by Cliff Weathers
Rockland County Executive C. Scott Vanderhoef has dropped his interest in running for State Comptroller and is now mulling a run against Kirsten Gillibrand for her seat in the United States Senate. But yet another career-enhancement diversion by Vanderhoef is bad news for Rockland County as our reluctant executive once again seems concerned more about his political career than the unmeasurably critical job at hand in New City.
Vanderhoef told the Albany Times Union today:
“I have been encouraged to look at it, and we are making calls to chairs and talking to them about it, and trying to gauge the support that might be there,” Vanderhoef confirmed to me by phone. “This is exploratory, getting a sense of what’s going on in the state.”
Vanderhoef, who fought a dirty campaign against Thom Kleiner to win a fifth term as County Executive just this past November, has told the Albany Times Union that he’s reached out to county party chairs upstate, despite some of them having endorsed Bruce Blakeman, who has been actively running for the Senate as a Republican. Billionaire Mort Zuckerman recently announced that he will not seek the Senate nomination. According to the Times Union, Vanderhoef is working with a well-connected GOP operative.
In addition to his interest in running for Comptroller and Senate, the former which he announced the day after he began his fifth term as Executive, Vanderhoef ran for Congress and Lieutenant Governor while at the helm of Rockland County. There have also been reports that Vanderhoef has sought the President’s post at Rockland Community College and an top position with Giuliani Partners while serving as Executive.
While I am not against politicians seeking higher office, Vanderhoef has made it very clear that he does not care much for his job. His public job-seeking exploits have been a distraction and many people have begun to wonder whether Vanderhoef is paying enough attention to the County and its serious financial problems. Under his watch the County has consistently faced eight-digit shortfalls due to the Executive’s perennial tax revenue miscalculations. Vanderhoef has become Rockland County’s King Nero that fiddles as the County budget burns. While our taxes have risen, services have been cut, and County salaries have been frozen, Vanderhoef had the nerve to ram through a 12.5 percent salary increase for himself in December. And just a few months into another four-year term, does Vanderhoef really think he has already accomplished what he was elected to do?
Right now, many people are wondering, and rightfully so, whether Governor David Paterson should resign his post. Beyond his ethical lapses, the question is whether Paterson can competently handle matters of the State of New York while being distracted with other serious issues. I believe the same criteria should apply to Vanderhoef; if the County Executive will become too busy running for higher office over the next eight months should he continue to serve the county? Rockland is in the midst of its greatest financial crisis in a generation and attending to our problems should trump political aspirations. I, for one, do not like the idea of unelected underlings of Vanderhoef’s taking the helm of the county while he abandon’s his post for a full-time statewide campaign.
I’m putting politics aside and my concerns for the Rockland first when I ask that the County Executive either drop the idea of running for the Senate or resign as County Executive. This is no time for an absentee leader in Rockland County.
This piece is cross-posted on the Rockland Progressive Dems Web site.
Bill Demarest says:
One of the reasons Rockland always seems to get the short end of the stick is that the county doesn’t have any significant political presence beyond its own borders.
Our county is split up among 3 U.S. Reps, who are all worried about how things are going in Westchester and NYC.
Let’s look at the big picture … having a U.S. Senate candidate from The Rock could give us some juice. If Scott Vanderhoef did get GOP support, just that fact could help us in the bigger political world – - – where things like better train service and bridges go to those who get the most political attention.
At first blush, I would not have thought of Vanderhoef as a candidate for Senate. But he reminds me of another politician who I didn’t think would be a good candidate for governor — remember a guy named George Pataki?
Politicians like Vanderhoef and Pataki have a knack for making connections with the community. In the political world, they are not seen as threatening or overbearing.
Rockland needs someone to help put it on the political map. I’m willing to hear what Vandy has to say – and I don’t think he has to quit his day job just yet.
March 4th, 2010 at 10:28 pm
Cliff Weathers says:
You have failed to address Vanderhoef’s shortcomings in administration. Your only concerns, from what I can see is an examination of the county’s clout if he wins the election.
Mr. Demarest, the proof is in the pudding. C. Scott Vanderhoef has been unable to gauge the economy well in a very small area well before the recession, causing us substantial tax raises, eight-digit budget shortfalls, and cuts in services. And then this Baron of Rockland thinks he deserves 12.5 percent raise while so many of us are suffering with unemployment or substantial loss of income? He’s operated Rockland County as his fiefdom for many years and yet only he and his cronies profit; the residents are stuck with the bill.
How are you able to defend this man’s run for the Senate, without responding with vague platitudes like you did in your last message?
March 5th, 2010 at 1:30 am
Cliff Weathers says:
So it’s not just me. This just in from County Legislator Connie Coker:
“The voters did not vote for him so that he could campaign and turn over running the County to unelected staff members – no matter how competent they may be. He has violated my trust and most importantly the trust of the voters. Any announcement for a candidacy must be accompanied with a resignation.”
March 5th, 2010 at 8:26 am
WeAreBorg says:
I don’t recall Ms. Coker calling for Hillary to resign when she was running for POTUS. So it seems an announcement for “any” candidacy must meet her criteria to necessitate a resignation.
March 5th, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Cliff Weathers says:
There’s a huge difference between a Senator, a legislator, running for higher office and an administrator running for higher office. With the latter, it always degrades the performance of supervisory responsibilities. There are no supervisory responsibilities for legislators. So, regardless who the administrator is or what their political ideology is, their performance for their constituents will be hampered.
However, Vanderhoef takes this a step further. He is always running for something else other than the County Executive. This is what, the sixth job that he has openly sought while being County Executive. Why not just concentrate on being a good County Executive, especially when the County is practically bankrupt.
This continuous job search is not only a consistent theme of his, it is taking its toll on County residents and makes me wonder if our eight digit shortfalls are not due, in some ways, to Vanderhoef’s constantly taking his eyes off the ball.
March 6th, 2010 at 2:40 pm