Ulster Politics

Merry Christmas

2009-12-23T22:49:00.002-05:00

RIP Dietrich Woerner

2009-12-15T10:49:00.001-05:00

The staff has learned of the passing of Dietrich Woerner. RIP Dietrich.

Palen Back? County Employees are Confused

2009-12-04T22:16:00.002-05:00

Has Ulster County Executive Mike Hein lost control of the County? Word on the street is that Dean Palen showed up at a H1N1 virus meeting in Ulster County that left Ulster County employees scratching their head. One employee was overheard saying "I thought that Palen didn't work for Ulster County anymore" What's going on Mr. Hein? Have you taken Dean Palen back? Dr. LaMar didn't work out? How about a Press Release from Vinny clarifying what Mr. Palen was doing that caused such confusion among County employees.

DEAR STUPID DAILY FREEMAN READER . . .

2009-11-29T21:40:00.001-05:00

DEAR STUPID DAILY FREEMAN READER . . .

That might as well have been the title of the editorial in the Freeman on Sunday, November 29, 2009. The Freeman lamented, whined, complained about the fact that we STUPID Ulster County voters (at least that’s what the Freeman apparently thinks and is not the position of Ulster Politics), dared elect Republicans in Ulster County.

The Freeman lamented, whined, and complained, that the biggest scandals of the last five years in Ulster County – the health department and the jail, were done on the Republican watch? WHAT????

For four of the last five years the DEMOCRATS have controlled Ulster County Government. For four of the last five years David Donaldson has sat in the Chair of the Ulster County Legislature doing nothing about the Health Department.

For four of the last five years Mike Hein has sat as the top administrative and executive post in Ulster County and it took him 3 ½ years to deal with the Health Department mess.

Stunningly, Elliot Auerbach’s report gives a complete pass to Michael Hein. Wasn’t Mr. Hein, during his run for Executive, claiming he was in charge, getting it done. For the Freeman to give a pass to Hein, while blaming Republicans – who have been out of power for 80% of the last five years, and then castigating the voters for electing Republicans is just disgusting.

Elliott, we can only say that if you were the County Executive, and Hein were Comptroller, his report would be beating the heck out of you. You would be his target as he planned his 2011 primary for county executive. You did a grave disservice to your constituents by not slamming this guy’s ineptitude. Elliott, don’t treat us the way the Freeman does. We are not stupid.

Dear readers, would you patronize a business whose owner called you stupid? Well if you are one of the overwhelming majority of voters this year who voted for Don Williams, or Nina Postupack, or Republican County Legislators, your local paper just called you stupid.

The good news, you can buy the Times Herald Record, or better yet, read tomorrow’s Freeman stories today at www.MidHudsonNews.com (most of the stories by “Mid Hudson News Network” are just reprints from the day before of MidHudsonNews.com) .

Anyway, smart readers (see, we don’t call our readers stupid), those are our thoughts for today. Now, do as your local paper commands you and go and think evil thoughts about Republicans.

Running Mate for Cuomo?

2009-11-16T09:33:00.002-05:00

New York Times
November 16, 2009

Cuomo Wants to Shape Ticket in Run for Governor, Advisers Say

By DANNY HAKIM

ALBANY — Quietly plotting his campaign for governor, Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo and his advisers have been discussing potential candidates to run alongside him, to present the most appealing Democratic ticket to the electorate, people with knowledge of those discussions said.

Mr. Cuomo has discussed candidates who would diversify the ticket, which, given the interest shown, has the potential to be dominated by Italian-American men, and he is said to be intrigued by William C. Thompson Jr., among others, as a candidate for state comptroller. Mr. Thompson, New York City’s comptroller, put up a surprisingly strong challenge to Michael R. Bloomberg in the race for mayor of New York, despite being outspent 14 to 1.

Adding a prominent African-American could help Mr. Cuomo soothe any resentment he sets off if Gov. David A. Paterson, the state’s first African-American governor, stays in the race and the two men battle for the party’s support at the state convention in the summer.

Mr. Cuomo is also trying to repair any lingering damage from his 2002 primary for the governor’s office with H. Carl McCall, then the state comptroller and the first black official elected statewide in New York.

Mr. Cuomo, who once ran the political operation of his father, Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, is known as an inveterate player of political chess who relishes moving pieces around to create hypothetical scenarios and matchups. Advisers to Mr. Cuomo spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks were supposed to be confidential; they cautioned that discussions about a potential Democratic ticket were preliminary. Neither Mr. Cuomo nor his aides have approached any potential candidates, and much could change depending on which Republicans run and whether Mr. Paterson stays in the race. The resurgence of Republicans in New York City’s suburbs in the recent election has also shifted the calculus.

Publicly, Mr. Cuomo continues to deflect questions about whether he will run for governor and a spokesman denied that strategizing over a ticket was taking place.

“There simply have been no talks or conversations of this sort within the Cuomo camp,” said John Milgrim, a spokesman for the attorney general.

Mr. Cuomo declined to comment for this article.

Of course, a candidate for governor, even one with poll numbers as high as Mr. Cuomo’s, would have only so much say in the makeup of a party’s ticket. Taking any overt steps to build a ticket would be a delicate process, because Mr. Cuomo is not likely to formally announce a candidacy anytime soon.

But given the lack of White House support for Governor Paterson and his diminished poll numbers, Democratic Party officials are proceeding under the assumption that Mr. Cuomo will run for governor and become the party’s standard bearer. Perhaps the strongest evidence of this expectation is the number of Democrats — more than half a dozen — who are mulling candidacies to replace Mr. Cuomo as attorney general.

Mr. Cuomo’s speeches are also beginning to take on a cast more like a governor’s, with a focus not on legal issues but on taxation and the ethical morass and dysfunction in Albany.
Taking an active role in shaping the Democratic ticket would also help Mr. Cuomo discourage or defeat other ambitious Democrats with whom he has strained relations. A run for comptroller by Mr. Thompson, for example, would provide an alternative to the incumbent, Thomas P. DiNapoli, a Long Island Democrat and former assemblyman and no favorite of Mr. Cuomo’s.
Mr. Cuomo has also praised Mr. Thompson for adopting a set of pension reforms for the city that were recommended by the attorney general’s office, steps that Mr. DiNapoli resisted.
Mr. Cuomo is also considering who might replace him as attorney general, and is favorably disposed to several women with experience as prosecutors. One is Kathleen Rice, the Nassau County district attorney. Last month, Mr. Cuomo traveled to Garden City, N.Y., to headline a fund-raiser for Ms. Rice at the Cradle of Aviation museum there, extolling her virtues before hundreds.

Mr. Cuomo also has high regard for Janet DiFiore, the district attorney of Westchester County, and Denise E. O’Donnell, a former federal prosecutor from Buffalo who is the Paterson administration’s top criminal justice official.

A possible upstate addition to the ticket is Rochester’s mayor, Robert Duffy, a popular former police chief, who some Democrats hope will run for lieutenant governor.

Whether these politicians are willing to jump into the statewide fray remains to be seen. Mr. Thompson, for instance, is likely to consider other options, including another run for mayor in 2013.

Jeff Simmons, a spokesman for Mr. Thompson, said “it is premature to comment on Bill Thompson’s future plans at this time.”

Ms. Rice, in an interview, said she was “completely focused on my job as D.A., but of course I am flattered people are noticing the innovative work we’ve done in Nassau.”

Mr. Duffy said, “I certainly am flattered that my name has been mentioned, but I wouldn’t want to comment on any speculation or rumor.”

Mancave Videos

2009-11-13T07:48:00.002-05:00

Mancave Videos

If you ever wanted to see what the wasting of taxpayer money looks like, watch this.

This should be a warning to any government employees.

If you are taking advantage of the system, you may get away with it for a long time, but when you get caught - you are finished.

Is it really worth it?

Federal Deficit his Record

2009-11-12T19:32:00.001-05:00

Federal Deficit Hits October Record of $176 Billion

Government Starts New Fiscal Year Deeply in the Red

By MATTHEW JAFFE

Nov. 12, 2009 —

The U.S. budget deficit for October surged to $176 billion, a record for the month, the Treasury Department announced today.

During the month, the government racked up $311 billion in outlays compared with $135 billion in receipts.

The October numbers mark the first month for the new fiscal year after the U.S. wrapped up the 2009 fiscal year that ended on September 30 with a record-high $1.4 trillion budget deficit due to increased government spending to stop the recession and the financial crisis. The final deficit for the 2009 fiscal year was equal to 10 percent of the nation's GDP, the highest shortfall relative to GDP since 1945, the final year of World War II.

The rising deficit has caused some concerns in Asia, where President Obama is set to start a weeklong trip. On his visit to the Pacific Rim the president will visit the United States' two largest foreign creditors China and Japan.

In recent months the country's soaring deficit has prompted fears that China and Japan might reduce their holdings of treasuries, but neither country has shown signs of a drawdown. The most recent numbers revealed that during August China decreased its holdings by $3 billion to $797 billion, while Japan raised its holdings by $6.5 billion to $731 billion.

Along with his stops in China and Japan the president will also visit Singapore and South Korea -- the four countries combined own 47 percent of America's foreign-held debt.

In an interview with CNBC conducted at the APEC summit in Singapore, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner vowed that the United States' fiscal situation will improve as the economy does so, too.

"As growth recovers and as the temporary support for the economy we had to put in place to solve the crisis, as that winds down then we'll be able to start to put our fiscal position on a path to a more sustainable position," he said. "That's important for the United States, important for global financial stability. Recovery is not going to be strong enough unless people are confident in that. And I think you can see -- again if you look at broad behavior over the last several months you see a lot of confidence in basic fundamental stability of the U.S. financial system and a lot of confidence in the quality of our financial stewardship."

The Treasury chief noted that as banks repay bailout money, the government can then use those repayments to reduce the public debt.

"We are likely to have to borrow substantially less than we initially anticipated to help repair the damage to our financial system," he said. "You've seen capital start to come back to the government. Banks are repaying with interest. We're likely to see significant repayments ahead. That's gonna allow us to devote greater resources to debt reduction."

New York State Must Cut Spending

2009-11-10T08:23:00.001-05:00

November 10, 2009

‘On the Brink,’ New York Must Cut, Paterson Says

By DANNY HAKIM

ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson took the rare step on Monday of addressing a joint session of the Legislature during its traditional off-season and used the speech to underscore New York’s deepening financial crisis.

Mr. Paterson repeatedly used stark language to describe the gravity of the state’s economic health as he prodded lawmakers to make cuts he has proposed to programs long considered sacrosanct. “I will mortgage my political career on this plan,” Mr. Paterson told lawmakers as he warned that New York was rapidly running out of cash to meet its obligations.

"We stand on the brink of a financial challenge of unprecedented magnitude in the history of this state,” he added. “This is a historic moment. We’re going to have to make historic decisions.”

The state’s budget crisis and the negotiations between the governor and lawmakers over how to confront it have raised a fundamental question: Can New York, which is more generous in its social welfare programs than any other state, afford to continue to finance its expansive health care safety net and generous education spending?

New York spends $2,283 per capita on Medicaid, far more than any other state and twice the national average, according to statistics compiled by the state budget division. Second is Rhode Island, which spends $1,659. The state also spends $14,884 per pupil on school aid, more than any other state and well above the national average of $9,138.

Mr. Paterson’s speech came a day before lawmakers will reconvene for an extraordinary session called by the governor to take up his proposed budget cuts and potentially other issues, including legislation to legalize same-sex unions and overhaul the state’s public authorities.

A growing number of budget experts believe that New York can no longer afford to spend so much in the wake of the economic crisis, rising unemployment, the collapse of the stock market and the travails on Wall Street — the state’s main fiscal engine. While the state faces a deficit of more than $3 billion for the remaining four and a half months of this fiscal year, the greater worries among state officials are the unprecedented deficits the state faces in 2011 and 2012, after the expiration of federal stimulus financing and a temporary tax increase on the wealthy.

“We’re going to fall off a cliff unless we get our revenues and our expenditures in true sync,” said Lt. Gov. Richard Ravitch, the administration’s point man in budget negotiations with the Legislature.

He said that the state could no longer rely on its usual strategy of turning to an array of short-term solutions or ask more of the state’s taxpayers, adding, “We’re at the outer limits of the elasticity of our tax system.”

The governor’s budget director, Robert L. Megna, met with top legislative staff members Monday to discuss the state’s long-term prospects, and after listening to an hour of gloomy projections and data, he was not encouraged.

“I didn’t think it was possible,” he said, “but I’m more depressed than when I walked in.”

Education and health care advocates have angrily opposed proposed cuts to Medicaid and school financing, the two largest parts of the state’s budget, and the powerful labor unions that dominate debate in the capital are determined to fight them. They have a ready ally in Senate Democrats, who have balked at the governor’s proposed cuts, making the prospect of any deals to address the state’s long-term problems uncertain.

“Our goal all along has been to close the gap without burdening New York State residents with additional taxes or service cuts, and to turn back midyear reductions to education and health care services,” the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Carl Kruger, said in a statement Monday morning. He added in an interview Monday that cutting education “is never the answer.”

The Senate’s plan relies on so-called one-shots that would do little to change the state’s underlying financial situation. While the governor’s spending plan includes significant midyear cuts in school aid along with Medicaid cuts, the Senate plan relies far more heavily on raiding funds from public authorities and would increase New York’s debt burden by restructuring the state’s tobacco bonds.

The Senate is also proposing to expand the hours that gambling is allowed in the state.

“If that’s all they do tomorrow, it would be terribly irresponsible,” said Elizabeth Lynam, deputy research director at the Citizens Budget Commission, a nonprofit organization. “It’s 75 percent one-shots.”

Education advocates on Monday did not rule out waging another court battle against the state if cuts are made to education.

“We’re taking a look at things, we’re thinking about what the ramifications of all these things are,” said Geri Palast, the executive director of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, an educational advocacy group that in 2006 settled a long-running lawsuit with the state over the distribution of school aid, particularly in New York City.

Billy Easton, executive director of the Alliance for Quality Education, another advocacy group, said “school aid has to be off limits because of the constitutional obligations that are going unmet.”

But a number of prominent Democratic politicians with liberal records said that cuts to education and health care were inevitable.

“To do nothing is not a solution,” said Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, a Long Island Democrat and former assemblyman. “The only way to try to get ahead of it, which we haven’t done for many months now, is to deal with the cuts. Everything has to be on the table.”

The comptroller’s office numbers are more pessimistic than those from Mr. Paterson’s budget office. They project that the deficit for the remainder of the current fiscal year stands at $4.1 billion, with deficits of $7.8 billion and $15.7 billion in the succeeding years.

Mr. Ravitch, who helped steer New York City through its financial crisis in the 1970s, said, “The numbers are real and my own personal view is that they’re going to get worse.”

Check here for election results Tuesday night

2009-11-02T17:39:00.002-05:00

Here is a link to the Board of Elections page where you will find election results Tuesday night.

BOARD OF ELECTIONS WEBSITE

Phil Terpening Passes

2009-10-22T14:13:00.005-04:00

From the Daily Freeman

KINGSTON – Ulster County Legislator Philip Terpening, D-Rosendale, collapsed and died Wednesday night during a candidates' forum in Esopus, Legislature Chairman David Donaldson, D-Kingston, said this morning.

Terpening, 63, was with fellow Legislator Alan Lomita, D-Rosendale, as Terpening debated a Republican challenger and collapsed.

Lomita knew Terpening for 20 years. Terpening was a Rosendale town supervisor before becoming a county legislator.

“He was dedicated public servant; one of the hardest working members of the Legislature,”Lomita said.

“He has always been there,” Donaldson said. “Phil didn’t do things because they were politically correct; he did them because they were right.”

Terpening,a retiree, was seeking election to a third two-year term as a legislator at the time of his death. He was running on the Democratic and Working Families line

He was a Rosendale town councilman from 1992 to 2002 and town supervisor from 2002-04.

From the Times Herald Record

PORT EWEN – Phil Terpening, a two-term county legislator and former town of Rosendale supervisor, collapsed during a candidates night and died Wednesday night.

Terpening was addressing residents at Birches at Esopus, a housing complex near the Ulster BOCES center on Route 9W, according to fellow legislator Alan Lomita.

Terpening had given his speech to the residents, sat down in the back of the room and collapsed about two minutes later, Lomita said. It was between 8 and 8:30 p.m., he said.
Wayne Freer, an Esopus town board member and emergency medical technician, and Freer’s wife, who is a nurse, immediately went to work to save Terpening, Lomita said.
They were able to recover a pulse in Terpening. A call to 911 brought more rescuers and Terpening was taken to Kingston Hospital where he died.

Terpening, a Democrat, was seeking his third two-year term as a county legislator. He was in his mid-60s, Lomita said.
“It puts everything in perspective,” Lomita said. He and fellow Democratic legislative candidate Deborah Silvestro has suspended campaigning out of respect for Terpening, also a Democrat. All were seeking election in District 7, the towns of Esopus and Rosendale. Terpening resided at 67 Charming Barn Road, Kingston.

New York State School Spending

2009-10-12T16:50:00.000-04:00

School Spend

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

2009-09-18T12:08:00.000-04:00

The Audacity of Hos

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Healthcare Protests

Ulster County Board of Elections Primary Results

2009-09-14T22:33:00.006-04:00

Click HERE to view the page for the election results.

When is it a "mistake" and when is it a lie to help a liberal?

2009-09-13T12:26:00.005-04:00

Today, the Daily Freeman is incorrectly (tell us you are surprised) reporting that

"In the city of Kingston’s First Ward, an opportunity to ballot has been forced by Andi Turco-Levin for the Republican nomination for the ward’s Common Council seat. Turco-Levin already has secured the Independence and Working Families party lines."

Let's set the record straight. Andi is a conservative Republican and has received the CONSERVATIVE and Independence Party lines - NOT the Working Families Line.

Using such language as the Republican primary was "forced" by a candidate who has the Working Families line is just inflammatory to Republican voters. One might even think that this article was designed to turn off Republican voters and get them to vote for someone else.

For those that do not know, Andi turned in her petitions to Republican headquarters and somehow they disappeared and did not make it to the Board of Elections. Andi was the only Republican in this race, and because her petitions disappeared, she lost the Republican line - that is what "forced" the primary.

Smells sort of fishy??? Why would the petitions for an uncontested Republican race for an Alderman disappear? And now there is an ultra-liberal left winger sending letters to Registered Republicans in Ward One asking them to write in her name for the Republican line. Now Paul Kirby at The Freeman is helping out by saying that Andi got the Working Families endorsement and that she "forced" this primary. That leads people to believe that Andi somehow was unable to secure the Republican line in the first place and that she is competing with another Republican for the line. Kirby tells readers that Andi got the WFP line.... that is code for "Republicans don't vote for her", because we all know that Republicans values are not consistent with the Working Families Party values.

Kirby how can you confuse a candidate getting the Conservative Line with the WFP line?

Al Teetsel, the current Ward One Republican Alderman needs to publicly denounce these "coicidences" and let the Republicans in his Ward know that the ONLY person running for his seat that is a Republican is Andi Turco-Levin. But since he probably won't do that, we are setting the record straight and hope that all City of Kingston Republicans will pick up the phone and call all other Republicans in Ward One and let them know of these "coincidences".

