Dear Colleagues,

New York State’s Open Meetings Law serves an important purpose. It is designed to ensure that the public’s business be performed in an “open and public manner” so that the they may “retain control over those who are their public servants.” Public Officers Law, Article 7, section 100. This law applies to our Board and its meetings. Anyone who has attended an NCC Board of Trustees meeting is aware that the Board routinely goes into executive session leaving those who attend in the dark. Frequently, Trustee Cornachio objects to these closed, executive sessions as violations of the Open Meetings Law.

On November 16, 2015 Trustee Cornachio, along with two NCC faculty members, filed an Article 78 proceeding in New York State Supreme Court requesting the court to, among other things, require this Board to act in compliance with the Open Meetings Law and to declare certain actions taken by the Board to be in violation of that law. It is hoped that this action will usher in a new era of openness and accountability so that the Board’s actions may be fully vetted by the public. This will promote accountability.

For your information we have attached a copy of the Petition and supporting exhibits. We urge you to read these documents thoroughly and to pay particular attention to what it reveals about Board dynamics and deliberations.

Kind Regards- The NCC AAUP Executive Committee

Link to a .pdf file of the letter:
Article 78 OML