Why There's Now Little Difference Between James Skoufis and Dorey Houle

A man who donated $15,000 to State Senator Skoufis wants to take designated parkland away from the village he works for. Why? Because his schul needs another parking lot.

For my friends who are not in Southern Orange County: Reading this article will help provide some background on everything described below. The tl;dr is that our New York State Senate Representative, James Skoufis, was told of an upcoming violation of both the federal and state constitution, and instead of doing something about it, he decided to pick a fight with a journalist instead.

---

Let’s start today off with a follow-up:

The official response from James Skoufis’s office to yesterday’s post about his behind-the-scenes involvement in Woodbury can be summed up like this:

It’s an unhinged screed by way of email from James Skoufis’s chief of staff, Emma Fuentes.

The Mayor of Woodbury and his Village Trustees? All liars.

And — according to comments she would later make on Facebook — that green area deed in South Blooming Grove? Doesn’t exist.

The Blooming Grove Town Supervisor? A liar.

Your friendly-neighborhood journalist? A liar. Or, if we’re being honest, the way more insulting accusation of being a “Blogger.”

Gasp!

2004 called, Mrs. Fuentes. They want their contrived insult back.

I’ll share more about the Woodbury situation soon, including the full, unhinged response from Senator Skoufis’s office. I needed to fact-check their statements before publishing it.

I also decided that this situation required me to FOIL emails sent to and from the Senator and his staff to the Village Trustees. Mr. Skoufis’s office declined to elaborate on the nature of their discussion with two Village Trustees concerning the $250,000 grant he is holding up, nor identify who those Trustees were that he spoke with.

How is our Senator holding up the money? The Mayor is supposed to speak to Mr. Skoufis, but Mr. Skoufis won’t meet with the Mayor. So, the fate of that grant money is held up.

Hence, I needed to make some FOIL requests and get to the bottom of this escalating feud between Town, Village, and the State Senator.

But let’s talk South Blooming Grove and Skoufis …

As mentioned, Emma Fuentes is the Chief of Staff to State Senator James Skoufis. James Skoufis’s district is the 42nd, which covers all of Orange County and the Village of South Blooming Grove.

In South Blooming Grove is an incredibly controversial housing development that has multiple nicknames but is most commonly referred to as Clovewood.

The housing development would build 600 homes — only 94 of them made available as affordable housing — and then 600 accessory apartments that can be built at a later time. The Vilage of South Blooming Grove was told they did not have enough water to take care of their current citizens from the Orange County Department of Health. (The status of whether or not the Village is in compliance with the Orange County Department of Health violations is unknown at this time.)

So, residents are pissed and want to stop the housing development. The developer engineered a hostile takeover of an entire village, it’s a whole thing that we’ve covered extensively at The Monroe Gazette. One of the people behind the hostile takeover is Isaac Ekstein. You’re going to hear a lot about him below.

Anyway …

When Mrs. Fuentes was asked yesterday about why the Senator refused to write a letter asking the DEC to revoke the permits for Clovewood, she responded with insults and name-calling.

No explanation was given as to why, in over a year since Clovewood/Keen Equities was fined $228,000 for multiple violations of NYS law, Mr. Skoufis didn’t ask the DEC to revoke the permits.

So, that’s troubling.

Because here you have the State Senator and his staff gaslighting people and referring to journalists as conspiracy theorists.

You know what that sounds like? Here’s a hint from the former home to advocacy journalism, the kind Mr. Skoufis and team refuse to recognize:

A MAGA Republican. They also think journalists shouldn’t be trusted, and that’s dangerous for democracy.

If that is how Skoufis and his staff behave, there’s now very little difference between Dorey Houle as your next State Senator and James Skofufis as your current state senator.

They behave and operate the same way: Both are political climbers who offer little transparency and plenty of lies. That’s not great for New York, and that’s not great for America.

We deserve a much better choice than this.

But here’s the thing …

I think it’s time the Senator Hears From You, Especially About The Green Area.

Between the hours of 9 am and 5 pm EST, you can call State Senator Skoufis’ Cornwall office at (845) 567-1270

If you can’t reach anyone there, you can then call the Senator’s Albany office during those times at (518) 455-3290

Below are talking points you can share.

