Brockport, N.Y.— A new round began Monday in the fight between Brockport’s Mayor and the village’s Police Department.Mayor Connie Castaneda’s lawyer filed a Notice of Claim, which protects her ability to sue the village following her arrest in March.
“It’s just a spat, it's kids playing in the sandbox,” said a Brockport resident of more than 30 years who would only identify himself as Eric.
Castaneda faces 14 counts of official misconduct and two counts of falsifying business records. She's accused of illegally renting a room to college students.
“This appears to be personal politics. The prosecution is immediately on the heels of Mayor Castaneda making the prudent fiscal decision to do away with the Brockport Police Department,” said Michael Burger, a lawyer representing Castaneda’s civil case.
Bookstore owner Pat Kutz said any negative attention hurts Brockport’s downtown, but disagrees with the notion that the police versus mayor conflict greatly impacts her store.
“It’s not as big a thing as you might think it is,” explained Kutz.
A pre-trial proceeding regarding the criminal charges is scheduled for June 12th according to an Assistant District Attorney involved with the case.
