News from the seamy side of town:

News from the seamy side of town:
Will Dick run for the Assembly? Only time will tellBy Blithesome Spirit
Monday night's Town Board meeting was short and to the point. After a brief induction ceremony for some new auxiliary cops, Cornwall Supervisor Dick Randazzo ran through the remainder of his agenda in ½ hour. What I did find refreshing is that Chris Eachus, the newly elected representative for the Orange County 15th District, made it a point to show his face.
Dick Randazzo & Bill LarkinThis contrasts sharply with Alan Seidman, who represents West Cornwall in the Orange County Legislature. The only time you ever see Alan at a Town Board meeting is if there is a photo opportunity and he stands a chance of getting his name in the news. Dick is on his school tax reform kick again. He mentioned that it was his hope to get other towns and counties involved in the effort to change the method that is used by Albany to distribute aid to localities.I've said it before, and I will say it again. The only way school tax reform will work is if the electorate makes it clear to the members of New York State's Senate and Assembly that unless there is an overhaul in the system they'll be out of a job. Unless this happens, nothing will change. While I'm on the subject of the State Senate and Assembly I can't overlook the fact that this is an election year and all members of the Assembly will have their seats up for the taking. This brings me back to Dick.
As most folks know Nancy Calhoun (R - Blooming Grove) represents Cornwall in the 96th Assembly District. If you're remotely familiar with Nancy's Assembly record you'll also know she's not very effective. Dick has run against Nancy in the past and lost. This year, however, it may be different. Dick's been getting pretty good press lately and there' has been no inkling of improprieties in his administration (keep in mind though this is Cornwall and this can change at any time). If Dick decides to run for Nancy's seat in the Assembly look for him to make an announcement sometime in the spring. Where not to have a heart attack ...Okay, now I have a pop quiz for you.If Heaven forbid you or a family member had a heart attack and a heart needed to be restarted with a defibrillator (assuming that an EMT was not available), and the first responder was a cop, where do you think the patient would stand the best chance of survival?If you chose the New Windsor Police Department, you're right. New Windsor always has at least one car on patrol equipped with an AED (Automated External Defibrillator).According to Cornwall Police Chief Rusty O'Dell (as quoted in a memo I wasn't supposed to see), the CPD is able to equip all working vehicles with an AED (note the use of the word working - the CPD has a serious lack of vehicles that do not have excessive miles on their odometers). Rusty noted that not all officers are trained in the use of the AED, though he hoped to have this corrected by the end of April. Rusty also said that the CPD had a patrol car equipped with an AED on the road 80% of the time.Finally, if you live in the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson, and you're experiencing symptoms associated with a heart attack, your best bet might be to drive to Cornwall, if not New Windsor.According to the memo which quotes Village Police Chief Charlie Williams, "We have one unit and it is the discretion of the officer working whether to take it on patrol or not."Have a good week everybody, and watch those carbs!