Community Update

Orangetown Board delays vote to reappoint Mr. Whalen to Housing Authority Board for a five-year term.

Agenda item was removed from the May 28th Town Board meeting, and will be reconsidered after the May 30th Housing Authority meeting.

See “Our Town” news coverage in this week’s edition, May 22. However discount head line as this does not properly represent the complaint.

Originally the Blog was as follows:

Robert Tompkins, the author of this Blog and an Orangetown Housing Authority (OHA) Board member, submitted a formal complaint at the May 14, 2013 meeting of the Orangetown Town Board against the former Town Supervisor in his capacity as Chairperson of the Housing Authority.

Although Mr. Paul Whalen has taken an oath to follow the New York State Constitution he is not fulfilling his legal duty to follow Town and State mandated By-laws or amend them and follow them after State approval. It is easy to comply yet he refuses. This has serious implications.

My complaint includes his refusal to hold proper and legal elections for all Board Officer positions, give proper public notice of Board meetings, provide timely financial and other information, follow due process when the Board approves important agreements and respect Board Members legal duties to provide appropriate oversight.

The Town has financial exposure given it guarantees payment of about six million dollars of bonds if the OHA is unable to pay. Given the situation this Board member cannot provide proper financial oversight to ensure the OHA pays its bonds.

There have been improvements since the Town Board appointed me a year ago. At that time the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson was elected illegally. There was no Treasurer, Secretary or Assistant Secretary/Assistant Treasurer and there had not been for many years. There was no monthly Treasurer reports or regular minutes taken of meetings.

By the end of 2012 we have minutes of meetings and four Board Officers had been properly elected and one illegally because she was not a Town Board authorized Board member. The State requires an annual election of Board Officers in January. The only election held then was for Chairperson and we have not had elections since. It should easy to hold elections for all Board Officers.

The May 21st Town Board Workshop set the agenda for the May 28th Town Board meeting and it was made clear a majority of Republicans will vote to re-appoint Mr. Whalen to a five-year term. There is no deadline, even though Mr. Whalen’s term expires May 31, he continues in office until an appointment occurs. Why are they rushing given the nature of this complaint?

It appears the Republican Party virtue of following the rule of the law is trumped by loyalty to a man who has little respect for By-laws.


The Orangetown Housing Authority created in 1989 operates Cortwood Village in Orangeburg. It provides senior housing with 104 one-bedroom apartments renting for $800 a month.

The Orangetown Housing Authority Board meetings are the last Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at 34 Cortwood Village, Orangeburg. NY.