It appears that the seemingly closed drama regarding the Town Justice position left vacant by Judge William O'Brien's untimely passing in February has been reopened once again: Matt Parker, who was appointed to the position by the town board on June 5 in a 3-1 vote which was split across party lines, submitted a letter of resignation to the town council on June 26, which was received by the town clerk on June 30.

The letter cites the recent knee surgery underwent by acting Village Justice Harvey Levine, and the unknown length of time he will need to recover, as the main reason for Parker's resignation. Parker was elected as Ellenville's regular Village Justice, while Levine was appointed by the village mayor and approved by the village board. As such, the acting justice holds court when the regular justice is otherwise unable to, and as a general rule the acting judge holds court about once a month to stay active and involved with the court.

When asked about his reasons for resignation, Parker gave the following statement: "Due to the recent surgery and the undetermined length of convalescence of Judge Levine, alternating the weeks of court between the town and the village at this point is not practical. In order to honor my commitment to the voters of the village of Ellenville, I have submitted my resignation for the appointed position of Town Judge to the town board."

He added, "What it came down to is that I can't do both and work my full-time job at the same time. I could have alternated it, but once this occurred, it's unfair to the village and it's unfair to the town, and it's unfair to the employer I work for on a full-time basis. There's only so much flexibility that anybody's going to have."

When asked if he would still seek the Democratic nomination for the Town Justice election this November, he said he would not, and would instead seek the nomination for the Village Justice position when it comes up for reelection.

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