Mad at Sen. Morahan for chicken plant support

September 25, 2009

In light of the economic situation at hand, the Sept. 4 article, "State to give New Square $1.6M for chicken slaughterhouse," regarding the approval of $1.63 million for the New Square poultry processing plant, was most disturbing to us. Even more upsetting was the fact that, among other elected officials, state Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, for whom we had great respect, put his stamp of approval on a venture of such magnitude when these funds could and should be earmarked for more pressing needs in Rockland County that would benefit the overall citizenry vs. a small voting bloc. The excuse that this facility will produce 100 jobs is lame because there is no defining if they are proposed employees from the county at large or specifically from New Square. May we ask if Morahan would support a business venture we personally would propose?

We would suggest that Morahan, Gov. David Paterson and the other politicians take a ride down Route 13 on the Delmarva peninsula and pass by the Tyson and Perdue processing plants and get a firsthand smell. We would consider Tyson and Perdue respectable and responsible business owners, while New Square's past record has shown no regard for anyone but themselves.

These are strong words and we have strong feelings as residents who will be adversely affected by the advocacy of these politicians.

Please know that Sen. Morahan can no longer expect any future votes from us.

Apathy only makes the bloc vote stronger

September 25, 2009

Hats off to state Assemblyman Kenneth Zebrowski and Haverstraw Supervisor Howard Phillips for requesting a probe into a $1.6 million grant for a chicken slaughterhouse in New Square. ("Haverstraw official seeks grant probe," Sept. 5.) However, no one should hold their breath waiting for an investigation to start. During the 2007 election, a Monsey man convicted of vehicular homicide in Pennsylvania was transferred to the county jail by a Pennsylvania judge with support from Rockland jail administrators. It is illegal under New York state law for the sheriff's department to accept such a transfer. In addition, the prisoner was also allowed to go home on certain weekends. Although an investigation was called for to see if Sheriff James Kralik had a role in the transfer, the silence was deafening. In the end, the sheriff lost the popular vote in the towns of Clarkstown, Haverstraw, Orangetown and Stony Point, but won the election by approximately 3,000 votes because of the Ramapo Hasidic bloc vote, which the sheriff has long courted.

Fortunately, leaders like Zebrowski and Phillips have the courage to come forward despite the usual scare tactic of being labeled anti-Semitic. These issues are about power, money and politics and nothing to do with religion. The public has a disdain for present-day politics, but this apathy only makes the bloc vote that much stronger. So, whether it is primaries or general elections, be educated about the issues and please get out and vote. It is our only hope.

The writer is a detective sergeant with the Clarkstown Police Department and ran unsuccessfully in 2007 as the Democratic candidate for Rockland County sheriff.