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New Rochelle City Council’s Procedural Failures Undermine Transparency and Legality
DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 28, 2025) — The New Rochelle City Council, under Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert, has repeatedly failed to adhere to Robert’s Rules of Order, the standard for conducting orderly and transparent public meetings. The Regular Legislative Meeting on April 15, 2025, exemplifies this troubling pattern, with significant procedural lapses
Will Melendez Ethics Complaint (UPDATED 2025-0428)
I have updated my ethics complaint against City Manager Will Melendez pursuant to her obstruction of my access to public records under the New York State Freedom of Information Law as I had said I would here: New Rochelle Ethics Board Stonewalling.
Dawn Warren Ethics Complaint (UPDATED 2025-0428)
I have updated my ethics complaint against Corporation Counsel Dawn Warren pursuant to her obstruction of my access to public records under the New York State Freedom of Information Law as I had said I would here: New Rochelle Ethics Board Stonewalling.
New Rochelle Ethics Board Stonewalling
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 28, 2025) — I have filed multiple ethics complaints with the New Rochelle Board of Ethics, targeting city officials for alleged violations of the city’s ethics code and charter. It is my belief that I have filed more such complaints (9) than anyone in the history
Recommended Reading, April 27, 2025
DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 27, 2025) — I finally received a call from William Wagstaff, the lawyer for the Garris family. It’s unfortunate the call came after I ran the article on Monday. I do not want to discuss the call itself only to say it went for well over an
New Rochelle’s Ethnic Galas Turn into Proxy War: Arabs v. Jews
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 22, 2025) — I’ve watched New Rochelle’s City Council twist itself into knots over flag displays and heritage events for the past year, and I’m convinced we’ve gone from civic pride to political farce. The latest absurdity? The city is hosting an Arab-American
Wagstaff Won’t Dignify “Swipes” at His Ethics and Reputation
Garris Family Lawyer Wagstaff Refuses to Answer Basic Questions DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 21, 2025) — Over the past week, attorney William Wagstaff has engaged me in a contentious (for his part) email exchange following my reporting on a $250,000 settlement between the City of New Rochelle and the family of
Recommended Reading, April 20, 2025
DUBLIN, IRELAND (April 20, 2025) — Hello, dear readers! Happy Easter | Passover. First, I owe you all an apology for leaving you wondering about my recent whereabouts. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, I’ve been busy launching my new website, Dublin Yanks, which I’m thrilled to announce is
Garris Attorney, William Wagstaff, Takes Issue with My Reporting on $250,000 Settlement
Is it more!? NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 19, 2025) — My initial report noted the settlement was on the city council’s Tuesday agenda for $250,000. The agenda was my source, plain and simple. When the council voted, Mayor Ramos didn’t read the resolution aloud, but she also didn’
Dawn Warren’s FOIL Fiasco Invites Litigation, Defies Logic
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (April 18, 2025) — Dawn Warren, a central figure in New Rochelle’s corrupt city administration, seems to have a peculiar strategy for handling Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests: obstruct, delay, and then audaciously invite litigation. Her approach, which can only be described as bafflingly shortsighted,
New Rochelle FOIL Stonewalling & Useful Idiots
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (April 18, 2025) — For over a year, I’ve been battling the City of New Rochelle’s relentless efforts to block my Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) requests, which expose public sector corruption. City officials, led by Corporation Counsel Dawn Warren, claim my requests are too
Why is New Rochelle Firing Teachers While Spending Millions on Illegal Private School Placements?
NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (April 18, 2025) — I’ve spent nearly a year uncovering how the City School District of New Rochelle, led by Superintendent Dr. Corey Reynolds and Board President William Iannuzzi, illegally funneled over $3.3 million in state funds to place four autistic students at Shrub Oak
New Rochelle Settles Garris Lawsuit Amid Questions of Timing and Transparency
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (April 17, 2025) — The New Rochelle City Council voted 5-1 on Tuesday to settle a lawsuit filed by the family of Jarrel Garris, a 37-year-old Black man fatally shot by a city police detective in 2023, for $250,000, prompting questions about the timing, funding, and transparency
New Rochelle FOIL Fiasco: Play Stupid Games, Win Stupid Prizes
OP-ED: With New Rochelle Schools in Full-On Crisis, Leadership Must Act
By Robert Cox and Andrew Newman Four years ago, we sounded the alarm about a “catastrophic collapse” in enrollment at the City School District of New Rochelle (“CSDNR”). We were right then, and we are right now on what needs to happen next to avoid further collapse over the next
Recommended Reading, March 30, 2025
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 30, 2025) — I know readers have been wondering what I’ve been up to over the past two weeks, and I’m excited to finally share an update! As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I’ve been hard at work launching a brand-new site, DublinYanks. This
Recommended Reading, March 16, 2025
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 16, 2025) — In case you’ve been wondering, I have been working on a brand new project which took up all my time over the past week as I readied for a St. Patrick’s Day launch of DublinYanks so a bit behind on New York articles.
Recommended Reading, March 9, 2025
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 9, 2025) — There is a common idea in the United States that St. Patrick’s Day represents Ireland — and everyone wears green and is Irish. Living here for going on two years, I do not think so. I attended the parade in Dublin last year and found
CAUGHT IN CRISIS: New York Student’s Bomb Scare Texts to Mom Raise Questions Over Governor Hochul’s Phone Ban Plan
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 9, 2025) — Writing in the Pelham Examiner, Pelham Memorial High School student JJ Hetzer, a member of the PMHS digital device committee, argues against a mobile phone ban in schools as proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in her 2025-2026 budget. Governor Hochul’s legislative proposal to create
As St. Patrick’s Day Approaches, Americans Ask: Am I Irish?
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 8, 2025) — If you have to ask, the answer is no. Let me break it down for those who wonder why not. My mother’s parents emigrated from County Meath (her father) and County Limerick (her mother) one hundred years ago. Decades later, when my maternal grandparents
As Workers Comp Fraud Runs Wild at City Hall, New Rochelle City Manager Puckers Up
NEW ROCHELLE, NY (March 7, 2025) — As readers know, I’ve spent months trying to obtain various sets of public records from the City of New Rochelle, and the response has been such an ordeal that I believe it raises serious questions about compliance with New York’s Freedom of
Seeking Reader Input on New Rochelle Schools 2025-26 Budget and their $20 MM Hole
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 5, 2025) — I’m considering writing an article timed to the budget hearings to highlight concerns about how the New Rochelle Board of Education has mismanaged taxpayer funds and the schools under its care. Before I begin, I’d like to hear premium subscribers’ thoughts on the
Jerrell Garris Shooting: Every Witness Statement is Consistent with New Rochelle Police Accounts
DUBLIN, IRELAND (March 4, 2025) —My previous article provided information from witness statements about encounters with Jarrel Garris in the hour leading up to the officer-involved shooting that resulted in Garris' death. This article focuses on Garris leaving the New Rochelle Farms grocery store and his subsequent struggle with