Rye Town Finances Questioned Again

Every time the Town of Rye has been audited by the New York State Controller's office, serious irregularities have been found. The most recent audit found that the Town improperly awarded no-bid contracts resulting in over-spending for goods and services. Prior audits found similar improprieties. The audit results, which have been reported in the New York Times and the Journal News, have led to charges of cronyism and corruption. As reported in the Journal News on Sept. 6, 2007:

Morabito's two opponents in the race for supervisor quickly jumped on the new report. Republican candidate Joseph Carvin asked why the town "continues to violate state and town law by issuing no-bid contract after no-bid contract after no-bid contract."

"The obvious answer is that the contracts ... are awarded not in terms of who will provide the best quality service at the lowest cost," Carvin said in an e-mail, "but rather based on the vendor's willingness to provide financial and other support to Morabito's 'jobs for the boys' political machine."

Saverio Terenzi, the town accountant during the 2003 audit who is now running for supervisor on the Conservative line, said the audit confirms that the Democratic-controlled Town Board is "a cesspool of corrupt practices."

"No one does business with the town without contributing to the Rye Town Democratic Committee," Terenzi said in a statement. "These contributions are just considered a cost of doing business with Morabito's corrupt organization, and ultimately these costs are passed on to unsuspecting taxpayers."