Sunday, March 22, 2015

Guest Editorial....



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

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

91 comments:

  1. I have heard the comptroller talk about the "broken beyond repair" accounting system many times now and, quite frankly, it scares the heck out of me to think he has not replaced it. Exactly how is he managing the finances for an entire town without reliable accounting software? Can we trust the numbers he is generating to be accurate? If so, how so?

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  2. MAM opened up a serious can of whoop ass! Great post. While we're at it, take a look at this readhttp://www.timesunion.com/tuplus-local/article/Schenectady-casino-developer-benefits-from-5-6150479.php
    Wait, you mean the casino isn't going to paying the taxes it promised?

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  3. Every single resolution that the town board approves requires a statement by the comptroller about the financial impact the resolution will have on the town but how can he know that given the "broken" accounting system he is using? How is he "accounting" for every single number in the absence of govt accounting software? At the last board meeting he stated off the cuff that the emergency "oral" resolutions read aloud at the end of the meeting would have no financial impact on the town. How would he know that if he was hearing the resos for the first time like the board members? If he did have advance information about those resos, then why didn't the board members have the same information?

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  4. Listen better next time. The resolution was to allow the town to accept the initial claim payment from the insurance company and transfer $10,000 as a down payment to the company doing the clean up. Effectively allowing the monies to be passed through the town to the company doing the clean up. Therefore no effect on the towns budget.

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    1. Dear Ed....The issue remains the futile attempt to do an essential job with broken tools, with no apparent progress over several years to fix the problem.

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  5. What is the criteria of earning the privilege to buy new accounting softwear?

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  6. Bonnie L.- It's up to Keith Langley. As the Supervisor, he also serves as the Town's Chief Financial Officer. He's the privilege grantor. He's also had almost 39 months to implement new accounting software for the Town, so don't hold your breath for any action on that front during his remaining time in office. Hopefully, the next Supervisor will make this a priority.

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  7. It is absurd in the extreme that years later we cannot manage our finances. Think about that means. Income, expenses, transfers and the most very basic financial transactions are unaccounted for. Ridiculous. Langley should be recalled.

    I want to hear each and every step Langley has taken to correct this debacle.

    I fear the answer will be none. I believe that Langley is lazy and deeply incompetent.

    The State Controller's office should take over complete management of our town's bookkeeping and finances. The potential for serious fraud is insane.

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  8. This is an effective statement by Mary Ann Matters. It was disappointing to watch her fellow board members roll their eyes and act disinterested while she read it at the board meeting. One of the things that drives me crazy about our politics is that no one engages in a good faith debate about important issues. Instead everything becomes personal. Board members didn't care about this statement because of who made it. They're all mad at Mary Ann Matters because she exposed their lack of independent thinking and it won't matter if she finds the cure for cancer it will be dismissed by them because she's not towing a party line. Shouldn't someone in the administration provide a serious answer to the charges made in this statement? It doesn't have to be defensive but it should be a substantive response that tells us why this line of thinking is incorrect.

    It's time we stopped the personal attacks and focused on substance. When residents opposed the casino based on serious research they had done, our Deputy Supervisor dismissed us as a "small group of NIMBYs." Holding aside the fact that 3,000 people isn't a small group of anything, why was his response to question peoples' motivation rather than explain why a casino was a good idea? One of the reasons why things never get better around here is because our politics is simply a series of personal attacks and unsubstantiated rumors. How about a campaign based on issues? Candidates should identify problems and propose solutions. The personal qualities that should matter are the credentials and experience someone brings to the task, not whether you associate with the right group of people and don't rock the boat. It's time for the parties to stop looking for people they can control and start looking for the best people to represent the town. The important thing about this statement on town finances is what it says, not who said it.

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  9. Whoa! Something MAM said needs correction. She said that "THE INTERFUND BORROWING DEBT HAS GONE FROM $2.3M TO $1.6M IN THREE YEARS." In fact, Langley said that the debt was reduced BY $1.6M in three years TO approximately $750K. See the supervisors report on the town website. This means that he's saying that the interfund borrowing debt has been reduced by more than $500K PER YEAR for the past three years? How is that possible? Where did that money come from? THIS is the "serious can of whoop ass" that she has shined a bright light on! How is it possible to pay down the debt in excess of $500K PER YEAR? ANYONE?

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    1. When you're dealing with un-auditable financial records, I suppose you can make any claim you want - without fear of contradiction. Like we said in the Advertiser letter, Langley and DeF are in campaign mode in which reality testing is usually abandoned.

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  10. Langley can't make claims in print that he can't back up! He said he did it, now he needs to prove it! Can the "broken beyond repair" accounting system the Comptroller is using do that? God help him if it can't!

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  11. Tell me where the magic wand is please. According to what I've read here numerous years of bad record keeping and bad accounting practices are supposed to be fixed by now with an auditable instrument. The solution to the fiscal mismanagement by prior administrations is a slow methodical approach that assures the proper foundation is set and builds on that. That is the responsible approach I fail to see why that is such an a hard concept to grasp.

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  12. @ 9:40 AM, You make an excellent point. I'd appreciate it if Supervisor Langley would take the time to outline at least some of the slow and methodical concrete steps he's taken over the last three plus years to build a sound financial foundation for our Town's finances.
    I'm concerned that Mr. Langley has simply deferred to the vested and connected interests in order to gain corrupt political parties cross endorsements in the upcoming election.

