WOJCIK ATTACKS BRUNO

Councilman Mark Wojcik has taken the bold move of attacking Rensselaer County Republican Satrap Joe Bruno.

Bruno recently called for the relocation of the jail. Wojcik had this to say about such a proposal:

"But, in some cases cases, the press release is created to get the official's name in the media for the simple purpose of promotion and self-gratification."

"The proposal set out forth by Senator Bruno concerning the relocation of the Rensselaer County Jail should be alarming to Troy taxpayers."

And Bruno's big mistake: not consulting experts.

"Any initiative that is proposed that can have a profound impact on the Troy taxpayer will include due diligence and appropriate consultation with officials who have expertise in the relevant fields."

A harsh indictment of Senator Bruno by Mark Wojcik. That took real guts, Mark.

The only problem, that was said in Wojcik's letter to the Record on March 21, 2005 when Dunne began proposing the Bruno Plan for the jail. Bruno hadn't weighed in at that time.

Over the next week, most of the other Council members weighed in, trashing the idea. Now we can't wait for them to trash Bruno. Lets hear you now, guys!

The fact of the matter is, moving the jail will cost a lot of money. Building a new jail will cost a lot of money. The fact is, if you expand the jail, it will be a permanent blight on South Troy forever. It's cheaper to do it now rather than later.

And it's not just Bruno that has adopted the Democratic initiative:

"It's a great idea," said Bruno Constituent liaison Bob Mirch. "The Senator is a true visionary."

However, County Majority Leader Bob Mirch disagreed. "It's irresponsible to the taxpayers. It would be far too costly to move the jail and it would undoubtedly endanger my salaries."

Troy DPW Commissioner Bob Mirch could not be reached for comment.




Before we forget, we at the Troy Polloi want to wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween.


Happy Halloween from Harry, Joe, Dan, Bob & Trish!
Also, please check out our new Troy Polloi Halloween Catalogue. You'll love it and so will the kids.

SENATOR BRUNO....CRAZY?

We're cutting Trash Trish week for this story. It's too good to pass up.

We always thought that fighting the expansion of the County jail would be a good issue for Dems. Like Dunne, who took the lead, we were laughed at. Now, someone else has stepped forward.

Every time we think we've had enough of Uncle Joe he pulls something like this:

TROY - State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno said Thursday in order to fully utilize prime waterfront property, the city's greatest asset, City Hall should be torn down and the jail should be moved.

Here's the entire article from Jim Franco.

Do we all remember when Councilman Dunne made the same argument about the jail being on prime waterfront property? Franco mentions it just as a reminder.

Now, lets see if those same Council members, if the County Sheriff, if many of the TP readers will blast Uncle Joe the way they blasted the Democratic Councilman.

Of course Dunne and Bruno are correct. Expansion should not take place and if the county can't get around the state mandate, the jail should be moved. Trojans don't think long term. We don't want a large county jail right on the waterfront, or within the city limits. Dunne was the first to speak out about this issue, now Joe's on board.

Now lets hear those brave Dunne critics react to Joe's idea. We can hear it now: "Senator Bruno's right but we don't have the resources...." Hell, Dunne was fighting a battle just to stop the expansion. Colier claimed to be against expansion (because she knows it's unpopular in South Troy) but wasn't about to stand up to the machine. Now Joe wants to tear the thing down, which sounds like a job for the Action Team.

Hell, we didn't even suggest tearing the thing down. We suggested a jail-themed Bed & Breakfast.

This could still be an issue in those South Troy races. And if it is, isn't Joe's timing interesting?

MIRCH THE TROOPER

Remember Stevie the Trooper? You may have seen him. He was rail-thin and used to walk the city dressed as a faux police officer. Stevie would try to impress people with his forensic skills and his virility ("I have ninety-nine girlfriends, I go out with one, lay low for awhile and go out with another."). Stevie used to threaten people with arrest. Stevie had some problems.

Mirch and Crawley remind us of Stevie the Trooper (no offense, Stevie). Which brings us to....

The Ryan Fitzpatrick story in Tuesday's Record. Either vandals or old age has attacked Mt. Ida cemetery.

