Expanding the concept and scope of civil rights representation, Mr. Glass seeks to vindicate the quality of life of his clients. Whether such rights are expressed in the defense against corporate or governmental intrusion, to promote being free from domestic or environmental abuse, exerting one’s right to be released from external pressures from those who abuse their power, Mr. Glass’s commitment to the notion of civil rights continues to inform both his legal practice and his eleemosynary activities.

In short, Mr. Glass believes that “you shall not side with the great against the powerless. […] For what you do to them you do to me.” – Attributed to U.K. Barrister Sir Edward Carson while defending then 15-year old George Archer-Shee against H.R.M.’s Admiralty in 1910.

Paul Shew was the Rye City Manager from 2003-2009. In his role as City Manager, Mr. Shew carried out many of the controversial policy decisions made by Mayor Otis and Corporation Counsel Kevin Plunkett.

Ironically, in 2009, Mr. Shew was terminated by Mayor Otis and the City Council. Mayor Otis publicly alleged that Mr. Shew lied to the City Council regarding the existence of building and safety code violations on Hen Island. In due course, the City of Rye issued two pages of violations that described imminent safety threats including illegal propane storage, illegal electrical systems, and a severe mosquito infestation. Mr. Shew has been turned down by numerous municipalities for upper management positions since his Rye City termination in 2009, while working as a Government Specialist for PEER Consulting.

Hired as Rye’s Assistant City Manager in 2005, Mr. Pickup was passed over by the Otis Administration for the City Manager position in 2009 following the termination of Paul Shew. Mr. Pickup continued in his Assistant role under Interim City Manager Frank Culross who was brought out of retirement to run the city.

In 2009, Doug French, the Republican candidate for Mayor, asserted his desire to appoint Mr. Pickup as Rye City Manager, something that became a reality in July of the following year after French’s successful election.

Over the next three years, Mr. Pickup developed a close yet politically divisive alliance with Mayor Doug French and his Deputy Mayor, Peter Jovanovich. Together, the trio developed a plan that enabled Hen Island residents to jerry-rig unpermitted sewage disposal systems without inspection or approval from any municipal authority.

Throughout his tenure, Mr. Pickup became commonly known for his defense of the Kuder Island Colony Corporation, which included his besiege of Ray Tartaglione at City Council Meetings.

In April of 2014, Mr. Pickup signed a separation agreement with the City of Rye, resigning from his post.

Robert P. Astorino is currently the Westchester County Executive and Republican Candidate for New York State Governor. As early as 2009, during his candidacy for County Executive, Mr. Astorino assured Ray Tartaglione of a remediation of health and safety issues on Hen Island if he was successfully elected.

Upon taking office in 2010, Mr. Astorino reneged on these campaign promises, while also appointing Kevin Plunkett as his Deputy County Executive. Mr. Astorino and Mr. Plunkett now control the Westchester County Health Department, the same agency that contends that no violations exist on Hen Island.

Rye Corporation Counsel from 2002 – 2009, Kevin Plunkett’s law firm managed the legal affairs of Rye.

Mr. Plunkett directed the Rye City Building Inspector and other mid level city officials not to respond to any of Ray Tartaglione’s concerns and correspondence regarding conditions on Hen Island. In later e-mails obtained through NYS Freedom of Information Law requests, it was discovered Mr. Plunkett directed his assistant, and City Manager Paul Shew on how to reply to media concerns relative to Hen Island pollution issues. This tactic had the desired effect, as Mr. Tartaglione was forced to commence litigation in order to get answers and force disclosures.

Mr. Plunkett is now the Deputy County Executive under County Executive Robert Astorino. As Deputy County Executive, Mr. Plunkett is directly responsible for the management and oversight of the Westchester County Health Department.

In later conversations between Westchester County Health Department Mosquito Control Supervisor George Vaselekos, and Kimberly King, a Massachusetts Mosquito Control Commissioner, Mr. Vaselekos informed Ms. King that “Hen Island is a political mess and treated differently than other areas of concern in the County.”

