Village Mayor Loses Job as Corrupt Police Chief
A police chief's ouster, a developer's friend, and questions about local power
Pictured Above: The Monroe Village Police were reaccredited on June 4, 2026 by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). VPD says this marks 25 consecutive years of accreditation. Standing n the middle is the soon-to-be-former Town of Blooming Grove Police Chief Alex Melchiorre. (Photo via the Monroe Village Police.)
The Town of Blooming Grove has been slightly more forthcoming on the FOIL front.
The Monroe Gazette has obtained documentation confirming Monroe Village Mayor and Town of Blooming Grove Police Chief Alessio “Alex” Melchiorre was given 90 days’ notice of the end of his employment with the Town of Blooming Grove.
This decision came on May 27, 2026, during a special meeting of the Town of Blooming Grove. The Town of Blooming Grove withheld other documents we requested concerning the termination of Melchiorre’s contract, telling The Monroe Gazette: “May 28, 2026 memorandum from the Town Supervisor to Chief Melchiorre that is being withheld from disclosure as it constitutes intra-agency material, not subject to disclosure under FOIL.” [New York’s Freedom of Information Law]
Of course, if someone on the Blooming Grove Town Board wants to print that memorandum and send it anonymously, without a return address, to The Monroe Gazette, P.O. Box 5, 996 Route 17 Stop 2, Arden, NY 10910, that would be great.
Barring that, FOIL in New York State is intentionally weak and prevents us from appealing most decisions made on intra-agency or inter-agency grounds. Including this one.
This is the exact excuse Governor Kathy Hochul has given us about not releasing any records concerning Isaac Ekstein and Joel Stern’s criminal organization, the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove.
This FOIL loophole also applies if the document being withheld is newsworthy. If you don’t like that, give Slipping Jimmy Skoufis a call. He’ll tell you what a great FOIL proponent he is—thanks to his toothless FOIL bills that he constantly tries to pass. Don’t believe it. Mr. Skoufis can be reached at: (845) 567-1270. If you don’t live in Orange County, call your State Senator about this issue.
So. Isaac Ekstein’s Little Buddy, Alex Melchiorre, will be out of a job on August 25, 2026.
I wonder if Avrohm Flohr and Lipa Deutsch—the men alleged to have orchestrated the successful Melchiorre campaign— will sit schiva over this loss of Melchiorre’s usefulness, or if they’re too distracted, looking to bulldoze the Roscoe Smith House. (To be clear: Nobody is bulldozing the Roscoe Smith House. But you should loudly ask the Monroe Village Board about the status of the property and what exactly the new board plans to do with it. The previous board wanted to turn the property into a park and convert the landmark mansion into a visitor center.)
Without the memo, we don’t know why Melchiorre was fired beyond a very vague statement from the Town in its resolution, saying, “Whereas, the Town Board has determined that the objectives and responsibilities assigned to Mr. Melchiorre are expected to be completed on or before August 26, 2026, and that it is in the best interests of the Town to provide the 90 days’ notice of termination required under the employment agreement.”
This raises more questions than answers.
Hell of a way to end this week, right?
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Here’s What We’re Wondering …
Perhaps residents of the Town of Blooming Grove should do the same:
When did the Town of Blooming Grove determine Police Chief Alex Melchiorre had met his objectives and responsibilities?
How did Mr. Melchiorre’s election as mayor of the neighboring village impact this decision?
Did the Town make this decision before or after the Town was notified that the FAA investigation into 58 Fort Worth Place DID NOT AT ALL PROHIBIT the Town of Blooming Grove from enforcing reckless endangerment and other nuisance laws against the secret helipad?
Was it before or after the Town began an investigation, at the request of the Town of Monroe, into the potentially illegal and improper storage of ammunition at the Monroe Senior Center? What were the results of that investigation? Were they shared with the public?
Did the Town make this decision after the Town was informed of the cozy relationship between Melchiorre and Isaac Ekstein, who summoned the Blooming Grove PD after blocking a reporter investigating the 58 Fort Worth helipad? (No. It wasn’t us.)
Town Supervisor Robert Jeroloman has not replied to multiple requests for comment on these issues by both News 12 and The Monroe Gazette.
We’ll see you Monday at 7:45 a.m.
Until then, we have one more thing for you to ponder. Is the president dying?
My Magic Eight-Ball says yes.