The Week Ahead: 49 Mountain Lodge Road, Skoufis Copy and Paste, and Dorey's Antisemitism

Here's a look at what I hope to work on for you this week at The Monroe Gazette.

Howdy.

We are almost halfway to our goal of 100 paid monthly subscribers by August 1st.

So here’s a quick look at what I’m working on this coming week. If you’d like to upgrade from free to paid, or are just joining us and want to support local, independent journalism, here’s the link to do so.

If we can hit 100 subscribers by then, I can make the Gazette my regular day job and continue posting (almost) daily. If I can hit 200, I might even be able to relocate so I don’t have to worry about my physical safety in reporting these stories. (WAAAAAAY too many of you keep saying I shouldn’t start my car. And you’re right. The deeper this thing goes, the higher the danger. So, yeah. It’s a thing I’m thinking about.)

But if we don’t get there, that’s ok too. It just means I’ll continue posting here on a schedule that makes sense, probably switching to the long form posts once or twice a week.

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-You know what’s interesting? When Real Estate is involved, the same few groups and people can be found claiming antisemitism: The United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburgh and North Brooklyn, the Orthodox Jewish Public Affairs Counsel (aka this fucking guy), Agudath Israel of America. And of course, our local hate group members Isaac Ekstein and Joel Stern, who represent the United Jewish Community of Blooming Grove. But when there are actual, verifiable instances of antisemitism in Orange County that they are asked directly to condemn?

Bupkis thus far. I hope I hear from them, but so far, I haven’t. And that’s a huge bummer.

Monroe Town Councilwoman, and 42nd District State Senate Candidate Dorey Houle is running a blatantly antisemitic campaign. With the exception of Councilwoman Maureen Richardson, no member of the Monroe Town Board has acknowledged this or condemned her for doing so. None of these organizations, when asked for comment and presented with evidence of the Houle campaign’s antisemitism, replied.

Just something to remember for when ACE Farms and parts of Monroe are up for annexation in the not too distant future.

Also just something to remember as the 2024 version of the Orange County Land Preservation Act makes its way through the NYS Assembly and Senate.

-Oh. Speaking of which. Apparently Mr. James Skoufis has put on his big boy pants and actually talked to his constituents in South Blooming Grove and … I’m just kidding. Readers of The Monroe Gazette are emailing Senator Skoufis about the new land preservation bill, and Mr. Skoufis is responding the way anyone would who accepted $70,000 in a single day from members of the local hate group and their friends in hanhallah. He’s copying and pasting a memo he wrote back in August. It’s this memo that I’m going to time with this week, debunking.

Here’s what Skoufis is copying and pasting to everyone who emails him:

Thank you for reaching out to me - I hear your concerns. In recent years, several local municipalities have approached my office to request locality-specific legislation that would authorize a new real estate transfer tax for the purpose of funding a purchase of development rights (PDR) program. While I have long supported efforts to preserve open space, including via PDR programs, the choice to fund a program via a real estate transfer tax, given the fact New York State already has the highest closing costs in the country, is problematic. At a time when housing costs are skyrocketing and rates of out-migration are at record highs, enacting legislation that would make living in Orange County even more cost-prohibitive is troublesome. Additionally, studies have repeatedly demonstrated that, for every $1 added at closing, a $1 devaluation in a home’s value occurs. 

To be clear, I strongly support preservation of our open space, but there are a litany of ways to raise funds to purchase development rights–besides tacking on a multi-thousand dollar real estate tax. These could include a municipality deciding to fund this program just as they would their police department or trash collection, or earmarking a portion of an existing tax (such as water, property tax, you name it). Municipalities already have within their toolbox the ability to fund PDRs. I find Orange County’s decision to endorse municipal use of an entirely new tax to fund PDRs, just because surrounding counties are doing so, to be irresponsible and uninspired.

That said, in municipalities where a comprehensive preservation plan has been undertaken revealing unique development pressures, I have indeed introduced–and passed through the Senate–PDR legislation at local leaders’ request. The Town of Chester is a prime example of this. Furthermore, both our current Governor and her predecessor have demonstrated repeated opposition to signing PDR legislation (e.g. Towns of Chester and Blooming Grove). Knowing legislation will likely ultimately be stifled with a veto at the end of the process is disheartening. 

