LEGISLATURE STUFF - A Done Deal Probably

CATSKILL - There was less drama than anticipated when Republicans in the Greene County Legislature held a caucus, this past Monday night, choosing, for all practical purposes, the next chairman.

Nothing will be official until lawmakers hold their annual reorganization meeting, in early January, 2025, but apparently the current chairman, Patrick Linger, will be returning to the leadership spot.

Linger has been the head guy the past six years and will stay in that role the next three years, presuming the GOP sticks together.

The way it works is this. A chairman is ultimately chosen by all fourteen members of the legislature. 

That’s on paper. The reality is that Republicans have an 11-3 advantage, with only two Democrats and one registered Conservative on the board.

When they caucus for the chairman vote, every three years, all they have to do is agree amongst themselves and it’s a done deal.

Another reality, however, is that there are also “very different factions” within the GOP, as one leading Republican points out.

Those factions are evident, regularly covering the legislature, hearing the discussions and seeing how the voting unfolds on various issues. 

Very often, a small but solid block of lawmakers is on the same wavelength, led by Majority Leader Matthew Luvera and Michael Bulich, both representing (District 1, Catskill).

They are consistently joined by Thomas Hobart (District 2, Coxsackie), so it became particularly interesting with the chairmanship, this year, when Bulich announced he was again running for the job.

Bulich and Linger wound up in a GOP tie, a few years back, ultimately going with Linger but change was in the wind this time around.

Two new Republicans got elected in November; James O’Connell (District 3, Athens), replacing Edward Bloomer, who lost a summer primary, and Michael Lanuto in Catskill, replacing Linda Overbaugh, who retired.

Bloomer and Overbaugh had reportedly been Linger backers in the past, so nobody knew where O’Connell and Lanuto stood, going into the GOP caucus, the other night.

It would appear the two newcomers went with Linger as Bulich came up short by a 7 to 4 vote, a result that many predicted would be different.

Heading into the caucus, several lawmakers, including Linger, believed the vote could be 6 to 5 in favor of Bulich, forcing Linger to abdicate in the interests of Party unity, at least in the public eye.

There was equal speculation Linger would toss the dice, not acquiescing to the Bulich backers and instead letting the two Democrats and the lone Conservative hold the cards.

If that happened, it was expected Linger would win the day, getting all three votes including the two Dems, Minority Leader Harry Lennon and Daryl Legg (District 7, Hunter, Lexington and Halcott), and the Conservative, Greg Davis (District 4, Greenville).

It is now apparently a moot point. “I will respect the majority,” Bulich said in a phone interview, the morning after the caucus.

“At some point it will be clear what the reasons are for why people voted the way they did. It is what it is,” Bulich said.

Linger, also in a phone interview the morning after the caucus, said, “I think the [Republican lawmakers] made a good decision. They like the way things are going.”

Bulich, leading up to the caucus, had said six years is, “long enough for any chairman,” believing that being in power beyond that can result in an “engrained sense of authority.”

Linger, after the caucus, said, “either one of us would be a good chairman, depending on which direction you want to see the county go. Mike and I have different thoughts on that direction.

“From my perspective, consistency is good. Everybody is an adult here. A Republican is going to win no matter what. We have to rally around that.”

Considerable suspense was likewise building around a possible battle for the Majority Leader seat after reports emerged about an in-Party movement to oust Luvera.

Luvera had come under fire for social media comments made about the Democratic rulership at the State level, viewed as his prerogative but serving no good purpose for Greene County.

Three names surfaced in that potential fray: the current ranking legislator Charles Martinez (District 2, Coxsackie), Thomas Hobart (District 2, Coxsackie) and James Thorington (District 6, Windham, Ashland, Prattsville & Jewett).

Martinez wanted no part of it, already serving as the powerful Finance Committee chairman and legislative Budget Officer.

There had been rumors Luvera would step aside amid the in-Party division but Hobart and Thorington reportedly withdrew from consideration after Luvera said he would stay if the Party wished. He was reportedly unanimously backed at the caucus.