Al Bulay, the owner of Lyceum Cinemas in Red Hook, Roosevelt Cinemas in Hyde Park, New Paltz Cinemas, Star Theater of St. Johnsbury (Vt.) and Bennington Cinemas (Vt.), has publicly claimed that I have defamed him and that he plans to sue me. He is also saying I somehow impersonated his businesses.

I have done nothing of the sort. All I did was collect and share opinions from members of our community about Bulay and his businesses (see links at www.bulaylawsuit.com) that have been publicly circulating on Facebook for years. And the idea that a website that solely contains opinions critical of a business and is clearly labeled with large text suggesting a “Boycott” could be impersonating a business is absurd.

I did this so community members could make an informed decision about where and with whom they do business. We were simply exercising our first amendment rights.

I have always and will continue to stand with members of the LGBT community, the Jewish community, persons of color, and others when they courageously stand up against hate or injustice.

This frivolous lawsuit is simply an attempt to bully and harass me for supporting those who spoke out.

Bulay has used his business to attack Democratic officials and support Republican causes. This is just more of the same.

“At the end of the day, I’m confident that the court will find that Mr. Bulay’s lawsuit is a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP) and runs afoul of the anti-SLAPP law,” said Michael Treybich of Treybich Law, P.C.

Visit www.bulaylawsuit.com to read more about Al Bulay and his ridiculous lawsuit.

Sexual harassment is unacceptable in any venue. Including in our government. Our state has strict policies in place and mandatory training that all employees and officials must take every year, myself included.

Three women have come forward to share their experiences with Cuomo, experiences that describe extremely inappropriate behavior and sexual harassment in the workplace.

These allegations are serious and must be investigated by an independent authority whose findings will be trusted by the public. A rubber stamp investigation is not acceptable.

I urge the governor to immediately refer the matter to a credible authority with subpoena power to investigate these allegations and any other that may arise.

Tonight I voted NO on the proposed ~$1.4M bond for Dutchess Stadium. In this time of fiscal uncertainty and pending the passage of the Federal COVID Relief bill, I felt it was fiscally imprudent to make this commitment when so many of our fellow Dutchess County residents are unable to make ends meet or get a vaccine in a timely manner.

The bond did pass and I hope our financial situation improves and the Federal COVID Relief bill provides enough support to restore our budget.

Just two months ago, the county made significant cuts to fill a projected budget gap in the name of fiscal responsibility. Among those cuts was a 15% to our county health department staff in the middle of a worldwide pandemic that has killed hundreds of our friends, neighbors, and family members here in Dutchess County.

The county has also cut 10% of the Department of Community and Family Services staff, the department responsible for investigating claims of child abuse and supporting families suffering during the economic downturn.

I voted against the budget that made those cuts.

Yet today I was asked to vote in favor of a $1.4 million bond for stadium improvements to help the NY Yankees farm team to play down in Beacon, including nearly $500K for consultants to design millions more in improvements to be voted upon later this year. The total price tag to be around $10 million.

I am not opposed to having the stadium or improving it. I understand the potential upsides – even with the questionable post-COVID projections – that might come to pass. And that maybe it will break even at some point in the future. However, with the Federal COVID relief package still unsigned and any COVID relief for our budget still uncertain, I could not support this expenditure.

It is my hope that whatever passes through Congress will provide enough budget relief for Dutchess County that we can restore our health department to heal our ills, reinvest in our family services to protect our children, and have the financial stability to afford our investment in the county stadium.

“Where can I go to get tested?” “I’m worried and I want a test.”

Testing is STILL NOT AVAILABLE ON DEMAND. There is still a terrible shortage of tests, especially north of the city.

Two collection sites are available for pre-screened people suspected of having COVID-19 to give a specimen sample for a test. These are not testing sites. Testing is done offsite and results are not immediately available.

The collection site is ONLY for people who meet ALL of the following criteria:

1. You called your doctor’s office and had a consultation.
2. Based on your symptoms and other information you provided, your doctor determined you meet criteria for COVID-19 testing and ordered a test for you.
3. You have a scheduled appointment at the collection site. Your doctor will give you the phone number to call to schedule an appointment at the collection site.

So contact your doctor.

For anyone who has lost their job, I urge you to file this coming week for unemployment benefits. The job market will be uncertain for months to come as the virus washes through the population. The safety net is there for a reason and we will hopefully receive additional help from the Federal government over the coming days/weeks/months.

https://labor.ny.gov/unemploymentassistance.shtm