A state judge rejected efforts by Woodstock to dismiss a lawsuit by police officer Philip Sinagra, telling local officials they must explain in court whether the town violated a 60-day deadline to lodge disciplinary charges against him.
The ruling, issued by Ulster County Supreme Court Justice David Gandin on May 22, found that Sinagra raised a valid point about the timing under New York Town Law 155. Sinagra, hired part-time in 2019, says he was put on administrative leave in May 2023 and wasn’t formally charged until last September, 14 months later.
That means his suit can proceed because it raises an issue of statutory interpretation rather than a factual dispute, the justice said. Gandin rejected Sinagra’s additional claims that a disciplinary proceeding would cause irreparable harm or that internal remedies would be futile, calling those arguments “speculative.”
Woodstock has 20 days from the date it was served with the judge’s decision to file a response. A preliminary conference is scheduled for June 23 unless both parties agree to resolve the matter. Sinagra brought the case under Article 78, a legal process New Yorkers use to challenge decisions by government agencies.
Woodstock Supervisor Bill McKenna said the town acted lawfully by filing charges within 60 days of receiving the findings of an outside investigator hired to review the matter and doesn’t plan to appeal the ruling. Sinagra remains on paid administrative leave and is required to report to the town supervisor, McKenna said.
“We’re content to answer the issues on merit,” he said in an interview. “Once we had the evidence or the confidence that there was enough to levy charges, they were levied against him.”
The town is represented by Christopher Langlois of the Albany-based law firm Girvin & Ferlazzo. Langlois did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday. Neither did Sinagra’s attorney nor Woodstock Police Chief Clayton Keefe.
The charges against Sinagra came after four officers and a former dispatcher complained in 2023 to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission about a pattern of racist and sexist behavior within the department. The complaint, which has since been settled, accused Sinagra of making threatening and sexually explicit remarks to a colleague and using racial slurs. Furthermore, the five—Officers Tiffany Croizer, Gabrielle Lalima, and Brian Williams; Sgt. Adam McGrath; and ex-dispatcher Michelle Sullivan—said they were penalized or forced to leave after reporting misconduct.
Sinagra was put on leave shortly after the complaint became public in 2023. He rejected a proposed settlement that August and is now a part-time police department employee.
In other police business, the Woodstock Town Board voted unanimously on May 23 to approve a five-year collective bargaining agreement with the United Federation of Police Officers Local 439. The contract, which runs from Jan. 1, 2025, through Dec. 31, 2029, includes wage increases, expanded holiday benefits, and updated scheduling rules.
It codifies a rotating four-days-on, two-days-off patrol schedule, mandates minimum staffing levels, and guarantees overtime or compensatory time for court and training duties. The agreement also adds Juneteenth and Indigenous Peoples Day to the list of paid holidays and commits the town to covering 100 percent of dental and vision insurance premiums for full-time officers.
Noah Eckstein is the editor-in-chief of The Overlook. Send correspondence to noah@theoverlooknews.com.
