[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Town of Catskill official seal"][/caption]Bowing to its current two-two partisan split, the Town of Catskill opted at its annual reorganization meeting last night not to fill its empty fifth seat, vacated when former town supervisor Peter Markou won the county treasurer's position in November and started his job last month, and will continue as a four-man body until the November elections this year. Jim Planck of the Daily Mail reports today that the subject of a replacement came up at Catskill’s Tuesday night meeting when a town resident asked of the status of the fifth seat, and whether the board intended to appoint someone or have an election. Acting Supervisor Patrick Walsh said the board will stay at four members, and also clarified that he would remain as “acting” supervisor, noting that the determination was made because of the harmony of the board, as well as to avoid any possibility for the intrusion of partisan issues. Walsh and Councilman Robert Antonelli are Republicans, while Councilmen Michael Smith and Kevin Lennon are Democrats.

“We decided not to appoint me as Supervisor,” Walsh said, “so I’m still Acting Supervisor.”

“Rather than get into a political problem,” Walsh said, “we decided we get along well.”

“If all four of us could agree upon one person, we could possibly appoint that person,” he said, but indicated that was neither being explored nor anticipated.

Town resident Christopher Sutherland asked whether the town had been approached by any individuals interested in the seat, and Walsh said it had.

“There have been a few inquiries,” he said.

Antonelli clarified that because there is only one year left on the unexpired term of Markou’s seat, there is no requirement to fill it now.

“If this vacancy was going to be vacated for two years,” said Antonelli, “you would have to have a special election.”

Antonelli explained, however, that because not only Markou’s seat will be on the November 2011 election ballot, but also the two Council seats currently held by Walsh and Smith, it made more sense just to do it at that time, all at once.

“Then anybody who wants to can throw their hat in,” he said.

Smith agreed, also noting the board’s record of working well together.

“After we were elected, we were not partisan,” Smith said.

“We took our job,” he said, “with the task of fulfilling the problems of the town.”

“Over the last four years,” Smith said, “(that resulted in) success for the town council.”

“We opted to continue that,” he said, “because we have operated on the basis of agendas, rather than politics.”

“And,” he added, “we believe that will continue until the next election.”

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Germantown Supervisor Roy Brown gets reinstated as chairman of the Columbia County Board of Supervisors at the county's reorganization meeting in Hudson yesterday. Photo by Register Star."][/caption]The Columbia County Board of Supervisors held its annual reorganization meeting in Hudson yesterday afternoon with the chosen highlight being touted as the unanimous reappointment of Roy Brown, Republican from Germantown, as 2011 Board of Supervisors chairman. Francesca Olsen, reporting the story for today's Register Star, mentioned a host of appointments at the session, the basic contents of Brown's State of the County speech, but nothing about whether the county's Chief Budget Officer, embattled supervisor Art Baer of Hillsdale, was re-elected to his position or not.

Baer has been in the news recently following a letter to the Register Star from the chairmen of the county's Republican, Conservative and Independence parties demanded his ouster, noting their displeasure with his service, which Baer answered by questioning the legitimacy of such closed-door political decisions for a body meant to be ruled by electoral politics.

We'll get back to you on whether Baer prevailed or not in his reappointment, which we suspect not.

Meanwhile, Olsen reports that Brown announced that he would keep Supervisors Larry Andrews, R-Ghent, and Bart Delaney, R-Hudson5, on as his vice-chairmen for another year. Taghkanic Supervisor Elizabeth “Betty” Young will retain her title of Republican majority leader on the BOS, and Stuyvesant Supervisor Valerie Bertram will continue on as her deputy. Clermont Supervisor Raymond Staats replaced Chatham’s Jesse DeGroodt as Democratic minority leader on the BOS; Claverack Supervisor Robin Andrews will serve as Staats’ deputy minority leader.

After a standing ovation, Brown spoke of the coming year and the almost certain financial hardships that will come with it. “We must remain cautious and continue to be very mindful of our finances this coming year,” he said, noting appreciation for Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to cut his salary by 5 percent. “But what else will he cut and how will those cuts affect Columbia County and our residents?” he asked.

The county will be monitoring the governor’s actions “on a daily basis,” Brown said. “We have contingency plans in place and we will be reviewing those plans with supervisors and department heads in the coming weeks. We remain optimistic that Columbia County will prevail in 2011.” Brown also warned against partisan politics, saying the BOS “must be able to work in a bipartisan fashion without the veil of partisan politics hanging over our heads,” and reminded the room that the BOS “takes ethics standards seriously and we will not allow ethical abuse to go unchecked with any elected official or agency,” that works with the BOS.

Brown’s 2010 speech mentioned economic development, tourism and county efficiencies as goals — his 2011 speech kept them as such. He mentioned some “new strategies” for the county tourism department...


Gary Flaherty was appointed again as county director of the Veteran’s Service Agency and County Controller Ronald Caponera was appointed as county corporate compliance officer. Brown said Caponera will not receive any additional salary for this.

In the next six months, Brown requested that county department heads only purchase goods and services “vital to the operation of our departments.”