Oh yea, and Kirby - you need to fix this in Monday's Freeman. The Primary is Tuedsay.

Committees to make plans to make more plans

2009-09-07T23:24:00.005-04:00

Mike Hein and his administration are the kings of forming committees
to make plans to make plans.  When Hein first took office, he formed
an economic development committee.  That committee made plans
to make plans and then did nothing.   

Now we have more committees being formed.  The staff at Ulster
Politics projects that they will make plans to make plans.
We are planning on following this story.  We hope that you plan to follow it too.

September 07, 2009

KINGSTON - The Ulster County Development Corporation President Lance
Matteson has created two standing committees to address its most critical
priorities. 
The Business Development Committee will focus on expanding existing
businesses and attracting new ones while prioritizing the creation of more
truly "shovel-ready" sites. 

The Balanced Growth Committee will work with the UCDC team to engage and
inform the community and businesses about key projects that could have
significant, positive effects on the region's quality of life.

More Blogs, More Fun

2009-09-03T00:25:00.004-04:00

http://www.ulstercountycomptroller.blogspot.com/

http://ulsterisyourtowntoo.blogspot.com/

http://ulstertax.blogspot.com

Primary

2009-09-02T22:03:00.004-04:00

Tuesday, September 15, 2009 is Primary Election Day. The polls will be open from 12:00 noon to 9:00pm. There are many races that will be decided from Supervisor/Councilman in Woodstock to Republican, Conservative and Democratic City of Kingston Alderman. The biggest race in the County is for County Court Judge on the Independence Line between Don Williams and Deborah Schneer. There are primaries in 5 of the 12 Legislative Districts as well.

County Court Judge
Independence - All of Ulster County

County Legislator Races
Republican - District 1
Independence - District 5
Democrat - District 6
Independence - District 7
Republican - District 8
Conservative - District 8
Independence - District 8

City of Kingston Alderman
Republican - Ward 1
Conservative - Ward 8
Democrat - Ward 9

State Committee Member
Republican - Denning, Hardenburgh, Rochester

Supervisor and Councilman
Democrat - Woodstock

The Heat is On in District 8

2009-08-27T11:35:00.002-04:00

The hottest race in the County right now is County Legislative District 8. There are primaries for the Conservative, Independence and Republican lines for County Legislator. The candidates are campaigning hard. There are signs everywhere, mailings to the voters, letters to the editor in the newpapers, e-mails are flying between candidates and party officials - this is the race to watch.

Please post any updates that you have on the Distric 8 primary, or any of the other Countywide primaries. With only 19 days until the election, it's only going to get hotter.

New State GOP Chairman?

2009-08-15T01:05:00.004-04:00

TimesUnion.com
Capitol Confidential

Cox coming to Albany
August 14, 2009 at 3:08 pm by Rick Karlin

Ed Cox, who is seeking the state GOP Chairmanship is coming to Albany later this month.

Here’s the email going out to county Republicans:

Dear Friends:

You are cordially invited to join The City of Albany Republican Committee for the opening of our new campaign headquarters on Tuesday, August 25, 2009, from 6-8 p.m. The headquarters is located at 126 State Street, just across the street from the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Our special guest speaker will be Ed Cox, son-in-law of President Richard Nixon, and a leading contender for the chairmanship of the New York State Republican Party.

Mayoral candidate Nathan Lebron and City Treasurer candidate Mary Ann McGinn will also deliver remarks. Beverages and light fare will be served.

Suggested minimum donations of $50 per person to the “City of Albany Republican Committee” are encouraged. Please RSVP by sending your check no later than Friday, August 21, 2009 to: City of Albany Republicans, PO BOX 7177, Albany, NY 12224.

Walk-ins are welcome but please let us know if you plan on attending so we can make the appropriate arrangements.

All the best -

Dan Farrell, chairman
City of Albany GOP”

One interesting note here: Farrell said that Albany County GOP Chairman John Graziano was among those asking Cox to attend the event, even though he has at least been mentioned as a possible state chairman as well, in what’s shaping up to be a race to challenge Joe Mondello who has gotten more and more criticism over Republican electoral losses.

Govt. sees biggest revenue drop since 1932

2009-08-04T10:25:00.004-04:00

August 4, 2009

Government sees biggest revenue drop since 1932

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The recession is starving the government of tax revenue, just as the president and Congress are piling a major expansion of health care and other programs on the nation's plate and struggling to find money to pay the tab.

The numbers could hardly be more stark: Tax receipts are on pace to drop 18 percent this year, the biggest single-year decline since the Great Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion.

Other figures in an Associated Press analysis underscore the recession's impact: Individual income tax receipts are down 22 percent from a year ago. Corporate income taxes are down 57 percent. Social Security tax receipts could drop for only the second time since 1940, and Medicare taxes are on pace to drop for only the third time ever.

The last time the government's revenues were this bleak, the year was 1932 in the midst of the Depression.

"Our tax system is already inadequate to support the promises our government has made," said Eugene Steuerle, a former Treasury Department official in the Reagan administration who is now vice president of the Peter G. Peterson Foundation. "This just adds to the problem."

While much of Washington is focused on how to pay for new programs such as verhauling health care - at a cost of $1 trillion over the next decade - existing programs are feeling the pinch, too.

Social Security is in danger of running out of money earlier than the government projected just a few month ago. Highway, mass transit and airport projects are at risk because fuel and industry taxes are declining.

The national debt already exceeds $11 trillion. And bills just completed by the House would boost domestic agencies' spending by 11 percent in 2010 and military spending by 4 percent.

For this report, the AP analyzed annual tax receipts dating back to the inception of the federal income tax in 1913. Tax receipts for the 2009 budget year were available through June. They were compared to the same period last year. The budget year runs from October to September, meaning there will be three more months of receipts this year.

A small part of the drop in tax receipts can be attributed to new tax credits for individuals and corporations enacted in February as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package. The sheer magnitude of the tax decline, however, points to the deep recession that is reducing incomes,wiping out corporate profits and straining government programs.

Is there a way out of the financial mess?

A key factor is the economy's health. The future of current programs will depend largely on how fast the economy recovers from the recession, said William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center.

"The numbers for 2009 are striking, head-snapping. But what really matters is what happens next," said Gale, who previously taught economics at UCLA and was an adviser to President George H. W. Bush's Council of Economic Advisers.

"If it's just one year, then it's a remarkable thing, but it's totally manageable. If the economy doesn't recover soon, it doesn't matter what your social, economic and political agenda is. There's not going to be any revenue to pay for it."

A small part of the drop in tax receipts can be attributed to new tax credits for individuals and corporations enacted in February as part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package. The sheer magnitude of the tax decline, however, points to the deep recession that is reducing incomes, wiping out corporate profits and straining government programs.

Social Security tax receipts are down less than a percentage point from last year, but in May the government had been projecting a slight increase. At the time, the government's best estimate was that Social Security would start to pay out more money than it receives in taxes in 2016, and that the fund would be depleted in 2037 unless changes are enacted.

Some experts think the sour economy has made those numbers outdated.

"You could easily move that number up three or four years, then you're talking about 2013, and that's not very far off," said Kent Smetters, associate professor of insurance and risk management at the University of Pennsylvania.

The government's projections included best- and worst-case scenarios. Under the worst, Social Security would start to pay out more money than it received in taxes in 2013, and the fund would be depleted in 2029.

The fund's trustees are still confident the solvency dates are within the range of the worst-case scenario, said Jason Fichtner, the Social Security Administration's acting deputy commissioner.

"We're not outside our boundaries yet," Fichtner said. "As the recovery comes, we'll see how that plays out."

The recession's toll on Social Security makes it even more urgent for Congress to address the fund's long-term solvency, said Sen. Herb Kohl,D-Wis., chairman of the Senate Aging Committee.

"Over the past year, millions of older Americans have watched their retirement savings crumble, making the guaranteed income of Social Security more important than ever," Kohl said.

President Barack Obama has said he wants to tackle Social Security next year, after he clears an already crowded agenda that includes overhauling health care, addressing climate change and imposing new regulations on financial companies.

Medicare tax receipts are also down less than a percentage point for the year, pretty close to government projections. Medicare started paying out more money than it received last year.

Meanwhile, the recession is taking a toll on fuel and industry excise taxes that pay for highway, mass transit and airport projects. Fuel taxes that support road construction and mass transit projects are on pace to fall for the second straight year. Receipts from taxes on jet fuel and airline tickets are also dropping, meaning Congress will have to borrow more money to fund airport projects and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Last week, Congress voted to spend $7 billion to replenish the highway fund, which would otherwise run out of money in August. Congress spent $8 billion to replenish the fund last year.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees fuel taxes, is working on a package to make the fund more self-sufficient. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which doesn't back many tax increases, supports increasing the federal gasoline tax, currently 18.4 cents per gallon.

Neal said he hasn't endorsed a specific plan. But, he added, "You can't keep
going back to the general fund."

_____

2009-08-04T10:23:00.000-04:00

August 4, 2009

Government sees biggest revenue drop since 1932

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The recession is starving the government of tax revenue, just
as the president and Congress are piling a major expansion of health care
and other programs on the nation's plate and struggling to find money to pay
the tab.

The numbers could hardly be more stark: Tax receipts are on pace to drop 18
percent this year, the biggest |single-year decline since the Great
Depression, while the federal deficit balloons to a record $1.8 trillion.

Other figures in an Associated Press analysis underscore the recession's
impact: Individual income tax |receipts are down 22 percent from a year ago.
Corporate income taxes are down 57 percent. Social Security tax receipts
could drop for only the second time since 1940, and Medicare taxes are on
pace to drop for only the third time ever.

The last time the government's revenues were this bleak, the year was 1932
in the midst of the Depression.

"Our tax system is already inadequate to support the promises our government
has made," said Eugene Steuerle, a former Treasury Department official in
the Reagan administration who is now vice president of the Peter |G.
Peterson Foundation. "This just adds to the problem."

While much of Washington is focused on how to pay for new programs such as
overhauling health care - at a cost of $1 trillion over the next decade -
existing programs are feeling the pinch, too.

Social Security is in danger of running out of money earlier than the
government projected just a few month ago. Highway, mass transit and airport
projects are at risk because fuel and industry taxes are declining.

The national debt already exceeds $11 trillion. And bills just completed by
the House would boost domestic agencies' spending by 11 percent in 2010 and
military spending by 4 percent.

For this report, the AP analyzed annual tax receipts dating back to the
inception of the federal income tax in 1913. Tax receipts for the 2009
budget year were available through June. They were compared to the same
period last year. The budget year runs from October to September, meaning
there will be three more months of receipts this year.

A small part of the drop in tax receipts can be attributed to new tax
credits for individuals and corporations enacted in February as part of the
$787 billion economic stimulus package. The sheer magnitude of the tax
decline, however, points to the deep recession that is reducing incomes,
wiping out corporate profits and straining government programs.

Is there a way out of the financial mess?

A key factor is the economy's health. The future of current programs will
depend largely on how fast the economy recovers from the recession, said
William Gale, co-director of the Tax Policy Center.

"The numbers for 2009 are striking, head-snapping. But what really matters
is what happens next," said Gale, who previously taught economics at UCLA
and was an adviser to President George H. W. Bush's Council of Economic
Advisers.

"If it's just one year, then it's a remarkable thing, but it's totally
manageable. If the economy doesn't recover soon, it doesn't matter what your
social, economic and political agenda is. There's not going to be any
revenue to pay for it."

A small part of the drop in tax receipts can be attributed to new tax
credits for individuals and corporations enacted in February as part of the
$787 billion economic stimulus package. The sheer magnitude of the tax
decline, however, points to the deep recession that is reducing incomes,
wiping out corporate profits and straining government programs.

Social Security tax receipts are down less than a percentage point from last
year, but in May the government had been projecting a slight increase. At
the time, the government's best estimate was that Social Security would
start to pay out more money than it receives in taxes in 2016, and that the
fund would be depleted in 2037 unless changes are enacted.

Some experts think the sour economy has made those numbers outdated.

"You could easily move that number up three or four years, then you're
talking about 2013, and that's not very far off," said Kent Smetters,
associate professor of insurance and risk management at the University of
Pennsylvania.

The government's projections included best- and worst-case scenarios. Under
the worst, Social Security would start to pay out more money than it
received in taxes in 2013, and the fund would be depleted in 2029.

The fund's trustees are still confident the solvency dates are within the
range of the worst-case scenario, said Jason Fichtner, the Social Security
Administration's acting deputy commissioner.

"We're not outside our boundaries yet," Fichtner said. "As the recovery
comes, we'll see how that plays out."

The recession's toll on Social Security makes it even more urgent for
Congress to address the fund's long-term solvency, said Sen. Herb Kohl,
D-Wis., chairman of the Senate Aging Committee.

"Over the past year, millions of older Americans have watched their
retirement savings crumble, making the guaranteed income of Social Security
more important than ever," Kohl said.

President Barack Obama has said he wants to tackle Social Security next
year, after he clears an already crowded agenda that includes overhauling
health care, addressing climate change and imposing new regulations on
financial companies.

Medicare tax receipts are also down less than a percentage point for the
year, pretty close to government projections. Medicare started paying out
more money than it received last year.

Meanwhile, the recession is taking a toll on fuel and industry excise taxes
that pay for highway, mass transit and airport projects. Fuel taxes that
support road construction and mass transit projects are on pace to fall for
the second straight year. Receipts from taxes on jet fuel and airline
tickets are also dropping, meaning Congress will have to borrow more money
to fund airport projects and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Last week, Congress voted to spend $7 billion to replenish the highway fund,
which would otherwise run out of money in August. Congress spent $8 billion
to replenish the fund last year.

Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House subcommittee that oversees
fuel taxes, is working on a package to make the fund more self-sufficient.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which doesn't back many tax increases,
supports increasing the federal gasoline tax, currently 18.4 cents per
gallon.

Neal said he hasn't endorsed a specific plan. But, he added, "You can't keep
going back to the general fund."

_____

Senate Democrats increase staffers' pay

2009-07-30T15:52:00.000-04:00

Senate Democrats increase staffers’ pay
By Matthew Spina
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
Updated: March 29, 2009, 9:05 AM /

The victors are taking their spoils.

Despite the budget crisis, during which state leaders are angling to pull more money from taxpayers and perhaps lay off thousands of state workers, the Democrats who captured the state Senate have lavished raises on their staffs.

Take Western New York’s two Democratic senators, for example.

Key aides to Sen. William T. Stachowski of Lake View are collecting raises of 40 to 55 percent, while some aides to Sen. Antoine M. Thompson of Buffalo are seeing raises of 20 percent or better. And a couple of Thompson’s aides have doubled their salaries because they reached full-time status.

The recession hasn’t pinched the Senate Democrats, who say they have taken a bigger share of the duties and therefore expect to pay their people accordingly.

“Being in the minority, we were on a shoestring budget,” Thompson said of those times before 2009, when Republicans controlled the Senate and Democrats were, under Albany’s feudal system, treated as less than equal.

The Democrats then were limited to about $250,000 a year in staff salaries.

Thompson’s staff, as designed now, is on track to consume $380,000 in the fiscal year that starts Wednesday. That figure doesn’t include the $330,000 going to the staff of the Environmental Conservation Committee he leads.

Republican payrolls, meanwhile, will be on the decline. According to a Senate spokesman, Democrats intend to spend less running the Senate in the coming fiscal year than the Republicans budgeted for the current year.

And yet all senators have the same number of constituents.

So why are power and resources allocated based on their intensely partisan spoils system?

“In terms of pure resources, it isn’t fair to allocate them based on partisanship, or even seniority,” said Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group, who has been watching Albany operate for years.

He said legislators with more responsibilities should receive the resources they need to do their jobs. But as for a legislator’s basic functions, resources should be parceled out equally.

“We don’t buy ‘To the victor goes the spoils,’ ” he said. “Taxpayers pay for the service. And they all deserve the same service.”

Thompson said Democrats are treating the Republicans better than the Republicans treated them in the past. Republican senators in the coming budget year will get to spend a total $350,000 on staff salaries, $100,000 more than they previously allowed the Democrats.

In addition, months ago Democrats struck a deal to let the GOP keep all of its employees working up to March 31, the end of the current fiscal year. That way, workers facing layoffs would have time to find jobs.

Thompson’s deputy chief of staff, Joann Cole, has seen a pay raise of 21 percent, to $50,000 a year, according to Senate records.

Linda Walker, director of Thompson’s Niagara County operation, has moved from three-quarter-time status to full-time and as a result has seen her pay go up by 24 percent, to $45,000.

Stachowski’s staff will collect raises too. The senator says he’s now able to pay his people fairly — after years of forced sacrifice at Republican hands.

Members of the Democratic majority and their aides are a lot busier now that they are in control, the senator said.

“I was not giving raises; I was giving compensation that recognizes the extra workload they have,” Stachowski said of his employees. “They have more meetings, more letters to answer. More of everything.”

But employees everywhere are sacrificing in the current economy. Can’t Senate employees do the same?

“I am just hoping to compensate people rightly,” Stachowski said.

Diane Bukowski, the senator’s scheduler and general assistant, received a 40 percent raise and now earns $70,000 a year.

Stachowski’s chief of staff for the Albany office, Kathleen Nolan, now makes 17 percent more, or $55,000.

The pay for his communications specialist, Robert Koshinski, rose 55 percent, to $70,000.

The pay for the overall chief of staff, Dennis Kozuch, rose 23 percent, to $80,000.

Stachowski can also spend $245,000 a year on salaries for his committee on Commerce, Economic Development and Small Business.

While Democratic salaries are shooting up in the Senate, Republican senators for the last few months have had bigger office staffs and many better-paid workers. That will be coming to an end with the end of the fiscal year on Tuesday.

Sen. Dale M. Volker’s legislative attorney, John Drexelius, earns almost $107,000 a year and appears to be the best-paid Senate staffer from the local delegation, according to Senate records. And, Harry Wahl, a force in Volker’s re-election victory last year, is on the payroll at about $80,000.

"Just Tax".... Lady Gaga parody of "Just Dance"

2009-07-21T23:02:00.000-04:00

Ulster County has 1st swine flu death

2009-07-16T23:08:00.001-04:00

Associated Press - July 16, 2009 6:55 PM ET

KINGSTON, N.Y. (AP) - The Ulster County Health Department says the county has recorded its first swine flu fatality.

County Executive Mike Hein said in a prepared statement that the patient was a man from Saugerties who had been hospitalized for multiple other medical conditions. He died Wednesday night.

The death was the ninth confirmed case of swine flu in Ulster County.

The state Health Department says the state had 2,253 confirmed cases of swine flu as of July 3, the most recent state figures available. More than half of those were in New York City.

Pin Drop

2009-07-15T11:22:00.009-04:00

The staff at Ulster Politics can't help but notice how quiet it is on the blogs. It's so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Yes, that's a picture of a needle, but let's just pretend it's a pin. It's not that there isn't anything going on. There are a ton of battles being waged all over Ulster County right now as the deadline to submit petitions on Thursday approaches. Some people (like the average voter) are completely oblivious to what is going on, others who understand the process have gathered their needed signatures and are going about their normal life, some are still frantically out there getting signatures for one reason or another and then there are the Political junkies , who are waiting for Thursday at 5pm, like a lotto junkie waits for Yolanda Vega to pick the winning numbers.

