Nationally renowned casino research speaker Robert Goodman will join us on Tuesday, July 29 at 7pm. Author of the book The Luck Business, a study of the economic and social impacts of gambling policy, Professor Goodman will speak on the hidden costs of the casino industry and the NY State and local situation. The community is invited to take part in the conversation on where we are, how we got here, and what we can do next.
What: Casino Research Speaker Robert Goodman
When: Tuesday, July 29 at 7pm
Where: Community Gospel Church, 487 Third Ave Ext., Rensselaer, NY
Why: To talk about the economic and social impacts of casinos on host regions
Please join us and help spread the word.
Thanks,
Save East Greenbush
http://saveeastgreenbush.nationbuilder.com/
Let's look to see if Supervisor Langley attends tonight's event. He might learn something.
ReplyDeleteI believe that he has been invited - along with the rest of the Board and the County Legislature and the County Executive.
DeleteGreat! I'm looking forward to hearing what Supervisor Langley has to say.
ReplyDeleteThanks for inviting Mr. Langley. It's always good to be able to share information with our elected representatives.
ReplyDeleteI hope Mr. Langley brings Mr. Gilbert.
ReplyDeleteThe only one I saw that came and listened was the one who already got the message.
ReplyDeleteLangley was a no show.
ReplyDeleteGreat presentation by Robert Goodman last night. For those of us who have tried to study and learn about this issue it becomes more and more obvious that our town board's failure to protect our interests reached epic proportion with their refusal to weigh the pros and cons of the project. They have no excuse because people sent them links to studies and provided them with information and perspective. Professor Goodman's insight into the "ladder approach" in which casino developers fill you with a fantasy proposal so you let them climb the first rung of the ladder (resolution of support) before downsizing with each additional step clearly applies in this case.
ReplyDeleteAs I said at the first town board meeting on the casino, our town board sat before the Saratoga proposal the way a gambler sits in front of a slot machine. The slot machine is solidly engineered with bells and whistles and promises of how much money you can win. Believing you have a chance to win big, you throw caution (and reason) to the wind and start pouring money in. Then a few hours later you stumble away depressed, demoralized and broke because the odds were always against you but you felt taking a chance was easier than working to earn the money you were hoping to win. For our town, it might be three or four years before they might try to walk away but it's the same process and for the same reason: they weren't willing to put in the hard work necessary to solve our problems.
Good comment Jack. I think one of the reasons this casino train wreck was so easily done in East Greenbush is the fact that Langley/DeFruscio constructed the Langley Administration on a model which demanded "loyalty" and prohibited questions. So when Feathers and Crist waltzed into Town with the orders, the orders were passed down the line. The Platform on which Mary Ann and Deb ran had already been side-tracked. All resources which could have provided solid advice and support had been rejected. That's why there was no due diligence and the mitigation questions have yet to be asked. In the words of Tom Grant (the elder), they were "played."
DeleteI know this is a little late, but I wanted to ask Mr. Goodman what his thoughts were in regards to a comment Rita Cox made to the Saratogian News last month. I couldn't find the article during the question session so didn't want to misquote anything. I finally found it; she said that if East Greenbush isn't chosen the Racino "could lose more than 40 percent of its business and hundreds of jobs, if one of these other parties is awarded a license, said Rita Cox, the casino’s senior vice president of marketing and external affairs." Ok, so I believe I know the answer to this, but would this not imply that out of those 1,700 promised jobs - I'm sorry, I believe that we're down to about 1,000 - many would be transfers from Saratoga's "Casino"? I heard from a client of mine that the way the casino industry works, workers are shuffled around and just like big corporations like Walmart, they work hard to ensure their employees do not get full-time hours they wish, nor get the benefits they would want. Sorry I couldn't get this question out last night. How many of the revenues would be shared with Saratoga Raceway and Casino?
ReplyDeleteSorry, how *much*. I need to work on editing before sending and turning off auto-correct on my phone.