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  13. 9:40 a.m. But you can't have it both ways. On the one hand, slow, methodical, proper foundation. On the other hand, more than $500K a year pounded down on interfund borrowing debt. It's incongruous. You also have a new Comptroller since Jan 2014 who's still crying out "broken beyond repair accounting system" and still "learning and discerning." It's almost as if the Comptroller is setting himself up now for when the financial sh!t hits the fan. He'll say, don't look at me! I'm the guy with the BROKEN accounting system who's still learning and discerning. It's insane!

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  14. Good point 10:36 the Comptroller isn't willing to sign off on past audits because he's still "learning and discerning" but somehow $500K a year has paid down the debt but we haven't heard a word about it from the Comptroller, only from the Supervisor. Again, it doesn't make sense. The Supervisor is the Chief Financial Officer of the town who should be able to explain ANY financial transaction. So why doesn't he? Too busy getting those cross-endorsements, I guess, from hungry players and insiders looking to feed.

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  15. Seriously ? No business can be done no accounting can be done until the financial system is completely fixed? That's just asinine. Yes the interfund borrowing has been restored by 1.6 million but that doesn't mean there is no more work to be done unraveling the mess that was left. It also doesn't mean it was done at a $500,000 a year pace. You still pay your bills you still make payroll and you still collect taxes WHILE you work on the problem. has anyone of you geniusis sat with the comptroller and asked these questions. I've found him a very open guy willing to answer questions. Maybe instead of muckraking you should find out what you're talking about. Just a thought.

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  16. Of course business has to be done. But here's a thought for you, there will be no escaping Junk Bond status until there are two or three annual certified financials completed by CPAs. That fact alone should have been enough to stimulate the administration to fast track a remediation program for the Town's financial accounting system. Add the findings of OSC each time they've been in about the state of the Town's internal controls and you've got a rather serious situation. If such measures are in place, they should be easily described. They haven't been. Instead, we've been "dropped" by our last engaged CPA firm. The Town's financial system has been politicized for so long, it's going to take some real effort to professionalize it. I'm sure our Comptroller is caught between a rock and a hard place. He works for the Supe and the rest of the Board, most of who have shown no interest whatsoever in professionalizing the operation. If they did that, there would be some accountability developed, but then that doesn't leave much room for mischief.

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  17. People seem to be looking past the biggest question, WHY are there no numbers or not a coherent enough of a trail for the accounting firms to perform a simple audit? Regardless of who inherited the debt and who incurred the debt, the books were still in such chaos that the firms couldn't do their job. These included years in which our CFO was in office, not our comptroller. So, let's for a moment forget about George (I'm not necessarily giving him a free pass, but I think he has a lot working against him and there's more to the story on his end). There has been NO explanation for this, just more blame on the past administrations. Inheriting debt does not mean it's OK to continue to improperly run the town into the ground. Instead, business as usual. The answer to why the books are in such a disarray needs to be answered.

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  18. So now you're an expert on Moody's ratings. According to our comptroller, someone with actual experience they want to see a positive cash position for several years before our rating is improved. We don't need 3 years of CPA audits. We need to get rid of the negative fund balance created by the interfund borrowing and show a positive fund balance that is reoccurring. That takes time, discipline and an understanding of where you were and where you are going. Again go talk to the Comptroller, learn things.

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    1. And how do you know you have a "positive cash position?" Because the check book says so? Good grief. How do you know that the "positive fund balance" is real without being in a position to audit it?

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    2. 9:40, you are missing the point...saying you (the supervisor) have a positive fund balance and saying you (the supervisor) have reduced interfund borrowing does not mean you actually did. The fact is he lied. There are no financial records to back up this assertion. Our budget is based on an arbitrary starting point of the end of 2013 because there either no number or they make no sense. With years worth of financial date missing, you cannot prove you did a darn thing!

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  19. 9:40 -

    I did ask for a substantive conversation about this so thank you for providing that. George Phillips is no expert on Moody's either. His explanation is the accountant's method for getting out of junk bond status. Moody's made it clear when they put us in junk bond status that their preferred method for getting out was the promulgation of a systematic financial recovery plan and tangible evidence that it was being implemented. That's the leader's way out of junk bond status. Your argument and the Supervisor's attempts at explanation show no awareness of the leader's way out because there's been no leadership. Mr. Langley's fiscal policies have all been reactive when what was needed was a proactive plan. You're sitting around waiting for osmosis to set you right when you should be out advocating for strong and systematic solutions to our fiscal situation. He could have proposed a systematic financial recovery plan even when he was in the minority and used the bully pulpit of the Supervisor's office to advocate for it but none was forthcoming.

    At this point the entire Langley fiscal analysis seems to revolve around the idea that we're doing better. Besides not setting the bar very high, it misses the point that being in a coma is better than being dead but it's still not very helpful. The point made in these posts is that without credible accounting, all statements about our fiscal health are conjectural. Since you support Mr. Langley and he wants to be re-elected your conjectures are positive. Fair enough. But don't mistake them for anything other than conjecture.

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  20. 9:40 you sound like the same guy who thought a gambling casino in the middle of Mr. Rogers neighborhood was a good idea. You ruined your reputation in the town stumping for Casino Keith like a teenaged groupie. Have you learned nothing? Are you really back for more after the spanking you just received for the dumbass casino idea? Now that the casino is dead, we're back to reality and that's the state and stability of the town's finances. Comptroller Phillips needs to explain HOW he's managing the town's finances in the absence of professional, current, governmental accounting software. Is he using any software? Is he hobbling along using the "broken beyond repair" software he keeps mentioning? Or is he manually entering numbers into a ledger book by hand?How much and at what rate has he paid down the interfund borrowing debt? In what fund(s) is that money being kept? Why hasn't he been providing this information in detail to the board members, don't they have a right to know or is Mr. Langley keeping that a secret from them, too? You do nothing but defend the man who has single-handedly and systematically kept the town in the same place it was when Rick McCabe left. Tell us please how it's better in 2015 than it was in 2012 when Langley took office. Really, tell us. We'd all like to know.

