SusanCampriello: My Works

Speech validates C-GCC
Register-Star
The Daily Mail
Sept. 22, 2009
(Packaged with coverage of President Barack Obama’s Monday, Sept. 21 address at Hudson Valley Community College.)

President Barack Obama’s visit to HVCC won rave reviews at a Columbia-Greene Community College Board of Trustees meeting later in the evening.

C-GCC President James R. Campion said Obama’s visit to a community college in New York State validated the important work going on at the school and others across the country.

“Although [the speech] was at Hudson Valley, all 1,200 of us were in the spotlight today,” Campion said.

Campion lauded the president’s commitment to simplifying tax credits for college tuition and streamlining student loans. He said hearing Obama and Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joseph Biden and a long-time community college professor, speak of how community colleges fit into the fabric of the nation’s economy by preparing the workforce of tomorrow made him proud.

Campion said technology firms such as GlobalFoundries will require the future accountants, human resources personnel and business managers currently attending his school.

He said the need for the nurses, automotive technicians and computer networking professionals enrolled in the school’s largest programs will increase as the population of the Tech Valley grows.

“The opportunities are going to be there not only for people going into the science and engineering fields but also in other aspects of the business,” he said.

Campion and C-GCC Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs Phyllis Carito announced to the college’s Board of Trustees that the school had scored well in a recent student engagement survey run by the University of Texas at Austin.

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) measured what students gained from their college experiences at 663 schools in 48 states, three Canadian provinces and in the Marshall Islands between 2007 and 2009. Approximately 400,800 students participated in the survey with 534 of those at C-GCC. About 1,800 students attended the school when the survey was conducted last spring.

According to survey data, C-GCC scored higher than the national benchmarks and benchmarks of other schools of similar size and program offerings.

The school scored 50.1 in active and collaborative learning, compared with a State University of New York consortium score of 48.7 and a 2009 CCSSE cohort score of 50.0. The school received a score of 50.3 for student effort compared with the SUNY consortium benchmark score of 49.8 and a CCSSE cohort benchmark score of 50.0. Students gave C-GCC a score of 51.7 for academic challenge, with the SUNY consortium receiving a benchmark score of 50.6 and a CCSSEE cohort benchmark score of 50.0. The school received a score of 52.5 for student-faculty interaction with the SUNY consortium receiving a benchmark score of 51.4 and the CCSSE cohort receiving a benchmark score of 50.0. Finally, C-GCC received a score of 54.3 for support for learners, with the SUNY consortium receiving a benchmark score of 49.9 and the CCSSEE cohort receiving a benchmark score of 50.0.

The school participated in the survey to collect data for a Middle States Commission on Higher Education reaccreditation self-study.

Reacreditation occurs every 10 years, Campion said, with the next commission visit and assessment in 2011.

Cash for Clunkers earns mixed reviews
Auto sales increase, but program’s management is criticized
The Daily Mail
The Register-Star
Sept. 4, 2009

Two weeks after the Car Allowance Rebate System, or CARS, program ended, dealerships in Greene and Columbia counties are reporting positive sales but mixed feelings toward the program’s management.

The CARS program, known familiarly as “Cash for Clunkers,” was meant to promote economic wellness by giving Americans an incentive to turn in their gas-guzzling cars for new, more environmentally friendly models.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported that nearly 700,000 “clunkers” were taken off the road and replaced by newer, more fuel-efficient vehicles during the month-long program. The program began in July and ended Aug. 25.

According to the U.S. DOT, dealerships across the nation submitted rebate applications worth $2.877 billion, out of the available $3 billion, with roughly $156 million from dealerships in New York.

“We sold a lot of cars; it was a big boost,” said Peter Backlund, the general manager at Village Dodge, in Hudson, who had to replace more than 40 cars sold off the lot.

“It was much better than I anticipated,” he said.

He said the program was great because it put money back into the hands of the people on the street, “where it belongs.”

“Out of all the programs that the government has been funding,” said Backlund, “I really do not see why they had to debate about spending $3 billion on a program like this,” he said about discussions in the U.S. Congress prior to that body’s June approval of the program.

But not every dealer agreed.

Lenny Romeo, owner of Catskill Buick GMC Pontiac, which serves Greene and Columbia counties, said the way the program had been run was “disgusting” and “ridiculous” and he would not want to participate again.

“The way they ran the program was a total joke,” he said.

Romeo said the program’s false start — it had a brief hiatus in July — and computer system overload had soured him on participating.