Erin Blakeborough and her father Miles claim that vandals have damaged the cemetery. Erin Blakeborough is a candidate for Rensselaer County Legislature.

We liked two things about this story: a statement by Blakeborough and, of course, statements by Bob "The Trooper" Mirch.

Blakeborough said that, "You should care for your deceased." Of course, she's right. Our society shows little respect for the elderly and for those who are gone. We just appreciate the irony, as someone may need to care for the remains of the Democratic Party on November 9th, the day after the election. Still, we wish Erin well. It's always nice to see young people get involved and put themselves on the line, especially against the well-oiled Republican juggernaut that rules the county.

Then, there's No-Show Bob. He called Miles a liar. He's pulled out the old, "He's disgraced public employees with these allegations." Then, of course, he attacks Miles Blakeborough by making fun of Blakeborough's deteriorating health. "Well, I'd like to see Miles when he's 131 years old and see if he can stand up."

Blakeborough is disgracing* the employees of the Public Works Department? How about personal attacks on a Troy citizen by a Public Officer, No-Show Bob? Is that disgraceful? Does your boss like the idea of his underlings attacking citizens? Is that the job of the DPW Commissioner, to get ugly and personal with residents? Mayor Harry, admonish your DPW Commissioner. Better yet, fire him. Now if No-Show Bob was criticizing Blakeborough while wearing his County Legislator's hat, that may be a different story.

But isn't that the real point? Which part of the Mirch Trinity was it? City Bob? County Bob? State Bob? That's the problem, isn't it. The real disgrace here is Mirch**, a disgrace as a public servant. Bob, you're the one who's collecting $30,000 a year for a job you can't prove you do. How about some time sheets, Bob. We'd like you to account for your time on all three jobs. The hard work done by the DPW rank and file is disgraced by a man that collects two other public pay checks. They work hard while you collect three pay checks for one and 1/2 jobs. Who's disgracing them, Bob?

Bob, what would have been wrong with a simple statement like, "We do not believe there has been vandalism. The police department will, however, look into the matter." Don't tell us there's a political history between these two. It's no excuse. You're a class act, No-Show.

Harry, a true leader does not allow his subordinates to insult Troy residents. Mirch should be publicly admonished for what he said, if he was wearing his City Bob hat.

Which brings us back to our original point. Like Crawley recently, No-Show threatened to have Blakeborough arrested. Mirch and Crawley are like Troy's new Stevie the Trooper. They obviously have a cop fixation and are dying to go out and arrest people. Was there something preventing them from joining the force when younger? Some background problems? Perhaps the Council, instead of giving Mirch a hands-free cell phone, should deck him out in a uniform like Stevie's. He could wander the city and carry on Stevie's tradition. He's doing it anyway, just get him the uniform.


* His word, not mine

** Do all photographs of No-Show Bob make him look as if he's suffering from severe intestinal blockage?

HERE'S ANOTHER ONE

As everyone by now knows, Jen Sober has sued our soon to be County Court Judge for wrongful termination. As much as we love the drama of the Sober suit, it's likely a she-said, she-said case. Also, we're unsure about the actual claim. Sure, DeAngelis looks bad in the suit, but Sober was an at-will employee and doesn't seem to have been fired because of her race, gender, religion or any of the big no-no's. We'll let the lawyers sort that out.

What we do know is that damage at the Burden Lake Country Club exceeded $400, alcohol was involved, someone brandished a weapon and the owner did not want the ADA's to come back. That is why the START fundraiser was held someplace else this year. Obviously, the owner doesn't want a headache and we can't blame him.

Aside from that, Sober's suit seems like sour grapes. After all, no other ADA has brought a similar claim against DeAngelis.

What's that? Hold on a minute. What's this?



Trish, Trish, not another one? This one was actually paid. You're in charge for less than three years and this is the result?

