Tony waited until an election year to get this done.

Not coincidentally, this move by Tony Cardone comes after raising taxes nearly 11% on Town residents without providing an increase in services.

Like say, dedicated 24/7 emergency medical responders for the Town of Monroe.

Or a Reverse 911, following the nearby, devastating Jennings Creek Fire less than eight miles away.

During that incident, by the way, multiple fires broke out along the Tuxedo-Monroe border. Each was contained, but each had a potential to ignite like the Jennings Creek Fire did, due to the drought-like conditions and hot, dry weather.

Instead of warning all Monroe residents of the potential for danger with these mini-fires, Town Councilwoman Dorey Houle took to Facebook and told only her friends about it.

So, just to be clear, this 2025 tax increase for Town of Monroe residents occurred only because Tony Cardone, and his accomplice Dorey Houle, could no longer paper over their expenses by pulling from the Town’s reserve funds.

What Expenses?

How about Tony Cardone pocketing as much money as he can for himself in salary and other fees for almost a decade, for starters.

(Supervisor Tony Cardone refuses to reply to requests for comment on the exact amount of money he takes home each year from Town residents. He also refuses to proide any of his most recent tax returns, which would demonstrate just how much he’s potentially stealing from residents, with some estimates placing that amount near $170,000 a year.)

Now, after running un-opposed in 2020, Tony Cardone faces a credible threat to his job as Town Supervisor in Monroe Town Councilwoman, Maureen Richardson.

This IMA with the Village of Monroe is Tony Cardone’s way of making you think he’s working for you. But so far, it’s just been a way for him to allegedly pay his friends and do nothing for Town resdients.

This is the way of things in Southern Orange County.

If you’re most Republican elected officials, nothing gets done unless it’s election time, and only if you face a threat to your position.

If you’re most Democrat elected officials, you’re probably too busy counting money from the wealthy real estate developers to notice and call this stuff out.

Just ask State Senator James G. Skoufis, who raised $119,685.00 just this month alone $20,000 of which came names that should be familar to Monroe Gazette residents concerning events in South Blooming Grove and Kirays Joel: Moishe Elya Ostreicher ($5,000), Mayer Gross ($5,000), Herman Goldberger ($5,000), and Chezkel Swimmer ($5,000).

Skoufis flunkie David Rabbitts provides a more local example.

David Rabbitts ran for the Democratic nomination for Monroe Town Supervisor and went to his first Town Board meeting a month before the primary election in June of this year.

While there, Rabbitts complained to anyone who would listen that he was late because he went first to the old Town Hall in the Village.

A place the Town Board hadn’t met in, in many, many years.

Those are your local Democrats.

Thankfully, Councilwoman Maureen Richardson and her runningmates, Beth Stephens and Luis Rivera, are not typical of the greedy, gaslighting local idiots that populate the Monroe, Woodbury, and Orange County Democratic committees.

The same cannot be said for Village Trustees James Freiband and Matthew Fabbro, over in Woodbury. But that’s a story for another time.

What’s In This Monroe Village-Town Police IMA?

A month later — after not hearing back from the Village of Monroe Mayor, Neil Dwyer, and after allegedly orchestrating a slate of challengers to run against Neil Dwyer and two Village Trustees next year in Alex Melchorrie, Joe Mancuso, and Nancy Peifer, — Cardone sent a passive aggressive message to the Village Mayor.

And once again, no other member of the Monroe Town Board was copied on these emails.

The Monroe Gazette obtained the entire exchange between Cardone and Dwyer via a FOIL request from the Village. After the Town — yet again — attempted to obstruct access to these documents. (Like the Town of Woodbuy, and the Village of South Blooming Grove, the Town of Monroe does not like to cooperate with FOIL requests when they have the potential to make Tony Cardone look bad.)

Not too long ago, Alex Melchorrie was heralded by Tony Cardone and Dorey Houle as being the man to head-up the discussion between the Town and Village, or potentially the Town striking out on its own in terms of providing police services.

