Milestones and Watersheds

It's been quite a ride over the last few years. We're coming up on the anniversary of the Casino Location Board deciding to NOT locate a casino in East Greenbush. December 17^th is the date, and we're going to celebrate with a Save East Greenbush party and fundraiser. I'd call that date a milestone. A watershed is the fallout of that decision and the community activity which led up to it – the election of the East Greenbush First majority to the Supe job and the Town Board. Both political machines which had “run” East Greenbush in concert for a long time were turned out to pasture in a landslide. They're still trying to figure out what happened.

Save East Greenbush still has a balance on the legal bill to Meyer and Fuller. They made a great case even in the face of a major “fix” attempted by the players with the Zoning Board. What was important is that the community saw the extent to which the political pressure was exerted. Instead of asking the ZBA attorney for guidance, they asked the Building Inspector for an interpretation of the law. Good Grief.

The citizens of East Greenbush should be abundantly proud of the accomplishments of the last year. Some of the efforts started years ago. But the recent victories are pleasant. Now we have the last bills to pay. (The Players who visited this plague upon us should be contributing, but they won't.) The payoff is that the insider trading which once went on won't happen anymore. No more illegal Plat approvals, no more road paving for insiders…….no more stipends and illegal “incentives.”

The Right Side of History

This last few years with reform efforts, Save East Greenbush and the victory of East Greenbush First has brought back some great feelings and memories from a long time ago. In 1958 I was a High School Junior in Patterson, California. I attended a leadership conference with students from all over the State at Asilomar Conference Center on the Coast. Speakers were Andrew Cordier from the United Nation who addressed the issues of the French Algerian conflict.  (Some of that fallout might have been in Paris last week.)  Martin Luther King, Jr. was there to talk about his experience in the Montgomery Bus boycott. I ran into King in the Recreation Hall and he asked me to shoot a game of pool. He cleaned my clock. In five years he'd be delivering the “I have a dream” speech, and in ten years he'd be killed by an assassin. That brief conversation with MLK was my first real encounter with a “mover of events.” He struck me as an ordinary guy with a vision and a commitment to it.

Six years later, the US Senate was debating the Civil Rights Bill which was introduced when JFK was still alive and in a major conflict with George Wallace. In the Spring of 1964 the debate in the Senate was long. The religious communities in the United States joined to support the passage of the Bill. Protestant, Catholic and Jewish theological students from all over the United States organized an around the clock 27/7 vigil at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington in support of the passage of the Civil Rights Bill. I was there with 5 of my Seminary classmates from Chicago for our “shift” from May 7 to May 9, 1964.

Don Johnson, Alden Johnson, Dave Norling, Dennis Glad, Wes Swanson and Dennis Erickson.  (The Blues Brothers take Washington)

We were also “monitored” by this member of the American Nazi Party. George Lincoln Rockwell also paid an uncomfortable visit during our time on duty. 

The New York times on its front page on April 29, 1964 credited the efforts of the churches and synagogues and the united theological students as influential in the passage of the Bill. When Lyndon Johnson signed it, it was a time of great joy and satisfaction.

The victory of EG 1^st and the efforts of all of those who made that possible brought back some of the joyful feelings that I felt over 50 years ago. I'm proud to have been a part of it.  Ordinary people can do the right thing and be on the right side of history.

Yes Ed, We're not in Kansas

Went to a party tonight - a thank you party for East Greenbush First volunteers.  Met some folks I've never met before.  A house full in a very big house.  What an experience!!  We made some history in this Town.  What was it......49% in a three-way Supe race?  The Reps said that EG1st was "not a factor."  The Dems cannot be quoted.  The machines never saw the people coming.  They believed their own press releases. 

From A Good Friend of the "Fly"

Someone once noted that there are few things in history that had a more improbable outcome than the birth of this nation.  Against insurmountable odds, a small band of revolutionaries gave birth to a new form of government, of, by and for the people… and we have never looked back.

Last night, while on a much smaller scale, the residents of the Town of East Greenbush experienced a similar fate with the victory of the EG 1^st team and Jack Conway, Tom Grant and Tina Tierney deserve congratulations.  Not just for winning, but doing so in a fashion that was respectful of the voters intelligence and for valuing the rights and needs of this community.

Leadership does not begin after the election or even after the swearing in ceremony.  It begins the day a team of people decides to pursue a course of action that would grant them the opportunity to make a substantive contribution to their community.  On that day, that team begins to surround themselves with like-minded people who help craft a message, formulate a plan and follow that plan.  The EG 1^st team built just such a team and should be commended for it.

That said, the work that began months ago, goes into overdrive now and there is too much work to be done to take extended bows or victory laps.  Gloating is for suckers.  True leaders identify the work ahead and get right to it.  That’s what the EG 1^st team promised and it is a reasonable expectation since, to their credit, they won an election free of the stigma of a major party.  They do not own any of the failed policies of the past decades, nor the contracts nor the budgets or a myriad of other facets of government that need to be corrected here.  Perhaps in this new, somewhat unexpected government, the real winners are disenfranchised residents in this town, who have something meaningful to contribute, but have been shut out because they had the wrong last name, belonged to the wrong party or just didn’t know the right guy.

There really isn’t a right guy anymore.  If you have a way to contribute that can help rebuild this town, this is a team that is as welcoming as lady liberty herself.  Your credentials matter more than your Facebook friends page, because here’s the thing… the EG 1^st team isn’t Jack, Tom and Tina… it’s all of us and they didn’t get here on their own and they are very gracious to note that.  Residents gave them this opportunity and it is reasonable to assume that residents want to see them succeed.

