By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO - The Sullivan County Legislature's June meeting turned into a shouting match last week when a group of veterans claimed legislators ignored their newly submitted petition.

The issue for the veterans, as it has been for the past six months, was the replacement of Al Etkin, the former county veterans services director.

A popular director among the veterans, Etkin was also seen as an organizer of veteran resistance to a planned department reorganization last year, which would have seen the veterans services unit come under the nominal oversight of the Division of Family Services.

County officials said the administrative switch would have saved local tax money and meant no change in veterans services.

The veterans saw the change making them social services clients and the issue produced a number of lengthy and heated legislative sessions and committee meetings, before the Legislature finally backed down.

While his attitude bolstered his position with the veterans, Etkin soon became a former director when the new Legislature reorganized in January and Chairman Rusty Pomeroy replaced him with former Rockland Supervisor Eric Nystrom. At that time Pomeroy said Etkin was "not a team player."

Since then, few monthly Legislative meetings have passed without some call for Etkin's reinstatement. Last week, Etkin was on hand when a petition from the Hurleyville VFW was delivered. The petition, submitted by Walter Lee, claimed Nystrom was not qualified. "Need should dictate. Politics should play no role," it concluded.

Also speaking in Etkin's support was Fallsburg, World War II veteran Hyman Smith. Speaking with the brutal frankness of age, Smith left little doubt about his support for Etkin or his contempt for Pomeroy and government in general. "I'm just a G.I. Nobody ever went as far for me as Al...and then he was out suddenly, because of politics," Smith said.

Digressing from the subject, Smith went on to recount his war stories, including mention of a Bronze Star decoration and wounds received on the beach at D-Day and at the Battle of the Bulge.

When Pomeroy interrupted and asked him to finish, Smith drew some laughter when he countered with a cupped hand on his ear, noting he had lost the hearing in one ear during the war. Pomeroy retaliated with a threat to have Smith removed. "I don't want to play these games with you," he said.

Smith eventually sat down, but as the monthly session continued, a shouting match soon erupted when some the petitioners claimed they had been ignored. "You didn't pay attention. You didn't answer. There was no recognition. ... We'll remember you at the next election," they said.

The shouting continued and Smith joined in again, coming forward, challenging Pomeroy to remove him.

Pomeroy asked that security be called, but acting County Manager Harvey Smith quietly ushered Hyman Smith from the room as the shouting continued. The veterans dispersed as two deputies arrived but intermittent shouting continued for several minutes in the corridor outside the hearing room.

Following the session Pomeroy reiterated that he had no plans to make any change in the veterans' appointment.

"If [Etkin] ever had any hope of getting reappointed, I think he can forget it after this," one observer said privately after the meeting.

Last week's unusually animated monthly session also included a brief debate over $100,000 budget modification to purchase grant-funded office equipment for the new "one-stop" job center at the former Labor Department building on Government Drive. Robert Kunis (D-8) wondered if the county didn't already have equipment for the 17 or 18 county employees to be posted in the new office.

Leni Binder (D-7) suggested that had Kunis attended the meetings related to the mandated center he would know that the equipment is not just for county employees, but is to be used by people entering the job market. "It was given to us because we had nothing in the county."

Kunis replied that the use of the word mandate didn't stop him from asking questions. "I can still ask questions, whether I attended the meetings or not," he said.

Steven Kurlander (RC-9), who was the only legislator to eventually vote opposing the measure, said when Sullivan gets a mandate, "we always set up the Cadillac of services and the taxpayers will be stuck with it when the grant runs out."