You don’t have to use all of them. There are A LOT of them.

I prefer you use these only as a guide and not as a script. Read it through, take some notes, and then make your call.

The point here is this: Your State Senator is up for re-election this Fall. He is up against a fascist and a convicted felon. Yes. That’s not a joke. Those are your choices.

So, you know what that means? Senator Skoufis knows he is going to win, and he’s going to do the absolute minimum.

He needs to hear from you.

These talking points revolve around the upcoming vote by the South Blooming Grove ZBA that I documented for you here.

At this meeting, the Establishment Clause of New York State and the Federal Establishment Clause will be violated.

The State Senator took an oath to uphold both constitutions.

When asked about attending this meeting, Mr. Skoufis had a meltdown instead of saying a simple yes or no.

---

Above: Email from Orange County confirming the Green Area designation. This designation was disputed by representatives from Senator Skoufis’s office.

---

For the record, I have also been in touch with Mr. Brian Maher, who’s Assembly District covers South Blooming Grove. His office has been much more responsive in answering questions, and they are currently investigating what I’ve shared below. I will share an update from his office when my questions are answered.

Now, let’s get into it. Again, obviously, there’s a lot here. Just read through it. Pick one or two things, and use that information when you call.

Point 1:

The “Green Area” is land deeded to the Village of South Blooming Grove by the Town. When people bought their homes around the green area, they were told this land would remain untouched.

In fact, this designation of the land as “green area” is in the deed that Mr. Skoufis’s Chief of Staff, Emma Fuentes, now claims does not exist, along with the “Green Area” designation, which she says also is not a thing.

The deed does exist, as does the designation, and I can provide you with a copy if you’d like to see it.

According to the Orange County Clerk’s office, the land is designated as green area and must remain a green area.

According to Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor, Robert Jeroloman, the Village was interested in the green area for its utility in Storm Water Management. According to Orange County, that places the Green Area property under the purview of the DEC.

(A note to readers: I have been in touch with the DEC concerning statements from Senator Skoufis’s office and about the green area itself. I will share that information in an upcoming post.)

-Last year, our area experienced historic flooding levels, as documented on News 12 and CNN. As the planet continues to warm, we can expect more flooding events, not less. The loss of any open space, especially the kind identified by the DEC for its usefulness in managing stormwater-related flooding, will ultimately harm the residents of South Blooming Grove.

Mr. Skoufis refuses to attend the upcoming Zoning Board of Appeals meeting here in South Blooming Grove on Thursday, July 25th, 2024, at 8 pm without a proper explanation.

At this meeting, the Village wants to turn that green space into a parking lot for Mr. Isaac Ekstein's schul at 1 Roanoke Drive.

Mr. Ekstein is a paid village employee of South Blooming Grove. This change in designation may be illegal without the Village properly going through the Alienation of Parkland process, as they were informed by environmental attorney Susan Shapiro on July 11th, 2024. (Video here from that meeting.)

Mr. Ekstein is also a large donor of Senator Skoufis, donating $15,000 to the Skoufis Senate campaign in 2022. Despite his involvement in multiple lawsuits that detail his criminal activity, Mrs. Fuentes insisted in an email to The Monroe Gazette that Mr. Yitzchok Ekstein (aka Isaac Ekstein) is not a criminal. I can provide you with these lawsuits if you’d like to review them:

Example 1: GINA CAPPELLI et al v. JOEL STERN et al (pictured above)

Example 2: Village of South Blooming Grove, New York v. 1 Roanoke Drive, LLC (1 Roanoke Drive LLC is an LLC formed and registered to Mr. Ekstein.)

Example 3: Bloomingrove Realty LLC et al v. Rapid Properties LLC et al

Mrs. Fuentes and Mr. Skoufis have both insisted that the large donations he has received from Mr. Ekstein, Mr. Joel Stern, and others connected to them on the same day in May of 2022 does not influence his actions.

