Town officials engaged in cover-up by refusing to name perpetrator of break in

Criminal trespass resulted in copying of oath book and compromised custody of DeFreestville ballots jeopardizing election

North Greenbush Democratic Chairman Dan Ashley is demanding that three town officials who used a copy of a stolen public record in an attempt to remove the town clerk from office, either disclose the name of the thief or resign immediately. Their actions were part of a failed effort to disrupt the recent election in DeFreestville.

The Town Board Majority consisting of Supervisor Tazbir, Councilman Ashe and Councilman Styczynski called a special unpublicized meeting last month just prior to the DeFreestville vote to remove the town clerk from office and ran scared when a reporter from a local television station came with a live truck, stated Ashley.

Now the Supervisor and his colleagues, Styczynski and Ashe have been caught using stolen property to further their political objectives and are refusing to disclose which of them or an unknown person, unlawfully entered the Town Clerk’s Office to steal the oath book long enough to copy and return it. The further outrage is that Mr. Ashe managed to pull strings to get himself and his son jobs as policemen in Hoosick Falls and yet he willingly engages in covering up this illegal act and protects the perpetrator, stated Ashley. He and his colleagues thus become accessories to an illegal act and can at least be charged with “Official Misconduct”.

“It is clear that much more is at stake from this break in than stealing an oath book since vital town records, election records and absentee ballots from the recent DeFreestville election were also locked in that room with the oath book. With the custody of the records compromised there is a real possibility that this act may cause a State judge to invalidate the vote and hold a new election.

Ashley demanded that Tazbir, Styczynski and Ashe immediately disclose the name of the person or persons who committed this act of criminal trespass and whether any of them had prior knowledge of the break in or in any way ordered the act. “A trespass of this nature, potentially by an elected town official constitutes a serious breech of professional conduct as well as an act of criminal trespass in the tradition of Watergate. Should the Supervisor or his colleagues be protecting the individual who accessed this Oath Book, it is clear they become complicit partners in an act of official misconduct. If they fail to come clean they should resign their positions and suffer the consequences of a police investigation. Town officials cannot shield a perpetrator who conducted a break in and theft of an oath book without themselves being charged with a crime.