Politics on the Hudson

U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, announced today the introduction of a bill that would require half of all cars made in the U.S. be manufactured as “flexible fuel” vehicles, meaning they could run on gasoline, alcohol or a combination of the two.

Vehicles manufacturers would have until 2012 to meet this goal before it rises to 80 percent of U.S.-made cars in 2015.

Engel said in a news release issued today that these vehicles would typically cost about $100 more to make than a gas-only car.

Engel is a senior member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. This Open Fuel Standards Act  was also sponsored by U.S. Reps. Jack Kingston, R-GA, Steve Israel, D-NY, and Bob Inglis, R-SC.

A recent APNews-Yahoo poll has found that pet owners were more likely to vote for Republican Arizona Sen. John McCain in November’s presidential election than Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a Democrat.

A subsequent Associated Press article took note of the popularity of White House pets.  Like him or not, George W. Bush’s Scottish terriers are good looking dogs.

The reasoning behind the study, according to the article is that McCain owns several pets, from dogs to turtles, while Obama doesn’t have any—though he promised his daughters a dog after the election was over.

In the same poll, Obama was shown to have a lead over McCain among people who don’t have pets.

(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file)

Rockland’s county executive couldn’t resist a little gloating today at a county executives forum at Dominican College in Orangeburg.

When someone from the audience asked how the state could clean up politics in Albany, C. Scott Vanderhoef deadpanned “Well, if they elected another governor last time, I would have been helpful.”

Vanderhoef, who then broke into a smile, ran for lieutenant governor in 2006 alongside John Faso, the GOP’s gubernatorial candidate. They were crushed in the polls by the Democratic Spitzer/Paterson ticket.

He noted that, while campaigning, Spitzer had promised to do away with unfunded state mandates, but that the most recent state budget had more than ever.

Other county executives at this morning’s forum were Andrew Spano from Westchester, Edward Diana from Orange and Steve Levy from Suffolk.

State Sen. Thomas Morahan, R-New City, has been given the Heinz E. Lehman Award for Distinguished Service to Research. Presented by the state Office of Mental Health, the award honors health professional or advocates who promote research for the treatment, prevention and rehabilitation of mental illness.

Morahan led the effort for Timothy’s Law, now a state law that requires insurance companies to provide coverage for individuals with mental illness. The law, signed by former Gov. George Pataki in December 2006, is named after 12-year-old Timothy O’Clair who committed suicide in 2001.

County Legislature Vice Chairman William Darden, D-Hillcrest, announced today that he would not seek election to the 95th Assembly District against incumbent Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern.

“I thought about it for a period of time. I had supporters over there and I truly treasure their support,” Darden said this afternoon.

Even though he knows it’s cliche, Darden said he honestly likes what he’s doing on the Legislature.

Still, he said, a run for the Assembly is “not out of the future.”

Jaffee had been facing as many as five challengers from within her own party.  Of them, only one, Ramapo Town Clerk Chris Sampson, has decided to run. The others were Darden, Suffern Mayor John Keegan and former Legislators David Fried and Patrick Withers.

The Republicans are expected to run a candidate against Jaffee, who is finishing out her first term. The district includes Orangetown and parts of Ramapo.

Legislation has passed both state chambers to declare Friday as Thurgood Marshall Day in the state.

The measure was sponsored by State Sen. Thomas Morahan,  R-New City, and Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, to honor the Supreme Court justice for his contributions to the civil rights movement.

Marshall visited Rockland in 1943 to call for desegregation of a Hillburn school.

Ramapo Town Clerk Chris Sampson has formally announced that he will challenge Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, in the Democratic primary for Jaffee’s seat this fall.

Sampson was one of several area Democrats who said this winter they were interested in the seat. The others were County Legislature Vice Chairman William Darden, Suffern Mayor John Keegan, and former Legislators Patrick Withers and David Fried.

Jaffee and Rockland’s other state representatives are up for re-election in November. Jaffee is completing her first term.

The county’s Democratic convention is coming up in the next few weeks. We’ll be checking in with the four stragglers soon. Stay tuned.

The state Board of Elections has a brand new Web site as of today. It looks nice—nothing flashy—but there’s still some kinks to be worked out.

When I tried to access a campaign committee’s financial disclosure I was taken to a search based on contributors. Oops. Then my Safari browser timed out. Ditto for Firefox. Oops again.

But I did talk to a board spokesman, the always helpful Lee Daghlian, and he assured me they knew about the bugs and were working to correct them.

U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel’s office announced today that the Internal Revenue Service would open sites and be available by phone to assist residents who are eligible for the upcoming economic stimulus payment, but who don’t regularly file an income tax return.

On Saturday, the IRS will assist residents with the 1040A form that residents are filing solely to receive a stimulus payments. Most IRS offices across the country will be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., though some will have longer hours.

Residents can call the IRS hotline at 800-906-9887 for free assistance locations.Taxpayers with economic stimulus questions on March 29, they can call 1-866-234-2942 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time.

Residents who do not regularly file an income tax return can click here for more information.

Minutes after Gov. Eliot Spitzer resigned over his purported role in a pricey prostitution ring, Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef, a Republican, issued the following statement:

“This is a very sad day, but it marks a new beginning for New York state,” he said. “The Spitzer tenure is now over, and the Paterson tenure now begins. We welcome David Paterson to his new position as the leader of the executive branch and we wish him well. I ask all county executives to join me in working in cooperation with the new governor toward a better New York state.”

Vanderhoef ran for lieutenant governor in 2006 on the GOP’s ticket.