Romeo said in August that he had not been paid for the vehicles he sold even those sold early in the program.

The government had promised dealers payments within 10 days.

By this week, Romeo had received payments for only four of the 27 vehicles he had sold through the program. He said a total of $90,000 should come to the dealership.

“If we ran our business that way, we would be out of business,” he said.

But, he admitted, the program did enable people to get financing for new cars, and that more cars moved off his lot than during a regular monthly sales period.

And, he said, about half of the customers who traded their large vehicles, trucks and sport utility vehicles for new Pontiacs and GMC pickup trucks told him they did so only to take advantage of the CARS program.

Phil Thorpe, of Thorpe’s Pontiac GMC, said more than 20 car and truck owners had tried to take advantage of the program at his Tannersville dealership. Only six “clunkers” qualified for the program, he said, characterizing his participation in the program as “limited.”

A car eligible for trade-in had to meet the criteria including being manufactured less than 25 years before trade-in date, have a combined city/highway fuel economy of 18 miles per gallon, had to be insured and registered a year before trade-in and had to be driveable.

Consumers could receive either a $3,500 or $4,500 dealer discount. The price on a new vehicle selected could not exceed $45,000.

Thorpe said last week that he was confident that the government would come through with payments for his vehicles, although he did not say how much he was owed. This week, Thorpe said he had received the entire payment owed him.

Unlike Romeo, Thorpe said he would participate in the program again if it were offered.

Dan Lacy, co-owner of Catskill’s R.C. Lacy Ford Lincoln Mercury Subaru declined to comment about the program until he had been paid by the government, offering only that he had “a lot to say” about it.

Larry Siracusano, owner of Sawyer Chevrolet in Catskill, said the program had gone “OK” and he was low on inventory, but was unavailable for further comment.

Staff at Marchese Ford, in New Lebanon, said the program had seemed to help sales, but could not comment further.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called the program “wildly successful” because of how it had helped consumers.

“American consumers and workers were the clear winners thanks to the cash for clunkers program,” LaHood said in a press release. “Manufacturing plants have added shifts and recalled workers. Moribund showrooms were brought back to life and consumers bought fuel efficient cars that will save them money and improve the environment.”

According to the U.S. DOT, top trade-ins were the Ford Explorer 4WD, the Ford F150 Pickup 2WD, the 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2WD Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan.

The most popular vehicles purchased included the Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Toyota Camry, Ford Focus FWD and the Hyundai Elantra.

Paul Crossman contributed to this report

Assemblymen say bill would be ‘nail in coffin’ for farms
Lawmakers deride 8-hour workday, overtime provisions
The Daily Mail
June 23, 2009

CATSKILL — A bill that could force increased operational costs incurred by local farms passed in the State Assembly earlier this month, but many familiar with farming operations and the legislation fear that such a law would harm area farms and farm workers.

The bill, if passed by the state Senate and signed into law, would require farm laborers to work an eight-hour workday and requires farms to pay time-and-a-half wages for overtime.

Columbia County Farm Bureau President Charles Larsen said the overtime wage requirements could put an added stress on both farm owners and farm workers.

“It could hurt them tremendously,” Larsen said.

Larsen worries that farms will have to add workers to their rolls while limiting the numbers of hours each picker can work to 40 per week. Laborers used to, and willing to work upward of 50 or 60 hours a week would find themselves taking a severe pay cut.

He said a starting wage for some farm workers is $10 and that he knew of one farmer further upstate who figured out that in a two-week time period he would have to pay his workers a total of $6,000 in overtime.

“That is an impact,” he said. “Agriculture cannot afford time-and-a-half.”

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agriculture Statistic Service, there were 455 farms in Columbia County in 2007 and 310 in Greene County.

A 2007 census by the department reported that 52 Greene County farms hired a total of 282 workers and a total of 885 workers were employed by 19 different farms in Columbia County.

The census showed a total of 36,400 farms in the state.

Eric Ooms, the vice president of the New York State Farm Bureau, said workers who come to New York State farms on the H-2A guestworker program are legally only supposed to work on one farm and therefore cannot take a second job harvesting crops or on a dairy farm to supplement their incomes.

“That limits people’s earning opportunities while they are there,” he said.

He said farm workers usually are provided housing by their employers and are offered child care services. Requiring farms to pay worker for overtime could jeopardize financial stability of some farms.

“We are talking about driving the costs up and I don’t know any business that likes that,” he said, “and can afford it.”

