WHAT?

Monday's Talespin was only slightly more confusing than the Linear B tablets (and we're not talking about the writing).

First, the ordinance:

"285-67 D Enlargement: Non-conforming uses may be enlarged only through the granting of a special use permit by the ZBA."

We thought the ordinance was ultimately for paving the way for jail expansion. We were wrong, bringing our accuracy rate down to 98.4% The ordinance is for anyone that qualifies for a special use permit. However, it looks as if it was introduced to allow the Taylor School to expand. The ordinance was introduced at the request of the Administration. The ordinance passed, 7-2, after an amendment, limiting the special use permit to those who hadn't expanded in the past five years, was added.

Harry vetoed the ordinance.

Why did Harry veto an ordinance introduced at the request of the Administration? Because of the amendment. The amendment would make the Taylor School ineligible for a special use permit.

The first issue is, why did no Council members ask what the ordinance was all about? It looks like they blindly voted for it. Then, the Council amended it in such a way that it was no longer useful. Hence the veto.

So, Dunne then asks DuBois if the ordinance can be rewritten to accommodate the Taylor School. Big deal. Dunne was only asking for what Harry wanted in the first place. Mayor Pattison's sister, Wendy, is the Executive Director of the school. Big deal. If the Taylor School is successful and wants to expand, why not write legislation that cuts them a break? Others could apply for the special use permit. It's not as if the ordinance would be written so only the Taylor School could get a special use permit. It's also not as if there's a huge stampede of Troy businesses looking to expand.

Sources close to the mayor also tell us that Harry wanted the legislation. Again, if the Taylor School needs to expand, he wants to help out. Why wouldn't the Mayor want to help a business that wants to expand?

Here's where things get bizarre. Dunne also suggested that the extra money that would come from the CDBG shell game be used to help out those damaged by the flooding of Old Sixth Avenue. It's an interesting suggestion. Maybe something can be done, maybe not.

Here's where we give Franco credit. It's rare when a reporter can get a quote from a public official that has his head so firmly wedged in his own ass (the acoustics tend to be bad). Crawley, of course.

Crawley calls Dunne 'partisan' because Wendy Pattison runs the Taylor School. The Deputy Mayor then goes on a rant that could only have been induced by a handful of valium and some fish paralyzers:

In response, Deputy Mayor Dan Crawley accused Dunne of engaging "in partisan politics."

"After talking to the planning people we did not think the ordinance was a good idea either, so Councilman Dunne was right, but now he wants to change it for one of his friends," Crawley said. "Here is Bill Dunne looking to help out a school that charges $8,000 per year when $8,000 would help out that whole (Old Sixth Avenue) neighborhood."

No, Dan. You have a private business that wants to expand. Why wouldn't everyone want to help out? Talespin opens with Dunne suggesting that you allocate a large chunk of money from your CDGB shell game to help people on Old Sixth Avenue. What does the tuition at the Taylor School have to do with it? Will you allocate that $8,000 from your precious CDBG money?

Troy's Deputy Mayor comments

Did Harry want to help the Taylor School expand? If yes, great. Or maybe Harry vetoed the ordinance because it would help out a business managed by a Pattison. Is that not partisan? Personally, we think the ordinance was bad because it gave too much power to non-elected officials. That's beside the point. It's a private business that looks to be successful. For the record, we don't think Harry vetoed it because of any Pattison connection. He vetoed it because Taylor would no longer be eligible. It doesn't really matter. Either way, Crawley's comment suggests a man in acute distress. It's completely nonsensical and it explains why he's been kept on a short leash lately.

The 'partisan' comment is classic Crawley and one has to wonder why any reporter continues to print the nonsense that spews from the hole below Crawley's upper lip. Crawley's denigration of partisanship is also confusing. After all, it's the only way he stays employed.

PROPERTY RIGHTS

Enough about poverty and on to something more serious.

The City Council will soon vote on a "Junk Car" ordinance. There's no link to The Record story or we'd post the link.

