BAD BOYS, BAD BOYS

Since we've spent considerable time on Intimigate we thought we'd break for some other issues. There will be more on Intimigate later this week or early next week as more information developes. We also hope to bring you another affidavit with more fun facts about Rensselaer County politics.

The Troy Police Department is quietly enforcing the residency requirements that police live within Troy City limits. They're making sure that new recruits abide by the law.

We've discussed this before and come firmly down on the side of abolishing the residency requirement. We know that remains an unpopular position. Reasonable minds can differ on this issue.

Police Officers are not professionals in the strictest sense. They are not licensed by the State of New York as are physicians, nurses etc. However, since they carry guns and have unlimited access to latex gloves, we won't debate the point.

The term professional has taken on a less formal meaning in the past decade and is used in a more figurative way. When we say professional, we mean someone who dresses appropriately, adheres to a high standard of conduct and demonstrates dedication to the job. Aside from the residency requirement, the only thing preventing Troy cops from being completely professional are those white cars. Those cars look like something you win if you sell over $50,000 worth of Mary Kay cosmetics. They really should be dark blue or black. We're thinking Adam-12. Those colors are more imposing and will also bring out their eyes.

We want our police to act in a "professional" manner. Since we desire that, we should treat them like professionals. Dump the residency requirements. If an emergency situation arises and you want police reporting to the station in a timely manner, institute a time policy. Perhaps they should live within a twenty or thirty minute drive. An officer residing in Watervliet can be in downtown Troy in five minutes. An officer residing in the outer-rim of Lansingburgh will take longer to reach the station.


In the end, as long as we can compete for, and retain, the best, do we care where they live? Really, people, our officers have to perform cavity searches. If you can find good people to fill jobs that occasionally involve rectal spelunking, let them live where they want. Besides, we've never heard of any crime victim refusing the aid of a Troy police officer because that officer resides outside the city.

If they residency laws are to be enforced, start at the top. Leaders lead by example. Perhaps Mayor Harry will sign an affidavit ensuring all of us, police included, that all City Hall employees and Public Officers are in compliance with their own residency requirements.

Since Franco has a good piece on the issue we'll stop here.





And hey, lets be careful out there.

This post was filmed on location with the men and women of law enforcement. All suspects are innocent (cough,cough) until proven guilty.

THE NEW BLACK

Requesting the appointment of a Special Prosecutor must be the new black.

Republicans requested that the District Attorneys Office seek the appointment of a special prosecutor for three would-be scandals, or scandalettes. The request was made via robo-call by "Dolores" who claims to work at both HVCC and the County.

Besides smacking of 'me-to-ism', requesting a special prosecutor now is, like - so three weeks ago. Kind of like wearing legwarmers, joining EST or using a Walkman.

What has the GOP more excited than Bob Mirch at a Public Employment Job Fair?

First, City Councilman Clem Campana may have used his phone at HVCC to call City Hall.

Second, County Legislator Ginny O'Brien asked DPW Commissioner Bob Mirch to pick up some garbage.

Third, Legislative Minority operative Sue Steele snapped a photo of Rich Crist that went out in a mailer. The mailer juxtaposed Crist's $80,000 salary with Sheriff Mahar's $70,000. We have not seen the mailer.

Each of these scandalettes upset us so much we couldn't eat a second helping of waffles.

Lets take a brief look at each act.

Using an HVCC phone to call City Hall. That could violate some internal HVCC policy. Perhaps HVCC allows it's employees limited, personel use of phones. We simply do not know. It is not known if Campana read from a script, disguised his voice or pretended to be a fictitious person.

We do know it's not a crime. It's not even a violation.

The next two are more fun. We never really understood the O'Brien incident. Apparently, she's the listing agent for a house former Democratic Chair Rob Gregor is trying to sell. Perfectly legal. Now, there was garbage in, or outside of, a neighboring home. We're not sure which but outside makes more sense. Since a messy yard may make the Gregor property more difficult to sell, O'Brien called the DPW to ask them to remove the garbage.

Presumably, the neighboring property is abandoned. Correct? Who knows. Which is precisely the problem with this would-be scandal. It's too difficult to explain. O'Brien doesn't represent Troy and can exercise no official or unofficial authority over Troy's DPW. Also, where's the benefit? The commission remains the same whether the property sells next week or three months from now.

Besides, isn't picking up trash Mirch's forte?

Where's the crime?

Finally, the most disturbing event. Photographing Richard Crist. This is not a crime. It may be a violation of County Ethics rules. We don't know if the County has ethics rules or just a series of suggestions that are honored more in the breach. The idea that the photo was taken "on County time" is problematic. Is handing a birthday gift to a co-worker, which probably takes longer than snapping a photo, done on "County time?" Is a three minute chat about American Idol done "on County time?" Aaahhh! But that time isn't "political time" is it?

The idea that the mailer that utilized the photograph was "informational" and not "political" doesn't pass the smell test but we haven't seen the mailer.

Crime? Doesn't seem to come anywhere close to any crime in the Penal Code.

The key in equesting a Special Prosecutor is giving him or her a potential crime to prosecute.

Helpful Hint #1

If you're requesting a Special Prosecutor, try and find a crime that fits or may fit the alleged act. Ask yourself, who writes the Penal Code? Anyone? Anyone? You in the back. Right! Politicians. Don't be surprised if certain acts that sound unethical have not been criminalized.

Helpful Hint #2

Be the first to request the Special Prosecutor. If you're making a request after the opposition has made a request, you come off like an angry, sad, desperate kid who can't get a date to the prom.

Helpful Hint #3

Make sure the person who speaks for you at City Council meetings isn't 1) violating ethical rules 2) making light of ethical rules 3) admitting that political appointees always do political work on public time because that's their job.

Helpful Hint #4

Wake up your boss and ask him to collect all available records that will prove you did nothing wrong. Ask him to provide those records to the newspaper so reporters stop writing "baseless" stories about you. No boss wants to see his underlings subject to such attacks if it's in his power to stop them.

And that's one to grow on.

Speaking of crimes, here's a crime:

NY CLS Penal § 165.05 (2007)

§ 165.05. Unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree A person is guilty of unauthorized use of a vehicle in the third degree when:1. Knowing that he does not have the consent of the owner, he takes, operates, exercises control over, rides in or otherwise uses a vehicle. A person who engages in any such conduct without the consent of the owner is presumed to know that he does not have such consent

Ethical rules should be enforced. The residents of the city and county deserve no less. But, if you're the party in power, be careful. The party in power makes all the appointments and has far more computer records, e-mails and phone records subject to a FOIL request. Perhaps that's why we don't see too many elected Republicans who have simultaneous public sector employment rushing to the DA's office with various requests.

RYAN DISAPPOINTS TOM CASEY'S SISTER!

According to our latest study, 94.7% of local politics is what many people call "inside baseball." If you're not somehow connected to a franchise you don't know who the players are. Civilians go about their daily lives blissfully unaware of how local government and local politicians operate. The parties know this and sometimes take advantage.

Letters-to-the-Editor are frequently abused by politicians.

For example, in a recent letter to the editor in The Record, we learned that Ann Marie Tracey, a constituent of Peter Ryan (D-3rd), was disappointed in Ryan's performance....on the City Council. This disappointment must have cut deep because Tracey, who voted for Ryan in 2005, stated she would not vote for Ryan again!

What Ms. Tracey failed to disclose was that in 2005 she voted in the 5th District, represented by Mr. Krogh.

Of course, Ms. Tracey could have told the truth. For example:

- Ms. Tracey could have stated that, "I don't live in Ryan's district but if I did I would not vote for him."

or - "I never voted for Ryan and won't vote for him again."

or - "If I had lived in District 3 in 2005 I would have voted for Ryan and I would have become so disappointed with his performance that if I lived in District 3 during the subsequent election I would not vote for him."

All these statements, although true, are clumsy.

Armed with this full disclosure, our forensic team has concluded that Ms. Tracey lied or, in the alternative, she did not write or read the letter attributed to her. But, if she didn't write the letter, who did?

Oh, Tracey is also the sister of Tom Casey, Chair of the Troy Republican Committee.

Mr. Ryan addressed these concerns in Friday's Record. He characterized Tracey as "misrepresenting" the facts. Why don't we just call it what it is? A lie.

What do we tell the children?