So folks, be prepared to participate.  Introduce yourselves to your new government and get ready to get your hands dirty.  Attend a board meeting and show up with your input for improvements and your resume.  We now have the government that everyone always wanted, but no one thought we would ever get.

The work doesn’t start January 1^st, it starts now.  We have an opportunity to be a part of building a new East Greenbush.  One where the successes are shared by many, not the few and to be part of that is something that will be rewarding and special.  So take a bow EG 1^st… and get to work.  Like someone once noted… to whom much is granted, much is expected, but don’t worry, we don’t expect you to do it alone.

We Need A Clean Break -- Two

"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result."

                                                                                       ----- Albert Einstein      

 “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” 

                                                                                       ----- George Santayana, 1905

                                                                                    

If you’ve been watching East Greenbush Town government for any length of time, it should be clear to you that the two major political “machines” are pretty much interchangeable.  One got us in a financial mess, and the other one didn’t do anything about it.  The main reason for that is that what passes for “policy” is primarily driven by the politics involved – taking care of the insiders who call the shots from behind the curtain.  That’s how all the mischief took place on Thompson Hill -  the illegal Plat approval, the “duplex” with 4 front doors, the road paved with transferred amenities money by the Supervisors former employer without a bid, and finally the casino stuff complete with zoning manipulations. 

Before that series of episodes, the interfund debt was created by non-management and internal controls that permitted illegal stipends, unlawful longevity and incentive payments and even ineligible persons being put on the Town’s medical benefit plan. 

The last three reports by the Office of State Comptroller are repleat with long lists of findings and recommendations addressing the problems facing the Town.  There’s another report in preparation which I’m sure will have the same messages.  Neither administration backed by its respective machine has made any effort to address and implement these recommendations.  It’s just not in their “interest.” 

So to expect any different outcome from either Republicans or Democrats by electing either on November 3^rd is simply – Insanity. 

We need a clean break from the past, and a future delivered by a Supervisor and Board who chose to be free of the “strings”  held by the old insiders.  Vote East Greenbush First!!!  Jack Conway, Tina Tierney and Tom Grant. 

A Comment that deserves to be a Post

This is an atypical year politically and the EG 1st candidates have highlighted the absolute NEED for sincere leadership. The Langley camp has sent out a cartoon card bashing Dave Van Wormer for conduct that, from any other source, would likely disqualify him for the job. The problem is that it came from Langley, leaving the average voter disgusted with BOTH major parties.

If you are a thinking individual, it's hard to look at Van Wormer's qualifications, or lack thereof, and still consider voting for him. Even if you dislike the negative ad Langley issued, it's hard to willingly revolt by voting for the guy he attacked, because to a certain degree, Langley is right, Van Wormer is unqualified... but that does not inspire a vote for Langley.

In a normal year, we would have to suffer the indignity of having to vote for one of these two... candidates for lack of a better word, and feel bad about ourselves for doing so, knowing full well neither one of them bring dignity to the office nor do they have the best interests of the residents at heart.

The EG 1st candidates have held themselves to a higher standard and promoted the needs of the community over their own personal ambitions. They are also, each in their own right, supremely qualified to serve.

In any other election year, one would look a the two major party candidates and vote for one or against one. However, this year, as the two major parties parade their selected nominee around like Mrs. Astor's horse, people should be continually reminded that there is in fact an alternative. Candidates who are prepared to do exactly what this town needs.

Meanwhile the two major parties, who are forever stuck in the their ways find themselves with democrats NOT supporting the democratic candidate and instead pushing their people to vote for the republican, a guy who has demonstrated the past that they can't trust him. And democrats are holding their nose to support a guy that was encouraged to NOT run at all. Republicans are hard pressed to support their guy because he not only insulted them but assaulted them with his hard line support of the casino initiative without giving residents the courtesy of weighing in on the decision. A decision which fell very predictably flat.

If ever there was a time to be disgusted with major parties this is the year. If ever there was a time for partisan politicians to show their true colors and their own manipulative tendencies, this is the year.

All the while, there is an alternative that makes sense for voters. Jack Conway, Tina Tierney and Tom Grant have stayed above the fray and focused on solutions for this town. If voters do not recognize this as the true opportunity this is to rebuild this town... this town is destined to violated by corrupt political hacks who will never put the needs of the town ahead of their own. That said... no one, including this piece and it's author, should ever tell anyone how to vote, for whom to vote and insist on it. Your vote is your own. This article was simply to point out an opportunity and an option to deviate from the past. One would be remiss to not point it out.

Let's Put an End to the Irresponsible Fiscal Oversight

The Post below is from East Greenbush Truth.  It's too good not to be a "guest editorial" on the Gadfly.  Read Away!!


