An interview with Mike Harkavy

What specific policies will you advocate? How will these policies serve the interests of Saugerties residents?

The area that directly comes back to Saugerties is economic development. We have two jewels in Saugerties for economic development. If you want to control taxes you have to increase the tax base; we can’t just keep cutting services until people are out on the street. We have the Kings Highway corridor, which has all the infrastructure in place. I would be advocating strongly for businesses to look at that spot. Working with the Ulster County Development Corporation; it’s part of its job to bring development to the area, as is the Industrial Development Agency. Along with Tech City and other places around the county, for Saugerties I would be advocating for the Kings Highway corridor and secondly the Winston Farm. I was on the steering committee to develop the feasibility study for the economic development of the farm. That is a tremendous potential for the whole county, not just Saugerties. If I were appointed to the Economic Development Committee, I would be strongly focused on developing those two areas as well as the rest of the county. I would be working to bring industry in; good clean industry, green industry. That’s how the county can increase its tax base. In addition, promoting even stronger arts and tourism. That is a very big part of the economic functioning of the county, along with family farms, and the major agricultural areas need to be supported.

I am concerned with human services. The Legislature is really the heart of the government. It’s not the mechanics of government. To my way of thinking, one of the most important things – everybody is for keeping taxes low – but how and to what extent are we going to provide services for those people that need them? Whether it be youth services, services to the aging, mental health, the whole social services. The county has to come together, the Legislature has to come together and say these are the things that are really important. These are the policies we want, to protect these vulnerable people. I support strongly the county executive’s work in the department of health. The Legislature has a part to play in making us the healthiest county in the state.[Hein] has started doing this, and I think there’s a place for the Legislature to support that policy.

I’m looking for green energy as a policy and a direction for this county, as compared to fracking, which I oppose, which brings us more of the problems that we’ve seen with coal, oil, even nuclear. We could be a small-scale Silicon Valley, but directed to that kind of industry. We have the possibility of doing it throughout the county; we’re doing it already. I would amplify that as a policy of the Legislature.

How would you rate the job performance of County Executive Mike Hein?

I think Mike Hein has done an excellent job. He has defined the role. He has worked on getting us on a good fiscal plane. He’s developed the health department, he’s developed the shared services. We really saw where the importance of the executive comes up in cases like tropical storm Irene, and how he became a point person. It’s not only Mike Hein, but the whole idea of having a county executive when you have a problem like that, you have a person to take care of it. There are issues on which I don’t agree with him. The way he put out his budget and his message that I don’t agree with. Closing Golden Hill is one. I have a history with Mike Hein where I could work with him. We might disagree on issues, but we have a history going back to when I first ran for office. I could work with him, but I would be an independent voice. I think he’s done a good job; I’m not too pleased with the way he’s going with his current budget, I think it’s too draconian in terms of its cuts. It’s my job when I get in to assert how I would see things. That’s what government is about. When they created the charter form of government, the comptroller and the county executive had the freedom to create their own jobs – no one had done it before. You have legislators that have been in for 20 years. They were used to running the whole show. I don’t think totally they have found their footing as to how the Legislature should operate in a charter form of government. To some extent the county executive has filled that vacuum, he’s a very strong figure. What I would bring would be a strong voice representing the Legislature.

We need a strengthening of the Legislature. New people coming in, who didn’t work the old way, can bring change to the Legislature.

Do you think the balance of power between the executive and Legislature is as it should be?

I think there’s still a way to go to get the Legislature stronger. Mike has done his job, and he has defined it. But I think there’s a vacuum he moved into. I thing the Legislature needs to find its voice, I think the fact that they did not even challenge the previous budget indicates to me their voice is not being heard. It seems to me you really need checks and balances in government.