ELECTION 2007-SATURDAY EDITION

This is a special Saturday Edition of Election 2007

For the first time since - we're not really sure - there will be no elected or appointed incumbent running in the District Attorneys race. It's wide-open and will test the health of the Rensselaer County GOP. Is the party as anemic as it seems? Spitzer, Cuomo, Hevesi and Clinton won an easy majority of votes in the last election. The GOP lost a County Judgeship in 2005. Gillibrand received more votes than Sweeney in Rensselaer County and Assemblyman Gordon came within a hundred or so votes of beating Martin Reid within the County. Add Hammond's WFP votes to Gordon's votes and Republican Martin Reid failed to win a majority of votes.

REPUBLICANS

For the Republicans, the focus has been on three potential candidates: Trish DeAngelis, City Council President Hank Bauer and defense attorney Greg Cholakis. With DeAngelis out, the conventional wisdom is that Hank will be the GOP candidate.

As a candidate for District Attorney, Bauer presents a unique set of problems for the GOP: One tactical, one strategic.

Bauer is Troy City Council President. He is the only At-Large incumbent for the Republicans. If he runs for DA, the GOP Council ticket will be weakened. Already concerned about losing the council, finding another At-Large candidate is the last thing the City GOP wants to do.

Strategically, Bauer adds to the increasing taint of corruption now saddling the Republicans. His ignominious removal from the bench will be political fodder for the Democrats.

Cholakis also has a problem. He's simply not 'one of them.' Greg has the potential to be a fine District Attorney but he doesn't appear comfortable (much like Jimino) with the current GOP high command.

So, who will it be?

We predict that the GOP candidate for Rensselaer County District Attorney will be........County Chair Jack Casey.

That's a prediction, folks. It's not an invitation to rip into Casey or leave comments about his private life. We don't care if he's been married once, twice or never. We don't care if he was seen at some bar back in 1977, or handled some case in 1985 that pissed you off. Please restrain yourselves from acting like Republicans.

Can Casey win? Of course. He's also easily beatable.

DEMOCRATS

No word yet. The usual suspects have been mention: Nugent and Premo. No word yet if either even wants the job. Nugent always seems to saliavte over the job but the rumor is that he's yet to mend fences with Democratic Chairman Tom Wade.

Our prediction is that the nomination will go to former Assistant District Attorney Richard McNally. McNally was the number two guy under former DA (and former Judge) James Canfield, the last Democrat elected District Attorney.

McNally is a good choice. He's an experienced prosecutor and also knows cases from the other side of the v, having served as an assistant public defender. He's also never run for office and would be a fresh political face, a rare commodity in Rensselaer County.

Better still, McNally can win.

THE CIRCUS IS HERE

Intimigate stories are spreading faster than false phone calls from City Hall. One hates to interrupt the Republicans as they unravel, but what the hell.

Wednesday night's City Council meeting quickly morphed into a Republican circus, making up in entertainment value what it lacked in accountability.

TOM CASEY

As the embattled Republicans circled the wagons at the City Council meeting, GOP Chair Tom Casey rode to the rescue. Unfortunately his stallion pulled up lame and his Colt fired blanks.

For those unfortunate enough to be hampered with a college education and analytical skills more sophisticated than a spider crab, Casey's argument may sound confusing.

In defense of the three public servants at issue, Casey had this to say in front of a speechless City Council meeting crowd:

Republican City Chairman Tom Casey said even if the allegations are true, then the employees "only owe the city $5 or $6." "The Democrats did not mind Bob (Mirch) and the way he plays when he was a Democrat," Casey said. "Appointed political employees are not expected or coerced into doing political work. They want to because they know if the other party wins, they are out of a job." - The Record

First of all, Tom, closed head injuries can be very serious. We'd have that checked out.

Secondly, we're not on a reimbursement plan, here. You don't take a city car to Chicago and just cut a check. The essence of the allegations are that three city appointees used city property and city time to defraud the voters in order to influence an election.

Casey is not only a GOP officer, he's also a city employee with intimate knowledge of ethics violations.

Ethics Code
§ 43-6. Political party officers.

B. No political party officer shall be employed by the City of Troy. Any offer of employment with the City which is tendered to a person who is a political party officer shall be made in writing and shall contain a requirement that resignation from such political party office is a condition precedent to the effectiveness of such offer of employment. Prior to commencement of such employment, the appointing authority must file a copy of such offer of employment together with a copy of such letter of resignation from party office with the City Clerk.

Of course, buried in that Ethics Code is this little number.

§ 43-10. Penalties for offenses.

A. Disciplinary action. Any officer or employee of the City of Troy who engages in any action that violates any provision of this chapter may be warned, reprimanded, suspended or removed from office or employment, or be subject to any other sanction authorized by law or collective bargaining agreement, by the appointing authority or person or body authorized by law to impose such sanctions. A waning, reprimand, suspension, removal, or other authorized sanction may be imposed in addition to any other penalty contained in this chapter or in any other provision of law.

B. Civil fine. Any officer or employee of the City of Troy who violates any provision of this chapter may be subject to a civil fine, in a reasonable amount, of up to $1,000 for each violation. A civil fine may be imposed in addition to any other penalty contained in any other provision of law or in this chapter.

C. Misdemeanor. Any person, whether or not an officer or employee of the City of Troy, who intentionally or knowingly violates any provision of this chapter shall be guilty of a Class A misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, if a municipal officer or employee, shall forfeit his or her municipal office or employment; provided, however, that a criminal violation of § 43-7 of this chapter shall also require proof of intent to deceive.

And yes, before you ask, the use of city property for personal use is a violation of the Ethics Code.

In all fairness, Mr. Casey may be unaware of the Ethics Code. After all, there's no requirement for Ethics Board members, such as Mr. Casey, to actually read the ethics rules.

That'll be $6, Tom.


CLEM CAMPANA

It's not just the GOP that's ethically challenged. A full-blown Tscandalnami is now rocking the Democrats.

The accusations have also drawn counterclaims about ethics from city Republicans. Mirch distributed a news release from Republican Councilman Mark Wojcik asking for an investigation of a vote by Campana that transferred a parcel on Third Street to the Red Front restaurant where Campana's wife works. The entire City Council voted 9 to 0 on Sept. 7, 2006, for the transfer. - Albany Times Union

According to sources, Mr. Campana was at the apex of a brazen conspiracy. Mrs. Campana works for the Red Front. The Red Front wanted to expand to add a deck. Campana agreed to be the all-important 9th vote on the land transfer vote in exchange for his wife getting a job she already had. Camapana has also, allegedly, ordered pizza from the Red Front via (you guessed it) telephone.

It's also alleged that since the deck will mean more tables, Mrs. Campana has been studying speed-waitressing so she can cover more tables during her shift to increase her tips.

Campana's actions in support of a local business violated the following sections of the Ethic Code:
1.
2.
3.

Lets be honest. This was just the GOP's third attempt deflect the Intimigate allegations and just as laughable as the others. How laughable? Councilman Wojcik apologized to Councilman Campana for the letter. Why would Mark do that? Perhaps because he didn't write the letter. It was written for him. By the same person that whispered sweet-nothings in Tom Casey's ear Wednesday night.

Mr. Wojcik, you may not realize it but you are the elected official. The people of your district voted for you in overwhelming numbers. You do not have to take orders from an appointed political hack. We supported you when you stood firm against introducing sharks to Grafton Lakes. Where has that Mark Wojcik gone?

INTIMIGATE - A VERY SPECIAL EPISODE

We move on to another possible crime: Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hands together for....

NY CLS Penal § 195.00
Official Misconduct

A public servant is guilty of official misconduct when, with intent to obtain a benefit or deprive another person of a benefit:

1. He commits an act relating to his office but constituting an unauthorized exercise of his official functions, knowing that such act is unauthorized; or

2. He knowingly refrains from performing a duty which is imposed upon him by law or is clearly inherent in the nature of his office.

Official misconduct is a class A misdemeanor.

Granted, Coercion sounds more fun, especially in mixed company and after a few rounds of Jim Beam, but Official Misconduct could be more on point.

The problem is, does anyone really want to be charged, let alone convicted, of Official Misconduct? It's only a misdemeanor. It shows a true lack of ambition and imagination. Theoretically, jail time is possible, but just county time, not state pen time and few people can really pull-off an orange jumper. Not to mention the embarrassment:

Murder Defendant: What you in for, man?

Political Hack: Ummm....omphduct.

Murder Defendant: What?

Political Hack: mmph uct.

Murder Defendant: Say what?

Political Hack: Official Misconduct.

Murder Defendant: You steal money or sumfin'?

Political Hack: Uh...no....I used a city phone for political purposes.

Murder Defendant: Bitch!

The whole scenario is awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. Then, to establish any type of respect, you'll have to shiv someone in the shower. The whole thing could be a drag.

