The Trials of Sandy Lewis
Sandy Lewis, the former Wall Street scion who reinvented himself as an organic farmer in Essex County, has emerged as one of the most interesting and provocative figures in the North Country.
In the 1980s, Lewis was chased out of Wall Street by none other than Rudy Giuliani, and later granted a full pardon by President Bill Clinton.
His banishment by the Securities and Exchange Commission was finally overturned by a Federal judge a few years ago.
More recently, Lewis challenged the Adirondack Park Agency in court over its attempt to enforce zoning regulations on his farm (the case involved housing for his workers) — and won decisively.
Lewis is now suing to recoup his legal costs from the battle, demanding more than $200,000.
Over the years, he has also engaged his neighbors and his community in various legal wrangles.
In the process, Lewis has drawn praise from farm advocates and some property rights supporters.
He has also remained an influential voice on the economy, publishing a widely discussed op-ed in the New York Times in June.
But his role has been blurred by his distinctly confrontational and occasionally caustic style.
Last month, he held an anti-APA press conference which, according to the Plattsburgh Press Republican, was “punctuated with profanity and shouting.”
Lewis regularly dispatches emails to reporters and community leaders full of personal attacks, some of them caustic.
In a missive sent today, Lewis appears to mock Governor David Paterson’s visual impairment:
Lewis has also accused his neighbors, other farmers, and local officials of various crimes including murder, conspiracy, incest and flagrant disregard for environmental laws.
In the interest of full disclosure, Lewis is convinced that my own reporting about his case (which can be heard here) is biased and inaccurate.
(He has described me variously as “a college drop-out” — which is true — and “corrupted.”)
Through all of his battles and melodramas, Lewis has shown himself to be incredibly bright and tenacious; he also has deep pockets.
To the delight of some and the consternation of others, he seems certain to be a colorful, controversial, and influential fixture on the North Country’s landscape for years to come.
Tags: adirondacks
Brian Mann is factually incorrect. His facts are wrong.Pity he was not asked by Judge Conner to come for a talk. He would have learned what the good jurist felt about Rudy Giuliani and Bill Clinton. Judge William C. Conner and I were of one mind. Of course, the judge could read the record. http://sblewis.net – carries that record. Brian Mann writes: "His banishment by the Securities and Exchange Commission was finally overturned by a Federal judge a few years ago."Not true. No federal judge ruled over the SEC. I do have the only SEC LTB vacated in its entirety, ever. Unique. SEC could have held hearings before an ALJ, subject to judicial oversight. SEC blinked. SEC can read. But the craven SEC is as complicit as was Giuliani. Footnote 5. That case was fully understood by Judge Conner – and would have been understood by federal judge Mary Johnson Lowe – had we gone to trial. Why we did not is a story. 518 963 4206 – after 7 and before 7, please.