In June
of 1876, decorated Civil War hero General George Armstrong Custer led the 7th
Cavalry Regiment into battle against the Lakota nation. Shown the way by Indian scouts hoping to make
a fast buck, Custer refused offers of heavy artillery (a Gatling Gun) and
failed to link up with several other companies because of a lack of respect for
the Lakota warriors. Unaware that
Sitting Bull had dreamed of “soldiers falling upside down into our camp,” a
prophecy he would have dismissed as savage superstition anyway, Custer believed
that the Lakota people lacked the knowledge and sophistication that made his
regiment unbeatable in a confrontation like this. Receiving advance information
from his Indian scouts, Custer learned that he should launch a sneak attack
before his position was discovered. On
the morning of June 25th, Custer and his men rode over the ridge
near the Little Big Horn – known to the Lakota as the Greasy Grass – expecting
a relatively small band of local yokels to offer at best token resistance to
not only his soldiers but to his dreams of power and fortune. Instead he rode into the better part of the
entire Lakota nation, and not a few Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho. The rest is well known to history except
perhaps for the Lakota myth about what happened to his dead body as he lay
vanquished on the battlefield. According
to native custom, two old Lakota women took bone awls and cut holes where
Custer’s ears had been. They did so, it
is said, so that he would hear better in the next life.
In
April 2014, renowned power broker Jimmy Feathers led the Saratoga Casino
Regiment into the Town of East Greenbush.
Shown the way by local landowners hoping to make a fast buck, Feathers
disregarded the need for heavier artillery and failed to link up with the true
representatives of the native community, shunning them out of a lack of respect
and falling for the myth that the surrender of their discredited ‘chiefs’ was
all he needed. Feathers believed that
the people of East Greenbush lacked the knowledge and sophistication that had
made him invincible in previous battles.
Receiving advance information from his landowner scouts, Feathers
learned that it was best to mount a sneak attack with a generic resolution
before anyone knew he was coming. These
local yokels would be fending off an army of addicted gamblers before they knew
what hit them. But when Feathers and his
crew rode over the ridge on Thompson Hill expecting to find at best token
resistance, not only to his casino but to his dreams of more power and greater
fortune, the whole East Greenbush nation, and not a few North Greenbushers and
Schodackians, were waiting for him. The
rest is now well known to history. We
cut no holes where his ears had been but we did send a message to other
corporate predators who think we won’t defend our territory: East Greenbush is
not for sale.
The
Times Union is reporting today that the Casino PDD application has been
withdrawn. The land on which it was to
be built is for sale. Apart from
cleaning up a few legal details and paying the SEG attorney, the Battle of Thompson Hill is over.
I don't know Jack. As long as corruption and deceitful practices loom in EG, will these type of battles ever really be over? The end of this battle may depend upon who/what the purchaser of Thompson Hill wants to build on that site.
ReplyDeleteAfter this casino debacle as well as 1 Cooper Avenue and Thompson Way (and let's not forget the HoneyBee massage parlor) I think it is time to take a proactive approach rather than wait to see what will happen. Let's make it very clear to the Town Board that this time they should actively solicit new and legitimate businesses and developers that would FIT within the R-B zone. Further upstate they're starting to encourage an establishment to raise medical marijuana. That would fit R-B. And the regulation and oversight would amazing. Little chance for corruption and hanky-panky.
DeleteWe might want to make a list of new businesses we would like to see in this Town - especially along 9/20 which is rapidly turning into a cesspool. I for one would like to see a Sports Complex like the one in Clifton Park.
Another restaurant like Chez Mike might be nice. What about a Bellini's franchise?
Perhaps the Board should convene a citizens committee (like the one convened to advise on the land use plan a few years ago) to pro-actively seek business development. In the meantime, post some suggestions here.
Suzanne,
DeleteI would like to see a Sonic! Yes I know they are another fast food plAce, but we already know they are coming to the area, and they are 100 percent better than a McDonalds!!!
Jack, first of all, amazing post, your best ever, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. Second of all, I say Jack Conway is THE way forward. So, Langley OUT, Conway IN! The TU today said CP Matters submitted legislation to withdraw the casino PDD. Then, suddenly, miraculously it's withdrawn by the applicant. I ask you, does our Supervisor ever have an original thought? Why didn't HE move for the withdrawal 90 days after it was referred to the PB with absolutely no recommendation from them whatsoever? This Supervisor has done nothing, zero, nota to bring this nightmare to an end one second sooner for town's people who either hated the idea of a gambling casino with a passion or didn't care at all. He sat on his hands and simply waited a painfully long time for the eventual anti-climactic outcome. Is this the way a leader acts? PDD withdrawn, over, done with. Since he secured his precious majority in Nov 2013, he has done everything in his power to dismantle it. It's pretty clear now that his elected teammates have no use for him and vice versa. Like General Custer, Supervisor Langley failed miserably to LISTEN to the smart people around him who wanted to help him maximize the power of the majority for the good of the town, and his political career WILL lay dead on the campaign battlefield in November, his "ears" be damned. Perhaps the Supervisor should have payed closer attention in history class because this is nothing more than a classic case of history repeating itself.
ReplyDeleteJack,
ReplyDeleteGreat post, and hopefully this is feathers and Langley's last stand!!!
And now we, the good people of East Greenbush, need to take our election year "vengeance" on those who so blatantly and obviously betrayed us. Namely Langley, Hart/Mangold and Malone and anyone else they attempt to foist on us as their lackeys.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Jack. You are a good and decent man and I will always highly respect and admire you.
The assumption here is that Feathers OWNS the property, but they never truly say do they? They say the PDD has been withdrawn and that is clearly him or his team, but they never quite say who controls the property. The LLC is noted, but no one knows for sure who owns it do we?
ReplyDeleteVictories are great and should be celebrated at every chance and Jack's commentary is both educational and entertaining, but the devil is always in the details. It remains worth asking the question who owns what and having the Town affirm the fact that the PDD no longer applies and the property is zoned R-B and the uses that apply. cynical as it may be, if there is one thing every should have learned by now is that there aren't a lot of people who can be trusted in this town. It's likely a lot of money was lost in this process or maybe Feathers covered there losses, but rest assured, someone will be looking to do something there in time. There is still a very large "duplex" on the hill with 4 doors. Celebrate as you should, but keep your eyes on the players. As soon as you look away you find yourselves fighting another battle.
it would be nice if there was a proposal that everyone could support rather than fight. Maybe THAT'S what Langley should work on. Something that fits!
Speaking of that very large "duplex" with 4 front doors, I'd like to know how many kitchens are in it. Four front doors would seem to indicate 4 apartments, which have not been approved. Considering what has been going on, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this were the case.
DeleteIt is important to note that not only are there two front doorto each duplex, they are literally side by side (just in case people have a vision if a side door or garage door).
DeleteIt sure would be nice to hear from the building inspector about this. Will Supervisor Langley allow him to comment? If not, why not?
ReplyDeleteThe good people of East Greenbush have, once again, proven how correct Margaret Mead was when she famously said:
ReplyDelete"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Langley, Hart/Mangold, Malone and DiMartino are, very sadly chumps. They picked exactly the wrong team to hitch their wagon to. They failed, utterely and completely, to understand the will of the people. They underestimated their political "enemies". They have, consistently, made bad decisions the wrong way.
The only thing better than summarily voting all of them out of office is if they would do the honorable thing and resign. Won't happen; I get that.
Keith Langley had, literally, the town at his feet. He could have generated huge support against the tyranny that had become McCabe, O'Brien, Malone and Hart/Mangold. Instead he folded like the proverbial cheap suit. He whined and complained. He failed to lead. He failed to communicate effectively.
Once he got a full majority he squandered the opportunity by pandering to the lowest of the low. He put all his political stock into the wrong people - DeFruscio, Gilbert, Torino and many others.
He was shocked when he won election. I trust he will suffer no such surprise when he loses come November. He, well and truly, deserves to go. As do Hart/Mangold and Malone.
It's going to be interesting to see the dynamic between Keith Langley and Phil Malone this year if both of them are, in fact, running for Supervisor. Anyone who knows Keith knows he will run because he needs to prove to himself and others that he can win re-election. He needs to prove to himself that more voters in the town approve of the job he's done the past 3+ years than not. He needs to prove to himself that he's not regarded as just a clone of Rick McCabe. Anyone who knows Phil Malone knows he will run because its his best chance of ever making $70K a year and having an office. Malone is a cocky, arrogant punk who could give Langley a run for his money if he learns how to campaign effectively. Problem is Phil and Keith are so much alike that people will have a hard time deciding between them. It would be a real toss up. It could inure to the town's benefit this year if Langley and Malone are competing for the Supervisor's seat. One thing's for sure, if either one of them wins on 11/3, you'll see a completely different man on 11/4. Will the REAL Keith Langley and Phil Malone please stand up prior to election day? Not a chance.
ReplyDeleteYes Chris, there are people smarter than you are, and your inability to take advantage of that resource has doomed the Langley administration. Ta, ta...
ReplyDeleteI am looking for a 'what you see is what you get' candidate this year. I want whomever wins election to be the same person on Jan 1 and beyond as the one who stood at my door and asked for my vote during campaign season. These "candidates" can't do enough for you prior to election day but after election day it's resident who? Keith Langley and Phil Malone need not come to my door as it will not be opened for them. Their treatment of the electorate last year during the casino fiasco was deplorable. They showed their true colors and I am truly turned off. I may open my door just to tell them to get off my property or I'll call the police.
ReplyDeleteMany of us are looking for candidates not backed by either Langley, Malone or DeFruscio. Are there any such people out there?
ReplyDeleteIn Langley's most recent Advertiser campaign attempt he thought the readers would be duped into believing the garbage he spits out from time to time (http://issuu.com/crwnewspapers/docs/advertiser_south_030515/1?e=2634601/11720868). He states "During my first term in office I have made correcting this inappropriate financial borrowing a priority. Through conservative budgeting, PROPER accoubting practices, and reduced spending we have CONSISTENTLY reduced this inappropriate inter-fund borrowing deficit every year."
