Recommended Reading, December 8, 2025

Robert Cox

07 Dec 2025 — 7 min read

Delicious grapes

DUBLIN, IRELAND (December 8, 2025) — City Manager Will Melendez has become a laughingstock across New York State and he could not care less as long as his checks clear. Melendez is being paid a $190,000 base salary in 2025, plus $114,000 in benefits (health, pension, etc.), for a total compensation of $304,000 (about $70k more than his predecessor).

And what do taxpayers get for their 300 grand?

A lying, discredited, bumbling fool who has no clue how a municipal government runs: on his watch, millions have been drained from the fund balance, the 2024 audit has still not been completed let alone filed with the New York State Comptroller as New Rochelle’s Annual Financial Report.

A credit downgrade by Moody’s appears likely in 2026, most of the senior leadership of the Finance Department is leaving in the next few weeks, there are criminal investigation by the DA and the Inspector General. The PSC blew up Westchester Power (Sustainable Westchester). As the only media outlet paying attention it is sad to see taxpayers asleep at the wheel as Melendez fiddles while New Rochelle burns.

Melendez was Yadira’s first choice precisely because he is an inveterate liar who will do whatever Yadira says. Does anyone actually believe handing Flowers Park to Bob Young was his idea — or pulling the RFP was his decision?

The Bob Young subterfuge was a Yadira production from jump street but like the rest of the ongoing corruption in City Hall, Melendez is too stupid to understand that it’s his fingerprints, not hers, on every crooked deal.

And now we have among the most stunning examples of municipal malfeasance I can recall — knowing the community wants to see just what Bob Young had up his sleeve, having repeatedly promised transparency and public engagement, he stonewalled the Bob Young public records for weeks and when he finally turned over Young’s proposal it was heavily redacted, the city admits the pagination is off, there appears to be a page missing, and the map legend covers the neighborhood targeted for eminent domain.

Melendez initially admitted giving Bob Young the original record back to mark up and redact himself, then sent me the Bob Young version, then reversed course claiming he only gave Bob Young a copy. And the reason Bob Young would need a copy of his own proposal?

Crickets.

Late last week, I obtained the letter from Bob Young’s lawyers asking for the return of his proposal “and additional materials”. I did not receive any “additional materials” but whatever they are they are certainly covered by my FOIL.

I always want to avoid filing an Article 78 but this cannot stand.

I gave Melendez until Wednesday.

I will file on Thursday.

(don’t worry, plenty more on Rubicco coming)