Somehow I knew Ryan Karben knew how to throw an impressive party.

From the red and white checkered tablecloths on the outdoor dining tables to the waitresses serving multi-colored mojitos and fruit kabobs, patrons of the Karbens’ backyard barbecue all seemed to be enjoying themselves.

And that was before the caterers busted out the burgers and hot dogs on a grills just slightly smaller than the average twin-sized bed.

And those guests just kept coming. By night fall, Karben’s street and surrounding neighborhood were packed with cars. Hopefully, the neighbors were too busy enjoying the party to notice.

Though Karben has been hinting at a return to politics via a run for Ramapo Town Board, there were no announcements tonight. Instead he addressed the crowd from his back deck, thanking his former Assembly colleagues Adam Bradley and Amy Paulin for coming and paying tribute to late Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski.

As expected the party had a mix of long-time politicians and up-and-comers looking to hobnob with those long-time politicians. Though unsurprisingly Democrat heavy, there were some partygoers from the other side of the ballot, including Republican Sheriff James Kralik.

The host himself was busy entertaining his guests, casually decked out in an untucked buttoned-down shirt and man sandals (a recent purchase, he noted.)
The Ramapo Town Board seat in question has been empty since the death last month of longtime Board Member Harry Reiss.

He’s one of four Democrats that have shown interest in the seat. The Ramapo Democratic Committee is expected to hold a convention next month to choose a candidate for the November ballot.

Cablevision will be re-airing the April 24 debate between Matt Brennan and Kenneth P. Zebrowski, both candidates for the 94th Assembly District special election.

Brennan, a Republican, said today that Cablevision told him the debate would be re-broadcast at 7 p.m. tonight, 8 p.m. tomorrow and 8:30 p.m. Monday. The debate was held by Clarkstown South High School students.

The special election will be held Tuesday to fill the seat left empty by Zebrowski’s father, the late Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski.

As usual, the Assembly Democrats got more money to spend on pet projects this year—commonly referred to as “pork,” but Republicans got more this year than last. About $2 million to be exact.

For more information on pork spending and the specifics of the statewide trends, click here for our recent Lohud.com story.

In Rockland, the late Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski, D-New City, secured the most pork funding—$153 million—to be spent on things like a new van for the Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation and new computers for Meals on Wheels.

Nancy Calhoun, R-Blooming Grove, came in second for the Rockland Assembly members, but out of $121,000, only three items totaling $17,000 were set aside for Rockland, not including money for the Ramapo-Catskills Library System which includes both Rockland and Orange counties.

Calhoun’s district includes all of Stony Point.

Annie Rabbitt, R-Greenwood Lake, set aside $18,096 and just four items of her $103,000 total for Rockland items, not including the Ramapo-Catskills Library system. Her district includes part of Ramapo.

Freshmen Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, brought home a total of $110,000 for things like renovations at the Airmont community center after school programs at the Nyack Center and the Martin Luther King Center.

Below is a full list of the Rockland Assembly pork:

Nancy Calhoun, R-Blooming Grove

$2,500, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange County for youth programs.

$10,000, Town of Blooming Grove for senior center improvements and recreation equipment at Mays Field.

$10,000, Town of Chester for Sugar Loaf planning grant.

$5,000, Town of Cornwall to digitize historical archives.

$10,000, Town of Crawford for improvements to the town park.

$2,500, Town of Highlands for equipment at Fort Montgomery.

$7,500, Town of Highlands Ambulance Corps for defibrillators and pagers.

$7,500, Town of Montgomery for a video-surveillance system.

$8,500, Town of New Windsor for a backup generator.

$10,000, Town of Stony Point for programs.

$4,500, Town of Stony Point for an accident-investigation system.

$10,000, Town of Woodbury for senior center improvements.

$5,000, Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson for a commercial freezer door.

$2,500, Village of South Blooming Grove for start-up expenses.

$2,500, Village of Walden for programs.

$2,500, Village of Woodbury for start-up expenses.

$2,500, Rockland County Sheriff’s Dept. for sex offender-tracking software.

