Village Dems Ask VOM Attorney to Resign

Christie Derrico, the Village of Mamaroneck's attorney, is being asked to resign her post by the village's Democratic Committee.

Derrico was recently nominated to run for village justice in November by the Republican Committee. And in joining the race, her position as village attorney—where she is expected to be a "nonpartisan counselor who can give the village board legal advice without personal or political considerations coming into play"—is jeopardized, according to Village Democrats.

"By appearing on the Republican and Conservative ballot with Trustee Ybarra and the other Republican/Conservative challengers, Ms. Derrico has put herself in a position that could create conflicts of interest as well as the appearance of impropriety which all lawyers are ethically bound to avoid," said Democratic Chair Elsa Puerto Rubin in a recent press release.

In the same statement, Democratic Vice Chair Elizabeth Saenger voiced discontent.

"A well-respected and experienced lawyer was fired to put Ms. Derrico on the payroll," she said. "Now we find that the Village Attorney's position was not the job Ms. Dericco desired after all. She can't have it both ways, she must resign."

The statement refers back to the controversy surrounding Derrico's appointment to the village attorney position, where Mayor Rosenblum fired former full-time village attorney Janet Insardi to hire Derrico, and the board voted 3-2 to retroactively amend the Village Code so that the village attorney could be a part-time position, as is Derrico's. More recently, the village paid $5,000 to the former village attorney to settle a claim she filed against the village.

At a Board of Trustees work session on Monday, Derrico said she would not resign from her village attorney position to run for village justice, and Rosenblum added he would not accept her resignation under those circumstances.

In an e-mail today, Rosenblum added that while he had not received the statement released by the Democratic Committee, it was "nothing more than desperation by political hacks" not looking for what is in the village's best interest. Rosenblum described Derrico as one of the village's "most capable village attorneys," as demonstrated by "the numerous fiscal and administrative improvements she has instituted in a very short period of time."

If Derrico does not resign, the statement said, "the Committee hopes that a majority of the Board will vote to remove her."

Derrico has been contacted regarding this statement. Check back later for updates.