HERE AND THERE

The Mike Madsen / Frank Dart story continues to have legs. Now Dart is claiming vandalism in today's Freeman that he believes is retaliation for the story. Hugh Reynolds devoted 3/4 of his column to the Madsen/Dart story in the Kingston Times. It's been the top story on Rich Cahill's blog for weeks now. Here's the bottom line. It's time to move on. There is nothing new to add to this story. Frank Dart got his wish, the public has been informed about what Madsen did. There is nothing else to add, so everyone should move on, and that's what we are doing to do.

The Conservatives. Usually, the Conservative endorsement is a slam dunk for most Republicans. It's a natural fit given the platforms of each party. Democrats who are true to their party's philosophy usually reject the Conservative endorsement. However, in today's world, the Conservative Party has been hijacked by people who don't care about philosophy. Some of the hotbeds of Conservative hijacking by Democrats are in the Town of Lloyd and in the Town of Wawarsing. Paging Jen Fuentes to Lloyd and Wawarsing, Paging Jen Fuentes to Lloyd and Wawarsing! We have Democrats taking the Conservative endorsement. No WF for you Lloyd and Wawarsing! That being said, given the Democratic hijacking of the Conservative Party (remember Vince Bradley 2007), it was in no way a slam dunk and a foregone conclusion that the Republicans in the Town of Ulster would take the Conservative endorsements. Quigley, Morrow and Kesick were all overwhelmingly endorsed by the Conservative Party in the Town of Ulster. That is a solid blow to the Democrats in the Town of Ulster. And don't write in and tell us that Vince Bradley wasn't a Democrat. We all know the story, let's not rehash that one.

The drama in District 8 continues with Noonan, Hayes, Terrizzi and Ronk. Newly added to this drama cast are Zatz and Bartels. If everyone did their fair share of work, everyone should have the required signatures, and we will see a primary for the Republican line. That's IF everyone did their work. The petition game is very tricky. Time will tell who played the game best.

There's the usual drama in Saugerties between the new Independence Party members and the Republicans. But in the end, everyone should have their signatures and the voters will decide in November.

Judicial candidate, Deborah Schneer (scheduled to be confirmed as Ulster County Court Judge today) has some Independence Party petitions floating around the County. Unlike everyone else, she does not need authorization to primary for that line because she is a judical candidate. The question is will she have the signatures? And will she submit them?

That's it for now. Stay tuned for our coverage of Petitions and the challenges that will follow.

Oh, and by the way, today is the deadline for the July periodic filing. Don't forget that one!

Paterson appoints Richard Ravitch Lieutenant Governor

2009-07-08T21:28:00.007-04:00

Photograph of Governor Paterson, Richard Ravitch, and Mayor Bloomberg

by Seth Wenig/AP

UPDATE 7-9-09

In what can be described only as a “unique” press conference, Senate Democrats welcomed back dissident Democratic Sen. Pedro Espada with open arms, man-hugs, and handshakes.

In the hour plus-long press conference that featured numerous speakers, long-winded answers to questions (which revealed very little concrete news), numerous platitudes about “lessons learned,” and more than one medieval metaphors of swords and iron being forged.

What it did not include was more than half of the Democratic conference. Only one upstate senator, Neil Breslin was in attendence.

In attendance: Sens. Malcolm Smith, Pedro Espada, Jeffrey Klein, John Sampson, amigos Carl Kruger, Hiram Monserrate, Ruben Diaz Sr., Conference Chair Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Velmanette Montgomery, Martin Malave Dilan, Bill Perkins, Shirley Huntley, Neil Breslin.

I’ll have to go back to the tape to get quotes and we’ll have video up this evening, but here is what we know:

As reported earlier, here’s the line up of the new Democratic “leadership team”: President Pro Tempore Malcolm Smith, Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Deputy Senate Majority Leader Jeffrey Klein, Senate Democratic Conference Leader John Sampson.
The conference is committed to “reform” and equalization of resources in the chamber. They are so committed, they spoke with Republican Tom Libous before they held their press conference and promised to meet to talk about reform. Espada said that reforms would be implemented “soon,” Sampson said they were committed to implementing something in “30 to 60 days.”
There were a lot of “lessons learned.”
The conference is stronger than ever.

There really wasn’t that much of substance otherwise.

The money quotes:

“A good sword is made by pounding and tempering, and I think we’ve done that,” said Hassell-Thompson.

“Some of the strongest steel is forged in the hottest fire,” said Kruger.

“It was never about power, it was about empowerment,” said Espada.

UPDATE: Thursday, June 9, 2009
Senate GOP Wins Restraining Order

A Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) was signed late last night by Judge Ute Wolf Lally in Nassau County that prevents Richard Ravitch from assuming any of the duties of the office of Lt Governor. The order also restrains the Governor, the Secretary of State Lorraine Cortes-Vasquez and Ravitch from filing an oath of office.

The case, Skelos and Espada v. Paterson, Ravitch and Cortes-Vasquez, will be heard on tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. at the Nassau County Supreme Court in Minneola.

Parties are ordered to submit paperwork by 1 p.m. today.

Wednesday, June 8, 2009
Paterson appoints Richard Ravitch Lieutenant Governor

Gov. David Paterson announced this evening that Richard Ravitch, former head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, will serve as lieutenant governor. Paterson said he made the move to break the gridlock that has gripped the Senate for a month.

The Paterson campaign seems to have already begun robocalling voters to tell them about the governor’s actions. The message features Paterson who mentions that he hopes Senators will get back to work to address “important legislation.” The message was paid for by “Paterson 2010.” But exactly what the move will do to end the Senate standoff is unclear. As lieutenant governor Ravitch will be allowed to act as a tie breaker on certain votes but he can’t provide a quorum.

Liz Benjamin reports that negotiations between Republicans and Democrats have broken down in reaction to Paterson’s appointment.

Republicans are expected to challenge the legality of the move in court. Attorney General Andrew Cuomo called the move “not constitutional” earlier this week.

Before Paterson even made his announcement members of the “reform coalition” were ratcheting up their opposition to the appointment. On his way into the Senate Chamber for the 17th extraordinary session, Republican Leader Sen. Dean Skelos told reporters he expected a legal challenge to Paterson’s appointment if he made one and pointed to Cuomo’s previous comments.

Skelos used the time he had for a televised rebuttal to to bash Democrats for raising taxes and he, too, invoked Cuomo’s opposition. Cuomo has yet to weigh in on today’s developments. But until he does Republicans will use him as a shield.

Sen. Pedro Espada was more definitive than Skelos. Edspada told reporters that Bronx businessmen who are friends of his told him they were on the way to the capitol for Paterson to announce a new lieutenant governor. Espada acted hurt, saying that Paterson had not mentioned his decision to him at a meeting on Tuesday evening. He said Paterson’s actions could derail negotiations, which Espada claimed are going well. (Espada has claimed many things over the last month that didn’t turn out to be true.) He indicated he felt the governor might be intentionally obstructing the negotiating process.

Dick Dadey, executive director of the Citizens Union, which supported and championed Paterson’s actions (and is also the sister organization of the Citizens Union Foundation which publishes the Gotham Gazette), took umbrage at Espada’s remarks. “I don’t know what the governor could possibly do to create a mess that is equal to what Sen. Espada has already created.”

Democrats have been far more supportive of Paterson’s actions. Espada’s amigos Sens. Hiram Monserrate, Ruben Diaz and Carl Kruger told reporters after session that they thought Paterson’s move was a good one, but they expected a legal challenge.

Monserrate said he would await a ruling on the constitutionality of Ravitch’s appointment before passing final judgment. At a press conference following Paterson’s, Sens. Malcolm Smith and John Sampson praised Paterson and said they “hoped to be back to work tomorrow.” But Sampson could not fully explain how Ravitch’s presence would facilitate any legislative action.

Sampson said he expected all the senators to show up in the chamber for a session tomorrow, over which Ravitch will preside. “At that point we will have our quorum,” said Sampson, “and we can begin passing legislation.” But Republicans are unlikely to participate in any session whether Ravitch is there or not. Democrats may try to argue Republicans’ presence gives them a quorum, but Ravitch can not provide them one.

Sampson complained that Republicans continue to be unwilling to pass non-controversial legislation while power-sharing negotiations continue.

Today it became more obvious how divided the Democratic conference is about a potential operating agreement with the Republicans. Sen. Jeffrey Klein has a proposal that would rotate the senate presidency, and a number of senators back that plan. Sens. Eric Schneiderman and Daniel Squadron have a different option, which would vacate the positions of senate president and have a floor leader from both parties. Schneiderman’s resolution would have a bi-partisan group set the legislative agenda and would make it easier for rank and file members to get legislation to the floor.

And then there are the amigos, who have been breakfasting together for the past week. The amigos have continually threatened to take some sort of drastic action by tomorrow if no deal is reached. Reporters dogged Diaz throughout the day trying to find out what exactly he and his colleagues might do. “Maybe resignation!” he joked as he fled down the hall, away from the lights of television cameras.”

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-03T15:34:00.005-04:00

The staff at Ulster Politics acknowledges all of the posts that were submitted in the previous post that defend a variety of people and points of view. The fact of the matter is that the feelings that were expressed in that post were not made up. They are the collective feelings of people in the Village who feel that their voice is not being heard. The staff at Ulster Politics found it to be an interesting story and felt bad for the people who felt that something wrong was done. We are all going to be away for the 4th of July and will not be taking any comments until we return.

More Blogs, More Fun

2009-06-30T10:56:00.006-04:00

www.UlsterBlogger.blogspot.com

www.RecordOnline.com/kingston

www.CountyCorruption.blogspot.com

www.UlsterCountyCorruption-taxpayer.blogspot.com

www.UCPolitics.blogspot.com

SOME OLD BLOGGERS...... BACK AT IT AGAIN!

www.KingstonTruth.blogspot.com

www.JeremyBlaber.com

State Supreme Court Justice Candidate

2009-06-20T00:58:00.008-04:00

Candidate for State Supreme Court Justice accused of DWAI and trying to flee scene.

When you are in the voting booth this November and you are looking at the State Supreme Court Justice Candidates, you might want to keep the article below in mind.

from the TimesUnion.com
Sobriety check snags judge despite alert

Albany jurist accused of DWAI count; cops say he tried to flee

By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Saturday, June 20, 2009

GREEN ISLAND � By the time Albany County Family Court Judge Gerard Maney allegedly tried to avoid a road sobriety checkpoint on the Green Island Bridge Thursday night, it was no secret police were out looking for drunk drivers.

More than 24 hours earlier, District Attorney David Soares issued a news release to announce that 16 law enforcement agencies would be at DWI checkpoints around Albany County, much they did twice last summer on Thursday nights.

Despite the advance warning, 24 motorists were arrested within a five-hour span - including Maney, a family court judge in Albany since June 1991.

Maney, 59, of Albany, allegedly spotted the checkpoint on the bridge just after 8:30 p.m.

Police in Green Island say he made a U-turn, failed to comply with a traffic stop and led police for a 1-1/2 mile chase before he "finally came to a stop" outside the Purple Pub restaurant in Watervliet.

An officer detected a "strong odor of alcoholic beverage" coming from the judge. He failed a field sobriety test, a police report said.

He was taken back to the Green Island police station, where he registered 0.07 percent on an alcohol test, just below the 0.08 percent legal limit for DWI, sources said.

Maney was charged with a driving while ability impaired by alcohol, a violation akin to a traffic ticket, and issued tickets. He was released but given a ticket to appear in Green Island Town Court at 6:30 p.m. on July 7.

His immediate status on the bench had not changed by late Friday afternoon, said Kari Holloway, a spokeswoman for the state Office of Court Administration. She said the office were aware of the arrest and looking into the details. The case was pending, she said.

But the arrest could have wider implications for Maney's future.

Maney, the supervising judge for the Third Judicial District, earlier this week announced his candidacy to be a state Supreme Court justice. The district comprises Rensselaer, Columbia, Greene, Ulster and Schoharie counties, along with Sullivan and Albany.

Maney, a former assistant corporation counsel for the city of Albany, was appointed to Family Court by former Gov. Mario Cuomo. The state Senate unanimously confirmed his nomination. He began what he described as a "lifelong ambition" on June 11, 1991.

Maney did not return a call to his home late Friday afternoon.

A person familiar with the judicial system's disciplinary procedures against judges told the Times Union that judges arrested on alcohol-related driving allegations, in New York and other states, are generally not kicked off the bench - depending on the details of the case.

They usually receive a public admonishment, the least severe of the three levels of punishment possible from the state Commission on Judicial Conduct, the source said. The next most serious reprimand for a judge would a censure, followed by outright removal from the bench.

The source said reprimands can be more severe than an admonishment in the event of "aggravating circumstances," such as a judge throwing their name and status around during an arrest. While unfamiliar with the details of Maney's arrest, the person said leading police on a pursuit might be considered an aggravated circumstance.

The judge's brother, John Maney, was arrested on DWI and felony reckless endangerment charges in 1991. At the time, police alleged that when he was pulled over on Route 9 in Loudonville, he drove off and almost hit a police officer before being arrested near Colonie Town Hall. The case prompted complaints that he received special treatment from Colonie police.

That September, he pleaded guilty to driving while ability impaired and misdemeanor reckless endangerment and fined $325. The case was adjourned for six months in contemplation it would be dismissed.

Bob Gardinier contributed to this report. Robert Gavin can be reached at 434-2403 or rgavin@timesunion.com

Ulster Politics Predictions

2009-06-18T11:10:00.004-04:00

The staff at Ulster Politics met the other night and made some PREDICTIONS for the upcoming Countywide races.

Please note, these are not candidates that we endorse, but rather, who we think are going to win.

Coming Soon.... the City and Town Races

County Clerk
Nina Postupack (R)

County Court Judge
Don Williams (R)

District One
Stockler (D)
Sheeley (D)
Briggs (D)
Bernardo (R)

District Two
Gregorious (D)
Shapiro (D)

District Three
Parete (D)
Parete (D)
Dittus (R)

District Four
Tucker (D)
Fabiano (R)
Sweeney (R)
Frey (R)

District Five
Cahill (D)
Wadnola (R)

District Six
Dart (D)
Madsen (D)

District Seven
Lomita (D)
Petit (R)
Befiglio (R)

District Eight
Hayes (C)
Ronk (R)
Terrizzi (R)

District Nine
Felicello (R)
Harris (R)
Gerentine (R)
Roberts (R)

District Ten
Rodriguez (D)
Zimet (D)

District Eleven
Hansut (R)
Maio (R)

District Twelve
Donaldson (D)
Loughran (D)

Petition Time

2009-06-15T13:42:00.007-04:00

For the rest of June, it's a race to gather signatures. Ulster Politics knows that for all of you "political insiders" this is "old news". But there are a lot of enrolled voters out there who have no idea what is going on right now. Our political process says that the candidates that want to be on the ballot this November have to gather signatures from 5% of enrolled voters in that party. Even people that were not endorsed by their party at their convention can gather signatures and force a primary in September. Be a part of the process! The candidates and committee persons will be working hard gathering signatures until about the first week in July. If you are enrolled in any of the parties recognized on the ballot in Ulster County and you haven't signed a petition for your party yet, help your party out by letting your Town Chairman, Committee Persons, or Candidates know that you would like to sign their petition. The "worker-bees" of the parties have their petitions with them where ever they go.

Also take some time to look at your house. Is your house number visible? People who carry petitions and try and figure out "who lives where" from there from their “walking lists” will tell you that there are a lot of homes that the house number is not easily identifiable. While you may not care if the local political party can’t find your house number, it is important that in an emergency that police, fire and EMS workers can. Emergency officials recommend that you consider putting reflective numbers on your house. Statistics show that most emergencies happen at night. How easy is it for someone to find your house by the house number? House numbers can be posted . . .

directly on your house, business or garage
by the street, or on a post or sign made of fire resistant material
on the mailbox
on the curb
or anywhere they can be easily seen from the road

A clearly posted house number can save precious time should an emergency occur!

Where is Kingston Truth?

2009-06-15T08:58:00.003-04:00

Faithful bloggers are used to checking out KingstonTruth.blogspot.com for the latest update on what's happening in politics. You could always count on the blog master to update it in the morning, usually until about noon. After that there might be an occasional update, but for the most part you would have to wait until morning to see the latest posts.

A few days ago the blogmaster posted that he was going to go away for awhile and enjoy the summer and told the rest of us losers to do the same thing.

Today when you visit Kingston Truth, you get the following message:

Blog not found

Sorry, the blog you were looking for does not exist. However, the name kinstontruth is available to register!

The staff at Ulster Politics thinks that More Blogs = More Fun!
We're sorry to see K ings ton Truth go!

Does anyone know what happened to Kingston Truth?

PATERSON SHOULD APPOINT KATZ ANYWAY

2009-06-12T14:32:00.013-04:00

Primaries are good things when you have two qualified candidates each of whom would be able to respectably do the job.

Primaries are beyond good things however, they are necessary things, when one candidate is substantially superior to the other.

Town Judges Katz and Schneer meet the later situation.

The fact that Deborah Schneer won the Democratic convention is indicative of political support in a political committee. Her victory can be attributed to multiple factors: She may have appeared better in front of local committees; people like an underdog and she was the underdog; she is a woman . . . who knows.

The reality is though that Governor Paterson cannot delegate his Constitutional Duty to appoint judges to the Ulster County Democratic Committee. He needs to appoint the person who is best qualified for the job.

Judge Jonathan Katz handles a busy courtroom in New Paltz and has made a respectable reputation for himself. He has a diverse group of defendants – particularly given the SUNY New Paltz issues that arise. Simply put, experience counts. Katz has more of it.

You can have incompetent legislators, administrators, and bureaucrats, but an incompetent Judge is a real problem because the consequences can be substantial. We hope the Governor does the right thing and nominates Jonathan Katz. If Ms. Schneer wants to then continue onto a primary, that’s fine as well, but we need the Governor to do the right thing with his constitutional duties. If the Governor delegates the responsibility of picking a Judge to party activists, he is simply not fulfilling his constitutional responsibilities.

New Conservative Party Leader

2009-06-10T08:51:00.003-04:00

Ed Gaddy, a long time veteran of the Ulster County Political scene, has replaced Bonnie Hewitt as the Chairman of the Ulster County Conservative Party. Gaddy and his Ulster County Conservative Party met last night in Esopus. The Ulster County Conservative Party voted to back Nina Postupack (R) for Ulster County Clerk and Don Williams (R) for Ulster County Court Judge. Conservatives are also backing their own Legislatative candidate Jack Hayes in District 8. Hayes, and incumbent Legislators Ronk (R) and Terrizzi (R) were backed by the District 8 Towns at the Republican Convention as well.

