(Can you spot what our elected officials missed?) You don’t need an accounting degree to review a budget. In fact, you don’t even need a calculator. All you need is 10 seconds and basic pattern recognition. Below is an exact line-item excerpt from the Water Fund Debt Service page presented to the Mayor and Village...
August 3, 2026
Category: Ethics
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July 29th Meeting: Stop the Talk, Show the Receipts
I’ve had several residents reach out asking about what took place at last night’s village board meeting. Right before the public comment section began, Trustee Niznik read a lengthy 10-minute prepared statement. Although she had previously promised to release this statement days in advance, she chose to hold it until the absolute last minute. By...
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Promised Statement Never Published: The Public Still Kept in the Dark
At the July 8th Village Board meeting, Trustee Niznik spoke on behalf of the entire Board and explicitly acknowledged that withholding information from the public was wrong: “…we will release a statement to you. You expressed your concerns last time, you didn’t have information from us, that was a very valid concern. We are going...
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The Wappingers Falls Paper Trail is Empty—And It’s Costing You
The Wappingers Falls Paper Trail is Empty—And It’s Costing You Most of us don’t spend our Wednesday nights sitting in village board meetings. We have jobs, families, and lives. We just expect our taxes to be fair, our roads to be paved, and the water to run when we turn on the tap. But right...
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Scrubbed Records, Missed Deadlines, Unexplained Changes, and a Scavenger Hunt
I will be the first to admit that I do not enjoy constantly calling out our village board. It takes time and energy, and like most people I would much prefer to see the Village of Wappingers Falls running smoothly, transparently, and in full compliance with the rules. But as residents and taxpayers, we cannot...
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The Ultimate Cover-Up: Village Board Moves to Fire the Watchdogs Who Exposed Them
The Village Board is attempting a permanent power grab by dissolving our independent Water Board. Make no mistake: this has absolutely nothing to do with improving efficiency. This is a desperate, short-sighted money grab designed to plug massive holes in a general budget built on guesswork and fiscal incompetence. The Comptroller’s Warning: Severe Mismanagement Don’t...
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Stop the Village Board’s Utility Fund Raid and Water Board Takeover
Money in our village’s utility funds is meant for one thing: maintaining and operating our water and sewer systems. Keeping a healthy surplus in these funds is vital for emergency repairs and infrastructure stability. Yet, in October 2025, the Village Board quietly transferred over $500,000 from the water and sewer funds into the general fund....
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Playing Jury in Their Own Trial — The Board’s Sham Audit Statement
The Village Board’s recent statement regarding the devastating New York State Comptroller’s audit is a textbook attempt to escape accountability. It uses smooth, carefully crafted language to project forward momentum, but beneath the surface, it is a masterclass in dodging responsibility. The most offensive line in their statement is this: “…we also know that pointing...
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Chaos by Design: Inside the Village Hall Shell Game
OP-ED: Is the Village Hall Financial Chaos by Design? When you connect the pieces of the New York State Comptroller’s June 2026 follow-up audit, a chilling picture emerges. This isn’t just a story of lazy bookkeeping or a difficult software transition. When a village board leaves a multi-million-dollar accounting system in total disarray for three...
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THE $350,000 DAM FUND RAID: How a Borrowed Infrastructure Fund Will Hit Taxpayer Pockets
When a village board borrows money, it isn’t a blank check to spend as they please.. In December 2019, the Village of Wappingers Falls took out a $350,000 loan ( a Bond Anticipation Note) that was legally restricted and explicitly earmarked for one single purpose: repairing the village dam. But the Village Board never even...