Thanks again for your most recent (7/24/14) Advertiser report to the people of East Greenbush.
Your report provides a welcome contrast to Supervisor Langley's unwillingness (or inability?) to provide the residents of East Greenbush with any detailed public commentary whatsoever regarding his thoughts about this important issue.
Effective communication and transparency are the hallmarks of a strong representative. I certainly appreciate your efforts.
This piece is one of the most important developments in local politics in a long time. Mary Ann Matters' reasoning is irrefutable and her courage exemplary. We elect five people to represent us on the town board, not two factions. We did not give Keith Langley control of three votes on the board. In the best case, we would have five people who each acted on behalf of the residents and put the interests of the taxpayers ahead of the interests of the faction. With Mary Ann Matters' declaration of independence we now have one person who fits that description. Maybe she's opened the door for others to join her.
Anyone who takes the time to learn about the impact of casinos on host communities tends to move in the same direction as Mary Ann Matters has here. The thing that bothers me most about the pro-casino insiders is the reasoning behind their arguments. They say we will benefit from the revenues generated by the casino. If you ask how they know this, it's clear they have simply accepted what the developers have told them. Does anyone with even an ounce of common sense think that the public relations arm of the casino industry is not in sales mode when it makes up those numbers? Especially since they were the same numbers used by the Governor's office to sell Proposition 1.
And that leads to the worst defense of all, one which is consistently employed by the pro-casino crowd: "if we get even half of the benefit they promise we'll be in great shape." Leaving aside the enormous irresponsibility of thinking that miscalculating the biggest project in town history by 50% is okay, we now have the massive downsizing of the project by Saratoga Casino & Raceway. I guess the defense now is "if we get even 15% of what they promised ..." At some point, sanity must be restored and Mary Ann Matters has taken the first, and most important, step. The fact is that no one on the town board has done their due diligence until now. This is a great job by Mary Ann Matters, one I hope is appreciated by everyone who cares about this town.
As I mentioned at the last Board meeting, I have received my FOIL response in which I requested the material which supported the "Wherases" in the Resolution the Board passed in support of the casino at the Special Meeting. The only thing with any numbers on it was a letter from the developer which stated the Casino "EXPECTS TO CONTRIBUTE" the following. There followed the fantasy numbers to which Ms. Matters referred. One of the assertions in the Resolution was that the Town Comptroller certifies that the Resolution would not have a negative effect on the Town's finances. The fact is that there is no way to make such an assertion absent the calculation of the costs of the presence of the casino. Those costs impact police, fire, EMS, sewer, water etc. No one has even to this date made any calculations related to these matters. It could mean a net negative to the Town. Think about that. Perhaps the Board should consider revoking its Resolution because there is no supporting documentation for the financial assertions made in the Whereas clauses. Nobody tested the numbers.
While this article is huge and I commend Mary Ann for withdrawing her support for the casino, I am more impressed that she is taking a stand based on her own thoughts and decisions. She is not acting like a puppet and is finally standing against the antics that have been going on within our town management for years. Last week's meeting was huge for East Greenbush in my opinion. Mr. Gilbert was finally called out and for once wasn't left with the last word which gave an opportunity to finally defend ourselves without being shut down by Mr. Langley, and Mary Ann took a stand for change. Deb DiMartino seems to be willing to try to change and took time to speak with many of us after the meeting instead of ducking out and and she seemed genuine. Neither of the two were approached and "forced" to stay, they both personally went up to residents to converse. I am new to being involved in local politics, but I find this huge and am thankful of all you on this blog and those involved with "saving East Greenbush" for your fight and for providing great insight into EG politics. I said it in a previous blog, but to help encourage change within and to support Mary Ann and whoever else is willing to stand up for change, the pressure needs to be kept on Langley who seems to be attempting to run a dictatorship.
My thanks to both Councilpersons Mary Ann Matters and Sue Mangold for making themselves available to the media yesterday for comments regarding the revised East Greenbush Casino proposal. Whether or not you agree with their positions on this important topic, they both respectfully and openly presented their views for public consideration. As previously posted, their detailed public statements are a refreshing contrast to the continued lack of any detailed public comment about the revisions from our Town's Chief Executive Officer, Supervisor Keith Langley.
I think it is fair to state that voters expect their elected officials to provide information, facts, details, openness, transparency and well grounded decision making.
I wonder if Langley, DiMartino, Mangold and Malone realize how much pure political power they have ceded to Ms. Matters because she is most of these things and they, glaringly and obviously, are not?
I think it is fair to say that going forward Ms. Matters is in the perfect position to dominate town political affairs. I hope she wields her power and influence as well as she has with this terrific start.
Thank you, Mary Ann. At the risk of seeming sexist I bet Rick is intensely proud.
We still need to talk about "due diligence." Ms. Matters has said that the numbers keep changing. She's right. But the thing that the Board should have been about months ago is the question as to what the number really are in the first place. Nobody has done any analysis at all as to what the NET (in any) to the Town would be after the costs (infrastructure and overhead) to the Town for having a casino present are deducted from realistic projected revenues. As somebody said above, you wouldn't run a business this way. Where WERE and ARE the the questions and calculations, Town Board???? You've still bought a pig in a poke. Ms. Matters has started to raise the questions you all should have been raising months ago.
It is abundantly clear that this whole operation was run as a sales pitch with political loyalty being demanded by the "drones" on the Republican side and the financial/political interests on the other. Business as usual for East Greenbush.
Of course Ms. Matters' move was "political." She figured out that she was answerable to a constituency which was larger and more powerful than Langley, DeFruscio, Gilbert, Jimino, Crist and the rest of the "drones." That's how politics works.
Next step, Ms. Matters - file an ethics complaint related to the threat from the "drone" you mentioned in the Press. Make it a notarized statement and get it out there.
Next steps for all five Board members. Let's see the numbers you all said were supportive of the "Whereas" clauses in the Resolution you all favored at the Special Meeting. If you can't produce them (and they didn't exist when you voted) how could your Resolution be valid? Aren't you affirming the content of your document when you pass it? Time to stop with the games.
One of the more obvious things the casino debacle points out is what a waste the Citizens Fiscal Advisory Committee really is. At best it is a sideshow.
However, a functioning CFAC could have been handed the data and tasked with coming up with a recommendation. Imagine that? The town board listening!
Wasn't going to happen Anony......This whole fiasco has been driven from the beginning by "don't confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up." And the "minds" were made up of machine interests, real estate hopes and hopes for campaign contributions.
The whole thing was run by the casino marketing/PR operation. Just look at the FOIL notes to see what was on the agenda and who was present. Each individual Board member (other than the Supe) was given an individual half hour. What a load of crap!!! They couldn't figure out who elected them, they were so beholden to the "drones" and the "handlers." We need to be asking when they're going to get PO'd enough to get responsive to the voters in this Town. The best they've come up with to this point is the invention of a "silent majority." The last one to do that was NIxon, right? Good grief....
"Drone" is the perfect word for the character who threatened MAM. A drone is a male bee that is stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Now, who do we know in EG who fits that description? Clue: the answer is in the question.
Among 7/25 @ 2/16 p.m. Don't you mean; Imagine that? The Supervisor listening? This Supr is WORSE than McCabe and that's saying something. He's the root of the problem of the failed majority. Anyone who can't get along with Deb and MA can't get along with anyone. Fortunately, it looks like Langley is about to be dethroned by the Queen Bee at least for the next 17 mos. Now THIS oughta be good.
Morgan Hook, the shill for the casino developers, should start producing the documentation of the meetings they have held with Town officials related to the changes in the development proposal. Just saying they have done it doesn't cut it, Morgan.
