Documents › Board Of Trustees, 2025-09-10

agenda 4 pages

From: Croton-on-Hudson NY via Croton-on-Hudson NY To: Manager"s Office Subject: Form submission from: Send Us Comments Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 7:09:14 AM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Submitted on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 - 7:09am Submitted values are: Choose One: Public Comments for Board Meeting Please include any questions or comments: With regard to the proposed signage at Silver Lake regarding accessibility, it should be noted that this past Summer when I inquired of silver Lake staff about accessibility by those with impaired mobility, they were unaware of any means to do so. When I informed them that in the past those with impaired mobility were allowed to be dropped off, they had no knowledge of such a policy, but thankfully I was referred to the silver Lake supervisor who confirmed that this was so. Nevertheless, it is important that Silver lake users and staff be informed clearly that access to this uniquely Croton recreation spot is available to all ==Please provide the following information== Your Name: James C. Miller Email Address: ==Address== Street: 18 wolf road City: Croton on Hudson State: New York Zipcode: 10520 Organization: Phone Number: The results of this submission may be viewed at: https://www.crotononhudson-ny.gov/node/2/submission/38221 From: Lauren Davis To: Signs Date: Monday, September 8, 2025 8:13:06 PM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Dear Board: Everyone who comes down to Silver Lake knows about both paths.  If the real reason is to alert people to the less steep path, it seems unnecessary. Perhaps you are thinking of putting in an escalator. If this is really about helping people know where the less steep path is, ok. Maybe this to legally adhere to some code; ok sign it is. But more  signs don’t make Croton friendlier. They just make it more “signy” - And in fact  seems to lead some people to make death threats (according to the recent uproar over a village resident’s large political signage).  This is a sacred place to many of us and the reason that it’s sacred is it’s quiet and calm and wooded and we don’t need lots of lights and signage. Thank you for your time Respectfully, Lauren Davis 14 Hamilton Avenue Sent from my iPhone From: Nora Regis To: Board of Trustees; Manager"s Office Subject: Public comment in re: Letter from various Croton-on-Hudson and Croton-Harmon School District residents regarding the recent adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025 4:57:51 PM ***CAUTION: External sender.*** Good afternoon, I encourage you to adopt the clarifying language regarding the adoption of the IHRA definition. Adopting the IHRA definition without clear guidelines like those suggested in the letter by Silverglade et al. risks confusion about what speech and criticism are considered antisemitic, both now and ten years from now, no matter who is serving on the board. While I appreciate Trustee Simon’s assurances that the village only intends to adopt the first 40 words, I remain concerned that his distinction will be missed in the future.    I previously alluded to this in my prior email to the board before the resolution, but I will make myself more straightforward now. In my experience as a community forum administrator for The Croton Point Facebook group, I’ve seen how vocal proponents of IHRA label good-faith discussions or advocacy regarding Palestine as hate speech. Definitions are supposed to provide clarity into the meaning of a word, but for some who promote IHRA, its vagueness is very much the point. One member, who is on the record publicly endorsing IHRA for the school and town, told the admin team that a link to a story by Amnesty International acknowledging Nakba Day was antisemitic and that the post should either be removed or the offending member should be kicked out. While the offending member has posted many times about Palestine (to the consternation of some in the village), I could not understand why the specific Nakba post was considered hate speech. Through conversation, I learned that they viewed it as akin to saying Israel does not have a right to exist or to self-determination. She explained that this post is an example of why we need an agreed-upon definition like IHRA. The member went on to say that by leaving this up, the admin team was making Croton an unsafe place for Jewish people. This broke my heart as I would never ever want to foster hate, but at the same time, I truly do not see how a post about disputed or controversial history is doing that. There are more examples like this one that I’d be happy to provide, but in the interest of brevity, I will say that I felt unsafe remaining an admin of the group. I had parents who advocated for the definition in the schools in my messages, saying they would tell everyone in town I was an antisemite if I did not take the actions they wanted when it came to posts about Palestine. I avoided going into town for about a month and kept my time at Summerfest short. They were not open to compromise or seeing things from a different perspective, and they feel empowered by their personal interpretation of this vague definition. I believe that the trustees and mayor who voted for this resolution truly wanted to make members of the community feel safe, and the forcefulness with which members spoke out about incidents of antisemitism required urgency, which is perhaps why you were not open to considering other definitions or writing your own. However, in your haste, I believe you’ve unintentionally created a situation that could lead to more confusion and painful incidents down the line—including scenarios like those I encountered as a Facebook admin, where community members accused each other and the admin team of fostering hate. I respectfully ask that the Board revisit its decision and add the suggested specific language to ensure that the definition is applied fairly and clearly, so it protects the Village from real antisemitism while allowing for open discussion about legitimate political issues. This will help all residents feel welcome and safe, and ensure our policies serve the entire community. Thank you for your time. Manager Healy, please read my remarks into the record. -- Nora Regis Odland