HILLSIDE BLUES

By Politicus Ebonus Abyssus

During the last local campaign cycle, Republican city council candidates touted the drop in the City’s crime rate as a reason for continuing to vote Republican. Indeed, they gushed like school girls over Harry’s exemplary leadership. Unbeknownst to Troy voters, the information presented was problematic. As with most politicians in Troy, it is what they were not telling us that was significant.

First, the crime rates were going down all over New York State, all over the country, and in most metropolitan areas, including New York City. What occurred in Troy, at least in the short term, was no different, and surely was not a result of Harry’s leadership. Secondly, crime in Troy was down in 2004 from 2003 but up from 2000. So what is the truth? At best, the statistics are inconsistent, not indicating a true trend.*

So while we are spoon fed only good news on the City’s crime level, which seems to be misleading at best, the City’s administration has been characteristically quiet about bad crime news, more specifically, a rash of burglaries in the Hillside area of Sycaway.**

Dubbed as the Hillside Burglar, an individual has been breaking into houses for a number of months, stealing purses, wallets, and other small items. While this crime spree has been going on for months, the City administration has done nothing to let the citizen’s of the neighborhood understand the extent of the problem. In fact, a private citizen has been going around the neighborhood posting signs, alerting the residents to the problem.

Good or bad, the citizens have a right to know the truth, Harry. Show leadership rather than cowardice, and do the right think, not what is politically expedient.

Remember, if you see this man:

Contact the police, immediately.

THUMBS UP

This week's thumbs up goes to The Record's own Jim Franco for christening Congressman Sweeney with a new, more appropriate, nickname. Sweeney will probably win but being able to call him Congressman Candy Ass for the next two years kind of makes it all worthwhile.

* In fact, Fred Dicker of the New York Post, hardly a member of the sinister 'liberal' media, has devoted more than one radio show to the fact that violent crime is on the rise, especially Upstate.

**Sycaway is the Japanese word for the Algonquin word for Sycaway.

PREMO REVISITED

A few readers took our Bruno v. Premo election result predictions a bit too seriously. We predicted a huge landslide for Uncle Joe. After all, the man does have his own baseball stadium. When is the last time someone went to The Brian?

The chastisement we received also included a litany of Mr. Premo's prognostication abilities. Apparently, Premo can predict the future. This still leaves unexplained why he couldn't predict the screw-ups that led to the recent court loss. Nor does it explain why he still practices law instead of living off lottery winnings.

Of course, we jest and hope Premo can run against Bruno. After all, this is not just about a candidacy. It is also about sending a representative to the senate. Premo is smart and articulate. We have no doubt he would be a worthy successor to Ucle Joe.

The Bruno folks fought tooth and nail to get Premo off the ballot because Bruno is vulnerable. Premo was (and still may be) a credible candidate and a credible candidate can make life very difficult for the powerful Senator. The GOP is bracing for a Spitzer juggernaut. They know Democrats will flock to the polls this November. Area Republicans also know that Democrats in Rensselaer County are salivating at the thought of all those juicy patronage jobs ripe for the plucking. Turnout will be high and that bodes ill for Bruno.

Of course, Bruno's people claim they had little to do with the election law fight. Like any powerful family, their actions were masked by using 'buffers'. Bruno has a lot of buffers. The Record photo told the story. County chair Tom Wade sat alone while the large GOP contingent looked like carrion waiting to swoop down and gnaw on a carcass.

If the law says that Premo is out then we support that decision. Unlike many in the area, our respect for the legal system doesn't hinge on the political consequences of a judicial decision. However, Joe's decision to use his buffers and eliminate Premo was disappointing. It would have been nice if Joe welcomed the challenge of an opponent; welcomed the debate; welcomed the chance to defend his role in New York's current political cluster@#!*.

Our problem with Premo, if you can call it a problem, is the little issue of party enrollment. Frankly, we're not sure if Premo is a Democrat, Republican or some curious hybrid. Here, however, such chameleon-like qualities are hardly a cardinal sin. In fact, it's more like a rite of passage.

If he can't make the senate run, Premo should set his sights on the DA's race. DeAngelis, if she is able to get the nomination, is as vulnerable as an alter boy at a bishop's convention.

HERE WE GO AGAIN

The Appellate Division has overturned Christine Wilhelm's murder conviction and has ordered a new trial. In 2002, Wilhelm drowned her four year-old son, Luke. The Assistant District Attorney that prosecuted the case was.........Patricia "Second Time's a Charm" DeAngelis. Apparently, she screwed up again. Judge McGrath also erred in his ruling.

