Welcome to the Voice of Schodack Blog!
Here's the latest!
I'm glad to see the blog is getting warmed up again!
We have an election coming up in the fall and residents need to be informed on critical issues that affect us. So if anyone has information about town issues and how our new town supervisor is doing,please feel free to enlighten us!
To get detailed information on Schodack financials check out the 2 links below;
Note to all Schodack residents:
We know everyone is busy but if at all possible, PLEASE attend Town Board & Planning Board Meetings. What can really make a difference is a good turnout at these meetings because it will show that residents are concerned and watching so let's pack the town hall!
If they only see a few people at a meeting, it sends the message that we don't care and they will continue to disregard us!
We remain committed to continue our fight for fair elections & responsive leadership in Schodack. With your continuing support we can do it!
The Schodack Republican Party has chosen NOT to run Secor as their candidate for supervisor. This is a direct result of her very close election against a write-in candidate and shows what motivated voters can do, we will have a fair & open election this year because of you!
So feel free to post your thoughts & opinions here and let your voice be heard!
Note; While we encourage you to post your comments, we reserve the right to delete posts that contain vulgarity, offensive comments or personal attacks.
The Voice of Schodack blog was created to give all Schodack residents the ability to voice their concerns about issues that affect them. Our website at http://www.voiceofschodack.com/ will be updated in the next few months for the upcoming election which should be very interesting!
We know everyone is busy but if at all possible, PLEASE attend Town Board & Planning Board Meetings. What can really make a difference is a good turnout at these meetings because it will show that residents are concerned and watching so let's pack the town hall!
If they only see a few people at a meeting, it sends the message that we don't care and they will continue to disregard us!
We remain committed to continue our fight for fair elections & responsive leadership in Schodack. With your continuing support we can do it!
The Schodack Republican Party has chosen NOT to run Secor as their candidate for supervisor. This is a direct result of her very close election against a write-in candidate and shows what motivated voters can do, we will have a fair & open election this year because of you!
So feel free to post your thoughts & opinions here and let your voice be heard!
Note; While we encourage you to post your comments, we reserve the right to delete posts that contain vulgarity, offensive comments or personal attacks.
The Voice of Schodack blog was created to give all Schodack residents the ability to voice their concerns about issues that affect them. Our website at http://www.voiceofschodack.com/ will be updated in the next few months for the upcoming election which should be very interesting!
1,313 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1001 – 1200 of 1313 Newer› Newest»The repub's are running scared, now that they can't keep everyone off the ballot. If they run Secor after the last election, she will lose by a huge margin. So they had to dump her or they stand no chance of winning.
The Republicans have chosen a a candidate who they think has a chance to win. We hear all the time that voters want to elect someone who is not a career politican. Mr. Dowd has little political background, has a resume of some substance, is supported by Ray Lemka, and is not Beth Secor.
The Dem candidate has no experience that would suggest she can handle the job. Maybe she will impress the electorate before the election with her oratory skills and plans for the town but on the surface there is no comparison.
Schodack residents have scored a major victory with the republican party's decision to NOT run Secor for supervisor. This decision is a direct result of the last election where a write-in candidate only lost by 20 votes, so give yourselves a hand!
However, the decision to not run Secor was made by the same people who fought to keep all other candidates OFF the ballot during the last election!
Bottom line, the repub's decision not to run Secor is simply an effort to maintain their control of Town Hall. So let's not jump on the Dowd bandwagon just yet.
On the other side, I don't think the decision by the Dem's to run Kirstin Shaw for supervisor was well thought out.
What do these recent events tell us? That Schodack residents with the power of the ballot box can truly make a difference.
So let's listen to all candidates to find out what they plan to do about taxes, debt, services, etc. before making a decision at the ballot box.
NO INCUMBENTS, TAKE THE PLEDGE!
So, how's Beth's signature campaign going? Anyone sign up for her?
How ironic that she goes this route, when she forced Mr. Lemka off the ballot last year thanks to her cronies & the Kellys.
The woman has some nerve, that I'll grant her...it's just too bad she has no decency.
Here's a website for those interested in the Democratic slate:
http://schodackdemocrats.com/
Dems: thanks for creating a website!
Looking forward to learning more...
signed,
an independent voter in Schodack
Interesting announcement in the Advertiser with Lizzy's picture but no photo of the Supervisor candidate. Usually the head of the ticket gets the publicity but not when Lizzy's running the show.
It also is interesting that in her opening salvo she indicates what kind of campaign she will run with negative comments about the various boards in our town. I am thankful that we have qualified people willing to devote their time to these important (and unpaid)positions. Not so with Lizzy - she thinks these folks "have zero regard for resident concerns" which means hers. Is it any wonder they ignore her concerns when they are publicly castigated by her on a regular basis? Hopefully she will tells us specifically which of these board members have zero regard for the residents concerns so we can judge for ourselves of this inflamatory charge.
Her position is clear - no new growth in Schodack. Her tired rant about the Pilot store is her favorite example of bad planning. Yet the planning board continues to address the traffic and signage issues with the company and Pilot makes the changes necessary. I guess Lizzy wants them to shut down. Just what we need - another boarded up commercial site in Schodack.
When will we hear Ms. Shaw's or Mr. Visalli's views or are they the same as Lizzy's?
Actually, I want to thank Ms. Gable for bringing issues related to Pilot to our Town's attention.
Even Schodack's own Chief of Police has stated that there are scores of public complaints about the Pilot site -- so it's not just Ms. Gable complaining here.
Mr. Visalli has stated (and at one forum, his wife read his comments) that Pilot was not built to the specifications put before the Planning Board.
So, yeah, I think it is more than reasonable to hold Pilot responsible for problems they created. In cases where the DOT did not plan properly, they too should remedy the situation. There have been several accidents there, and one involving a propane truck.
That's pretty serious.
I find Ms. Secor to be neither resonsible nor serious about her job. Ms. Secor's quip, after a gasoline spill at the site, was that it's great we have ways to clean this up.
Finally, the Planning Board members ARE compensated. Their stipends are posted in the annual budget.
When the town of Schodack elects it's next town board, please slow down the spending. It really cannot be done all at once. Ladder the debt,be conservative.
Secor increased the Town debt by $10,000,000 during her two terms!
Now the interest payments alone on that amount of debt must be huge!
The next administration must be very aggressive about cutting costs in all areas of spending, one high priority should be cutting the exhorbitant staffing at town hall. Secor raised salaries by 30% and hired additional staff as well!
The next administration must commit to stop this insane spending.
Yes, we need to control the spending in this town.
The HUGE staffing increases, the white-elephant building (with a broken sewage system), the pay raises of up to 46%, the legal lawsuits to "assure" her the election...
Secor is as incompetent as they come. Plus, with the lawsuits filed on her behalf by the Kellys, pretty corrupt, too.
Secor & Co. believed that an ever-upward real estate bubble would pay for all the junkets, pay raises, new hires, fancy new building, etc.
Well, guess what? The bubble burst.
Secor and her cronies have left a trail of waste in this town, which we will be paying for for years.
What an insult as unemployment is nearing 10%. What Secor and her buddies did was WRONG and hurts us all. While her friends enjoy their pay raises, others line up for soup kitchens.
NYC's got Bernie Madoff, Schodack's got Beth Secor.
I heard a rumor that Beth Secor is also responsible for global warming and the H1N1 virus.
I find it sad most people post without their name. I wonder why anybody would choose to run for public office. Please if you think you can do better, run for office. I assure you you will not like being called names! Bob Zinzow
If we shut down Pilot make sure to shut down all the garage sales...they create more of a traffic hazard than a gas station off a major exit.
"I find it sad most people post without their name."
Well Bob,
Residents are allowed to post anonymously so they can voice their opinions and concerns without fear of retribution from anyone.
What I find sad Bob is that there have been people who have tried to run for office in Schodack and the current administration worked hard to keep them off the ballot by using very dirty politics. This forced the candidate to run as a "write-in", who almost won! I'm sure you remember that, don't you Bob?
This year will be different Bob, we will have all eligible candidates on the ballot and finally have a honest, fair election!
In response, first off I was one of the people running for office. I agree in open elections the people deserve choices. People should be elected and then re-elected by job performance. Please do not be affraid of your government, if you are it's too Late. P.s. save the name calling for the playground.
"In response, first off I was one of the people running for office. I agree in open elections the people deserve choices"
Bob, as I recall, you ran "unopposed" didn't you?
Let me ask you Bob, did you vote against any of the following as a member of the Secor administration;
1. The leasing of the SEFCU building?
2. The ensuing purchase of the SEFCU building?
3. The building of the new Town Garage?
4. The purchase of the old State Police barracks to house the Schodack Police Dept?
Remember, your votes are a matter of public record.
As a matter of public record, I voted for the police station. The building, trailer they were in was a disgrace! Under the same conditions I would vote for it again. I looked at sefcu with Eileen Natoli and passed on it. I looked at many highway building's with Ken Holmes. I think the building that was built should have been scaled back. When I was on the board, we had reserve's What have you done too scared to post your name? Bob Zinzow
Dear won't print your name, I ran for the town board and the county legislature. I have no sour grapes on either. We are a nation of laws people were nocked off the ballot by the laws we created. Alex Shannon beat me fair and square and I respect that. The intent of my responding is to have people, not just yourself,leave their name. I just ask you and others to be respectful and not afraid to challenge government. They need watching! Bob Zinzow
"We are a nation of laws people were nocked off the ballot by the laws we created."
Bob, the reason Ray Lemka was kept off the ballot was because of collusion of the Secor administration with Tim Nugent who at the time was the Chairman of the Schodack Democratic Committee and a very well paid appointed member of Secor's administration!
As I said before, allowing "anonymous" posts allows the over-taxed and under serviced residents of Schodack to voice their opinions and concerns without fear of retribution.
Names are not important here, it's the issues that residents are concerned about. Anyone who wants to include their name is free to do so, it is their choice.
Let me ask you Bob, the purchase of the SEFCU and old State Police Barracks were being considered at approx. the same time. Why is it that no one in the Secor administration ever mentioned consolidating the Town Hall and the Police Dept. in the SEFCU building which would have saved over a million dollars of our tax money?
Another question:
The police dept. accounts for approx. one third of the annual Schodack Town Budget.
Schodack only has 12,000 residents and a very low crime rate. Now let's compare that to Clifton Park, they have a much larger population and a much higher crime rate but have no police dept. of their own, they contract with the State Police instead.
Would you agree that Schodack spends an unusually large amount of money on police and could be cut back or even eliminated to save a large amount of taxpayer dollars?
"Hopefully she will tells us specifically which of these board members have zero regard for the residents concerns so we can judge for ourselves of this inflammatory charge."
There is only one board appropriate for me to address, it is the only with which I am reasonable familiar. That is planning board.
Over several years, with similar composition, the planning board has held, in response to questions often posed by Mr. Puccio or Mr. Haber, that it will be up to the citizens to provide for the enforcement of planning board decisions regarding subdivisions and commitments made and broken by property owners.
Even in recent cases where citizens have taken the time and resource to reminded the board about past commitments, the board promptly ignored these issues and allowed development to continue in whatever newest fashion was most economically beneficial to the property developers.
Specifically, property developers can make a plan, then execute the most profitable parts, and finally change the plan so the less profitable parts can be made more profitable. It would be reasonable if no part of the previous plan were executed, but to allow development in this fashion negates the function of the board and makes our mutual expense for their stipends inappropriate.
Other boards in the town might be more valuable, but the planning board does not execute its own role either due to a lack of confidence and conviction on the part of its members or simply because it would be too much hassle to serve the people of Schodack according to higher principles of government.