We are 11 days away from one of the most contentious elections in East Greenbush and our East Greenbush Republican Committee has failed to file 5 of the last required financial disclosure reports to the Board of Elections.  This is the same committee that has helped run our town further into the ground over the last 4 years.  This is the same committee who is supporting a CFO who has also played a hand the deteriorating condition of our town’s financial records. Our town’s credit ratings have fallen below junk bond status, with 3 of our general obligation ratings now completely withdrawn because our CFO, under the leadership of our EG Republican party, has failed to provide an audit of our town much like the committee backing him has failed to file their required financial reports.  Our Supervisor has failed to provide a verified audit in his tenure as our town’s CFO.  We not only became the laughing stock of the Capital District when our town was put under a microscope during the casino fiasco, but we were embarrassed to find out that we paid two respectable accounting firms nearly $70,000 to attempt to complete an audit but were unsuccessfull because our financial records are too much in disarray.
The committee is requred to file a 32 Pre Primary Report, an 11 Day Pre Primary Report, a 10 Day Post Primary Report, a 32 Day Pre General Report, and an 11 Day Pre General Report – none of which has been filed.  New York Election Law requires that any candidate or committee raising or spending, or expecting to raise more that $1,000 must file.  Candidates and committees must disclose all financial activity made in connection to their own campaign or in support of a candidate.  Candidates who do not exceed the $1,000 threshold may file an “In-Lieu-Of-Statement,” however NY Election Law prohibits constituted and party committees from filing such statement.  NY Election Law 14-124(4) states:  “The only committee that can file In-Lieu-Of-Statements are authorized committees supporting one candidate or a committee solely supporting or opposing a ballot proposal/proposition.”
If there is no financial activity, then such candidate or committee must file a “No Financial Activity” report.  It is factual that the East Greenbush Republican Committee has incurred financial activity.  In the July 30th Advertiser, Ed Gilbert wrote an ad supporting Keith Langley that was explicitly paid by the East Greenbush Republican Committee.  Ironically, this piece was to call out former candidate Michael Poorman for failing to file his required financial disclosures.  (https://eastgreenbushtruth.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/ed-gilbert.png)  On September 3rd The East Greenbush Republican Committee paid for two ads in The Advertiser, “A Message from East Greenbush Republican Town Chairman Dan Fiacco ‘Supervisor Keith Langley Deserves Re-Election'” (https://eastgreenbushtruth.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/republican-committee.png) and the infamous “Turnaround” ad (https://eastgreenbushtruth.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/langley1.png).
The East Greenbush Republican Committee has hosted at least two fundraisers since the July Financial Disclosure Report, one on August 11th when they hosted the “Fundraising Reception in Support of Larry Lenartz and Trent Tibbitts” and the other on October 13th for their “Celebration Event.”  Both events requested that checks be made payable to the East Greenbush Republican Committee.
In 2011, before our Supervisor took office Moody’s had actually upgraded our credit rating from “negative” to “stable.”  Two years later when our Supervisor was in office for a year and a half we were put on a list of cities/towns facing bankruptcy.  Almost 4 years into our Supervisors role as CFO Moody’s downgraded us and withdrew our credit ratings.  Is this the person or committee you trust?  The pattern of our CFO and his respective Republican Committee failing to provide the necessary financial disclosures (for our town, a verifiable audit) needs to end.  We the residents can make that happen on November 3rd, 2015, our town has suffered enough!

Mr. Langley is "Stone Walling"

Supervisor Langley is making the claim that he has reduced the millions of dollars interfund debt in East Greenbush to $300,000.  He is supposedly doing this with the “support” of the Annual Update Documents (AUDs) submitted to the Office of the State Comptroller.  A couple of weeks ago, Moodys Investor Service moved East Greenbush from “Junk Bond” status to its watch list and then to no rating at all based on the fact that East Greenbush has failed to produce certified audits of its submitted AUDs.  There is a simple solution.  As the Chief Financial Officer of East Greenbush, Mr. Langley could certify his submitted AUDs upon which he is basing his campaign claims and submit them for audit by a competent CPA firm. 

I believe that the reason East Greenbush doesn’t have certified audits for the recent years is that the administration doesn’t want to get a “qualified” opinion from the CPA on the financial statements.  The Independent Auditors Report, Management Letter and the Notes to the Financials would be a real help in getting financial matters in order, but these elements of the audit report would also list the failures of management.  That’s why we don’t have the audits.  The probable “qualified” opinions from the CPA firm would also expose the claim of the Supervisor that he has reduced the inter fund debt.  Moodys called his hand, and he has no cards to play. 

By refusing to aggressively resolve the Town’s financial condition issues, Mr. Langley is also preventing the other Board members from having the information necessary to exercise their fiduciary responsibilities in the management of the Town.  Ms. Matters and Ms. DiMartino should be pointing that out to the Attorney General and the State Comptroller.  If they are being prevented from performing the oversight provided for by law, the Attorney General and State Comptroller should be intervening.  Mr. Langley could be getting dangerously close to a Financial Control Board.

Residents Forum on Tuesday Evening

Town Board Candidates Debate Tonight - Residents Forum Next Tuesday

EAST GREENBUSH TOWN OFFICES

Candidates Debate

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Columbia High School Auditorium

6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

6:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Candidates for Town Board Debate

7:30 – 8:30 p.m. – Candidates for Supervisor Debate

Free and open to the public.

All candidates for Supervisor and Town Board have been invited.

The public will be able to submit questions at the event.

East Greenbush First Residents Forum

Envisioning a New Future for Our Town

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Elks Club, 683 Columbia Turnpike

7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Participate in a dialogue about the future of our Town.