I carefully watched yesterday's Channel 6 interview with Mary Ann Matters regarding the significant downsizing of the East Greenbush Casino Proposal and couldn't help but notice that East Greenbush Supervisor, Keith Langley, once again failed to respond to requests for comment.
Does the phrase "open and transparent government" mean anything to you Mr. Langley? It should, as it was a major talking point of the Smart Way Forward campaign last election.
Kudos again to Councilperson Matters for publicly outlining her position. Like Channel 6, we are still waiting to hear from Supervisor Langley on this important issue.
We should be hearing from Langley on this. Langley needs to stop hiding behind Hook and Mangold. If Langley supports this little pig in a poke project he should have the guts to tell us and tell us why. Mayor Dan Dwyer has made it crystal clear he supports the Rensselaer Casino and has said so many times. Cat got your tongue Mr. Langley? Or is all this just moving too fast for you?
Ms. Mangold is quoted as saying that even if the numbers change, the casino is still good for East Greenbush. She needs to demonstrate how such a statement (which is absurd on its face) could be true. Sue, you're getting into the world of "Jabberwocky."
The August Board Meeting should be something to say to say the least. ! I believe they will be releasing the 5.0 version of our most popular new game, MEET THE PUTZ.... It's the best show around, its sad though that is our future at stake here.
A business-like conclusion to this casino matter will be pretty hard to achieve because those in charge of its beginning did not lay the groundwork in a business-like manner. There was secrecy, manipulation, snake-oil hype. And by the time that four of the five elected officials were brought in for their half hour with Feathers, the behind-the-scenes shot callers had done the deal. What was left was a PR and manipulation on the rest of us.
What's coming out now is the arrogant imperialism of the Albany/NYC lobbying culture of which Feathers is the King. They don't give a flying storm door for the wishes of the people who live and pay taxes here - and want to define their own community.
What's fortunate is that they miscalculated on what it would take to get the "ducks in a row." To construct a restaurant and a hotel they have to get a PDD and to do that they have to re-zone and to do that the Town will have to amend its Master Land Use Plan and then SEQR will have to be done in the middle of it all. And I believe that the law provides for significant public input in these processes. If anybody tries to politically wire or fast tract these things, there will be Hell to pay. These processes will surface the questions about the actual and real cost to East Greenbush to have a casino on Thompson Hill. There are infrastructure costs (like sewer and water systems) which must be paid for, and services (like police, fire, EMS) which must be expanded. What's the actual "net" to the Town after all the things that are going to go on that list? Feathers is going to have to sign on to some real dollar disbursements from his (hoped for) cash cow. And the language will have to be much different from that letter from the developers which Langley and the Board relied upon to support the Special Meeting resolution. It said that the developers "EXPECT TO CONTRIBUTE." Not good enough.
Gadfly, "... four of the five elected officials were brought in for their half hour with Feathers." I wonder how much additional time Langley spent with Feathers and why that time wasn't accounted for in the Town's response to your FOIL request?
I cannot believe how many of you have bought into this MAM reincarnation act. I will give her this, she is the only board member to see that this Casino thing is slipping away....and that is the reason for the big reversal. If she still thought for a minute that the casino was gonna go to EG, she would still be on that side. She saw an opportunity to jump ship and try to save herself and took it. And you all bought it...hook line and sinker, she's your hero again!! Just remember all of the rolling of the eyes and arrogant smirks of the MAM of the first half of 2014, before you go making her the queen of EG. The fact is, she is still the mean and nasty person that we have all seen in her first 6 months, the same person that orchestrated the turnover of all the good employees of the Town, at the beginning of the year. Remember all that nonsense? Hows that working out for us? She voted for all that mess and don't forget it.
I think you're conveniently forgetting that DeFruscio was the bus driver and orchestra leader. You know how machines operate. It was DeFruscio and Langley in the truck.
Unfortunately I agree with Anon 5:29 pm.. MAM has proven that she can't be trusted. She voted in support of the casino and when things didn't work out she is now trying to backpedal and doesn't care who she rolls over as she backs up. Reform needs fresh faces not the same person with 2 faces. Sorry Mary Ann I'm just not buying it, and I hope you are not buying it either Don.
Anony 7/26 at 5/29 p.m: You're calling MAM "mean and nasty?" Well, you're pretty mean and nasty yourself. Maybe you're the "Republican drone" who threatened her with "political repercussions" if she doesn't play ball. Say what you will about her but she's the only one on the TB with the brains to realize that she made a mistake voting yes for the casino and now she's trying to do something about it. The rest of the board still has that "talk to the hand" mentality. These casino operators are just that, operators who pitched a pack of lies to the town board to get them to vote yes and then they pitched something entirely different to the state. Then they're refusing to say how this will effect the bottom line. Mean and nasty is just what we need right now to get people to listen so MAM is perfect for the job. Thank goodness she had the guts to tackle it and thank goodness she appears to have freed herself from the oppressive, controlling, paranoid dictator we have come to know as Keith Langley. He's treated Deb and MA like his property right from the start, so how long did he think that his "majority" would last under those circumstances? Now he's going to have to work with MAM or the Democrats on the board to get his third vote. MAM is now the swing vote. And Langley? Well, he's just plain screwed.
And where has Mr. Feathers been since April? The TB has been taking a brutal beating from the opposition for months and now MAM is taking aim at the promoters of the project, but where is Feathers? He's as absent as Langley. Who is answerable for this mess anyway? Is it Langley? I hope he's packing up his desk now for his exit next year. Then he can be as absent and silent as he wants for the rest of his life.
Feathers is just doing his job in trying to cut the best deal for himself. The problem is Langley isn't doing his job by looking out for the people of EG. Langley has only been concerned with trying to cut the best deal for himself and his very good friend, Chris DeFruscio.. Now that Ms. Matters has called out Langley on this, Langley is beginning to freak out. Expect more bullying tactics from the Langley drones. Langley is the poster boy for bad government and EG residents know it.
As Dwight put it tonight.....we were sold a Mercedes and got a Ford. MAM has a valid point. Their business is bait and switch. DeFruscio and Langley were real suckers for this scam. Of course, the pols in Troy thought they could do another FEDEX on the neanderthals in East Greenbush. We're just here to do the bidding of Jimino and Crist after all. Jimino needs some opposition in the next election too. She and the allies in the Legislature have really taken advantage of those of us here in EG for a while now. Time for someone less opportunistic. Bye bye Kathy...
It appears that we are being treated by these big business casino moguls like a bunch of hillbillies on the other side of the river who aren't smart enough to figure out the bait & switch scam they are pulling on us. They are wrong!
When DeFruscio left the picture, Gilbert wasted no time ooozing in to replace him, and Langley wasted no time letting him do it. The problem is that Gilbert is more dangerous than DeFruscio because he's smarter, but not in a good way. Gilbert is a wise guy in a suit and tie and the only guy I know who has the plums to speak for the Supervisor while the Supervisor is in the room! Better watch out Mr. Supervisor or Mr. Gilbert will soon be replacing you, too.
@ 11:20 AM, You are right. Gilbert treats Langley like he isn't even there. And to think, the taxpayers are paying Langley 70grand a year to witness his vacant stare at the Town Board meetings.
Gadfly... Mary Ann Matters already did the heavy lifting for Feathers, by voting yes on the two essential resolutions allowing them to submit their application on June 30th. This charade that she is conducting is nothing more than her trying to provide herself with political cover until the state selects a site.
If East Greenbush is chosen in the fall, Matters will jump back on the casino bandwagon so fast your head will spin.
