The July periodic campaign finance disclosure forms were due yesterday for any person or committee with an active account.

So while we focused primarily on this year’s candidates I took a peek at the statements of County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef and some of his rumored 2009 opponents.

Vanderhoef, a Republican now serving his fourth term in office, brought in more than $105,800 in contributions in the last six months—more than any of the people running for statewide office this year. He reported a balance of $166,577. 27 after opening with more than $131,200.

Much of his money came from corporate donations and several of his expenditures were on fundraisers.

Among the rumored challengers is Orangetown Town Supervisor Thom Kleiner, who’s getting really good at being charmingly coy when asked about the subject.

He raised nearly $41,000 this period, ending with a balance of $112,788.28. Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence took in nearly $76,000 and Clarkstown Supervisor Alex Gromack took in nearly $61,500.

That’s big money in an off-year compared with Haverstraw Town Supervisor Howard Phillips who took in just more than $1,200 and Stony Point Supervisor Phil Marino who raised about half that.

All five supervisor seats, now filled by Democrats, are up next year as well.

It was fairly typical as far as conventions go, although I noted a few oddities:
—While he was in the audience, Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence did not make an obligatory short, heavy joke at Chairman Vince Monte’s expense as in previous years.
—I got told I looked like one of the Zebrowski kids. (Note to readers who haven’t met me: I look NOTHING like any of the Zebrowski kids.)
—None of the supervisors performed the dance they did at a recent charity event. This is less an oddity and more just something I had been hoping for.
—Thom Kleiner was wearing a tie with puppies on it.
—When getting ready to introduce the party’s candidate for state Senate, Monte, trying to rile up the crowd, proclaimed: “We didn’t field a candidate, I think, the last two times.”  About eight rows back, the 2006 candidate, Orangetown Board Member Nancy Low-Hogan raised her hand, as Monte struggled to dig himself out of that one. Ouch.
—It was held in the Clarkstown Town Hall auditorium. Usually it’s somewhere like a theater, a restaurant or a community center or anything that doesn’t smack of government-controlled interior decorating.

OK, before I explain any further, I just have to share this wonderful photo shot by Bob Rooney of Suffern at the United Hospice of Rockland’s annual spring gala Sunday.

No, you’re not imagining things. That is a photograph of town supervisors Alexander Gromack (Clarkstown), Howard Philips (Haverstraw), Thom Kleiner (Orangetown) and Phil Marino (Stony Point), wearing muscle T-shirts and performing at the gala.

The gala honored Bill and Ginny Maloney of Vista Electrical Contractors Inc. and raised $129,000 (a record for UHR) to help build the agency’s first Hospice House in the county.

Here’s some other photos from the event, all shot by Rooney: Read more of this entry »

Its details remain secret because it’s a surprise, but the four town supervisors in Rockland have been meeting twice a week since the beginning of this month to practice their performance — singing and dancing — under the direction of two accomplished Broadway dancers.

“This Sunday night is our big performance,” said Stony Point Supervisor Phil Marino, while we were talking about various town businesses at his office this morning.

Along with Supervisors Howard Philips of Haverstraw, Alexander Gromack of Clarkstown, and Thom Kleiner of Orangetown, Marino will perform to raise funds for United Hospice of Rockland at its 2008 Gala at the Colonial Inn in Norwood, N.J.

Marino said he was excited about being part of the fundraising event because of his experience when his and his wife’s fathers were under the care of hospice.

“I can’t say enough nice things what hospice does. … It’s an honor and blessing,” said Marino, adding that he had some muscle sores on his body as a result of the recent practice.

Marino said the four supervisors and other dancers will practice this Saturday and will have a dress rehearsal Sunday prior to the event.

Connie Grunfeld of United Hospice of Rockland said she wouldn’t reveil the details of the performance, but for those who were interested in watching the show, tickets — $195 — for the gala were still available. But they would have to make a reservation by tomorrow (Friday) by calling her at 845-634-4974, she said. The door will be open at 6 p.m. and the dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. The supervisors will perform about 8 p.m.