DeleteBonnie -
DeleteOn April 24th, which was only days after the East Greenbush project was announced, Rita Cox told racino employees that "when we get the bid in East Greenbush, there will be hundreds, even thousands, of opportunities to move between the properties." It was reported in an article by Caitlin Morris in The Saratogian. I met a woman two weeks ago who works at the racino and she's already been promised a job in East Greenbush. If they get the license here they'll bring their people with them. Think about it, who would you hire, people you know and trust with ten years of experience in your company or unknown, inexperienced local applicants? And those would be the good paying jobs with full benefits. What will be left will be the minimum wage, no benefits jobs, some of which will be on the graveyard shift. The East Greenbush proposal is a temper tantrum they threw when the good people of Saratoga sent them packing. Fortunately, the good people of East Greenbush don't want them either, although we have to overcome the huge obstacle placed in our path by an inept town board.
Thank you Jack for elaborating, I wish I had asked so that the audience could hear you. As we see now in the application, this seems to be in the works (current Saratoga workers being promised jobs here). What I find interesting and sad, is that their promised 1,000 construction jobs seemed to dwindle to 329 over a 3 year period according to the application. On May 28th, Capital View posted a "Myth vs Fact" comment stating it was a myth that the casino would hire jobs outside of NYS for the construction of the casino, now in their application the associated firms for the construction are from: Hartford, Ct.; LaGrange, KY; Albany, NY; Buffalo, NY (two companies); New Haven, Ct.; Egg Harbor, NJ; and Lindwood, NJ. Lie after lie, not that we should be surprised.
DeleteSo they'll contract out the higher paying jobs for the construction. and maybe give the lower paying jobs to local New Yorkers, just as they will probably handpick their higher paying jobs inside the casino and offer the lower paying jobs to local residents.
DeleteRepubs should be furious about the collapse of the "majority" under KL. Had KL been more disposed to listening to the smart people around him, we wouldn't be in this mess right now. He had a chance to be the best Supr this town has seen in a long time, and he blew it. How does he sleep at night?
ReplyDeleteThe same Repubs. openly endorsed Chris Defruscio as party Chairman !
DeleteThat move was the start of the collapse and downfall of the Republican Party.
The other , not-so-well seen or acknowledged players behind the scene are Rich Crist and Phil Danaher. BOTH of them have their fingers in this mess as well.
Langley was never anything more than a puppet.
Here is the thing, the county Rebup's don't give a lick about KL, that is why they are willing to sacrifice him.
Deletethere are no "smart people around him"
DeleteThe beginning of the end started with Chris Defruscio being put as Chairman. East Greenbush will never be the same.
ReplyDeleteCasinos are for losers. The point applies to both their customers and to every politician who believes a casino is a solution to any problem.
ReplyDeleteThe disappointment runs from Cuomo's to our town board. Every so called political leader bought into the baloney. And why not? Throwing baloney around is all just about any politician knows how to do anyway.
Great points, Jack, as usual.
And now they have Ed Gilbert to add to the mix. They have no good help because apparently they are intimidated by smart people. Such a shame! It took over a decade to wrestle the town away from the dems but it looks like the dems may take it right back, casino or not. Heaven help us!
ReplyDeleteThe Dems clearly have/had their faults.
DeleteBut....this SWF under the leadership of Chris Defruscio - takes the prize as worst in the history of EG politics. So says many~many life long residents !
It sounds to me that Mary Ann would never have jumped ship if the developers had not downsized the casino to 2/3 the original plan. She seems hung up on that. She does not talk about how poor an investment it is. How the failure rate is skyrocketing. How the bailouts are high. What say you oh wise one?
