Time Mission held its first College Challenge on March 7th. All four area colleges participated: Rockland Community College, St. Thomas Aquinas, Dominican University and Ramapo College. Attached is the release with the highlights of the challenge.
Announces Search for New Health Commissioner
New City, NY, – County Executive Ed Day congratulates Rockland County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert who is stepping down this month.
Dr. Ruppert has served as Commissioner of Health for the County of Rockland since 2013, with responsibilities including overseeing public health services to County residents, enforcing the State and County Sanitary Code, and coordinating County responses to several public health threats including measles, COVID-19, and poliovirus.
“I wish Dr. Ruppert the best in this next chapter and sincerely thank her for all she’s done for the people of Rockland,” said County Executive Ed Day. “The work of our Health Department during COVID-19 and our measles outbreak was nothing short of extraordinary and I thank Dr. Ruppert and her team for their tireless dedication.”
The County of Rockland has formed a Search Committee which will be overseen by the Personnel Department to review resumes and interview candidates to replace Dr. Ruppert as the Commissioner of Health, with plans to name an Interim Commissioner while that search process takes place.
The Search Committee members will be:
CEO of Bon Secours Charity Health System, Dr. Mary Leahy
Nyack Hospital President & CEO, Dr. Mark Geller
RCDOH Director of Patient Care Services, Julie Krauchuk
Commissioner of Human Rights, Spencer Chiimbwe
Chief of Staff to County Executive Ed Day, John Lyon
For more information about the Health Commissioner position visit our website.
Albany, NY – New York State Senator Pete Harckham and his Senate colleagues unanimously approved his legislation that requires the disclosure of insurance information on permit applications for the construction of pipelines traversing any freshwater wetlands in the state. The necessary information, which the bill states will be shared with relevant municipalities, includes the name of the insurance company covering the construction project, the amount of coverage and what is covered under the plan.
“The construction and placement of pipelines across the state’s freshwater wetlands are not without potential risks, and this legislation simply offers transparency in regard to liability,” said Harckham. “Having insurance information readily available, in case of an accident or an emergency, will give community members who are worried about the environment and public safety some deserved peace of mind.”
Municipalities across New York that are considering potential installation of pipelines have, at a minimum, a right to know what insurance is in place to make them whole from any harm that may arise as a result of a pipeline’s construction or presence, Harckham added.
Harckham’s bill (S.3365), which passed in the Senate last year but not in the State Assembly, seeks to protect local communities by requiring that applicants seeking to conduct regulated activity involving the use of a pipeline on wetlands provide a full range of information from the pipeline’s insurance company to make sure accidents and contamination are covered for liability.
Additionally, this requirement would ensure that all pipeline activities being conducted on wetlands are properly insured while helping to safeguard the integrity of the state’s wetlands.
“New York has an unfortunate history with pipeline construction and catastrophic violations of the Clean Water Act, and more often than not, it is our communities that bear the costs of contaminated water, disaster response and cleanup,” said Roger Downs, conservation director of the Sierra Club Atlantic Chapter. “In some cases pipeline corporations are underinsured, and most liability information is shielded from public knowledge, which in turn perpetuates unsafe practices that put water resources and community safety at risk. The Sierra Club applauds Senator Harckham and the Senate for passing legislation that requires pipeline developers to disclose insurance information when a project proposes to disturb wetlands or other water resources. We urge the Assembly to take the same bold action.”
The bill also calls for a clerk or commissioner receiving a pipeline permit application with the insurance information to share it with all local governments where the proposed pipeline construction or placement is located. Prior to its adoption, the bill must pass the NYS Assembly and receive the assent of the governor. When enacted, the bill’s action will take effect immediately.
Nancy Vann, co-chair of Safe Energy Rights Group, said, “This will be a great step forward as we try to make sure any pipeline problems that impact our communities’ wetlands can be addressed quickly – and not at the taxpayers expense! The recent oil spill in California highlights how sensitive our water systems are, but we can’t tackle potential accidents if we don’t have the necessary information.”
“The expense of cleaning up fragile wetlands can be particularly onerous,” said Tim Guinee of the Climate Reality Project Chapter Coalition. “Assuring robust financial ability to pay for industrial accidents in these ecosystems is not only good policy for protecting fragile environmental gems in New York State, but also consistent with transparent interaction between business and government, which the citizenry has a right to and which helps build confidence in the workings of our democracy. Senator Harckham’s legislation is necessary and prudent, and the New York Climate Reality Project Chapter Coalition wholeheartedly urges its support.”
Pete Harckham represents the 40th Senate District, which includes the towns of Carmel, Kent, Patterson and Southeast, and the village of Brewster in Putnam County; the town of Stony Point in Rockland County; and the city of Peekskill, the towns of Bedford, Cortlandt, Lewisboro, New Castle, North Salem, Somers and Yorktown, the towns/villages of Mount Kisco and Ossining, and the villages of Briarcliff Manor, Buchanan and Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County.
Contact:
Tom Staudter / Office of State Sen Pete Harckham
Staudtersd40@aaron
(914) 419-5221 mobile
The Rockland Supreme Court has upheld Clarkstown’s eight-year term limit law, preventing Supervisor George Hoehmann from running for town supervisor again. Judge Amy Puerto focused her ruling on the premise that the plaintiffs’ claims were time-barred by the statute of limitations.
The lawsuit was filed by Hoehmann, Councilman Don Franchino, and Thomas Foley, a town resident. Hoehmann’s eight-year term prevents him from running again, while Franchino is not term-limited for the 2023 election and can run again.
Judge Puerto denied plaintiffs’ motions for summary judgment and granted the intervenors’ (Councilmember Frank Borelli and Pat Carroll) motion to dismiss the case. Daniel Szalkiewicz, the attorney representing Borelli and Carroll, argued that the statute of limitations to challenge the referendum provisions had expired on January 9, 2015. He also stated that the action would be barred by a longer six-year statute of limitations applicable to actions for declaratory relief.
The court disagreed with the plaintiffs’ argument that New York’s Municipal Home Rule Law prohibits local laws from requiring a supermajority vote from town boards. The judge noted that the statutes merely require a minimum number of votes for passing a local law, and do not impose a bar on a law requiring a majority of the board plus one.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Robert Spolzino, argued that the term limits law was never legitimately passed because it was voted on without a referendum, but the judge disagreed. The term limits, passed eight years ago by a unanimous vote of the town board, will also affect Town Clerk Justin Sweet, who is running on the Democrat ticket for Town Supervisor.
Scenic Hudson is looking to help communities increase shoreline access. They have established a river access website with an easy-to-use map designed to let you indicate where you are using the Hudson River shoreline, what you like to do there, and where you’d like future river access.
Click here to make your voice heard and make comments.