Sullivan County Democrat
Callicoon, New York
March 10, 2009 Issue
National Award-winning, Family-run Newspaper
Established 1891
www.sc-democrat.com
info@sc-democrat.com
news | sports | obituaries | archives | classifieds | subscribe | links | contact | tv listings | lottery
Weather

WXPort

Community

"Retrospect"
John Conway's Weekly
Column in the Democrat

"The Wild Gardener"
Peter Loewer's Weekly
Column in the Democrat

"The Mouth That Roars"
Bill Liblick's Weekly
Column in the Democrat

"Sullivan EMS Scene Sizeup"
James Vooght's Biweekly
Column in the Democrat

Sullivan Renaissance

Sullivan County Chamber
Of Commerce & Industry

Sullivan County
Visitor's Association

Sullivan County
Government Center

Sullivan County
Partnership for
Economic Development

Please visit our
Community Links
section for other
Sullivan County
Organizations

PLEASE NOTE: If you bookmark a particular link from the current news, sports or obituaries offered on our Website, be aware that the URL address will change once it is archived. Bookmarking an archived link is therefore the surest way to retain access to a particular article.

 
Dan Hust | Democrat

SENATOR DEAN SKELOS, left, the Senate Majority Leader, enjoyed breakfast at Blanche's Diner in Mongaup Valley on Friday with fellow Republican Sen. John Bonacic, center, and Chapin Estate developer Steve Dubrovsky.

Majority Leader visits county

By Dan Hust
MONGAUP VALLEY — He’s the New York State Senator from District 9.
He’s a 60-year-old Republican from Rockville Centre.
He’s the Majority Leader of the Senate and the state’s acting lieutenant governor (Democratic Governor David Paterson has yet to name one, so Skelos occupies the position by way of the State Constitution).
Dean Skelos is also NYS Senator John Bonacic’s good friend.
“I’m very happy he’s the majority leader!” remarked Bonacic over breakfast at Blanche’s Diner in Mongaup Valley Friday.
Bonacic was leading Skelos and his wife Gail on a tour of the area Thursday and Friday, starting with Bethel Woods and ending with the Concord.
Concord owner Louis Cappelli wasn’t at Friday’s breakfast, but Bethel Woods founder Alan Gerry and Chapin Estate developer Steve Dubrovsky joined those at the table, which already included Sullivan County Visitors Association President Roberta Byron-Lockwood and Sullivan County Partnership for Economic Development President Tim McCausland.
Talk was varied and ranged from the important – like widening 17B from Bethel Woods to Monticello to handle increased traffic – to the personal – like the Skeloses’ longtime summer home in the Catskill Mountain community of Shandaken.
Primarily, Skelos was here to gain some insight into local issues and projects, a strategic part of his recent ascension to helming the Senate. (However, Republicans will have to campaign very hard this election season to hang on to or expand their current one-seat majority.)
Bonacic acknowledged he, too, had good reason for having Skelos visit – for despite what you have heard, there’s money in Albany.
“I’m going to lobby hard for a piece of that [pie] for our region,” said Bonacic, who’s built a popular reputation for funneling state funds to area organizations and municipalities.
Skelos and his wife were favorably impressed with the area, having last visited when Grossinger’s and the Concord were in full swing.
“I know how great it was and can be again,” said Skelos.
Part of that development includes the stops on Skelos’ itinerary those two days. But what about issues that have yet to appear locally, like gas wells and legalized gambling?
“Gas drilling is strictly regulated by the DEC [Department of Environmental Conservation],” remarked Skelos. “So the protections will be there.… It’s a real economic opportunity for the area.”
“We have strengthened the muscle of the DEC for monitoring and enforcement purposes for gas drilling,” added Bonacic, who said he’s “all for” domestic energy, especially in a state with a good track record for safely extracting natural resources. “And we have put legislation in to empower the towns.”
As for gambling (the Concord will feature video lottery terminals run by the state Lottery Commission, not the full slots and game tables seen in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut), Skelos felt it is inevitable.
“The reality is, all our neighboring states have it,” he acknowledged. “... I think that’s the reality of where we’re headed, as well.”
“When our state and national economy are doing poorly and revenues fall, we always look at legalized gaming,” added Bonacic.
But, he said, there have been no substantive discussions on the matter yet, and even if there are, he would advocate for a statewide vote to see how citizens want to handle the issue.
In the meantime, he’s happy Skelos got a firsthand look at Sullivan County – even the parts that are struggling.
“When you have a visual of the problems of an area,” Bonacic explained, “the message resonates so much more.”

 
Copyright © 1999-2006 Catskill-Delaware Publications.
The information you receive online from the Sullivan County Democrat Online Edition is protected by the copyright laws
of the United States. Please read our user agreement and our use information
privacy statement.
Internet Services provided by Time Warner, Site Design by Green Enterprises

Please be aware that once a new issue is posted on this site, the immediate previous issue's links change. Check our Archives section to obtain the new links for old issues.
top of page       top of page