Ulster County Town Board Meeting Canceled Following Facebook Threat

A town board meeting in the Hudson Valley was canceled last week after an apparent online threat targeting three town officials raised safety concerns among members of the board.

If you're involved in any of your community's town issues, you're well aware that sometimes town meetings can get a bit out of control. A bizarre situation is unfolding in the Town of Lloyd in Ulster County, where a controversial Facebook comment calling for three town officials to be executed prompted some board members to stay home, leaving the town without enough members to hold its scheduled meeting.

Lloyd Town Hall

Threat Against Town Officials in Highland

According to reports from the Times Union, the threatening comment appeared under a Facebook post criticizing Lloyd Town Supervisor Stuart Weiss and Town Councilmen Mike Guerriero and Mike Petty.

The comment reportedly read, "Execute em and pick new."

The post was written by the wife of Lloyd Police Chief James Janso, who had criticized the three officials over their conduct during an October 21 Town Board meeting. She accused the men of talking over residents and disrespecting female town officials.

The comment has apparently since been deleted.

Town Board Meeting Canceled

The threat quickly became a concern for members of the board, with Councilman Mike Petty telling the Times Union that he did not feel safe attending last week's meeting. Petty said a constituent brought the Facebook comment to his attention Monday night, and he reported it to New York State Police.

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He also said he notified other board members last Wednesday morning that he would not be attending because of the threat. Other members also chose not to attend, leaving the board without a quorum, meaning there weren't enough members present to legally conduct the meeting and vote on decisions.

"The fact of the matter is, I didn't feel safe," Petty told the Times Union, adding that he was also concerned about the safety of his family.

A New York State Police spokesperson reportedly told the newspaper that the agency had no record of a complaint or incident report involving threats against Lloyd Town Board members.

Controversy Surrounding Town Supervisor's Pay

The online criticism comes amid other disagreements involving the Lloyd Town Board.

One of the issues discussed during the October 21 meeting involved a proposed pay increase for Supervisor Stuart Weiss. Weiss currently earns $42,000 annually and could see his salary increase by nearly $20,000, or approximately 47%.

However, Petty disagreed with speculation that the canceled meeting was connected to the ongoing budget controversy, saying his decision not to attend was based on safety concerns.