Republicans Seize Control of NYS Senate

2009-06-08T17:42:00.001-04:00

The New York Times

June 8, 2009, 3:50 pm

Republicans Seize Control of State Senate

By Jeremy W. Peters AND Danny Hakim

Rob Bennett for The New York Times; Suzanne DeChillo/The New York Times Two state senators — Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens — moved to defect to the Republican side, which would end Democratic control of the chamber.

Updated, 5:14 p.m. | ALBANY – Republicans seized control of the New York State Senate on Monday, in a stunning and sudden reversal of fortunes for the Democratic Party, which controlled the chamber for barely five months.

A raucous leadership fight erupted on the floor of the Senate around 3 p.m., with two Democrats, Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx and Hiram Monserrate of Queens, joining the 30 Senate Republicans in a motion that would displace Democrats as the party in control.

Giovanni Rufino for The New York Times Senator Dean G. Skelos, a Long Island Republican, is expected to become the new majority leader.

It was a noisy and acrimonious scene on the floor of the Senate as Senator Thomas W. Libous, a Republican from Binghamton and the party’s deputy leader, shouted for a roll-call vote, while Democrats attempted to stall the vote by asking to adjourn the session.

All 30 Republicans stood with their hands raised, signaling a vote for a change in leadership. Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate joined them, each raising his hand. Republicans won the vote by a 32-to-30 margin. The Senate will now be governed under a new joint leadership structure, with Mr. Espada serving as the president pro tempore, and Senator Dean G. Skelos, of Long Island, as the new majority leader.

After the results of the vote were read aloud, the in-house television station that carries Senate proceedings live in the Capitol went dark. All that appeared on the screen was a still photo of the Senate chamber and the words “Please stand by.”

Senate Republicans quickly claimed that they were on the verge of controlling the chamber. “A new bipartisan, coalition is being established that is bringing real reform to the Senate right now,” Republicans said in a statement emailed to reporters at 3:20 p.m.

As the events were unfolding on the floor, Senator Malcolm A. Smith of Queens, leader of the Senate Democrats, huddled in the hall just off the Senate chamber and consulted with his staff. When asked what was occurring, he responded, “I’m trying to find out right now.”

At 4:44 p.m., Mr. Smith’s office released a statement insisting that control of the Senate had not changed hands.

“This was an illegal and unlawful attempt to gain control of the Senate and reverse the will of the people who voted for a Democratic majority,” Austin Shafran, a spokesman for Mr. Smith, said. “Nothing has changed. Senator Malcolm A. Smith remains the duly elected temporary president and majority leader. The real Senate majority is anxious to get back to governing, and will take immediate steps to get us back to work.”

In addition, Hank Sheinkopf, an adviser to Mr. Smith, denounced the senators behind the revolt.

“This is obviously an attempt by a couple of people to get personal power at the expense of the taxpayers,” Mr. Sheinkopf said. “It disrupts the Senate at a critical period, when issues like mayoral control are yet undecided. And the taxpayers are going to remember these guys by first and last name next year.”

Until January, Republicans had controlled the State Senate for more than four decades. Democrats won a majority of Senate seats in the November elections, but only after three dissident senators who were being courted by Republicans, including Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate, agreed to elect Mr. Smith.

Why Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate suddenly defected on Monday afternoon was not immediately clear. Both men are under investigation by the authorities. The state attorney general’s office is investigating a health care agency, Soundview HealthCare Network, that Mr. Espada ran until recently. And Mr. Monserrate, who was indicted on felony assault charges in March stemming from an attack on his companion, would automatically be thrown out of office if convicted.

If Mr. Monserrate is convicted, the Senate would be evenly split between the parties, 31 to 31. But with the lieutenant governor’s office vacant until the 2010 elections, there would be no tie-breaking vote in the chamber unless one or more other senators changed sides.

The coup could also complicate prospects for Gov. David A. Paterson, who is fighting to build a record on which to run for re-election and who requires a functioning Senate in order do so.

One source of contention among Democrats recently has been Mr. Smith’s support for same-sex marriage. Senator Rubén Díaz Sr., a Democrat from the Bronx, has been outspoken in his insistence that legislation allowing gay couples to marry not be allowed to come to a vote. Some had speculated he might leave the Democratic Party if Mr. Smith were to allow a vote.

But Mr. Díaz did not join Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate in the leadership vote on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the same-sex marriage legislation played any role in the leadership dispute.

One person backing the revolt to put Republicans back in charge was Tom Golisano, the Rochester businessman and founder of Responsible New York, a political action committee that gave thousands of dollars to Senate Democrats last year to help them take control of the Senate, but who has become increasingly critical of the party. Mr. Golisano recently announced that he was moving his legal residence to Florida out of anger about the budget deal crafted in April by Democratic leaders in Albany, which included an increase in taxes on high earners.

Mr. Golisano played a role in negotiating original deal under which Mr. Espada and Mr. Monserrate — along with Mr. Díaz and Senator Carl Kruger of Brooklyn — gave their support to Mr. Smith. Steve Pigeon, his aide de camp, has been a frequent presence in Albany in recent weeks, and said Tuesday that Mr. Golisano felt betrayed by Mr. Smith because the Democratic leader had not delivered the overhaul of Senate rules he had promised upon taking power.

“He feels very strongly that he backed Malcolm Smith, and Smith didn’t keep his word, and didn’t make the changes he said he would,” Mr. Pigeon. “What you will see now is power-sharing, real reform.”

The apparent change of power sent shock waves in political circles across the state. At City Hall, in Lower Manhattan, stunned members of the New York City Council walked into the press room to watch the news unfold on local television. “I’m floored,” said Vincent M. Ignizio, a Republican city councilman and former state assemblyman from Staten Island.

To balance its budget for the next year, the City Council needs Albany to approve two proposed sales tax increases. “This will turn the budget process on its head,” Mr. Ignizio said.

Michael Barbaro and Nicholas Confessore contributed reporting from New York City.

Democratic Convention

2009-06-04T09:34:00.008-04:00

Since the other blogs have the analysis of the Republican Convention under control, we thought that we would take a look at Monday night's Democratic Convention and the two most talked about races - County Court Judge and County Clerk.

First the judge race. Everyone's least favorite and most indecisive Governor, David Paterson, is supposed to make his decision on who he is going to appoint to fill the vacant Ulster County Court Judge spot before the Convention Monday night. After having watched the disaster with Caroline Kennedy before ultimately choosing Kirsten Gillibrand for US Senator, the staff at Ulster Politics has little confidence that the Governor will know what to do for Ulster County. Even the County Democrats (like the Republicans were) are split 3 ways on who they want for judge. The candidates submitted to the Governor are Katz (New Paltz), Schneer (Rochester) and Miranda (Shandaken). Although Miranda should get the nod because has the most criminal experience, Katz is a close second.

Next, the clerk race. It is rumored that Gilda Riccardi of Saugerties will be announcing her candidacy for Ulster County Clerk. But the story bigger than that is, WHO is going to nominate her. Democrats, rightfully so, want their Democratic County Executive, Mike Hein, to "lead the way" in their party and nominate Gilda. Inside sources say that Mike will do anything to avoid having to nominate the opposition to Nina Postupack.
Stay tuned for Monday night's results.

Not a Peep!

2009-06-02T17:39:00.006-04:00

The Ulster County Republican Convention is tonight!

Not a peep about it anywhere on the blogs!

What's up? We hear it is going to be interesting.

Doxey took the day off?

2009-05-30T08:47:00.010-04:00

Patricia Doxsey must have taken the day off at the Daily Freeman. We are used to reading her "slobbering love affair" praise for Mike Hein. Imagine our surprise at Ulster Politics when we read the editorial in the Daily Freeman.

PUBLIC TAKES BACK SEAT - from the Daily Freeman, Saturday, May 30, 2009

For the first four months of 2009, under a new charter form of government, Ulster County had a county attorney against whom there was pending disciplinary action so serious that it would lead to the suspension of his license to practice law, though the suspension was stayed.

County Attorney Joshua Koplovitz (pictured to the right) did not inform County Executive Michael Hein until early April about the pending disciplinary case. A few weeks later, according to Hein, after the likelihood of sanctions became obvious to Koplovitz, he submitted his resignation, effective May 1. This was some 18 months after the original disciplinary complaint had been filed. Nary a word about the disciplinary action was announced by either Hein or Koplovitz. As far as the public was concerned, Koplovitz had retired, which may be true, but it’s not exactly the whole story either, is it?

For his part, Koplovitz now freely concedes he and his brother, also an attorney, mishandled a trust fund created by his late uncle for the uncle’s sister. As Koplovitz explains it, the brothers were supposed to fund the trust with about $200,000 from the estate. The trust was to pay the beneficiary $25,000 per year until her death, with the funds remaining in the trust at that time to be split among the brothers and a cousin.

Instead, Koplovitz said, he and his brother purchased a $25,000 lifetime annuity for the aunt and paid out the $200,000 to themselves and their cousin, all without court approval.

“We did wrong and the Appellate Division has said we did wrong,” said Koplovitz. “This is an awful mark on what has been otherwise an ethical and honest career.”

An awful mark, indeed. It wasn’t their money. It wasn’t their option to do whatever with it. And it certainly wasn’t their money to do whatever without court approval. Mind you, these were lawyers, who had to know they were concocting a workaround that didn’t pass the smell test, much less their professional obligations towards the estate or their filial responsibilities to their relations.

That “awful mark” being the case, it’s reasonable to regret that neither Koplovitz nor Hein opted for candor with the public about the status of the people’s lawyer.

At the very least, Koplovitz should have publicly disclosed the pending disciplinary case against himself at the time it was filed in September 2007. The public and the county’s elected legislative representatives should have been given the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they wanted to remain clients or demand some sort of interim arrangement, such as a leave of absence pending resolution of the matter.

Then, when Koplovitz informed Hein of the disciplinary proceeding, the county executive also had an opportunity to come clean with the public about the case, but chose not to do so.

Finally, when Koplovitz resigned, either Koplovitz or Hein could have chosen to clear the air about the disciplinary case. Neither chose to do so.

It seems the public’s interest was the last thing either one considered.

ExposeCorruptCourts.blogspot.com detail the further whitewashing of this case by the court system.

Corrupt Legal Ethics Disparity Alive and Well in New York

Lawyers disciplined for handling of relative's trusts
The Albany Times Union by ROBERT GAVIN - May 22, 2009

ALBANY, NEW YORK -- A retired Albany attorney and his brother with four decades each of legal experience have received 1-year suspensions, but will be able to continue practicing law and must take ethics classes. Sholom Koplovitz, 70, a former Albany lawyer who now lives in Florida, and Joshua Koplovitz, 72, who still practices in Kingston, received stayed suspensions from the Appellate Division in a ruling announced Thursday. "It's serious, but we can continue to practice law," Joshua Koplovitz said when reached by phone this morning. "It was a one time thing ... I know I'll never do anything like that again." The Appellate Division ruling explained the brothers' uncle had "left several monetary bequests" to the brothers, as well as his niece, who is their cousin. His will named the brothers as executors and co-trustees of two trusts. The brothers later set up an annuity, which "accelerated the distribution of the remainder of that trust's funds to themselves and the cousin, contrary to the express terms of the will." Joshua Koplovitz said they did the move so his aunt could receive the "income she was entitled to." He acknowledged it was done without court permission. The aunt fought it. She successfully argued in Onondaga County Surrogate's Court that the brothers had "improperly applied the assets of the estate." The Appellate Division found the brothers were guilty of professional misconduct, but also noted they had made full restitution and there was no money lost to the trust or estate. Neither Koplovitz had a disciplinary record, the decision noted. The brothers "have expressed remorse, and their misconduct clearly appears to have been an aberration rather than part of a pattern of behavior," the decision stated. It immediately suspended the pair, but stayed the suspensions. Instead, it ordered the brothers to complete six credit hours of accredited continuing legal education in ethics and professionalism, in addition to other attorney requirements. Sholom Koplovitz has been a lawyer since 1964, Joshua Koplovitz since 1961.

Posted by Corrupt Courts Administrator at 3:59 PM

7 comments:

Anonymous said...: What a total joke. Your suspended, but we'll stay that suspension.... Sounds like the old numbers game again. Show a suspension in the 'action' column, but in reality, it really wasn't a suspension.

I know lawyers who've made far less serious mistakes and weren't afforded any 'stay' of suspension.

These brothers know which asses to kiss, I guess.; May 22, 2009 4:06 PM
Anonymous said...: they should hae lost thier Lic. for good. Most times that they do something like that the are never caught or the person dies and they keep the money.
letting them of so easy sends a message that you should weigh the odds of getting away with the theft not that theft is wrong.
i guess the aunt was old he figured she would never make it; May 22, 2009 4:36 PM
Anonymous said...: These lawyers should NOT have had the suspension stayed. This is disgraceful. Someone made the phone call that made this happen.; May 24, 2009 9:27 AM
disbarred attorney said...: I was disbarred for a lot less, they must be disbarred forever and sanctioned, make them pay money - who did they know? the fix was in on this one!; May 24, 2009 1:40 PM
Anonymous said...: the two putzs made fullrestitution big deal, what about all the time this took from their sister (how long did all this take?), the aggraavation and the legal fees plus damages? I'll bet the two putza didn't pay a penny in restitution of the legal fees. So they didn't make her whole. Shame on them for stealing from their sister! May they rot in Hell.; May 24, 2009 5:07 PM
Anonymous said...: It's no secret that the New York Departmental Disciplinary Committee routinely "whitewashes" and dismisses complaints against mainstream white and powerful Attorneys, while hammering the hell out of minority, powerless, and "new immigrant" Attorneys in New York. There is a major double standard in this "DDC Mafia" - if you are brown and an Attorney, they will nail you to the wall on a cross, but if you are white and powerful, or politically connected, you can do anything and get away with anything - they won't even open up a case docket against you, and they will dismiss your Complaint as a Fee Dispute.

It sucks to be a minority lawyer in New York City.

Fueled by the Internet, every nutjob ex-client who don't want to pay their bills or jealous competitor who can't stand to see minority Attorneys doing better than them, can defame and ruin a minority Attorney's business, reputation, and standing in the community.

Websites like www.ripoffreport.com run by Ed Magedson, which allow false and defamatory postings by crazy disgruntled ex-clients or anonymous jealous competitors, while simultaneously tampering with keywords and internet meta-tags so that they stay at the top of all the major Search Engines like Google, can instantly and overnight destroy someone's life's work and reputation. Adding insult to injury, websites like RipOff Report by Ed Magedson charge an extortionate fee by forcing the poor hapless target of defamation to join his "Corporate Advocacy Program," so that they can "fight back" against these fictitious and defamatory postings - I have heard as high as $50,000 a month - and the Feds aren't doing anything about it because website hosters are held completely liable-less due to the protections afforded by the 1996 Law, the Computer Decency Act ("CDA") section 230.

The Internet is completely lawless right now and we can now see the diseased fruits of this lawlessness - people and businesses are getting ruined, families are splitting up, people are committing suicide, judges are getting physically attacked and threatened, and internet extortion rackets are winning the war against good and honest businesses and people - the Devil is literally running amok on the Internet.

Its high time for the Federal Government, the Legislature, US Attorneys, all Attorneys General of all states, and the FBI to get involved and stop this madness.

There has to be accountability for this "Wild West" and out of control nonsense being fueled by an out of control and unregulated Internet, where people and posters,and their equally anarchistic and culpable website hosts, can destroy everything in their path with complete and total immunity through extortion.; May 26, 2009 7:49 PM
Anonymous said...: THUGGERY AT THE NEW YORK DEPARTMENTAL DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE, FIRST DEPARTMENT; May 26, 2009 8:36 PM

What we are hearing

2009-05-17T22:20:00.002-04:00

What we hear and what is there . . .

We hear Jonathan Katz will be nominated by the Governor by the end of June to replace Judge Michael Bruhn.

Mike Kavanagh Jr. was quoted noting the fact that his Appellate Court Judge Father Mike Kavanagh senior could not come to his fundraiser. We generally understand whay judges should not be at fundraisers but it seems to us that this is a silly rule that should be changed when the candidate is a Judge's child, spouse (or parent for that matter).

Legislators Susan Zimet and Richard Parete had a nasty email exchange over the problems at the Jail (the sexual problems not the cost). Zimet apparently showed up at the press conference by the guards.

Speaking of Zimet, Ulster Politics was told that the cow jumped over the moon, the pig flew, and George Bush admitted he was wrong on something. Obviously none of those things happened - but something more bizarre did. Legislator Zimet was one of the paying guests at a fundraiser for State Sen. John Bonacic last week at Fred's Place.

We're told over 200 tickets were sold to the event but Zimet hanging out with Bonacic is a sign that even die hard Democrats realize how screwed everyone north of Westchester County is getting by the new all Democrat State Government.

Gilda Ricciardi is apparently serious about the race for county Clerk. Nina may have experience on her side but Gilda's got enrollment. If Hein and Auerbach get behind her NP won't stand for New Paltz or Nina Postupack but rather "NO PLEASE" - what the good old boys will start yelling if Gilda starts moving up.

Ulster Mojo's reporting that Don Williams campaign has stalled. We disagree. Wiliams vs. Katz will be a solid race. Two qualified people duking it out. We favor Williams because Katz does not have substantial felony trial experience that Williams does.

Noticed Kingston Truth's whining about the Independence Party fundraiser. Who cares. People can donate if they want or not. The Independence line rarely matters unless its a close race. Nothing can be worse than the way Dietrich Werner ran New York's 3rd largest political party.

OK, so Hein and Company spent "only" $181,000 on office renovations. ARE YOU KIDDING ME. The BEST we can celebrate in Ulster County is that the new Executive spent ONLY $181,000 on office renovations. Seriously, that is worth bragging about? Jobs down, taxes up. There are real issues here kids and office renovations ain't numbers 1, 2, or 3.

Reading Ira Fusfeld's blog on the Freeman he admits he made a mistake in being late on the story of the sexual harassment at the county jail. It's pretty sad when NBC out of New York City and the Middletown Newspaper runs the tables on the paper actually based in Kingston. Two Words: HUGH REYNOLDS. When you let your only big time reporter go Ira, your paper loses out on major stories. You should've taken a pay cut before you let Reynolds go. He's cranky, but knows his stuff.

County Executive Mike Hein.... he'll get back to NBC News

2009-05-14T09:40:00.017-04:00

County Executive Mike Hein who finds the time to send out press releases about the fact that they are "getting ready to release the numbers on the renovation of his office" (is that really news?) couldn't find the time to get back to NBC News on a Federal Case in Ulster County.

Click HERE to see the NBC News Story about the federal lawsuit filed against Ulster County.

Click HERE to read the Complaint filed in United States District Court, Northeast District of NY

KINGSTON – Four female corrections officers at the Ulster County Jail have filed a federal lawsuit against current Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum, former Sheriff Richard Bockelman and other jail officials contending they were forced to work in an unfit environment.

The lawsuit alleges the women worked in a department that allowed pornography on office computers; lewd comments relating to gender and sexuality by senior officers against subordinates; failed to provide pregnant female corrections officers with adequate protect despite a demand for it; hostile words such as “bitch” and “dyke” were directed to subordinate female officers by their supervisors; and other violations of law.