We don't know if Official Misconduct is applicable. You can decide for yourself. Perhaps the Special Prosecutor will consider this particular statute. Maybe the definition of 'benefit' is limited in scope. One side note, it appears that a conviction under this statute results in automatic removal from office. Period. End of story, even if the conviction is appealed.

So, we must keep in mind that the allegations may or may not constitute a crime. If there is a prosecution, there will be no jail time, just lots of good laughs as what comes around goes around.

These allegations are not about using a phone for a political campaign. Councilmen Wojcik and Krogh both work for the County of Rensselaer. Would it be wrong for them to phone a contributor from work, to....invite them to a fundraiser? Schedule a campaign meeting? Yes, it would be wrong. Would it be a big deal? No, people make mistakes, people get sloppy.

Here, the allegations really must be distilled to their essence: A conspiracy to lie to the voters and manipulate an election. It goes to the very heart of our democracy. It's no different than Watergate, albeit on a smaller, more pathetic stage. That's what we're talking about here, it's not merely about using a phone once or twice for something other than official city business.

One wonders if this incident will, much like the Valerie Plame matter, recede into the background as more serious allegations of corruption surface. Allegations that have nothing to do with Mr. Buell, Crawley or City Hall.

Remember though, this is Rensselaer County, where the official Ethical Standard is, "There was no indictment."

Thank you, you've been a great audience.

INTIMIGATE - CRIMINAL INTENT

Since "some" have dubbed the City Hall scandal Intimigate, we thought we'd hop on the bandwagon as well. We wish we could come up with things like that, we really do.

The Rensselaer County DA's Office has forwarded this matter to Judge McGrath. It's likely that a Special Prosecutor will be appointed. Which brings us to this...

When this story broke, many of you entertained visions of crimes, convictions and jail time. Perhaps you saw Mr. Buell in a perp-walk or being re-christened Sally by his 6-7, 350lb cell mate. Perhaps you imagined Mr. Mirch pimping Mr. Crawley in the prison yard for a carton of Lucky's.

The reality is, acts such as those alleged by Ms. Regan can be illegal, unethical and can violate numerous work rules. They can be as distasteful and as ugly as my Mother-in-Law after a pub crawl. That does not make the alleged acts criminal. Maybe yes, maybe no.

Lets take a look at what our Legal Department has prepared: Criminal statutes that, if the allegations prove true, may have been violated.

NY CLS Penal § 135.65
Coercion in the First Degree

A person is guilty of coercion in the first degree when he commits the crime of coercion in the second degree, and when:

1. He commits such crime by instilling in the victim a fear that he will cause physical injury to a person or cause damage to property; or

2. He thereby compels or induces the victim to:
(a) Commit or attempt to commit a felony; or
(b) Cause or attempt to cause physical injury to a person; or
(c) Violate his duty as a public servant.

Coercion in the first degree is a class D felony.


NY CLS Penal § 135.60
Coercion in the Second Degree

A person is guilty of coercion in the second degree when he compels or induces a person to engage in conduct which the latter has a legal right to abstain from engaging in, or to abstain from engaging in conduct in which he has a legal right to engage, by means of instilling in him a fear that, if the demand is not complied with, the actor or another will:

1. Cause physical injury to a person; or
2. Cause damage to property; or
3. Engage in other conduct constituting a crime; or
4. Accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against him; or
5. Expose a secret or publicize an asserted fact, whether true or false, tending to subject some person to hatred, contempt or ridicule; or

6. Cause a strike, boycott or other collective labor group action injurious to some person's business; except that such a threat shall not be deemed coercive when the act or omission compelled is for the benefit of the group in whose interest the actor purports to act; or

7. Testify or provide information or withhold testimony or information with respect to another's legal claim or defense; or

8. Use or abuse his position as a public servant by performing some act within or related to his official duties, or by failing or refusing to perform an official duty, in such manner as to affect some person adversely; or

9. Perform any other act which would not in itself materially benefit the actor but which is calculated to harm another person materially with respect to his health, safety, business, calling, career, financial condition, reputation or personal relationships.

Coercion in the second degree is a class A misdemeanor.

The first observation we make is that technically, if you really think about it, coercion and local politics are virtually synonomous. The damn thing is built on coercion. Hell, local government probably couldn't function without it.

Take a close look at Coercion in the Second Degree sub. (5). Mr. A wants to run for city council, county legislature, whatever. Mr. B works for the local political boss, mayor etc. Mr. B tells Mr. A, "if you run against us, we'll release all the dirt we have on you." Mr. A has a legal right to run for office. That sounds like Coercion, a misdemeanor. The GOP does it all the time.

We digress.

An argument can be made that:

1) If a County employee's job is threatened unless he or she does something that they do not have to do;

2) And if the person doing the threatening is in a position to carry out that threat;

The crime of coercion may be applicable. In our scenario, however, the acts alleged against Crawley and Buell do not fit into that statute. They have no authority over a county employee. In this situation they're just of two goofballs too stupid to realize that they could be witnessing a crime.

Furthermore, if the crime of 2nd Degree Coercion can be established and Regan was compelled or induced to violate her duty as a public servant (ie. not play politics on County time), you may have a felony.

We'll leave the nuances of the criminal law to the lawyers. Point is, calling something criminal means you have to locate a criminal statute that fits the act(s).

Next time, we'll look at another statute: Official Misconduct. You won't want to miss it. It'll be more exciting than a special episode of Blossom.

NEW BLOG

For some Friday fun, here's a long-distance dedication, coming to you all the way from North Greenbush.

The blog makes an effort at being evenhanded but we don't think it's too difficult to guess the authors identity. Reformers, have at it!

And yes, Trish has referred Intimigate to Judge McGrath. More on that next week. Say what you want about DeAngelis, lord knows we've been tough (too tough?) on her, but she has always gone the extra mile in avoiding even the appearance of a conflict in political matters. Case in point, Linda Clemente. There was no reason her office couldn't have pursued that case but she sent it out.

INTIMIGATE - DAY 6

We enter day six of Intimigate with nothing but silence from City Hall. Or maybe Harry's hitting the books. In any event, a denial now is useless.

On the other hand, Democrats on the City Council and in the County Legislature are calling for investigations as well as asking the District Attorney to look into the Regan allegations. The District Attorneys Office has the subject matter under review. We could be looking at Probe City, here. *

In contrast to City Hall's official silence, DPW Commissioner/County Legislator/Bruno Constituent Liaison (or DPWCCLBCL) hasn't stopped flapping his gums. In addition to denying "all" the allegations in Regan's affidavit,** Bob Mirch has resorted to a rather pathetic 'Them-Too' move. Gee whiz, Bob, took you long enough. Let us know how that works out for you, babe.

Mr. Mirch has also been quoted as saying "there's no evidence" supporting Regan's allegations. Hate to break it to you, BM, the affidavit is testimonial evidence. You may not like it, it may be open to attack but it remains evidence. What the GOP has not done is produce anything - testimonial or otherwise - that would make us question Regan's allegations. Phone records from the two phones in Crawley's office would be a start. Mr. Buell's silence is intriguing, as he's too smart to lie.

The Democratic call for a investigation will also put Council President Henry Bauer in a tight spot. It's a little known secret that he may be the DA candidate for the GOP. It's even less well-known that part of the Legislative Branch's duty is to keep an eye on the Executive Branch. Really, we shit you not. It's that whole, pesky checks and balances bit. If Bauer won't investigate allegations of improper conduct three floors up, why should he be entrusted with the county's top law enforcement job?

UPDATE: Jim Franco's take appears sound.

Good times, good times.

*The Times Union has finally joined the fray. Franco's been on top of this story but for some reason those stories are not on-line.

**The majority of Regan's affidavit references events wholly unrelated to Mirch. How does he deny events where he's not even alleged to have been present? Neat trick.

SCANDAL ROCKS CITY HALL

Scandal rocked City Hall on Friday as three Tutunjian appointees were accused of using a city office, vehicle, phone and County employee to lie to city voters. The allegations came from Colleen Regan, a former Rensselaer County employee. In her affidavit, Ms. Regan describes a county government steeped in a culture of intimidation and arrogance.

If you haven't read anything about Intimigate, catch-up here and here. You can also catch the video, here.

Although moderately scandalous, Intimigate, much like David Grandeau's Curling-gate, leaves something to be desired in a top-notch scandal. For instance, when the Brits have a scandal, someone involved looks like this:

Here in Troy, not so much.