This $15,000 ($10,000 in May of 2022 and $5,000 previously in 2021) are the only political donations Mr. Ekstein has ever made according to the NYS Board of Elections.

This change from a green area to a parking lot, despite the land’s noted value in managing stormwater, will endanger current and future residents of South Blooming Grove.

Can Mr. Skoufis explain why he is not attending this upcoming meeting?

And if he can’t attend, can he explain his silence and dismissal of this issue?

---

Now, Mrs. Fuentes has said that I (your favorite reporter) am not a journalist, but an activist. Clearly she has not heard of Ida Tarbell, Frederick Douglas, Barbara Ehrenreich, Hunter S. Thompson, Upton Sinclair, and even more modern outfits like More Perfect Union and Vice before it.

Below is an example of a recent More Perfect Union story from right here in Senator Skoufis’s own district in Newburgh, New York. Whether or not Mrs. Fuentes thinks More Perfect Union’s story below is not journalism is unknown at this time.

The point here is you can be both a journalist and an activist.

If Team Skoufis says something to you like, “ I was invited by an activist to this meeting and that’s why I’m not going” you can safely correct them for making factually inaccurate statements.

When asked if Mr. Skoufis would attend the upcoming ZBA meeting, Mrs. Fuentes stated that the invitation was proof that I was an activist and not a journalist.

That still does not answer the question concerning his lack of attendance.

---

Point 2

-New York State General Municipal Law Section 809 (PDF) requires you to acknowledge to the appropriate village boards any involvement of this project that might include state and village employees. This includes Mr. Isaac Ekstein, who identified himself as the president of the Congregation at 1 Roanoke Drive and is also a paid Village employee.

Mr. Ekstein did not disclose his presidency of the congregation at this location, nor did he disclose what ownership role he may still have with the property as its previous owner under 1 Roanoke LLC and Congregation Yetev Lev D' Satmar in Blooming Grove. Both entities are registered to Mr. Ekstein’s home address of 40 Virginia Avenue. This home is currently unoccupied.

Above: Congregation Yetev Lev D’Satmar’s application concerning 1 Roanoke Drive for the zoning variance and IRS registration paperwork confirming Mr. Ekstein’s home of 40 Virginia Avenue is used as the address of record for the congregation.

---

It is a violation of the federal establishment clause for the government to be used in such a way as to benefit one religious group over another. It would also be a violation of NYS’s Establishment Clause because of the “wanton or reckless disregard for the law” (“licentiousness”) by a religious group.

Legal battles between Isaac Ekstein and the Village of South Blooming Grove can speak to Mr. Ekstein’s “wanton or reckless disregard” of the law.

Above: The last page of documentation provided to the Village of South Blooming Grove concerning 1 Roanoke Drive. Mr. Ekstein declined to answer questions when asked by The Monroe Gazette as to whether or not that was his signature and whether or not he appropriately informed the board of this disclosure.

---

Only after passing Local Law 1 of 2021, which itself violates both the federal constitution and the state constitution’s establishment clause, did Mr. Ekstein transfer the property to Kiryas Joel’s main congregation, Congregation Yetev Lev D' Satmar. He never clarified if this transfer affected his status as president of the congregation itself in Blooming Grove.

Let’s be clear and factual about what occurred here:

Mr. Ekstein owned and operated the schul at 1 Roanoke Drive.

He passed a law that absolutely would not pass muster with any constitutional scholar, allowing residences to quickly be converted into schuls while simultaneously a separate and unequal process for members of other faiths to do the same. This law was passed exclusively by members of the same religious group as Mr. Ekstein who would benefit from the new process created.

Once the law was passed, Mr. Ekstein transferred 1 Roanoke Drive to Congregation Yetev Lev D' Satmar.

These are the facts.

Additionally, on paperwork submitted to the village of SBG filed by Lazer Schvimmer, Mr. Ekstein's living arrangement with Mr. Schvimmer was not disclosed.

Mr. Ekstein appears to be a tenant of Mr. Schvimmer at 2 Arlington Drive, a property that Schvimmer owns. We can state this because in one of Mr. Ekstein’s numerous legal battles, his wife and family were served at this address.

