“The mayor of Scotia is defending the low grade the village received by a coalition that watches whether municipal governments follow state Open Meetings Law, while the mayor of Cobleskill is disputing its failing grade.
“I think we’re doing what they asked for,” said Scotia Mayor Tom Gifford on Thursday.
The New York Coalition for Open Government released a report and held a press conference Thursday morning detailing its findings on 20 villages throughout the state. The report states that half the villages looked at in the study did not adhere to Open Meetings Laws in relation to posting agendas and agenda documents. The village of Scotia earned a grade of D.
“Truthfully I think getting a D grade when you don’t comply with the Open Meeting Law is probably being generous,” said Paul Wolf, the president of the coalition, during a press conference.
Cobleskill got an F — putting both villages toward the bottom of the list for following the law.
“That’s not a great performance by village governments in our view,” Wolf said.
Scotia was awarded 65 points out of 100, while Cobleskill received no points.”
read the entire article
Briere, Shenandoah. Schenectady Gazette 5 March 2021.