In The News

Originally published on People’s Pundit Daily on Oct. 22, 2017. When most think of the Long Island Sound, they picture a paradisal cut-out of communities between the eastern shores of Bronx County, New York City, and southern Westchester County. But in one of America’s wealthiest small cities, hidden health dangers breed and flourish in man-made rainwater basins … Read More →

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — Some experts predict mosquitoes bearing the Zika virus could hit the Tri-State Area this summer, and some cities have put a strong focus on control measures. As CBS2’s Lou Young reported, the northern suburbs in particular are taking action. Upscale suburbanites in Westchester County collected free fathead minnows at the White Plains Airport to help keep the disease-carrying … Read More →

New study by CDC shows possible range extending to San Francisco and New York City Originally published in The Wall Street Journal – March 30, 2016 By KAT LONG Two mosquito species that carry the dangerous Zika virus may inhabit a wider range of North America than previously thought. A study published online Wednesday in the New England … Read More →

(Last week’s Rye City Council meeting had more than its share of overheated rhetoric and document tossing. But the heaviest Mayoral gaveling was reserved for a quiet ‘Residents to be heard’ pushback speech about some incorrect statements made in the media by a sitting councilman about Rye’s troubled Hen Island. I think anyone long aware … Read More →

While news that mosquitoes collected in the Village of Rye Brook were the first to test positive for West Nile Virus has instilled fear in residents around Westchester County, this year’s numbers of virus-bearing mosquitoes are considerably lower than those of the past and those of neighboring counties, according to county health officials. … Read More →

RYE, N.Y. – A Rye activist is calling for a cleanup of open water containers on Hen Island and the attention of the city as to its sanitary issues following the announcement last week that several batches of mosquitoes in Rye tested positive for West Nile Virus. “Of all 17 test results, every one of … Read More →

Rye Sound Shore Review – August 16, 2012 – click here for original article

The Rye Sound Shore Review – August 9, 2012 – click here for original article

With positive samples of West Nile Virus found throughout Westchester County in recent weeks, do Rye residents have reason to fear? “Yes!”, declared Hen Island resident Ray Tartaglione and his lawyer, Jordan Glass, at the August 6 City Council meeting. … Read More →

At the Rye City Council meeting Monday night, Hen Island agitator Ray Tartaglione was at it again, and his comments were biting. … Read More →

A 26-acre island that is mostly unknown to many in Rye has apparently caught the attention of the state’s top environmental watchdog. The Department of Environmental Conservation is set to visit the controversial island in the coming weeks. A source confirmed that the plan is for regional representatives of the DEC to perform an inspection of the island, alongside city and county officials, to determine if state laws are being adequately complied with. … Read More →

At the December 7 City Council meeting, Mayor Doug French not only presided over a long agenda, but lost a “STAR” in the process. – click here for original article

Westchester Guardian – December 1, 2011 – click here for original article

RYE, NY – Rye City Mayor Douglas French is currently being investigating for “building without a permit” by the Rye City Manger’s Office. A violation was issued in July to the owners of 13 Richard Place in Rye which, according to Rye City Assessment Rolls, is registered to Douglas and Carrie French. click here for … Read More →

As Mayor, I normally do not write letters to the editor, but given the full-page “Send a Message” paid advertisement run in the last issue of this paper attacking Rye’s representatives with innuendo and false claims, the standards of public discourse in Rye have changed – albeit hitting a new low. … Read More →

Westchester Guardian – October 27, 2011 – download article

To the Editor, Mayor French is attempting to legalize the installation of sewage systems for an entire community without first complying with the necessary statutory requirements including draft or environmental impact statements, engineering reports, or studies of any kind. The residents of Rye need to be informed of what the ramifications will be if composting toilets are allowed to be installed on Hen Island. … Read More →

In the last Rye Record, you wrote that “green toilets are coming to Hen Island” as well as coverings for Hen Island cottage rainwater collection systems. Rye residents deserve a few more facts about this so-called “progress” before things go much further. … Read More →

