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Board members clash over outside legal fees and ethics complaints; figures and authority questioned
Summary
A long exchange at the Greenburgh work session centered on whether the town should pay outside legal fees for an ethics matter; board members disagreed about the ethics board’s enforcement power and the amount spent, citing figures from $91,000 to roughly $200,000 and an additional $50,000 request.
Board members at the Greenburgh Town Board work session engaged in a heated debate about the town’s use of outside counsel in an ethics matter and whether the expense is justified.
A board member summarized the concern by saying the board had spent “91,000 so far” on outside counsel in the matter and that additional invoices could push costs higher; the member questioned the value because, per the member’s reading, the ethics board can only recommend sanctions rather than impose fines or removal. “They have 0 power to take any action…so why are we spending, like, over a $100,000 on an attorney?” the supervisor said.
A speaker identified in the transcript as the town attorney defended the decision to engage counsel, saying elected officials have a legal right to retain counsel to protect their reputations. “We are allowed by law to have counsel,” the town attorney said, adding confidence the town would prevail if the matter were litigated.
Board members pressed staff for precise totals. Participants referenced multiple figures in the session: $91,000 already spent, a current total discussed as approximately $150,000, a $200,000 aggregate cited in the conversation, and an active request for $50,000 more. The town staff present said receipts continue to arrive and that the amounts are still being reconciled.
The work session included additional allegations about past litigation and counsel use — members disputed whether the town’s attorney had represented particular board members in prior matters and whether outside counsel was used appropriately. One member asked for documentation to support claims about counsel usage and settlements discussed in the room.
No formal board action on the legal fees was recorded in the work session; the exchange ended in disagreement with requests for clearer accounting and supporting documentation from staff.
