September 9, 2016 | Vol. 4, Number 37 | www.mamaroneckreview.com
Stuart Tiekert: A FOIL a day
Infected
By JAMES PERO Staff Writer
After Westchester County reported its first case of the Zika virus in early February, county health officials are now scrambling to respond to an additional 19 individuals who have also been infected with the virus. Pictured is an Asian tiger mosquito, capable of transmitting the Zika virus. For story, see page 6. Photo courtesy CDC
Marine Education Center hires first professional naturalist By JAMES PERO Staff Writer With new resources and an expanded space, Mamaroneck’s Marine Education Center will now also feature a new face: Kyle Elizabeth Troy, the center’s first professional naturalist. Troy, who was hired by the village this month, has worked as a biologist and naturalist throughout Florida, California, Westchester County and various other locations in New York state. She said she’s more than ready to dive into her new role. “Having the opportunity is amazing,” she said. “A lot of people don’t know what’s in
the harbor.” According to Troy, her role as the center’s new marine educator will see her taking on a myriad of new programming, from kayak tours, to microscope observations, and even letting visitors hold marine life housed in the center’s new touch tank. In the past, Mamaroneck residents Katherine Desmond and her husband Jim have spearheaded much of the marine center’s day-to-day operations and programming. Now, the couple— who have built the center from the ground up—are happy to see Troy take the reins. “The trial run that Jim and I had was such a learning experi-
ence,” Katherine Desmond said. “I think [hiring Troy] was a terrific step.” While the center has only been running for the past three years, Katherine Desmond said that from its inception, she and her husband knew that the idea was bound to take off. “We actually felt right from the beginning that this is an idea whose time has come,” she said. “It was so glaringly important for the village to have this marine center.” Already, Troy has organized a slew of events at the center, from beach cleanups to sea shell painting, and even a program where residents take a picture of their favorite spot on the Long
Island Sound with a brief description so that it can be hung up on the center’s walls. And though renovations at the center have resulted in a late start— it opened about three months past the usual date—according to Katherine Desmond, programs may push into November this year, allowing for even more students to come well into the fall. Even for Troy, who has barely enjoyed her first week in a new position, the future of the center is going nowhere but up. “There’s so much potential,” she said. “My only obstacle right now is getting the word out.” CONTACT: james@hometwn.com
As I stroll down Mamaroneck’s Beach Avenue, past rows of imposing, multi-family homes, I’m called by a voice from across the street. “I’m over here,” I hear while blowing past my intended destination. Village of Mamaroneck resident Stuart Tiekert, 66, tall and thin, clad informally in shorts and a T-shirt, is sitting crosslegged in a chair on his porch, awaiting my arrival. “How’s that GPS working?” he asks facetiously as I backtrack to the opposite side of the avenue. “Really great, can’t you tell?” I say, brushing past some foliage partially obscuring my view ahead. While Tiekert and I have a lot to talk about—he’s running as an anti-establishment candidate in a Democratic primary on Sept. 13 for the village Board of Trustees, and is an avid attendee of village meetings—we didn’t meet, on this specific day, to talk about politics. Tiekert, who runs his own landscaping business by trade, has another pastime of note locally; that being a strong affinity for government transparency through use of the Freedom of Information Law, otherwise known as FOIL. FOIL, a New York state law, extends the right to issue requests for documents from
nearly any public governmental organization or agency under the sun, with a few notable caveats that include personnel matters and on-going litigation. And Tiekert, a 30-year village resident, more so than just about any muckraker, concerned citizen, or conspiracy theorist one could cite offhand, is well-acquainted with the FOIL process. Over the past 12 months, Tiekert has submitted 638 of the village’s 890 total received requests, constituting just under 72 percent of all requests received by the village, and equating to about 130 total work hours for village employees. In total, Tiekert averages just under two FOIL submissions per day. This year, with 438 requests submitted since the start of 2016, Tiekert’s own feat is close to being replicated, if not surpassed. In fact, Tiekert’s deployment of FOILs—which easily total more than 1,000 since 2011—is so immense, it has even caught the attention of New York FOIL continued on page 8
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