By Rockland News Staff
July 14, 2026
NEW CITY, N.Y. — The Town of Clarkstown says an ethics investigation into its director of engineering began months before he raised concerns about billing under a multimillion-dollar contract with Siemens, directly challenging his contention that he was placed on leave in retaliation for questioning the use of taxpayer funds.
Town Attorney Kevin Conway said in a statement Tuesday that Michael Gianatasio, Clarkstown’s director of Engineering and Facilities Management, was placed on paid administrative leave after an independent investigation allegedly uncovered undisclosed private business interests and potential conflicts involving companies that sought to work with the town.
The allegations have been referred to the Clarkstown Ethics Board. No final determination has been issued, and Gianatasio has not been charged with a crime.
The competing accounts present sharply different explanations for why Gianatasio was removed from his position. The town portrays him as an official attempting to deflect attention from an investigation that was already underway. Gianatasio says he was targeted after identifying what he considered substantial and unsupported labor charges connected to Siemens’ work for Clarkstown.
Town says vendor complaint came first
According to the statement provided to Rockland News, the town received a complaint from a vendor in 2025 concerning Gianatasio’s conduct. Clarkstown then retained independent counsel to investigate, interview Gianatasio and examine his financial-disclosure filings.
The town alleges that Gianatasio made overtures to Siemens concerning possible work involving a business connected to his wife. Rockland Daily, citing sources within the town, identified Siemens as the vendor that initially raised concerns and reported that Gianatasio’s relationship with the company became increasingly hostile after Siemens declined the proposed business arrangement.
Conway said independent counsel reported approximately 17 instances in which Gianatasio failed to disclose personal business interests as required by Clarkstown’s ethics code.
One of the town’s principal allegations concerns C.A.C. Industries Inc. Clarkstown says Gianatasio was registered in Florida as the company’s “second qualifying agent for business,” with C.A.C.’s New York address listed on the registration. According to the town, C.A.C. sought municipal work on several occasions, but Gianatasio did not disclose the relationship on his town financial-disclosure forms.
The town also alleges that Gianatasio took actions in his official capacity that could have benefited C.A.C., including participating with Highway Superintendent Robert Milone in a road-paving project that had not received Town Board approval. The town says the material used was not authorized by the New York State Department of Transportation and potentially presented a safety concern.
Rockland Daily reported additional town allegations involving C.A.C. and Green Asphalt, including a claim that the paving material failed and Clarkstown later had to repave the road at public expense. The publication also reported that town officials expect a separate ethics complaint involving Milone. Those allegations have not been adjudicated.
The town further alleges that C.A.C. bid on a multimillion-dollar project overseen by Gianatasio while he was responsible for reviewing or disqualifying bidders.
The press release supplied to Rockland News did not include the vendor’s original complaint, the independent counsel’s report, the referenced recording of Gianatasio’s statements, his financial-disclosure forms or the business records supporting the allegations.
Business Journal reported a different sequence
Rockland County Business Journal reported July 8 that Gianatasio had written two internal memoranda raising concerns about payments under Clarkstown’s energy-performance contract with Siemens.
According to the Business Journal, Gianatasio’s May 29 memorandum to Comptroller Sara DiGiacomo questioned a $594,469 difference between Siemens’ reported labor budget for improvements at the Mark Woods playground at Zukor Park and certified payroll records reviewed by his department.
Gianatasio reportedly calculated that Siemens had billed the full $680,320 labor allocation while the certified payroll records supported approximately $85,850 in field labor. He asked the comptroller to require a reconciliation before payment.
The Business Journal reported that Gianatasio followed with a June 18 memorandum to Supervisor George Hoehmann, raising concerns about the Siemens billing, building-management equipment and heating and air-conditioning conditions in municipal facilities. He also requested that the town preserve records involving the Siemens contract.
Gianatasio told the publication that he refused to approve the disputed Siemens payment without additional support. Clarkstown’s new statement, however, says he had approved products, selected vendors and authorized final payments on projects he later questioned.
That is one of the central factual conflicts between the accounts. Payment records, approval documents and the complete project files would be needed to determine which characterization is accurate.
The Business Journal also reported that the Town Board authorized a $9 million energy-performance contract with Siemens in April 2024 for lighting and building improvements, as well as construction of the Mark Woods playground. The publication said the playground estimate was later reduced from $2.8 million to $1.3 million.
Gianatasio denied intentionally omitting relevant business interests from his disclosure forms. He said some of the companies cited by town investigators were no longer active, predated his Clarkstown employment or were interests he did not know had to be reported.
The Business Journal said it sought comment from Conway before publishing its initial report but did not receive a response. It also sought comment from Siemens without receiving one by its publication deadline.
Dispute centers on the timeline
Clarkstown says the investigation began in 2025, before Gianatasio’s May and June 2026 memoranda concerning Siemens. Based on that timeline, town officials reject his description of himself as a whistleblower and contend that his complaints were raised only after he learned that outside counsel was examining his conduct.
Gianatasio’s account is that he was performing his professional responsibilities by scrutinizing contractor invoices and was abruptly locked out of his office and escorted from the building after pressing for answers.
Milone has separately challenged Clarkstown’s handling of the Siemens contract. The Business Journal reported that he sent a letter to Rockland County District Attorney Thomas Walsh requesting an investigation into whether town officials failed to properly oversee or administer the contract. Milone told the publication that investigators from the district attorney’s office subsequently contacted him and met with him.
Clarkstown’s statement says its attorney’s office has also communicated with the district attorney concerning findings from the ethics investigation. Contact with investigators does not, by itself, establish that criminal wrongdoing occurred or indicate what conclusions the district attorney may reach.
Town clerk amplifies town’s side on Facebook
The controversy expanded on social media Tuesday when Lauren Marie Wohl, Clarkstown’s elected town clerk, shared Rockland Daily’s account in the Clarkstown Community Uncensored Facebook group. The town’s official website identifies Wohl as the current town clerk.
“There is always two sides to every story,” Wohl wrote, arguing that the Clarkstown Democrats had gotten the matter wrong. She added that Milone and the “so called ‘whistleblower’ have a LOT of explaining to do.”
Her post criticized the initial public narrative surrounding Gianatasio’s leave and urged group members to read the Rockland Daily report, which largely reflects Clarkstown’s version of events.
The social-media commentary is political reaction rather than evidence before the Ethics Board. Wohl’s post did not independently establish the town’s allegations or address Gianatasio’s specific calculation concerning the Siemens labor charges.
Ethics review remains pending
Conway said the Ethics Board could ultimately refer Gianatasio for termination, professional discipline or criminal investigation. Those remain possible outcomes, not findings.
Several core questions are unresolved: whether Gianatasio had active financial relationships that should have been disclosed; whether he participated in town decisions benefiting those interests; whether Siemens’ billing was properly supported; whether the disputed payment was approved or withheld; and whether the employment action was based on an existing ethics investigation or constituted retaliation for raising financial concerns.
Until the Ethics Board completes its work and the underlying records are made available, the allegations against Gianatasio, his allegations concerning the Siemens contract and the town’s claims involving Milone remain disputed.