Meet the East Greenbush First Candidates

Jack Conway for Supervisor

Tina Tierney for Town Board

Tom Grant for Town Board

The "Clean Break" Ballot

Here's the sample ballot for November 3rd.  EG1st is on Row I at the bottom.  There are literally "millions" of reasons not to return either major party "machine" to power in East Greenbush.  Those millions are out of our pockets and into theirs.  Time to put a stop to the sleaze and the inside deals and the nepotism and the patronage and the favoritism.  Time for some honest and transparent government.  Take a look at the ballot and remember it.  Some of the reasons for voting EG1st are in the following link and in the letters from yesterday's Advertiser.

https://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/2015/10/08/lies-and-deceit-change-is-needed/

October is Decisive

With the Supervisor and Town Board candidate's Debate and the Resident's Forum sponsored by East Greenbush First, October will be a decisive month for our Town.  Please mark these dates and plan to attend.

Jack Conway on Ethics

This letter was in last week's Advertiser.  It's an important statement which needs to be read and understood by residents and voters.  If a decent code of ethics had been in place, followed and enforced in the past, we'd be in less trouble as a municipality. 

Shenanigans in Schodack

Here's the text of the Times Union Editorial from Friday the 25th.  What apparently has gone on there has unfortunate parallels to the mischief that took place in East Greenbush related to the casino fiasco.  I can't figure out how the planning/approval process avoided SEQRA.  No environmental impact?  Looks like the only way to stop this kind of abuse of the public is to remove the "perps" from office. 


"Schodack planning officials may or may not have broken any laws, but they certainly broke the public trust when they withheld details about a new development until the last minute, and then rushed through a vote to approve it the same night.

This exercise in cloak-and-dagger governance came complete with a code name, “Project Red.” It might be humorous, if it were not such a case study in official arrogance.

This mysterious development first came to light in May, when the town divulged this much – that a 175,000-square-foot building was proposed near routes 9 and 20, that it would that it would some kind of warehouse/distribution center, and be a round-the-clock operation.

That’s like saying a food and drink establishment of some kind is locating in your neighborhood, and it’ll have music. What are we talking about? A French bistro with a string quartet, or a dance club with a sound system worthy of a concert hall? A family place or something involving pole dancers?

The full details were kept secret under a “confidentiality clause” that Town Supervisor Dennis Dowds was legally binding. It was not until this past Monday that the company’s identity, McLane Foodservices, was revealed – three months after what passed for a public hearing was held.

Clearly, a public hearing on a project that citizens don’t have the full details about is a mockery of open government. The best residents could do was ask generic questions about a generic proposal. Perhaps that’s what the town preferred for a site where previous proposals have failed amid public objections.

More details would have allowed them to ask more specific questions and raise specific issues. The full disclosure that the town refused to provide might have revealed some problems with the town’s review and raised the need for noise, traffic, and environmental studies. Maeve Tooher, attorney for the Birchwood Neighborhood Association, notes that the project is on an aquifer, and that documents show widely different estimates of how many trucks would come and go – ranging from 17 to 75.

But there will be no studies. The firm’s identity and other relevant details only came the same day that the Planning Board cast its vote.

Such shabby treatment of citizens is reminiscent of how things were done in the waning days of the cronyism that was once standard operating procedure in places like Albany, where public boards met at inconvenient times while people were tied up at work and unable to make their voices heard. Where development in the environmentally sensitive Pine Bush was rammed through. Such shenanigans were finally reined in by courts that set the city straight on good government, and by voters who booted politicians who were happy to serve as rubber stamps for well-connected business interests.

Schodack officials would be wise to heed the lessons of that history, or risk a fittingly public embarrassment, in the courtroom or at the polls."

East Greenbush First Reception

The EG1st Announcements.....

EG1st Platform and Resident's Forum

The East Greenbush First team has published its Platform and Plan for governing on their website and it is available at this link:  http://www.eg1st.org/platform

What a refreshing and encouraging approach to candidacy and governing!!  This slate has done their homework and has produced a plan to which they can be held accountable by the people. 

We Need A CLEAN Break!

Some interesting letters in today's Advertiser.  There are three which I want to give wider readership, those by Eileen Grant, Jonathan Shapiro and Tina Tierney.  I'll cut to the chase.  Both of the major parties have had their chance at governing in recent years.  And both have screwed it up - royally.  They've spent most of their time taking care of the common insider population, notwithstanding solid advice from the State Comptroller as to how to begin to fix the disasters which they created.  Not one move in a positive direction.  Now Moody's has dropped the ultimate bomb.  What do you think that might do to debt service on the WWTP?  They've both had their chance, with all kinds of good advice.  What do you think the chances are for improvement if either machine gets a majority again?  Remember, "the past is prologue."  There's just not the will or the "know-how."

Open Government in East Greenbush?

The appearance of Jack Conway's letter in the Advertiser this morning was fortuitous in the context of last night's Town Board meeting.  I think one of the things Jack is getting at is that East Greenbush has no healthy government traditions, rules and mores to which it can turn in crisis or need.  "Institutions" are supposed to help sustain a community.  Our governmental culture has been about tearing up and exploiting "community" for a very long time.  Looks to me like we need to learn some things which have not been a part of the governmental culture for a very long time.

East Greenbush Isn't Broken, It's "Fixed."

Here's Jonathan Shapiro's letter in today's Advertiser.  It's great!!  It raises again some questions which have been repeatedly asked, but not answered by Town officials.  Below the letter, I've included a link to an excellent commentary on the matter from East Greenbush Truth, and a link to the minutes of the Special Meeting of the Town Board which re-directed the funds to pave Thompson Hill Road.

East Greenbush Isn't Broken, It's "Fixed."

