Capital View Casino presented the Boys and Girls Club of
Albany with a check for $150,000 last night at the group's first
Thanksgiving dinner. But there's a catch. If they aren't awarded the
license for the Capital Region, the money will not be donated and the
Boys and Girls Club can - to use a Thanksgiving metaphor - stuff it. It
was a heartwarming sight to see those two great friends of East
Greenbush - Kathy Sheehan and Rita Cox - smiling next to one of those
huge PR checks. Since they're both PR pros, neither tripped over the
strings attached to the fake check. Using a charity event to woo the
Gaming Commission as it works to complete its deliberations is only the
latest in anti-social behavior for a group that has trampled our town
board, common decency and the truth in its continuing effort to win the
right to trample our town. Last night's display marked a new low and
raised several issues for those following the casino debacle.
*
As much as I have grown to dislike Kathy Sheehan for her willingness to
sell us down the river, she at least seems to be trying to take Capital
View for all she can get. Imagine if our town board had decided to
negotiate instead of simply rolling over.
*
Could the Gaming Commission be impressed by such a desperation
maneuver? Holding a sword over the head of the Boys and Girls Club
couldn't possibly make the Commission look more favorably on this
applicant, could it?
* Is
Keith Langley aware that any support promised by Feathers for his
re-election effort comes with the same strings attached. Feathers was
quoted as saying he wouldn't walk away from the Supervisor even if they
didn't get the license. He said "I've never walked away from anyone in
my life." Tell that to the Boys and Girls Club of Albany.
Feathers, Rita, Kathy and the rest of their ilk have once again revealed the "content of their character." Does this have Morgan Hook written all over it? Real sleazy attempt at publicity. Tin ear, I'd say.
ReplyDelete"Piece of candy, little girl?"
ReplyDeleteFeathers has already walked away from Supervisor Langley. He's now walking with Albany Mayor Sheehan. That's what he thinks of Mr. Langley.
ReplyDeleteAnother $150,000 going to Albany, while Langley wants to increase our water and sewer fees by 45%.
ReplyDeleteVery good point!
DeleteIs this part of the Keith Langley financial recovery plan for Albany?
ReplyDeleteWhat is the message here? A few guesses from this EG senior:
ReplyDelete1. Dear EG, We are taking over this town so if you are trying to do something that doesn't fit our plan (like raising a family), move to Albany and do it there. We will give you nice clubs over there if you will give us Thompson Hill. Love Always, Feathers
or maybe:
2) Those Girl Scouts are a real pain. We would have given them some bribes if they would have posed with Rita and the really big check.
or could it be:
3) Dear EG: Why are you so upset about the broken promises we made to EG? The folks in Albany are perfectly comfortable with selling your community out. Come on, get with it smile when we make you a promise. We need to impress the siting board. Love ya, Rita
I feel like you gadfly....want a piece of candy. What a cowardly bribe. These people will stoop to any level.
ReplyDelete"This is about Capital View!" Using kids and giving a faux donation is as low as you can get. Capital View has really outdone themselves with this doozy. Captain Hook is going to be doing some serious damage control for this one and missing out on his turkey dinner. NO GAMBLE, GAMBLE, I mean GOBBLE, GOBBLE for you. Pass the gravy...
ReplyDeleteDecember 17th is decision day for casino sight selection. On December 18th the property on Thompson Hill will be for sale and Feathers will say when asked Keith Langley, never heard of him.
ReplyDeleteDo these geniuses really think $150K will sway? Get real! The Rensselaer site is expected to make a $100M profit each year. EG $81M. Do they really think the Gov is going to give up $19M so that the Albany Boys and Girls club and Kathy Sheehan won't be disappointed, even angry if they don't get their $150K? Don't make me laugh.
ReplyDeleteEG is drowning in fund deficits, but another $150K for Albany. Wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI think we don't know what EG is drowning in, or how much of it yet. But one thing seems certain.....should EG be chosen for a license, by the time SEQRA approvals are all lined up and the time for construction is at hand, there will be in place a Town Government profoundly opposed to a casino. The days of "the fix" for Feathers and the "entrepreneurs" on the Hill will be over. It's kind of like General Montgomery's "bridge too far" in WWII.
ReplyDeleteThere's a rock band called Cheap Trick. This should also be the name of Feathers PR firm.
ReplyDeleteMr. Conway, excellent post, very interesting. What this tells us very clearly is that Capital View doesn't have this deal all sown up. If they did, they would not have to make a last ditch effort this late in the process to come out ahead. We have also noticed that the previously over-confident Mr. Langley hasn't mentioned the word casino in a while now, not even in his last two Supervisor's reports, and he seems to be focusing on other things that he didn't previously even want to discuss...like the finances/audits. No, it seriously looks like the jig is up and that we may be waking up soon from the casino nightmare. In conclusion, we must remember two very important things: the way Mr. Langley treated the residents throughout this process and the cost of fighting it. During this holiday season, we must all remember the Save East Greenbush legal fund and donate generously. This may not be the last time we need them. A happy and blessed Thanksgiving to all.
ReplyDeleteSigned, a grateful EG resident
It was Langley for sure, but we must not forget the arrogant "insiders" on the Hill who have absolutely no respect for the rest of their community but think their interests are the interests which should drive the direction of our Town. (They've said they "own" it, after all.) And there are the other politicians and functionaries who can't think beyond the end of their noses who can't anticipate consequences and have no curiosity about the implications of their actions. This community has been profoundly hurt by this ill-advised attempt. But....we're smarter for it, and the people who did this will not get another chance to do it again.
DeleteSword, remember that resident/voter apathy has always been a big part of the problem in EG. That's why the "arrogant insiders" think they can just TAKE whatever they want. The threat of a gambling casino outraged and even frightened many people into waking up to town government and all that can go woefully wrong when they're not paying attention. The chickens like to relax in the hen house but the wolves are always lying in wait for the big score. Guess I'm saying that post-casino, residents need to stay alert and engaged in the government process because self-serving politicians aren't going away. We have to continue to stand guard and watch vigilantly over OUR own town. Politicians aren't going to do it for us. They're politicians, not Mom and Dad watching out for us. Fortunately, a contingent of strong-willed, courageous supermen and women have now aptly shown that alert, engaged residents ARE a force to be reckoned with. Hopefully, the decision on 12/17 will make that even more apparent than ever before in the history of our town.
ReplyDeleteSword..It was Langley and still is. He could stop this Casino in its tracks. All he has to do is say NO CASINO and its over. It's that simple.
ReplyDeleteRather than do the work to reverse the financial condition of the town, lazy Langley is still counting on the casino to wipe out the debt in an instant. Scoring a casino was a gamble from the start but hey, you never know, right Keith?
ReplyDeleteA dollar and a dream is no answer to competent management. We need to get the "players" out of government.
ReplyDeleteHere's some good Thanksgiving NEWS for casino slayers!!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Town-audit-not-in-works-5920146.php
Here's a telling quote from the Times Union article: "Langley did not return calls for comment."
ReplyDeleteThe continued lack of leadership in the corner office is not acceptable.
“People shouldn't be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”
ReplyDelete― Alan Moore
Look out town hall, the residents have awoken.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Bonnie K.
Bonnie K,
DeleteYou are 100 percent correct, but the apathy of the voters not only in our town, but all over the state and nationally too doesn't scare them, and is something they count on. Lets face facts people like to keep their heads in the sand until they really want something. I wish it wasn't so. This casino issue has awoke quite a few people, and I think we can change the face of this town, I know myself will not vote for a single member of the town board, but will enough other people do the same?
Gadfly, a reporter is writing an article about the supervisor's town but he won't return his calls? Why? What is he hiding? Is he so arrogant or so fearful that questions are out of the question? At the end of the special meeting, the supervisor gave a campaign speech off the top of his head that was impressive. Clearly, he can think on his feet but he avoids reporters like the plague. It's hard to understand. One board member was not afraid. If the town's finances have improved, even a little bit, we'd all like to know how. Mr. Supervisor?
ReplyDeleteIf the Supervisor, who has been in office for 3 years, hasn't been able to fix the finances by now, how will he be able to effectively manage big money if we do get saddled with a casino? Will that money be mismanaged too? Count on it.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bonnie K. For the encouraging words. Intimidation has been discussed here for quite some time now. I witnessed a few town bullies agitating some residents at town board and zoning board meetings. I believe they serve at the pleasure of Cap. View, and some TB members as I have seen their association with both. Most shameful to have these people act the way they did. To me, this shows the behavior we can expect from certain people if a casino comes to our town. Nasty business casino are, like wolves in sheep clothing. Ready to pounce on you for the almighty dollar. I wonder how many TB Members would come to the Library Dec.1 @ 6:30 and listen to a former Congressman talk about community casinos, and what happened near Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun. Everyone of them should be there. They won't listen to us and this guy know from experience. If the TB truly cared about our town as the Supervisor has said in his Supervisor's Report, then he should attend and encourage the rest of the board to be there also. Let's see who really cares....
ReplyDeleteMr. Conway: My take is that what our town needs is intelligent people with good values, beliefs and principles to make decisions in the right way. What is the right way? Through research, analysis, involvement of others, and objectivity.
ReplyDeleteWith the exception of Rick and MaryAnn Matters the last few town boards have not had a single member possessing that combination of decision making skill.
The incompetence, corruption, laziness, stupidity, lack of caring and arrogance of everyone from McCabe to Langley and those around them is mind numbing.
Nice try, Bonnie L. but I think at this point in the process the TB members have chosen their fate. Four of them, including one who had to be forced to recuse herself, are STILL, after all this time, solidly FOR the ca$ino. They will ride the casino wave until it crashes on the rocks and breaks into a million pieces. One board member, a mere 20% of the board, was able to see reason. This is nothing short of disgraceful after ALL the evidence against this industry, including that which will be presented on Dec 1st, has been vigilantly presented to board members over the past nine months. Clearly, the LURE of "hey, you never know" is like a powerful magnet pulling hopefuls toward it. What's unforgivable is the wasted time this year that the board could have been spending on far more laudable endeavors and, of course, the indisputable fact that four out of five of the board members resolved to focus only on the monetary rewards of the project and ignore the staggering cost of hosting a casino in a small, suburban community whose biggest problem to date is shoplifters at Wal-Mart. This is irresponsible to the point of being criminal. While it is admirable that the SEG people are still attempting to educate people to this wolf-like industry, the dye is cast, the decision will be announced on 12/17, and, casino or not, the piper will be paid in 2015 by our elected representatives who failed to represent us responsibly and responsibly. See you on 12/1!
ReplyDeleteIn ny daily news 11/28/14, gambling revenues at Foxwoods and nearby Mohegan Sun have steadily declined! They are trying to relax liquor laws as they think they are"killing the buzz and profits"!
ReplyDeleteAnd our TB is shoving this down our throat!
1:39 Fear not. The SEG group, who is thousands strong if you look at their petitions, is shoving back and hard. While it appears that the TB is the power, remember that Goliath was taken down with a sling shot. Never underestimate the power of angry residents. If you haven't yet donated to the SEG legal fund, please consider doing so today. They are grateful for any amount you can give.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to turn over my nys rebate check but did not get one. I thought all tax payer were getting it.
