County legislators file fiancial disclosures

Most Dutchess County legislators didn't have much to disclose this year. They, and dozens of other county employees, are required by the county's code of ethics to file reports by May 15 identifying any financial relationships in the previous calendar year that might pose conflicts of interest. Straw Poll's review of the legislators' disclosures found only three with something to say.

Chairman Gary Cooper, R-Pine Plains, disclosed that he is a sales representative for Peckham Industries, a company that sells road materials and sometimes submits bids for county and state projects. Cooper also disclosed some vacant land in Amenia and Pine Plains that he owns.

A comment on another local political blog accused Legislator Fred Knapp, D-Poughkeesie, of failing to file his disclosure. He was late, but he filed it. He signed it May 15 and it wasn't received by the county Finance Department until May 18. In it, he acknowledges that his wife, Fran Knapp, is a election commissioner and collects a salary from the county.

And Marc Molinaro, a Republican who represented Red Hook until he left the Legislature in December to take a seat in the state Assembly, said he had no financial relationships to disclose under the county's code of ethics. But he attached a memo that noted he had been the village of Tivoli mayor, his father is employed by the county Department of Public Works and a company he works for has contracts with local municipalities, businesses and nonprofit agencies. He said he would have acted appropriately if these relationships had overlapped with his work as a county legislator.