News stories tagged with "stiles"

(08/04/11) Adirondack Park Agency chairman Curt Stiles is stepping aside after four years on the job. His tenure was marked by some big accomplishments, including an effort to boost affordable housing in the Park.

But Stiles also faced a nearly constant drumbeat of criticism and controversy.

The APA's legal battle with Essex farmer Sandy Lewis and his public disagreements with local government leaders made regular headlines.

In an editorial written after Stiles announced his resignation, the Glens Falls Post Star blasted his leadership and accused the APA of "stomping" on individual rights.

Stiles sat down to talk with Brian Mann about the future of the Adirondack Park, about his own reputation, and about the reforms and changes that he thinks are still needed.

Note: So far, Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn't named a replacement for Stiles. An interim chairman is expected to be picked before the APA meets August 18th in Ray Brook.

(08/03/11) After four years as head of the Adirondack Park Agency, chairman Curt Stiles is stepping aside. His tenure was marked by big clashes with elected officials in the Park, who lobbied Governor Andrew Cuomo not to reappoint Stiles for a second term. But Stiles also pushed through major reforms of the APA's regulatory approach, and engineered the first legislative change to the Park Agency Act in a generation.

Stiles, a former Xerox executive who lives on Upper Saranac Lake, sat down to talk in-depth with Brian Mann. Here's the first part of their conversation.

Note: Tomorrow during The Eight O'clock Hour, we'll hear from Stiles about the environmental challenges still facing the Park and about some of his own controversial decisions, including his handling of the Sandy Lewis farm case in Essex County.

(03/07/11) A prominent pro-environment group has been pushing the Adirondack Park Local Government Review Board to stop commenting on the issue of state land-purchases in the Park.

The Adirondack Council argues that the state-funded Review Board doesn't have a mandate to weigh in on the issue.

But APA chairman Curt Stiles says Review Board is defending the Review Board's decision to issue a resolution opposing the Finch Pruyn and Follensby land deals.

Chris Morris has details. more

(12/17/10) A fierce political fight is building over the make-up of the Adirondack Park Agency board. Over the next year, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo - a Democrat - will have the power to completely reshape the commission.

As many as eight members of the 11-seat panel could be replaced, including APA chairman Curt Stiles. With the Agency set to make landmark decisions in the coming months, various factions are lobbying hard to shape the commission. Brian Mann reports. more

(10/01/10) A new firestorm has erupted between the Adirondack Park Agency and some local government leaders in the North Country.

The Park's Local Government Review Board issued a report last week, claiming that the APA is "under the influence and in need of detoxification."

Park Agency chairman Curt Stiles responded with a letter questioning the Review Board's honesty and its legitimacy. Brian Mann has our story. more

(05/14/10) The Adirondack Park Agency wrestled yet again yesterday with the question of how to regulate boathouses. The issue has flummoxed state officials for decades. As Brian Mann reports, APA commissioners remain deeply divided, with some arguing that boathouses shouldn't be regulated at all.

(04/19/10) The Adirondack Park Agency often finds itself at the center of big controversies. The APA is charged with regulating more than six million acres of public and private land. That's an area roughly the size of Vermont. But the Agency itself is tiny - and it's getting even smaller.

A plan approved by Governor David Paterson will slash roughly ten positions over the coming months, bringing the total staff at the Agency to fewer than sixty employees.

As Brian Mann reports, the APA is also facing a flurry of retirements and resignations, with six of its most experienced staff members departing next month.

(01/05/10) Today in Ray Brook the Adirondack Park Agency begins a series of public hearings on new regulations for boathouses in the Park. This latest round of rulemaking comes at a time when the APA has issued a series of new regulations affecting private land and development. The rules govern everything from shoreline homes to hunting camps. Supporters say the APA is doing its job, fleshing out the guidelines that protect water quality and conserve open space. But critics say state officials are steadily expanding their power over privately-owned land without authority from the legislature. Brian Mann has our story.

(01/04/10) For years, critics have claimed that a prominent environmental group called the Adirondack Council holds too much sway over decisions made by the Adirondack Park Agency. Nearly half of the public members now sitting on the Park Agency commission are former members of the Council's board of directors. State officials say safeguards are in place, preventing any outside group from influencing the APA's deliberations unfairly. But a lawsuit filed in November claims that Park Agency worked secretly with the Council, targeting a real estate developer in Clinton County. Brian Man has our special report.

(05/15/09) The Adirondack Park Agency is moving forward with a plan to establish more than twelve thousand new acres of wilderness just south of Tupper Lake. Most of the land would be added to the Five Ponds Wilderness. The APA will hold public hearings on the proposal, which would protect one of the longest backcountry canoe routes in the Northeast. But as Brian Mann reports, critics say environmentalists are pushing a double standard.