In 2007 Leonard Meyerson was the Westchester County Deputy Commissioner of Environmental Health. In a July 2007 email sent to Health Commissioner Joshua Lipsman, Commissioner Meyerson itemized the severe health threats that had plagued Hen Island for years. Included in his correspondence was detailed information regarding three possible remedies island residents should undertake.

A few weeks later, Mr. Meyerson did an about face, and issued letters that were then sent to Judge O Bellantoni which stated that after a number of inspections of Hen Island, there were no health threats to residents or community members on the mainland.

As a result of Meyerson’s letters, Judge Bellantoni dismissed the NYS Supreme court case entitled Ray Tartaglione v. Kuder Island Colony. In the fall of 2009, Commissioner Meyerson was terminated from his position in Westchester County government.

Kristen Wilson has been serving as Corporation Counsel for Rye since 2010. Ms. Wilson arrived in Rye after working as a deputy attorney for Kevin Plunkett at the law firm of Harris Beach PLLC.

Ms. Wilson’s appointment to the position of Corporation Counsel was almost simultaneous to Mayor Doug French’s promotion of Scott Pickup to City Manager. Throughout the French administration, Ms. Wilson has played an instrumental role in controlling the public’s access to the city’s public information records by way of Freedom of Information Law Requests (FOILs). Her method essentially was to serve as the City’s records access officer on the initial FOIL requests, while simultaneously serving as the appellate body for appeals, which is a violation of New York State FOIL law.

While City Manager Pickup resigned under pressure in April of 2014, Ms. Wilson remains as the city’s Corporation Counsel, pending a performance review at a time to be determined.

Westchester County Legislator Catherine Parker (D) represents the 7th Legislative District covering Larchmont, Mamaroneck, Rye, part of Harrison and part of New Rochelle. Ms. Parker served as a Rye City Councilwoman (Ind) from 2007 until her election to the County Board in 2013.

A self proclaimed environmentalist, Catherine Parker was the only sitting City Council member serving under Mayor Steve Otis or his successor Mayor Douglas French to ever accept an invitation to tour Hen Island with Ray Tartaglione except for new Rye Mayor Joe Sack. Unlike Mr. Sack, Ms. Parker toured the island off-season when the seasonal mosquito infestation was not present. Despite this, she saw the unsafe and unsanitary conditions firsthand and then returned to diminish and dismiss them on public TV. Her answers to Mr. Tartaglione’s questions and her characterizations of conditions she knew to exist were, in a word, incredible, and they have been memorialized in City Council meeting minutes and video archives.

County Legislator Parker is a native of Bedford NY who now lives and owns a retail store in downtown Rye.

Rye City Councilman (R) 2004 -2007 dropped by the Republican Party in 2008, in it’s controversial “fusion ticket” election bargain with the Rye Democratic Party. While Mr. Fahey left office prior to the Council taking a formal position on the Hen Island issues, he offered his perspective in a public access interview in 2011.

In 2009, Mr. Fahey served as the campaign manager for Douglas French’s “Change For Rye” election slate. In that election, Mr. French represented himself as being in support of a Hen Island cleanup, making promises in front of supporters in the living rooms of both Mr. Schubert and Mr. Tartaglione. Post election Mr. French and Mr. Fahey repudiated those promises which had added the votes needed for “Change For Rye” to sweep the incumbent slate headlined by Steve Otis.

Mr. Fahey’s political career lay dormant for a few years, before his defeat in 2013 for a District Leader seat in the Rye Republican Party that denied his City Council candidacy five years earlier. Mr. Fahey works professionally as a financial industry executive.

Rye City Councilman (D) 2006 -2009, a member of former Rye Democratic Mayor Steve Otis’s council majority voting bloc, defeated for reelection in 2009 as a result of Rye government controversies including Hen Island, Schubert’s Wetland Destruction and runaway tax increases and city spending, particularly legal fees – paid to Rye City Corporation Counsel.

Mr. Pratt often debated Ray Tartaglione publically during City Council meetings, defending the City’s non-enforcement of health and safety codes. Mr. Pratt works professionally as a financial industry executive.