This coming Tuesday, January 7, the legislature will have its 2020 organization meeting and select a chair. The Republicans have a majority and thus will select one of their own, likely to be Legislator Gregg Pulver of Pine Plains.

Over the past two years, Pulver has served as Chair and has a track record of acting in a blatantly partisan manner, blocking the consideration of legislation objectionable to him, his party and County Executive Marc Molinaro.

Laws meant to increase transparency, prevent corruption and hold drug manufacturers responsible for their opioid distribution sins were all blocked from being discussed in committee or in front of the full board.

Pulver put forward important legislation without working across the aisle, resulting in embarrassing and sloppy proposals like the loophole-ridden disclosure law that had to be amended on the floor. And he stalled consideration of Independent Redistricting to avoid having it on the 2019 ballot, leaving it open to repeal in 2020.

All of which I am sure he is proud of. In essence, he was doing his job and that’s why he’ll be elected chair again.

Pulver’s empty promises of bipartisanship and working across the aisle were broken and he has lost any credibility on that topic.

But Pulver’s decision to block a ban on the torture that is conversion therapy on minors was beyond the pale. While it was later banned by the state legislature in a near unanimous vote, Pulver refused to allow us consider the law, afraid of putting his caucus on the record in favor of or against the heinous practice.

Unbelievably, some of my fellow Democrats are still considering voting for Pulver in the hopes he will change his stripes. What they fail to accept is that he can only do what his fellow Trump Republicans and Molinaro allow him to do.

Contact your legislator and urge them to vote against Pulver on Monday.