ReplyDeleteI'd say that she'd have gotten around to it. From what I'm hearing, there's a pretty "gestapo" like atmosphere in the administration. Not a lot of inquiring thought. Looks like Mary Ann figured out that the gambling "con" extends beyond the casino floor - to the "business" relationships too. And then it looks like she's doing the reading that all of them should have been doing from the outset. But orders were orders. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Heck, even the Governor is starting to waffle in his loyalty......and it looks like Feathers needs some cash to help out the Racino, what with Churchill buying in 25% at the Racino.
DeleteFrankly I can hardly wait to see if the body of the EG application is as "thin" and content-less as the Executive Summary. I'll bet there will be some more reasons in there for a couple more Board members to bail.
People need to understand how it's been since Debbi and MA were elected. First of all, KL and CD were excited about them because of their inexperience. They weren't allowed to take notes at meetings or associate with a wide array of people. Questions were okay as long as they were answered by KL only. They were both kept very much isolated from anyone with an opinion. Dissension was not tolerated. KL was the boss and the last word on everything. Deb and MA were getting their arms twisted routinely to vote with KL but they never got what they wanted, even the smallest things. It was all very dysfunctional. MA jumped ship when the arm twisting went too far. She took the oppty when the "bait and switch" occurred to expose it and then start asking more questions. She truly believes that the project managers for the casino can't be trusted to keep their word. Now that she's gotten out from under KL's very big thumb, you will see a different MA. Try not to hold the bad start against her. Give her a chance to show you what she can do. Hopefully, Deb will have the courage to follow.
ReplyDeleteBut she waited almost 30 days to respond and then she did it in high campaign style. Don't want to focus on her though;there are more important things now. Sorry but you make it sound likes a domestic violence case of sorts. And people think that the Dems were bad. None of the 5 deserve our trust or our votes anymore.
DeleteSounds like KL is quite the little Napoleon. He must be biting his nails to the nub now that he's no longer king of the mountain. Looks like he underestimated at least one of the two "girls." Does he think it's still the 1950's? They are not your puppets, Mr. Supr. They are elected officials. You need to get to work making things right before the ship disappears completely under the water. If it does, it will be nobody's fault but your own.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Anonymous 8:27 about giving Mary Ann Matters a chance. Politics is a process, not a still photograph where things are engraved once and for always. It may not seem that way because our elected officials don't often budge, which they might defend as a partisan effort to maintain the majority, but which looks to me like the inability to learn and take other peoples' points of view into account. The Langley administration has been marked by a fear of ideas and opinions that differ from the narrow thinking of a few insiders. This did more damage on the casino proposal than anything else because it's a complex issue for which no one really had a frame of reference when it first appeared.
ReplyDeleteOver the years there has been a relatively narrow set of issues that confronted our town government, and characteristic ways of dealing with them evolved. These didn't require a great deal of original or independent analysis although some new thinking might have helped us climb out of the fiscal hole we're in. Then the casino issue appeared and our town government was unprepared, both in terms of personnel and in not having a methodology to process new and complex issues such as this. The armadillo defense adopted by five, now four, members of the town board was a reflex response to the unknown but it left them vulnerable to the undue influence exerted by external forces such as county officials, land speculators and the slick PR arm of the casino industry.
Their initial response should have been to demand sufficient time to process the issue but since they don't have a method for processing complex issues, this didn't occur to them. To reduce the issue of siting a casino in a town this size to the possible revenue gained is ignorance of the first order, especially when most of the possible revenue is smoke and mirrors. Mary Ann Matters is the first member to open herself up to the complexity of the issue and she deserves credit for that. So much knowledge has been accumulated by the people and groups who oppose the casino that there is no longer any excuse for our elected representatives to carry on with business as usual. It's time to rescind the resolution of support. I know Mary Ann Matters would move that motion. Does she have a second?
Well Ms Matters said that her asking for such a resolution is useless because she knows her colleagues are still in favor of casino. I truly hope Ms Matters doesn't run again because she does not have what it takes to make these kinds of decisions on her own (who paid for and wrote her advertisement) or to know whose advice or guidance to follow if she needs it.
