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Residents press town on meeting recordings, bamboo law and appointments during public comment
Summary
Multiple residents at Greenburgh's June 12 meeting raised concerns: a longtime commenter alleged improper handling of meeting recordings and an untracked Zoom host; a resident asked the board to revisit Local Law No. 6 (the 'Bamboo' law) citing enforcement gaps; another asked for clarity on appointment criteria for boards and grants. Town officials responded to some claims and promised follow-up.
Several residents used the public-comment period at the June 12 Greenburgh Town Board meeting to press the board on transparency, enforcement and board appointments.
Murray Bolden told the board he could not find a resolution authorizing Francis Sheehan to serve as Zoom host and accused staff of operating an extra camera tied to Sheehan's computer that he said should be town property. Bolden alleged that video "tapes disappeared" from earlier meetings and urged the board to investigate whether recordings were being handled improperly. "Why is that extra camera there?" Bolden asked, calling for the board to review the practice.
A town official responded that recordings "do not go into my computer" but are stored on the town's servers as a backup and are available for use. The official said the town clerk was absent from the meeting because a family member was injured and refuted an assertion that the clerk lives on Long Island.
A separate speaker raised concerns about campaign finance, referencing an asserted figure for American Israel-related political action committees; the board did not take action on that comment during the meeting.
Resident Judith Beville (introduced in the meeting as the next speaker) asked the board to "relook" Local Law No. 6 (2023), the town's "Bamboo" law, saying the law presumes bamboo origin can be determined and that enforcement is difficult when bamboo could have originated on town or state-owned land. Beville asked the board to consider enforcement strategies for cases where origin is unclear and to revisit the law at a work session.
Clifton Abrams asked the board for clarity on how appointments and reappointments to boards and advisory bodies are decided, noting his own nonprofit's experience with county funding and a town match. He asked for a work session to establish criteria for who may be voting members of advisory boards.
Town officials said they would respond where appropriate; one official pointed to existing procedures for citations and enforcement of the bamboo law, and another said written comments for the fire-protection hearings would be accepted for seven days. The board did not adopt changes to Local Law No. 6 or change appointment practices at the meeting.
