What We Don’t Know and What We Do

So far we don’t know why the Town Board suspended Police Chief Vasquez and so we have no way to evaluate the move.

However, the Chief’s release of a recording that he made during a meeting some months ago with Ralph Caruso does give us a great deal of information about how Caruso acts as Supervisor.

The tape can be heard in its entirety here:

https://soundcloud.com/vasquez4sheriff/woodbury

Starting at around 6 minutes in and then again at about 28 minutes Ralph attempts to force the Chief to give police vehicle repair business to McKenzie motors stating repeatedly that as Supervisor he wants work to be given equally to all town vendors.

In and of itself this would be quite laudable.

However the Chief explains that McKenzie has not only been ripping off the police department, but has done dangerously shoddy work on the police cars.

Amazingly, Ralph states quite plainly that he doesn’t care.

“I want it done, plain and simple,” he says.

For some reason Ralph is willing to allow tax money to be wasted and police officers to be put at risk in order to enrich Glen McKenzie.

Ralph says: “I’m the guy with the ultimate responsibility.” But if something goes horribly wrong it’s Woodbury tax payers who’ll be on the hook.

Also, Ralph doesn’t get that he isn’t the guy with ultimate responsibility.  Ultimate responsibility lies with the Town Board as a whole.

If a town board wishes to give a supervisor special powers it can vote top do so.

During the town reorganization Ralph repeatedly asked for more power and the board repeatedly said no.

Ralph doesn’t understand that. 

He’s never understood that. 

And as long as he’s Supervisor he will refuse to understand that.

                                        To read other posts by Uncle Betty click here.