Sussman challenges Neuhaus for County Executive Seat
Civil rights attorney Michael Sussman, a Democrat, contends that a two-party county would more effectively address public issues.
Civil rights attorney Michael Sussman recently announced his candidacy as a Democrat for Orange County Executive after decades of litigating for an assortment of causes around Orange County and elsewhere. Police brutality, special education rights, and air quality adjudication at CPV gas power plant, have been among his issues. Soon after graduating from Harvard Law School, Sussman began representing the NAACP, in 1980, litigating for desegregation of Yonkers schools and housing for 27 years.
He is opposing 12 year incumbent Republican County Executive Steve Neuhaus. Both had stints as town council members in Chester, where Sussman still lives. Sussman initially grew up in Brooklyn, and his law office is in Goshen.
Shifting Community Roles
Along the way, in 2013, Sussman launched what he called “empowerment centers” in Port Jervis, Monticello and Ellenville. He described them as places where people could “try themselves out.”
“Everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn,” Sussman explained. A number of local residents took the opportunity to teach workshops on subjects on which they had expertise. An MIT-educated engineer taught hands-on physics to children using old computers and coffee-makers. An Oxford graduate explained how to use LinkedIn. A homeless man taught computer skills. Another volunteer taught low budget emergency preparedness. Social services representatives presented information about opportunities. These community centers continued for several years until Sussman decided to turn his attention elsewhere.
“With the dire state of the country and county, we need two parties,” to fend off “malfeasance,” Sussman said, explaining his run for office.
Recently he has been organizing a local group, Orange County Cares, with participants in several Orange County municipalities, to protest and resist federal cuts to funding for public health, the environment, housing and education.
“We’re working in different areas, looking at retrenchment and public hearings that focus on county impact. We can’t rely on courts. We rely on committee chairs to analyze impacts and what can be done. Committees meet weekly. Anyone is welcome,” Sussman said.
Meetings are offered on Zoom. The day he was interviewed for the Lookout a committee on labor rights was meeting, and a report on public health was to be presented.
“We had a rally on the (prison workers) wildcat strike,” he said. “They can’t do 24 hour work days. How can they solve problems?”
Development Issues
Sussman pointed to “development issues—an orgy of warehouses in Montgomery and Wawayanda, warehouse havens via inducements that Amazon doesn’t need.”
Sussman sees warehouses as the Neuhaus and Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) model for job creation. Sussman wants to see IDA funds used for more housing, housing rehab and job training. He opposes the kinds of jobs provided by Amazon warehouses, which, he notes, have a poor safety record and impede unions.
Warehouse and other Orange County jobs provide insufficient pay for the current cost of housing, he says. He points out that current housing costs would require $36/hour pay to provide the kind of income that would suffice to make housing costs no more than one third of a family’s income, rather than half their income, as is typical of 27% for families now. Sussman wants IDA and other funding to go toward increasing housing supply and job training. The needed housing is not supported by transportation, and local police need consolidation for cost efficiency, Sussman contends.
He eyes the Camp LaGuardia project that is currently slated for park and recreational use, noting that much of the cleared area of its 250 acres contains potential residential infrastructure. So while some property could be used for park space, much could be used for needed housing.
“We have plenty of parks in Orange County,” he said.
“Start with municipally owned and developer owned property and get grants and loans to train masons, carpenters and other workers,” Sussman said.
However, he expressed concern about a road illegally running through Gonzaga Park, a state park, to provide access to Kiryas Joel while avoiding Route 208, as South Blooming Grove officials responsible for the road try to court favor with Neuhaus, as indicated in written exchanges.
Drug treatment needs new initiatives too, Sussman said: “They need new structures and job training. Involve unions. It’s not just about keeping taxes low. Criminality propagates. It’s generational. Without intervention, people pick up where their forebears left off. Find the root cause and offer education, inspiration and alternatives.”
Continuing operation of CPV in Wawayanda, with its toxic emissions, without a permit, is a lingering issue that Sussman contends Neuhaus should have addressed, although court rulings allowing continued delay make that difficult. The plant officially began operation in 2018 without an Environmental Protection Agency air permit. It has continued to operate, despite neighbors’ complaints about health effects and public health experts’ warnings about longterm consequences.
Sussman worries too about the possibility of cuts to Medicaid and the need to be prepared for likely health practitioner losses. “We can’t sit here docilely. We need stakeholders and county politicians at the table.”
He also sees cuts to federal funding for the Veterans Administration and Castle Point VA Medical Center resulting in loss of 21 beds for longterm care and administrative position losses, so that care is delayed.
Wind and solar projects have lost federal support too, undermining capital projects and reduction of fossil fuel toxic emissions.
He notes that lack of federal support for FEMA has undermined relief after flooding in Highland Falls. Federal funding of $43 million for free lunches and Meals on Wheels is also being cut, he said. He urges use of some of the county budget surplus of $212 million to assist with such programs
Meanwhile, people fear going to soup kitchens and other sources of food aid, afraid that signing in will result in deportation. More have been absent from work and school also because of ICE fears.
“The county executive needs to strongly advocate against all of these cutbacks and dynamics, highlighting the negative effects on our county. If local officials across the country did this, the cutbacks would never happen. We have someone in office who goes along with these because he supports them and his party is implementing them,” Sussman said.
Community focused news can only succeed with community support. Please consider the various subscription levels.