On the other hand, the higher principles of government have seldom been exhibited anywhere, so it is not particularly surprising that they cannot be found in Schodack either.
I cannot answer for the town board members that voted on Sefcu. I was not on the board for the purchase. I think the building that should have been purchased was on the corner of Miller road. It was all on one floor and would have been perfect! At the time the board was divided,no vote taken. Now the police,yup they are expensive and will be a part of our town's budget forever. That's just my thought, I have never seen a department removed.
More on the police department. Number one,the police in a seperate building is a safty issue. When most come to court,they have had a chance to calm down. When just being arrested that is not alway's the case. That's why I support a seperate building. I also believe we need a police department. I bet you could not get enough signatures to close it evn if it could be done anonymous. People want to be safe! Bob Zinzow
P.s. if Clifton parks crime rate is higher than Schodacks and they have the State police, why should we change? Being safe isn't cheap but it beats the alternative. I will send this one anonymous. Bob Zinzow
If having the police in a separate building is a "safety issue", why have many surrounding municipalities that have built new town administrative complexes have the police dept. in the same building, maybe to save money?
As far as people being agitated after being arrested, isn't that what handcuffs are for?
As far as being "safe", there are very few times any police dept. prevents a crime BEFORE it happens, they usually only get involved AFTER the crime has been committed, so much for "safety".
The Schodack Police Dept. is a great place to be an officer, they get unlimited tuition reimbursement at taxpayer expense to earn up to a 4 yr. degree, then they can move on to a better job, with the state police!
Oh, and let's not forget the pension increase Secor pushed through for the police, coincidentally her husband was the first one to take advantage of it!
By the way Bob, you have suddenly become very active on this blog, are you about to announce your running for something this coming election? If so, please announce it here first!
The best way to protect yourself is a 12 gauge, you'll be dead by the time the police get there!
The police Dept does NOT take up a third of the Towns anual budget. If it did then the Towns anual budget is only $3,000,000.00 The Towns anual budget is roughly $13,000,000 The police budget is approx $1,000,000.00 Doesn't add up to 33%...more around 8%. If you comment about it atleast get the facts right
Guess Who,I am not running for office. I just hate to see people such as the Kellys and other get all these personal attacks. The Kellys are great people. They have been some of the most active people in our region with fire and rescue. Mabey someday they will save your anonymous butt! Again what the law allows is what you should be looking at, it's all legal. Fight the law, don't get so personal. I agree the cost for government is way to high. While our town tax rate has gone up quite quickly, the real cost on your tax bills are the school and county! The people with the least impact on your tax bill, are thought of as complete bums. Is that right? Ken Stinner, Frank Curtis, the Kellys and many others have performed a great sevice to this community through all the volunteer service they perform. While sometimes I may not agree with a vote they cast they do deserve respect as they are all good people! The kind of people this country was built on. Again I ask don't be scared of government Leave your name or not,but please give some respect.
Get off your soap box Zinzow, so now that your no longer on the board your suddenly the spokesman for everything that's righteous. Get a real job, maybe a minister!
That's a great idea, I could be tax exempt! Smile,that was a good one. Bobby Z
Having a police officer as a husband, that is wonderful. Serving in fire departments -- great.
But you still obey laws, and you do the right thing.
That's all we're asking. It's sad that being a "volunteer" causes some to think they can do as they please, ethics be d----. If you want my respect as a policeman or volunteer firefighter, please act in an ethical manner.
And stop the pity-party for the Kellys and Beth Secor. They played with fire and got burned...
...and firefighters should know better.
The Supervisor and current Town board are responsible for increasing the tax levy by 81% in just five years (Highway and general fund spending alone). That is not pocket change. The current members are or were all supported by the current Republican committee lead by Jeff Haber. Does anyone think things will change if the current slate supported by the republican committee is elected or re-elected?
I too am not thrilled with any of the choices for supervisor. But I do think Joe and Elizabeth, as much as disagree with her on some issues, are the best choices for Town Board. For anyone that actually knows Elizabeth, they will know she is not anti-development. That's a label her politcal opponents came up with who don't know her. She is for good well designed commercial development and not just any old truck stop that wants to land here like our current Town/County representatives approve of. I wish Joe and Elizabeth good luck. We need balance on the Board and these two will give us that.
OK, well, Mr. Zinzow, here is what the Times Union states about you:
"Zinzow served on the Schodack
town board from 2001 to 2005
when he had a falling out with the
Republicans and quit the board and
shortly after that changed his enrollment to Democrat."
TU 17 Sep 2007
So....looks like you have a bone to pick with Schodack Republicans.
GIven that, I think I will take ALL of your statements with a large grain of salt.
Thanks,
Anonymous in Schodack
(but still voting)
You can tell it's an election year, they paved Maple Hill Rd.!
Yea, I know Maple Hill is a county road but we vote for them too!
Never was a party issue, I was asked questions and I gave answers. My answers were direct and my opinion. I do NOT care if you are in any party,I stated two things,leave your name and don't be afraid of government. Number two be respectful. Any of you that are concerned are welcome to look up my voter registration. I don't think it has any bearing on my statements!
Everyone should be scared as hell about the cap & tax and nationalized healthcare bills Obama is attempting to ram through.
If these bills pass, it will mean major changes to the american way of life.
Prices of goods and services will spike and the gov't will tax everything possible to pay for healthcare because we know it will be much more expensive than they predict and the quality of healthcare will decline dramatically. All this during a severe recession, not a smart move!
The other issue no one has mentioned is that we have no guarantee that gov't will use all the tax money they receive for healthcare, they will do the same thing they did with Social Security, put it in the general revenue fund and spend it for more "PORK" projects.
Contact your congressmen and senator before it's too late!
I would love the poster from yesterday to please explain their statement " and the firefighters should know better".
I have lived in Schodack for 38 years and have been an active Schodack Valley firefighter for 35 years. I enjoy helping people and do not expect, nor receive, anything but gratitude from those I assist. To insinuate that ANYONE tells me who to vote for is BS. I can speak for many of my brother firefighters when saying the Kellys nor Beth tells any of us who to vote for.
Just read Kristin Shaws statement in the Advertiser and to say I am underwhelmed would be an understatement. There is not a shred of evidence that her background, education, or job experience qualify her to be Supervisor. The only job experience mentioned is as a reporter for a defunct newspaper. What else has Ms. Shaw done that would give her a background to run our town??
Just like Ms. Gable, going to the various board meetings does not make you an expert on anything. Especially when Ms. Shaw was getting paid as a reporter to be there.
It is quite obvious that Ms. Gable was looking for anyone to run for Supervisor amd Ms. Shaw was the only one willing. I'm still trying to figure out why Ms. Gable didn't run for Supervisor?? Any ideas??
Mr. Zinzow:
Thank you for urging us to have respect. I think you will see the ire on this blog is for individuals who acted in an unethical manner. The complaints focus on public actions by these individuals. This is free speech, which is protected by the US Constitution.
Mr. Adams:
No one stated that the Kellys or Beth Secor told firefighters how to vote. What angers many in Schodack is that Mr. Kelly, as a fire chief, and as someone serving on Town committees, filed a lawsuit blocking Mr. Lemka from being on the ballot, thus having to be a "write-in." Mr. Kelly's wife, who has an appointed position working for Beth Secor, also received a 46% pay raise. Mr. Kelly's actions were unethical due to his close connection with Secor.
That is what upsets people: the lack of ethics. Given that he served as a fire chief makes it even more reprehensible.
We are supposed to look up to firefighters (and I do!). When someone who is looked up to does wrong, it makes people even more disgusted.
Finally, Mr. Zinzow and Mr. Adams, this issue was not really being discussed anymore -- but, thanks for bringing it up again, I guess. (Please note: I am being ironic).
It is a matter from nearly 2 years ago... maybe it is time to let it rest since Beth lost the nomination this time around.
The Dem's made a critical mistake, they announced their candidate for supervisor first. This allowed the Repub's to pick a candidate who has much more "experience" than Ms. Shaw, this issue will be the foundation of the campaign.
Please go back and check the blog,June 29th 2009. It was being discussed. I am sorry anonymous people, all the people,should have the right to express their views. That includes fire and rescue the ambulance the farmer,truck driver school worker etc. I urge all who read this blog to use it in a constructive way. Suggest ways to improve government. Example make a list of questions, fair questions for all to voice an opinion. P.s I still think you should sign your name.
Hi Bob:
It appears that first you are unhappy with the comments about the Kellys, then, when someone suggests you let it rest, you tell us everyone has a right to express opinions.
You still don't address the central issue: the unethical, public actions of Secor and the Kellys. I still haven't heard a rational defense.
I agree with you: we should post ideas on how to improve our government. Do note there ARE suggestions to improve our Town. Read all the requests for posting agendas on the Town's website. Sometimes the webmaster did post information, and he was thanked.
So -- when there is improvement, we here in Schodack are quick to praise. When things go wrong, sure -- we'll point that out too.
There are several people who write on this blog. They each have issues and concerns, and of course, do not agree on all matters. There are some posts defending Beth Secor, and the webmaster of this site duly posts them.
Finally -- thanks again to the VOS. As it was 2 years ago, this blog is a valuable and informative sounding board for Schodack residents.
Smile, it's a sunny day in Schodack!
I think Bob needs a nap!
Just think, George Soros is now running our country and he didn't even have to run for election!
Don't know David Calarco but his letter to the editor in this week's Advertiser was on the money. Lizzy was up to her old tricks of unsubstantiated rhetoric about the planning and zoning boards and Mr. Calarco called her out on it.
It seems to me Lizzy's candidacy is DOA. The voters have heard enough of her blather over the years to see she is not suitable for public office and is just a bag of hot air. Maybe the dog catcher position available?
Mr. Visalli seems like a good candidate but how did he get roped into this trainwreck?
Dumping Secor was a tactical decision based on the last election. They knew that she would lose my a huge margin.
But we need to remember Secor was just a figure head doing the party's bidding, so many of the people behind the scenes are still there and will be pushing the same agenda.
Let's hear the candidate's debate and answer questions from residents about how they plan to stop the spending. I don't mean comments like "I will work hard to blah, blah, blah,"
I want substance like, "I will charge each department to cut 10% from their budgets."
I will not vote for anyone that is vague and evasive about what they plan to do, they need to make commitments to the voters and be held accountable. I'm sick of politicians who say whatever they think we want to hear and then do exactly the opposite.
Look at the Obama admin. and the Dem's, all they did for 8 yrs. was complain about all the spending Bush and the repub's were doing. What are the Dem's doing now,
SPENDING MORE MONEY IN THE FIRST
1O0 DAYS THAN THE BUSH ADMIN DID IN 8 YRS! JAM HUGE SOCIAL REFORMS DOWN OUR THROATS THAT WILL BRING HUGE TAX INCREASES AND DEFICITS!
I hope all the Obama voters are happy because now were all getting it up the wazoo!
Lets see, on Miller Rd. there is an office park, hotel, etc. Rt. 9 has a regional Hannaford warehouse, Pilot and other business entities and we have seen huge tax increases during the Secor admin. makes you wonder where all the money is going eh?
I noticed new homes are being built in Castleridge, I thought they stopped building due to the sewage plant not being able to handle any more, what happened to change that?
What about the eyesore at the corner of 9 & 20? It's been under construction for over a year and I haven't seen any activity on the project for quite awhile. Anyone know what's up with that?
"I want substance like, 'I will charge each department to cut 10% from their budgets.' "
AMEN!
Yes, I agree.
And, in response to the comment
about the warehouse, hotel, Pilot in Schodack -- keep in mind many of them negotiate exemptions for property taxes. You can look them up on the Town's tax assessment site, and see they pay only a fraction of what they are assessed at. Us homeowners -- we pay the full share.