Since that one appearance, Melchorrie has not been seen at Town Hall or at a Town meeting, and there are allegations that he’s being paid to do nothing. The Monroe Gazette is currently investigating this situation.

Alex Melchorrie is a former Village of Monroe Police Chief.

Joe Mancuso is a former Mayor of the Village of Monroe.

Remember how I mentioned the local Republican party keeps recycling the same losers because they’re fresh out of candidates and ideas? Well, here’s another example of that.

This does not bode well for next year’s State Senate and Assembly races, where at least one corrupt Democrat (Skoufis) is going to run without strong opposition, again, and again will likely face a recycled loser plucked from the local Republican party’s Barrel of Failure.

Unlike Tax Hike Tony, Mayor Neil Dwyer replied with his entire board copied, and proceeded to inform Cardone that the paperwork sent to them was being reviewed by multiple parties. That was the reason for his delay in replying to Cardone.

Having multiple parties review important and potentially costly agreements does not happen in the Town of Monroe.

Something to take note of, because this lack of negotiation and investigation needlessly costs taxpayers their money.

For example: The IMA between the Town of Woodbury and the Town of Monroe over an Animal Shelter that routinely struggles to keep people employed since it was taken over by Woodbury Town Supervisor, Kathryn Luciani. According to a public discussion by the Town Board members, this IMA was conjured up between Luciani and Cardone with little investigation into possible alternatives to the dysfunctional shelter in Woodbury.

Local shelters are alsoincensed that the Town of Woodbury received state funding for their local shelter, over the others, given the number of incidents and resignations at the Woodbury Animal Shelter.

Need we say more than Kitten In A Dryer?

So, Tony Cardone forced the Town of Monroe into an IMA where residents are overpaying for poor services, at an animal shelter run by a Town Supervisor currently in the middle of trying to downplay a sex crime.

That’s what governance under Tony Cardone looks like.

The Back and Forth

On June 24th, the Village of Monroe replied to Tax Hike Tony’s proposed contract with a series of questions.

After speaking with sources close to both the Village Police and the Village of Monroe, the village is not opposed to providing its services to the Town in terms of the police force.

But there are concerns that Tony Cardone may intentionally offer a bad deal, have the Village reject it, and then Cardone would run around claiming the Village doesn’t want to provide this service, and that he “tried real hard” on behalf of Town residents. (Or worse, that a failed IMA negotiation here was done intentionally to prop up potential challengers to the Mayor and current Village Trustees at the expense of Town residents.)

As I’m about to show you, that looks exactly like Tony Cardone’s plan. All the while, allegedly paying Alex Melchorrie to do … what exactly?

Having written about Tony Cardone for nearly two years now, I can safely assert to you that these concerns by Village sources are absolutely credible.

That’s how Cardone does things: He does the absolute minimum, takes home a potential $168,000 in Town money, and blames everyone and anyone he can when there’s a problem.

These are things that can factually be said.

In the letter to the Town, the Village requests that an independent analysis be done of any potential agreement because of the complexities involved.

For example, will the Village Police need to hire more officers? More clerical staff? Will they need more vehicles? Who will cover insurance and liability resulting from this increase in staff, vehicles, and enforcement?

Who foots this bill?

Is it the Village?

Upon reviewing the IMA provided by Tony Cardone to the Village, it’s hilariously one-sided, wherein Cardone wants the Village to do everything while the Town enjoys the benefit of the new police enforcement. Paying little in return, and keeping all the fines collected.

Pictured Above: The Town of Monroe would pay a % to the Village based on their budget, as opposed to paying for literally anything else, all while keeping the money from potential fines issued by Village Police in the Town of Monroe. (Emphasis added in the second picture.)

---

The Village of Monroe is requesting an independent study be done before this discussion proceeds any further.

One would think that would be the end of the story. But you have to remember that you’re not dealing with a functional Town government in Monroe, like how there’s no functional Town government in Woodbury.