Anyway, without further ado, the notorious paragraph 19 of Ms. Regan's Reply Affidavit:

Those are the allegations that directly relate to Troy. Our initial observations:

1 - We have reviewed Ms. Regan's Affidavit in it's entirety. It is highly detailed as to date, place and time. The fact her allegations are in affidavit form raises the stakes. An affidavit is sworn testimony and any materially misleading statement could result in perjury charges;

2- As of this writing, Troy City Hall has not commented on the allegations. Why? Upon hearing of the allegations, Mr. Crawley and Mr. Buell could simply comment, "yes, it's true," or "no, it's false." Are they scrambling for the phone records? The call was sent to voters beginning on Wednesday, November 2, 2005. It was probably recorded sometime during the prior week. It may take time to get those records.* But, if it didn't happen, why not say so;

3- Mr. 3Job was on Channel 10 Friday night. He described all the allegations as false, calling Ms. Regan a "disgruntled, former employee." Will he sign an affidavit? Whether he will or not, the denial is interesting. Why not simply say, "I don't know what occurred in Crawley's office because I wasn't there." As for Ms. Regan being disgruntled, if the allegations in the remainder of the affidavit are true, she has every right to be disgruntled;

4- If the message service was paid via credit card, Buell, Crawley and Mirch could simply allow a credit service to run a check on all their cards and have the results for mid-October through early November sent to an independent third party. Presumably, such a service would receive payment via a credit card. Perhaps an account was already set up;

5- Paragraph 9 does have the stink of truth. Why would Regan toss this event into an affidavit that otherwise concentrates on County shenanigans? If she had wanted to merely create waves, she could have said that Tutunjian, and perhaps Bauer, were also present. Would Regan jeopardize her actual complaint by throwing in a superfluous event that is easily disproved by phone records (legitimate, undoctored records)? If the City can establish to everyone's satisfaction that no call was made from that phone, from that office, the remainder of Regan's allegations are in serious trouble;

6- The events alleged in paragraph nine detail the typical uninspired, pedestrian and boorish behavior we expect from our local political hacks. Does anyone really doubt that this could have happened?

7- When will council President Bauer call for an investigation? Part of the function of a legislature is to keep an eye on the executive. With a possible run for DA in the near future, can Bauer afford to ignore these allegations?

8- A word about criminality. The events alleged are despicable, improper, unethical and worst of all, lacked style. However, you'll have to point out some criminal statute that was violated. We don't think this behavior is literally criminal. There are some statutes that almost cover these alleged acts, but fall just short of applicability. Perhaps a special prosecutor could investigate to determine if anything criminal occured. **

9- Perhaps the most disturbing allegation was paragraph 22, where they repeatedly call the Peter Ryan campaign and ask if he has Prince Albert in a can.

We'll all have plenty of time to discuss all these things and more. This story has legs as long as Christine Keeler's.

Finally, a note of levity in all this nonsense. From the affidavit:

Swartz stood by his affidavit and Laura Bauer, the District 1 County Legislator, is expected to back his claims tomorrow at a press conference.

*At this point, any records produced by City Hall will be suspect. It's been sufficient time to have them doctored. The lack of an official denial within the first twenty-four hours is telling.

**Illegal, maybe. Criminal? Very unlikely, with one caveat, which we'll discuss later.

EARLY LINEUPS

COUNCIL RACE RUMORS

This is what we hear through the grapevine on the district races for Troy City Council.

District 1 - Mark Wojcik v. Marge DerGurahian - They should let DerGurahian run At-Large but that seems doubtful.

District 2- ? v. Mary Sweeney - Could be Mark McGrath but we hear there's pressure on him to run At-Large.

District 3 - Artie Fredette v. Peter Ryan - Although, there has been talk of Fredette running At-Large.

District 4 - John Fetscher v. Bill Dunne

District 5 - Bob Krogh v. John Brown or Ken Zalewski - rumor has it that Brown has already raised 6k, before he's received the nomination. There's also been talk about Brown receiving the endorsements of both Ron Canestrari and Mike McNulty. We'd check with their offices before you believe any of those rumors. We find it highly unlikely that the assemblyman or the congressman would endorse anyone at this stage of the game, not when more than one person is interested in the nomination.

District 6 - Carolin Collier v ? - No rumors have reached us yet. The Collier At-Large rumors do persist. We don't see why Carolin would run At-Large but who knows.

That's what we hear. No doubt the lineup will change twenty times in the next few weeks.

TRISH IS OUT

Rensselaer County District Attorney Patricia DeAngelis announced that she will not seek re-election this fall.

"It has been my pleasure and great honor to have been elected to serve the people of Rensselaer County as their district attorney," DeAngelis said in a prepared statement. "After much personal reflection, I have decided that I will not seek re-election this fall."

DeAngelis says she has received a number of employment offers. We wish her well as she starts another phase of her legal career.

This puts to end the recent rumors that seemed to change by the hour during the past week: she was running, she wasn't, she's running, she isn't.

The Record story can be found here.

PREMATURE WITHDRAWAL

The mayoral candidacy of Joseph Riley entered into ever-lasting rest last Monday after a brief race. The campaign was two weeks old. No calling hours are scheduled.

It's been a week since Joe Riley announced his withdrawal from the mayors race, leaving Democrats feeling cheap and used (and not in a good way). Just three weeks ago, Riley loved the Democrats and was honored to be the party's mayoral candidate. An election date had been set and inaugural tux's rented. Then, Riley called it off. To add insult to injury he even used the, "It's not you, it's me," line.

So be it. If any comfort can be taken by the Democratic Party it is that this was not their screw-up. They set their sights on a good candidate and landed him, or so they thought. For Riley's part, we'll take him at his word. If he can't run for personal reasons, he can't run.

Riley generated excitement in Democratic circles and his name was frequently mentioned by the rank-and-file in the Police Department and Fire Department. He also brought some strengths to the table so-often lacking in mayoral candidates that come from the council. Riley had executive experience, moved back to Troy and rehabilitated a home in the downtown area and had a wider than usual circle of potential contributors.

Within GOP circles the news brought a sigh of relief. It's no secret that the GOP elders were worried about a Tutunjian - Riley race. Their confidence in the mayor is at an all-time low and Riley is known as a tough campaigner and quick on his feet in a verbal joust, unlike the mayor who remains the Mario Mendoza of orators. That, coupled with months of City Hall incompetence, meant a competitive race.

Now, not so much. The Democrats will have to find another candidate. It's doubtful that candidate will be someone who currently holds elected office, which may not be a bad thing.
We have no idea if this candidate exists but the Democrats may want to find:

A) a successful businessperson who knows what is needed to facilitate commercial growth;
B) someone who is articulate;
C) someone who will not govern based on the next election;
D) someone who doesn't cave when the going gets tough;

Anyone? Anyone?......Bueller?

FIRE BAD!

We found this fun, little number buried on page 7 in Tuesday's Record (Shawn Charniga).

The Rensselaer County Legislature will pass a resolution rescinding their 2005 pay-hike. Supporters of the resolution argue that the last-minute pay increase sends the wrong message to Rensselaer County kinder....wait a minute, we're on the wrong page.

Our County Legislature appeared set to vote on a resolution expressing concerns over a Jackson-Hewitt ad that uses trailers from the Nicholas Cage movie, "Ghost Rider." Cage plays a leather-clad, motorcycle-riding ghoul with a flaming skull for a noggin.

The objection is that the ads make fire "appear cool." If the poster to the left is any indication, it doesn't make fire look cool. It makes it look way cool!

Whether the resolution passed or went down in flames, we say "It's about time!" Our County Legislature has spent far too much time raising their pay and our taxes. The plight of flaming skulled ghouls has been forgotten, to our shame. Anti-Ghoulitry still remains acceptable throughout large parts of the nation. This is an important step in the right direction. We haven't witnessed this type of leadership since the Italian Army invaded Abyssinia.

And for the kids, just say no to flaming-skulled ghouls.

RILEY IS OUT!

***BREAKING NEWS***

The presumed Democratic mayoral candidate, Joe Riley, is now the former presumed Democratic candidate for mayor.

Riley will drop out of the race. We have no idea why and will not entertain wild speculation that casts aspersions on anyone. That's for us.

Just thought you'd all like to know.

More tomorrow or on Thursday.

TROUBLE IN RIVER CITY

There's trouble right here, in River City! At least according to Mayor Harold Hill.

In order to get us out from under, Mayor Hill is thinking about selling City Hall to developers. Which developers? Won't say.

A few weeks ago, at his State of the City address, Mayor Hill mentioned someone might build an hotel next to City Hall. Despite the lack of space and parking, the Mayor explained that the hotel would be 72 floors high, with two rooms per floor. We were all as excited as little school girls.