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  21. Jack I love the way you dismiss a person’s opinion by saying its “ the accountants method of getting out of junk bond status”. Who would you turn to? How about a Bakers method or a mechanic or maybe an academic like yourself is better equipped than an accountant. And what qualifies you to judge another person’s leadership. Your PhD? I think your answer is that of a disgruntled academic that has no idea what is actually transpiring. Last year’s AUD is on file and monthly expenditures are on the web. By the end of April another AUD will be on file. There is plenty of information to review I suggest you do so.

    The Leaders way out? What do you mean? Like hiring experienced people for key positions? Cutting expenses? Not raising taxes ? paying down the debt? The fact that you say there’s no leadership when in fact the opposite is true just shows how much you and the other reformers are wishing that everything they say could be true. I’m glad it isn’t.

    You intimate in your last paragraph that the town is without credible accounting when in fact all the accounting done since the hiring of the new comptroller has been the most credible it has been in a decade. The statements about the town’s fiscal position are not “conjecture” but are based on sound accounting. What is “conjecture” is your opinion of the fiscal condition of the town.
    I am curious though, when do you plan on announcing your intention to run? And how much of what you are saying now is laying the ground work for that.

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    1. Dear Sir...You say that the AUD's are "on file." The AUD's are compilations. There is no testing of AUD's for accuracy. In fact, a couple of years back, the Town filed an AUD without any fuel expenses reported.

      The fact is that there has been no systematic attempt to comply with any competent recommendations to get the accounting systems in order.

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    2. We can only hope Jack will run because a third party is the only way we will be able to dig our way out of this hole. If he is running he would be foolish to announce this early so that the two parties could dog pile him. Just saying.

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    3. Dear mudslinger 7:15- It appears that your purpose is simply to attack. This is a tactic used by individuals who are fearful. I'm guessing that you pride yourself to be a "muscle man" for the Langley or McCabe regime. They should be fearful of town residents with the potential to effect change. McCabe chose to recklessly pillage the town's finances, shifting money from account to account as he allowed raw sewage to flow into the Hudson River. Langley put his fingers in his ears to block the pleas of the residents; hearing nothing and doing nothing.

      Hopefully Jack Conway will run for town board or supervisor. From what I've observed, he's smart and he speaks with directness and respect, unlike your ilk who speak with venom and disgust. If Jack is going to run, I'm sure that he has a lot of things that he has to do before he can announce. Anyone who's ever watched an election season roll out knows that you'd be a dope to announce too early. There are a number of good people in this town that I'd vote for and Jack is certainly one of them. I support open, honest government. Something that is sadly missing from EG government at present.

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    4. If Jack is going to run he will announce when he is good and ready to. So what if Jack is laying ground work for a possible run? What are you afraid of 9:40? That he might actually win, and actually do something good for this town? It seems to me that all of the candidates have at one point or another blown smoke up asses, to get elected and after election time have pretty much done absolutely nothing to benefit this town besides line their friends and their own pockets with town money that the tax payers have footed the bill for.

      You can all say what you want about Jack, but for this person who just so happens to sit on the complete opposite political isle of Jack, would not only vote for the man, but would be willing to give some blood sweat and tears for the man. At least he would care enough about the town to not line his own pockets or his friends pockets with town money that the town could I'll afford to lose at this time.

      I guess some of you just don't get it and never will, or are you one of those people reaping some of those benefits handed out the select few?

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  22. The very first thing Langley should have done is install a proper and professional bookkeeping system. He would not have needed a majority to do so.

    He didn't do this. Why? Like the rest of his leadership failures he has never explained this.

    Think about running your household without knowing where the money was going. Seriously, think about that. That's how our town has been run. McCabe ran it that way and now, tragically, so has Langley.

    Langley could have reached out for assistance in addressing this absolutely insane situation from a vast range of sources. Instead he did was he is best at - nothing.

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    1. "Nothing"??? are you kidding me? You're just not paying attention.

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  23. Mudslinger? Doubtful. I'm not the one making baseless accusations and claiming that people are lying about the fiscal state of our town without a shred of evidence. What seems to be lost on the Gadfly, jack and others is that no one has to prove that what they say is true it is up to those that say it isn't to bolster their statement with facts showing it's not. The Supervisor's monthly report was good news but every comment on here was claiming the numbers could not be true. and what was that based on? What evidence did any of you have? Personally I thinkJack is already committed to running I think he is running based on his new appearance (neatly shaved, hair cut, ) and Eileen Grant taking his picture when he addressed the Board last week. See guys that is how you back up an argument. You don't just throw out an accusation. You back it up. I'm curious Gadfly when did you decide to start letting baseless assumptions be the norm for this blog I'm sure the previous editor wouldn't have allowed half of what you do to be posted.

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    1. You might want to take a look at the excellent Post by Pete Stenson over on Talks. I'll quote part of it below:

      "Supervisor Langley proclaimed inter-fund borrowing down to “less than $750,000” (3/5/15 Advertiser). Without audits, this level is assumed.