Assemblyman Pete Lopez, R-Schoharie, whose district includes Greene County and who led the debate against the bill, said the vote was ironic because only two years ago the Assembly acknowledged that the dairy industry was in distress. At the time, he said, the price of milk was nearly $1 per 100 pounds higher than it is today.

Lopez argued that farms cannot operate eight hours a day because animal births and crop harvests could not be scheduled in such a parameter and said the legislation forced a cookie-cutter employment model on a dynamic industry.

“It is the nail in the coffin for New York State farms” he said.

Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R-Red Hook, reiterated that crops had a specific window in which they could be harvested.

He explained that conditions on farms can be volatle and fragile due to weather and economy.

Rains and droughts can affect a crop’s yield, he said. Prices fluctuate.

He offered $200 million as the cost New York farms would spend on overtime wages should the bill pass a Senate vote and become a law.

Molinaro warned that farmers overseas would stock store shelves with their products if the costs of running a farm in New York became prohibitive.

“This is a localized industry that faces international competition and this bill does nothing to recognize that

Molinaro and Lopez charged that some legislators from downstate lacked knowledge of the way farms work.

Lopez said the bill’s sponsor, Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan, D-Queens, had admitted to her colleagues that she was one of those legislators.

Molinaro said no one in the farming industry of which he knew had been asking for the provisions set forth in the bill.

“It is offensive at best,” he said.

Pine Plains man charged with murder
Dutchess County resident suspected of killing a man and wounding his wife during a shooting in Greene County
The Register-Star
June 18, 2009

PALENVILLE — A man suspected of shooting a Palenville couple — resulting in one death — just before 2 a.m. Wednesday is in Greene County Jail.

The alleged shooter, 23-year-old Robert N. Wilkinson of Pine Plains, Dutchess County, opened fire with a .223-caliber rifle on the victims, Lucian Haid, 28, and his wife, Taryn, 23, in the driveway of their home at 95 Pennsylvania Ave., following a dispute among the trio earlier in the morning, according to State Police in Kingston.

Lucian Haid was pronounced dead at the scene by Coroner Richard Viglio.

An autopsy will be conducted Thursday by Dr. Michael Sickarica at Albany Medical Center.

In spite of her injuries, Taryn Haid was able to call Greene County 911 with a description of Wilkinson’s vehicle, a 2008 Nissan. She was transported by ambulance to Albany Medical Center and was treated for her injuries, police said.

Staff at Albany Medical Center Wednesday afternoon had no information on her condition.

Wilkinson was taken into custody fewer than two hours after the shooting by the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department after leading a sheriff’s deputy on a pursuit through the county. Wilkinson has been charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault, first-degree criminal use of a weapon, first-degree reckless endangerment and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

He entered a plea of not guilty at his arraignment in Catskill Town Court Wednesday afternoon in front of Judge Robert Carl.

Wilkinson conferred with the public defender assigned to the case, Dominic J. Cornelius, and stoically looked forward as he was led out of the courtroom by state police. He was transferred to the Greene County Jail.

District Attorney Terry Wilhelm said his office will be prosecuting the case. Wilkinson is expected back in court June 25, he said.

Neighbors in Palenville said the couple appeared to keep to themselves, as few knew who lived in the house 500 feet from the Saugerties town line.

Crane Davis, who lives across the street from the couple, said they were quiet and seemed nice. He said his wife had only met Taryn Haid once, when a package was mistakenly delivered to their home.

Davis said he did not hear any altercation before the shooting and that he thought the first shot could have come from a hunter somewhere.

But, he said, the successive shots hinted otherwise.

“The other four sounded like someone was out to get someone,” he said.

Davis said after the gunfire ended, he heard a woman screaming and he called 911. Emergency crews responded within 10 minutes, he said.

Davis said the couple had only moved to the neighborhood, which is mainly filled with weekend residents, six months ago.

He said it was not uncommon for at least one car to pull into the driveway on any given night but that there did not appear to be many people entering and exiting the house.

“It wasn’t like a constant stream of people,” he said.

According to the State Police at Kingston, Wilkinson was apprehended Wednesday morning after Ulster County Sheriff’s Deputy Frank Gillespie spotted his vehicle with a defective light. Gillespie called in the license plate number and was told by dispatch that the vehicle belonged to the Palenville shooter.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle on Route 32 in the town of Ulster. When the driver did not comply, Gillespie initiated a pursuit.

