Inside Rockland

Archive for the 'Phil Soskin' Category

Leg vs. Vanderhoef

May

The battle continues… Dum, dum DUM!

Okay, not it’s not that bad. But there has been a running theme this year of the Legislature complaining that County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef has been less than forthcoming with information, something his office says just isn’t true.

Last month, at the April 30 Government Operations Committee meeting Legislator Ed Day, R-New City, asked Hospitals Commissioner Richard Maloney for a detailed breakdown of how much overtime pay is included in the department’s payroll figures.

At last night’s Multi-Services Committee meeting, Day again asked Maloney about the figures and Maloney replied that he’d gotten the numbers to the county executive’s office two days after the request was made.

So Day, visibly miffed, questioned Vanderhoef staffer Vince Altieri who told him he’d have to check and get back to him.

Other legislators, including Jay Hood Jr., D-Haverstraw, Philip Soskin, D-Monsey and Alden Wolfe, D-Suffern, said they were disappointed that the county’s administration had shared so little with them regarding the construction of the new hospital and nursing home. Soskin said he’s gotten most of his information about the project from media reports.

The Legislature, earlier this month, also accused Vanderhoef of not communicating effectively with them when his office requested approval for a $24 million bond related to the Mirant tax dispute.Â Vanderhoef countered that the Legislature knew about the issue because it was discussed at a 2006 meeting.

C.J. Miller, spokeswoman for the county executive, said yesterday that claims the Legislature can’t get information on finances are bogus. TheÂ Legislature’s fiscal analyst has access to the same numbers as the administration’s finance personnel.

“That information is open and accessible to everyone,” she said

As to the rest of the complaints, Miller said Vanderhoef’s office isn’t trying to hide anything or play games with the legislators.

“Maybe communication isn’t the problem here,” she said. “Maybe it’s a lack of understanding … a lack of comprehension.”

Posted by Sarah Netter on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 at 5:07 pm |

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Rockland RLUIPA resolution has (at least) two more hurdles

February

Legislator Joseph Meyers’ resolution to request that Congress review and amend the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000, also known as RLUIPA, has passed on Legislature committee and has one more to go before going to the full body.

The resolution, which does not request legislators take a stance on the merits of the law, was unanimously approved at this week’s Planning and Public Works Committee meeting, chaired by Legislator VJ Pradhan, D-Nanuet. In two weeks it’ll go before the Multi-Services Committee, chaired by Legislator Phil Soskin, D-Monsey. If approved there, it will go before the full Legislature for a vote, likely at its March 18 meeting.
The law itself has been controversial in Rockland, especially in Pomona where where Congregation Rabbinical College of Tartikov sued the village to build a college with housing for nearly 5,000 people on a 130-acre site off routes 202 and 306.

Meyers promised during last year’s campaign for the Legislature seat that calling for a review of RLUIPA wouldÃ‚Â be the first thing he did if elected. And it was. Meyers has, in the past, called for the law to be taken off the books entirely.

Posted by Sarah Netter on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 12:36 pm |

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Cornell makes some committee changes in Legislature

January

Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell, D-West Nyack, has made a few changes in the committees and their leadership.

She created one new committee on economic development to be headed by Majority Leader Michael Grant, D-Garnerville. The committee will deal with the “stimulus, development and revitalizaton of Rockland County’s economy” according to a new release issued by Cornell.

Newly returned Legislator Alden Wolfe, D-Suffern, has been named chair of the Government Operations Committee, a spot formerly held by Grant. And Legislator Jay Hood Jr., D-Haverstraw, will replace former Legislator David Fried as the chairman of the Public Safety Committee.

Returning to their posts are:

Legislator Ilan Schoenberger, D-Wesley Hills: Budget and Finance

Legislator Connie Coker, D-South Nyack: Environmental

Vice Chairman William Darden, D-Spring Valley: Rules

Legislator VJ Pradhan, D-Nanuet: Planning and Public Works

Legislator Philip Soskin, D-Monsey: Multi-Services

That leaves two Democratic legislators, Joseph Meyers from Airmont and Jacques Michel from Spring Valley, without leadership positions. The two are new to the Legislature this year.

Posted by Sarah Netter on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 5:22 pm |

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One Legislature candidate’s tax dilemma

October

We’ve been holding endorsement interviews here at The Journal News, asking candidates for various county and town races to share their views and ideas with our editorial board.

I like to sit in on as many County Legislature interviews as I can:

a.) Because I cover the County Legislature
b.) Because it helps me to know where the current and future legislators are coming from.
c.) Because you just never know what’s going to come out of their mouths.

So I sat in today on the meeting with District 7 Legislator Philip Soskin, D-Monsey, and his Republican challenger, 19-year-old Israel Barouk. Normally it’s unnecessary to harp on a candidate’s age (Soskin is 74, to be fair) but Barouk had a hard time with some of the more specific questions.

When our editorial page editor, Nancy Cutler, asked the candidates to talk about taxes, Soskin spoke about how many people want taxes cut, but at the same time, residents want certain services that are paid for through taxes.

When Nancy asked Barouk if he could speak generally about taxes, Barouk’s answer was “No.” That’s it. Just “no.”

Barouk didn’t say much more than that on the following question about contract agencies. While Soskin spoke about the benefit of hiring outside agencies to perform services at a lower cost than the county could, Barouk’s answer to the same topic was “I pretty much have the same opinion as he does.”

At least it wasn’t “no.”

Barouk did go after Soskin for paying too much attention to the village of Kaser and not enough attention to the rest of the district, but Soskin had a lot more to say overall.

*** NOTE TO READERS Reporters often sit in on these meetings, but we do not have any input in who the editorial board chooses to endorse. We are not asked for opinions nor are we allowed to give them. Because these are on-the-record interviews reporters attend for any news that may be discussed.

Posted by Sarah Netter on Wednesday, October 10th, 2007 at 4:21 pm |

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