Outgoing No. Castle Planning Chair, Schiliro Squabble Over Appointment
The outgoing chairman of the North Castle Planning Board charged last week that the decision against reappointing him for another term may have been politically motivated.
Art Adelman, a 12-year planning board member, said he was informed by town Supervisor Michael Schiliro during a face-to-face meeting on Dec. 12 that he would no longer be serving on the board in 2016. He said he initiated the meeting with Schiliro earlier in the month.
Adelman, 76, a Republican who was initially appointed by the late supervisor Jack Lombardi, said he found the reason given to him for a change – to allow a growing number of younger residents who are interested in serving the town – to be a curious one because it has been his experience that many of those residents typically don’t have the time to devote to serving because of career and family.
He theorized that Schiliro, a Democrat, was looking to continue to remake the planning board because he may have disagreed with the boards handling of certain issues and applicants. He named outspoken developer Michael Fareri as one applicant who frequently appears who the town board appears to have a bias against.
“I think this is motivated by politics,” Adelman said of the decision to not reappoint him. “There’s little question in my mind that’s what happened here.”
He said he saw political overtones after his recommendation for the town board to consider North White Plains resident Jill Greto was rebuffed. Greto is a Republican; the appointee for that seat, Michael Pollack, is a Democrat, he said.
Adelman said he had an inkling that he was being phased out last year when his previous five-year term expired. Instead of being reappointed for another five years, the town board decided to appoint him to the remaining year of former member Guy Mezzancello’s term. Mezzancello resigned from his seat after he won a special election in November 2014 for town board.
Reached last weekend, Schiliro dismissed Adelman’s allegations as not being factual and based on conjecture.
There has been renewed interest by a cross-section of residents who have inquired about volunteering their time, he said. As a result, Schiliro said he and the board want to tap into that talent and enthusiasm.
“We have so many talented local people who have expressed an interest in the planning board,” Schiliro said. “There are people who want to get involved in the other boards –the zoning board, the ARB. That’s a good thing for the community and it hasn’t happened in all my years on the board.”
The supervisor also denied any insinuation that Adelman was let go because of his age. He said there continues to be number of seniors that serve the town on volunteer boards, including longtime town resident Charles Pound, who in his mid-90s is an active member of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.
“I’m never going to discriminate because they’re too young,” Schiliro said.
“It’s good to have people who are excited and ready to move into the fold,” he added.
Adelman, who is retired from IBM and also had his own accounting firm, said he was disappointed that he wasn’t going to continue on the planning board but is not bitter by the turn of events. He says he has many other activities to keep him busy.
He stressed that any impression by members of the public that he was unable to serve because of age should be dispelled. Adelman added that he has letters from community members, attorneys and applicants who agreed that he will be missed.
“I’m very active and have enjoyed serving, so I’m fit and ready for duty, as they say,” Adelman said.
Schiliro said he maintains great respect for Adelman’s service to the town, not only on the planning board but volunteering for a number of organizations as well.
Martin has more than 30 years experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, including a frequent focus on zoning and planning issues. He has been editor-in-chief of The Examiner since its inception in 2007. Read more from Martin’s editor-author bio here. Read Martin’s archived work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/martin-wilbur2007/
