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Tuesday headlines
Jun 14, 2011 9:35 am
Greene County plans to sue Friar Tuck Inn debtors
Ariel Zangla reports in The Daily Freeman that Greene County is seeking repayment of more than $90,000 outstanding on an economic development loan it had granted to the now-closed Friar Tuck Inn. Ulster Savings Bank foreclosed on the resort in April 2010 after the owners tried to file for bankruptcy protection in June 2009 and then tried, without success, to sell the property at auction the following November. At the time the property was foreclosed on, the bank was owed about $3.8 million on the resort’s mortgage. But it turns out that in 2001, the county provided a $160,000 loan which was personally guaranteed by Rocco Caridi, Frank Caridi Jr., Stephen Caridi and Salvatore Caridi, the resort's previous owners. The most recent payment on the loan was made on April 13, 2009. On Monday, June 13, Greene County lawmakers gave initial approval to a resolution to start a lawsuit against the debtors, including the estate of Salvatore Caridi. The full Legislature is expected to vote on the resolution Wednesday. The bank is still trying to find a new buyer for the property. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.
Sweeney on his new job: ‘I want to be here the rest of my life’
Adam Sichko writes in the Albany Business Review that former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney is hoping his new job with Albany-based law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC, which bills itself as “your lawyers for life,” will now be his employer for life. "Sweeney, a Republican who served in Congress for eight years and was seen as a rising star, will be “of counsel” to the Tully Rinckey firm," Sichko writes of the 55 year old lawyer who served eight years in Congress before being ousted by current U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand before being twice charged with DWI in the past four years. The latter incident, in 2009, involved a grand jury conviction that led to a few weeks of jail time and three years of probation, which he is in the middle of serving. "Tully Rinckey had been searching for an attorney to beef up its offerings related to congressional investigations or subpoenas," Sichko adds. "Founding partner Mat Tully said he could not deny Sweeney’s volume of contacts, both in the Capital Region and in Washington, D.C." Read the full story at the Albany Business Review here.
More political heat throughout Columbia County
The Register Star has two updates on the political races shaping up for this coming November around Columbia County, which are already gaining heated interest as candidates line up for party endorsements. In Stockport, where longstanding supervisor Leo Pulcher is stepping down, Bob Green reports that newly appointed Town Board Member Matt Murell has announced that he will be running for Stockport town supervisor this November. Murell spent 15 years as executive director of the Columbia County Youth Bureau before moving on to the state Office of Children & Family Services, where he retired last December as director of the Office of Youth Development. He already has an endorsement from his town's Conservative Party, and will be "one of several vying for the nod when the town Republican Party holds its caucus, soon to be scheduled," according to Green. In a separate report, the Register-Star notes that a GOP caucus in Chatham was held last week at the Tri-Village Fire Department, with incumbent supervisor Jesse DeGroodt, a former Democrat, incumbent board member Tom Meyn and incumbent town justice Michael Hart all getting nods, along with NAPA Store owner Robert Johnson, who will be seeking a second town board opening, and attorney Jason Shaw, who will be seeking a second justice position opening up with the retirement of judge Doris Appel. To read both stories at the Register-Star click here.
End of an era: Cement industry crumbles as Holcim departs
When does a trend, a simple observation, become a matter of history? The Daily Mail's Doron Tyler Antrim has a story that asks Greene County legislators whether they think the cement industry that was a backbone of regional business, and jobs, can survive its recent hits. "Now, with the ceasing of operations at the Holcim plant on Monday, an era, it seems, is coming to a close," the story notes, with most saying they don't see the industry reviving while a few stalwarts point out the continuing viability of the limestone deposits in the area that first drew cement companies to set up shop a century ago. Read the full story in the Daily Mail.
Ariel Zangla reports in The Daily Freeman that Greene County is seeking repayment of more than $90,000 outstanding on an economic development loan it had granted to the now-closed Friar Tuck Inn. Ulster Savings Bank foreclosed on the resort in April 2010 after the owners tried to file for bankruptcy protection in June 2009 and then tried, without success, to sell the property at auction the following November. At the time the property was foreclosed on, the bank was owed about $3.8 million on the resort’s mortgage. But it turns out that in 2001, the county provided a $160,000 loan which was personally guaranteed by Rocco Caridi, Frank Caridi Jr., Stephen Caridi and Salvatore Caridi, the resort's previous owners. The most recent payment on the loan was made on April 13, 2009. On Monday, June 13, Greene County lawmakers gave initial approval to a resolution to start a lawsuit against the debtors, including the estate of Salvatore Caridi. The full Legislature is expected to vote on the resolution Wednesday. The bank is still trying to find a new buyer for the property. Read the full story in The Daily Freeman.
Sweeney on his new job: ‘I want to be here the rest of my life’
Adam Sichko writes in the Albany Business Review that former U.S. Rep. John Sweeney is hoping his new job with Albany-based law firm Tully Rinckey PLLC, which bills itself as “your lawyers for life,” will now be his employer for life. "Sweeney, a Republican who served in Congress for eight years and was seen as a rising star, will be “of counsel” to the Tully Rinckey firm," Sichko writes of the 55 year old lawyer who served eight years in Congress before being ousted by current U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand before being twice charged with DWI in the past four years. The latter incident, in 2009, involved a grand jury conviction that led to a few weeks of jail time and three years of probation, which he is in the middle of serving. "Tully Rinckey had been searching for an attorney to beef up its offerings related to congressional investigations or subpoenas," Sichko adds. "Founding partner Mat Tully said he could not deny Sweeney’s volume of contacts, both in the Capital Region and in Washington, D.C." Read the full story at the Albany Business Review here.
More political heat throughout Columbia County
The Register Star has two updates on the political races shaping up for this coming November around Columbia County, which are already gaining heated interest as candidates line up for party endorsements. In Stockport, where longstanding supervisor Leo Pulcher is stepping down, Bob Green reports that newly appointed Town Board Member Matt Murell has announced that he will be running for Stockport town supervisor this November. Murell spent 15 years as executive director of the Columbia County Youth Bureau before moving on to the state Office of Children & Family Services, where he retired last December as director of the Office of Youth Development. He already has an endorsement from his town's Conservative Party, and will be "one of several vying for the nod when the town Republican Party holds its caucus, soon to be scheduled," according to Green. In a separate report, the Register-Star notes that a GOP caucus in Chatham was held last week at the Tri-Village Fire Department, with incumbent supervisor Jesse DeGroodt, a former Democrat, incumbent board member Tom Meyn and incumbent town justice Michael Hart all getting nods, along with NAPA Store owner Robert Johnson, who will be seeking a second town board opening, and attorney Jason Shaw, who will be seeking a second justice position opening up with the retirement of judge Doris Appel. To read both stories at the Register-Star click here.
End of an era: Cement industry crumbles as Holcim departs
When does a trend, a simple observation, become a matter of history? The Daily Mail's Doron Tyler Antrim has a story that asks Greene County legislators whether they think the cement industry that was a backbone of regional business, and jobs, can survive its recent hits. "Now, with the ceasing of operations at the Holcim plant on Monday, an era, it seems, is coming to a close," the story notes, with most saying they don't see the industry reviving while a few stalwarts point out the continuing viability of the limestone deposits in the area that first drew cement companies to set up shop a century ago. Read the full story in the Daily Mail.