On Monday, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-Hurley) appeared in Liberty Square in Ellenville for a press conference announcing $200,000 in federal funds to, "continue efforts to transform Ellenville's business district and attract new businesses to help spur the village's economy."

Mayor Jeff Kaplan was on hand to receive the funds on behalf of the village. He spoke about the several economic "body blows" that the area has suffered and about a number of projects that he and the village board have pushed in hopes of initiating a turnaround. Kaplan listed a series of initiatives in a written statement about the event.

"We have laid the foundation by investing in an economic development strategy, working with a professional planner to assist in long range visioning, upgrading our village's gateways, increasing the activity of our Local Development Corporation, working closely with the county Empire Zone manager and using CDBG finds for infrastructure repairs."

Asked to expand on his "economic development strategy" for the village, Kaplan explained that he wished to make Ellenville a "destination" for commerce by providing a variety of restaurants and stores. This is similar to Kaplan's previously stated vision of creating a "boutiquey-type downtown" that he feels will draw people to the area.

Both Kaplan and Hinchey expressed a strong belief in the value of Ellenville's downtown business district as a refuge from the prevailing "mall culture". Kaplan seemed pretty confident that Ellenville could stand as an example to other upstate communities as a way to revive itself.

"We will show rural New York that it doesn't have to give in to the malls."

When Hinchey was asked about the future of one such mall space, the Napanoch Valley Mall, and possible effects a Wal-Mart would have on small business, the congressman did not mince his words.

"I am not a fan of Wal-Mart. When you spend money there, the money is sent to Arkansas — they get their cut and then the rest of that money goes to China. If something like that was proposed for this area I think you would have to take a very good look at the effects it would have, particularly on small businesses," said Hinchey.

On the subject of the Napanoch Valley Mall, Kaplan felt that it was important to, "let businesses do what they want around us," but that the village should remain determined in its vision.

Hinchey obtained the funding as part of a spending bill for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and other agencies for the 2007 fiscal year. The money is supposed to allow the village to make a variety of improvements including new walkways, lighting and benches.

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Hinchey On Iraq
After he made his statements regarding the federal funds, Hinchey spoke frankly about U.S. involvement in Iraq and offered a scathing appraisal of the president's current war strategy.

"They [the Bush administration] need to keep this thing going for the next several months so they can dump it on somebody else's lap," the congressman said.

He referred to the U.S.'s military presence in Iraq as, "illegal, illicit and completely unjustified," and called the administration's run-up to the war, "a big fat ugly lie."

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