ReplyDeleteThis is all fascinating considering two accounting firms that he signed off on and a comptroller he authorizes to pay concluded that are books are in such a state of disarray that a simple audit couldn't even be performed. Had he owned up to the sad state of our finances, even during YOUR TERM Langley, he wouldn't have wasted another $65,000 in tax payer dollars to be told about or sad finacial state. How can you, Mr. Supervisor, think we'll foolisly believe any of this?
We need COMPETENT individuals in town hall, let's make 2015 the first time we vote for real change.
9:53 a.m. We can add to your post that our Comptroller has been adamant for 15 months now that a "broken beyond repair accounting system" is the reason/excuse for the state of financial instability that we are still dealing with. At the 11/18/14 meeting with the auditors, when Mr. Phillips was asked WHEN new accounting software would be purchased, he said, "we really haven't earned the privilege of buying a software package...we really have to learn our transactions and define them clearly.. there's a lot of wishful thinking on our transactions." If this is the case, then how can the Annual Financial Report Update Document for the State Comptroller's office be completed by May of this year with any certainty? Without reliable accounting software, HOW is the comptroller accounting for the town's finances, on paper? In the 3/5 edition of the Advertiser (p.7), the Supervisor states the he has "consistently reduced the inappropriate inter-fund borrowing deficit every year" but given that the funds to which he is referring (the Highway and General funds) are still hundreds of thousands of dollars in the red, could the Supervisor's assertions be nothing more than "wishful thinking?" Only OSC can clear that up for us. Whether the state auditors back up Mr. Langley's claims upon the completion of their audit remains to be seen. We can only hope the now ongoing audit is completed soon.
ReplyDeleteI am not sticking up Langley, but most of this took place before he even got into office the only thing he can be picked apart on is the fact that he has really done nothing to fix the problem. Let me state the fact that I'm not sticking up for him because there is almost no way I would ever vote for him again, but take note this also doesn't mean I will be voting for Malone because there is no way I will vote for him either.
DeleteFor me even if whoever gets into office just admitted that mistakes have been made and said they will not be made any more, and just followed through on their promise. I realize the financial mess wont be fixed over night, but doing nothing is not fixing it, pinning all of the towns hopes on a casino is not fixing it. Make some sound business judgements and doing some sound book keeping is fixing it.
The Supervisor's been in office for three years without a Financial Recovery Plan (FRP) to speak of. This speaks to his total lack of commitment to the problem. If you recall when Ann Taylor and Mike Cristo ran in 2010, they put a detailed and comprehensive FRP in the Advertiser for all to see. Langley never did that even when he was running and he still doesn't have a FRP. The fact that he has done nothing to fix the problem IS the problem, in my opinion, because that's what he was elected to do. Otherwise, we could have just left Rick McCabe in office. The "broken beyond repair accounting system" is also a problem because that can be used to cover up a whole host of things ignored by or even perpetuated by Langley since he was elected. Could this accounting system problem be used until after Langley is re-elected? It is not outside the realm of possibility. Obtaining a functional accounting system should have been priority one for Mr. Phillips on Jan 1, 2014. I don't buy the "we haven't earned the privilege" line. A Comptroller of a town needs proper software to do his job and prepare his reports for the state. I'm no expert but perhaps he could have used the new system concurrently with the old, "broken" system until he got all of the financial information transferred over? All we know for sure is that Mr. Langley's FRP was spelled CASINO. Talk about a Hail Mary play at the end of the game...and it failed! Wow, what now, Mr. Langley. What now?
DeleteI guess we just have to take their word on it.
ReplyDeletePhillips "learn and discern" and "haven't earned the privilege" ranks right up there with Lanleys "the resolution is the resolution".
How has Comptroller George Phillips been functioning for 15 months without a state-of-the-art, unbroken accounting system? If it's "broken beyond repair," then what is he using for an accounting system, pencil and paper? When will he think he's "learned" and "defined" his transactions well enough to have "earned" the "privilege" of using the software he needs to do his job? How can Langley make claims about the debt without a functional, up-to-date, accounting system? This is worrisome to say the least.
ReplyDeleteThe public has been so distracted by the casino fight that it's lost sight of the condition of the town's finances. Time to regroup and refocus. Eileen Grant is the only one who has consistently dogged the Supervisor about the audits and all she's gotten is silence and blank stares in return. While topics like Thompson Hill, ethics, and plat approvals are important, too, we must continue to hit hard on the finances. Langley will be giving himself huge pats on the back for real or imagined debt repayment until Nov 3rd. He's going to seem more like a parrot than a person but we can't let him distract or fool us. He's a master at both.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out, anon. I agree with all of what you said right up until the last. Keith Langley isn't going to fool anyone this time.
Delete2:30 PM:
ReplyDeleteThe town remain mired in a junk bond credit rating. Hard to fathom after so many years but that is the cruel reality.
Few to none of the OSC's audit recommendations have been implemented. Especially disturbing, again after so many years, is the town's completely failed bookkeeping system - which was essentially Rick McCabe deciding where to allocate what expenses. Is that nuts? Of course it is.
Eileen Grant, and many others, are 100% correct in asking, over and over and over, for a true, deep and meaningful audit. The problem is that such an audit is impossible because of the chaotic state of the town's nonexistent bookkeeping procedures.
The complete and utter failure of Langley and all town board members to tackle this issue head on and rectify this is, of and by itself, more than sufficient reason to throw every, stinking one of them from office.
Quicken Books would be an improvement over what the town does now. Every first year accounting student at all familiar with double entry bookkeeping could do better balancing the town's books.
The potential for fraud, simply and sadly, cannot be calculated.
Thanks for the shout out, 3:33. Rest assured, I will stick with it.
DeleteIt's sad Keith Langley refused to listen to Eileen Grant about the audits three years ago instead of wasting the taxpayers money and the town employees time over the last three years by doing nothing.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that the NYS Comptrollers Office has returned to Town Hall highlights the foolishness of the do nothing Langley administration. How Langley thought he could simply ignore the Comptroller's prior recommendations is simply mind boggling.
Langley deserves a smack on the rear, not a pat on the back. He has wasted our tax dollars time and time again. After three years of his misguided rule the Town of East Greenbush still does not have a reputable system of internal controls.
ReplyDelete@ 6:00 PM:
ReplyDeleteSadly, there are probably more "internal controls" at the Honeybee Spa then at the Langley run Town of East Greenbush.
Not good Mr. Langley, not good at all.
The Langley administration has failed us on a number of fronts.....1 Cooper Ave., a duplex with 4 front doors, an illegal Plat approval last January, a casino fiasco with a really dumb ZBA finding, etc. It's time for an administration with no loyalties to the two machines in Town. They've been bought and paid for by the insiders and players who are bleeding us dry.
ReplyDeleteAre we going to allow Langley's "wishful thinking" to go unchallenged? In an election year, every claim he makes in the Advertiser provides a golden opportunity to respond in the Advertiser. You can write a 350 word "Letter to the Editor" and get it published for free. He's got it coming, so let's give it to him...unless you want to hear the name "Supervisor Langley" bandied about until the year 2019. Egad, perish the thought! If the people of East Greenbush brought down Rick McCabe and a casino mogul like Jimmy Feathers, surely they can bring down one little Keith Langley. Ready, set, get writing, East Greenbush! The future of the town depends on it. Every voice counts!
ReplyDeleteI agree with 12:51 a.m.
ReplyDeleteLetter writing campaigns can be very effective.
I disagree with 12:51 AM- Keith Langley and Chris DeFruscio have said nobody reads letters. People just vote based on who promises jobs to them and their close friends and relatives. So keep wasting your time writing those letters that nobody reads.
ReplyDelete11:37 a.m. Your handle "I Like Langley" boils down to ILL. How fitting is that? Your ill-conceived notions force me to ask you, ARE YOU KIDDING? I don't know what's more absurd, your post on the whole or the fact that you're taking your education from the brothers grim, Langley & DuhFruscio. Clearly, you need to get out more and expand your circle of friends. In the meantime, ask yourself this, if the power of the written word got DiMartino and Matters, two virtual unknowns in town, elected, then why couldn't it work to get Langley defeated in Nov? The answer is IT CAN! Nobody reads? All my friends read voraciously, which is just your sugar daddy's bad luck. "Langley and DeF have said..." Give us a break (lol!)
ReplyDelete1:58, DiMartino and Matters were elected because Keith Langley and Chris DeFruscio supported them. Remember, they were the masterminds behind the SWF campaign. Whoever Keith and Chris supports will win this November. They are both political geniuses. No need for you or anyone to read anything else.
ReplyDelete5:48 p.m. You're a riot, and you could not be more wrong on every point. "Political geniuses?" That's the best laugh I've had in years.
ReplyDeleteFrom what I've seen, "I Like Langley" enjoys putting us on..... Good for an occasional laugh.
DeleteYou're right, Gadfly. Our ILL friend is just that, a friend.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I'm guessing it is that ILL is yanking our chains...he/she does point out the whole crutch of Def and Langley's entire campaign...they hope only limited people who don't read vote and that those that do vote are the suckers that believe the garbage spilling out of their mouth. They sadly also do vote because they think there will be jobs laid out for them. Time to wake the rest of EG up and get out and vote!
ReplyDeleteI am beginning to think that our comptroller is keeping our books as one would keep a hostage. I agree with many of the commenters who say that he has had enough time to at least come to the conclusion that "we have earned the right" (don't you love that phrase?) to graduate to some sort of computerized system to keep records rather than the stone tablets he is using now. How can Langley even comment on finances when he has no accounting system in place?
ReplyDeleteI think our comptroller is doing the best he can but nothing seems to have been accomplished. How long is too long?
The problem is that people keep giving him a pass but some are beginning to suspect that the comptroller may be working in tandem with the Supervisor (i.e. his boss) to conceal financial information until after the election. The comptroller should realize, however, that he serves at the pleasure of the whole board, not just 20% of it. As it is, our mild-mannered comptroller has managed to skirt the residency requirement for 15 months now. Apparently, he's good at avoiding more than just the purchase of badly needed accounting software. His mistake is in thinking that people won't notice or care.