$5,000, Ramapo-Catskill Library System for a summer reading program.

$5,000, Sarah Wells Girl Scout Council for programs.

$3,000, Orange County Veterans Cemetery for equipment.

$5,000, Orange County Firefighters Museum for programs.

$121,000 total.
– – – – – – – – -

Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern

$2,000, Suffern Farmers Market for marketing and promotion.

$7,500, Village of Spring Valley for training classes.

$2,000, Orangetown Fire Company No. 1 to remodel the interior room.

$8,000, Lower Hudson Valley Challenger Center for software and programs.

$10,000, Community Outreach Center of Monsey for a community patrol.

$7,500, Village of Spring Valley for the Jitney bus service.

$5,000, Community Action Program of Rockland for women’s programs.

$4,000, Community Action Network for a Drug-Free Life and Environment for counseling programs.

$15,000, Haitian American Cultural and Social Organization (Spring Valley) for a language-support program.

$8,000, Martin Luther King Multi-Purpose Center for software and equipment for an after-school program.

$5,000, Nyack Center for an after-school cultural program.

$7,500, Rockland County YMCA for after-school programs and field trips.

$9,500, Rockland Family Shelter for a teen workshop on abusive relationships.

$10,000, Village of Airmont to renovate a community center.

$4,000, Volunteer Counseling Service of Rockland to upgrade computer system.

$1,000, NAMI Familya of Rockland for support services for the mentally ill.

$4,000, Arts Council of Rockland for marketing.

$110,000 total.
– – – – — – – -

Annie Rabbitt, R-Greenwood Lake

$2,260, Pine Island Chamber of Commerce to plant trees.

$2,260, Campbell Hall Fire Dept. for equipment.

$4,524, Monroe Lakeside Fire Dept. for equipment.

$4,524, Town of Goshen for a fuel-dispensing system.

$4,524, Town of Hamptonburgh to construct a picnic area at a senior center.

$4,524, Town of Mount Hope for playground equipment.

$4,524, Town of Warwick to pave the area around an animal shelter.

$4,524, Village of Goshen for improvements to village hall.

$4,524, Village of Harriman for improvements to village hall.

$4,524, Village of Hillburn Dept. of Public Works for equipment.

$4,524, Village of Kiryas Joel for a radio repeater.

$4,524, Village of Monroe to plant trees in Crane Park.

$4,524, Village of Montebello for solar electric panels at town hall and for a 20th anniversary brochure.

$4,524, Village of Otisville to pave a municipal parking lot and for new curbs and trees.

$4,524, Village of Sloatsburg for software.

$4,524, Village of Suffern for Suffern Day.

$4,524, Village of Tuxedo Park to repair a dam.

$4,524, Village of Warwick for benches.

$4,524, Florida Police Dept. for security cameras at reservoirs.

$4,524, Greenwood Lake Police Dept. for computer upgrades.

$4,524, Wallkill Police Dept. for equipment.

$5,000, Ramapo-Catskill Library System for a reading program ($500 for each library in the system).

$4,524, Tuxedo Senior Center for renovations to the railroad station.

$3,000, Orange County Veteran’s Service Agency for cemetery equipment.

$103,000 total.
– – – – – – – -

Ken Zebrowski, D-New City

$10,000, Helen Hayes Hospital Foundation for a van.

$30,000, Village of Haverstraw for a new room at the Haverstraw Center.

$8,500, Village of Pomona for an emergency generator.

$50,000, Village of Spring Valley to replace the heating system at the Louis Kurtz Civic Center.

$2,900, Rockland Teachers’ Center Institute to purchase school supplies for needy children.

$5,000, Meals on Wheels of Rockland for new computers.

$5,000, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rockland for a gang-prevention counselor.

$3,100, Child Care Resources of Rockland for new computers.

$7,000, Community Action Program of Rockland for women’s programs.

$5,000, Haverstraw Ecumenical Project and Day Care Center for services.

$7,000, Interfaith Coalition for the Homeless of Rockland County for office equipment.

$8,000, Rockland Family Shelter for furniture.