 Although East Greenbush has a Master Plan, it is routinely over ridden for the benefit of a select few developers.  A perfect example of this is the Thompson Way Subdivision (PDD), where Hart and Maney are building the first duplex.  There is a great deal of dispute over whether or not the final development plan even received Planning Board approval.  What there can be no dispute about is the 1/4/13 Memo in which the developer agreed to be responsible for repaving Thompson’s Hill Road for $93,000.

However, on 9/3/13 the town approved a plan to spend over $145,000 to pave it.  No bids were ever solicited and Rifenberg Construction, our Supervisors former employer, was given the contract.  The money used for this, GEIS funds given by FEDEX, was supposed to go for sidewalks and other amenities on Route 4 and Couse Corners.  The stated reason was that the town needed a two day detour for the building of the Mannix Road round about on Route 4, despite the fact that Route 4 is state owned and the town is not responsible.

—WHY DID THE TOWN BOARD SPEND MONEY TO DO SOMETHING THAT THE DEVELOPER ALREADY AGREED TO?

—WHY DID THE BOARD SPEND AN EXTRA $53,000 BEYOND WHAT THE DEVELOPER SAID IT WOULD COST?

—WHY DID THE BOARD  MAKE EXCUSES ABOUT THE REASON  TO PAVE THE ROAD, WHEN THE TOWN HAD NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR A DETOUR?

—WHY DIDN’T THE BOARD PUT THE PAVING CONTRACT UP FOR BID?

—WHY DID THE TOWN BOARD SPEND MONEY ALREADY EARMARKED FOR OTHER AMENITIES, SIDEWALKS ETC, THAT HAVE YET TO BE BUILT?

THE REASON IS SIMPLE: EAST GREENISH ISN’T BROKEN IT’S FIXED. 

We need a NEW political party in this town

Jonathan Shapiro,  East Greenbush

https://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/2015/08/13/todays-advertiser-part-1-2/


http://www.eastgreenbush.org/government/town-board/agendas/doc_download/1066-932013-special-meeting-minutes

East Greenbush First Petitions Are In

East Greenbush First, the independent option for November's Town election submitted their nominating petitions this afternoon.  They collected 1596 signatures.  The number necessary to nominate was 294 signatures, 5% of the people who voted in East Greenbush in the last gubernatorial election.  EG1st submitted 27% of that number.

Thirty two citizens carried petitions for the East Greenbush First slate, almost as many as the 39 Democratic Party Caucus electors who nominated the Dem slate.  It's not an official count yet, but the Gadfly did hear that in the neighborhood of 450 registered Dems signed the EG1st petitions.

Congratulations to Jack Conway, Tina Tierney and Tom Grant and their ever-growing coalition on a fantastic job.  Now let's get busy on getting out the vote.

Here's Bob Gardinier's TU story:

http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/East-Greenbush-First-candidates-to-submit-6437621.php

Here's a pic of some of the 32 petition carriers:

No More Business As Usual

I don't believe that I know Mr. Shapiro, but I do believe that his letter in today's Advertiser is spot on.  For those who don't get the Advertiser, here's the letter:

Meet the EG1st Candidates....

Come on out on June 24th and meet Jack Conway, Tina Tierney and Tom Grant, candidates for Supervisor and Town Board. 

Save Your Signature!!!

Et Tu, Brute?

It's long been said that politics in East Greenbush is a "blood sport."  Certainly not bean-bags.  We'll probably know tonight who the local Brutus is.  Cheered on by the local and County Republican mucky-mucks, including the County Executive.  The irony is that this event tonight was supposed to be the coronation of Candidate Langley for a second term.  Witness the invitation:

There's no doubt a quid pro quo in the works.  Langley always wanted to be DPW Commish.

We need an administration that pays attention to Civil Service and what's on a Resume - not who is related or married to somebody.  Time for some big changes.  The side advantages is that it will save us a ton of money in taxes.  

There's Good News Tonight

Jack Conway, Tina Tierney and Tom Grant have announced for Supervisor and Town Board.

Check out the website at eg1st.org. 

A new day is about to dawn for East Greenbush, and we should be thankful for the friends who are taking on the task. 

The Langley Letter

This is Supervisor Langley's letter in today's Advertiser.  Comments are invited. 

Resident Forum next Wednesday......

Oligarchy and Uppity citizens.

Not long ago, a member of the Town Board stated in an open meeting that the citizens of East Greenbush were getting too much power.  Look at that statement in the context of the following definition.

ol·i·gar·chy

ˈäləˌɡärkē/

noun

noun: oligarchy; plural noun: oligarchies

1. a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.

"the ruling oligarchy of military men around the president"

• a country governed by an oligarchy.

"the English aristocratic oligarchy of the 19th century"

• government by oligarchy.

The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning intact - a form of government run by a small number of people such as the wealthy ...

An Oligarchy is a form of government controlled by a group, council, or board of directors. Oligarchies typically have no constitution or charter.

Ring any bells?  I heard a lot of talk and comment when the casino initiative was first advanced by the Town Board that the Board was in place and had every right to make the policy which would advance the casino without “checking” with the electorate.  But if you take the time to think about it for a while, and apply the definition to the way government seems to happen around here, I think you’d have to conclude that East Greenbush is run by an oligarchy.  That recent comment by a current Board member about citizens having too much power is the perfect example – attributed to an oligarch. Makes me wonder about the content of Civics classes locally.