Based on what we've read, this ordinance is troublesome (caveat: we haven't seen a copy of the ordinance so this is based on the story). The City Council wants to give the Mirch Department authority to remove vehicles that are not parked on the property's "official" driveway or in a garage. Essentially, cars located in backyards can be removed. We imagine that two neighbors in Lansingburgh are in a pissing contest and one went to their Councilperson looking for legislation (or, in the alternative, Mirch wants to break someone's balls).

Although the story refers to "Junk Cars" it would seem to apply to any car. There is a difference between a "junk car" and a car, is there not?

What happened to property rights in this city? Doesn't a person have the right to do with his property what he or she wants? We're not suggesting no limits on private property use. If there's a health or public safety issue, then limitations should be set. For instance, overgrown backyards can attract rodents that will affect surrounding properties. But, according to Mirch:

"There's no reason to have a car in the backyard." - His Mirchness, The Record, March 23, 2006

Hey, Bob, it's not your business who has what in their backyard. We hardly need to legislate your asthetic sensabilities.

If someone is going to fix-up a '68 Mustang and is doing it in their backyard, who is Mirch to say otherwise?

Is this about looks? Sure, it looks crappy. Collier was going to propose legislation that would keep satellite dishes off the front of homes because it looked crappy. She was right. It does look crappy. So what? Two-thirds of Troy would be removed if an anti-crappy ordinance was passed. Many Trojans would not be allowed on their front porches.

We don't even have a problem if it was limited to "junk cars." By that, we mean old cars, up on blocks, rusted out, unusable. At least some standard should be set.

Now, you'll have Mirch entering private property to remove a resident's personal property simply because they don't like it.

Remember when Republicans at least payed lip service to individual liberty and property rights. We guess that only applies when the Democrats are in power.

Besides, until the infrastructure problem is fixed, until new sources of revenue are found or developed, these cosmetic measures are just putting a new dress on a broken down whore

UPSTATE GIRLS - II

Monday's post, which frankly was done on the spur of the moment, has generated a lot of dialogue. Although not all the comments furthered the debate, many were quite interesting.

Here's some of our thoughts.

The link was posted because a photographer won an award for photos involving Troy. Of course, those scenes could have been played out in any city in the United States. One person asked: "How are these photos supposed to make me feel?" They are supposed to make you feel any way they make you feel. A viewer has no control over how or what they feel upon first glance. Not only can one viewer feel sadness while another viewer feels disgust, it is possible that the same viewer can feel an entire spectrum of emotions simultaneously, each one justified. That, in many ways, is more powerful than evoking a single emotion. Such is art. One the one hand, it's hard not to feel for the subjects. It must be a hard life, without any hope in the future. On the other hand, who doesn't feel disgusted by some of what's depicted? One photo shows two young ones with nebulizers. In another, the "adults" smoke in the presence of the children, despite one child having been hospitalized for asthma.

The photographs were powerful and the accompanying prose was blunt and disturbing.The photographs truly captured the cycle of poverty. We found ourselves frustrated that people live in such a way. There is also frustration that many of the subjects seem incapable or unwilling to make choices that, while not ending the cycle, could certainly lead to a better existence.

Despite what many may feel towards the adults depicted, the children are the great tragedy here. By the time those children can make independent decisions, the game is lost. How can years of such an existence be overcome? A few exceptions may escape the cycle, but not many. Imagine growing up in a world were many of the fathers are not only in prison, but such circumstances are nothing more than part of the everyday landscape.

Ironically, today we feel pity for the children in those photographs. Yet, in less than a decade we will feel other, less charitable emotions. There will come a point in time where we throw up our hands and say, "sorry you had a rough childhood but you are now an adult. Make better decisions. Contribute to society." We hope that even when we feel that way, some small part will remember what little chance they had when still young.

