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Resident tells Hudson council city records around his fence permit were altered or deleted
Summary
During public comment Anthony Rivita alleged inconsistencies and deletions in city permit and inspection records for his fence project and said earlier public-records requests did not return documents; the mayor invited him to submit additional materials.
During the Hudson City Council's public-comment period on Jan. 6, resident Anthony Rivita of 1746 Edgar Drive told the council that he could not obtain public records related to a fence permit and alleged that inspection and timeline entries had been altered or removed.
Rivita said he paid the permit fee on July 18 and cited multiple internal reviews (public power, public works, engineering, planning) and indicated the work had inspection entries showing a pass date. He said the city's documents later showed a chronology that omitted or changed the inspection timeline and that a later entry by city staff indicated a pass on Dec. 18, 2023, which he said created conflicting records. "The fence that I put up was passed twice by the city," Rivita said, describing what he called "two sets of books" on his job.
Rivita said his lawyer, Hal DeSousas, had requested the records and that his own requests earlier had not produced the documents he expected. He identified staff reviewers by name in the timeline he had (public power review: Dave Griffith; public works: Dan Roth; engineering: John Bridal; planning review: Amanda Kwiktrovich; issuing zoning card: Lauren Kaufman). He told council he wanted the city records produced and argued the chronology presented to the court made it look as if he had not completed the work.
Mayor allowed Rivita an additional two minutes and suggested he submit any additional materials to the city for staff review. The meeting record shows no formal council action, investigation, or staff response during that session beyond the mayor's invitation to provide materials.
The allegations as stated in public comment were not adjudicated or resolved during the meeting; no staff report or corrective action was recorded at the Jan. 6 session.
