Alleged Toxic Work Environment Leads to Mass Resignations in LaGrange

Half of the Town of LaGrange Planning Board is no more.

The Town of LaGrange Planning Board is responsible for administering land use regulations and overseeing land subdivisions to ensure the orderly, efficient, and economical development of the town. This includes evaluating public safety, flood protection, drainage, traffic flow, and the adequacy of town facilities and recreational amenities. The board also advises the Town Board on legislation concerning the town's growth and development.

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Planning Board members are appointed by the Town Board for seven-year terms. As of March 2025, several positions on the board are vacant, including the Chairman, Co-Vice Chairman, and another Co-Vice Chairman. Remaining members include Randy Aldrich, Stephen Bronzi, and Roy Kievit, with Anthony Marinaro serving as an alternate member.

In February 2025, half of the Planning Board members resigned, according to the Times Union citing a "toxic culture" allegedly fostered by Councilman Alfred Rabasco. These resignations have left the board without a quorum, hindering its ability to function until new members are appointed.

Chris Raffaelli was the first to submit his resignation to Town Supervisor Alan Bell in a letter dated Feb. 28 that detailed an environment characterized by “deceit, self-promotion, mismanagement, vindictiveness, self-serving, contradictory statements and actions, intentional professional harm, manipulation, hostility, and mental abuse.”

“Teamwork and community benefit are not part of the vocabulary,” reads the letter, which the Times Union obtained. “This toxic culture has escalated to the point where valuable professional staff are leaving, volunteers are being asked to participate in confidential human resource investigations, meetings devolve into shouting matches, and statements are often intentionally distorted or falsified.”

Raffaelli also wrote that Town Hall members have failed to intervene and that some “decisions by the Town Board appear to support this dysfunction rather than address it.”

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The Town Board is actively working to fill these vacancies, aiming to restore the board's functionality by the next scheduled meeting on April 17, 2025. Regular business meetings of the Planning Board are typically held on the third Thursday of each month at 7:00 PM at the Town Hall, located at 120 Stringham Road, LaGrangeville, NY 12540. All meetings are open to the public.