{"id":108176,"date":"2026-01-22T04:12:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T04:12:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/108176\/"},"modified":"2026-01-22T04:12:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-22T04:12:11","slug":"manor-trustee-meeting-turns-contentious-as-winstead-voices-frustration-kurtz-presses-lapey-for-hearing-on-pedestrian-safety-pelham-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/108176\/","title":{"rendered":"Manor trustee meeting turns contentious as Winstead voices frustration, Kurtz presses Lapey for hearing on pedestrian safety \u2013 Pelham Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ryan<\/a> <\/p>\n

Ryan Kurtz before the Pelham Manor Board of Trustees on January 12<\/p>\n

The hard-fought election for control of the Pelham Manor Board of Trustees ended last month with Republicans still in charge, but the issues that dominated the campaign\u2013pedestrian safety, transparency and flooding\u2013have not gone into hibernation. Neither have the village\u2019s Democrats, who were among the residents who peppered Mayor Jennifer Monachino Lapey with questions and pushed for more openness from the board in a 90-minute meeting last week that at times grew contentious.<\/p>\n

The January 12 meeting began on a somber note, as Lapey noted the death of her mother<\/a>, Annette Cowan Monachino, just three days earlier. \u201cTruly a more loving, compassionate, finer woman never walked the face of this earth,\u201d she said. \u201cWe will miss her dearly and I thank her for her many contributions to this community.\u201d<\/p>\n

After hearing from Pelham Manor Fire Chief Michael Greco, and scheduling a hearing for a new law that would allow businesses in the area around Canal Road and Secor Lane to build office space in existing structures, Lapey opened the floor for public comment.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Manor resident Dana Thayer asked whether the Manor had ever considered creating a software application similar to the one used by the Village of Pelham which allows residents to report mishaps, traffic incidents, downed tree branches and the like.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lapey said it sounded like a great idea, then asked Village Manager Lindsay Luft for her opinion. Luft voiced some skepticism and said there were matters that were higher on her list of priorities. \u201cI\u2019m always concerned about biting off more than we can chew at any given time, you know, moving from a certain system to a different system. Whether it\u2019s paper based to electronic, you know, it\u2019s an adjustment.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Luft also expressed some concern about residents clogging the inbox with trivial complaints, like people sending in pictures of discarded pizza boxes. Finally, Luft said, the Village of Pelham app is not a work order system that\u2019s managed by staff. \u201cIt\u2019s a work order system that is initiated by the public,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd I just think that\u2019s a big leap.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deborah Winstead, the newest member of the board and the first Democrat to serve as a trustee in years, pushed back on Luft\u2019s concerns. \u201cI think we can walk and chew gum at the same time and we should be able to implement something like this,\u201d she said. \u201cLots of municipalities do it and they don\u2019t fall off a cliff and I think that we should be able to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

Calls for a comprehensive traffic study<\/p>\n

Next came Allison Frost and Pam Boyver, who have both served as co-chairs of the PTAC Pedestrian Safety Committee and urged the community in the past<\/a> make the Manor safer. The women thanked the board for installing stop signs last year and for reducing the speed limit, but asked the trustees to do more.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would like to request that a village-wide traffic study take place, looking at everything and what innovative changes might be able to be implemented, such as curb bump outs and different things to slow people down,\u201d said Frost, who also serves as chair of the Town of Pelham Democratic Committee.<\/p>\n

Boyver raised the issue of pedestrians being forced to walk on the street in some parts of the village, owing to tree roots disrupting the sidewalks, or extra-large hedges crowding the pathway. Frost noted that the intersection between Black Street and Esplanade, near the Manor Club, also posed challenges for pedestrians trying to cross.<\/p>\n

Lapey thanked the women for raising these issues, but said the village had conducted a nine-month comprehensive review some 18 months ago, which led to several new traffic laws passed by the board. Lapey then turned to Luft and asked for her input.\u00a0 Luft recited the detailed effort that went into the nine-month study, and then pointed out what she viewed as the drawbacks of a more comprehensive review.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cA village-wide study has the potential to take a significant amount of time and \u2026 there\u2019s no guarantee the fruit it\u2019s going to bear,\u201d Luft said. \u201cAnd sometimes with traffic studies on a large scale, the implementation of any recommendation that might come from it, there\u2019s no guarantee that it\u2019s feasible. Normally those high level studies look at things pretty broadly and then after they\u2019re adopted or recommended\u2026 then they bring it to an engineer to see if it\u2019s feasible, which personally I think can be a little backwards.\u201d<\/p>\n