“Having followed all of the problems with the construction of the new Ulster County Jail, it appears to me that the greatest jail fiasco is what is taking place on the inside,” said Joseph Ranni, the attorney for the women who filed the suit. “We intent to prove a pattern of misconduct and discrimination by departmental leaders that goes against everything the public should except about those responsible for law enforcement in Ulster County.”

Upstate versus Downstate

2009-05-10T21:25:00.007-04:00

Remember those warnings about how Upstate would be shortchanged if Democrats seized control of the State Senate? Here’s the proof. The maps below shows the home districts of the Republican Minority and Democratic Majority in the New York State Senate.

The staff at Ulster Politics hardly thinks that Upstate New Yorkers concerns are on the top of the Democratic Majority's list of priorities.

A while ago, fellow blogger Joe Bubel (Logic Over Liberalism) wrote about "Upstate versus Downstate interests - are they the same?" If you have not read this, it's worth checking out.

It's an interesting conundrum for upstate Democrats. By voting for Democratic Senators, Upstate New Yorkers guarantee control of NY State government by New York City downstate politiicans. If you think those NYC Democratic Legislators care about you as an upstate Dem, just ask anyone who lives in Dutchess or Orange Counties and is affected by the new MTA payroll tax. Ask anyone in the Assembly if Sheldon Silver is interested in reforming the school tax/property tax system. He's not. Downstate Democrats don't care about upstate.

By Upstate New Yorkers voting for Republican Senators, they can bring representation to upstate New York issues. Just look at the map, and think about it the next time you need to vote for a Senator. If you like helping to fund the MTA and the current school tax/ property tax system - vote for a Democratic Senator. If you want to bring some balance back to Albany, vote for a Republican Senator.

Havranek named Ulster County Attorney

2009-04-30T10:55:00.002-04:00

from MidHudsonNews.com

KINGSTON – With the just announced resignation of Ulster County government attorney Joshua Koplovitz, Ulster County Executive Michael Hein Wednesday named first assistant county attorney Beatrice Havranek to fill the top spot providing legal counsel to the county.

Hein noted that Havranek is the first woman to hold that position in Ulster County.

“She is a wonderful addition to the team in that perspective,” he said. “Her inner workings, having come from being one of my deputies from the county executive’s office, means she is able to hit the ground running.”

In the past, Havranek served as deputy county attorney, legal counsel to the minority of the Ulster County Legislature and has served in the past as town of Rosendale supervisor and councilwoman.

County Legislator Jeanette Provenzano praised Hein’s choice. “As the first woman majority leader of the Ulster County Legislature, I appreciate the lasting value of breaking down barriers,” she said.

Tedisco concedes to Murphy

2009-04-24T17:18:00.001-04:00

Tedisco concedes to Murphy

Republican state Assemblyman Jim Tedisco conceded the New York special election this afternoon to Democratic businessman Scott Murphy, giving the Democrats a key off-year victory in a race that both parties aggressively contested.

Tedisco called to congratulate Murphy on his victory earlier this afternoon, according to a Democratic official familiar with the call.

“Earlier today, I called and congratulated Scott Murphy on a hard-fought contest and wished him well as the next Congressman of the 20th Congressional district," Tedisco said in a statement.

“This was a close campaign every step of the way. Ultimately, it became clear that the numbers were not going our way and that the time had come to step aside and ensure that the next Congressman be seated as quickly as possible."

The resolution of the race took several weeks to complete, as election officials spent weeks tallying absentee ballots from across the district. Murphy won the majority of the absentee ballots and, as the count wrapped up, it became apparent that Tedisco had no chance of overcoming his narrow deficit.

As of Friday afternoon, Murphy led Tedisco by 399 votes in the state Board of Elections' unofficial count.

In a statement, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman Chris Van Hollen called Murphy’s victory a referendum on President Obama’s economic policies.

“Congratulations to Congressman-elect Scott Murphy on his remarkable, come-from-behind victory. In this election, voters responded to Scott Murphy’s record as a successful businessman who helped to create more than 1,000 jobs and his strong support for President Obama’s economic recovery package,” Van Hollen said in a statement.

National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Pete Sessions (R-Tex.) argued that the closeness of the race in a Democratic-held seat – it previously was represented by newly-appointed Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) – is an encouraging sign for the GOP.

“Since Election Day, we continue to hear the growing chorus of frustrated and concerned citizens who demand more from their government than profligate spending and mountains of debt that will be paid for in higher taxes by our children and grandchildren,” Sessions said in a statement.

“Although Jim was unsuccessful in his hope to change Washington, he has shed light on our Party’s efforts to win back the majority in the House.”

But in a sign that the GOP still faces obstacles to gain a significant number of seats in 2010, Sessions also acknowledged the party has its “work cut out…when it comes to winning in Democratic-held districts.”

President Obama narrowly carried the district with 51 percent of the vote last year, but the GOP holds a 70,000 voter registration advantage -- the largest GOP margin in all of New York.

INDEPENDENCE PARTIES LAUNCHES ENDORSEMENT PROCESS

2009-04-16T12:00:00.006-04:00

You wouldn’t know it from local media other than www.MidHudsonNews.com, but the Independence Parties of the area have apparently joined forces to develop a website and regional endorsement process.

Anything is an improvement over the joke of a process historically run by that party. Candidates are being invited to register for the endorsement by going to www.HudsonValleyVoter.com and filling out what appears to be, by any account a pretty comprehensive questionnaire.

The average candidate may even be tested a bit by this questionnaire, which tests candidates on substantive issues like municipal comprehensive plans, whether or not the local economic development agency (for Ulster County readers, that’s the UCDC although you certainly wouldn’t know that based on the pathetic performance of that agency) is doing a good job, and whether or not candidates have met their local police officers to discuss crime on “the beat”.

Look, the Independence Party ain’t the GOP or the DEM party but we give these guys credit for realizing the need for a clearer process. In Ulster County the Dean of political reporters – Hugh Reynolds has long pointed out that the Independence Party was essentially run at the kitchen table of longtime party ruler (we won’t call him a “leader”) Dietrich Werner.

Now it appears that County Exec candidate and political neophyte Len Bernardo has taken over the party and is starting to make things happen. The party has provided crucial endorsements in close races and the members of that party deserve a better process to decide their nominees. The questionnaire isn’t perfect, but it’s a start and its better than the Working Families Party which is essentially a total rubber stamp for the Democratic Party – witness Mike Hein who sought the Conservative endorsement and after losing it took the tax raising liberal endorsement of the Working Families Party.

We applaud the Independence Party’s new leadership efforts and hope to see continued progress to make this party the third party that Ulster County residents and residents across the Hudson Valley area deserve.

Happy Easter and Passover too!

2009-04-12T00:14:00.001-04:00

ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIFE,
I LEARNED FROM THE EASTER BUNNY

Don't put all of your eggs in one basket

Walk softly and carry a big carrot

Everyone needs a friend who is all ears

There's no such thing as too much candy

All work and no play can make you a basket case

A cute little tail attracts a lot of attention

Everyone is entitled to a bad hare day

Let happy thoughts multiply like rabbits

Some body parts should be floppy

Keep your paws off other people's jellybeans

Good things come in small sugarcoated packages

The grass is always greener in someone else's basket

An Easter bonnet can tame even the wildest hare

To show your true colors you have to come out of your shell

The best things in life are still sweet and gooey

More Blogs, More Fun

2009-04-09T13:12:00.002-04:00

ulsterliberty.blogspot.com

justsomething2thinkabout.blogspot.com

Hein leading by example? Absolut Bullshit

2009-04-03T16:05:00.009-04:00

Mike Hein must think that the County Managers and the taxpayers/voters are really stupid.

From the second that Hein was elected, it was a race to hire as many people at the highest salary that he could. In a previous post, we wrote that prior to Hein taking over that there was only 1 person that made over $100,000 (the DA) and now there are over 15.

We understand that a few postions were created because of the charter, and that should be offset by the 10 County Legislators that we lose next election cycle. But Hein didn't stop there, he hired about 4 extra positions all in the $100,000 range above and beyond what was called for in the Administrative Code.

Was Hein really that stupid that he didn't see this finanical crisis coming? When he was on his hiring spree in January, we all knew that the economy was in the tank. He just chose to stick his head in a hole and ignore it. Either that or he is really stupid. The latter seems unlikely given Hein's "budget wizardry".

Had Hein NOT hired those "extra" positions, the Ulster County Mangers could all have seen a raise this year. Now he says he's leading by example - that is absolut bullshit. Why didn't he lead before he saddled the taxpayers with all these new salaries?

Or maybe the taxpayers of Ulster County could have gotten a break on their taxes. Is there anyone out there who doesn't need a break in these tough economic times.

click below to read some of Hein's bull

Daily Freeman Article

Murphy / Tedisco Race Too Close to Call

2009-03-31T23:43:00.003-04:00

From TimesUnion.com

March 31, 2009 at 10:20 pm by Irene Jay Liu

Look here for the full results, but the race is too close to call.

The race in the 20th Congressional district between Republican Jim Tedisco and Democrat Scott Murphy is too close to call.

With 100 percent precincts reporting, Murphy leads Tedisco by only 59 votes, 77,344 to 77,285.

With nearly 6,000 absentee ballots that will essentially decide the race as of Monday, the election will not be decided at least until April 13.

As of Monday, 5,907 absentee ballots were received by the state Board of Elections out of around 10,000 mailed, according to spokesman Bob Brehm. Absentee ballots must be postmarked by March 30 and received within seven days for regular absentee ballots or 13 days for military and overseas ballots.

Good Old Boys

2009-03-28T19:27:00.009-04:00

Where are the jobs in Ulster County?

They are not in the private sector.

PressConnects.com in Binghamton reported on 3/26/09 that the Kingston, NY area has lost 1,600 private sector jobs since Feb 29, 08.

* In Kingston, the number of private sector jobs has decreased by 1,600, or 3.4 percent, since February 2008. The area’s unemployment rate was 8.4 percent in February, compared with 7.8 percent in January and 5.5 in February 2008.

What newspapers like the Times Herald Record and the Daily Freeman are not reporting, is that Ulster County Government is the best place to get a high paying job in the Hudson Valley.

The number of jobs in Ulster County Government that pay $100,000 or more have grown from ONE (the District Attorney) --- prior to the election of the new Ulster County Executive --- to over FIFTEEN, thanks to Mike ($135,000) Hein, our new Ulster County Executive and his good old boy (and girl) crew.

His Royal Hein @$$' ever growing list of Deputy County Executives and Assistant Deputy County Executives has pushed the number of $100,000+ jobs in Ulster County Government to double digits for the first time in the history of Ulster County!

More jobs for the residents of Ulster County? Only if you are a friend or relative.

Need $35 million??

2009-03-22T22:50:00.005-04:00

Here's the reader's digest version of the story. Alan Hevesi's former aides are alleged to have taken $35 million dollars for themselves in a pay to play scheme with the $120 billion NYS pension.

That makes Joe Bruno and the Republican Senate "issues" look like child's play.

Consultant Hank Morris, Hevesi aide David Loglisci get corruption charges in $35M pension scheme

By Kenneth Lovett and Melissa Grace
Daily News Staff Writers

Buckowski/Times Union

Another day, more news to turn Albany upside-down: This time it's a scandal involving the state's $120 billion pension fund. A former aide to disgraced state comptroller Alan Hevesi has been charged.

A key political consultant and a top aide to former Controller Alan Hevesi were slapped with corruption charges Thursday over the state's $120 billion pension fund.

State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, whose office conducted a two-year pension fund probe, warned there could be more indictments.

Hevesi consultant Hank Morris and David Loglisci, a former deputy controller for pensions, were named in the devastating 123-count indictment.

Cuomo said Morris and Loglisci plotted "to sell access to billions of dollars in exchange for millions" in kickbacks.

"The indictment charges crimes that go beyond the grossest manifestation of pay to play," Cuomo said.

Morris pocketed $30 million in pension-related fees over four years from companies that won business with the fund. Companies that wouldn't pay often didn't get business, the indictment said.

The two also helped steer millions of dollars in donations from financial companies to Hevesi's campaign, probers said.

They also gave Hevesi's "political cronies" sham fees.

The Daily News reported in January that former state Liberal Party Chairman Ray Harding and former New York City Council President Andrew Stein received $300,000 and $1.5 million in fees, respectively, from companies subsequently named in the indictment.

Morris, who helped run Hevesi's campaigns, had a major say over how a portion of the pension fund was run after Hevesi took office in 2002, the indictment alleges.

He forced out the old top investment officer and had him replaced with Loglisci, who helped steer business to Morris and their associates, prosecutors say.

Morris and Loglisci pleaded not guilty before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Lewis Bart Stone.

In addition to corruption charges, the indictment listed securities fraud, bribery, money laundering, falsifying business records and grand larceny.

Hevesi, who resigned in 2006 after pleading guilty to an unrelated felony, was not charged. He has denied wrongdoing. Morris was freed on $1 million bail, Loglisci on $350,000 bail.

Two unnamed unindicted co-conspirators also were involved, the indictment states.

Sources identified the first as Barret Wissman, a pal of Loglisci and his brother and part owner of a Dallas firm that did business with the fund and Morris.

The second unindicted co-conspirator was described by Cuomo as a high-ranking official in the controller's office who got rent payments for his girlfriend's luxury Manhattan apartment, a "sham" $100,000 loan for the woman and a job for her daughter.

Sources said that official was Hevesi's former chief of staff, Jack Chartiere, who was probed for showering pension fund resources on actress Peggy Lipton.

Cuomo wouldn't say whether the unindicted co-conspirators or the Hevesi cronies would be charged. He didn't charge any of the firms that paid fees, including the Carlyle Group, Quadrangle and Wissman's fund, Hunt Financial Ventures.

Morris' lawyer William Schwartz said, "There was no fraud and no corruption." He said the pension fund made "hundreds of millions" through Morris.

Loglisci's lawyer, Irving Seidman, said the fund more than doubled under Loglisci. "This matter has its origin not in truth, but in politics," Seidman said.

Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission filed a civil complaint against Morris and Loglisci seeking to recoup the money. Cuomo also has frozen some $11 million in Morris' assets.

BANKRUPT FOR MURPHY

2009-03-22T13:47:00.003-04:00

BANKRUPT FOR MURPHY (a/k/a letting those whose owner is in bankruptcy court tell you who to vote for)

OK, so Ulster Politics is veering across the River to Dutchess County (it’s a regional thing ya know), but we couldn’t help but laugh when the Daily Freeman (you know, the one local paper whose parent company is bankrupt), endorsed Scott Murphy for Congress over Jim Tedisco.

This is hardly surprising given that editorial decisions at the Freeman are made in large part by a guy whose wife had an Obama sticker on her car and by another guy who lives in Woodstock – never known for anything conservative.

But really, to think that any company (afterall, the Freeman is a Company) whose owner is in bankruptcy should give advice about who to vote for based on the economy is seriously laughable.

The Freeman hammered Tedisco for opposing the stimulus package. The Freeman claims that we will all be in the poorhouse without the stimulus package.

Taking the Freeman’s advice that without the stimulus package we will all be in the poorhouse, is to take advice from a company that is ALREADY in the poorhouse – bankruptcy court is, after all the legal poorhouse.

Hypocrisy amongst politicians is normal, but hypocrisy among newspaper writers seems to be on the rise as well.

PS – in case anyone cares, the Poughkeepsie Journal, which is gaining market share daily and will end up taking a large portion of market share if the Freeman folds, endorsed Tedisco today. www.pojonews.com

Dems don't like transparency

2009-03-20T13:04:00.006-04:00

left to right:
Malcolm Smith (Senate Majority Leader), Sheldon Silver (Speaker of the Assembly), David Patterson (Governor)

While the residents of Ulster County go about their day to day business, our Democratic leaders in Albany are putting together the budget for New York State, much like you do for your own household. The 2009-10 budget is due April 1.

What is absolutely mind-boggling is that the estimates are that SPENDING is expected to increase by 7 to 8 percent with a DEFICIT of more than 14 BILLION.

Run those numbers for your household and see what you could get for an extra 7 to 8 percent in spending this year. Maybe you could get a new flat screen TV. Maybe a weekly massage or a cruise.

Then imagine negotiating this increase by yourself and not including your spouse or significant other. That is exactly what Patterson, Smith and Silver are doing right now. They are privately negotiating how to spend our tax dollars, many times without including representation from upstate or Republicans.

Send a message loud and clear to our Governor (Patterson), Democrat led Senate (Malcolm Smith) and Assembly (Sheldon Silver) that this sort of out of control spending is unacceptable.

Really, enough is enough. There is probably next to no one in Ulster County that will be able to increase their spending by 7 to 8 percent this year. Most people will probably have to reduce their spending by 7 to 8 percent this year.

It's time to stop catering to the special interests and put the taxpayers first.

NY leaders talk budget as deadline nears

By MICHAEL GORMLEY
The Associated Press

ALBANY -- New York legislative leaders and Gov. David Paterson met privately in the governor's mansion over a salmon lunch on Thursday to negotiate the state budget and the state's fiscal crisis. But with a dozen days left in the fiscal year, they can't even agree on how long the meeting was.

All sides agree, however, there were no deals struck.

The 2009-10 budget is due April 1 and what is expected to be a $120 billion spending plan will include a deficit of more than $14 billion.

Senate Republican Minority Leader Dean Skelos says he expects the budget to increase spending by 7 percent to 8 percent despite Paterson's insistence that tough times demand an end to Albany's overspending and overtaxing.

"That would be absolutely outrageous," said Skelos, of Nassau County.

Spokesmen for Paterson and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith say such estimates are ridiculous because there are no agreements. A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wouldn't comment on the budget talks.

"I know the final budget hasn't been determined yet," said Smith spokesman Austin Shafran. "But one thing the Senate Democrats are committed to is finding ways to reduce spending while continuing economic development with greater transparency in the budget."

Good-government groups, however, have complained that this first year with Democrats running the Assembly and Senate has resulted in less transparency because budget bills aren't being drawn up or released and no Assembly-Senate conference committees are scheduled. Instead, private negotiations continue, only sometimes including Republican leaders.

Skelos, who until the November elections was part of the Republican majority that ran the Senate, said GOP senators and Assembly members are being shut out of the process.

But Senate Democrats on Thursday provided some evidence of their cooperation that might belie the hot rhetoric by the parties' political leaders.

"Neil -- thanks for the opportunity for input!" was the collegial, handwritten note by Republican Sen. James Seward to Democratic Sen. Neil Breslin. The note was added to an exchange of letters between the two discussing policies before the Insurance Committee, which Seward had run before Breslin was named chairman.

Democratic committee chairmen, at Smith's direction, sent letters almost identical in wording to the ranking Republican member of their committees.

Not included is an exchange between Democratic Health Committee Chairman Thomas Duane of New York City and former Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon of Long Island. Skelos said Hannon, despite the complexity of the issue, hadn't been consulted. Shafran says Duane has been working with Hannon for several days on policy and bills.

"We have been absolutely inclusive of the minority conference," Shafran said. "Our chairs have constantly reached out to their members for their input and suggestions and we will continue to do so during the last days of the budget process."

