Story by Carol Montana, Photos by Kenneth Walter
MONTICELLO, NY (January 7, 2011) – Surrounded by family and friends, Sullivan County’s newest County Court and Surrogate Court Judge Mike McGuire was sworn in on Thursday, December 30, 2010 at the Lawrence Cooke Court House.
Given the oath of office by his predecessor, the Honorable Burton Ledina, McGuire paid homage to his parents, brother and sister, wife Corinne and their three children.
Also present at the ceremony were judges from around the county, region and state, several Sullivan County Legislators, the county clerk, treasurer, several court clerks and many other dignitaries and and friends.
Albee Bockman, owner of the Sullivan County-based MobileMedic, performed the National Anthem, following which, Family Court Judge Mark M
eddaugh took the part of master of ceremonies.
“Being a judge is a lonely job,” Meddaugh told McGuire. “You sit at the bench and all the eyes are fixed on you and you have the ultimate responsibility to make a decision that may affect those litigants for years to come. 
You are at the beginning of this process, Michael. And every day you will learn something new and you will gain the confidence to render the best decisions that you can for the people that will now be relying on you. I am confident that you have the ability to be a fine judge and I certainly look forward to having you as a member of the judiciary.”
New York State Senator John Bonacic’s comments were short and sweet. “Mike, this is a happy day, you can smile. I always knew you had the right stuff. We know you’re intelligent, we know you’re experienced. But the two ingredients that I think will make you an outstanding judge is your temperament and I know you will treat everyone fairly and equally regardless of their color, regardless of whether they’re rich or poor.”
In her comments, Sullivan County Legislator Jody Goodman referred to what was often a bitter and divisive campaign for election. “… but I hope that you look back at the past year as one of the brightest moments of your life because you were surrounded with such friendship … “
Recently retired, Judge Anthony Kane told McGuire, “We, the citizens of Sullivan County, have great expectations for you … but remember that all who come before you, come with the expectation of being treated fairly and with dignity. This is not Judge Judy. If you work hard, as I know you will, and meet those expectations, you will take your place among the great jurors who have toiled in this courtroom.”
It is tradition for the president of the Sullivan County Bar Association to present the new judge with his/her robes, so Sam Yasgur, assisted by McGuire’s mother and wife, help the new judge don his new robes. Yasgur also had some advice for the new judge. 
“ … to each litigant and each party, (their) case is unique, it is often the most important thing in his or her life. And one of the most important things that the person standing before the bench can know that they’re going to be heard by someone who is not only going to hear, but also going to listen to what they have to say. …You’re the one who gets to make the decision. … The decision is something that you make alone. … and in years to come, you will earn not only the title of but the appellation of ‘your honor’ from all of us.”
And then the podium was taken by the retiring Judge Burton Ledina. “I can’t tell you how happy I am to have you succeed to the Sullivan County Court bench,” he told McGuire. “You will learn in the 
years to come, why we judges say this is the best job in the world.” Ledina said he was honored to be the judge who administered McGuire his oath of office.
After the “official” oath was signed by Sullivan County Clerk Danny Briggs, it was McGuire’s turn to address the assembled crowd. He acknowledged the other judges both past and present. And then turned to a question he said many people are interested in. “What type of judge will I be. … The answer to that question is not found in a review of my work over the past 10 years. But rather in the experiences I’ve had in the past 50 years, and based on those experiences, I can assure you of one thing. Each day when I don these robes, I’ll be guided by the law and I’ll work diligently that every individual in my courtroom is treated fairly under the law and treated with dignity.”
The new judge spoke of his parents and the close and “spirited” relationship he has with his siblings. He thanked his law professor and his mentor, former Sullivan County District Attorney Steve Lungen. McGuire gave enthusiastic praise to his campaign staff and to his predecessor. “I look forward with great enthusiasm to building on the outstanding body of work and the legacy of fair, balanced and impartial justice that Judge Ledina leaves behind. Judge Ledina, you’ve set the bar very high, and I can only promise to work every day to build upon your legacy. It has been truly my honor and my good fortune to have practiced before you and I wish you many years of good health and happiness in your retirement.”
Then McGuire turned to his three sons, Kevin, William and Carl and told them, “I’m so proud of each of you for what you’ve been able to accomplish in your lives and for the values that you’ve exhibited. Without question you are my shining stars and you motivate me in everything I do.”
“Finally,” said McGuire, “I turn to my strength, my soul mate, my best friend, my wife Corinne. … For the past 15 years you have been the constant in my life. … There was never a doubt in my mind that together we would move mountains. I love you with all my life. To the rest of those who are here, this occasion today is a celebration of everything that you have given to me throughout my life … Thank you for your support and your friendship.”
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SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY (January 27, 2011) – The Great Sullivan County Foodraiser is back. 
The Catskill Chronicle 
Hinchey Working to Help Small Businesses by Repealing 1099 Reporting Requirement from Health Reform Law
Posted in Comments on January 31, 2011| Leave a Comment »
WASHINGTON, DC (January 31, 2011) – As part of his effort to improve the health reform law, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) last week became an original co-sponsor of a bill that would
repeal a provision that in 2012 will require businesses to send IRS Form 1099s for every business-to-business transaction of $600 or more for both property and services.
The Small Business Tax Relief Act of 2011, H.R. 417, would help small businesses, which say the requirement needlessly complicates the tax filing process without offering a foreseeable benefit.
“Employers in our part of New York and across the country should be in the job creating business – not the paperwork business," said Hinchey. "The health care law made a lot of important improvements but we need to continually work for smart changes that everyone can agree on. This new requirement won’t improve our health care system and it needs to be eliminated. That’s what I’m working hard to do, and I’m hopeful that we’ll get bipartisan support."
President Obama highlighted the new 1099s filing requirement in his State of the Union address, noting that it would place an "unnecessary bookkeeping burden on small businesses." The expanded reporting requirement is not currently in place and is not scheduled to take effect until 2012. The provision was included in the Affordable Care Act to raise revenue by reducing the “tax gap,” or the amount of income that goes unreported by large corporations, by requiring more comprehensive reporting of purchases of property and services.
H.R. 417 is fully paid for by a 5.4% surcharge on adjusted gross income that exceeds $1,000,000 annually for joint tax filers and $800,000 annually for individual filers. Any revenue raised in excess of the amount necessary to offset the repeal of the 1099 requirement is required to be used to pay down the federal deficit and debt.
Hinchey has also targeted several other areas where the Affordable Care law could be improved to further lower costs and improve the system as a whole. Notably, he has focused on allowing for the negotiation of prescription drug costs through Medicare to save $156 billion over ten years and accelerating the time frame for implementing provisions that reduce prescription drug costs and reduce Medicare fraud. The congressman has also cited a need for an expedited timeframe with regard to provisions that create greater choice and competition and noted his continued support for a public option that the Congressional Budget Office says would further reduce costs.
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