ReplyDeleteonly property owners who meet certain eligibility requirements ... check
Deletehttp://www.tax.ny.gov/pit/property/property_tax_freeze.htm
I received a rebate check and happily gave it to SAVEEASTGREENBUSH, with an added donation. Each week I've been tucking away some money to make monthly donations. All those here who truly care about our town, I encourage you all to do the same thing. Whether big or small, in time it adds up to to a great of money to pay our legal expenses.
ReplyDeleteCheck the NYS Dept of Taxation and Finance. I think there was a number or an email you could use to report that you did not receive a tax rebate. I think there were eligibility requirements. Not everybody received one.
ReplyDelete18 days until the fate of our town is decided by outsiders who don't even live here. But what about the insiders who do live here and who brought this misery to our town very deliberately? Will they be able to live with how they've terrorized our town for the better part of a year no matter what the outcome? Sure they will because all they care about is money. To them, it's better to have gambled and lost, then never to have gambled at all. Pathetic.
ReplyDeleteSufice it to say that there are folks pretending to be neighbors and friends and community members who have sold us down the river in this fiasco. Maney, Hart, Davis, Langley, DeFruscio and the whole ilk fancy themselves as community members but they carry themselves as the owners of your house and my house. Buy and pay for the planning board and the zoning board and the town board...
DeleteMike Bottillo explained in the Planning Board meeting that the reason for his recusal regarding the casino was because he owned a business with someone who may profit off of property owned on Thompson Hill Rd.. Mike owns a landscaping firm, M&K mowing, not sure if this is what he is referring to. What he failed to mention is that his wife Kathy's sister is Pam Hurd Hart, married to Brian Hart. Mike Bottillo's brother-in-law is Brian Hart. How is he able to vote on ANY business Steve or Brian bring in front of the boards?
DeleteFirst off, anyone giving to the Boys and Girls club on the condition they win a casino is by definition a cheat. For a casino that makes things look worse. For a mayor who can't secure real funds its basically prostitution. Make no bones Sheehan has prostituted herself to the highest bidder. While typical of a NY politician the worse part is the attempted funds. Really if you whore yourself out you need to get paid first. I swear the deal is basically Feathers telling Sheehan that if he likes his blowjob then he will pay her. Instead of payment upfront. She so wants to get noticed in politics she doesn't care what happens. You know Save East Greenbush could take a collection of books, games and other items the boys and girls club of Albany needs and give it to them. Make a big spectacle out of it. In fact ask for a list and then donate them all and show them off at a big press conference. See if Albany mayor shows up. Basically telling Featherstone that unlike him, the citizens of East Greenbush actually mean what they say.
ReplyDeleteNot a Sheehan fan by any means, however one could argue at least she's looking out for her residents. She got the best deal out if it all. Our limited promises are based on made up estimates that will be based on the profits of the casino. Albany got in writing a guaranteed income stream directly from the developers for a promised ten years, regardless of profits. They have in writing an agreement that Capital View will purchase millions of dollars of goods and services, including handing vouchers out - all to Albany.
DeleteI digress, you have presented a great idea to be able to stick it to CV and help out innocent children. I do have to admit feeling guilty liking the idea for children being involved.
8:44 p.m. I totally agree with you and would be willing to participate in a donation drive for the boys and girls club of Albany. Obviously, they're in such dire need that a donation drive from a neighboring community, especially an affluent community like EG, is in order. And like you said, we will truly give with no strings attached. It's an excellent idea. SEG? What say you? Next Saturday? Big media event?
DeleteWhy would you want to donate to the Albany Boys and Girls Club, when our neighbors in Rensselaer, have a Boys and Girls Club that serves Southern Rensselar County? Many East Greenbush residents, myself included, grew up at that Boys Club and still have many ties there, Lets look out for our own.
DeleteDave....It's like Rita Cox said, "it's all about Capital View." It's a sleazy PR bribe stunt to get some press. Worthy of the snake that Feathers is revealing himself to be. What's concerning about it is that our Town "Fathers and Mothers" had no ability or even desire to vet this guy before giving him entre to the Town. Of course, he just might fit in with some, now that I think about it.
DeleteAnd yet our Ethics Chairman has time after time endorsed this slime and our Supervisor still doesn't understand why Gilbert needs to be removed (for many reasons).
DeleteBonnie k
Sheehan has ties to Chicago politics. She knows how to play the game!
ReplyDeleteGood for her! At least she's not a totally naive country bumpkin like Langley. He sits in his office like king of the world and thinks he's got what it takes to play in the big leagues with business moguls like Sheehan and Featherstonehaugh who eat guys like Langley for breakfast. Meanwhile, Langley surrounds himself with dimwits like DeFruscio, Gilbert (yes, he's still there), Mulvey, and now 90s throwback Mike Poorman, who couldn't make it in politics then and won't make it now, and expects to be successful? Not a chance! At least Sheehan is a saavy business person, which is more than we can say for Langley who gives away the farm on a handshake (unbelievable!) but gets nothing in writing. Oh well, at least he has Feathers undying admiration. Good for you, Keith. If EG gets the license, Jimmy boy will be laughing (at you) all the way to the back.
Deletedont feel guilty. you are actally helping kids out. Not pretending to.
ReplyDeleteWhen this is all over, don't forget that with or without the casino we are still a town in crisis. Huge debt and terrible fiscal mismanagement if we don't get it and a corrupt system with insiders taking advantage of the people we elect if we do. Either way, it doesn't seem like democrats OR republicans in this town have any clue as to how to run a municipality properly for the benefit of the community. No matter what happens in 18 days, we still have a long way to go to fix East Greenbush. Hopefully the Save East Greenbush people who have woken up to how bad things are, stay involved. After this is over, it won't take money as much as it will people's time and effort in being involved and putting the national political ideology aside for the benefit of electing people who will do what is best for our town.
ReplyDeleteLooks like we've found a new friend for our Town:
ReplyDeletehttps://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/
Oh my gosh! I can't believe what I just read on the truth web page! Great reporting whom ever you are and thanks a bunch!,
ReplyDeleteDear AnonymousNovember 29, 2014 at 8:44 PM---Your "colorful" comment, while bold, has a great point except for a couple of things. Making a donation to the ALBANY Boys and Girls club is a nice thought however, I agree with Dave Van Wormer-if there are donations they should be made to the Rensselaer Boys and Girls Club. They have expressed financial hardships as well. Also, the Girl Scouts Camp in EG would be more worthy of a donation from SEG rather than an Albany organization. Or how about Concerns U--which is a great organization that runs a food pantry in Rensselaer, off of Rt 9&20. They also provide coats for children in need of such items.
ReplyDeleteThe donations from SEG sound great and I would whole heatedly support the effort with one exception--we have to pay our own legal bills first. SEG is funding the only attorney and legal efforts fighting the EG casino proposal. It is a heavy financial lift and we host fundraisers on a regular basis. The fundraisers are financed and paid for by the SEG volunteers and all monies raised go towards the legal efforts fighting the casino.
At this point--let CV pay for support. Based on your quite detailed and physical analogy, they are akin to the prostitute's customer which means they are paying for support and if that is the only way CV can gather support--and support from the other side of the river--let them open their checkbook, and then slam it on the children in need when CV is denied the license in the Capital Region. THAT is a modern day SCROOGE.
Great crowd tonight at the Library to hear Congressman Bob Steele. Even Gilbert and Tirino were there - I think to check out the crowd, not to listen to the presentation. Let me point out a couple of things, boys. There were folks there I've never met, which means that the movement is growing. And the people up front - Cara Benson and Elizabeth Wade among others, were not the "reformers" you've constantly blamed for casino opposition. Bottom line is that you and your cohorts who hatched this mischief made a big mistake, like I told DeFruscio at the Special Board meeting with the auditors. Massive miscalculation. And the community is going to make the whole bunch of you pay for it. You didn't need to do this, and wouldn't have done it if you had any connection at all with the community rather than your very narrow circle of mutual "cheerleaders." Never again!!
ReplyDelete70 people at meeting, with Steele,the Author. Not that many opposed! What I found interesting was that I noticed 3 women with fake,knock off pocketbooks. No big deal,but buying a knock off supports Terrorist's they support Terrorist's but they oppose a small Casino.
ReplyDeleteThis is what we are up against, boys and girls. Can't count in the first place. And they fancy themselves as experts on women's handbags. Langley and DeFruscio need to re-tool the "braintrust." Good grief already.
DeleteResponse to Dec 1 9:46PM -
DeleteYour post is simply bizarre.
Two of Langley's boys were there scoping out the scene and apparently looking at women's handbags, hmmm. Did they also notice their shoes? Fact is, if they weren't concerned about the opposition, they would have been home surfing channels from their lazyboy recliners. The demographic of attendees at the meeting last night ranged from middle age to older residents who largely populate the town. If 70 people were there on a Monday night, it's an excellent bet that people in those age groups on average oppose the casino. What Mr. Langley doesn't realize is that he has waged war with a large number of residents who now seriously oppose him. In truth, his days as a political operative in EG are numbered. He will soon find out that it's the activists, not the silent majority, who make or break politicians. In 17 days, when it's announced that EG was not chosen for a license, the Supervisor will have lost nine (9) months and a majority board member both of which he could have used constructively to "fix" the town as promised when DiMartino and Matters were campaigning last year. "Give the Supervisor the majority," they said, "and we'll fix the town." Well, were in a hell of a fix now and Mr. Langley, who clearly orchestrated this fiasco, will pay the price with his job next year. Stay united, stay strong! Cheap knockoffs or not, we will prevail!
DeleteBraintrust? I say brainrust!
DeleteDear Anonymous 9:46 pm.
DeleteIt was a good step in the right direction that you attended the discussion.
I disagree with your assessment that those in attendance were not opposed, because the attendees were indeed opposed! How could anyone be in favor of a casino after listening to Mr. Steele? He outlined the failing casino industry, as well as the negative impacts on the local host community as it has been experienced in Connecticut.
It seems that you are focusing on the comparison of size of the two existing CT casinos and the proposed casino in East Greenbush. Please be reminded that the Constitutional Amendment was passed to promote tourism and stimulate economic development. A small casino will not achieve those goals! As Mr. Steele explained, a small casino will draw patrons from the surrounding area which will actually weaken the local economy. A small casino will not be a tourist attraction and will not be able to compete with the large facilities proposed in Springfield, the existing facilities in CT, any other facilities licensed in NY, and any facilities that will be proposed in Northern NJ.
I apologize if you did not approve of my pocketbook. It seems that since you are not able to critique the content of the presentation, you feel it necessary to focus on fashion. Well, I hope your wife receives a lovely American-made holiday gift from a local small business. That would be an economic stimulus for our town---much more so than a casino that creates no product or no new wealth. (Economic lesson free of charge).
They are worried about knock off handbags, we are worried about knock off politicians..... I believe the knock off politicians are more important
DeleteDo people still call them "pocketbooks?" I'd be concerned if someone was casing out women's handbags at an informational meeting at the town library. Muggings and theft are infamous with gambling addicts. And white trash. Just another reason to oppose the casino.
