A beloved leader in Spring Valley’s Haitian community has died. The Reverend Dr. Jacques Michel had worked as a Rockland County deputy sheriff, and was the first Haitian elected to the Rockland County legislature in 2007. He was appointed as a Spring Valley Village Court Justice in 2016, though he stepped down a year later. It turns out, in 1978, he was convicted of federal immigration fraud for helping Haitian nationals become U.S. citizens, and it was that act of kindness that would keep him from the bench. Seema Roc is the president and co-host of the “Panic Radio Show” here on WRCR which focuses on Haitian culture, and says he was very involved in the community…
Michel was an ordained minister who founded and ran a youth crime awareness program and youth court in Ramapo during his days with the Rockland Sheriff’s Department. Funeral arrangements have yet to be finalized. He was 82 years old.