Mayor French is attempting to legalize the installation of sewage systems for an entire community without first complying with the necessary statutory requirements including draft or environmental impact statements, engineering reports or studies of any kind. … Read More →

This is a case that should have been appealed to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court. There, three appellate judges, with the research assistance of law secretaries, would have been able to study all aspects in depth. Each of the issues I have mentioned here would doubtless have been considered. The end result might have been no different, but the public would have at least been reassured about the treatment they can expect if they ever have to go to court. … Read More →

Depending upon whom one asks whether or not there are violations on Hen Island, one will get a different account of the seasonal inlet which lies off the coast of Milton Harbor. … Read More →

Over Mother’s Day weekend, many families, who were out and about, couldn’t avoid spotting the return of Ray Tartaglione’s revamped “Floatiemobile”. The navy minivan, with a toilet bowl up top and Photoshopped images of Mayor Doug French and all Councilmembers except Joe Sack engaged in a private act on the sides, was seen outside Ruby’s Oyster Bar & Bistro, as well as other locations around town. … Read More →

The “Floatiemobile”, as it is called, is the perfect name for Mr. Tartaglione’s vehicle. When turned upside down, it can float in the toilet mounted on its roof…. right where it belongs. … Read More →

Three years ago, in July, I took the five-minute boat ride to South Hen Island with real estate agents. No sooner did we step foot on the island than we were, without exaggeration, set upon by mosquitoes. They covered my bare arms and legs and were in my eyes and mouth. I was there to work; the appalling cloud of mosquitoes made it very nearly impossible. … Read More →

Rye Sound Shore Review – May 6, 2011 – download article

Rye Sound Shore Review – March 11, 2011 – download article

RYE – At the March 2 City Council meeting, City staff and Councilmembers provided input on a number of longstanding issues. … Read More →

Rye Sound Shore Review – February 25, 2011 – download article

Just when Rye City Council meetings had turned black and white, some of the city’s most colorful characters may be ready to spice up the picture. … Read More →

RYE — A state Supreme Court justice has thrown out a petition seeking to make the city enforce health codes on Hen Island, but the ruling has both sides declaring victory. … Read More →

The war between Hen Island resident Ray Tartaglione and the city, which elevated into a lawsuit, has left both sides sensing déjà vu. … Read More →

RYE – On January 20, 2011 Heal The Harbor’s legal action, which attempted to require The City of Rye to simply enforce its own laws; mandating inspections of the sewage systems in Rye’s most environmentally sensitive areas including Hen Island which has been polluting The Long Island Sound for years, was rendered. … Read More →

Ray Tartaglione sent the Rye City Council a well-timed letter requesting the recusal of every member of the City Council Ethics Board in any potential review of Mayor French’s STAR exemptions. – click here for original article

Westchester Guardian – January 8, 2011 – click here for original article

RYE – A Hen Island resident will have to tear down a 16-foot stone seawall that was built without permits several years ago. … Read More →

In a resolution adopted last week and signed by Rye City Planner Christian Miller, the Rye City Planning Commission is requiring Joann Molloy, owner of the Molloy Cottage, one of 34 homes on Hen Island, to remove a massive 16 foot high sea wall that was built without city, state or federal permits. … Read More →

RYE — From rehabilitated firehouses and new places in which to play to a battle over a pond and island, the last 12 years have been anything but dull for the city’s longest-serving mayor. … Read More →

RYE  - Hen Island’s gadfly claims the island’s shareholders are trying to kick him out by enacting a law that would revoke his cottage license for “objectionable conduct.” … Read More →

RYE – He can easily be mistaken for a giant peanut or an alien creature, but the real identity of “Mr. Floatie” is much more shocking. … Read More →

RYE – Hen Island cottage owners are defending the safety and upkeep of their summer retreat after the city slapped them with violations this week. … Read More →

A recent city inspection of the much-publicized Hen Island has revealed numerous violations. The city has asked the county to address additional concerns falling under their jurisdiction. … Read More →