But if you throw into consideration the "evolution" of 1 Cooper Ave. and the illegal Plat approval for the Thompson Way development, it's easy to conclude on the Oligarchy argument.  (See the link below for Dwight Jenkins' report on 1 Cooper Ave.)

https://eastgreenbushdreams.wordpress.com/2015/01/16/planning-and-zoning-boards-abolished-as-unnecessary/

Some of the same "players" are active in the Plat approval as in 1 Cooper.  Some simple questions:  how does a sewer connection happen during a moratorium on connections?  How many kitchens are in a duplex with four front doors?  

Who "owns" East Greenbush......the citizens, or the insiders? 

Guest Editorial....

CP Mary Ann Matters, March 18, 2015 Board Meeting, Opening Comments:

FOR A WHILE NOW, SEVERAL BOARD MEMBERS, MYSELF INCLUDED, HAVE BEEN QUESTIONING THE STATE AND STABILITY OF THE TOWN’S FINANCES, MOST RECENTLY THE PAY-BACK AMOUNTS OF THE INTER-FUND BORROWING DEBT, BEFORE WE CAN JUSTIFY RAISING WATER AND SEWER RATES. IN RESPONSE TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE RELIABILITY OF OUR PRESENT ACCOUNTING SYSTEM, WE HAVE BEEN GETTING THE SAME RESPONSE FROM THE COMPTROLLER FOR THE PAST 15 MONTHS, WHICH IS THAT THE TOWN’S ACCOUNTING SYSTEM IS “BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR” BUT THAT WE HAVEN’T “EARNED THE PRIVILEGE YET OF BUYING NEW ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE.” THE PROBLEM WITH THIS RESPONSE, AS I SEE IT, IS THAT SIGNIFICANT NUMBERS ARE APPARENTLY BEING GENERATED BY THIS BROKEN SYSTEM AND CLAIMS ARE NOW BEING MADE IN THE ADVERTISER ABOUT DEBT REPAYMENT “ESTIMATES” THAT WE ARE BEING EXPECTED TO ACCEPT AS TRUE AND CORRECT, WHILE OUR COMPTROLLER, BY HIS OWN ADMISSION, CONTINUES TO “LEARN AND DISCERN OUR TRANSACTIONS SO THAT HE CAN UNDERSTAND THEM CLEARLY.” MEANWHILE, A TOSKI ACCOUNTING FIRM LETTER DATED NOVEMBER 18, 2014 DROPPED US AS CLIENTS AND ADVISED US THAT THE FOLLOWING NEEDED IMMEDIATE ATTENTION: “CORRECTIONS TO THE INTERNAL ACCOUNTING SYSTEM TO ENABLE THE TOWN TO GENERATE ACCURATE AND TIMELY FINANCIAL INFORMATION WITH APPROPRIATE INTERNAL CONTROL CHECKS AND BALANCES.” THIS MEANS THAT WE DON’T HAVE THAT NOW, YET NUMBERS ARE BEING REPORTED THAT THE INTERFUND BORROWING DEBT HAS GONE FROM $2.3M TO $1.6M IN THREE YEARS. IN ORDER FOR THE BOARD TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND EFFECTIVE STEWARDS OF THE TOWN’S FINANCES, WE MUST RECEIVE MONTHLY FINAL (NOT DRAFT) OPERATING STATEMENTS, AND OTHER REPORTS, IN WRITING, THAT ARE SIGNED AND DATED BY THE COMPTROLLER AND THE SUPERVISOR/CFO OF THE TOWN, DETAILING AND EXPLAINING BUDGET LINE TRANSFERS, THE STATUS OF THE INTERFUND BORROWING DEBT IN THE HIGHWAY, GENERAL, WATER AND SEWER FUNDS, OUR CREDIT AND BOND RATINGS, AND THE AUDIT BY OSC THAT IS PRESENTLY ONGOING.  HOWEVER, WE ARE UNABLE TO TRUST THIS BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR ACCOUNTING SYSTEM TO PROVIDE ACCURATE NUMBERS AND INTERNAL CONTROLS THAT ARE NECESSARY FOR EFFECTIVE OPERATION.  PROPERLY DESIGNED AND FUNCTIONING ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE INCLUDES CONTROLS THAT REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF SIGNIFICANT ERRORS AND/OR FRAUD GOING UNDETECTED, HOWEVER, WHEN I ASKED MR. PHILLIPS JUST LAST WEEK IF HE THINKS WE WILL BE READY TO GRADUATE TO A NEW ACCOUNTING SYSTEM BY THE FALL, HE SAID, TO MY DISMAY, “NO, NOT THIS YEAR.” THE TOWN OF EAST GREENBUSH NEEDS RELIABLE ACCOUNTING, RECONCILIATION, AND REPORTING SOFTWARE, AND WE NEED IT NOW!

Feathers' Last Stand: A Parable - By Jack Conway

In June of 1876, decorated Civil War hero General George Armstrong Custer led the 7^th Cavalry Regiment into battle against the Lakota nation.  Shown the way by Indian scouts hoping to make a fast buck, Custer refused offers of heavy artillery (a Gatling Gun) and failed to link up with several other companies because of a lack of respect for the Lakota warriors.  Unaware that Sitting Bull had dreamed of “soldiers falling upside down into our camp,” a prophecy he would have dismissed as savage superstition anyway, Custer believed that the Lakota people lacked the knowledge and sophistication that made his regiment unbeatable in a confrontation like this. Receiving advance information from his Indian scouts, Custer learned that he should launch a sneak attack before his position was discovered.  On the morning of June 25^th, Custer and his men rode over the ridge near the Little Big Horn – known to the Lakota as the Greasy Grass – expecting a relatively small band of local yokels to offer at best token resistance to not only his soldiers but to his dreams of power and fortune.  Instead he rode into the better part of the entire Lakota nation, and not a few Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho.  The rest is well known to history except perhaps for the Lakota myth about what happened to his dead body as he lay vanquished on the battlefield.  According to native custom, two old Lakota women took bone awls and cut holes where Custer’s ears had been.  They did so, it is said, so that he would hear better in the next life.