Now, it's an office building.

Is it an election year?

Proceeds from the alleged sale will fund musical instruments and music lessons for the Troy Children's Marching Band.

Maybe a brand, new City Hall should be put on hold until the city's population starts to rise. We're below 50,000 residents now and the U.S. Census Bureau's projections don't look good. Is it odd that a shrinking city that can't afford to give it's residents a tax break would buy a brand, new city hall?

ELECTION/POLITICAL RUMORS

Just a few election rumors to float.

The GOP/Carolin Collier running At-Large. It's not hard seeing why the GOP may want Ms. Collier to run for an At-Large council seat. It's equally easy to see why Ms. Collier would not even consider such a race, let alone actually run At-Large. Given her easy victories in the 6th ED the previous few elections, why would she?

Probability: 5%


Mayor Harry at the Troy Housing Authority. Another fun rumor actually overheard. Given his recent performance and his growing (and obvious) lack of enthusiasm for being mayor, Harry wants an appointment to head the Troy Housing Authority. The other theory propounded is that area GOP leaders (read Bruno) would like to see Harry in a position where his many deficiencies would not be so readily apparent.

The appointment is for a set term and pays well.

Probability: 25%


Artie Fredette, owner of Positively Fourth Street, to challenge Peter Ryan in the 3rd District. That's all we heard. Don't really know, don't really care.

Probability: 33.7%

A GOOD CAUSE

Every now and then a good cause catches our eye.

Jimmy Carras, long time photographer for The Record and born and bred Trojan, was diagnosed with cancer. While the prognosis is good, there's a fundraiser for him this weekend. The Ale House is providing finger foods. Ernie Williams as well as The Heaters will provide the music. Rick Conety will provide the comedy. There will be a cash bar. A number of people have donated some pretty nice stuff for raffles. It looks like a portion of River Street will be blocked off for the bash.

All the proceeds will go to Mr. Carras.

Date: Sunday, March 11
Time: 2PM - 6PM
Place: The Ale House, 680 River Street
Tickets: $20, available at the door or they can be ordered in advance. Contact Tom Killips at The Record at 466-5308.

Looks like the weather will be pretty good too. No rain and a high in the 40's.

Let's show them how Trojans take care of each other when the chips are really down.

HARRY FAILS TO PUT OUT

From The Record:

The city and three of its police officers settled their differences Monday rather than proceed with a scheduled termination hearing.Two of the former officers -Paul Bouchard and Mary Kay O'Neil - retired without facing any disciplinary action. A third involved with a botched confession, Sgt. Joseph Centanni, will return to work after serving a brief suspension. He will make the same pay and remain as a sergeant but agreed not to work as a detective. O'Neil was 11 days shy of the 20-year pension benchmark before she and the two others were placed on unpaid suspension, stopping her pension clock. She will, however, be allowed to retire with 20 years of service. Bouchard resigned last month with 32 years on the force and he will get his longevity allowance and accrued vacation time.

Now, maybe we've been chewing too much qat, but all this seems in stark contrast to just a few weeks ago. You remember, Harry and his posse in front of the television cameras, in their buffalo stance, extolling their commitment to civil liberties. They were going to terminate these officers! Which would mean no pensions etc. Which would mean....actual punishment. What the hell happened?

Since there was no televised press conference (Harry always opens with a press conference and then, after f****g things-up, ignores the press ) following the settlement, this is a victory for the cops. Which, of course, is fine. We've always thought the fact that O'Neil was charged was absurd. As for Centanni? This quote from his lawyer, E. Stewart Jones sounds prophetic:

Centanni's criminal attorney, E. Stewart Jones, called his client a political "scapegoat" and recommends they gear up for a fight. Thus far there have been no criminal charges filed."The investigation I know of and am familiar with will not support his termination," Jones said. "This is a politically expedient exercise by City Hall and it is not fair to the police department or the police officers."

What the hell happened?

If Centanni and/or O'Neil did something wrong, why weren't they punished? If they did not deserve punishment (real punishment) why were they charged?

If someone screwed up, who?

Why has the city made confidentiality part of the settlement?

The Record's Jim Franco has followed this story from the beginning and has some interesting thoughts.

Harry, Mitchell & Co. know how to put on a Dog-and-Pony Show. They just don't know how to put out.

Utube-gate, the Corporal - Captain fiasco, the behavior in contract negotiations and now this. The administration owes the fine men and women of our Police Department an apology. Also, authorizing the use of European-type sirens in the radio cars would be a nice gesture: the ones that go, "EEEE! AH! EEE! AH! Those sirens are cool.

CHECK PLEASE

For some background, read the Shawn Charniga piece.

The North Greenbush Reform Democrats created their own committee for raising funds and supporting candidates. The recent controversy goes something like this:

The Reform Democrats receive a contribution of $2,000. The contribution comes from Allstate Remodeling. Per New york State Law, the contribution is included in the committee's electronic filings. Contrary to New York State Law, no address is disclosed. Allstate Remodeling is listed as an "A", an individual or partnership. Although, hypothetically speaking, a person could be named Allstate Remodeling, the contributor is probably a partnership.

The contribution was subsequently amended to list the contributor as Statewide Remodeling. Statewide is listed as a "B", or corporation. Statewide's Address is 121 Adams Street, Troy, NY. Unfortunately, Statewide is no longer in business. The New York State Department of State indicates the corporation is inactive and Statewide's agent for service of process is a law firm that hasn't been around for years.

*The above photographs are random and do not, we repeat, do not, depict 121 Adams Street.*

In any event, as can be seen from the above photographs, Statewide Remodeling is no longer in business. And if 121 Adams Street was their showpiece office, we now know why.

On a side note, it's the policy of the Troy Polloi to take sides in intra-party warfare. We have no dog in this fight, no horse in the race, no baklava in the ջեռոց . We don't know if the reform Dems are real Dems and real reformers. We don't know if the other Dems are the hell spawn of Satan. We simply will not cash checks for either of them.

What we do know is that it's damn hard to find a good remodeling business in Troy.

BOUCHARD RETIRES

ONE DOWN

With a disciplinary hearing just days away, Capt. Paul Bouchard has retired from the Troy Police Department. Bouchard has more than enough time in on the job and this move will save his pension.

Retirement was logical for Bouchard and the move comes as no surprise. The interesting thing will be his testimony. We assume either side has subpoena powers and Bouchard's testimony seems highly relevant to O'Neil's defense as well as Centanni's.

In a related matter, Corporation Counsel David B. Mitchell seems to have flip-flopped on the sanctity of personnel matters. While once considering personnel matters 'sacrosanct' the City now wants the hearings open to the public.

The hearings against O'Neill and Centanni are scheduled to begin 9 a.m. Monday, Mitchell said, adding that the city wants the hearings open to the public. He said attorneys for the officers do not want them public. Deciding that will be the first order of business Monday, he said.

Back in January, it was the City's position that:

"We will not litigate this in the press, and we will not sling this out in the gutter. This is something we will handle judiciously." - The Record, Jan 20, 2007

So now it's fine to intimate the officers have something to hide?

This story appeared in the Times Union on Thursday but not in The Record. Interesting.


REPUBLICAN MAYOR SLAPS REPUBLICAN COUNTY EXECUTIVE

Mayor Tutunjian wants to reduce the city's share of 911 costs 82% over the next few years. That seems logical as Troy accounts for half of the 911 calls. If our math is right (82 x 48.2 - .9 + 5) that means the county should be paying Troy and that Troy has an ERA of 5.56.

County Executive Kathy Jimino has taken the unreasonable position that Troy should pay it's fair share of 911 costs. Tutunjian has proposed that Troy should reimburse the County with chicken and assorted diary products for the service.

Instead of noting their differences over the proposed contract, Tutunjian threw a gratuitous shot at Kathy:

"I met with the county executive earlier this week and she explained the dire situation that Rensselaer County is in financially," Tutunjian said. "Thanks to our commitment to making the tough day-to-day decisions, it is clear that the city of Troy is in much better fiscal shape that Rensselaer County is."

Jimino correctly pointed out:

"In fact the majority of the county's residents served by these programs reside in the city of Troy. On balance, the city of Troy disproportionately receives far more for their county property tax dollars than any other municipality in the county," Jimino said.

Troy also sees more returned in sales tax than it generates while East Greenbush gets burned. With 20% of it's costs covered by state and federal welfare, Tutunjian's claims can only be explained by the mayor's over-inhalation of snow plow fumes.

Last week we criticized Mayor Stratton for pitting municipality against municipality. Tutunjian's habit of promoting his stewardship at the expense of others leaves his claims grossly suspect.

