DA TARGETS ETHICS VIOLATIONS, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Franklin County District Attorney Derek Champagne is calling on local governments across the county to update their ethics standards after an investigation by his office uncovered allegations of conflict of interest involving a number of local elected officials.

The DA, in a press release, said his office has identified contracts, easements, lease option agreements and other documents that disclose relationships between elected officials and certain third parties in Franklin County.

When coupled with board action, Champagne said the alleged conflicts of interest could be violations of state municipal law and criminal law and could lead to charges of official misconduct and bribery.

The district attorney urged all elected officials to examine any and all employment relationships, contracts, leases, easements, payments or financial arrangements and consider full disclosure to the public or recusal from voting on any matters where they may have a financial interest.

Copies of a section of general municipal law that deals with conflicts of interest were sent this week to all town, village, school district and other boards in the county. 

Champagne urged each governing body to adopt and or update their respective code of ethics and consider working with the Franklin County Legislature to adopt a standard code throughout the county.  The DA also suggested county legislators establish a county Board of Ethics that would provide opinions and advice on ethics questions.

“The recently disclosed unethical conduct by our state’s highest elected official has heightened the need for a closer review of all available ethical safeguards in order to reestablish and maintain the public’s confidence in our elected officials,” Champagne wrote.

While the district attorney made no specific mention of the alleged conflicts of interest his office has uncovered, Champagne told WNBZ in February he was investigating allegations that officials in several northern Franklin County towns had benefited financially from contracts they signed with wind farm developers.

“There's more than one particular township in Franklin County that we're examining alleged conduct and alleged activities,” Champagne said at the time.

The DA said this week that all the materials his office has obtained in its investigation, except what was obtained through grand jury subpoenas, have been forwarded to the state Attorney General and state Inspector General, “as many issues raised and reviewed in our investigation are beyond our jurisdiction.”

Legislator Paul Maroun of Tupper Lake said he’s aware of conflicts of interest involving wind mill projects in several northern Franklin County towns.  He said the district attorney is “right on target.”

“The real issue started with the wind mills in the north end of the county where some town officials, zoning boards and other boards – members were voting instead of abstaining on an issue that directly affected them monetarily.  And that’s wrong, of course.”

Maroun said the matter is now in the hands of the state Attorney General.  “I think its going to launch a major investigation centered on the wind mill projects in northern Franklin County, he said.

As for the DA’s recommendations, Maroun said villages and towns around the county should take a hard look at their ethics guidelines and standards. “Maybe its time to bring this to the forefront, the DA already has,” he said.  “I think town and village attorneys should start briefing their local representatives on these issues.”

Maroun said the county board created a code of ethics for county officials in 1970.  “We’re looking at it to see if we need to update it,” he said.

The district attorney’s recommendation of a board of ethics, Maroun said, is also something that should be considered. “I’m certainly glad to look at anything the DA sends to us,” he said.

-Chris Knight

TL RESIDENTS HAVE PLAN FOR USING WAWBEEK BUILDINGS

As a deadline looms for proposals for removing two historic former Wawbeek Resort buildings slated for demolition, two Tupper Lake residents have stepped forward with an ambitious plan to remove the buildings from the site.

Dick and Diane Sittig, the Southern California couple that purchased the former hotel and restaurant last year for $6.25 million, plan to raze the former restaurant and reception hall and build a new house on the site that overlooks Upper Saranac Lake.

Following strong objections from historic preservationists, the Sittigs announced last month they would be willing to give away the structures to anyone who could remove them by May 20.

Several letters of interest have been received, said Tim Smith, the Lake Placid attorney who is receiving proposals on the Sittigs’ behalf. The deadline for proposals is this Friday.

Tupper Lake residents Jim Lanthier and Neal Hollenbeck propose to remove the structures over the next six weeks.

“We want to take the interior of the building out one piece at a time. We want to disassemble the fireplaces. We want to disassemble all of the interior woodworking.”