“We continue to experience delays in payments from the state and reports out of Albany suggest that in the coming months, we may experience more delays and cuts in funding ... your cooperation in holding the line on spending will greatly contribute to the avoidance of layoffs and other contingency strategies,” he said.

Brown also recommended the “hiring chill” in place for Columbia County continue into the first six months of 2011.

During a brief discussion before resolutions were passed, Supervisor William Hughes asked to clarify that the rules of order and meeting dates to be adopted didn’t also include language accepting any changes to supervisors’ committees.

Brown and other supervisors have said they’d like to consolidate some of the 19 standing committees, leaving the BOS with “less than half” of the ones that currently exist. Brown said a draft of a new committee schedule would be distributed to the BOS “at the end of this week.”

County Attorney Robert Fitzsimmons told the BOS they’d be voting on any changes to committees next week at the full BOS meeting, not during the re-organizational meeting.

Also during the re-org meeting, the BOS voted unanimously to keep the Register-Star as its official newspaper.

State of the State speech
TUNE IN WGXC will air Governor Andrew Cuomo's "State of the State" speech at 1:30 p.m. on WGXC Online Radio. Click here to listen.

Town meetings tonight
TOWN OF CAIRO Town of Cairo Planning Board will hold a second public hearing, pursuant to Section 276 of Town Law on the application of Dan Benoit for approval of Preliminary/Final Subdivision plats. Said subdivisions are located on Orchard Drive and Slumber Lane, Cairo. (Tax Map #102.00-4-1.11). (Note: Benoit is also Planning Board Chairman.) At 7 p.m. Cairo Town Hall, 512 Main St., Cairo, 518-622-3120. Regular planning board meeting follows.
TOWN OF LIVINGSTON A public hearing before the Planning Board of the Town of Livingston will be held at the Livingston Town Hall, 119 County Route 19, Livingston, for the property of Antonia Rutigliano, a lot line adjustment application to combine 2 lots to his existing owned lots. Property located intersection of Loyola Road and Helen Road.
TOWN OF NEW BALTIMORE Public Hearing before the Town of New Baltimore Zoning Board of Appeals 7:30 p.m. The subject of the Public Hearing will be the application of William Brandt for a Height Variance to construct an assisted living facility on property owned at 12514 Route 9W, West Coxsackie, with roof height exceeding the Town’s building height restriction. New Baltimore Town Hall, 3809 County Route 51, Hannacoix, 518-756-6671.

Weather
PARTLY CLOUDY Might get above freezing.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 3:36 p.m./Low, 10:20 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET 7:24 a.m./4:37 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET 8:07 a.m./6:13 p.m.

Birthdays
JANUARY 5: Sam Phillips, Alvin Ailey, and Umberto Eco.

The February 13 Grammy Awards include, as usual, several local talents. For Americana, Columbia County’s Roseanne Cash has been nominated for “The
List,” up against the likes of Willie Nelson, Robert Plant, Mavis Staples, and Los Lobos, and probably should get some type of award for her rapid-fire Twitter feed.

Other Roseanne Cash clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3LSrcKksCo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWp5ZpGvSJ8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E3-3NhsbH0 (interview)

In the category Music for Children, Pete Seeger of Peekskill, now in his 90s, is up for his album with The Rivertown Kids And Friends, "Tomorrow's Children."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnAe5fSPFto
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E73k1bN7z0&feature=related

In the Best Large Jazz Ensemble category, Woodstock’s Dave Holland, bassist extraordinaire, is nominated for his Octet’s “Pathways.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c56RMc9wI2g

In the Best Song written for Film or Television area, Steve Earle – also of Woodstock – has been nominated for his piece, “This City,” composed for the "Treme" series on HBO.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quk7Bmoqbjw

Also up, from Phoenicia, is Uncle Rock, as part of a larger project, "Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat," nominated for best Spoken Word for Children album.
http://www.amazon.com/Five-Peas-In-the-Pod/dp/B004CE3W5K/ref=dm_att_trk4

Finally, among those who have long histories in the area, John McLaughlin is nominated in the jazz category for his CD, To The One, while Maria Muldaur is up for traditional folk album for her Maria Muldaur and her Garden of Joy, and the ageless Dr. John is up for contemporary blues with his latest, “Tribal” with the Lower 911.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asLubg7w2x4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=YUa9cBjwpdI&playnext=1&list=PLDF982DC17E423238&index=32
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgBiNF9oJPQ&feature=related

(Reporting on this piece by Paul Smart)

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Joseph Martens, photo from Open Space Institute website."][/caption]New York Governor Andrew Cuomo continues with the inaugeration-week announcements, today tapping Joseph Martens for Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. Martens is President of the Open Space Institute, directing and overseeing land acquisition, sustainable development, historic preservation, and farmland protection for the environmental non-profit group. Previously, Mr. Martens served as Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Energy and the Environment from 1992-94 and before that Assistant Secretary from 1990-92. Cuomo also nominated Elizabeth Glazer for Deputy Secretary for Public Safety, Dede Scozzafava will serve as Deputy Secretary for Local Government at the Department of State, and Joseph Percoco will serve as Executive Deputy Secretary. For more on their biographies, from the Governor's press release, read on.

