Dutiful Reporting Leads to Unsavory Truths – The Warwick Valley Dispatch

By Keith Newman,
Assisting Editor

It’s not easy being the voice of an entire town. The Warwick Valley Dispatch exists solely because of our readers and for that we are extremely grateful. As such, we feel a special responsibility to always be truthful and to print stories that affect the lives of all the residents, not just a select few. The job of a newspaper is to inform, educate, and entertain, not to bury the truth, even when the story might make others uncomfortable. Every local and state politician that represents the Town of Warwick has been offered the opportunity to write their own weekly column in the Dispatch. We don’t discriminate when it comes to party affiliation and we feel that it’s important to present a variety of opinions. It is the very reason that we have always been referred to as “Warwick’s Hometown Paper” and that’s something we take great pride in.

In the February 16^th issue of the Dispatch, we printed a letter from Mayor Newhard, despite the fact that he had already reached his limit and that we found it contained multiple inaccuracies. That limit is part of a long-standing tradition so that no candidate can use our “Letters” section as their own personal soapbox. Like other newspapers, we also need to limit published letters because of space and in our case, it is usually 250 words or less. For those reasons, we put a lot of thought into whether or not to even print it. Eventually, we determined that the Mayor deserved a chance to defend himself in a matter that was unrelated to the upcoming election. Our decision to edit certain portions of the letter grew out of our concern that it contained a number of inaccuracies that involved other named parties.

2 screenshot of Mayor Newhard’s letter posted on Facebook

Since that time we have received a number of letters in defense of the Mayor. One^[1] even claimed that our article contained “blatant misinformation,” and insinuated that we omitted parts of the letter in an attempt to mislead our readers. We would like to respond to the accusations leveled against us and have decided to print these two letters, completely unedited. As Mayor Newhard begins his letter^[2], he mentions, “Dispatch owner Stephen Kitar.” This is a claim that the Mayor has made over and over again without any facts to back him up, and is still not true. This newspaper has been owned by the same family since the very first issue was printed in 1885. In accordance with federal laws and regulations, the Dispatch must file an annual statement of ownership (Form PS3526^[3]) with the US Postal Service. Per the certificate below, it is evident that Mr. Eugene Wright, is the current publisher and owner of the Warwick Valley Dispatch.

Later on, Mr. Newhard states that, “Mr. Kitar explained that 16 years ago when he owned Spring St. Cleaners the check was found in my shirt pocket.” At no time during the interview, which you can still find on the Dispatch YouTube page^[1] did Mr. Kitar say that he owned Spring St. Cleaners. Here again, Mayor Newhard’s memory appears to be a bit foggy. While Mr. Kitar did bring this check to our attention when he mentioned it during the Mayor’s interview, it wasn’t until after Mr. Newhard claimed to have no recollection of the event that a copy of the check was shown to him. As for the Cleaners, we had an opportunity to speak with the owner of the shop at the time the incident occurred. They requested anonymity but they did want to give us a statement that disputes the Mayor’s letter:

usps_ownership_filing Dutiful Reporting Leads to Unsavory Truths — 3 required by the Federal Authority to be filed annually to show proof of continued eligibility for mailing under periodical permit

“I am the former owner of the local dry cleaning business and I want to say something about the events regarding the discovery of the $1 million check. I was present at the store and personally handled Mr. Newhard’s order. After reading the Mayor’s letter, I would like to set the record straight on some of the things he said. The order was dropped by Mr. Newhard’s wife. Upon finding the check we put it with the lost items. The check was never hand-delivered to the Mayor at his store. Our business policy was to put lost or left items in a special bag and they were returned to the owner when they picked up their clothes. Mayor Newhard came to the cleaners to pick up his order in person and the check was given back to him at that time. The Mayor left and we had no further discussion about it. Additionally, the claim that Mr. Stephen Kitar was the owner of the business is entirely incorrect.”

Newhard also states in his letter that the check was “written in my handwriting…” As we have already suggested, it is quite clear from looking at the check that more than one person appears to be responsible. We believe the Mayor when he says that his handwriting is on the check but he’s not the only one. Why won’t that person step forward and help to straighten all of this out? We can ask the same thing of those in power at the library. Since the check belongs to them, they should have a solid explanation of what might have happened and how the Mayor ended up with a check for one million dollars in his shirt pocket.