The answer is not big business without regulation, nor is it a complete shut-down of all new building.
The answer is a wise spending policy.
Look at the annual budget, and the huge increase in pay and staffing under Secor.
Would most residents support modest salary increases for Town employees? Maybe 3%, or perhaps 5% for an under-paid position? Sure.
But not the crazy raises Beth handed out. And if you look, the rasies went to her "cronies."
Secor is far from wise in her use of money. We need a change, and I'd like to see specifics on how the candidates would spend.
So Beth Secor has announced that Pilot will be expanding the parking at their place.
Well, I understand the problems there need to be fixed. But shouldn't this all have been addressed in the planning process?
Why did the Planning Board approve a project which had improper traffic flow in the first place?
Now, we are left with an expanding black-top jungle, backed right up against a residential neighborhood.
I am all for wise development in our Town, but this back-door approach, adding and changing here and there, is not the way to go.
I'd like to see the Planning Board use more diligence when reviewing plans that could create traffic hazards. It's not like someone proposed putting in a little muffin shop there -- they KNEW it was a truck stop for big rigs.
You know the carpenter's saying, measure twice, cut once?
Well, the same goes for good Town Planning.
The Pilot issue is a result of the age old technique of approving a project KNOWING there will be problems but they can resolve them through "modifications" to the existing permit.
This is similar to Secor "leasing" the SEFCU building which required no public referendum, spending $500,000 on "improvements" then put the "purchase" up for approval by voters KNOWING it would be approved because no one wanted to lose all the money they already put into it!
It's back door tactics like these that inevitebly come back to haunt them at election time!
the 9& 20 eyesore told engineers to stop design due to intial construction bids...I guess 1 more for lease/sale sign up in Schodack. But at least I can drive without "almost being mamed at each intersection"
Correct me if I'm wrong but seems that I remember when Pilot was being discussed at one of many public hearings that one of the major conditions was no parking, no overnight sleep overs. What happened? I stopped in there in the Spring and there were over 75 trucks parked out back, many idling. What happend to being just a place to get fuel, food, Sundries and being on your way?
Regarding "proposed" vs. "as built" in Schodack (i.e. Pilot):
We have attended Planning Board meetings, and were told by Peter Goold and Tim Nugent (attorney to the board) that there is NO internal machanism in place to ensure that builders or developers do as they say they will.
The only way to handle this was for residents to alert the Planning Board if there is a violation.
So, if you heard otherwise about Pilot, bring your notes or search the on-line Planning Board archives, and stand up the tell the Planning Board in the public comment session.
We have done so in the past. Hopefully if enough of us do this, it will start to make a change.
I can't believe there is no internal mechanism to insure a developer/builder will follow their proposed plan.
What is the purpose of having Planning Board, a permit requirement & a building inspector?
It's not up to residents to make town officials aware of issues, isn't that what they get paid those exhorbitant salaries for?
Joe Visalli has publically stated (with documents to prove it) that Pilot did NOT build what they proposed before the Planning Board.
In many cases, the Planning Board "recommends" but that does not mean it happens. Schodack, with little press coverage, and scarce attendance at town meetings, is the perfect place to "build as you please."
Likewise, for environmental/drainage issues, the DEC does not have the staff or money to follow up on small or mid-sized projects like in Schodack. They -- for better of worse -- focus on places like the GE cleanup in Fort Edward.
Enforcement depends on the public making it an "issue." For example, look at the recent floods in our area. Almost NO coverage in our local media. If it happened in downtown Albany, there would be coverage (because of politics and population density). So, what happens in semi-rural areas like Schodack -- well, it just happens.
You know the old saying, if a tree falls in the wilderness, and no one is there to hear it...did it fall?
Well the county sure knows how to ruin a good road!
They paved Maple Hill Rd. and it was so nice and smooth, then they came along and put gravel on top of it! Now whenever a car goes by you can see all the stone dust it kicks up in the air and it's horrible to drive on, kicking up stones and chipping the paint on all those vehicles, what a shame!
So Beth Secor has announced her candidacy. She's claiming [quote] "Friends and neighbors called us to bring petitions to them to demonstrate their support." She's taken the route of getting signatures to run in the Republican primary.
Two comments:
1) Beth is only a "great leader" to those she has created plush, over-paid jobs for.
2) Funny -- she had nothing but put-downs for Ray Lemka when he took the same route. And then tried to shut Ray's campaign down with lawsuits.
What's going on in Schodack...
1) They are putting in internet service at the Transfer station. About $80/month. Good to know our garbage can be on YouTube.
2) From the latest Town meeting: Steve Kelly is heading out on an town-expense-paid 3 day conference as a member of the Fire Investigation unit. We salute his expertise in fire safety, but give him a thumbs down for his political machinations (a.k.a. hypocritical lawsuits) in the last election. It'd be good to see a free, American-style election this time around.
3) On Monday, August 17, at the Planning Board meeting Pilot is going to tell us about how they are expanding their parking lot to keep the big rigs from running us over. Good to know that they want us all to be happy and safe.
Yes, things are much different when the shoe is on the other foot!
The tactics Secor and her cronies used to keep everyone else off the ballot during the last election were unethical at the least.
But she does have a small circle of loyal supporters who received jobs or big raises during her reign of huge increases in taxes and debt!
The one who really needs to go is Tim Nugent, he was in cahoots with Secor during the last election to make sure she didn't have any opponents.
Nugent is still the Planning Board attorney, getting paid handsomely with our tax money which should be going to a Schodack resident instead of a political hack from East Greenbush!
Anyone heard how much money it will take to repair/replace the septic system at the new Town Tajma Hall?
Mr. Nugent lives in Castleton, which is still in Schodack.
I wonder if Mr. Dowds will replace him when he is elected??
Wow, you already have Dowd winning the election!
Just remember, if Dowd is elected the same people will still be running Schodack as when Secor was in.
If Dowd is elected, Nugent will probably get a pay increase.
He might even give Secor a cushy town job!
Similar to what Obama did with all his opponents!
People, Beth Secor may still wind up on the Republican "line" in November. There is a primary on September 15th!
For those Republicans who TRULY want Secor out, you MUST show up on September 15th and vote for Dennis Dowds!!!!
Dennis is an EXCELLENT candidate, and anybody who has had a chnace to talk to him comes away QUITE impressed. He's doing his best at getting to as many households door-to-door as possible (many evenings BY HIMSELF!!!)!
So, Schodack Republicans, come out SEPTEMBER 15th and VOTE FOR DENNIS DOWDS!!!!!
I'm sure many of you have received the letter sent out by Beth Secor.
No one hears from or sees her most of the last 2 yrs. and now she's telling us how great she is and all the great things she has done for Schodack, what a joke!
If she's done such a great job as supervisor, why did her party decide to pick a different candidate for supervisor this election?
Because they know she would lose by a huge margin!
If your own party doesn't want you, why should the residents of Schodack?
Yea, We're still waiting for her to "set the record straight" like she said she was going to do after the last election which she only won by 20 votes!
Yeah -- we got the Secor letter too.
What a joke. I'd stick it on my refrigerator to make me laugh everytime I came in the kitchen, except her mistakes have cost us a lot of money.
My favorite part was where she states she's not for the "priveleged few" who raise opbjections to her stuff.
So only rich people object to her ideas?
Um, no, Beth. I don't like getting run down by big trucks at Pilot. I don't have lots of money to pay for a new car. And no, I don't like my high taxes so you can hand out out-of-this-world raises to YOUR friends.
Hey Beth -- we got your letter.
I do have a questions for you: Where's the library we "needed" that huge town hall for?
*sound of crickets chirping"
If Mr. Dowds has any sense, he'll see to it that Counselor Nugent receives only tax bills from Schodack, not paychecks. After the scam he and Secor pulled last election, Nugent should be sent packing. If Dowds doesn't do this immediately upon taking office, assuming he wins, then it's just same old, same old. We'll be watching, Dennis. If by chance Shaw wins, Democrats never eat their own, no matter how ripe they are, so Nugent stays.
Has anyone seen or heard from Kristin Shaw? She is running one of the quietest campaigns ever. Must be working on her platform.
I get a kick out of the Dems who try to paint Mr. Dowds with the same old same old label. Which candidate is more likely be calling their own shots, Mr. Dowds or Ms. Shaw?? Will the "old guard" Republicans have as much influence on Mr. Dowds as Lizzy Gable will have on the Ms. Shaw. I don't think so. Mr. Dowds appears to be an independent sort while Ms. Shaw is clearly a puppet of the ambitious Ms. Gable.
Still wondering where the "new library" Beth promised us is...
Anyone that thinks Dowd will be independent of the old Guard Republicans meaning Haber and company was at Woodstock with a needle in their arm...... You got to be triping if you believe that for even a second. I'm not saying Shaw is the better candidate and for sure Secor isn't. I guess I'm just saying the choices just suck. In the booth between Dowd and Shaw, flip a coin and hope for the best.
Ray Lemka wrote a good letter in the Advertiser, about the "bridge to nowhere" that Secor is now selling off.
Apparently, it was supposed to be used in the Town Park.
Thanks, Ray, for bringing this to our attention. I will be giving members of the Town Board a call to see why they are selling it, rather than use it for the public good, as was planned.
It looks like a 3 way race for supervisor!
I hear Secor has got a line on the ballot, supposedly started her own party!
Just remember, Dowds will just be a new grille on the same party that backed Secor the last two elections!
They knew backing Secor again after the last election was a losing proposition.
Dowds is no new-comer, he is heavily involved in the fire department and was on the Town Zoning Board of Appeals.
Anyone know how much it's going to cost to repair the septic system at the Town Taj Mahal?
AN AMERICAN DISGRACE
How sad it is for our country today, to relive the tragedy of 8 years ago. However, they didn't even have the decency to lower the flags to half staff!!!
They did for Ted Kennedy! He was only one person compared to nearly three thousand people, who lost their lives!
I saw pictures of the TWIN TOWERS, in ashes,from 9/11/2001 and they still looked pretty much the same
old way on 9/11/2008!!! What are they waiting on? Is this "project" not that important anymore???
It is being said, that 9/11 was an "inside job", compliments of our government. The more I see, hear and read,the more convinced I'm becoming. What a shame to be losing our government over to, who in the heck knows!
For more info go to Learn The Truth at www.PrisonPlanet.com,if you dare!!!
Your right, we need someone with zero qualifications as supervisor.
Well, I've seen Dowds ads and flyers. What I have not seen is anything of substance, just vague rhetoric like "I promise to work hard". He is doing the same thing all politicians do when campaigning, make broad vague statements but make no real commitment to doing anything, so much for "qualifications"!
What is he afraid of? Take a stand, say something like "I will charge all departments with reducing their budgets by 10%".
It would be easy, just eliminate all those patronage jobs Secor created for her friends.
Please remember to take your medication!
ATTENTION ALL SCHODACK TOWN REPUBLICANS:
Time has come where we need a change in Schodack. We cannot afford to keep going on a spending rage like Beth Secor has throughout her years in office. She has not a clue of what she's doing, except stick herself to Sue Goold's side....Has anyone thought that maybe Sue Goold and herself are so close because she's giving her a "BREAK" ON HER TAXES? Hello, why bite the hand that feeds you....come on Schodack, wake up and vote for Dennis Dowds September 15th....you won't regret it....He knows what we need and how to stop this out of control spending. Don't be another person having to sell your home because you can't afford the taxes anymore!! Don't let her drive you out, GET HER OUT!!
