Despite differences, communications remain open between Skoufis and Richardson

A week after State Sen. James Skoufis considered ending communications with Monroe Supervisor Maureen Richardson, whom he accused of subjecting members of his staff to verbal abuse, it appears the two Democrats will continue speaking with one another on matters pertaining to Monroe.

In a June 29 letter to Richardson obtained by The Photo News, Skoufis wrote, in part:

“Throughout your tenure in elected town service, you have repeatedly subjected my staff to disrespectful and inappropriate treatment and, often, attacks on their own public service and character... “I urge you to consider the straining impact your communications continue to have on relationships with offices around the county, including ours. If you feel that you cannot conduct town business with my team without lobbing insults, questioning their commitment to the work, injecting insulting sarcasm, or putting them in inappropriate positions, we welcome the opportunity to instead interact with others in town service, including your board and department heads.”

Days later, Richardson released a statement responding to the Skoufis letter. It read, in part:

“Over the past six months, my office and I have repeatedly attempted to schedule a meeting with Sen. Skoufis’ office to discuss how we can work together to address the issues that matter most to our shared constituents. That meeting has finally been put on the calendar for today, July 2, and I look forward to having those important conversations... Given our attempts to connect with his office, it is immensely disappointing that State Sen. Skoufis wrote and distributed a letter using state resources to rehash personal differences from years ago that I have already addressed publicly. There are far more important matters for us to focus on.”

The two politicians did meet on July 2 as scheduled. Richardson said the meeting was productive.

“Monroe [met] with Sen. Skoufis’ office to establish clear and professional communication protocols, including the distinction between political communications and official governmental communications” she said after the meeting. “The town reinforced that the supervisor’s office serves as the appropriate point of contact for municipal matters.”

The supervisor said the meeting also addressed fiscal concerns impacting Monroe like the solar farm agreement and infrastructure challenges.

“A representative from our office met with the supervisor from Monroe, along with staff and consultants the supervisor invited to the meeting,” Skoufis Director of Communications Valerie Best said via email. “Our staff will continue to meet with all elected officials within the Town of Monroe, and to work diligently on behalf of Town of Monroe residents, just as we do on behalf of residents of every municipality within our district.”

In his letter, Skoufis did say despite any issues between them, he and Richardson have worked to pass a local hotel-motel tax bill through both chambers, secure state grants and assist with various financial matters.