The Town of Pelham Democratic Committee announced the party will not offer candidates in the Village of Pelham Manor elections, while in the same statement criticizing the all-Republican village board for three lawsuits brought against the municipality and the failure of the Manor to reach new labor agreements with its police officers and firefighters.

If no independents mount campaigns, the Republican candidates are the presumptive winners of the March 21 election, giving Mayor Jennifer Monachino Lapey her fifth term and seats on the village board to first-time trustee candidates Timothy Case and Daniel McLaughlin. The Democrats also did not field candidates in 2022.

Saying it wanted “to open an honest conversation about the Pelham Manor village board,” the Pelham Democratic Committee said in its statement, “As of today, there are several active lawsuits against the Village of Pelham Manor, alleging significant malfeasance and threatening us all with exorbitant costs and settlements. On top of this, our firefighters and police officers have no contracts, and have not received raises in years. Postponing the contracts simply delays the inevitable (and deserved) raises, which will become retroactive for all these un-contracted years.”

When asked why the Democratic Party wasn’t running candidates given the problems its says the village faces, Pelham Democratic Committee Chairwoman Allison Frost said “we weighed options and decided to focus on working toward making our community as awesome as the people who live here through programs, events and ideas at this time.”

Frost provided the following descriptions of three lawsuits against Pelham Manor:

• “Maria Pippo et. al. vs. The Village of Pelham Manor, et. al.: Pelham Manor is accused of causing and permitting the sexual assault, abuse and harassment of the plaintiff’s decedent in a wrongful death suit filed by his estate. A Pelham Manor Department of Public Works employee was allegedly sexually harassed by a colleague multiple times. Despite reporting the incidents to the village manager, the suit alleges that no actions were taken to protect the decedent, who ultimately died of suicide.”
• “Daniel Mendoza vs. Village of Pelham Manor et al: Pelham Manor is accused of negligence in the ownership, operation, management, maintenance and control of Pelhamdale Avenue near Black Street. On April 8, 2021, Mendoza was a bicyclist and fell there, sustaining ‘severe and permanent injuries.'”
• “Save the Sound v. Westchester County, et. al.: Pelham Manor, the county and 10 other municipalities are accused of permitting unlawful discharges of untreated/partially treated sewage and wastewater into the Long Island Sound. Pelham Manor is one of four municipalities that have not yet settled or reached another resolution. The most recent settlements came in 2022: Harrison committed approximately $36 million toward repairs; Port Chester adopted a $35 million bond resolution to pay for its repairs. The Manor government will face the effects of these lawsuits in the coming months and years.”

In the fall of 2021, a federal judge rejected a motion by Pelham Manor and the three other municipalities to dismiss Save the Sound’s suit.

On the lawsuits, Monachino Lapey said, “On advice of counsel, we are very limited in what we can say regarding open litigation matters. As always, we remain committed to high-level employment practices and take great care in maintaining our village. It is not uncommon for municipalities to face these types of claims. We are defending these lawsuits vigorously through our insurance carrier, who is defending and indemnifying us on these matters.With respect to Save the Sound, as mentioned at several board of trustees meetings, we are actively defending that case with a consortium of municipalities, where we contribute a relative share of legal fees (approximately 5%). We will continue to engage in good faith negotiations, while protecting the best interests of Pelham Manor residents.”

As for the the police and firefighter contract negotiations, the mayor said, “We remain truly grateful to our first responders for their outstanding service to our community. Collective bargaining negotiations are generally privileged, however I can report that we have made great strides and expect to have a positive update as soon as Monday’s meeting.”

• Biographical material on Monachino Lapey, Case and McLaughlin can be read here.