The reversal hinged upon the testimony of two Child Protective Services witnesses. The two CPS workers testified to admissions made by Wilhelm during the course of interviews for the CPS investigation. However, the District Attorneys Office failed to give notice pursuant to Criminal Procedure Law 710.30 that they intended to offer the admissions at the time of trial. That's the crux of the problem. There are more complicated issues involved and the decision can be read here (Adobe Acrobat Reader required).

Perhaps someone versed in criminal law can tell us whether or not notification of intent to use the admissions (pursuant to CPL 710.30) would have cured the problem. If so, why didn't DA's office do that? Better safe than sorry, after all.

The last paragraph of the decision is interesting. The Court does not reach the issue of (what else?) 'prosecutorial misconduct' but does state that comments made during the prosecutor's summation were within the 'broad latitude' allowed prosecutors when responding to a defense summation. That's not the interesting part.

The interesting part is that while they say they need not address the issue of prosecutorial misconduct because a new trial is ordered on other grounds, they go on to caution the District Attorney. In fact, they provide a laundry list of what a prosecutor is forbidden to do in summation, concluding: "We caution the People to abide by these well-settled principles upon retrial."

We hope this puts the end to anyone's belief that Ms. DeAngelis is a good prosecutor and a good courtroom attorney. That's not to say she's a poor one, either. With a 95% conviction rate, our District Attorneys Office stands toe-to-toe with just about every other DA's office, with the exception of the Bronx and Erie County. Everybody has a high conviction rate. It's just not a big deal. To say that the office has a 95% conviction rate is like a professional ball player bragging about hitting .280. In this day and age, you had better hit .280 just to keep your job.

Mike McDermott prosecuted the Porco case in a calm, cool, systematic manner. He allowed the evidence to be the star of the case, not himself. Passion is well and good but DeAngelis' hysterics have given defendants to many second chances. That's not what got her in the end here but the Appellate Division sure did talk about misconduct even though the issue did not have to be discussed.

Maybe Mike can return to Rensselaer County and take up his old job with the DA's office. They could use someone like him.

Judge Jacon drew a roadmap for anyone that wants to run against DeAngelis in '07. Her opponent would be wise to use that map. Put on the defensive, DeAngelis was thrown off her game and never recovered. That can be done again and the Wilhelm case can now be added to the list of her screw-ups.

GOT NOTHING

Got nothing.

Oh, Premo is out. Now Joe will win by 100% instead of 78%.

Again, we'll presume Hummel, a Republican, followed the law. We like it when judges follow the law. It's neat. We wish Bauer had done that and that Spargo would do that and move to our fair city.

One good thing may come out of all this: the end to the Democratic Co-Chair nonsense. The Democrats decided upon the Co-Chair system (if you can call it that) to save friendships. They should have taken a lesson from the GOP who sacrifice everything, including friendship, family and integrity to win. That's how the game is played here and that's what you have to do to win.

Oh, by the way, there a few new people leaving comments. Keep them clean and try to stay away from personal attacks. If you cannot compose a rational, relevant comment, perhaps it's time to get that GED you've been talking about all these years.

Good luck and God Bless.

CLANG, CLANG, CLANG...WENT THE TROLLEY

TROLLEY DAYS

Our long nightmare has ended. We finally have a trolley (courtesy of John Hedley). According to Mayor Tutunjian, the trolley will be used for "tourism." All we can say is, 'it's about time!' The city is just far to crowded during tourist season. We might even get a summer home somewhere else and rent out our place for the season.

It was a nice gesture on Hedley's part. The mayor was right about one thing: Hedley has done a lot for Troy. Maybe Hedley should consider running the city for a few years.

GERMAN FEST

Brunswick had it's German Fest this weekend. Now that was crowded (like Troy, 'in season'). In fact, it was so crowded, the German Fest had to invade and occupy the Polish Fest just to handle the overspill.

BRUNO V PREMO

If you care about this saga, you can read Kate Perry's piece, here. If you really care about this, you can follow Franco's coverage (in chronological order) here, here and here.

Judge Hummel will decide on Tuesday if voters will have an actual choice. Now, we do not know the legal ins-and-outs of this mess. We do know that if the positions were reversed, the Republicans would be screaming that 1) Hummel is a Republican and 2) Hummel is the guy Bruno pushed for the Supreme Court. Conflict anyone?

But, since were not Republicans, will say that Hummel is a judge first and a Republican second and is more than capable of making the fair and right decision.