If Dennis Dowds was some ordinary "Politician" he wouldn't be going "Door to Door" himself and leaving cards with his CELL PHONE number for god sakes. I mean do you have Governor Patterson's Cell Phone number? What about Senator Gillibrand? Nope....so he's not some ordinary politician. And better yet do you have Beth Secor's Cell Phone number? No!! So therefore, he doesn't mind talking to the public and the people. He's a great guy, teaches at HVCC and it is a blessing to have him want to become our Town Supervisor. Please vote for DENNIS DOWDS....he's one of us not some crooked politician like Beth Secor is.
Well, by now many of you have read the letter Secor sent to Schodack residents.
I almost fell off my chair reading it!
I call it Secor's "don't blame me" letter.
All she says is how everything like the cost over runs of the Town Garage were the fault of "state mandates" for this and that. Wow, why have we never heard about this until now?
It's a feeble attempt to remove blame from herself now that she has to run in a fair election rather than manipulate the system to eliminate her opponents!
What Secor cannot run away from is the exhorbitant tax increases while she was supervisor. She talks about having an open and transparent administration, then why did she do behind resident's backs and lease the old SEFCU building then put $500,000 dollars of taxpayer money into it without our approval, then argue to purchase it and put it up for a resident referendum? It's a striking example of the corruption of her administration!
Go to the voiceofschodack.com and vote for the candidate of your choice in the new poll.
In Nov. we will be rid of her once and for all!
Has anyone seen Kristin Shaw?? Does she still live in town?? Is she still running for office??
I understand that the Dems are waiting until after the Republican primary before they start spending their money but it is almost like Ms. Shaw has gone underground.
Makes me wonder if Ms. Shaw really wants the job - from her efforts so far I would say no.
It looks like it will be Dowds vs. Secor in the primary and in November.
Why should Shaw spend any money during the primary vote tomorrow when she has no opponent in the primary. I think she is using good judgement, something we haven't seen during the last 4 yrs. from our current administration.
I've not been keeping up with Schodack town politics for a few years now. Can someone please tell me if Jeff Haber still controls the Schodack Town Republican Committee, or if Eileen Natoli's supporters have re-taken control? Can someone publish a list of its members? Thank you very much.
Beth's latest letter is a study in self-delusional thinking.
My favorite part is where she assures us she runs an "open" government, and we can "count on" people speaking up at Town meetings.
Funny, the letter before that, she accused people who speak up at Town meetings of being rich elites who create problem after problem simply because they can.
Ya gotta hand it to her: Beth can spin a situation like no one else.
As a registered republican who used to be heavily involved with the party (while living in another county), I am completely disgusted with all of this. The Schodack supervisor situation is yet another example of why I can't actively work and support the republican "cause" (whatever that is now, nothing really comes to mind) anymore.
Beth Secor should have had the decency to step down after that total disgrace of two years ago. We in this house have not forgotten what she did to Ray Lemka - who is the ONLY candidate who was ever at our door, by the way – and, more importantly, to the good people of this town. In fact, if Beth had any integrity at all, she would have stepped down right after the results of the last election were out. It was quite obvious - even with her aggressive agenda to sequester the will of the people - that so many Schodack residents wanted her out. She should have gone then; I would have, you would have. In fact, anyone with the character to lead would have.
And paying off the democrats not to run anyone is equally unethical and disgraceful, not to mention a clear violation of your rights. After all, your right to vote in a free election and choose your town leader was effectively taken away by Beth Secor and company, was it not?
Republicans, this is okay with you? Democrats, what are your thoughts on the actions of your leaders?
And, for the record, neither myself nor my husband are involved in Schodack politics in any way - we are independent observers if this stinking garbage. We are not friends of any of these people.
It seems to me from all I’ve read that our supervisor has absolutely no shame whatsoever in taxing the people of this town out of their homes and stifling their objections at the voting booth for the benefit of herself and those close to her. And yes, I do realize that this doesn’t make her particularly unique in the field of politicos. But still, ENOUGH ALREADY. Really, haven’t you had enough already? We deserve so much better from our leadership. As the saying goes, all politics is local; any sweeping change will start right here with you.
I voted today and I hope you did too. Thank You for keeping up this blog and thanks for listening to my rant.
Best to All from Sunset Hills
p.s. eliminating the police department is a GREAT idea - brought that up a long time ago here.
Congratulations Mr. Dowds!
Republican Primary
Town of Schodack - Supervisor 10 of 10 Districts
415 Beth K. Secor
686 Dennis E. Dowds
http://www.rensco.com/pdfs/election-results/2009P.htm
Oh, and a few other things:
1) Beth: please take down all your signs cluttering up our beautiful town.
2) Mr. Dowds: let's see some real change -- not just a new name, same old Secor nonsense.
3) Debra Young: same old Secor nonsense. See point #2.
4) Joe Visalli: you've got my vote! Looking forward to an intelligent perspective on our Town Board.
Signed,
Change at last in Schodack
I held my nose and voted for Dowd. It was ABS brakes(Anyone But Secor). Results below.
Republican Primary
Town of Schodack - Supervisor 10 of 10 Districts
415 Beth K. Secor
686 Dennis E. Dowds
Round one is over, on to round two. Good luck all.
Hey, maybe this means no more Calarco!!! A good thing indeed.
Seems that there will be three on the ballot for supervisor?
Does anyone know what happens if noone gets 50%? Will the most votes win, or will there be a runoff?
Thanks.
First, let me say I am supporting Dowds. Not because I think he will do a good job, but because he isn't Secor. Basically, his campaign slogan could be: "Hi, I am Dowds. I am not Beth Secor", and he would win.
Unfortunately, this 5 point plan is the best he can come up with:
• Stabilize taxes
This implies he will stabalize them at the current level, or perhaps even stabalize them at higher levels. How is this any better than we have now? How can he call himself fiscally conservative with a straight face and support the current tax levels?
To me, this is unnacceptable. We did fine for decades with low tax, low spending, we need to get back there, not remain at the status quo.
• Control spending
This also seems to imply he is happy with current levels of spending, which have increased tremendously in the last 6 years. Again not acceptable. Why not cut spending to the levels they were at 6 years ago, adjusting for inflation.
• Promote smart economic development
Ok, great. How? Just a broad political statement blah, blah, blah.
• Protect quality of life
What does this even mean? Is there an agenda here?
• Open and honest government
How? What are you going to do? How about podcast the town meetings (something any 3rd grader could do) and make agendas available, what else?
It is a shame that this is the best we can do.
Seems to me that Beth has done everything that all the previous supervisors just talked about. New Town Hall, more businesses, gave the Highway Dept. a well deserved new facility to work out of instead of the embarassing dungeon they were working out of before. All things that everyone said we have needed for decades, but did nothing about. Finally a supervisor that made it happen, and everyone is complaining. You can't have your cake and eat it too. These things cost money...did you think it was going to be free??? I don't agree with some of the tactics that were used throughout her term, but it certainly won't be any different with any other poilitician in there. It's no secret that Beth and Haber don't get along, so all these people complaining that she was just another Haber puppet seems a little silly. I have yet to hear from anyone running on either side as to what they plan on doing and how they plan on making it happen. Kristin Shaw couldn't even get the news right...how does she plan on running the Town. Just what are her qualifications anyway? Liz Gable sits in her million dollar home complaining in the same newspaper that Shaw worked for about how horrible everything is, but offers not one single solution. Dowds was endorsed by Haber and the rest of them...talk about a puppet! Better the evil you know, than the one you don't...get ready for the ride!
"Seems to me that Beth has done everything that all the previous supervisors just talked about."
Oh yea, Beth did everything, New Town Hall, Town Garage, Police Station and the residents got stuck with huge tax increases and an additional $10,000,000 to the town debt!
The above is just the tip of the iceberg. Secor has no integrity, she did what she wanted and didn't care what the residents wanted.
Here's the ONE THING that should make your blood boil;
Secor was in cahoots with the Democrats and Tim Nugent who was the chairman of the Schodack Democratic Party and at the same time a highly paid member of the Secor administration!
Remember the last election, Nugent didn't even put up a democratic candidate to run against Secor, a Republican!
When Ray Lemka tried to run against Secor, she pulled out every trick she could to keep him off the ballot. He had to run as a write-in and almost won!
Nice to see the varied opinions on this blog, and thank you Voice of Schodack for keeping this site going.
Beth has developed a "payola" patronage system here in Schodack -- contracts to builders and engineers, lots of money to lawyers, huge pay raises for her friends, new jobs for friends. This core group (and their families) are going to vote for her, no matter what happens. Hence, that voting block of 400 some people.
Dowds cannot afford to alienate that core group by saying he will scale back our Town government.
So Dowds is vague on purpose, I'd guess. He will likely curtail some spending, but I don't think he will (or can) bring that much change.
The only thing I think can change is our Town Board, so I'm going to vote for Joe Visalli. He will at least give a new perspective.
And finally, hats off to Ray Lemka. Ray is a tall man, but he stands a little taller than most in my mind; he is a man of true integrity.
And ironies of ironies: Beth is forming a "third party" after getting signatures to run in the primary.
Wasn't that the same thing she criticized Ray Lemka for doing?
Didn't she blow off a debate because she wouldn't "acknowledge" his campaign?
Politicians take note: Schodack voters have good memories.
Secor has a core of approx. 400, the people she created jobs for and gave big raises to, isn't it a coincidence she got a little over 400 votes in the primary. It's true, money will buy you friends!
I love the way people talk about how nothing can be done to reduce the size of town gov't. It's nothing more than a political mindset.
Whoever is elected needs to do a complete efficiency study of town gov't. In any organization improvements in efficiency of up to 25% can be realized and I'm sure it's alot higher in gov't entities since they are known for being grossly inefficient!
I'm tired of hearing how no one wants to upset this or that group, this is a town of 12,000 who should not have to bear the burden of 400 or so "loyalists" to whoever the supervisor is.
where is this $10,000,000.00 debt? Alot of figures being thrown around...just wondering where you're getting them from. Like it or not all the past supervisors promised to do a new town hall, highway garage, and bring in new businesses. She did just that. As far as the police department...that was done under the Natoli regime, not Secor. Where are these 400 jobs that she got for the 400 supporters? There was plenty done wrong...you don't have to make stuff up. I'm still waiting for any one of these candidates to explain their plan on how they're going to "save schodack". As far as high taxes go, look around, we're paying what everyone else is paying. Hardly one person's fault. Like I said, I didn't care for some of the tactics that were used, but there's enough blame to go around. And as far as being in cahoots with the "other side"...wake up. THEY ALL DO IT!
Take a look at any of the Town Halls in our area.
Which rural town has a 3 story concrete "fortress"?
Beth's choice to move there shows how out of touch she is. Even with her spending and hiring sprees, the building is not even full. Where's the library that was supposed to go in there?
We're paying a lot of money in tough times to heat and cool a big empty concrete block.
Waste, pure and simple. And we taxpayers have to foot the bill.
"where is this $10,000,000.00 debt?"
Well let's see, New Town Hall, New Highway Garage, New Police Station, there's approx. 7 million right there. Let's not forget about the $500,000 in "upgrades" Secor put into the SEFCU building during the "lease" period.
I notice quite a few new highway trucks also.
Now, do you really think it was paid in cash? No, it was borrowed money that has to be repaid with your TAX MONEY! I could probably live very nicely on just the annual interest on all these loans.
What's more troubling, is the fact that your ok with all this rampant spending and debt, Secor likes people like you, if she does not make it on the ballot, you can do a write-in!
No one said she gave "400 jobs".
Most of Secor's inner circle of loyalists have family living in Schodack who will vote for her, didn't she get approx. 400 "votes" in the primary?
"Mr. Dowds appears to be an independent sort while Ms. Shaw is clearly a puppet of the ambitious Ms. Gable."