WHERE'S WALDO?

WHERE'S HARRY

Mayors from across the state met in Albany to encourage/beg the state and federal government to pump more money into their communities. One mayor was absent. Perhaps Our Joe summed it up best:

"Where the hell is my mayor (Tutunjian)? laughed Bruno. "That's why (Albany Mayor) Jerry (Jennings) gets all the money ... he's here."

According to City Hall, Mayor Tutunjian's car was still plowed-in and he was unable to attend the meeting.


HARRY THE MOOCHER

The mayor's absence could explain this....

The city has not paid Rensselaer County to dispatch its police and fire departments in 14 months, forcing the county to tell Troy it will end the communications service unless there's a new contract.

"Will work for 911 money."

Police, fire and ambulance calls in Troy account for nearly half the county dispatch center's activity, according to county statistics. The city paid $285,000 annually to the county under a 10-year contract for dispatch services that expired on Dec. 31, 2005.

In a effort to raise more revenue to pay for the services it uses, the Mayor has announced that all residents have to get paper routes.

Of note:

Jimino said previous efforts to get a new contract with the city have been fruitless. She said that since a meeting in September 2006, there had been no response from the city.

This isn't the first complaint that the administration doesn't return phone calls. Bruno's people make the same complaint. Twenty percent of Troy's budget is welfare from the state and federal government. When another municipality wants to work with you, you may want to return a phone call. Jennings probably returns calls and maybe that's why he gets the money.

Mayor Tutunjian has turned Troy into "that guy." The one who orders more than anyone else at the table and then announces he forgot his wallet....but he'll pick-up the tab next time.

Lets not be that guy.

We here at the Troy Polloi love a political scandal. Nothing is better than public figures involved in a salacious, sex-lies-videotape scandal. The following promises to contain none of those things.

According to The Record, a former compliance auditor with the Temporary Commission on Lobbying will seek legal redress for being terminated by her boss, David Grandeau. Grandeau also happens to be a former Troy City Manager.

Patti Wade, a RensCo resident, was fired recently after a reporter from New 10 showed-up at the Schenectady Curling Club (the top-rated curling club in the Schenectady area) and asked Grandeau about his curling during work hours. Grandeau asked the reporter who tipped him, the reporter, off. When Wade returned from vacation, Grandeau sacked her. The Franco article indicates that Grandeau admitted to curling on state time. He also admitted the game was deadlocked at four-all.

Wade denies being the whistle blower.

To make things more ironic, Grandeau wants to be head of a future ethics/lobbying grand high council that will probably be created by the legislature sometime this year.

This is an extremely disturbing story. When elected or appointed officials are caught with their pants down, the pants should be down. Ice and brooms should not be involved (or hardly ever involved). No respectable scandal should ever, ever, involve curling. For those of you who are unfamiliar with curling, it's like ice-shuffleboard, only more boring. Hence the name...curling.

For those of you unfamiliar with David Grandeau, he was Troy City Manager in the early 1990's. Grandeau's fourteen-month reign is generally referred to as the Pax Grandeau, for the quiet, non-controversial tone of his tenure.

FREAR PARK RESTAURANT

On Thursday night, the Troy City Council awarded the Frear Park Restaurant contract to M&M Enterprise over Michael LoPorto. LoPorto is the colorful uncle-in-law of Mayor Tutunjian.

If accepted, LoPorto's proposal would have meant more money going back to the city. LoPorto was also going to invest more money in the proposed project. LoPorto also owns and operates a successful Troy restaurant. So, it's obvious why the Council went with M&M, whose restaurant experience is considerably less than LoPorto's.

We wish M&M success in their new endeavor.

STRATTON APOLOGIZES

In Friday's Record, Mayor Stratton apologized for criticizing the snow removal efforts of Troy and Albany. If you recall, Stratton stated that Schenectady's snow removal was head-and-shoulder better than Troy's (not hard to imagine) and Albany's efforts. Now he's apologized.

He also helped haul Harry's ass out of the fire over HUD money. I think we're square.

GUEST POST

Please welcome Vespasian.

Representative Kirsten Gillibrand is doing something no other Representative is doing: she’s publicizing her daily schedule. It can be found on her website. (You can also get a high-resolution photograph of the Congresswoman as well – much better than the Barney Frank hi-res photo.) According to the Washington Post, she is one of only two members of the US Congress to open their schedule to public scrutiny. The other is the newly elected Senator from Montana, Democrat Jon Tester.

A quick review of Ms. Gillibrand’s site reveals only one entry. Perhaps a slow start. I hope to see greater detail in the weeks and months to follow.

Greater transparency in government is usually a good thing – although one should keep in mind the old Bismark proverb – laws are like sausages, you’re better off not seeing how they are made (although lobbyists are generally better dressed than meat grinders). Indeed, too much do-gooderness can be a bad thing. The Federal government is big, complicated and confusing, much like the menu in a fancy French restaurant. And, like a menu in a fancy French restaurant, it’s best not to order something you can't pronounce. Accordingly, we must elect public servants that are not the equivalent of snotty Frenchmen waiters. Senator Tester and Representative Gillibrand, by allowing us a glimpse into their activities, are providing a means to make sure we don’t order dog pooh warmed in a light pastry shell and smothered with mushrooms and capers in a red wine sauce.

Would our local magistrates do the same? I would enjoy reviewing Three-Job Bob’s daily routine, as long as the scary parts were edited. And what unsavory activities would be avoided by our local politicos if their daily activities were available for public review?

Fortunately for Troy Polloi readers, my imperial spies have uncovered the daily diary of Mayor Tutunjian. It’s entries are revealing. Here’s the February 13th entry:

8:30 a.m. The usual. Ate breakfast while watching Saved By the Bell. Must try to be more like Mr. Belding.

8:45 a.m. Stopped by Stewarts for cheese Danish. Saw 3-Job getting a cup of joe after shift three as Bruno’s constituent liaison.

9:15 a.m. Napped at my desk.

10:00 a.m. Took call from 3-Job about job as Mayoral Liaison to County Legislature Liaison Office.

10:30 a.m. Had screaming match with Mitchell when I suggested Proust's transcontinental sentence structure contribute to the appearance of a motionless plot in most of his work. Mitchell disagreed and said the gap between young Marcel and his older incarnation, the Narrator, creates a stereopticon effect, by means of which Proust's works spring to four-dimensional life. When I disagreed, Mitchell said I was a motionless plot. He is so bourgeois.

10:50 a.m. Fell asleep talking to Mitchell.

11:30 a.m. Woke up and had city employee wipe drool off desk. Thought about fresh candies.

12:00 noon: Went lunch with 3-Job to discuss new job as head of Dept’ of Troy Enterprise Centers (note to self – is there a Dept’ of Troy Enterprise Centers?)

2:00 p.m. Flipped through the new Cosmo and clipped pics of hairstyles for CC.

2:21 p.m Mirch called about tonight's storm. Said he just did a maintenance check on all equipment. Suggested I use one of the old, industrial snow blowers if I wanted to help out.

3:00 p.m. Thought really, really hard about new revenue.

3:01 p.m. Got headache.

3:15 p.m. Began new list of people to blame.

3:21 p.m. Senator Joe called. Told him I wouldn't call a Snow Emergency. As usual, asked if I ate paint chips when younger.

3:30p.m. Reviewed and approved editorials for The Record

4:00 p.m. Complained about Bill Dunne to no one in particular.

5:00 p.m. Tired, went home.

Vespasian

THIS & THAT

SNOW DAYS

This is just so Troy, NY!

According to Tuesday's Record (Ryan Fitzpatrick):

"An out-of-control industrial snow blower obliterated two utility poles on Middleburgh Street late Monday afternoon, knocking out power to multiple houses surrounding the site of the accident."

The vehicle came to rest after smashing into a porch.

It seems that the 40-year-old machine stalled, causing it to lose it's power steering. In the finest traditions of captains everywhere, the driver abandoned ship and lept to safety. No one was injured.

The Mayor noted: "We'll definitely be buying a new one pretty soon." Ya' think?

On a related note, we heard 3JobBob on Vandenburgh's how the other day. Schenectady Mayor Stratton made a statement that Schenectady's snow removal performance was much better than Troy's or Albany's. 3JB wondered, rightly so, why a mayor would want to pit municipality against municipality? It's a good question and one Stratton hasn't answered. We're with Mirch on this one.

Of course, Stratton's giving us a million bucks of HUD money so maybe we shouldn't press the issue.