We need to press on to stop this casino from coming to East Greenbush and we don't need Mary Ann Matters to do it. Matters talks out of both sides of her mouth. Her vote doesn't mean anything at this point.
CasiNO....First. you're forgetting that the Special Meeting resolution was illegal because it took place in violation of (1) the Open Meetings Law, and (2) was passed before the SEQR process was done. You can't approve a specific site without SEQR.
Second, should the Art. 78 be lost, the Board still has to do its due diligence on any PDD, zoning change, variance application and SEQR. There are just too many problems with that Thompson Hill site to make it viable as a casino location. So the future is very much in the hands of the Board, PB and ZBA......and they'd better start doing their jobs and asking the questions and being responsible. It take at least 18 to 24 months do do a proper SEQR evaluation for a project of this size and complexity. So a proper SEQR evaluation takes East Greenbush out of the running. Period. You can call anything else a political fix.
Gadfly.. Mary Ann Matters is on Time Warner Cable News saying she wants the casino project bigger. In fact she wants it put back to the monstrosity it was, when originally presented.
Who is in the casino's pocket here? Matters is saying she is withdrawing her support for the casino in one breath, then she is saying add the 200 hotel rooms back on in the next.
It appears the majority of the board wants this project at least downsized while Matters wants to be able to see the top floor of that hotel from her house on the other side of town. We don't want that casino in any shape or form.
Matters needs to go. She is worse than the rest of them. She's not going to be supportive until she grows this casino in size in order to get every last nickel out of our pockets.
I don't support that casino and I don't support Mary Ann Matters. She is a phony and has been deceiving us since the beginning of this process and is attempting to deceive us now.
Try this approach on for size.......I believe that the casino project at E23 in Albany failed because of due diligence. When the questions were asked about mitigations, what kind of facility would the subject property support when the SEQR questions were addressed, etc., the project was determined to be not viable. The numbers didn't work. This is why the East Greenbush project is still a fantasy. Nobody has done the numbers. The 14 million dollar sewer upgrade is supposed to just get EG out from under the DEC consent order. No casino "flushes" were figured into that upgrade. What would it cost for additional upgrades to handle casino "flushes?" That money has to come from somewhere. That's only one example. What's it cost annually to hire and pay pension and benefit costs (plus cars and equipment) for 16 to 20 new cops??
So there are lots of arguments against a casino in EG. We don't meet the economic distress standards. We don't want what it does to communities, especially what it does to healthy communities like EG. Our fiscal problems have been caused by incompetent government. The potential site is dumb, with loads of problems. The EG siting process was illegal. And on and on. We don't want a casino here. Let's use all resources available to stop this one. Ms. Matters has just started to do what the whole bunch should have been doing a long time ago. She should get credit for that. But there's a long way to go yet.
It's time to see Langley, DiMartino, Mangold and Malone engage on a real question. They should be reading the studies and doing the numbers. When they do, they will come to oppose casinos. Casinos are a failed government revenue policy. Let's see them make an argument - in public - against the DiNapoli report and Moody's.
I completely understand the frustration with regards to Mary Ann, I myself never thought I'd support any of our elected officials again. However, this recent announcement by Mary Ann is not necessary big in regards to the casino debacle (time will tell, although it does help having her call out the big guns and their scheming instead of it coming just from us), it's big because it shows she has courage and is willing to stand up against Langley and anyone else who proves time and time again they are just tossing our town around like we don't matter. Her decision doesn't change anything come election time, it wasn't a political career move. There is a long road ahead before we can judge the new member's performance. If anything, this was career suicide in some people's eyes. She not only just went against Langley and the rest of the board, but she called out higher forces. Her life must be a living hell right now. That's what makes her decision courageous, she stood up against the antics and what she feels is right. Maybe she was 100% on board with the casino and maybe still is but doesn't like the antics and the downsizing. Maybe she never was for the casino. While it will be interesting to see what truly went on during this process (we all can speculate and I'm sure we're close), what's important is that she didn't just sit back and continue to pretend to support these lies and is now standing up for what she believes in. She's not asking for a bigger casino or a bigger hotel, she is calling them out for continuing to downsize and not discuss how this will change those "guaranteed" revenues. Like someone above said, they were promised a Mercedes and now are presented with a Ford (what a great comparison; "FixOrRepairDaily", "FoundOutsideRottingDump", "ForgotOurRecommendedDefaults," "FunnyOldRottingDump," etc.). We're not perfect, neither is Mary Ann I'm sure. I will say as frustrated as I've been, she is one of the few town board members who took time during this process to reply to everyone of my emails with a personal message. Whether or not I agreed with the replies, I appreciated her not sending a generic response and actually discussing with me the specific points I asked or discussed. I believe Deb is sincere in trying to listen to residents. I too am disappointed with her vote given the fact she admitted she was against it but felt it was inevitable and voted yes anyways. Again, we all make mistakes its how you come back from these mistakes that matters. “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” - GANDHI
I agree with you completely. MA looks and sounds scared to death in those TV news interviews. Her comment "We want what was pitched to us originally" was brilliant because (a) she knows that's not going to happen, which makes the developers look bad and (b) she's speaking as well for the residents who want the casino. So, she's appealing to both pro and anti-casino factions while making the developers look bad...brilliant! I can't imagine the guts it took for her to break with her people on this issue. It's genuine because she'll tell anyone who asks that she's not running again. She's a lone little fish in a big pond of piranha. Now that she's achieved her independence, and is out from under the thumb of King Langley, I think we'll see a very different MA. Let's give her a chance to pull through. She's our only hope at this point and she seems sincere. Thank you.
Maybe he's afraid to speak for fear he'll be exposed for the fraud that he is. Mr Family Man doesn't seem to care if a family-community is invaded by a family unfriendly business that will bring nothing but trouble to our town. Very disappointing, Supr. Langley. You, sir, are a hypocrite!
@ 10:30 AM, Langley won't comment because he's doing what bullies do when they are stood up to. He's made himself scarce at Town Hall. Langley has turned tail and run away to hide on Langley Road.
Great post Anonymous 10:14!! There's been a whirlwind of coverage about Mary Ann Matters' defection from the pro-casino camp and that, in and of itself, has been a huge boon to the No Casino movement. Her article in the Advertiser is her most thoughtful, comprehensive statement of her position and it's a strong statement backed by sound reasoning and a careful review of developments. That alone makes her unique among members of our town board.
Reading the Executive Summary for this project makes it clear that our town board is willing to allow East Greenbush to serve as a staging ground for the political careers of Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Jimino, the economic recovery of Albany and Troy, and the fattening of the bank accounts of millionaires like Feathers, Gerrity and their investors. What we get is the bill for the $14 million wastewater treatment facility, the huge infrastructure costs in public safety, a cultural environmental that devalues and undermines the efforts of our schools and churches, a doubling of crime and addicted gamblers, and the loss of the community we chose to raise our families.
Troy and Albany can relieve their "heartbreaking" poverty while it's school buses full of our children who will share the road with the drunk drivers coming out of the casino. Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Jimino can brag about their increase in revenue while we wave goodbye to Camp Is-Sho-Da. Feathers and the boys can afford the luxury of their fourth and fifth yachts while we watch our neighbors sink into debt, struggle with family issues created by problem gambling, and wonder how the bottom dropped out of their lives because four members of the town board didn't know or care to know how to protect them.
Mary Ann Matters did the right thing. Now it's time for other members of that board to prove they haven't been paid or played. Mary Ann may stumble over a statement or two, and those hoping to pounce on her will have their way when she does, but the woman stood up for us and showed how easy it would be for others to follow her. Why is it okay for East Greenbush to solve everyone else's problems when it means creating a boatload of trouble for us?