DeleteWhat Mxxxx and Hxxx gotta learn is that East Greenbush is too big to "own" anymore. Time to start to work with the rest of their fellow citizens instead of trying to run everything through connections. You've got enough money now boys. Why not develop some civic mindedness?
ReplyDeleteTime to come to the conclusion that the casino initiative in EG was the product of some supposed "insiders" who influenced the town politicians. Really did a number on us, but we can remedy that by electing some folks who refuse to work the mischief on us.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 9:46---if you are a male--what man is looking at women's pocketbooks?! Maybe you have to excuse my "old fashioned" thoughts on what makes a man a man but, assessing women's pocketbooks during a professional presentation does not a man make.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a female--you focused your attention on other women's pocketbooks rather than the guest speaker and his information?! Why bother attending the presentation at all? You wasted your own time AND proved yourself to be a very petty and catty woman. How sad you are and how pathetic. Maybe some women in attendance choose to donate to SEG for the legal fees rather than spend frivolously on themselves and maybe, some of the women in attendance are not as pendantic as you.
Some nice work by East Greenbush Truth in posting the link to both the audio and transcribed comments to the Location Board. You can locate a name and go directly to the printed comments of any of the presenters. Here's the link to Truth:
ReplyDeletehttps://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/2014/12/02/92214-evening-transcript-for-and-against-capital-view/#more-96
Gadfly, I haven't been able to locate Keith Langley's name on the Location Board comments list. Would you know where his comments are posted?
DeleteI believe that the Town's comments were drafted by the Feathers Flack, Morgan Hook and read by Mr. Gilbert. It's clear that Mr. Tirino drafted his own. As I understand it, Mr. Langley made no statement in support of his actions.
DeleteYou won't find any. The only representative of EG Town Hall was Ed Gilbert.
DeleteGadfly,
ReplyDeleteThe comments of Ed Gilbert and John Tirino are a must read.
Ed Gilbert has been a very vocal advocate of the EG Casino, and spoke publicly in favor of it many, MANY times. Yet, with Fed Ex, he changed his mind and went from a favorable Fed Ex position to being against Fed Ex.
ReplyDeleteRead his comment below and you will laugh at the reason, and irony, why he became opposed to Fed Ex. Also keep in mind he is a strong advocate FOR the casino and as Deputy Supervisor spoke at the NYS Gaming Comm's public hearing in favor of the EG casino proposal.
September 2010, Ed Gilbert wrote this on the Times Union EG Blog in regards to Fed Ex:
http://blog.timesunion.com/eastgreenbush/a-readers-comments-on-fed-ex/2616/
Ed Gilbert says:
September 28, 2010 at 11:42 am
I have been 60-40 in favor of the FED EX site because of the jobs it would create. I know many of the jobs are transfer jobs but at last count the number I remember was 100 new non driving jobs with an average salary in the mid 30’s. My feeling was with unemployment being as bad as it is we should be holding our noses and put people to work. As the economy begins to improve my stance is changing. I now see that parcel as prime space that in short order will have many suitors. Sure, right now FED EX is the only one ringing the doorbell but that does not mean we have to go to the prom with the trucker wearing Dockers. I think we hold out for something better.
Ann,
DeleteI decided to delete the comments that these boys in town for some reason get a kick off of reading, but between you and MAM there is some serious obsession. Mostly of MAM, but someone thinks they know you and wants you to call them. They claim they have wordpress as well so they can track the Truth blog back to you. I do not even know you, and I clearly have wordpress so I am not sure what they think they know. Out of the 9 that commented, 7 were from the same person (they clearly don't understand how to track) and 2 (the one who thinks its you and wants to call you) were from the same person. The first 7 were from someone from the Matterss blog.
Ed Gilbert, at the Comm's public hearing stated the following:
ReplyDelete" I am compelled to address a vocal minority opposed to this proposal, a
group that has made it a priority to consistently oppose economic development opportunities to the community. I’d like to point out that this familiar group of activists has a long history of challenging develop projects from FedEx to Home Depot"
Yet Ed Gilbert, by his own blog comment in September 2010, was AGAINST Fed Ex. Maybe Ed should just stop talking about EG development.
Ann, Ed suffers from a fatal flaw. He believes his own bs. He fell into the trap of being Langley's political hack and it has been all downhill forEd ever since. Mistake after mistake, miss step after miss step. His blog, as hard as it is to fathom is worse than even Talks - the previous all time East Greenbush low.
DeleteEd still has not figured out that when you have dug yourself into a bolero stop shoveling.
The good news is voters now know Langley and his minions. Come the next couple of elections we will all be better off as a result.
So here's the brief electoral saga of Keith Langley.
ReplyDeleteHe wins as Supervisor in 2011 for two major reasons: 1. He's not Rick McCabe and 2. Nobody knew who he was.
It now looks like Mr. Langley will finish third in a three person race in 2015 for two major reasons: He IS Keith Langley and 2. More and more people know who he is.
What a difference four years makes.
@ 2:12 PM,
ReplyDeleteTrucker's wearing Dockers and Women's pocketbooks??? The Langley "brain trust" is sure interested in some bizarre things. Not that there's anything wrong with that.It's just very sad they don't put more effort in "Supervising" the day to day business of running our Town.
Dear AnonymousDecember 2, 2014 at 6:09 PM--He may believe his own bologna BUT he has proven himself to be a hypocrite as well as having a very short term memory of his own statements. Thank goodness some of us never forget anything.
ReplyDeleteEd, I and others that are familiar with you, had no idea who most of the SEG Group were during the FedEx proposal. We started to come together this past May. You have changed so much and did not check you're facts when you spoke to the Gaming Commission. Very, very sloppy work, Ed. Re-read what you said and see if you can find more flaws in your presentation.
ReplyDeleteOne word, " Doobies "
ReplyDeleteJust when you think Keith Langley is the most despised man in town, along comes Ed Gilbert who slithered into the library meeting last night like some kind of celebrity and proceeded to look for someone, anyone, to talk to. Ordinarily, I would feel sorry for a person like that but not for Ed. When he failed to find someone to talk to, he sat down and started to play games on his phone until the presentation started and/or text bossman Langley about the attendees at the meeting. Torino stood in the back the whole time hovering close to the exit. What's amazing to me is the endless nerve of these fools who show up where they're not wanted and proceed to try to blend in as if we all don't know that they're spying on us for Langley. Truly, when will all this nonsense stop? Grown men acting like extras in an episode of the Sopranos. Pathetic!
ReplyDeleteI hope this puts some knots in the shorts of the "Players" in the EG casino fiasco.
ReplyDeletehttp://m.timesunion.com/local/article/Unity-builds-for-new-casino-5931307.php?cmpid=twitter-mobile
Dear EGPride:
ReplyDeleteThank you very much. The Truth blog, I was not aware existed until it was mentioned on this blog. I have read it a couple of times in the past week and I think it's a great blog and source of information. That being said, if someone is stating they can track the Truth blog to me, they are clearly lying which shows how pathetic they are. I wish I was the Truth blog creator because that blog is GENIUS! All facts with the publication of the data supporting the facts. It is an AWESOME blog and I encourage everyone to read it.
I will humbly ask you to please keep me posted regarding comments because you never know...some of us CAN actually track computer sources (o.k. some of us can't but we have friends who can and will happily do it for us).
Thank you so much for your post. I am very grateful that you shared it. I knew that after I posted the quotes from Ed on this blog, there would be nasty comments regarding me submitted to someone's blog. I guess you were the new choice. Thank you, I sincerely appreciate that you shared it!
I was sorry to be out of town for the talk at the Library but Jo Ann told me about Ed and John attending the event. I'd like to think they've seen the light and actually wanted to learn something but we all know that's not true. After various attempts to get the Save East Greenbush petitions, it's clear that they've started to worry about the casino backlash in next year's election. I've heard some talk that their motivation is to intimidate people but really, how intimidated did anyone feel at the appearance of Ed Gilbert at the Library? What you're seeing is the death of the myth of the 'silent majority'. It was easy for them to use that blarney when they weren't paying attention to the repercussions but now that they're in election mode they can't afford the luxury of their illusions. What amazes me is that the Langley camp thinks they can try to destroy our community, treat the public with contempt, and then turn around, flash a few re-election smiles and we'll forget the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteJack, there's been many of us who have been saying what some are just now learning !
DeleteHeck, I have had people come up to me and ask exactly what position in Town John Tirino was elected too? When I laugh out loud, most get the message.
SWF's biggest failures have been John Tirino, Ed Gilbert and the deafening silence of Deb Dimartino. Too bad so many fell for the foolish political banter of Chris Defruscio !
Can someone honestly explain John Tirino's position is? Does he have one or is he just buddy buddy with them? Other than Defruscio being the chairman of the EG Republican Committee, what other function does he serve in town hall? I know the short answer to this is neither do anything but add insult to the face of our town, but in all honestly if someone could explain their roles that'd be great.
DeleteI think their primary function is to reassure Langley that he's doing a great job ... gilbert, tirino, defruscio, mulvey, correllis, another correllis, poorman
DeleteKeep an eye on Hank LaBarba. He's got some explaining to do in regards to the upcoming $600,000 per year debt for the Keith Langley sewer project that Supervisor Langley wants sewer users to pay for with a 40% increase in Sewer fees.
ReplyDeleteLet's also not forget the Langley/LaBarba proposal to increase the Water fees by a similar amount.
The Langley administration's Casino debacle is just the tip of the iceberg.
Fortunately, we now have a real Town Comptroller who is willing and able to say what's really going on in the corner office.
Let's remember that there was a decided prejudice against the County cooperation option on the part of both the Town Reps and Dems. As Malone put it, "we want to keep control." It's beginning to appear that the options were not objectively vetted, but decided on political rather than evaluated terms.
DeleteJack and all, It is a personal opinion, but I think it is a mistake to underestimate the intellect of anyone, especially when it is uncertain what their true ability is for good or evil. Keith fits that category.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget that it was Keith and Chris who put the wheels in motion on the casino deal long before any of us heard about it and that is likely back to last September. When they were first presented with this idea, it likely sounded like a no brainer to them and a means of solving all of our financial woes. Where they underestimated the resolve of the residents in town, not to mention grossly underestimating the ability of another proposal for a casino, they got much further into this and likely couldn't turn back. They made a bad decision.
However bad their decision was though, they were smart enough not to drum up support the same way the opposition did. They took the tactic to "assume a silent majority". Now that that silent majority seems to not exist, they will try to play the very same silent majority and churn them into votes. It's a risky bet on their part because the opposition has generated a list of over 3200 people, who they don't have access to, which is likely more than 50% of any given election. (Are you listening Keith?)
Now the problem they have is they don't have a full year to assemble 3201 votes in his favor and get assurances that they will show up and vote for him. He will likely get a lot of lip service, just like McCabe did. People told McCabe they were behind him, he had their support, but guess what, they didn't show up to vote. McCabe's loss was significant in that a guy who by his own account, never lost an election, lost handily to a guy no one knew.
Keith has no choice right now but to play to his silent majority and actually approach them now that HE needs them. When they were silent, they were also anonymous, now he needs to identify them and get them to the polls. don't underestimate the tactic, it's not a great one, but if it's all you've got...
