http://www.gaming.ny.gov/gaming/capitalview.php
And Save East Greenbush has a new sign up which the goons can't steal!!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Have you read the Casino Application?
Here's the link to the Application on the Gaming Commission website. I'd venture to say that the Town Board members haven't read it. Yet they voted to approve it sight unseen. Lots of interesting reading. And it raises some interesting questions too - which need to be addressed.
http://www.gaming.ny.gov/gaming/capitalview.php
And Save East Greenbush has a new sign up which the goons can't steal!!
http://www.gaming.ny.gov/gaming/capitalview.php
And Save East Greenbush has a new sign up which the goons can't steal!!
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I have to admit that I have never been a billboard lover BUT.....I think I have changed my mind. What a thing of beauty. This will be seen everyday they leave Town Hall!
ReplyDeleteThank you all for being able to pull this off!
ReplyDeleteHope some folks noticed that Feathers and company has scheduled a "Job Fair" this month for the casino. Who's going to wait 2 years for a job? I'd bet it's in response to the fools they made of themselves in their Executive Summary of their Application. They touted job fairs in Troy and Albany to address employment problems there and also promised transportation from those areas to an EG casino.
ReplyDeleteDavid Soares is starting a sex trade initiative because he is concerned that the sex trade will have an increased interestn this area because of the casinos. Interesting he is aware of it but Saratoga denied any issues.
ReplyDeleteThat NO CASINO billboard is a joy to behold!
ReplyDeleteLove it!!! Nice work people!!!
ReplyDeleteThis was on the Saratogian today, posted this afternoon: "While exact statistics were not immediately available, Soares said that track season does have an impact on local trafficking, as could a local casino. Though, he said, he did not want to give an official opinion on a local casino." --- of course he won't comment on the casino (however it is implied), how many people's arms are twisted in this thing?!
ReplyDeleteThe Executive Summary of the proposal is "a piece of work." They say they would be committed to making their guests aware of the various attractions in the upstate NY region including, Cooperstown, Howe Caverns (I guess they are assuming that one will go down the tubes) and the "thrill of climbing Mount Marcy." How many guests will be playing a few slots before heading out to take the 2 1/2 hour drive to the Marcy trail?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Simply beautiful! The people's voice will not be silenced. Bonnie L.
ReplyDeleteIt may be the result of the routes I travel but for me that billboard is on the best site in town, It's visible from a distance and the simple but effective message is impossible to miss. Another great job from the Save East Greenbush folks!!!
ReplyDeleteGadfly, what do you make of the downsizing of the casino project? Why couldn't the developers have been straight with the town board from the get go? If it's a Ford instead of a Cadillac, why not just say so? Can these people be trusted to tell the truth and keep their word? If not, why would the town do business with them?
ReplyDeleteBecause Jimino, Crist, Langley, DeFruscio were easy patsies for "eye-glazing-over" with the big numbers on the glossy brochures. You had to see one of the "hangers on" falling all over himself running around opening doors for Rita Cox. They'd never encountered the kind of glitz the developers were throwing around. Pockets full of cash, I'd say. That and not a lot of brain power. Ms. Matters is the only Board member who has started to do the job they were elected to do. They all got played, and they weren't elected for that. Just goes to show how corrupt the old "machine politics" played by both Dems and Reps is. Obeying the "chair" rather than the people.
DeleteAnonymous 4:24 -
ReplyDeleteProfessor Robert Goodman called this the "ladder approach" which is the way casino developers entice unsuspecting municipalities into buying thin air. They start by promising a Las Vegas-style casino with revenue windfalls that will solve all of your problems, fund schools, build playgrounds and ballfields, and make your community rich (remember those glossy mailers?). This is what they use to get to the first rung of the ladder, which in this case was the resolution of support from the town board.
