Croton Week in Review: July 7-11
Our new bikeshare program, a car in the Croton River, the war in Gaza, a newbie on the school board, suspense over John Sarcone's reappointment, and the Chronicle's 500th post fill a busy week.
Wednesday July 9
Today Croton inaugurated its segment of Project MOVER, the E-bike sharing program now being adopted by several Westchester County river towns, including Ossining, Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow. A number of local politicians and other luminaries were in attendance for the ribbon cutting ceremony. But as we reported, Croton trustee Maria Slippen had earlier raised safety concerns she felt the village had not yet addressed, and expressed her concerns that Croton had not done enough to prepare residents and villagers for the impact of fast moving E-bikes (up to 15 mph) on our roads. The Chronicle story went into those safety issues in some detail.
Wednesday evening, numerous emergency services descended on the Croton River at the Echo Canoe Launch near the Croton-Harmon train station after a driver said to be in distress drove their vehicle into the river. Both driver and car were rescued. The Daily Voice reported:
“Responding agencies included Croton EMS, Ossining EMS and paramedics, New York State Police, MTA Police, and multiple Croton fire units. The Yorktown Fire Department Dive Team was canceled while en route.”
Earlier in the evening, the Croton Board of Trustees heard pleas from a local resident that it adopt a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The topic is the subject of a petition currently circulating in the village. As we reported the following day, while two trustees expressed concerns about the situation in Gaza, the board seemed unwilling to take up the matter. In a Commentary, the Chronicle argued in favor of the resolution, versions of which have reportedly been adopted by more than 100 municipalities across the country, including Albany, Newburgh, and Beacon.
Thursday July 10
At this evening’s Croton-Harmon Board of Education meeting, which had a very long agenda, newly elected board member Allison Samuels was sworn in. Very few members of the public were in attendance, however, possibly because the meeting was held at 5 pm in the small conference room at the district offices on Gerstein Street. While we and others discussed concerns that these circumstances tended to discourage participation, a district official told us that these were routine hours for board meetings during the summer months.
Friday July 11
Today there was some confusion about whether Croton attorney John Sarcone, currently serving as the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, had or had not been reappointed to the interim post. Sarcone’s original 120 day appointment by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi expires around July 15, and it was being considered by a panel of Northern District judges. Local media reported today that Sarcone had told them the appointment was sure, citing a text from an Associate Deputy Attorney General saying that everything was fine but that the chief judge still had to sign off on the reappointment when he returns to work on Monday. (Sarcone also shared the text with the Chronicle.)
But the board of judges issued a statement saying it had taken no action on the appointment, leaving the question in limbo for the moment. The Chronicle will update the story if and when the reappointment becomes official.
Finally, also on this day, the Chronicle published its 500th post since launching in October 2023, a Guest Editorial by veteran letter writer Paul Steinberg. In an editorial of its own (the 501st post), the Chronicle urged readers who had not already done so to take out a paying sub to help support local journalism in Croton. You can do that using one of the buttons below.
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