Since 1998, Mr. Martens has served as President of the Open Space Institute, directing and overseeing land acquisition, sustainable development, historic preservation and farmland protection. Previously, Mr. Martens served as Deputy Secretary to the Governor for Energy and the Environment from 1992-94 and before that Assistant Secretary from 1990-92. He is the Chair of the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which operates the 1932 and 1980 winter Olympic venues in Lake Placid and Wilmington, NY and Gore Mountain Ski Area in Johnsburg, NY. He also chairs the Adirondack Lake Survey Corporation, which continuously monitors Adirondack lakes and streams to determine the extent and magnitude of acidification in the Adirondack region, Mr. Martens studied Resource Economics at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and received an M.S. in Resource Management from the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse University.

"Joe's lifelong experience of fighting to protect and preserve our environment will bring the highest level of stewardship to our state's beautiful natural resources. Joe knows how to strike the critical balance between defending our natural resources from pollution and destruction while at the same time fostering a climate of economic renewal and growth. His experience and record as a competent and productive manager will breathe life into this vital agency." Governor Cuomo said.

"Joe is an outstanding choice to lead such a vital agency at such at an important time. We are at a crossroads for the environmental movement in New York State and I know that Joe will continue to be a leader in the fight to preserve our great state's landscape, environment, and natural resources. I look forward to working with Joe and commend the Governor for making this nomination," said Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.

"Joe Martens' experience, judgment, and temperament make him the right person at the right time to meet the challenges that DEC faces. He has the support and key relationships with the business and environmental community that will allow him to hit the ground running. The Governor's selection of Mr. Martens reflects his strong belief that protecting New York State's environment goes hand in hand with advancing the state's economic goals," said Ashok Gupta, from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

"Joe knows that one of the keys to not only preserving our environment, but creating good paying jobs is expanding the production of affordable and reliable energy across the state. He has both the hands on experience and also the bold vision to transform the DEC, steering it in a direction that strikes the critical balance of protecting our natural resources and our economy," said Gavin J. Donohue, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Independent Power Producers of New York.

Elizabeth Glazer will serve as Deputy Secretary for Public Safety. Ms. Glazer has served as the Chair of the New York State Juvenile Justice Advisory Group. Ms. Glazer has held a number of senior positions at both the federal and local levels, implementing crime control and prevention strategies. She previously served in the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York, successively as the Chief of Organized Crime, Violent Gangs and Crime Control Strategies sections. Subsequently, she was the First Deputy Commissioner in New York City's Department of Investigation, the city agency charged with investigating corruption and fraud. She then served as First Deputy District Attorney in Westchester County where she was responsible for developing and executing strategies to reduce the county's crime rate, and later as Special Counsel to the New York Attorney General. Early in her career, she was the first Director of Management Information Services for New York City's Department of Juvenile Justice. Ms. Glazer is a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Law School.

Dede Scozzafava will serve as Deputy Secretary for Local Government at the Department of State. Ms. Scozzafava served as a member of the New York State Assembly from 1999-2010, serving as Minority Leader, Pro Tempore from April 2009-December 2009. She served as Chairwoman of the Assembly Republican Review Committee and the SAVE NY TASK FORCE. Prior to joining the Assembly, Ms. Scozzafava was Mayor of the Village of Gouverneur from 1994-1998. In the private sector, Ms. Scozzafava spent 20 years working for Tucker Anthony/RBC Dain Rauscher as an investment advisor. She is a graduate of Boston University and received an MBA from the Clarkson School of Management in Potsdam.

Joseph Percoco will serve as Executive Deputy Secretary. Mr. Percoco recently served as the Campaign Manager for Andrew Cuomo 2010. Prior to joining the campaign, Mr. Percoco worked at the Office of the New York State Attorney General as Special Counsel to the Attorney General. In the private sector, Mr. Percoco was a Managing Attorney at KPMG LLP. From 1999-2001, he worked at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, where he served as Special Assistant to the Secretary and later as Assistant General Counsel. Mr. Percoco also served as Director of Advance for former Governor Mario M. Cuomo.

Gerry Rafferty, best known for this 1970s hit (above) with his band Stealers Wheel that Quentin Tarantino featured prominently in "Reservoir Dogs," died today at age 63 of kidney failure, after years of battling alcoholism. Rafferty's solo songs "Baker Street" and "Right Down the Line" were hits in the '70s.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="220" caption="U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand"][/caption]U.S. Senator and former Columbia County resident Kirsten Gillibrand, who will be appearing as a guest tonight on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central, sent out a missive this morning about how she and fellow Democratic Senators Amy Klobuchar, Tom Udall, and Jeff Merkley have started working to change the filibuster rule. “It’s up to you—the grassroots—to tell the Senate to end this gridlock,” she writes. “Until recently, the filibuster was used sparingly, as a last-ditch way for the minority party to make its voice heard. Nowadays, the filibuster is being abused to an unprecedented degree as a way to obstruct bills that have the support of the majority… We are facing unprecedented challenges for America and it is wrong for the Senate to maintain a rule that effectively blocks solutions to these challenges.”

