.
Feedback

Gulliver in Clarkstown

Clarkstown's agendas for its public meetings are neither timely nor accurate.

Mr. Gromack has the unfortunate habit when asked an uncomfortable question of using the stratagem 'argumentum ad verecundiam' (also known as the appeal to authority). 

The argument goes as follows:

1) Most of what authority G has to say on subject matter S is correct.
2) G says P about S.
3) Therefore, P is correct.


Such was the case at the April 3, 2012 Special Town Board meeting when I informed Mr. Gromack (G) that items 4 through 6 on the Town Board's agenda had not been published on the Town's website and therefore the public had not been given proper notification of the intention of the Town Board to vote on these matters (S) and was in violation of the spirit of the Open Meetings Law.

Mr. Gromack (G) with a wave of his hand indicated that the items in question had indeed been placed on the website "that very afternoon" (P) despite the fact I had just informed him that the iPad I was holding was at the time of his statement connected to the Town's website and was displaying the Board's agenda that was absent these items (S).

Supporting Mr.Gromack's  'argumentum ad verecundiam', Town Attorney Mele muttered muddled mantras that things were time sensitive. However, she remained unable to explain how a hundred or so copies of the agenda that the Board was working from could be printed 'on time' from the Town's copier machines but yet time could not be found to post the same document on the Town's website for the public's information.

Faced with 'argumentum ad verecundiam' I sometimes lapse into a strategy of 'argumentum ad hominem' which is an attempt to negate the truth of a claim by pointing out the negative characteristics of the person supporting it. 

And so I stated to Mr. Gromack that when faced with a fact which causes him discomfort he attempts to dismiss it with a slick comment borne from either a mendacious or a malacostracan mind.

My strategy failed miserably against Mr. Gromack's superior stratagem. He slithered away from my reach and proceeded to have the Board vote on the items which had not appeared on the publicly posted agenda.  

But I did gain one small concession!

The agenda, with the missing items included, was posted the following day on the website proving as I had suspected that Mr Gromack has read 'Gulliver's Travels' and understands that a good architect can indeed construct a building from the roof down. 

In Clarkstown's Gulliverian world: Tomorrow's published agenda is yesterday's recorded vote.

Newsletter & Alerts

Get the best stories each day and important breaking news

Subscribe

Not from New City Patch? Find your Local Patch »

Loading comments ...
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Kathleen May 21, 2013 at 08:55 am
CANDLE Night at the Rockland Boulders Game Join CANDLE for a fun(d)raising game on May 23rd as theRead More Rockland Boulders take on the Trois-Rivieres Aigles. Proceeds from tickets purchased through CANDLE* will support programs that educate & empower youth and reduce substance abuse and violence in Rockland County and beyond.
Heywood Jablohme May 21, 2013 at 02:48 pm
I agree with most of your points, but surely you are not implying that teachers are expected toRead More produce funding to correct school roofs, right? I think you got a bit off topic here, but I agree that our educational infrastructure is in disrepair and is in desperate need of rehabilitation. Maybe if our teacher's unions allowed a little more leeway we could allocate funding a little more appropriately and fund the important things instead of overpaying paying dinosaur teachers who lost interest a long time ago and fight any and all forms of teacher benchmarking.
WGMom May 20, 2013 at 09:10 am
It's entirely true that every professional has out-of-pocket expenses. But as someone who worked asRead More a corporate trainer, I can guarantee you I NEVER had to pay out of pocket expenses for supplies to teach classes. Every piece of paper, supply, and even snacks for the participants were fully covered expenses. If I had to spend out of pocket money to procure supplies, I could submit for a reimbursement, and receive it, no questions asked. I am now in school to become a high school teacher and I can see the stark difference in how the education of folks in a corporate environment is incredibly different, and privileged, than the public school environment. I've sat through numerous classes in the Clarkstown and Ramapo districts, doing observations required for my education certification, and while Clarkstown certainly benefits from certain advantages, the shabbiness of being a public school is still there. Furniture, such as teacher desks, that looks like it was purchased in a garage sale 30 years ago... faculty bathrooms that are dark and dingy, nearly crumbling, and sorely in need of updating. Etc. The public expects teachers to have professional training, act professionally, but they lack sometimes basic resources and are expected to function in an environment that feels more like a dungeon than an institution of learning. The citizens of Clarkstown, if they could get a tour of some of the facilities they are expecting children to learn in, and teachers to teach in, would be very surprised. We do supply some great technology, but then we put it in classrooms with windows that won't stay closed when it's windy, as one example. I spent most of my time in South, which is the best of the bunch, facilities-wise. Clarkstown North is a mess, Woodglen's woods are littered with fallen trees no one's cleaned up after Sandy, Laurel Plains had to be shuttered thanks to that whole foul stench... the district is in a situation where there are major capital improvements that are going to be needed. Buildings are aging, and it seems it's only the most basic of upkeep that happens. The district can't even fix the roofs of the buildings without applying for a state grant.
Heywood Jablohme May 18, 2013 at 07:17 am
What professional doesn't spend $500 per year on out of pocket expenses related to their jobs?Read More Staples offering 10% (or 5 in some cases) is hardly an example of the community getting involved. Thankfully, there are other examples of the community and PTA's getting involved and providing needed services. Clarkstown and surrounding areas hardly have substantial unmet needs in their classroom, thankfully.
Truth4all May 16, 2013 at 11:37 am
I guess better late than never. LaCorte is serving his 4th year as Mayor and was Trustee for I thinkRead More 4 years before that. This year is the only time he has brought the idea to the village about participating in this program. He is motivated by the opportunity of getting positive press for his County Executive campaign. The village should have been involved in this program ( as well as the Americorps program) long before this. On a positive note, hopefully the Village will continue this worthwhile partnership for many years to come.