(L-R): YPS Superintendent Bernard Pierorazio, former Yonkers Inspector General Philip Zisman, and present Yonkers Inspector General Dan Schorr.
Exclusive: Court Ruling Herein
Exclusive: Statement of Philip Zisman, former Yonkers Inspector General
Yonkers, NY, July 2, 2010 -- Supreme Court Justice William J. Giacomo has validated the Yonkers Inspector Generals’ purview over the Yonkers Board of Education (YBoE) in a ruling that supercedes the YBoE’s assertion that had denied Inspector General Philip Zisman, and his successor Dan Schorr, fromauditing its books. The ruling is a recapitulation of like expression by Mr Zisman, former Corporation Counsel Frank Rubino, and Mayor Phil Amicone.
The Yonkers City Council had in the Fall of 2009 instructed I.G. Zisman to audit the books of the YBoE. Zisman was met by a recalcitrant YBoE that culminated in a suit being filed by the YBoE against the Office of the Yonkers Inspector General. Mayor Amicone permitted the Yonkers Board of Education trustees to pursue the litigious action despite his having selected each member of its board. The monetary sum of this action has yet to be determined.
Yonkers Public School spokesperson Jerilynne Fierstein has decided to take the early retirement incentive; perhaps that is why she was unavailable for comment. Eric Schoen has received his termination papers.
Philip Zisman, former Yonkers Inspector General, issued the following statement, "In a strongly worded decision, New York State Court Justice William Giacomo, confirmed that the Yonkers Inspector General has the independent "power and authority to investigate and/or audit [the School District] in respect to matters that are not strictly educational..." the Court recognized that the Inspector General is completely independent of the Board of Education and has only a responsibility to the citizens of the City of Yonkers. The decision is a victory for accountability and transparency in government. The people of Yonkers have a right to know how the School District is spending our tax dollars. As the former Inspector General, it is gratifying that the Court vindicated the position that I had advocated for more than two years in efforts to get the Board to cooperate with Inspector General audits and investigations. It is unfortunate the the Board saw fit to waste time and taxpayer money in bringing what amounted to a frivolous claim."
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