County to vote casino decision

As Mamakating and Highland choose

By DAVID HULSE

MONTICELLO, NY — Anticipating that they will be leaving Albany at the beginning of February with either a negotiated agreement that they can live with or certain knowledge that they won’t get such an agreement, members of the Sullivan County Legislature on Tuesday announced that they will be considering Governor Pataki’s Indian gaming expansion proposal at a special meeting, which will be called for February 3.

Kathy LaBuda, the legislative majority leader, said Tuesday that county legislators would be meeting with officials from Governor Pataki’s office while attending scheduled state Association of Counties meetings between January 31 and February 2. “When we get back, we should be ready to vote on it,” LaBuda said.

Meanwhile yesterday, two more Sullivan County towns voted positions on Pataki’s controversial proposal for five Indian casinos…one for, one against.

In Wurtsboro, following a lengthy public comment session on Tuesday night, the Mamakating Town Board voted 3-2, endorsing the five-casino plan.

LaBuda expressed surprise at the outcome as she had gauged the public comment at about 3-2 against the casino proposal.

In Highland, Supervisor Allan Schadt ended the town board’s Tuesday evening agenda suggesting an unscheduled “15-minute open discussion” on casinos. About an hour later 22 people had stated their positions on the issue; 15 members of the audience favored some number, but less than five casinos, and seven opposed casinos.

Polling the board, four of its members, Schadt and councilmen Bob Burrow, Joe McDonald and Paul Zimmerman, also endorsed a lesser number of casinos. Only Councilman Andrew Valenti opposed the gaming measure.

Schadt asked for a resolution and Burrow proposed one endorsing up to three casinos.

Dissenting audience members suggested that an advertised hearing would cultivate a wider variety of opinion, or that the board should consider a non-binding resolution.

Noting that the upcoming legislative vote limited their time, the board approved the resolution 4-0, with Valenti abstaining.

The Lumberland Town Board is scheduled to consider a position on casinos Thursday evening.