New York’s freshman Senator, who was appointed by Gov. David Paterson to replace Hillary Rodham Clinton in early 2009 when the latter was named the U.S. Secretary of State – and then won an electoral okay for her position this past November – noted how the 112th Congress is set to start tomorrow, January 5, and “that is when we can begin the fight to change Senate rules to end the destructive use of the filibuster.”

Gillibrand, a former U.S. Congressman from our district who was the region’s first Democrat in such a position for decades, was later replaced by Rep. Scott Murphy, who won a special election in 2009 only to lose to former Army officer Chris Gibson in November. She comes up again for regular election again in 2012.

Her e-mails today included online survey questions seeking popular support, and is part of a new nationwide effort being led by Democrats to secure reform they are saying, “would require any senator who wishes to block legislation to stay on the floor and explain to the American people why they are right and the majority of senators are wrong. There must be complete transparency in our government and no more hiding behind arcane rules.”

Specifics of what is being proposed are unclear as yet.

For an online rebroadcast of Gillibrand’s appearance on The Daily Show tonight, go to http://www.thedailyshow.com/ tomorrow.

According to Kathy Kahn of HV Biz, the Hudson Valley is experiencing a marked increase in college applications for all its educational institutions, and the region’s student population is an interesting mix of high school graduates already determined to be college bound, transfer students from other states, adults who want to improve their career opportunities, and adults who want to create a better resume while they search for a new job. Others are students who had chosen career over college and found jobs sorely lacking, both for the newbies and the experienced workers. The growth, Kahn notes, has helped the economy because most, if not all, of the Hudson Valley region’s schools are upgrading. From millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements at Vassar in Poughkeepsie and SUNY Orange in Middletown, to Dutchess Community College's building of 450 units of student housing in Poughkeepsie aand The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park plans to put up a Hyatt hotel on the north end of its campus. NY Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s report on the economic impact of higher education in the state, prepared in September, reported state higher education institutions employed more than 266,000 people in 2009. The state had the largest private higher education sector in the nation, with 167,450 jobs, more than 40 percent more than second-ranked California. In surveys prepared by the Association of University Technology Managers, New York consistently ranked among the top three states nationwide in leveraging technology to create economic growth.

Want a sense of how new radio is talked about in the business community, instead of the way we talk of business here on community radio? Check out this piece from the Albany Business Journal on "the Albany area’s newest radio station" which made its debut at 12:01 a.m. on Monday morning, January 3 as
WQSH “The Crush” at 105.7 FM, complete with a “Gen X format" that general manager Robert Ausfeld described as “grunge, hip-hop, hair bands, boy bands and everything in between" designed to appeal to women between the ages of 25 and 39. WGXC-FM, your new "Hands-On" Community Radio Station for Columbia and Greene counties, plus some of the Albany area as well, will be going on the air at 90.7 on the FM band later this month and can be heard in test broadcasts on this website until then. Stay tuned!

Owner Townsquare Media also hired Michael Morgan, the longtime morning man and program director for Top 40 station WFLY, 92.3 FM in Albany, as program director for WQSH. Morgan most recently was with Adirondack Broadcasting, the Glens Falls unit of Latham-based Pamal Broadcasting. Pamal owns WFLY through its Albany Broadcasting unit.

The Crush takes the place of WBZZ “The Buzz,” the hot contemporary station that occupied 105.7 FM since September 2007. Regent Communications, the predecessor to Townsquare, had just purchased the 25,000-watt station from Vox Radio Group for $5 million.

The Buzz never lived up to Ausfeld’s expectations. In the summer survey by Arbitron Inc. of New York City, the most recent book available, the station had 2 percent of the overall audience in the Albany-Troy-Schenectady market, compared to 6.8 percent for adult contemporary rival WYJB, 95.5 FM. BIA Advisory Services, a Chantilly, Va.-based media research firm, estimated WBZZ’s 2009 revenue at $500,000.

The Buzz actually signed off on Nov. 1, when 105.7 began playing 24-hour Christmas music as “Santa 105.7.” The holiday format continued though Jan. 2.

Ausfeld said TownSquare did “heavy research” in the fall, using an outside firm to ask area listeners about their taste in music, their feelings about other stations, and what they thought was missing in the market, before developing The Crush format. Artists will include Mariah Carey, The Cure, Matchbox Twenty, U-2, Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, Madonna and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

“We don’t have the luxury of not getting it right this time,” Ausfeld said.

He said Townsquare will introduce The Crush with a month of uninterrupted music, a total of 10,000 songs, and heavy promotion to include billboards and television commercials. At 25,000 watts, the signal reaches from Lake George to the Catskills, and from western Massachusetts to Herkimer County.

Townsquare, which is based in Greenwich, Conn., also owns four other Albany-area radio stations: country powerhouse WGNA, 107.7 FM; sports radio WTMM, 104.5 FM; and the rock simulcast of WQBK, 103.9 FM and WQBJ, 103.5 FM.


