Business leader takes aim at Town Board
WRIV station owner may sue over dismissal from volunteer job
8 comments below
Vince Tria, 78, was dismissed as president of the BID Management Association board of directors while Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter was calling for "a new direction" for the BID, which collects money from downtown businesses to fund events and promotions.
"It's been floundering under its current leadership," Mr. Walter said after the Town Board's actions last Tuesday.
Mr. Tria filed a notice of claim, which reserves the right to file a lawsuit later, on Monday, charging Town Board members issued his dismissal as a retaliatory measure against him. The documents say that his East Main Street radio station, WRIV, "has regularly reported on community concerns and has aired programs wherein residents criticize" Town Board members.
The claim further states that the retaliation also came in part because Mr. Tria helped expose ties between "criminal elements" and "certain officials."
Mr. Tria was one of three BID board members replaced by the Town Board in a 4-0 vote. Councilman John Dunleavy was absent and was not named as a defendant in the notice of claim, which listed the remaining four Town Board members both individually and in their capacity as town officials.
[if "'I find it hard to believe [Vince Tria] is aggrieved $10 million. Nobody said anything negative about him.' -- Supervisor Sean Walter" equals ""]
Mr. Tria confirmed to a reporter that he is also contesting his removal from the BID.
"I am the president of the BID and I will remain so until my term expires and someone else is elected by the BID," he said, though he declined to comment on the details contained in the 3-page document obtained by the News-Review.
The newly appointed Mr. Coates said Mr. Tria even presided over a meeting the day after the Town Board voted him off the BID.
The notice of claim, filed in the town clerk's office, alleges that the Town Board "concocted a scheme in order to remove [Mr. Tria] from his position as president of the BID as well as to publicly embarrass and humiliate him." Town Board members "feared that [Mr. Tria] was a whistle-blower as to improprieties in Town Hall and allowed his radio station to air citizen complaints about" the town, it states.
It also asserts that "the real reason and motive of [the Town Board] for the termination of Tria was his exposure of problems within the town, including lack of efficiency and effectiveness of town officials as well as the ties of certain officials to certain criminal elements, including alleged members of the sand mine, garbage and asphalt cartels as well as alleged 'Crookhaven' interests."
It was not clear when those alleged "exposures" were made, or whether they were made through the radio station, or by Mr. Tria, or both.
Mr. Tria's notice also said his dismissal from the BID violates the group's bylaws.
Town officials disagree.
Mr. Walter said the Town Board has the authority to appoint and dismiss BID directors as it sees fit.
"This is another frivolous lawsuit that is going to cost the taxpayers money to defend," Mr. Walter said. "I find it hard to believe he is aggrieved $10 million. Nobody said anything negative about him. We just determined that we wanted different members."
BID directors are appointed at will and have no terms, he insisted.
As for the $10 million, Mr. Tria claimed in the documents that he has "sustained pecuniary damage, emotional distress and special damages," and that "he will be unable to pursue business and professional opportunities based on the harm to his reputation."
tgannon@timesreview.com
The Riverhead News-Review is pleased to offer readers the ability to comment on stories. We expect our readers to engage in lively, yet civil discourse. The Riverhead News-Review does not edit user submitted statements and we cannot promise that readers will not occasionally find offensive or inaccurate comments posted in the comments area. Responsibility for the statements posted lies with the person submitting the comment, not The Riverhead News-Review. Please be reminded, however, that in accordance with our Terms of Service and federal law, we are under no obligation to remove any third party comments posted on our website.
8 comments found
Worth stealing : 3/14/2010
RADIO TALK TIME: By anonymous author.
Bruce Tria, Mr. Tria's son and WRIV's general manager, wrote a letter to Mr. Walter after the supervisor bowed out of the broadcast.
"It is sad that you have chosen to deal with a dispute with the principal owner of this radio station by imposing a cone of silence around you," he wrote.
Wait a minute Bruce, regardless of the knocking of the board. You continue to run those advertisements where you always make fun of Riverhead like the dining on the Alwive fish etc etc.
Riverhead has alot of heritage, You and your father both live out of town, yet you always are pushing the button.
Now the board makes a change of the BID as is their right (that every town board has) and you now want the taxpayers to pay to defend a lawsuit?
Your father is not hurting the board but the local residents by hitting them in their pockets. At a time when they are struggling. Thanks alot...
ps did you hear that??? It was me turning off your station, You lost a listener due to the money I have to pay.....
Reproduced by Johnny Nova, without permission.
sorry.............................
OH NO : 3/14/2010
2 of the new board members are cousins (marty and mr. ed. No telling what they'll be up to. Nepotism at it's best. I know both, don't trust either.
Vince : 3/14/2010
Is it me, or is does this friggin' idiot look like Grandpa Munster??
bid : 3/13/2010
as the president of the bid his only concern was getting control of the money the town collects from the bid district.nothing at all was accomplished during his tenure that was his main focal point,why.this is the same man that has the town contribute 40 thousand dollars in town services for the blues festival but will not give his own board at the vail and the town an accounting of how much money he made at the festival.the attorney general has said that he has to give the town an accounting.quick estimate 7000 attendees @10.00 each.50 booths at 600.00 each.plus contributions,7000.00 from bid,3900.00 from newsreview etc,etc.then he claims on the taxes for the vail that the blues festival only made 13 thousand,how about the bid and the town give him 6500.00 each and cancell the blues festival???
BID : 3/13/2010
BID= Busted in Desolation replacing the members of the BID with Martin Sendlewski, Ed Densieski and Anthony Coates is like putting the pitcher back into the game who just gave up 10 runs earlier in the game. The downtown area is a ghost town it is a joke that these people squabble about petty BS while the town drifts aimlessly towards perdition.
To: F riverhead : 3/13/2010
why do you want to sue the taxpayers and why do you hate this town? For Vince to be effective he should gather up his possey and run the bastards out of town. Sueing is only going to jack up the homeowners property taxes and I know you don't want that. do ya?
F*** riverhead town : 3/12/2010
way to go Vince!!!!! i hate this town more than anything. it is pure evil, and its about time someone sued their asses.
What a waste : 3/11/2010
Get over it Vince.
To the judge in this case: Throw the suit out, and charge Tria a substantial fine for wasting the court's time.
Oh, and while your at it; dissolve the BID. Waste of the taxpayers' money.