Next they downsize the project after "careful analysis" reveals the project can't support or produce the promised revenues. As they climb each rung on the ladder, the project gets smaller and less impressive. If they get to the second rung, which would be getting selected by the Gaming Commission, the project will then shrink again when the site plan is submitted. After that, further reductions will be blamed on us. What I mean by that is when we go to the meetings on site approval and complain about noise, lights, traffic etc they will come back again with a reduced project and say they did it to meet the issues raised by the community. At the end of the process, we don't get a Las Vegas-style casino resort but a 'Walmart-style' or convenience casino. That kind of project is designed to suck money out of the local economy because the reality is that no one is coming here for the "attractions." Revenues will be a very small percentage of the initial promises and will shrink rapidly over time. Sadly, the social problems that come with casinos can even be exacerbated in a local casino because there's a higher number of problem gamblers.
The key to stopping a casino is to not let them get to the first rung. The City of Albany did this by hard bargaining and got the developers to flee. Our town board rolled over so fast that I honestly believe they put up less opposition than any municipal governing body in the history of the American casino industry. Feathers and the boys are probably still laughing at and toasting the ease with which they rolled over our town board. But they're not at the second rung yet and can still be stopped.
The application is designed to be difficult to read, with the important stuff hidden and burried behind hundreds of pages of repitious material (for example about a hundred pages listing every toxic spill site on Federal Indian lands). Also, they used a lot of photos and graphic digital images that slow down the search process. If you want to read their strategy with respect to SEQR and re-zoning you need to go to Sub Binder 1 - Economic Summary / Land, Construction and Design of Physical Plant. Then go to Ezhibit VIII C.3.a and Exhibit VIII C.3.b.
ReplyDeleteThere you will find that they expect to complete SEQR, PDD re-zoning, sub division and site plan review by November, 2014.
How can that happen when public hearings are needed? You know we will pitch a fit....to put it mildly.
DeleteI did my best to read a good chunk of the application and glanced over some parts. I didn't notice any mention of the proposed site being so close to either of the schools and didn't see any mention of the Girl Scout's Camp. I did see the Woodland Hill Montessori School on one of the maps, but no formal mention of it (I could be mistaken given the amount of pages). Has anyone been able to get answers on how these transactions (the formation of Greenbush Casino Associates, before the name change) dated back to February yet Mr. Langley claims he only found out about the casino in April? Not so ironically Saratoga's opposition was strong starting almost immediately after the Proposition passed, I would like to know who proposed this site because we all know it had to be before the blindsided April vote. It may mean nothing at this point, but for some reason I'd still like the town to answer (or anyone who knows).
ReplyDeleteStuart Rabinowitz, one of the five buddies of Cuomo who sits on the NYS Gaming Commission's Facility Location Board had this to say in a New York Times article:
ReplyDelete"Calling the prospect of a casino 'awful,' Mr. Rabinowitz added that 'casinos are not the miracle drug that municipal economies pretend they are, and they clearly create negative impacts.' He also said scholars and researchers 'would not be attracted to live and work in an area where there were busloads of New York City people coming to gamble.' ” ---New York Times 7/25/2010
And, f.y.i. the shutdown of the Gaming website when the applications were submitted was due to Saratoga Casino & Raceyway and Feather's. They accidentally submitted tax returns with personal social security numbers that was available to the public for two days, oops! This is screw up how many?
From a letter to the Gaming Commission which I have permission to print:
ReplyDelete"I have been reading through this application and though I'm not quite done, I have so far noticed a glaring and significant omission:
The bidders fail to disclose that their proposed site is dangerously close to an elementary school, and they have cropped the part of the aerial photo that shows most of the Girl Scout camp. The children who use the school and the camp are from all over the Capital Region -- not just the immediate area. While they may not be important to the bidders, these children are important to us. And they don't need to be exposed to the activities in and around a casino.
On the attached photo, which I copied from their application, I have located the school and the camp. The bidders cannot truthfully claim that the site is "mostly undeveloped farm land and light residential" -- there are clusters of houses here also.
This is one more example of the pattern of fuzzy math, lies by omission, and political chicanery these bidders have followed since Day 1.
Thank you for your consideration.
Gloria Rodgers"
Where is that GREAT No Casino sign located? I would love to see it.
ReplyDeleteOn 9&20 by Price Chopper. You see it on the left as you go southeast.
