Revisions, But Not All, to Butterfield Lease Approved Again
Another round of the lease that would guarantee a senior center in Cold Spring at the Butterfield redevelopment was approved by the Putnam County Legislature, but not before more heated debate between the nine-person body took place.
After a minor revision couldn’t be voted on because one lawmaker would not accept the additional change, the legislature in a 6-3 vote during a special full meeting Wednesday approved a few other amendments to the contract that it couldn’t sign off on during the county’s regular legislative meeting at the start of the month. With bickering and even personal insults at an all time high during the meeting, the county appears close to executing the lease with Butterfield developer Paul Guillaro for 6,000 square feet.
Because an additional amendment was not received at least 48 hours before the special meeting, legislators couldn’t vote on language concerning the transportation for the seniors going to the center. Legislator Kevin Wright, a stickler for procedure, originally brought the waiting period rule to light.
The lease has led to confusion, frustration and outrage the past two months, starting when the county was close to signing a charitable agreement with Roger Ailes, who is the former FOX News chairman and was ousted for sexual harassment allegations. (He eventually pulled his $500,000 donation off the table.) Multiple versions of the lease have been approved and a bond for $800,000 was also signed off for the new center.
Legislator Dini LoBue, who voted against accepting the additional amendment, said it was embarrassing that the county continued to make revisions to the lease, and that there were at least six amendments made at this point. She questioned why a special full meeting had to be called two weeks before the regular full meeting at the start of the month and accused the lease deal of being controlled by the developer.
LoBue said there has been an ongoing abuse of legislative rules and legislators aren’t getting the information they need in a timely fashion.
“This is bad government,” she said. “And poor process.”
Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra called it upsetting that the lease deal would be delayed again. She said the Cold Spring planning board, which only had three members at its last meeting to review the latest revisions, asked for their planning colleagues to review it before the county put the final touches on it, which caused the delay in the legislature receiving the information.
“I think it’s an atrocity,” Scuccimarra said of the legislative delay.
Albano said the delay was not out of procedure, but “out of spite.”
“We are playing games and there is no reason that this shouldn’t be going through,” Albano said. “You’re just going to make us spend more time and looking for an opportunity to derail this.”
Albano argued the waiting period is supposed to be in case a legislator doesn’t have enough time to review the new information, not as a way to delay voting on a topic. He said the lease has been looked at “for years.”
Wright eventually withdrew his objection because he said the language in the lease would pass in two weeks regardless, but he still wants to see the legislative process followed and believes it looks suspicious to have a special meeting to rush the lease through.
Legislature Chairwoman Ginny Nacerino said the changes were precipitated by the Cold Spring planning board and the minor changes are for more clarity and won’t change the overall context of the lease. Nacerino added the revisions have no fiscal impact on the lease.
Right before Scuccimarra stormed out of the meeting room to make a call, she told LoBue “you make me sick,” and then LoBue responded “You’re out of order Barbara.”
Near the end of the meeting and right as the latest but likely not final lease was approved, it turned ugly quickly. After Scuccimarra came back from her phone call, LoBue asked who she was talking to.
“I needed some (legal) counseling,” Scuccimarra said.
“Was it the developer who you talked with,” LoBue shot back, to which Scuccimarra replied, “Don’t be insulting.”
Then Albano told LoBue, “You talk about rude, that’s very rude” and LoBue responded “Carl I’m not going to listen to you go after me…you’re not intelligent at all.”
Nacerino then said, “Dini stop insulting people” and LoBue’s retort was “he insulted me.”
