Roger Ailes There was standing room only at the historic Putnam Courthouse Tuesday evening for a marathon meeting of the Putnam County Legislature.

While the agenda contained items related to signing a contract with Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES over its use of the Tilly Foster Farm and a request to approve four locations for cell towers in Mahopac, Carmel, Putnam Valley and Southeast, the matter which fueled the most discussion centered on the approval of a lease agreement between Butterfield Realty and the county for 6,000 square feet of space at the Lahey Pavilion in Cold Spring for a new senior center. The Legislature also was to authorize the county executive to execute a charitable donation agreement between ACI Senior Development Corp. and the county, providing for the entity to contribute to Putnam the needed renovations of the leased premises.

ACI is the nonprofit set up by Elizabeth and Roger Ailes of Garrison. The family intended to donate $500,000, in the form of the finished renovations to the county, to bring a new senior center to pass in Philipstown after years of delay. Mr. Ailes is the founder of Fox News, and until July 21 was its chairman and CEO. Earlier in the month, an employee whose contract was not renewed, Gretchen Carlson, filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Ailes.

County Legislators voted Tuesday evening to table the lease agreement for a new senior center at the Butterfield site. The center would be at the Lahey Pavilion, just behind the new construction on Route 9D. Chris Layton Ailes has been under vicious attack since then, though he has not yet been able to speak to defend himself. His attorney, Susan Estrich, is a nationally prominent expert on women’s issues and former campaign manager to Michael Dukakis for his presidential run. Estrich said there has been a rush to judgment.

In a statement that’s drawn little attention elsewhere, Estrich said, “I believe in the rule of law and based on my review, the law and facts in the Carlson case are a clear defense. I don’t start with the premise that Roger is guilty because I have known him well for 26 years and the man described by the media is simply not the man I know. I don’t think anyone in the business has done more to promote the careers of women than Roger. No one I know in my long tenure at Fox has ever seen Roger treat women with anything but respect. The surprise is not that I’m standing up for him: so are a noted judge, and prosecutors and a former defense attorney and almost every other woman at Fox News. Normally, a lawyer does not comment on her own cases, but where there is a smear campaign in full force going back decades, the individual gets defamed long before he or she has had an opportunity to defend himself. And that’s not fair, whether it is happening to a woman or a man.”

Tuesday evening, the campaign came to Putnam County, as some 100 people attacked Ailes, the county, Guillaro and Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra of Philipstown. At end, it was clear that some are willing to start over on the senior center and reject the donation entirely. Legislator Dini LoBue, a longtime critic of almost everything proposed by County Executive MaryEllen Odell, chimed in: “Let’s go back to the beginning. We don’t have to accept this money after all.” In a political move that ended up coloring the debate, LoBue advocated that the Legislature change its normal practice of allowing comment at full meetings only at the end of the sessions, and instead take comments during the discussion. Other lawmakers assented.

Ultimately, the vote to table was unanimous.

Legislator Carl Albano, chairman of the Physical Services Committee, had moved to table the resolution, after petitions signed by more than 400 residents of the greater Philipstown area were presented objecting to the agreement and the naming of the center recognizing Ailes. The name was to be recognized inside the new center; the building itself remains the Lahey Pavilion at the request of the Ailes Family.

When presenting the petitions, Laura Kaufman of Cold Spring charged that the “backers expect county residents to carry the greatest share of this project. The contract as it now reads will place the county at risk.”

Mr. Ailes, who was not in attendance to defend himself, came under hostile fire when speaker after speaker criticized him. One woman charged: “The name of Roger Ailes is not appropriate or acceptable for a senior center.”

Another demanded that the county “name the center in memory of someone who has passed away.”

Lithgow Osborne of Garrison, who has run unsuccessfully as a Democrat for both the Legislature and county clerk, described Ailes as a “carpetbagger. His money offering is an insult to all women of our county. We must hold off the naming until allegations against the man are either proven to be true or false.”

More comments were heard during the three hour 45 minute session.