DeleteCan't wait until next year when the NO LANGLEY signs begin popping up all over the town.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Gadfly. We just came home from seeing THE sign. I thought I was too old to get that excited, but I felt like shouting with joy. Thanks to whomever was responsible for that great piece of work.
ReplyDeleteA Casino ad came in the mail today. They are still at it. There are only six floors in this ad. I wonder if that means anything?
ReplyDeleteAs I opened my mailbox this afternoon low and behold what did I see? I beautiful mailing from the wonderful people at Capital View Casino and Resort. I love their myths and facts section. Just a couple of things that almost made me LOL. Myth: Casino Operators aren't listen to the community. Facts: The capital view team held literally dozens of meetings with local stakeholders....really where????
ReplyDeleteAnd the last statement really stands out.... up to a 30 percent reduction in the town of East Greenbush Property taxes....we all no this to be false. I mean come on I need to go get my boots because the you know what is getting deep.....
The worst part is people are buying their shit!!!!
More propaganda,I just received a Capital View Casino & Resort flyer in today's mail. This is a quote "But some people are spreading misinformation about the proposal." Really? Could this be their response to the No Casino billboard on 9 & 20? I love that billboard.
ReplyDeleteSo, I am reading a book set in Atlantic City and come across this little jewel:
ReplyDelete"the office offered up the perfect Atlantic acuity view. In the distance you could see the aging albeit still somewhat grand hotels along the Boardwalk. But between those high rises and the office building was pretty much a vast wasteland of decay. Whatever wealth or beauty the hotels and casinos gave off, they were self-contained and nit the least bit contagious. There is no trickle down.
From: "Stay Close" by Harlan Cohen, page 110.
Folks, even novelists understand the seedy nature of casinos.
NO CASINO in our town.
Anony 8/8 1:02 p.m. Yeah, he really blew it, didn't he? When he was elected, and then when Debbi and MAM were elected, I thought EG was finally on the right track. McCabe and Co. were OUT and the SWF was IN. Boy, were we duped! All Langley had to do was work hard, stay the course, and bring the newbies along. But nooooo, that wasn't fast enough or radical enough, he had to bite on the casino hook and F this town over good. Nice going, Keith. You screwed up bad and you'll never recover from it. Why don't you pack your bags and get out of our town. Nobody wants you here. We're sorry as hell that we voted for you. When some other poor town or city, not EG, gets this monstrosity, you're OUT, too!
ReplyDeleteAnother Report from the Supervisor, and not one mention of the most important issue to ever confront the Board and Citizens of this Town. Way to go Keith and Chris. Can't we get some competent governance from you two?
ReplyDeleteGadfly, Could Supervisor Langley be running as fast as he can from the Casino? Or is he just hiding on general principle? Either way, so much for the promised SWF open and transparent government Mr.Langley said he wanted during the last campaign.
ReplyDeleteNot good Mr. Langley, not good at all...
I was excited a few years back when I moved back to EG after graduate school to hopefully start a family here in my hometown that I've grown to love. My frustration toward that arrogant bastard Langley has now turned to resentment. There is no way in hell I would ever raise a family in a casino town (or any tourist town), especially one run by an incompetent person. One group of incompetent people may be the ruins of this town, good work! Any reputable person with half a brain in the Capital District is laughing at you and the rest of the board. People want a town full of residents like us that have helped make this one of the wealthiest towns despite its own towns inability to manage its own finaces so they have to charge ridiculous taxes (probably why we have one of the most affluent town of residents...you have to to be able to afford to live here). You've made a mockery of this town and yourselves because you are willing to make an already wealthy town a poor one. Please, do not ruin our town and our lives in hopes for a little money. Please stop being stuck on a $300 million dollar investment", Sue we all know that's a lot of money like you commented as the reason why you voted yes. A $300 million investment in a business that is likely to fail means nothing, unless you want to go down to one of the dumbest towns in America. Have you looked at the poverty levels and unemployment levels of casino towns? Have you looked at our numbers? Sue's vote shouldn't count, but in the casino world conflicts of interest are a given. Why has Langley's lawsuit seem to have been forgotten or never brought to light? Doesn't seem like his antics have changed, so happy we're stuck with him. Our first indication of how smart you are should have been when he appointed a man the public voted no to twice. What a joke.
