No. Castle Political Leaders Fire Back at Councilman for Comments

A week after North Castle Councilman John Cronin accused former supervisor William Weaver of associating with the disgraced and now incarcerated former town Republican chairwoman, a coalition of town political leaders fired back.

Democratic Committee Co-Chairman John Diaconis, joined by his co-chair Barry Malvin, Republican Committee Chairwoman Anita Cozza and William McClure, head of North Castle’s Conservative Committee, read a joint statement during the March 20 town board meeting harshly criticizing Cronin.

Diaconis said the connection Cronin made at the March 13 meeting between Loronda Murphy’s criminal sentencing and her involvement with Weaver’s political campaign was alarming. He said the comment showed “a lack of judgment and a mean-spiritedness that does not meet the standard of professionalism we expect from our elected officials.”

“In our view, destructive accusations such as those made last week against the former North Castle town supervisor, and on earlier occasions against other past and present town board members, do not meet even the minimal standard of professionalism,” Diaconis said.

At the March 13 meeting, Cronin said during the board’s public announcements that he hoped that Murphy’s sentencing on mortgage fraud charges would close “a disgraceful chapter” in the town’s political history. He then accused Weaver of having Murphy run his 2011 re-election bid despite her well-documented legal troubles.

Murphy was remanded to county jail on March 5, where she is awaiting the completion of her sentencing for mortgage fraud. She pled guilty last year to the top counts in the 19-count indictment for stealing about $720,000 through a mortgage lending company she set up. She is due to have her sentencing completed today (Tuesday), where she is expected to receive anywhere from four-and-a-half to 13 1/2 years in jail.

After the joint statement was read, Cronin didn’t back down. Cronin said he stands by the comments he made the previous week and reiterated that point in an interview last Friday.

Cronin said the statement made by the coalition of town political leaders didn’t surprise him because they don’t have the best interests of town residents.

“No one denied the facts. No one challenged the facts because they can’t. The facts are irrefutable,” Cronin said. “(Murphy) was heavily involved in his campaign, and again no one denied that. They came up and said I shouldn’t be raising the issue in a meeting.”

At that meeting, Weaver denied that Murphy had managed or was involved in his campaign. Despite being in attendance again last week, he did not speak.

Cronin provided documents to The Examiner that he believes provide the evidence to back his claims. Those include:

—A June 2011 email from Murphy to some town residents regarding a petition-signing event at Tazza Café in Armonk for Weaver, who was seeking re-election for a second term; current board member Stephen D’Anglelo; and Doug Martino, who was running for town judge. Additionally, a picture shows Weaver standing next to a table where Cozza and Murphy, whose back was to the camera, were sitting during the campaign event.

—A June 2, 2011, article in the Westchester Guardian which indicated that Murphy continued to come to Weaver’s office even after she was knee-deep in legal trouble and had resigned as the GOP committee chair the previous September.

—A May 2011 letter to Westchester County Republican Chairman Douglas Colety that was signed by seven town GOP committee members, including Murphy, Weaver and Cozza, asking that former North Castle Republican Chairwoman Rosemarie Bellantoni be removed from the post.

—A document showing Weaver appointing Cozza as his proxy, which was notarized by Murphy on April 5, 2010.

Retired town Sewer and Water Superintendent Anthony Futia, a frequent critic of town officials, said he had seen Murphy’s car parked in front of town hall and saw her in Weaver’s office even after she was out as the GOP chairwoman. Futia, who retired in June 2011, said it was “pretty obvious” that she was involved in his campaign.

“I did see her there,” Futia said. “And even after I retired, her car was parked there quite often right in front of the building. I mean, she didn’t even bother to park in back. She would park right out in front where everyone could see the car.”

When reached by phone, Weaver said he couldn’t recall if Murphy visited his office after she resigned as chairwoman.

“I’m not positive,” Weaver said. “I don’t know that answer.”

Weaver emphasized that Murphy had no involvement with his re-election bid and that he hired a private company to manage his campaign. When asked to respond to the email she sent out about the Tazza Café event and the picture in which he was seen with her, Weaver said that doesn’t prove that she had a role in his campaign. He recalled her being at the event, but said Murphy occasionally showed up to town GOP functions on her own even after she had resigned.

“She had no involvement in the running of my campaign,” Weaver said.

While he had no prior knowledge that the committee chairpersons would admonish Cronin’s previous actions, Weaver said he’s happy they did.

Democratic co-chair Barry Malvin said he isn’t sure the latest round of bickering in North Castle politics is over just yet.

“I think it was politically motivated, and we can expect more of the same,” Malvin said.