Frost countered by asking why the engineer who conducted the review didn\u2019t notice the potential problem at the corner of Black and Esplanade. \u00a0 \u201cThere are still many, many traffic and pedestrian safety issues in our community,\u201d she said, adding that a comprehensive study was the best course of action.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s also not just like tiny acute problems as you say, and putting a Band-Aid over here and a Band-Aid over there. There are structural things that we can change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deputy Mayor Breda Bennett defended the board\u2019s work on traffic safety.\u00a0 \u201cThe one thing that I do want to get across is we definitely are not resting on our laurels,\u201d she said. \u201cThat I can assure everyone here and the community.\u00a0 We are very proactive. Over the past several years AAA has recognized our Traffic Safety in Pelham Manor.\u00a0 We\u2019ve received awards for the traffic study.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winstead expresses frustration<\/p>\n

After more discussion about the need for a traffic safety review, Winstead jumped into the conversation in support of Boyver and Frost.\u00a0 \u201cActually I\u2019m glad you\u2019re here because I\u2019ve been trying to work on this issue on this side of the desk and am not getting anywhere,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo many people tell me on their streets\u2026that there are problems and they would like a comprehensive traffic survey,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd if we don\u2019t do one, it keeps us doing small, little hotchpotchy Band-Aid fixes here and there. Why not have somebody assess our village instead of saying beforehand, oh, we don\u2019t think we\u2019re going to be able to implement those fixes or they\u2019re not going to be reasonable?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Winstead cited a number of times constituents told her that they didn\u2019t feel safe walking, riding a bike or taking their kids to school.\u00a0 She said she didn\u2019t expect her fellow trustees to take her word for it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I need to go and do my own survey, I\u2019ll do it and I\u2019ll collect all the problems that people are having here,\u201d she said. \u201cBut this just seems ridiculous to me. We could make a plan\u2026 I don\u2019t understand the resistance. I really don\u2019t. It makes no sense to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s resistance,\u201d Lapey responded. \u201cI think manager Luft is giving you her professional experience and her input.\u201d The mayor said the village was about continuous improvement, and stressed the importance of listening to Luft as well as the highly qualified engineer who conducted the earlier study.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight,\u201d said Winstead. \u201cBut none of that input sways me when she says I don\u2019t think the report\u2019s going to be any good, or we can\u2019t implement the things or it\u2019s going to be five years. We don\u2019t know what we don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t we at least figure out what we don\u2019t know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lapey explained that the board was very much in favor of planning and sound management.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not saying no,\u201d she said of a possible survey. \u201cI think it\u2019s something that\u2019s worth discussing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Turning to Winstead, Lapey said, \u201cThis is a governing board, though. Our understanding is that we must work on this together. We don\u2019t have one trustee go out on behalf of the village. We work together, we have a village manager and we work by consensus. But this is a very open-minded board.\u201d<\/p>\n

Toby Marxuach-Gusciora and Karen Gardner spoke next, pointing out the need for more enforcement of traffic rules at the intersection of Esplanade and the Boston Post Road.\u00a0 Lauren Perkins followed up by voicing her support for a comprehensive traffic and pedestrian safety study, as well as a comprehensive plan from the village.<\/p>\n

Kurtz challenges the board\u2019s process<\/p>\n

Then came Ryan Kurtz, the Democratic candidate who had come within two votes of getting on the board in last fall\u2019s election.\u00a0 He urged the board to consider the Village of Pelham app, and asked Lapey if the board could schedule a public hearing to gauge residents\u2019 views on the app, as well as the topic of pedestrian safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe typically put things on our agenda where we\u2019re ready to act,\u201d said the mayor. \u201cIt\u2019s a legislative agenda for the most part. I would want to hear from a few more of my colleagues, a few more residents.\u00a0 I think it\u2019s a great idea to continue looking at things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know that I\u2019d necessarily agree that something should only be on the agenda when it\u2019s ready to be presented to the public,\u201d Kurtz said. \u201cI mean, all of the discussions of this board are supposed to be public.\u201d Lapey affirmed that all board discussions were public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He then asked how the trustees could have a proposal if they hadn\u2019t discussed it in public.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, we don\u2019t have a proposal right now on your specific initiative, which is the survey or the app,\u201d Lapey said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cRight, but my point is that if the discussion happens in front of the public\u2026 then why would it not be on the agenda to discuss even if there\u2019s no proposal?\u00a0 Like, where\u2019s the discussion happening?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscussion is happening,\u201d Lapey said.\u00a0 \u201cWe introduce ideas. So, for example, Manager Luft and the board introduced a potential local law to change zoning.\u00a0 We just started talking about it and what\u2019s the rationale behind it\u2026. Now we\u2019re going to set a date for public hearing to hear from you, and Manager Luft and the board will give more information. That\u2019s a process. That\u2019s a very proactive, transparent process.\u00a0 This board is about open and transparent government. Happy to consider all topics, all initiatives. You can\u2019t realistically adopt everything.\u00a0 Anyone who tells you that they can is probably not understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n