Gillespie chased Wilkinson through the city of Kingston on Route 9W and into Esopus, where Wilkinson lost control of the vehicle and struck a rock wall along Black Creek Road.

Police from departments in the town of Lloyd, Kingston, Ulster and Saugerties converged upon the crash scene, police said.

Officers from the Greene County Sheriff’s Department, the Greene County District Attorney’s Office and the village of Catskill were involved as well.

Catskill police set up a roadblock at about 1:45 a.m. at the intersection of Route 23A and Route 9W in Catskill, according to Catskill Police Chief David Darling.

He said the State Police were on the scene right away.

“They were on it from the get-go,” he said, “and that is a good thing.”

Volunteers honored at Columbia Memorial Hospital gala
The Daily Mail
May 31, 2009, online

CATSKILL — In the past, a donor to the Columbia-Greene Hospital Foundation has been honored at the Annual Columbia Memorial Hospital Ball. However, this year, the hospital lauded the hard work of volunteers who have raised money for the foundation and have made the hospital a more welcoming place for patients and their families.

Forty-two volunteers, whose tickets were paid for by sponsors, attended the ball, the foundation’s largest fund raising event, held Saturday evening at Catskill Point.

Columbia Memorial Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Jane Ehrlich said she expected $300,000 to be raised at the ball through tickets and the silent auction, which featured items including dinners and golf rounds.

But, she said, the ball was not only about raising funds for the foundation.

“We are excited to be here tonight to honor our volunteers,” she said.

She said the work of volunteers who did everything from visiting patients through the Hospice program to selling home-knit goods to working in the Second Show and donations made by medical staff had been instrumental to the foundation’s successes this year.

Ehrlich said that medical staff had taken the initiative to make donations to the foundation at a time when many large donors scaled bake their contributions.

In all, donations from medical staff totaled roughly $75,000, she said.

Patti Matheney Schrom, chairwoman of the foundation’s Board of Directors, said the foundation board was grateful to the medical staff for their contributions.

“We do have something to celebrate,” she said.

Rosemary Machin, the president of the Columbia Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, said her volunteers had done a wonderful job over the last year selling crafts and flowers and holding other fundraisers.

The Auxiliary was able to donate more than $45,000 to the hospital to help fund an intensive care renovation project and to purchase much-needed fetal monitors and other equipment.

Dr. Norman Chapin, hospital medical director, thanked the 131 active members of the Auxiliary for making items for patients, for newborns and for fundraisers, though which they have been able to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars. Auxilians also raise money for nursing scholarships, he said.

“Our patients really benefit from all their efforts,” he said.

Chapin thanked the many Hospice volunteers who provide support to patients facing long illnesses and their families.

He read from a letter written by a mother who lost a daughter to cancer. The mother thanked the hospital for making her daughter’s final days comfortable. Staff knew that the young girl had wanted to be a ballerina and had held her while she danced around the room.

“The care and and love she received at Columbia Memorial will never be forgotten,” the letter read.

Chapin said that volunteers use animals and music to help some patients recuperate from surgery or illness.

He also thanked the volunteers who work at the Second Show, a not-for-profit thrift shop on Warren Street in Hudson whose proceeds go to the hospital foundation.

The shop has been able to donate $800,000 during the last 15 years, he said.

“We have in our own backyard a very, very successful way of supporting very, very important missions within our own community,” he said.

The ball was organized by foundation Director of Operations and Special Events Gina Orlando and Barbara S. Johnson, foundation assistant.

Music was provided by the Children’s Peace Project, a group based in Chatham that raises money through CD sales and donations to help children who have been affected by war, and the Big Smoothies.

Grads: reach out and make a difference
“What you give is more important than what you have,” Prest says in speech
The Daily Mail
May 22, 2009

GREENPORT — More than 300 students from Columbia-Greene Community College earned their diplomas Thursday night in front of family members, friends, college faculty and representatives from local and state legislative bodies at the college’s 40th commencement exercises.

Before the students crossed the stage in the college gymnasium and were handed their diplomas, they heard words of wisdom from numerous speakers with one overall message; their degrees marked a great achievement and their years in school will prepare them for the future.

Kyri Dunning, who received a decree in applied sciences and was chosen to address the graduating class and audience, said that 2009 was a year of change.

He said the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January showed that the country was capable of evolving.

“Anyone is capable of achieving anything he or she sets their mind to,” he said.

He said he and his fellow graduates will be able to make it through the challenging economic times thanks to the knowledge they gained while working towards their degrees.