      The reduction is partially attributed by Comptroller Phillips to Generic Environmental Impact Statement Mitigation Fees, which per that GEIS “were developed for the following critical elements in East Greenbush: land use, water/sewer, recreation, and traffic (and) cost of preparing the GEIS”.

      Further quoting: “All mitigation fees collected will then be placed in separate accounts designated for each of the identified improvements.” … “The Town may use the mitigation fees at its discretion for improvements to the critical areas identified in the GEIS within the Study Area.”

      Nowhere is inter-fund borrowing pay-down authorized or allowed. Will these critical accounts ever be replenished?"

      Even if the unproven assertion by the Supervisor related to the inter-fund borrowing were true, it appears that (according to the scenario described by the Comptroller) the funds allegedly used to replenish the sewer/water funds were used illegally. It follows then that the inter-fund borrowing has not been replenished.

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    2. @ 8:43 AM, I wish someone would start taking pictures of Keith Langley at Town Board meetings. I'm certain they would prove to be a very popular collectible and be displayed in a place of honor in many East Greenbush homes.

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  24. It's amazing to read the comments from the ignorant people(and look it up-that is not a bad word). They fall for any tidbit thrown to them. Blind trust! But look where it has gotten our town. Even when information is given, there is so much more that isn't being said!
    That is why the people that started Save East Greenbush are so instrumental to our survival! They are able to cut thru the bs and are trying to get us back on a solid foundation!
    Thank you for your excellent posting Mary Ann.

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  25. Dear Mudslinger 7:15 (Ed) - Where is the audit worthy proof? You attack concerned residents by spewing numbers of grand accomplishments with nothing but the Supervisor's "good word." This is the same man who stated that he knew absolutely nothing a casino until a week before the April vote. We have first hand information that you all knew months and months in advance. This means that the Supervisor is prone to lying. This is why we don't trust his verbal "truths". By the way, I just gave $65,000,000 to a charity. What... you don't believe me? You want proof? You should just take me at my word.

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  26. @9:40, in all honesty, what has Langley honestly done for our town? I mean this sincerely and ask you to back it up by proof, not word of mouth. The issue with Langley's proclamation is there is no way he can prove this. We are missing numbers prior to 2014, so there is no way he can say this unless he miraculously solved what two accounting firms and George Phillips couldn't. I do not blame Langley for all of the debt, I do blame him for doing nothing to correct the mistakes from the past. How can he say he did when there are no accounting records (or too mangled to understand) for two years under his management. When MAM made this statement she had asked George if this was correct, that we do not have the proof to back up these latest claims, George said yes.

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  27. By the way, 9:40 - you have a keen eye, and it's a little scary that you notice when a grown man gets a hair cut. Glad you have your priorities in line. Did you hear the Supervisor once clarify what he said after he was shot down in the Advertiser and MAM for making false claims? Surely if you noticed another grown man's beard get a trim you would have heard silence from the mouth of Langley on the subject.

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  28. 11:05 a.m. 9:40's man-crush on Jack is well known, and why not? Jack is the total package...devastatingly handsome and smart, too. Lookout, Supr. Langley. He's comin' for ya.

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  29. Anyone privy to what the "executive Session" meeting is about today??? it's on the Town website as discussing personnel matters, do we know who the meeting refers to or who called the meeting?

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  30. Is Keith Langley searching for yet another Deputy Supervisor? For us oldtimers (and regular voters), Langley's had almost as many Deputies as Mickey Rooney had wives.

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    1. Yup. Three Deputy sup's, three Director's of Finance, four secretaries, five if you count Carm when he misled her into believing she could have the job. Two Bookkeepers (and long periods of the job being unfilled), four Comptrollers. What a guy! What a great manager!

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  31. @9:40 AM: Statements are proven with generally accepted facts. For example, the horrible facts about our finances were revealed at a public meeting by two firms of auditors, our comptroller, and in the presence of the Town Board. That meeting was recorded. A transcript is available. Those disappointing truths are accepted by reasonable observers.

    No one in the public has any access to materials verifying any position put forth in the Supervisor"s Report. No documentation has been presented to support the Supervisor's Report. The Supervisor himself remains silent in the face of citizen quiries at Board meetings and in the Advertiser.

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  32. In the March 19th issue of the Advertiser, a letter made the claim that my wife and I were not writing the truth when we stated in a letter the previous week that “two CPA firms have told the Town Board that the financial records of the Langley and previous administration are in such a state as to be un-auditable.” We further stated that since the records are faulty, Mr. Langley can’t be making claims about financial progress. We were at the Special Meeting on November 18, 2014 at which the Wojeski and Toski CPA firms informed the Board that the records were in such bad shape that an audit could not be performed. We will get nothing for the $65,000 the Town has paid to them. We have a 49 page verbatim transcript of that meeting and we have some of it on video. We’d be happy to make it available to anyone who wants to read it. The Town’s own Comptroller has said that the accounting system is “broken beyond repair.”

    The fact is that the responsibility for the financial mess in East Greenbush belongs on the doorsteps of both major “machines” in the Town. They are also “broken beyond repair.” And the fact that they made “common cause” on the dumbest decision in the Town’s history – attempting to bring Capital View to Town – has them both panicked about their respective political futures. Both machines are bankrupt of both ideas and character, and it is clear that it’s time for a new way.