Dowds was hand picked by the Schodack Republican Party to replace Secor as their candidate for supervisor because they know Secor would lose in a fair election which they could not stop this time, now do you really think he's going to turn his back on them if he wins?
Trust me it won't happen!
As for Kristen Shaw, she has been reporting on Schodack politics for years and probably knows more about the political landscape in Schodack than most, that's one qualification Dowds does not have, he just started going to town meetings 2 months ago!
You brand Ms. Gable as "ambitious" and why is that a bad thing.
She's running for the town board which is her right as a concerned resident who along with many others is not happy with what has been going on over the last 4 yrs.
Kudo's to both Shaw & Gable for taking a stand against the status quo!
Yes, the "400 votes" mentioned here describes Secor's supporters, which includes some Town employees, their families, lawyers who have benefitted from her, etc. They are entitled to support her, as this is a free country, with free elections.
However, this "core 400" is not the only group that lives in our town of 12,000+. And in a free and open election, well...you see what happened with a write-in candidate last time.
I'm voting for Elizabeth Gable and Joe Visalli. At the very least, we will start to get a Town Board that can stand up to our supervisor, be it Secor or Dowds.
DON'T YOU JUST LOVE IT!!!
Hey, how about it! Wasn't it great to have the PEST CONTROL come out to SEFCU, September 15!!!
Hopefully, we can finally get rid of all of these pesty little critters and rodents, not to mention "The QUEEN BEE"! OUCH!!! How does it feel, to get stung...Ms. Queen Bee???
OK the primaries are over and let the fun begin. As a registered Republican I have received much of Mr. Dowds literature and feel that his qualifications are greater than any Schodack Town Supervisor in my time - going back to Jeff Haber in the 1970's.
I am keeping an open mind about Ms. Shaw but have seen very little in the way of previous managerial experience, education, background etc. What has she been doing since her newspaper folded? Maybe now that the primaries are over Ms. Shaw will come out and explain why we should consider voting for her.
Also, has anyone else heard that Mr. Lemka is supporting Dennis Dowds?? That would be a feather in Mr. Dowd's cap if that is the case.
It is very hard to support any candidate, when none is offering up any detailed plan, just generic B.S.
Hmmm, the planning board meeting is in a few hours, and still no agenda is posted on the town's website.
Planning Board agendas are due some 10 days in advance, so there's no excuse for us not being able to access it. We pay for both the Town's website and a paid webmaster.
Your tax dollars (not) at work, once again.
Secor was able to cite state laws, economy, etc. that make her "not responsible" for anything that's happened while she was supervisor, I wonder what her excuse is for not getting out the planning board agenda on time for the last 4 yrs.?
I won't hold my breath!
I think this is a great place for many Town issues to be addressed. However with regards to the election, it would be nice if either the canidates or their close supporters would address their qualifications and ideas on how they will directly move our Town in the right direction instead of just pointing out the only negatives of past administrations. At times I read this blog and I feel I am roaming the halls of a middle school.
I have seen several posts mentioning a "10 million dollar" debt. However I have not seen anyone provide a list that itemizes the actual expenses totaling $10,000,000. Does anyone have actual figures / supporting documentation or was this dollar amount just the figment of ones imagination?
When Secor took office 4 yrs. ago the Town debt was 2 million. She increased it to 12 million. These figures were based on information from FOIL requests.
But according to Secor, she is not responsible for any of it!
These numbers are no figment.
You can see it all here:
http://www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/datanstat/findata/towns/leveltwo07.xls
and here:
http://wwe1.osc.state.ny.us/transparency/LocalGov/LocalGovSearchTrend.cfm
But really, what's a couple of or ten million between friends?
Thank you for posting that link. I went to it and sure enough it lists Schodack's debt at;
$11,634,363
That's pretty darn close to
12,000,0000
isn't it?
So much for making things up eh.
Schodack also paid $28,665
in interest penalties in 2008.
In other words, Schodack did not pay their bills on time!
That's just bad management, hey Secor, who's responsible for that?
The second link;
http://wwe1.osc.state.ny.us/transparency/LocalGov/LocalGovSearchTrend.cfm
is really good, you can search get a breakdown of all Town revenues and expenditures.
These charts are very eye opening!
Secor has increased spending across the board by a large amount during her administration.
But hey, it's not her fault!
Thank you for posting this information about our town debt.
Oh, and didn't you know?
1) When things are good in Schodack, Beth takes credit for ALL of it. Like the Farm Supply store. Or an imaginary library. Or a sunny day.
2) When anything happens that's bad in Schodack, Beth cannot possibly have had anything to do with it. Like, trucks backing up at Pilot. Or gas leaks over the aquifier at Pilot. Or higher taxes.
3) When Beth or her friends need something, shhhh...no one is supposed to know about it. Like big pay raises. Or special retirement funds for her husband. Or when her friends and employees "fixed" the election of 2007.
Getting my tax bill was eye-opening. These tables, just confirmation.
Anyhow, seems that both candidates are running on the "fiscally conservative" platform, citing all the debt from the new buildings and increased spending of Secor.
But neither has proposed selling the new building and moving back into the old (which is still for sale, and I presume still owned by us). So, if they won't reverse the move, is that really any different than Secor making the move in the first place? I say no.
Are either of these really going to reduce spending? Lay anyone off? Reduce salaries? I highly doubt that any of these candidates will enact any meaningful change.
And our concerned citizens at Board meetings complain about some foot bridge. What is that like $1,000? $2,000?. Wow talk about missing the forest for the trees. Our budget has gone from 6 million to 10 million. debt from 2 million to 12 million. And we are worrying about a footbridge.
I think the only real solution is to consolidate.
Good day.
It takes a determined leader to get us $12 million in debt.
I didn't say a good leader, just determined...to run up bills!
Excellent General News Site:
http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=video&video-id=2343
Any good business is always looking for ways to cut expenses, but gov't entities don't because they have a steady flow of tax money coming in. If they need more money, they just raise taxes!
There is no reason for a town of
12,000 to be $12,000,000 in debt.
What did the residents get from all the spending?
Higher taxes and fees are all I got, what did you get?
How we got where we did in debt:
1) hiring sprees: not only the salaries, but the benefits. Of course town employees should have benefits, but keep in mind that we are paying for much more than just a weekly paycheck.
2) yes, it IS the "little things" that add up. And that footbridge -- custom built, custom designed, etc. It was very expensive, and never used because Beth did not make sure that it was put in place.
3) look at the massive increase in maintenance, heating, etc. costs for the new building.
4) pointless studies for pet projects that go nowhere, like the months of "library investigation" which was just a smokescreen for a building grab.
5) Have you BEEN in our Town Palace, I mean hall? Those "repairs" cost over a half million $. And now they are fixing the septic.
6) Beth let a select group of developers "wag the dog" in the Town. They tied up hours of time with special requests for exemptions, variances, etc. on things which are clearly laid out in Town Code. The Town even created a new zoned district for one builder. A lot of these projects have never been built, and were purely speculations. We pay for Tim Nugent's time, engineering, etc. on all of this.
Is the answer "get rid of the rules"? No -- the Planning Board should have thrown out these projects out much earlier on.
7) Travel, travel, travel: look at the minutes. Meals, travel, conferences: our town employees have been eating a lot of fancy hotel meals on our dime. Since we are so close to Albany, surely many conferences and training could have been a simple day trip. But nope, nothing but the "best" for Beth's little pals.
There are numerous postings pointing out all the problems within the Town, and I agree they are all important issues at some level. However, I also feel it would be more constructive if we started looking at solutions for the future rather than dwelling on the past.
Does anybody have any realistic recommendations on reducing the Towns debt, lowering property / school tax burden, etc.?
You want suggestions on how to cut costs in Schodack, ask the candidates. Have they scheduled any public forums where we can ask how they plan on handling our concerns about high taxes, etc?
And I don't want to hear meaningless rhetoric like "I will work hard", I want solid plan to reduce the cost of town gov't and taxes that they will commit to.
There have been several realistic recommendations, just scroll back:
Consolidate Schodack into a neighboring town. Now very achievable due to recent state law changes and being encouraged by our next Governor.
Or, if not:
1. Eliminate the Schodack Police Department.
2. Sell the town hall and rent a more affordable smaller space. There are plenty of vacancies.
3. Eliminate any positions that were added in the last 4 years. Layoff these employees.
These are all big ticket items that would save $millions and all doable.
On top of these low hanging fruit, there is at least $1million in fluff that could be found in the budget I would bet.
The school is a whole other issue. We spend more than any other state in the country per child. Yet anyone who wants to make cuts is chastised. We spoil our kids and rotten.
Consolidation and eliminating the police dept. are drastic measures that would be difficult to sell to residents.
I would seek reductions in police dept. costs like reducing the current "no limit" tuition reimbursement.
Study the police depts. of similar towns and reduce staffing levels if they are higher. Also consider the cost to contract with the state police.
Consolidate the police dept. into the new Town Hall, there's plenty of room! Sell the current police station. Selling the New Town Hall would be difficult, it sat empty for years without a buyer.
no limit tuition reimbursement? great, Im sure that is unnecessary and all. and i would think there are many many more small costs that could and should be cut.
but we have seen debt and budget increase by millions. thats 7 digits. we need to look at the big items. you cant nickel and dime your way to several million.
and yes, many people are not going to agree with certain things.
Consolidating the Poilce Dept. into the Town Hall is not as easy as you think. The Police are required by LAW to have certain things. Just to mention a few these include an evidence room to securely house all the proceeds, evidence and property related to crimes. This includes , drugs, money, wepons, items to be processed for fingerprinting, tools used to commit crimes...ect. This alone would take up half of the vacant space in the town hall. they are also required to have a juvenile facility that is seperate from the public, and seperate from all other areas of the building. this means no one other than the officers invovled can have conatct with the juvenile. this also is LAW. Now add interview rooms to interview complainants, witnesses, and the general public who seek the help of the police. Next add interrogation rooms to interrogate suspects that are being investigated for crimes (often times there are more than one suspect). Then add the are for the officers themselves, locker rooms, booking room, and dispatch area. Suddenly the half of floor that is vacant at the town hall isn't so big. Now picture a parent who walks in with there loved ones to pay their "huge" tax bill only to have the police walk by dragging the discusting, vulgar mouth, drunken idiot they have under arrest who thinks the law only applies to everyone else and he can do whatever he wants right passed you as he pukes all over himself, and ask yourself if it really a good idea to cram all of this in a half vacant second floor public office where everyone has access too. I am completely satisfied with the police department right where they are in a building that also sat vacant for nearly a decade before they moved in. By the way...I think getting rid of them is a horrible idea, and the State Police do not "contract" out to anybody....Police aren't for sale!
WOW, all those "required" rooms mentioned in the post above are actually in the current police station, they must be very small!
A separate entrance would eliminate all the riff raff from coming in the front door of town hall.
If the state police don't "contract" their services, why does Clifton Park use them and do not have a police dept. of their own?
Also, didn't Schodack and the State Police sign an "agreement" where the closest one to the call would respond?
When attempting to save money, all options should be considered, not just the ones that are "politically correct".
Yes, the current police station does have all those "required" rooms. Don't forget it was a police station before it became the town's police station...they were already there. Making a seperate entrance to the second floor of the Town Hall seems like more wasting of money to me...especially when there isn't enough room to put them there anyway. Clifton Park does not have a contract with the State Police, they do not contract with anyone. They respond to calls of service where there are no police agancies, thats their job. At the open meeting regarding the closest car agreement the Captain of the State Police made it very clear that they have recommended to Clifton Park that they should have their own agency, because the State Police are not able to keep up with the volume of calls and they will not deploy more Troopers to the barracks. Currently there is no "agreement" between the town and the State Police regarding the closest car because they have not agreed to the terms, and no decision has been made. The last one they voted on was rescinded because the State Police attempted to change it after the agreement. It has nothing to do with political correctness, and everything to do with fighting crime. Many people on this blog has stated several times that Schodack's crime rate isn't very high. Just a thought, but maybe it's because your police are out there doing a good job! Both local and state.