“It may be a struggle at first, but know this, every cloud has a silver lining, it is just a matter of where can we get our silver lining,” he said.

Columbia-Greene Community College President James Campion told the graduates that he hoped they kept a good ear to use in their careers and all of their pursuits. Campion said he hoped the graduates would think about how their education will enhance their life accomplishments.

Nancy Patwzwahl thanked the college’s faculty and trustees as well as state Legislators for their support and hard work throughout the past school year.

She told the graduates that the should feel proud of their accomplishment earned by graduating.

“Today more than ever,” she said, “education plays a critical role in our society.”

State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro, R,C,I-Red Hook, said community colleges will be vitally important in the State’s economic rebound.

Molinaro said the State of New York recognizes the opportunities each graduate will bring with them as they continue their education and enter the workforce.

He told the graduates not to fear making mistakes because life is about rising after a fall.

“You will be confronted with challenges you will think are insurmountable, but just please note that through the education you have earned at this institution, the love and support of your friends and family and through your own innovation, your own energy, your own dedication, you will overcome those challenges. You will see great success and always remember that life and success is always about lifting yourself up again, and that is how you will be judged,” he said.

Greene County Legislator and Chairwoman of the Education Committee Dorothy Prest, R-Catskill, asked each graduate to think about a person who inspires them, as her father inspired her. Prest said her father taught her that what a person gives is more important than what he or she may have.

“If you give unselfishly of yourselves, you will always be a success,” she said.

Columbia County Board of Supervisors Chairman Arthur Baer, R-Hillsdale, reminded the graduates that learning is a lifelong process.

Terry Valentine, associate professor and transitional studies coordinator, gave the graduates one “last lecture.”

“Never be bored,” she said, “there is always one more book to read, one more idea to explore, one more person to whom you can reach out to make a difference.”

Long-time teacher and college tutor Harold Morrill received the Life Long Learning Award at the ceremony.

25 recruits graduate from C-GCC law enforcement academy
The Daily Mail, online
April 26, 2009
Register-Star, online
April 27, 2009

GREENPORT - Twenty-five recruits, wearing new badges and pressed uniforms, graduated Saturday from their academy at Columbia-Greene Community College, in front of an audience of family, friends and academy alumni.

The new officers, from Zone 14 Law Enforcement Academy, will soon begin working in communities in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Orange, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties.

Columbia-Greene Community College President James R. Campion commended the graduates for remaining focused, disciplined and dedicated during their year-long program and wished them all a safe and satisfying career.

“This college’s academy is the best in the state, and our graduates are the most thoroughly trained police officers in the business,” he said.

State Assemblyman Marc Molinaro (R,C,I-Red Hook), the ceremony’s keynote speaker, offered the graduates humorous retorts to tell rowdy law-breakers and told a few speeding ticket jokes, eliciting smiles from their otherwise serious expressions.

He said that although some citizens may disrespect the law and the officers charged with upholding it, the graduates have an awesome responsibility to protect and preserve every citizen’s right to liberty and safety.

“Do not shrink from it,” he said.

Recruit Thomas M.D. Jones, of the Schodack Police Department, graduated with the highest academic average; Thomas J. McGuiness, of the Athens Police Department, was awarded best qualifier in firearms; and Timothy J. Hoffman, of the Mount Hope Police Department, won the physical training award.

Recruit First Sgt. Hoffman was also selected to speak at the ceremony by his fellow graduates.

He said that the recruits became a team over the duration of the program.

“As months proceeded, we slowly became 25 strong, working together and accomplishing our goals,” he said.

He thanked his instructors, citing each man’s unique teaching style, and the families in the audience for their patience and understanding over the duration of the program.

“The support you gave us helped us more than you can ever know,” he said.

Graduating recruits pose for photographs before their ceremony Saturday.

Columbia County graduates included Paula A. Falkner and Michael C. Meier, of the Chatham Police Department; John V. Brailey, David T. Pulcher and Ryan A. Scalera, of the Germantown Police Department; Aurora M. Lighthart, of the Greenport Police Department; Kevin T. Demarest, of the Philmont Police Department; and Samantha J. Demski, Keith E. Johnson and Peter D. Merants Jr. of the Columbia County Sheriff’s Department.

Greene County’s newest officers included Mark A. Nazi and Ryan A. Schrader, of the Athens Police Department; Steven R. Espel, of the Catskill Police Department; David H. Chittenden and Ronald Messen, of the Coxsackie Police Department; and Joel S. Rowell, of the Hunter Police Department.

