Cheers and jeers heading into the new year

Posted 8/21/12

Cheers to the county legislature

Cheers to the new Sullivan County Legislature for coming together and voting unanimously for Luis Alvarez to become chair of the legislature. While there was …

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Cheers and jeers heading into the new year

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Cheers to the county legislature

Cheers to the new Sullivan County Legislature for coming together and voting unanimously for Luis Alvarez to become chair of the legislature. While there was clearly maneuvering for votes in the run-up to the election, once the choice was clear, all nine legislators dropped their previous preferences and made a show of unity in their first act as a legislature.

While this state of affairs will likely not last forever—differences between the legislators are sure to appear as complex issues arise, and reasonable people can disagree—still it’s hopeful that the new legislature came together in electing the first Hispanic person in New York State to become chair of a county legislature.

Jeers to the Wawayanda power plant

Protesters continue their fight against the huge fracked-gas-powered plant that is planned for the Town of Wawayanda, NY. Two of the protesters appeared before a judge on January 3, and six will appear later this month on charges of disorderly conduct and obstruction of traffic. The protesters are being represented by civil rights lawyer Michael Sussman.

At a press conference after the court appearance Sussman said, “We have a policy in this state that says fracking is too dangerous for our state, but it’s great that we use and create an infrastructure for fracked natural gas. This is a mindless policy, and we have a huge group of people here in Wawayanda who understand the mindlessness of this, and who really want to fight hard to make sure that New York has an infrastructure that is based on renewables, not on fossil fuels and all the craziness [that comes along with them].

As with just about all new fossil fuel projects, whether they involve power plants, compressor stations or pipelines, residents who live near the project have concerns about safety, health and property values.”

Cheers and jeers to Pennsylvania lawmakers

Gov. Tom Wolf has reluctantly signed parts of a budget sent to him by Republican lawmakers. This had the impact of immediately providing funds for counties, and their programs for seniors and the needy, and also funding for the hundreds of school districts across the state, which takes the pressure of those organizations for the time being. That’s a good thing.

But it is only a partial budget, and the problems that lead to the six-month budget impasse between the governor and the general assembly have not changed, and still must be addressed, even as Wolf is likely already working on 2017 budget address.

Wolf wants to raise a bunch of revenue so that he can put more money into education, and he would also like the budget to be balanced. The budget has not been balanced in years, and in fact has been put together with gimmicks and one-time fixes, which has resulted in several downgrades of the state’s credit rating over the past years, making it more expensive to borrow money. We would hope the Republican lawmakers would at least agree to a budget that balances. Further, the adoption of a severance tax of the sort that exists in every other gas-producing state, seems like a reasonable way to raise much-needed revenue.

Cheers for a Honesdale borough official

Cheers for the new president of the Honesdale Borough Council Mike Augello, who said at his first meeting on January 3, that he is not going to accept the monthly stipend that council members are paid, which is about $156.

Augello said, “I’m not going to take it.” Because of the borough law that relates to payment, the checks will continue to be issued, but Augello said he would reimburse the council once the checks have been cashed and taxes have been taken out.

It’s a small sacrifice, but it shows that some people are willing to serve just for the privilege of being helpful to and involved in their communities.

Cheers to the Narrowsburg Union

Cheers for Brendan and Kathy Weiden as they pursue their plan to make use of the Narrowsburg School, now named the Narrowsburg Union. The newest part of the plan includes the construction of an ice-skating rink on the sports field that was connected to the school, which will be a welcome addition to the community.

Kudos to the Weidens for stepping up and finding a solution to the issue of the property, which has been dragging on for years not only for the Town of Tusten, but for the entire Sullivan West School District, and for doing so in a way that helps the community remain vibrant.

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