Appointment slate includes new terms for current Adirondack Park Agency board members
By Zachary Matson
Gov. Kathy Hochul has recommended former New Jersey congressman Rush Holt Jr., a scientist who also served as chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and New York City environmental attorney Jose Almanzar to serve on the Adirondack Park Agency board.
Hochul submitted the slate of appointees to the state Senate last week, which also included new four-year terms for current board members Benita Law-Diao, Daniel Wilt, Ken Lynch, Mark Hall and Zoë Smith.
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Holt, who lives in Clinton County and would fill an in-park seat, served as a Democratic representative for New Jersey’s 12th district from 1999 to 2015, one of the only professional scientists serving in Congress. Holt was the chief executive officer of the Association for the Advancement of Science from 2015 to 2019, leading the longstanding nonprofit devoted to promoting scientific freedom and cooperation. In that role Holt was also publisher of the well-known scientific journal Science.
Holt, who also held positions at Swarthmore College and Princeton University during his scientific career, has served on the Adirondack Council board of directors since 2020.
“Holt has a really strong science background and a good sense of politics,” said John Sheehan, spokesman for the Adirondack Council. “He is a really smart, thoughtful person.”
Almanzar works as an environmental lawyer in the New York City office of the law firm Holland & Knight. He also has professional experience as an environmental scientist. Almanzar was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to New York City when he was around 7 years old. Almanzar in an interview for his firm’s website recounted becoming extremely ill as a young child after playing in a contaminated creek. He said that experience fueled his passion for environmental law and policy.
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“It was kind of my superhero origin story in a way,” Almanzar said in the interview.
Hochul’s appointments, if confirmed, would refresh the APA board and fill the vacancy left when Andrea Hogan resigned from the board in January 2023.
“The governor nominated a full slate of appointees to the APA for Senate consideration,” said Emma Wallner, a spokesperson for the governor. “She looks forward to their timely confirmation.”
The appointments come on the cusp of all APA board members reaching expired terms. The last members serving on unexpired terms were set to see their terms run out at the end of June.
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It’s not clear if Hochul has specified someone to replace John Ernst as board chair. Ernst last week said he planned to retire after the June meeting, the last of his term. The governor can designate the board chair from among the appointed board members.
The appointees are typically interviewed before the Environmental Conservation Committee before senators vote on their confirmation. After the latest state budget in years, lawmakers are working through a backlog of end-of-session bills and appointments. There was no scheduled hearing to consider the appointments as of Wednesday.
What an embarrassment that the 2nd floor of the capitol has the hand of the puppet master Adirondack Council so far up its back, that they push through two wholly unqualified commissioners at the council’s whim that couldn’t tell you the first thing about the APA act or park regulations. Losing faith….
Can you back up your assertions regarding lack of qualifications with any facts?
As the old saying goes the NYS Environmental lobby says sit up and bark governor. Another dirty deal as Albany is so well known for. God forbid anyone not a member of the Environmental NGOs class be appointed.