    Don Johnson
    East Greenbush

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  33. Gadfly, every tax paying resident should have a copy at their disposal of the 11/18/14 historical and verbatim transcript of the meeting with the auditors. It's pretty dry reading but it will definitely help residents to learn and discern the difference between baked and half-baked claims that are coming from the current administration. Many claims will be made between now and November about the state and stability of the town's finances. The transcript will help people distinguish between what's probable and what's highly improbable given the broken beyond repair accounting system with which our comptroller is hobbling along. How can someone get the transcript if they want it?

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    1. If I had the capability of linking on the blog, I'd do it. But until we find a better way, if anyone wants a copy I can send a .pdf attachment by return e-mail.

      Send a request to eggadfly@yahoo.com and I'll send it.

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  34. Important letter in today's Advertiser from Mary Beth Earley:

    https://eastgreenbushtruth.files.wordpress.com/2015/03/mbe-3-26-15.png

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  35. See front page of today's TU.
    EG Democrat Committee Chairman Kevin Tuffey was terminated by the Thruway Authority following a state Inspector General's office probe into improper use of govt issued cellphones. See article for more information.

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    1. 9:08- Ouch! What does that mean for McLangley's cross endorsement plans?

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    2. To 9:47 submission....I think we need to leave your conclusions for a bit more time as this plays out. It certainly does have the appearance of selective reporting of corrupt activity.

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    3. We more to this story....more to follow on Kevin. Disposed of him prior to the IG report being released. They can then call him former employee.

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  36. Gadfly @ 9:59, thank you for responding.
    As far as 9:49's question, McLangley will fit in perfectly with McCabe, McTuffey, et al. To be sure, things will proceed as planned. McLangley, McMalone, and McMangold are already working together. It was the simplest solution to McLangley's problem with Matters and DiMartino. They're out. The dem machine is sputtering along but still running against the electorate's wishes. Time for a change.

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  37. There is so much wrong with this town and much of it has to do with the culture that has been set within town hall and the lack of leadership. How is it that we are all just supposed to accept that an audit could not be performed because our accounting system is broken beyond repair. I'm still uncertain what this means. What is the explanation for how it became broken and what does "broken" even mean? Does it mean the numbers don't exist? Does it mean someone purposefully omitted information? This has nothing to do with inheriting debt, this has to do with the fact that there are members of this board, including our Supervisor, who are partly responsible for this broken system. They were not forced to continue to perform the mistakes of the past administrations, instead they continued business because "this is how it's always been done." This excuse is a sad explanation given too many times by our Supervisor.

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    1. Start the list:
      Stipends
      Crap in the Hudson
      Illegal Plat approval
      1 Cooper Ave.
      Scrap theft
      Retirement incentive for insiders
      Honey Bee
      No audits
      Bruen
      former PB chair on the Town's medical plan
      etc, etc, etc....

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  38. Some weird stuff is coming in the mailbox....stuff saying that if the Honey Bee had been questioned the Town would have been sued or at least criticized for stifling development on 9&20. Sounds like a cop out we've heard before.

    Barbers have to have a license. Looks like the persons responsible in this case didn't ask for the license. Our PB chair was announcing the business at a PB meeting, but nobody had checked as to whether the service to be provided was licensed. That's called internal controls.....something that the OSC has cited as absent in East Greenbush.

    The most elementary management skills seem to be absent.

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  39. Former PB chair on the Town's medical plan? Who was that and do you have proof of that?

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    1. At least the planning board had the maturity and respect to put the PDD to rest,http://eastgreenbush.org/document-downloads/planning-depa rtment/minutes/doc_download/1425-3112015-minutes . Too bad Langley and Malone have the maturity of a 5 year old. When they tried grandstanding over this they only dug their holes deeper. Hey Casino Langley, how are you feeling about November?

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    2. William Haney. On a FOIL sometime back.

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  40. AnonymousMarch 26, 2015 at 8:47 PMMarch 27, 2015 at 10:44 AM

    To AnonymousMarch 27, 2015 at 9:38 AM---Thank you for sharing that. Many of us had no idea that occurred.

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  41. 8:39 a.m. It was pure arrogance and ego that would not allow McLangley and McMalone to vote yes to Mary Ann's casino PDD resolution, but also, I bet, anger. The way they were hassling her that night proved that they were angry at her for forcing a vote. She was doing proper governance but could they give her that and vote yes? Hell no! They are children who need to grow up and start doing what's right for the town, not for themselves. It should be interesting now that Deb and Mary Ann are the new minorities on the board. C'mon, we know that's what has happened. McLangley failed them completely by failing to make the success of the town his number one priority. It is crystal clear now that McLangley's number one priority is himself.
    NO MCLANGLEY 2016 OR EVER AGAIN.

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  42. PLEASE someone help me to understand why it is we pay the Deputy Commissioner of Public Works a salary to chauffeur around Langley, why does he allows this day in & day out for Danny to do nothing but be his right hand man... his confidant??? isn't he suppose to be @ the garage taking orders from Anthony Corellis not Langley??? why is he is in Langley's office or @ the town hall all day every day.... talking strategies & doing campaign stuff on our dime ??? If a Deputy Commissioner isn't needed why not abolish the position opposed to wasting more of our taxpayers dollars??? LANGLEY IS NOTHING MORE THEN THE BIGGEST BOOB IN TOWN. No Langley in 2016!!!!

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  43. 2:36 p.m. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done about the Dan Fiacco situation because this is the way the Town Supervisor, an exceedingly poor and unprofessional manager, wants it to be. He seems to need a lackey at his disposal at all times and Danny is it, it used to be Chris DeFruscio. This is a terrible misuse of a highly paid town employee who should be at his post at the DPW during the work day. All we can do is keep this in mind on November 3rd and vote accordingly. This Supervisor has unfortunately been a colossal disappointment but that's why elections are held every four years. Time for a chance.