TROY NIGHT OUT

Friday will mark the first, "Troy Night Out." More than 50 businesses will stay open from 5PM until 9PM (hookers and crackhouses will remain open until midnight) in an effort to get people to walk around Troy for four hours.

Visitors can walk or utilize the city's remaining industrial snow blower which will be available for transportation.

We're on board. In the spirit of cooperation, the Troy Polloi will stay open until 9PM on Friday night. Stop buy and say hello.

CAMPAIGN RUMORS

Rumor has it that former Councilman Wayne Foy has expressed interest in running for Troy City Council as a Democrat. Foy had previously represented the 2nd Election District before being defeated by Jack Mahoney.

Rumor also has it that Troy Democratic Chair, Frank LaPosta is luke-warm to the idea of Foy running as a Democrat. LaPosta remains suspicious of party-switchers and isn't sure whether Democrats should embrace someone that has once run with Republicans.

CAMPAIGN COMPLAINT

Looks like some has (or will) made a complaint to the State Board of Elections.

It has come to my attention that for the "Friend's Of Harry Tutunjian" periodic filing of January 2007 there is a $1,000 contribution without the address listed. This contribution was given by David B. Mitchell on Sept. 26th 2006 in the form of a Money Order.

It is my understanding that pursuant to section 14-102 of the NYS Election Law, any contribution exceeding $99 must have the address listed. Mr. Mitchell is currently the City of Troy's Corporation Counsel under Mayor Tutunjian.

I am requesting that per your authority you seek compliance of section 14-102 of the NYS Election Law. I look forward to your response.

Don't know where that's going but thought we'd share.

FIELD TRIP

A day without North Greenbush is like a day with sunshine.

The NYS Association of Towns Meeting is being held in NYC this week. The meeting runs from February 19 to February 21. The NGB Supervisor, entire Board, Town Clerk and the Building Dept along with their Spouses are attending. The price tag should be north of $10,000 for the event. The group is staying at is the Hilton on 52nd St. where the nightly room rate is $265 + taxes (actually not a bad rate by NYC standards). Parking is an additional $40/night per car. There will of course be meals and drinks in there somewhere as well as mileage to and from and a $100 fee per person for the meeting.

Query: Who is flipping the bill?

HE'S A PLUMBER TOO

We finally have one version of why our police do not have a new contract. It's a fun read.








We didn't know Crawley fixed leaks too.

Our favorite parts of the letter:



















A blog? A leak?

We'd love a copy of the other letter. Not sure how well crayon scans but if anyone has it, be sure to send it along.

Could the above explain this?

It's obvious that the City wants to take it's chances in arbitration rather than in negotiations. Why not say so and move on.

We also apologize for the distraction this blog has caused the administration. We only wish they had come and talked to us.

D FOR EFFORT

According to reliable sources, by late Thursday, heads were rolling in City Hall. Mayor Tutunjian was outraged that someone forgot the 'removal' portion of his snow removal policy.

The reviews of Blizzard 2007 are in and it's unanimous: Troy's snow removal plan was an abject failure.

As we perused the news on Blizzard-Eve, the one Mayor that made sure to have his face on television was Mr. T. Given the conditions of Troy's roads on Wednesday and Thursday, that television face time could have been spent in a more productive manner.

One could say that it was a nasty blizzard and that all areas had their problems. All true. Yet, as of Thursday morning, it was quite easy to determine the boundaries of Troy. It was where the white was.

On Thursday morning, Route 2 in Brunswick was merely wet and, in some places, actually dry. At South Lake Avenue, Route 2 turned into a white, slippery mess. The same holds true for Route 7. Reports from Fourth, Second, Ferry, Congress and People's were abysmal.

Conversely, reports from East and North Greenbush evidenced a competent snow removal job.

Troy has a Snow Emergency Policy. The Mayor could have ordered Odd/Even parking. That would not have resulted in perfection, but it would have given the DPW workers a better opportunity to perform their work.

If the Valentine's Day Blizzard did not justify calling an emergency, under what circumstances will an emergency be called? Odd/Even parking is a pain in the ass for a day. The failure to utilize it creates a three, four or five day pain in the ass. Two-way streets are now the width of one-way streets. Now, after nearly 2 feet of snow, the administration is ordering people to move their cars. Cars are plowed in and when those people dig out, you know where the snow is going. If the weekend weather wasn't so mild, things would have been worse.

The area media took pains to let us know that the mayor took his turn behind the wheel of a plow. The village peasants eat that type of PR up.* Perhaps, instead of plowing, the mayor should have taken his turn at leadership, declared an emergency and recalled that the really important part of any snow removal plan is the removal.

*A recent study showed that the same percentage that fall for these pr stunts also believe Punky Brewster was the funniest comedy of the 1980's and the Morton Downey Jr. Show a production of a great social significance.

BREAKING NEWS!

News Alert - Just In!

The North Greenbush Democratic Party has a chairman.

By a vote of 9 to 1, Mr. Spain is the new party chair of North Greenbush.

Rensselaer County Legislator Kevin Harrington nominated Mr. Ashley.

Mr. Ashley was not present and did not vote by proxy. His garage voted for Spain.

There were five abstentions.

There were no reported casualties.

LoPORTO'S BACK!

According to The Record (Franco, p. 7, 2/13/07), Mayor Tutunjian's Uncle-in-Law, Mike LoPorto wants to operate the Frear Park Golf Course restaurant.

Last November, after another bidder withdrew their bid, LoPorto was the only remaining bidder. Instead abiding by the rules, the mayor put out another request for proposal. This time, there are two bidders, LoPorto and M&M Enterprise.

Despite the close family connection, LoPorto maintains there is no conflict of interest because, "I don't like the guy."

Under the Tutunjian bidding rules, the mayor is allowed to 'Carignan' the matter. That would mean that M&M is awarded the concession using LoPorto's bid and Holmes & Watson has to pay LoPorto.

On a side note, LoPorto, who winters in Troy and summers in Brunswick, announced he would run again for Troy City Council in the 7th District (Brunswick).

BUSHWACKED

Things get curiouser and curiouser in The Bush.

At Thursday's meeting, where the propriety of Mr. Ashley's subdivision was discussed, Supervisor Mark Evers was slapped with a lawsuit. The suit seeks to unseat Evers, alleging misfeasance, malfeasance, governmental improprities and leaving the room without turning off the lights.

The lawsuit states that Evers illegally cut a check for 83-large to Casale Excavating without appropriate town board approval. The suit was commenced by Robert Price and the papers were served by Edward Dickinson, an associate of Ashley and CB Smith.

Meanwhile, attorney John Aretakis has filed suit demanding that at least one Aretakis story appear in local papers at least once a week.

NO REVOTE FOR CLINTON

Board of Ed candidate Ilene Clinton lost her appeal for a "do-over". Clinton claims that she lost a seat on the Troy Board of Education last year due to a faulty voting machine.

A voting machine in Clinton's home district of Brunswick registered only two votes for Clinton. That could say more about Clinton than the machine. All agree, however, that the machine was defective.

Clinton lost her appeal, according to her, based on two technicalities (or, as we like to say, relevant legal procedures). Clinton failed to hand-deliver her petition to Board President Michael Pollack who, at the time, was doing a fairly good impersonation of Harry Houdini. Clinton also failed to petition the other candidates who may have been affected by a revote.

Our take on this is too bad: Everyone agrees a problem existed with the machine. Some type of revote seems justified. However, for someone who wants to sit on the school board, Ms. Clinton needs improvement in following directions.

SLAUGHTERHOUSE NEWS

Carroll Hill Elementary will host it's first meeting on slaughterhouses on Tuesday. The meeting, hosted by Mayor Tutunjian and Councilwomen Collier will discuss the proposal to operate a slaughterhouse at Helmbold's, on Indistrial Park Road.

Who in their right mind would ever anticipate a slaughterhouse being operated on a street named Industrial Park Road?

"A lot of the zoning in the city is so outdated it needs to be changed to fit the current economy and the future of Troy. A good example of outdated zoning is this particular area which is currently zoned industrial but is mostly residential now," Collier said.

And the Council and Administration has only had three years to address the issue.

Guests are asked to bring their own stunners and cutlery if they want to participate in the demonstrations.

NORTH GREENBUSH UPDATE

For the other masochists that follow the doings in North Greenbush:

1) The North Greenbush Democratic Committee has scheduled a meeting to pick a chairman. The date: Friday, February 16, 2007 at 6:30. The place: Democratic headquarters in Troy.

Reserve your seats now.

2) Dan Ashley's infamous garage will be one of the subjects at tonight's town board meeting. Mike Carey, an Ashley neighbor (with attorney Tom Spargo*) will be there. The issue: Is the Ashley garage actually on Dan's property? Or, perhaps, a problem with Mr. Ashley's subdivision of his property.