It's our undertsanding that the ADA who brought the claim was David Rynkowski. Rynkowski had a good reputation and handled many of the felony DWI cases. The police respected him and he was a good, hard-nosed prosecutor able to do his job without being reversed for misconduct. As for politics, lets just say that Rynkowski had worked for a Republican Senator from the Buffalo area. No crazy, whacked out Lib like Sober, hey Abelove.

Sober, Rynkowski, twelve other defections from a relatively small DA's office in less than three years: common denominator? Take a guess.

LEBRUN HAS IT RIGHT

Just a little something to keep you busy.

From Fred LeBrun

DeAngelis a bad bet for bench

First published: Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Rensselaer County Judge Trish DeAngelis. It does have a certain unbelievable ring to it. A Valley Girl does the robes.

Even in other-worldly Rensselaer County, this turn of events would be rolling-in-the-dirt hilarious if it weren't for the depressing fact that it most likely will happen.

The looming probability of Judge DeAngelis emerging from the polls on Nov. 8 makes tragedy out of comedy in a hurry.

Any Republican candidate running countywide, especially one openly promoted by Senate Majority Leader and de facto county chairman Joe Bruno, is the odds-on favorite to beat any Democrat. Regardless of merit or lack of it.

Merit. Now, there's a word unneeded in this discussion. Even so, the thought of a Judge DeAngelis is arresting.

Where to begin? Her 28-month tenure as Rensselaer County district attorney has been like a roller coaster ride without a track under it. Reversals of convictions, emotional outbursts, a revolving door of assistant district attorneys fleeing the scene. Based on what we've seen of her as a prosecutor in the courtroom, or heard about her as an administrator, there are apparent shortfalls of maturity and temperament.

There's a bundle of enlightenment about her professional interactions contained in the allegations made in a $1 million lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court last week by a former colleague, Jennifer Sober. DeAngelis' grasp of the law is conspicuously mentioned as less than confident and precise.

And there's been a repugnant vindictive quality to some of her prosecutions, such as with the Jon Romano-Columbia High shooting incident.
That leads me to question her ability to be an evenhanded referee. Which is what a judge is supposed to be.

As a sort-of neighbor who lives one town away from her, I received Patricia A. DeAngelis for Rensselaer County Court Judge literature asking for my support. It's a straightforward appeal for a vote, which is fine, but it included a mystifying line.

"The convictions I have achieved in my career have sent child molesters and murderers to prison for hundreds of years. I have won incredible victories in the courtroom, and have learned more from my failures than my convictions."

Unfortunately no elaboration is offered. I'd love to know both what she considers her failures, and what lessons she thinks she's learned. But no, we'll just have to guess, which is about where the Rensselaer County voter will be on Election Day.

I don't blame her for wanting to be a judge. After all, what does she know? She's 36 years old -- 11 years out of law school -- and still can't decide what to do with her life.
She was handed the district attorney's job by the political bosses that got her in the office in the first place, and now she's being handed a judgeship by the same people.

All fingers point to Joe Bruno for this travesty, not Trish DeAngelis. The word back in May was that a second county judgeship would be created even though arguably Rensselaer County doesn't need one, and certainly other counties like Schenectady need a second judge much more.
The word also was that DeAngelis would be tapped simply to get her out of the D.A.'s office.

Well, all of that is coming to pass as word would have it.
Aren't we lucky?

We couldn't have said it better ourselves. It's funny, so many people cannot respect this person (professionally), including LeBrun, Carl Strock, E. Stewart Jones, Democratus, not to mention those in her own office. Wonder why?

DEANGELIS WEEK

Welcome to Trish DeAngelis week at the Troy Polloi. This week we'll focus on Trish's greatest hits.

The Sober lawsuit;

Trish's misconduct;

Katrin Ellis;

Property Damage at country clubs;

Confidential letters of caution;

A 2004 Civil Rights settlement with a former ADA.

Yes, yes, yes. Thanks, Joe Bruno. You've outdone yourself this time. Making DeAngelis a judge is like putting Ted Pepper in charge of day care.

JUST SAY NO!.....TO DEANGELIS

The citizens of Rensselaer County will make a monumental decision in two weeks (no, not the legislature). They will elect a county court judge, a steward of justice for our county. It is a decision not to be taken lightly. It surely shouldn't be taken as lightly as Bruno's decision on who would be the Republican nominee.