The police don't have to be on the second floor.
Very few crimes are prevented by law enforcement. They usually get involved after the crime is committed.
There are approx. 40,000 police in NYC, murders, rapes, robberies, etc. still continue to happen. Matter of fact if your beaten and robbed in NYC, they usually don't even bother to investigate!
During the recent Chicago gang fight where an innocent teenager was beat to death, a police cruiser was parked on the street but the officers did not get out of the car because they were waiting for backup.
Schodack's police budget can and should be reduced.
I agree totally that any budget can be reduced, including the police budget. I do not agree that it should be done just for the sake of doing it. Public safety isn't something to skimp on, especially during these times when things seem to be getting worse instead of better in terms of crime and safety to our loved ones. We've gone from comparing police in schodack to Clifton Park, and now we're going to compare them to NY City and Chicago? That's not even apples and oranges, you're comparing fruit to an entirley different food group. I'm all for saving money, and reducing taxes, just not at the cost of the safety to our family and loved ones. Also, we can go back forth about how many times the police didn't do this or stop that...but I can find just as many examples of when they did prevent crimes. The fact that there are still murders, rapes, robberies, and all the other bad things going on just reinforces the argument that the police are needed more now than ever. No matter how good or bad a police department is, they cannot stop crime and make our neighborhoods safe without the help of it's citzens as well. It's everyone's responsibility! The " I don't want to get invovled" mentality is often what hinders success and failure when it comes to arrests, and prosecution. Reducing budgets is a great idea, but let's do it wisely.
You miss the point, no one was comparing Schodack to Chicago or New York PD's, it was to point out that no matter how many police there are, they cannot stop crime.
I believe Schodack can cut it's budget by 10% across the board without a problem. The problem is that they will not do it! When was the last time Schodack had a reduction in taxes? I can't think of any!
Politicians think they can just keep on spending and then use it as an excuse to keep raising taxes.
The town debt has increased by close to $10,000,000 in the last 4 yrs. under Secor and her minions.
Shortly after being elected, she pushed through a hefty increase in the police pension and her husband was the first one to take advantage of it, convenient coincidence, I don't think so!
That's not leadership, it's cronyism at it's finest. I want a supervisor who cares more about how their decisions affect residents rather than benefit politicians.
I'm a republican but will vote democratic this Nov. because I believe Dowd is just a new face who will do what the party tells him to do.
Really? I pay thousands in permit fees, engineering fees, & Nugent's lawyer fees as a developer so please get your facts straight...
good forbid development...your house must have been built in 1890
6) Beth let a select group of developers "wag the dog" in the Town. They tied up hours of time with special requests for exemptions, variances, etc. on things which are clearly laid out in Town Code. The Town even created a new zoned district for one builder. A lot of these projects have never been built, and were purely speculations. We pay for Tim Nugent's time, engineering, etc. on all of this.
"I'm a republican but will vote democratic this Nov. because I believe Dowd is just a new face who will do what the party tells him to do."
This comment does not sound kosher to me.
You would vote for a totally unqualified candidate with no background or experience and no apparent interest in the job based on her campaign to date? If Ms. Shaw was elected do you think she would be an independent Supervisor or would Ms. Gable be the defacto Supervisor?
Would Mr. Dowds be more or less likely to be influenced by his party than Ms. Shaw?
In my opinion - regardless of party, Ms. Shaw would be the last person I would vote for. Yes I would vote for Secor over Shaw because I don't want Lizzy Gable running our town.
On what basis would you say Mr. Dowd is a partisan? Do you have any proof of this or are you really not a Republican?
10% I would consider a slap in the face.
After increasing over 50% in the last 5 years, I would think closer to 33% decrease would be easily doable.
So why is Dowd's so "qualified" to be supervisor? Has he held any elected positions, like a board member or supervisor of any village or town?
He was hand picked by the same people who backed Secor in the last two elections, why did they dump her for Dowds?
Kristen Shaw has followed and reported on Schodack politics for years. She is probably more knowledgable about Schodack Town laws, policies and practices than Dowds, that alone qualifies her to run.
All I can say is if you would vote for Secor after what she has done to this town and it's residents, you must be a close relative or maybe even her husband!
"10% I would consider a slap in the face."
I consider it a step in the right direction.
Cutting 33% would be difficult due to to the $10,000,000 Secor has added to the town debt and all the additional positions she created.
The town clerk has 2 assistants, the three of them with benefits cost us approx. $100,000 a year!
Conlin makes over $50,000 a year herself. Ever see those tailored suits she wears, she must think she's in Washington!
In many towns the same size as Schodack, the supervisor and other elected positions are "part-time" with much lower salaries so why does it cost so much more here?
Regarding the claim that developers' fees pay for all the Planning Serivces in this town... then, under that thinking, the Planning Department must be generating revenue for our Town.
Um, no. Check the links provided to "open book NY" and our budget. Nope. More money goes out than comes in.
True, there are fees that developers pay. When we did work on our house, we paid for a permit as well. That's fine, and we should as taxpaying residents.
But LaBerge's, Nugent's, etc. billable hours to the town are higher -- many times so.
If you review the Planning Board minutes for the last few years, you will see many of the proposed projects NEVER happened, yet they gobbled up hours upon hours of billable time to the town.
Secor herself is on record stating that the Crown project was costing the town thousands of dollars. So it looks to me like taxpaying RESIDENTS are footing the bill for pie-in-the-sky development that not a whole lot of people want, and wastes our time and taxes to boot.
There was a suggestion to stop being so negative on this blog, so, yes, I have taken that to heart.
So here are my suggestions, written in a helpful, positive tone:
1) Apples, oranges & NYC aside, I think most of us can agree here: asking for 10% cuts as a starting point --even to the police department -- is not unreasonable.
2) Beth Secor: please take down your signs so we can enjoy the beauty of a Schodack autumn.
3) Beth Secor: could you please make sure that you post meeting times and agendas in a timely manner on the website we taxpayers are paying for. You haven't been getting that done, lately.
Have a lovely day, everyone, and I hope you have a nice day as well, Beth.
Let's talk about the eyesore at the intersection of 9 & 9/20.
I heard a diner was being built there but it has had no progress in over a year, why?
The reason I heard was the town was constantly changing their requirements for the construction it delayed things until the funding was pulled.
Another great Schodack blunder!
Hey, did Shaw withdraw? I haven't seen any signs, etc. She better get moving, Dowds & Secor signs are everywhere already!
Dowds, hand picked by Sue Goold, just like one of her apples!
I hope everyone realizes how re-assessment has increased the tax base in Schodack. If not, you will when you get your next tax bill!
It all starts out as a great idea. I have seen so many people on this site complain about taxes. It looks like we will have a new board looking over the shoulders of business in Schodack. Design standards, will now be yet another layer of government we will pay for. Remember it all starts out as a good idea, in the end you pay taxes for it. I am of the opinion we have enough laws and regulation in America. Or make that what's left of it! Let's try something new if you find passing a new law is needed. Remove a law that isn't. Let's put a cap on the number of laws. Regulate what is important,not just keep adding to the list. Hey why not do the same thing on spending put items in the budget by priority. I bet we would have national health care and do away with the bottem ten percent of the list to pay for it. Again don't just keep adding to the list. It is way past time to prioritize it.
Yes Bob, taxes are an issue with everyone.
That's why we need a new administration that will find ways to reduce taxes not spend more to move Schodack "forward" which was Secor's buzz word. She increased the town debt by $10,000,000 and what did the residents get for that money? Bigger and more expensive gov't, that's all!
It's a disease Bob, and it's got to stop!
What will happen if the Dem's pass a "healthcare reform bill". Once passed, it will give them a green light to add, subtract and change it to get what they want, more control over us and they will use it to raise taxes on everything by using the excuse that it cost more than they thought, when doesn't it!
I am willing to bet right now that in years ahead they will be telling us that their healthcare program is going broke and if they don't get more money, services will have to be cut just like they have done with Social Security, Medicare, etc.
Healthcare has little to do with this push, it has everything to do with gaining control of a critical element of our lives and using it to suck more and more money out of us.
That should make all of us sick as hell!
Hi Bob- as always, good to hear from you. I am an independent, and I see flaws with both Democrats and Republicans, locally and nationally.
While national politics may be different, here in Schodack, the Secor-Republicans have been the BIG spenders. So while you may or may not have issues with our national parties, it does not necessarily apply to Schodack.
The Schodack Democrats -- well, I'll take a chance on them. I think most anyone can do a better job than tax-and-spend Beth Secor, and I don't see Dowds clearly asserting that he plans to be any different than Secor.
Secor did not do Schodack any favors, and I'm favoring a clean break with her people and policies.
I'm a republican and I plan on voting democratic in Nov. Why? Because the "people" who are currently in charge like Secor, Young, etc. have shown they work as one. How many times during the last 4 yrs. during a board meeting have gone into the back room, came out and voted in line with the way Secor wanted them to?
We have an opportunity this election to break the strangle hold the current administration has on this town. Dowds was hand picked by the same people who backed Secor and her dirty politics during the last election, if elected Dowds will continue on the same path as Secor.
Now electing Shaw, Visalli and Gable will shift the balance of power by 3 to 2 in their favor. That's the only way to put the brakes on this runaway spending.
Hey, if they don't make any positive changes, it's only 2 yrs. until the next election and we can vote them out but we must stick together!
Hey, I noticed some activity on the stalled project at the intersection of 9 and 9&20!
Oh, and Debra Young?
Please. Put the signs away, Ms. Young. The only time we hear from you is when you want us to re-elect you.
In that regard, you've even out-done Beth Secor!
Time to clear out our Town Board -- they've been lock-step with Secor.
The only time we hear from ANY of our elected officials is at election time. The rest of the time they don't NEED US!
VOTE THEM ALL OUT!
That's been the case for Stinner, Curtis, Ziegler, and Young. All the sudden they are concerned and start asking questions but not until a couple months for they are up for election. Will be the same for Bult who will do what he is told.
The only thing truthful in Beth's campaign material is that it takes a majority to pass a budget and resolutions. They almost all passed without one negative vote. So while Beth is the main culprit, she has had one hell of a supporting cast to help her. Time for a change. Can't possibly be worse then what we got.
Does anyone know if there is a forum scheduled where we can actually hear from the candidates themselves about where they stand on issues like high taxes, master plan, etc.
I like Dowds campaign slogan, "Dowds can do it". But WHAT is it that he can do?
As usual, more empty rhetoric!
I Dowd it!
"Dowds can do it!"
"I Dowd it."
This is just plain hilarious.
I agree, it is a joke.
I just received Dowds latest campaign mailer, it states a "5 point plan" for Schodack.
First is "stabilize taxes"
Second is "control spending"
What do these comments mean?
Dowds also says nothing about "how" he's going to do this.
These are empty campaign rhetoric comments that mean nothing!
Dowds put in the "points" but where is the "plan"?
"Dowds can do it!"
"I Dowd it."
This is just plain hilarious.
October 18, 2009 6:24 PM
Waaayyy to funny! Very very good. We should make some signs....
I am very disapointed in all candidates.
Secor: taxes have doubled in her tenure, enough said.
Dowd: as some have said, offers no specifics, just 5 points.
Shaw: Came to my house (her and gable). Offered specifics, said they would go line by line through the budget....But could not tell me what they would look to cut other than "unecessary items" or something to that effect. Seing as how the budget is open to the public, and they both claim to be informed, I would have expected them to already have ideas as to what they plan to cut, if they acrtaully intend to do so.