ReplyDeleteProstitution arrest at Honey Bee Salon in East Greenbush
ReplyDeleteStaff report
Updated 10:25 pm, Monday, March 9, 2015
http://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Masseuse-c
harged-with-prostitution-at-Honey-Bee-6124465.php
Pete Stenson
This was a business that the Chair of the Planning Board announced at a January meeting was going to expand to hair and nails if the initial effort was successful. Good grief....
DeleteI want to know: who approved this company to take up business in our town??? Planning Board? Zoning Board? Who granted them a license to run a "massage" parlor?? Did Langley know of and approve this business?
DeleteAfter the casino fiasco, anyone watching/listening to today's morning news is now certain that EG is the Capital Region's scummiest place to live.
They are going to try to spin that they thought it was going to just be a nail salon, that is complete and utter BS. Matt stated a "SPA" was coming to that building not a nail salon, my first reaction was "Happy Ending Spa." After all, what spa would chose that specific location, honestly. Then as soon as they started building it, unfortunately many of us live way to close to this garbage our town thought was appropriate development (I know, I'm a NIMBY), it looked even more like the shoe fit. No one deserves a free pass on this. Honestly, do they read the news? Are they that gullible?
DeleteAnonymous 8:37am, I was at that meeting when he touted how good this spa would be, what a joke!!! I agree maybe someone that is involved in town hall should open their eyes because there is no way this business should have been allowed to open its doors.
DeleteRe: Anon 9:41....If you don't like how the town is being ran, then do something about!!!! run for the zoning board,run for the planning board or town board or simply move, if this is the "SCUMMIEST" place to live.
DeleteAnon 7:27, unfortunately the ZBA and Planning Board are appointed positions. The only thing to run for is Town Board/Supervisor.
DeleteI think everyone realizes this but...
ReplyDeleteWe have been fools being governed by idiots.
What the idiots do not fully grasp is that we are no longer fools. What the emperor, and his assorted minions and hacks, do not realize is that the emperor, indeed, has no clothes.
Nail salon???? Sure. Right. Of course.
November and the election to rid ourselves of this plague called Langley, Hart/Mangold and Malone cannot come soon enough for me and for the good people of East Greenbush.
Isn't anyone in Town Hall charged with checking licenses for activities which require licenses? Even barbers have to have them.
DeleteWe must also be ready for the 'ol switch-a-roo trick that is sure to be coming in a few short months. Rumor has it that our new Depty Supr wants his boss's job! It's widely known all the way up to the county that Langley blew it so completely with the gals that he's GOT TO GO or risk losing the repub majority altogether. Meanwhile,the genious DeF has reportedly quit as head of the town Repub Committee so that he can go on the attack to defend brother Langley from the snarling, drooling wolves that are beginning to circle him. Yup, there's complete chaos in the Repub party and it's all due to the combined brain of Langley, DeF, and Gilbert. The question is, where oh where is Jimmy Feathers now? Long gone, that's where.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone's counting, this marks at least the 6th time DeF has "quit" as the East Greenbush Republican Chairman.
ReplyDelete1:11 political parasites don't quit, they just burrow deeper until all the blood is sucked out. As long as Langley is in, DeF will be right there with him sucking every step of the way.
ReplyDeleteI think it's also time for our bldg inspector to hang it up. All he had to do, Matt Polsinello, too, was Google Honeybee Spa to see the kind of funny business they were selling. Do they do background checks of any kind, even just on the Internet or with law enforcement? Apparently not. This is a cost and a huge disservice to the town that should not have to be borne by the taxpayers.
ReplyDeleteIsn't the current building inspector the cousin and next door neighbor of the "former" republican town chairman? When will this cronyism ever end?
ReplyDeletehttps://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/election-year-true-or-false/
ReplyDeleteGadfly:
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you and your fellow posters ever mention the nice new sign Supervisor Langley has had installed in front of Town Hall? I consider that to be a significant accomplishment that distinguishes the Langley administration from all the previous ones.
Let's all take a deep breath and enjoy the new sign and stop carrying on about all this complicated financial and budget stuff.
More Langley in 2016.
"I got a fever... and the only prescription... is more Langley"
ReplyDeleteILL, I agree with you, all signs point to more Langley. After all, could we possibly get less Langley than we've had the past 3+ years? I don't think so. Forget the complicated financial and budget stuff, it's BORING! He got the town a really cool sign and even if it is partially blocked by bushes, I'm convinced that everything's gonna be all right. I know you are, too.
ReplyDeleteWait maybe they still have the flower lady on the payroll, she can trim those bushes so we could actually see the sign
DeleteDear Ill, you had better get to a doctor ASAP. We didn't need a sign. WE NEED AN ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE SO THAT WE CAN GET OUR FINANCES IN ORDER!
ReplyDeleteWake up s#%^*+!
Anyone that is a "townie" knows that the Harts' and Maney's have been the governing forces in this town forever!
ReplyDeleteAnd everyone in this town does pretty much know everyone else. It doesn't make it wrong, it is just that way.
It goes wrong when one does things that are "exceptional" just for him/her, and the supervisor and board members look the other way. These people are still good people in all other respects. Perhaps they'll see the error of their ways and make some changes!
Ya think?
DeleteThis Honeybee Spa incident is hard to figure. It was heartening to see residents who saw something wrong and moved to right it. The East Greenbush Police Department did a great job once alerted to the problem. Mary Ann Matters got hold of the issue and wouldn't let go until a solution was found. We need to hear from the Town as to what happened and what steps they had been taking before passing judgment on what should have been done and what can be done in the future to prevent something like this from happening again. Unfortunately, hearing from the Town requires a commitment to open government and a belief in the rights of residents to demand answers, two things that have been conspicuously absent from our Town government lately. I hope things are different this time.
ReplyDeleteThis whole incident has proven that there is actually something worse than vacant lots and abandoned buildings on 9 & 20 and that is the emergence of a low-rent district featuring disreputable businesses and shady dealings. Those of us who opposed the casino did so in part because history has shown that these types of 'businesses' flock to the host town and contribute to an overall predatory environment that sucks the lifeblood out of a community and replaces it with the belief that making a fast buck trumps both common decency and our right to be safe in our homes. It's time for our Town government to stop micro-managing community development with special treatment for insiders and return to a planning framework that seeks positive development in an integrated framework. I guess eliminating the position of Director of Planning to fund yet another patronage appointment wasn't such a good idea after all.
Jack, are we sure the Honey Bee is closed for good? or do we need to watch and make sure that they don't keep popping up?
ReplyDelete@ 7:22 AM- That's entirely up to Supervisor Langley and his "loyal" staff, including his building inspector.
ReplyDelete7:22 - I think we need to keep a close eye on this but the good news is that we have hundreds of sets of eyes that are now watching everything that happens in town. The casino debacle woke people up and even many who were pro-casino came to the realization that the 'process' used by the Town Board was insulting in the extreme. You're right to be cautious especially when the stakes are this high.
ReplyDeleteJack, all we really need is a few town board members and department heads to have a shred of common sense. We also probably need the building inspector to do just a little bit of actual work.
ReplyDeleteThe sad reality is that the people being paid to manage the town's business on behalf of the citizens of the town are just plain not doing so. Heaven only knows what the supervisor, town board and department heads actually do but it for darn sure is not doing the people's work.
The good news is that the utter incompetence, sheer stupidity, arrogance and everything else of everyone involved except for Mary Ann Matters has effectively energized more and more of the good, decent and regular folks of East Greenbush.
Jack, another exceptional post...thank you for it. If our Supervisor was half the leader you are, we'd be in much better shape. You have a wonderful ability to connect with people. Keith Langley simply does not. There is still a lot of work to do. Because of the casino gray cloud that hung over our heads for so long, our town board is undoubtedly behind on important issues and projects that should have been tackled last year; many of these issues must certainly have to do with town finances. Hopefully, Mary Ann, Sue and Phil will continue to ask the tough, uncomfortable questions that the Supervisor hopes are never asked and push hard to get things done right. In this repressive political environment, we residents need to support and encourage these board members. The HB Spa has driven the point home that a strong, active and very visible contingent of residents is all that can save our town now.
ReplyDeleteThe East Greenbush Town Board Pre-Board meeting will be held in the Community Room at Town Hall on Thursday, March 12, at 4 p.m. The town's consultant to the Waste Water Treatment Plant Upgrade project (Delaware Engineering) will attend the meeting to speak about their proposal to evaluate the town's five sewer districts and its sewer rate structures to determine the fairest and most equitable way to bill customers for sewer services and pay for the $14M WWTP upgrade for years to come. It promises to be an interesting and informative discussion and residents are encouraged to attend.
ReplyDeleteThank you Jack C for your good work on our behalf. I'm sorry I can't be at meetings for some time but, I am there in spirit.
ReplyDeleteThanks again, Liz
Isn't it time for all to be proud of whom they are and what they stand for and self identify themselves?
ReplyDeleteI also would like to add, if you don't stand for something then you'll fall for anything!
ReplyDeleteIsn't that partially to blame for the mess we're in now?
Be proud of yourselves, today, tomorrow and forever! We are good people!
Heard there is trouble in paradise, Vanwormer is challenging Malone for the Dem nomination for Supervisor.......This should be fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteMalone. Is seriously weakened politically. His Mommy is no longer around to watch over his various and assorted peccadilloes.
DeleteHe lost his county election badly. He ran a terrible campaign that enabled the SWF to prevail in our last election. He has trouble escaping his highly suspect past. - left a state job under dubious circumstances, threatened a state employee investigating him, violated his notary oath of office. And worse yet, he remains arrogant and condescending toward we, the voters.
Dave VanWormer was, in my opinion, the best of a pretty bad lot of recent DPW Commissioners. But supervisor? Not for this voter. Never.
@ 9:35 AM- Isn't Langley still angling for the Democratic Party endorsement for Supervisor? I thought that's why he kept Joe Cherubino on as Building Inspector.
