Are Taxpayers on the Hook for Illegal Actions of Elected Officials?

Can a Board of Education levy a tax on residents to pay for their illegal actions and those of unelected private individuals when the illegal action is unrelated to the operation of a school district under New York State education law?  Are taxpayers of the Valhalla School District responsible to bail out an illegal deal created by a local private homeowners association and a corrupt politician?

The courts have ruled that the Valhalla School District must return $1.9 million illegally appropriated “Westhelp Partnerhship” funds to the Town of Greenburgh.

While the purpose of this partnership was always to compensate the well to do residents of Mayfair Knollwood for the supposed “burden” of living near a homeless shelter, taxpayer dollars could not be gifted directly to a private homeowners association. Instead a scheme was crafted which gave effective control of $6 million to Ned McCormack, president of the Mayfair Knollwood Civic Association.  As chairman of Greenburgh’s Valhalla Schools Committee, Mr. McCormack had more authority than any school board member or district employee, creating positions on Valhalla’s payroll, hiring employees, and purchasing goods and services.  Ned McCormack’s committee, and not the taxpayers of Valhalla, controlled this money.  In 2003 the Valhalla School District newsletter stated “Dr. Kelly [superintendent of schools] said it is important to note that legally the funds are actually Greenburgh’s and will not be turned over to the District for use at its discretion”. 

Accordingly, the revenue and expense of the “Westhelp Partnership” were never included in a school budget and never approved by residents of the district. This partnership was entirely a private undertaking which the school board illegally fostered for the benefit of private individuals. It’s time for those individuals and board members to be held accountable and not at the expense of school district taxpayers.