This is a very thoughtful post but I do disagree with a couple of things. I think it's now clear that the idea of this casino was percolating as early as last September but I don't think Langley and DeFruscio had a clue until maybe as late as March or early April. I think they got played. I also disagree that the 'silent majority' concept included a conscious decision not to rally support. I think that people who support the casino do so with minimal emotional investment. They think it's a good idea but they're not willing to invest any time or money to make it happen. In contrast, the Save East Greenbush movement has been like a hurricane that blew the roof off of the political establishment. Keith and Chris have just noticed that the roof is missing and it's starting to rain.
DeleteAt the eleventh hour, it would appear either Albany or Rensselaer was encouraged to strike a deal and it has to be much to Saratoga Raceways chagrin. People are heavily invested in a project that has heavy opposition and now, their competition has the same support that they garnered a couple of months ago. It seems Rensselaer has even greater political support than East Greenbush by virtue of today's press conference. 30 elected officials showed up to support the deal, announced a stone's throw from the site, as opposed to the announcement that Langley and Sheehan made from Albany's City Hall. Even they didn't want to be seen at the site. The New deal announced provides a package that Saratoga can't match, because of Rensselaer's proximity to the river. It almost seems like Rensselaer has as many benefits as East Greenbush has problems. Good for them! While a lot of people don't want ANY casino, at least the Rensselaer proposal meets the intent of the legislation, where East Greenbush clearly falls short.
ReplyDelete@ 2:57 PM And Supervisor Langley was for the County cooperation option before he was against it. Is the local option worth an annual $600,000 debt payment for the next two decades or so? Who knows? Sure wish we'd all been paying attention when Mr. Langley and Mr. LaBarba rammed it through.
ReplyDeleteSupervisor Langley said at the Wojeski and Toski public hearing that the STATE Comptroller's Auditors will be coming back to conduct another review of the Town's finances. Remember folks, Keith Langley has been serving as the Town's Chief Financial Officer for the last THREE YEARS. Wouldn't you like to be a fly on the wall during those discussions? Time to take some responsibility Mr. Langley. Why not start by explaining where and how the money for the Mannix Road roundabout was spent? I'm sure Mr. DiNapoli's staff will be very interested in what you have to say.
ReplyDeleteDear friend "Tom"....I think you know very well that the "interference" with the last OSC audit came from connected Dems who were vulnerable to referral to law enforcement had their activities been submitted to Government Audit Standards. Cut the crap.
ReplyDeleteWhat's happening with the new duplex on Cooper Av, which appears to have been built "illegally"? I do remember the stop work order but now what?
ReplyDeleteThat would be a great question to pose in the form of an Ethics complaint against Sue Mangold. That is if we only could.
DeleteI have 6 Ethics Violation Complaints that could be filed against Susan (Hart) Mangold that would be filed if the ethics code would allow for it. All leading back to 2 Cooper Ave. Mangold hasn't been honest with the residents of East Greenbush.
DeleteWhat causes many of us to be "gobsmacked" (check Ed's blog) is Keith's complete ignorance to the Town's financials for the 3 years he has served as Supervisor and then, suddenly, and conveniently the 10-12 months before his next campaign for re-election as Supervisor he is concerned about the Town's finances.
ReplyDeleteAnother reason many of us are "gobsmacked" is due to Keith's complete ignorance to those opposed to the casino but yet, has a weird focus on a handful of individuals (women).
Rest assured Keith, many of those that signed the petition did cast their vote for you 3 years ago. Now, you have lost your base AND you woke many more that didn't know who you were before but, are very angry now and cannot wait to vote for your opponents next November.
8:05 PM:
ReplyDeleteThose of us attend town board meetings have watched Sue (Hart) Mangold vote to support her family's financial interests since the very day she was elected.
Former board member O'Brien was forced to reverse herself on supporting an ethics code because of Hart-Mangold's multiple and overlapping conflicts of interest.
The financial disclosure requirements were a huge source of concern for Hart-Mangold because those disclosures would have revealed the staggering number and examples of Hart-Mangold's involvement in her family's businesses.
Look, nobody begrudged the Hart family their financial success. It is only Hart- Mangold's pretending to represent the people when she is, in fact, only representing her family that is the problem. That, of course, and the shady deals on the casino property that we now know deeply involve the Hart business and, of course, the family - including town board member Sue Hart -Mangold.
Deep down it is all pretty disgusting.
Ann, you are so right! We all want the answer to that. So many questions, no answers!
ReplyDelete@5:37.....if you were at the last TB mtg. Sue M say that they, the TB, represent only the taxpayers/residents. They are not beholden to certain people, place or things.
ReplyDeleteMight I sell you some swamp land in Florida? Surely you are not that gullible?
DeleteIn point of fact the TB is totally, exclusively and singularly beholden to only certain people. "Certain people" are family and friends of TB members, political party insiders, and well to do party supporters. The rest of us just regular folks do not count in the least.
You get that - right?
Anonymous 8:05:
ReplyDeleteNo one fought harder for financial disclosure than me but I think it's unfair to characterize the casino dealings as wholly representative of the Hart family's business dealings in East Greenbush. So many people have come into the process because of the casino and there's no doubt that the dealings on Thompson Hill are shady and need to be investigated but most Hart projects bear no resemblance to the casino. In fact, treating the Hart family as a monolith is misleading and inaccurate. Family members are involved in many different businesses that involve only one or two members and these have no relationship to other projects involving other family members. I think we need to be careful when we throw the Hart name around as if it's some Mafia consortium out to destroy the town for their own benefit. I know this won't be a popular view on this blog but the Harts have been a tremendous asset to the town of East Greenbush. If I was starting a development project tomorrow the first call I'd make would be to Steve Hart, not because he's politically wired, but because he's a state-of-art professional who has successfully engineered and developed more projects than almost anyone in Rensselaer County.
The issue with the Hart family is the general issue of political favoritism in this town and it's one that applies to a number of favored insiders. The Harts should not be allowed to cut corners or avoid difficult parts of the approval process as they sometimes have in the past. What's broken here is not one family but a culture of local politics that makes who you know more important than what you know. Everyone needs to follow the same rules with no exceptions. People who have contributed to campaigns should expect and get no favors and all town officials should be forced to tow the line. Of course, the Langley-Gilbert assault on ethical conduct makes that difficult at the moment but they'll be gone soon and we'll be able to put in place controls that will prevent powerful families from getting breaks they don't even need.
Untangling the mess on Thompson Hill Road should be an end in itself. Denigrating an entire family that has done more good than harm diminishes the integrity of that investigation. Let it be about facts and let the chips fall where they may but generic mud slinging doesn't help.
Jack, you may have about as much luck defending the Hart name right now as you would have defending the Langley name. Many are still smarting because, in addition to the supposed backroom deals related to the casino, Councilwoman Sue Hart-Mangold voted twice for the casino when (many believe) she knew perfectly well that it was an enormous conflict of interest and an ethics violation and that she should have recused herself from day 1. Instead, she gambled on not getting caught (big mistake) and lost in a big (embarrassing) way but by voting like she did, she carved in stone the now indisputable fact that no one from the Hart clan should be on the town board or any board for that matter ever again. Ms. Mangold sullied the Hart name when she overstepped her bounds so egregiously, and she ended her political career in EG, as well. We will all just have to go to our graves wondering if she acted on her own when she voted or if it was the game plan from the start.
Delete9:54 a.m. Not ALL TB members are opportunistic insiders. Your comment "the rest of us just regular folks don't count in the least" is untrue. To a certain extent, patronage positions do happen but that's part of politics in any organization, not nepotism, and it happens everywhere, but there are ethics laws in place to protect us from the most egregious cases. Also, anyone can submit a resume to town hall to keep on file and it's a good idea if you're looking for a job. Sometimes painting with too broad a brush when making comments makes it impossible to take what we're hearing as the truth.
ReplyDeleteThe lipstick getting smeared on East Greenbush's nepotism pig isn't fooling anyone. The dems and the reps are equally offensive in this area. The pig won't fly but hopefully it will get swept away by folks who don't tollerate nepotism or cronyism.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jack about commending the Hart family on their success. They have taken a lot of unnecessary hits. it is my understanding that Sue Mangold will be in favor of a resolution nto set the Ethics Law straight and allow the accusations to be addressed.
6:18 p.m. Being in favor of that reso is the least she can do and she's no hero for it. She brought this trouble on herself. Good luck to her though trying to prove she didn't know something. You can't prove a negative. If she was ethical, she would have checked everything out thoroughly before she voted and then recused herself. Let's face it, she took a chance she wouldn't get caught and she lost.
DeleteI agree with 9:54 p.m. Especially because she's a HART, if she was ethical, she would have checked and double-checked her family's business dealings before voting on such a controversial project, and then recused herself. She's not a stupid person. She's a business woman so we can only assume that she knew exactly what she was doing when she voted yes, even in the midst of the public outcry for her to vote no. All she had to do was just not vote at all! She literally made the same mistake twice so we can only assume it was deliberate.
DeleteLooks like Eddie "Haskell" Gilbert has a problem with the new blog on the block. He states the blog "in reality is just a hatchet job on those it disagrees with." But my favorite is "it does use facts but that is only a small percentage of it – the rest is pure conjecture and opinion." Seriously, folks?? And what does he think his flog-blog is? A literary masterpiece? Now that he's been s-canned from the coveted Depty Supr job, he has all kinds of time to do all the verbal flogging he wants but, make no mistake about it, he still takes his orders from Keith and when Keith says blog, Eddo blogs up a storm. Good boy, Eddo! Good boy! And THIS is what passes for the Chairman of our Ethics Board? Utterly disgraceful!
ReplyDeleteEDDO HAS TO GO! ! !
Jack, how many town board votes do you think Sue Hart Mangold should have recused herself on? Dozens? More? Do you consider her refusal to recuse herself unethical? Do you recall her incredible self serving rational for voting on projects involving her family? Please respond.
ReplyDeletePolitical insiders skip inconvenient or expensive parts of any process the rest of us regular folks are expected to comply with. We have a town judge who is the ultimate political insider who never bothers with the inconvenience of little things like building permits.
Sue Hart Mangold was the single reason the ethics code process took the time and the path that it did and no knows that better than you do.
I have the very distinct impression that the Harts and the Maneys think they are better than we are. But the world of East Greenbush is changing quickly and for that we can all be thankful and grateful to you and all the Gadflies.
It's hard to argue with this post because you're right. Sue and I waged war over financial disclosure and she and the democrats only caved in to take an important campaign issue away from Mary Ann Matters and Deb DiMartino. I'm not sure how many times she should have recused herself and didn't but there have been some and each instant amounted to unethical conduct. My point is that the problem isn't the Hart family per se, it's the process and culture of local politics here. Patronage and insider trading is the modus operandi and the reason why the political machines play dirty to hold on to power at all costs. The solution isn't to demonize one family or one town board member but to change the type of person we elect to be guardians of the public interest. We need outsiders, people who haven't been ensnared in the old boys network and don't owe anything to anyone.
