Intrigue in Bloomingburg

  |  March 21, 2014

bloomingburg ny

What the Sullivan County village of Bloomingburg lacks in size, it more than makes up for in drama. Political intrigue, claims of voter fraud, petitions to remove the mayor from office, suspicious (or so some residents believe) village board meeting cancellations, even FBI raids, all due to a 396 three-bedroom townhouse development proposed in the village by developer Shalom Lamm.

The NYT reported on the story after the most recent village board elections failed to determine whether Bloomingburg would become the next Kiryas Joel, thanks to 230 votes that have not been counted, the majority of which belong to Hasidim whose residencies have been challenged after they moved to the village earlier this year. So far, those opposed to the development are in the lead 3 to 2, with Rural Heritage Party mayoral candidate Frank Gerardi and two other anti-development village board candidates beating out incumbent mayor Mark Berensten and board members who support the development. But outcomes in small-town elections are frequently determined by just a couple of votes, so it’s anyone’s game in Bloomingburg until those 230 votes are counted. And so, the plot continues to thicken as it reaches a boil.

Lamm’s townhouse development would essentially quadruple Bloomingburg’s population, according to the NYT article, and many of the old guard are concerned about protecting the quaint and rural character of the Sullivan County village. Meanwhile, Willliamsburg religious leaders have already told congregants to load up the truck and move to Bloomingburg since the Brooklyn neighborhood is clean out of room. Some townhouses have already been built, and a waste water treatment plant to serve the new community is under construction.

Anyway, we’ve only briefly scratched the surface of this situation, so if you want to get the gritty details, take a look at Times Herald Record’s report “Bloomingburg in the Balance“. It will answer all of your burning questions and probably a few you didn’t think of before. Got an opinion? Fire away in the comments.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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