We offer no realistic ideas on how to fight poverty because we have none. We'll leave that to the experts. There have always been poor people and there always will. Perhaps we can reduce their number. Perhaps not. We do know that treating the poor with a modicum of respect and dignity, showing kindness and compassion, elevates us all. Treating them as somehow apart from humanity diminishes us.

Posting may be light over the next few weeks. We're trying to finish a novel. It's called Moby Dick, but the the print is really small and it's tough to read.

UPSTATE GIRLS

Found via Albany Eye. An award-winning series of photographs by Brenda Ann Kenneally depicting the life of some Trojan women. It isn't pretty but it is powerful and depressing. It makes you wonder: is this how many people see Troy? Unfortunately, we think so.

Not much else going on. See you Wednesday or Thursday.

CDBG $

Franco does a good job of summing up our own thoughts on this issue. We did have a good time at the meeting. It was very entertaining.

Despite our support, the numbers that are thrown around does give it the whiff of a "shell-game." Only time will tell.

One thing to watch: who becomes the program monitor. Will it be someone who has experience working with complicated government grants and programs? Or at least someone with some management and executive experience? After all, the area does have many people who worked at mid-level and high-level state jobs. People who were responsible for big budgets and overseeing complex programs. Maybe someone from the private sector. It should at leats be someone who doesn't think of high-school as post-graduate work.

Or will the job go to the son, daughter, nephew or niece of a Troy Republican or Conservative. Someone with no experience in such matters. A younger person who will be no more than a yes-person.


POOR JEANINE

PIRRO VEERS OFF THE MAP
By FREDRIC U. DICKER

March 16, 2006 -- ALBANY - Gaffe-prone Republican attorney-general candidate Jeanine Pirro has done it again - bragging about her knowledge of upstate areas while erroneously claiming New York has a border with Ohio.

Pirro's bumble occurred during an interview on Albany's WROW-AM, as she bragged about her upstate credentials: born in Elmira and educated at SUNY Buffalo and Albany Law School. "I've been to Chautauqua County, which is all the way on the west coast, I should say the west end, of New York, bordering Ohio," the ex-Westchester DA said.

In fact, Chautauqua borders Pennsylvania. New York has no border with Ohio. Pirro later offered up another malapropism after acknowledging her geography mistake: "Am I better than that? Absolutely not."

Vandenburgh did nothing but serve up softballs to the hapless Pirro. The guy is shameless. Once again, Pirro called the Attorney General the "state's highest law enforcement official." She's wrong. It's the State's Legal Department, it's not a super-DA's office. Jeanine, please read the statute that created the office. It's in The Executive Law.

Pirro also claimed to have "vast experience in rooting out fraud and corruption." Unfortunately, she couldn't root out her own husband's fraud and corruption.

Have a safe Saint Patrick's Day.

NOT-FOR-PROFITS - II

Apparently, many of our MENSA readers missed the point of Monday's post.

MAPTAF can buy or sell whatever property they want for as much profit as possible. We wish them well. We wish they had received $263,000 on that sale. This is America after all.

But, for those who have expressed such disdain for Not-For-Profits, your enthusiasm for this random act of capitalism is perplexing. Many of you have expressed the opinion that NFP's are destroying Troy. Now, Mirch's righthand man, is selling property to those same NFP's that are destroying Troy.

Simultaneously, Joseph's House wants to use property it owns to shelter the homeless. Well, heaven forbid, that will bring ruin upon the city: fire, brimstone, a plague of locust (cats and dogs living together). So, it is fine to sell to the NFP's but when the NFP's want to use their property the end of the world is at hand?

Mirch, MAPTAF, our County Legislators, all of them, are laughing their way to the bank on your dime (where do you think Vesta gets its funding). More and more NFP's come in to Troy while your taxes go up. We're happy for them and we hope they milk dry all of their loyal supporters. Someone once said, "It's a sin to let a sucker keep his money." We're very much opposed to sin.

