There is a much bigger picture here which should be gleaned from this sadly instructional story. Not everyone in this community was wagging their tails at the prospect of the hospital merger between Cornwall and St. Luke's Hospitals. Many residents had the suspicion that this curse of bigness would not bode well for Dr. Stillman's legacy to our community. Yet corporate interests and sophisticated hype prevailed. Who is left holding the bag? Us. The sting of this bait and switch will only have a long term benefit if we all start to see how this same strategy is playing out with the Cornwall Commons project, and if we can rally to arm ourselves against being exploited yet again! The game is the same, only the context is different. Wise up, Cornwall, or you'll give it ALL away!

Ms. Greene-Kraft is right. It appears that anyone can come in to Cornwall and do whatever they want. We need boundaries, and not the kind on a map. We need to start getting tough. Those of us who were here in the 60's will remember we kept Con Edison from destroying Storm King despite all their money and all their lawyers. Where is that spirit now? Enough is enough. I've been lied to too much. I admit I haven't gone to a lot of meetings, but I'm going to start and I'm going to be a pain in the butt. You should too.

She may be right, but that mistake has already been made. Let's retrain our sights on the here and now and pro-actively prevent the next debacle, which is the very real and present danger of granting a zoning change for Cornwall Commons.

St Luke's Cornwall Hosp.
Board of Trustees

Chair:

Patrick Ortland

Michelle F. Rider, Vice Chair
Geoffrey Brackett Jr., Secretary
Anthony Campagiorni
Christopher L. Catania
Nick Citera
Vivien A. Collens
Glen L. Heller
Douglas Hovey
Ellen M. Kelly
Thomas P. Kennedy
David D. McDermott
Peter X. Neuman
John V. Pelella
David Potack
Kevin White

More then a few of your neighbors

Cornwall Hospital CEO Allan Atzrott, who wants to close the Cornwall ER, held a fundraiser for County Executive candidate Steve Neuhaus earlier this Spring at the Powelton Club. So where do you think Neuhaus?s sympathies lie on this set of Cornwall concerns? He certainly won't speak against hospital management. Is begging for state aid a solution? Will state aid save the Cornwall Campus or be applied to the many projects underway in Newburgh?

Mary Beth Greene-Krafft's letter to the editor made an emotional appeal regarding the status of the Cornwall Hospital and argued that the hospital should be "given back" to Cornwall. Unfortunately, that sentiment is neither a strategy nor a good bargaining position for controlling the destiny of Cornwall Hospital and Cornwall generally. The hospital may be non-profit, but it is a business. The hospital is interested in selling the facility in Cornwall - not giving it back. Rick Gioia's posting of the Board of Trustees members clearly shows that Cornwall is represented on the Board. They should be on this site explaining their actions.

The Town of Cornwall needs leadership with a firm grasp of business, an understanding of urban planning and a more expansive view of how Cornwall fits into the larger Orange County community. Most importantly, our leaders need to appreciate how the county government's power and influence can be turned to the the benefit of Cornwall, while also being aware that the county government can be abused to threaten the identity and prosperity of the communities like ours for the political gain of a select few.

Cornwall needs Roxanne Donnery as County Executive. There is likely much more to the Cornwall Hospital issue than meets the eye. Development interests by outsiders should be our primary concern. We need a voice at the County level. I am running for Town Board to provide the critical thinking required to move Cornwall forward. I hope you will support me. Review my positions at www.michaelsummerfield.com.

For clarity, I didn't post the hospital masthead, P.W. did. (whoever that is..right, Pat?)