Brooklyn Votes Overturn Fallsburg Local Election

Many Fallsburg residents are alarmed by the victory of Kathy Rappaport over Steve Vegliante for Town Supervisor as the result of the late count of absentee ballots, mostly from Brooklyn residents.

Steve Vegliante decisively won the initial Fallsburg election voting for Town Supervisor upon the local count on November 4. Full time, year-round residents cast machine-counted votes, 1102 to 696 for Steve, knowingly rejecting Rappaport’s campaign agendas. Nate Steingart (1,011-745) and Michael Bensimon (940-604) likewise defeated their opponents, Sean Wall Carty and Miranda Behan for two more open seats on the six-member town board.

Yet Rappaport and her running mates were declared the winners of the election by 275 votes thanks to Brooklyn residents.

The upset has worrisome implications for the town’s future. How did it happen?

Loophole

First, N.Y. State has a well-meaning but lax and faulty law, allowing summer residents to vote from their summer vacation home, despite only residing here for as little as one month a year.

Although the law stipulates that summer residents must demonstrate they have “legitimate, significant and continuing attachments' to that residence.” As witnessed in other towns, summer residents are thus able to gain control of local town administrations and sometimes undermine if not ignore the needs of full-time residents.

Second, since last spring and summer, 2021, Abe Rutner, Abe Rosenberg and Yermia Solomon, politically connected organizers, actively recruited absentee ballots from ultra-Orthodox second-home owners, who would normally vote in New York City, to register and vote in Fallsburg.

Rappaport and her supporters, ultra-Orthodox rabbis, developers, and businessmen continuously spread malicious lies during the campaign, accusing Vegliante of anti-Semitism among other falsehoods. Republican Sheriff Michael Schiff and Undersheriff Eric Chaboty also significantly aided and assisted Rappaport, a political novice, in her campaign.

With Rappaport in place, it is now evident that the ultra-Orthodox are in a position to have massive control of the future development of Fallsburg. If experience in other Upstate towns is any guide, these individuals will promote the narrow interests of their religious community above year-round residents.

It is clear what the developers want from their candidates, Rappaport et.al. They have long pressed for unlimited development in the town and outlying agricultural lands as well as for a Planning Board that will allow new over-sized development plans, a compliant Building Department that will overlook blatant violations, and a Zoning Board that will grant frequently specious zoning exceptions.

The ultra-Orthodox voting bloc in this last election is one that is sure to grow. By the next election, they could feasibly take over the entire Town Board.

In this new context, it is hard to see a future for sustainable development that will preserve our natural beauty and resources. All previous work, such as the 2018 Town Comprehensive Plan that provides a blueprint for healthy town development, are at risk. The will and wishes of the local community may be largely ignored if this religious bloc protects these newly elected, inexperienced candidates.

Having put personal agendas ahead of the needs of full-time residents, the new administration has made clear that they speak for themselves and their backers, not us.

How can those who oppose excessive development and its negative impact on the natural environment respond? What will happen with the schools? How will the new Town Board manage the town budget and taxes? What changes will they make in managing the overstretched water, sewer and transportation infrastructure? Will local businesses thrive or be thwarted?

Perhaps now the advocacy of Fallsburg’s Future is more important than before, to participate, witness and report on the work of the new Town Board.

The way forward

As a network of concerned residents, Fallsburg’s Future advocates for the sustainable development of the Town of Fallsburg.

With the pending changes in town leadership, we must closely follow the work of town officials to help ensure that the residential development of our town is well planned and that the town’s infrastructure is able to absorb construction in the works and curtail a potential avalanche of new construction.

Your ideas as to how best to respond to the new political and administrative situation are welcome. We need strategic thinking, constructive dialogue and compelling advocacy. Your participation is the key to building a sustainable future for Fallsburg in the months and years ahead.

If you are interested in getting more involved with our next chapter of community organizing and coalition building, please respond to this email.

With thanks and a sustained commitment to the sustainability of our beautiful town,

The Members of Fallsburg’s Future

Fallsburg’s Future is a community group that advocates for the sustainable development of the town of Fallsburg to protect the fragile beauty of its natural habitats and enhance the opportunities and quality of life for all its residents and visitors.