Patricia DeAngelis is unfit for any public position, least of all that of County Court judge.

DeAngelis has less than three years experience as a District Attorney. During her stewardship, the Rensselaer County District Attorneys Office has become a joke. During her tenure, there have been ten or more defections from the office, a startling high number for an office that size. ADA's have quit before they've secured other positions. One staffer left after it was discovered she was making a full-time salary while going to school full-time.

Jen Sober, a former ADA has brought suit for wrongful termination and that's not the only former ADA to bring a claim against the office.

DeAngelis has proven to be immature and incapable of administering the office. She will trash supposed friends (Sober) in order to climb the political ladder. She has been inept in the courtroom, leading to overturned convictions for unethical behavior.

Some will argue that "She gets convictions!" First, the conviction rate around the state hovers at 95%-98%. It's her job to get convictions, just as every other prosecutor gets convictions. Second, lets say she is a good prosecutor. Does that mean she will be a good judge? Frankly, we don't think so. Not in her case because she was a lousy administrator. Anyone who attempts to argue otherwise....well it would be silly to argue otherwise.

There are too many unanswered questions about DeAngelis' reign as DA. She wouldn't look into the Weed n' Seed scandal. Conversely, the County Legislature refused to look into the Ellis matter. These matters need looking into and they don't need to happen while DeAngelis is on the bench. In fact, we believe the Ellis matter needs looking into, now. As does the likelihood of the coverup at the Burden Lake Country Club. We know the owner said it was only $400 in damages (but we have good reason to believe it was in the thousands). Recklessly damaging property in the amount 0f $250 or more is a misdemeanor. She didn't look into it because it implicated people in her office. That's a coverup friends.

For us, the biggest reason to vote against DeAngelis is the fact that she accepted the nomination. If DeAngelis had admitted that she was too young for the position, if she had said that she needed more experience, she might have salvaged a modicum of respect. Instead, her blind ambition prevailed and we'll likely be saddled with her for at least ten years.

Shame on you, Joe Bruno! She's your creature and you chose to elevate her to this post. This isn''t like throwing a bone to Mirch or choosing who will run for County Executive. This is important and has long-term implications. There were plenty of qualified, mature Republicans and you chose the one person who has time and time again demonstrated a true gift for incompetence at every level. The person who has singlehandidly ruined the DA's office and made it a laughingstock. Joe, you need to go now. This is not your feudal playground. You're a disgrace and you should step away from public life while you still have some self-respect.

DEBATES

The history of politics is filled with memorable debates. There's the Lincoln-Douglas debate, the Kennedy-Nixon debate and the Reagan-Mondale debate. Then comes the second-tier of verbal jousting which includes the famous Greg v Marcia Brady debate for Class President, 1972. Then, way down the line is the District 4-5-6 classic of 2005.

The Troy Polloi sent our intrepid correspondant to the Wednesday night debate that featured all candidates for Districts 4-5-6. Between naps, she did get some good stuff.

First, Carolin Collier: God! And it's not just the hair (which by the way is the last known 1987 female mullett in existence). Collier is about as articulate as Helen Keller. Apparently, she's done good work the past four years and you should vote for her so she can continue to do good work.

Next, Bob Krogh. Bob is a very nice guy and we like him. We also like a good shot of Johnny Walker Black but don't want it on the council. He does win Mr. Amiability. "I agree with him, I agree with her, I agree with everybody."

Finally, William Pascarell. Bill kept on bumping his head on the table every time he stood up. He's apparently proud that his headquarters is not paid for by public funds. Of course, no political headquarters is paid for by public funds but what the hell, stand proud!

Our correspondant was however riveted by the brilliant solutions offered to combat Troy's problems.

1- Jobs are good;
2- Police help fight crime*;
3- More revenue.

* In a shocking display of bipartisanship, each candidate was against crime

Next week, we continue our search for the elusive Dan Crawley sandwich.

GOOD MORNING CITY HALL!