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  44. Maybe if Dan Fiacco wasn't riding around with the Supervisor he might have been able to make sure that the valve at the Waste Water Treatment Plant was shut off at the end of the day. Instead, we are having to deal with the unnecessary hazardous waste spill that has put our DPW workers at risk due to the fact that they were ordered to begin cleaning up the spill without having haz mat suits made available to them. Let's make sure the men keep getting medical attention over the years. Oftentimes, exposure to hazardous waste takes years to show symptoms.
    Not good Mr. Langley, not good at all.

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  45. I see a "bad moon rising" for the Dems and Reps in Town. Their antics over the years have left them bankrupt when it comes to ideas and competence in governing. The list of mischief keeps growing.

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  46. Dan is going to stay in his current position, and dave is coming back as the commish to make everybody happy and so much work will get done in town. Rick will be happy and then phil will be told not to run and langley is in.Every thing will be great drink the punch.

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    1. Looks to me like the machines are populating the field to be defeated.

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  47. Last I checked the Republican Committee has to back Langley to be there top dog before he has option to get cross indors? Not sure that will happen!

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  48. Bottom line is this, folks, the candidates who get "endorsed" by the Dems are the ones who win at the democratic caucus in September. This means that MANY "electors" will have to show up to the caucus FOR McLangley, many more than will show up for any other candidate. The dems (i.e. McCabe) "offered" McLangley a cross but it can't be given to anyone, it has to be won. Understand? If McLangley thinks enough electors will show up to the caucus to hoot and holler for him and beat out possibly as many as three other candidates who want the dem line, he's dreaming. Meanwhile, the stupid repubs may offer McMalone a repub line, which they actually have the power to do, so, at the end of the day, McMalone, if he fails at the dem caucus, could be running as a republican! How f'd up is that? The dem and repub machines have made such a huge mess of things in EG that they are actually now banding together to try to keep control from a powerful third party alternative coming up hard from the rear. These newfangled "republicrats" are so scared of losing control completely, that they are blurring the lines of their differences to defeat the newcomers to the party. McLangley is guzzling the punch even as we speak and joining forces with McMalone and McMangold to ruin the town further for the duration of the year. McLangley kicked DeFruscio, who brought him to the dance, to the curb and is now surrounded by wolves who are, for the moment, pretending to want to raise him as opposed to eat him. This will be one hell of an election year in EG. Wait and see.

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  49. @ 9:31AM- I like the way your mind works. One clarification though... If Malone didn't already have the Republican endorsement (either as a result of a Town Republican Committee designation or a Republican Primary Day victory) at the time of the Democratic Caucus, it would be too late for him to be placed on the Republican line unless one of three things happened. 1. The placeholder candidate died or 2. "Officially" moved out of the Town or 3. Was selected by the party to run for a higher office (usually a judgeship) for which there wasn't already a candidate. If there was no placeholder candidate selected by the EG Republican Committee and if there was no candidate elected on Primary Day, that General Election Ballot spot would be unfilled.
    Again, I like your thinking and I love a good conspiracy theory.

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  50. 10:48...9:31 here, thanks for the complement. The deal is a Dem cross-endorsement for Supervisor in exchange for a Rep cross-endorsement for the two board seats. So, the Dems cross-endorse Langley for Supervisor and the Reps cross-endorse Malone and one other Dem candidate who remains to be announced. The problem with this plan is that Rep endorsements are made in July so if the Dems secretly plan to double-cross Langley and back another candidate for Supervisor instead OR if Langley loses at the caucus to someone else, then the Dems are off the hook for so-called "endorsing" him for Supervisor but the Reps are very much on the hook for endorsing the two Dem candidates for board seats no matter what. In other words, the Reps are taking ALL the risk in July and hoping and praying that McCabe, who has reneged on these kinds of deals before, keeps his word in September. With so much at stake, it seems highly likely that the Dems WILL produce a candidate at the caucus who could beat McLangley hands down. This makes McLangley the biggest fool on earth for trusting that desperate, old machine dems who despise him will actually keep their word and WORK to get him re-elected. Langley squandered his chances well over a year ago of keeping his job. His best chance of being re-elected was to honor and respect the platform on which Matters and DiMartino ran for election and embrace an open and transparent govt that included, nay welcomed, the residents into the governing process. To be sure, neither party should endorse Langley for anything ever again but they are all so stuck in the quicksand of their mistakes over the years that they can't conceive of turning things around. So, they're going with Langley and Malone? Who knows. Thankfully, there will be other choices on the ballot this year to be announced in due time. It is time to take back our town and bring our govt practices back out into the light of day. The days of secret and ruinous backroom politics in EG needs to be over!
    NO MCLANGLEY 2016!

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  51. "Republicrats?" That's a new term. I take it to mean when both Republicans and Democrats have screwed up so badly that they have to work together to save their collective necks on election day but "Republicrats" is a spurious concept that can't work because even if the two parties have a similar appearance, it's still a sham, bogus, and deceitful. The only logical choice is to go with neither party for they literally cancel each other out. We need a new way of governing in East Greenbush. The old way isn't working anymore.