In fact, Premo may be holding his breath waiting for his candidacy to be derailed, courtesy of Democratic incompetence and in-fighting. That frees Premo up for the race he really wants to undertake, Rensselaer County District Attorney.

City Council President Henry Bauer has also expressed great interest in becoming our next District Attorney. Now that would be interesting. Bauer and Premo share office space and are good friends.

CITY TO HIRE NEW ASSISTANT CORPORATION COUNSEL

According to reports, Harry may be hiring a new, assistant corporation counsel.

ENFORCE THE LAW

A Primer for Harry

What is the job of a chief executive? Well, the job of a chief executive, be it the President, the governor or a mayor, is to enforce the law and make sure campaign contributors get lucrative contracts. Yes, that right. To enforce the law (and hand out those contracts). It's not to make us feel good, it's not to tell us what we want to hear, it's not even going to fires. It's to enforce the law.

This is not to be confused with the job of a legislator. A legislator's primary role is to come out strongly against child molestation and violent crime.

So, how seriously can we take an administration that refuses to enforce the residency laws? Not very. As a matter of fact, we can't take them seriously at all. Selective enforcement of the city's laws is worse than no enforcement because opens of a law to be used as a political weapon.

So, here's the challenge. Harry, please let us know if Tom Spargo is in compliance with the residency requirements. It doesn't matter how Spargo's position (Assistant Corporation Counsel) is classified, at the very least he must reside within Rensselaer County.

How about Corporation Counsel David Mitchell? Why hasn't he been punished by being forced to live in Troy? With an $80,000 salary he can certainly afford our outrageous taxes.We think he lives in Ballston Spa, his old stomping grounds. He hasn't voted in Rensselaer County, which is odd. Also, donations to Harry from Mitchell have been by way of two $1,000 money orders. Why? There's no address on money orders and no address shows up when those contributions are listed in the Tutunjian campaign's financial disclosure statements.

In fact, will Harry make a public statement that every member of his administration, whether public officer or not, is in compliance with the residency requirements?

People get very angry when it comes to police not living in Troy. The theory being: if they live here, they'll care more about Troy. Maybe we should start at the top.

Perhaps asking the chief executive of Troy to enforce the law is over the line, but we're kind of picky about stuff like that.

McNULTY ENDORSES DEMOCRAT

In a blatant, shameless display of partisan politics, area Congressman Mike McNulty has endorsed Kirsten Gillibrand in her bid to unseat Congressman John Sweeney, (R-20th Cong. District).

What could have motivated Mike, a longtime Democrat, to make such a move?

"Representative McNulty is supporting an opponent of Congressman Sweeney's that would have no ability to bring home any dollars to the 20th, or 21st district, for that matter," she said. "Representative McNulty is on the wrong side of this race, and he owes his constituents an explanation as to why he put politics over their interests. Gillibrand and McNulty will make a great team of not returning any of New York's tax dollars." - Sweeney Campaign Spokesperson, Maureen Donovan.

We realize that politicians and their people get a bit crazy during election season, but Ms. Donovan really needs to stop chasing her Flexeril with Wild Turkey.

Ms. Donovan's boss is one of the most partisan hacks to ever sit in Congress. Who can forget his shameless, infantile antics during the Florida recount (stopping election officials from removing sample ballots from the room)? He's unabashedly supported the most uncompromising and incompetent partisan administration in the history of the nation. For anyone from Sweeney's gang to call anyone else partisan is like Donald Trump calling someone else tacky.

We wish the reporter had asked Ms. Donovan how many Democratic Assembly candidates Sweeney has endorsed? After all, it's the Democratic Assembly members that can "bring home the dollars." That appears to be the rationale for Donovan's criticism of McNulty (so much for the 'small government' GOP).

Republicans always pull this horsesh*t. Whether it's Sweeney or Tutunjian, their pat response to anything a Democrat does is, "they're playing partisan politics." They never actually address the issue raised and they're never called on it by anyone in the media.

That Sweeney's people would even comment on this is telling. While we believe Sweeney is relatively safe, his people are following the trends. Since the beginning of the year, the Democrats chances to take back the House have grown. We still think it more likely than not the GOP maintains control of the House, but there is now a real chance for the Democrats.

Wouldn't that be the irony of ironies for Ms. Donovan? McNulty has been a good congressman, doing his best under a GOP majority and President. If the Democrats do win back the House, Mike will have plenty of seniority (he has to be one of the senior members by now) and will have his pick of chairmanships. A McNulty in the majority would be a major asset to the area and a powerful ally in the fight against the Emperor.