Now, if a house on Douw goes for $163,000, imagine what a house on Woodrow Court goes for. Nice neighborhood, School 18 for the kiddies. Hell, Deputy Dan lives right around the block.



That house, 8 Woodrow Court, is listed at $163,900. At first we thought we'd use it for a comparison. Then we thought, what the hell. Great neighborhood, a decent price, in the best school district. Hopefully, one of you are looking for a place and this might suit your needs. It ain't Douw but it ain't half bad. Call a broker.

There's another nice looking home on Rankin at #53. They're asking under $155,000. If you're interested, call a broker.

Why does God hate our water mains?

NOT FOR PROFITS

The current administration has made it a point to attack not-for-profits and things such as public housing. The common thread throughout this hostility is the cry, "we don't need property taken off the tax rolls." In fact, many people that read the Troy Polloi echo that same sentiment. Without passing judgment on why it's poor form to attack the weakest in our society, lets look at what members of the administration are doing to keep property on the tax rolls.

For some background, check out this post.

MAPTAF Properties LLC, is a limited liability company with offices at 466 Sixth Avenue, Troy , NY. It was founded in April of 2002.

In November of 2003 MAPTAF properties, LLC purchased 80 Douw Street (near the DPW compound) for $63,000. The sellers were allowed a life estate in the property, rent free! Good deal that.

Approximately 3 months ago, MAPTAF sold the Douw Street property to Vesta Community Housing Development Board (Father Young's outfit) for $160,000. Vesta is the same outfit that owned 3215 Sixth Avenue, where the sex offenders were living. Remember how so many cheered when 3215 was closed. Anyway, the sellers made one hell of a profit. The fella's at MAPTAF must be quite the gamblers. Imagine, a nearly $100,000 profit in two years! Or perhaps it was just the luck of the draw. You know, buy a property in such a great neighborhood and then suddenly....a not-for-profit with juice wants to purchase the same building.

All of the principles of MAPTAF remain, at this date, unknown. However, the LLC's offices share a 466 6th Avenue address with a Michael A Picarillo (the MAP in MAPTAF?). We believe a Michael Picarillo works for the DPW. In fact, we've heard that Mr. Picarillo is Mirch's right-hand man (again, not sure what that means, but that's what we've heard). Rumor has it that Mirch is grooming Picarillo for bigger and better things in Rensselaer politics (passing on the Mirch knee-pads, as it were). We've also heard that Mirch is close to Father Young and, in fact, may wish to work for Father Young after he retires from his public sector jobs.

The principle at MAPTAF that signed the deed was Thomas Fucci, another DPW employee (perhaps the TAF in MAPTAF?).

It's all so interesting, isn't it? Getting a nice return on a run-down Douw Street property? Your boss knowing the boss at Vesta? It all makes you wonder.

The other irony is that this administration and it's mouthpieces constantly bemoan not-for-profits. Now, their own employees are making a tidy profit selling to not-for-profits. Do as we say, not as we do might be their new motto.

Note also that someone must have wanted the property pretty bad to offer the elderly lady that lived there a life-estate. Why would someone consider the property so valuable? Valuable enough to let someone live there for free?

In any event, if you want some real estate investment tips, feel free to call Mr. Picarillo. He's in the book. We hope all Trojans can make such profits in such a short space of time.

Remember when parents used to hope that their children became physicians, lawyers, businessman etc? Now it looks like public employment is the road to financial success. "My dream is that little Johnny and little Janey can one day work for the DPW."

Maybe the administration can explain why their own people are selling Troy to the not-for-profits. Hell, now we're thinking of selling our properties to VESTA.

RENSSELAER COUNTY SECURITY

In an effort to aid Renssealer County, we've added a Homeland Security Terror Alert Code over on the right. Now, you can tune in to the Troy Polloi in case of an emergency. Just doing our part to help keep America safe.

GO SEE A PLAY

Actually, it's a staged reading of a screenplay written by Jack Casey.

