Town of Woodbury Board Members Disrespect Memory of 9/11, Residents
Concerns about corruption in Woodbury grow as accusations surface against Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani and Village Trustees, fueled by a mysterious $19,600 payment from State Senator Skoufis.
Tomorrow is the anniversary of the September 11 attacks. Here in Southern Orange County, where many former NYPD and FDNY members live, we have residents who remember the incident vividly, some of whom even participated in the initial emergency response.
So, of course, the Woodbury Town Board has decided to use 9/11 as an excuse to screw with people they dislike, disrespecting our local emergency responders in the process and potentially violating New York State’s Open Meetings Law (OML).
At 47:13, you can see local resident Maria Hunter raise concerns about the violation of OML, which was not addressed or responded to by Woodbury Town Attorney, Rory Brady.
The Monroe Gazette reached out to Mrs. Hunter to ask for the emails that document the violation of the OML. Mrs. Luongo admits at 47:13 there being a telephone conference between the board members. The email reveals that the Town Board is seemingly unaware that the Village Fire Department, not Mrs. Hunter’s Beautification Committee, organizes the 9/11 remembrance. How can this Town Board not know who’s in charge of celebrating our brave men and women? Oh, right. They were too busy trying to screw with someone.
At the end of this meeting, Councilwoman Luongo (a.k.a. Gretchen Weiners) attempts to emotionally gaslight Woodbury residents. In the process, she explains that if people want their questions answered, they should email her. So, I decided to take Mrs. Luongo up on her generous offer. Should she or Mr. Brady respond to the following email, I will let you know:
Hi Rory,
I copied Mrs. Luongo on this message since she so generously suggested that people can ask her questions via email, which she will respond to. So, unless she wants me to publicly call her a liar again, I thought she might wish to opine on this press request as well. (Not a great look, by the way, to call every resident who speaks at the podium a liar, but hey, what do I know?)
I have an email sent on August 25 from Mrs. Luongo to Mrs. Hunter concerning a Beautification Committee meeting being rescheduled. The email, as explained by Mrs. Hunter at the September 4 Board meeting, purports to speak on behalf of the Town Board.
Mrs. Luongo, at 47:13 in that September Town Board video, admits that the Town Board had a conference call as a group to discuss the email to Mrs. Hunter, which occurred after their regularly scheduled Town Board meeting on August 21.
As I understand the Open Meetings Law (OML) in this context:
- Quorum and Discussion: If the conference call involved a quorum of the Town Board members discussing Mrs. Hunter's email, this constitutes a meeting under the OML. The fact that this discussion occurred after the regular meeting and was not publicly noticed raises significant concerns.
- Representation of the Board: Mrs. Luongo's email, which purportedly speaks on behalf of the Town Board, suggests that the board was engaging in discussions that should have been conducted in a public forum. If the email was used to facilitate decisions or discussions about board business, it further supports the argument of a violation.
- Lack of Public Notice: If the conference call was not publicly noticed—and we can safely say it was not—it would violate the OML's requirement for transparency. The public should have been informed about the meeting and allowed to attend.
So, Rory and/or Mrs. Luongo, I was hoping you could clarify how there wasn't a violation of New York State's Open Meetings Law that occurred here.
Will the Town Board address this potential violation of the law at their next meeting in a public forum?
What corrections will this Town Board take to ensure another violation of the OML does not occur?
I will amend our story on this matter with your responses, should you wish to reply.
“Transparency Remains A Key Priority”
That’s how your town government works in Woodbury: Nobody is in charge, petty grievances are official government policy, and when you question any of these people about it, they cry and call everyone a bunch of liars.
Seriously. That’s what happened. Go ahead and watch at 1:01:44. And watch the statement in full.
Most notably, Councilwoman Gretchen Weiners implied that some Woodbury residents who come up to speak at the podium are liars. She also says she’s happy to see more residents at these meetings, which I don’t think is true, because the Woodbury Town Board deliberately moved the location and the start time of these meetings to 6:30pm, and often doesn’t advertise where the meetings are held.
