Family members of Town of Newburgh officials arrived at Town Hall on Jan. 2 to support their loved ones as they were sworn in for another term of office. Unexpectedly, they found themselves wedged in among two dozen or more people who were there for a very different reason – to protest a gentlemen’s club being erected on Route 9W.

Kim and Jeff Karitis hold up signs designed to protest a planned 6,000-square-foot gentlemen’s club behind the old Blue Moon strip club on Route 9W in the Middle Hope section of the Town of Newburgh.

As a cake, cookies, desserts and coffee were being readied at the back of the room, Town Clerk Andrew Zarutskie started the meeting as he called roll of the Town Board at their first meeting of 2012.

Supervisor Wayne Booth immediately attempted to let the protesters in the audience know that this was not a regular Town Board meeting where citizens are allowed to voice their opinions about items on or off the night’s agenda.

“We’d like to speak,” one of the protesters called out, interrupting the board’s vote approving the schedule of meetings during 2012.

“We’d like to speak at the end of the meeting,” the protester repeated.

“That will be for a regular Town Board meeting,” Booth responded. “That is not part of the agenda tonight,” he said.

“Let us speak,” another person insisted.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Booth said, in a vain attempt to override the protests.

“You’re here for us, right?” a protester interjected.

“Ladies and gentlemen. This meeting is for the enjoyment … ,” Booth said, in an effort to explain that he wouldn’t let the meeting to be taken over by an organized protest.

“We’ll let you speak at a regular Town Board meeting, but tonight we have business to discuss,” Booth said, only to be interrupted again by protesters, who said:

“This is our business.”

“This isn’t about formalities,” another member of the audience interjected. “This is about the lives of our people. And that’s the most important thing that can happen.”

The protest came almost exactly a year after a Jan. 20, 2011 Town Planning Board approval of a 6,000-square-foot restaurant and gentlemen’s club directly behind the Fantasy Island adult entertainment club on Route 9W in the Middle Hope area of the Town of Newburgh.

The Blue Moon strip club has been a fixture at the location for more than 20 years.

A petition protesting the new strip club is dated Dec. 19, 2011. The first name on the petition is that of Stephen L. Krasner, Booth’s opponent in the past two supervisor elections in 2009 and 2011. The next two signatures on that petition are those of Jeffrey Karitis and his wife, Kimberly.

The petition alleges that the strip club will be “a breeding ground for drug activity, prostitution, criminal activity, sexual assault and disease.”

It also states that the club will provide “an environment ripe for sexual predators, pedophiles and sex trafficking.”

Club owner Keith Silfstein refers to such comments as “untruths,” being spread by uninformed people.

Silfstein’s company, Santa Monica Holdings, has a number of similar operations. Santa Monica Holdings has obeyed all of the town planning and zoning procedures.

Lt. Michael Clancy, officer in charge of the Town of Newburgh Police Department, said Monday that clubs such as these don’t always know what they’re getting when they hire entertainers.

“They aren’t selling alcohol in the club,” Clancy said. “Customers may end up going out into the parking lot to drink,” he said.

“We do get some complaints, but it kind of goes with the territory. The entertainers themselves are sometimes a problem. It’s hard to tell what goes on behind closed doors,” he said, adding that there is some history of complaints associated with adult entertainment businesses.

“You’re putting our children at jeopardy. The least you could do is let us speak,” protesters said.

Sprinkled throughout the crowd were signs hoisted by protesters that read: “Let us speak;” “Protect Our Children;” “Say No to the Mega Strip Club on 9W;” and “Our Elected Town Officials Are Failing Us.”

“You are disrupting our meeting,” Booth said, trying to regain control.

“You said there was an open discussion on the agenda,” another person commented.

“No he didn’t,” responded Town Clerk Zarutskie.

“I have the most liberal open mic policy of any town in the county, maybe even the state,” Booth responded.

“This is the one meeting where we do the business of the town … and we’re not changing the agenda for something that’s not on the schedule,” Booth said firmly.

“So, your agenda is more important than our children,” a protester said.

“That’s not what I said, sir,” Booth replied.

“I know you’re here to disrupt this meeting,” Booth added, “but …” the audience drowned out the supervisor as he attempted to regain control of the meeting.

The meeting finally continued with Booth telling the audience that he’d give them the 10 minutes they were requesting in a private audience. The following day Booth said that the 10 minutes extended to more than an hour. Even with that, Booth hasn’t heard the end of complaints about the gentlemen’s club.

The next regular Town Board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday Jan. 17. That meeting will offer citizens ample opportunities to air their complaints about any perceived town issues.

By ALLAN GAUL
agaul@tcnewspapers.com