DeleteLet's ask her to move that motion. At the last speaking event, she said
"And now nothing can be done." Really?
I'm not happy Ms. Matters seems to already be giving up. It's tha defeatist t type of attitude that got her and the rest of the SWF in trouble since the January organizational meeting. Mary Ann, you were elected to be an independent voice. Now show some gumption and fight for your constituents. Keith Langley certainly won't do that.Some of us believe you can! Others aren't sure you have it in you. Introduce the Resolution and force the rest of the Town Board to publicly vote on it. If you can't get a Board member to second it, so what? At least you tried.
DeleteAgain, I understand the frustration with Ms. Matters, but I don't think she's given up, I think just the opposite. Her decision was courageous to not only go against Langley and higher authority, but to call out "higher authority" out as well as the developers. She is fighting to "Save East Greenbush" and make up for her voting yes, twice. Yes, I am angry, upset and disappointed they voted yes, not once but twice. However, this recent move by Mary Ann proved to me she has courage. She showed up knowing she would be in a room full of potentially resentfully and very angry residents to see Mr. Goodman and asked questions. The cowardly, and EG norm, option would have been to sit back and stand by her vote to "save face." Instead, she potentially committed career suicide going against everyone above her. She just put a target on her by the wonderful lobbyists pushing for EG. Thank you Ms. Matters for your courage to admit you have changed your mind. Not even for changing your mind about the casino, but showing that there is some bravery in town hall. I do not know anything about Ms. Matters, but this has actually given me hope change will be coming to how things are run in our town. Let's give Ms. Matters and Ms. DiMartino more than a few months to prove themselves. I'm sure we will be disappointed again, but that's life. None of us are perfect and we have all made mistakes, some bigger than others. It's how we come back from these mistakes that matters, Ms. Matter's comeback certainly "matters" in many aspects.
DeleteJack, our town board lacks many things but it really starts with a vision for the town. From there goals, plans and actions can emerge.
DeleteInstead, lacking a vision, the town board relies on a magical solution. They use magical thinking provided by the ultimate in magicians - lobbyists. Bad decisions triggered by bad thinking. That's the East Greenbush town board boiled down to its very essence.
It took years of failed policies to get the town into the fiscal mess it has been, and sadly, remains in. But it remains in this mess because of the limited vision, incredibly poor decisions, lack of public engagement and that same, pardon the nastiness, rather stupid reliance on magical thinking that evidences so much of what the town board purports to call policy making.
There is no way any one of the town board members would make decisions in their private lives using the magical thinking they use to make public decisions that affect us all. But, it seems to me they are all fairly small minded and just plain not up to doing the hard work required to really turn our town's fiscal mess around. And for that they should all be deeply ashamed.
A motion cannot be moved unless it has a second. No one will second it, so game over. MA could have stayed quiet but she spoke up and is getting flak for it. No one else on the board has come around like she has, and she'll pay a price for it, so leave her alone!
DeleteOne approach that could be taken by Mary Ann Matters, would be to move to propose a germane amendment to a Resolution already on the Town Board Agenda. This would allow Ms. Matters the opportunity to read her motion into the record, prior to asking for a second.
DeleteExcellent recommendation....Mr. Gilbert bashed this blog, but I have found it to be very informative. You have all provided great insight, and opinions are welcome and talked about maturely. We do have a great community!
DeleteYes....It's been about patronage and who's driving the bus.....not about good governmental decisions. It's a new century now, but they've been trying to run the Town like the Dems did before. Small town mischief. It's really sad. Langley had a real chance to establish a new way of governing, but somebody gave him the idea that he knew all he needed to know.....with maybe a few tips from DeF and the Gilderberry. Thew blew off the best resources they had.
ReplyDeleteHas Ed Gilbert been giving Governor Cuomo advice on Ethics issues. It sure looks like it.