Mrs. Luongo then pulls a Dorey Houle and says that if you want answers, you should email her. Mrs. Houle has done the same thing because, like Deputy Supervisor Luongo, she knows The Photo-News will repeat whatever is said at meetings like Ron Burgundy repeats what’s on the teleprompter.
So it sounds good for them to say, “If you have questions, send us an email.” But the truth of the matter is you will rarely, if ever, get a response to those emails. I’ll also point out that this is the same deputy supervisor, at the same meeting, who was called out for lying and attempting to cover up the near-physical assault of Maria Hunter by Woodbury Public Library Board President Cathay Schmidt on or around October 8, 2024, at a town workshop concerning the library budget.
Watch at 48:07
The Woodbury Public Library, despite being presented with evidence documenting both the near-physical assault in 2024 and the verbal harassment of former town parks employee Patricia Spear in the summer of 2023, refuses to investigate the documented ethics violations of Mrs. Schmidt, and they declined to answer questions from The Monroe Gazette concerning the consistent accusations of abuse and misuse of taxpayer money. Some of the questions the Woodbury Public Library Board and Woodbury Public Library Board President Cathy Schmidt refused to answer include:
11. Have you (Cathy Schmidt) ever addressed the reasoning and rationale for retaining the services of Whiteman Osterman and Hanna LLP with taxpaying members of Woodbury? If so, please provide specific examples of where and when you have done so.
12. Have you (Cathy Schmidt) ever addressed concerns involving that firm’s reputation for filing specious lawsuits on behalf of local real estate developers or property owners such as Moche Halpern? If so, please provide specific examples of where and when you have done so.
13. Have you (Cathy Schmidt) ever addressed concerns involving that firm’s reputation for filing lawsuits against entities and municipalities across Southern Orange County, including Woodbury? If so, please provide specific examples of where and when you have done so.
14. Have you (Cathy Schmidt) ever addressed concerns involving that law firm’s relationship with South Blooming Grove’s de facto co-mayors, Joel Stern and Isaac Ekstein, through their organization, the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove? If so, please provide specific examples of where and when you have done so.
15. Have you (Cathy Schmidt) ever addressed concerns from Woodbury residents that this law firm, given its reputation and past lawsuits, is being funded by their tax dollars to enable future lawsuits against them? If so, please provide specific examples of where and when you have done so.
The issues surrounding the use of Whiteman Osterman and Hanna LLP by the library have been kept under wraps. In fact, we just received billing statements via FOIL concerning how much taxpayers in Woodbury spent on the utilization of this firm, and in those statements, the names of the individuals involved in the law firm's investigation were redacted, meaning the library wanted to keep the matter, or at least the identity of the individuals, confidential.
That is … Until yesterday.
So, above, you have Mrs. Cathy Schmidt, Woodbury Public Library President, AGAIN violating her Trustees Ethics statement.
And just so the Woodbury Public Library Board can’t later claim they are “unaware” of this new issue created by Mrs. Schmidt, don’t worry. The Monroe Gazette was there to remind them:
Mrs. Sara Johnson,
I am attaching the following screenshots from an exchange between Mrs. Martha Lopez and WPL President Cathy Schmidt that was posted in the last day.
While I am pleased to see Mrs. Schmidt is now adding a disclosure to her Facebook comments to ensure there is no confusion that she is speaking on behalf of the WPL, the contents of her message remain deeply troubling. Specifically, they are in violation of the WPL Trustee Ethics Statement that pertain to the following:
Confidentiality (Ethics Statement 7): The Ethics Statement prohibits trustees from disclosing confidential information acquired during their official duties. If any of Mrs. Schmidt's statements involved confidential matters discussed in Board meetings, this would also be a violation. I believe the screenshots included here depict Mrs. Schmidt discussing confidential matters that required a legal investigation by an outside firm at taxpayer expense.
