In the wake of the governor’s vetoes of two bills pertaining to the proposed annexation of 507 acres of land in the Town of Monroe into the Village of Kiryas Joel, the village’s government relations coordinator called for “civil discourse” as the process moves forward.

“It is my hope that civil discourse will be the norm and that we can come together in the spirit of mutual respect so that the process can reach its conclusion and is in the best interest of the community,” said Ari Felberman.

He said the village appreciates that Governor Cuomo “was able to see through the angry rhetoric being advances by Assemblyman (James) Skoufis and looked at these bills for what they really were, a thinly veiled attempt to stop the natural growth of the peaceful, family-oriented community of Kiryas Joel.”

Skoufis, a Democrat, and Republican Senator William Larkin sponsored the legislation that passed in both houses of the legislature. They each expressed their disappointment that Cuomo vetoed the two bills. Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus also said he was disappointed in the vetoes.

(Source: MidHudsonNews)