Weekly Update · April 14, 2026

The Law Disappeared.
The Question Didn't.

Five weeks after residents caught Supervisor Wojehowski pitching one law and writing another, Local Law No. 2 of 2026 is nowhere on Tuesday's Town Board agenda. No withdrawal. No update. No explanation. Just silence.

April 14, 2026 · TruthCornwall.com · Local Law No. 2 of 2026 — Follow-Up

Tuesday night the Cornwall Town Board meets in regular session. The published agenda does not include Local Law No. 2 of 2026 — the proposed alternate-member law that drew significant public opposition at the March 10 hearing and was tabled on March 17.

That absence tells you something. What it tells you depends on which version of events you believe.

A Quick Recap: What Happened in March

On March 10, Wojehowski opened a public hearing on a law he said was about quorum. Residents read the actual text and pointed out it wasn't — it allowed alternates to be designated any time any member was absent, regardless of whether a quorum existed. The town attorney offered mid-hearing to "clarify the language," acknowledging on the record that what Wojehowski told the public didn't match what his attorney had drafted.

ZBA Chairwoman Lori Ransom — 30 years leading the board — said alternates were not needed. Planning Board member John Hines called it what it was: a play for desired outcomes. Former Supervisor Richard Randazzo, 26 years in the role, said he had never once heard a quorum complaint from any applicant.

On March 17, the board tabled the law and sent it to both boards for comment — asking the very people the law affected what they thought, after the public hearing had already been held.

Five Weeks Later: Nothing

Since March 17, the Town Board has not brought Local Law No. 2 back for discussion. It does not appear on the April 14 agenda. There has been no public statement withdrawing the proposal, no revised draft, and no reported feedback from either the Planning Board or the ZBA shared with the public.

The law hasn't been killed. It hasn't been fixed. It's just gone quiet.

The Timeline — Then Nothing

March 10

Public hearing held. Residents identify the gap between what Wojehowski said and what the law says. Town attorney acknowledges the mismatch on the record.

March 17

Board tables the law. Sends it to Planning Board and ZBA for comment — after the hearing, not before.

April 14 — Five weeks later. No agenda item. No withdrawal. No revision. No public update of any kind.

Three Possible Explanations

When a proposal disappears from the public agenda without explanation, there are only a few possibilities. None of them let the Supervisor off the hook.

What the Silence Could Mean

Scenario 1

The Idea Is Dead Because the Motive Was Exposed

Residents called it out in real time. The ZBA chair and Planning Board members said they didn't need it. A former supervisor with 26 years of experience said the quorum justification was fiction. Maybe Wojehowski realizes he can't sell this anymore and has quietly shelved it. If so, he owes the public a clear statement — not a silent retreat that leaves the door open.

Scenario 2

He's Waiting for the Temperature to Drop

The March hearings drew attention. Residents were organized. The mismatch between Wojehowski's pitch and his attorney's text became public record. If the law quietly reappears in May, June, or after the summer — with "revised language" and less public scrutiny — that's not a correction. That's a strategy. The Comprehensive Plan is being finalized. Rezoning decisions are coming. The need for friendly votes on the Planning Board hasn't gone away just because the public noticed.

Scenario 3

It's Being Reworked Behind the Scenes

The law was sent to both boards for comment. Those responses could be used to rewrite the law in a way that addresses the quorum language while preserving the core mechanism: Town Board-appointed alternates with five-year terms and broader substitution powers than anyone was originally told. A narrower version of the same law is still the same play — just with better packaging.

Why It Matters Right Now

The 2025 Comprehensive Plan is moving toward adoption. That plan contains five zoning changes rated "Immediate Priority" — every one of them loosens existing restrictions on density, multi-family housing, and development approvals. Every application filed under that new framework goes before the Planning Board for a vote.

Wojehowski appoints every member of that board. Local Law No. 2 would have given him the power to appoint alternates as well — alternates who, under the actual text of the law, could vote any time a regular member was absent, not just when quorum was at risk.

The Comprehensive Plan creates the projects. The Planning Board approves or denies them. The Supervisor appoints the people who vote. The alternates law would have expanded that appointment power further. That chain hasn't changed just because one link went quiet.

Status: Tabled March 17 — not withdrawn, not revised, not on the April 14 agenda

Board feedback: Sent to Planning Board and ZBA for comment — no public response reported

Required: A new public hearing must be held before any vote on this law

Context: Comprehensive Plan adoption and rezoning decisions are still ahead

The Right Question for Tuesday Night

The Town Board meets Tuesday, April 14. Local Law No. 2 isn't on the agenda — but the public comment period is. Cornwall residents have every right to ask a simple question:

What is the status of Local Law No. 2 of 2026? Has it been withdrawn? Is it being revised? When does the Supervisor intend to bring it back — and will there be a new public hearing?
— A question any Cornwall resident can ask Tuesday night

Silence is not withdrawal. A tabled law is a live law. Until the Town Board officially acts — one way or the other — this proposal remains on the books, and the Supervisor's intentions remain unanswered.

What to Watch

Whether any board member or the Supervisor addresses the status of Local Law No. 2 at Tuesday's meeting — voluntarily or when asked
Whether the Planning Board or ZBA responses have been received and whether they'll be shared publicly
Whether a revised version surfaces in coming weeks with narrower language but the same appointment structure
The timing relative to Comprehensive Plan adoption — does the alternates law reappear just before or after the zoning changes take effect?
Whether five-year terms and Town Board appointment power survive any future revision