A summer colony of cottages in Mamaroneck Harbor (and a man dressed as a giant singing turd) have finally received the attention of health inspectors. … Read More →

In a remarkable turn of events, Rye City finally seems to give a cr*p about Hen Island. … Read More →

No Man is an Island… Unless He’s Cast Adrift — Rye Mayor Steven Otis and members of the Rye City Council have thrown the first of their companions in the rudderless lifeboat overboard. … Read More →

When elected officials fail to implement environmental laws there must be a reason. Occasionally the reason is that these officials will not (or cannot) defy the vested interests of influential individuals. Often, politicians make human mistakes but are afraid to face the political and economic consequences of redressing those mistakes. … Read More →

Sunday evening Mr. Floatie was embraced by residents along the sidewalks of Purchase Street. … Read More →

Back in July, Hen Island homeowner Ray Tartaglione told MyRye.com about Mr. Floatie, “a seven foot turd that will soon be walking up and down on Purchase street greeting residents handing out Hershey bars an business cards, bringing attention to all the issues on Hen Island that have been ignored for years.” … Read More →

Senator Oppenhimer, how can you claim to be a friend of the environment when you and Mayor Otis Continue to allow the residents of Hen Island to pollute the waters of the Long Island Sound and ignore health and safety codes put in place to protect the people? … Read More →

Hen Island captures the imagination. Just a short boat ride from Rye’s “mainland” it seems a world away. It seems like an idyllic place. … Read More →

The New York Times story this past weekend said it best – Hen Island in Rye’s Milton harbor is “Untamed”. … Read More →

TO some eyes, it’s a piece of paradise, a tree-covered island on Long Island Sound with sculptured stone outcroppings shadowed by ancient maples and pines. The silence is stunning, the only sounds coming from jets high overhead and squawking gulls. … Read More →

Long Island Soundkeeper, a 20 year old environmental organization dedicated “to the protection and enhancement of the biological, physical, and chemical integrity of Long Island Sound and its watershed” made the following statement regarding environmental testing on Rye’s Hen Island. … Read More →

The following response to comments made by Hen Island homeowner Mike Johnson were provided to MyRye.com by fellow Hen Island homeowner Ray Tartaglione. Tartaglione is in a dispute with Rye City and other Hen Island homeowners regarding alleged poor environmental conditions on the island. … Read More →

Hen Island is roughly 25 acres of what I used to think of as paradise, straddling the entrances to Mamaroneck and Milton Harbors. I could give you the James Michener schtick of how it came to be, the accretions, ebbs and flows of geological and biological forces right down to the molecular level, forged over the millenia. Nah. … Read More →

February 2, 2008 – download article

RYE – A state Supreme Court justice ruled that the waste-removal system on Hen Island, 26 acres of privately owned land dotted with summer cottages near Rye’s Milton Harbor, is not in violation of the county’s sanitation code, according to court documents released yesterday. … Read More →

September 21, 2007 – download article 

Regarding June Ederer’s Sept. 9 letter on Hen Island: I am a Hen Island resident for more than 12 years and I have sat as a member on the board of directors. … Read More →

One of 34 property owners on Hen Island – 26 acres of summer cottages near the Rye shoreline – is accusing the ownership corporation, Kuder Island Colony Inc., of discharging untreated water and sewage into Long Island Sound. … Read More →

I have lived on Hen Island for 60 years, and your Sept. 4 article, “Lawsuit: Sewage entering the Sound,” has slanted the facts to such an extent that the location described is unrecognizable. … Read More →

RYE – A secluded island of quaint summer cottages off the city shoreline is at the center of a lawsuit that accuses its owners of discharging dirty water and sewage into Long Island Sound. … Read More →

Long Island Sound is one of America’s great estuaries. Rich in marine and bird life, ringed by bays and wetlands, it provides jobs, recreation and aesthetic pleasure. It is also under constant stress. … Read More →