Read more: New radio station WQSH debuts | The Business Review

Steve Barnes of the Times Union authored a very cool piece in this past Sunday's paper... A Political Guide to Food & Drink in Albany. The piece, with map, pictures and even menu ordering suggestions, outlines the political characteristics of more than a dozen of Albany’s restaurants and nightspots, from the classic Jack’s Oyster Bar to recent additions such as Creo.

A Political Guide to Food & Drink in Albany

For the full pages, including maps, click HERE...

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="100" caption="Frank Skartados, incumbent Democratic Assemblyman for the 100th District."][/caption]Think November's completely in the past, now? Think again... A Mid Hudson News Network story on Tuesday noted that the race for the state Assembly's 100th district, in Dutchess and other mid-Hudson counties, is still undecided and awaiting some heavy legal maneuvers to play themselves out. Republican Thomas Kirwan remains ahead of Democratic State Assemblyman Frank Skartados by between 25 and 30 ballots, but there are still 46 cast aside and 23 unopened ballots that need to be reckoned with. Attorneys for both sides will return to State Supreme Court Justice Victor Alfieri later this week for permission to count those remaining ballots. Kirwan was the assemblyman in the 100th District until two years ago when Skartados defeated him in a district that includes portions of Orange, Dutchess and Ulster counties. The fate of the seat won't effect larger state politics, but it could have repercussions in terms of local issues, from what money comes back into the district for what, to the coattails that determine county and town races this coming November.

The Times Herald-Record, meanwhile, has a more in-depth piece that gets right into the counting rooms of yesterday.

On Monday, the Dutchess County Board of Elections opened 44 absentee and affidavit ballots from the cities of Beacon and Poughkeepsie at the direction of Judge Victor Alfieri in a decision issued following a hearing in Orange County Court. Both cities are predominantly Democratic.

Skartados, the Democrat in the race, picked up 37 votes to 6 for Kirwan, for a net gain of 31. (One ballot was objected to by Jim Walsh, the lawyer for the Republican team.)

That pulled the freshman incumbent closer to victory — to within 31 votes, according to the Republicans; to within 24, according to Democrats. The two camps have a running difference on the margin on the Nov. 2 election.

Walsh and Kathleen O'Keefe, the lawyer for the Democrats, agreed to send 20 other ballots back to Alfieri for further clarification: 19 on which he made no ruling on whether to count them, and one for which the physical ballot could not be located on Monday.

As Walsh sees it, even if all 20 of those ballots were to fall to Skartados, he'd still be four votes short and Kirwan would return to the seat he held from 1994 to 2008.

But O'Keefe noted there are more than 50 ballots which Alfieri ruled should not be opened and counted, and she disagreed with many of those rulings.

So if the margin is close enough, O'Keefe said, she'll appeal.

And if there's an appeal, that would add to the delay in filling the seat in the 100th District, since results need to be certified by the Board of Elections before a candidate can take office.

Dutchess County Democratic Elections Commissioner Frances Knapp said she won't certify any election while it's being appealed, "unless I'm otherwise directed by the court."

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Harry Lennon, newly named Minority Leader for the Greene County Legislature in a Daily Mail file photo."][/caption]The Greene County Legislature ushered in the new year Monday evening, January 3, with a new judge, new treasurer, new county administrator on hand, along with the selection of a new leader for the Democratic legislators. Republicans hold an 8-6 majority on the legislature. Colin DeVries reports in this morning's Daily Mail that legislator Harry Lennon, one of two lawmakers representing Cairo, was chosen by the Democratic caucus to lead them through 2011 and 2012. Lennon was unanimously chosen to replace Sean Frey of Durham, who did not want the post for another year, in a caucus vote three weeks ago.

The minority leader of the legislature receives an additional $1,000 annually on top of a $15,000 salary paid to each legislator. The minority leader also has ex-officio voting power on all committees, as does the legislature chairman and majority leader. Legislator Keith Valentine, one of four lawmakers representing Catskill, remains the majority leader.

Greene County Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh, R-Coxsackie, said there were “significant challenges” ahead for 2011, noting how “We believe the state isn’t through passing down some more of the tax problems to local taxpayers."

Newly-hired Greene Administrator Shaun S. Groden was in chambers during the re-organization meeting Monday night, concluding his first day on the job. Groden was administrator of St. Clair County of Michigan for seven years. Over the weekend, the county swore in its newly elected officials: Greene County Court Judge Charles M. Tailleur and Greene County Treasurer Peter Markou. Tailleur succeeds Greene County Judge Daniel K. Lalor and Markou succeeds Greene County Treasurer Willis Vermilyea.



“We will keep a watchful eye on the county spending and the revenue stream,” Lennon said after his appointment. “I feel all members of the legislature this year must take a tough fiscal approach throughout the year and make the appropriate adjustments when necessary.”

Lennon thanked his fellow Democrats for selecting him as their leader, succeeding Legislator Sean Frey of Durham. Frey said personal and professional responsibilities played a role in not seeking the position again.

