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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 25, 2015
CONTACT:
Kiley Blackman
[email protected]
www.adow.org
Is it Legal? Email Abuse by Mamaroneck Mayor uncovered for a Second Time
Intervention, investigation by Atty General requested by activists
Animal Defenders of Westchester (ADOW) and other animal advocates are
requesting the attorney general investigate Mamaroneck Mayor Norm Rosenblum,
for using his name and mayoral account to send residents a hate-filled,
factually incorrect 'sample letter,' complaining about deer, that they
should sign and forward to the DEC and state officials. The sample letter,
as sent out by "Mayor Norman S. Rosenblum" reads as follows:
Dear Commissioner O’Connor and Commissioner Martens,
I am writing to ask you to make deer control a priority.
I live in the Village of Mamaroneck. Our Village is bordered by the County
parkland in Rye City, Saxon Woods Park in White Plains as well as the
Hommocks area in the Town of Mamaroneck. The Village has the salt marshes
known as Guion Creek, Otter Creek, the Magid Pond and Taylors Lane and the
Hommocks as well as the open areas of the Hampshire Country Club.
The marsh and other open areas and the nature trails are overrun with deer,
which have spread in increasing numbers to the streets and yards of homes in
Mamaroneck and Rye, at all hours of the day and night. The herd that started
with 3 to 5 deer is now estimated to be over 45 and growing.
I know that there have been successful programs to relocate deer to areas
more conducive to wildlife, such as parks and/or preserves within the state,
and that Westchester County has taken some measures to control the deer
population. I urge you to increase such efforts in the County, especially in
the Village of Mamaroneck.
I know you are aware of the problems created by an overabundance of deer:
Lyme disease spread by deer; dead deer in residents’ yards; decimation of
the landscape and related destruction of the ecosystem for other wildlife;
danger to people in cars; increased cost to residents attempting to deter
deer; and lack of natural predators to control the number of deer.
I understand that the County is in the process of devising a program to deal
with the deer problem. I urge you to take whatever action you and the
experts in Westchester County think would be most effective in controlling
the growing deer population, and to do it without delay. Whatever program
the County determines to be the most effective deer-culling method for
Westchester County, including relocation, birth control, or hunting, I ask
you to implement it as soon as possible to reduce the deer population to
sustainable levels in Westchester County.
Thank you for your consideration of this issue.
Sincerely,
(insert your name and address here)
cc: N.Y.S. Senator George Latimer;
[email protected]
N.Y.S. Assemblyman Steve Otis;
[email protected]
Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker;
[email protected]
Village of Mamaroneck Mayor Norman Rosenblum;
[email protected]
Town of Rye Supervisor, Joe Carvin;
[email protected]
Town of Mamaroneck Supervisor, Nancy Seligson;
[email protected]
This is the second time Mamaroneck has been the subject of activist and
media scrutiny due to email: In March of 2013 it was proven that Mamaroneck
had illegally used an email filter that bounced email which had the word
'geese' in the subject line, during a battle to stop a massive geese
slaughter there, a slaughter that was vigorously supported by Mayor
Rosenblum, who ultimately did not prevail. ADOW was notified of this new
infraction by Mamaroneck resident Gina Von Eiff, who uncovered the previous
Mamaroneck email breach.
Kiley Blackman, founder of ADOW said, 'The mayor must be censured for using
his title to promote his own agenda for something Mamk residents may know
nothing about and not support - in addition to disseminating false, cruel,
prejudiced information. This whole issue was a total shock: There hadn't
been any reports of animal issues in Mamk other than one coyote incident -
now fictitiously multiplied in the mayor's email - which we are going to
meet with them for. The mayor clearly has his own agenda, same as he did
when he vigorously defended his desire to kill geese there, which was
successfully fought and avoided. It is outrageous that the mayor has waged
his own war on wildlife, especially after taking over a rural area near a
body of water where the animals resided before him. It is grossly
inappropriate for him to promote his agenda in his official capacity: Would
he be allowed to send out biased, anti-minority messages on his govt email?
Anti-abortion messages? He shouldn't be allowed to encourage and promote
hate mail about the animals either, while blatantly using his influence to
make constituents follow him. We as decent humans have to learn to share:
Especially at a time when wildlife is being threatened by urban sprawl,
hunters, the USDA etc, unwarranted demonization is not acceptable; If any
intervention results, we expect it to be humane, non-lethal and respectful
of wildlife - all wildlife.
'We are asking our members to request an investigation into this matter: If
he wants to contact the DEC himself he has that right; but using his
official capacity to tell constituents to send email supporting his his own
choice - and giving them a sample letter to sign - is a breach of his
mayoral duties; he must be censured for abuse of power and using his
official title to promote his own agenda - to an end that is biased and
possibly profitable to Rosenblum, who has clearly demonstrated an
over-eagerness to use taxpayer funds for slaughter via the USDA and their
DEC licensing agent.'
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