Dear Mayor French, Today I attended my 4th Rye Board of Ethics meeting convened at your request, this one specifically referencing what is now known locally as the Dapolite Complaint. Mr. Dapolite asked the Rye City Council for a Council led investigation of his direct superiors who had directed him to mislead the public. But somehow your “Un-Fabulous Four” council majority that presently controls through a single seat (that being the seat that you personally occupy) – continues to protect you and your directives. Your Un-Fabulous Four tactically insists on having someone else conduct the dirty work of public damage control, like when senior city staff get caught lying over and over again. So you’ve invented a process funnel to a now reduced 3 person panel that lacks the authority to investigate, lacks the power to take testimony under oath, lacks the power to marshal all the facts and operates fully outside the scope of its city charter authority. Many now refer to it simply as “The Whitewash Crew.” As I sat in the room observing all these people in attendance a thought occurred to me that I’d like to share. It’s a thought founded out of a concern for the good names of the sitting members of this so called “Ethics Committee,” Mr. Dapolite, Rye City Manager Pickup, Rye TV Access Coordinator Livetsky and anyone else that is or will soon be roped into this or the previous managerial malfeasance mess’s that you have personally created here in Rye. I thought of how all of the people who were in this room were there solely because of your actions and inaction's as Mayor of the City of Rye. I thought of how all of the people who were in this room were there solely because of your self centered desire to protect yourself regardless of the consequences to others and I thought about all the people that were involved or will soon be involved solely because of your inability to govern Rye honestly. Mr. Dapolite was attending this Ethics meeting to ostensibly discuss his written complaint. That complaint accused a fellow coworker and her supervisor of multiple inappropriate and illegal actions that were undertaken because you didn’t want certain public meetings televised to the public. Mrs. Matthews, Ex-Mayor Dunn and Judge Alfano were in the room to “evaluate” the words and actions of two senior Rye City employees that apparently had a very good relationship with Mr. Dapolite for years prior to your order that the public be lied to. Mrs. Matthews, Ex-Mayor Dunn and Judge Alfano were back in this awkward room with me for the 4th time in as many months solely because of your inconsiderate wishes. That thought also brought me memories of the previous Ethics Board meeting where Ms. Eckman (Building Inspector) and Ms.Whitty (Tax Assessor) were in attendance. At that meeting, as in this one, you took respected members of the Rye community and asked them to open their own reputations to question simply to protect one person - you. What you refuse to recognize (and some here are still afraid to say) is that you are the one that has created the stain on this community because of your illegal actions, your selfish ego and your refusal to take responsibility for your inability to govern this City within the boundaries of integrity. So rather than simply stepping down from the Council, you continue to require multiple City employees to commit crimes and jeopardize their lifelong careers to protect you. Politicians like you successfully ruin the reputations of many good and decent people. I know shame is a concept you’re unfamiliar with – perhaps others will soon advise you of its parameters. View Comment

Here you go! From one of the last few Council meetings; Doug French attacking his own Republican party, just one more attempt to send the blame somewhere else and twist the truth . He will do anything to try and blame someone else for his wrongdoing even his own people. He claims I supported Joe Sack when the truth is I supported him. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TgPPTrlEZbE View Comment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKM6N1Nj27s View Comment

Dear Mayor French, I have received your recent status report referencing your now expanding building and tax imbroglio. I do have a few comments. First when you refer to me it appears that you name me as a “Purchase resident” as if to diminish my standing to bring up issues of community concern in Rye. In fact, although I am a Purchase resident, I am also a Rye part time resident and a full time Rye City taxpayer. Thus, in future public references, if you might please refer to me as "Ray Tartaglione, a Rye City taxpayer” it would be appreciated. Please keep in mind that I do not officially refer to you as a tax cheating public official who uses his elected status to secretly flout the laws of New York. Regarding your request to have Deputy Mayor Jovanovich refer this entire matter back to the Ethics Committee for a “do over,” the action you requested will only be effective and credible if a new ethics committee is established as per my previous letter sent to the City Council dated January 10. (Attached) Councilwoman Parker seems to agree with my objection recorded in the video record of the public portion of the previous Ethics Committee Meeting regarding Mr. Pickup submitting the complaint to the Committee as well as the conflict of interest issues. Councilwoman Parker was quoted in The Journal News Lo Hud Blog today as follows: "I believe the questions regarding Mayor French’s property at 13 Richard Place brought forward by Mr. Tartaglione bring to light a current flaw to our existing Ethics Board—it is too small. Currently, there are three appointed positions, in addition to the City Manager, Corporation Counsel, and the Mayor. Given the fact that, in this case, the Mayor, Corporation Counsel, and City Manager had to recuse themselves the question was left to the other three members. I disagree with two of their positions: 1) The initial referral to the Ethics Board was made by a city official – Scott Pickup, City Manager. I don’t understand why this wasn’t acknowledged. 