SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — They say those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

The history of Sullivan County in 2022 wasn’t all doom and gloom. But the year’s biggest stories will have an impact on 2023 and beyond, and it’s ever important to keep them in mind.

Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther, at podium, joined by Senator Mike Martucci, speak at a press conference on February 8, held to advocate for the …

Healthcare

January 2022 saw an anonymous letter circulate, asserting that the Sullivan County branch of the state Department of Health (DoH) would relocate to Middletown, which is located in Orange County.

The DoH provides a number of services to Sullivan County, most notably health-and-safety inspections for summer camps, hotels and the like. While DoH officials emphasized that those services would continue under the new arrangement, Sullivan County’s representatives saw it as crucial that the DoH retain a presence in Sullivan.

Their efforts found some success, as the DoH announced in February that it would stay through the summer. While the DoH did ultimately commit to the Middletown move, it made a deal with Sullivan County to open a smaller district office in the county’s Liberty health complex.

Garnet Health, the hospital system that runs facilities in Harris, Callicoon and Middletown, had its own difficulties in 2022. The hospital faced a nearly $33 million budget deficit in the first four months of the year, and it attempted at several points to cut back on its expenses.

Garnet Health requested a temporary closure of the coronary care unit (CCU) at its Harris campus; the CCU provides specialized, intensive care for patients with severe heart problems, and the Harris CCU is the only one in Sullivan County. The request met with strong local opposition, and the DoH rejected it in June.

In August, Garnet Health announced cuts to a separate swathe of services, including outpatient pediatric and OB/GYN practices in Middletown and Monticello. The hospital did affirm its commitment to Sullivan County—and debunk a September rumor that it had requested to close its Harris campus.

President Bill Clinton shaking hands at a campaign event for Josh Riley, candidate for the NY-19 congressional district, held November 2 in …

Redistricting and elections

National politics came to Sullivan County in 2022, with a House of Representatives race so significant that President Bill Clinton himself turned up on the campaign trail. To get to election day, the county and the state had to undergo several rounds of that most unsettling word: redistricting.

Contested redistricting maps took Sullivan County from NY-19 to NY-17, then back to a new NY-19 more rural than its predecessor.

In May, Gov. Kathy Hochul chose then-NY-19 representative Antonio Delgado as her lieutenant governor. Pat Ryan and Marc Molinaro ran against each other in a special election to replace Delgado—Ryan, a Democratic Ulster County Executive; Molinaro, a Republican Dutchess County Executive. Ryan won, but the redistricting maps placed him in NY-18, leaving Molinaro clear to run again for NY-19. Both candidates won their general-election races, Ryan for NY-18, Molinaro for NY-19.

Redistricting affected Sullivan’s state-level representation, too, as the county went from state senate district 42 to 51. District 42 incumbent Mike Martucci chose not to run for the next cycle, leaving Sullivan County to District 51 incumbent Peter Oberacker. Oberacker won both his primary and general election races, as did Sullivan’s incumbent Assemblywoman, Aileen Gunther.

Neither were county politics immune to the redistricting bug. Sullivan County had to update its legislative district maps, the maps that govern elections for the Sullivan County Legislature, and it hired a contractor in April to draw up three options for those maps.

The options were released in June, and the legislature held its vote in August, a 5-4 vote that split along established faction lines.

One hundred and twenty five residents attend a September 26 public hearing, participating in the public process for the redevelopment of Kittatinny …

Highland

The Town of Highland tackled two issues of regional significance in 2022: town policing, and the creation of a family resort on the banks of the Delaware River.

Early in the year, national campground and resort development company Northgate Resorts came before the Highland Planning Board. The company planned to take Kittatinny Canoes, a historic tent campground in Barryville, and turn it into Camp FIMFO (Fun Is More Fun Outdoors), an upscale family-resort brand with two Texas locations.

A year’s worth of debate and rejiggering of plans followed. Northgate positioned Camp FIMFO as the future of camping: modern consumers didn’t want tent campsites, they wanted cabin-style accommodations, weekday stays and a pool. Barryville residents worried about the scale of the proposed development, and rallied under the banner of Know FIMFO.

The Upper Delaware Council, a body that helps ensure development doesn’t harm the Delaware River, split 6-4 (with one abstention) in a vote to recommend the project for approval. The National Park Service has yet to complete its review, as has the Highland Planning Board; both bodies are waiting for additional information from Northgate.

The town board had business of its own to attend to in 2022. It suspended the town’s constable force on April 12, citing the need to investigate incidences that had been brought to the board’s attention.

The River Reporter received a redacted report from the town’s constable committee in July, following a FOIL request made for information from that committee. The report substantiated allegations of harassment and violations of town policies from one or more of the constables, and included discussions of intermunicipal agreements and of the improvements that could get the constable force back on its feet.

The town board made it clear in December that it was taking a different path. It contracted with the Sullivan County sheriff’s department for additional coverage to replace the constables: from 4 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and from 8 a.m. to midnight on Saturdays, as well as from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays during the summer.