Jack, this issue is becoming emotional, as well. Imagine them picking on MAM when the far bigger news is a Las Vegas-style casino invading hometown USA. Even if it were true, who cares if she has other reasons for withdrawing her support? She has become a rebel fighter for an important cause and that can't be a bad thing for our town especially when Supr. Langley has the equivalent of the Great Wall of China between himself and the residents. Let's not make this about Mary Ann. It's about the absurdity of a gambling casino in a small, suburban, family town in East Greenbush, NY. It's about money, power, corruption and greed vs. ordinary citizens who are fighting to preserve the sanctity of their beloved community. Picking on Mary Ann is just a poor attempt to distract us from the REAL issues I noted, and none of us are dumb enough to fall for it. So, please don't go there, Pro-Casino people. You're wasting your time.
I'm puzzled as to how Supervisor Langley believes that hiding behind a Great Wall of China is a good way to serve the people of East Greenbush? Does he believe he is the smartest person in any room he's in?
Langley doesn't just believe he is the smartest person in the room. He KNOWS he is. Keith Langley has absolutely zero use for anyone who won't agree with him on every single thing. You see how rude and dismissive he is at public meetings. He is much, much worse in private conversations. He has no insight on how poorly his bad behavior reflects on the Town of East Greenbush.
When you lack confidence as a leader, you stay silent. What's truly unfortunate is that this Supr has been surrounded by smart people from day one, but he has not chosen to take advantage of it as a means of making the best decisions for the town he claims to "love." That, in my view, means that he's a fool, and a fool and his job are soon parted. He needs to go.
He can't say no now, he's in too deep. The time for him to say no was when Feathers and Crist first came to him with their hands out. They must have promised him something too good to refuse but whatever they promised him, they won't deliver when EG doesn't get the casino. They'll be saying Keith who? And Keith will be looking in the classifieds for another job.
Both the East Greenbush Republican Committee and the East Greenbush Democratic Committee have failed to file their required July, 2014 Financial Disclosure Forms with the New York State Board of Elections. Coincidence???
I've been struggling with whether I should call Mary Ann Matters and congratulate her for her brave stance. But....is it really a brave stance? Mary Ann coming out in the Advertiser can be taken a couple of ways. Is Mary Ann now against the Casino or is just against the downsizing and her only complaint is that she wants the project revised back to its original proposal. Does Mary Ann think that the Casino is now a bad idea or an idea that has become too small?
I'm trying to evaluate if Mary Ann now supports the group against the Casino. While I don't know the answer, I can't help but think about Mary Ann's attitude displayed at the Town Board meeting and Special Board meeting on the Casino. If Mary Ann really is concerned about our community, why did she go along with the meeting in Town Hall on the Casino where a large number of people had to stand in the hall because the room being used was too small.
Mary Ann was the spokesperson for the board criticizing the residents speaking out against the casino. The unprofessional way she treated the anti casino group...the eyes rolling...smirking...laughing...generally being nasty and demeaning was uncalled for.
I truly would like to believe that Mary Ann has changed her spots, but I worry that the real bait and switch she talked about in the Advertiser is the bait and switch she is pulling on us. I guess we will have to wait and see.
To 3:50 p.m. The best thing you said was "we will have to wait and see." MA voted "yes" twice, so it's a pretty safe bet (pardon the pun) that she believed in the project when she voted but, then, she said in her article, "things changed." She said "the project dwindled...without the Town Board's prior knowledge or input." She also said, "we have yet to be told by the developer how the downsizing of this project will impact the previously forecasted revenues, jobs..." So, whether she is for the project or not at this point is irrelevant because the initial voting is over but at least now she is taking serious issue with the developer who clearly used the Executive Summary that they submitted to the state to INFORM the TB of the changes. That was not fair play in her opinion. Again, it's back to the "they sold us a Mercedes and delivered a Ford" thing. At least she's asking questions and holding their feet to the fire until they answer those questions, which is more than the rest of the board is doing. Can MA be snarky and unpleasant, sure, but maybe that's just what we need right now. Would you ever expect such push back from the shy and demure Debbi? No, we need someone with chutzpa right now. I also think we'll see a very different MA now that she has freed herself to think and act according to her own will, not someone else's. So, yes, let's wait and see. We're all hoping to not be disappointed.
The casino company in their televised statement said they have been keeping Ms. Matters up to date on the entire process. Is someone not telling the truth?
Yes, the casino representative is not telling the truth. They also deceived 16,500 residents who believed the information they were mailed by the PR firm that was hired by the developer. Has anyone received updated information in the mail about the downsized project? Well, neither have the members of the town board or THEY would said Ms. Matters is wrong. So far, all we hear is stealth silence.
I believe you are right Gadfley about Hook being a Crook (nice tagliine); I'd say he's guilty by association to say the least. He served in the press offices of Spitzer and Paterson and verbally defended Cuomo on several occasions, that right there is strike three for proving he's somewhat of a stand up guy. Working for SKD and becoming Vice President after serving as Communications Director and on the Executive Chamber for Cuomo's buddy Paterson doesn't help. SKD is helped run by Jennifer Cunningham (partner) who served as Cuomo's top advisor when he ran for Attorney General and Governor. So, doubt we'll hear from Langley now that they found this guy to speak. Save East Greenbush, the No Casino Group, Mary Ann and the rest of our town who refused to back down brought out the top guns, keep up the fight!
How much are they paying Hook to speak for Silent Keith Langley? Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer seems perfectly capable of speaking for himself about the Rensselaer Project. Not good Mr. Langley, not good at all!!!
Something is very wrong because of the stealth silence from Town Hall. Mary Ann was with them before but after "things changed," as she said, she came to her senses and decided to fight for the town. Good for her, and good for us, too!
Today I passed the new house going up on Thompson Hill Road. A month or two ago construction was going gangbusters. Today some of the house wrap was blowing loosely in the wind and doors and windows were boarded up. A result of the proposed casino?
I did hear that an Article 78 might be filed related to the illegal Plat approval last January which was done without a meeting or Resolution from the Planning Board. Also, I believe that there is a case in the appellate division related to the sewer line running up the hill which was supposedly constructed under dubious circumstances. I guess we'll see. Sure can't do things the "way we've always done it" any longer.
Mary Ann,
ReplyDeleteThanks again for your most recent (7/24/14) Advertiser report to the people of East Greenbush.
Your report provides a welcome contrast to Supervisor Langley's unwillingness (or inability?) to provide the residents of East Greenbush with any detailed public commentary whatsoever regarding his thoughts about this important issue.
Effective communication and transparency are the hallmarks of a strong representative. I certainly appreciate your efforts.
Be well,
Tom
This piece is one of the most important developments in local politics in a long time. Mary Ann Matters' reasoning is irrefutable and her courage exemplary. We elect five people to represent us on the town board, not two factions. We did not give Keith Langley control of three votes on the board. In the best case, we would have five people who each acted on behalf of the residents and put the interests of the taxpayers ahead of the interests of the faction. With Mary Ann Matters' declaration of independence we now have one person who fits that description. Maybe she's opened the door for others to join her.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who takes the time to learn about the impact of casinos on host communities tends to move in the same direction as Mary Ann Matters has here. The thing that bothers me most about the pro-casino insiders is the reasoning behind their arguments. They say we will benefit from the revenues generated by the casino. If you ask how they know this, it's clear they have simply accepted what the developers have told them. Does anyone with even an ounce of common sense think that the public relations arm of the casino industry is not in sales mode when it makes up those numbers? Especially since they were the same numbers used by the Governor's office to sell Proposition 1.
