Tel-Chai Nation

It appears the Satmar are planning another housing project not unlike their other ghetto neighborhood called Kiryat Joel. And with their corrupt, isolationist mindsets, that's why I can't approve. The residents of Bloomingberg should be concerned. Especially since the local council's been keeping them in the dark about this and trying to stifle their criticism by not announcing their board meeting:

BLOOMINGBURG — What if they finally held a Village Board meeting in Bloomingburg and didn't tell anyone about it?

That's what apparently happened early Monday morning in this eastern Sullivan County village that hasn't held a meeting since August, even as protests mount against plans for an apparently Hasidic housing development.

The only notice of the "emergency meeting" was a hard copy news release formatted as an email that was addressed to the executive editor of the Times Herald-Record. It was dated Dec. 23 at 7:30 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. meeting that day. It appeared outside Village Hall.

Monday was, of course, the day before Christmas Eve.

That extremely short notice — without any reason or agenda — is an apparent violation of the state open meetings law, said Bob Freeman, executive director of the Committee on Open Government.

[...] The third member, Joe Gotthardt, recently resigned, saying the board wasn't responsive to the people.

Opponents of the 398-unit housing development in the village of some 400 recently filed legal papers in state Supreme Court calling for Berentsen's removal. They claim Berentsen violated municipal law in the approvals of deals with the developers of the development — charges with which Berentsen has said he "strongly" disagrees.

That lack of transparency over meetings is why about 20 people gathered Tuesday morning in a protest/call to action at Village Hall, which was closed for the holiday. Many carried signs that expressed their anger:

Sure sounds like the mayor and his cronies are intent on pushing this deal through for the sake of money and such no matter what the local residents think. I do believe he's ripe for becoming a pariah, in that case. I'm siding with the opposition to this building project, and hope they can get it cancelled. The Satmar can be a problem when they want to.

Labels: haredi corruption, New York, United States