Photo by Vincent DiSalvio / The Journal News/LoHud.com 

Speaking of Hillside (see my last post), it appears developer Edmund Lane is holding his ground when it comes to his plans for Hillside Commercial Park.

“If the town’s going to court, then go to court. If they want to waste the taxpayer’s money, then waste it,” Lane’s lawyer, Donald Brenner, said yesterday.

Town Supervisor Thom Kleiner wants Lane to reappear before the Zoning Board of Appeals because of a mistake the board made when it approved a waiver for the project. The board OK’d the waiver before the Planning Board made an environmental impact declaration. Since it was the board’s mistake, Brenner said his client shouldn’t be penalized.

Kleiner and the Town Board are considering suing Lane and the Zoning Board over the matter.

The mistake would have gone completely unnoticed, or ignored, except that a group of homeowners got wind of the project just over a month ago and were not happy. They put together a coalition to fight the project and caught the ear of Kleiner, who had the town’s attorney go over the project with a fine-toothed comb.

Here’s two stories on the project:

Pearl River residents rally to fight commercial park

Orangetown supervisor considers suing town’s own board

Whoa! Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner is asking for some big bucks to party at his 50th birthday soirée June 7.

For a quarter page in the birthday “playbill” and one reserved seat, you gotta fork up $250. It’s $500 for a half page and two seats, and $1,000 for a full page and two seats.

Want the cream of the crop – a full page and four seats? Gotta throw down $1,500.

Kleiner promises a night of politically irreverent song, speech and comedy at the shindig, which will happen at Riverspace Arts in Nyack.

The money goes to the supervisor’s fundraising committee, Friends of Thom Kleiner. Gee, why would a seven-term supervisor who was easily re-relected in November need so much money in the bank?

Nyack will hold a community forum Wednesday to talk about the gang fights that took place on village streets last month involving between 40 and 50 teenagers.

The meeting was supposed to be held Monday, but was changed to accommodate the schedules of public officials. Nyack Mayor John Shields, the Nyack Village Board of Trustees, Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner, and Orangetown Police Chief Nulty among others will answer questions and hear comments and solutions from the public.

The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at the Nyack Center, 58 Depew Ave. For more information call Nyack Village Hall at (845) 358-0229 or the Nyack Center at (845) 358-2600.

This community forum comes about two weeks after Nyack leaders held a closed meeting about the fighting. Some members of the public wanted to attend, but were shut out. So was the press.

Here are a few stories about the melee:

In wake of gang fights, Nyack leaders ask how to help youth

Gang fights quelled by police

Police will show ‘colors’ as Nyack confronts gang issues

It’s a new year and a new Democratic majority in Orangetown. Changes were bound to trickle down.

Deputy Town Attorney Kevin Mulhearn announced he will leave his position in the next few months, and Supervisor Thom Kleiner is looking to hire a replacement. Mulhearn said he is leaving to dedicate more time to his own law practice.

In other changes at the Town Attorney’s Office, Kleiner switched the positions of two current employees when he named Teresa Kenny first deputy town attorney and John Edwards town attorney. Both attorneys will make the same salary, Kleiner said.

So, why did Edwards get top billing?

Kleiner denied it had to do with politics, even though Kenney (and Mulhearn for that matter) are aligned with the Republicans.

Here is a statement from Kleiner on the matter:
“The flip of the two positions is mostly a recognition of the fact that John has been the lead attorney on the most significant issues facing the town, primarily among then the long and ultimately successful issues with (developer) Hovnanian.�

Here are some highlights of last night’s reorganizational meeting of the Orangetown Town Board.

• Nancy Low-Hogan, who was sworn in as a member of the Orangetown Town Board last night, promised to hold monthly meetings with the community to talk about town issues.