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  52. "Republicrat" is an interesting word and one I've never heard before, but I am compelled to think about it. When I think of Democrats and Republicans, I think of apples and oranges, they're usually nothing alike, so why on earth would anyone agree to combine them to make a hybrid of the two parties? The answer in EG clearly lies in the fact that both major parties are so equally responsible for the poor condition of the town that they literally and very covertly joined forces to bring a big box gambling casino to small town USA in a get-rich-quick scheme to catapult their sorry a$$es out of the financial damage they've both done to the town. Both parties are so equally responsible for the junk bond status, the inter-fund borrowing debt, and countless other back room shenanigans that have not improved since 2012 when Keith Langley took office, and are now so weak and powerless each party alone, that the fox (ousted old machine dems) has literally been ALLOWED into the hen house (republican controlled town hall) in some cockamamie scheme to keep the chickens safe? It makes no sense, in fact, it's downright screwy, but it's actually happened! See for yourself as Ricky McCabe and Richie Benko now sail in and out of Keith McLangley's office in town hall like they own the place. Everything is politically topsy-turvy in EG this year and all because the electorate has woken up to the corrupt and incompetent way the town is being run by BOTH major parties. In this election year, it's time for residents to stay awake, alert, and aware and recognize that a new and better way is coming, a govt of the people, BY the people, and for the people, and it's coming soon. Stay tuned.

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    1. To say nothing of how the two major parties have overtaken the minor parties by registering major party loyalists as minor party voters to disenfranchise minor party voters and use those parties to add to the dem and rep vote totals. Really, the only place for honest voters to go is to a third party.

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  53. AnonymousMarch 28, 2015 6:17 PM

    It sounds like Don,Ray or Suzanne.....they still think there'll be a third party that can effectively deal with the Towns issues. That is until these " third party candidates" dare think on their own and don't follow lock-step , the orders of Johnson,Airaido and the rest of the Gadfly faithful. Then it will be " game on"...
    and....I don't believe that anyone who has ever been anywhere near Town Hall will trust any third party candidates....

    Talks published the above which mentioned my name, but so far has failed to publish my response..

    I'd just say that somebody doesn't know the definition of "constituent."

    Is there some secret that is passed out in the basement of Town Hall which is the key to governing East Greenbush? Seems to me that people with intelligence, experience and education should be able to fathom the deep dark secrets of municipal government. (The secrets are the shenanigans of the insiders.) It's time for a very big change in the government of our town.

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    1. Dear Gadfly:

      I am amazed people over at the Talks blog still remember me.

      I was, and very much remain, intensely proud of what we accomplished and what we began.

      I regret supporting Langley but I also think Langley's rise and fall was necessary to awaken citizens to the complete and utter hypocrisy of the two major political parties.

      I think 2015 will be a critical year for the good people of East Greenbush. I am confident that a third party slate of candidates is emerging and I am absolutely certain that voters will know that change is needed and that change will be a good thing.

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  54. I hope you all continue to work hard on bringing transparency and honesty to Town government, I'm proud of what you have all been bringing up these past couple of years. I'm not sure there's a Town question that has been posed by this group that didn't have some semblance of truth to it. Just stay strong and keep digging and asking questions. As for the Republicans, please don't lump them all in together. There are some "new" Republicrats that seem to be trying to take control of the Republican party and bring the line to Langley. Not sure true Republicans will fall for it especially if they find out about what is going on. There's a strong minority of constituents writing and reading the blogs, MANY more constituents about the Town who are not aware of what has been going on with the latest power plays and back room deals.

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  55. 8:03 p.m. Some think Langley has been a Republicrat since he took office in 2012. When two unsuspecting candidates ran for office in 2013, they had no idea that Langley expected them to follow him like zombies. We saw what happened to MA when she broke loose last year from his maniacal control. She's held up good though, good for her! Deb has now broken free, too, in a big way. Good for her, too! Langley expected the newbies to follow him to the gates of hell but both have now said no. Now, he'll have to sell his soul to accomplish anything significant for the rest of the year. He's a fool at the mercy of the very loser he beat in 2011. How humiliating is that? No matter what your party affiliation, it's time to break the two party mold and expand our minds to a new way of governing. It can be done. It will be done this year.
    NO REPUBLICRATS IN 2016!

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  56. Bottom line Keith Langley only cares about Keith Langley's desk in Town Hall. He will do and say anything to remain sitting behind that desk. That desk is his be all and end all. He coouldn't care less about the concerns and ideas of the people of East Greenbush.
    For Langley, it's all ABOUT THE DESK
    No Langley on November 3rd.

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  57. To 124. That was quite a post. The only problem is your full of shit. Ricky McCabe has been away all winter except for 1week. He dropped mail off that came to his house for Langley. Richie Benko stops to see former co workers. The only thing that is corrupt in this town are you bacteria on humanity. You can fill in your own names. Everyone in EG know who you are. Have a pleasant day. Your pal Larry

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    1. Thought you readers should get a look at some of the "low end" of what gets submitted. The insiders (Repbulicrats, I like that term) did their conspiracy on the Casino stuff to make what they thought would be a killing. Well, like General Montgomery in WWII, it was a "bridge too far," and the community is about to say "enough is enough." No more special deals.

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  58. Dear, poor, delusional Larry, do you eat with that mouth?You are disgusting and rude and just another lowlife desperate to return the town to the kind you defend. For your information, McCabe and Benko were SEEN making an appearance in McLangley's office fairly recently. We know this for a fact because McLangley was having a heated meeting with staff when your buds showed up, and McLangley kicked staff out of his office in favor of a closed door meeting with your chums. So, if anyone is full of it, it's you! Check your facts before you open your filthy, rude, disgusting mouth! And if you think the republicrats have your back(teria) for sticking up for them, then think again. Republicrats are loyal to no one.

