I am a resident of Sleepy Hollow, NY and I regularly watch most, if not all, of the Village meetings to keep informed of governance in the area that I reside.
I was completely appalled by the behavior and comments of Trustee Jared Rodriguez at the Village’s Public Work Session on the evening of March 19, 2024.
At the end of the meeting after agenda items were discussed, the mayor asked if there were any trustees who had anything to present to the Board. Trustee Rene Leon expressed concerns for the number of cats (presumably feral and stray) that are around our Village. Trustee Lauren McConnell reported that she witnessed a cat kill a chipmunk recently in her yard.
I was shocked that Mayor Martin Rutnya would make light of this concern by jokingly saying “Is this a Bob Barker… have your pet spayed or neutered <thing>”, and there was general laughter in the room, but most concerning was what transpired next.
The police chief explained that officials can come out and trap feral cats and bring them back to their found location after spaying or neutering. At this point, Trustee Rodriguez exclaims “Bring them back here?!?” as in complete surprise and then states in no uncertain terms if upon their return they can drop “them like in the river.”
There is a quick “sorry” immediately after his words are voiced but that is not good enough. Instead of working to come up with a humane solution, he continues to proclaim how it is the residents’ problem and that they shouldn’t keep feeding them. He spoke in a condescending tone without regard for the life of these animals.
There is no question in my mind that any individual that shares these rash and abusive beliefs should NOT be holding any public office and he certainly does not represent me.
It would be my strong recommendation that Trustee Jared Rodriguez formally apologize for his insensitive comments to the public. I furthermore feel that Trustee Jared Rodriquez should consider removing himself from his position as Trustee. This individual should not be representing the residents of Sleepy Hollow.
If you missed the meeting, the video can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-4eyPwuCgo
The interactions I describe above begin at marker 1:36:25.
Andrew Monachelli
Sleepy Hollow