Schools critic is threatened with arrest

By FRANK NARDOZZI

Phil Christe of Mount Kisco, a vocal and persistent critic of the Bedford Central School Board, was ordered to leave and threatened with arrest when he refused to turn off his tape recorder at a meeting of the Citizens Facilities Advisory Committee at the schools' administration building on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

Homer Schoen, chairman of the facilities committee, informed Mr. Christe that it was the committee's policy to prohibit recording devices at its public sessions. When Mr. Christe asked for a copy of the policy statement, one could not be produced.

Mr. Christe argued that it seemed to him that the committee was making up a rule just to apply to him and that his rights superseded the committee's rules.

As the argument continued, a school administrator called the police and a Bedford officer reported to the scene. He talked the matter over with Mr. Schoen and school officials, and finally, Mr. Christe agreed not to tape record the proceedings. He was then allowed to stay for the entire meeting.

Since then, Mr. Schoen said he had researched the matter and discovered that the committee's meeting rules do not specifically mention recording devices. They do allow the public to observe the committee's deliberations, but they do not allow for public participation.

"I intend to offer an apology to Mr. Christe," Mr. Schoen said. "I thought the prohibition was in our guidelines."

At the committee's next meeting, Tuesday, Nov. 14, a discussion is planned on whether such recording should be permitted. "I don't know what the committee will rule with

regard to tape recordings," Mr. Schoen said.

He noted that the school board had a rule barring "obtrusive" tape recording or videotaping of its meetings. But citizens committees are not bound by the board's rules.

Mr. Schoen said that the fear was that Mr. Christe would use "snippets" of the proceedings on his local radio show that were not representative of committee members' positions.

Mr. Christe said that he hosts an interview program on WVIP-Radio in Mount Kisco that focuses on book authors. He said he was not planning to use the recordings for such purpose.

In another seemingly unrelated incident, another persistent and vocal critic of the school board, Mike Carbone of Bedford Hills, walked out of the Bedford School Board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 25, after he was told by School Board President Dot Fallon to "quiet down or leave."

This was after Mrs. Fallon, Mr. Schoen and Bruce Dennis, the schools superintendent, had patiently answered a string of combative questions from Mr. Carbone during a public comment section of the meeting.

Mr. Carbone sat down and then got up again, wanting to ask more questions. When he was informed that he had already had an opportunity, Mr. Carbone noted that the Little Theater at Fox Lane Middle School, where board meetings are held, had a capacity of 256 people. Since he was one of only two members of the public there, he argued that he should be allowed to speak more often.

When asked about this remark after the meeting, Mrs. Fallon said, "This is the school board's meeting, not Mr. Carbone's."

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