Thursday, August 14, 2014

Being Played

Today's Advertiser letter by Gloria Rodgers is too good not to be a Post.  So here it is....



To the Editor:
Those proposing the Capital View Casino & Resort are trying to bully local residents into believing that a casino will be the answer to our prayers. With political connections, a seemingly bottomless advertising/PR budget, distorted numbers and a condescending “We know what’s best for you” attitude, they are attempting to manipulate residents as they manipulated the Town Board.
Forget that the proposal submitted to the Gaming Commission is radically different from the one presented to and voted on by the Town Board. Let’s face what we already know in our heads and hearts:  these people couldn’t care less about East Greenbush, Rensselaer Co., or any of us.
Said Mr. Featherstonhaugh in June 2013, ‘The proposed Las Vegas-type casinos will "… cannibalize as much as 85% of the state's current gaming market, shifting revenue and jobs from one facility to another but resulting in no real increase in new jobs and an annual loss of $1 billion of tax revenue for education."(http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2013/06/ny_casino_deal_is_bad_for_taxp.html)    Mr. Featherstonhaugh was against it before he was for it. 
They NEED to build a casino.  The application states, ‘Taking away from the [Saratoga] racino’s customer base is expected to lead to a 48.2% decline — $90 million — in the facility’s annual revenue and result in an undisclosed number of job losses. “Revenue cannibalization on this scale would clearly result in reduced employment at the Saratoga Springs casino and the loss of accompanying benefits to Albany.” ‘  -- implying that this is why they should be granted a license.
They NEED to build a casino to compensate for the losses they will suffer at the racino.  Where will those who lose their Saratoga jobs likely find new jobs? At the new casino!  So much for all those jobs for local residents.
“If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”  Let Town Board members know that it’s ok to change their minds, and write to the Gaming Commission and object to this project.
Let’s not get played by people who are only looking out for their own best interests.
Gloria Rodgers

30 comments:

  1. I think it's interesting that Feathers thought it necessary to show up at today's pre-Board meeting (in his Jaguar convertible). No doubt to take the temperature of things with DeFruscio and Langley in the light of the Matters rebellion and the Mangold conflict of interest discovery. He's got to be nervous. All the hype and PR you can buy, won't get you this one - good buddy. Anybody to takes the time to read the application to the Gaming Commission will discover the internal inconsistencies, though they took great pains to make them hard to get at. And the frosting is gaming the School Supe. Wonder what went on at the School Board meeting last night.

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  2. Tom Grant, the elderAugust 14, 2014 at 9:44 PM

    Dear 8:13 PM:
    I highly recommend a read of Dwight Jenkins' account of last night's School Board meeting. Just click on the link to East Greenbush Dreams located in the right column on this site.
    All the best,
    Tom

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  3. Gloria Rodgers' piece is excellent!! The first paragraph should be put in a time capsule because it is an insightful and accurate portrayal of the shaking down of an entire town by unscrupulous casino developers and their local henchmen.

    Dwight Jenkins' piece about the school board on EG Dreams is disturbing. I went to a school board meeting with some other Save EG folks and told them that a refusal to pass a resolution opposing the casino was as good as passing one that supported it. The fact that a school board isn't opposed to a casino IS a measure of support. Their excuse was that it's not under their purview but the Schodack school board passed a resolution of support for the casino. I wonder why it was under their purview and not our board's, especially since the casino will be dropped less than a mile from OUR high school.. Drs Nagle and Harrison and the members of our school board dropped the ball here. By not opposing the casino, they tacitly supported it and that's how the Gaming Commission will see it regardless of the application version or Dwight's letter.

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    1. Jack,

      I was there that night with you and remember it quite well.

      The one thing that sticks out to me, which I am sorry to say that I really didn't think of it till after the meeting, is why does the school district take a stance on certain issues? They have signs in front of their schools that read, Drug free zone, gun free zone, which leads us all to believe they are against drugs and guns right?

      Wouldn't a casino lead to more drugs and guns????
      So why not take a stance against it??? Because like everyone else they are getting their palms greased.

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  4. Jack, Nagle has always lacked leadership - always. She has a declining level of enrollment. A school within the system should be closed. There is WAY too much administrative overhead and ridiculous administrative salaries for a school system has small as East Greenbush.

    The School Board lacks courage. Of course they have a position on as major a change to the town as a casino. refusing to state it is only another example of a lack of leadership coupled to nothing but a lack of honor and a lack of courage.

    And in that, friends and neighbors, the School Board and the Town Board are one and the same - elected to lead but failing to do so.

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  5. No I don't believe their noncommittal is tacit support. They recognize that yes more tax money is good for the school system but it comes with a caveat. They want nothing to do with this because they smell the crap. Listen the best way for them is say nothing. If it happens it happens if the casino doesn't happen then ok. It will be good for them and bad for them. They understand that. But they are pawns, and the casino will be good and bad. They don't where the casino will be for the school system so they choose to sit it out and not alienate everyone. Remember they need the town's support for all sorts of stuff. So they can't alienate the town fathers. They are in a precarious position. Give them a break.

