Thursday, December 10, 2009
Spring Valley mayor hires East Ramapo trustee as assistant
An East Ramapo school board trustee who was a target of community anger after supporting the firing of the district's longtime attorney has been hired as an administrative assistant by Spring Valley's new mayor.
Aron Wieder, the school board's vice president, was appointed to the $45,000-a-year post Monday by Mayor Noramie Jasmin.
Late last month, Wieder, along with several members of a board voting bloc representative of the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities, were at the center of a community backlash after voting to fire Stephen Fromson, the district's lawyer for the past 33 years.
By majority vote, the board selected Albert D'Agostino, an attorney embroiled in a controversy over $600,000 in state pensions, currently being investigated by state District Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, to replace Fromson.
That D'Agostino would have cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees drove more than 550 people to attend a school board public session.
Last week, the board announced that Fromson would continue his work for the district and that a special counsel would be contracted for 15 days to advise board members until the legality of the vote to hire D'Agostino could be decided at the coming board meeting Wednesday.
Steven White, a Spring Valley resident who filed a petition to the state commissioner of education requesting a reversal of the decision to hire D'Agostino, called Jasmin's move to hire Wieder "unusual" and questioned Wieder's professional background and qualifications.
"This sounds like a purely political appointment," he said.
Jasmin said she was not sure who held the administrative position prior to Wieder and that the post required someone who was "academically fit."
"He will assist me in tackling some daily activities that are going on in the village," she said, adding that Wieder would be a "floater" who would assist in several day-to-day activities in her office.
Jasmin would not comment on Wieder's actions as vice president of the school board.
Wieder declined comment about his past employment experience and administrative qualifications.
"I'm looking forward to working under Mayor Jasmin to enhance the village of Spring Valley to its fullest potential," he said via an e-mail Tuesday.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20091210/NEWS03/912100413/-1/SPORTS/Spring-Valley-mayor-hires-East-Ramapo-trustee-as-assistant
Aron Wieder, the school board's vice president, was appointed to the $45,000-a-year post Monday by Mayor Noramie Jasmin.
Late last month, Wieder, along with several members of a board voting bloc representative of the Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish communities, were at the center of a community backlash after voting to fire Stephen Fromson, the district's lawyer for the past 33 years.
By majority vote, the board selected Albert D'Agostino, an attorney embroiled in a controversy over $600,000 in state pensions, currently being investigated by state District Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, to replace Fromson.
That D'Agostino would have cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in additional fees drove more than 550 people to attend a school board public session.
Last week, the board announced that Fromson would continue his work for the district and that a special counsel would be contracted for 15 days to advise board members until the legality of the vote to hire D'Agostino could be decided at the coming board meeting Wednesday.
Steven White, a Spring Valley resident who filed a petition to the state commissioner of education requesting a reversal of the decision to hire D'Agostino, called Jasmin's move to hire Wieder "unusual" and questioned Wieder's professional background and qualifications.
"This sounds like a purely political appointment," he said.
Jasmin said she was not sure who held the administrative position prior to Wieder and that the post required someone who was "academically fit."
"He will assist me in tackling some daily activities that are going on in the village," she said, adding that Wieder would be a "floater" who would assist in several day-to-day activities in her office.
Jasmin would not comment on Wieder's actions as vice president of the school board.
Wieder declined comment about his past employment experience and administrative qualifications.
"I'm looking forward to working under Mayor Jasmin to enhance the village of Spring Valley to its fullest potential," he said via an e-mail Tuesday.
http://www.lohud.com/article/20091210/NEWS03/912100413/-1/SPORTS/Spring-Valley-mayor-hires-East-Ramapo-trustee-as-assistant
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