2) Two of the three remaining members had contributed money to Mayor French’s campaign, and had been part of his effort to get elected. That sounds like a conflict to me." I also understand that The Rye Sound Shore Review this week indicates that Judge and former Rye City Mayor John Carey and Councilman Joe Sack have recently made clear their positions supporting a wholly independent Ethics Committee Investigation. You and your few friends may personally consider both of these Members of the NYS Bar to be nothing more than meddlesome fools, but many in Rye do not share that view. Mr. Sack, specifically, did pretty well in the recent November election - don’t you think? Your new public statements on your now admitted illegal building issues seem to be filled with fresh technical inaccuracies. And using the death of former Building Inspector Vinnie Tamburro as a partial excuse for your lapses and stonewalling is shameful and foolish based on the dates and activities involved. I question, in fact, that only two fresh violations were issued to you on December 23rd and thus will query the Building Department and the Building Inspector about the apparent secret un-permitted, un-inspected conversion of the 13 Richard Place’s original oil heating system to a natural gas heating system during your personal ownership of the property. A comparison of the 1992 MLS sales flyer you supplied to the public to your 2011 MLS Offering flyer (attached) will point out stark inconsistencies. So you know, I’m personally experienced with lawful construction and I have encountered older oil tanks that have leaked. Rather than replacing old leaking tanks with new ones, some cost adverse homeowners illegally abandon the old oil tanks without permits. Any conversion and disposal should of course take place under the watchful eyes of a local building department so that they can officially confirm that the homeowner applies for and receives the proper permits and then disposes of the old oil tank according to the law. These same related laws also require testing to confirm no oil leakage has occurred at the tank site. According to a FOIL request supplied to me by the building department about your 13 Richard Place home, no permits were ever issued for the removal and /or abandonment of the aforementioned tank as well as the installation of the new natural gas boiler. In this same “others were responsible” vein, your 2011 MLS listing under amenities states that the 13 Richard Place electrical system was “upgraded” in 2008 and the homes heating system and roof were replaced between 1995 and 1997. Is it possibly your contention that you - or your highly regarded sales agent Mrs. Flood - made false statements in this MLS listing? Or did you just make a new false statement when you stated that the work was done by the previous owners? Or was the home possibly owned by someone else during those intervening years? And lastly on this issue - now that you’re on the record that you were “unaware” that the home was listed in the Rye City records as a two family home, could you provide the public and me with a copy of the lender mandated 3rd party prepared title search report from your 1992 purchase closing? That could clear this part of the matter up once and for all. Lastly, addressing the period you have now admitted to having taken a 2nd and illegal STAR Tax exemption for 13 Richard Place when it was in fact a rental property: could you tell the public why you would notify the City Assessor IN WRITING when it was time to get an exemption on your new 46 Meadow Place home but only claim to have made a PHONE CALL to advise the city that you should no longer receive the exemption on 13 Richard Place? Wouldn’t it be logical to make this notice for both properties simultaneously and in writing? The NYS STAR exemption application that you have signed clearly states - "I (we) certify that all of the above information is correct and that the property listed above is owned by and is (my) our primary residence. I (we) understand it is my (our) obligation to notify the assessor if I (we) relocate to another primary residence and to provide any documentation of eligibility that is requested."