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PEEKSKILL, N.Y. -- Members of American Legion Post 274 will have to wait a while longer to get their post building at 936 McKinley St. renovated.
An $18,000 appropriation by State Sen. Greg Ball (R-Patterson) has fallen through after being line-item vetoed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last week before the state budget was adopted.
Ball donated the money to American Legion Post last month in order to help to help fix the foundation of its post headquarters and complete other needed building repairs.
The funds never should have been removed from the budget at all, according to Ball's Chief of Staff Jim Coleman.
"These were unencumbered dollars from years past, are not new dollars, and shouldn’t have been vetoed in the first place," Coleman said. "Nobody works harder than Greg Ball to deliver for this district, and this organization and many others will all be helped, it will just take a little more time."
Coleman said that despite the elimination of funds from the budget the Senator will deliver on his promise to the American Legion.
“The funds for this organization and others, are solid and will be delivered," Coleman said. "The governor’s veto, while unfortunate, will not prevent this great organization from receiving the support they deserve."
However, Ball's Democratic opponent, Justin Wagner of Croton-on-Hudson, criticized Ball for giving the American Legion what amounts to a "bounced check.”
"The American Legion deserves our support. Because of Senator Ball's emphasis on self-promotion over getting things done, our veterans at the American Legion in Peekskill will now be without the funds that they were promised by Senator Ball at last month's press conference,” Wagner said.
Wagner said he would be participating in post's upcoming 5K fundraiser on June 9.
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