Other graduated included Ryan D. Cross and Frank A. McDonagh, of the Coeymans Police Department; Alan J. Roehr Jr. and Peter C. Zownir, of the Schodack Police Department; Keith M. Boniface, of the Nassau Police Department; as well as Jason M. Monell, of the Stillwater Police Department.

Diplomas were presented by the recruits’ new chiefs and fellow officers, and, in some cases, by their relatives.

The graduates recessed out of the auditorium just as they progressed in, following a long bagpiper, before being greeted by the families, friends and fellow officers from their new police departments.

Food: $2,000; donations: $100K; work of volunteers: priceless
United Way honors achievements at annual dinner
The Daily Mail and The Register-Star
April 24, 2009

CATSKILL — Several twin county residents were commended for their volunteer efforts of the last year by the United Way of Columbia & Greene Counties, Inc., at the group’s annual dinner Thursday night at Anthony’s Banquet Hall in Leeds.

Jerel “Jerry” Golub, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Golub Corporation and Price Chopper stores, addressed the United Way members and honorees after the organization’s business meeting concluded, thanking them for their selflessness.

He recounted some recent achievements made by local Price Chopper stores.

“Our folks are really genuinely interested in the communities they operate in,” he said, adding, “they have done a tremendous job.”

The Catskill store, he said, raised $2,000 for gifts and food for a family during the holidays and sponsored two local soldiers serving in Iraq. The store also adopted two miles of highway in Greene County, he said.

The store in Hudson sponsored six local families during the holiday season and the story in Chatham has been involved in local events as well, he said.

Golub said the United Way campaign has always been a cornerstone of the company’s community involvement. Thousands of corporation employees donate money to the campaign from their paychecks every week, he said.

The organization operates 177 stores in six states and requires some guidance on how money can be put to the best use locally. Price Chopper touches 42 United Way groups.

“We rely on United Way to ensure our resources are going to meet the most important needs of each community and never was that role so important as it is in today’s environment. Thank goodness United Way is here for us and able to assess the needs and reallocate resources by the community where they are most needed,” he said.

Golub replaced his father, Lewis Golub, as the chairman for the corporation’s United Way campaign three years ago.

Bernard “Ben” and William “Bill” Golub opened the family’s first self-service supermarket — the first of its kind in upstate New York — in Green Island in 1932.

Phil Jackson, United Way of Columbia & Green Counties’ board president, explained that although the United Way raises money for food pantries and other services, the organization remains flexible in order to meet the needs of the community.

This year, he said, more than $100,000 was allocated back to the communities in the twin counties.

Former United Way board member Jim Riley presented volunteerism awards and honors to several Columbia County and Greene County residents.

Charlene Paden, who initiated the Client Choice program at the Catholic Charities Food Pantry, was named the United Way Volunteer Partner of the Year. The program allows for clients and pantry staff to plan meals of foods clients like so that nothing goes to waste.

“Catholic Charities of Columbia-Greene Counties is truly blessed to have such a selfless individual who gives so freely in Charlene Paden,” Riley said.

Paden, who began volunteering at the pantry in 2007 when she moved to Taghkanic as a full-time resident, said the program has fostered greater interaction and even recipe-sharing between clients and staff.

Although she no longer volunteers with the pantry, she is active with Hospice, is training to be a certified music practitioner and has begun raising animals on her farm with her husband, Peter.

“It was just very rewarding to work there and meet the people coming there for services,” she said.

Jennifer Miller, Community Action of Greene County Inc. board president in Catskill, and Susan Fireman of The Good Dog Foundation in Ancram were named honorary partners.

Miller, who also works at First Niagara Bank in Catskill, along with her staff there, has been active with a number of programs including the Fortnightly Club of Catskill and the Ronald McDonald House Charities. She recently hosted a dinner for families staying at the Ronald McDonald House.

“Jennifer is absolutely committed to the growth and prosperity of her community and its constituents,” Riley announced to the attendees.

Fireman, the executive director and program coordinator of the New York-based foundation, orchestrates dog and handler teams who provide therapeutic services for adult and child clients of the Mental Health Association of Columbia-Greene Counties, Inc. Twelve volunteer teacher teams participate in an educational and confidence-building after school reading program in Hudson, where students practice reading to patient and non-judgmental canine audiences.

Fireman said that although her name was on the plaque, the award belongs to the foundation’s volunteers.

