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Residents urge action on Staley Road and raise complaints; whistleblower says board hasn’t responded
Summary
Public comment at the May 4 meeting included allegations of denied medical care and harassment, a whistleblower claim of retaliation and continued calls for action on Staley Road; board members said bonding and drainage will be investigated but identified funding challenges.
Residents used the town’s public-comment period on May 4 to press the board on several longstanding local concerns, including a call to advance a highway design study for South Parkway/Staley Road, allegations of harassment and a whistleblower claim the board has not responded.
During public comment, Michael Smithana told the board he had been denied medical care in January and alleged law enforcement harassment, asking the town to contact Denise Miranda at the human-rights division. Later, Chris Slurry said he reported what he believes to be wrongdoing to the board on Jan. 5, described experiencing retaliation and asked the board to formally acknowledge his complaint.
Sherry Kern, speaking for the Staley Road Committee, thanked board representatives for attending a recent meeting and urged sustained pursuit of funding and remedies after four years of advocacy. In the board’s discussion, one member presented preliminary financing numbers for a possible $3 million bond to pave Staley Road, citing a first-year payment of roughly $120,000 and higher subsequent-year payments under the calculation discussed; members emphasized the need to identify reliable revenue to cover annual debt service.
Why it matters: residents described unresolved community safety and quality-of-life issues—alleged harassment, zoning disputes and chronic drainage/road conditions—that callers said require follow-up from the town. Board members acknowledged the problems and pledged to continue pursuing solutions while noting constraints on municipal budgets and legal limits on how many members may attend certain meetings.
Quotes: Michael Smithana told the board, "I was denied medical care and urgent care back in January... It's a violation of my civil rights." Chris Slurry said, "I consider myself a whistleblower and believe I have been subject to retaliation," and urged the board to formally acknowledge his complaint. On Staley Road, a board member summarized financing calculations and said, "we do have to work on how we're gonna pay it."
What’s next: the board agreed to keep working on Staley Road options and referred rezoning and other agenda items to the planning board; public hearings tied to those agenda items are scheduled for May 18.