DeleteThe Save East Greenbush movement has proven that people are awake and don't like what they see from their elected officials. When East Greenbush isn't selected on the 17th, the political machines would be wise not to misread the decision. A very real community emerged this year and it took this town away from them. If they continue with politics as usual there will be an entirely new majority next year and they'll be on the outside looking in. Then we can change the way we do business and ensure that everyone adheres to the same set of rules. But changing the way the game is played requires that we get our facts straight and not engage in a smear campaign against an entire family. There are serious questions to be answered but if we're going to be different we can't jump to conclusions and speculate on the basis of the personalities involved. The kind of change we need depends on not treating the Harts differently from anyone else and that includes not being unfairly negative as well as not allowing them any special advantages.
Thank you Jack for your level head thinking! I have known the Hart's & Maney's for decades and I do admire their business success. And personally they are great people.
ReplyDeleteI am saddened at having to consider that anyone could possibly be doing anything illegal in order to further their personal/monetary gain.
With all they have going for them, why would you resort to that.
If laws are being circumvented for some, then let's just do away with them for all!
Of course I'm not seeking that. IN REALITY I WANT ALL TO BE HONEST!
I think there's an itch that needs scratching around the land deals related to the casino mischief and that Plat "approval" for Thompson Way that took place on January 16th (followed immediately by its filing) without a meeting or Resolution from the Planning Board. The question has been raised a number of times with the Town Board, the two related attorneys and others, but all that is forthcoming is that "blank stare" and no appropriate action. Related to this is the paving of Thompson Hill Road which is supposed to be the responsibility of the developer of Thompson Way. That same blank stare is forthcoming on this one too. We need that audit of the Mannix Road round-about to help sort this one out. Too many questions, not enough answers.
DeleteSword, isn't there a TU reporter who is interested in any of this? It seems awfully newsworthy to me.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't take a TU reporter. Responsible Town officials and employees would be all it would take. Start with the Board and Supervisor and the Town attorneys. They know very well what "went down."
DeleteReally, Sword? Do you expect town officials to help you scratch your itch for "what went down" even in the midst of the "blank stares" you spoke about? Especially THIS Supervisor? The king of cover-ups! Don't hold your breath waiting for that to happen. Face it, there are no responsible town officials, because not one of them really knows what he or she is doing when it comes to running a town, including the Supervisor, and the employees work for the officials, so where does that leave us. Screwed? If you have questions that you think need answers, that's what tenacious reporters are for but someone has to bring it to them. Could that someone be you?
ReplyDeleteThere's always more to a story than first appears. The Thompson Hill land transactions and the real chronology of casino development in East Greenbush are stories yet to be told. We know some disturbing details and have asked important questions but no answers have been forthcoming. It's tempting (and reasonable) to assume our questions aren't being answered because some of the transactions have been problematic but does anyone get answers to anything in this town? The Langley administration has been more secretive than any previous administration and has even gone so far as to condone clandestine attacks on citizens and elected officials in the form of East Greenbush Matters. But their secretive behavior has backfired at every turn. Take the casino as an example. When we walked the town with No Casino petitions we met people who supported the casino but were outraged at the secretive process employed by Langley and Company. Had they engaged residents on this crucial issue instead of running and hiding we could have had the civic conversation this project deserved and they might not be on the verge of being run out of town.
ReplyDeleteWhich brings me back to the Thompson Hill Gold Rush. Unlike much of the casino chronology, the plat approval for Thompson Way was totally under the control of our town government. There has to be more to the story than what we already know so why wouldn't the Supervisor see the value of investigating it and offering a public explanation of what happened? If it happened as some of us suspect it did, he could halt all work and demand that the project go back through the Planning Board and meet all requirements before receiving the go ahead. If there are aspects of the story we don't know that might exonerate the Town it would be in his best interest to reveal those. Secrecy is a losing proposition and in politics the cover up is often worse than the misdeed. But this administration continues to treat us like dupes who can only be addressed with secretive posts on a malicious blog and insincere election rhetoric. It's time for a public conversation about Thompson Hill. If the Supervisor wants to ask us to re-elect him, he could at least respect us enough to acknowledge our right to know the town's role in the Gold Rush. Or will we be left with "the plat approval is the plat approval."
Great post Jack! I said in one of the town board meetings after Sue recused herself that I didn't think there was any malicious intent, but by keeping a secret it gives the impression something fishy is going on as it appears is the norm in town hall. That is when I directed my comments to the supervisor because simply put it his job to Supervise our town. Hiding behind a PR firm is not the solution, giving us answers to deserved questions is. If this casino was such a good idea, why the secrecy of who was involved in offering this site and why?
DeleteJack, to the question "why wouldn't the Supervisor see the value of investigating it and offering a public explanation of what happened?" Firstly, he doesn't have to investigate it. He's the Supervisor. So, of course, he knows, but he doesn't want US to know because information is power and frequently generates too many questions and calls for accountability. Therefore, we can only conclude that the stealth secretiveness and the relentlessly brutal cyberbullying are deliberate. This is worrisome on so many levels that we couldn't begin to address it here. But to show you how serious they are, they're STILL cyber-attacking one of their own board members and suffering irreparable damage to fully one-third of their majority but they're doing it anyway to send the message that they are the power, they are in control, and they don't need her or anyone else to survive. They've adapted to the situation by making deals with Malone regardless of the cost to them. So, the message is clear, opposition of any kind will not be tolerated. They fully intend to survive one way or another. Indeed, the Supervisor will ask people to re-elect him and he's counting on short memories, politically unaware voters, and sweet talk to get him re-elected. To Kevin Tuffy et al, it looks like you've met your match with Mr. Langley. You might just be better off asking him to re-enroll as a democrat.
DeleteJack the supervisory will answer those questions, nor would have any other supervisor of previous years. The fact is and you know this all too well they are controlled by the party they are beholden to.
DeleteYes it would be nice if Langley stepped up and answered those questions, and many many more too, but we know that would never happen, not with the party controlling his every move.
And for those of you that want to turn this into a party thing, its not one party or the other its both.
Sorry Jack I meant to say "never" the supervisory will never answer
DeleteI think it's pretty clear now that the "leadership" and the "players" in this fiasco had a pretty good instinct that, while it might be lucrative for them, it really wasn't a good idea that would be accepted by the community. The FOIL'd notes at this link illustrate this:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.scribd.com/doc/230268389/East-Greenbush-FOIL-Request-on-Casino-Meetings
If it was a "good" and sale-able idea, it would have been marketed in a positive way. On the contrary, we see Feathers avoiding a public meeting with the Board, and specific plans to limit the number of meetings to attempt to limit the growth of expected opposition. We also see the agenda with regard to Planning and Zoning - lining up the Ducks. Lots of "s'plainin" before this one goes away.
Jack and Bonnie: Love you both. But...I don't think the intent really matters - only the result really matters. And the results, in terms of issues like this casino debacle specifically and how Langley manages generally, stink like week old fish - maybe worse.
ReplyDeleteLeaders, as I see it, have two primary responsibilities:
One, to do the right thing. That means use logical, objective, thoughtful business like approaches to both problems and opportunities. And,
Two, to do things the right way. That means engagement with interested parties, open and complete communications and, for this and other town boards - horror of horrors - FOLLOW THE LAW.
I get the value in courteous political discourse and totally support the concept. But frustrations has limits. Langley is not our king and for damn sure he is not and never will be my king. That applies equally to all the past and present town board members. Just because they sit on high and try to lord over us does mean we have to take it. Goon squads, following people around and stalking them, idiotic blogs and all the rest be damned!
I admire Jack Conway and his optimistic objectivity, but there is one serious flaw in his analysis. This deal was in the works long before the first of the year, they all knew it and one can easily piece the puzzle together, make certain assumptions and realize that they tried to pull as fast one.
ReplyDeleteNewton's third law of motion is that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. In politics, the same sense of entitlement that the poor have thinking that their circumstances are not their fault and they are owed a helping hand from the government, exists in the wealthy who believe that since they pay more taxes, they are entitled to special privileges from the same government.
The casino debacle reveals this sense of entitlement and it is evidenced by the date of the option. Simply look into when Platform took an option on the property and one will learn that the option was secured last year. Once they had the option, they needed the players assembled to ensure that if the deal fell through in Saratoga, they could quickly put a deal together on another parcel where they could ensure approval. The players needed to be on board and they were, long before the first of the year. You can not build a casino, if you can not treat the waste from the project. The sewer treatment plant needed to be resolved and that was done almost too quickly with an 11 million dollar project. Keith and Chris knew. The Harts knew. Maney knew, Sue Mangold knew. People at the county knew. Wasn't Ginny O'Brien's departure a little unusual and premature?
Anyone who knows that group, knows all too well that they took over the town to save the town from an almost oppressive republican regime who was holding the town back some time ago. But they never learned to govern responsibly. They have taken advantage of every opportunity and manipulated the planning, zoning and town boards to suit their needs for years. No one begrudges anyone from making money or success, but it should never come at the expense of the public or be granted favors that are denied the average person.
I applaud Jack for his willingness to offer the benefit of the doubt, but make no mistake about the casino deal. This was orchestrated and the only way they were able to put it together is because they have been doing it for years. This may be the straw that breaks the camels back. It's time to fix the process here in East Greenbush.
Jack, it's more than a little worrisome that, after all we've been through this year with casinogate, you would be defending the Harts of all people. With the Harts, it's not about what they can do for EG, it's about what EG can do for them and the casino deal was all for them in a big way. When sis voted twice she knew it was wrong but she did it anyway. I rest my case. Why are you defending the Harts?
ReplyDeleteLooks to me like this casino thingy has gone way beyond the usual "insider fix." Way beyond. Pride goeth before a fall.
ReplyDeleteDanaher's not going to be a judge with this kind of stuff on his plate.
DeleteWhy hasn't Danaher recused himself from the Planning Board's casino deliberations considering he voted in support of casinos in Renss. Co. in his capacity as a legislator? Doesn't that make him biased?
DeleteThank you EGPride and the Truth blog for sharing the information you have. You have exposed the creator and author of the "matterss" blog. Thank you for exposing the slob.
ReplyDeleteThat blog is a disgrace to this town and so are those invloved with it. While we feel a sincere apology is owed to Mary Ann and yourself, they are not worth your time. The nonsense on that blog sheds some light on the culture within EG politics and it needs to end.
DeleteThe matters blog has been a bit transparent for some time and a number of people have known who it is. Getting Ed or Keith to acknowledge it is a completely different story.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with this latest revelation for Keith is that his close alliance with Ed, may actually bite him in the hind end now, because when he goes to run, I'm sure he will see much of what Ed has written as HIS deputy and the public will be asked, is this what you expect from your town leadership? Don't forget, a number of STILL have copies of his posts!
Keep asking around Keith. The answer is NO, a lot of people won't vote for you again. Not because you CAN'T do the job, because you wasted the opportunity to do it right the first time. And if the casino does in fact come here as a number of people have recently assured is to happen, it gets even worse for you because you ushered in something largely unpopular in a more upscale community. Your silent majority is about to speak up!
