KINGSTON – Ulster County legislators Wednesday evening failed to override a veto of legislation that would have restricted appointees of countywide elected officials from holding office in local governments.
The measure had been aimed at New Paltz Village Councilman Daniel Torrez who is also on County Executive Patrick Ryan’s staff.
The county executive’s veto message described the measure as retaliatory by legislators.
Lawmaker Joseph Maloney, who introduced the bill, was disappointed that the veto could not be overridden. “The only argument that I’ve heard was that this was personal to one person. Well, thank God we only have one person that we have working asking the county for money; millions of dollars. That is what he’s elected to do. He wouldn’t be doing his job if he wasn’t working; matching funds for economic development,” Maloney said.
That’s the rub. Maloney said it is not right for Torres to be working in the county administration that doles out funds to municipalities while at the same time he is an elected municipal board member asking for funding.
The vote to sustain the veto was 13 to 8.