And that leads to the worst defense of all, one which is consistently employed by the pro-casino crowd: "if we get even half of the benefit they promise we'll be in great shape." Leaving aside the enormous irresponsibility of thinking that miscalculating the biggest project in town history by 50% is okay, we now have the massive downsizing of the project by Saratoga Casino & Raceway. I guess the defense now is "if we get even 15% of what they promised ..." At some point, sanity must be restored and Mary Ann Matters has taken the first, and most important, step. The fact is that no one on the town board has done their due diligence until now. This is a great job by Mary Ann Matters, one I hope is appreciated by everyone who cares about this town.
As I mentioned at the last Board meeting, I have received my FOIL response in which I requested the material which supported the "Wherases" in the Resolution the Board passed in support of the casino at the Special Meeting. The only thing with any numbers on it was a letter from the developer which stated the Casino "EXPECTS TO CONTRIBUTE" the following. There followed the fantasy numbers to which Ms. Matters referred. One of the assertions in the Resolution was that the Town Comptroller certifies that the Resolution would not have a negative effect on the Town's finances. The fact is that there is no way to make such an assertion absent the calculation of the costs of the presence of the casino. Those costs impact police, fire, EMS, sewer, water etc. No one has even to this date made any calculations related to these matters. It could mean a net negative to the Town. Think about that. Perhaps the Board should consider revoking its Resolution because there is no supporting documentation for the financial assertions made in the Whereas clauses. Nobody tested the numbers.
ReplyDeleteYou would not run a business like that, would you Mr. Langley? Why would you run a town government like that?
ReplyDeleteWhile this article is huge and I commend Mary Ann for withdrawing her support for the casino, I am more impressed that she is taking a stand based on her own thoughts and decisions. She is not acting like a puppet and is finally standing against the antics that have been going on within our town management for years. Last week's meeting was huge for East Greenbush in my opinion. Mr. Gilbert was finally called out and for once wasn't left with the last word which gave an opportunity to finally defend ourselves without being shut down by Mr. Langley, and Mary Ann took a stand for change. Deb DiMartino seems to be willing to try to change and took time to speak with many of us after the meeting instead of ducking out and and she seemed genuine. Neither of the two were approached and "forced" to stay, they both personally went up to residents to converse. I am new to being involved in local politics, but I find this huge and am thankful of all you on this blog and those involved with "saving East Greenbush" for your fight and for providing great insight into EG politics. I said it in a previous blog, but to help encourage change within and to support Mary Ann and whoever else is willing to stand up for change, the pressure needs to be kept on Langley who seems to be attempting to run a dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteIs the Keith Langley, Ed Gilbert Board of Ethics Meeting still on tap for 7pm at Town Hall?
ReplyDeleteThe writing has already been on the wall on this thing. It's a political move, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteEVERY project gets over sold. We never saw a single cent of the early retirement option savings.
ReplyDeleteFed Ex was grossly over sold.
The solar project, according to the town's controller had a 26 year possible payback.
Putting solar in fire houses that are unoccupied 98% of the time is sheer stupidity and just another example of over sold and under delivered.
Thank you, Ms. Matters. Finally, some common sense and decency on the town board. Finally.
My thanks to both Councilpersons Mary Ann Matters and Sue Mangold for making themselves available to the media yesterday for comments regarding the revised East Greenbush Casino proposal. Whether or not you agree with their positions on this important topic, they both respectfully and openly presented their views for public consideration.
ReplyDeleteAs previously posted, their detailed public statements are a refreshing contrast to the continued lack of any detailed public comment about the revisions from our Town's Chief Executive Officer, Supervisor Keith Langley.
I think it is fair to state that voters expect their elected officials to provide information, facts, details, openness, transparency and well grounded decision making.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Langley, DiMartino, Mangold and Malone realize how much pure political power they have ceded to Ms. Matters because she is most of these things and they, glaringly and obviously, are not?
I think it is fair to say that going forward Ms. Matters is in the perfect position to dominate town political affairs. I hope she wields her power and influence as well as she has with this terrific start.
Thank you, Mary Ann. At the risk of seeming sexist I bet Rick is intensely proud.
We still need to talk about "due diligence." Ms. Matters has said that the numbers keep changing. She's right. But the thing that the Board should have been about months ago is the question as to what the number really are in the first place. Nobody has done any analysis at all as to what the NET (in any) to the Town would be after the costs (infrastructure and overhead) to the Town for having a casino present are deducted from realistic projected revenues. As somebody said above, you wouldn't run a business this way. Where WERE and ARE the the questions and calculations, Town Board???? You've still bought a pig in a poke. Ms. Matters has started to raise the questions you all should have been raising months ago.
ReplyDeleteIt is abundantly clear that this whole operation was run as a sales pitch with political loyalty being demanded by the "drones" on the Republican side and the financial/political interests on the other. Business as usual for East Greenbush.
Of course Ms. Matters' move was "political." She figured out that she was answerable to a constituency which was larger and more powerful than Langley, DeFruscio, Gilbert, Jimino, Crist and the rest of the "drones." That's how politics works.
Next step, Ms. Matters - file an ethics complaint related to the threat from the "drone" you mentioned in the Press. Make it a notarized statement and get it out there.
Next steps for all five Board members. Let's see the numbers you all said were supportive of the "Whereas" clauses in the Resolution you all favored at the Special Meeting. If you can't produce them (and they didn't exist when you voted) how could your Resolution be valid? Aren't you affirming the content of your document when you pass it? Time to stop with the games.
One of the more obvious things the casino debacle points out is what a waste the Citizens Fiscal Advisory Committee really is. At best it is a sideshow.
ReplyDeleteHowever, a functioning CFAC could have been handed the data and tasked with coming up with a recommendation. Imagine that? The town board listening!
Wasn't going to happen Anony......This whole fiasco has been driven from the beginning by "don't confuse me with facts, my mind is already made up." And the "minds" were made up of machine interests, real estate hopes and hopes for campaign contributions.
DeleteThe whole thing was run by the casino marketing/PR operation. Just look at the FOIL notes to see what was on the agenda and who was present. Each individual Board member (other than the Supe) was given an individual half hour. What a load of crap!!! They couldn't figure out who elected them, they were so beholden to the "drones" and the "handlers." We need to be asking when they're going to get PO'd enough to get responsive to the voters in this Town. The best they've come up with to this point is the invention of a "silent majority." The last one to do that was NIxon, right? Good grief....
"Drone" is the perfect word for the character who threatened MAM. A drone is a male bee that is stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Now, who do we know in EG who fits that description? Clue: the answer is in the question.
ReplyDeleteAmong 7/25 @ 2/16 p.m. Don't you mean; Imagine that? The Supervisor listening? This Supr is WORSE than McCabe and that's saying something. He's the root of the problem of the failed majority. Anyone who can't get along with Deb and MA can't get along with anyone. Fortunately, it looks like Langley is about to be dethroned by the Queen Bee at least for the next 17 mos. Now THIS oughta be good.
ReplyDeleteMorgan Hook, the shill for the casino developers, should start producing the documentation of the meetings they have held with Town officials related to the changes in the development proposal. Just saying they have done it doesn't cut it, Morgan.
ReplyDeleteI carefully watched yesterday's Channel 6 interview with Mary Ann Matters regarding the significant downsizing of the East Greenbush Casino Proposal and couldn't help but notice that East Greenbush Supervisor, Keith Langley, once again failed to respond to requests for comment.
ReplyDeleteDoes the phrase "open and transparent government" mean anything to you Mr. Langley? It should, as it was a major talking point of the Smart Way Forward campaign last election.
Kudos again to Councilperson Matters for publicly outlining her position. Like Channel 6, we are still waiting to hear from Supervisor Langley on this important issue.
