Why Did the New Rochelle Board of Ethics Suddenly Decide It Had No Jurisdiction?

Robert Cox

20 Aug 2026 — 5 min read

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. (August 19, 2026) — This is not another article about Mayor Yadira Ramos-Herbert’s failure to deliver a State of the City address. She still has four months left in 2026. Until the year is over, that particular complaint is not ripe for a court to decide.

This is about something narrower and more consequential: the reasons the New Rochelle Board of Ethics has given for refusing even to consider my recent complaints on the merits — and why those reasons conflict with both the Board’s own past practice and the plain language of the City Code.

The Public's Right to Know: New Rochelle's FOIL Stonewall Part III

DUBLIN, IRELAND (August 18, 2026) — This is Part III in a multi-part series. In Part II, I described what happened after I sought records involving Generations Church and the City of New Rochelle. The City said its search had identified more than 10,000 records, later nearly 11,000

The Public’s Right to Know: New Rochelle’s FOIL Stonewall — Part II

DUBLIN, IRELAND (August 17, 2026) — This is Part II in a multi-part series. In Part I, I explained how increasingly targeted FOIL requests, the City's resistance to them, my reporting in The New Rochelle Thimblerig and, ultimately, litigation became intertwined. I also said that the next step

The Public's Right to Know: New Rochelle's FOIL Stonewall — Part I

DUBLIN, IRELAND (August 16, 2026) — This is Part I in a multi-part series. Shining the Light "If you get a full copy, your recourse, in my opinion, involves shining the light and pointing out where there might not have been full compliance." — Robert J. Freeman, New York

OPEN LETTER TO NEW ROCHELLE CITY MANAGER ON IMPROPER WITHHOLDING OF EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORT

CityManager@newrochelleny.gov City Manager Wilfredo Melendez Dear City Manager Melendez, I want the court to weigh in on a matter that has become recurring — almost monthly — during your tenure: the City of New Rochelle’s routine violations of the Open Meetings Law. Many of these violations involve simple matters,

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The Public's Right to Know: New Rochelle's FOIL Stonewall Part III

The Public’s Right to Know: New Rochelle’s FOIL Stonewall — Part II

The Public's Right to Know: New Rochelle's FOIL Stonewall — Part I

OPEN LETTER TO NEW ROCHELLE CITY MANAGER ON IMPROPER WITHHOLDING OF EXTERNAL AUDIT REPORT