RyeCity REVIEW THE
May 21, 2021 | Vol. 9, Number 18 | www.ryecityreview.com
Grand jury documents in play in Gaynor case By MIKE SMITH Sports Editor
Stellar series! Mamaroneck’s Alex Boswell connects with a pitch during a game against Rye on May 12. The Tigers and Garnets played a two-game set last week with Mamaroneck edging Rye in both games. For story, see page 16. Photo/Mike Smith
Latimer forecasts $16M increase in county fund balance In a preview of his 2021 State of the County speech, Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced that the Department of Budget forecasts a $16 million increase in the county’s general fund balance for the 2021 fiscal year. The increase will bring the unrestricted fund balance to more than $200 million at the end of 2021—the largest in the county’s history. “We had to make hard financial decisions and we faced dif-
ficult financial times, but we made smart choices with federal dollars that not only saved the County money, but also provided essential services for the public when they needed it the most,” Latimer said. “We supported efforts to combat food insecurity, supported small businesses and remote learning centers for children. And, we did this all, while cutting County property taxes two years in a row.” Prior to the 2021 budget,
2020 also closed with no layoffs, no furloughs, no service cuts and no borrowing for pension costs. “This represents a significant favorable change from the budget as adopted in December 2020,” said county Budget Director Lawrence Soule. The announcement is part of the county’s first quarter financial report providing an annualized forecast for the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2021. (Submitted)
Westchester County Executive George Latimer announced on May 13 that the Department of Budget is forecasting a $16 million increase in the county’s general fund balance for the 2021 fiscal year.
A New York State judge overseeing the civil trial against a former Immaculate Heart of Mary teacher will force the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York to hand over documents pertaining to a 2002 grand jury investigation about the church’s role in the sexual abuse of minors, court documents reveal. On May 5, state Associate Supreme Court Justice Steven M. Jaeger denied efforts by the Archdiocese—which is listed as a co-defendant alongside Edwin Gaynor, a former school employee who has been accused of sexual abuse—to withhold information relating to the investigation, ruling that those documents could be relevant to the current cases being brought forth against the former teacher and coach. Counsel for the plaintiffs first requested, in September 2020, that all grand jury documents regarding the 2002 investigation be made available during discovery . a gambit opposed by Archdiocesan attorneys in an Oct. 28, 2020, motion which labeled these requests as “overly-broad.”Since November 2019, more than 30 accusers have come forward with claims against Gaynor, alleging that the 85-year-old Ossining resident used his position as a teacher and employee of catholic schools in Westchester County—notably
IHM in Scarsdale and Holy Rosary in Hawthorne—to abuse minors from the late 1950s to mid-1980s. In his ruling, Jaeger pointed to the plaintiffs’ allegations that church officials had knowingly dismissed complaints against Gaynor and continued to employ him, a practice detailed in the testimony from the 2002 investigation. The 2002 grand jury was convened by then-Westchester County District Attorney Jeanine Pirro, a Republican, following bombshell reporting by the Boston Globe that uncovered a pattern of systemic sexual abuse that had been covered up for decades by the Boston Archdiocese. Meeting 15 times and calling 21 witnesses, the Grand Jury released its report on June 18 of that year, finding that the New York Archdiocese had indeed failed to report claims of abuse in Westchester County and proposing legislative recommendations—including abolishing the statute of limitations for sex crimes against minors— that would make it easier for alleged victims to come forward in the future. “The objection to release by the Archdiocese of the documents submitted to the Westchester County 2002 Grand Jury Report is misplaced as it is alleged to deal with Archdiocese’s alleged malfeasance . . . and for the conduct of the same GAYNOR continued on page 9