Amo has sway over Legislature

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Times Herald-Record
November 08, 2007

Goshen — Now's a good time for everyone on the Orange County Legislature to be really, really nice to Michael Amo.

It's probably not too early to ask the county lawmaker what he'd like for Christmas. Bringing him coffee at the next committee meeting would be a nice gesture.

And, of course, no one should hesitate to hold the door open for him and smile.

The victory by Republican Legislator Greg Townsend in Tuesday's election means that Amo, a recent Independence Party convert, holds the critical swing vote in the weeks ahead to determine whether a Republican or a Democrat takes the chairman's seat in January.

Republicans and Democrats have been tied at 10 apiece since Amo ditched the Republicans last month.

And with Townsend prevailing in a three-way race to fill a vacancy, that unusual tie will now linger for at least two years — barring any unforeseen events.

Several tricky questions arise. First, a semantic one: Who are the majority and minority leaders? Or, in the absence of a majority, do those titles go out the window for the next two years?

Second, does Amo become a minority leader in his own right? He has started to make that case, arguing that it will give him — in addition to almost $6,000 more per year — the right to be briefed by County Executive Ed Diana on important matters.

But the biggest immediate issue is which party he will support to lead the Legislature, where Republicans have been in control since it was formed 37 years ago.

The chairman is selected by a vote each January.

William Lahey, R-New Windsor, the current chairman, said yesterday that he wants to continue in that role and hopes Amo will stand by him.

"Obviously," he said, "Mr. Amo is in the catbird seat."

Minority Leader Wayne Decker, D-Cuddebackville, said he's interested in "a leadership role" but must discuss with his fellow Democrats whom they will put up for chairman.

He said the new 10-10 parity won't be much different for his caucus than the previous 11-10 chamber.

"We were always in the position of trying to sway one person over," he said.

Amo couldn't be reached for comment.

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Minority-leader status would provide 'equal access to info'

By Chris McKenna

Times Herald-Record

CENTRAL VALLEY — With his bow ties and argyle socks, his owlish glasses and neatly trimmed beard, Michael Amo looks like an Ivy League professor who somehow got mixed up in politics.

At the moment, he's knee-deep in intrigue over his bid to be recognized as a minority leader on the Orange County Legislature — which he threw into a deadlock by leaving the Republicans and joining the Independence Party last month.

Another simmering issue is the role he'll play in electing a Legislature chairman, since he would now cast the deciding vote in any party-line roll calls. Both dramas will play out over the next few weeks.

In short, the pensive politician from Central Valley has caused a lot of commotion.

In an interview Friday, Amo explained that being named a minority leader was important both on principle and for the courtesies shown to past majority and minority leaders — namely, copies of important letters and heads-up chats with the county executive.

"Primarily, it's equal access to information," Amo said.

But the notion of rewarding his party switch with elevated status — and labeling him the "leader" of his one-man caucus — both amuses and irritates his colleagues.

"One person does not lead one person," Legislator Tom Pahucki, D-New Hampton, argued at a committee meeting on Friday. "You can't have a leader without a follower."

What gives the debate an added charge are his ties to the leaders of Kiryas Joel, the large Hasidic community that makes up — by his estimate — about 90 percent of his constituency.

When he was appointed in 1998 to replace the late Roberta Murphy, Amo inherited from his steely predecessor her role as advocate for a village that often has few others — especially when it clashes with its neighbors over its growth and infrastructure needs.

That makes his recent moves suspicious to legislators who represent those neighbors.

"It's just a pathway to political power," said Frank Fornario, R-Blooming Grove, who's "unequivocally opposed" to the minority-leader request. "That's all that this is about."

Amo denies any power interest. He's candid about his fidelity to Kiryas Joel's interests, but argues that lawmakers like Fornario are just as beholden to their own constituents when it comes to fighting something that Kiryas Joel wants.

Opposing K.J., he argues, has become politically expedient. The 61-year-old nursing-home consultant has called for a less partisan approach toward the selection of chairmen for the Legislature and its committees. Competence and fair-mindedness should take precedence over party affiliation, he argues.

Whether Amo casts a deciding vote for chairman will be seen at the Jan. 3 reorganization meeting. Fornario and Roxanne Donnery, D-Highland Falls, have proposed a bipartisan coalition to rob him of that clout.

Amo is free to declare himself a minority leader that same day, but whether he's treated as such is unknown. If nothing else, his request has forced his colleagues to confront ambiguities in their leadership rules.

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INDEPENDENCE Party chairman to support amo