GREENPORT, N.Y. (WTEN) — Arguing broke out before Greenport’s Town Board meeting even began on Wednesday evening. Councilmember Jim Dolan sparred with other town officials, and one of the topics was Flock cameras. When the meeting officially began, Deputy Supervisor Clayton Clark read a statement about the cameras, acknowledging they were paid for through a technology grant for the police department.
“All board members received this report and the report was accepted,” said Clark. “There was no supporting resolution to accept the grant which has been past practice regarding the grants.”
The statement goes onto mention that the contract was signed in January 2025 but still does not address where approval of the contract exists. Michael Macomber, CEO and Partner at Tully Rinckey, sent a statement to NEWS10 in response to the town’s statement.
“The Town’s statement attempts to boot-strap the Flock contract to the Board’s approval of receiving the grant,” said Macomber’s statement. “It doesn’t ‘excuse’ the lack of a formal resolution, but the Town’s response appears to acknowledge they have room for improvement on maintaining records in accordance with the Open Meetings Laws.”
NEWS10 has reviewed the town’s minutes and has not found any approval of the town’s Flock contract. Town Supervisor Kathy Eldridge has not responded to multiple requests for comment over several weeks.
NEWS10 asked Deputy Supervisor Clark for an interview after the meeting. He said his only comments on the record are the statement he read. NEWS10 stood near the exit of the town hall and asked Town Supervisor Kathy Eldridge for an interview after the meeting. Eldridge ignored the request and kept walking. Councilmember Jim Dolan agreed to speak on camera following the meeting.
“If it was all legit, she’d be answering the questions in an open and honest way and a transparent way,” said Dolan. “She’s doing everything she can to hide it, [those] questions and answers.”
During the meeting Eldridge denied knowing when the cameras were installed or if anyone in the town authorized it during the meeting. Dolan does not believe that she could not know about the contract.
“She has to review and approve anything prior to payment,” said Dolan. “Then she signs the check, so it was untrue. It was a lie when she denied knowing about it.”
The town board decided to hold a special meeting to specifically discuss how residents feel about the cameras on December 8th at 5 p.m. in Town Hall.
