Catalina Complaint Against Philipstown Town Justice Dismissed
A formal complaint filed by Peekskill Mayor Frank Catalina against Philipstown Town Justice Alan Steiner for professional misconduct in March was dismissed by the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct earlier this month as “without merit.”
In a May 6 correspondence circulated by Steiner last week, Robert Tembeckjian, administrator and counsel, stated Catalina’s complaint against Steiner, in which the mayor contended Steiner, in his role as chairman of the Board of Directors for the non-profit organization The Preservation Company, damaged his reputation with remarks made over state grants wrongly given to Councilwoman Drew Claxton and her son for home repairs, was quickly denied “upon first review.”
Catalina, an attorney, had claimed Steiner violated rules governing judicial conduct by allegedly “making material misrepresentations he knew were false” in media statements regarding the grants made to the Claxtons in 2007.
In addition, Catalina maintained Steiner also “intentionally (cast) the worse aspersion that can be cast over an attorney” by stating he wasn’t honest.
Last week, Catalina said while he was “disappointed in their action, I’m not really surprised a group of judges looked at his false and defamatory statements and simply chose to look the other way,” noting as of the end of 2015, the Commission heard 52,436 cases and 83% were dismissed upon initial review. He added since 1975 only 268 judges were admonished by the Commission.
“I join many who have had their complaints against out-of-control judges rejected by this ‘commission,’” Catalina remarked. “Since their ‘proceedings’ are hidden from public view, we do not know what Steiner submitted in response, its truthfulness, or what the staff, who review complaints, recommended to the full Commission.”
Catalina said his complaint detracts from the real issue that Steiner will not have to publicly account for his role in the granting of the $40,000 grants to the Claxtons, which also cost The Preservation Company the opportunity to receive a $313,000 grant Peekskill was awarded that was intended to go to The Preservation Company but was later redirected following the controversy over the grants given to the Claxtons.
“In the end, only the needy families of Peekskill lose because of his partisan political actions, which are still, nonetheless, completely disgraceful for a sitting judge, regardless of the Commission’s decision to ignore it,” Catalina said. “While I knew the odds the Commission taking any action were remote, my personal goals were met. While he will never admit it, I am assured that from now on, he will think twice before opening his mouth and making public comments about me. And to me, that’s priceless.”
When asked for a comment on Catalina’s complaint in March, Steiner declined to address the mayor’s allegations but issued a statement that read: “The Preservation Company has been, and continues to be, in close correspondence with all parties with jurisdiction over funding it receives from the State of New York. As we have stated previously, we will not engage in local politics.”
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/