After Bennett continued to defend the work done on behalf of pedestrian safety, Kurtz said the public was not seeing what\u2019s happening.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just saying that if you were to ask anyone in this room what the scale of the current Traffic Safety program is, no one has any idea,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Lapey defended the communications put out by the Manor board, describing the effort as \u201cincredibly robust.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s box-checking though, respectfully,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI respectfully disagree with you, Mr. Kurtz,\u201d said Lapey. \u201cI don\u2019t know any village that pushes out more content than we do.\u201d When Kurtz shrugged about the difference between quantity and quality, Lapey insisted that the Manor\u2019s communications were strong.<\/p>\n

Village Manager Luft in the spotlight<\/p>\n

Kurtz then circled back to his request on pedestrian safety, asking if the engineer behind the Manor\u2019s nine-month traffic assessment could show up in six or eight weeks and answer questions from the public. \u201cWould that be something that you\u2019d be open to?\u201d he asked Luft.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe may not be comfortable with that,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, you could make him,\u201d Kurtz responded. \u201cI mean, you\u2019re paying him. You could say we expect you to come in and answer questions.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been to a number of meetings at Siwanoy where they have their engineers and their architect. Community relations is an important part of what these people do, so I\u2019d be shocked if the engineer refused.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not saying that he would refuse,\u201d said Luft. \u201cI\u2019m just saying, you know, it would need to be something that would be defined. It\u2019s something that we would need to, you know, look at pretty thoroughly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, look at what aspect of it thoroughly?\u201d Kurtz asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the whole picture,\u201d Luft said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A few minutes later, Lapey zeroed in on Kurtz\u2019s question about board transparency, saying. \u201cSo\u2026 how does the public know anything? You know it because we\u2019re here and we\u2019re talking.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBut because you\u2019re saying things does not always mean they have actual substance,\u201d he replied.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I\u2019m telling you something, it has substance.\u201d Lapey replied firmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cOk,\u201d he responded. \u201cSo can can we put something, can we have items on the agenda to follow up on these? It\u2019s a simple, direct question. Can we put traffic safety on the agenda on a certain date?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lapey agreed to put the question on the agenda during an upcoming monthly report from the Pelham Manor Police Department\u2019s chief.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI will tell you that the data shows that this is a safe community,\u201d she said. \u201cIs there room for improvement always in life? Absolutely. Are we open to suggestion? Yes, every day of the week and twice on Sunday. But we have to vet these different options and determine what\u2019s in the best interest of the entire village.\u00a0 Not saying no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lapey pointed out that Luft\u2019s schedule was busy, managing an organization with almost 100 employees, and that it would make sense to let some work on this matter take place.\u00a0 Winstead volunteered to help take the next few steps to move the issue forward.<\/p>\n

Lapey agreed, but said she should meet with Luft first. \u201cI met with her,\u201d said Winstead, \u201cand all I heard was no.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s a fair assessment,\u201d said Lapey.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a very fair assessment,\u201d Winstead replied. \u201cYou weren\u2019t there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a fair assessment because you weren\u2019t told no,\u201d said Bennett.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was told no,\u201d Winstead said. \u201cI was told all the reasons it wouldn\u2019t work.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is why it would be great if these conversations happened at the meetings where there\u2019s actual deliberative processes,\u201d said Kurtz.
\u201cThat\u2019s what we do,\u201d insisted Lapey.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t,\u201d said Winstead. \u201cWhen do we do it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re we\u2019re doing it right now,\u201d said Lapey.\u00a0 \u201cWe have open public comment. We\u2019ve been talking about this for 45 minutes now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kurtz gets heckled; Owen-Michaane appeals for calm<\/p>\n

Kurtz wound up his time in front of the board trying to settle a point with trustee Maurice Owen-Michaane over the question of the size of the pipes on storm drains and whether they would be sufficient to handle catastrophic storms that happen only once in a decade or in several decades.\u00a0 When he mentioned what the Village of Pelham was doing, he got heckled by a few attendees in the back, at least one of whom suggested he was taking up too much time.
Owen-Michaane appealed to the crowd for calm. \u201cWe\u2019re all neighbors. Let\u2019s not be angry to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

To conclude the meeting, Lapey recognized Scott Wolfgang, who expressed his fervent support of the mayor and the trustees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived in Westchester for 40-plus years now,\u201d said Wolfgang. \u201cI\u2019ve been in Pelham for 15 years and I wanted to take this opportunity just to thank you guys for such a great job that you do\u2026 I think you guys do a fantastic job weighing what can be done with what can be afforded\u2026It really pains me to have a certain group of residents basically attacking you all\u2026\u00a0 We have no debt. Taxes are low, services are great. Like, you just make my life easier. And it\u2019s unfathomable to to me that for some reason that offends people and I don\u2019t really understand it. And I don\u2019t think that people really appreciate the job that you guys do and how well you do by our neighbors. So I just wanted to to thank you and I appreciate all the work that you guys do.\u201d<\/p>\n

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