Keep Blaber Fair and Balanced

2009-03-15T17:28:00.007-04:00

Blaber News and Commenatry is back. Ulster Politics was started because of Blaber News and Commentary. We were sick and tired of trying to post a different opinion and not seeing it posted.

We're not talking about rejected comments that are from nut jobs, allegations of illegal behavior or downright slanderous lies. Hell.... Blaber loved posting slanderous lies. The problem was that he didn't want to post opinions that were different than his. If your comment didn't support Jon Sennett, Michael Hein, Nick Woerner or Elliott Auerbach or any of Jeremy's other favorite politicians - your comment was REJECTED.

So we started our "If Blaber News and Commentary won't Post-It" series of very successful posts, and people with an opinion different from Blaber finally had a platform.

When Blaber finally came to his senses and stopped his blog, the staff at Ulster Politics let him go away peacefully.... something that Blaber never spared his attack victims. There were many things that we could have blogged about.... car crashes, arrests, etc. But we didn't. Blaber got a free pass.

Now that he's back - no more free passes. We are watching and ready and waiting with our "If Blaber Won't Post-it" artwork. Keep Blaber honest. If he won't post your comment, be sure to let us know.

Blaber taking over the Working Families Party?

2009-03-05T13:01:00.006-05:00

The staff at Ulster Politics has learned that our former nemesis Jeremy Blaber is now working for the Working Families Party in Brooklyn. It seems sort of an odd choice given the bad blood between Hudson Valley Working Families Party Queen Jen Fuentes and Blaber. But they do say that politics makes strange bedfellows. We wonder how long it will be before there is a Blaber News Brooklyn Working Families Party Blog.

More Blogs, More Fun

2009-03-03T00:50:00.006-05:00

New Blogs..... Welcome!

http://www.UlsterCountyLaugh-In.blogspot.com

http://www.UCPNew.blogspot.com

http://www.UlsterLogic.blogspot.com

Turning the corner.... to bankruptcy

2009-02-26T17:04:00.005-05:00

TURNING THE CORNER . . . TO BANKRUPTCY

Would it be your proudest moment to declare . . . BANKRUPTCY.

Take this from Freeman Publisher Ira “Fussy” Fusfeld’s blog (www.freemanpublisher.blogspot.com in case anyone actually cares):

“. . . I spoke to the staff this morning. I'll fill in other employees tonight.

I sense relief and enthusiasm. The parent company has turned the corner. We're all looking forward to better days.

Now if only somebody could get the stock market pointed in the right direction ...” – Monday, February 23, 2009 blog entry of Freeman Publisher Ira Fusfeld.

Yup, good old Ira has said the Freeman’s parent company has “turned the corner”. To what you ask? TO BANKRUPTCY.

Then good old Ira blogs away that “if only somebody could get the stock market pointed in the right direction”. Which direction would that be Ira? The one the Freeman’s parent company just was pointed in – to the Bankruptcy Courts.

Knowing several Freeman employees, we haven’t heard from any that are “relieved” their parent company filed Bankruptcy. Would you be relieved if your boss came in and said “Hey folks, good news, we’re bankrupt”.

How can anyone take the Freeman seriously when they consider bankruptcy “turning the corner”. Bankruptcy tends to mean that your creditors get stuck taking less than you agreed to pay them and layoffs often follow. Sometimes it even means complete closure.

Ira’s spin that bankruptcy is turning the corner is absurd. What would Ira say if the Governor held a press conference saying “New York Turned the Corner – we’ve filed for bankruptcy”.

Does anyone take the Freeman seriously anymore?

Daily Freeman Owner Files Bankruptcy

2009-02-22T14:07:00.009-05:00

DAILY FREEMAN OWNER FILES BANKRUPTCY

Last Week the Daily Freeman and their brilliant (ok, we’re kidding) lead reporter Patricia Doxsey all but gleefully wrote how the Catskill Daily Mail went from a 6 day a week paper down to a 5 day a week paper.

The Freeman ran the story as soon as the news broke on their internet site and then again the next day in print editions.

So of course when the Freeman’s parent company – the Journal Register Company filed for bankruptcy, the Freeman ran it on line immediately and above the fold in the next day’s edition. NOT!!!

However, the news is true, the Freeman’s owner filed for bankruptcy – and you can read the story in . . . .the Poughkeepsie Journal.

click HERE to read the Poughkeepsie Journal story

We at Ulster Politics encourage all readers to CALL THE FREEMAN AND CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION NOW. Kick the rag when its down because the Freeman has never hesitated to kick others when they are down.

The reality is that the “news” the Freeman offers is often a next day reprint of www.MidHudsonNews.com and more often than not Associated Press news clippings. Look, we didn’t always like Hugh Reynolds, but at least the guy was a reporter.

Imagine how embarrassed Ira Fusfeld (hereinafter named “Fussy”) must have been having to part ways with their star political reporter knowing full well that there were no “major leaguers” left in terms of reporters.

Fussy Fusfeld (a name a lot like “Sully Sulenberger” so we aren’t making fun or Ira’s name, he just caught a bad break) is happy to spew his criticism, sit on boards around here (wasn’t he involved with the Solar Consortium, maybe he can get one of their thousands of promised jobs – NOT), enjoy being sucked up to, but the hard cold facts are now in the Bankruptcy Court papers – the Freeman’s owner has filed bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy by no means guarantees closure, and for the workers at the Freeman – the pressmen, the administrative staff, the grunts we hope not. But to the Journal Register owners we say this: a good paper starts with its readers trusting it. When Hugh Reynolds left the Freeman, and Fussy still stayed, it was clear to us that the public could no longer trust that rag.

Memo to Patricia Doxsey

2009-02-18T00:08:00.007-05:00

MEMORANDUM

TO: PATRICIA DOXSEY

FROM: ULSTER POLITICS

SUBJECT: DISAGREEMENT IS NOT PARTISAN BICKERING

The Daily Freeman’s reporter for Ulster County issues (should the Freeman post the resumes and qualifications of its reporters on line by the way? Did these people go to journalism school?) writes in today’s paper that the efforts to buy lots of new cars for county employees was reduced by “partisan bickering”.

Shame on the Freeman for letting Patricia Doxsey mislead the readers. In fact, a bi-partisan group of Republicans and Democrats came together and agreed to buy some of the requested cars. The reality is that the Republicans simply stood up and stopped the Democrats from buying all the cars that the Democrats wanted to.

The term “partisan bickering” implies dysfunction – that one party or the other voted against something just to spite the other side. The proper way of reporting would not to editorialize and say “partisan bickering” but rather simply say “the County Legislature agreed to allow for the purchase of X cars rather than the Y cars sought by the Sheriff. The vote was . . .”

But no, Patricia Doxsey has to decide that disagreement is “partisan bickering” – trying to (surprise) paint Republicans badly. Doxsey’s bias was evident in the County Executive election when she was all but printing Michael Hein’s press releases, and her bias remains obvious today.

In reality, what happened in this case is the Republicans stopped an all out car buying spree by the Democrats who unilaterally control county government. By the way, the Democrats could have bought all the cars had they put the money in the County budget – which they didn’t. Instead, the Democratic majority favored bonding (BORROWING) to pay for the cars despite imposing yet another tax increase.

Insisting on accountability – a plan how vehicles will be bought and managed is not “partisan bickering” as Patricia Doxsey complains about (we at Ulster Politics wonders if Michael Hein writes her stories), but instead is simply insisting on a planned way to purchase and manage the taxpayer funded fleet of vehicles.

There is nothing wrong with Republicans and Democrats disagreeing. The Republicans have a duty to oppose measures they disagree with, not just go along in the name of unity.

Remember, when the Republicans were in charge the Democrats:

1. Voted against extending the sales tax (and now that the Democrats are in the majority, they kept that high sales tax in place);

2. Democrats also decried high property tax increases done under Republican watch – but as the Democrats are now in charge they have kept those tax increases in place and raised them each year since;

3. Democrats insisted on a fleet management plan, but now that they are in charge they just keep spending on new cars.

These are just a few examples of the hypocritical Democrats – who say one thing when they are trying to get elected, and do something else now that they are in charge.

Taxpayers want and need real relief, and that means we expect the mainstream media (what little is left of it) to actually report without bias.

We know that’s asking a lot of the Freeman – given it has failure to do that for a long time in our opinion, but as the campaign season starts, look to Ulster Politics for “no bias no bull” because we’ll report and let you decide whether or not our politicians are getting the job done.

You Asked For It

2009-02-07T20:02:00.011-05:00

Remember that commercial, "You asked for it, you got it.. To-yo-ta".

Well....
(emphasis on the pause after well.... like Catalano would do it)

Well.... you bloggers kept asking for it. Now you got it.

We keep putting posts about various other topics, and you bloggers keep saying that Mario and his crew need to go.

Well here it is - a post dedicated to you.

Who is it that you think should take over?

It's easy to criticize Mario, but who do YOU think has has the time and ability to step up to the plate to replace him?

We also want to know, what is happening in your town with your Town Chairperson and Committee?

We all know that it's total anarchy in Kingston, but what's happening everywhere else?

So let the staff at Ulster Politics know
a) Who do you think should take over???? if you want Mario out
b) What's going on in your town with your Chairman and Committee

For the record, the staff at Ulster Politics has no opinion on whether Catalano should stay or go.

We're kind of like Big Boy (the restaurant chain), we'll let you decide... Big Boy Catalano, should he stay, or should he go?

TARP Recipients

2009-02-05T21:36:00.002-05:00

The staff at Ulster Politics thinks that all Americans should know just exactly how much money the Federal Government is handing out to the TARP Recipients.

Click on this link and scroll down to the amount of money paid to TARP Recipients.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the list, the dollars handed out start at 3 million, which reads $3,000,000. We call can understand what 3 million dollars is. (note that they had a $250 campaign contribution and $0 for lobbyists)

When you get to the number at the top $45,000,000,000 - Can anyone fathom what the hell that is? That's a lot of money. (also note that they had a $5,752,630 campaign contribution and $8,790,000 lobbyist expense)

The length of this list is really scary too.

Taxpayer money comes from taxpayers.

Think about your own net worth..... how are we going to afford this.

Are we just printing more money?

For fun, we included the amount of money that these companies have spent on lobbying and campaign contributions. They proved to quite a good investment for these companies.

Let's boost our budget by $90,000

2009-02-02T08:59:00.005-05:00

While the rest of the nation is cutting back, the House of Representatives will vote this week whether they should boost their own budgets.... by about $90,000 each.

The House Administration Committee has issued memos announcing the unusually large increase, averaging about $90,000 per House member in 2009. This will bring the average member's office budget to nearly $1.5 million.

435 members x $90 thousand = $39.1 million dollars being spent.

Wow, I guess that's change we can believe in. Can you imagine someone adding $90,000 to your budget?

I can hear the Beach Boys song now... Wouldn't it be nice.... if we could add $90,000 to all of our budgets.... and wouldn't it be nice if no one noticed and we could go on a spending spree...

Obama has frozen the salary of his staffers over $100,000 and he is outraged over the CEO compensation and corporate jets.

Obama needs to show some outrage over this lack of restraint in spending.

Politics of Hope

2009-01-31T23:32:00.004-05:00

We LOVE this. The new kind of politics of hope. Eight hours of debate in the House of Representatives to pass a bill spending $820 billion - or roughly $102 billion per hour of debate.

Only 10 percent of the "stimulus" to be spent on 2009.

Close to half goes to entities that sponsor or employ (or both) members of the Service Employees International Union, federal, state, and municipal employee unions or other Democrat-controlled unions.

This bill is sent to Congress after President Obama has been in office for seven days. It is 680 pages long. According to my calculations, not one member of Congress read the entire bill before this vote. Obviously, it would have been impossible, given his schedule, for the president to have read the whole thing.

For the amount spent, we could have given every unemployed person in the United States roughly $75,000.

We could give every person who had lost a job and is now passing through long-term unemployment of six months or longer roughly $300,000.

There has been pork-barrel politics since there has been politics, but the scale of this pork is beyond what had ever been imagined before - and no one can be sure it will actually do much stimulation.

Further, no one can be sure that we are not already at the trough of the recession - such that this money will be spent mostly after the recovery is well under way.

How long until the debt incurred under this program is so immense that it causes a downgrade in the nation's sovereign debt? What happens to us then?

This has been a punch in the solar plexus to the kind of responsible, far-seeing, mature government processes that are needed to protect America. This is more than pork-barrel - this is a coup for the constituencies of the party in power and against the idea of a responsible government itself. A bleak day.

Unfortunately, it is only the latest in a long series of such days stretching across decades of rule by both parties, to the point where truly responsible government is only a distant echo of our forgotten ancestors.

The staff at Ulster Politics wishes we could take credit for this analysis.... but we must give credit where credit is due... article written by Ben Stein and appeared in the NY Post

Writer, actor, economist and lawyer Ben Stein lives in Beverly Hills and Malibu. From the Web site of The American Spectator, spectator.org.

Sir LANCElot has not done A LOT

2009-01-28T18:23:00.004-05:00

Yesterday’s alarming article (click here to read) in the Daily Freeman was a stunning indictment about the incompetence of the Ulster County Development Corporation.

Of course when the Daily Freeman attempted to call Ulster County Development Corporation Boss Lance Mattison he was not available for comment. Not available? What is he out creating jobs or something . . . don’t be silly.

Further stunning our economic development efforts were revelations last week that Ulster county’s biggest priority for economic development according to County Executive Hein is the re-development of “Tech City” (hereafter named “Technicality City” – as in it is Technically available for economic development).

Making Technicality City the centerpiece of economic development efforts is technically incompetent. Imagine you’re Chuck Schumer – do I put millions of dollars into a project with a Landlord with a proven track record of not getting deals done, or do I go try and save the existing IBM jobs in Dutchess County or help the guy in Sullivan County who is putting millions into the Concord resort development project.

We need to fire Lance Mattison as the head of UCDC. Mike Hein’s tenure as County Executive has been shrouded in secret plans, and secret plans to make more plans, and the silencing of public employees by Executive decree.

Lance Mattison has been on the job for several years and has seen business after business fleeing Ulster County on his watch. Mr. Hein – fire this guy – NOW.

Daily Freeman uses passive aggressive tactics

2009-01-26T00:05:00.004-05:00

In case you missed the Editorial in the Saturday Freeman (which you probably did) here's another look.

It seems to be a passive aggressive swipe at Hein.

While the words in the editorial have teeth... using sarcasm...... quoting Mike Hein's "assistant" and then saying.... Right - as if to say that they don't believe her.

Then, they are even so blatant as to say as it regards Hein's new policy "And, yes, in your everyday life you would call that “a lie.”" Wow - did they really just say that?

Pretty aggressive.

So then why, Daily Freeman, put it in the Saturday paper?

You wanted as many people to read it as possible..... Right

Why not put it out when readers are most likely to read it?

Mojo says you have balls.... We're not so sure.

and BTW, everyone still wants to know why you are giving Hein and Gallagher a free pass.

Saturday, January 24, 2009 3:07 AM EST

Neither department heads nor rank-and-file employees of Ulster County government will be allowed to talk to the media without permission from the top under the new regime, according to a directive from the county’s spanking new executive government.

There are departments in Ulster County government that even are requiring employees to sign what is, in effect, a gag order to obtain compliance.

So it is that one of the first acts of Ulster’s first county executive, Michael Hein, is to throttle public employees who are paid with public tax money to handle the public’s business.

It is not an auspicious start.

An assistant to Hein says the executive branch was faced with what to do about a policy that had existed since 1985, but not necessarily been enforced. The goal, she says, is not to deny information, but “to make sure that when we talk to the press, we can give you the most complete and hopefully accurate information available."

Right.

Would everyone who believes stopping employees and department heads from directly answering questions about the public’s business will result in a more complete and candid understanding of that business, please step forward?

It just doesn’t work that way. The experience of news organizations is exactly the opposite. Where government employees and officers are throttled, information about the operation of public business can become both harder to get and less trustworthy.

What you too often get is information that either a) is too distant from the source to be authoritative, comprehensive or nuanced, or b) you get a willful spin designed to put the best possible face on an unpleasant situation. And, yes, in your everyday life you would call that “a lie.”

Government is not private enterprise and Hein shouldn’t be trying to run it like a private enterprise when it comes to information about public business. It is supposed to be the public’s business and the freest possible flow of information furthers that business, even when it makes things uncomfortable, as it sometimes will, for elected officials.

INAUGURAL HYPOCRISY?

2009-01-19T23:44:00.007-05:00

When Bush had his second inauguration in 2005 at a cost of 42 million it was said by the left to be too expensive. Obama's is estimated to cost 150 million. Yes, that's change we can believe in when it comes to how much money is appropriate to spend for an inauguration.

Now we at Ulster Politics wish Barack Obama the best and we recognize this this is a historic moment in history, but the hypocrisy of how the media is handling the economy vs inaguration expense can not be dismissed.

Vanity Fair called the 2005 Bush inauguration: "Lifestyles of the Rich and Selfish" - and that was at 42 million.... a far cry from Obama's 150 million

What was the economy like four years ago? Four years ago, there was no recession, and the economy was in a whole lot better shape than it is now. However at the time, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean had just happened and there was the ongoing war in Iraq.

Typically the overt criticism of an inauguration is unusual, but not for Republican George Bush. A 2005 a Washington Post poll found that a majority of Americans would have preferred a smaller, more subdued event.

Our own New York Congressman said "Precedent suggests that inaugural festivities should be muted - if not canceled - in wartime. That quote was made by " New York Democrat Representative Anthony Weiner in a letter to President Bush

A 2005 Washington Post-ABC News poll found that two-thirds of Americans think inaugural festivities should be scaled back. That includes half of those who voted for President Bush and 80% of John Kerry’s supporters.

In 2009 are facing the worst economic times that most people have seen in their life time. We are in a recession. Why isn’t anyone saying anything about the Obama’s 150 million dollar inauguration? People are unemployed, have lost their life savings and businesses have gone out of business. Where are the polls now?

Obama's inauguration is set to be the most expensive ever, predicted to reach over $150 million dollars. This dwarfs the $42.3m spent on George Bush's inauguration in 2005 and the $33m spent on Bill Clinton's in 1993.

And where are all of the polls today, asking whether Americans think inaugural festivities should be scaled back? Where are the claims of the Obama's being "Lifestyles of the Rich and Selfish"??

The staff at Ulster Politics thinks it's inaugural hypocrisy.

TSEC Doing a Good Job?

2009-01-13T08:23:00.003-05:00

Ulster Politics likes the new blog UC Mojo (More Blogs, More Fun). We particularly like the feature, "what are they smoking". We also like the UC Fishbowl feature "Really?".

Here's our combined version about TSEC and the Times Herald Record.

Below is a link to an article in the Times Herald Record.

Here's the real story:

70 jobs and over $15 million in grants - that's $210,000 per job.

Click Here to Read the Times Herald Record Article

What are they smoking at the Times Herald Record?

After the glowing review that TSEC got, you would think that they created 210,000 jobs, not 70 jobs at a cost to the taxpayers of $210,000 for EACH job.

