MONTICELLO — Following the resignation of Albee Bockman from the Sunset Lake Local Development Corporation (LDC) last month, three people were in the running to fill the vacancy. The Legislature ultimately voted 6-3 in favor of James Galligan to fill the vacancy on Thursday, August 15.

The Sunset Lake LDC is the current management company of the Adult Care Center (ACC) in Liberty, and Galligan, who resides in Forestburgh, was the Administrator from about 1997 to 2002. He also said that he had been named Interim Administrator in 2010 after someone had resigned. 

District 4 Legislator Nick Salomone, District 7 Legislator Joe Perrello and District 9 Legislator Terry Blosser-Bernardo were the three to vote no to Galligan being appointed. The resolution to appoint Galligan to the LDC was introduced by Chair of the Legislature Nadia Rajsz and went through Executive Committee unanimously. 

Galligan, who worked in Sullivan County for 42 years, said that he had reached out to Rajsz after he read about the vacancy in the Democrat earlier this month to submit a letter of interest. 

“I have no preconceived notion on the current state of the Care Center,” said Galligan. “Whether the LDC is dissolved or the Care Center goes back to the hands of the county, I will do my best to provide good insight.”

While he was Administrator, Galligan said the Care Center was in “very good shape.” Currently, the health rating at the facility sits at one star, a rating that has not been improved upon in over a year. 

Galligan said that he wasn’t aware that other people had applied to fill the vacancy on the board and that it was up to the board whether he would be appointed or not. 

A resolution to appoint Barbara McKenny to the LDC, introduced by  District 1 Legislator Matt McPhillips and District 5 Legislator Cat Scott, had been tabled last month and the decision was made to leave it tabled. 

The other candidate for the LDC board was Karin Pantel, whom Perrello had set forth to the Legislature Full Board. However, since the majority of the board was set on appointing Galligan, this resolution failed by a 4-5 vote. 

Perrello said that anyone with any sort of conflict with the ACC should not be considered for the LDC Board and that Pantel has no prior connection, while Galligan and McKenny do. 

“What happens to the LDC doesn’t affect me, I don’t care anymore,” said Perrello adamantly. “I don’t care whether you keep it or give it back to the county. I just want someone to take care of the nursing home and take care of the residents there. I don’t care who does it, just as long as it gets done.”

The resolution for Pantel to be appointed came first in the full board, in which a discussion was had on the process of how the proposed appointments were set forward. Blosser-Bernardo recommended that they maybe should set all three resolutions back to the Health and Human Services Committee next month, so that they can have a broader discussion on each candidate. While some of the other legislators agreed with this idea, the board went forward and voted. 

Galligan has spoken to Matt McPhillips and Cat Scott, who are also on the LDC, and said he looks forward to working with them and the rest of the board. 

Galligan told the Democrat, “The biggest thing is I want to meet with various people and find out what is going on and how we can work on improving the situation at the Care Center.”

The next meeting of the LDC board is scheduled for Thursday, September 19 following the full board Legislature meeting. 

Joe Perrello appointed 

to IDA board

Also occurring at the Legislature meeting on Thursday was Perrello being appointed to the Industrial Development Agency (IDA). The appointment of Perrello fills a vacancy on the board left by IDA Chair Suzanne Loughlin resigning last month. 

The IDA functions most effectively when all board seats are filled, so the vacancy was filled quickly to set it back to the total of nine Board of Directors. 

Perrello previously served on the IDA Board, appointed by the Legislature on April 21, 2016 and stepping down on March 1, 2021. He told the Democrat that he appreciates the opportunity to do it and he’s gotta do the job, but that he was reluctant to be on the board again. 

“I don’t need anymore on my plate, I guess they couldn’t find anyone with the experience that I do,” Perrello said. “I enjoyed what I did when I was on the board and I will do my best to do what I can this time around.”

Designation of Appeals Officer of the IDA, Jennifer Flad, said that Perrello was a valuable asset to the IDA and brought a perspective from both a business owner and a Legislator standpoint.

Flad said, “I look forward to getting those perspectives from him again.”