We should be hearing from Langley on this. Langley needs to stop hiding behind Hook and Mangold. If Langley supports this little pig in a poke project he should have the guts to tell us and tell us why. Mayor Dan Dwyer has made it crystal clear he supports the Rensselaer Casino and has said so many times. Cat got your tongue Mr. Langley? Or is all this just moving too fast for you?
ReplyDeleteMs. Mangold is quoted as saying that even if the numbers change, the casino is still good for East Greenbush. She needs to demonstrate how such a statement (which is absurd on its face) could be true. Sue, you're getting into the world of "Jabberwocky."
DeleteI am no mind reader but I believe that Ms. Mangold meant to say,
Delete"the casino is still good for East Greenbush Harts"
And sadly, Mr. Langley is quoted as saying "(nothing)" ...
ReplyDeleteThe August Board Meeting should be something to say to say the least. ! I believe they will be releasing the 5.0 version of our most popular new game, MEET THE PUTZ.... It's the best show around, its sad though that is our future at stake here.
ReplyDeleteA business-like conclusion to this casino matter will be pretty hard to achieve because those in charge of its beginning did not lay the groundwork in a business-like manner. There was secrecy, manipulation, snake-oil hype. And by the time that four of the five elected officials were brought in for their half hour with Feathers, the behind-the-scenes shot callers had done the deal. What was left was a PR and manipulation on the rest of us.
ReplyDeleteWhat's coming out now is the arrogant imperialism of the Albany/NYC lobbying culture of which Feathers is the King. They don't give a flying storm door for the wishes of the people who live and pay taxes here - and want to define their own community.
What's fortunate is that they miscalculated on what it would take to get the "ducks in a row." To construct a restaurant and a hotel they have to get a PDD and to do that they have to re-zone and to do that the Town will have to amend its Master Land Use Plan and then SEQR will have to be done in the middle of it all. And I believe that the law provides for significant public input in these processes. If anybody tries to politically wire or fast tract these things, there will be Hell to pay. These processes will surface the questions about the actual and real cost to East Greenbush to have a casino on Thompson Hill. There are infrastructure costs (like sewer and water systems) which must be paid for, and services (like police, fire, EMS) which must be expanded. What's the actual "net" to the Town after all the things that are going to go on that list? Feathers is going to have to sign on to some real dollar disbursements from his (hoped for) cash cow. And the language will have to be much different from that letter from the developers which Langley and the Board relied upon to support the Special Meeting resolution. It said that the developers "EXPECT TO CONTRIBUTE." Not good enough.
Gadfly, "... four of the five elected officials were brought in for their half hour with Feathers." I wonder how much additional time Langley spent with Feathers and why that time wasn't accounted for in the Town's response to your FOIL request?
ReplyDeleteI cannot believe how many of you have bought into this MAM reincarnation act. I will give her this, she is the only board member to see that this Casino thing is slipping away....and that is the reason for the big reversal. If she still thought for a minute that the casino was gonna go to EG, she would still be on that side. She saw an opportunity to jump ship and try to save herself and took it. And you all bought it...hook line and sinker, she's your hero again!! Just remember all of the rolling of the eyes and arrogant smirks of the MAM of the first half of 2014, before you go making her the queen of EG. The fact is, she is still the mean and nasty person that we have all seen in her first 6 months, the same person that orchestrated the turnover of all the good employees of the Town, at the beginning of the year. Remember all that nonsense? Hows that working out for us? She voted for all that mess and don't forget it.
ReplyDeleteI think you're conveniently forgetting that DeFruscio was the bus driver and orchestra leader. You know how machines operate. It was DeFruscio and Langley in the truck.
DeleteUnfortunately I agree with Anon 5:29 pm.. MAM has proven that she can't be trusted. She voted in support of the casino and when things didn't work out she is now trying to backpedal and doesn't care who she rolls over as she backs up. Reform needs fresh faces not the same person with 2 faces. Sorry Mary Ann I'm just not buying it, and I hope you are not buying it either Don.
DeleteAnony 7/26 at 5/29 p.m: You're calling MAM "mean and nasty?" Well, you're pretty mean and nasty yourself. Maybe you're the "Republican drone" who threatened her with "political repercussions" if she doesn't play ball. Say what you will about her but she's the only one on the TB with the brains to realize that she made a mistake voting yes for the casino and now she's trying to do something about it. The rest of the board still has that "talk to the hand" mentality. These casino operators are just that, operators who pitched a pack of lies to the town board to get them to vote yes and then they pitched something entirely different to the state. Then they're refusing to say how this will effect the bottom line. Mean and nasty is just what we need right now to get people to listen so MAM is perfect for the job. Thank goodness she had the guts to tackle it and thank goodness she appears to have freed herself from the oppressive, controlling, paranoid dictator we have come to know as Keith Langley. He's treated Deb and MA like his property right from the start, so how long did he think that his "majority" would last under those circumstances? Now he's going to have to work with MAM or the Democrats on the board to get his third vote. MAM is now the swing vote. And Langley? Well, he's just plain screwed.
ReplyDeleteAnd where has Mr. Feathers been since April? The TB has been taking a brutal beating from the opposition for months and now MAM is taking aim at the promoters of the project, but where is Feathers? He's as absent as Langley. Who is answerable for this mess anyway? Is it Langley? I hope he's packing up his desk now for his exit next year. Then he can be as absent and silent as he wants for the rest of his life.
ReplyDeleteThe people who brought us this fiasco are now going to want to modify the Town's land use plan via re-zoning. Time to put a stop to the mischief.
DeleteFeathers is just doing his job in trying to cut the best deal for himself. The problem is Langley isn't doing his job by looking out for the people of EG. Langley has only been concerned with trying to cut the best deal for himself and his very good friend, Chris DeFruscio.. Now that Ms. Matters has called out Langley on this, Langley is beginning to freak out. Expect more bullying tactics from the Langley drones. Langley is the poster boy for bad government and EG residents know it.
DeleteAs Dwight put it tonight.....we were sold a Mercedes and got a Ford. MAM has a valid point. Their business is bait and switch. DeFruscio and Langley were real suckers for this scam. Of course, the pols in Troy thought they could do another FEDEX on the neanderthals in East Greenbush. We're just here to do the bidding of Jimino and Crist after all. Jimino needs some opposition in the next election too. She and the allies in the Legislature have really taken advantage of those of us here in EG for a while now. Time for someone less opportunistic. Bye bye Kathy...
ReplyDeleteIt appears that we are being treated by these big business casino moguls like a bunch of hillbillies on the other side of the river who aren't smart enough to figure out the bait & switch scam they are pulling on us. They are wrong!
DeleteWhen DeFruscio left the picture, Gilbert wasted no time ooozing in to replace him, and Langley wasted no time letting him do it. The problem is that Gilbert is more dangerous than DeFruscio because he's smarter, but not in a good way. Gilbert is a wise guy in a suit and tie and the only guy I know who has the plums to speak for the Supervisor while the Supervisor is in the room! Better watch out Mr. Supervisor or Mr. Gilbert will soon be replacing you, too.
ReplyDelete@ 11:20 AM,
ReplyDeleteYou are right. Gilbert treats Langley like he isn't even there. And to think, the taxpayers are paying Langley 70grand a year to witness his vacant stare at the Town Board meetings.
Gadfly... Mary Ann Matters already did the heavy lifting for Feathers, by voting yes on the two essential resolutions allowing them to submit their application on June 30th. This charade that she is conducting is nothing more than her trying to provide herself with political cover until the state selects a site.