Anywho, I am still as of yet undecided (other than definately not voting for any incumbents), but would throw my support behind Dowd or Shaw if either would actually tell me something more specific.
Assuming the vote splits up three ways, when will the runoff election be held?
I have heard both Mr. Dowds and Ms. Shaw speak at public forums and I cannot understand how Ms. Shaw came to believe that she is qualified to be Town Supervisor. Whether you like Mr. Dowds or not, Ms. Shaw has no background or experience to run anything.
I also wish Mr. Dowds had some specifics but I don't think any of the cuts that either side would make will be popular with some sector of the voters (despite all the complaining) and both sides will wait until after the election
to reveal their plans.
For example, I believe whoever wins, other than the incumbent, will look at reducing or eliminating the police force.
This is the only way to substantially reduce taxes. The rest of the ideas are nickel and dimes in relation to the cost of the police.
If either side proposed this now they would lose substantial support so why not wait until they are elected to specify where they are going to cut costs?
2 weeks to go!!
"Meet the Candidates Forum" in Schodack
Monday, October 26, 2009, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Maple Hill High School Auditorium, 1216 Maple Hill Road, Castleton.
Candidates for Schodack Town Supervisor and Town Board will speak and answer questions from the audience. The event will be moderated by the League of Women Voters of Rensselaer County.
Organized by the Schodack Planning & Development Association, with help from Rico Frese, Social Studies Teacher, with the location and promoting the event in the Schodack Central School District.
Free and open to the public.
This Forum presents the one opportunity for all voters to see and connect with all seven candidates for Supervisor and Town Board at one time in one place.
Come celebrate the choice that Schodack has for this 2009 Town election and get to know your candidates a bit better. Come and participate and enjoy democracy!
This may help with specifics for 1 to 3 of the town candidates: http://schodackdemocrats.com/index.php
It begins: “As they go door to door campaigning, people have been asking Kristin Shaw, candidate for Town Supervisor and Elizabeth Gable and Joseph Visalli, candidates for Town Council, for specific information about various topics. Here are some answers."
Kristin Blog http://electkristin.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristin-Shaw/142215252145?v=wall&ref=search
Q: What are you going to do about taxes:
Well, finally a candidate forum!
Everyone who can attend should be there to hear from all the candidates themselves.
Gee, I wonder if Secor will show up this time?
How would eliminating the police force substantially reduce taxes? The average tax payer in this Town only pays approximately $75.00 dollars for police protection a year. Considering the police budget is roughly 7% of the annual budget I would think eliminiating from the other 93% would save more. Just a thought.
See the chart at http://voiceofschodack.com/html/tax_salary.html
Wow, wouldn't all of us have liked these pay increases that the Republicans Secor and Young have gotten themselves and for their cronies on the Town payroll???
If we got such big pay increases, it would not be putting such a pinch on our wallets, as we pay more and more taxes to raise the Republican officers and worker bees salaries. We can count on these workers to be the surest to vote for Young, Secor, and Bults.
Schodack needs real change, not cosmetic change by just changing two faces on the Republican ticket. Dowd could be a well meaning fellow, but with Boss Haber running him as his candidate, how far will he stray from the 140 year single party line.
It has been 140 years of Republican near total control of Schodack government, with only 1 or 2 Democrats being elected in all that time. It is time to create some real action regarding the costs one party rule has brought to our pockets.
The only way to initiate real change is to elect all three Democratic candidates. Electing only one or two of them will not shift the power balance, at all.
It will take all three of them getting elected to begin any change and to make any bottom line difference.
These three Democrats are very fiscally conservative, when it comes to spending someone else's money. Like us, they too have been paying those higher & higher taxes that this Town Republican regime has imposed upon us.
They know the pain without gain that we experience as our Town's spending reeled out of control.
Vote them all in this election. If they fumble, you can always go back to the Republican’s game with your votes in 2011. Every town needs and wants a viable second political party. You can’t get that balance of power, unless you elect the out party in every now and then.
Fellow Lemka & Voice of Schodack supporters from 2007, with 12 days to Election Day, bring those old dusty "Its All About Choice" lawn signs out the garage. Post them on your lawns and the corners of Schodack. It is time to rev up for a grand turn out of voters for the Town & County Elections on Nov. 3rd.
2007 was Ray's Herculean effort to provide Choice to voters in that election. He was one man, but he sustained his effort to make choice happen in 07 with our help
Ray planted those seeds that are now growing into the first full fledged opportunity that Schodack has had to for a competitive multi party election.
We even have a born-a-new and competitive Schodack Democratic Party offering a full slate of three credible and well qualified candidates. Nugent is out from the Democratic leadership! Now, we need knock him out of this seat in government, too.
Plus, there is a competitive 3 way race for Supervisor.
All this Choice is to be celebrated.
Do it! Put up your “Choice” signs! Get the VOS dialogue revved up here on the Voice of Schodack blog. The “Choice” signs will promote this website for discussion of our concerns and for exchanges of ideas and information for this election, too.
Let’s power up for a maximum turn out of informed voters for this Election. Make this choice count for Ray and for our Town.
Get real change for Schodack! Vote for fresh faces and new input. Throw the old corps. out!
Put Secor and all her pals out on unemployment.
Couple ways to save some money:
Stop the equipment purchases at the highway dept for a year or two. As a fleet manager I'm all for not letting vehicles get so old it cost more to maintain then to replace but every year for the past several years the Highway Dept purchased at least one if not two major pieces of heavy equipment or trucks each year. Sometimes the equipment is used but usually it is new. At some point they should have been in good enough shape equipment wise to go two-three years without buying something you would think. State DOT would be green with envy with the equipment Schodack has.
2nd - Enough with all the training seminars. The Comptroller goes to one almost every month as do many other dept heads/staff. Almost always away involving hotels, meals, etc. Why not restrict to local training so there is no travel expenses on top of training session costs? Everyone I know can't travel any more yet Schodack employees are the energizer rabbit and keep on going......
AMEN to the many excellent comments on this board.
1) The current choices we have in Schodack are directly a result of Ray Lemka's valiant campaign in '07. Ray -- we thank you for returning Democracy to our town.
2) It's great to hear about the candidate's board. Will plan on being there.
3) Yes, the salaries, new highway equipment, excessive training...a lot of "fat" can be cut from our town's budget. Being so close to Albany -- wouldn't most training be available as a simple day trip? No, Secor & Co. have been all over our state on our nickle.
4) Apparently Schodack has the HIGHEST per capita spending in all of the country. For what? We don't have public water...no garbage pick-up...no library...town makes a mess plowing... so what is all all going for?
Yea, I went by the new Town Garage today. There were approx. 15 - 20 vehicles in the parking lot which are most likely town garage worker vehicles.
Now with all those workers, I never see any of those new expensive trucks on the roads of Schodack!
What the hell do they do?
Two good letters in the Advertiser today:
1) reminding us that Ray Lemka got the ball rolling in 2007 by ensuring that Schodack voters had a choice in the voting booth, even if it meant a write-in option.
2) a letter from Ray himself, pointing out that Secor's "patronage" votes control a good part of this town.
Understandably, people want to protect their jobs, but I think most hard-working town employees would be kept on by the new supervisor, whoever he or she is.
Be sure to exercise your right to vote...we are lucky to have a choice at the ballot box in 2009 thanks to Ray's hard work in 2007!
Thanks to Ray Lemka and a dedicated group of residents who worked tirelessly to bring choice to a very corrupt election in 07 and the voters who went to the polls to cast a write-in vote are the reason Schodack will have a fair open election this Nov.
Now is our chance to bring meaningful change, I encourage all residents to vote with your concience not party loyalty. I am a conservative republican but will vote for the "people" who have the most potential for changing town gov't for the better.
I notice Dowds, Secor, Bult and Young are telling us they are "fiscal conservatives" in their campaign literature, we know Secor and Young have been anything but and their records prove it!
Now why should we believe Dowds and Bult, who were hand picked by the same people who supported Secor and worked to keep all other candidates off the ballot last election have turned over a new leaf?
Elections have consequences, vote carefully!
Shaw now is in the lead on the VOS election poll, Secor is dead last!
I am sure there are several places to cut back spending within the town, however I feel the Police Dept. should be the last place to go for cuts. We don't even have a full time school resource officer in our district. Shouldn't the safety of the public be an absolute priority?
No town dept. should be exempt from cuts, I'm sure a 10% reduction in all dept's of town gov't could be done without any impact on services since we don't get many now!
Would someone who attends the forum tonight please post a comment on what transpired for those who were not able to attend.
Thank you!
Don't forget to go to the candidate forum, tonight, at Maple Hill H.S. 7 - 9 pm.
You can't spend the next two years complaining, if you don't come tonight and voice on Nov. 3rd for real change.
The forum was well attended with 200 to 225 people there. House was pretty much full. No major mistakes by any of the candidates and all made good presentations. Beth tried to explain away the debt mainly by blaming it all on the Route 20 waterline project but later said that district was rolled in with all the others so there is just one district sharing all the debt. So, does that mean those of us not in a water district are no longer paying for that huge blunder or is just folks in the one new large water district all paying the debt? That was never addressed. Young made it clear she was "proud" to live in Schodack and serve the people. She seemed to of obsolved herself of any responsibility for the spending the past 4 years. Beth made sure she got some "credit" for that. Dowd made a crediable presentation but you could hear the same old stuff we have been hearing from the Haber sponsored candidates. Same for Bult who I thought did much better then expected. He seems sincere but was always looking over at Dowds while speaking like to check if what he was saying was the right thing. He could have been making eye contact with the moderator. Guess we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Not sure Young wasn't coaching him a bit too as she sat beside him. Gable did very well and Kristine & Joe also did good jobs. Least effective and least impressive I think of the bunch was Young. She came off very insincere and fake.
Thanks to School and SPDA for putting on a very good event.
Secor is going to steal this election.
A majority of people want her out, but she still has much support. Unfortunately, the anti-Secor vote will split up nicely, allowing Secor to win something like 40%/30%30%.
It will be a shame, and Secor will laugh all the way to the bank.
Comments on anonymous' critique....
As usual, the attendance is inflated. There were about 100 to 115 people at the forum.;
I also this it is interesting how there is a lack of commentary about the Gable, Visalli and Shaw. "Good job" doesn't count.
Blog readers should take all comments with a healthy dose of skepticism.
It was amazing! When Kristin Shaw was speaking, I hardly saw Liz Gable's lips move.
If the election does not go her way, she can find a job as a ventriloquist. Oh, I forgot....she "retired" very young.
Liz Gable made it clear that she came to Schodack 20+ years ago because, at the time, there was a moratorium on development. In other words, she likes it here and wants to keep others out. The long list of opportunities that this town has squandered is sickening. As a long time resident, I often wonder what could have been.
Like it or not, a great deal of infrastructure has been added to this town which provides a new opportunity. Do not let Lizzy and company slam the door on growth. Dowds, Young and Bult will move the town forward in a more prudent manner. All Lizzy wants to do is watch her trees grow. What about my town?
Thanks for the summary about the forum.
It's great it was well attended.
Yes, I agree -- Ms. Young is a do-nothing, yes-woman for Secor. Time to get a new person on our Board.
I think it is likely Secor could come out on top, since, as pointed out, those who support her (her buddies, employees, and folks she has in her payola system) will support her even if she said "let's all jump over Niagara Falls."
Dowds: a good fellow, I am sure, but I don't see that clean break with Secor. Promises, promises, but no real plan for change.
Looks like I'm going for Shaw. She is new, but at least I know we won't get more of the same Secor tax-and-spend nonsense.
