The Rotterdam Town Board meeting last night, Wednesday, May 26, ended with flashing lights outside of Town Hall.
Deputy Supervisor Robert Godlewski called the town police after resident Kelly Rhinesmith called Supervisor Frank Del Gallo a colossal liar during the privilege of the floor at the end of the meeting. After Rhinesmith continued to make accusatory statements towards the board, with Del Gallo telling her to leave, Godlewski walked off to make the call. The incident lasted around 3 minutes from the first remark until Rhinesmith stopped talking.
`She is out of order with those type of comments. You have to tell her to not make those types of comments,` said Godlewski to Del Gallo after Rhinesmith’s initial comment. Godlewski said to Rhinesmith that the board doesn’t have to listen to the `rude comments` she expressed.
After about 2 minutes of comments from Rhinesmith, some board members started talk amongst themselves on how to deal with the situation. She continued to directly address members of the board as Godlewski got up with a mobile phone in hand and left the room to call the police.
Before Godlewski returned, DiLeva requested to adjourn the meeting. Rhinesmith then stopped addressing the board. Shortly after DiLeva’s request the meeting ended.
A police car pulled up, with a total of four arriving, shortly after residents were leaving Town Hall. Rhinesmith did approach police and talk to them before driving off the property.
`She was asked to leave and she left, no charges were filed,` said Lt. Jason Murphy on Thursday, May 26.
In an e-mail to The Spotlight Friday morning, May 27, Rhinesmith made the following statement:
`At no time did any of the responding officers ask me to leave. This was a public meeting, in a public building, and I was confronted in the public parking lot of that building. I left on my own volition, but I was under no obligation to leave unless I did something illegal, which I did not, and confronting Board Members with their own statements doesn’t count. The police therefore had no legal grounds to force my departure and I’m sure they understand this, just as I do.`
Rhinesmith accused Del Gallo of claiming he would for wait for Councilwoman Nicola DiLeva to arrive at the board’s Wednesday, May 11, meeting before a vote was taken on awarding the ambulance service contract. The board didn’t call a recess that night, proceeding without DiLeva, before voting to award Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services the ambulance service provider contract with the town.
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Below is a video that wasn’t recorded by
The Spotlight
, but by an attendee at the meeting.
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