Top Stories Headline News
	Monticello 5 External Site
	Editorials Editorials Columns Letters
	Arts & Leisure Reviews & Schedules
	Outdoors Fishing/Hunting Outdoor Magazine
	Sports Local Scores & Standings
	Food Recipes for culinary delights
	Bridges Bridges of the Upper Delaware
	Back Issues
	Search
	Links
	Commerce Sponsors
	Classified Ads Find it here
	Staff Pages
	Masthead
	Design Studio
	Subscriptions Get your copy delivered

Thursday, August 19, 1993


---

Officials Allow protest signs at Monticello village meeting
In contrast to arrest of five in August

By TOM KANE


MONTICELLO - When protesters appeared at the Village of Monticello board meeting on September 8 carrying signs, they weren't arrested. That wasn't the cas eon August 2, however, when five individuals were arrested.

While last week's village board meeting was largely routine and without a discussion of controversial issues, that didn't matter to the demonstrators sho stood and sat silently in the rear of the large hall of the Neighborhood Facility on Broadway, holding their signs.

Their presence was meant to be a quiet reminder of opposition to the "musical chairs" power switch executed by five top village officials in the spring. While meeting in a closed door session on Feburary 17, the board created a full-time attorney post and picked village justice Mark Schulman to fill it without public hearings or any advertising. Then they appeared at the March 1 meeting with letters of resignation and acceptance to their new positions, shifting their mostly elected village jobs around without going to the voters.

Since then members of the Sullivan County Action Coalition have filed a suit to reverse the move and demanding that a special election be held. Village officials have said they will not remove themselves and oppose any effort to hold elections.

Those arrested are scheduled to appear in Thompson Justice Court on Septmber 20 and 23, after the village justices refused to hear the case because of conflicts of interests over the matter. Disputed justice John Diuguid was the mayor when he participate in the job shuffle.

During the public comment portion of last week's meeting, River Reporter editor Glenn Pontier, who had been one of those arrested for carrying a cardboard sign, stated, "This is a democracy. I urge you to restore the democratic form of govenrnment to the village and submit to the vote of the people.

Coalition president and village resident Victor Gordon, one of those who filed the lawsuit, also chastised the board for its heavy-handed and undemocratic ways. He too called the board to govern in a manner that was responsive to the people, and to hold a special election.

Later, acting mayor Robert Friedland, said, "We don't want to stifle these people. We were anxious to avoid a problem at that meeting last month. We heard that there might be some trouble so we stopped them from carrying signs.

Since the September 8th meeting was held in a larger hall than the previous session, Friedland said there was less of a danger of disruption and therefore he allowed the show of signs.

The coalition is also voicing opposition to plans that would allow construction of a medical infectious waste treatment plant in the village.