With the exception of Councilwoman Mary Bingham and Councilwoman Maureen Richardson, the Town of Monroe’s Republican Majority (Dorey Houle, up for re-election this Fall by the way, and Sal Scancarello) essentially rubberstamp whatever Tony Cardone wants to do.

The same way Teresa Luongo and Brandon Calore, Kelly Rinaldi, and Sandra Capriglione essentially rubberstamp whatever Supervisor Katrhyn Luciani wants to do.

This Is Not What Democracy Looks Like

So, Tony Cardone writes back to Mayor Dwyer.

This time, he copies everyone. He also adds Alex Melchiorre to the email exchange. (Again, how much Mr. Alex Melchiorre is getting paid by the Town for “consulting” when it’s clearly Tony Cardone making all these decisions is unclear at this time.)

So, remember how I told you Tax Hike Tony was looking to mess up this IMA between the Village and Town so that he can claim he “tried” to voters this November?

That’s exactly what happens in this thread.

The Village asked for an independent analysis. Cardone refuses, saying “The Town has no intention of spending additional funds for performing an analysis that will lead us nowhere.”

When the Village asked about the potential increase in inventory of their vehicles, Cardone appeared dumbfounded, or just dumb, and asked, “The Village currently doesn’t have that inventory?”

When the Village asked about the potential for an increase in insurance premiums under this agreement, Cardone replied by saying, “Has your insurance carrier begun that assessment, how long for completing that assessment?”

Uh, Tony, they’re saying to you this is one of the topics to be explored with the Town.

It goes on like this.

But again, Monroe Town residents are lucky to have one of very few functional Democrats in Southern Orange County working on their behalf, and that’s Councilwoman Richardson.

She replies in the email thread after observing Tony Cardone’s unsanctioned buffoonery.

For example:

Monroe Village: “Independent Analysis: An outside firm with experience in municipal law enforcement operations should be retained to review the proposed structure, logistics, and financial impact of extending police services to the Town of Monroe.”

Tony Cardone: “When was the last time the Village performed an analysis? And if so….what type of implementation was performed from that analysis ? The Town has no intention of spending additional funds for performing an analysis that will lead us nowhere.”

Maureen Richardson: “An Independent Analysis should absolutely be performed, as the Town has already actively promised the public on record that we were dealing with a consultant performing such action — at present. Is the Supervisor now saying that on the record comments were untruthful in nature? That while they outwardly stated contracts were being drafted and reviews were being performed, now "the Town" is unwilling to expend funds to research public safety and policing? A Village analysis would not at all address the expansion of the Village police into the Town of Monroe. A recent Village police analysis, while helpful for Village police resource matters and potentially a helpful jumping off point — would not address the Town desiring coverage from the Village. We would and should be responsible for that resource, as this does not benefit the Village in any way. An analysis is required to lead us literally anywhere in this matter — as how else does one propose that we determine jurisdictional boundaries, phases of implementation, government policy over control of said police force? Staff and equipment needs and coverage needs?"

You are quite literally asking someone to do business with you and then putting the labor and responsibility of your due diligence onto the party who is completely comfortable in their current municipally owned and operated police force.”

Monroe Village: “Liability & Insurance: The Village's insurance carrier must assess the impact to our liability, including Workers' Compensation (207-C) and other risk-related exposure.”

Tony Cardone: “Has your insurance carrier begun that assessment, how long for completing that assessment?”

Maureen Richardson: How could any carried begin an assessment when you haven't provided equipment or staffers to be insured?

Questions Remain, But Only Theatrics Will Follow

If there’s one thing I can safely share with you about “Team Monroe 20205” it’s that they’re not good at actually governing.

So you can expect over the ensuing months to see and hear a lot of theatrics from Dorey Houle, Steve Thau, and Tony Cardone about their opponents: Luis Rivera, Beth Stephens, and Maureen Richardson.

Made up ethics complaints by people on the Ethics Board simultaneously holding fundraisers for Tony Cardone? Check.

Plants in the crowd like Cristina Kiesel. Check.

