Ethics Complaint Against New Rochelle City Manager Sparks Debate

NEW ROCHELLE, NY (August 4, 2025) — My ethics complaint against New Rochelle City Manager Wilfredo Melendez, filed in April, has drawn a response from the city’s Board of Ethics, prompting further scrutiny of municipal transparency and resource use.

I submitted the complaint on April 28, 2025, alleging Melendez violated the New Rochelle Code of Ethics and New York State Public Officers Law. I claimed Melendez misused public resources by recommending City Council Resolution 2024-204, which authorized city funds for a defamation lawsuit by Corporation Counsel Dawn Warren and Commissioner of Development Adam Salgado against me. I also accused Melendez of failing to respond to 13 of 14 Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) appeals, suggesting “a deliberate effort to shield corrupt practices.”

Additionally, I alleged a conflict of interest due to Melendez’s support for the resolution benefiting Warren, a close colleague.

“I have encountered significant barriers to accessing public records,” Cox wrote in his complaint, citing delays and obstruction in his FOIL requests (over 6,000 days of delays in aggregate).

The Board of Ethics responded on July 29, 2025.