Panel endorses raises for exec, sheriff
A proposal that would give the Ulster County Human Rights Commission the authority to levy fines for civil rights violations has been approved by the county Legislature’s Law and Rules Committee.
The committee voted 5-3 on Monday to set a July 11 public hearing on the matter and unanimously in favor of seeking home-rule authorization in the matter from the state Legislature.
Both actions must be approved by the county Legislature, which was to take them up Tuesday evening. (Action at that meeting took place too late for inclusion in this story.)
In the 5-3 vote to scheduled the hearing, the “yeas” were cast by Legislature Chairman Kenneth Ronk, RWallkill, Richard Parete, R-Accord, Minority Leader Hector Rodriquez, D-New Paltz, David Donaldson, DKingston, and Peter Loughran, DKingston. Opposed were Kevin Roberts, R-Wallkill, Carl Belfiglio, R-Port Ewen, and Craig Lopez, R-Wawarsing. Among the concerns voiced by those who voted “no” was the county moving forward before home-rule authority is granted by the state.
The county Human Rights Commission currently is tasked with reviewing complaints of discrimination in employment, public accommodations, commercial space and land transactions, and issuing credit.
Ronk expressed doubts about giving the commission the power of punishment.
“I have a concern about turning over punitive powers and the ability to fine to a well-meaning group of volunteers,” he said.
“You’re going to have a group of people that has absolutely no qualifications required of them being able to levy a $10,000 fine,” Ronk added. “But that’s not the worst part . ... The worst part comes in Subsection 5, where it says ‘awarding costs in the form of reimbursement for actual expenses reasonably incurred and reasonable attorney fees’ because that right there is an unlimited amount of money.”
The new proposal states hearings involving violations would be conducted by an administrative law judge who was “found qualified by the commission by reason of experience and education.”
Also, Donaldson said, the commission members would be accountable to the elected officials who appoint them.
“You have a county executive who has an interest in making sure that good people are appointed,” he said. “We have a chairman of the Legislature that I’m sure has an interest in making sure the right people are appointed.”
Four of the commission’s members are appointed by the county executive, three by the Legislature chairman and three by the Legislature minority leader.
The new proposal states hearings involving violations would be conducted by an administrative law judge who was “found qualified by the commission by reason of experience and education.”