ReplyDeleteDeFruscio and Langley have violated the public's trust. They are supposed to be about the interests of the Town. We've seen none of that. What about running some numbers. Do they know anybody who knows how to do that? Doubt it. There are hundreds of questions that relate to what it will cost the Town to have a casino here. And none of those questions have been addressed. How many cops Keith? Lavin quoted in the application says he's been accustomed to doing more with less and that means no more cops with the casino. The application seems to say that we'll need three more staff in the PD. A cop told me that they will need 16 more staff at a minimum. So what is it, Mr. Chief Financial Officer? Has anybody crunched any numbers at all? If you have, produce them.
ReplyDeleteGadfly, we practically begged for numbers after the 2014 organizational meeting. We wanted to know if the town board, in their infinite wisdom, knew of they had reduced, kept the same or increased the tax burden on us regular folks with their changes in town hall jobs.
DeleteThe response?
Zero, zip, nada, nothing. The silence is a roar when it comes to ignoring the people you were elected to represent.
We are owed explanations and numbers.
In addition to my 10:03 rant, I should say I do thank one town board for her courage to speak her mind.
ReplyDeleteWe're all wasting our breath here. You want numbers, Gadfly? Well Langley & co. truly believe that the number of residents who oppose the casino pale in comparison to the number of residents who either want it or don't care either way. In other words, they're not worried abt the opposition to the casino and it shows in their arrogant attitudes. That flyer we recently got in our mailboxes is offensive. The casino HAS INDEED been "scaled back" substantially but they lie and call it a myth. And the complaint is that the town board (not casino operators) isn't listening to the community. So, they got that wrong, too. This whole thing is a joke. An offensive joke right from the start. At this point all we can do is keep screaming, hope and pray EG isn't chosen as the location, and VOTE LANGLEY OUT next year. Our only power is in our vote. Power to the people in November 2015!
ReplyDeleteHey guess what, the Casino people are calling Mary Ann Matters a liar and individual spreading rumors. Wow, what a way to completely insult an elected member of the same town board that you have to go to for approval for anything.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe they are doing this. You can tell they are trying to run people over and force whatever they want down the throats of the people.
She has their attention or they wouldn't be spending big money to mail out expensive flyers full of their lies. They are scum and Langley is kissing their ass! Someone must have offered him something BIG to sell out the town. We know Mangold is selling out the town for the family businesses...she shouldn't even be voting! Malone sold out the town because he just doesn't care. DiMartino is following Langley blindly like a 5 year old...let's face it, she doesn't know much about anything. And these are the people who are running the town! Only 20% of the board members CARES about our town. Only 20% thinks rationally and isn't driven by pipe dreams and greed. Aww, we are so screwed!
ReplyDeleteToday's Times Union Notable Quote of the Week:
ReplyDelete"I don't think public dialog on the matter is helpful right now." - Gov. Andrew Cuomo, declining to discuss his handling of the Moreland Commission on Public Corruption in light of a federal investigation.
What's scary is that Supervisor Langley conveyed virtually the same message in relation to bringing a gambling casino to small town USA (i.e. East Greenbush, New York). The bold-faced arrogance of our elected officials lately is becoming alarming. What ever happened to 'the customer/constituent is always right?' Instead, it now seems clear that some elected officials are so determined to FORCE what THEY want on us that they are willing to sacrifice their political careers. But why? Obviously someone is making it worth their while to chuck their public offices for something better. We will have to keep an eye on Supr. Langley to see what becomes of him AFTER this casino nightmare is over. What becomes of him later will tell the whole story now.
Hmmm.... Governor Cuomo declines to discuss in light of a federal investigation. Makes you wonder why Supervisor Langley continues to decline to discuss important issues with East Greenbush voters...