Anony 12/7 @ 10:58 p.m. The "obsession" with MAM is bordering on psychotic. In an effort to control and subdue her, they chased her away but rather than admit what they did, apologize for it, and pledge to work WITH her instead of demanding that she work FOR them, they are continuing to try to bully and harass her into submission. If they think she will ever submit to them, they're crazy! She has had her independence since July and she's not likely to turn back now but rather than accept that they blew it with her, they are blaming her for everything but they have no one to blame but themselves. They're idiots! SWF! What a joke!
DeleteIts so nice to hear that Clifton Park is having a "Town Hall" meeting to expand the center of Town. They have identified that they need a true center of their town. It would be nice to have Langley have such vision instead of his warped view on how this Casino is going to be his savior.
ReplyDeleteA comprehensive plan to develop 9&20 would be such a welcomed proposal.
Langley has this town so deep in the hole that he can't begin to think about anything that isn't a quick fix. He was told nine months ago that if the casino deal falls through, he will have wasted three-quarters of a year that could have been spent on concrete, important projects for the town...but did he listen? No! Does he ever listen? No! And all we're left with now is: The Supervisor is the Supervisor. Wonderful.
DeleteDear EGPRIDE December 8, 2014 at 6:50 PM---Again, thank you. I appreciate your sentiments, agree with them and appreciate your work with the Truth blog. Please continue with your work and your blog---many of us are grateful for the Truth blog.
ReplyDelete12/8@ 12:25
ReplyDeleteI'm no fan of Langley or his approach and management style, but make no mistake about it, HE doesn't have us in a hole, we were in a hole long before he came along.
I am NOT defending him at all because you're right, he wasted much of his time in office chasing a white rabbit down a hole, but the hole we are in was created by way too many years of neglect from prior democratic administrations and largely due to McCabe's incompetence. Langley simply fiddled while Rome burned. Rather than taking good advice and working diligently on getting us out of debt or restructuring things, he placed his bet on what he was assured was a sure thing, engineered by the same democrats that got us in this mess.
He was simply dumb enough to trust the very democrats who made his assent possible and they will as surely lead to his demise. It's just a shame tax payers have to suffer these fools!
Has anybody noticed that our pioneering supervisor hasn't spoken the word casino in weeks neither in person nor in his supervisor's reports? It seems that the word casino has dropped from his vocabulary and that he's proceeding into campaign 2015 as if the whole casino nightmare never happened. Ironically, for the town of EG, the nightmare is still going on yet it seems to be over for him. Could it be that he knows something the rest of us don't yet know, just like he did last year before the casino project was even unleashed on the public? Could he be keeping yet another secret until it's publicly announced on the 17th? We also haven't seen or heard from Jimmy Feathers or the fair Julie and her PR team who were formerly showing up to every meeting. It seems evident that the Supervisor is planning to ignore his way out of this mess by simply moving on. Shrewed move. After all, it simply never happened...period! At the close of the special meeting with the auditors on 11/18, our Supervisor gave nearly a 10 minute long, what some considered to be, campaign speech. At the end of the speech, an irate resident promised him that the casino would be "his legacy." He thanked her facetiously for the comment while she repeated it again and again speaking over him. That night, it seemed evident to even him that the casino legacy will not be easy to overcome, nor should it be. The arrogance and insensitivity of this Supervisor is disturbing. It now seems crystal clear that even after 11/17, the fight to save EG must continue. Because of this Supervisor's perilous ways, we are by no means in the clear just because we're not getting a casino. Stay strong, EG. Stay interested, involved and present! Especially while this Supervisor is in office, the future of your hometown depends on it.
ReplyDeleteWhat they tried to "work" on us without telling us includes Jimino, our legislature reps, Rich Crist, Langley, DeFruscio, Davis, Hart, Maney, Danaher, Malone, Mangold, DiMartino, Gilbert.....all the sleeze bags who want something for nothing. Big change coming.
ReplyDeleteLet's not forget about our county Legislatures Leon Fiacco, Mr. Casino Phil Danaher, Kelly Hoffman, and Rob Baily. They supposedly represent us here in East Greenbush at a county level. They ALL SUPPORTED CASINO LEGISLATION back in January to allow for casinos in Rensselaer county. Talk about a trail right back to Kathy Jimino's office.
DeleteDear AnonymousDecember 8, 2014 at 9:09 PM---I disagree with you slightly. The casino issue, which I believe is what you maybe referring to as the "he placed his bet on what he was assured was a sure thing, engineered by the same democrats that got us in this mess," did not come Langley's way until late 2013 (we all know it was presented well before April 16, 2014). Langley had already been Supervisor for a couple of years before the casino proposal entered the scene. In the first 2.5 years of his administration he could have been working on restructuring the debt, making cuts, bringing business back to town on Rt 9 & 20, engaging the public in committees to help resurrect the Town's finances and developed a FRP. rather, he chose to run around Town Hall asking people about the personal life of a couple of residents and share his vulgar opinion with those people (some of which were women), he decided to run around Town as if he was Chicken Little and beg for votes in his re-election run (he has been doing that since January 2011) and he decided to maintain a very high level of secrecy that of which rivals the CIA! He whittled away his time...and all of that was well before the casino and any supposed Democratic casino shenanigans which, by the way, that casino was full of bi-partisan shenanigans, it wasn't only Democrats. Keith now behaves as if he is the little Dutch boy holding his thumb in the small hole in the dam...and his thumb is no longer big enough because that hole is getting bigger and bigger.
ReplyDeleteKeith has nobody to blame but himself. He wasn't, as you wrote, "simply dumb enough to trust the very democrats who made his assent possible and they will as surely lead to his demise." To claim Keith is dumb is giving him a pass, albeit an insulting pass but a pass nonetheless. Keith wasn't dumb. Keith was neglectful and when someone is neglectful they have only themselves to blame for that neglect. Keith is a grown man and is responsible for his own decisions. Nobody, no Democrat, forces Keith or anyone to do anything they do not want to do. Keith is accountable for his own behavior and decisions.
Those decisions may lead to coal in HIS stocking this year!
Keith "Casino" Langley has refused to initiate a financial recovery plan and/or a work force analysis for the Town of East Greenbush "Casino" Keith has had three years to present a proposal. How can Mr. "Casino" be pushing for a forty percent increase in our water and sewer fees without either a financial recovery plan? Does "Casino" Langley have any compassion for how his misguided fee increases will affect the seniors on fixed incomes? Shouldn't "Casino" Langley be looking at other alternatives before breaking the backs of East Greenbush fee payers?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know whether the "Casino" Langley estate on Langley Drive is hooked up to the water and sewer systems? Wouldn't it be something if Keith "Casino" Langley is proposing these outrageous fee increases knowing full well he won't have to pay them himself?
There is an interesting contrast between Keith Langley and Paula Mahan, the Supervisor of the Town of Colonie. Both took office while inheriting large budget deficits that had taken several years to accumulate. Paula Mahan moved quickly to identify the size of the deficit and shared information every step of the way with her constituents. Even though it was not popular at the time, she imposed a one-time tax to reduce the deficit and then took steps to gradually eliminate the balance that was still owed.
ReplyDeleteLangley went in the opposite direction. After almost three years in office, he is just starting to get a handle on the size of the deficit. (The claim by auditors that they couldn't complete an audit because nobody would sign-off on the old records is bizzare. If all one had to do to get away with stealing money from the Town is to refuse to sign a report, then we're all vulnerable.). Instead of asking taxpayers for a one-time payment to reduce the deficit, he is proposing no tax increase for 2015. Instead of taking steps to reduce the deficit, he tried to dump a casino, with grossly exaggerated payments, on us.
Moving past her conflicts of interest, Sue Mangold tried insisting on a tax increase. At the pre-board meeting she mentioned it several times. While our comptroller was explaining things, he even explicitly stated that he knows a tax increase is out of the question because it's "election season" - assuming he was referring to Keith. Mary Ann wasn't necessarily against the increase or no increase, she didn't want to do anything until there was a grasp on our finances. Deb contributed absolutely nothing, as always. Phil of course was absent.
Delete2:27 p.m. What I recall is Mary Ann saying that there is no need for a tax increase in East Greenbush. She said the town takes in "gobs and gobs and gobs of money," and that "it just needs to be managed properly." In other words, the current tax levy isn't the problem. To that Casino Keith said absolutely nothing because he knows he's done nothing in three years to get a handle on the bills but mostly because he's praying to God every night and day that the casino windfall will wipe out the debt in an instant and save the day, poor dolt. In all fairness, Deb said she would not agree to a tax increase but we can't know if that was really her talking or if she was parroting her boss. And as for Sue and Phil, they never met a tax increase they didn't like, so is anyone surprised that Sue went for the easy fix? Just throw more money at the problem. Done!
ReplyDeletemuch to langley's dismay, mangold and matters scuttled the water rate increases at the November board meeting. lets see what happens if it comes up again in December.
ReplyDeletedon't forget the sewer rate increase public hearing at 6:45 on the 17th.
why is a hearing done for sewer rates and not for water rates?
no tax increase but water and sewer rate hikes?
"Casino" Keith Langley just loves those fee increases. It good to see Mangold and Matters holding "Casino" Keith's feet to the fire on this.
ReplyDeleteNo Casino and No "Casino" Keith in 2015!!
Looks like Feathers is insisting that the PB meeting go ahead as scheduled, even in the storm. He won't be out, but his flunkies will.
ReplyDeleteDear 4:07 PM:
ReplyDeleteHe must not be aware of Supervisor Langley's inclement weather policy for scheduled meetings.
Be well,
Tom
Matt Polsinello didn't shy away from signing a Plat approval last January without a Planning board resolution or PB meeting to satisfy the needs of the developer of Thompson Way. Why should he worry about a meeting of the PB in a snow storm?
ReplyDeleteWe shouldn't be forgetting this:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.troyrecord.com/general-news/20100930/east-greenbush-paid-over-172k-in-consulting-fees-to-town-employee
Was it illegal?
DeleteYup. The Board never created the position, and the Board did not appropriate the funds to pay him.
DeleteEast Greenbush should change the name to Hart/Maney/Polsinello, c/o 2 Cooper Ave.
ReplyDeleteIt just never ends! I hope the voters will have a long memory. I think a numbered list with ALL of the illegal, questionable and just wrong things that have happened over the last decade will educate the voters........including myself.
ReplyDeleteBe sure to see articles from CP Matters and Elizabeth Wade in today's edition of the Advertiser.
ReplyDeleteTruth blog posted Town salaries--https://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/town-salaries/
ReplyDeleteThe pre-board meeting tonight was three hours long from 4-7. Langley and Matters bickered the whole time as she kept firing the uncomfortable questions that no one else wanted to ask. She also kept using the "C" word, which made Casino Keith bristle. After the meeting he stormed out. DeF hovered around Matters like he wanted to say something, but he didn't. Matters and Langley may want to wear boxing gloves at the next meeting. It seems there's no pleasing her but it also seems with good reason.
ReplyDeleteThe pre-board meetings have turned into must see entertainment. I think the smaller setting and audience are conducive to a more substantive discussion. There were presentations from four consultants and a woman from Rensselaer County Civil Service. Thanks to Mary Ann Matters and Dwight Jenkins we're finally starting to synchronize town jobs with civil service requirements. Chazin needs another $120,000 - $150,000 to finish the job of monitoring construction on the new wastewater treatment plant although there was the good news that we're going to meet DEC's December 31st deadline and may have the moratorium lifted on new hookups to the sewer system.
