THE LEGAL BATTLE RESUMES
On September 8th, 2015 I finally received, under FOIL, the certification of the results of the Special Election held on September 30, 2014 for the the two Ward Referendum questions. Now that the results have been certified the proponents of the passing of the propositions can prove that we have been aggrieved and proceed with the legal action. This legal action was served against the Town on Monday September 14.
**–> See recent article on site for the the details <–**
NOTE: I can use your help. Please support my efforts on this. If you want support my efforts or thank me for what I have done on behalf of your interests on this please donate money to VOTE6WARDS. I still have not been repaid for fighting the town’s appeal and I need to work on filing an Article 78 and associated filings.
Make your donation now to the legal fund here. … Deb Munitz
PS. If you prefer to hand me cash or a check just Contact Us to do so.
What is a Ward System
Find out more about what the Ward System is in New York State.
Click here to learn more.
Why Choose Wards??
Why is the Ward System good for everyone in the Town of Ramapo?Click here to learn more.
Why 6 Councilmen?
Why vote Yes to increase the town council from 4 to 6 members?
Click here to learn more.
Latest News from the Campaign Front
Parietti/Romanowski Update
Ward System Case—Where We Are Now November 18, 2016, Michael Parietti & Robert Romanowski. Most of you know the story. After years of trying to prevent a vote on whether we should have a Ward System, the Town of Ramapo was ordered to hold a referendum on that question on September 30, 2014. On the ballot was whether the town should establish a ward system and divide the town into six separate districts (wards), each with its own representative on the Town Board. Terrified by the transparency and accountability that a ward system of government might bring to Ramapo, town officials concocted a scheme to influence the outcome of the referendum, promoting disinformation and an atmosphere of deliberately induced disorganization. This was done in the hopes of assuring a NO vote, but also to leave open an avenue to challenge a YES vote based on the chaos and confusion they themselves created. On the day of the referendum we went to court seeking an order to impound the ballot so the canvass (count) could be conducted in an orderly manner, not the Cirque de St. Lawrence free for all still reigning at the polls. Supreme Court Judge Margaret Garvey granted our request and ordered the Rockland County Sheriff to take custody of all ballots at the end of voting hours. Then, acting on her own initiative, Judge Garvey went a step further, voiding the entire referendum and ordering a revote. The Town appealed her decision and the Appellate Division Second Department ruled that the votes had to be counted before the result could be challenged. A canvass of the... read more
Press Release: Lawsuit filed against town of Ramapo
UPDATE!! The original post has been updated to exclude some exhibits as they contained personal information and there was no need for that information to continue to be posted publicly. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MEDIA ADVISORY Lawsuit against the Town of Ramapo & Town Clerk to invalidate the certification of the Special Election for the Ward Referendum filed in Rockland County Supreme Court; Judge Garvey sets return date for 9/18 and appearance date 9/22; Town served on 9/14/2015. RAMAPO, NY, September 15, 2015: On Friday, September 11, 2015, a proceeding was initiated in the Rockland County Supreme Court seeking to invalidate the results of the Town of Ramapo’s September 30, 2014 special election on two referendum propositions and to obtain an order that the propositions be placed on the ballot of the Town’s biennial election to be held on November 3, 2015. An Order to Show Cause was signed by the Court yesterday morning, and the Town was served yesterday afternoon, requiring the Town to respond by Friday, September 18, 2015 and appear before the Court on Tuesday, September 22, 2015. The proceeding was commenced shortly after the Town released a “Certification of Election” on September 8, 2015, signed by Town Clerk Christian Sampson on September 4, 2015, certifying the results of a Town special election in connection with a ward system and an increase in the number of council members. Due to irregularities that could not be rectified and to preserve the integrity of the election, Judge Garvey previously invalidated the Town special election on October 7, 2014, without canvassing of the votes. An appellate court ruled the invalidation... read more
Two Ramapos
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, … Dickens could have written these immortal words to describe the Town of Ramapo and its elected government. Whether the decisions made by the Town of Ramapo’s government are great or awful, wise or foolish, make perfect sense or are utterly incomprehensible, are judgments that can only be made by its residents seen through the lens of their respective world-views. The voting data for the 2013 election of two Town Council members tells the story of two Ramapos. One Ramapo seemed satisfied with the status quo and overwhelmingly voted for more of the same; the other Ramapo overwhelmingly believed the existing Town government was doing an awful job and needed to be replaced. There is nothing inherently wrong with the two council men who were elected in 2013. They were very clearly wanted by those that voted for them; the problem remains, who speaks for the rest of Ramapo? Just looking at the map we can see that the central areas of Ramapo are consistent in what they want. But the surrounding villages want something different. Why shouldn’t there be better representation; different councilmen for the different areas? There is no reason. The extremes in voting demonstrate clearly that Ramapo needs the Ward System which is offered as a choice by the laws of NY State. Given the clear geographic divide in Ramapo – two Ramapos each wanting exactly the opposite outcome on many... read more
Where are the signs?