The fact that this occurred 16 years ago does not imply that we should have just overlooked this story when it came to our attention. It is the job of any newspaper to report the news, regardless of whether or not it makes people uncomfortable or how long ago it occurred. We aren’t in the business of manipulating facts in order to manufacture a story which is why we feel compelled to defend ourselves. From the start, the Dispatch has made every effort to afford Mayor Newhard the opportunity to explain what really transpired. If there are two people involved in this “prank,” why won’t that person step forward to corroborate his recollection of events? Why does the library continue to refuse to speak with the Dispatch about an incident that also involves them? There are still too many questions that need to be answered before this story can be put to rest.

To the concerned citizen who submitted the letter accusing this paper of manipulating the minds of its readers, do you really believe that the information that was omitted would have helped the Mayor? Newhard has created a narrative that portrays him as an innocent victim who is being unfairly harassed by the press. This newspaper is only in pursuit of the truth, whether it involves the Mayor or the average citizen of Warwick.

At a time when our country has never been more divided, the Warwick Dispatch will continue to be a platform for everyone, regardless of your political affiliation. We try to present views from every side so that our readers can come to their own conclusions. Since we broke this story, Mr. Newhard was presented with multiple opportunities to explain the existence of this check and much of what he claims has been proven to be factually incorrect.

We have only printed the facts as we’ve uncovered them and that is our job. The Mayor’s job is to tell the truth and earn the trust of his constituents. It seems as though he is failing to meet that very basic requirement.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR – 1 letter to the Editor by Roz & Brian Gitt:

To the Editor:

The front-page headline and lead story printed in the Feb. 16th issue of The Warwick Dispatch contained blatant misinformation.
I’m referring to the fuss being created over Mayor Newhard’s error regarding a check he wrote (in fun) to our library years ago.
Mayor Newhard’s letter of explanation was printed as well as a rebuttal by the owner(?), reporter(?), editor(?) of said paper.
At first glance, this is how things should work…events occur and newspapers editorialize about them. The process provides the necessary transparency regarding our elected officials.
As voters, we need accurate information to cast our ballots as responsible citizens. Information printed in our local papers helps to guide our actions; whatever our political points of view.
However, Mayor Newhard’s letter was not printed in in its entirety. Parts of his letter, that served to help explain and clarify, were omitted.
Why are the voters in our community being misinformed and thereby manipulated?
Why now? Why is this event being ‘exposed’ seventeen years later? Why would your dry cleaners keep anything they find in your pockets, let alone use this against you at a time in the future?
If we are unable to trust the information and the motivation of the news we are given, particularly in our local media, we have serious problems that are far greater than a mayor’s humorous caper in the distant past.

Thank you, Roz & Brian Gitt

4 https://youtu.be/7I1BFTuB_qU?t=2553

https://youtu.be/7I1BFTuB_qU?t=2553

Statement From The Warwick Valley Dispatch

We at The Warwick Valley Dispatch consider ourselves part of a long-standing institution that’s been honorably representing our beautiful community since 1885. For more than a century, we have grown with generations of Warwick residents and watched our community blossom to life and prosperity. It is our great honor to have been the constant presence in your lives and we will continue to dedicate ourselves to Warwick for generations to come.

Our duty as the hometown paper lies within our ability to give voice to our fellow Warwick residents and administrations. We greatly value the bond with the Town of Warwick and its villages, and applaud the mayors of the Greenwood Lake and Florida, as well as, the Warwick Supervisor who continue to bring information to their constituents through regular reporting via Dispatch.

Unfortunately, relegation of such duties by Mayor Newhard along with some far-from-the-truth statements that were not only voiced but put in writing and signed by the village mayor, enticing his supporters to question the fairness of the coverage and the integrity of this institution, has led to us making a difficult but necessary decision.

Considering the misinformation that was told from the highest position of power in the local government, WVD feels it would be improper to continue the relationship with the Village of Warwick in the capacity of its Official Newspaper while it’s under current administration.

Effective immediately, The Warwick Valley Dispatch is relinquishing its designation as the Official Newspaper of the Village of Warwick, and will no longer represent the Village as its legal newspaper.

The Dispatch will not be swayed by politics; we refuse to be pressured into conforming to someone’s personal agendas, omitting the facts or concealing stories that affect our community. We will not stand for such unethical practices. We adhere to higher standards and our duty will always be only to you, – our readers and fellow residents.

Eugene F. Wright Eleanor Horoshun

Owner and Publisher Editor-in-Chief