In an interview with local media, Trustee Sally Rhoads said the Village Board is prohibited from talking too much about the case — but stressed that the decision to cut was budgetary.
Two Village Board trustees — Glenn and Brian Kimbiz — have left office since that mayoral pay cut was instituted.
West’s relationship with other village trustees has become strained during the last 18 months. His former deputy mayor, Trustee Rhoads, severed ties with him, rejoining the rank-and-file Village Board members in January.
In June, opponents of West brought voter fraud charges against the mayor, because he participated in May’s village elections while residing outside the village line. Ulster County District Attorney Holley Carnright declined to charge him with voter fraud.
A phone call to Joe Eriole, the village attorney, seeking comment about the mayor’s lawsuit was not immediately returned in time for our print deadline.
Mayor West steps down for one month
West notified well-wishers of his decision to take a paid one-month leave of absence through a Facebook post on Aug. 23. “Nothing to worry about, but it will cut into my ability to work enough. It’d be irresponsible to try to do both,” he wrote.
Deputy Mayor Rotzler confirmed that the posting was serious. She said the mayor notified staffers that he’d be leaving.
“I met with him daily last week, including with our treasurer and deputy clerk, to cover agenda items,” said Rotzler, who will serve as acting mayor until his return. “He met with department heads and I am available to them as needed.”
West did not attend two meetings in mid-August, citing a medical emergency in the family. It’s unclear if the two are linked.
According to a report from the Times Herald-Record, West stepped down to seek treatment for bipolar disorder.
West is politically isolated on the Village Board, because he opposes consolidating the village and town governments. He claims his colleagues have targeted him because he’s against that government merger.
Village planner Lavalla fired
Trustees on the Village Board haven’t talked much publically about why Mayor West fired Lavalla, citing privacy concerns dealing with personnel.
Rumor of the firing spread like wildfire this weekend and it was immediately unclear if accounts of the firing were factual. Acting Mayor Rotzler has confirmed that the firing took place. However, phone calls to trustees Ariana Basco, Rhoads and Tom Rocco weren’t immediately returned.
Lavalla’s dismissal as the municipal planner comes after he was proposed to be hired by the Town of New Paltz and the village to conduct a joint master plan.
Mayor West, who did not attend the town-village meeting on Aug. 15, has said publically he thinks that meeting was improperly noticed — and that all Village Board votes at that meeting are void.
Susan Zimet, the town supervisor, went on the record saying she thinks Lavalla was fired for agreeing to work on the joint master plan. She believes West did this “to stop the work on a shared vision for a seamless community.”
During the Aug. 15 meeting, village trustees voted 3-0 in favor of the joint comprehensive plan. Town Board members joined them with a 5-0 vote. Mayor West and acting mayor Rotzler were absent from that meeting.
Calling the joint plan “critical,” the supervisor said she was dismayed that the firing actually took place.
“It is a major setback. However, I am in the process of moving forward a solution I believe we can accomplish, so the work on behalf of the community is not derailed,” she said.
As of press time, Mayor West had not responded to a request for comment on this story.
Maybe Jason should hang out at Snug’s more often.