DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE PUBLIC SERVICE FORUMS 

WEDNESDAY JUNE 9, 2010: Drilling the Marcellus Shale
Dangers and opportunities – How do we balance profit and our environment? Experts on both sides of the issue will present their opinions.

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010: 21st Century Ways of Managing Our Waste Flow
From composting to progressive landfill reclamation with Greenway’s Shabazz Jackson and Josephine Papagni of Newburgh.

Each will be held at TOWN OF WALLKILL TOWN HALL, Tower Drive, Middletown, NY (Tower Drive is across from the main entrance to the Galleria Mall); each will commence at 7:30 PM. There is no admission fee and the events are open to all.

CONFUSED RULING ON OPEN MEETING HEPLS CITY, HURTS LAW

Friends: I took this case to vindicate the public's right to know. This editorial summarizes the situation quite well. We must uphold the integrity of government whether it is comfortable or convenient or not. If we pick and choose, the law is meaningless and those in power control our access to governmental process. The Democratic Alliance stands firmly behind open government and, as its convener, I will represent those fighting for more access. Michael Sussman

TIMES HERALD-RECORD EDITORIAL, Posted: December 13, 2009 - 2:00 AM:

The last thing Newburgh needed was a do-over on the budget, a setback that would have cost the city and its taxpayers more than they can afford.

Still, that would have been the right punishment for a violation of the state Open Meetings Law. Now, with a confused ruling by Acting Supreme Court Justice Lori Currier Woods, the city government and perhaps others will be tempted to ignore the law in hopes that they, too, will be able to get away with violations.

The judge made up two things in her ruling, neither of which is found in the law. First was the declaration that "this violation is more technical in nature than anything else." That presumes that there are several possible ways to violate the law, some more serious than others, some "technical" and some something else. The law, the advisory opinions on the law and previous court rulings do not make that distinction.

Under the section on enforcing the law, there is the notion that an "unintentional failure" to follow the rules is not by itself enough to invalidate actions. So, had this been the city's first brush with the law, the judge might be excused for seeking a softer approach to punishment. But throughout this troubled fall, the council has been willfully violating the law in several ways. The council has repeatedly announced in advance the intention to hold executive sessions, announcements aimed at discouraging the public from attending. At the final meeting that brought the city to court, the council did not even bother to go through the motions of starting in open session. There was nothing "unintentional" about it.

Worse yet was the council's use of executive sessions to discuss budget cutbacks and elimination of jobs, subjects that virtually all advisory opinions and court cases have made clear must be done in the open. The city not only ignored those rules, it also said it was going to and would keep on ignoring them. Now it has the very strong indication, in the form of a court ruling, that ignoring the law is all right.

Even more troubling is the judge's discussion of the dire finances and need for swift action. Anybody familiar with the law, the advisory opinions and the court decisions knows that the circumstances surrounding meetings do not change the need to follow the law. But that's just the technical part. There is an even more important principle that the judge's ruling has damaged.

An open society rests on a foundation of trust, something that comes when the public can watch its elected officials work through the crises that confront them. When the going gets tough, the doors need to stay open. Now, the judge has said that it might be all right to close them, even in violation of the law, if the situation outside is getting ugly or if there is some sort of deadline approaching that requires action.

The ruling was an obvious attempt to help the city, an admirable and understandable instinct shared by anyone who has been watching this latest crisis. The judge had the discretion to give a ruling and say nothing else. Had she done that, both the city and the Open Meetings Law would be in better shape today.

In the fall of 2002, a group of progressive Democrats formed the Democratic Alliance in a series of meetings held in Goshen and Chester. Our original Board of Directors included Tom Bregman, an environmental activist from Cornwall, community activist Dawn Hulse-Sierra, from Greenville, Rev. Marguerita Pellott from Woodbury, Rev. Paul Jacquith from Goshen and Beth Law, an educator from Slate Hill. Michael Sussman, Esq. from Chester served, as he has since, as the group’s convener or chair.

From the outset, the Alliance has focused on local, state, national and international issues, seeking to raise public debate and discourse on the directions of government at all levels. To this end, DA has sought to unify Orange County Democrats around a progressive agenda. In 2003 and again in the spring 2007, we held “Come Speak Out Democrat” forums throughout the County. These forums were intended to allow members of our party [and others] to come and relate what Democratic Party priorities should be.

Drawing from the views expressed at these forums, DA has engaged in a persistent effort to speak truth to power.