$2,500, Star Kids (Garnerville) for a sports program.

$5,000, Volunteer Counseling Service of Rockland to upgrade the computer system.

$4,000, Arts Council of Rockland for office equipment and a newsletter.

$153,000 total.

Rockland County Legislator Ed Day, R-New City, said today that he will not run for the 94th Assembly seat, which is now vacant following the March 18 death of Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski.

(Vincent DiSalvio/The Journal News)

Day said he received several phone calls encouraging him to run, but decided he could best serve the public on the Rockland County Legislature.

“I just felt that I wanted to finish what I was doing,” he said.

Kenneth P. Zebrowski Jr., son of the late Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski, announced today that he will seek election to the 94th Assembly District. Assemblyman Zebrowski died March 18 from complications of liver disease less than four months into his second term.

The governor’s office announced today that the special election will be held May 1.

“We care about a lot of the same things,” Zebrowski Jr. said today, noting that he’d like to continue his father’s work on HMO reform and relief for North Rockland taxpayers.
Kenneth P. Zebrowski Jr. on the campaign trail in 2005. Photo by Vincent DiSalvio/The Journal News

Zebrowski Jr. served on the County Legislature for a year in 2005 after being appointed to his father’s old seat when the elder Zebrowski was first elected to the Assembly. The younger Zebrowski then lost his seat in November 2005 to now Legislator Ed Day, R-New City.

Former Clarkstown Town Board Member Ann Marie Smith also said today that she’s interested in running for the position.

Day said he’s received phone calls encouraging him to run also, but is not ready to make a decision yet. But, “I really find all this timing very curious,” he said. “I find it remarkable that these announcements come almost within an hour of each other.”

The governor’s office is expected to announce a date for a special election within the next few days.

I went to the wake of Assemblyman Kenneth P. Zebrowski today, not to write a story but to pay my respects and get a sense of what the outpouring of sympathy would be.

Held at the Michael J. Higgins Funeral Home on South Main Street in New City from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today and tomorrow, mourners had to wait in a line that snaked through the halls of the funeral home, out the doors and outside into the parking lot. With the lot full, people were parking at businesses across the street and dodging the steady traffic to get the to funeral home.

The wait from outside into the room with Zebrowski and his family was about an hour around 3 p.m. yesterday. Visitors were first taken through a room that was filled with pictures of Zebrowski in every form — from greeting former President Bill Clinton to a formal shot of him with the County Legislature to a family photo showing him in a Hawaiian shirt. A video played more photos to the tune of “Ave Maria”—Zebrowski with his daughter on her communion, hugging Kenneth P. Zebrowski Jr. on graduation day, kissing the dog on the top of its head, seated on the couch surrounded by family, even sitting on Santa Claus’ lap.

Inside the second room, sprays of flowers were displayed end to end around most of the room with smaller baskets below them. The visitors were a steady mix of politicians, government workers, friends and other community members who crossed paths with Zebrowski.

Bette Nussbaum, president of the board at Hi-Tor Animal Care Center, was in line around 3:30 p.m. She noted that even when Zebrowski was tough on the center he was a big supporter also.

Everyone seems to have a Kenneth Zebrowki memory, even people who only knew him as an Assemblyman.

Zebrowski after his 2004 election to the Assembly. Photo by Vincent DiSalvio/The Journal News

One Valley Cottage resident remembered greeting Zebrowski in Polish while he was campaigning.

And his friend, confidante and chief of staff Kenneth Ingenito remembered today how he kept trying to retire but how Zebrowski pulled him—twice—back into the working world, once as his assistant when Zebrowski was chairman of the Legislature and then again as chief of staff in his Assembly district office.

Former Assemblyman Ryan Karben, also a Democrat, said one of Zebrowski’s proudest accomplishments as a politician was when he brought off-track betting, and a slice of the revenue, to Rockland County in the 1970s. Karben said Zebrowski continued to speak about that on the Legislature floor and in Albany.

“It’s not like Kenny played the horses, but he was so proud to find a revenue source and fund the government,” he said.