'Malicious nonsense'

Last week, The Photo News published a letter to the editor from Michael Goldstein. As he has for years, the author seethed with panicky allegations that the sky is falling on Monroe, all due to the grassroots, volunteer organization United Monroe, its leadership and three town board members.
Generally, I ignore the fabrications of keyboard warriors because disproving one fable just leads to its replacement with another. So, I’ll forego comment on his letter’s lesser fibs, focusing just on its two whoppers.
Gleefully painting a picture that portrays KJ’s recent annexation petition as the start of a campaign to run roughshod over dissidents, UM, the Orange County Legislature and the residents of Monroe, he breathlessly dares UM: “Will United Monroe sue” to stop KJ?
Sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Goldstein, but you miss your mark, again.
KJ isn’t bullying anybody. It has asked for permission from United Monroe in the form of a waiver from the annexation prohibition in the Palm Tree settlement agreement.
You can learn the facts in the letter from United Monroe’s Executive Committee elsewhere in this paper.
And, even if it wanted to do so, KJ can no longer bully Monroe because of our political separation provided by Palm Tree.
This time around, our now fully independent Town Board will decide whether to approve or deny that annexation petition on its merits.
With a particularly ugly flourish, the author ends his letter by declaring that his falling sky will rain down on everyone except United Monroe’s “executive board” because it “negotiated protection from being sued by KJ for its attorney fees.”
This was malicious nonsense when you first said it almost two years ago and remains so today. The settlement agreement, published in its entirety by UM and two newspapers months before the Palm Tree referendum and discussed with Q&A during the two public forums, does not contain any such protection. To help you understand what the agreement does say, I recommend you hire a qualified attorney to explain it to you.
Sincerely,
Michael Egan
Monroe Resident and member of United Monroe