POUGHKEEPSIE – Mayor Robert
Rolison’s veto of a resolution, adopted at the April 19 Poughkeepsie
Common Council meeting, to fund city bus operations through the end of
the year, stands for now. A motion to override the veto, introduced
at the end of a long Monday night council meeting last week, did not get
to a vote.
Republican Lee Klein introduced the override motion, which quickly drew fire from Democrat council Chairwoman Natasha Cherry.
“First of all, you introduced a resolution that you didn’t even give to anyone,” Cherry said. “There’s a plan to vote on the override on May 15. You guys want to vote on it, go ahead. I will not be participating in any vote at this time. I don’t appreciate the shystiness that this transpired.”
Klein, is incensed by Cherry’s use of the word “shystiness.”
“It’s gratuitous and offensive and doesn’t belong in the council chamber. It doesn’t belong even in a private discussion of any kind; it doesn’t belong anywhere,” he said. “It’s part of the meeting. The mics were still up and it’s part of the record of that meeting and it’s truly unfortunate that it occurred.”
The word “shyster” has been considered anti-Semitic, and
Klein, who is Jewish, said there was no reason why Cherry should have
used the word, which was repeated by Alderman Christopher Petsas as the
meeting ended.
Cherry, meanwhile, said today that as a woman “of color she would
never say anything anti-semitic” as she has Jewish family members.
She said “shysty” is defined as “suspicious, shady or sneaky.”
She said she is “very disappointed that Klein is “using that
as a political ploy.”
The motion on overriding was tabled on a five-three vote. Presumably, the override will be on the agenda for the next meeting on May 15. Cherry said it was her original intent for it to be on the May 15 agenda.
