The Peru Gazette

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Franklin County District Attorney Elizabeth Crawford, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James announced that Bridget Brown, the former treasurer of the Essex County Agricultural Society and former Willsboro town clerk/tax collector, was sentenced to serve five years probation and ordered to pay full restitution of nearly $90,000 after her conviction by guilty plea of grand larceny in the second degree and grand larceny in the third degree as a crime of public corruption for stealing funds from the society and the town.

“Bridget Brown abused the trust of multiple communities and treated public money in her care as her own to fund her lifestyle. Now she is a convicted felon and has been ordered to repay the money she stole,” DiNapoli said. “This case should serve as a warning to anyone who thinks they can steal from their community and get away with it. My thanks to Franklin County District Attorney Crawford and Superintendent James for their partnership in ensuring Bridget Brown was held accountable for her crimes.”

“I am thankful to the investigators who dedicated themselves to the successful prosecution of this case, which required the review and analysis of thousands of pages of records that spanned a period of theft from 2013 until 2021 between two organizations and three separate job titles that the defendant held,” Crawford said. “On the eve of the 176^th Essex County Fair, we are hopeful that defendant will pay restitution to that organization promptly. Ms. Brown stole from the public for years without remorse and now has to face the consequences of her actions.”

Executive Assistant District Attorney Alyxandra Stanczak was the prosecutor assigned to the case.

“This case is a clear example of how public corruption erodes trust and harms the very communities public servants are sworn to serve,” James said. “Ms. Brown betrayed that trust for personal gain, but thanks to the thorough investigative work and strong interagency cooperation, she is being held accountable. I thank Comptroller DiNapoli and District Attorney Crawford for their continued partnership in protecting New Yorkers from fraud and abuse.”

Brown worked for the Essex County Agricultural Society — a non-profit organization that promotes agriculture through the Essex County Fair — from 2013 to 2019. She also separately served as  Willsboro’s town clerk and tax collector from 2014 to 2021.

Brown stole approximately $60,000 from the society by padding her paychecks, making ATM withdrawals and using the society’s bank account to make personal purchases. She concocted phony business records in an attempt to cover her crimes. She took an additional $29,000 from Willsboro by pocketing residents’ payments for taxes, licenses, and landfill fees.

Brown pleaded guilty in May. She was sentenced before Judge Tatiana Coffinger in Essex County Court, who ordered Brown to pay a 10% surcharge on top of her restitution, bringing her total repayment to $97,600.

“We’ll have some preferences for folks who are homeless, but then people who are basically low and moderate income people, probably a good number of folks working will be able to come here; again, preference for the veterans”

Click here for the MYNBC5 story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance

3. Roll Call

4. MOTION: Approval of Minutes for the Regular Meeting of July 14, 2025. 

5. Community Input. 

6. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Approval For LCLG Planning Board To Submit Application For Funding.
7. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Shared Services Agreement with the Town of Jay.

8. MOTION/DISCUSSION: Vandalism at Heyworth Mason Park Porta-Potties.

9. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION: Resolution Naming NBT Bank As a Depository Agency.

10. DISCUSSION: Telegraph Road Over Dry Mill Brook Culvert Project Engineering Update.

11. DISCUSSION: Other Business, Town Council.

12. DISCUSSION: Other Business, Dept. Heads.

13. DISCUSSION: Public Comments on Agenda Items Only.

14. RESOLUTION/DISCUSSION:  Pay Bills – July 2025

15. MOTION: Adjourn to Executive Session.

16. MOTION: Return from Executive Session.

17. MOTION: Adjourn. 

Click here to read the NBC5 story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

Click here for the Syracuse.com story 

L-R Wayne Wells operated a roller and Kyle Spear operated the sweeper.

Town of Ausable trucks and Town of Peru delivered asphalt, an example of shared serves at work.

Town of Peru truck

July 24, 2035 – Peru Town Highway personnel were out early this morning putting smooth sloped, paved shoulders on newly paved Telegraph Road. 

July 24, 2025, Ausable Point, Peru, NY – Teaching your son or daughter fishing is one of the most enjoyable activities for any parent. This morning, Ben Sabourin and his son Dylan were up early, casting fishing lines at Ausable Point. Ben grew up just a few miles down the road from Ausable Point. Yes, Dylan caught a fish only a couple minutes after his first cast.