TSEC President and CEO Cozzolino on TSEC..... "Now we have the credibility"

Really Vince? $210,000 per job from grants and Now You Have Credibility?

What are you smoking?

Thanks fishbowl and mojo.... imitation is the sincerest form of flattery

HACK ATTACK IN ULSTER

2009-01-08T16:50:00.006-05:00

You’ve heard of hacking – you know, when someone breaks into another person’s computer. Well we at Ulster Politics want to talk about government hacking.

We won’t be doing much original reporting here, the Times Herald Record has done one heckuva job for us. Today, County Executive Mike Hack hired 4 fellow hacks to be paid government salaries by Ulster County Suckers . . . err . . . ahh . . . .taxpayers we mean.

Starting with March Gallagher. Hein has put Gallagher in charge of economic development because of her experience at the IDA. GIVE IT A BREAK. Not one new project was done under Gallagher’s tenure at the IDA. NOT ONE. This is pure political payback. To the victors go the spoils and to the taxpayers go the bill. Suckers.

Vin Martello. A nice enough guy but he was Hein’s advertising guy during the campaign. He booked Hein’s limited TV commercials and now has a place on the county payroll. Nice guy, but still a HACK.

Susan Plonski and Suzanne Holt – we don’t have much background against them. The bottom line though is that Hein has piled on a lot of high priced staff at a time when private sector jobs are fleeing Ulster County.

You would think the guy would know better but we guess not. Hacky new year everyone!!! On the web:

Times Herald Record Article About the New Hacks

2009 Begins

2009-01-05T20:32:00.003-05:00

Ulster Politics rang in the new year in the warmth of headquarters – a smart move given the bitter temperatures.

Congratulations to Mike Hein and Elliott Auerbach on being sworn in an off to work. A lot of media attention, deservedly so on Hein – he’s the top dog. But Auerbach is no slouch and we have not read or heard a thing about his team.

We are counting on Elliott to hire truly independent aides. Lord knows he should do no favors to the Democratic establishment, that largely threw him under the bus during the election.

Auerbach really has to perform given that he has to run for re-election in just two years. He won in a true squeaker and has limited ability to raise money in his new post. 2008 was a stunning year for Democrats the likes of which will be historically improbable to repeat in 2010. For all those reasons, we hope he hires independent staff who will audit the heck out of every dollar that our officials try to spend.

Interesting that the County Clerk Nina Postupack is already announcing her candidacy. Nina raised some eyebrows by refusing to back her party nominee for County Executive. We can only wonder if there will be some pay back.

The rumor mill has Kingston's 7th Ward Alderman Bill Reynolds and Ulster County Legislator Rob Parete running against her. Rumors being rumors, who knows if there is any truth behind them. The Parete name commands respect – ask all the Republicans defeated under daddy Parete’s tenure as Party boss. Parete running as a Democrat would present a strong challenge, but the election is a long way’s off.

The City of Kingston races, as well as the County Legislature races will also make 2009 interesting to those who follow politics. Will the city Council go Republican? Can Glenn Noonan and Mario Catalano run a team of people to knock out three vulnerable Democrats while keeping all the GOP seats? Gary Bischoff, Jon Decker, T.J. Briggs, and perhaps one of the Rosendale area Dems could be vulnerable if the GOP works hard.

2009 . . . an exciting year for politics; and it’s only just begun.

What are your New Year's Resolutions?

2008-12-26T19:25:00.003-05:00

2009 brings to Ulster County a new year. Ulster Politics would like to take this opportunity to suggest some New Year resolutions by those in the public eye in Ulster County:

Bob Aiello – get healthy and hopefully then get to some meetings of the Legislature so voters don’t give him a trim. Bob is truly an independent – sometimes it appears he walks away from the GOP solely to say he did it, but health is important so we hope Bob resolves to take care of his.

Joe Roberti – continued hard work. Joe works hard for him and his 3 kids. He just got a new job and we hope he has a strong 2009.

The Parete family – they should resolve to continue working for the Democratic party notwithstanding the lack of gratitude from some of their own. They should also resolve to stay in the County Legislature and not have Rob lose to Nina Postupack. Two brothers in the Legislature means clout and Governor Paterson should find a place for Rob Parete.

The voters or Marbletown, Olive, and Hurley: Should resolve to send a Republican to replace Peter Kraft. Now that Kraft is soon to be officially out, the voters of that District should resolve to find a moderate GOP person like Linda Bertone to join the Parete brothers in the County Legislature.

Party bosses Julian and Mario. Julian should resolve to try and get to the right of the ultra-liberal wing of his party so as to keep the Democrats moving strong in Ulster County. Mario should resolve to get a long with people and actually do some work instead of telling others to do it; and while he’s at it, perhaps raise some money like he promised he would do.

The Conservative Party. Now that they have new leadership they should resolve to be true conservatives and work to elect ONLY people who promise not to vote for a tax increase in 2010 and 2011 and end corporate give aways.

The Solar Consortium. Should resolve to lay out every job they have “created”, how much in taxpayer cash they have received so far, and the names of the companies all their employees came from preceding their work at the Solar Consortium, lay out every company which is a member of the consortium, in short SHOW US THE MONEY AND THE JOBS!!!

Lance Matteson. Should resolve to create at least one private sector job in a for profit entity that pays more than $50,000 a year which is not helped with any taxpayer funded grants or loans – in other words, should resolve to create private sector jobs.

March Gallagher. Should resolve that the only CIA work she will do is dinner at the Culinary Institute of America and not dirty tricks as an IDA Board member against small business in Ulster County.

Ulster County Chamber of Commerce. See Lance Matteson.

Jeremy Blaber. This talented young man who all on the Republican side love to hate should resolve to take better care of himself. If he does that, and tones it down a bit, he could have a really bright future.

Mike Hein. Should resolve not to be a figure head puppet but to actually lead Ulster County government. So far he’s not off to a good start. A secret economic development task force led by a Sullivan County resident all while being conspicuously silent on the $600,000 office bond renovation issue. Mike, that’s not leading the way, that’s hiding in the corner.

Len Bernardo. Should resolve to work with the Independence Party to make it a force for good and true independence in Ulster County.

The Marlboro Gang a/k/a solid south. Should resolve to watch their flank as Town elections in Marlboro threw a curveball in 2007 and could do the same in 2009 to them in the County Legislature.

Richard Gerentine. Leader of the GOP Legislators in the Solid South should resolve to spend a lot of time in Newburgh, Fishkill, and Poughkeepsie to prepare for a run for the State Assembly.

Elliott Auerbach. Should resolve to be a truly independent Comptroller and take on all the good old boys who backed his opponent.

Jim Quigley. Should resolve to run for Town of Ulster Supervisor. Quigley is at heart an executive more than an accountant and should dispatch Nicky Woerner with ease.

Nicky Woerner. Should resolve to limit all police activities other than those carried out by actual law enforcement to watching re-runs of CHIPs.

Ulster GOP Legislators. Should resolve to hire a campaign consultant and run their campaigns free of Mario Catalano’s influence since it’s not like he’s going to do anything for them anyway.

Robin Yess. The newly appointed GOP Executive Director should resolve to change her mind and say NO to this “job.”

Social Services Commissioner Rodriguez. Should resolve to not pay section 8 rents to County Executive Mike Hein and his wife.

County Legislator Hector Rodriguez. Should resolve to find someone to run a primary challenge to Susan Zimet.

County Legislator Susan Zimet. Should resolve to find someone to run a primary to challenge Hector Rodriguez.

County Legislator Brian Cahill. Should resolve to stop capitalizing on his brother Kevin’s name – it’s not that impressive.

Kevin Cahill. Should resolve to actually seek a vote on his property tax reform legislation instead of just posturing for two more years.

Peter Lopez and Cliff Crouch. Should resolve to openly call Cahill on the carpet for his faking it when it comes to doing anything in Albany.

Tom Kirwan. Should resolve to move to warm weather after having been one of the few honorable people in Albany for the past ten years.

John Bonacic. Should resolve to tell every single Republican Senator “I told you so” about Joe Bruno’s sinking the Republican ship.

Bill Larkin. Should resolve to continue serving with amazing vigor for a guy who is 80 and announce he is running for re-election early so as to put to rest the rumors that the guy is going out to pasture.

Maurice Hinchey. Should resolve to declare his intent to seek appointment to Caroline Kennedy’s Senate seat. Hinchey is too old to gain substantial seniority in the Senate but he could give us 8 good years there and be a voice for upstate.

Chuck Schumer. Should resolve to actually pass one of the bills he announces at his weekly Sunday press conferences. So far the guy has passed bill’s renaming a bunch of post offices but not much else.

SWEET CAROLINE SHOULD TALK DIRECTLY TO US

2008-12-23T18:27:00.004-05:00

Caroline Kennedy is lovely, but voters deserve to know where people stand on the issues.

Ulster Politics has been following the Caroline Kennedy for Senate story and the former First Daughter’s campaign is disappointing at best.

She is sweet. She is lovely. She has a pleasant demeanor. She has traveled to Syracuse and Rochester. OK, now what.

What are her solutions? Ms. Kennedy has genes of intelligence but if Daddy being President qualifies one for high office, what would our friends on the left (ok, and in the center, ok and on the right) say about the current President.

Voters deserve more than someone with a famous last name and the ability to hire top name political talent. Voters deserve a choice. Shelly Silver was quoted in (Ulster County native) Liz Benjamin’s blog today (http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2008/12/silver-kennedys-first-obligati.html) as saying we need a Senator who is loyal to Governor Paterson not Mayor Bloomberg.

Shelly Silver is wrong. We need a Senator who fights for New York and is willing to take a stand on the key issues, not sits on the sidelines and answers questions through a spokesman.

Governor Paterson would be wrong to appoint someone who campaigns via sound-bite and then only through a spokesperson. Caroline, we all like you, in fact many of us love you and loved your parents. BUT PLEASE, tell us where you stand. Talk to us – and visit not just with Democratic politicians as you have been doing but Republicans and Independents as well – we are people too.

Caroline Kennedy WOULD be a political heavyweight and like her or not, so is Hillary. We would like to see Caroline in the Senate. We need a political heavyweight who can have instant love from her fellow Senators (through her campaign and fundraising power), but please, we beg you, talk to us directly not through some spokesperson

DAILY FREEMAN: We don't care what our local officials think!

2008-12-21T16:27:00.005-05:00

DAILY FREEMAN: WE DON’T CARE WHAT OUR LOCAL OFFICIALS THINK, AND WE WON’T EVER SAY ANYTHING NICE ABOUT ANY OF THEM – WE PROMISE!

Ulster Politics read today’s Daily Freeman editorial. The editorial, as the Freeman almost always does takes shots at everything in our dysfunctional State government.

We found it interesting thought that the Freeman, while citing what one group or person or another said, did not bother quoting the comments of our local representatives – most notably Assemblyman Kevin Cahill and Senator John Bonacic and Senator Bill Larkin.

We went to Cahill’s website, with a very user UNfriendly address of: http://www.assembly.state.ny.us/mem/?ad=101&submit=Go and found no statement on the budget by our local representative.

Obviously the Freeman cannot be faulted for not quoting a representative who says (and does) nothing. Note to Mr. Cahill: how about updating your website and getting a user friendly name for it?????

We then went to Senator Larkin’s website (www.SenatorBillLarkin.com) – a much more user friendly name, but were disappointed to find that the website really hadn’t been updated all that much.

Finally, we went to Senator Bonacic’s website (www.SenatorBonacic.com) – again, a much more user friendly name and were pleasantly surprised to see that not only has it been updated, but that it actually had a statement about the budget – and we see why the Freeman didn’t bother to print it.

Here is the Bonacic statement:

STATEMENT FROM SENATOR BONACIC ON GOVERNOR’S PROPOSED BUDGET

“No one likes what the Governor is proposing and I’m sure that includes the Governor himself. However, we have a massive deficit, the highest Medicaid burden in the nation, and plummeting revenues. Now is the time for every elected official to show the courage and leadership to meet the current fiscal challenges and make the necessary difficult choices.

“We are all elected—not simply to support or oppose party leaders, but to make tough choices that impact New Yorkers. The Governor’s budget has a lot of pain, however, the pain must be spread in an equitable manner so that key government services remain, while making sure the costs are not placed on local governments causing an increase in property taxes. This will be a priority for me.”

It is apparent that Bonacic’s statement was not in keeping with the Freeman’s desire to label all of Albany dysfunctional, partisan and thick-headed. The Senator correctly notes that this year’s State budget in (our words, not his), stinks.

It’s going to be a tough year and we all need to pull together – which is about what the Daily Freeman said, except of course they could not bother saying that at least one of our local officials gets it.

It’s true that Bonacic did not embrace the taxes and fees put forward by the Governor, but at least he had the decency to look us all in the eye and say (in a nicer way), “stop your whining, nobody likes this but we’ve got a job to do here”.

Remembering that Bonacic was the only one with the guts to call upon Joe Bruno to step down as Senate Majority Leader we are not completely surprised that he has the political independence to say we need to work together instead of joining the partisan attacks on the Governor’s budget which so dominate politics these days.

The Freeman’s editorial was dead on – we expect our politicians to stop whining and get the job done. Would it be too much for the paper to quote our local officials and acknowledge that at least one of them, whether you agree with him or not, seems to feel the same way.

Bigger Salary, Fancy New Offices, More Staff

2008-12-17T19:55:00.003-05:00

The staff at Ulster Politics are speechless. Absolutely speechless. For the most part, we at Ulster Politics, and just about everyone that we know, find the Daily Freeman to be pretty much useless. However the editorial in the Freeman today has us wondering if aliens have taken away the normal spineless writers at the Freeman and replaced them with highly talented investigative reporters.

There is no one that writes for Ulster Politics who could have written a better editorial on the bond request for fancy new office space for the newly elected Democratic Executive and Comptroller than the Freeman did today.

Now.... if they only took Hein's real estate deals as serious as they do his need for a new crib. Oh... and while we are on the topic of "what's in it for Mike" how about an editorial on the raise that Mike Hein already gave himself over and above the recommendation by the charter... and the additional Deputy Executive and the 2 additional Assistant Deputy Executives and the $88,500 planner position rumored to be created for March Gallagher. We know, we know... it was the Legislature that did this... not Mikey.... but we don't hear Mike protesting.

At a time when people are suffering and doing without, this insatiable greed for a bigger salary, more staff and fancy office is disgusting.

From Wednesday, December 17th Daily Freeman Editorial:

Ulster County legislators are appropriately gun-shy about borrowing $608,733 to outfit offices for the county’s new county executive and comptroller and staffs.Given the opportunity last week, legislators wisely declined the honor, sending the measure back to committee with instructions to cut the request in half.But, to be honest, at some $300,000, even halving the original proposal sounds pretty quick with a buck in these very difficult times. They should think again about that.Obviously, the newly created offices under the county charter form of government that takes effect on Jan. 1 will need to be properly outfitted to fulfill their legal obligations.

But there is outfitted and, then, there is outfitted.

County Executive-elect Mike Hein should show some leadership during this transition by simply pronouncing publicly that he and Comptroller-elect Elliott Auerbach will have to make do with whatever improvisation is necessary to get their jobs done. This would mean a commitment to a creative and dogged use of existing space and equipment for the time being and the foreseeable future, until such time as the economy has turned.In the end, the productivity of these offices primarily will depend on the organizational and intellectual capital of the officers who inhabit them, not the physical plant in which they work.

It is a time, properly, of diminished expectations because there is so much less to go around. Government is not immune from this, even at its highest reaches. And there is some virtue in the idea that the new county officers should face every day when they arrive at work a physical manifestation of the same crisis everyone else faces these days.

Most of all, the two new officers need to lead by example.

The Bush Legacy

2008-12-14T20:01:00.005-05:00

The Bush Legacy: He Kept us Safe, not much else, but isn't that what counts.

As we wind our way to January 20, 2009 most Americans woke up Sunday to news that President Bush made his fourth trip to Iraq.

Casually interesting in some ways, but stunning in others. Whatever one thinks of the Bush Doctrine of preemptive war, it had the following two effects: 1. It liberated a nation previously held under a brutal dictator and 2. It kept the terrorists on the run or otherwise occupied.

Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State has been praised as a bold choice by historians - likening it to Lincoln's famed Team of Rivals. The reality is though, the Clinton legacy does not exist. Sure the economy was good - but that's not a legacy. Economies are completely cyclical is what Adam Smith taught us years ago - it is true today. The economy is not Clinton's legacy.

Rather, Clinton's legacy is that he left our nation in a position to be attacked. He had Osama in the cross hairs but didn't have the courage to pull the trigger. Bush's legacy is that he took the devastating attack of 9/11, then kept us safe, all while building an ally in the middle east.

Look, we are no Bush apologists, his stunning inaction on gas prices was appalling. His failing at Hurricane Katrina ("Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job") alarming, but othert than those two - substantive and unnecessary errors,the greater legacy is he kept us safe ... And that matters.

Pay for Play in Politics

2008-12-09T14:03:00.010-05:00

Reuters reports that Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested on criminal charges on Tuesday, including trying to sell the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat President-elect Barack Obama, federal prosecutors said.

Blagojevich was also accused of threatening to withhold substantial state assistance to the Tribune Company in connection with the sale of the Chicago Cubs' baseball home Wrigley Field "to induce the firing of Chicago Tribune editorial board members sharply critical" of him.

The 51-year-old Blagojevich and his chief of staff, John Harris, were charged in a 76-page federal indictment with conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. Both were taken into custody at their homes in Chicago.

click here to read the NY Times transcript of the press conference

Here are some excerpts from the wire tap:
WARNING THEY CONTAIN EXPLICIT LANGULAGE

During the conversation, ROD BLAGOJEVICH told Deputy Governor A that if he is not going to get anything of value for the open Senate seat, then ROD BLAGOJEVICH will take the Senate seat himself: “if . . . they’re not going to offer anything of any value, then I might just take it.”

ROD BLAGOJEVICH later stated, “I’m going to keep this Senate option for me a real possibility, you know, and therefore I can drive a hard bargain. You hear what I’m saying. And if I don’t get what I want and I’m not satisfied with it, then I’ll just take the Senate seat myself.” Later, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the Senate seat “is a fucking valuable thing, you just don’t give it away for nothing.”

Deputy Governor A suggested putting together a list of things that ROD BLAGOJEVICH would accept in exchange for the Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH responded that the list “can’t be in writing.” Thereafter, ROD BLAGOJEVICH discussed whether he could obtain an ambassadorship in exchange for the Senate seat.

ROD BLAGOJEVICH spoke with JOHN HARRIS regarding the potential vacant Senate seat. ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the “trick . . . is how do you conduct indirectly . . . a negotiation” for the Senate seat. Thereafter, ROD BLAGOJEVICH analogized his situation to that of a sports agent shopping a potential free agent to various teams, stating “how much are you offering, [President-elect]? What are you offering, [Senate Candidate 2]? . . . Can always go to. . . [Senate Candidate 3].” Later ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that he will make a decision on the Senate seat “in good faith . . . but it is not coming for free. . . .It’s got to be good stuff for the people of Illinois and good for me.”