Lanthier said he’s trying to organize a volunteer effort to save the buildings and preserve them for the community.

“We plan on doing this with no money at all,” Jim Lanthier said. “We plan on doing this through volunteer help. We are looking at anyone who can volunteer a few hours of their time. With a good group of people I know we can have this done on time -- and done right.”

Hollenbeck added that the Sittigs’ offer of the Wawbeek buildings for free is a unique opportunity.

The two would like to store the interior pieces in the town-owned former firehall. The Tupper Lake Heritage Museum plans to convert the former firehall into an exhibit of Tupper Lake memorabilia this summer.

Art Richer, president of the heritage museum, said he supports the principle of saving the buildings but refuted published reports that Lanthier and Hollenbeck were working on behalf of the museum.

Richer added that saving the Wawbeek buildings is a noble effort.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to throw ice water on anything to help Tupper Lake,” he said. The heritage museum’s priority remains moving its exhibit to the firehall for a July 1 opening, he added.

Published reports had also stated that the Tupper Lake rail depot could be a site for the buildings. Dan McClelland, chairman of the Next Stop, Tupper Lake! board that is building the depot said they’ve agreed to allow temporary storage near the depot. Any permanent plans would likely have to be approved by the town, which owns the land.

Tupper Lake Town Supervisor Roger Amell said the board has never discussed whether to allow the buildings to be placed on its properties. The town is unlikely to commit any money toward the project, he added.

“It’s not even part of the heritage of Tupper Lake,” Amell said.

If the town, railroad depot or heritage museum choose not to support his effort to move the Wawbeek buildings, Lanthier said he has a Plan B. His family has property on Wawbeek Road several miles from the site.

The Adirondack Park Agency has yet to rule whether it has jurisdiction over the Sittigs’ plan to demolish the buildings and erect a new house on the site.

-Jacob Resneck

FUNDING FOR PRISONS RESTORED, BUDGET TALKS CONTINUE

The Assembly has joined with the state Senate by officially restoring funding in the state budget for Camp Gabriels and three other state prisons the Spitzer administration had slated for closure.

Assemblywoman Janet Duprey, in a news release, called the vote to save Camp Gabriels, as well as the Hudson Correctional Facility, Camp McGregor and Camp Pharsalia “a great victory for Upstate New York.”

“I am so pleased that my colleagues in the New York State Assembly have joined me in the effort to keep Camp Gabriels open,” Duprey said. “We are entering a time of economic uncertainty, so now more than ever we need to be creating jobs, not eliminating them.”

After two weeks of negotiations, lawmakers are still trying to agree on the $124 billion state budget plan, which was due Tuesday.

The Senate did not go back into session late Thursday to address pressing budget issues, including transportation and education.

The Assembly had a majority conference about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plan to charge drivers extra tolls in congested parts of Manhattan, but nothing was resolved and they didn't go into session Thursday.

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno and Gov. David Paterson met privately Thursday evening, but it was unclear what issues they were discussing.

Assemblywoman Teresa Sayward said she’s been disappointed in the budget process. “This year's budget process has obviously been complicated by a changing of the guard at such an inconvenient time,” she said.  “We have been working towards transparency and yet we still have three men in a room cutting deals.”

Sayward said she was pleased lawmakers agreed on healthcare measures providing nursing homes and healthcare providers with adequate funding.  “My colleagues and I have been in Albany working late into the night and while the deadline has passed, we must come together and pass a responsible budget as soon as possible for the people of New York,” she said.

Among other measures, the state Senate is expected to reject a “car tax” proposed in the executive budget that would have permanently raised the motor vehicle law enforcement fee from $5 to $20. Instead, they're proposing extending the current fee of $5 for one year only.

The Senate also is expected to reject a nearly $5 million plan to expand broadband Internet access in New York.

Senate Republicans say they support making broadband available to more people, but the additional money isn't urgently needed because $5 million that previously had been allotted for that purpose was just released last month.