ReplyDeleteIt's what we don't know that can hurt us. That's why it's said that knowledge is power. Those who would keep us in the dark, especially politicians, are especially dangerous. As taxpayers we have a right to know EVERYTHING that's going on in town hall. No exceptions.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to see Dwight Jenkins' commentary on the EG Casino application here:
ReplyDeletehttps://eastgreenbushdreams.wordpress.com/2014/08/
Dwight,
DeleteNice piece, sorry I'm coming late to the conversation was on vacation for the last week.
The night that Cara, Don, Jack, Silvy, and myself went to the school board meeting back in May, their stance was they weren't taking a stance. It never occurred to me at that time, but afterwards I got to thinking, why wont they take a stance? They take a stance on other issues, such as against guns, gun free zone, and against drugs, drug free zone. Or at least that's what the signs in front of the school's tells us. Funny how they take a stance against guns and drugs, but will not take one against casino's????
Well anyways kind of ironic casino's will bring more drugs and guns to the region. I guess they don't care about that as long as they get their money????
Thank you Dwight for posting. I question whether those who are holding our community's fate in their slimy hands have read it? If so, I don't know how they can be happy. It's one big contradicting joke. Look how well these developers have treated us so far, just think what will happened if they took over our town. I will be running as fast as I can out of here. Mr. Langley, your opinion on this matter has been too much, please don't comment or work too hard, we wouldn't want it to seem like you have a clue.
ReplyDeleteLet's face it. Keith Langley just isn't smart enough to express an informed opinion. He is a very lazy individual who just doesn't understand how important it is to communicate with people who don't bow down before him.
ReplyDeleteThe New York Times opinion notwithstanding, we are still in a free market society. These wheels were put in motion a long time ago. At the end of the day this is a straight up business decision on the part of the applicants and the host communities. That is not to say the East Greenbush location is a good idea, it is merely a business decision on the part of private industry, who is well aware of industry trends. In part, they based their decisions on the receptiveness to casino gambling based on the referendum that was voted on. In Rensselaer County, the referendum passed. In part with help from some of the very people fighting this proposal. It's not likely that anyone ever dreamed that an applicant or the Town would have the temerity to sanction the location they chose in East Greenbush, but nonetheless, they went forward based on indications from the public and the Town. With Amsterdam now out, every proposal has a 25% chance at getting this thing at best, which also makes Rensselaer County's chances 50/50. It just seems like a lot of political capital to wager on a huge maybe when there is so much vocal opposition, especially when there is a neighboring proposal, with little to no opposition and an international name that can benefit this town as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat the EG proposal was probably NOT anticipating, was a rival proposal, within the County, from the likes of The Hard Rock Cafe. The administration has yet you acknowledge that they likely do better with an international brand in an adjacent City, than they will with a more local proposal that has significant opposition. They also don't realize that the silent majority that they feel is in favor is silent for a reason... they are silent on almost everything. Voter apathy likely led to the passage of gambling in the first place. To say that the "silent majority" is in favor is likely a reach. In any given vote, the vote splits the way they typically do in any election, between 40-45% in favor AND against. Most issues are fighting over the 15-20% in the middle rather than a plural majority. Also, the downsizing of ANY project is directly proportional to the cost of that proposal. If this project was cut by 5, 10, 15%, the overall cost of the project HAS to be reduced by a similar margin unless they have increased the project in other areas, which does not seem to be the case.
Opposing this project is everyone's right as is supporting it. It seems like the applicants are trying to ride an injured horse all the way to the finish line, to use an appropriate analogy.
Supervisor Langley has been very quiet lately. CasiNO got your tongue Mr. Langley?
ReplyDeleteI think that his brain (or total lack there of ) has been over loaded lately both with the CasiNO and picking out the perfect color for the foundation of town hall .The Sh-t brindle brown he picked will be his legacy.East Greenbush used to be all about green space.Now we can plainly see it's really BROWN from the ground up.
DeleteAccording to the casino application to the Gaming Commission...It's "Mayor" Langley. That's how much they are paying attention. And our bunch which is supposed to have fiduciary responsibility hasn't even read the material to catch the mistake.
ReplyDeleteDear Gadfly:
ReplyDeleteAnd this is the "Mayor" who told us "The Resolution is the Resolution."
