After spending a few weeks getting organized, County Executive Jen Metzger issued the first important statement of her career — an attack on Central Hudson.

Sound familiar? It should. Central Hudson was Metzger’s whipping boy for most of her successful campaign last year, and with good reason. Central Hudson had screwed up its billing system, costing customers untold millions, and doesn’t seem to have a clue on how to fix it.

And Metzger was not alone; piling on was just about every leading Democrat. But in the end, what was accomplished? Assemblywoman Sarahana Shrestha, typically the most radical, called for Central Hudson to be taken over by the government and operated as a public utility. No one has computed that cost, least of all the assemblywoman, but here’s a close guess. Fortis, a Canadian utility conglomerate, bought Central Hudson in 2013 for $1.5 billion in cash while assuming half a billion in debt, according to company reports.

Metzger offers a different idea. Charge whatever costs there might be to fix its busted billing system not to ratepayers, but to Central Hudson. Since I’m not a stockholder, that sounds attractive, but wait.

Central Hudson, like most utilities, pays a decent dividend, currently just over 4 percent, with some upside growth. Most investment advisors would call this a safe, conservative long-term investment. Even with a lousy billing system. The mere threat of compromising that dividend would drive down stock prices and discourage future investors. At some point, ratepayers would be affected.

I think what I’m getting at here is that if all the government’s horses and all the government’s men and women, for all their demonizing of our local utility, have yet to produce any relief, how about some fresh, new ideas?

There is this troubling thought. Who would you call to restore power in the event of an outage, Central Hudson or Jen Metzger?

The Mighty Michelle

It wasn’t all those professional politicians applauding on stage at state Sen. Michelle Hinchey’s second inaugural in Saugerties last week, but the hundreds and hundreds of constituents in the crowd at a former village warehouse that was most impressive.

Two years ago, Hinchey, except for her famous name, was a virtual unknown. Having broken through on her late father’s coattails and after an impressive first term, which included Hyde Park powerhouse Sue Serino in last year’s Senate face-off, she is, in political parlance, one hot ticket.

Where she goes, nobody knows; time and circumstance will determine that. But my sense is, at just 35, she won’t be spending 18 years in the state legislature like her father did.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, in a burst of enthusiasm, hung that “Mighty Michelle” tag on her and I hope it doesn’t stick. Sounds too much like a cartoon mouse and M.H. (her father’s initials) ain’t nobody’s mouse.

Saugerties Conservative Party Chairman George Heidcamp, a retired town police officer, had his take on Schumer/Hinchey. “The wonder is Michelle didn’t get hurt standing between Chuck Schumer and a microphone,” he said. Good line, George, but it’s an old Washington joke.

There are some noteworthy ironies in the Hinchey/Schumer history. Maurice Hinchey served briefly in the Assembly with Schumer before the latter went to Congress and then the Senate. Hinchey wasn’t particularly fond of Schumer’s views on foreign policy, particularly the war in Iraq. I can still remember him sitting there at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast glaring into his scrambled eggs, as guest speaker Schumer ran on in glowing terms of Bush’s war.

Don’t Take Money From Strangers

It’s not unusual for fat-cat top of the ticket candidates to drop a few bucks on down-ballot running mates. But Republican George Santos of Long Island donating an undisclosed sum to fellow New York State running mate Marc Molinaro in faraway Red Hook would seem unusual. And for Molinaro, embarrassing.

This tidbit was dropped over the weekend as Santos faced more charges of misrepresenting his candidacy in last year’s congressional elections. We’re not going to get into the awfulness concerning the veteran’s ailing dog, but of particular interest is where and from whom Santos got the $700,000 he loaned his campaign and what he did with it. Some of it seems went up the river. Like Santos’ constituents, it’s doubtful if Molinaro had any idea of what he might be getting into by accepting these donations.

Molinaro made up for what was an unforced error by denouncing Santos and calling for his resignation, one of only three New York congressmembers to do so. He dd not mention the Santos donation in that press release.

A faceless Molinaro spokesperson did nothing to put this mess behind his boss by advising reporters that he had nothing to say on the matter.

Really? Caught up in a stinky Washington scandal is no way to start a congressional career.

Come clean, Marc. Tell your constituents how much you got from Santos and when — like now — you intend to give it back.

Who’s This Guy?

I don’t have much to say about Jarrid Blades, a recently announced candidate for the Democratic Party nomination for district attorney, except he seems to know enough to announce on a slow news day.

His résumé includes some duty as an assistant prosecutor and as chief civil administrator in the sheriff’s office. According to that résumé, the candidate graduated Syracuse Law School either five or six years ago, which even as a late starter, would put him in his late 20s. I’m all for promoting youth, but a 29-year-old district attorney?

I won’t rehash recent redundant DA politics, except to say if incumbent Democrat Dave Clegg doesn’t make a decision soon on running this fall, his party will start looking for someone else in earnest. I’m all ears.

Me And Mario

The inseparable duo will be separated by some 1,700 miles of bad road Friday morning, what with co-host Mario Catalano basking in Florida — house guests will watch over his estate — while I cool it in Kingston. Showtime will be as usual at 7 a.m. on WGHQ, ending at 9.

We’ll began our third year on air and my, how things have changed. Please tune in, 920 on your AM dial. (If your crystal set is busted, you can listen live online via Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user173056939)