ReplyDeleteThere was a big push from Hank LaBarbera (sp?), George Phillips and the Supervisor advocating for radical increases in water and sewer rates. The sewer increase is the beginning of a long painful effort to pay for the new wastewater treatment plant. The water rate increase straddles current and historical issues. Those in favor of the increase say that we're running close to a $100,000 deficit on an annual basis while those opposed believe that those deficits should be erased by having the general and highway funds repay the money they took from the water districts during the heyday of inter-fund borrowing.
There was so much more but the drama was provided by the interaction between Mary Ann Matters and Keith Langley. Both have taken the gloves off and there seems to be little chance of a rapprochement between them now. Mary Ann wants to move resolutions that would allow residents to file ethics complaints and empower CFAC to study and recommend internal controls but seems unable to find anyone to second them. The rest of the board better figure out that taking a stand against ethics and internal controls may satisfy their need to isolate Mary Ann but is just inexcusably poor governance. This meeting was important because it dealt with crucial issues, all of which might be swept under the carpet at next week's board meeting by the casino decision. It was a crazy meeting.
I'd say that attempting to isolate CP Matters on issues of good governance will do nothing but insure that Langley, Malone and Mangold are replaced in November with persons we KNOW will follow through with a good governance platform.
DeleteWhy would a Board member refuse to second, and then pass, a resolution allowing residents to file ethics complaints? Was a reason provided?
ReplyDeleteRefusing to allow residents to file ethics complaints is akin to disallowing a customer to file a complaint about poor service they received or return a product they bought and could not make that product work properly. If anyone should be allowed to file ethics complaints it should be the residents that pay the salaries. Keith, as Supervisor, should be championing a resolution to allow residents to file ethics complaints. Then again, Keith was the only Board member that voted against the resolution allowing residents to speak at all public meetings (April 16, 2014 mtg). Fearing residents would launch ethics complaints is a silent admission that residents have valid complaints to launch.
Yes, Jack, a crazy good meeting. Matters, the complete opposite of her mild-mannered husband in the personality department, isn't taking any crap from Keith Langley, who clearly can't stand her. Well, tough! She was elected by and for the people NOT by and for Keith Langley. We desperately need a push back person on the board to get this Supervisor to do his job. Matters is that person. He's been in the job for three years but, in the midst of his constant politicing, he can't seem to find the time for boring things like payroll certification, civil service hiring rules and regs, internal controls, the ambulance district, which has been woefully neglected all year because of the casino craze, and responding to e-mails from board members. These deficiencies in his performance have resulted in surprise $120K bump-ups in the cost of inspection/consultant fees for the sewer upgrade, massive fund deficits and audit issues (note: a year into his new job, our Comptroller still hasn't purchased an effective accounting system for the town and has no plans to do so in the near future), and lawsuits. Like McCabe, who was a teacher and coach by profession, Keith Langley knows nothing about running an effective, efficient government operation and the worst part is that in January he was surrounded by all kinds of people who are very skilled and experienced in govt operations and wanted to be of service but he rebuffed them all and decided instead to surround himself with people like Chris DeF, Ed Gilbert, John Torino, Sean Mulvey, and now Mike Poorman. All he seems to care about is getting re-elected while Rome burns but with this cast of characters in his camp, he doesn't stand a chance. One thing is clear, he shouldn't have made an enemy of the Matters. Not good, Keith. Not good at all.
ReplyDeleteAT: The Supervisor said that he's tired of Mary Ann Matters trying to change the ethics law for "every little thing." He cited as examples her effort to delete the requirement that one member must be a town employee and now her desire to allow residents to file complaints. Calling the rights of citizens a "little thing" is mind boggling. He said the town had spent enough time putting together the Code of Ethics and now we should live with it. He used my name twice as someone who supported the current code and I did, but that was because our attorney's opinion was that residents were allowed to file complaints. Now that actual complaints have been filed against Town Board members we have a legal interpretation that prohibits residents from filing complaints. It's another example of the clandestine approach to government that the Supervisor favors.
ReplyDeleteDeb DiMartino raised the only substantive objection to Mary Ann Matter's resolution. The resolution sought subpoena powers for ethics investigations and mentioned punishment for transgressions and Deb wondered whether these would lead us down a path that could cause more problems than they would solve. It's a legitimate objection and Mary Ann Matters is redrafting the resolution. Ed Gilbert, who wasn't at the meeting, said at the last town board meeting that resident complaints are pointless since it would just be a matter of "he said, she said" and nothing would be accomplished. When he was appointed I suggested that Ed would protect Langley from resident complaints and there he was making me look like a prophet.
The Board of Ethics doesn't need subpoena powers, it needs a commitment to foster ethical conduct by the Town Board and Supervisor. Ed Gilbert's objection is ridiculous. Resident complaints should be investigated, the Board of Ethics should file the results with the Town Board, and town officials should have to answer for unethical behavior. No matter what the ethically challenged Ed Gilbert thinks, that would be a great accomplishment but it's only possible if members of the Town Board believe that the public has a right to question their actions.
The interpretation that the complaints are pointless is absurd, especially coming from the chairman who should be fighting for this clause. At the last Ethics meeting I waited until public comment to ask our attorney a question regarding his interpretation. I had read the Attorney General's interpretation
Deleteto which was pretty clear that the board does indeed have the authority to take action (interpretation below). When I had asked how come there was a difference in interpretation I also started to show our attorney the brochure, to which his immediate reply to me was "I don't care what the attorney general says, this is what I have in front of me." We also did start the meeting with being instructed to conduct the pledge of allegiance facing a wall because there was a flag on the other side before someone noticed a mini one in the corner. So maybe I misunderstood his response. Needless to say I contacted the Department of State, Division of Local Government Services directly to get their interpretation of this. They replied with the same conclusion that they could find no case that would contradict the AG's interpretation:
"Through enactment of a local law, a local government may grant to its board of ethics the authority to receive complaints alleging violations of
ethics regulations, to investigate these complaints, and to conduct investigations on its own initiative as to whether violations of ethics
standards have occurred. The Board may be given enforcement authority and the local law may provide for administering penalties."
There is no place in a good government for enemies especially in a small town. Differences of opinion are healthy and can be productive if they are based on a solid belief in plan, direction or ideology. But to let a personal difference of opinion effect they way you do a job you were elected to do is simply irresponsible. I don't care if they hate each other, they need to step up and be productive for the town and if Keith doesn't think a resolution is a good idea, as tax payers we are entitled to know the reasoning. Whether he thinks so or not. It's time to grow up boys and girls.
ReplyDeleteWell said 10:34 a.m. but what happens if the Supervisor doesn't allow for differences of opinion, when he considers anyone who doesn't agree with him, to be against him?This mess started in January because the Supe couldn't tolerate differences of opinion. In July, he then sent a drone to give her a message: play ball or else. They then created the vicious EGM attack blog when she complained and took exception to the threat. At the meeting yesterday, Langley accused Matters of just being difficult as if she was born that way. She's perfectly justified in her approach to him now. So, it's not a question of growing up so much as owning up to his behavior since January and resolving to change. In the absence of change, this so-called majority is finished.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jack!
ReplyDeleteKeith Langley is a piece of work. To refer to the rights of citizens as a "little thing" coupled with his clandestine approach to government as well as his adversarial manner with CP Matters is contumelious behavior. Then Keith is shocked that the public is restive.
Has anyone else learned some new words today? I have!
DeleteContumelious: rude treatment; insolent.
Restive: hard to control; balky.
Thanks, Ann!
NYS General Municipal Law §806 authorizes governing bodies to “adopt a code of ethics setting forth for the guidance of its officers and employees the standards of conduct reasonably expected of them” and is silent on complaints and enforcement. OSC’s Model Code of Ethics is similarly silent on these subjects.
ReplyDeleteConsistent with GML §808, the Town’s Board of Ethics is empowered to “render advisory opinions to officers and employees of the town with respect to article 18 of the New York General Municipal Law and this code.”
That being said, GML §805 Violations states “Any municipal officer or employee who willfully and knowingly violates the foregoing provisions of this article shall be guilty of a misdemeanor.”
Said foregoing provisions being:
§801 - Conflicts of interest prohibited.
§802 - Exceptions.
§803 - Disclosure of interest.
§804 - Contracts void.
§804-A - Certain interests prohibited.
I'd venture to say that §805 Violations would have to be determined by an appropriate court of law rather than the Ethics Board or Town Board.
Pete Stenson
I don't think the result of a positive finding of an ethical violation should be punishment in the legal sense but censure in an employee's file or the court of public opinion. Furthermore, projects which have been approved pursuant to a demonstrated conflict of interest should have their approvals rescinded and be required to navigate the approval process again after the conflict has been removed. Elected officials who are found to have violated the Code of Ethics should face exposure in the local media and have to answer to the electorate for the number of violations incurred, while town employees should have a letter of censure put in their personnel file. Repeated violations could be cause for dismissal. It would only take a number of cases before employees and officials understood the advantage of behaving in an ethical manner. The goal is to ensure that all town decisions are made in the public interest and not for the advantage of any individual, family, business or political organization. Since only the public can truly determine its own interests, efforts to exclude residents from the process are nothing less than a disabling of the entire system of ethics and a tacit admission that our elected officials know they're not capable of consistently acting in an ethical manner.
ReplyDeleteWell said Jack. We've had a crisis of credibility for some time now, spanning two administrations. Public trust will not return until we can again be sure as you say "that all town decisions are made in the public interest and not for the advantage of any individual, family, business or political organization." The Thompson Way shenanigans are a glaring example of the problem - particularly that illegal Plat "approval" which the Board and two Town Attorneys knew about, but who delivered "blank stares" when asked about it. Citizens should not have to go to court to see that the laws are faithfully administered. Isn't that what our public officials take an oath to do?
ReplyDeleteShould not the Town attorneys see the laws are faithfully administered? Should that not be included in their roles and responsibilities? If not, than what is their role and what are their responsibilities?
ReplyDeleteAT: Past town attorneys have absolutely been part of the problem and not part of the solution. They are appointed and therefore beholden to the majority who appointed them.
DeleteJoe Liccardi served under the democratic party majority.a partisans partisan politically as Malone, Mangold, McCabe and O'Brien.
Prior town attorneys have been so incompetent that each and every time something important came up the town board hired another attorney at taxpayer expense to handle the matter. Crazy? Irresponsible financially? You bet.
Patronage is one of the most serious flaws in our political system. In a manner of speaking it is legalized theft as I see it.
4:31 There are public officials and there are public officials. Generally, there is one honest, good government official among a slew of dishonest, questionable at best public officials. Over time, this tends to ware the good ones down and they walk away.
ReplyDeleteWe need to establish a tradition which just makes it too costly for the bad apples to hang around. A couple of referrals to disciplinary committees for attorneys might work for starters. That's quicker than elections. But I wouldn't be surprised if the coming November election also sends a message. The people of EG have really been jerked around lately by the folks who are supposed to serve the public interest.
DeleteDoes the Town Board still have the ability to stop the casino if East Greenbush is chosen by the sighting board on Wed.
