Massena mayor accuses BDC director of partisan politics

MASSENA — Mayor James F. Hidy accused economic development specialist Jason A. Clark of partisan politics at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Business Development Corp. for a Greater Massena.

The rift between Mr. Hidy and Mr. Clark has existed for the duration of the former’s term as mayor. Mr. Hidy has criticized Mr. Clark, the BDC’s executive director, for his time invested in the Interstate 98 project and unsuccessfully threatened to cut all village funding to the economic development agency.

Mr. Clark has accused Mr. Hidy of games and of “a complete unwillingness to try and understand anything remotely complex” after the mayor suggested I-98 run directly through Massena.

Tuesday night, the discussion shifted to politics. Mr. Hidy waited until the end of the meeting to mention seeing Mr. Clark at Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s State of the State address with St. Lawrence County Democratic Committee Chairman Mark J. Bellardini.

“Whenever I see you in public, it’s partisan,” Mr. Hidy said.

“No, Jim, it’s not,” Mr. Clark said.

“Always. Always,” Mr. Hidy said.

When Mr. Hidy asked about the purpose of the trip, Mr. Clark said he had meetings with the head of the New York Power Authority; the commissioners of the state departments of Labor and Transportation; Lt. Gov. Robert J. Duffy, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the region’s state delegates.

Mr. Clark said he discussed the monetization of the 20 megawatts promised to the St. Lawrence River Valley Redevelopment Agency with NYPA President Gil C. Quiniones. Mr. Bellardini and June F. O’Neill, former chairwoman of the state Democratic Executive Committee, accompanied Mr. Clark in the meetings.

“That’s where a lot of work gets done,” Mr. Clark said of Albany.

Mr. Hidy said he had a hard time believing Mr. Clark attended all of those meetings. The mayor said he spent most of his time there with state Sen. Joseph A. Griffo, R-Rome.

“You met with all those people?” Mr. Hidy asked. “Unbelievable ... unbelievable.”

“You’re right,” Mr. Clark said.

“Did you say hi to them?” Mr. Hidy asked.

“We had lengthy conversations,” Mr. Clark said. “There’s a way to do this kind of work and that’s what we’re doing.”

Mr. Hidy commended Mr. Clark for managing his Albany time in such a way to meet with all of those individuals.

“I saw you everywhere I was,” Mr. Hidy said. “I’m going to have to get your expertise on how to do something like that.”

Mr. Hidy expressed concern that Mr. Clark’s priorities lie in areas other than Massena.

“You are a nonpartisan employee of this group. But yet, I see you all the time, with either Mark Bellardini, or in this case, June O’Neill, and you were down in Albany,” he said.

BDC board President Daniel S. Pease said he would like to think Mr. Clark would act in the same way if Republicans were in power. He said he authorized the overnight trip.

“It’s a Democratic administration. Having the June O’Neills of the world involved ... having these people orchestrate these meetings has to be a good thing,” Mr. Pease said. “Jason is representing the Massena BDC when he’s down there. It can’t be a bad thing to have that kind of face time with the politicians.”