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In Notice Of Claim, Garvey Claims Attempted Illegal Donation Is Tied To Star Kay White of Congers; Ben Katzenstein Denies Any $60,000 Donation
Town Acknowledges Receipt of Notice of Claim; Calls Allegations Baseless
Infighting among Rockland County Republicans reached new heights this week, but it is unclear if recent claims made by Republican Chair Lawrence Garvey against Clarkstown officials are intended to clear the air for a soft landing or bring down the whole plane Kamikaze-style.
Garvey filed a Notice of Claim on Sept. 20 against Clarkstown Town Supervisor George Hoehmann, Clarkstown Town Attorney Kevin Conway, and Clarkstown Director of Finance Colin Schmitt, charging town officials retaliated against him for his role in attempting to derail what Garvey called an “illegal donation” to pay off outstanding debts from George Hoehmann’s 2023 re-election campaign.
The illegal donation allegedly came from Travel Line Inc, which Garvey says is connected to the Katzenstein family, owners of Star Kay White in Congers. But Ben Katzenstein forcefully denies ever making the donations Garvey cites.
“I have never heard of Travel Line, and further it has nothing to do with me or my businesses,” said Ben Katzenstein. “Neither I nor my businesses have ever made political donations to the New York State Republican Committee, not in the amount of $60,000 or otherwise.”
A public records search from New York State Board of Elections shows Katzenstein donated $175 in 2023 and $1,500 in 2020 to Citizens For Hoehmann.
Clarkstown officials also deny the allegations.
“The Town of Clarkstown is in receipt of Mr. Garvey’s filing, which is full of baseless claims, gross misstatements of fact and outright lies, and is clearly a desperate attempt to preserve his chairmanship of the Rockland County Republican Committee,” said Town Attorney Michael Burke. ” The Town vehemently denies all allegations and assertions made in Mr. Garvey’s rambling and unfounded missive and will pursue every available avenue to combat Mr. Garvey’s abuse of the legal process and seek appropriate relief.”
“I have never heard of Travel Line, and further it has nothing to do with me or my businesses,” said Ben Katzenstein.
These accusations, leaked to a Facebook page, come at the same time Garvey is defending a challenge in Rockland County Supreme Court alleging the bylaws of the Rockland County Republican Committee (RCRC) illegally prevent elected officials from serving on the RCRC’s Executive Committee, preventing other qualified Republicans from leadership positions at the RCRC, including running for Garvey’s seat as Chairperson. Garvey has pushed back in a motion to dismiss, saying RCRC is free to make rules for its Executive Committee and those rules cannot be reviewed by a court.
A hearing is set for Friday morning before Justice Keith Cornell.
In another lawsuit, Garvey is defending his firm against allegations of negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract stemming from his mishandling of a real estate transaction for County Legislator Walter Kennelly.
This infighting stems from what insiders call discontent with Garvey’s continued leadership role in the party, and a desire to open the field of eligible Republicans to replace him at the top of the party.
Garvey claims Hoehmann secured a donation from a “Mr. Katzenstein” but when the check arrived, Garvey claims he was unable to accept it because it was written from a corporate account and the donation exceeded the allowable limit for corporate donations. The beleaguered Republican Chairman says in his Notice of Claim he discovered months later the donation was funneled to the New York State Republican Committee. Garvey says he confronted Hoehmann, who originally denied the donation was made, but later acknowledged the payment and said it was going to be used to pay off his election debts.
Garvey says he contacted the New York State’s Republican Committee Executive Director Jason Weingartner and its counsel regarding the donation and advised them that there was an “illegal campaign scheme” afoot that amounted to “money laundering.” Garvey claims after a meeting with town officials, and Republican committee members, U.S. Congressman Mike Lawler contacted the New York State Republican Committee and directed it “not to send any money to George Hoehmann’s campaign account.”
At that time, Garvey alleges Town Attorney Conway “intimated” the legal work the town has been sending Garvey’s way could “be terminated from this type of disagreement.” In the past two years, Clarkstown has paid Garvey nearly $200,000 in legal compensation, according to FOILed records.
Garvey’s Notice says the March 2024 $60,000 donation was made to the state Republican Committee’s “Housekeeping Account” from Travel Line, Inc., a New York corporation with an address of 110 Brenner Avenue in Congers, the same address as Star Kay White. The company is owned by the Katzenstein family, a manufacturer of food flavoring and additives that owns several properties in Clarkstown. According to Garvey, Travel Line, Inc. is a “shell company with no real corporate presence or purpose that is owned or partly owned by Katzensteins.” However public records show that Travel Line Inc. is based in Brooklyn.
Garvey writes: “Travel Line Inc. appears to be a shell corporation with no legitimate activities in New York State. However, the address for Travel Line Inc. associated with the $60,000 donation is the same address as the Star Kay White Inc., 110 Brenner Avenue in Congers, NY. On information and belief, Star Kay White, Inc. is owned either partly or wholly by Mr. Katzenstein.”
Garvey charges the donation prompted Hoehmann to instruct the town’s Intergovernmental Relations Director Jeff Gilles to “communicate” the importance of Katzenstein’s project pending before the Town Planning Board and to secure a “quick approval.” A search of Clarkstown records does not show any current or recent Planning Board applications by Star Kay White. Its most recent appearance was in 2020.
According to the Notice of Claim, Lawler, who is running for re-election in Nov., read a letter to Garvey, in which Hoehmann was disparaging Garvey and asking Republican officials to consider having Lawler replace Garvey as Chair of the Rockland County Republican Party.
During an August meeting between Garvey and Lawler, Garvey claims Lawler raised the issue of Garvey’s part-time $81,000 a year legal arrangement with Rockland Green, the Solid Waste Management Authority, run by Haverstraw Town Supervisor Howard Phillips. Garvey said Lawler was delivering a message that boiled down to a veiled bargaining tactic: agree not to run for party chair and he could keep his job at Rockland Green. In this accusation, Garvey is suggesting that Hoehmann holds outsize power over hiring and firing decisions at Rockland Green.
Garvey claims he was disparaged and retaliated against. Legal work the Town of Clarkstown sent his way for the last eight years has dried up, he said.
Garvey is seeking $2 million in compensatory damages for defamation, defamation per se, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and violation of his civil rights under federal law.
RCBJ also reached out to State Executive Director Jason Weingartner for comment, who did not respond.