Failure to Uphold Library Values (Ethics Statement 9): The Ethics Statement states that trustees should support the library's mission and uphold patrons' rights. Engaging in behavior that could be perceived as discriminatory or disrespectful contradicts this commitment and damages the library's reputation. Here, Mrs. Schmidt appears to be continuing a long running feud with Mrs. Lopez, utilizing what should be confidential information (which she falsely claims was posted in another Facebook group).
Until Mrs. Schmidt's comments, I for example was unaware that Mrs. Lopez was the person involved in the harassment case that was investigated by Whiteman, Osterman, and Hanna LLP. You know this to be true because Mrs. Lopez's name was redacted from the FOIL'ed documents provided to me by WPL concerning Whiteman, Osterman, and Hanna.
So, once again, I will ask this Library Board: Are you going to investigate this recent example of Mrs. Schmidt again violating the Trustee Ethics statement that she signed and agreed to adhere to?
Or is this something I should take to an "unbiased" agency for further investigation? I'm going to give you that choice and to the rest of this week to reply.
If you’re wondering what that last line was about, after saying they would review my questions for Mrs. Cathy Schmidt and then not answering them, the Woodbury Public Library Board released the following statement to The Monroe Gazette:
“At this time, the Board of Trustees encourages Mr. Mendelson to work directly with the NYS Education Department or any other unbiased NYS agency he wishes to conduct investigations.” (Emphasis added.)
And here, before we move on, I just want to point out that Mrs. Schmidt has been given chances, repeatedly, to apologize to Mrs. Hunter and Mrs. Spear, and she has refused to do so. So, yes, I am absolutely going to go ahead and take this issue up with the New York State Department of Education, and I encourage Woodbury residents concerned about the Library Board’s seeming inability to answer questions about its expenditures to contact the New York State Comptroller’s office, which can be reached at: muni-newburgh@osc.ny.gov
It’s The (Cry Baby) Song That Doesn't End
I’ve stopped and started this article a bunch of times now. That’s why it’s as long as it is.
In truth, I think I’ve run out of ways to say the following:
If you remain disinterested in what happens outside your front door, disengaged from your local community, and watching Fox News while hanging out on Facebook, this is the kind of government you’re going to get. Not just here locally, but at the state level and nationally with the regime in Washington.
For example …
When Woodbury Town Supervisor Luciani tries to downplay that she’s the highest paid Town Supervisor in Woodbury’s history, that it was her first act after taking office, and that she has never taken steps to explain or justify how a part-time position requires a full-time salary, you get people making sycophantic comments like the ones pictured below:
So, here’s one thing you should definitely not be doing right now, Woodbury residents:
Assuming that because people on Facebook have decided that the Luciani-Calore regime running Woodbury is incompetent, or that their underlings like Cathy Schmidt at the Woodbury Public Library have annoyed and antagonized the entire community, there’s going to be some kind of huge electoral wave that washes a bunch of these losers out of office. It ain’t happening.
Not unless you do something about it.
We know this factually because you have at least 700 or so votes that are going to come out, like clockwork, because the wealthy real estate developers want these corrupt bozos—which includes Woodbury Village Trustees James Freiband and Matthew Fabbro, both Democrats, by the way, showing that corruption around here crosses party lines—to stay right where they are.
If you are a wealthy and well-connected person, you want Kathryn Luciani as your supervisor, Brandon Calore as your mayor, and Kelly Rinaldi on your Town Board, along with Fabbro and Freiband re-elected to the Village Board. Those are the people who have demonstrated, for nearly two years now—except for Rinaldi—that they are hostile to the needs and desires of their own residents and will put the wealthy real estate developers ahead of everyone else, including party loyalty.
Although, in truth, it’s 2025, and both national political parties deserve none.