In April 2014, renowned power broker Jimmy Feathers led the Saratoga Casino Regiment into the Town of East Greenbush.  Shown the way by local landowners hoping to make a fast buck, Feathers disregarded the need for heavier artillery and failed to link up with the true representatives of the native community, shunning them out of a lack of respect and falling for the myth that the surrender of their discredited ‘chiefs’ was all he needed.  Feathers believed that the people of East Greenbush lacked the knowledge and sophistication that had made him invincible in previous battles.  Receiving advance information from his landowner scouts, Feathers learned that it was best to mount a sneak attack with a generic resolution before anyone knew he was coming.  These local yokels would be fending off an army of addicted gamblers before they knew what hit them.  But when Feathers and his crew rode over the ridge on Thompson Hill expecting to find at best token resistance, not only to his casino but to his dreams of more power and greater fortune, the whole East Greenbush nation, and not a few North Greenbushers and Schodackians, were waiting for him.  The rest is now well known to history.  We cut no holes where his ears had been but we did send a message to other corporate predators who think we won’t defend our territory: East Greenbush is not for sale.

The Times Union is reporting today that the Casino PDD application has been withdrawn.  The land on which it was to be built is for sale.  Apart from cleaning up a few legal details and paying the SEG attorney, the Battle of Thompson Hill is over.

What's with that Pesky PDD?

Seems a mystery that the PDD application related to the Capital View Casino attempt on Thompson Hill hasn’t been withdrawn, rescinded or neutered.  There appears to be some sort of “tap-dance” going on, but no one is stepping forward to explain anything.  The last I heard was that there was a resolution in the works to extend the PDD “by mutual consent.”  That just doesn’t make sense, given the statement below from a friend of mine who has the experience to know what he is talking about…..

“I do not see how they can extend the PDD re-zoning for anything other than a casino. The resolution specifically made reference to, and was based on, the state law that preempts casinos from local zoning. If they plan to develop anything other than a casino, they will need to start the entire process over.

In addition to the above issue, the only reason amenities (restaurants, hotel, parking garage and lots etc.) we're included in the PDD was the claim by the applicants that they were called for in the Request For Applications (RFA) issued by the State Gaming Facilities Location Board for casinos. Again, without a casino, none of these things can be included in a PDD, where the underlying zoning is Residential Buffer (RB).

Finally, the vote of at least one ZBA member to re-zone was based on the strange definition that a patron of the casino was a "resident" of the PDD. I am not sure how such an absurd concept can be applied to any other use.”

It just might be time for the Town Board, where the ultimate authority resides, to assert its authority and put the matter to rest. 

Community Advocacy Continues.......

One thing we have learned with the casino fiasco, the illegal Plat approval, construction and sewer connections without building permits is that the political machines in this Town on both sides of the fence consider governing to be playing the "footsie fix" with the insiders and the players.  The public interest be damned.  In this connection, here's the letter from Thursday's Advertiser by Tina Tierney addressing part of the problem.  

By the way, a bunch of us will be bringing our $50 checks for Save East Greenbush to the Library meeting on the 10th - in "honor" of Phil Malone's fundraiser at an out of state casino.  The guy is just tone-deaf to his constituents.  

 "To the Editor,

The residents of East Greenbush learned many hard lessons in 2014, beginning in April when the Town Board quietly passed a resolution to support the siting a casino on a parcel of land zoned Residential Buffer.  Throughout the year the hard lessons continued when the majority of our elected officials continued to accommodate developers over vocal opposition from citizens. The approval of the developer's Planned Development District allowed Residential Buffer zoning to be changed to accommodate the proposed casino, and that PDD is still in effect. If our home is our greatest purchase, shouldn't these homes be protected from arbitrary zoning changes that accommodate developers?

The hard lessons learned taught us that we cannot rely on our elected officials to represent the best interests of homeowners. We learned that we must advocate for ourselves. Citizens should not be forced to hire attorneys to assure that we are represented, or to assure that developers are required to follow zoning laws. Since the Facility Location Board failed to license the proposed casino, why hasn't the PDD application for the proposed casino been withdrawn? 

Recently, the moratorium on all new sewer connections in East Greenbush has been lifted and the Waste Water Treatment Plan is fully operational.  Supervisor Langley wrote in this publication,  "With the order lifted, the Town has great potential for growth and development, simply put; new business, residential developments and communities can now be connected to the WTP."  How can we be assured that contortions to zoning won't occur throughout our town? 

On Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at 7 pm, please join your neighbors at the East Greenbush library. Let's work together to advocate for our future, and plan community-based fundraisers for legal expenses that were incurred due to our lack of representation.

Christine Tierney, East Greenbush"

It Ain't Over 'Till It's Over...

