Spring Valley residents rally against dissolving village as petition seeks Ramapo control

SPRING VALLEY – Advocates of keeping the village government urged their fellow villagers on Wednesday to organize against a so-far anonymous movement to dissolve the government and bestow control to the town of Ramapo.

Close to 100 people cheered off and on as speakers shared information on government dissolution and exhorted residents to fight the movement during a rally in the parking lot in front of the police station and village hall. The site was moved from the nearby First Timothy Christian Church when the church officials prohibited use of the house of worship's parking lot.

Speakers warned residents to carefully read any petition they’re asked to sign. They also urged people to get their family members and neighbors involved and be prepared to save the village and way of life by voting against any public referendum seeking to dissolve the village government.

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Those supposedly passing around a petition are unknown, but opponents said they've not been asked to sign or know people in the community who have been approached. Several people suggested Orthodox Jewish leaders and builders are behind the movement.

Dissolution means Ramapo would provide services such as police, public works, snow plowing, street maintenance, land-use decisions on development and potentially building inspections and prosecution of violations of fire, zoning, and building codes.

“We don’t know who is behind this petition or what their goals are,” said Vivian Street, a former NAACP chair and longtime activist. “We don’t know if anyone has signed this petition. What we know is we want our village and don’t want the village dissolved.”

She urged residents not to be swayed by promises of tax savings under Ramapo, saying residents have much more to lose by giving up their political and electoral independence.

Steve White, a longtime activist who heads the local Citizens United to Protect Our Neighborhood unit, told attendees the last time Ramapo took over a village office, property taxes jumped for homeowners. He referred to Ramapo taking over the village’s tax assessment, an experiment that failed and the village took back the work.

White said his property taxes rose by $1,900 a year. He said landlords benefited by tax savings.

“Anytime one group pays less, another group pays more,” White said. “If we allow the village to be dissolved, the little guy, the homeowner will lose.”

The petition drive comes as the working-class, ethnically diverse village deals with housing issues and the state deputizing the county government to conduct inspections and prosecute violations of the fire, zoning and building codes. The village has understaffed and underfunded its Building Department for years, getting behind on required inspections and losing revenues from fees and violations.

The village also has dealt with financial issues, with its tax base dependent on single-family housing, apartment complexes, and small businesses on Main Street. A few years ago, the village considered merging its police department with Ramapo and Clarkstown, which covers a small section of Spring Valley. Police costs are the budget's largest expense.

Under dissolution, the Ramapo Police Department would take over most of the village, while Clarkstown cops would patrol a small section of the village in Clarkstown.

Beatrice Brutus exalted the crowd by contending the dissolution is political and would negatively impact the majority Black and Hispanic populations. The village also has growing Orthodox, Hasidic Jewish populations with developers rebuilding housing and buying up properties.

Others appealed to the people’s pride in the village, citing its history and their Tigers pride for years at Spring Valley High School.

“Spring Valley is our home,” said 17-year-old Randie Davis, the Spring Valley High School senior class president, drawing cheers from the crowd. “Spring Valley is in our hearts. We need your help. If Ramapo takes over, Spring Valley will not exist.”

The petition is the first step. To move toward a public vote, a petition needs 10% of the village’s registered voters or 5,000 signatures, Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski said.

The village clerk would have to certify the signatures and the petition before the Board of Trustees sets a public vote. If approved at the ballot box, the board would hold public hearings and set up a dissolution plan, selling off assets, paying debt, and dealing with employment issues.

Zebrowski said he opposed dissolution, saying he sided with residents having their own government. He noted the New York State Department of State has information on village dissolution.

Other speakers argued even if people disagreed or disliked their elected village officials, residents had a better chance of their grievances being acted upon by village officials than those running Ramapo.

Spring Valley NAACP Chapter President Willie Trotman said residents are best served with an independent village government of their own choosing.

Earlier this year, the Orangetown village of South Nyack completed a two-year process of dissolving the government and turning over services to Orangetown on April 1. The village of an estimated 3,500 people dissolved on March 31 after being formed in 1878.

Advocates successfully convinced South Nyack voters that rising property taxes and expenses made a village government without taxable businesses too expensive for homeowners and renters. The sale and potential development of the 106-acre former Nyack College campus to a Ramapo Hasidic Jewish congregation cast a large shadow and spurred dissolution among some residents.

Micheal Miller, a countywide CUPON leader, said the fact the petition advocates are not publicizing themselves or why they want the village dissolved raises questions.

“Why wouldn’t they want to make their positions known,” Miller said. “Just to secretly pass around a petition in a clandestine manner, that’s not the way to do it if you have nothing to hide."

Steve Lieberman covers government, breaking news, courts, police, and investigations. Reach him at slieberm@lohud.com. Twitter: @lohudlegal. Read more articles and bio. Our local coverage is only possible with support from our readers.

This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Spring Valley rally opposes petition seeking Ramapo control of village