(Mrs. Rinaldi, you’ll recall, was just appointed to the Town Board despite the fact that an election is about to be held for that seat and that she is Mrs. Luciani’s running mate. Mrs. Rinaldi replaces not one, but two local Republicans who resigned from the Woodbury Town Board during Mrs. Luciani’s tenure, alongside dozens of other Woodbury volunteers and employees, including longtime Town Clerk Desiree Potvin. You don’t need to take my word for the fact that the Luciani-Calore regime is incompetent, selfish, and unable to function as a government. Just count up all the resignations.)
As far as Clovewood Kathryn is concerned, it’s worth pointing out here that she may intend to run for higher state office.
You might think, “That’s great. It gets her out of Woodbury.” But I encourage you to remember you are not only a Woodbury resident but also a resident of Orange County and a resident of New York State. You do not want bad local candidates to fail upward because, sooner or later, they will be your problem again. So, Mrs. Luciani should be asked repeatedly by Woodbury residents whether she intends to serve the entirety of her term if re-elected, regardless of that term’s length. Otherwise, you get a Dorey Houle situation, where someone proceeds to do nothing with the job they have while running for state office on your dime.
Pictured above: Racist dog whistle advertising from Monro Town Councilwoman Dorey Houle’s second failed run for the State Senate. There is little factual evidence to suggest bail reform in New York State has led to an increase in violent crime, despite what you hear on Russia Today Fox News. In June 2025, the NYPD—you know, those crazy liberals—announced record lows for shootings and murders in NYC.
If you’re posting on Facebook and not knocking on doors right now, showing people this picture of Congressman Mike Lawler—who cast the deciding vote to close hospitals in New York, take away supplemental food assistance from thousands of people, kick 1.1 million New Yorkers off their health insurance, and raise property taxes—endorsing Woodbury Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani, you’re wasting my time.
Pictured above: When the MAGA Murder Bill (“The One Big Beautiful Bill”) was first brought to Congress, before going to the Senate, it passed by one vote. That one vote? It belonged to Congressman Mike Lawler, pictured above with Woodbury Supervisor Kathryn Luciani and unelected Town Board member Kelly Rinaldi.
Not only are you wasting my time, you’re wasting your friends' and neighbors' time in Woodbury. Proudly proclaiming, as Luciani did, that she’s endorsed by MAGA Mike should be the kiss of death—not only for every registered Democrat with a functioning brain (which excludes the Fabbros, Freibands, Yaffes, and Skoufises of the world) but also for many Republicans who are very upset about the cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, and the hospital closures.
If the above picture is not your campaign mailer to every registered Democrat in Woodbury, you lose. Get off my property.
One Last Thing: Where did James G. Skoufis’s $19,600 go, Mr. Freiband and Mr. Fabbro?
And that brings me to the thing I really want to talk about, which is the $19,600 that remains unaccounted for and unexplained by State Senator Skoufis, which was spent propping up a real loser of a candidate in MAGA candidate Brandon Calore.
A question Woodbury residents should be asking themselves and their elected officials, including Mr. Calore, Mr. Freiband, and Mr. Fabbro, is: Where did that money go? Did you accept it?
Because in the case of Freiband and Fabbro, they better be able to demonstrate publicly that they did not take any of that money from Mr. Skoufis, because if they did, that would be a violation of the Village of Woodbury Ethics Code, which — if the Village of Woodbury had a functional Ethics Committee — would once again, and not at all for the first time in their nearly two years in office, disqualify them both from holding the offices they currently have.
If you’re wondering, “Hey, BJ. Did you ask Fabbro and Freiband to comment on this?” I sure did:
Dear Woodbury Village Board,
Under the Woodbury Village Ethics Code, there is a section that says: "Misuse of privilege. No board member, Village employee, or Village consultant shall, by his conduct, give reasonable basis for the impression that another can improperly influence him." This can be found under prohibited activities.
