Lungen honored as outstanding prosecutor

NEW YORK CITY, NY — Retired Sullivan County District Attorney Stephen F. Lungen was honored by his colleagues at the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA) and the New York State District Attorneys Association (NYSDAA) on January 28 and 29 in New York City, after serving 28 years as the district attorney of Sullivan County.

NYSDAA awarded Lungen its Outstanding Prosecutor Award, which is not presented every year but only given to those prosecutors who are outstanding at what they do and exhibit the highest degree of ethical conduct.

The NYSBA awarded Lungen the Hogan Award, its highest award for a prosecutor, named for the legendary Manhattan District Attorney Frank Hogan. Lungen was chosen by his peers as serving in the best of the Hogan tradition: acting with integrity, character, professionalism and without regard to politics.

Dust-up in Tusten

NARROWSBURG, NY — Tempers flared at the Tusten town meeting on February 8 as supervisor Peg Harrison and town clerk Kathy Michell sparred as to whether a matter involving the deputy town clerk would be discussed in public.

Michell appointed former supervisor Ben Johnson, who was defeated by Harrison in the November election, to be her deputy. At the meeting, Harrison said she wanted to discuss the matter in executive session, and said there was “improper conduct” related to the matter.

Michell said that if there was any problem with her appointment, it should be discussed in open meeting, and to do otherwise would be a violation of the state’s open meetings laws. Harrison said there would be no discussion of the matter in open meeting and “that’s the end of the discussion.”

Michell later said that her choice of Johnson as deputy clerk makes sense because Johnson is very familiar with town business and absolutely trustworthy. She has had a deputy clerk every year to fill in when she is not available and help during the busy period of tax collection. According to state law, the town clerk is solely responsible for the appointment of the deputy clerk. - Fritz Mayer

Right-to-farm law may be repealed

FORESTBURGH, NY — The Town of Forestburgh is considering the repeal of its right-to-farm law. The matter was taken under consideration in response to a recent dispute in which the property of resident Stuart Salinger was put in a state-protected agricultural district, although a number of other town residents and some town officials objected to the move. Officials said their aim in the repeal would be to strengthen home rule, not discourage farming.

Written comments may be submitted to Forestburgh Town Hall, PO Box 114, Forestburgh, NY 12777 until February 18. A vote is expected as soon as March 4.

Achievement awards announced

FERNDALE, NY — Nine individuals, businesses and organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to improving the appearance of Sullivan County have been named as recipients of the 2010 Sullivan First Achievement Awards. The awards will be presented during the Sullivan Renaissance Conference and Expo on Saturday, February 20 at the CVI Building.

Recipients are Cherise Barasch, for her efforts to engage students in projects and help them make a connection to the natural environment; Ruth McCoy, for her volunteerism as a youth leader in the community; Joe Tinari, for his efforts in making the Fosterdale Motor Lodge the first certified green lodging facility in Sullivan County; Damian Velez, for his volunteerism and ongoing contributions to the community; Chris Williams, for his volunteerism and ongoing contributions to the community; South Fallsburg Action Committee, for its ongoing participation in Sullivan Renaissance and the outstanding work of its volunteers; Temple Beth’el, for the new sign as an example of best practices for signage; Rock Hill Health Mart Pharmacy, for construction of the new pharmacy and Cardinal Square, which demonstrates best practices; and Canal Towne Emporium, for preservation of the historic character of the building, which demonstrates best practices.

Gunther hails override of ethics veto

ALBANY, NY — The New York State Assembly has overridden Gov. David Paterson’s veto of an ethics reform bill, a cause championed by state assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

In a written statement, she said, “Today, I cast my vote to override the governor’s veto of the ethics reform bill that overwhelmingly passed both the assembly and the senate on January 20 (A.9544). The assembly acted in response to the public’s call for bipartisan, meaningful ethics reform… Although the governor claims the legislature’s bill does not go far enough, our sweeping reform has the support of numerous good-government groups. It establishes independent ethics oversight of the governor, the legislature and all lobbyists, enacts stiff new penalties for failing to file financial disclosure forms, defines ‘independent expenditures’ and requires public disclosure of funding sources for the political campaigns they direct.”

CNN films job corps students at Beach Lake Breads

HONESDALE, PA — CNN camera crews were busy recently at Beach Lake Bread in Honesdale and the Delaware Valley Job Corps in Callicoon, filming a piece for CNNMoney.com. The segment shows how the bakery has been helped by taking on staff from the Job Corps, which has enabled it to keep payroll costs down while providing valuable training to the Job Corps participants. Both Beach Lake Bread owner Jennifer Hason and Job Corps students were interviewed.

For more details on Beach Lake Bread, see the related article in the winter edition of Our Country Home (enclosed).