Some highlights of our activity, further shown on this web site, include the following:

— advocating for a fair system of taxation in New York State, with less reliance on property taxes, which are regressive, and more reliance on a progressive income tax. We invited Frank Mauro, from the Fiscal Institute in Albany, to a forum in early 2003 to address these issues and have continued to lobby for these objectives.

— opposing unfunded mandates of No Child Left Behind while advocating for increased funding for education and increased services for all children, including those with disabilities. We hosted a summit of area school superintendents in April 2003 and heard from parents and teachers concerned that area schools were NOT properly treating disabled children or following state law governing the disciplining of all students. These insights led Mr. Sussman to file many successful lawsuits for parents and children and against school districts who continued to systematically violate the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act [IDEA] and New York State Education Law’s provisions governing the disciplining of students.

— opposing tuition increases at State Universities and Colleges which price many middle income families and their children out of even state sponsored college educations.

— In 2003-04, DA sponsored more than 35 public forums at which Mr. Sussman presented a critique of the Bush administration’s disrespect for civil liberties, as most clearly shown by the provisions of the Patriot Act. Many of the worst provisions of the Act sunsetted and Congress refused to re-authorize other provisions which blatantly violated constitutional rights.

— DA also strongly supported the actions of patriots who have opposed this administration’s counter-productive and immoral policies and found themselves prosecuted. We invited attorney Lynn Stewart to the Goshen Inn in December 2004. There, Lynn, gave a stirring explanation of the prosecution the government had initiated against her. We stood with Judith Karpova, a human shield prosecuted by the Treasury Department for her inspirational trip to IRAQ in the days before the commencement of that war. We represented the West Point 8, courageous residents of Peekskill and other Westchester County Communities, prosecuted for wearing antiwar tee-shirts at a basketball game at West Point in February 2004. Through our pressure, the charges against the West Point 8 were dropped and litigation continues opposing barment orders issued against them by the Military Academy.

From the onset, DA members, working with Orange County Peace and Justice, Women in Black, Code Pink and other organizations, have been at the forefront of local efforts to oppose the Iraqi invasion. We have sponsored forums on the war, organized numerous vigils and demonstrations in Goshen and at West Point to dramatize local sentiment. Each spring, as the Bush administration has sought to use West Point as a back-drop for a defense of its policies, DA has called for and led regional protests against the war. We have done so in cooperation with local police authorities and always adhered to the highest standards of non-violent resistance.

Since 2003, DA members have engaged in repeated, active voter registration drives in Middletown and Newburgh, our county’s two largest cities and the home of thousands of unregistered voters. Our drives have succeeded in registering between 700-800 voters. We expect to continue these efforts and applaud others, like Omari Shakur, who himself registered between 600-700 voters in Newburgh during the summer 2007.

Alliance members have been steadfast in their belief that proper law enforcement does not include disrespect of civilians. In Newburgh, we have led the fight for a police civilian review board, issuing a comprehensive report in October 2007 which laid out concrete recommendations for improving the accountability of that police department and expanding the representation of racial minorities in it.

Responding to the call for leadership brought by active member, George Figueroa, DA has participated in County efforts to insure that prescription drugs are available to those in need. The federal prescription drug legislation passed in 2006 provided for government subsidy of drug purchases, but left a major hole, after consumers spent about $2,500 on drugs. The government subsidy then ended, causing all in need to expend their own funds. Many complained to Haga Si, an advocacy organization started by Mr. Figueroa who brought together representatives from local political leaders to community activists to insure proper provision for those in need. We continue to advocate a single payer national health insurance policy which will eliminate greed from the medical/insurance system and insure full coverage to all residents of the United States.

DA supports the impeachment of President Bush and Vice President Cheney because they initiated an illegal war using lies and manipulation. We have strongly supported the initiation of Congressional hearings to expose these lies and manipulation. We reject the view that having such proceedings will hurt the Democratic Party and believe this process will prove to Americans that the Democratic Party stands for something and is not merely motivated by the next election.

The Democratic Alliance has open meetings each month at the Goshen Inn. Meeting notices will be posted on this web site. You need not be a member of any specific political party to attend or participate in meetings or activities.

You may get additional information about the Democratic Alliance by calling 294-3991 and speaking with Michael Sussman or George Figueroa. You may also write us at PO Box 1005, Goshen, New York 10924.

E-mail your views to: response@democraticalliance.com