Neuhaus, Davis square off in county exec debate at THR

Oct. 26--MIDDLETOWN -- Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus and Democratic challenger Patrick Davis waged the first of their two campaign debates Wednesday at the Times Herald-Record offices, an encounter that turned feisty as they clashed over credit for the county's economic progress and other topics.

Seated side by side, the Republican incumbent and his opponent offered voters a contrast in backgrounds and styles, if not always in political positions, as they answered questions and sparred for more than an hour. Neuhaus, finishing a four-year term as county executive and seeking another on Nov. 7, argued he has moved the county forward and earned broad support by fixing an imbalanced budget, wooing businesses and carrying out a Government Center overhaul, bridge replacements and other long-planned projects.

"All of these stalled projects have now been put into the light and fixed," Neuhaus said.

Davis, an Iraq war veteran and financial consultant who's making his first political run, touted his West Point training, his experience leading soldiers in Iraq for 27 months and his business background as assets for the job. He promised a different version of economic development than Neuhaus' and suggested Neuhaus has taken credit for economic gains that were part of a national recovery from the 2008 recession.

"I think voters will agree that my vision, as someone who didn't grow up in the broken political system, is fresher, more forward-looking, and a better fit for what we want Orange County to look like in 2020," he said.

Neuhaus, underscoring a central campaign theme, stressed his aggressive, first-hand approach to luring businesses to Orange County, singling out Norwegian Air and the thousands of foreign travelers he said the airline will fly into Stewart Airport. He also emphasized the fiscal improvement the county has made since the budget crisis he faced his first year in office, saying that Moody's Investor Service and the state Comptroller's Office were third-party "validators" of that success.

Davis questioned Neuhaus' role in that turnaround, saying that the economic downturn hit counties particularly hard, and that their bond ratings have since improved.

Neuhaus responded: "I think it was Muhammad Ali who said, 'It's not bragging if you can back it up.'"

Another moment of friction came when Neuhaus talked about the improved finances at the Valley View Center for Nursing Care and Rehabilitation, the 360-bed nursing home that he tried unsuccessfully to privatize. Neuhaus argued that Valley View was "in a bright place today," freed from concerns that it will be sold, and that his endorsement by the Civil Service Employees Association -- the union representing Valley View workers -- showed that employees there now support him.

"We've come full circle," Neuhaus said. "It's not easy -- when you make tough decisions, it's not easy. But at the end of the day, you stick with them and you move forward."

Davis rebutted: "This is like the arsonist who sets fire to a building and comes in and saves the family and takes credit for that." He pointed out that Neuhaus threatened layoffs in 2014 if Valley View wasn't sold, and credited Democratic legislators and one Republican with staving off privatization.

Both candidates said they support the county backing the state in possible litigation against the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission over permits for the gas pipeline that will supply the Competitive Power Ventures power plant being built in Wawayanda.

Both also said they believed Merlin Entertainment should foot the entire bill for a $40 million exit on Route 17 in Goshen for the Legoland theme park it plans to build. Those wishes became moot two hours later, when the state announced it would give Merlin $18 million to cover part of the cost.

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