Nevertheless, if a municipality still desires to move forward with a bill, I’ve been amenable to introducing legislation on the condition the municipality first develops a community preservation plan similar to ones established by Chester and Blooming Grove. 

Preserving our agricultural land and open space is vital to the protection of Orange County’s way of life, but it isn’t a single nail in need of a hammer. The County’s one-size-fits-all approach–give every municipality the ability to implement real estate transfer taxes, despite the skyrocketing cost of home ownership–would do more harm than good. 

I appreciate your interest in this issue and your outreach. If you have additional questions regarding this concern, do not hesitate to contact my office; any questions regarding specific community preservation plans are best directed to those municipalities that have undertaken the initiative.

Sincerely, 

James

Office of Senator James Skoufis (NY-42)

45 Quaker Ave, Ste 202

Cornwall, N.Y. 12518

E. skoufis@nysenate.gov

P. (845) 567-1270

nysenate.gov

I have called every Hudson Valley Senate and Assembly member. So far the only one I’ve heard back from is Karl Brabenec, which surprised me for a lot of reasons. I’ll have a write-up of where each of them stand this week.

-The Town of Monroe continues to push ahead on authorizing short term rentals despite the clear inability (and willingness) of the Town to enforce any sort of code enforcement. Or, perhaps more radically, nor has the town discussed making the Village co-terminus with them in order to allow Monroe’s only police force, the Village PD, the capability of patrolling the entire town and enforcing the rules and regulations of these codes. Nor has the town raised the idea of hiring and beefing up the Building Department and Code Enforcement Officers.

Pretty soon you’re going to have a former residential community populated by short term rentals in the middle of a national housing crisis. Well, at least until it’s all annexed by the City of Kiryas Joel anyway.

Sounds like a great plan, Tony!

And finally, I’m also hoping to wrap up my investigation into Scott Ugell, the soon to be disbarred Village Attorney representing South Blooming Grove. There’s some information down in Rockland I need to collect first. Once I have it, I’ll then make a letter you can copy and paste to send to the NYS Court system to investigate him.

Ditto with Mr. Richard Cattagio, who despite reaching out saying he wanted to talk, did not reply to any of the questions I sent him. I am currently awaiting on a FOIL from the Village of Woodbury.

Hopefully those two investigations will wrap and I’ll be able to cover those stories for you soon.

Should be an interesting week.

Oh!

Shit. Where are my manners. This is really what you’re all here for.

What’s Up With 49 Mountain Lodge Road?

I spoke with Town of Blooming Grove Supervisor Robert Jeroloman, who was kind enough to let me know what’s happening. Many of you have wrote in and asked about this. I event went and took pictures of the area

Here is what the Supervisor told me:

“I have looked into your concern at 49 Mountain Lodge Road and across thereof, I have found the following:

1)      I met with Wayne Kirkpatrick (Town Highway Superintendent), who has been living here locally since birth, has provided me with the following information.

a.       The entrance that has become re-active as it was the original entrance to the Tuthill farm fields.

b.       The work that was done on the property was to:

                                                               i.       establish access to the fields

                                                             ii.      Install filed drains to properly drain the fields

                                                           iii.      Clear the farm fields of vegetation to prepare for planting

                                                           iv.      Prepare planting beds

c.       The present owner has maintained the agriculture exemption on the property.

d.       To maintain the agriculture exemption the property owner is required to actively farm the property.

e.       The Town Highway Superintendent did permit the property owner’s contractor to reestablish the driveway cut to the road with new stone for access to the farm fields.

2)      The Building Inspector has visited this location and has found no violations as this is considered an agriculture property and an active agriculture property is exempt from certain codes as long as they farm the fields as required.

a.       The Building Inspector shall monitor this property to ensure that it is used for agriculture purposes as  required by law.

b.       The Building Inspector was informed by the property owner’s representative that they will be planting shrubs, small trees and other plantings that will be sold to nurseries.

3)      I did again walk the property today and the fields appear to be prepared for planting. There is no equipment on site as of late this afternoon.

Again both the Town’s Town Highway Superintendent and Building Inspector will continue to monitor this property to ensure that it is used as so stated.

So, thank you Supervisor Jeroloman, for the update.

As always, if there is something you’d like me to look into for you, you can get in touch and send news here.