Second Chances not a consideration in Woodstock, NY
This week, the Woodstock, NY Town Board voted to terminate a town maintenance worker who is also a registrant on New York’s sex offense registry. The decision came after a tense and emotionally charged meeting where community members and board officials clashed over how to handle Innello’s employment and past convictions.
While the vote to fire Innello ultimately passed, what stood out to us was the rare and courageous stance taken by two board members—Supervisor Bill McKenna and Councilmember Laura Ricci—who abstained from the vote and publicly pushed for a more thoughtful, less reactionary approach.
Councilmember Ricci said it best, “If you go look on the New York state page that talks about this individual, the very first thing it says is that information is not to be used to harm the individual… So I think we should give a lot of thought, because each person, when they are redeeming themselves — sometimes people can redeem themselves, and sometimes they can’t… In any event, I think we could be giving this more thought. I don’t think we should be knee-jerk about it.”
It takes real courage to speak those words in a room charged with emotion, especially when doing so risks backlash. At a time when it’s far easier to take the politically safe route, Ricci and McKenna chose to stand up for the belief that redemption is possible and that we should not weaponize the registry against those trying to rebuild their lives. Their bravery reminds us that justice is not just about punishment. It’s also about fairness, due process, and compassion.
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She should be able to sue, or at the very least file a complaint with the New York State human right’s office. Or she has to do is describe that, although her significant other is on the registry, she is not, it doesn’t impose a substantial risk to her job, she’s more than qualified to do her job. They will most likely find that there was probably cause. She’ll win something. Hope the best. She should also retain an attorney.