We'd like to welcome all of our City Hall visitors but something tells me they won't be back. Pity, now they'll be less informed than ever.

The Troy Polloi would like to thank Jim Franco and the Talespin team for the mentions we got in Monday's Talespin. Thanks, Record and Talespin. Monday's edition can be found here. Nothing like a little lovin' on a dreary Monday.

Mr. Franco had another story on the Troy Democrats cutting spree.

It looks like the Dems have found some more fat (no pun intended) in Harry's bare-bones budget. Unfortunately, that included the $12,000 a year, state mandated Bingo Inspector. Come now boys, cut all you want, but don't touch the Bingo Inspector.

In all seriousness, the Democrats have found another $300,000+ that could be cut, sparing Trojans another Harry Tax Hike. City Hall's response, none of the candidates have been to the budget meetings.

In theory, not a bad response. Why haven't they been to the budget meetings? In reality, we know why. Politics around here doesn't work that way. The Republicans are in charge and will not listen to any suggestions about the budget. They're going to do whatever they want no matter how many people show up at meetings.

Otherwise, Harry's response was non-existent. He had no response because most of those items can be cut. Harry says he cut three lawyers from his staff and that is why there is a $168,000 budget for consultants. Wait a minute, Harry: earlier you cut two Corporation Counsel attorneys for a grand savings of $70,000. Add another to those two and you have three attorneys for $105,000, a saving of $63,000.

What about Harry's 2004 State of the City speech (last paragraph, page 5, which you can access by going to our Troy link). Harry said that we would not have a full-time Corporation Counsel and that all legal matters could be handled by his talented staff? Well, Mitchell is pulling in $80,000! Is he full-time? He better be. And way isn't that talented staff handling all legal matters? Men! They promise, promise, promise and never come through.

NEW VIDEO SET FOR RELEASE

A New Video, based on a lawsuit,is rumored to be ready for release:





Michele Bolton has the full story.

Taking our lead from Republicans, we'll assume that each allegation is true. Why bother making the Plaintiff prove her case? We love this story because it has everything:

Intimate dreams and ambitions:

Court papers say the friendship that began in 1996 "evolved to the point whereby (DeAngelis) confided intimate personal as well as political information in the plaintiff. ... (DeAngelis) likewise confided her dreams and ambitions, including becoming Rensselaer County District Attorney."

Sober said DeAngelis often said, "Thank God you're here," and complimented the prosecutor for being the one staff member who knew what she was doing in the beleaguered office, which has lost 10 of its 15 assistants over the past two years.

Ass saving, and there's nothing we like better than saving a little ass:

DeAngelis heartily thanked Sober repeatedly for "saving my ass," court papers claim.

Incompetence:

In one instance, the comment "was in response to (Sober) providing (DeAngelis) with case law to support the prosecutor's position in a matter involving the 'Speedy Trial' statute,' " documents say. "Defendant DeAngelis said, 'Oh, my God; this changes everything. How did I not know that?"

Wild Get-Togethers

DeAngelis also allegedly struggled to cover up that her drunken assistants crashed carts and tore up turf during a 2004 golf tournament with police at the Burden Lake Golf Course in Averill Park.

"DeAngelis told (Sober) how she had done everything in her power to convince the owner not to prosecute, to arrange for repayment by the responsible parties and to keep the incident out of the press," documents say.

Then, a month later, the district attorney prosecuted a handful of local teenagers to the full extent of the law who did the same thing, including two sons of a Democratic county legislator. When Sober brought up her concern of unfairness, she says Abelove told her that putting people in jail was the district attorney's job.

Politics:

Sober says Abelove berated her as being "a Democrat, a Liberal and a bleeding heart" and told her their job as prosecutors was to "get the most time as we could."

When Sober disagreed and said their job was supposed to be about justice, "(He) told her to mind her own business."

We can't wait for the pillow fight scene.

The golf cart incident is a badly kept secret. It occurred during a START fundraiser. Maybe her new slogan can be: "Tough on Crime unless you're a drunken ADA in a golf cart!"