Best,
Tom
To Anonymous August 11, 2014 at 1:37 PM:
ReplyDeleteThe silent majority is a bone of contention with some, including me. If they are silent how does anyone know they even exist? It is assumed the silent majority has an opinion, one way or another. The fact is many are silent because of apathy. Many do not have a veracious appetite for news, especially political news. As this Siena Research Poll indicates, the public holds dispassion for political corruption, http://www.troyrecord.com/general-news/20140811/study-voters-lack-interest-in-political-corruption.
At this point, it seems the casino issue has given rise to an even larger movement against Supervisor Langley and Town Board, which includes Phil Malone who is now campaigning for an even higher office in government. The anti-casino group has fought the casino but, in the process they have also become a force that is fighting against the dictums of those (Town Board members) who would vilipend the EG taxpayers/residents. The casino opened the eyes of many who now see the corruption within our own Town. At this point, EG may not be quite so vulnerable for a gaming license. The anti casino group has launched an effective opposition which, coupled with the Hard Rock name in Rensselaer, has made EG a less viable gaming license candidate. If the EG casino did one positive thing, it was to awaken all those that were asleep in EG. The EG residents are now watching Supervisor Langley, we know when he has been bad or good. The Town Board is now under the watchful eye of the residents. More and more people are attending the monthly meetings and participating. That is a positive and while the casino was a poor judgement decision by Supervisor Langley and the Town Board, in the end the EG residents do win because the EG Town politicians know they are being watched and they know they have lost the taxpayers favor, support and most importantly our trust. Maybe supporting the casino, as horrendous as that decision was by the Town Board, maybe the EG residents did benefit. That decision made the EG residents hold their Town Board and Supervisor accountable for their actions and that is something the EG Town Gov't has been missing for many, many years--over a decade. We, the taxpayers, now hold the Town Board accountable.
If there is a silver lining in the casino debacle, that is it. The site chosen is zoned residential buffer which is not even remotely similar to the zoning required for an entertainment venue such as a casino. It is not zoned commercial, it is not zoned industrial. Partner that with the fact that EG does NOT meet NYS's required economic criteria for a casino, it seems the Town Board, if they approve a resolution to rezone the site, would be finagling for a project that EG does not even qualify for economically. We should be proud we don't qualify for a casino yet Supervisor Langley is forging ahead with all the gentleness of a battering ram. It seems a Supervisor with that level of tenacity and ego needs to see the EG taxpayers are holding him accountable and it seems Supervisor Langley needs to hear that repeated every month, and at every meeting. If the casino proposal brought that one and only positive in their "Pandora's box"....the EG taxpayers win.
At this point it is highly unlikely we will see that casino in EG, on a site that it does not belong so if what remains is accountability for the Supervisor and the Town Board...it isn't so bad after all.
Why aren't people more upset with Supervisor Langley misleading the people of EG about the casino every step of the way? He has never really recognized or even acknowledged the concerns of the people worried about the effects of the casino on our town.
ReplyDeleteIs this what passes for leadership in today's society?
If you look at who is involved with the Hard Rock Casino and who is involved with Capital View a very stark picture emerges. Think about this, the Hard Rock was chosen at the last minute because Rensselaer was trying to find a backer. They got lucky, for some strange reason the Rensselaer site was ignored after the Saratoga site was sent packing. Yet the EG one has everyone and their mother on board with this. I mean come on the unions, the Rensselaer county legislature. I would bet this is simply a means for all the corrupt unions, politicians, landowners and everyone else to get their pick of the casino project. You will find a casino that will take three years instead of two to build, numerous costs over runs, bail outs by the county and the town and then finally after being built making very little money and even less in taxes. Why cause they will be skimming profits and to pay the corrupt people whom they owe. The Rensselaer one didn't need to pass around money to get an ok.
