Legislature to Neuhaus: 'Don't spin our wheels'

By Edie Johnson
GOSHEN — Steve Brescia was livid.

The Orange County Legislature's chair on Tuesday called the past year "tumultuous" and "topsy turvy." He said legislators spent most of 2014 "spinning wheels."

The last straw was county Executive Steve Neuhaus' veto last week of the controversial forfeiture law. This came after fellow Republicans, including Brescia — one of Neuhaus' staunchest allies — faced down a litany of public complaint about government overreach to support it.

"This did not emanate from the legislature," said Brescia at the legislature's Jan. 6 reorganization meeting. It was Neuhaus and his top advisors who had come up with the idea, he said.

The law was proposed by Orange County District Attorney David Hoovler, and would have allowed police to seize cash, cars, and other assets for misdemeanor drug crimes before the owners are convicted. Hoovler said the goods seized would help defray the cost of the county's battle against drugs. He and Neuhaus both argued that the law would deter crime.

Brescia railed at Neuhaus for skipping legislature and committee meetings, where he could have shared his thoughts with lawmakers.

"All the C.E. had to do was to say he was not in favor of it," Brescia said. "If he had just come to one meeting...."

There was more.
Brescia joined those who objected to Neuhaus' appointment of Darcie Miller to head a newly consolidated department of social services and mental health not because she isn't qualified, but because her appointment was supposed to have been approved first by legislative committees. He said there was "an apparent lack of transparency."

He took a few moments to compose himself before moving on to his next objection: Neuhaus' veto of any government center sale. Legislators were looking into whether the center should be sold for $5 million to a New York City architect who wanted to turn its into an arts center rather than continue with plans to renovate it.

"We sent a clear message months ago that we wanted to be involved in these decisions," he said.

Brescia wasn't done yet.
Neuhaus had proposed raising the sales tax 0.25 percent to bridge the budget shortfall. Legislators agreed. Most Republicans voted for the sales tax hike in December, saying that layoffs should be the very last resort, and most Democrats were opposed. But Neuhaus ended up nixing the very tax he proposed.

Brescia said he will not bring back the sales tax increase for an override vote unless he was sure it had the supermajority of 14 votes to pass it.

'We have to get business done'
"I still have respect for Steve," said Brescia, "but this is where the people's business is done. We work hard. This has to change."

He said he was also angry at Governor Cuomo over all the casino proposals lawmakers had to listen to, which he called "a colossal waste of time."

The legislature was also much consumed in 2014 over Neuhaus' biggest push — to sell Valley View, the county-owned nursing home. The courts and Democrats in the legislature foiled the effort, and the home is now funded through 2015.

"We have to get business done," said Brescia, reflecting on the lost year. "We need to move forward."

He addressed many of his comments to Neuhaus. He challenged the county executive to attend at least two to three committee meetings a month.

"Stay for the whole meeting, not just 15 minutes," he said.

"Come yourself, don't send people," he said.

"The public is not stupid and legislators are not foolish," he said.

"Don't spin our wheels," he said.

But Neuhaus wasn't there.