By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO - Sullivan County legislators last week endorsed a resolution that would exempt Town of Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini from a restrictive business agreement that inhibits others involved in negotiating an Indian casino money deal for the municipalities with Park Place Entertainment.

The Legislature last month agreed to appoint a negotiating committee to include Cellini, legislative chair Rusty Pomeroy (D-3), legislator Robert Kunis (D-8), county Republican chairman Greg Goldstein, and former cooperative extension chief Gerry Skoda.

Legislator Steven Kurlander (RC-9) included a provision in the September resolution requiring that negotiators, to avoid conflict of interest concerns, sign an affidavit agreeing to refrain from doing business with Park Place for two years after the signing of an agreement.

Cellini, who seldom agrees with Kurlander about anything, balked at the restriction, saying he would form his own negotiating committee. Cellini last week said he was holding up that action, based on a request from Kunis.

The exemption resolution was introduced and adopted Thursday in the planning and community development committee, which Kunis chairs. The issue of the need for an exemption, Kunis said, was between Cellini and his constituents and not county business. He said the resolution was a matter of expediency, in order to get the principal players involved. "I was asked to get this thing moving and that's what I did. We can't have Sullivan County politics as usual on this," Kunis said.

Kurlander said the move was "sad and pathetic," and hoped it was not approved by the full board.