TOWN OF CHESTER – The Town of Chester is launching an investigation into whether Town Comptroller Neil Meyer used his town-issued laptop to perform volunteer work for the Town of Wallkill.
Town of Chester Supervisor Brandon Holdridge confirmed the probe to Mid-Hudson News on Tuesday afternoon. Holdridge hired Meyer, a CPA, in January of 2024 after the Democrat lost the Town of Wallkill Supervisor’s race to George Serrano.
“The Town of Chester is aware of these allegations and has commenced an internal investigation,” Holdridge said. “I am not in a position to comment further at this time.”
Meyer did not return a message seeking comment for this story.
The potential use of equipment issued by one municipality to perform work for another raises concerns about the proper use of taxpayer-funded resources, the security of municipal information, and whether any sensitive financial or personnel data could have been accessed or handled outside established procedures.
“This makes everything even more concerning, and it casts a wider net,” Town of Wallkill Republican Councilman Eric Johnson said. “My experience with Neil is that he has always been brazen. He can’t accept that he has made a mistake and did anything wrong. I guess he thinks that it is OK to work his day job and do work for another town.”
Johnson said he had heard from Town of Wallkill employees that Meyer would remotely log in to the town’s software system during the workday and access various files.
Chester’s investigation comes amid a growing dispute over Meyer’s role in Wallkill, where Republican officials have questioned why he allegedly had access to Town Hall and municipal computer systems despite not being a town employee.
The State Comptroller’s Office is investigating the alleged Wallkill breach, and the Chester development could add another layer to the probe.
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