At the March town board meeting, members hit all the usual marks in routine fashion. Pledge of Allegiance, check; approval of minutes of last month’s meeting, check; pay the bills, check; review reports from various municipal departments, check; open and close a public hearing on an amendment to the zoning code, check; approve said amendment, check; set dates for the annual bulk cleanup and yard sale, check.

Quite out of the ordinary was the appearance of four volunteers with New York Citizens Audit (NYCA), a part of United Sovereign Americans (USA), an organization it says has thousands of volunteers in 22 states. Volunteers in New York, the USA’s website says, “reported indications of millions of suspected criminal acts within the New York State voter roll database, by parties unknown, and demanded an investigation.”

Volunteer Karen Ambrosetti, who identified herself as a resident of Orange County, led off the group’s presentation, telling board members the group had “alarming information” about New York’s voter database that was uncovered by a highly qualified and credentialed data team.

She told the board, “We come to you, our closest elected representatives, for support and action.”

The all-Republican board was receptive.

Last month, the NYCA sent paperwork, asking the board to pass a resolution calling for a complete end-to-end audit of the state’s 2022 general election. The board took no action, but Deputy Supervisor Michael Mendez invited the group to come explain their grievances at the March meeting. In the meantime, the board prepared a resolution backing an audit for action at the meeting.

But the group changed gears, and when its volunteers appeared this month they asked instead for a resolution imploring support for a “legally valid 2024 general election.” Among the various “whereases,” leading up to the “therefore,” the NYCA alleged the 2022 election was riddled with millions of “ineligible or uncertain registration violations, 732,359 votes cast by ineligible or uncertain registrants, and 35,312 more votes cast than voters who vote.”

Critics have challenged the numbers, and fear NYCA will undermine the public’s faith in elections. For example, PolitiFact, a nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute, fact-checked the “more votes claim” and rated it false.

But the town board went along with the group’s request and unanimously passed the resolution prepared by NYCA.

After the vote, the board asked the volunteers how their drive, which has included similar requests to county, state and federal officials, was going. Not good, they said. Their requests have been ignored at all levels. Supervisor Charles Carnes said he’d speak to Orange County Legislator Rob Sassi, who represents Crawford, to see if anything could be done.

Zoning Changes Approved

The board did approve a local law permitting building trades and property maintenance trades to operate in business park and business park-hamlet zoning districts as a “special use.” The board also approved the rezoning of a portion of a large parcel next to the Army National Guard base on Route 17K in the Bullville area to business park from residential. The rezoning is in keeping with the town’s promotion of commercial development in the Bullville area.

Clean-up Scheduled

The board also set May 16, 17 and 18 aside for the annual bulk clean-up in town. Residents can bring items to the sewer plant property on Hardenburgh Road. Electronic equipment will be accepted on May 18 only. Permits are free and required. The board scheduled the annual townwide yard sale for May 4, with a rain date of May 5.