-Chris Knight with AP wire reports

TIMBER COMPANY BUYS TRACT IN NORTHWEST ADKS

Timber company Rayonier has purchased more than 53,800 acres of timberland in the northwest Adirondacks for $19.1 million, bringing its total holdings in New York to more than 129,000 acres.

The purchase from Lassiter Properties Inc. includes forests in St. Lawrence, Lewis, Franklin and Clinton counties and will be managed following sustainable forestry principles, Rayonier said. Nearly two-thirds of the property is under a state conservation easement allowing public recreation.

The Adirondack Council, an environmental group, last year urged the state to buy the land. However, on Thursday council spokesman John Sheehan said Rayonier's purchase was a good thing. It has been “a pretty good steward of property in the northwestern part of the park,” cutting trees selectively to sustains forests, he said.

The council is hoping the Florida-based company will expand the state easements, which also prohibit development while giving Rayonier help with tax payments, Sheehan said.

Large parcels include 18,351 acres in the towns of Colton and Hopkinton, including frontage on the West Branch St. Regis River; 21,020 acres in the towns of Diana and Croghan, including part of the Middle Branch of the Oswegatchie River; and 3,906 acres on the west side of County Route 56.

Headquartered in Jacksonville, Fla., Rayonier is an international forest products company with three core businesses: Timber, real estate and performance fibers. The company owns, leases or manages 2.5 million acres of timber and land in the United States and New Zealand.

-AP wire reports

PLANNED PARENTHOOD AFFILIATES TO MERGE

After months of discussion, Planned Parenthood of Northern New York and Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood have voted to formally merge their affiliates in Clinton, Franklin, Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence Counties.

“This is an incredible growth opportunity,” Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood CEO Kathie Wunderlich said in a news release. 

“We are blending two successful affiliates into a single organization. We can do more together than we could accomplish on our own.”

The two groups have operated family-planning health centers that provide sexual and reproductive health care for women, men and teens, regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

Northern Adirondack Planned Parenthood has provided health care to people living Clinton County since opening in Plattsburgh in 1971 and in Franklin County since 1982.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New York has served Jefferson, Lewis and St. Lawrence counties for more than 30 years.

The affiliates have centers located in Plattsburgh, Saranac Lake, Malone, Watertown, Canton, Lowville, Ogdensburg and Gouverneur.

During the merger process, patients at the health centers will not see much of a difference, Wunderlich said.  Both agencies will keep all their current staff and their mission will remain the same.

A larger organization, Wunderlich said, can purchase products and services at a lower cost and are better able to weather financial challenges like Medicaid reimbursement rates and uncertain state funding.

The affiliates will also be able to reduce their overhead and management costs by operating as a single organization.

It is anticipated that the merged organization will become official in early 2009.

-Chris Knight

TICONDEROGA MAN FOUND WITH COCAINE, MARIJUANA

A Ticonderoga man was arrested by State Police after he was allegedly found in possession of cocaine and marijuana after a vehicle stop.

49 year-old Donald B. Handy was pulled over on Monday afternoon in his 1999 Ford Ranger while traveling on Mount Hope Avenue in the Town of Ticonderoga. 

Police say Handy was allegedly found to be in possession of approximately 98.3 grams of cocaine and one rolled marihuana cigarette.

Handy was charged with two counts of third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance, third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and unlawful possession of marihuana. 

He was arraigned in the Town of Ticonderoga and committed to the Essex County Jail in lieu of $100,000 cash or $200,000 bond.

Police say the investigation is continuing.  

-Chris Knight

POLICE REPORT

A Saranac Lake woman allegedly locked herself inside a local residence on Thursday in an attempt to avoid being arrested.  28 year-old Sarah L. Mason also allegedly struggled briefly with police.  Mason was arrested after Saranac Lake Police investigated the larceny of a check from one business to another.  Police say Mason allegedly deposited the check into her own bank account.  She was charged with third-degree attempted grand larceny and resisting arrest.  Mason was processed, arraigned and released to the supervision of the probation department.