ReplyDeleteIf East Greenbush is chosen in the fall, Matters will jump back on the casino bandwagon so fast your head will spin.
We need to press on to stop this casino from coming to East Greenbush and we don't need Mary Ann Matters to do it. Matters talks out of both sides of her mouth. Her vote doesn't mean anything at this point.
CasiNO....First. you're forgetting that the Special Meeting resolution was illegal because it took place in violation of (1) the Open Meetings Law, and (2) was passed before the SEQR process was done. You can't approve a specific site without SEQR.
DeleteSecond, should the Art. 78 be lost, the Board still has to do its due diligence on any PDD, zoning change, variance application and SEQR. There are just too many problems with that Thompson Hill site to make it viable as a casino location. So the future is very much in the hands of the Board, PB and ZBA......and they'd better start doing their jobs and asking the questions and being responsible. It take at least 18 to 24 months do do a proper SEQR evaluation for a project of this size and complexity. So a proper SEQR evaluation takes East Greenbush out of the running. Period. You can call anything else a political fix.
Gadfly.. Mary Ann Matters is on Time Warner Cable News saying she wants the casino project bigger. In fact she wants it put back to the monstrosity it was, when originally presented.
ReplyDeleteWho is in the casino's pocket here? Matters is saying she is withdrawing her support for the casino in one breath, then she is saying add the 200 hotel rooms back on in the next.
It appears the majority of the board wants this project at least downsized while Matters wants to be able to see the top floor of that hotel from her house on the other side of town.
We don't want that casino in any shape or form.
Matters needs to go. She is worse than the rest of them. She's not going to be supportive until she grows this casino in size in order to get every last nickel out of our pockets.
I don't support that casino and I don't support Mary Ann Matters. She is a phony and has been deceiving us since the beginning of this process and is attempting to deceive us now.
Try this approach on for size.......I believe that the casino project at E23 in Albany failed because of due diligence. When the questions were asked about mitigations, what kind of facility would the subject property support when the SEQR questions were addressed, etc., the project was determined to be not viable. The numbers didn't work. This is why the East Greenbush project is still a fantasy. Nobody has done the numbers. The 14 million dollar sewer upgrade is supposed to just get EG out from under the DEC consent order. No casino "flushes" were figured into that upgrade. What would it cost for additional upgrades to handle casino "flushes?" That money has to come from somewhere. That's only one example. What's it cost annually to hire and pay pension and benefit costs (plus cars and equipment) for 16 to 20 new cops??
DeleteSo there are lots of arguments against a casino in EG. We don't meet the economic distress standards. We don't want what it does to communities, especially what it does to healthy communities like EG. Our fiscal problems have been caused by incompetent government. The potential site is dumb, with loads of problems. The EG siting process was illegal. And on and on. We don't want a casino here. Let's use all resources available to stop this one. Ms. Matters has just started to do what the whole bunch should have been doing a long time ago. She should get credit for that. But there's a long way to go yet.
It's time to see Langley, DiMartino, Mangold and Malone engage on a real question. They should be reading the studies and doing the numbers. When they do, they will come to oppose casinos. Casinos are a failed government revenue policy. Let's see them make an argument - in public - against the DiNapoli report and Moody's.
I completely understand the frustration with regards to Mary Ann, I myself never thought I'd support any of our elected officials again. However, this recent announcement by Mary Ann is not necessary big in regards to the casino debacle (time will tell, although it does help having her call out the big guns and their scheming instead of it coming just from us), it's big because it shows she has courage and is willing to stand up against Langley and anyone else who proves time and time again they are just tossing our town around like we don't matter. Her decision doesn't change anything come election time, it wasn't a political career move. There is a long road ahead before we can judge the new member's performance. If anything, this was career suicide in some people's eyes. She not only just went against Langley and the rest of the board, but she called out higher forces. Her life must be a living hell right now. That's what makes her decision courageous, she stood up against the antics and what she feels is right. Maybe she was 100% on board with the casino and maybe still is but doesn't like the antics and the downsizing. Maybe she never was for the casino. While it will be interesting to see what truly went on during this process (we all can speculate and I'm sure we're close), what's important is that she didn't just sit back and continue to pretend to support these lies and is now standing up for what she believes in. She's not asking for a bigger casino or a bigger hotel, she is calling them out for continuing to downsize and not discuss how this will change those "guaranteed" revenues. Like someone above said, they were promised a Mercedes and now are presented with a Ford (what a great comparison; "FixOrRepairDaily", "FoundOutsideRottingDump", "ForgotOurRecommendedDefaults," "FunnyOldRottingDump," etc.). We're not perfect, neither is Mary Ann I'm sure. I will say as frustrated as I've been, she is one of the few town board members who took time during this process to reply to everyone of my emails with a personal message. Whether or not I agreed with the replies, I appreciated her not sending a generic response and actually discussing with me the specific points I asked or discussed. I believe Deb is sincere in trying to listen to residents. I too am disappointed with her vote given the fact she admitted she was against it but felt it was inevitable and voted yes anyways. Again, we all make mistakes its how you come back from these mistakes that matters. “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” - GANDHI
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely. MA looks and sounds scared to death in those TV news interviews. Her comment "We want what was pitched to us originally" was brilliant because (a) she knows that's not going to happen, which makes the developers look bad and (b) she's speaking as well for the residents who want the casino. So, she's appealing to both pro and anti-casino factions while making the developers look bad...brilliant! I can't imagine the guts it took for her to break with her people on this issue. It's genuine because she'll tell anyone who asks that she's not running again. She's a lone little fish in a big pond of piranha. Now that she's achieved her independence, and is out from under the thumb of King Langley, I think we'll see a very different MA. Let's give her a chance to pull through. She's our only hope at this point and she seems sincere. Thank you.
DeleteStill no public comment from Supervisor Keith "the resolution is the resolution" Langley. What's he waiting for?
ReplyDeleteMaybe he's afraid to speak for fear he'll be exposed for the fraud that he is. Mr Family Man doesn't seem to care if a family-community is invaded by a family unfriendly business that will bring nothing but trouble to our town. Very disappointing, Supr. Langley. You, sir, are a hypocrite!
Delete@ 10:30 AM, Langley won't comment because he's doing what bullies do when they are stood up to. He's made himself scarce at Town Hall. Langley has turned tail and run away to hide on Langley Road.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Anonymous 10:14!! There's been a whirlwind of coverage about Mary Ann Matters' defection from the pro-casino camp and that, in and of itself, has been a huge boon to the No Casino movement. Her article in the Advertiser is her most thoughtful, comprehensive statement of her position and it's a strong statement backed by sound reasoning and a careful review of developments. That alone makes her unique among members of our town board.
ReplyDeleteReading the Executive Summary for this project makes it clear that our town board is willing to allow East Greenbush to serve as a staging ground for the political careers of Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Jimino, the economic recovery of Albany and Troy, and the fattening of the bank accounts of millionaires like Feathers, Gerrity and their investors. What we get is the bill for the $14 million wastewater treatment facility, the huge infrastructure costs in public safety, a cultural environmental that devalues and undermines the efforts of our schools and churches, a doubling of crime and addicted gamblers, and the loss of the community we chose to raise our families.
Troy and Albany can relieve their "heartbreaking" poverty while it's school buses full of our children who will share the road with the drunk drivers coming out of the casino. Andrew Cuomo and Kathy Jimino can brag about their increase in revenue while we wave goodbye to Camp Is-Sho-Da. Feathers and the boys can afford the luxury of their fourth and fifth yachts while we watch our neighbors sink into debt, struggle with family issues created by problem gambling, and wonder how the bottom dropped out of their lives because four members of the town board didn't know or care to know how to protect them.