“I’ve had a great experience over the last two years filling the position,” he said. “I just felt it was the right thing (to choose Lennon).”

Lennon said he looks forward to tackling the tough fiscal challenges ahead and governing with his colleagues across the aisle.

“I will continue to work with the majority of the legislature,” he said, “and continue to bring our opinions and ideas to the table for discussion.”

Lennon, 50, has been a lifelong resident of Cairo, graduating from Cairo-Durham High School in 1978. He went on to receive a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice from the University of Scranton in 1983.

He works full-time with the New York State Thruway Authority as an infrastructure security officer and a senior investigator of fraud, waste and abuse.

Lennon was first elected as legislator in 2006 and re-elected in 2009.

Dominick J. Cornelius was re-appointed as public defender, receiving a salary of $84,011.

David C. Dorpfeld was re-appointed Greene County historian and Charles B. Swain was re-appointed Greene County minority historian.

Dr. Walter Hubicki II was re-appointed Greene County Jail physician.

Dr. Catalina Alegre-Levine was re-appointed medical director for the Physically Handicapped Children’s Program.

Legislator Larry Gardner, D-Hunter was appointed parliamentarian of the legislature. Gardner, chairman of the human services committee, was additionally appointed as a member of the Greene County Council for the Disabled.

Legislator James Hitchcock, R-Windham, chairman of the highway committee, was appointed as Greene County representative to the Albany County Airport Authority Regional Advisory Board. Hitchcock was also appointed as the associate director of the Altamont Fair Board of Directors.

Legislator Joseph Izzo, R-Catskill, was appointed to serve on the Cornell Cooperative Extension’s board of directors, with Legislator Kevin Lewis, R-Greenville, as an alternate representative.

Legislator Karen Deyo, R-Catskill, chairwoman of the government operations committee, will serve as a member of the Economic Development Committee.

Committee assignments have been adjusted to reflect the change in Democratic leadership. Frey will join the conservation, education and health committees. Legislator James Van Slyke, D-New Baltimore, will join the government operations committee. Legislator Forest Cotten, D-Catskill, will join the public safety committee. Legislator Chris Pfister, D-Athens, will join the human services and public safety committees.

The Daily Mail was designated the county’s official newspaper.

The Times Union's Capitol Confidential has a spooky piece about the various gaps starting to show up in state government this week, with a focus on Acting Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Peter Iwanowicz’s resignation, which has left leaderless the state agency responsible for setting environmental regulations in New York. Now, the agency's recent decision to not prosecute air pollution cases against small businesses statewide becomes clearer... it's all about staffing and trying to get by with the least amount of cost, instead of doing all we can to do the best jobs possible. According to data provided by the comptroller’s office provided in the story, several agencies have lost their counsels and executive deputy commissioners. and almost all are moving ahead with extremely limited staffs. Gov. David Paterson demanded the undated resignations of 2,500 administration and agency staffers; this list also includes retirements and terminations from the Assembly and Senate.

Among names being bandied about for new DEC Commissioner is that of Open Space Institute director Joe Martens, although word has it he won't take the job unless he can get new Governor Andrew Cuomo to give him a definitive no to gas drilling, popularly known as fracking, on a statewide basis.

For the full story click HERE...

In a story that indicates several possible scenarios for the year ahead, both locally and on a national basis, the Kingston Daily Freeman has a story this morning about a freshman Ulster County legislator is threatening to pull out of the Republican caucus and take other GOP lawmakers with him, a move he said could jeopardize the GOP hold on the Legislature. In his blog titled “The Attacks Have Begun,” Legislator Michael Sweeney expressed dissatisfaction with the county Legislature, which he called “basically ‘a rubber stamp Legislature,’” that has no “real discussion” about the issues it votes on. The story goes on to note how Sweeney did not return a telephone call Monday, but in his blog wrote that he has been “contemplating leaving the Republican caucus and forming a new caucus with the idea of increasing transparency.”

Via the legislator's reasoning, that caucus efforts didn't pay attention to the issues of tax cuts and belt-tightening that he ran for election on, it's easy to surmise similar actions coming on a national level before the next big congressional elections in 2012, or locally by the end of this current year, when all town and county races get decided here in the Hudson Valley.



During his first year on the Legislature, Sweeney said, his efforts to reduce the county property tax levy, his opposition to giving pay raises when other county employees were losing their jobs and his attempt to return $1 million in taxpayer money to property taxpayers were shunned by party leaders.

He said he’s been told that since news that he might leave the Republican caucus began to circulate he has been “demonized by a couple of party leaders.”

He said he was also upset by reports that another legislator who was voicing an opposing opinion was told to “shut up.”

“I can understand why the attacks against me have begun ... because I know of numerous legislators that would be willing to caucus with me, so this may greatly disrupt both caucuses, especially the Republican caucus, which could lose it’s majority,” he wrote.

Republicans currently hold an 18-15 majority on the Legislature.

Legislature Chairman Frederick Wadnola said he was unaware of Sweeney’s comments or possible defection from the caucus.

“He didn’t come in and talk to me,” said Wadnola, R-Ulster. “I don’t read blogs, so I have no idea what he’s talking about.”