• Michael Maturo, a 23-year-old from Sparkill, was also sworn in as a Town Board member. Interestingly, he started his speech by remarking on the great diversity in the room, even though he was more or less talking to a room of white people. Elaborating, he mentioned the diversity in ages and that fact that people came from all parts of town for the meeting.

• Justice Paul Phinney used his swearing in to make another plea for his department. He thanked his staff, who he said worked day and night and through the lunch hour. He estimated that his office was 20 to 40 percent understaffed, but his pleas went unheard during budget time, when the Town Board cut funding to his office.

• Denis Troy joked about his status as the board’s last-standing Republican, but after the meeting said he was not worried about the board’s new 4-1 Democratic majority. His only concern was that Supervisor Thom Kleiner would use the pulpit to push liberal-agenda items such as Indian Point and climate change, which Troy said had as much to do with the town as the man in the moon. Kleiner, of course, disagrees.

• Kleiner gave a predictable State of the Town address, where he talked about ongoing development, senior housing and traffic calming. He also offered examples where the town could help the improve the environment, such as reducing its energy use.

Back in September, I complained in this blog that Supervisor Thom Kleiner presented his budget at a public Town Board meeting, but that it was not noticed in an agenda.

To be fair, I’ll have to take Nyack to task as well. The village’s agendas, which are available online by clicking on the calendar, are often lacking in detailed description.

Here is the agenda for the most recent meeting on Monday, copied from the Web (see www.nyack.org):

Public Hearing (continuation)-
To consider amending Chapter 55 of the Village Code of the Village of Nyack, entitled Vehicle and Traffic.

********************
In addition to the continuation of the Public Hearing, other Parking topics/issues will be discussed.

An ideological debate over illegal immigrants and global warming spilled out into Orangetown Town Hall Monday.

Republicans Tom Morr, Denis O’Donnell and Denis Troy voted for a resolution condemning the Gov. Spitzer’s plan to give driver licenses to illegal immigrants, arguing the measure would devalue the licenses and could put the public at risk. Supervisor Thom Kleiner and board member Marie Manning abstained. Kleiner said he had not made up his mind on the issue and that law enforcement officials had mixed reviews on the measure.

During the same meeting, Kleiner and Marie Manning, the board’s lone Democrats, supported a resolution to adopt the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, which calls on communities and the federal government to take steps to reduce global warming. The GOP voted against it, saying they disagreed with aspects of the resolution. Morr and Kleiner reportedly traded barbs about whether global warming was a human-made condition.

Ultimately, Troy said he did disagreed with the resolution because of its support for the Kyoto Protocol, an international agreement that requires countries to reduce greenhouse gas emission. He thought it would hurt the US in its competition with China.

“We just have different philosophies on that,� he said. “I believe that Kyoto agreement would be an economic catastrophe.�

Orangetown Supervisor Thom Kleiner handed over his budget proposal at the Town Board meeting Tuesday and delivered his budget message, basically outlining his rationale for spending.

Too bad he didn’t let the public know ahead of time.

The five-page agenda for the meeting included notice of an audit presentation, four updates on town business, and 27 other items, but not one word about the budget.

The budget discussion was only added to the agenda at the start of the meeting.

Kleiner said there was an oversight at Town Hall and that he thought it had been placed on the agenda. Too bad it wasn’t.

Supervisor Thom Kleiner has a challenger from one of his historically political strongholds.

Nicholas DelPizzo of Nyack is seeking the Republican Nomination to run for the supervisor’s slot. He already has the nod from the town’s Republican Committee and Thursday will be seeking the county’s endorsement at its convention.

Several Republicans had confirmed this and said DelPizzo, a former state Surrogate Court Judge, is likely to get the nod because he’s a strong candidate.

DelPizzo already started campaigning, too. His answering machine says “You have reached Nick DelPizzo, the next supervisor of historic Orangetown. I’m out on the campaign trail� and can’t get to the phone.

The message goes on to say that he’ll promptly return all calls “promptly and without a tax increase.