DeleteGadfly, people don't have to identify themselves to be heard, especially on a blog. Many valuable and worth- while posts come from anonymous contributors. Even though we managed to escape having a big box casino in our town, the residual effect of opening our door to a casino is starting to take hold. The latest incident with HB Spa proves it. But just as the town failed to consult the residents about a casino in EG, our Planning and Zoning Boards are equally guilty of not taking community concerns into consideration before making decisions about land use and occupancy permits. Thanks to the internet, investigating businesses and business professionals is no longer a difficult and time consuming undertaking but dealing with unhappy residents if you make the wrong decision IS difficult and time consuming. When they're up for election or re-election, public officials are all about asking what people want and need. After election, they're all about what THEY want and need. I say take the oppty on election day to clear them out and put new faces is. As the electorate, we should keep doing that until we find good people who truly want to protect and serve.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't it be illegal to post a blatantly false update on the town website??? How can he say he effectively reduced the budget over 3 years by approximately 3 years?? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't we just throw away thousands of dollars because our books might as well be (maybe really are) non-existent and have to use the END of 2013 as a starting point for our budget?? But our arrogant Supervisor miraculously found those 2012 & 2013 books and audited them himself to create this ridiculous fantasy.
ReplyDeletesorry. ..meant by approximately reduced by "$1.6 million"
ReplyDeleteThe Rep and Dem machines are beginning to figure out that trying to do the bidding of their "insider and player" constituents is just not working out. One Dem board member is pissed that the residents have too much power. Time for the whole bunch to go.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to imagine that it's probably Dem bd mbr Hart-Mangold who's "pissed" that fed up residents won't let her sail along anymore voting in the best interest of her family's businesses. After all, isn't that why she graduated from the Planning Board to the Town Board? Given their extensive business dealings in EG, the very idea that a HART would be appointed or voted to any board in town is immediately and highly suspect. Why else would she serve on a board if not to protect her family's business interests? Duh! Her financial disclosure form is a joke as it discloses nothing. She votes yes for the casino twice and swears she "didn't know" her brother had business dealings with the applicant, dealings that he himself disclosed in the Capital View application, but we're supposed to believe that he kept this from his town bd mbr sister and that she never asked? C'mon! Then, she sided with Supe Lonely of all people to keep that walking ethics violation Eddie Gilbert on the ethics board over another democrat. C'mon again! At the Feb bd mtg, MAM said (I'll never forget it) that the only thing she fears more than financial disclosure is an ethics board. Perhaps she was right. Ms. Hart-Mangold is far from snow white but Supe Lonely is definitely the wicked queen. They're a pair alright.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to be a miserable election year if we don't try hard to be civil and respectful to one another. That means we must strive to focus on substantive issues and steer clear of personal attacks especially if we're posting anonymously. I think the Gadfly blog has built a respectable following in town because it focuses primarily on the issues. I have come to expect quality posts on the GF blog that are informative and reflective. When I want a less cerebral quality of posts, I look elsewhere. The March town board meeting is 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Town Hall. Community participation and interest in board meetings is key to the successful operation of the town. There's nothing more electric than when board meetings are well attended. There are several meaningful resolutions on this months agenda. Check it out on the town website. Have dinner and then come and listen. It's an open meeting and all are welcome. Take care!
ReplyDelete"When people fear the government there is tyranny. When the government fears the people there is liberty".
ReplyDeleteThomas Jefferson
"Of the people, by the people and for the people."
Abraham Lincoln
Personally I am thrilled if it is true that one of the town board members thinks the people have too much power.That is a good start.
Next on the agenda in the turnaround of our town to something we can be proud of is throwing every single incumbent running this November out of office. Langley, Hart- Mangold and Malone simply must go away.
I am confident we will have good and decent people stepping up to hold office and the town in the simple, straightforward, honest way we deserve.
A resolution to request authorization to contract with the town's engineering consultant, Delaware Engineering (DE), to analyze and evaluate the town's sewer districts and fee-rate structures and recommend changes will be on the March 18 town board meeting agenda. The town needs Delaware's specialized expertise and experience in order to properly and competently determine adjustments to fee-rates for sewer service and determine the best way to service the massive debt associated with the financing of the ongoing upgrades to the waste water treatment plant (WWTP). Supervisor Langley asked the town's all volunteer Citizens Fiscal Advisory Committee (CFAC) to do the job but, for a variety of reasons, they are not able to accommodate his request. The cost of the services provided by DE can be wrapped into the financing of the WWTP and, therefore, will not impact the town's 2015 budget. The simple math, 'this is the way we've always done it' approach to the financing of the WWPT upgrade won't cut it anymore and residents deserve better. Please come to the town board meeting on Wednesday night (7 p.m. at Town Hall) to speak in favor of a study that will determine fair and equitable water and sewer rates for everybody.
ReplyDeleteol•i•gar•chy
ReplyDeleteˈäləˌɡärkē/
noun
noun: oligarchy; plural noun: oligarchies
1. a small group of people having control of a country, organization, or institution.
"the ruling oligarchy of military men around the president"
o a country governed by an oligarchy.
"the English aristocratic oligarchy of the 19th century"
o government by oligarchy.
The political term, oligarchy, comes to English from the Greek with its meaning intact - a form of government run by a small number of people such as wealthy ...
An Oligarchy is a form of government controlled by a group, council, or board of directors. Oligarchies typically have no constitution or charter.
Ring any bells? I heard a lot of talk and comment when the casino initiative was first advanced by the Town Board that the Board was in place and had every right to make the policy which would advance the casino without “checking” with the electorate. But if you take the time to think about it for a while, and apply the definition to the way government seems to happen around here, I think you’d have to conclude that East Greenbush is run by an oligarchy. That recent comment about citizens having too much power is the perfect example – attributed to an oligarch.
COME ONE, COME ALL!
ReplyDeleteIf you've been anti-casino for almost a year now then treat yourself to the town board meeting at 7 p.m. on March 18 and watch the same town board that referred the casino applicant's PDD Application to the Planning Board now END IT by formally acknowledging and accepting the applicant's withdrawal of their PDD application. This will finally drive a stake through the heart of the casino project and allow the same town board that started the casino fiasco to officially end it.
It is totally ridiculous and inappropriate to spend $50,000 to analyze sewer and water rates that have been already analyzed by a professional firm. It should not be approved by the board.
ReplyDeleteAnony...I think you need to pay more attention. EG has a very complicated rate system which is unfair because it was created as each District was created over time. You need to read the proposal from DE before you make your pronouncements. To do what the administration proposes will only compound and complicate the matter into the future.
Delete$50,000 is the maximum they can charge. These are important studies and are done across the state and country. Our system is from the 70's and extremely outdated. This study will absolutely be needed, whether it be by this administration or the next. You cannot just plug numbers into a calculator and use pen and paper to come up with the "best" business plan to generate revenue to cover the debt. This comprehensive study cannot be substituted by the pen and paper analysis, other wise you are just arbitrarily adjusting rates without knowing if you truly are maximizing revenue. Once this study is complete not only will our town be taking another step into the 20th century but we will be able to accurately assess the best plan to generate revenue for the sewer and water funds. Then no less than annually our rates should be analyzed, this is more of an appropriate task to ask of the CFAC. It is in appropriate to ask the CFAC to become full time engineers and attempt to complete this comprehensive study.
DeleteAdditionally 5:20 p.m. this town has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years on secret stipends, resultless audits, etc. that haven't benefited the town. This study is an investment in the town and the only way to determine the very best way to pay for the WWTP for decades to come. The cost of the study is not expected to come near $50K. Sorry, 5:20 p.m., the simple math, in-house finagling, 'this is the way we've always done it' approach to determining sewer rates just won't cut it anymore.
ReplyDeleteI have been critical of the ridiculous amount of money the town spends on consultants but I think this contract makes sense. When the presentation for this was made at the pre-board meeting it was clear that no one on the Town Board knows anything about our sewer system. That's less a criticism of them and more a statement about how complex the system appears to be. With a new wastewater treatment plant coming on line and huge debt service payments looming, this is the time for our elected officials and town residents to become educated on the issue so that options can be assessed and good decisions made.
ReplyDeleteBut there's something much larger involved in the decision on this resolution and that has to do with how our elected officials go about the business of representing their constituents. The Facilities Location Board report on the casino selections reminded us that our Town Board made the wrong decision on the biggest issue in the history of this town because they didn't take the time to learn what they needed to know. The five of them knew absolutely nothing about casinos or their impacts on host communities but that didn't stop them from trying to sell us down the river. Now the biggest issue facing the town is this new plant and the onerous payments that will have to be made by already over-burdened taxpayers. This time must be different. Members of the Town Board have to start doing their homework. How can decisions be made about the sewer system and possible options to mitigate the impact of the debt service if the decision makers know little or nothing about the subject? We should use this contract as the springboard for a public conversation about these issues and an opportunity for our elected officials to know what they're talking about for a change.
Jack, here's what really upsets me. Year after year the good citizens pay in fines for the ignorance of our elected officials and their nepotism and patronage appointees.
DeleteAnd year after year we spend thousands to send these same clueless people to the association of town's meetings where they are supposed to learn how to do their jobs.
And year after year we hire consultant after consultant. All, of course, at taxpayer expense.
If there is a single sound business practice in all of this I am at a loss to find it.
Things might be different if the town board members cared about the town and the people instead of themselves and their low life political friends. But unless and until we put Langley, Hart/Mangold and Malone out of office the lunacy seems to continue.
