Two Democratic Senators are now on-record has holding deep reservations about the appointment of Adirondack boat builder and environmentalist Peter Hornbeck to the APA board.<\/p>\n
David Valesky from the Syracuse area and Darrel Aubertine from the St. Lawrence Valley have both raised concerns about Governor David Paterson’s pick.<\/p>\n
State Senator Betty Little has campaigned aggressively to block the appointment and appears to have full support from her Republican caucus.<\/p>\n
With the Senate closely divided, losing two Democratic votes would almost certainly doom the nomination, which is currently blocked in the Finance Committee.<\/p>\n
The nomination battle flared up this week as Adirondack Council spokesman John Sheehan wrote letters to the Syracuse Post-Standard blasting Sen. Valesky for his position. <\/p>\n
What is New York State Sen. David Valesky thinking? At the request of a minority-party senator who doesn\u2019t even live in the Adirondack Park, he is opposing the governor\u2019s latest nominee to the Adirondack Park Agency…[Sen. Little] doesn\u2019t like Hornbeck because he is an environmentalist. She prefers the resort owner, whom Hornbeck would replace on the land-use agency\u2019s board of commissioners. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The Democrat, Valesky, fired back, writing: <\/p>\n
The duty of the Adirondack Park Agency is to protect the natural resources of the Adirondack Park while also promoting economic stability and job creation in the region. Yet, Mr. Hornbeck is part of a group that filed a lawsuit against the APA with the intention of blocking development. This raises serious questions about the appropriateness of the nomination and about Mr. Hornbeck\u2019s ability to be objective. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n