NEW PALTZ – Former New Paltz School Board member Steven Greenfield says Ulster County Legislator Susan Zimet, a Democrat, is doing what the public “hates most about politics… offering her services, for a fee, as a lobbyist while holding elected office.”

Greenfield says he is running for the county legislature’s new District 17 seat in the fall as an independent candidate. With newly drawn district lines, it will represent the town of New Paltz outside the Village of New Paltz, and a portion of the adjoining Town of Esopus.

Greenfield claims what Zimet is doing is wrong.

“We also know that the Supreme Court in its infinite wisdom struck down the New York honest services law and said we, as citizens, don’t actually have the right to expect honest service from our elected officials and it’s really my belief that the voters do have a right to honest service from their elected officials and if it’s not going to be barred legally, then we are going to have to enforce that ourselves as voters,” he said.

Zimet, though, said she is a registered lobbying, but has never had a conflict between her Zimet Group firm and her legislative duties.

“In my contract it clearly states that I will abstain from anything that comes before the county legislature that could be perceived as a conflict, which has yet to happen,” she said. “My contract is public and is filed with the New York State Commission of Public Integrity. I have a long record of passing ethics legislation and I take the issue very seriously.”

Greenfield is a former school board member.   Zimet served as New Paltz town supervisor prior to her serving on the county legislature.