ReplyDeleteI'm not in real estate so I may be assuming wrong, but is it really possible that in just two days Richard Lynd was able to sell his property at 102 Thompson Hill as well as his Red House Farm Property? April 16th was the town vote, a week later Langley told the T.U. "The resolution is the resolution." What a fantastic comment, may be the last time we heard so many words come out of Langley. He had said that "we had conversations of interest, nothing more than that, with Saratoga Casino and Raceway. That's what led to this resolution to be put together." This is also when Mangold admitted that she didn't even know she was voting on a physical casino, but rather a presentation of a casino (anyone smell some B.S.?). However, Village at Thompson Hill acquired Lynd's property on April 18th, 2014, just two days after the first unanimous vote. Let's recap this sale, Lynd sold his property at 102 Thompson Hill for $390,000 to Village at Thompson Hill who in turn sold it to Greenbush GB Associates (formerly Greenbush Casino Associates that was formed in February) for $900,000. Lynd sold his Red House Farm property for $450,000 to Village at Thompson Hill who then sold it to GB Associates for $1.1 million. Greenbush GB Associates had to borrow $3 million from Village at Thompson Hill for the above properties. The vote was on the 16th, I'm not mortgage expert, but could this all have really occurred within two days? Mr. Langley has yet to explain how we only found out about the casino in April, yet these transactions were going on at least since February. We are still told that the board just found out about all of this and had to make a last minute decision in April. Things do not add up and why is our Supervisor not required to explain this deceit? Why is Sue even able to vote on this matter?
ReplyDeleteSue votes when she feels like it - regardless of her sprawling, multiple and over lapping conflicts of interest. She has, in the past, presented some amazing self serving rationalizations for voting on resolutions that benefitted her family members.
ReplyDeleteBut...no Ethics Board complaint has ever been filed so Ms. Mangold continues to better represent her family's interests than she does the little old regular taxpayers of East Greenbush.
Phil Malone has, in my opinion, no business campaigning for anything.
ReplyDeleteHe violated his notary other of office, threatened a state employee and got slapped for that.
He got a job with the solar company at almost the exact same time the town sprung for solar for the waste treatment plant and the DPW building. Those projects, in terms of return on investment are a joke.
Phil voted to blow $500,000 of our money on a stupid early retirement deal.
Phil's friends got jobs they did not deserve and we did not need to fund.
The only positive I can think of for Phil is his appointment to the former, functional Ethics Board.
Here's one EG resident hoping Phil does as well in running for a county job as Sue Mangold did last time around.
PS Sue was the low vote getter.
And if Phil wins his race, word on the street is Keith Langley will appoint Ed Gilbert to the then vacant Town Board position. This means Mr. Gilbert will have been appointed by Supervisor Langley to the Town Board AND as Deputy Supervisor AND will then be selected by the Supr. to be the Town Board liaison to the Ethics Board. That's a trifecta nobody wants to see come in.
ReplyDeleteRelax. The probability of Phil getting elected against Steve MvLaughlin, an incumbent Repiblican in a heavily Repiblican Assembly Distict, are very slim. Even if Phil was elected, or decided to resign for other reasons, the appointment of his replacement would not be done by Keith alone. The position would have to be filled by a vote of at least 3 of the remaining 4 Town Board members. I don't think Mary Ann would vote for Ed Gilbert and Sue is still a Democrat.
ReplyDeleteSteve McLaughlin was actually collecting signatures at the Troy Pig Out a few weeks ago and I gladly signed to support him. I also told him he needs to get the casino out of EG and he did mention the outcome of the vote on Proposition 1 but I also told him it wasn't site specific. He did agree with me that the wording was misleading. I was kicking myself afterwards because I forgot to mention the zoning of the location to him. I'm hoping he's aware of that. Regardless, Phil isn't getting my vote for any position.
DeleteMake no mistake--Steve is in on it! This whole thing is politics and business (read money and favors) and all the county people are in on it. Our town board members are just puppets for all the higher-ups. Not one incumbent on any level is getting my vote in future elections.
DeleteHe certainly is... http://www.troyrecord.com/government-and-politics/20140813/mclaughlin-malone-trade-barbs-over-filing-record-in-assembly-race
DeleteFunny he brags about his wonderful work with the Ethics Committee. I guess none of his other board members recapped him on the last board meeting he missed. I guess he's not aware that the entire ethics committee is in question with Langley's friend who the public voted him not to be in office (two separate elections) appointed on it. Did he miss Mary Ann's resignation as liaison to the ethics committee while Gilbert remains apart of it? Well done Phil, well done. Just like you accidentally illegally notarizing signatures you claim that these are baseless claims. Now you accidentally forgot to file on time, may want to appear a little more professional. ..just a thought.
