CVCAT IS BACK!

At the end of last summer I decided to take a rest and get away from blogging for a while.  I thought I might stay away from my own blogging until recent events made me re-evaluate that position.  I still don't know what level of posting I will do since I try to have a personal life and travel as well and our town seems bent on only one direction to appease Art X. no matter what.   Nothing in my personal position on the Cape Vincent  wind battle has changed, or on the way it is being handled by the town board.  I still think they are heading in the wrong direction by participating in the Art X process and by attempting to appease it and be reasonable to it.  Supporters of the town board, who I understand are well meaning, and genuine are writing the NY PSC with letters that are essentially pleading and begging the PSC to PLEASE not let BP ruin Cape Vincent.  My opinion is that you don't save a community or defend a law by begging and pleading for a third party to do it for you.  I will get to that in subsequent posts, but here is the critical information I believe everyone should know right now.

I believe the most pressing information right now is about BP's lawyer of record John S. Harris representing BP and the Cape Vincent Wind Farm.  He was in the Cape the other night to answer questions about the Art X process.

 Our Councilman Clif Schneider to his credit complained to Harris  that BP has unfair access to Albany policy makers that the town doesn't have. You can see that video on the CV blog Pandora's Box of Rocks. I agree, and I think Clif hit exactly on  THE critical issue.  One I have been trying to impart since my first day in the wind battle in 2006. However, I  hope he is not just now waking up to that fact after 7 years and insisting on dragging head long us into the Art X process. This has been he case ALL ALONG, Art X or no Art X.  Clif may or may not have known at the moment how pertinent his question to the lawyer was, and who he was talking to and the connection.

Soon after this event the CV blog Pandora's Box of Rocks Googled the PSC and the name Harris, and the name Maureen Harris popped up.  To her credit she is the one who initially broke this information.  Maureen F. Harris based on my research is a commissioner at the NY PSC.  It "appears "she is the wife of John S. Harris, the lawyer representing BP in CV.  Pandora's only posed the question as to whether this was the case but never followed up.  I found an AP article that seems to connect the Harris' which is posted  below for your examination.  In addition when looking at campaign donation they gave to variuos candidates it appears they have the same Slingerland NY address or connection.When I posted this link on Pandora's site with comments, they were later removed and neither CV blog has since addressed what looks like could be a critical issue and huge news.

I am stunned, I would have thought they would be all over this news or at least play it out to clear it up.

Now at this point let me make it very clear I am NOT suggesting any unethical behavior by either Mr. or Mrs. Harris or even BP.  I am just following the information where it leads until this can be all reliably verified. One very reliable source I have in Albany who would know indicates they are related and it is the same John S. Harris representing BP.   Now if that is the case it raises some very disturbing questions.  I have a call in right now to the NY PSC public information dept. with questions on this matter and if they can verify any of it. If their is no connection and it is verified I will make that clear immediately on this blog and other places publicly. I also have a direct email to Mrs. Harris at the PSC asking her to clear it up.  I have also contacted other media sources to see if they will look into it.  Only one has responded so far only to have a discussion. 

However, if this is the case the Harris' are related then it makes me wonder about how the Art X process can be fair and balanced as Cuomo says.  Keep in mind that even his AG office when he was AG gave regular written opinions to municipalities that even the "appearance" of a conflict should be avoided to uphold the public's trust in govt.

Stay tuned. and please pass the word this blog is re-opened.

Thanks,
Art Pundt - CVCAT   below is the 2008 AP Article...help me out do some research!

Lawyers to pay to close pension cases

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, The Associated Press

ALBANY — A New York Public Service Commission member has agreed to
pay $50,000 to end an investigation into state benefits she was
improperly awarded while working as a school district lawyer,
officials said Thursday.

Maureen Harris, who was appointed to the utility regulator in 2006 by
former Republican Gov. George Pataki, agreed to the settlement that
ends the investigation into her past private practice, Attorney
General Andrew Cuomo said.

PSC spokesman James Denn confirmed Harris is paid $109,800 and is
eligible for a state pension in the PSC job in which she rules on
utility rate increases and other regulations.

Harris, a former partner with the Girvin and Ferlazzo firm in Albany,
agreed to forfeit pension benefits she was given as a contract
employee of the Hamilton-Fulton-Montgomery BOCES who was improperly
classified as a district employee, Cuomo said.

Cuomo, a Democrat, didn't mention Harris' current paid role with the
PSC when he announced the settlement. Cuomo spokesman John Milgrim
later said her role with the PSC was common knowledge and on the
front page of a local newspaper.

"It didn't come up in this event because the PSC was irrelevant to
this conduct," he said.

"This settlement occurred based upon events prior to her joining the
Public Service Commission and has no bearing on her role as a
commissioner," said her attorney, Michael Koenig of Albany.

"As is clear from the settlement agreement itself, Maureen received a
benefit from her partnership of a limited one-year period based upon
a long standing arrangement her firm had with BOCES."

Although Cuomo called the conduct fraudulent, Harris wasn't accused
of fraud. Many of the arrangements have gone on for years, even
gaining approval by government officials who Cuomo said should have
known it conflicted with law.

Maureen Harris is the sister of Pataki's former counsel, Michael
Finnegan.

Harris' husband, John S. Harris, contributed $500 to Cuomo's attorney
general campaign in 2006 among many contributions to Democrats and
Republicans, state Board of Elections records show.

He is a partner in a law firm in Albany that specializes in public
policy and regulatory affairs and represents clients to state
agencies on issues including energy and utility legislation,
according to the firm's Web site.

Maureen Harris' 2006 state ethics disclosure record shows her husband
also is a shareholder in the Plunkett & Jaffe law firm, to which
Pataki and his chief of staff used to belong.

Thursday's settlement doesn't affect her job at the PSC, Denn said.
He said neither John S. Harris nor his firm have appeared before the
PSC since Maureen Harris joined the commission.

Cuomo also settled a case against the Hodgson Russ law firm in
Buffalo. The firm will pay $50,000 to end a probe into lawyers who
worked for five BOCES districts in western New York. Although the
lawyers didn't collect benefits, they were improperly listed as BOCES
employees, Cuomo said.

Cuomo says the payments more than compensate for taxpayers' losses.
He said the BOCES districts received "minimal" additional state aid
for listing the contract lawyers as employees.

Hodgson Russ plans to continue to work for school districts, but
under the conditions of the settlement, said Gary Schober, the firm's
CEO.

"We will, without admitting any wrongdoing, discontinue the practice
of permitting our attorneys to be placed on the payrolls of any
BOCES," he said.

Cuomo's investigation continues into school districts and local
governments.