Fearmongering flyers? I’m sure those are forthcoming. Maybe Mr. Skoufis will use the $20,000 he just got from the wealthy real estate developer and their friends to send some more “cool” Protect Monroe-Woodbury flyers.

Because that worked out well for him and David Rabbitts in June …

But here’s what you won’t get …

A thoughtful, public discussion between the Village and the Town about something Town residents are clamoring for, how a fair and equitable arrangement can be made between both parties, and what the cost implications are.

You’re not going to get a functional government that’s transparent and working on behalf of its people. The Town of Monroe does not have it.

If Tony Cardone, Steve Thau, and Dorey Houle are re-elected thanks to the wealthy real estate developers, the Village of Monroe is probably better off just annexing the unincorporated parts of Monroe. Or making themselves co-terminus with the Town ala Kiryas Joel and Palm Tree.

This way, the Town of Monroe Board becomes like the Woodbury Town Board: Mostly useless.

Like a dick on a Christmas Tree.

Instead, Monroe residents can expect from Cardone, Houle, Thau, and Scancarello more dumb, loud, bullshit.

Maybe Convicted Felon Tim Mitts will join them. He’s still mumbling about “Taking back Monroe” while never telling you who he’s going to give it too. (Hint: It’s the same people Tony Cardone will.)

Maybe Junior Mitts (Elias Cunningham, somehow working on the political campaigns of two garbage people, Cardone and Calore) might.

Assuming he has his parent’s permission to do so, of course.

So let me close by saying this …

It’s not that people hate tax hikes. It’s that they hate tax hikes where they’re not getting anything in return for their money.

Taxation is not theft.

Taxation is investment in shared services that are there to help and protect you when you need it most.

Your taxes keep the lights on, the streets safe, and will protect you in an emergency.

That is the job of the government.

And I realize we live in a time where the federal government has abandoned all that, which makes what your local government do even more important.

For example: If you live in Woodbury, and you think you’re going to see that FEMA money to pay for the badly needed dam repairs? Think again my frinds. You’re going to need to pay that bill. That’s not the Democrats fault.

Yes. They do suck. You should never let them off the hook either.

But currently it’s the Congressional Republicans, the Congressional Senators (whom both have majorities) and the Republican President of the United States who are currently fucking you over.

So. Who runs your Town, Village, and County matters a hell of a lot right now.

And how your tax dollars are spent? Even more important right now.

So, if I said to most Monroe residents, “In 2025, Tony Cardone and Dorey Houle raised your taxes nearly 11% for no reason other than to make up for their own financial incompetence.”

Everyone would, with good reason, be pissed off.

But if I said to Monroe residents, “In 2026, we need to raise taxes at that same amount in order to:

- Have the Village police cover the entire Town and make sure our officers are well paid and well trained to do so, and have the resources they need to protect you.

-We’re going to provide you with 24/7 dedicated emergency service support and fight with Orange County to make sure our EMS and firefighters get paid a living wage.

-And we’re going to install a Reverse 911 in the event of an emergency like the Jennings Creek Fire”

Most people are not going to have a problem with that.

Why? Because they’re seeing a return on their investment.

Taxation is not theaft. Taxation is an investment in your community.

And the return on that investment is seeing an increase in the quality of life of living here, which in turn raises your property values.

See how all that works?

When was the last time Monroe had a Town government that cared about improving your quality of life and property value?

My family’s been here since the 1980s. While I can’t speak for what you had in the ‘80s and ‘90s, I can safely say in the 21st Century, Town of Monroe residents have not had that kind of government.

That’s not the future Tony Cardone, Steve Thau, and Dorey Houle are offering you either.

Not giving the Village Police the proper funding to do the job you’re asking them to do is what de-funding the police actually looks like.

It’s not some crazed liberal fantasy. It’s a crazed far right fantasy, come to life, wherein people who don’t know how to govern take over your Town, waste its money, and routinely ask you to pay for that privilige while depriving critical services of the support and funding they need.

That’s Tony Cardone’s vision for Monroe.

You buying? Because I’m not.