We don’t really like to devote our editorial space to our county seat, which is well-served by other newspapers including our sister publication the Kingston Wire. But now, for the second week in a row, we have real questions about affairs out in the city.

The story, briefly, is this: the office of County Executive Jen Metzger released a press release announcing that a surveillance camera was found in a bush at UCAT headquarters, pointed at the door of a bus garage. The camera was identified as belonging to none other than County Comptroller March Gallagher, because, unaccountably for undercover work, she put her name and phone number on it.

Metzger, with the support of the county legislature chair and majority and minority leaders, scolded Gallagher. “Employees have a right to do their jobs without being secretly recorded,” Metzger’s statement read, “and any surveillance conducted without their knowledge or consent is unacceptable.”

Later that afternoon, Gallagher shot back with her own press release. Gallagher didn’t deny placing the camera, but she said it was there as part of an investigation into “multiple credible allegations” of “the falsification of time records by management” at UCAT. She also said the powers granted unto her as comptroller allowed her to do this as part of “the scope of our independent investigative and audit authority.”

Do you remember in Breaking Bad, when Walt confronts Hank in the garage after finding a bug on his car? It all had that kind of feel.

So, what now? Where do things lay?

The comptroller position – which is an elected post, not something that is appointed by the exec or legislature, was pretty much created for this kind of thing. The job is to audit the other departments and oversee the financial workings of the county. Our own Elliott Auerbach held the post from 2009 to 2019, and when he left the job for a state position, his new boss Thomas DiNapoli summarized his years as county comptroller as time spent “aggressively pursu[ing] fraud and waste in county operations.”

It may be unsavory, but cracking down on time theft is certainly within the bounds of the job.

Sheriff Juan Figueroa told media that there was “no criminality” in her setting up the camera as it was part of an investigation, but those words were carefully chosen. “No criminality” means there’s nothing in the penal code forbidding it. It does not mean she was right to do it, or that those surveilled don’t have grounds to sue Gallagher in civil court.

There is also a political angle to consider. Metzger and Gallagher have a history of conducting their disputes in public, and county observers believe that both Figueroa and DA Manny Nneji are closer to Metzger than Gallagher. Was that why Gallagher apparently didn’t tell either the sheriff or the district attorney what she was doing?

Why did Metzger choose to go public about it, rather than allowing the investigation to proceed? Was it an attempt to cut off another challenge from a political rival, her opponent in the last election?

Most importantly, does this mean the investigation is dead? What’s going on at UCAT?

The incident comes at a time when people’s sensitivity to surveillance is at an all-time high. We’re still uneasy about the drones overhead at the Borscht Belt Festival, and it’s become apparent that wherever we go, there’s the potential for us to be tracked by a Flock camera or other automated license plate readers. It’s also apparent that our tracking data can be misused, especially if we had a bad breakup with a cop. Many across America are furious about this. We’re with them.

Last week, county officials misrepresented the murder-suicide of Mindy and James Brugger as the tragic passing of two dedicated civil servants. When it came out that she was actually murdered by her husband before he killed himself (a revelation first kicked off by Gallagher, we note), a whole lot of people had to swim back from their early statements to decry domestic violence.

Now we have this unseemly little incident, once again pushing our county executive and county comptroller into defensive stances.

Like everybody else, we’re confused as all hell, but in the meantime, we’re looking for answers.