ReplyDeleteOf course it does. The ZBA action violated both NYS law and the Town of East Greenbush Zoning Code. And the Gaming Commission, in its advice to developers stated clearly that Gaming was the only activity which trumped local zoning law, and accompanying amenities did not. You can see how far the foolishness has gone. Some folks are in a "double-think fantasy world."
DeleteCouncil-person Matters needs to reason with the Supervisor and convince him to pull his support on the Casino before Wed.. That would pluck Feathers, for sure.
DeleteWouldn't be surprised if Langley/DeFruscio were in thick with Davis/Hart/Maney in the Thompson Hill thingy. This is all about "big deals." We've got to get rid of these parasites.
DeleteIt seems like a lot of people are expecting an outcome that is not likely to happen, and not with the licensing. The administration, mostly Keith and Chris, orchestrated this deal when they thought they would be the only proposal that had a chance. They were likely assured that it was wired for them. They never expected the Rensselaer deal, the Schenectady deal came together nicely and the certainly didn't expect the opposition. They assumed they'd be hailed as Town saviors. They misjudged this thing the whole way through. Still, they can't just change their minds and make it seem as if they made a mistake. They have no choice but to ride this thing to the end and they will likely take the position that they try to do what they thought was in the best interest of the town.
ReplyDeleteIf EG gets the license, they have bigger problems, not fewer, and there is a chance that it makes the State look equally as bad. Schenectady is likely the front runner even with the Albany deals the commission noting that they will adhere to the intent of the law, suggests that economic need being weighed at 70%, EG may be the least in need of the 4 especially since if it goes to Renss, it solves some of our financial woes anyway. If it doesn't come here, there will likely be an attempt to rally the silent majority and try to convince them that the naysayers caused them a financial burden. The only problem with that is complaining about your circumstances, doesn't solve them. They still need to demonstrate an ability to lead, to build a coalition and work WITH Maryann to make our town better. If they think the democrats are going to help improve things under their leadership, they are sorely mistaken.
Agree with most of the post but the siting choices are not based on 70% need but rather 70% for economic and business development. This leaves lots of room for creative accounting for getting to decisions that the commission wants to make.
DeleteI would like to think Rensselaer was given another chance at the apple for one simple reason. The state not being able to audit East Greenbush finances for three years. Three years. Now you know the supervisor was completely aware of this and hoping for the gaming commision to make a choice quick before it came out. But he was called out as was required and low and behold East Greenbush can't be determined if it needs it or not. The state doesn't want a city with no financial abiliities to run a casino. Doesn't matter if its best place or not. They need to see something on paper and legally to ascertain if the town deserves it. In a court of law East Greenbush couldn't even certify their own finances. If they get sued how in the world could the state stand behind them. No amount of money, will solve this problem. This is the one thing Feathers I bet wasn't told about. And now he is scrambling his resources by giving away money to look good. Cause East Greenbush isn't at the moment.
ReplyDeleteWe know that the LLC's started changing names in February and that some Cops and Planning Board members were "in on it" in February. I believe that it was Mr. Hart who delivered the April Resolution to the Supervisor. This whole thing stinks - from that illegal Plat "approval" for Thompson Way to Gilbert's bullying and lying to the Siting Board.
DeleteWOW 12:27..thats alot of accusation ! Cops "In on it" !? What possibly do they have to do with any of this ?
DeleteA Cop told me personally when he was made aware. Same is true of the Planning Board. And insider conspiracy of the lowest order. It will all come out eventually.
DeleteSo the "cops" actually have nothing to do with it.....your just throwing that in...just simply because they knew of it means nothing. They have no authority to deal with any of the process..
DeleteThe fact is that they knew about it, and the taxpayers of the Town did not. The taxpayers have authority to deal with the process but were kept from the knowledge of it. Sounds like a fix, right? Hart/Maney/Davis/Langley/DeFruscio and company on the Planning and Zoning Boards.
DeleteForallofyouarmchairethicsadvisors-checkwhatothertownsdowithethicsmatters.Cliftonparkhasaethicsboardandsodoescolonieandguilderland
ReplyDeleteOn Wednesday the casino debacle will, win- lose or draw come to a conclusion of sorts.
ReplyDeleteSupervisor Langley and Town Board: that will be your cue to get off your dead asses and, finally, put together a real financial plan.
Work with each, involve the CFAC, involve EVERYONE who wants to participate in the process of creating a financial turn around p,an but get off your dead asses and get that plan done.
It is your job, your responsibility, your duty to the taxpayers of our town.
It is perhaps worthwhile to suggest to everyone, that regardless of the outcome, some common decency is called for when the announcement is made. If the casino comes to East Greenbush, it would be in bad form to gloat or issue I told you so's, because the announcement may be the end of the process, but only the beginning of an entirely new process. On the other hand, if it does not come here, it does not benefit the Save EG group to gloat or take celebrated victory laps publicly and issue the same I told you so's. Both sides still have a community to live in. Both sides still have financial issues to deal with and we need to restore our community together.
DeleteThe fight, either way, will not die. There is still a perceived, if not actual, betrayal on the part of officials and the process needs desperately to be reformed. Arrogance will not accomplish the objectives of either side. We need to deal rationally with the outcome regardless of what it is. Whether we agree or not, each side has taken a position and worked diligently for their respective goal. If there is pearl of benefit to be taken away from all of this, perhaps it is the fact that people who have always been involved, remained involved. People who never were, were encouraged to join in and participate and believe it or not, at some point in the future we will all be better for it.
The purpose of any horse race or ball game is not to definitively decide who is the best, the fastest or the strongest. it is to determine who is the best on that given day. But any Olympic medal winner will tell you, there will come a day when records are broken, when the winds shift and a different horse wins the same race, on the same course on a different day. We need to have mutual respect for one anothers opinions. It doesn't mean we have to like them, but we need to respect others right to their opinion and their effort. On any given day, should we agree on the next battle, some of the very people we oppose today, could be our closest ally.
We should collectively learn lessons from Ferguson and other times when a verdict did not suit people and they revolted instead of accepting a decision that was likely made with information most were not privy to. We can not riot. We must accept the decision and move on. no matter which side you are on, if the decision is not to your liking, you have an obligation to either accept the decision, or work within the framework of the process available and change the process so it doesn't happen again. It's just a suggestion, but there is every indication that no matter what the result is, tempers may be running a little high, it is best we keep them in check.
Sorry Anony....No quarter asked, none given. This fiasco was a manipulation by some insiders who need to have their wings clipped. They've been rolling over the citizens of this Town for quite a while, and this was supposed to be the crowning achievement. The fact is that some people should not have access to the governmental decision making process. They are not capable of dealing with it.
Delete7:01 sounds like Gilbert trying to cover his butox....
DeleteI would tend to agree about the pressing need for intelligent political discourse. But...concerned citizens would have to talk to themselves.
ReplyDeleteAnyone read Ed Gilbert's charming blogs? Anyone experience he, Langley and DeFruscio's arrogance and just plain nastiness? Anyone watch, listen and read their own public comments? Yikes Almighty. It must be hard for Langley et al to represent the very people he so evidently despises. Can I be mistaken about that?
I am not singling only these erstwhile political figures out. But they are in charge right now and absolutely regardless of what was done before they have needed to step up and lead, communicate, involve and make positive changes. And they most definitely have failed to do so.
So, got every point about not gloating. But I urge all concerned citizens to keep the pressure on for positive change and (especially) for accountability. If history has taught us anything around here it is that involved citizens asking questions and demanding intelligent decisions is THE only means to positive change in our town.
@ 8:44 PM- You make an excellent point! It is readily apparent by his demeanor at Town Board meetings that Supervisor Langley really does despise the vast majority of the people he was elected to represent. His rude and arrogant behavior towards well meaning people who disagree with him is well documented.
DeleteI agree that everyone should be civil in their response to the casino decision but there's a difference between fair criticism of policy decisions and unproductive negativity and personal attacks. The post above seems to be an implicit plea to "forgive and forget" but I have no intention of forgetting the failures of a town board that disregarded public opinion and sided with a small number of predators who tried to destroy our community for their own benefit. Members of the town board deserve, and will receive, my respect as people and elected officials but I feel no responsibility to let them off the hook because it was their failure to do their due diligence or accept any input from their constituents that caused the (two to one) division in our community. Civility? Absolutely. Forgiveness? Maybe in time. Honest criticism? You bet. Forget? No chance.
ReplyDeleteEd Gilbert is the embodiment of everything that's wrong with East Greenbush right now, and the fact that he's the Chairman of the Ethics Board is too much to bear. Gilbert's implantation on the EB is Langley's way of showing his disdain for the board. Just something else to add to the list of reasons why we won't vote to re-elect Keith (Mr. Miserable) Langley.
ReplyDeleteNo gloating planned. We have other more positive things to do, like demanding fiscal responsibility from Langley during his final months in. office. also, why lecture this blog? Folks here have been respectful and welcoming throughout.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, but I just can't forget the actions of "Casino" Keith Langley. His dismal record over the last three years does not warrant his reelection. My family and I will be actively working to ensure a replacement for "Casino" Keith is elected on primary day.
ReplyDelete@ Anon 12/15 7:01 - while I believe your post was with good intentions, comparing this to Ferguson is far fetched. The residents of East Greenbush have exemplified amazing restraint of their emotions and anger. This casino goes far beyond a difference of opinions. What happened with this casino is what has been going on in East Greenbush for years. Arrogance, mixed with some incompetence and blatant disregard toward everyone else living in this town besides those with ties to town hall, is what defines this town. Add some Ed Gilbert, and our town is exactly where it should be based on who's been in charge - in shambles. Your post comes off rather offensive, as if we are being schooled on good behavior and as if we have not been civil. While many of us will be relieved to have some sanity back to our lives if and when this decision comes back, victory laps are far from near. We have a long ways to go, maybe years, before anyone can start doing any victory laps.
ReplyDeleteJust heard from a friend that Joe Bruno gave an interview on Channel 6 news last night and he said that he thinks the casino is going to Rensselaer. Joe is certainly regarded as a political insider so he probably would keep quiet unless he knew he was right.
ReplyDeleteLet's see if our town Supe votes in favor of the internal controls resolution tomorrow night. This will be a strong indication of his commitment to supporting the CFAC and giving them something worthwhile and important to do. It will also speak to his desire to either see town operations improve or stay the same. Please plan to come to the town board meeting tomorrow night, 7 p.m., town hall. We can best show interest in town govt by being present.
ReplyDeleteIf you can, stop by at 6:45 PM for the public hearing regarding the Keith Langley sewer increase proposal. Let's see if the Supervisor calls for a vote for his increase at the 7pm Town Board meeting. This is what passes for public input and respectful consideration in the world of "Casino" Keith Langley.
ReplyDeleteCome at 6:45
ReplyDeleteThe Town Board of the Town of East Greenbush, County of Rensselaer, State of New York, will hold a Public Hearing on the 17th day of December, 2014, at 6:45PM in the evening of said day, at the Town Hall, 225 Columbia Turnpike, in said East Greenbush, New York, on a Resolution to adjust sewer rates in the Town of East Greenbush.
Pete Stenson