GENESEO — Illegal Immigrant rights are being discussed by the Geneseo Village Board. The Green Light New York is lobbying for illegal immigrants to be able to receive a valid drivers license regardless of immigration status. "Not a lot of immigration reform comes out of this area...[but a lot of immigration issues are] happening right here in Geneseo," said Mary V. Rutigliano, Geneseo Village Trustee. "It would mean a lot for us to learn … [Read more...]
Rutigliano Asks for Funds to Sterilize Geneseo Cats
GENESEO — Village Board Trustee Mary Rutigliano proposes that the Village set funds aside to help lower the cat population in Geneseo. Rutigliano proposed that the board consider bringing in vets who would be willing to spay and neuter stray and abandoned cats throughout the village. "The cats didn't ask for this," said Rutigliano. "They are here because of human irresponsibility and human neglect." She hopes that funds will be set aside … [Read more...]
Geneseo’s Wild Cat ‘Herds’ to be Focus of New Committee
GENESEO – The Village's notorious if beautiful free-ranging cats will be the focus of a committee of local residents. Village Trustee Mary Rutigliano is spearheading the committee, which will discuss ways to humanely slow the cats' population growth. "Growing up on Livingston Street, I'd see cat litters getting under porches and in hollow trees," said Rutigliano. "There are concerns but we're not going to play the blame game. This will be a … [Read more...]
FROM THE NEWS DIRECTOR’S DESK: Immigration Law is Not the Cops’ Fault
Trustee Mary Rutigliano has stirred the pot to a boil. She knows this. She consistently doubles down on her pride in protesting GPD's decision to call U.S. Border Patrol at that traffic stop, inviting others to protest GPD's call and most recently inviting college students to get involved in and change the policy of the village government, which she represents. First off, her and others' direct criticism of Chief Eric Osganian and Officer Ian … [Read more...]
Rutigliano: People in Power Must Now Answer to Students’ Issues
GENESEO – SUNY Geneseo student and Village Trustee Mary Rutigliano was one of a few speakers at a demonstration by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality organization protesting the detainment of two Guatemalan women last Thursday as offensive to immigrant rights. Rutigliano took the stage on the college green to say that students can 'make this an issue.' The demonstration lasted for less than an hour. "I was elected … [Read more...]
Public Demands Policy Changes of Split Geneseo Board in Wake of Detained Migrant Workers
GENESEO – Members of the public asked the Village Board to make policy changes in the wake of Thursday's detainment of migrant workers at a traffic stop on Mary Jemison Drive. Mayor Richard Hatheway called a public meeting for 11 a.m. Saturday at the Village Hall. He, Deputy Mayor Sandra Brennan, Trustee Mary Rutigliano and Trustee Matt Cook attended. Over two dozen people including SUNY Geneseo professors and students, village residents and … [Read more...]
Mayor Backs Geneseo Police’s Calling Border Patrol at Stop
GENESEO – Village Mayor Richard Hatheway released a statement Friday laying out the details leading up to Thursday's federal detention of seven people on Mary Jemison Drive and that police did their job and did it well. Hatheway's statement comes after Village Trustee Mary Rutigliano advocated for the release of the seven people, two adult women and five children, to the media and at protests during and following the detention. Hatheway's … [Read more...]
Trustee Rutigliano: Geneseo Detention Protests are the Right Response
GENESEO – The Village Trustee who joined protests at a traffic stop where two women and five children were taken into custody by Border Patrol says that Geneseo is having the right response. Mary Rutigliano was one of dozens who gathered at the traffic stop for hours as Geneseo Police and Border Patrol agents questioned and ultimately took into custody seven people. Later, she and many others protested outside the Border Patrol office in … [Read more...]
Geneseo Trustee: Cops Should Not Have Called Border Patrol on Suspected Illegal Immigrants
GENESEO – Geneseo Village Trustee Mary Rutigliano and several SUNY Geneseo students and recent alumni immediately responded to the detainment of seven people, two adults and five children, as suspected illegal immigrants from a routine traffic stop Thursday evening. Rutigliano returned a request for comment at 1:39 a.m. Friday while outside the Irondequoit Border Patrol Office with members of Metro Justice Rochester and the Worker Justice … [Read more...]
Geneseo’s Social Host Law Turns One, Student Trustees Talk Enforcement
GENESEO – The controversial Social Host Law has now been in effect for one year. Since its passage, three people, all college students, have been charged with violations. Many SUNY Geneseo students have vocally opposed the law since its passage in April 2015. It establishes a violation-level charge and $250 fine when a person is proven to be in control of a residence where underage people are being served alcohol or drugs illegally. Village … [Read more...]