ReplyDeletesee Town Crew Cleaning Up Private Property? on Talks
ReplyDeletealso, this comment
On another note, I hope the little darlings who destroyed the Hampton Lake Park Gazebo can be made to reconstruct it themselves and pay for materials and supervision. Then get probation for 5 years!
http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/East-Greenbush-gazebo-wrecked-arrests-made-5661177.php
I saw "Talks" most recent post and they are absolutely correct and I appreciate that they posted it because I drove by while the work was happening and didn't understand. Why are Town DPW employees dispatched to help remove a tree on private property? To myself, I questioned it and the Town's Supervisor but thought that maybe I was being too suspicious and cynical. The tree was clearly entwined with the utility lines but is that not the utility company's task as well as the homeowner's responsibility? If the tree roots were interfering with the water line--then I understand but the tree remained when I drove by later in the day and all the crews were gone. The tree had been scalped of all boughs and it was simply the trunk/stem that remained in which case the roots remain untouched.
ReplyDeleteI don't get it. Why were the Town employees doing that work? Thank you to "Talks" for raising the question! I feel better knowing it wasn't just me that was skeptical of it.
So, remember about a month or so ago we had argued to our town board they weren't listening, yet they continued to say they were? Well, this Hampton Manor incident may have been able to be prevented given they were warned about the activities going on in the Manor awhile ago (and anyone can drive by and see these activities every night). My husband has contacted the town several times about a house that continues to do housework with no building permits as well as runs an illegal auto shop. No response. Maybe time to actually LISTEN and to residents and ACT?
ReplyDeleteBuilding permits are for the unconnected.
DeleteOne of our town judges finished her basement and built a large deck without the need for a single building permit.
That's a fact. But this judge is extremely well connected; as is her husband.
The town's a joke but, sadly, the joke is on all of us regular, decent folks.
Good to know! I would've thought that when a resident brings it to their attention they would have to investigate, at least to show they are attempting to do their jobs. Is this a sign that they don't want their residents following proper protocol and follow their lead?
DeleteAnonymous 10:13:
ReplyDeleteI don't know if the destruction of the gazebo could have been prevented but I do know it's an utterly mindless act committed by people old enough to know better. It's a credit to the person who saw it in progress and called the police and fair play to the cops who caught them. There's no doubt the town should have responded to your husband's complaints by now. There's no excuse for that but my cynical mind immediately thinks the person with no permits is somehow 'connected' at Town Hall. In this town, it's who you know, not what you know. That needs to change.
The gazebo was a community project built by a young man as part of his Eagle Scout tasks. It sat in a children's playground by the side of the lake. How many degrees of anti-social behavior are required to destroy something like that? My two-year-old granddaughter Julia called it the 'duck house' because she liked to sit in there and watch the 'ducks.' I don't really understand why this particular act bothers me as much as it does but I feel like something of tremendous value was taken from us.
Jack, the exact same thing happened with the illegal trapping and the guy running around town park with a loaded rifle.
DeleteA concerned citizen called police and provided the dispatcher with a description of the person, his vehicle AND his license plate information.
And, as you may have already guessed nothing happened. Nothing.
@ 10:13 AM, Thanks for posting. I can't help but believe this is a result of Supervisor Langley's decision to ban audience questions at Town Board meetings. When you are asked a question you need to carefully listen in order to formulate an appropriate response. Under the Langley no-question directive, the Town Board is encouraged not to respond or direct the Department Heads to respond.
ReplyDeleteMany of us get the sense that since no responses are required that our Supervisor doesn't really listen to the peoples concerns.
What is with the hoping for 5 years probation? The punks can go to jail for at least 6 months and then maybe 5 years probation. The smirks on their mug shots just shows that life is a joke to them....let's make it serious.