? Additionally when you use the word "misapplied" in your new statement don’t you think it leads the public to believe that Ms. Whitty's official actions and/or inactions were the reason that the improper STAR exemption was not removed. Is this your position? And could you advise the public as to exactly when you applied to The Westchester County Tax Director's office to have their department make a determination about the amount due by you and the penalties thereon? Was it in April of 2011 when the tax assessor notified you that the 13 Richard Place exemption in effect for the 10 previous tax years was being removed? Or was this referral to Westchester County for a recalculation more recent – like after I exposed this matter to the public and after I had suffered your denunciations and gavel banging from the mayoral chair on the dais at Rye City Hall? In closing I’d just like the public to see what happens to residents of NY State when they attempt to claim errors, omissions or mistakes in receiving STAR Tax exemptions for rental properties (Attached). I’m still researching to see if any cases exist where a municipality’s highest elected official is found to be involved in one of these situations. If not, may I be the first to offer my condolences on your having added this, along with all the community embarrassment you have brought, to the list of firsts that your administration has brought to Rye. You need to resign immediately Mr. Mayor. The reestablishment of trust in Rye’s governmental body requires it. And City Manager Pickup and City Attorney Wilson need to leave office along with you. View Comment

Rye City code 68-18 Penanties for offenses. A. It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to construct, alter, repair, move, remove, demolish, equip, use or maintain any building or structure or portion thereof in violation of any provision of this chapter or to fail, in any manner, to comply with a notice, directive or order of the Building Inspector or to construct, alter or use and occupy any building or structure or part thereof in a manner not permitted by an approved building permit or certificate of occupancy. B. Any person who shall fail to comply with a written order of the Building Department, within the time fixed for compliance therewith, and any owner, builder, architect, tenant, contractor, subcontractor, construction superintendent or their agents or any other person taking part or assisting in the construction or use of any building who shall knowingly violate any of the applicable provisions of this chapter or any lawful order, notice, directive, permit or certificate of the Building Department made thereunder shall incur a penalty of not more than $250 or 15 days imprisonment, or both. Each day that a violation continues shall be deemed a separate offense. If you calulate $250/day from the day the violation was served... 111 days x $250 = $27,700 View Comment

Below is a comment from the Mayor issued in last week’s Rye Record. He is correct about one thing, " the standards of public discourse in Rye have changed." We now have a Mayor lying to the public in print! Who is really sending the wrong message? "Sending the Wrong Message Dear Editor, As Mayor, I normally do not write letters to the editor, but given the full-page “Send a Message” paid advertisement run in the last issue of this paper attacking Rye’s representatives with innuendo and false claims, the standards of public discourse in Rye have changed – albeit hitting a new low. In a quest to develop the island off the coast of Greenhaven — against the wishes of the Hen Island property owners association — a Purchase resident continues to make unsubstantiated environmental complaints against its owners under a banner called Heal the Harbor. The Westchester County Health Department regularly tests the Long Island Sound in and around Hen Island and those tests continue to show that water quality meets the County’s health standards and there are no violations of any regulations. The County and the Courts have ruled that no action is required with respect to mosquito control. Finally, the seasonal cottages on Hen Island are not considered permanent dwellings under the New York State Building Code, and are therefore compliant with potable water requirements. However, the Purchase resident continues his assault on Rye – four years running now — in hopes of developing the Island by exercising an easement for an underground sewer line from the coast of Greenhaven to the Island. To do this, he has tried to pressure and embarrass representatives of the Rye City Council and particularly the women – by publishing and displaying rude, mocked-up photos. While that is his right, it is not reflective of the values of our community and the examples we seek to set for our children. He has tried to intimidate my family and neighbors by towing and leaving his distastefully decorated van in front of my home at all hours of the day and night. He has shown great disrespect to our community as his van and crude costumed-character parade in our downtown, in front of our businesses, churches, the Square House, and City Hall. His latest approach is to again seek to propel his personal agenda against Rye’s mayor — whoever is serving, by making false claims and broadly spreading misinformation — this time about home improvements done on my rental property, some of which took place prior to my purchase of the home in 1992. Anyone who sells a home goes through the process of updating the building department files where necessary. The most important message is: the City Council is all about representing Rye, and will continue to do its work focusing on the issues that are important to and in the best interests of you, the residents of Rye. Sincerely, Mayor Doug French" View Comment