Mary Ann Matters did the right thing. Now it's time for other members of that board to prove they haven't been paid or played. Mary Ann may stumble over a statement or two, and those hoping to pounce on her will have their way when she does, but the woman stood up for us and showed how easy it would be for others to follow her. Why is it okay for East Greenbush to solve everyone else's problems when it means creating a boatload of trouble for us?
Jack, this issue is becoming emotional, as well. Imagine them picking on MAM when the far bigger news is a Las Vegas-style casino invading hometown USA. Even if it were true, who cares if she has other reasons for withdrawing her support? She has become a rebel fighter for an important cause and that can't be a bad thing for our town especially when Supr. Langley has the equivalent of the Great Wall of China between himself and the residents. Let's not make this about Mary Ann. It's about the absurdity of a gambling casino in a small, suburban, family town in East Greenbush, NY. It's about money, power, corruption and greed vs. ordinary citizens who are fighting to preserve the sanctity of their beloved community. Picking on Mary Ann is just a poor attempt to distract us from the REAL issues I noted, and none of us are dumb enough to fall for it. So, please don't go there, Pro-Casino people. You're wasting your time.
DeleteI'm puzzled as to how Supervisor Langley believes that hiding behind a Great Wall of China is a good way to serve the people of East Greenbush?
DeleteDoes he believe he is the smartest person in any room he's in?
Langley doesn't just believe he is the smartest person in the room. He KNOWS he is. Keith Langley has absolutely zero use for anyone who won't agree with him on every single thing. You see how rude and dismissive he is at public meetings. He is much, much worse in private conversations. He has no insight on how poorly his bad behavior reflects on the Town of East Greenbush.
DeleteWhen you lack confidence as a leader, you stay silent. What's truly unfortunate is that this Supr has been surrounded by smart people from day one, but he has not chosen to take advantage of it as a means of making the best decisions for the town he claims to "love." That, in my view, means that he's a fool, and a fool and his job are soon parted. He needs to go.
DeleteTo 2:30 PM, Couldn't agree more. Langley does indeed need to go.
DeleteIs there any chance of Keith Langley doing the right thing also?
ReplyDeleteNo.
DeleteHe can't say no now, he's in too deep. The time for him to say no was when Feathers and Crist first came to him with their hands out. They must have promised him something too good to refuse but whatever they promised him, they won't deliver when EG doesn't get the casino. They'll be saying Keith who? And Keith will be looking in the classifieds for another job.
DeleteBoth the East Greenbush Republican Committee and the East Greenbush Democratic Committee have failed to file their required July, 2014 Financial Disclosure Forms with the New York State Board of Elections. Coincidence???
ReplyDeleteTerrible.
DeleteI've been struggling with whether I should call Mary Ann Matters and congratulate her for her brave stance. But....is it really a brave stance? Mary Ann coming out in the Advertiser can be taken a couple of ways. Is Mary Ann now against the Casino or is just against the downsizing and her only complaint is that she wants the project revised back to its original proposal. Does Mary Ann think that the Casino is now a bad idea or an idea that has become too small?
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to evaluate if Mary Ann now supports the group against the Casino. While I don't know the answer, I can't help but think about Mary Ann's attitude displayed at the Town Board meeting and Special Board meeting on the Casino. If Mary Ann really is concerned about our community, why did she go along with the meeting in Town Hall on the Casino where a large number of people had to stand in the hall because the room being used was too small.
Mary Ann was the spokesperson for the board criticizing the residents speaking out against the casino. The unprofessional way she treated the anti casino group...the eyes rolling...smirking...laughing...generally being nasty and demeaning was uncalled for.
I truly would like to believe that Mary Ann has changed her spots, but I worry that the real bait and switch she talked about in the Advertiser is the bait and switch she is pulling on us. I guess we will have to wait and see.
To 3:50 p.m. The best thing you said was "we will have to wait and see." MA voted "yes" twice, so it's a pretty safe bet (pardon the pun) that she believed in the project when she voted but, then, she said in her article, "things changed." She said "the project dwindled...without the Town Board's prior knowledge or input." She also said, "we have yet to be told by the developer how the downsizing of this project will impact the previously forecasted revenues, jobs..." So, whether she is for the project or not at this point is irrelevant because the initial voting is over but at least now she is taking serious issue with the developer who clearly used the Executive Summary that they submitted to the state to INFORM the TB of the changes. That was not fair play in her opinion. Again, it's back to the "they sold us a Mercedes and delivered a Ford" thing. At least she's asking questions and holding their feet to the fire until they answer those questions, which is more than the rest of the board is doing. Can MA be snarky and unpleasant, sure, but maybe that's just what we need right now. Would you ever expect such push back from the shy and demure Debbi? No, we need someone with chutzpa right now. I also think we'll see a very different MA now that she has freed herself to think and act according to her own will, not someone else's. So, yes, let's wait and see. We're all hoping to not be disappointed.
ReplyDeleteThe casino company in their televised statement said they have been keeping Ms. Matters up to date on the entire process. Is someone not telling the truth?
DeleteI think you'll find that Hook's the crook.
DeleteYes, the casino representative is not telling the truth. They also deceived 16,500 residents who believed the information they were mailed by the PR firm that was hired by the developer. Has anyone received updated information in the mail about the downsized project? Well, neither have the members of the town board or THEY would said Ms. Matters is wrong. So far, all we hear is stealth silence.
DeleteI believe you are right Gadfley about Hook being a Crook (nice tagliine); I'd say he's guilty by association to say the least. He served in the press offices of Spitzer and Paterson and verbally defended Cuomo on several occasions, that right there is strike three for proving he's somewhat of a stand up guy. Working for SKD and becoming Vice President after serving as Communications Director and on the Executive Chamber for Cuomo's buddy Paterson doesn't help. SKD is helped run by Jennifer Cunningham (partner) who served as Cuomo's top advisor when he ran for Attorney General and Governor. So, doubt we'll hear from Langley now that they found this guy to speak. Save East Greenbush, the No Casino Group, Mary Ann and the rest of our town who refused to back down brought out the top guns, keep up the fight!
DeleteHow much are they paying Hook to speak for Silent Keith Langley? Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer seems perfectly capable of speaking for himself about the Rensselaer Project.
DeleteNot good Mr. Langley, not good at all!!!
In line for the Hillary Clinton book signing, just meant Mr. Hook...
Delete6:18 PM, It would be good to know what Langley says!! He could clear this up in an instant, if he was willing to answer questions.
ReplyDeleteThis is getting ridiculous. Why the heck won't Langley speak up??
ReplyDeleteLangley can't speak without DeFruscio pulling the string which comes out of the back of his head.....and that's pretty difficult right now.
DeleteIs this what they mean when they say we will get a casino by Hook or by Crook?
ReplyDeleteSomething is very wrong because of the stealth silence from Town Hall. Mary Ann was with them before but after "things changed," as she said, she came to her senses and decided to fight for the town. Good for her, and good for us, too!
ReplyDeleteToday I passed the new house going up on Thompson Hill Road. A month or two ago construction was going gangbusters. Today some of the house wrap was blowing loosely in the wind and doors and windows were boarded up. A result of the proposed casino?
ReplyDeleteI did hear that an Article 78 might be filed related to the illegal Plat approval last January which was done without a meeting or Resolution from the Planning Board. Also, I believe that there is a case in the appellate division related to the sewer line running up the hill which was supposedly constructed under dubious circumstances. I guess we'll see. Sure can't do things the "way we've always done it" any longer.
DeleteI'm not familiar with Plat. Is this house that I referred to at 3:45 involved with that Plat approval?
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