The Orange County Industrial Development Agency is calling on the New York inspector general to remove state-appointed monitor Brian Sanvidge.
The monitor was put in place in 2024 following past improprieties involving the IDA.
The latest spat involving the development agency stemmed from Sanvidge vetoing a tax-break agreement between the IDA and the town of Wawayanda Amazon project in November.
The agreement would’ve granted Amazon $80 million in tax breaks, while building a 3.2 million-square-foot warehouse in Wawayanda. The project has already proven to be unpopular with some residents concerned about traffic and appearance.
Sanvidge said Amazon and the IDA refused to answer questions he had about the project and necessity for tax breaks. He said he vetoed the agreement after making repeated and unsuccessful attempts at getting answers.
In a letter to the inspector general, the IDA said that political pressure led to the veto. It also asserted the veto itself was not valid due to not following the proper time limits of coming to a decision.
Sanvidge said the IDA came to an agreement with him to extend the deadline for the decision while he investigated the tax-break agreement.
The inspector general’s office declined to comment.
Sanvidge called it insulting that the IDA would attack him and his integrity.
“It makes no sense at all why [the IDA would] refuse to have a meeting about choosing to spend taxpayers money, and not even answer the questions,” he said.
Sanvidge said he still hasn’t heard from the IDA or Amazon on the questions he posed about the economic impact and benefits of the project.
IDA board chair Jeffrey Crist released a statement, saying “we have lost all confidence that Mr. Sanvidge can oversee that process with independence and integrity.”
State Sen. James Skoufis, who pushed for the state monitor to be appointed and also called on him to veto the Amazon tax break, said the IDA keeps digging a hole for themselves.
“Instead of internalizing and reflecting on how the public and elected officials and the monitor continue to find wrong with their behavior and their actions, they keep digging,” Skoufis said. “They won’t put down the shovel.”
Sanvidge says that political pressure had nothing to do with his decision, adding that he heard from numerous stakeholders on both sides as to why the tax break should be approved or denied.
“The executive director is trying to have this all done in secrecy,” Sanvidge said. “We’re talking $110 million of taxpayer money and incentives. And the fact that there’s no transparency to that, I think, is unconscionable.”