Woodbury town board addresses information sharing concerns

A potential information leak dominated discussion at the Town of Woodbury’s Thursday, April 2 board meeting.

This follows a now-deleted social media post by former Town Supervisor Kathryn Luciani claiming that Town Supervisor Jacqueline Hernandez intended to introduce a proposal about town office space at the board’s March 5 meeting, despite it not appearing on the meeting agenda. The post raised questions among residents about how the former town supervisor obtained the information.

In a letter to the editor (https://shorturl.at/iDHaI) and a follow-up request for comment, Luciani addressed the post, explaining that she took it down at the request of Councilmember Teresa Luongo.

“[Luongo] reached out to ask how I had heard about the situation, and after I explained that multiple individuals had shared it, she asked if I would take it down to avoid criticism,” Luciani said in an emailed statement. “Out of respect for our friendship, I agreed.”

Background and response

During board member reports, Councilmember Martha Lopez provided context on the situation. She said that recent flooding impacted operations at the clerk’s department, leading the board to engage in a preliminary internal discussion about relocating certain offices. She added that while the board discussed the option to move offices from the building’s basement to the penthouse, that option was later shelved and no such move was put on a public agenda.

“When bits and pieces of a discarded idea are shared prematurely, it creates a false narrative that a costly decision has been made when the reality is quite the opposite,” Lopez said. “True transparency must be based on complete and accurate facts, not in incomplete drafts or rumors.”

However, Luciani offered a different perspective, stating that the information “had already been circulating throughout the community” and “was not treated as internal or confidential.” She added that during her administration, officials faced the same water issues and were told they could relocate to the penthouse but would still be required to pay for the unusable downstairs space.

“I expressed concern about this, but was advised there was no recourse,” Luciani said. “Our attorneys reviewed the situation as well and reached the same conclusion. Given that this was being widely discussed, I felt it was important for taxpayers to understand what could potentially occur.”

Addressing recent concerns

At the last board meeting, Luongo said a resident told her that a town employee may have disclosed some confidential information related to the matter. During the April 2 public comment session, Woodbury resident Janine Cortese inquired if the town employee was identified.

In response, Luongo said she does not know who the town employee was, adding that the resident did not disclose the name of the town employee “out of confidentiality for that person.”

Speaking on the matter, Lopez said that relying on anonymous, unverified claims about a leak unfairly casts suspicion on staff and that any public knowledge of a policy breach should instead be reported through proper channels.

Lopez also pushed back against suggestions that the information got out through a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request, noting that town records show that a FOIL request was filed after the information had already appeared online.

In addition, Lopez requested that Hernandez meet with all department heads to emphasize that FOIL requests are the only way to request town records and to protect staff from being unfairly blamed for leaks. Lopez also stated that she filed a formal memorandum with the town clerk to document the timeline of events.

Supervisor authorizations

During the meeting, the board approved several motions authorizing the town supervisor to sign agreements, including an inter-municipal agreement (IMA) between the Town of Woodbury, the Town of Woodbury Police Department and Orange County for the STOP-DWI program. The STOP-DWI program is designed to reduce alcohol related traffic injuries and fatalities.

In addition, the board authorized the town supervisor to sign the Dial-a-Bus IMA with the Town of Monroe. Lopez voted against the motion, saying she wanted more information about the added bus stop to the Town of Palm Tree and the $600 fee associated with it. Hernandez said the stop was added last year and that the fee is intended to cover the cost of the new stop.

The board also approved a motion for the town supervisor to sign a “Cooperative Agreement” between the Town of Woodbury, the Town of Woodbury Police Department and the Orange County District Attorney’s Office. The agreement calls on all parties to “cooperate and act collectively as a Task Force team.”