I thought all candidates did ok. Dowds showed he has background and ability to be a good manager; Secor had some incumbent advantage and Shaw showed weaknesses in understanding how government operates. Of the board candidates Gable was the weakest, too often playing the whiny complainer role. Bult showed a realistic depth of understanding regarding most of the issues and Young came across as someone able to differentiate between necessary and unnecessary spending. Visalli spent a lot of time discussing bioenergy crops as the key to Schodack's lower taxes. The two most disingenuous statements of the night came from the democratic candidates.Shaw said as a reporter she accurately reported the events of the meetings she covered. Anyone who attended the meetings and then read her account would realize that her reporting was slanted. The Dems also said they favored commercial growth in the rt9 corridor. No one has been more instrumental to opposing commercial development in that area than Gable and last nights sponsoring organization
Shaw, Visalli & Gable came across conclusively as fiscal conservatives who would rain in spending by implementing zero based budgeting, which requires all budgeted spending to go back to square one to justify itself. It is clear they are a team pushing together for much needed change.
Debra Young came across as the lawyer she is, rather than one of us poor folk trying to pay these taxes. She continues as one of the problems. She is trying to put distance between her & Secor, but they were two peas in pod for the last 4 years. She may try to distinguish herself now, but she is just as responsible as Secor for our $11.5 million debt.
Secor, as always, appeared cold & technically competent. I thought it interesting that she pointed out that the worst was yet to come in fiscal concerns for Schodack. If she knows that to be the case, why hasn’t she been prudent in cutting current & past spending to prepare for the worst? She certainly prepared her husband’s check for retirement with some interesting foresight, as he retired out of the Town Police.
Bults seems likeable, but he appears to be another Ziegler. A decent guy, but no different opinion, nor opposition to whoever is Supervisor. So, just another party man for Boss Haber doing his time on the Board. There are 4 people like that on the current Planning Board, as well, as most of the ZBA. Do we want another who just toes the party line with no independent thinking?
Shaw seemed new to this kind of Forum & to public speaking. Her true depth of knowledge about the going-ons in all southern Rensselaer towns did not come forth as it could have. She’s been covering & reporting on all the governments around us. She was sincere last night. It’s clear she is smart & a quick learner. She should be able to bring the best of what she has learned reporting on other towns to Schodack. After 17 years of reporting she knows what not to do and how unhappy voters are.
Dowd was well spoken, but with his endorsement of what came up last year as a proposed Comprehensive Plan & his praise for the powers that be, I think he is not likely to change much of anything. He may be more likeable than Secor & he says he is a competent administrator, but said nothing last night that assured any difference from the past 6 years. I did not realize that he lived in Schodack for 3 years. I thought it was 7. This needs clarity. He began coming to Town meetings only 4 months ago when he got endorsed. I question if now is the time to elect someone who has so little depth with the Town and its government. Plus he will split the vote against Secor, so she can win.
Gable & Visalli came across as well informed with a depth of background which offers real possibility for difference. Both made the point that unless they get elected with Shaw, they will not have the majority needed to make real changes & no power to change members of the Planning & Zoning Bds. It takes all 3 to make any changes in the current power structure. Both emphasized the town needs development to lower taxes, but development must be specific types in specific locations to work in that way. They know their stuff.
Visalli noted in all of Schodack’s history, it has been 1 party which has always been the majority. [There has only been a couple of Democrats elected or appointed to any thing.] If we want change, you can’t expect it from the same old, same old, by maintaining the same party in power over & over & over again.
Overall last night was a breath of fresh air for Schodack. The format of the Forum was less than perfect, but we had all the candidates in one place facing interested citizens of Schodack.
I for one, hope this new two party system for Schodack survives the coming election.
You can’t have choice, if you never give another party its own turn at bat & the chance to make its own mistakes. Otherwise, it will be back to 1 controlling party & no contests for who to elect. The opposing party cannot survive without the oxygen of getting your votes.
Here's the bottom line, if Secor or Dowds along with Young get elected, we will get more of the same.
Secor & Young have a records of higher taxes and debt, of course now that it's election time they are both "fiscal conservatives", what a joke!
Dowds was hand picked by the same republican machine that backed Secor, then dumped her! What does that tell you.
The only way to get any positive change is to vote all incumbents out! At least then we will have a bi-partisan town gov't instead of a board that votes the way they are told to!
Shaw, Gable & Visalli will get my vote because they have said they will have a complete audit of town gov't done. That alone will uncover much of the fraud and waste that has been going on and give them a solid reason to put an end to it!
The last thing Haber or Secor would want would be an audit or the zero base budgeting that Shaw, Visalli, and Gable support. The would shine too much light upon the last 6 years of waste, incompetence, and what else may be found?
To keep a lid on it, Haber tapped Dowd, because he thought Secor would lose. Secor has really complicated Haber's life by not just going away when told to go.
How many of us have wondered, just what and who are we funding with our town taxes?
Time to find out and clean out the trash.
Regarding my post on the count and other topics. I was advised by a school official the capacity was 245 and there didn't seem to be many empty seats thus my estimate. I later learned a head count was done and the attendance was closer to 110 -115. Humble apologies for the error, it wasn't intentional.
Regarding my comments on the candidates, as a life long republican I find it difficult and embarrassing that our local reps spend money like drunken sailors. We are supposed to be conservative spenders but for as long as I have lived here, with one exception administration, they have been anything but. The same names are still in power in front and behind the scenes as 25 years ago. Haber, Puccio, Secor, Goold, etc. with Lemka in the background poking at them most of the time but occasionally joining hands like this year. How does anyone expect things to change if the same people are running things?
Will change necessarily be better? Fair question and I don't know the answer. Not sure anyone does but is it worth a try? That is the question everyone has to ask him or herself.
As far as the accusation against some candidates and the SPDA group that they are anti-development, the republicans roll out this argument every two years without fail against anyone who dares to challenge them. If you pay attention, you will learn they and most residents aren't against development, just poor fitting and poorly planned for development. There is a hell of a difference. The current administration on Town and County level thinks the Rte 9 area should be one big truck stop. Truck stops and empty shell warehouses pay little in taxes, employ few people, and bring nothing but traffic, danger, pollution to town. Why bother. Town should pursue retail, hotels, offices, or light industry. Businesses that can be good neighbors and help share the tax burden.
Be advised that no commercial development will reduce taxes. Anyone that believes that is very naive. Nothing will slow down tax increases but less spending and believe it or not, preserving green spaces especially farms. Farms demand almost no services and should be taxed that way. Not taxes as potential building sites. Surveys after survey has said preserve the open spaces. Well, that not only makes for a more pleasant place to live but it is very very cost effective. Something I wished Mr. Bult as a former farmer had exponded on.
To conclude, those currently in power have had ample opportunities to turn spending around and have failed. By design or incompetence, they have failed. So now everyone has a choice. A difficult one but still a choice just the same.
When we had conservative spending that didn't count. Eileen Natoli lost her election. Eileen's tax increases were very small. Please check the record. I wonder what the town's tax rate would be if Eileen would have won the election? That is in the past,I look to the future for conservative spending. Keep up the good work, I do like reading everybody's thoughts.
Thank you Bob Zinzow for not being "anonymous". It's very easy to post views without an identity. If you believe in what you write, sign your name.
We got Beth's latest flier. She shows us that Town spending is not all of our local taxes.
However, Beth's graph "proves" nothing. What, that we have school taxes?
Um, yes, we know that, Beth.
She also takes credit for all the businesses in Schodack, including the new ice cream shop.
It's good to know we have solar panels at the town hall, however. That was a good idea.
But Beth is going to need a LOT more good ideas to convince me to vote for her.
The League of Women Voter count was 135 - 140 at the height of attendance for the Candidate Forum.
I see the Haber ticket for Town Board, who are supposed to be “conservative”, have become the candidates of the Working Families Party. They sought it, they got it.
This apparently means they are supportive of and will work hard for the Working Family party agenda for Same-Sex Marriage; Paid Family Leave from Jobs; Fair Share Tax Reform, the more you make the more you pay in all taxes including property taxes; Adequate Funding for Public Education over private; Single Payer Health Care for All; Public Financing of Elections; Ending Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; Reproductive Choice including a Women’s Free Choice regarding terminating pregnancy; Affordable Housing for the poor in town; Employing Union Labor for all Government Projects undertaken by the town; Green Homes and Green Jobs for Schodack; Raising the Minimum Wage to a Living-Wage, Equal Rights for all Races, Ages, Colors, Genders & Creeds; an Affordable, Reliable Mass Transit System; and Bailing out People over Banks.
See http://www.workingfamiliesparty.org/issues/ for more on where Dowd, Young, and Bolt intend to direct Schodack.
Maybe Dowd, Young, Bolt & Haber are more open than anyone thought they could ever be???
We never know what they may be up to next??? They will be full of surprises if elected, too!
Check out this link for this WTEN story. Copy and paste it into your browser, if you can't just click on it in VOS, http://www.wten.com/Global/category.asp?C=172705&clipId=&topVideoCatNo=14990&topVideoCatNoB=113621&topVideoCatNoC=171239&topVideoCatNoD=174521&topVideoCatNoE=175350&clipId=4247977&topVideoCatNo=14990&autoStart=true .
When you get to the WTEN page, look below the media player and click on the video entitled: “Admitted criminal placed on Troy ballot without his knowledge” (10/27/09)
The WTEN video is a story about Haber best buddy Bobby Mirch. He got caught putting up a convicted criminal, who didn’t know he was on the ballot and who lived out of state, on the Working Family Party line in Troy.
Bobby Mirch is the man who chose Young, Dowd, and Bult as his candidates for Schodack.
Kristen and company,
I have watched baseball my whole life. I watch games very carefully. Sometimes the games are really long but I still pay attention. In college, I wrote news stories about baseball games. I could describe the highlights of a game in a few clear, concise paragraphs. Sometimes I even got the statistics and facts of the game correct. Does this qualify me to manage a baseball team?
Do not unjustly criticize people that work for a living. Ms. Young knows what it is like to run a business, cover a payroll as well as pay taxes.
Unlike Liz Gable who had the means to attend a third rate law school but never seriously practice law, Ms. Young works for a living. It must be nice to have a trust fund which allows you to "retire" young. I thought that you had to actually work before you retire.
Visalli, Gable and Shaw choose to unjustly vilify people that work for the town. How quickly we forget that Joe Visalli spent his career being paid TAXPAYER’S MONEY. It is easy to be critical while getting a tax-exempt pension paid for by other people.
Kristen Shaw is proud of the fact that like a sponge she has soaked up knowledge and wisdom. Her primary qualification is showing up, not really accomplishing much. Is she going to work for few or get paid TAXPAYER’S MONEY? Actually, she is probably happy to finally have the chance at a real job. What has she been doing to earn a living since the Independent folded?
Secor is a classic, takes credit for anything that is positive and blames someone or something else for anything negative.
Who can she blame for the "setup" on taxpayers when she along with the board voted to "lease" the old SEFCU building because it did not require a voter referendum. Once the "lease" was finalized, Secor and the board voted to invest $500,000 in the building. After that was done, then Secor and Co. told residents that they had to act fast to purchase the building or risk losing all the money they had already put into it. If that's not a "setup", I don't know what is! Who do you blame for that Beth?
That alone is enough for me not to vote for Secor or Young but being on the working party line shows they will do anything illegal, immoral or indecent to get elected.
I've had enough of the one party dictatorship in Schodack. I'm voting for Shaw, Visalli & Gable, it's long overdue to give someone else a chance to put the brakes on the rampant spending and tax increases, Secor, Young and Co. haven't done it and now at election time, they have the nerve to call themselves "fiscal conservatives, what a joke!
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