SOUTHERN ULSTER
TIMES
DiBlanca sues Lloyd over tow law
By MARK REYNOLDS mreynolds @ tcnewspapers . com
Last week Joseph DiBlanca ’ s attorney Albert Roberts filed a lawsuit against the Town of Lloyd as well as the Town Board seeking to annul a tow law that was recently approved by the board . The law was filed with the Secretary of State in Albany on January 5 , 2017 and goes into effect in April 2017 , 90 days after filing .
In his complaint Roberts contends that the new tow law “ violates federal and state statute and decisional law because it does not genuinely address safety concerns .” He wrote that because the law was not adopted to regulate safety “ in any way ,” the law should be declared null and void and should not be enforced .
Roberts maintains that this law , instead , is “ intended to restrict participation on the towing list in restraint of commerce and it impermissibly regulates the fees that tow operators may charge .”
Roberts wrote that the Town Board ’ s promise to “ fix ” the problem would actually ensure a reduction in the number of operators on the tow list . He cites the Town Board minutes of Feb . 17 , 2016 , as proof that the board ’ s intent in revising their tow list was to limit competition and to increase the number of calls and income to the remaining tow operators on the list . A reading of those minutes , however , shows that no board member called for restricting competition , but quite the opposite ; Councilman Joe Mazzetti said although there are some issues surrounding the tow list that
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By MARK REYNOLDS mreynolds @ tcnewspapers . com
Judge Michael Kraiza is a proud native son , saying he was born and raised in the Town of Marlborough . Kraiza summed up his entrance in the world in one sentence .
“ I grew up on Orange Street and my parents within a week , this was back in 1958 , they got a new house , a new car and a new baby and they did not have enough for a crib so I slept in a dresser drawer ,” he said .
As a member of the Marlboro High School Class of 1976 , Kraiza is “ Duke ” through and through . Following graduation he attended Fairmount State College in West Virginia on a swimming scholarship , majoring in Political Science and History .
After college Kraiza worked for three years in construction , mostly inside of factories doing pipe-fitting , steel fabrication and industrial maintenance . Although he was making good money , all of that suddenly changed on a near zero degree-day at work when he stepped outside and grabbed a pipe without gloves on .
“ I came inside , threw the pipe down and it ripped the skin right off my hands ,” he recalled . “ After cursing immensely for five minutes I said I got really good grades in college , I don ’ t need this and I started putting applications in to law school and six months later I ’ m in school .”
Vol . 14 , No 5 3
Grand opening in Highland
Page 32
FEBRUARY 1 - 7 , 2017 3 ONE DOLLAR
Lady Huskies beat New Paltz
Page 36
SERVING HIGHLAND , MARLBOROUGH AND PLATTEKILL
Justice is served
Judge Michael Kraiza ’ s long road to the bench
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Michael Kraiza is in his second term as Marlborough Town Justice .
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