Croton Week in Review: June 1-6
A big week in the village: Summerfest, election news, increases in "affordable" rents, several court cases, a police town hall, and a strange case at the Middle School are among the top stories.
The village went through a particularly busy and eventful week to start off the month of June. Here are the highlights.
Sunday June 1
Today was Croton’s famous Summerfest, which was, as usual, a great success. The traditional parade up Old Post Road South ended at Grand Street, while some continued on to the village municipal building for the first annual raising of the Pride Flag. Oh, and the weather was close to perfect.
Monday June 2
Voice of Croton candidates Stacey Nachtaler (trustee), Gary Eisinger (mayor), and Nigel Ravelo (trustee), left to right above, announced that they were officially on the ballot for the November 4 village elections. They will face off against three Croton Democrats, incumbent mayor Brian Pugh, incumbent trustee Nora Nicholson, and newbie candidate Karen Pecora. The Chronicle has asked our local chapter of the League of Women Voters to host at least one if one two candidates forums; they should be making decisions about that later in the election cycle.
Meanwhile, today New York State Police reported the second Croton case of alleged Leandra’s Law violations in just a matter of weeks. Leandra’s Law prohibits driving drunk with a young child in the car and is a felony punishable by up to four years in prison for a first offense. The defendant this time was Manuel Daquile Maurquiso of Peekskill, who was driving on Route 9 in the village. He appeared in court on Wednesday (see below.)
Tuesday June 3
Today we reported that the developer of the Maple Commons affordable housing complex, Regan Development Corporation, was raising the rents of all its tenants by 8% on the first anniversary of their residency there. In a statement to the Chronicle, Ken Regan, vice-president of the company, cited rising costs as the explanation. Croton Mayor Brian Pugh expressed hopes that the developer would negotiate smaller increases for those in financial stress, but some residents told us that this really included everyone in the building by definition.
The move generated a great deal of criticism of the developer and village leadership on social media, as well as in comments on the article itself. We will continue to follow developments.
This evening Croton’s Police Advisory Committee held a Town Hall at the municipal building to discuss the department’s policies and progress on many fronts. Police Chief John Nikitopoulos along with two other officers addressed the meeting, along with PAC chair Carolyn Whiting and other committee members. There were a number of questions and comments from the audience. The Chronicle will be following up on some of the themes discussed in later coverage.
Wednesday June 4
The Chronicle spent the morning in court today, where several cases we have been following were in progress. Chief among them was the sentencing of Valaria Davis, who last January had been charged with menacing her girlfriend, a tenant at Maple Commons, with a knife. Davis’s felony charge had earlier been reduced to a misdemeanor charge of attempted menacing; Judge Sam Watkins sentenced her to one year’s probation and a fine, with the presumption that she would continue in a drug treatment program she is undergoing. An order of protection against her approaching the victim was also modified by the judge.
Also today, local news media reported that the residents of Bari Manor on Old Post Road South, a number of whom had been displaced by a fire that raged through several apartments on May 25, were increasingly upset at the outage of gas to the apartments in the wake of the fire. “"It's just frustrating," tenant Amy Oliva told News12 Westchester. In better Bari Manor news….
As part of Lions Club local disaster relief initiative, president Vic Conte (second from left) and secretary Bob Anderson (right) presented checks to Nora Serrano (left) and Lisbet Nunez to aid their recovery. A third check to Krissy Gilligan was presented later.
Thursday June 5
Today we reported on what we called “The strange case of the coach and the school board member.” It was based on a Croton police blotter item dated February 2, describing an incident around 7:30 am on a Sunday morning in which two individuals identified only as a “coach” and a “board member” accidentally set off an alarm at the PVC Middle School. A police report the Chronicle obtained via New York’s Freedom of Information Law identified the board member as Omar Mayyasi and the “coach” as CET third grade teacher James Lucadamo. A police radio transmission made mention of a “coaching event” in progress, but district officials declined to provide us with any additional details. In a commentary we questioned the wisdom of their silence, given the likelihood that it would lead to further rumors and speculation.
Friday June 6
Today we reported that Croton resident Eric Kyu, who was charged by the FBI last August with possession of child pornography, had been allowed by a U.S. District Judge to return to Croton to reunite with his family after only being allowed supervised family visits since his arrest. His attorney, James Kousouros, told us that Kyu is undergoing therapy and that he does not “pose a risk” to the community. Kousouros added that this conclusion was based on “a full and incisive assessment by professionals.” Kyu’s sentencing on the charges, which can and often do result in a prison term even for a first offense, has been postponed pending the progress of his therapy. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, White Plains branch.
To end the week on a scary (or at least cautionary) note, the village of Croton-on-Hudson alerted residents that black bears had been seen in our area this past week. According to the village Facebook page, they were even hanging out near our elementary school:
“The last report was on Cleveland Drive near Gerstein St. According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC), black bears are transient occupants of Westchester County, and their movement increases in June as breeding season begins and young bears disperse to find their own space. They are most often not dangerous to humans, however if they become conditioned to human presence, or feel threatened, they can become so.
“If you see a bear, do not approach it. If possible remain indoors, or in a safe location, until it leaves the area. If a bear is damaging property or is reluctant to leave the area, but the situation is not an emergency, call the DEC regional wildlife office during business hours at (845) 256-3098. When a nuisance bear presents an immediate danger to public safety, call 911.”
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Are you suggesting this is the “coaching” event mentioned in police reports of the PVC alarm set off involving the coach and the board member entering school property in private?
When I complained to the Board of Education on in 2021 about the dozens of policy bylaws they had that expressly discriminated against non-citizens, and excluded children on the basis of their citizenship status and visa status, the response I received from Joshua Diamond from the Board was:
"In the passage that you quote, the Athletic Code of Conduct is referring to "citizenship" in a different sense; specifically, being a student in the Croton-Harmon schools, and having a disciplinary record that comports with the requirements of the Athletic Code of Conduct (i.e. is not suspended from school)."
Which was obviously untrue as my son had just been excluded from soccer for being a green card holder and not a citizen, by a teacher/coach following this policy.
And 4 years later, the very first line of the schools Code of Conduct still discriminates against non-citizens: "Participation in an interscholastic athletic program is a privilege granted to students who maintain scholarship and citizenship within the framework of the New York State
Commissioner’s Regulations, Section I Athletics Sportsmanship Policy, Croton-Harmon
Board Policies and District Code of Conducts". https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1689577708/chufsdorg/f8sgb3ldkcz8afynpjoh/CrotonAthleticCodeofConduct3117.pdf
I am inspired by Joshua Diamond and the Board of Education to likewise accept this definition of the word 'coaching': https://urbandictionary.store/products/mug?defid=1219210 (NSFW).