ROD BLAGOJEVICH talked with Advisor A about the Senate seat. During the phone call, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated that the President-elect can remove somebody from a foundation and give the spot to ROD BLAGOJEVICH. In regards to the Senate seat, ROD BLAGOJEVICH stated “I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden, and, uh, uh, I’m just not giving it up for fuckin’ nothing. I’m not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.”

.........................................................................................................................

The staff at Ulster Politics thinks that US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald has BALLS. It seems like something similar just happened in New York, and nothing happened.

A few months ago, State Senate Minority Leader (now Majority Leader, or something like that) Malcolm Smith told a conclave of lobbyists in Kingston that their clients would be shut out of a Democrat-controlled Senate in January if they didn't pony up large contributions now.

Sources regarding the Smith incident were reported as saying: "It was far more blatant a threat than anything we're used to hearing from many of the leaders," the lobbyist continued.

"The whole thing was incredible. Malcolm got up there and thanked everyone for coming and told them we should think of his fund-raising event as being like an IPO, an initial public offering.

"He said we should get in early because then it doesn't cost as much. The longer you wait to get in, he said, the more it will cost you and if you don't get in at all, then it will be painful after November, after the Democrats win the majority," the lobbyist continued.

"Then he referred to [Bronx state Sen.] Jeff Klein about four times as his 'enforcer,' who is going to be brutal, aggressive, about collecting the contributions, and that he was the one managing the IPO."

Linking campaign contributions to future government actions is illegal under New York law, legal experts told The Post. However, the Senate Democratic golf outing was held at the Wiltwyck Golf Club and attended by about 75 lobbyists who paid up to $75,000 each. The staff at Ulster Politics was unaware that dinner and a round of golf at Wiltwyck cost so much!

One can only imagine how many Ulster County politicians are cringing to learn that the US Attorney's office pays attention to matters such as "pay for play" politics. It's interesting to note that the US Attorney told the group that if you are approached in a "pay for play" scheme that you are to say "no" and report it.

Remember posters - we will not post any allegations of criminal activity, so please word your comments appropriately.

More Blogs More Fun

2008-12-03T10:36:00.003-05:00

Welcome

www.NoJobsInUlster.blogspot.com

AUERBACH’S FIRST STAND: ELLIOTT NEEDS TO STAND UP TO HEIN AND HIS $600,000 IN OFFICE RENOVATION

2008-12-02T18:09:00.007-05:00

If it was five months from now – April Fool’s day (or close to it), the joke that Mike Hein wants $600,000 for office renovations may have been laughable. But, it’s December 1. Families are struggling to buy holiday gifts, pay heating bills (whatever happened to the heating summit in July, just another Hein fake-a-roo we guess), and of course higher County property tax bills are nearly in the mail. Add that to the fact that Governor Paterson called for a special session of the NYS Legislature on November 18th to close a $1.5 billion state budget gap and warned of the dire fiscal crisis in New York State.

Yet Mike Hein wants a $600,000 bond to give him and his friend Elliott Auerbach (ok, not his friend considering Hein was actually supporting Jim Quigley) a beautiful new office space.

ARE YOU *&@! NUTS we ask again. If the County Executive is going to have a staff of 8 (let's just hope he doesn't ask for more staff) and the County Comptroller a staff of 5, that’s $46,000 in office renovations per staffer. Again, sorry, ARE YOU *&@! NUTS Mr. Hein???

Ever heard of cubicles? Small workspaces – you know, like the rest of the little people err ahh taxpayers have to work in (for those lucky enough to have work).

Most County workers live in little cubicles with pictures of their kids taped to fabric walls. There is no reason why the County Executives flacks can’t do the same thing.

This is no different than the automotive CEOs flying 3 separate private jets to Washington DC to ask for a bailout. Mr. Hein has raised taxes again this year, and now wants us to borrow money for a new office for him.

We can only be thankful that Republican Legislators will (hopefully) reject this borrow and spend initiative of Mr. Hein.

BUT . . . we really hope Elliott Auerbach, as the just elected Comptroller condemns Hein for even asking for this money.

Elliott, you said you’d be independent – tell Hein he’s nuts and that staff will have to make do without new digs. Hein threw you under the bus during the campaign, he was out there with Quigley. Today’s your day Elliott . . are you an Independent Comptroller, or a Hein lackey. Please, be the man we think you are capable of being.

How many economic development plans does Mike Hein need?

2008-11-25T22:11:00.005-05:00

How many economic development plans does Mike Hein need?

Let's count them.

1) Ulster Tomorrow

2) His own plan on his website
http://heinforexec.com/content/revitalization-plan

3) Now he has a 21 person task force to give him "propsals"

Just in case you don't want to click on the link, here's Mike's Revitalization Plan from his website.
Why do we need a 21 person task force?

Mike Hein’s “Revitalization Plan” for Ulster County

Expand and Energize Sustainable Economic Development
Create 1,000 well paying “green collar” jobs, dedicate “bed tax” revenues to investment in enhanced tourism and economic development efforts, and work with our farmers to expand their markets and capitalize on organic farming and agri-tourism trends.
1. Create at least 1000 new, good-paying “green collar” jobs
  Through the continued support of TSEC (the Solar Energy Consortium) and expansion of the solar photovoltaic industry and other alternative energy based industries in the County.
  - Setting a clear goal is essential for success. Over the past 18 months TSEC has made great progress landing businesses that are committed to producing 500-600 combined “green collar” jobs.
  - Continue to collaborate with Congressman Hinchey and TSEC to help position Ulster County as a center for Alternative Energy in the Northeast.
  - Expand the “Shovel Ready Program”. Require GEIS (Generic Environmental Impact Studies) to accompany all future shovel ready funding, which will speed the approval process and greatly improve the attractiveness of these sites to potential businesses.
2. Stimulate Economic Development
  Aggressively work to bring new business opportunities to Ulster County and ensure our existing businesses have the support and workforce necessary to grow.
  - A state decision split economic development efforts into two regions. Upstate and downstate. Inexplicably, Ulster County was placed in the downstate region, which means we must compete for assistance against Manhattan, Westchester County and other major metropolitan areas. This is not representative of our more rural location and must be corrected.
  - Help existing businesses of Ulster County by:
    - Promoting expanded high speed wireless availability
    - Coordinating with local educator’s to ensure we are aligning our efforts with the workforce needs of local businesses.
    - Expanding public transportation. One of the biggest impediments to employment is the ability to physically get to work.
  - Increase awareness and use of the (SBDC) Small Business Development Center, which offers MBA consultants to assist with business plans, financing options plus much more. These services are offered absolutely free of charge.
3. Enhance Tourism Industry in Ulster County
  Pro-active assistance and engagement: dedicating bed tax revenues to tourism related activity; enhancing public transportation for tourists. Creating a “No car required” Ulster County vacation.
4. Support Ulster County Farmers
  Strengthen farmland preservation programs; brand Hudson Valley produce; expand markets; and capitalize on organic farming and agri-tourism trends.
5. Streamline the County Review and Approval Process
  Remove the layers of bureaucracy without sacrificing environmental protection while ensuring the public’s voice will continue to be heard. I will ensure the County Planning, Health and Highway Departments coordinate all efforts to speed this process.
Protect our Seniors and Families and Preserve our Quality of Life

Provide relief against sky-rocketing fuel costs, encouraging housing hard-working families can afford, revitalizing our downtowns, and preserving our open space.

Provide Relief Against Sky-Rocketing Fuel Costs
Ensure that Ulster seniors and families are protected from having to make impossible choices this winter through programs like “Winter Watch”.
Explore Solutions to Housing Issues
Keep Ulster County vibrant by working with towns, villages, and communities to encourage and develop housing that our hard-working families and seniors can afford.
Smart Growth
Assist local communities to revitalize their Main Streets, downtowns, and other commercial areas by using planning models to identify the appropriate type and scale of sustainable growth and development with them. Communities throughout the County can develop win-win Smart Growth scenarios that conserve important natural and historic resources while enabling the creation of new businesses and good new jobs.
- Make available the assistance and tools of the County Planning department for those municipalities that wish to participate.
- Aggressively use various main street revitalization funding sources.
  - Community Development Block Grants
  - Division of Housing: Community renewal funding

Implement a Taxpayer Savings Plan that cuts government spending

Reduce energy costs, streamline government through consolidation of function and investment in technology, expand shared municipal services, and efficiently restructure county-owned properties to allow surplus properties to be sold.

Streamline Government
Consolidate specific county functions; implement a more comprehensive fleet management process and utilize the recently completed system for the inventory, maintenance, and sale of surplus county property.
Invest in Technology
Invest in new technology that boosts efficiency and productivity. This includes installing GPS technology in County vehicles to allow for more efficient scheduling, increased safety, plus reduced mileage, wear and tear and energy use; upgrade the County’s financial software system to allow for centralized accounting functions and more centralized receiving.
Reduce Energy Costs
Implement prioritized efficiency measures identified in a comprehensive energy audit of all County buildings to include renewable energy options; transition portions of the County fleet to hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles.
Shared Municipal Service Programs
Save taxpayer dollars by eliminating costly duplicative services. When Ulster County, City and Town governments work together significant long-term savings can be realized.
- Implement findings of an independent study designed to identify key areas for governments to work together and save money.
  - Example – MS4 Storm water program: facing the potential of severe fines for non-compliance, a team of 11 municipalities plus Ulster County was coordinated to meet DEC mandates. These efforts saved over $600,000 for the taxpayers of Ulster County.
  - This is the future of government; finding more efficient ways to deliver services and eliminate redundancy

It's a plan - just do it!

Ulster Tomorrow cost taxpayer money and the time of many volunteers.
Apparently that plan wasn't good enough for Mike Hein.

Mike Hein touted his Revitalization plan during his campaign.
Apparently that plan isn't good enough for Mike Hein either.

Now he has 21 people trying to come up with a plan. What a joke.
Mike isn't even leading the task force. Didn't he campaign with the slogan that he was going to be "leading the way". Sounds more like he's passing the buck than leading the way.
How long before that plan isn't good enough for Mike Hein.

This guy has no clue what to do when it comes to economic development. If he did have a clue, he would do it. We'll give you a hint Mike, it starts with firing Lance Mattison. Mattison has no clue either and has not performed.

Which Republican is going to clean Nicky Woerner's clock next year?

2008-11-21T19:30:00.026-05:00

Which Republican is going to clean Nicky Woerner's clock for Ulster Town Supervisor next year? ( polls)

THE TOWN OF ULSTER BUDGET - NICKY WOERNER'S LAST STAND???

OK, Nicky Woerner's days as a political prodigy are done. When he was 19 he almost kicked the rear end of Ulster Town Supervisor Freddie Wadnola. Two years later, out of fear, concern, or some other reason, Fred retired as Town Supervisor.

Nicky cruised to victory and then was re-elected over Don Wise, who worked hard and ran a credible campaign in 2007. Last year Nicky presented the consummate Election year budget - a modest tax cut that hid the pain. But the truth hurts, and the truth is Nicky's budget last year was a disguise - designed to hide his plans for 2008.

It's appropriate almost that the budget was adopted around the time the new vampire flick hit the theaters, because Nicky and his boys are sucking the blood out of Ulster taxpayers.

Ulster Politics is taking bets about Nicky's absurd budget. We'd like to know:

AND WHILE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT THE ABSURD,let's turn to the Kingston Daily Freeman.

In today's useless report by the Daily Freeman - written suprisingly by the normally quite detail oriented William Kemble, would it have been too much to tell us how each member of the Ulster Town Board voted??? When the GOP Legislators voted for the 39% tax hike a few years back, the Freeman let us all know it was the Republicans who screwed up. But when Nicky Woerner and his Democrat dominated Board vote for this massive tax hike, it is apparently not important to tell who voted how.

You can't fault Kemble. He's a correspondent. But for crying out loud, would it be too much to ask the Freeman Editors to get the vote count for the news article.

Man, we never thought we'd say it, but boy do we miss Hugh Reynolds and wish he was writing someplace more than on a weekly basis . .

Governor David Paterson buys a $21,000 carpet for his mansion, while asking everyone else to cut spending

2008-11-20T10:10:00.009-05:00

Governor David Paterson buys a $21,000 carpet for his mansion, while asking everyone else to cut spending

The staff at Ulster Politics has been closely following the NYS Legislature Leaders in Albany. In our last post we said:

Until the Democratic leadership in Albany get serious about bringing everyone together instead of grandstanding in front of the media, the taxpayers are bound to suffer the consequences.

It appears that Democratic Governor Paterson's "Leaders' Meeting" on Tuesday, November 18 was all just a "show" to try and convince the taxpayers and media the he and the Democrats are interested in reducing spending at the state level during this serious financial crisis. We've all heard that the meeting cost taxpayers at least $60,000 to put on. Now we can add a $21,000 for a rug for the Governor's mansion. What's next a private plane for the Governor to fly around like the automotive executives?

Hypocritical politicians are everywhere from UC Legislator Frank Felicello all the way up to Governor David Paterson. It's time for politicians and executives who are spending taxpayers money, telling constituents how to live their lives and looking for political handouts to start walking the walk, instead of just talking the talk.

Purchase of a Turkish carpet takes taxpayers for a ride
Amid crisis, state pays $21,000 for mansion rug

TimesUnion.com

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Thursday, November 20, 2008

ALBANY � Gov. David Paterson's energetic response to the state budget crisis has been the hallmark of his tenure, but even as he was ordering state agencies to cut their spending and warning of even tougher times ahead, his Office of General Services was buying a $21,000 custom-stitched 10-foot-by-15-foot antique carpet for the governor's mansion.

News of the purchase, from a New York City firm that had contributed at least $8,000 to the Spitzer/Paterson campaign, was seized upon by critics who have questioned some of the governor's budget-cutting plans.

"They should cut the waste first before they come and ask us for concessions," said Darcy Wells, spokeswoman for the Public Employees Federation, a state workers union.

Paterson wants state workers to forego next year's 3 percent raise and accept a "lag pay" plan in which they give up five days salary until retirement; Paterson has warned the eventual deficit could swell to $15 billion over the next 14 months.

The rug, ordered from Stark Carpet on Third Avenue in New York City, was shipped July 31, according to payment records and invoices. Earlier that week, Paterson ordered a second round of cuts for state agencies, bringing the reduction to 10 percent.

In a statement, OGS spokesman Brad Maione noted the building, also known as the Executive Mansion, is a kind of museum as well as the residence for Paterson and his family when they're not in New York City.

"It serves as a public space that in many ways is a museum � open to thousands of visitors and school children each year," said Maione, who added that more than 6,000 people have visited the mansion during the past few years.

"This historic landmark requires ongoing maintenance and upkeep," said Maione, who added that a total of four rugs were purchased for the building this year at a total cost of $37,741.

That's not to say that people can wander into the 19th-century mansion as if it were the State Museum: When the Times Union on Wednesday asked permission to get a photograph of the carpet, the request was denied � with Paterson spokesman Morgan Hook citing security reasons.

Unless there is a designated event, the Eagle Street mansion is generally off-limits to the public, and guarded by State Police officers.

Blair Horner, legislative director for the New York Public Interest Research Group, said the mansion may have needed a new rug � but the larger question centers on the symbolism of such a purchase.

"Does this send the wrong signal? I think the answer is a resounding yes," Horner said. "When the state is tightening its belt, I think that should apply to expensive rugs, no matter how useful. At the same time that the governor is proposing cuts to education and health care, the symbolic decision is a bad one."

Described as a "Turkish patchwork collection (made of antique rugs in Turkey)" the carpet sold for $16,811.25, according to an invoice obtained from the state Comptrollers Office.

There was an additional $4,350 for labor, supplies and decorative stitch work.

Stark Carpet Corp. contributed $3,000 to the Spitzer/Paterson gubernatorial campaign in 2005 and 2006. The firm also gave $5,000 in 2003, according to state records.

While stressing that she was not familiar with the mansion's rug, Lucille Laufer of the Oriental Rug Importers Association, a New Jersey-based trade group, said that Turkish rugs have been in vogue lately.

"It's a warm look, and people are really migrating toward that now," she said.

Rick Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or rkarlin@timesunion.com

Albany Leaders' Meeting

2008-11-19T08:26:00.001-05:00

The staff at Ulster Politics thinks that anyone who lives in upstate NY and pays property taxes should sit up and take notice of Jim Tedisco, Assembly Minority Leader from Schnectady. At the Tuesday, November 18th NYS Leaders' Meeting, Jim Tedisco stood up for property tax payers everywhere when he told Governor Patterson, Speaker Silver and Malcolm Smith that if they make the cuts in education that they are proposing that property taxes will go up, and upstate New Yorkers will bear the burden. Property taxes will go up because there is no property tax cap in New York, and Speaker Silver has no interest in changing that.

It just makes sense. If they cut education funding, the property tax payers will be forced by local school boards to make up the difference. Sure, it will make Albany's budget look good, but what are the schools going to do mid year? They are going to go to the local property tax payers to get what they need.

The cuts need to come from the bottom up. Relief from state mandates along with tax cuts are a good idea. Until the Democratic leadership in Albany get serious about bringing everyone together instead of grandstanding in front of the media, the taxpayers are bound to suffer the consequences. It was clear from today's meeting that Speaker Silver is not motivated to do anything and that Senator Malcolm Smith is not ready to be Majority Leader.

How to turn $5,000 into $112,000

2008-11-14T11:12:00.004-05:00

You ever get one of those chain letters, send $1 to 5 people
and in 6 months you'll get $100 in the mail?

Well, how about you give a $5,000 donation on October 31 and on
November 13 you get a $112,000 a year job.

Pretty good deal right?  Of course there is no connection to the
contribution (there never is of course), but in the final hours of the
election for Ulster County Executive, a public employee from
Hurley - Adele Reiter gives $5,000 to the Committee to Elect Mike Hein.
A very large contribution from a public employee - but perfectly legal.

We wake up this morning to find that Mike Hein has named
that same person his $112,000+ Chief of Staff.

Look, to the victor goes the spoils - we all get that. But to have
one of the largest contributors get a six figure job, well I guess
that's just politics as usual in the good old boy network.

Ulster County IDA Republican Picks

2008-11-12T18:31:00.008-05:00

The Ulster County Republican Legislators will caucus tonight and decide who they want to sit on the UCIDA. The staff at Ulster Politics has learned that there are 3 contenders for 2 seats.

John Morrow, Todd Diorio and David O'Halloran

Morrow and Diorio's seats are expiring

It will be interesting to see who the Ulster County Republican Legislators put forward. A vote for John Morrow and David O'Halloran will be a step forward. David O'Halloran was very involved in the campaign to elect Len Bernardo and will be a reflection of the desire for the party to move forward and embrace the idea of "new blood" that Len Bernardo had tried to bring to the party.

Anything that involves Todd Diorio will be more of the same good old boy politics in the Republican party. Diorio is the nephew of Legislator Rich Gerentine who did not seem to support Len Bernardo's candidacy with his boys in the South.

This could be an indication as the future direction of the Republican Party. Are they going to continue this self destructive path of exclusion of everyone but the good old boys, or are they going to open up and include people and move forward? We know what happened in the County Executive race, will this be any different?