At Dutchess fair, hops make a comeback
The Dutchess Hops business represents a return to greatness for a vine that had fallen out of favor.
Dutchess County Legislator William Truitt, who is running as a Republican for the State Assembly against incumbent Democrat Didi Barrett, is suing his former employer, Salisbury Bank and Trust Company, doing business as Riverside Bank in Poughkeepsie for wrongful termination.
Truitt, 22, currently serving in his second term as a county legislator representing Hyde Park, was hired by Riverside Bank in February 2018 to originate mortgages. In his lawsuit filed in Dutchess County State Supreme Court on Aug. 22, he claims that he was terminated from his position in April because he was seeking to unseat a Democratic member of the Assembly that has close ties with members of the Board of
Trustees of Salisbury Bank, the parent company of Riverside.
He claims that his termination was wrongful pursuant to New York State Labor Law Section 201-d.
Truitt claims that Arthur Bassin, a member of the Board of Trustees, arranged for his termination because Bassin is the Democratic town supervisor of the Town of Ancram and staunch supporter of Truitt’s opponent, Assemblywoman Barrett.
He further complains that multiple members of
the bank’s Board of Directors have personally and specifically contributed to Ms. Barrett’s campaign.
In the court documents, Truitt says that he had the potential to earn $150,000 per year and the bank has undermined his campaign because he was stripped of his income and his time has been consumed with searching for new employment.
He also indicated that if elected to the State Assembly, his position would be part-time earning $80,000 annually and he would still have been able to perform his bank duties.
Truitt is seeking, among other things a letter of recommendation from the bank, monetary damages
for his loss of past and future income and compensation for the damage done by the bank to his political campaign.
When reached for comment on Aug. 23, Truitt responded via text, saying, “I have no comment at this time.”