I’d like to know:

Is Mr. Ekstein paying Mr. Schvimmer rent?

If not, do they have another arrangement concerning projects represented by Schvimmer and his business partner Moche Halpern at Blooming Realty?

As a result of one of the lawsuits (Blooming Realty), there was an undisclosed settlement between Mr. Ekstein, Mr. Stern, and the owner of Blooming Realty by a rabbinical court.

What was the decision rendered by that court, and does it impact transactions Mr. Schvimmer may have before the South Blooming Grove Board?

Given that Mr. Ekstein essentially runs Village Board meetings …

(Readers: you can see this in the numerous videos provided here by Bonnier Rum of Preserve Blooming Grove), this is a concerning conflict of interest.

… Mr. Ekstein is a member of the Community Design Review Committee. This committee, according to documentation in The Blooming Grove Report, meets at Mr. Ekstein's United Jewish Community headquarters and approves projects, which would include those proposed by Mr. Schvimmer and Halpern. Mr. Tom Shepstone, an employee of the Village, has confirmed this is how business is conducted before planning board meetings.

Mr. Ekstein is also a large campaign donor to Mr. Skoufis. Mr. Skoufis, and his chief of Staff Emma Fuentes, have both stated that these large donations do not dictate Mr. Skoufis’s actions.

Can you explain what actions, if any, Mr. Skoufis has taken to investigate these violations of NYS Municipal Law and the violations of the NYS Constitution’s Establishment Clause?

Conclusion

Finally, I’d like to ask why the Senator has not requested the DEC revoke the permits from the Clovewood developer, Keen Equities. The DEC has wide latitude to revoke permits from what they deem to be bad actors. The historic fines that Keen Equities received in May of 2023 meet the standards set to define Keen Equities as “bad actors.”

The continued ignoring of these huge fines resulted in a terrible injury to Mr. Guilmar Montufar, who is also now suing Keen Equities LLC. (See the case here)

Your staff has deflected on this issue and pointed to other accomplishments by the Senator. These are nice; however, they do not explain his lack of action in asking the DEC to revoke the permits.

They also do not explain his lack of action concerning the taking of the greenspace to be used as a schul parking lot.

One where congregants of the schul at 1 Roanoke have said publicly that they have plenty of parking at the July 11th, 2024 ZBA meeting.

When asked by a local journalist to explain why Senator Skoufis had not sent this letter, in over a year, Mrs. Emma Fuentes responded with insults and deflection.

I am not a reporter. I am a resident of this area, and I would like the Senator to explain why he did not take any action on the points I’ve raised with you today.

Given that Mr. Ekstein has donated $15,000 to Mr Skoufis, an explanation is owed about the Senators specific inaction on Mr. Ekstein’s activity. This includes providing false information to South Blooming Grove residents when asked about the green area that he wanted to turn into a parking lot for his schul.

The NYS Establishment Clause prohibits religious groups and organizations against the use of state government to benefit one group over another; and from acting in wanton and reckless disregard for the laws of the State and municipality (defined in the constitution as "licentiousness.")

In this case, the licentiousness action is the proposed conversion of needed storm water management land, with no replacement, to enrich a religious organization’s schul. operated by a Village employee.

A village employee who shares the same faith as all voting members of the Zoning Board of Appeals.

While the specific faith of all involved does NOT matter, what matters is the use of government to enrich one organized religious group at the expense of other residents during a time of unprecedented flooding in the area.

Put another way: The loss of land meant for stormwater management presents a danger to the larger SBG community.

It is not enough, nor is it acceptable, to insist these large donations do not influence the State Senator given his specific inaction concerning the DEC permits, the violation of NYS municipal law, and the violation of both state and federal constitutions by one of those donors.

I’ll remind you in closing that when Mr. Ekstein took over the South Blooming Grove Village Board, he did it in conjunction with Mr. Joel Stern. Mr. Stern is an employee of one of Clovewood’s major investors, Jacob Gold.

There is a distinct connection between Clovewood and Mr. Ekstein.

The Senator needs to provide answers to the community, preferably before the election this Fall.

Thank you for speaking with me.