The event, open to the public free of charge, will be held at 5 p.m. Sunday at Revolution Hall, 425 River St. A $5 donation is requested, with the money being split among the cast and stage director. Gary Brown, owner of Brown's Brewing Co. and Revolution Hall, has produced a special red ale for the occasion.

Hey, it's free, entertaining, you'll be supporting a local author and there's beer. With Troy's theater closed you want have anything else to do anyway.

GUEST POST

Someone has taken us up on our offer to be a guest columnist. Please welcome Reformus Publicus. He's a guest in our blog so we expect him to be treated with the same respect you show us.....forget that. Treat our guests with respect, please.

The offer still remains open to all so feel free to e-mail us if you're interested. Without further ado, Reformus Publicus.

While giving themselves a pay raise during the lame duck session may have been legal, the morality of the actions of the Rensselaer County legislators is exceedingly questionable. Only Mayor Stratton of Schenectady showed any moral fortitude in this political climate by rescinding his raise.

Rather than dwell on who said what to whom, or how the raise came about, let us discuss the current situation. The Republican leadership believes that knowledge and participation in government is not necessary. They believe as long as services continue, nobody cares how laws are made or the debate surrounding these laws. Jefferson and Madison must be spinning in their graves. And stopping the proposed law in the Rules Committee seems disingenuous. The Republicans can hide under all the rules and procedures that they like, but at the end of the day, the truth remains.

If Democrats (and brave Republicans) wish to make a moral stand and show that this government is of the people, then both the pay raise legislation and changing the debate process must go forward. More importantly, the elective process must be revised to ensure more appropriate representation and accountability to the citizens of Rensselaer County.

First, county legislative terms should be reduced to two years and should be term limited to no more than 16 years. Secondly, to ensure better representation, each county legislator should come from a specific district. Rather than having six at-large legislators in Troy, there should be one from each of the council districts. Representation from the towns should be along traditional political boundaries and based on the current population. One man one vote.

Be brave. Take a step toward democracy.

JOSEPH'S HOUSE

Joseph's House held a community meeting on Monday night and explained their plans for the former One Pocket Billiards at 202 4th Street. Steve Couse had the story for The Record. Most of you already know the background to the story.

Opponents of Joseph's House have latched on to a fairly specious argument.

But to many in the room, that was the problem. They see the Little Italy area of the city as a community on the upswing and want the property to remain commercial."Little Italy is developing," said Jean Krueger, owner of a business across the street. She stressed the need to preserve commercial properties. "It's the lifeblood."

That arguement does not ring true.

Would opponents be worried if someone wanted to convert the old pool hall into eight, high-rent condominiums or apartments? Doubtful. After all, New York's Little Italy and Boston's North End combine both commercial and residential, resulting in unique, vibrant communties.

No, they don't want a homeless shelter in their neighborhood. It makes them uneasy. And you know what, it's hard to find fault with their uneasiness. The problem is the "Not in My Backyard" mentality.

We have an ethical and moral obligation to help those on the fringes of society. Such charity is a traditional American value. Some may not know it, but the early American colonies (particularly those in New England) took this obligation quite seriously. Many of the early New England townships had three public offices: a constable; a public works official to maintain the roads; and an Overseer of the Poor. The basis of this obligation was originally the Congregationalist's dedication to charitable deeds.

So please, all of you good conservatives that pay such endearing lip service to traditional values, or those of you who parrot back the fallacy that the United States was founded on Christianity, act like it.

Does the shelter belong at 202 4th Street? We don't know. It belongs somewhere and aside from a few cranks, Trojans tend to have an innate sense of fairness and decency. But, if the NIMBY attitude continues, the weakest of our population suffers.

Not so long ago, you could encur the wrath of the neighbors by selling or renting to African-American. Before that it was Italians and before them, the Irish. Haven't you read those wonderful turn-of-the-century sociologists? You know the ones: the ones that proved that the Irish, the Italians the take-your-pick, were congenitally disposed towards crime.