Sweeney became a legislator following the November 2009 election that saw Republicans regain control of the Legislature.

[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="200" caption="Folks came out in droves Sunday to discuss putting a new food coop into the old Philmont Stewarts Shop. Photo supplied by those behind the meeting."][/caption]John Mason has a story in this morning's Register Star about what turned out to be "one of the best turnouts for a community meeting in recent village history" when about 135 residents of Philmont and Clermont packed Village Hall in Claverack on Sunday afternoon to talk about the food co-op and café planned for the former Stewart’s Shop location at 116 Main Street set to be completed by April. “The morale and spirit of the room was very positive,” said co-op founding member Elizabeth Angello. “The village is going to be very pivotal in the contributing of their time to get this co-op going. We had a very good response to that request.” “I think I’m going to have to put the co-op meeting after my Village Board meetings to get more people to attend the Village Board,” joked Mayor Skip Speed. “There was a lot of electricity in the room.”



The goals of the meeting, Angello said, were to have residents say what they want the store to be like and to choose a name for it.

“They told us what they wanted,” Angello said. “Probably about 50 things.”

Among items on the list were affordable foods, local foods, a deli, fresh produce, jobs, green recycling, staples, community outreach and a teaching garden.

Angello said there’s quite a bit of space in back of the store that could be used for a garden, or for expansion of the store. She estimated the acreage at between half- and three-quarters of an acre.

The first working meeting, to which all are invited, is 6:30 p.m. tonight at the Main Street Pub. Speed said he would be there, to “see how enthusiastic everybody stays.”

The meeting will begin with short presentations on what a co-op is, and on Philmont Beautification and its involvement.

Philmont Beautification “secured the lease with an option to buy the land,” Angello said. “In addition, they are also a fundraising arm.”

At tonight’s meeting, she said, six teams will be established:

n The business plan team.

n The finance plan team.

n The store building design team.

n The co-op foods team.

n The co-op café team.

n The co-op members’ share team.

The teams have only five months to accomplish their goals before the June opening of the store; that’s the point when Stewart’s will begin charging rent, said Angello, who will serve as overall team coordinator.

Speed said this is doable.

“They can build a house in Hudson with a bunch of people who’ve never built a house before,” he said. “She’s [Angello’s] run a business, I’ve run a business. I don’t see why it would be out of the way. You’ve got a building already; that’s half the battle.”

But he said he had observed a similar interest in an earlier meeting about attracting businesses to Philmont.

“Everyone made suggestions, they broke into teams, at the end of discussion they all got together and voiced their opinions,” he said. “There was a lot of good output, but it all petered out. Tomorrow night will make my mind up or make me change it.”

The various teams will have their work cut out for them.

“The building design team will have the most pressure,” Angello said. In addition to coming up with the design, “it takes a couple months to get a building permit.”

The business plan team will discuss hiring and job opportunities, she said.

One of those jobs, the position of manager, will be put out for applicants, Angello said.

“I think there will be fabulous local professionals who come forward for that position,” she said.

In addition, the store’s name will be chosen at tonight’s meeting.

Also present at Sunday’s meeting was Town Supervisor Robin Andrews, who said she thought the attendance, including kids and presenters, was closer to 150.

“We had a really great turnout, with a spectrum of the community, which is great,” she said.

“I hope [the store] will succeed and serve the broad spectrum of the community,” Andrews said. “I’m hopeful they’ll be able to offer fresh staples — milk and vegetables.” Vegetables, she said, are “one of the things we’re really missing.”

People were asking whether Stewart’s would continue to distribute its milk and ice cream, she said, but they were told that the corporation doesn’t allow any of its products to be sold outside its stores.

“I wouldn’t have anything from Stewart’s there,” Speed said. “They just dumped us and ran away.”

The decision to close the store became public in early November. Speed said Stewart’s had to remove the gasoline tanks because they were leaking, at a cost of about $350,000.

“They dug enough soil out it’s not contaminated,” he said. “Twenty to 30 dump truck loads.”

After removing the tanks, he said, it would have cost a lot to build new concrete foundations and put in new tanks, especially with a new store opening in Chatham at the same time.

“To them, it worked out just fine,” he said.

Stewart’s originally opened where the Family Dollar Store now is, Speed said. In 1970, it moved to its current spot, taking over gas pumps that had first been Sinclair, then BP, and then were empty, which is “the worst thing you can do,” he said. “They rust.”

For the next four decades, the shop sold milk, eggs, bread and gasoline to a slowly changing village. Across the street was the gasoline station belonging to Speed and Red Schermerhorn. Originally, it sold Flying A gas; then Getty bought up Flying A, Speed said.

Now that station is the well-known eatery, Local 111, which will be witnessing the changes the community brings to the corner across the street.