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  6. I recently received another glossy mailer plus a robo-call today about the casino career fair. They are just evil. First, they pretend to want give people jobs, then they're luring people in to gamble away their earnings. It's just sick! I don't want to hear from these people and wish it would stop. I'm on the 'Do not call list' but it doesn't seem to matter. It's harassment!

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  7. Does anyone in EG land believe that Sue Mangold didn't know about her own brother's business dealings on Thompson Hill? Furthermore, what did Feathers, Langley, Gilbert, Crist, and DeF know about It the whole time she was voting YES stonefaced with the rest of them? Was their a conspiracy to conceal the conflict of interest from the Gaming Commission? The questions just keep coming. Her recusal from further voting isn't enough. She, and any other board member who participated in the cover up should resign. Yes, Mr. Supervisor, that means you!

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  8. Did anyone else notice Mr. Langley's very odd behavior at the Preboard meeting? It looked like he was in some sort of stupor. He was largely unresponsive to observations and questions raised by his fellow board members and he seemed unable to follow the explanation of the PDD process outlined by his consulting engineer.

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    1. I noticed the same thing. I felt as if he kept asking who was giving the plan the go ahead. He looked disappointed when he was told the PB had to pass it but then the TB would get the final say. Maybe that does not sound as wonderful as it did a few months ago. He kept asking different "what if" questions that would can the project. Maybe Feathers being in the room made him nervous.

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    2. I think Langley is also terrified of Mary Ann Matters and Sue Mangold. Langley is clearly uncomfortable with intelligent women of a certain age expressing their opinions about important topics. Supervisor Langley treats women as second class citizens.

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    3. He should be terrified of MAM. She can expose all the BS that was back-room prior to this Casino debacle. She could blow the whistle on SWF and the under-handed, dirty dealings of Chris Defruscio, Rich Crist and Phil Danaher. He should be kissing her feet ..!

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  9. Queen Langley is flailing. He has lost his absolute control of the Town Board Agenda. Councilpersons Matters and Mangold are now working together. Mr. Langley, Mr. Gilbert, Mr. DeFruscio and the Muffin Man have no idea what to do next, except try to threaten people. Wednesday's Board meeting should be very interesting.

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  10. I suspect 4 of the 5 town bored members realize they have, quite literally, screwed the proverbial pooch. They failed the town's citizens in every way failure can be measured. They were dumb, failed to do their homework, blew off the very people they were elected to serve, fell for the casino spin like rookies and, today, refuse to admit to their own failings.

    For several years now I have struggled to figure out just what good the last few town boards have done. The run around comes to mind but the state gets 95% of the credit for that project. After that I cannot think of much. Or, the negative list vastly, vastly outweighs the good list.

    Even with MAM re-emergence as a independent, more thoughtful person if they all resigned and we started over from scratch I think that we would not miss a one of them.

    Langley upsets me the most. He whined like a little baby for two years about a majority. We gave it to him and he has done not one single decent thing with it. Not one single decent thing.

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  11. Maybe Langley was in a stupor because he now knows two things: he's lost his precious majority, thus effectively neutering him AND his support for the casino was a huge mistake that will cost him his job. When he loses next fall, DeF and Gilbert will be gone. It all fell apart when they lost Matters. She's nobody's fool and they should have treated her better. That was HUGE miscalculation on their part. What idiots they are. Now Matters runs the show. It's Langley and his rubberstamper DiMartino and Malone and Mangold. Matters is both sides third vote. Brilliant. Mr Supervisor. Just brilliant!!

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  12. Anony, maybe we "wouldn't miss a one of them" but do you really think now is the time to say that? At least MAM, who is new to politics, came around, which is more than we can say for the rest of them. Mangold is even WORSE because she had the perfect OUT of this mess but she chose to screw the pooch anyway for her own good and then she LIES and says she didn't know about her brother's business dealings with the town she presides over. C'mon, Susie Q, NOBODY believes that! And Langley MUST have known she was voting illegally. That makes him equally responsible. So while you're busting on MAM remember that it gets so much worse than her, and give her credit where credit is due. She's learning the hard way. Talk about trial by fire! Geez!

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  13. Tom Grant, the elderAugust 16, 2014 at 3:10 PM

    Dear Gadfly,

    I attended the last pre-board meeting and came away very encouraged that Councilpersons Mary Ann Matters and Sue Mangold seem ready, willing and able to partner with each other by sponsoring and supporting good government (meaning open and transparent) resolutions. It benefits all the residents and taxpayers of East Greenbush when Sue and Mary Ann are willing to reach across the political aisle to achieve positive results.

    Kudos to both of them for their willingness to fill the vacuum created by Supervisor Langley's inability and/or unwillingness to provide responsible and constructive leadership.

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    1. I agree with Tom Grant. It's very good to see Mary Ann and Sue working together. And why not. Since Langley can't lead, he should get out of their way and follow them.

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  14. I can understand why Langley would think he can out smart Debbie but why would he go there with Mary Ann when her husband is obviously Rick Matters? Did he really think she would roll over for long and just take his dictatorial BS! It's almost as if he wants to fail. What else are we supposed to think when so much of what he says, doesn't say, and does, doesn't do is just plain wrong?

