Hugh Reynolds: Sixth-floor ACE

The county executive, he with the demonstrated ability to manipulate the legislature to his will, will be active in this chairman business. Indeed, one of the first calls Allen (the 12th Democrat) got election night was from you know who. A one-hour sitdown in the executive suite followed the very next day, Allen tells me. He seemed impressed, but not dazzled. Methinks this new guy has possibilities.

Hein, for his part, can live with a number of would-be chairmen not named Terry Bernardo. He will be especially attentive, however, to anyone expressing ideas of “legislative parity” (There’s those darned Paretes again!).

Choo-choo time

The Catskill Mountain Railroad proudly announced last week that it has repaired the curve-around-the-creek section west of Mount Pleasant wiped out by violent storms two years ago. And they say they did it the old-fashioned way, by selling tickets on their scenic railroad along the Esopus and in Kingston, and without government handouts. The Hein administration, which does not traffic with opposition, is still withholding federal relief funding.

In other news, the railroad announced that a state Supreme Court judge has voided a county effort to terminate the railroad’s lease, “for failure to perform,” which runs out in 2016. Nothing says performance like rebuilding tracks and hosting a record bunch of tourists, or so says the railroad.

Railroaders say they’re willing to negotiate with county officials on a rail-and-trail agreement, but remain adamantly opposed to the trail-only setup pushed by the county executive and a coalition of trail enthusiasts.

The county exec may be pulling in his horns. A telling sign is that Hein’s proposed budget does not include revenue from ripping up the rails from Phoenicia to Highmount.

Can there yet be peace in the Esopus Valley? Only if hardheads get on the same track.