MORE SCREWING IN PUBLIC

While one form of public screwing was stopped at the Cinema Art Theater last week, another public screwing occurred just down the block at City Hall.

The City Council, by a vote of 7-2, approved Ordinance #3.

Ordinance #3 - Ordinance Amending the Troy City Code of Ordinances Chapter 285-67 "Zoning District Regulations" is hereby amended to read:

"285-67 D Enlargement: Non-conforming uses may be enlarged only through the granting of a special use permit by the ZBA."

Sounds innocuous enough on it's face. The amendment also sounds strikingly similar to a Viagra commercial, but that's not the point. What the amendment really does is pave the way for jail expansion and a royal screwing for the residents of South Troy. And it all happened in public. Collier and Krogh, of course, voted for the ordinance. Talk about your deviant behavior.

This gives the Zoning Board of Appeals a lot of power. The county wants the jail to stay put and they want expansion. Does anyone in the County Legislature have any influence with anyone on the Zoning Board of Appeals? We wonder....

TROY PLANNER AT ODDS WITH HARRY

Walgreens has plans to build a store on Hoosick Street, between North Lake and Wayne. The store would be in both Troy and Brunswick. Harry likes the idea:

It's something I am excited about because it means jobs," said Troy Mayor Harry Tutunjian. He added he also wants to hear any concerns residents have about the proposal.

How likely is it that Brunswick residents will scream and shout about this project? They shouldn't waste their time. The commercialization of Hoosick Street is a done deal and the addition of a Walgreens will likely have a negligible impact on existing conditions. Some towns would kill to have the tax base that has developed on Brunswick's Route 7.

The interesting part of the story is the comment by Harry's own planner, Judy Breselor:

"I don't find it acceptable," Breselor said Monday, adding she had just finished looking at the plans and intended to examine the site. "It's really got to go before the Planning Board. I had some issues with it and have to go see how it fits."

We don't know anything about Breselor and we wish her well. Still, it seems she may lack certain self-preservation skills necessary in Troy politics. Skill number one? Only "yes" men (persons)need apply.

COUNTY LAWMAKERS MEET ON REFORM

Looks like Task Force 5 has swung into action. You in the back, stop laughing.

Except for Fasoldt, this is like a bunch of hookers arranging a vice-squad party. Until they rescind their pay raise, and Crist's and Kathy's, it's all a big joke.

CINEMA ART IN A STICKY SITUATION

Authorities Raid Cinema Art Theater

The City of Troy, aided by New York State Police, has shut down another "for profit" Troy business. By all accounts, a highly successful business.

Troy's only theater, the venerable Cinema Art Theater, was shut down for health violations and five people were arrested for Third Degree Ickiness. The raid was uneventful and no weapons were discharged.

Troy has long been known as an art-friendly city and the seems to have benefited from that reputation. According to the Times Union article, by Kate Perry, on some nights, there were forty to sixty people engaged in "audience participation."

The investigation was prompted by an "anonymous" letter received by Mayor Tutunjian. A woman believed her boyfriend was prostituting himself for drugs at the theater. Since no prostitution charges were brought, it seems that "anonymous" might still be having relationship troubles. A second letter to the Mayor, from Anonymous, asked the mayor to set up an intervention.

The Mayor has announced that the City will be starting a "relationship hotline."

Tutunjian himself deserves some kudos here. According to the Cristo article, Harry spent some time on-line, in chat rooms. He was so upset by what he read that he could not go back to the chat rooms a sixth time.

"Troy is not the place for illicit activities and crimes. ... It's not a dumping ground," said Tutunjian.

Mary Elacqua might disagree.

Authorities refused to comment on what further charges might be brought until a detailed, splatter analysis is completed. Such forensic reports can greatly aid in prosecutions and this case is no different.

"back and to the left...back and to the left!"

However, we believe that District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis summed up all our feelings. It was not just our expectations that were violated, Pat's expectations were violated as well.