I would like to present the following two images for your consideration and note that this information can be independently verified using the information provided in the first photo to look up State Senator Skoufis's Protect Monroe-Woodbury Independent Expenditure Committee:
I would like to direct your attention to the second image, which indicates that $19,600 was spent by Mr. Skoufis to oppose the candidacy of the Village Mayor, Andrew Giacomazza. However, the provided information does not indicate how that money was spent.
Over the last number of meetings, Trustees Freiband and Fabbro have intentionally arrived at Village Board meetings late, interrupting their proceedings and showing a disregard for the community members and Board members who understand how clocks and obligations work.
Mr. Fabbro and Mr. Freiband have also repeatedly lied to Woodbury residents, first voting against the Lead Agency Status for the Village of Woodbury concerning ACE Farm and its annexation, and then making loud proclamations stating they are against the annexation. This also includes an attempt to deceive the public by running for re-election on a third-party ballot line called "No Annexations."
Mr. Fabbro's home is currently, and proudly, displaying a Brandon Calore for Mayor campaign sign, which is the candidate Mr. Skoufis's Protect Monroe-Woodbury was designed to support in Woodbury.
Both Trustees have made repeated, disparaging comments publicly at meetings concerning the mayor — indicating, for example, that The Monroe Gazette works exclusively for him. You can see this in the below video at 26:27 where the Vilage Trustees discuss appointing Amy Lavine as the Zoning Board Attorney. Mrs. Lavine represented The Monroe Gazette in its lawsuit against South Blooming Grove. Despite the false statements by Mr. Fabbro, Mrs. Lavine is not “BJ Mendelson’s Personal Attorney.” This is both factually inaccurate, and frankly, a sexist remark.
Interestingly not mentioning by Mr. Fabbro or Mr. Freiband was the phantom ethics complaint that appeared, seemingly at Mr. Skoufis's behest, at Mid-Hudson News.
Fun fact about that Mid-Hudson News story: Mr. Hank Gross never followed up on his "investigation" and did not reply for comment after being told the photo he posted was doctored in Photoshop. A photo he only posted after being contacted by The Monroe Gazette to fact-check Mr. Gross’s Mid-Hudson News story. Despite being made aware of a factual ethics complaint, filed against Woodbury mayoral candidate Brandon Calore with the Orange County Board of Ethics, Mr. Gross did not report, at all, on the ethics complaint filed against Mr. Calore. The man Mr. Skoufis spent $19,600 to support during this year’s Republican Mayoral Primary. Mr. Gross continues to not respond to questions explaining why he declared an “investigation” into the phantom, doctored ethics complaint against the mayor, but not the actual ethics complaint filed against Mr. Calore.
I guess, in all this talk about biased reporters, this just slipped Mr. Fabbro and Mr. Freiband's minds.
So, it is my duty, as apparently one of very few reporters with integrity around here, to ask Trustees Fabbro and Freiband whether or not they or their families, for example through Mrs. Willa Freiband's PR and communications operation, “Strategic Advantage” received any of Mr. Skoufis's $19,600?
If either of the Fabbros or Freibands did, this must be disclosed immediately, since it would be a violation of the Woodbury Ethics Code, as mentioned above.
This situation may require an investigation by the Woodbury Village Ethics Board and the Woodbury Village Attorney. I encourage you to pursue this investigation, as the public has the right to know whether or not a State Senator is paying Village Trustees to intentionally disrupt Village business, embarrass the Mayor and the other trustees who perform their duties responsibly, and lure potential lawsuits against the Village with their comments.
I, personally, refuse to believe Trustee James Freiband is so stupid and incompetent at his job that he just doesn't understand how anything works, despite frequent evidence to the contrary with his questioning of every single agenda item.
Thank you.
There was actually a whole other section to today’s article, but this got so long that I just cut it out. Let’s just say if you had any doubts that Woodbury Town Board member Mr. Brandon Calore was a racist, well… you’re going to want to stick around and come back for the next edition of this newsletter.