Resident says council lacks transparency, cites charter and redistricting concerns

Poughkeepsie — Laurie Sandow, a South Grand Avenue resident, used her public‑comment time at the Sept. 9 Common Council meeting to sharply criticize the council and mayor for what she described as a lack of transparency and violations of charter procedures.

Sandow said she heard calls for unity from the mayor and asked ‘‘what exactly are they asking people to unify around,’’ listing grievances that included blocking residents on the mayor’s social media, informational meetings held without apparent exchange or content, and the role of the corporation counsel. She alleged the council is conducting business ‘‘behind closed doors’’ and that informational meetings had been converted into a charade.

Sandow also said she submitted a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request more than 30 days earlier for the sidewalk repair slides and schedule; she said she had not received the materials and characterized that as a legal violation. She accused the council of rejecting proposed new redistricting commission boundaries without providing the written reasons the charter requires and said the action disenfranchised the city’s Hispanic population, an allegation the council did not address at the meeting.

The council did not take action on the claims during the meeting. Staff and council members later referenced work on redistricting and public meetings in their reports, and the mayor and councilmembers made general statements about continuing community outreach; no immediate remedies or formal responses were recorded on the Sept. 9 agenda.

Sandow’s remarks raised process and transparency concerns the council may need to address in subsequent meetings or via formal FOIL responses.