ReplyDeletesome believe in second chances. 6 months in jail could ruin their lives
Deleterebuild it at their own expense and stay clean for five years and they could become to productive members of society rather than a burden on society for the rest of their lives
we hear the Supervisor reads the blogs
ReplyDeletehe's more than welcome to put his two cents in on either the tree or gazebo issue
Anon 3:22 The reason we have so much vandalism in this town is people like you who want to keep giving punks a second chance. If you do the crime you do the time. Let a few of these punks spend some time in jail and maybe the next time they'll think twice. They need to do at least 3 months then probation.
ReplyDeleteJoe,
DeleteI agree with Anon 3:22 IF they have no prior record.
Jail doesn't turn people's lives around. Jail makes them smarter and better criminals.
These aren't kids, thats what makes this even worse. They need a wake up call. A person of that age who does this generally isn't someone who just had a bad night and did something stupid. Letting them off easy is probably a factor in why someone of that age could act like this. This "everyone wins a trophy", no one has accountability mentality needs to stop. These arent little boys who didnt know any better (well at that age there's still no excuse). I am utterly disgusted in these young men (men based on age, little boy punks based on actions and maturity). They certainly wotnt learn with a little slap on the hand.
Delete2:14 pm is correct- The Supervisor is fixated on the blogs. Let's see if he will show some leadership and take some responsibility.
ReplyDeleteKeith Langley listens to nobody except C. Def.
ReplyDeleteAnon at 6:29pm....What should happen? A slap on the wrist? Tell them they were bad boys and have a good life - I think not. If it was your son who built the gazebo
ReplyDeletethat was destroyed would you feel the same? I'll bet not. I hardly think 3 months in jail to think about what they did will make them hardened criminals.
I'll bet if they pay a price, it's less likely to happen again. It will also discourage others when they see this group didn't get away with it. These are not little kids. They are all adults who should know better. Like I said - do the crime do the time.
Anon 3:22pm....sorry...you sound one of these young men could be related to you and that is why you are looking for leniency. If they were 14 year old boys doing a senseless prank...I could see a little leniency and guidance to help them be better adults. These men are adults and should take full responsibility for their crime. Yes...it is a crime. If they came onto your property and destroyed it, would you still have that "kids will be kids" attitude?
ReplyDeleteSo, some of those kids were involved in damages at the Mystic Lagoon the previous year, then presented with at slap on the wrist? They need to be prosecuted to the full extant. At their age, they are considered adults. They need to be inducted into a military service or spend a few years down in Ellenville.
DeleteWe needed a "perp walk" a while back for some folks in Town Government. Some people learn only when it's "too expensive" to misbehave.
ReplyDeleteGood morning,
ReplyDeleteThere's been a whole lot happening in our Town over the last couple of weeks or so. Has anyone heard anything from our Supervisor Keith Langley?
Where's Keith?
Bonnie Kenna started this exchange above....I copied and pasted so that it could continue here. The jobs issue is part of the due diligence that the Board did not do when it had the chance. Bought the hype and the lies instead.
ReplyDelete"I know this is a little late, but I wanted to ask Mr. Goodman what his thoughts were in regards to a comment Rita Cox made to the Saratogian News last month. I couldn't find the article during the question session so didn't want to misquote anything. I finally found it; she said that if East Greenbush isn't chosen the Racino "could lose more than 40 percent of its business and hundreds of jobs, if one of these other parties is awarded a license, said Rita Cox, the casino’s senior vice president of marketing and external affairs." Ok, so I believe I know the answer to this, but would this not imply that out of those 1,700 promised jobs - I'm sorry, I believe that we're down to about 1,000 - many would be transfers from Saratoga's "Casino"? I heard from a client of mine that the way the casino industry works, workers are shuffled around and just like big corporations like Walmart, they work hard to ensure their employees do not get full-time hours they wish, nor get the benefits they would want. Sorry I couldn't get this question out last night. How many of the revenues would be shared with Saratoga Raceway and Casino?