One of the big repeat questions that I keep running into is “Where are all the signs?” People want to see signs out along every major and minor road. The answer is that hundreds and hundreds of signs went up and hundreds have been taken down. From Sloatsburg to Monsey to Spring Valley, signs are being knocked over and stolen on a daily basis. It’s absolutely criminal. With so little time in this final week there is nothing that can be done about the street signs. It’s not worth ordering more just to put them up on Monday. So now what? Yesterday someone posted a suggestion on the facebook page to do car magnets. Well we can’t make car magnets in time either but it was an inspiring thought. Here is a new sign: I AM VOTING that you can easily print and then put up in the window of your car TODAY. Drive around with these signs for the rest of the week and continue to Get Out The Vote!! You can put them in the back window, or the side windows. So if you have a car without heavily tinted windows please print and tape these up TODAY. Can you think of something better? Bigger? PLEASE DON’T BE SHY.... read more
The attacks have begun!
I finally laid my hands on the “Community Connections” Sept. 18-25, ’14 Issue which had 2 full page ads by a Monsey activist against the Ward Referendums on pages 92-93. This man is trying to make this an orthodox vs. Preserve Ramapo issue. I started this website because I was personally tired of everything being about the Bloc vs. Preserve Ramapo. This election is not about the bloc or Preserve Ramapo, it’s about everyone in the Town of Ramapo in all the villages representing many communities. So now the effort to whip up fear has begun. I can’t wait for this to pass just so that once and for all we can prove that real democracy is the cure for racial and religious hatred. We just need to get there first. 3:10 p.m.UPDATE: I have paid for the following response to be submitted in the Community Connections. Of course I am waiting for “Editorial Approval”.Deb Munitz – Community... read more
Non-partisan Endorsements rolling in….
This was a big week for getting our politicians to take a stand on the Ward System. While the current administration is against the Ward System (CSL stated publically on the radio on Friday 9/19 morning that he was against it without explaining why), other local politicians have come out in favor of it and the results are resoundingly non-partisan. It makes sense for all politicians -other than those in power – to want a level playing field for their supporters and they are coming out and saying so. “Democracy functions best when it is representational. A ward system would allow Town officials to be more responsive to local issues. It would provide more opportunity for residents to have a place at the table and their voices heard. I encourage Ramapo residents to vote ‘Yes’ on both ballot questions at their regular polling places on September 30th.” Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee (D-Suffern) “Ramapo is one of the largest towns in the State and a ward system would benefit all the residents by encouraging more participation and debate among the Town’s diverse population. I urge residents to vote ‘Yes’ on the two ballot questions on September 30th. Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski (D-New City) “Whatever your political beliefs or leanings are, it appears to us that the ward system is the fairest system because council persons would be elected for a specific geographical area, thereby making the council persons more accountable for their area’s wants and needs.” The Ramapo Republican Committee “A ward system of government for Ramapo would provide all areas of Ramapo with at least some government representation in our Town. While it... read more
Upcoming Meetings: Mt. Ivy Diner, Wesley Hills, & Suffern
Saturday 9/20 and 9.27 – Mt. Ivy Diner 9:30-11 Active supporters and volunteers will be at the Mt. Ivy Diner for the next two Saturdays to answer questions while buying you a cup of coffee. Mt. Ivy Diner 1669 U.S. 202 Pomona, NY 10970 Sunday 9/21 – 10:00 a.m. Village of Wesley Hills Village of Wesley Hills Meeting Room 432 Route 306 Wesley Hills, NY 10952 Monday 9/22 – 8:00 p.m. Village of Suffern Village of Suffern – Auditorium on 2nd Floor 61 Washington Ave Suffern, NY 10901 If you are interested in hosting an informational meeting please Contact Us.... read more
Breakfast with Vote6Wards 9/13 9:30 am. at Mt. Ivy Diner
A very special thank you to Jim B. for coordinating a meeting location this coming Saturday and for supplying a continental breakfast for those who come. The first public meeting of Ramapo Resident for a Ward System will be an opportunity for residents of the Town of Ramapo to come and find out more about the upcoming Special Election on the Ward Referendum at the end of the month on September 30th. It is also an opportunity for anyone who wants to volunteer to help spread the word to come and find out what can be done. Please share this invitation and check the Calendar for more upcoming... read more
Ward Flyer
Created a flyer today to use for handouts. Ward Flyer 2014-09-15 This first version has lower resolution graphics on it which might be a tad fuzzy when printed. Looking for feedback along with lots of offers to replicate and hand them out. It’s September which is back to school time. There will be street fair and village celebrations. Let’s get out the flyers and let all our friends and neighbors know that there is an election coming up. Please Contact Us with feedback on the flyer and with offers to help hand out flyers. 09/15: Updated the flyer to the latest version with upcoming meeting... read more