Sweeton: Did OAS intentionally drive up Valley View costs?

WARWICK — Warwick Supervisor Michael Sweeton last week called for an independent investigation into County Executive Ed Diana's push to sell Valley View nursing home.
Sweeton called on legislators to take action ahead of news about the home's fate, which the county budget proposal, due Sept. 28, is expected to reveal.
In May, Sweeton, a Republican, announced his intention to run for county executive in 2013. Diana is also a Republican.
Sweeton cited a news article published by Straus News, including The Warwick Advertiser, that showed ties between Diana, the company overseeing the home's finances, and one of the largest private sector unions in the state, .
“The more we learn, the murkier the whole situation becomes," Sweeton said. "Now it may be that there has been no technically ‘criminal’ act committed here, but there is certainly a very clear appearance of impropriety, sufficient enough in my mind for the legislature to call for an outside investigation by the Attorney General’s office.”
Perceptions of mishandling and wrongdoing surrounding the home have taken an emotional toll on its residents, while the company in charge of Valley View continues to drain millions from the county coffers, Sweeton said.
An investigative report by a bipartisan committee of the county legislators released at the end of August found costs of running Valley View had more than doubled since Orange Administrative Services (OAS) took over management of the home.
“We’ve heard a spectrum of costs to run Valley View," Sweeton said. "And the question is: Did OAS have an interest or a role in causing that cost to rise in anticipation of the nursing home being privatized? If they did, that seems clearly like a conflict of interest to me."
An independent investigation by the state is needed to answer the question fully, he said.
Republican Legislator Michael Anagnostakis, who represents Montgomery, Newburgh and Maybrook, said the proposed county budget will tell what Diana has planned for Valley View. Anagnostakis was a member of the subcommittee that investigated the home.
“At this point selling it, leasing, or doing anything outside of following the recommendations laid out in the investigative report is unwarranted,” Anagnostakis said.
Both Anagnostakis and Sweeton said the county should remove OAS and find a new operator that can work toward lowering the home’s expenses over the next two years.
“If (a new administrator) can’t do that, then perhaps a private company should come in," Sweeton said. "But we can’t know that at this point because there are still questions about OAS and those working on the management side, including the county executive.”
Following a vote of 19-2 in favor terminating the contract of OAS, Anagnostakis said he and other legislators are giving the Diana the chance to heed their call to fire the company.
“The county executive should follow the legislature’s lead,” Anagnostakis said. “If he doesn’t, then Mr. Sweeton may be right on target.”