[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="198" caption="Sen. Stephen Saland"][/caption]The Register-Star has a story today on moves by Hudson Democratic Chairman Victor Mendolia to file a complaint against Columbia County Fire Commissioner James Van Deusen. with the Columbia County Board of Ethics, if he can find a county employee or elected official to do it. The idea, as outlined in the story from John Mason, seems to be to augment a similar complaint against New York State Sen. Stephen Saland, R,C,I-Poughkeepsie, on charges that the legislator "used his position to pressure local fire companies into publicizing their support for him in his recent run for re-election," which was filed with the state Legislative Ethics Commission by Mendolia and Hillside Firefighter Lloyd Hamilton.

Mendolia and Hamilton had learned of Saland’s request that fire companies in Dutchess and Columbia counties place expressions of thanks to him on the signs outside their fire stations prior to Election Day. Hamilton learned of it when he saw his fire company’s sign bore the words, “Firefighters for Saland.” Mendolia learned of it when he was given a letter from Van Deusen to various Columbia County fire chiefs.

Van Deusen is also a Republican councilman for the Town of Claverack. Mendolia also volunteers as a recorder of meetings for WGXC, for whom he will also be hosting a regular weekly program. For the full story, which hits pretty heavily on the sometimes not-so-subtle conflicts of interest in our local politics throughout the region, click here.