One woman charged: “The man is giving $500,000 to buy his way to heaven” while screamed and held up signs.

Others like Stephanie Hawkins, Matt Francisco and Nancy Montgomery, the Philipstown councilwoman, continued the barrage attacking Legislator Barbara Scuccimarra as well. Hawkins and Francisco are both former Village of Cold Spring trustees, and Hawkins is married to current Mayor Dave Merandy. All are long opponents of the Butterfield project.

State Assemblywoman Sandy Galef also attended the meeting and told the lawmakers that a $250,000 state grant promised for the project was now in jeopardy. Galef said she “loved senior centers and I support them every chance I can get but I am concerned with this contract and will now have to talk with the State Dormitory Authority and the Speaker of the Assembly to determine if we can continue to rely on this money.”

Legislator Albano said the county wants to “have a presence on the western side of the county. Our intentions were genuine from the beginning and continue to be so.”

Legislature Chairwoman Ginny Nacerino told the overflow audience: “We share your concern. The naming occurred before the issue came to light.”

As the discussion ended, Legislator Roger Gross stood up for his colleague from Garrison: “Barbara Scuccimarra has worked diligently and hard over the past few years. She is your friend. The comments made by so many here tonight were despicable.”

Scuccimarra said nothing during the lengthy discourse and repeated attacks on her integrity but following the meeting she told this reporter: “I stand by my record. I am proud of what I accomplished. My only agenda is for the seniors of western Putnam County. These are the people I am looking out for. I am very proud of everything I have done.”

Meanwhile, last week, the Cold Spring Planning Board had passed the last piece of the Butterfield senior center. Normally, that would have brought to a close the drama over the relocation of three tenants at the Butterfield development. At Thursday night’s meeting in Cold Spring, planning chair Matt Francisco said that the board did not have a printed site plan – which was supposed to be delivered by developer Paul Guillaro’s office. The board chose to forge ahead and sign off on the project. The planners made some complimentary comments on the work that Guillaro’s team put into the plan. Judith Kepner Rose said there were many “little annoying things” that were cleaned up. Francisco said that it looked to him that Guillaro complied with what the board was seeking.

Planner Arne Saari made the motion that the board authorize that the chairman sign off on the amended site plan. Planner Dave Marion seconded and the motion was unanimously accepted. Francisco said the board will need to see an executed lease from the county that insures parking for a hundred percent of the programs for the full term of the lease for a building permit.

Of course, that’s all been thrown into question as a result of Tuesday’s action at the Legislature.

And, in a sign of the coordination among critics of the Ailes family and the PCNR, while Hawkins was at the county Legislative meeting in Carmel, her husband Dave Merandy went on a 10-minute rant against the PCNR, editor-in-chief Douglas Cunningham and some of its staff at the close of the Village of Cold Spring trustees’ meeting Tuesday.

The PCNR is owned and published by Elizabeth Ailes.

Merandy claimed, among other things, that the PCNR had been a divisive force, and in particular attacked the editor’s Cunningham’s Corner column.

Cunningham said afterward he was pleased to know that Merandy can read and liked his column so much.

When reached for comment this morning, Mr. and Mrs. Ailes said the government approvals to make the senior center in Philipstown a reality took longer than World War II. They indicated several charities had reached out to them about the half million dollars. The family said they had hoped to help the senior citizens in Philipstown but it is clear for political reasons their funding is not welcome. Therefore they are withdrawing the money, cancelling the contribution agreement and assigning the money to another one of their charities who can put it to use immediately. They wish all seniors, even those who came out against them, the very best.

Eli Greenberg of Schwartz Sladkus Reich Greenberg Atlas who crafted the agreement and negotiated the unique public-private partnership said, "The only losers in this whole fiasco are the seniors. A beautiful center could have been built but that is now probably many years away, if ever.  Elizabeth and Roger were not only donating a substantial amount of money but putting time, effort and risk to get this done right."

Tim Greco and Douglas Cunningham contributed to this report.

View Dave Merandy's statements from the Village Board at the end of the video here.