Gary Van Allen, a former United Way board member, accepted a Senatorial Proclamation from Sen. Stephen M. Saland, R-Poughkeepsie, and Sen. James L. Seward, R-Oneonta, commending Metzwood Harder Insurance for making a significant contribution to the quality of life in the community. The agency, which has offices in Chatham and Kinderhook, services 5,000 clients in the area.

Siobahn Pellegrino, office supervisor of Save-a-Lot in Coxsackie, received a similar proclamation.

Pellegrino, Riley said, is responsible for encouraging Save-a-Lot employees to have United Way donations taken out of their paychecks. Pellegrino said her co-workers deserve the proclamation for making the sacrifice and for making the annual fund drive, bake sale and “cheesecake-a-thon,” a success.

“They’re the ones who pony up the dough,” she said.

Also in attendance were Price Chopper store managers from Chatham, Hudson and Catskill, the regional perishables manager, the zone director and community and public outreach director Barbara Page, who also coordinates the company’s United Way program in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Tedisco urges new investment in Main Street
The Daily Mail online
Mar. 22, 2009

TANNERSVILLE — Assembly Minority Leader and Congressional candidate James Tedisco (R-Schenectady) visited The Village Bistro in Tannersville Saturday to listen to his supporters’ concerns and to discuss with them his plan to create and retain jobs 10 days before the special election to fill the seat vacated by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand earlier this year.

Tedisco said the state and the country needed a stimulus bill but that Congress’ was wrong to pass the bill with a loophole allowing for the executives who cheated the system and investors and who destroyed to receive bonuses.

“We have to take care of the public’s money, we have to invest it properly and we have to make sure that we are turning this economy around by investing in Main Street and the middle class,” he said.

One way in which this could be done, he said, was by promoting tourism to Greene County, saying that its ski areas must be maintained and remain competitive to draw people to the area.

“If you can attract them for skiing, then of course you can attract them to the smaller businesses that can be developed along the street-scape like this,” he said, gesturing to colorful Main Street in Tannersville, just four miles down Route 32A from Hunter Mountain.

Tedisco outlined his jobs plan, which includes incentives for businesses to hire unemployed individuals rather than those changing jobs.

Businesses that held onto an employee for one year would receive a Federal grant of $1,000, he said, and a grant for $2,000 if an employee stayed for two years.

The grants would encourage businesses to hire candidates outside of the current workforce, he said.
The plan would give what he called a meaningful tax credit to businesses with 100 or more employees, suggesting a 35 percent tax credit for those businesses to keep that workforce intact for three years.
He said such long-term job security would encourage workers to purchase expensive items such as homes, cars and refrigerators, and in turn, generate a confident market.

Tedisco also suggested that small businesses could work together to cover some high-cost benefits, such as health care, to their employees.

He proposed that cost-pooling zones could comprise of a Main Street, a county or even two counties together, arguing that the cost to each business would decrease as more businesses combined their resources.

And, he projected that 60 to 80 percent of new job opportunities would come from small businesses.
Although the candidate did not limit the small businesses he would like to see open, he suggested that nano-technology businesses might thrive in the 20th Congressional District, which encompasses communities from Essex County to Ostego County and to Dutchess County.

He touted the $4.5 billion investment in Global Foundries, which he helped come to fruition. Even though the chip-producing company is located in Saratoga, he said it would need tools and high-tech components that could be produced in the greater Capitol Region.

“That would spin off into Columbia and Greene counties with other small businesses that might relate,” he said.

He suggested that at least part of the Hudson Correctional facility, which has recently been faced with closure, could be used for one of these nano-technology businesses, should it be shuttered. He said facility employees could be retrained for other occupations rather than simply let go.

Tedisco attacked his Democratic opponent, investment capitalist Scott Murphy for publicly supporting the Federal Recovery Act only 24 hours after it was approved by the House of Representatives.

Tedisco asked why, if Murphy had read the bill, had he supported it, loophole included.

“If he did not read the bill, I think that says something about the responsibility of a public servant to understand what they’re supporting,” he said.

Murphy, who was not in attendance, has criticized Tedisco for waiting weeks before stating his position. Murphy also held a fundraiser in Hunter Saturday.

An aid to the Assemblyman said that the Minority Leader, his aids and legal team read the 1,100-page document before coming out against it.

“We need a stimulus bill to invest in middle class tax cuts,” Tedisco said, “It had $300 billion in earmarks in it.”