Replies
Bonnie KennaJuly 30, 2014 at 10:08 AM
Sorry, how *much*. I need to work on editing before sending and turning off auto-correct on my phone.
Jack ConwayJuly 30, 2014 at 2:42 PM
Bonnie -
On April 24th, which was only days after the East Greenbush project was announced, Rita Cox told racino employees that "when we get the bid in East Greenbush, there will be hundreds, even thousands, of opportunities to move between the properties." It was reported in an article by Caitlin Morris in The Saratogian. I met a woman two weeks ago who works at the racino and she's already been promised a job in East Greenbush. If they get the license here they'll bring their people with them. Think about it, who would you hire, people you know and trust with ten years of experience in your company or unknown, inexperienced local applicants? And those would be the good paying jobs with full benefits. What will be left will be the minimum wage, no benefits jobs, some of which will be on the graveyard shift. The East Greenbush proposal is a temper tantrum they threw when the good people of Saratoga sent them packing. Fortunately, the good people of East Greenbush don't want them either, although we have to overcome the huge obstacle placed in our path by an inept town board.
Bonnie KennaAugust 3, 2014 at 10:52 AM
Thank you Jack for elaborating, I wish I had asked so that the audience could hear you. As we see now in the application, this seems to be in the works (current Saratoga workers being promised jobs here). What I find interesting and sad, is that their promised 1,000 construction jobs seemed to dwindle to 329 over a 3 year period according to the application. On May 28th, Capital View posted a "Myth vs Fact" comment stating it was a myth that the casino would hire jobs outside of NYS for the construction of the casino, now in their application the associated firms for the construction are from: Hartford, Ct.; LaGrange, KY; Albany, NY; Buffalo, NY (two companies); New Haven, Ct.; Egg Harbor, NJ; and Lindwood, NJ. Lie after lie, not that we should be surprised.
Bonnie KennaAugust 3, 2014 at 11:04 AM
So they'll contract out the higher paying jobs for the construction. and maybe give the lower paying jobs to local New Yorkers, just as they will probably handpick their higher paying jobs inside the casino and offer the lower paying jobs to local residents."
We heard the same baloney about FedEx and jobs. I do not know the precise figures but an educated guess is that FedEx transferred 100% of the jobs that ended up at that unsightly truck terminal in our town.
ReplyDeleteI recall FedEx saying form the start that they were consolidating two ops centers and were transfer the folks here so they weren't BSing
DeleteAll I have to say is people need to wake up about this whole casino mess. Yes there will be some jobs, but most if not all will be either temporary, or unwanted type jobs, that for a person living in East Greenbush, wouldn't be enough money for them to stay living in East Greenbush because they couldn't afford to live in East Greenbush.
ReplyDeleteWAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!
Seems like C. Def is back in action and up to his old tricks. There are reports of numerous NO Casino Lawn signs being taken down around town.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's not true that DeF is back in business. It's waay too soon after his recent near death experience with a heart condition and the life threatening surgery that followed. I'd be more inclined to believe Ethics Board Chair Eddie Gilbert is behind the shenanigans. He's Langley's screw turner now and DeF's replacement. Langley is feeling desperate right now. His majority has slipped away and he's feeling weak and vulnerable. He thinks the casino's gonna save his sorry hide but he's sadly mistaken. Now, all he's got is Eddie Gilbert and sign stealing. Pathetic!
DeleteThe issue of jobs is the least of our worries. There are far greater concerns that Supr. Langley has chosen to ignore. He has yet another chance coming up to lobby his majority to kill this project. If he doesn't take it, I say 3 STRIKES and you're OUT!
ReplyDeletePeople taking down 'No Casino' signs should be ashamed of themselves. Sure it's petty vandalism and trespassing but, more importantly, it is taking away peoples' First Amendment right to Freedom of Speech. There's really no difference between the jerks who tore down the gazebo and the morons riding around town taking down signs that express a point of view they don't share. They both demean our community by trashing things that civilized people respect. Anti-social behavior is anti-social behavior. You should either learn to respect the fact that you live in America or just grow the f**k up but you're embarrassing yourselves.