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="200" caption="The Holcim Plant in Catskill, seen from an earlier Daily Mail story on current layoffs,"][/caption]The temporary layoffs at the Holcim cement plant in Catskill will continue until the end of February, a company official says in a Daily Mail story from reporter Doron Tyler Antrim this morning. The spokesperson at what used to be St. Lawrence Cement added that the layoffs, which were announced in November and originally effective until Monday, are being extended until February 28. “We continue to face challenging market conditions,” Holcim’s Vice President of Corporate Communications Robin DeCarlo said in an interview. The cutback has affected 62 hourly workers and eight others currently on short-term disability or workers compensation. In March 2009, 26 workers were let go, while two months later 35 were temporarily laid off. The plant, located in Catskill off Route 9W near Smiths Landing, formerly known as Cementon, has a total of 112 employees. Similar job cuts are expected at Stiefel, Greene County's other big manufacturer, over the coming months. Talk about a holiday season that just keeps taking, and an economy whose rallies keep staying utterly contained.

The extension of the layoffs is a sign Holcim continues to struggle financially amid a stubbornly slow economic recovery. “We continue to monitor the situation,” DeCarlo said.

In an e-mail last November, Plant Manager Deon van den Berg said “slow market conditions, the normal seasonal slowdown in construction and escalating costs” was the reason for the layoffs.

Dennis Smith, an equipment operator and union chairman at the plant, acknowledged in an interview last year that workers are concerned about the plant closing.

“It is definitely on the mind of every employee here,” he said.

In its latest economic forecast in November, the Portland Cement Association, a trade group representing North American cement companies, said cement consumption is forecasted to increase by less than one half of 1 percent through the end of 2010.

“Unfortunately, future gains in construction activity are dictated by labor conditions today,” said PCA chief economist Edward Sullivan. The organization maintained a positive outlook for the future, however, saying it expected consumption to increase 1.4 percent this year and 4 percent in 2012.

The layoff announcement was not the first for Holcim, which acquired St. Lawrence Cement in January 2008, taking over operations of the plant.

Holcim is a major financial backer and sponsor of many local events, including the Festival of Trees, Athens Street Festival, Cat’n Around Catskill street art project and Catskill Spring Rush triathlon.

The company also gave $5,000 last year to the fundraising campaign for the Greene County YMCA and completed its donation of 10 acres of plant-owned land to the Catskill Soccer Club. On top of its donation, the company also gave the club $5,000 to purchase equipment.

The Catskill plant is one of 10 cement facilities around the nation owned by Holcim (U.S.) Inc., the American subsidiary of Swiss-based Holcim Ltd, the world’s second largest cement manufacturer and supplier of crushed stone, sand and gravel.

Town meetings tonight
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Columbia County Board of Supervisors’ Organizational meeting at 3 p.m. at 401 State St., Hudson.
TOWN OF CATSKILL Regular town board meeting first Tuesday and third Wednesdays of each month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall, 439 Main St., Catskill.

Weather
FLURRIES Slightly warmer.

Astronomical bodies
TIDES Hudson: High, 2:53 p.m./Low, 9:37 p.m.
SUNRISE/SUNSET Chatham: 7:24 a.m./4:34 p.m.
MOONRISE/MOONSET Chatham: 7:31 a.m./5:07 p.m. (New moon at 4:04 a.m.)

Birthdays
JANUARY 4: Doris Kearns Goodwin, Eugene Chadbourne, and Nels Cline.

Gene Logsdon in The Atlantic reports that there may be a glimmer of hope for struggling dairy farmers, not in the milk they can't get much for, but from the other thing livestock produce in abundance:

"The main reason that manure is suddenly seen as a science is that chemical fertilizer prices are on the rise. The price of a specialty fertilizer like ammonium polyphosphate is nearly $1,000 a ton as I write. Deposits of potash in Canada, which we have long relied on for potassium fertilizer, are dwindling, and there is no other known supply as readily available. It has taken us about 100 years to reduce soil organic matter to dangerously low levels—from about 5 percent, on average, to below 2 percent—and experts say it might take at least that long to build them back up again using organic methods on a large scale. Getting all the manure and other organic wastes needed to maintain yields high enough to support rising populations without a full complement of commercial fertilizers would be an enormous challenge requiring new agricultural and cultural attitudes.... The laugh of the day now is that maybe manure will become more pricey than food—that the confinement operations will become, in fact and not in jest, manure factories that just happen to produce meat, milk, or eggs as by-products. "

An anonymous former employee of Columbia County Managed Information Systems (formerly called Data Processing), recently laid off his/her job, has created a website called "Columbia County Tax Dollars" to track government fraud. "I can say that the last 8 months have given me the opportunity to witness tax dollars first hand," reads text on the site. "I can also say that I owe the tax payers of the county a huge thank you for allowing me to collect my check without having to actually show up for work. Believe me, I would much rather actually work for a pay check than to be allowed to sit around for the last 8 months and do nothing, but I didn't have any say in the matter. Fortunately 8 months without working did allow me to do something in my spare time. RESEARCH. It has also made me realize that the only way to change a wrong is to shout it from the roof tops and hope that somebody listens. The tax payers deserve the opportunity to really know where their hard earned money is going." The eight months of work so far has yielded just two links to other websites: See Through NY and First Amendment Center. Hopefully, there's more to come.