Never has one garage done so little for so many.

FUNNY, THEY DON'T LOOK JEWISH

The January 25 Town Board meeting featured a round of Guess Who's the Jew. The week's lucky contestant was Lillian Parsons, a 77 year-old homemaker from North Greenbush.

During the public comment period of that meeting, Lillian Parsons, a 77-year-old regular speaker who has been attending town meetings for more than 40 years, made comments about a resolution to change a meeting date because it came during Rosh Hashana, the three-day celebration of the Jewish New Year.

Parsons, in a loud voice, asked why the change was made, then questioned whether any of the elected officials are Jewish.

Town Attorney Joshua Sabo, who is Jewish, was offended that anyone would ever think any of the board members were Jewish.

To get the full-flavor of the game you have to watch the cable access video. The question actually posed was: "Are you Jew?"

Tell her what she's won!



*It is not known if Mr. Spargo will be asking people for money

HEARING ADJOURNED

The hearing that will decide the fate of three Troy Detectives has been adjourned to March 5, 2007.

No one seems to know the reason for the postponement. According to Corporation Counsel David B. Mitchell, the officer's attorney requested the adjournment.

However, according to Jim Franco's article in The Record (no link available), the officers did not request the adjournment. For one thing, if the request came from the officers, their unpaid suspension would continue. If the city seeks a delay, the unpaid suspension will end after thirty days.

Our guess? The the officers are ready to go and would not extend their unpaid suspension. More than likely, the city's case against at least one officer is falling apart.

You have to wonder why the administration treats our officers so poorly.

Poor Fredo. This wouldn't have happened if The Don was still alive!


CITY GIVES IN

Here's something you've all been dying to talk about. We're a bit late, but better late than never.
The City of Troy caved and gave Marian Drozd another $41,000 job. This one at the water plant. Drozd was fired three months ago from the personnel department but....was offered a job with the Police Department (Corporal?). She declined that offer and is now at the water plant.

We can't make heads nor tails of this story. Drozd is accused of falsifying documents (but if her daughter left a city job to attend HVCC the daughter wasn't terminated from the job and therefore the documentation was an error). So, Drozd is fired but offered a different job at the same salary which she declines. She's then offered another job which she accepts.

Sounds like another Fredo special.

How many times did Paulie call in sick this year?

The fights are ugly in local politics because so little is at stake.

NOBODY BEATS OUR MEAT

Troy's hopes for an economic comeback were dashed last Thursday night when the City Council voted 9-0 for a moratorium on slaughterhouses. Previously unaware of an outbreak of slaughterhouses wishing to open in Troy, we still find the Council's decision puzzling.

This was a $7,000,000 project that would have stimulated the economy as well as provided jobs to out-of-work sledgehammer technicians, a large voting block in the Collar City. The slaughterhouse was not only an excellent economic opportunity, it would have enhanced Ms. Collier's own neighborhood, with opportunities like Family Fun Night and Make Your Own Steak Night.

Mr. McGrath's vote was of particular interest. For a man that heralds a new Dunkin' Donuts as major economic development, we thought he'd jump on a $7 million dollar deal.

Granted, the idea of a slaughterhouse pales when compared to Harry's Hotel. Yes, at the State of the City Address, the Mayor let slip that a developer was possibly interested in thinking about maybe building a hotel next to City Hall. The hotel, when built, will:

1) serve as temporary housing for the Industrial Roadway construction crews;
2) host meetings of the Blue Ribbon Water Selling Panel;
3) get the first tax credit for new infill construction, Columbus, OH style;
4) provide competition for Joe Bruno's hotel.

Hearings

If all goes as scheduled, the Centanni, Bouchard, O'Neil hearing will begin on Wednesday. There may be a request for an adjournment as well as separate hearings for each officer. This is going to be a bumpy ride. The fact that O'Neil faces termination has soured a majority of TPD on the administration. If O'Neil is terminated, that rift will only grow and may have repercussions in the upcoming election.

Don't forget to cast your vote in our name that hotel poll, over on the right!

HELLO, SAILOR

Although the presses are still down, a friend was generous enough to let us use his computer. Thanks Jeff, and good luck with the sports radio program. We guess you were serious about hedging your bets.

A former Rensselaer County staffer has filed a complaint with the Division of Human Rights claiming her boss, Rich Crist, fired her for rebuffing* his sexual advances. Colleen Regan worked as the confidential assistant to the chairman of the legislature from January '06 until October 20, 2006.

Looks like a 'She said, He said' deal. We believe Regan can file suit even if the complaint lodged with the Division of Human Rights is dismissed. If the complaint is founded, that give a legal suit a lot of teeth. Attorneys, feel free to comment on the implications of the DHR's decision.

Obviously, no one knows the truth here besides Regan and Crist. What is interesting is the fact that two Rensselaer County legislators thought it appropriate to comment on the merits of Ms. Regan's complaint.

3 Job Bob announced that the allegations were, "B.S." Since he slings so much of it, maybe he's better at recognizing it. Neil Kelleher called the allegations, "nonsense."

Two guys that did not believe it was proper to alert Rensselaer County citizens about the legislative pay hike in '05, feel it's appropriate to comment on this matter? How do they decide what they will talk about?



POLICE HEARING

The City Council retained former Supreme Court Judge Patrick Monserrate to conduct the Bouchard, Centanni, O'Neil hearing. Good choice. Monserrate has a fine reputation and few political ties to the area.

Always a fine idea to retain a solid judge in situations like this. It makes the O'Neil witch-hunt a little less odiferous.

NORTH GREENBUSH

More NG news! Check should not have been issued, political conspiracy, grassy knoll, little green men, cats and dogs, living together.....The NG's impersonation of the Weimer Republic continues.

*Oddly, the Division of Human Rights has no recorded complaints of sexual advances being 'buffed', only rebuffed.

WE WILL RETURN

We're experiencing some technical difficulties. We'll return as soon as possible (hopefully before the end of the week).

SEE NO EVIL HEAR NO EVIL

A week has passed since the Tutunjian Regime announced it's decision to seek the termination of three Troy Detectives. Two troubling aspects of this decision have come to our attention and, more than likely, your attention as well.

Detective O'Neil's career is on the line. O'Neil has enjoyed a fine reputation as a detective. No one knows why her career has been placed in jeopardy. While acknowledging the confidential aspects of the Internal Investigation report, that does not stop us from speculation.

The very night the announcement was made, Bill Lambdin speculated that O'Neil was targeted for failing to come forward with her knowledge of Centanni's actions in a timely manner. Centanni, of course, is the Detective who alledgedly denied accused murderer Jason Jones his 5th Amendment Rights.

If that is the case, that O'Neil failed to act expeditiously, seeking her termination is grossly disproportionate to her failure. If O'Neil didn't move fast enough, it implies that Centanni did something wrong. Why the same punishment for the active wrongdoer and the one who sinned by procrastination? It hardly gives police officers that want to do the right thing incentive to step forward. This new Administration policy sends a chilling message to any public employee in the City of Troy: Don't come forward about any possible wrongdoing.

Or, is this merely a preemptive strike? Does the Administration want to bloody O'Neil's reputation so that her testimony will be characterized as sour grapes? And is that because the Administration knew of, and condoned, Centanni's alleged behavior?

The second thing we noticed was a what at first glance looked like a throw-away line in Mr. Franco's January 20, 2007 article:

Also in question is why the DA's office did not find out about the conflicting stories until seven months later.

Also in question? Who posed that question?

It would hardly be out of character for the "Buck Stops There" regime to try and pin the blame on someone else. We have our disagreements with the District Attorney, but blaming Ms. DeAngelis here is a stretch and unfair.

At last week's press conference, Mayor Tutunjian spoke eloquently about the need for police officers to be like Caesar's wife. Such sentiments would have been less ironic coming for those surrounding Tutunjian (Corporation Counsel Mitchell or Chief Kaiser). While a judge, Council President Henry Bauer also violated 5th & 6th Amendment Rights? Did the Administration seek his removal? In fact, Bauer received a vote of support from a majority of the City Council. After his removal, Bauer was hired by Tutunjian, then endorsed by Tutunjian and will be backed by Tutunjian if he, Bauer, runs for DA. The lesson? If you're a cop, you'll get fired, if you're a GOP politician, you'll get hired.

Will the media ask the Mayor about that hypocrisy before they trip over themselves rushing to endorse Tutunjian?

We think O'Neil will beat the rap and rightly so.