Click here for teh VTDigger story 

Click here for the MYNBC5 story 

Click here for the MYNBC5 story 

Click here for the NCPR story 

Photo Provided

Big Latch On at CVPH part of global event to raise awareness  

• Getting their picture taken courtesy of Nature’s Breeze Photography
• Prizes for the youngest and oldest nursling
• Door prize
• Refreshments
• Local agencies and vendors on site with information and to answer questions
• Bake sale benefiting the WCC Bereavement Program to help families through infant loss

July 21, 2025 – Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of a one-stop-shop for active duty service members, veterans, and family members currently enrolled or interested in attending any SUNY college or university. The landing page: www.suny.edu/military, includes information on available credit for military service and experience, tuition assistance, specialized scholarships, and dedicated campus services like veteran lounges and associations for all 64 SUNY campuses. The website also connects veterans with services offered by the counties where each campus is located, helping them stay close to home and community, and will be regularly updated as new information becomes available.

“We continue to rely so much on our veterans and military to protect everything we hold sacred, and it is a priority of my administration to make sure we help our military-connected New Yorkers have a smooth transition to their next career,” Governor Hochul said. “This one-stop shop from SUNY is easy to follow and helps guide service members and their families and puts them on a path to a rewarding degree or credential.”

Governor Hochul has recently announced expanded access to an affordable education through the Veterans Tuition Assistance Program, which went into effect on July 1. Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, the program will now serve even more veterans by broadening eligibility and increasing flexibility.

Thirty-seven SUNY campuses offer academic credit for military service and experience, and the new website includes connecting visitors to an easy-to-use search for available credit for military experience and training. Additionally, SUNY campuses have tailored support available including student veteran associations and military and veteran offices, and counties throughout New York State have programs and staff available as well. SUNY developed this comprehensive website so that servicemembers and veterans would be able to easily learn about and access all of the available programs and benefits that they have earned through their service.

Click here for the NCPR story 

Click here for the Vermont Public story 

Click here for the Vermont Public story 

The prison agency’s security ranks are 4,700 corrections officers and sergeants short of what it says it needs to run every program and housing area effectively.

Click here for the New York Focus story 

July 21, 2025 Upper Saranac Foundation News Release – A professional dive team has completed early season aquatic invasive species (AIS) management at Fish Creek Campground, removing over 1,300 pounds of Eurasian and variable-leaf watermilfoil.

The work was performed by the Upper Saranac Foundation’s (USF) dive team and was part of the Fish Creek AIS Management Project, supported by a $19,000 grant from the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP), with additional support from the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. USF has been managing AIS at Fish Creek since 2016, but this was the first year grant funding was awarded specifically for efforts there.

“This grant expands our AIS management to a critical headwater of the Upper Saranac watershed,” said USF Executive Director Guy Middleton. “The additional resources enable more rigorous efforts to address the spread of invasive plants from upstream sources — a key strategy in safeguarding Upper Saranac Lake.”

“Every invasive plant we remove here makes the Upper Saranac watershed healthier,” said Bryce Davison, USF dive team lead. “This grant lets us dive more often and target expanded AIS patches upstream.”

The project is part of USF’s broader watershed protection approach, integrating prevention, monitoring, control, outreach and education. Fish Creek Campground is a popular recreational hub with over 350 campsites and direct access to Upper Saranac Lake.

“This is a high-risk area for AIS spread,” Middleton noted. “With thousands of visitors and nearly all campsites offering direct water access, proactive management is essential here to prevent the infestation of uninvaded waterbodies.”

USF has a strong track record in AIS control, supported by past LCBP grants, including transforming Upper Saranac Lake from a waterbody once dominated by Eurasian watermilfoil into one where it is now a rarity. At Follensby Clear Pond — another Upper Saranac tributary — USF removed over 8.65 tons of AIS over the last six years. These efforts have become national models for effective, science-based aquatic plant management.

LCBP grants have also supported the Adirondack Watershed Institute’s Watershed Steward Program, which works in tandem with USF to inspect watercraft, educate boaters and perform high-risk decontaminations using USF’s hot-water pressure decontamination unit.

“Thanks to the support of this grant, USF can continue protecting the watershed’s long-term health, safeguarding biodiversity, property values, and recreation-based economies,” Middleton added.

The USF dive team will return in September, after peak summer use in the campground, to continue this work

To learn more about USF, visit usfoundation.net or contact Middleton at lakemanager@usfoundation.net.

About the Upper Saranac Foundation

The Upper Saranac Foundation is a nonprofit, science-guided organization celebrating its 35th anniversary in 2025. USF seeks to preserve, enhance and protect the natural beauty, environmental quality and recreational enjoyment of the Upper Saranac Lake watershed through selective support of projects related to overall water quality. The Foundation is funded through tax-deductible donations. Activities include aquatic invasive species prevention and management, lake dam maintenance, monitoring water quality and promoting environmental awareness. To learn more, visit usfoundation.net.