Planning Board member Mary Ellen Trumbull has been pressured by both the Sand Lake Republican Committee Chairman and the Town Supervisor to resign her position, allegedly due to recent absences from meetings.

Trumbull, a Democrat and the only woman on the Planning Board, has refused to resign, asserting unequal treatment, political motivation and the need for an independent Planning Board.

She was appointed to the Planning Board in 2018 and reappointed in 2020 for a term running through 2026. She was on the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2017.

Trumbull has an excellent meeting attendance record overall. She told other Planning Board members January 17, 2024, that she would miss meetings the next two months. No one raised any objection. Other Planning Board members have had similar periods of absences.

Planning Board members are not paid for meetings they don’t attend.

Letter from Supervisor Clemens

Upon Trumbull’s return from her planned absence, she received a letter from Supervisor Stephen Clemens. The letter:

• cited her recent absences and a Town Code section which states “a Planning Board Member must meet minimum attendance requirements as determined by the Town Board”, and

• asked her to resign if she felt she could not meet the requirements.

Trumbull responded to Clemens March 26 by phone. She said she intended to remain on the Planning Board and meet any attendance requirements equally applied to all members.

They discussed the absence of a Town Board policy regarding Planning Board attendance and how the Planning Board has handled attendance absent a policy. Clemens invited Trumbull to assist in drafting a policy. She agreed to do so and believed the issue was resolved

Republican Town Chair Nippes Intervenes

Following the April 3 Planning Board meeting, Stuart Nippes, a Town Board member and Deputy Supervisor, who is also Town Republican committee Chair, asked Trumbull to speak with him out of the meeting room where he said he was expecting her immediate resignation due to excessive absences.

They joined Clemens and the Planning Board clerk in a small office and Nippes provided Trumbull a copy of her attendance record and said there were too many absences.

Trumbull replied that she had discussed the issue with Clemens on March 26 and believed that discussion had ended the matter. She told both men she had no intention to resign, that other Planning Board members have had similar absences and she felt harassed and ambushed.

OUR VIEW



This incident raises several concerns.

First, we note that under State law a Planning Board member can be removed only by the Town Board, only for cause (including failure to meet any attendance requirements established by Town Board policy), and only after a public hearing.

We know of no such attendance policy and no recent Town Board discussion of any Planning Board members’ attendance record.

Second, Did the Town Board or the Supervisor authorize Nippes to pressure Trumbull April 3 for a resignation?

Or was Nippes acting as Sand Lake Republican Committee Chair under color of his official Town positions?

The Town Board owes the Town an explanation about its role in the actions of Clemens and Nippes to pressure Ms. Trumbull to resign.

Nippes should disclose in what capacity he was acting, who authorized him to act, and whose interests he was pursuing.

Third, the fact that other Planning Board members have had similar periods of absences raises concerns that the Nippes’ and Clemens’ push for Trumbull’s resignation is driven far more by partisan politics than concerns about attendance.

We hope our all-Republican Town Board has not forgotten the need for an independent Planning Board and that Town Boards serve all Town residents, not just the party that put them in power or that party’s financial backers.

Public service rests on trust, and in this case, we feel that trust has been violated.

Recently the NY State Court of Appeals required that New York’s Congressional districts be redrawn to comply with our State’s Constitution. Those new districts were approved by the State Legislature and signed into law by the Governor.

Sand Lake was moved from Congressional District 21, represented by Elise Stefanik (R-NY), to Congressional District 19 represented by Mark Molinaro (R-NY). Josh Riley is the Democratic candidate for this seat and he has made Southern Rensselaer County, including our town, a priority for his campaign. Here is a link to his campaign website:

https://joshrileyforcongress.com/

Sand Lake will continue to be represented by Congresswomen Stefanik until the end of 2024. We will update you on how you can help in this important Congressional race which may determine which party controls the House of Representatives in 2025.