The allegations against Abelove also ring true. Abelove was a well-known 1st Degree A-----e with Oakleaf Clusters.

The Romano story is one of the blackest marks on a black record of incompetence. No one likes the idea of a teenager entering a school with a shotgun. That is not the way to get invited to more parties. Romano also wounded two people. He deserved punishment. He also needs mental health services, the kind unavailable in our state penal system. Abelove and DeAngelis can talk about being "tough on crime" all they want. The fact is, Romano, if he survives jail, will be getting out in twenty years. That's twenty years to brood, twenty years without proper mental health services and twenty years of experience with hardcore criminals. We wouldn't want to live near him when he gets released.

FRIDAY FUN

Some of the Troy Polloi's detractors believe that not even a dog would be caught reading The Troy Polloi. Now, thanks to a regular reader, we now know that isn't true. Ladies and Gentlemen, the world's most well informed dog:




Tim O'Brien's column seems pretty much on point. We hate to say it but he's right: Democrats have to give voters a reason to dump the Republicans and they haven't, so far. Republicans haven't given voters any reason to keep them, other than the fact that the average voter generally has a default setting of "vote for the incumbent."

Harry's proposed budget undercut the hopes of the Democrats. Under Tutunjian, taxes have gone up 8%, but only 1.5% this year. We have a feeling and it's just a feeling, that Harry's budget represents some of the most creative fiction being written today. No new revenue sources, skewed police overtime numbers, huge increases in medical benefits and Troy only needs 1.5% to balance the budget?

Hey, if the numbers all check out, great job, Harry. We truly do not like taxes. If you can pull off a miracle like that, they should pack you off to Iraq to find those weapons of mass destruction.

Next year will be the true test. That's when we'll get hit with the real taxes that were passed on in an election year. If we're wrong, and we hope we are, we hereby pledge that the Troy Polloi will purchase the gold plaque for the Tutunjian Room at the Bruno Hotel, Troy, NY.

Have a safe and happy weekend.

ODDS AND ENDS

FREIHOFER LITIGATION

How do people in Lansingburgh and in other parts of Troy feel about demolishing the Freihofer building? Just curious. The City and Freihofer's lost round one when Justice James Canfield ruled that they did not follow proper procedure. Of course, they can appeal or go through the proper procedures so the building has a stay of execution but it has not yet received a full pardon.

Is this a big deal to people in The Burgh? In the city? Of what historical significance is the building? It has nostalgia value. That we understand. Shouldn't property owners, with limited exceptions, be allowed to do what they want with their property?

Maybe it's not a big issue anywhere but any insight would be of interest.

On a side note, chalk up another loss of Corp. Counsel David Mitchell. Damn, can he win anything without John Bailey around. We could have lost this case for a lot less than he gets paid.

DO NOTHING COUNCIL

It's that time of year again. The weather is getting chilly, the leaves are changing, the daylight hours grow short and the Troy City Council is actually proposing some things. Fall? Nope, election time. How do we know? Because that's the only time they attempt to do anything.

Collier wants to clean up the south end entrance to Troy, near the Menands Bridge. Can't figure out why she waited until now.

Armet is pushing for more money for the police. Why in October of an election year?

The best is the revitalization of Lansingburgh. For the sake of all that live there, we hope it happens. We doubt it will. We hear this stuff all the time and what happens? Nothing. Lansingburgh, don't hold your breath.

RUMOR MILL

The Troy Polloi has heard an interesting rumor but it is nothing more than that. It's a rumor and only time will tell if it's true. We invite anyone mentioned here to comment on the rumor's validity.

The rumor is that some people are going to attempt a takeover of the Democratic Party in Troy (which is akin to taking over Uganda, you can probably do it but why bother).

According to this rumor, Steve Dworsky, Frank LaPosta and Wayne Foy, among others, may be attempting a takeover after the election.

The rumor does have a ring of truth, the takeover that is, not necessarily those particular people. If the upcoming elections go as we anticipate, the Democrats will not do well. That is when coups are undertaken. We take no position on any leadership squabbles within the Democratic Party but it would be interesting to watch.