Dear Gadfly, I usually only read your blog but I must comment that I hope the sewer rate study is approved on Wednesday. I am very worried that the cost of the treatment plant upgrade is going to increase my monthly bill substantially. We need the study so that a long term business plan can be made for paying this bill that will not break the backs of the residents. We already pay sky high taxes. I'm willing to pay my fair share but I can't afford to pay one penny more for this plant than I have to. Signed,
ReplyDeleteA faithful reader
Just like the casino and any other resolution brought forth by our Town Board they will rush into the decision and vote no this Wednesday on the Sewer and Water Rate Study. While I don't necessarily think they should jump to the decision of hiring Deleware, this is a study that is absolutely necessary to complete. First however, we should be requesting an RFP. Instead, more than likely this will be tabled and we will hear something a long of the lines to "this is how it's always been done," which for those of you that weren't at the pre-board meeting meant with regards to how they came up with a genius plan to recoup losses in the sewer and water funds that they just used pen, paper, calculators and a few men sitting around the table. They have yet to understand that the way anything has been always done in the EG Town Hall has failed our town over and over again. Our Town Board looked clueless at the pre-board meeting when Delaware gave their presentation and speaks volumes to the EG process. For starters, most of them had no clue that this was even on the table - as is the way for almost all of the resolutions each month. Secondly, will they ever do ANY research on ANYTHING?!
ReplyDeleteJack and others are right on target in supporting something like the Delaware proposal to study the sewer/water rate methodologies and recommend something consistent and fair for all utility users. Let's hope the Board can get used to doing homework.
ReplyDeleteOne related issue needs to be addressed in the repayment of the inter-fund borrowing. Not all taxpayers in EG fund the sewer and water funds. All taxpayers fund the highway and general funds. In the illegal inter-fund borrowing (illegal because repayment was not made at the end of each fiscal year) sewer/water funds belonging to the smaller group of sewer/water users went out the door in spending via the general/highway funds. Highway and general funds need to reimburse sewer and water. It would be unfair and inequitable to require sewer/water users alone to make those funds whole again. All taxpayers should be on the hook for that liability.
Gadfly, not true. Residents of the rural areas of town that do not benefit from the water & sewer systems ARE in fact charged taxes for the services that they do not/cannot enjoy, which I feel is major BS! Those that cannot enjoy those services should NOT be required to pay for those services. My parents (senior citizens on a fixed income) live out on Best Rd. and do not have water or sewer services, but are required to pay taxes on those services just the same (albeit a lower rate, but still).
DeleteRegarding putting out an RFP for a sewer districts/ rates study, the issue is time. It literally takes months to write and put out an RFP for bids but new sewer rates will be applied to commercial and residential users starting in 2015. In 2016 annual service payments will be approximately $180,000 and in 2017 annual payments will skyrocket to $600,000 annually for the next 30-40 years! Considering that the landscape of the town has changed so much since the 1970s and with expenses rising in all sectors of the WWTP (i.e. energy, maintenance, repair costs, sludge disposal and labor), the town needs a solid, well prepared business plan from day one in order to charge customers fairly for these services and meet normal, not to mention unanticipated, expenses. Because of DE's familiarity with the town and it's financing needs, they are the most logical company to hit the ground running and do the study. They have done this work for other towns successfully, and they can do it for us, too, quickly and professionally. Had the supervisor brought this to the board's attention in the spring or even summer of last year, they would have had time to write and disseminate an RFP but recall what he was busy with last year...yup, casino. Now there's no time to do an RFP. If this isn't done right, the sticker shock associated with the cost of the WWTP on residents will be huge. If this concerns you, send an e-mail to the board members and do it now.
ReplyDeleteThere was a huge mishap at the sewer plant yesterday. Some pump wasn't shut off and now there's raw sewerage everywhere. It's a huge, toxic mess that will be costly and time consuming to clean up. Will insurance cover it or will residents have to pay for that too? What a gross, disgusting mess.
ReplyDeleteGadfly, will all EG residents have to share the debt on this water/sewer project, or only those who are connected to water/sewer? Pls. excuse my ignorance, but we have a well and septic and they have their own costs to keep in good repair. When they break, we pay. Will my taxes also take a hit for the townwide project?
ReplyDeleteIn the last two weeks we've had the Honey Bee Spa debacle followed by the massive raw sewage leak at our new 13 million dollar treatment plant. Is this what Town Government under Keith Langley is all about? These are just two of the latest examples of the failed leadership of Keith Langley. How much more of this stuff do we have to take?
ReplyDeleteVote No Langley on election day!!!!
What?? We built a new plant, don't know how we will pay for it and now we spilt raw sewage in it? shouldn't a spanking new plant be fail safe? New leadership can't come soon enough. No political bosses in 2016.
ReplyDeleteSomeone should remind Langley that he didn't choose to upgrade the wastewater treatment plant, the town was forced to after years of fines, violations and citations were handed down to us by the DEC. Please don't forget this while he continues to pat himself on the back, and definitely do not forget on November 4th.
ReplyDeleteThe engineer who initially did the plans should have put a automatic overflow on all valves or equipment in that building ,well before our 2nd incompetent supervisor .I do agree with one thing East Greenbush is now really full of shi-
ReplyDeleteTo the "un-posted" Anony.......I understand your frustration, but the things you are asserting really should have a name attached. Why not take your charges and put them in the form of a list and stand up at tomorrow's Board meeting and read it?
ReplyDeleteThere is a new resolution on tonight's agenda "authorizing Attorney to the Town to Enter Into a Certain Professional Services Agreement with Public Sector HR Consultants, LLC: WHEREAS, The Town of East Greenbush has received notification of a certain complaint relating to conduct in the workplace; and
ReplyDeleteWHEREAS, the Town Board wishes to authorize the Attorney to the Town to have the services of a personnel consulting firm in responding to this matter; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, that David L. Gruenberg is hereby authorized to enter into a certain professional services agreement with Public Sector HR Consultants, LLC at a rate of $150/hour and not to exceed $4,500 (30 hours);"
My question is: is this to pay Gruenberg an additional $150hr to get help?
@ 9:46 AM- No, it only authorizes Mr. Gruenberg to entire into an agreement with the Consultants. The $150/hour would go directly to "Public Sector HR Consultants, LLC." Normally, the Town Supervisor, currently Keith A. Langley, would be the person authorized to enter into the agreement. Having Mr. Gruenberg handling the professional services agreement instead of Supervisor Langley might indicate that the "certain complaint relating to conduct in the workplace" could directly involve actions taken and/or authorized by Supervisor Langley.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure this will be explained in great detail at tonight's Town Board meeting.
The website for Public Sector Consultants suggests that they assist local municipalities with the construction of employee handbooks and assorted other "human resource" tasks. This would be a bonus for EG.
DeleteTo everyone who voted Rick McCabe out in 2011, know that he is back in the persona of Keith Langley. So desperate is Langley to be re-elected that he has sold out the republican party for cross-endorsement by the democrats in this years election. IF Langley, and two others like him, wins re-election this November, you will see all new democrat faces in town hall on Jan 4, 2016 and a return to the McCabian-style of government that had and still has the town in a financial chokehold. Langley completely blew the opportunity to work with Councilpersons Matters and DiMartino and he has now aliented BOTH of them. The new majority will be Langley, Malone, and Mangold for the remainder of the year. God help us all.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't Rick McCabe run again? If it's just between him and Langley, most people would vote for him over Langley in a heartbeat.
DeleteLooks like it's time for a third choice boys and girls.
Stay tuned...
Mr. Rossello.....Please send me your Advertiser letter to eggadfly@yahoo.com. I'll print it.
ReplyDeleteread the latest from Talks.....Rosello never authored that letter !
DeleteWelcome to election season and DeF. is back in the swing of screwing people....Mike Rosello was either promised something or threatened...FACT
I have a 49 page verbatim transcript of the meeting of the Town Board with the Wojeski and Toski CPA firms which took place on November 18, 2014 which supports our assertions about the un-auditable condition of the Town's financial records and the inability of the Supervisor to make the claims he makes in his letter and report. (I also have most of it on video.) That little "Play School" camera of mine is coming in handy.
DeleteAlso, I do believe that the Gaming Facilities Location Board made the lack of due diligence case in its report.
Here's an interesting read:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Couple-sues-East-Greenbush-over-alleged-6144638.php
Good for them maybe all the residents could sue the town for their lack of a decent government
DeleteGadfly 10:20 AM:
ReplyDeleteThere's no need for anyone to read that Times-Union article. Supervisor Langley has things well in hand. Once he finishes up cleaning last week's massive sewage spill at the Waste Water Treatment Plant, I'm sure he will take a "hard look" at this issue.
To I like Langley, It seems that in the case of the raw sewage downpour Langley was both literally and figuratively (look it up Chris) asleep at the switch. Nothing new there. Langley has been sleepwalking throughout his entire term as Supervisor.
DeleteI like Mr. Rossello's piece in the Advertiser. I've waited for someone to make the case for the casino and have been disappointed that no one has been willing or able to do it before now. If they really wanted the casino they should have fought for it, a failure noted by the Facilities Location Board in their report. People like to blame the opposition for keeping the casino out of our town but there were actually two sides to that coin: opponents were organized and vocal, supporters were nowhere to be found. Mr. Rossello's piece is too little too late but it was interesting to hear his perspective. I probably disagreed with 90% of what he wrote but debate is always better than the sound of one hand clapping.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like every week there is unflattering and embarrassing news about the Town of East Greenbush highlighted in the Capital Region media.
ReplyDeleteNot good Mr. Langley, not good at all.
Vote No Langley on November 3rd!
An observation about last night's town board meeting. While there was much talk about the sewage mess there was equal mention that "insurance would pick up all the costs except the $1000 deductible." There was one brief comment that "coverage is capped at $50,000." While I'm not professing to be a waste treatment clean up expert, it seems to me that this huge mess could easily exceed $50,000. The emergency clean up company; employee overtime; a significant amount of damaged equipment and supplies (stated in the meeting); the biological experts and more. I would think that the true cost is more like $150,000 to remedy the problem. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteThe $50,000 figure was with regards to the proposal by Delaware Engineering to do a Sewer and Water Rate Analysis. The $50,000 is the cap that they cannot exceed. You are correct however that they did mention we have a $1,000 deductible for the insurance on the plant, and supposedly insurance is covering 100% of the damage for this deductible. I find the $1,000 figure a little conspicuous myself and hope they are correct on that figure, it just seems like it should be a higher deductible than that of a car insurance deductible. For those not in attendance the "spill" was a little more than a "spill" it flooded the basement and first floor, to the point it even leaked out of the building.
