And Then There Were None

by Kathy Savolt -

Village Attorney Robert Spolzino, the lone holdout from the previous administration, terminated the relationship between the Village and his firm Abrams Fensterman in a letter to the Village Manager dated May 1, 2025 (see HERE). This news, apparently sent via email, was made public by a former Trustee so quickly after it was sent that members of the Board of Trustees (BOT) heard about it first from a media source.

Spolzino does not give a reason for the change other than they “no longer wish to represent the Village.”  He then cites an agreement which requires two months’ notice in order to terminate it.  Spolzino did not appear at the May 12th meeting of the BOT.

Two Month Notice Debunked

A copy of the 2024 agreement (see HERE) expired at the end of last year.  The agreement does not have any clause to continue the existing contract until a new one is signed and there is no signed 2025 contract, but the BOT did appoint Spolzino as Village Attorney and Mary Desmond as Deputy Village Attorney at the Annual Organizational Meeting in December 2024. 

Village Manager Kathleen Gill confirmed that the monthly retainer payments have stopped.

Legal Fees Under Scrutiny

The new administration has prompted closer analyses of many issues, including legal expenses on which the Mamaroneck Observer reported.  See previous article HERE. During his tenure, Spolzino collected more than $2 million in fees for litigation in addition to his legal retainer work.  The budget for next year significantly reduced the budget for legal fees.

Problems at Land Use Boards

Additionally, the Mamaroneck Observer has reported on projects before land use boards where many residents questioned the boards’ actions which were based on legal advice.  See articles HERE and HERE.

Errors in Documents

There have also been errors made in the drafting of legal documents and proposed laws that required recently passed local laws to be amended.  These corrections are not simple to make and cannot be done quickly.  First, a new law, with the correct language, must be drafted and another public hearing must be noticed and held.  Having to do these processes more than once wastes time and costs money.  The most recent example is the correction made in March to allow pet care facilities in the Village’s C2 zone.  Originally included in drafts of the new law, the C2 district somehow got lost in the final version.  Meanwhile a prospective pet facility proprietor was attending BOT meetings, following the arduous process closely, just waiting to sign his lease and get a building permit.  The law was passed in November 2024 but after signing the lease, the proprietor was informed by the Building Department that the property was not actually included in the law.  It took another three months for the BOT to pass the amended law, and the application is now before the Planning Board. (See Article HERE.)

Questionable Lawsuits

As all the outstanding lawsuits get reviewed, settled or adjudicated in the Courts, the first two stand out for their absurdity.  As previously reported (See HERE) resident Stuart Tiekert won his lawsuit against the Village on appeal.  The decision of the Appellate Division stated that the Village Code was clearly in Tiekert’s favor and that the Zoning Board had made a mistake.  The cost to taxpayers of this specious lawsuit was over $70,000 as of mid-March.

A FOIL lawsuit brought by Cindy Goldstein was settled when the BOT voted on May 12th.  See Article HERE. Again, the Village was chided for not following the law and again, the lawsuit could have been avoided.  This one cost the taxpayers almost $24,000 as of mid-March, an amount that is surely higher now as Spolzino negotiated the Settlement Agreement.

New Counsel for Land Use Boards

Former Deputy Village Attorney Mary Desmond provided legal counsel to the Planning Board and the Harbor Coastal Zone Management Commission.  At their April 28th meeting, the BOT appointed Harris Beach as new counsel for all land use boards including the Zoning Board of Appeals.  See Agreement HERE.

At the May 12th BOT meeting an interim Village Attorney was appointed.  Gill announced that the Village will be releasing two Request for Proposals so the Village has options.  One would be for a new law firm and the other for an individual who would be a Village employee.

A phone call to Spolzino was not returned.  If and when this story unfolds, the Mamaroneck Observer will continue to report.