The Piermontian Mayor of Montebello

The longtime mayor of Montebello Jeffrey Oppenheim currently resides in Piermont in a home he’s purchased. The mayor confirmed he has no firm commitment to move back to the village he governs. Oppenheim was forced to move for personal reasons and many of his personal possessions remain in his Montebello home, giving him a legal claim to remaining in Montebello politics according to the village’s legal advisers.

In a twist of fate, unbenownst to himself, Oppenheim was actually registered to vote in Piermont when he ran for mayor of Montebello earlier this year. The Board of Elections had sent mail to his Montebello address that was returned with his Piermont address in September 2014 and the BOE automatically registered him at his new address.

Thus for over a year Oppenheim was registered in a district outside the village he governs, until it was brought to his attention by the Rockland County Times last week and he changed it back to his old Montebello address. His voting record also shows no votes in any elections since 2013, unusual for a local politician.

Of course, if Oppenheim showed up to vote in his own election earlier this year, he would have been met with a rude awakening, he wasn’t registered in his own village!

Oppenheim said he expects his Montebello home will be sold in the coming years, after which he may resign from office. He said he also has considered other options that would allow him to finish his term in office, such as renting a home in Montebello.