DeleteI beg to differ with those that believe Chris Def was involved with the Mr. Rossello letter. The writer uses the word "unmitigated". That is too big of a word for Chris Def.
ReplyDeleteTo Eileen Grant and Bonnie Kenna--GREAT LETTERS! Thank you for submitting them.
To Chris DeFruscio,
ReplyDeleteCasino Keith's new alignment with the dems pretty much makes you irrelevant. He doesn't need you anymore.
The aspect of insurance that seemed to escape everyone's attention last night was how this snafu will affect our insurance rates. Nothing is free and insurance companies don't exist to profit us. I love how the Comptroller said it would have no adverse impact on the Town's finances. That's a bit premature but then that's how they get away with saying that losing all those tax cert cases doesn't have an adverse effect either (the impact will be felt starting next year and it will be adverse). It was a huge spill but at least it was self-contained. When it comes to waste we've been bad neighbors for a long time so at least we didn't make that worse.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that needs to be said about last night's meeting is the emergence of Deb DiMartino as an independent voice. She seconded a number of Mary Ann Matters' resolutions even though the Supervisor opposed them. People have given Deb a lot of trouble on the blogs for failing to be independent so I think she deserves some credit for turning that around. Everyone knows she's a good person and now she seems to be coming into her own as a member of the Town Board. That's very good news for the town.
Jack,
DeleteFunny thing that Langley didn't mention anything about the Federal law suit regarding his latest environmental snafu at last night's well attended Town Board meeting. Did he not know about the lawsuit? or was this another issue he was hoping people wouldn't find out about?
Excuse me, but, didn't this "new multi-million dollar WWTP" just get completed in December 2014? That was not even three months ago! Why isn't the Engineer/Contractor standing behind their work product? This should be THEIR problem to remedy at THEIR own expense! We should not have yo turn this in to our insurance....where is the guarantee?
ReplyDeleteLiz - Phase 1 of the project was completed in December. Now, we go into Phase 2.
DeleteBottom line... Does anyone at all, other than "I Like Langley" have any confidence that Keith Langley has the energy and ability to manage or even follow any issue of substance for the next 8 months. All Keith seems to be interested in is making political deals often to the detriment of the non-connected people of East Greenbush with anyone he feels will help him to get re-elected.
ReplyDeleteKeith Langley is only out for Keith Langley, it's as simple as that. Just ask his Deputy Supervisor. He'll tell you.
After posting at 1:59, I realized my error. Following is my letter to the board.Dear Board Members,
ReplyDeleteWith great sadness, I became aware of a major problem at our"new multi-million dollar WWTP".
This was only completed (up to a point-pending work that needs agreement with Amtrack) at the end of December 2014! Now here we are not even three months old, and there's a problem!
The cost of the repairs must be absorbed by the Engineer/contractor and not submitted to our insurance. There has to be some kind of a product guarantee! I'm sure that we were at least responsible enough to make sure that a guarantee was included with our contract! Right?
Please don't disappoint me! I mean, after we are paying "MILLIONS" we weren't that neglectful that we would have overlooked such an important part of a contract!
Please respond.
Thanks,
Liz Tice
Sent from my iPad
Keith Langley once said he has no intention of going door to door like a fuller brush salesman. This, and the way the casino fiasco was handled from beginning to end at last night's board meeting, proves that he has no interest whatsoever in what the residents think, want or need. Casino Keith is now so worried about his unpopularity, that he is taking secret meetings with the man he beat at the polls in 2011 (Rick McCabe) in an effort to secure enough lines to stay in office. Really? I beat him so, hey, why don't I hitch my wagon to him. Brilliant! Casino Keith McLangley has now officially become a carbon copy of Rick McCabe. Therefore, the only conclusion we can reasonably make is that it's time for ALL new faces and ideas in town hall on Jan 1. Anyone who thought Casino Keith McLangley was ever going to clean up the mess left my McCabe and others before him was sadly mislead and mistaken. For certain, Casino Keith McLangley is way more the problem than the solution. Keep your eyes open for the "solution" coming soon to a ballot near you.
ReplyDelete603pm. I'm loving the Keith McLangley moniker. Sadly, it's all too accurate.
DeleteNo Keith McLangley in 2016!!!!
Sue Mangold couldn't vote for a sewer/water rate increase last time around because she didn't know how it was derived. Last night she voted against an initiative to sort out water/sewer rates for all to see. Hank LaBarba (a perennial Dem retainer) is good enough for her, I guess. Come on Sue. Can we cut the Party stuff for just a few seconds?
ReplyDelete7:35 pm Excellent observation on your part. We have to remember that this is an election year and
ReplyDeleted-e-a-l-s are being made constantly for people's support. Mangold likely held her nose and voted no on the Delaware resolution in exchange for something else for herself or whomever. It's impossible to tell anymore what is driving the all new cast of the three M's: McLangley, Malone, and Mangold. Hanky-Panky LaBarba is used to getting these plumb assignments handed to him like candy. He throws something easy-peasy together and charges the town accordingly. At the end of the day, he isn't the right guy for every assignment, the sewer study being one such assignment.
At some point we need to cut the crap out and recognize certain truths. The supervisor, while he hasn't demonstrated responsible leadership, can not, by any definition be all bad or completely incompetent and the constant hits are more often than not, coming from democrats who use this site to promote hatred to help get their guy in next time around. It's just the way these blogs work.
ReplyDeleteIs Keith a poor manager, absolutely, and he needs to be held accountable for failing to build a consensus among his own people, whom he no longer has apparently. But to try to pin every bad thing that happens on him is just not fair. Sometimes things go wrong and good bad or indifferent, it happens on someone's watch, in this case Langley's. Some of what people here like to pin on Langley would be like pinning the 911 tragedy on GW Bush. He was barely in office and we got hit in a planned strike that had to have been organized long before he was even elected. Sometimes folks, bad things happen.
That said, we need better in East Greenbush. The mess we are in was largely caused by a group of self serving East Greenbush democrats over a long period of what the declaration of independence notes as "abuses and usurpations". People here take advantage and underestimate the voters. Langley has made a mess of a situation that was already a mess, but we need to focus on the repair, the rebuilding and the potential of what we can do rather than focus on who is doing what wrong.
If we do not, right now, start devising a plan to improve things, to fix what is broken and to build a team that can do just that we will not be able to repair it at all. A political fix is not possible here because the people in this town are dedicated to the party, not the right plan of action. Voters need to be prepared to split their ticket and vote for candidates who are committed to solving our problems regardless of the board members they need to align themselves with in order to do so.
It must be time to do what is right and best and listen to the masses pleading with government to do better. With the two party system we have now there are no winners. Sure, some members of each party benefit short term, but there is no win for the majority who suffer the increased taxes as a result of the partisan rhetoric and dedication.
The true problem in this town is not the people in charge, it's the people who put them there or better yet, the people who DON'T, put them there. We need more people voting for the right thing, and fewer people voting for their party. Otherwise, this song just never changes.
Comparing Keith Langley to President Bush? Are you kidding? Keith Langley has no core beliefs whatsoever as is evidenced by his frantic attempts to get a backroom Democrat party cross endorsement.
DeleteKeith Langley has had over three years to attempt to "repair and rebuild" our Town Government. He has chosen to do nothing except ally himself with Rick McCabe..
Your inaccurate comparison of Langley to former President Bush is ridiculous. If you want to compare Mr. Langley to another politician, the most accurate comparison would be to Former Supervisor Rick McCabe.
No Langley. No Way and No How.
Anonymous 10:14am, Quite honestly I was one of those people willing to give Langley the benefit of the doubt, but as time has shown he has done very little to help this town. He cried for the first couple of years I don't have the majority, so he was given the majority. He got along better with the Dems than the people in his own party.
DeleteI vote in every election and take great pride in voting in every election. I will not vote for Langley again, notice I said again. He has done nothing to earn my vote again. I will vote for what candidate I deem is best for the town, and right now it is not Langley!!
Another interesting read in the press:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Troy-finishes-2014-in-black-escapes-state-6146547.php
To AnonymousMarch 20, 2015 at 10:14 AM---Please excuse me but I beg to differ with you. Many of those that write ion this blog are in fact NOT democrats. I, for example, am a Conservative. There are many Indy's and Repubs that use this blog--more so than Dems. You are making an incorrect assumption.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Langley is, in fact, all that bad. Even if we give him a pass on his butcher blog, we cannot give him a pass regarding the disdain in which he has treated residents at meetings, especially those concerning the casino. He has been involved with stalking residents and making reprehensible remarks about residents' personal lives--that isn't bad, it's down right creepy. He has been offensive to women, both those that work under his administration and those that are private residents-bad.
As Eileen grant and Bonnie Kenna have so meticulously pointed out, he has no audit completed-bad. yet he continues to create budgets with no verified numbers-bad.
For you to blame the Democrats and their prior administrations for Langley's issues is akin to President Obama continuing to blame GW Bush for his issues..six years after he was put into office and had a Dem Cong and Dem Senate for the first couple of years. Langley has had majority for the past year and a half--he could have conducted the casino fiasco much differently and he certainly did not need to shun Mary Ann and now Deb. That is all on Langley. He could have conducted a full audit in the last 4 years but as Eileen Grant, in yesterday's Advertiser, so astutely pointed out--he has not.
The Dems had the dept heads on the podium during Town Mtgs--Langley removed them. the Dems (McCabe) took questions from the public; Langley halted that practice.
Please do not misunderstand. I am one of the most outspoken Conservatives in this Town so my comments are not those spoken by Dems. My comments are not skewed by any Dem opinions or associations/alliances. My comments are based on observations and facts, not politics.
And another one we need to keep an eye on, lest some craziness start to develop here...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesunion.com/news/article/Rensselaer-asking-state-for-chance-to-build-1-000-6147502.php
Gadfly @ March 19, 2015 at 8:13 AM:
ReplyDelete- There's a copy of Mr. Rossello's article on East Greenbush Truth.
Liz @ March 19, 2015 at 1:59 PM:
- I believe the spill was attributed to human error.