DeletePhil has ONE SHOT at that Assembly seat, and that is to be something different than his opponent. He does that by bolting on the casino. The studies and scholarship are there for cover. Moody's, Fitch, the State Comptroller and all the rest. Feathers made a $20,000 contribution to the Dem Assembly Campaign Committee to buy some support, but the people do the electing. Phil should join Mary Ann Matters and stop this foolishness and get a future.
ReplyDeleteHoping someone tells him that. I am in 108th and am a Democrat but if I were in your district I'd vote for the Republican for only the 2nd time in my life.
DeleteI have contacted Steve McLaughlin many times since the "resolution is the resolution" passed and he will NOT oppose the casino. McLaughlin's stance is that this is a local issue. But- he opposes anything Cuomo does except this only by continuing to state that Prop 1 was illegally worded, there should have been site specific referendums but will not come out and oppose the casino. McLaughlin is just as guilty for this mess as everyone else because he could make a difference but he won't.
ReplyDeleteI have contacted him too. The problem he has as does anyone, if they speak out against it, they in essence will be speaking out against jobs and revenue two things that would be a death sentence for any politician.
DeleteTruthfully we need a third party and vote them all out at every level and start fresh with people that owe no one but their constituents.
ReplyDeleteFolks, please look for a well worth reading letter from Gloria Rodgers on p. 22 of today's Advertiser. It is PERFECTLY timed in response to Capital View Casino's full page ad on p. 7 that tantalizes residents into believing they're legit with a career fair. Please read Ms. Rodgers article before you waste your time getting in line for a job that most likely will go to a displaced Saratoga Racino employee. Don't be fooled by the hype. It sounds too good to be true and it is!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesunion.com/local/article/East-Greenbush-official-won-t-vote-on-casino-5688901.php
ReplyDeleteWell Sue Mangold dropped out. Of course unlike MAM, Sue only pulled out after getting confronted about her involvement. She was lying to everyone when she said she knew nothing. It is her brother. She knew and this will make her not look good but bad. If she had had common sense she would have dropped out when MAM did and have no reason to look bad. Sure she has a brother who stands to make money but she could have easily sighted family shortsighted as approving it. Instead she just keeps her mouth shut cause someone finally confronted her on it. Seriously, this only means she will lose her position as she stated before.
Anony, MAM withdrew her support after she voted because of the shenanigans perpetrated by Feathers & Co. after the fact. However, if Mangold withdrew her support at the same time, and then it was discovered that she should have recused herself well prior to voting, it would have gone much worse for her. The fact that she's so despicably greedy that she stayed on board the casino train until she was caught, just makes an already bad situation for her much worse. She's since been bounced off the casino train but nothing but a full admition of what she did and her resignation will do in my opinion.
DeleteDid you all know that the 4th Atlantic City Casino just went bankrupt!!!
ReplyDeleteWhat will be the future of the "solar panels" at the treatment plant? They have had to remove them for the construction....we're these just another waste of our taxpayer monies....thanks for selling them to us Phil Malone!
We don't live in the town of East Greenbush but have an East Greenbush mailing address and 477- phone number. We received a robocall today informing us about the Job Fair at the EG American Legion post next Tuesday. They at least said "if" Capital View is chosen.
ReplyDeleteThis casino train wreck is becoming absurd. Deb says she reads every thing sent to her. We don't know about Malone. The problem is that the arguments presented in the published scholarship is not being countered by either of them in defense of their position in favor of a casino. It's lock step political loyalty, not brains in use.
ReplyDeleteIf we are to see Town Board members supporting the casino proposal, we should be seeing cogent arguments for the position with supporting numbers which benefit the Town and its citizens. Deb and Phil, can you do your homework and come up with something which holds water? I don't think you can. Let's meet and debate the facts.