MONTICELLO – The Sullivan County Legislature took no action to discipline fellow lawmaker Luis Alvarez based on the binding ruling of the county’s ethics board that he “engaged in coercive conduct such as threats or fear or retribution, loss of job, intimidation, bullying or loss of business of the sake of personal gain or benefit.”
Alvarez, who was upset last spring over the treatment of his wife, who was at the county nursing home, was accused of using a vulgarity to county employee, but in a more than one hour debate on Thursday, which included raised voices by some legislators, it was noted there was no mention of cursing in the official record of the ethics board.
His attorney Michael Sussman argued the incident in question was nothing more than about a loving husband concerned about the care of his wife, who fell out of bed five times, injuring herself, and contracting COVID-19 was transferred to a hospital, all without him being notified.
County Attorney Michael McGuire noted that board did find Alvarez guilty and the only way to challenge that is in State Supreme Court.
The legislature had before it a resolution of penalty ordering Alvarez to complete an anger management and sensitivity training program.
But, after Legislator Nadia Rajsz, who attended that May 2020 meeting where the profanity allegedly was spoken, said Alvarez made no such comment, fellow Legislator Alan Sorensen suggested and the fellow legislators agreed that they had to confirm the ethics board findings under the law, but that they take no other action.