Anonymous @ March 19, 2015 at 7:35 PM:
- CP Matters said the cost would be well below the “not to exceed $50,000” but failed to drop it. CP Mangold said to start the study at $10,000 and come back for more if needed. Heck, last month they gave the DPW Commissioner Corellis $20,000 for a shopping spree!
Pete Stenson
Here's the link to the Advertiser letters:
ReplyDeletehttps://eastgreenbushtruth.wordpress.com/letters-to-the-editor/
Gadfly 10:59 AM- This might explain why Langley and Malone voted against CP Matters' Resolution to withdraw the Casino based PDD up on Thompson Hill. Are Langley and Malone plotting together to place a big box type VLT Parlor up on Thompson Hill?
DeleteKudos to CP DiMartino for seconding and voting in favor of the PDD withdrawal Resolution.
Remember folks, the Withdrawal Resolution was defeated on a 2 to 2 vote as CP Mangold had to recuse herself from voting.
Malone and Langley voted no because they are children. As stated by Malone he thinks Matters is crazy. What's crazy is neither Langley nor Malone had one thing to say about the PDD during the pre-board meeting, instead they waited to campaign at the town board meeting to make themselves look like fools, waste our time, and waste the rest of the board's time. Interesting that when Mary Ann had an issue with the fact she doesn't remember approving the first Napa resolution to act as lead agency (not surprising she wouldn't recall considering the last time it was on the table was February 2014, 13 months prior), Langley had asked how come she didn't have a problem with it at the pre-board meeting. OK Mr. Supervisor, explain why you didn't say one word about the PDD yourself at the pre-board meeting? Matter of fact, Mr. Malone said nothing about anything other than having to be out of there by 5 at the meeting. The entire board is not a waste of our time, but Langley and Malone most certainly are
DeleteThank you Pete for answering my question.....I had suspected that human error was the problem.....and mistakes do happen. I had foot surgery and am unable to walk, so I have to rely on the blog for my info. Sue, Debbie and Mary Ann did respond to me but, not in the way of your explanation.
ReplyDeleteThanks again
So what happens now with the PDD withdrawal resolution?
ReplyDeleteLiz, the resolution was defeated by a 2-2 vote so that's the end of it, it's over. Malone calls Matters crazy? Yeah, crazy like a fox. Malone would have been smart to simply vote yes and be done with it. Instead he made her explain the point of the resolution, which she did well, and then, like a junkyard rat backed into a corner, he got mad and accused her of "grandstanding." What he was really mad about was the fact that she forced him to vote no to a harmless resolution that would somewhat sooth casino opponents and he had to do it out loud and on the record. Crazy? Crazy smart. After the meeting, he called her "incorrigible" for abstaining on the oral resolutions at the end of the meeting. Who the hell is he to say that to her? She explained that she abstained because she wasn't comfortable voting that way but also why the rush? She clearly doesn't trust anything that they're trying to ram down her throat and after the casino mess, can anyone blame her? Mary Ann needs to pleeeze stay strong. Because of her courage, now Debbi is standing up, too. What we know for sure is that the angrier McLangley, Mangold and Malone get at Mary Ann, the clearer it becomes that she's working for the people and they are not.
ReplyDeleteNO MCLANGLEY, MALONE, MANGOLD 2016!
I can't agree more with the growing number of previous posters. The "McLangley" name is sheer genius as well as being very appropriate.
DeleteNo Langley and No McLangley on Election Day.
We don't need our town board playing these silly games--making colleagues vote on "harmless resolutions" I would prefer each member of the town board to just remain serious and focus on the serious issues that are before them. We've had enough of "politics"-- we have 8 long months before elections to take care of the real business at hand--our town needs their attention NOW.
DeleteLiz,
ReplyDeleteI hope your recovery is speedy and complete.
There's a good narrative in the in the Planning Board's 2/11/15 Minutes available at
http://eastgreenbush.org/document-downloads/planning-department/minutes
Quoting the Minutes: "Chairman POLSINELLO stated that as their PDD stands in the current form can't work. So the applicant either needs to modify or withdraw it." Also, "Phil Danaher stated that the project is dead as is ... ".
Also, CP Matters' resolution stated that "the Applicant has withdrawn its Application ..."
Pete Stenson
11:17am. Settle down and reread. It's that kind of attitude and presumptive rhetoric that keeps this town in the hole it's in. There was no comparison of him to Bush, it was the situation. He hasn't improved it and there was no defense of Langley. Things were bad when he started and he hasn't improved them. That's the point. if you're not careful you'll convince the people in this town who DON'T pay attention or read close enough… people like you, that anyone but Langley is an option. If that person ends up being an old guard Dem, you haven't improved anything. The intent was to encourage being proactive with positive solutions. Langley is a moron who can't win, everyone but him gets it. Now stop beating that drum and offer solutions. If you'd prefer a democratic analogy, Obamacare sucks, but if you dismantle it without a reasonable alternative to replace it, there will be a lot more people without healthcare. Am I now calling Langley Obama? You people are missing the forrest for the trees. Contribute solutions and among them you might want to consider a methodical approach to get the masses to listen because asking them to split a ticket and expecting to defeat BOTH old guards is a Herculean task. Stop reading things the way you want rather than what is written and focus on solutions. I'll mind my own business though and let you handle it.
ReplyDeleteAm I missing something? At the Planning Board meeting the pdd was passed as being withdrawn. Does or does not it mean the whole issue is dead? At pre board Langley went into executive session before most things on the agenda were talked about. The only two things talked about was Delaware working on rate changes etc. and one other matter. At 4:30 executive session stared.....end of pre board.
ReplyDelete3 p.m. Yes, the casino PDD is DEAD. West law firm withdrew it. In other words, they killed the project themselves. It's over. If they want to do something else with the property, they will have to start the process over from scratch. My guess is that everything with that property will go quiet until after the election. Then, look out if McLangley gets back in. NO MCLANGLEY 2016!
ReplyDeleteIN reply to the March 19th blog mentioning the word "cross endorse." Are you freakin kidding me, EG Residents; your going to stand for Langley to be considered being cross endorsed instead of running like a man? He will lose, no doubt; but what right have our Dems have to even think of cross endorsing if it weren't for filling their pockets; Brian Hart, the Polsinello's, the Cherubino's. Joey votes for who's gonna keep him for another year or two along with his cronies. Then what; Murphy and Kennedy get to keep their jobs without having to get their feet out there walking door to door. Thats what our political system is all about; no work, no gain; and lots of money to be filled to those that don't even need it; called greed. Come on, Jack Conway and the No-Casino Group; you've got to brain-storm and come up with getting these jack asses out of power once and for all. Time to clean house and get people in there to are honest citizens; not greedy SOB's.
ReplyDelete7:36 p.m. Yes, McLangley dreams every night of being cross-endorsed by the Democrats, of all people, so he doesn't have to come to your door "like a fuller brush salesman," however, we should all recall that in 2007 then Supervisor Ricky McCabe offered cross-endorsements for Town Clerk Linda Kennedy and Judge Kevin Engle on the Democrat lines in exchange for his own cross-endorsement on the Republican line. Long story short, he reneged on the deal because although Kennedy and Engle ran unopposed, their names failed to appear on the democrat lines on the election ballot. McCabe's name, however, appeared on the Republican line on the ballot. Therefore, Ricky McCabe, who isn't even an official member of the democrat committee, can't be trusted to keep his word yet McLangley is tripping all over himself for a "cross-endorsement" that likely won't ever happen. McLangley is a fool who blew it so badly with former supporters that he now has to rely on democrats to get him re-elected. He's a sellout to the republican party and pathetic to boot. The question is will McLangley run this year unopposed?
DeleteNO MCLANGLEY 2016!
Can someone please explain the persistent rumors that Supervisor Langley has asked former Supervisor Rick McCabe and former Town Engineer Rich Benko to help him get the Democratic Party line in this year's election. Is this true? Why would the Democrats go for this, since Langley seems to be a sure loser? and Why would the Republican Party agree to this?
ReplyDeleteDear AnonymousMarch 20, 2015 at 2:19 PM--settle down? Hmmm....don't know who wasn't settled but I will answer your question. You use Obamacare as an example. Before Obamacare there was Medicaid. There was a solution BEFORE he created the problem. There was a gov't funded program before he created a new one. Here is the point...if one creates a problem and then solves that problem...they are not a problem solver, they are a problem creator. Same with Langley---there was no casino and he then allowed one to try and enter where it was NOT zoned for a casino and THEN, when NYS did not choose Langley's site, Langley thinks he solved the casino problem....not so fast. Langley helped create that casino problem and he did not solve it--he created it.
ReplyDeleteSame with how Town Brd Mtgs were run B.L (before Langley). The Supervisor addressed the public, the dept heads were on the podium and were directed, by the Supervisor, to answer the public's questions. Langley comes in and halts the open dialog at Town Brd Mtgs. He created that problem.
When Langley came in the Town's finances were a mess--that issue he inherited, I will grant you that. HOWEVER, in the last 4 years what has Langley done to improve it? Certainly no audit, as Eileen Grant points out every month. Langley then creates a budget without verifying his starting point...Langley owns that.
When one inherits a problem it then becomes incumbent upon them to SOLVE that problem. Anyone can whine and cry for YEARS that it is the previous administration's fault BUT, if you aren't going to solve it then why the heck did you run for the office? And if one thinks creating a problem and then solving it (and btw-when one creates a problem and plans to solve it they darn well better be able to actually SOLVE it rather than create a bigger mess), is why the public elects one than you do not understand the point of holding an elected office.
Langley did inherit some mess--on that I can agree BUT, you cannot claim he inherited ALL this mess. He has made the messes even bigger and the public distrusts him more than previous Supervisors. Maybe any one other than Langley is not the answer to you but, based on the abysmal job he has done in the last four years, I have to say I am ready to give most anyone a shot.
Also---Langley has added a whole new factor to the Supervisor. Langley has added the creep factor. Never did one feel creeped out by Supervisor McCabe. Supervisor McCabe didn't stalk, didn't concern himself with one's personal life and didn't take a poll from Town employees and some residents about their feelings of one's personal life. Supervisor McCabe didn't care about one's personal life beyond the extent of simple gossip. Supervisor McCabe did not have a problem with women, whether they be older women or younger women.