This leads us to Mirch. He and Dworsky are still tight. Is Mirch behind this? Is he hedging his bets because Harry will have to raise taxes in the 2006 and 2007 budgets, thereby weakening his chances for a return trip to City Hall (or will it be a hotel by then?) It would be just like No-Show Bob to hedge his bets and whore himself out to get the best pension available.

By the way, does anyone have Mirch's "Bruno Constituent Services" cell phone number? We have a medical emergency here and Mirch was the first person that came to mind.

NORTH GREENBUSH BLOGGING

The North Greenbush Democratic Party has a blog! Unfortunately, you can't leave a comment. If you're going to blog, why not allow comments? That's half the fun.

**SECURITY BREACH**

The Troy Polloi has suffered a security breach. Repeat, security breach.

This is actually pretty funny. Democratus doesn't like talking about himself (except in the third person) but this is good.

Democratus received two e-mails yesterday. Both were from services utilized by the Troy Polloi. Both involved requests for passwords. It seems that the person who used to comment here, known as Tax Payer, attempted to access two Troy Polloi accounts by requesting a lost password. If you forget your password, you can have the service e-mail your lost password. Bad form, really.

Unfortunately for Einstein, the "lost" password is sent to the e-mail address in the account. That would be......our e-mail address. We did get the IP address however, 69.205.39.139, so if any computer whizzes want to track it down, release the hounds!

Troy Tax Payer, to paraphrase a line from the great Biloxi Blues, you'd need three promotions to get to be an idiot.

LAST THOUGHTS ON BAUER

Here's our last thoughts on Henry Bauer, Republican At-Large candidate for City Council.

The question voters will have to ask themselves (but we know they won't) is should a disgraced judge be running for any office? We've already knocked down the argument that the folks who removed him from office were "liberal" and "soft on crime." That is mere propaganda. In fact, a majority of people on the Commission were Republican appointees.

Should we vote for a man that systematically forced plea deals, convicted defendants in the absence of the defendant or counsel and who made up rules of law? Talk about judicial activism.

The answer is, of course not. The reality is that a Bauer candidacy would be considered a joke in most places. But we do not live in most places. We live in the Capital District.

If Bauer had acquitted himself well as judge, we'd be hard pressed not to endorse him. We simply cannot do that given the circumstances of his removal from office. Bauer apologists will find all sorts of excuses to condone his behavior but, intentionally or not, they miss the point. It wasn't, and isn't, about being tough on crime. It's not a judge's job to be tough on crime. It is a judge's job to be a fair and impartial. Like Chief Justice Roberts says, "a judge is an umpire, not a player."

Therefore, we urge you to vote no on Bauer.

We say this with a heavy heart. Henry Bauer is a bright, articulate, thoughtful man. If he is elected, we hope he will bring his best traits to the City Council, and reject the blatant partisanship that has infected our city for years. At his best, Bauer will be a good addition to the council. A much better choice than many on the ticket. If elected, we're willing to give Bauer the benefit of the doubt and watch and wait. He's certainly has more potential than many on the council, especially Armet who, on his best day, is a pompous, empty-suit blowhard.

If Bauer is elected Council President, it presents many interesting possibilities. Harry will need Bauer more than Bauer needs Harry. Bauer is smarter and more articulate than Harry. Bauer knows how to reach across party lines. If the two come into conflict over any issue, we won't be surprised if Bauer outmaneuvers Harry at every turn.

FRIDAY FUN

We here at the Troy Polloi want to provide a family friendly atmosphere. To that end, we have decided to be not only helpful to our elected officials, but to provide some fun for the kinder.

Remember a few years back when Harry lived in Troy but voted in Brunswick? Well, election day is now one month away. Parents, gather the kids and lets try and help Harry to find the appropriate polling place.*



* Helpful Hint: The Mayor lives in Troy so he must vote in Troy

POSTS THIS WEEK

Democratus is very busy this week and posting will be light.

