fbpx
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
    • Get Home Delivery
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
    • Advertise
    • Customer Support
    • Submit A News Tip
    • Where’s My Paper?
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    • Hey Kingston
    • New Paltz Times
    • Woodstock Times
    • Week in Review
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial
Hudson Valley One
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Log In
No Result
View All Result
Hudson Valley One
No Result
View All Result

Paul Brown’s accent on New Paltz – Pay to play?

by Paul Brown
April 19, 2016
in Columns
0

paul brown SQHow much should a business currently contracted to do work for a municipality, or one seeking such a contract, be allowed to contribute to the campaigns of candidates running for office in that municipality? Given our upcoming town election on Nov. 5, this is a relevant question for New Paltz voters.

Legislators in neighboring Orange County happen to be discussing this very issue at the present time. They will soon vote on a law that would limit donations from companies seeking county contracts. Such campaign contributors would be restricted to giving no more than $250 a year to a candidate if the contributor plans to later pursue a contract that the candidate would be involved in awarding. So, with $250 as the proposed limit for campaign contributions at the county level, what do you think would be a reasonable limit for contributions to candidates running for supervisor at the town level? Specifically for our town, what would be a reasonable limit for individuals and businesses with a clear and vested interest in being hired or re-hired by the newly constituted New Paltz Town Board in January 2014?

In these pages you have read that in 2012 David Clouser and Associates was paid $160,610 by the Town of New Paltz to provide various consulting services. In the first six months of 2013, the same company has received checks totaling $95,194. Susan Zimet, our current supervisor, has shown no inclination to provide outside consultants with annual feedback on their performance. She has also rejected the notion of conducting open bids for significant outside consulting services such as engineering and legal. This is too bad. A company working on a town contract and receiving that many tax dollars needs to be monitored closely and managed well. We can all benefit from feedback. Yes, consultants build up ‘institutional knowledge’ and there is no question that such knowledge is valuable. That is why well-managed organizations require that institutional knowledge be codified and documented and provided to the hiring organization in the form of intellectual property that has been paid for and which then becomes a usable asset of that organization.

The New York State Board of Elections website shows that in the past several years David Clouser has contributed $2,500 to the campaigns of Susan Zimet. This amount is in addition to certain work provided by Mr. Clouser and not charged for, which Ms. Zimet has described as work performed as a “professional courtesy.” The question is whether or not it is ethical for consultants under contract to the Town of New Paltz to provide services to the town that are not subject to its formal accounting practices. At the very least it creates a whiff of impropriety.

It will be interesting to visit the Board of Elections website this year to see who contributes to whose campaigns and the specific amounts of those contributions.

 

Full disclosure

Since recommending Randall Leverette, the current chair of the New Paltz Police Commission, as a candidate for the office of town supervisor, I have decided to volunteer as a coordinator of volunteers for his campaign. I believe a change in town government is needed and that Randall’s personal characteristics and policies will be beneficial to our community in the 24 months beginning Jan. 1, 2014.

If you check the New York State Board of Elections website, you will see that I have contributed $100 to Randall’s campaign fund. At this time, I pledge neither to seek nor accept, if offered, any paid or volunteer position in a new administration, should he be elected.

So far Randall Leverette is the only announced candidate for the office of supervisor of the Town of New Paltz. The current supervisor has indicated ‘no activity’ for her fundraising committees registered with the Board of Elections. These are the weeks running up to an election when candidates are normally ‘dialing for dollars’ as the politicos say. We have an interesting fall political season ahead.

Tags: accent on new paltzPaul Brown
Join the family! Grab a free month of HV1 from the folks who have brought you substantive local news since 1972. We made it 50 years thanks to support from readers like you. Help us keep real journalism alive.
- Geddy Sveikauskas, Publisher
Previous Post

New Main St. gallery showcases letterpress prints and photography

Next Post

Pedro Soler & Bryce Dessner to play BSP in Kingston

Paul Brown

Related Posts

Opening bell
Columns

The first day of school

September 15, 2023
Sturgeon Pond Hydro-Electric Dam, Bartlett pears, the steamship Minnewaska and more from the headlines 100 years ago
Columns

Sturgeon Pond Hydro-Electric Dam, Bartlett pears, the steamship Minnewaska and more from the headlines 100 years ago

September 14, 2023
Secrets of the upcoming eclipses
Columns

Secrets of the upcoming eclipses

September 12, 2023
Abandoning statistics
Columns

Abandoning statistics

September 10, 2023
Sanford Gifford’s scenic landscapes on view at Cedar Grove
Columns

Summer gives way to the “Golden Season”

September 7, 2023
What makes a good candidate?
Columns

What makes a good candidate?

August 19, 2023
Next Post

Pedro Soler & Bryce Dessner to play BSP in Kingston

Trending News

  • Miller Middle School approves deployment of resource officer for 2023-24 school year 1.4k views
  • Dog owners ask the town for more support at the Ulster County Dog Park 1.1k views
  • Famous hairstylist taking appointments at mini-festival in Kingston this weekend 1.1k views
  • Legendary rock royalty performs in Woodstock this weekend 665 views
  • Gilberto Nunez, Kingston dentist acquitted of murder but convicted on other charges, set loose 592 views
  • In New Paltz, a plant store, a massage provider, and a tattooist open a store together 567 views

Weather

Kingston
◉
46°
Mostly Cloudy
6:49 am6:43 pm EDT
Feels like: 46°F
Wind: 1mph WNW
Humidity: 96%
Pressure: 30.33"Hg
UV index: 0
FriSatSun
59/54°F
70/52°F
75/55°F
Weather forecast Kingston, New York ▸

Subscribe

Independent. Local. Substantive. Subscribe now.

  • Subscribe & Support
  • Print Edition
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Contact
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Free HV1 Trial

© 2022 Ulster Publishing

No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Schools
    • Business
    • Sports
    • Crime
    • Politics & Government
  • What’s Happening
    • Calendar Of Events
    • Featured Events
      • Art
      • Books
      • Kids
      • Lifestyle & Wellness
      • Food & Drink
      • Music
      • Nature
      • Stage & Screen
  • Opinions
    • Letters
    • Columns
    • Editorials
  • Local
    • Special Sections
    • Local History
  • Marketplace
    • All Classified Ads
    • Help Wanted
    • Post a Classified Ad
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe & Support
  • Contact Us
    • Customer Support
    • Advertise
    • Submit A News Tip
  • Print Edition
    • Read ePaper Online
    • Newsstand Locations
    • Where’s My Paper
  • HV1 Magazines
  • Manage HV1 Account
  • Log In
  • Free HV1 Trial
  • Subscribe to Our Newsletters
    • Hey Kingston
    • New Paltz Times
    • Woodstock Times
    • Week in Review

© 2022 Ulster Publishing