Police Lawsuit Update and Marijuana Dispensaries in Greenburgh
Hello Greenburgh,
It's been awhile since my last update and I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I will be sending a separate email later this week on the budget and some upcoming events but I wanted to get this email out with two important updates.
Police Sexual Harassments Lawsuit
The Yonkers Times has published a piece in which they report that additional subpoenas are being issued and additional incidents are being investigated. Link
One additional note I thought was interesting is that Steins brother, also formerly a Greenburgh police officer, and was in the room at the time of the alleged incident with Officer Cerrone, has transferred out of the department. The Yonkers Times article reports one incident that "centers on a Sergeant in the Greenburgh PD who recently threatened a female Greenburgh police detective to make sure she didn’t come forward with her own accounts of sexual harassment."
If you remember, Kristen Stein made allegations of Sexual Assault and Police Misconduct against the Greenburgh Police Department, Former Chief McNerney and others in the department. The cost to the town to defend against this lawsuit is already $150k and increasing by the week. I will be closely monitoring for updates and will apprise readers of developments. Police must be held to the same standards and rules that regular citizens are held to. I'm not sure how this will all end but it definitely won't end well for Greenburgh taxpayers.
Marijuana Dispensaries and Retail Sales
The Town has continued to hold hearings regarding opting out of potential marijuana dispensaries in the Town but no decision has been made yet. Supervisor Feiner and Councilwoman Jackson have indicated supporting allowing dispensaries during these hearings/work sessions. Councilwoman Juettner and Councilman Sheehan were on the other side during the discussions and seemed to be leaning towards opposing dispensaries. However at one of the recent hearings, Councilman Sheehan said that he had actually changed his mind on one aspect of this, and could be potentially in favor. That would be the 3rd required vote. Councilman Jones has remained mostly silent and its hard to see which direction he leans.
In terms of surrounding areas, New Rochelle, White Plains, Yonkers, Sleepy Hollow and Hastings have all opted in. Bronxville, Eastchester, Dobbs Ferry, Ardsley, Irvington have opted out. Elmsford, and Scarsdale are still deciding. I've found this map helpful in identifying each community status.
No matter what they decide, marijuana is legal in NY to consume and smoke anywhere cigarettes are allowed. If your local municipality opts out of dispensaries, delivery services would be allowed to sell within those areas and consumption would still be allowed in public.
Hopefully you have found this informative. Please forward to your friends and neighbors. If you have questions about any of the above, please email me at Eric@ericzinger.com