EAST GREENBUSH — Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin is exercising his veto powers for the first time in his eight-year tenure.
Late last week, the Republican leader shot down a $1.9 million resolution that the GOP-controlled county Legislature had passed earlier this month to pay contractors for costs that accrued as a result of a seven-month-long stop-work order at Hudson Valley Community College in 2025.
In a Wednesday veto message to chamber Clerk Jessica Charette, McLaughlin said he doesn’t know why clearance work for the construction of the Applied Technology Education Center began without a work permit in February 2025, and questioned why the contractors should be paid for financial losses connected to a project that had not been authorized to start…