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  59. Thug mentality has ruled EG for too many years. These individuals love the financial chaos that has become the norm for our town. It obscures illegal and unethical activities.

    It took a community resident (Dwight Jenkins, I think) to unearth thousands of dollars in illegal checks written to McCabe, Benko, and others. IT TOOK A CITIZEN TO FIND THIS... NOT THE TOWN COMPTROLLER OR AN AUDIT FIRM.

    We have a big pot of taxpayer money sitting there with no meaningful financial controls. We know that there were illegal activities in the past. Do we think that this isn't happening currently? I'm certain that money is finding its way out of various accounts and into the pockets of a few less-than-honorable individuals. The money spigot is wide open in East Greenbush. I find it curious that no one at Town Hall is overly concerned about this. Langley's comptroller says "Maybe in a couple of years we'll earn the right to accounting software." I've never heard a more ridiculous statement in my life.

    We hear that McCabe and Benko are maneuvering to get back into Town Hall. We hear that they're making deals with Langley and his handlers. The good people of EG are fed up with these crooks. They're sick of the cronyism. They're sick of the double standard building codes. No building codes for insiders (Harts, Maneys, etc) but an enforced set of codes for the rest of us.

    Although the Gadflys are only a small percentage of the town population, I believe that the jig is up for the Dems and Republicans in EG. Even the less informed people of this town are aware that something smells like sewage in Town Hall. Those who "govern" in East Greenbush are running their own little Tammany Hall and the word is out. Boss Tweed McLangley and his crew of deviants will be booted out. November 3rd 2015 will be an historic day in East Greenbush.

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    1. We need some answers as to how that Plat approval for Thompson Way could get signed a year ago last January by the Chair of the Planning Board without a meeting or Resolution by the Planning Board. We need some answers as to how a sewer connection could be made to 1 Cooper Avenue during a sewer connection moratorium. The questions have been asked. The answers have been blank stares. Do citizens of this town have to file Article 78's to get those responsible for government to comply with the law?

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    2. Following the Law should be the standard, and no Attorney employed by the town should be advising as to how to "get around" the requirements of the Law. If the current and previous administrations had followed the letter of the law, the town would not be in the financial trouble that it's in.

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    3. Joanne,

      That has been an ongoing problem in this town for years is the lack of ethics. They want us to believe they have changed yeah right sure you have. Its unfortunate that we have people that take advantage of the system. This town wouldn't be in half the trouble it is if we had a couple of honest town politicians.

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  60. Good news and something we can all work together on in the best interest of East Greenbush. The State Budget agreement includes $200 million in capital funding for municipalities in need of sewer and pipeline repairs. This Clean Water Infrastructure funding is something we could work PROSPECTIVELY on; and if and audit of the town's 2014 fiscal year is required to be eligible, then someone sure better figure out how to that accomplished PDQ.

    Andrea Smyth

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  61. In its never ending commitment to ethics (forgive the sarcasm), the Town has not put the amended language for the Code of Ethics on the website ten days before the April 9th public hearing as required by law. This is not the fault of the Board of Ethics because they submitted their draft to the Town Board and Town Attorney in plenty of time. It should be interesting to watch some of these people on the campaign trail this year as they extol their deep commitment to ethical conduct and a strong Code of Ethics after entire terms of making a mockery of the issue. You'd think that the pressure of an election year would make them at least pretend to address this issue but since what is at stake is a residents' right to file ethics complaints their fear of getting caught outweighs their fear of not getting re-elected.

    For anyone interested, a Board of Ethics meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight at Town Hall.

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  62. The text is now available at

    http://eastgreenbush.org/news/813-notice-of-public-hearing-code-of-ethics-

    Pete Stenson

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  63. Mr. Conway, maybe the town attorney's and town board's failure to post the ethics code on the town website 10 days prior to the public hearing on 4/9 was just an oversight; just like turning off the pump at the WWTP was an oversight, not reading the proposal to conduct a study of sewer districts and rates before the last pre-board meeting was just an oversight, paying town employees without proper payroll certification from civil service was just an oversight, not repaying interfund borrowing debt was just an oversight, paying-out stipends without town board approval was just an oversight, hiring family members for town jobs was just an oversight, conducting town business with a broken beyond repair accounting system was just an oversight, paying accounting firms tens of thousands of dollars to tell us the books are inauditable was just an oversight, allowing the Honey Bee Spa to set up their brothel in EG was just an oversight, not consulting with residents before green- lighting a gambling casino was just an oversight...phew! Need I go on? There are just too many "oversights" to excuse anymore. EG needs competent, reliable leadership and we need it NOW!
    NO LANGLEY, MALONE, and MANGOLD 2016!

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  64. Jack, none of this surprises you. Will we ever forget when McLangley openly and very brazenly opposed allowing residents to file complaints with the Ethics Board because it would hurt his chances for re-election? Ya just can't make this stuff up! If McLangley were really the king he imagines himself to be, there would be no Ethics Board and no CFAC! Perhaps we need another committee in town hall just to make sure this wanna-be-king does what he's supposed to do when he's supposed to do it, but then that wouldn't leave much time during the work day for politics, would it. Scratch that idea.

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  65. This would be a good read for some folks who want to comment on this blog:

    http://www.npr.org/books/titles/397094471/between-you-me-confessions-of-a-comma-queen

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