May 20, 2016
By Paula Mitchell
...Zierler, (click here) who has only been on the board since January, said members often disagree on things like applications or zoning codes and said he views the Pledge of Allegiance as an “external” that would create further uneasiness.
By Paula Mitchell
...Zierler, (click here) who has only been on the board since January, said members often disagree on things like applications or zoning codes and said he views the Pledge of Allegiance as an “external” that would create further uneasiness.
The four planners who voted in favor of a motion not to say the pledge were Zierler, Lagusta Yearwood, Michael Calimano, the chairman, and Lyle Nolan, the vice chair.
Those who voted to say the pledge were Tom Powers, Adele Ruger and Amy Cohen.
Cohen, an 18-year resident of New Paltz and owner of the Groovy Blueberry clothing store, first brought the issue before the board in October.
The former village mayoral candidate has served on many town and village committees as well as the Police Commission, where she was instrumental in getting that board to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
“All the (police) officers like it when we say the pledge, and a lot of it is out of respect for our veterans,” Cohen said.
“I was feeling non-governmental not saying the pledge on the planning board. It didn’t feel right, so I put it on the agenda last October, but I was accused of bringing this up during New Paltz supervisor election to shake things up. My intention was just to say the pledge....