ReplyDeleteJack, these petty vandals can steal the signs but they can't steal the way a person feels abt a casino in our town. The stealing of signs actually helps the cause because it makes property owners angry and even more passionate about their opposition to the issue. Small minds do small things. We have to rise above them and keep cool heads on our shoulders. We have to stay calm and carry on and, no matter what, believe that we WILL prevail.
ReplyDeleteOne of the many problems with politics in East Greenbush is the "you're either with us or you're against us" mentality from both major political parties. Blind fealty is demanded. Unwavering loyalty is expected. If you want to play in politics in East Greenbush you have to check your brain, your mouth and your typewriting away forever.
ReplyDeleteBoth political parties are so lacking in a true purpose, any validity, any real reason for being that they have to resort to the vilest tactics to prevent people from seeing that, when it comes to the emperors of East Greenbush politics, neither has any clothes.
All that is my polite version of saying that the democratic and republican parties both stink to high heaven.
Here's a statement from Mary Ann Matters from the link below. I think she'll be quoted on WTEN at 6 and 11:
ReplyDelete"It’s now a waiting game as several potential sites wait to hear from the State Gaming Commission on who will be awarded a casino license.
But until then, Hard Rock officials are launching a ground campaign of sorts to make it known they're ready to build. On Monday, the chairman of Hard Rock stopped at DeLaet’s Landing in Rensselaer, where the city wants to build the casino, if approved by the state.
Chairman Jim Allen says it's the best site in the state of New York, with a nearby rail station that could attract many visitors.
And support in East Greenbush for a casino has been dwindling. In a statement to NEWS10 ABC, Mary Ann Matters of the East Greenbusgh Town Board said, "My concerns about the process thus far have been many but mostly that it is moving way too fast. Resolve on both sides of the issue is strong and by no means losing steam.”
But Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer says he's heard very little opposition for a casino in his city."
http://www.news10.com/story/26192700/hard-rock-chairman-views-site-of-proposed-rensselaer-casino
I couldn't help but notice the contrast between the public comments of Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer and East Greenbush Supervisor Keith Langley regarding the casino proposals within their respective municipalities. Mayor Dwyer's comments were clear and forthright about his support for the Rensselaer Hard Rock Casino proposal.
ReplyDeleteAs for Supervisor "the resolution is the resolution" Langley ... not so much???
I think we know that Langley's voice (his MiniMe) is Ed Gilbert. Gilbert's most recent outlet - his TU blog - was shut down by the TU. Unless he restarts that libelous and pornographic EGDEMands blog which was also shut down, Langley is temporarily without a voice.
ReplyDeleteIn this connection, I'd encourage Mary Ann Matters to speak out a bit louder. She has a pack of facts on her side related to the reality that the elected Board (at least four of them) were purposefully excluded from the process which engineered the casino application here. The "usual good 'ole boys" were in real evidence, along with the snake oil people. The Board of 4 was brought in for individual half hour meetings. She should be raising hell, along with Deb. Don't know about Sue and Phil - there are some other (transparent?) reasons there.
In any case, they were cut out by the likes of Crist, DeFruscio and Langley from the responsibilities of their elected office.
Gadfly, Sue Mangold should not be voting AT ALL on this casino project becuz of her family's business interests in it. She should be abstaining! How come no one has made a stink abt that at board meetings? She wreaks of self-serving interest in this project. She should abstain from all votes CASINO!
DeleteThe fair Debbie doesn't seem to have the stomach or the backbone to oppose bossman Langley and that's just the way he likes his women, compliant and quiet. MA has split and is leading the charge but will Debbie have the guts to go with her? Doubtful but time will tell. C'mon, Debbie, saddle up and ride!
ReplyDelete