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  15. I've decided to pass up the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway job fair next week. Instead, I plan to pursue more promising careers, like Edsel mechanic, spokesman for the new Coke, advance scout for General Custer and deck hand on the Titanic.

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  16. Its time we start ignoring the politics for a bit and focus on a business approach.

    Assume for a moment that the state approved two licenses in the capital region and both of them were in renss county. Hard rock on he river and capital view on the hill. After a few years which of the two would you expect to succeed without cutting the revenue share to the town or needing some kind of subsidy from the state?

    Anyone thinking that capital view, which came out of the gate manipulating the system, providing misinformation, abusing an obvious conflict and trying to hide it from the public AND the state, would survive in a truly competitive environment as a legitimate business is sadly mistaken.

    Sue Mangold, the Hart family and anyone else involved in trying to deceive the public and the state should be ashamed of themselves, and that includes our town board who HAD to have known about this obvious conflict because it had been brought to their attention on a number of occasions in the past.

    In the interest of saving the reputation of this town, the board should deny the rezone application and preserve the ethical standards it should uphold.

    It is noted in a past tu article that the casino LLC on the hill BORROWED 3 million dollars from the very company who sold them the property in the first place. It also suggests that Mr feathers manages the llc, it doesn't say he owns it.

    If Brian hart holds an option, is HE the owner of that LLC and if so, from whom did he borrow the 3 million and who else is involved in this charade? Sue Mangolds conflict raises far more questions than it answers and the town, the state and the gaming commission should explore every aspect of this before they grant anything to anyone.

    Corruption at the outset only promises to become more corrupt as time goes on. The very best and only defense sue mangold really has is the fact that its not likely that they are in this alone. The money came from somewhere.

    When will politicians learn that the cover up is always worse than the crime and the truth almost always comes out. Sue knew and so did the board and a bunch of other people, they just never thought anyone would look close enough. A good bet is that its about to get worse and they may be indictable offenses.

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  17. If the state gaming commission learns that Feathers stayed silent while Mangold voted illegally and then presented them with an illegitimate 5-0 vote in an effort to con them, could the application be disqualified? It seems to me that once one demonstrates a willingness to deceive, everything else he does is called into suspect. The state location board should be offended that Feathers tried to pull the wool over their eyes, and they should send him AND Keith Langley packing.

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  18. Ms. Mangold, friends and neighbors, has voted illegally many, many, many times. Her stated rational is that she, personally and directly, does not benefit financially from her brother's projects.

    It is impossible to calculate how many and how large Ms. Mangold's multiple and overlapping conflicts of interest actually are because she steadfastly refuses any notion of financial disclosure. That, as they say, is a clue Sherlock.

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  19. Let us not loose focus here, the casino is not the most important thing happening in EG, there is much more going on, slipping under the radar of the casino. Plan for the future, look to fix and not place blame. You cant teach an old dog new tricks, but you can teach a new dog to govern......for those who like to FOIL, look deep into 225 Columbia Turnpike, its not the casino, but it is appalling and dis-graceful......

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  20. To August 18, 2014 at 8:14 AM:
    You seem to exclude an obvious. You make assumptions and draw conclusions regarding who owns what on Thompson Hill which, most likely, are probably fairly accurate assumptions but without documentation, it is difficult to act upon it. The FOILed notes do NOT list any other Board member having a dicsussion regarding the Hart options, with the exception of Deb DiMartino. Even Sue Mangold's notes don't list the Hart options. Phil Malone, while very smarmy and deceptive, even his notes do not list property options. Deb DiMartino's do though. To assume the whole Board knew about the Hart financial interest and the conflict is probably accurate but to prove it is a little more difficult. Deb Knew and that is the only other Board member, thus far, that can be proved as knowing.

    One piece that people seem to be missing is the union jobs discussion Sue Mangold had with Mr. Feathers. The FOILed notes show that Sue's conversation, dated May 9th, included a conversation regarding union jobs. Since Ms. Mangold's family owns George Martin Electric and she is employed by that company, that alone is a HUGE conflict of interest because THAT is a union shop.

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  21. Link to FOILed notes,
    http://www.scribd.com/doc/230268389/East-Greenbush-FOIL-Request-on-Casino-Meetings.

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  22. Don : what about when this thing actually gets approved and is on the way , despite your best efforts and vigilance ? Are you - ( we) adequately prepared for what may become reality ?

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    1. That's what the Board's due diligence was supposed to address. Have you seen any evidence of that? They haven't the foggiest idea how to deal with this possibility. They were played. The real question is "at what cost?" They still do not know what it will "cost" East Greenbush to have that "thing" here, should it happen.

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    2. Gotcha ! I just fear the very worst with this crowd in Town Hall...specifically the Defruscio gang. I hope it doesn't come but have no faith in our Supervisor at all , to do the right thing !

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  23. Surprise, surprise! I predicted the vote! Feathers sitting there with his lawyer. Driving off in his Jag. Obviously we can not count on the Board to do the right thing. I can not wait until the next election. Disgusting......

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