Trustee Bart Didden removed as development coordinator

December 14, 2023 at 3:29 a.m.

Trustee Bart Didden

In what Trustee Bart Didden called “retribution,” the other six members of the Port Chester Board of Trustees voted Dec. 4 to rescind his designation as development coordinator.

A new law was approved on June 20 to restore the development coordinator position that had been established 33 years ago under the mayoralty of Peter Iasillo and to update the language of the law to reflect what is happening today.

Passage of the legislation, however, was not without controversy. It was adopted 4-2 with Trustees Joe Carvin and Juliana Alzate opposed and Mayor Luis Marino absent.

Carvin felt there should be two people filling the slot to reflect the differences in development philosophy on the board and Alzate went along with that thinking.

“This isn’t czar, this isn’t the ruler,” said Trustee Didden at the time. “We need someone to assist the mayor because of the volume of items that are going on. We need someone who understands the process.”

“I think it is incumbent on this board to hold the person we appoint accountable,” said Trustee Joan Grangenois-Thomas. “They wouldn’t go into a meeting with a developer “until this board has decided what they are going to say.”

Didden was designated development coordinator in a 5-2 vote on July 3.

Before the vote, Trustee Carvin said: “Whoever is designated as development coordinator must make clear to the public their personal holdings in Port Chester.”

“It is two persons,” Mayor Marino rebutted. “That person does not make all the decisions. It includes myself.”

“Trustee Carvin is misunderstanding this position,” said Trustee Phil Dorazio. “It is not that powerful. It is no more powerful than serving as liaison to the school board.”

Although Carvin motioned to require that the person designated as well as the mayor divulge all their property holdings in Port Chester, the proposition failed with three voting in favor and four against.

But for various reasons the temperature on the board has since changed, leading to the Dec. 4 vote to remove Didden’s designation as development coordinator.

Although Didden wanted to amend the measure to appoint someone else, the mayor said, “We can do that at our next meeting,” and the resolution was adopted.

Didden’s reasoning: “The development community needs a liaison to the board to understand where the board is. We are looking to change parking requirements and so on. They are looking for words to comfort them about where this board is going.

“This is just politics and retribution, but that’s ok,” he added. “I believe in the position. It has to be somebody who has a clue about what our process is.”

“If you have any candidate, just bring it up at the next meeting,” the mayor responded.

Not only was Didden canned as development coordinator on Dec. 4, but the requirement that members of the Board of Trustees must disclose their property holdings in Port Chester was resurrected. The board voted 6-1 to direct the village attorney to prepare such a local law. However, they agreed to extend it to members of the Planning Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals at Trustee Grangenois-Thomas’s suggestion.

“I would like to extend this to anyone who has land use decisions,” she said.

“You can’t regulate the IDA but can regulate the ZBA and Planning Commission,” said Village Attorney Anthony Cerreto. “You can do something like the Village of Rye Brook where every year they have to certify their ownership holdings in the village.”

Cerreto said he would have the local law prepared by the next meeting.

“How fast do you have to disclose?” asked Trustee Dorazio.

“You can have your public hearing at the first or middle of February and it goes into effect at the end of February,” said the village attorney.

“What is the recourse?” asked Dorazio.

“It goes back to your code of ethics,” said Cerreto. “There is no real penalty for an elected official.”

“Why would anyone be afraid to act the way they want to act, do what they want to do?” asked Dorazio.

“I agree with you,” said Grangenois-Thomas. “Let’s get this moved. There needs to be some teeth behind it. But in the near term the court of public opinion perhaps there is some shame when people are not disclosing.”

“It’s always the court of public opinion when you are dealing with elected officials,” said Cerreto. “You could subject a zoning and planning board with removal if they don’t comply.”

In voting “no” on asking the village attorney to draft such a law, Didden said: “I think it has a negative effect on people looking to volunteer to serve on commissions and run for office.”

“Tonight was nothing but retribution,” Didden said during board comments at the end of the Dec. 4 meeting. “Certain members of the board that may sit next to me [referring to Trustee Dorazio] are not privy to internal thoughts in my head in a fast enough form and it’s completely incredible to me.” The retribution, he continued, “was the removal from a position to which I was assigned and gratefully accepted and the last item which I believe has a numbing effect on people looking to volunteer on various boards and commissions.”