Some have commented that the Troy Polloi could be a place for the honest exchange of ideas. In the last post we tried to encourage that exchange by asking for your thoughts and comments on how to handle the growing costs in employee salaries and benefits and the citiy's lack of revenue. Basically, if this is a bare-bones budget and costs continue to increase, where do we go from here. Well, outside of a few comments, you can read for yourself the "exchange of ideas". Mostly nonsense.

So enough of trying to act responsible.

Someone suggested that a city employee who views this site should be investigated and fired. We don't know about that. Seems Christian charity and forgiveness is a bit lacking on the right. However, what do you think of a District Attorney that uses the County Website to run for election? Anyone call for an investigation of this abuse of the tax payers dollar? No, we didn't think so.

Also, will DeAngelis release the confidential Letter of Caution she received from the Committee on Professional Standards? No, we didn't think so?

A FEW THOUGHTS ON THE BUDGET

We'd like to use this post to elicit some constructive comments on Troy's fiscal problems.

As we all know by now, the budget contains a 1.49% tax increase. The largest part of the budget goes for employee salaries and benefits (74%). The Administration has called this a "bare-bones" budget.

Now may be a good time to discuss, in a non-partisan way, future budgets.

If this is truly a bare-bones budget, that means there is nothing more left to cut without diminshing, in some way, essential services and jobs.

The troubling part about all this is what lies in store for the future. On the average, cost of living goes up approximately 4% each year. Medical costs usually go up more than 4%.

What happens next year? The year after? Many people like to moan about public employees but they are hardly making a King's Ranson. Do we expect them to work, year after year without any increase? Would you? Would you be satisfied if your salary never increased while the cost of living went up year after year? Would you, in actual spending power, want to make less year after year?

So, we can't expect public employees to go without raises. The same goes for medical expenses. We have no control over the cost associated with medical benefits. So what to do?

Next, lets ask ourselves this: Under this administration and the previous, taxes have gone up more than 13% in the last three years. If you were paying $3,000 in taxes you are now paying $3,390 and in our experience, good, middle class homes in Troy are taxed at a higher rate.

For your $3,000 - $5,000 in tax dollars, what do you get? What does Troy (or Schenectady or any other similar Northeast city) have to offer. You receive basic government services. Water comes out of your faucet, the streets are plowed (sometime well sometimes not so well) and garbage is picked up. You have police and fire protection. The schools have a poor reputation. In short, you get no more than any other municipality but pay higher taxes than Brunswick or East Greenbush.

Finally, those big box stores, rich in commerical tax revenue, are not moving into cities. They are in East Greenbush, Brunswick and Latham. City people are spending their money in surrounding towns.

So, we guess the questions are:

Where do we go from here in terms of tax revenues?

How do we address growing salaries and benefits?

What long-term solutions are being floated?

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

SOME PRESS RELEASES

JACON INTERVIEW

Robert Jacon, the only responsible choice for Rensselaer County Court Judge, will be interviewed by Justice Now. The interview will be aired on Monday, October 3, at 5:00PM on channel 18. Tune in and listen to the candidate and see what he's all about. After all, there is an election. We don't have to accept Bruno's creature.

TROY DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATIVE CANDIDATES TO HOLD FORUM

The six Democratic candidates for the Rensselaer County Legislature from Troy will host the next stop of The 2005 Democratic Listening Tour of Rensselaer County on Tuesday, October 4th at 6:30PM at the First United Presbyterian Church, 1915 Fifth Avenue, between Fulton and Grand Streets. The Community Forum will be an opportunity for residents of Troy to voice theirs concerns on issues.

According to the candidates, the forum will not be a debate or forum for partisan posturing. There wont be any campaign speeches, the real objective is to listen and hear from the people in our district. The candidates hosting the event are Peter Grimm, Michael Rourke, Anne Rua, Erin Blakeborough, Russell Ziemba, and James Grenier. They see the forum as an important part of developing a platform that reflects residents concerns and is based on real issues, not campaign slogans.

The Rensselaer County Democratic Listening Tour is modeled after the successful undertaking of U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton. The forums will be run similar to town hall meetings where residents have an opportunity to share their views. For more information on future stops of the Listening Tour, contact the County Democratic website at http://www.renssdems.org