Alexander Mathes

Do IDAs work? Not in Greene County

By Julia Reischel
7/13/11 - 9:59 am

Above: A graph from yesterday's IDA report showing IDA tax breaks and job growth and loss by county. Greene County, in dark green, is picked out for having job loss despite giving out large IDA tax breaks.

New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli struck terror into the hearts of Industrial Development Authorities across the state yesterday when he issued a report, which you can read below and on the Capitol Confidential blog, questioning whether the publicly-funded development organizations create jobs.

In short, DiNapoli concludes that IDAs need improvement:

[T]here are still shortfalls in the tracking and verification of performance measures, especially where job creation and job retention goals are concerned.

The report singled out Greene County's IDA for special scrutiny. This isn't surprising, because Greene County's IDA made headlines last year for lavishing large bonuses on its executive director, Alexander "Sandy" Mathes. In 2009 alone, Mathes received a $175,000 bonus on top of his $130,000 salary.

DiNapoli's report shows that while Greene County's IDA gives out the largest number of net tax exemptions in the state after New York City's IDA, those exemptions, which amount of 25% of the county's tax levy, did diddly squat for job creation between 2002 and 2009:  Read more

Greene Co. IDA's bonus-enjoying chief resigns

By Julia Reischel
6/28/11 - 2:36 pm

This just in: Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, the executive directory of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency, has resigned, according to the Daily Mail. No explanation was given:

In a statement, the IDA Board of Directors said the decision was “mutually agreed to." ...

“Now it is time to pursue other professional challenges,” Mathes added.

If you know the history of Mathes' tenure at the IDA, however, it's not hard to guess why he's out.  Read more

Some of Greene Co.'s IDA payments to Mathes "cannot be justified"

By Julia Reischel
10/5/10 - 3:48 pm

Here's another item to add to the list of this week's Greene County bloopers.

The Authorities Budget Office has released some conclusions about the controversial bonuses that Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, the executive director of the Greene County Industrial Development Authority, has pulled in over the years.

In the first of four rather damning bullet points in a letter sent to the Greene County IDA on Friday, David Kindera, the director of the ABO, finds that Mathes got $130,000 more than he should have:  Read more

If IDA known you were quittin' ...

By Julia Reischel
9/1/10 - 9:19 am

The chairman of the board of the Greene Country Industrial Development Agency has resigned in the midst of a scandal over the $175,000 bonus the IDA gave to its executive director last year. According to today's story in the Daily Mail, Paul Slutzky's resignation has nothing to do with the bonus kerfuffle and everything to do with a conflict of interest between his role as IDA chair and his duties as the owner of a ski resort seeking help from IDA:  Read more

Bonus backlash

By Julia Reischel
8/17/10 - 1:40 pm

The Daily Mail reports that the Greene County legislature got tough with the members of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency last night over the $175,000 bonus they gave to their executive director, Alexander "Sandy" Mathes, in 2009. Several legislators took the opportunity to grandstand against Mathes, who made headlines for the big payout last month:

Legislator William Lawrence, R-Cairo, joined legislators in questioning how the bonus criteria differs from an executive director’s primary job description.

“I guess the heart of the matter here is we don’t know what (Mathes’) basic job description is,” Lawrence said.

Legislature Chairman Wayne Speenburgh, R-Coxsackie, agreed.

“What do you do for the for the ‘$130,000 contract?’” he said.

At the meeting, county legislatures announced that they'll get even tougher on Mathes on September 1:  Read more

$175,000 bonus bought 414 jobs, Greene Co. officials say

By Julia Reischel
7/20/10 - 5:16 pm

On Monday, Greene County legislators looked into why the Greene County Industrial Development Agency gave its director, Alexander Mathes, a $175,000 bonus last year.

According to Daily Mail, which covered the meeting, IDA's chairman, Paul Slutzky, said that Mathes was being rewarded for attracting three businesses to the county -- a liquor distributor, an aviation sheetmetal manufacturer, and an asphalt resale company:  Read more

Ulster and Greene counties give out big bonuses

By Julia Reischel
7/13/10 - 11:05 am

Thanks to state Assemblyman and Attorney General hopeful Richard Brodsky, who has been demanding to know why quasi-public agencies have been handing out bonuses to their executives, we now know that Alexander Mathes, the executive director of the Greene County Industrial Development Agency, raked in a $175,000 bonus on top of his $130,000 salary last year.

According to the Daily Mail, Mathes says that he earned it:

The $175,000 he received in 2009 was based on his performance in 2008, and was by far his banner year. Earlier years he was awarded bonuses ranging from $15,000 in 2007 to $100,000 in 2006.

“This is a performance-based process,” Mathes said.

Brodsky's net caught some sinners in Ulster County, too, according to the Daily Freeman:  Read more

Syndicate content