Please do not misunderstand---I am not a Democrat. I am a strong Conservative that opposed Supervisor McCabe. But, just because McCabe was wrong with some practices does NOT make Langley better. Langley has indeed been a worse representative than McCabe. And for me to say that, well, that is quite a big statement.
Langley owns the last four years just as Obama own the last 6 years.
Thank you for the spirited debate! Always up for lively exchanges!
8:59 p.m. Yes, it's true. Casino Keith McLangley has been seen taking meetings in his office with power-brokers for the Democrat party Ricky McCabe and Richy Benko. These men aren't making social calls to Casino Keith, they are in town hall making deals for jobs in exchange for cross-endorsing McLangley in the November election. Neither party has a strong enough record to make it on their own anymore, both have failed to run the town successfully in the black. Under both Rep and Dem parties the town is still very much in the red financially and saddled with interfund borrowing debt and junk bond status for years now. In the meantime, the usual political insiders and players who have sucked off the town teat for years want it back to use as their entrepreneurial playpen without repercussions. The handling of the casino project last year has made Casino Keith so unpopular that he's had to slither to the dems on his belly for help with getting re-elected. If he does get re-elected, chances are that the town will never be able to run successfully in the black financially and things will continue along the way they have been choking and sputtering all the way. It's time for a viable third party alternative, which is coming like a freight train in the coming months. They brought down the casino moguls and brokers, and they can bring down Casino Keith, too. No problem.
ReplyDeleteNO CASINO KEITH 2016!
8:59 It is not complicated. Langley has lost whatever support he had. He is desperate. Benko and, by the way, Dave Van Wormer want to feed at the taxpayer trough. McCabe needs to feel important again.
ReplyDeletePolitics always makes strange bedfellows. None stranger than this collection.
@5:20 AM- We've been hearing Langley's support is so shot that his current Deputy Supervisor (his third one in three years) is running around Town telling anyone who will listen that he is planning to run against his boss.
DeleteLooks like Langley's "loyal" opposition is now even in his own office.
How embarrassing for Mr. Langley and how embarrassing for the Town of East Greenbush.
Thanks for another explaination Pete. I thought I knew that but then i saw there was the resolution before the board Wednesday and hence my confusion.
ReplyDeletePete, Suzanne and Don, if you see me crawling in and out of my house, don't be concerned, it is easier than hopping. I have knee pads and gloves and it makes it easier for me. Don't believe it when they say "the golden years". But do believe it when they saw "I've fallen and I can't get up"!
Liz: The Discussion about whether the PDD has actually been officially withdrawn or not reflects the distrust a large number of people have with Supervisor McLangley. Attentive people find it hard to believe anything Mr. McLangley says. After all McLangley was the one who said "The Resolution is the Resolution" when he was asked by Times Union Reporter Chris Churchill to explain what the April, 2014 East Greenbush Casino "invitation" Resolution actually meant.
ReplyDeleteInterested voters are very right to be skeptical in dealing with Supervisor Langley and they are right to wonder why he wouldn't vote for last week's Matters, DiMartino Resolution that would have simply clarified that the Town Board agreed the Casino PDD was no longer valid. Instead, Mr McLangley chose to vote NO.
I plan to also vote NO on November the 3rd. NO Langley!
Right on, March 21 -- 1:40 am
ReplyDeleteI hope all of you ANTI casino people get your act together and STOP this Cross Endorsing Bull S... Come on, lets get some people in there with back bone instead of using their money and so called popularity and old has been's to try and win. Even Murphy and Kennedy; RUN somebody against them; they're OLD hat! WE NEED NEW BLOOD TO CHANGE THINGS. Don't be surprised if McLangley's Democratic friends don't throw him a BIG fund raiser with the Polsinello's, Harts and other big money people; come on, we thought Cristo was a Crook; changing parties when need be; This group are EVIL PEOPLE; in it for the almighty dollar and their POWER; Do everything in your part to get rid of Langley!
Fear not 12:40 p.m., there will be a third party alternative and voters will be eager to get to the polls in November when it's officially announced who they are. No more toggling back and forth between dems and repubs who can't seem to grasp the meaning of "of the people, for the people, and by the people." No more McLangley-types who haven't a clue how to function in a democracy. No more cross-endorsements of candidates who can't make it on their own because of their abysmal records. The dems and repubs think they're super-clever endorsing one another, they think they can't lose. Wrong again! Never underestimate the will of the people, especially people who are righteously pissed off because they were treated like dirt when they tried to participate in the govt process. McLangley says no, no, no, and hell no. WE the people will be saying hell no to him in November. Can't wait!
ReplyDeleteWouldn't it be swell if Keith Langley received the third party alternative endorsement as well?
ReplyDeleteThe EG republicans may cross-endorse Phil Malone this year for a seat on the town board. Can you believe it? PHIL MALONE ON A REPUBLICAN LINE! Is this the bizarro world? Is it the twilight zone? What self-respecting republican would vote for Phil Malone? The fact is, just like McLangley, Malone is so immensely unpopular that he can't win without a cross. So much for Republicans and Democrats putting up quality candidates. Things have gotten sooo bad for them that they actually think they have to pool their votes to win...and why...because of the unconscionably pigish way in which they've governed in the past, but especially last year. They banked on a casino reversing in 20 minutes the damage that took 20 years to screw the town. So desperate they were for the quick, easy fix that they slammed the door in the faces of the electorate and dictated the casino course for the town. One board member saw the light, just ONE! The rest dug in their heels and boldfaced refused to budge. Can we ever forget the see no evil, hear no evil board members who treated us like like an itch that needed to be scratched? Can we ever forget Ed Gilbert turning to a group of residents at a town meeting and saying "you disgust me." How about McLangley refusing to see the warning signs flashing wildly all around him. In November, McLangley will be seeking your vote at the polls. Remember all the times he's said NO throughout his term and vote NO MCLANGLEY IN NOVEMBER 2016.
ReplyDeleteFor all you people throwing around names and cross endorsement, and fundraising parties, remember one important thing, all those people are only one vote, just like everyone else in town that votes is one vote. Someone remind everyone that reads this blog how many people from EG signed the no casino petition? So how many votes is that?
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone have the number of votes that Langley received 4 years ago?
Even with cross endorsement Langley doesn't stand a chance.
What did Mr.T say in Rocky 3 when asked for a prediction in the fight? I believe he used the word, PAIN!!! Might be a little of that in the coming election.
And as far as Supervisor McLangley's latest Desk Report on the Town's finances...
ReplyDelete"There are lies, d*mn lies, and Keith McLangley's statistics.
Let's not be fooled again.
No McLangley on November 3rd.
I'm not worried in the least that cross-endorsement will enable Casino Keith Langley or Junior Malone to succeed in the next election. There are unprecedented numbers of voters this year who wouldn't ink the circle for Casino Keith or Junior for anything in the world. Combine that with the residents who are so pissed off that they will actually make a special effort to vote in November because of too many wrongs to list here, and Casino and Junior have a REAL problem. DiMartino and Matters got a lot of votes in 2013 based on their claim that they would work with Supr. Langley to "fix" the town. Well, 17 months later, we're in a "fix" all right, but the newbies on the board aren't to blame. Mr. Casino screwed them, too, by requiring them from day one to follow his orders like zombies. So, cross-endorsement or not, Casino and Junior can't win, not in EG, not this year. The real news is the ruination of the Republican party in EG under none other than Casino Keith Langley. He had it in the palm of his hand with DiMartino and Matters. The electorate handed him the majority he asked for and he spit it back in their faces. He alienated Matters almost immediately. With DiMartino it took longer but it's now over with her, too. Mr. Casino has now wasted so much time and valuable human resources over his three plus years in office that he can't possibly save himself now. The dems, who are hungry as wolves to take back control of the town, have been lying in wait since Jan. '14 for repubs to fall apart. It happened, so Rick McCabe has been wooing the weakest link of the Republican party and telling him he'll save his pathetic political hyde in November in exchange for his allegiance to them. In desperation to keep his job, he bit on McCabe's hoohey, thus Casino Keith McLangley was born. Goodbye republican majority in EG. Hello third-party alternative. We've tried the worst of the worst now let's see what the best of the best can do for us. What do we have to lose? At this point, absolutely nothing.
ReplyDeleteI took this from the Supervisor's Report, on the town's website: I have also contacted the Town’s Citizen’s Fiscal Advisory Committee to review the Water/Sewer rates and recommend the best plan for the rate structure. This is an issue that requires attention, and I want to make sure that we approach it from all angles to provide the best possible structure for all residents. I believe this to be a Hugh task to put on CFAC and agree with Council Person Matters, that the town would be best served if this was done by outside professionals. Ed Gilbert's comment about using SIMPLE MATH TO FIGURE OUT THE RATES, doesn't fly with me, either. I appreciate the work CFAC does, but will they be able to provide the best possible rate structure for all residents?
ReplyDeleteGod only knows how much of our tax dollars have been wasted over the years, and now it appears the political foot ball was being passes back and forth at the last Town Board Meeting. It's time to cut the crap and SERVE EVERYONE, whether you like your fellow Board Members or not. HE THAT IS WITHOUT SIN, CAST THE FIRST STONE. You will always find Pharisees who delight in their hypocritical ranting, give me a break. If you are wondering if it's you, than it probably is you.
Can't help but wonder why there was a 2-2 vote on Mary Ann's resolution, to publicly document the PDD Application that was withdrawn by the casino developers. It seemed to create a sense of uneasiness in the room. People are thinking, what's next??? Perhaps it's because of the surmounting distrust that is being generated toward some of our Town Board Members.
Btw, the left front row is usually reserved for town employees. I notice Ed Gilbert sitting there quite frequently. That must mean something, oh well. You know, I really miss Ed's independent spirit. I appreciated it so much, that I campaigned for him in the past. Who would know that the future would take us on different paths.
The closer you get to power, doesn't always made one a better person. Just lamenting, Gadfly.