What a difference a year has made! Last December County Executive Steve Neuhaus came home from a military exercise in El Paso. He was about to be deployed to the Middle East.
That meant leaving his wife and four children, as well as his position in Goshen. But he was never totally removed from any of them. He skyped daily with his family and with his department heads — often remembering that the people who served in past wars didn’t have that opportunity.
Mr. Neuhaus is a lieutenant commander in the Navy Reserve. After spending half of the year in Iraq, he surprised his kids at a pep rally at their elementary school in late June. He showed up dressed as Hambletonian the Horse. When he removed the horse’s head, his daughters cried with joy and his sons cheered.
This year the family is together for the holidays.Their greeting card shows them at Grasshopper Grove at the Hudson Highland Nature Museum — a Cornwall facility with two locations. The executive enjoys them both, especially when the staff is introducing the animal of the week.
The Neuhaus clan will be taking a winter vacation at Lake Placid. The prospect of a three-and-a-half hour road trip with four kids doesn’t intimidate the executive. But he’s also looking forward to events closer to home.
Legoland is scheduled to open on July 4 and the Neuhaus family has tickets for the first day. You’ll also see them at the annual Air Show. The Thunderbirds will be returning, and Mr. Neuhaus hopes that West Point will be more involved in the weekend’s activities.
2020 should be a busy year for the county. “Things are happening.” Mr. Neuhaus assured us during a Dec. 23 visit to his office. “The economy is still good and companies are still coming here.”
The county is opening a new medical examiner’s office and is anticipating a growth in tourism. By the end of the year, Orange should have 1,100 new hotel rooms. Most of them will be in Wallkill or Newburgh.
Soon after the lieutenant commander’s return from active duty, the county introduced a radio system, where everyone is on the same frequency. It’s an important step toward enhancing public safety. Mr. Neuhaus proudly mentioned that, for the second year in a row, the county got a perfect score in emergency preparedness.
His office still has relics from his time overseas. But on Dec. 23, the executive was looking forward to a prolonged stay at home.
On the other hand
There were a few gaps in the executive’s optimistic outlook for the New Year. The state’s Green Light Law was responsible for one of them. On Dec. 23, the line for the Department of Motor Vehicles stretched out the door and into the lobby. “Just trying to get a license is a problem,” Mr. Neuhaus said. “It’s put a big burden on the clerk’s office.”
He also had mixed feelings about the change in the state law governing bail. “Well over 100 inmates will be let out in January,” he told me. “Law enforcement is concerned.”
They’re worried about repeat offenses or possible overdoses. The executive had something else on his mind that he shared during the interview — the threat of a loan terrorist. “The budget is stressful, but it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Mr. Neuhaus said. “I worry about an incident like we had in El Paso or Cincinnati.”
