PORT CHESTER – The Village of Port Chester has had to go to the expense of hired a special prosecutor to go after negligent landlord, who is a village trustee

Trustee Bart Didden is charged with dozens of building, fire and property maintenance violations at his downtown properties located at 25 Willet Ave. and 113, 115 and 119 N. Main St. — done between 2012 and 2017 found 70 violations.

The violations for expired permits, issues with certificates of occupancy and fire inspections, failing construction inspections, fire code violations such as flammable clutter blocking exits and not having fire extinguishers and other dangerous issues.

The trustee, Bart Didden claims that his political positions resulted in him being charged for putting people’s lives in danger, but he has a history of deflecting with conspiracy theories in the past, when his poorly maintained properties have been flagged for violations and dangerous conditions.

Trustee Bart Didden is often very outspoken about how other downtown property owners and businesses need to follow the laws of the village.

Previously, former School Board President Dominic Bencivenga worked with Bart Didden to mail flyers, that a federal judge found to be racist, that attacked Latino families in the village over housing and building issues.

Attorney Joseph Stargiotti, whose Pleasantville law firm practices in real estate-related litigation, was hired by Port Chester as a special prosecutor to go after the dangerous property manager.

Port Chester judges have recused themselves from this case because of Trustee Bart Didden’s position and Special Prosecutor Joseph Stargiotti expects the case to be moved to a different venue.