Tedisco supporters, who paid a $50 event fee, agreed that Tedisco’s experience and years in Albany have prepared him well to serve in Washington, D.C.

State Assemblyman Peter Lopez (R-Schoharie), whose 128th Assembly District shares four counties, including Greene and Columbia, with the Congressional District, said Tedisco has the skills and the passion necessary to help the region needed to regain its footing.

“He can build coalitions and hit the ground running,” Lopez said.

Lopez said Tedisco also had the courage to stand in the minority on an issue, using the Minority Leader’s opposition to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s proposed plan to permit undocumented immigrants to carry drivers licenses.

Greene County Legislator Keith Valentine (R-Catskill) agreed, saying that the true test of a politician was whether he was willing to stand up and risk political damage for an issue.

Greene County Republican Party Chairman Brent Bogdarus said that voters would be very happy with Tedisco as their Congressman because of his middle class background and work ethic.

He said Tedisco’s time in Albany and family trials, including the loss of a brother with Down syndrome to leukemia.

“He understand the realities of life,” Bogdarus said.

Windham Highway Superintendent Tom Hoyt said he and hundreds of town supervisors and highway managers traveled to Albany last week to speak with legislative leaders to put money for the State’s highways back into Gov. David A. Paterson’s budget. He did not meet with Tedisco on that visit but did put to topic to the candidate in Tannersville.

“He knew all about it,” Hoyt said.

Tedisco said that as a Congressman, he will work hard deliver what constituents need.

“My job is to be a good listener,” he said.

Volunteers launching radio station seek ways to serve community
The Register-Star and The Daily Mail
Jan. 19, 2009

FREEHOLD — Free103point9 Program Director Tom Roe and representatives from the organization met with residents of Greene and Columbia counties Saturday to explain how the new station will work and represent the needs of the community.

“We are trying to reach out to people like you to find out what you want,” Roe said.

The station will broadcast on 90.7 FM from a tower in Freehold and reach an estimated 78,000 people across roughly 650 square miles from West Durham to North Chatham to Kiskatom, Roe said. The organization will run studios in Catskill, Cairo and Hudson.

The organization has applied for an $85,000 grant, which will help fund equipment purchases and other expenses. Roe said he hoped an additional $40,000 to $50,000 could be raised at benefits and other fundraisers.

Free103point9 will run the station, but Roe and Executive Director Galen Joseph-Hunter will play a somewhat passive role in directing what content is aired. Programming decisions will be made by a station council, made up of community members from across the region and who represent different interests.

Dharma Dailey, a volunteer on the station work team, said the governing council was reflective of a plurality of people in the region.

“We really see ourselves as facilitators of the community process,” Dailey said.

Roe explained that he envisioned some structured news blocks that would coincide with the schedules of farmers, who rise early and would tune in for agricultural news in the morning, and students and their parents who would be interested in hearing news about education at about the time school lets out.

Saturdays, he said, would be left to radio arts, which would air experimental radio shows or live broadcasts from summer events such as the Irish and the bluegrass festivals.

No plan exists for Sundays, he said.

The group suggested programming that would feature profiles of Greene and Columbia County residents who have interesting or unique hobbies, discussions about science and religion and music blocks playing world music as well as pieces by regional musicians.

“You want to hear local artists,” said Pamela Badila of the Diata Diata International Folklore Theater in Hudson.

JoAnn Piazzi and Peter Lerner suggested a show titled “Inside Greene County,” which would feature issues facing government leaders in Greene County.

Roe said ultimately the content and program schedule would depend on when staff and volunteers were available to work. He said programs would be diverse, and his goal for the station is to get every person in the listening area on the air within two to three years of the station’s launch.

“We don’t want one voice to dominate,” he said.

Although Roe projects that the station will go live on the Internet in May and will commence broadcasting from the tower in the spring of 2010, there is still a lot of work to be done. Recording equipment needs to be purchased, studios need to be constructed and some legal and organizational issues need to be settled.

Roe said the council is still discussing the specifics of an underwriting policy. The council has reached out to area schools to see if students and teachers are interested in working with the arts organization to produce radio content. The council has also not yet chosen the station’s call letters.

Once the call letters are designated, Roe said, the organization will intensify its awareness and volunteer recruitment campaign.

Two recording equipment workshops will be held in Cairo later this spring. Roe empathized that volunteers do not need any radio or performance experience.

“We need people that can hold good conversations and are interesting,” he said.