Here's Dwight Jenkin's letter to the Advertiser today about the potential shenanigans still in the minds of the local "players" who (in their fantacies) believe they own this town.  (I apologize if I'm taking liberties with the interpretation, but the lengths to which the "players" are going in some instances is nothing but arrogance personified.)

"Last spring, summer and fall a majority of the residents of East Greenbush made it painfully clear that a casino was not welcome here. Last spring, summer and fall the various boards that control East Greenbush (Town, Planning and Zoning) made it just as painfully clear that a small number of town employees and connected insiders did not care about the majority's position. Your boards did everything in their power to accommodate the casino developers, to include the approval of a Planned Development District ( PDD) which would carve out a home for the unwanted casino in an area of town not zoned for casinos or any other commercial development. Fortunately the Gaming Commission's Site Location Board did not recommend a casino in East Greenbush, but that doesn't mean your town boards are closing the door in the developer's face. To the contrary, we have recently heard from two town officials that big plans are still in the works for what we all thought was a dead-on-arrival PDD, with the developer allegedly asking for an extension on the life of that PDD. Why do that? No one is saying, but this we can say: the PDD has not been withdrawn, and Save East Greenbush, the grass-roots group which sprang up to help stop the casino, is still watching and still has legal bills to pay. We must finish what we started and close the door on the still-kicking PDD Zoning vote. Save the date: let's meet at 7:00 PM on FEBRUARY 10 at the EG Public Library. We'll be discussing what's left to accomplish and how we plan to shut the door on this unwanted PDD once and for all. We'll have refreshments and some fantastic fund-raising plans that you'll definitely want to be part of. Hope to see you there!"

Ethics takes a "Hit"

After Herculean efforts over the past few years to get responsible and accountable Town ethics policies and procedures in place to protect the interests of citizens, it appears that the political establishment has conspired once again to protect itself from accountability.  Here are the two letters on the issue from today's edition of the Advertiser by Mary Ann Matters and Jack Conway:

EAST GREENBUSH TOWN BOARD SAYS “NO” TO RESIDENTS

At the East Greenbush town board meeting of December 17^th, I moved a resolution to hold a public hearing on amending the town code of ethics to allow residents to file ethics complaints against town employees and to request advisory opinions from the board of ethics.  Although this resolution was the most important resolution that I’ve had the honor of sponsoring since taking office, unfortunately, I was unable to garner enough support for it to pass.  Anytime a town board action gives residents the opportunity to be heard and to be part of the process of governing, it is important.  The fact that this particular resolution failed to pass was indicative of a “double whammy” against East Greenbush residents.

Insulting as it is to deny residents the right to allege wrongdoing by town employees to the town’s bipartisan ethics board and to request advisory opinions from them, not allowing residents to even express themselves at a public hearing on the proposed ethics-code amendment is tantamount to placing a gag order on all residents who would choose to reach out as part of the very process that was created for their benefit; for them to be cut out of it altogether is utterly absurd.

During the last town board meeting, some board members expressed their concern over the notion of being impacted or even inconvenienced by complaints submitted against them by residents.  Such attitude is not only vile and blatantly self-serving, it also shows utter contempt toward the spirit of the entire town code of ethics.

The right of resident participation in the town’s ethics processes is fundamental toward ensuring that the ethics board has complete and unfettered access to all sources of grievance concerning the conduct and performance of all town employees, be they elected or appointed.  In fact, the town code of ethics exists not to protect town employees, but to protect town residents.

I urge residents to voice your concerns on this issue at the next town board meeting scheduled for January 21, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. at town hall.  Please e-mail me at mamatters@verizon.net if you have any questions.

~Mary Ann Matters, East Greenbush Town Board

East Greenbush Town Board Takes a Stand Against Ethics

At its December meeting, the East Greenbush Town Board voted against a resolution that would allow residents to file complaints with the Board of Ethics regarding the actions of town officials.  Supervisor Keith Langley even argued that allowing the public to file ethics complaints could hurt his re-election bid this year.  This issue arose when the Town Attorney discovered a loophole in the Code of Ethics that prohibits residents from filing complaints.  As the former Chairperson of the Board of Ethics, I can attest that the five members of that board who drafted the Code, the previous Town Attorney and all five members of the Town Board who approved the Code believed that it included the right of residents to file complaints.  Thus, Councilperson Mary Ann Matters introduced a resolution to close the loophole but the Board rejected it by a 3-2 vote.  Supervisor Langley and Councilpersons Sue Mangold and Deb DiMartino cast the ‘No’ votes.

The purpose of a Code of Ethics is to assure the public that every action taken by town officials is taken in the public interest and not for the benefit of an individual, family, business, political party or other entity.  Since only the public can truly determine its own interests, the latest action of the East Greenbush Town Board has the effect of disabling the Code of Ethics and rendering the Board of Ethics unnecessary.  Supervisor Langley’s comment about his re-election prospects reflects his belief that the public interest is less important than his own political fortunes.  The Board’s action is consistent with the cult of secrecy that has pervaded Town Government under this Supervisor.  He has scheduled special meetings at inconvenient times to suppress resident turnout and hide inconvenient truths such as the settlement of a discrimination suit or, most egregiously, his effort to sneak a casino into town against the wishes of the vast majority of town residents.

With this latest vote against ethics, the Town Board has taken an aggressive stance against open and accountable government, and encouraged the conflict of interest-ridden insider trading that has been the hallmark of our local government.  Come to the January 21^st Board meeting where this resolution will be introduced again and demand ethical conduct and accountability from a reluctant Town Board.

Jack Conway