"When you go into an adult establishment, you expect to find people having sex on screen, not in aisles," said Rensselaer County District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis.

That's the real crime. Pat, if you find a good theater where we can just sit back and enjoy the show, please let us know.

In the meantime, Mary Donohue might be elevated to the Federal Bench. Remember, you heard it here first.

Also, as soon as the Cinema Arts story dies down, we'll have news on a new resolution passed by the Troy City Council that paves the way for jail expansion.

Stay tuned. We'll be covering the important Cinema Arts bust all week, with "On the Street" interviews, opinions and movie reviews.

WORD ON DA STREET!

By Huggy Bear

Word on the Street is that the rift between the Boss-Man (Bobby M) and Harry/Dan is growing as fast as Mirch's pension. Don't know all the details yet but things are getting real ugly. This time it's not about who ate the last slice of pizza. Why the Mayor would take crap from Bobby is beyond me. The Conservative Line? For a man, some things are more important than ballot lines.

Word on the Street is that certain members of the Troy GOP(not with the initials MD) and certain Democrats have been approached about a possible run against Harry. Also, with the highly probable Democratic sweep this fall, certain Conservative Party leaders, as well and Independence Party leaders, are now cozying up to Democrats. It never hurts to have a back-up plan in politics. We won't say who's behind it all, because that's a big secret. Let's just say...



Word on the Street is that a certain former council member, with the initials Jack Mahoney, is being considered for an administrative position. What position? Commissioner of Public Works. That's right. Although the odds are against it, the Conservatives could lose their automatic ballot line this fall. Things could really change around here. Remember, you heard it from HB.

TROY EXPORTS

The closing of 3215 Sixth Avenue has once again generated talk about sex offenders living in Troy. The common theme in many of the complaints, including letters to the editor in The Record and comments on the Troy Polloi, is Loudonville!

Apparently, many Trojans want Loudonville to be the destination of choice for sex offenders.* What isn't discussed is how Loudonville residents feel about such a solution. We thought we'd find out.

The Troy Polloi surveyed 210 Loudonville residents. The finding are startling.

1. How do you feel about convicted sex offenders living in Loudonville?

56% - Ick!
32% - Eeewwww!
9% - Fine, as long as they don't live in Loudonville
3% - It's Okay as long as they're from Troy

2. Would you want a convicted sex offender living in your neighborhood?

97% - No
3% - Yes, if they're from Troy

3. Would you want a convicted sex offender living next door to you?

95% - No!
5% - Hell no!

The results indicate that an overwhelming majority of Loudonville residents do not want convicted sex offenders living in Loudonville, not even if they're from Troy. Perhaps we're not doing a good enough job of "selling" our sex-offenders. Maybe we need a professional Ad Campaign.

Guess that gets us back to square one and we can forget about the ridiculous notion of "sending" offenders to Loudonville. First of all, do you know how much that would cost in postage? The average sex offender weighs 176 lbs. That's a lot of postage.

Secondly, convicted sex offenders can live where they want. If you don't like that, start contacting your State Legislators.

No one wants sex offenders in the neighborhood, but the "Not in My Back Yard" mentality gets us nowhere. Most sex offenders have a difficult time finding, and keeping, employment. That conviction does not look good on a resume. Do you really think they're going to rent a condo in Loudonville or invest in a home off of Route 9? No, they're going to live where they can get more bang for their buck: Troy, Watervliet etc.

What we can do is ignore some of our knee-jerk reactions and listen to the experts and law enforcement on how to mitigate they dangers they pose, even if those suggestions appear to look like they accommodate the offender. That means keeping them together when possible, in order to maximize law enforcement resources, not hounding them from their jobs (if they have a job) and driving them further underground and ensuring they're in a monitored program.

Loudonville is not an option.

*Whence the animosity towards Loudonville? Perhaps it stems from the days when Loudonville troops occupied Troy during Reconstruction.