ALL'S QUIET

It's been quiet around town. Not much to write about. Feel free to use this as an open line and rant and rave about anything you want.

Rensselaer County Legislator Martin Reid, who is running for New York State Assembly, now has a website. It even has photographs (but no butt shots).

On his page at the County's website, Reid has this to say:

Both my parents helped teach me the importance of listening and being ready to serve their neighbors when needed. I have tried to follow those lessons during my service in the Legislature, said Reid.

We'd like to ask Mr. Reid the following:

Did you vote yes on the $5,000 pay hike for County Legislators? (We know he did)

Why?

Did you inform your constituents that there would be a pay hike vote?

If so, did you listen to them on that issue?

Will you sponsor a repeal of the $5,000 pay hike?

Why no butt shots on the website?

We'd like those questions answered, especially the last one. Reid doesn't mention the pay hike on his website, although he admits to the far more embarrassing fact that he worked for John Faso. By all accounts, that pay hike is still on the minds of Rensselaer County residents. If you see Marty, ask him about it and don't be satisfied with some political-speak answer. Or, shoot him an e-mail at mreid@rensco.com. Until Reid comes clean on the pay hike, he doesn't deserve to be our Assemblyman.

Next week, we hope to have more information on the Mayor's plan for up to 80 public housing units slated to be built in Lansingburgh.

And Hey! Lets be careful out there.

PAY TO PLAY

Municipal contracts are generally quite lucrative. They're good gigs for private firms. How does one get a municipal gig? Well, a firm needs to be the best in the business to secure such work. Politics rarely enters into it (sarcasm alert).

Well, almost never.

For instance, Goldberger & Kremer, the City's attorneys, have contributed $400.00 to Harry. Not a bad investment for the lucrative retainer they receive every month. Goldberger & Kremer are well-known in the Labor field and were supposedly hired to work on contract negotiations, especially negotiations with the police. Word has it that both the city and the police have dispensed with their respective attorneys and the two sides are negotiating directly. We have no problem with that but do wonder why the city needs Goldberger & Kremer at all.

And how about Creighton Manning Engineering? They just landed a nice job as the consultants on the new project for Congress Street. How much did they give to Harry? Over $900.00. Another great investments, seeing as they look to make over $400,000. They also threw Senator Bruno $3,000. That'll grease the skids for you.

Harry's done a good job at raising money for his re-election bid in '07. He's raised about $90,000 and spent about $40,000. Over 20% of what he has raised has come from contributors outside of Troy, many of them contributing $1,000 or more. We guess those companies know they'll get a good rate of return from City Hall.

We're just over a year out from the '07 elections and Harry has raised enough to scare off any potential Democrat. If this is any indication, he won't need half that amount. Oddly, Trish DeAngelis has raised nothing. Makes you wonder if she's seen the handwriting on the wall.

PLANNING BOARD FUN

Some Planning Board fun to brighten up your Thursday.

By Politicus Ebonus Abyssus

As many of you know, the Troy Planning Board unanimously voted down the proposed Hudson Mohawk Recovery Center on Congress Street. While the Troy Record reported the vote and some of the background of the meeting, it left out the juicier parts of the meeting. Who would have thought? Lucky for you, the Troy Polloi was there. Lucky for us, Spargo and Ryan were part of the meeting and continue to provide us with fodder.

First, the vote. As the paper reported, the Board voted against the proposal. What the Record did not report was the warm, congenial aftermath of the vote. After the vote, the Board members discussed tabling the motion to work with Hudson Mohawk to find a suitable location. People, you cannot table a motion once you have already voted on that motion. This is basic Robert’s Rules of Order. Once a motion is voted on, it’s over.

This then led to the citizens of Troy, who had already voiced their displeasure over the project, to question vehemently what really occurred at the meeting. Once they were calmed and left the meeting, Deputy Corporation Council Tom 'Shake down" Spargo followed them out to the street. He proceeded to yell at them in front of City Hall for their conduct in the meeting and for not making their monthly bribe payments. Tom, Tom, Tom. Before you go yelling at the citizens of Troy for exercising their civic rights, make sure the Polloi isn't around. By the way, did you advise the Board that they could not table a motion once it is voted on? Or were you just going along to get along (to ensure your pension)? Something for you to think about as you drive back to your home in Albany County. Oh well, I digress.

Where is Matt Ryan in all this? He was at the meeting, obviously protecting his interest, or more importantly to Ryan, his $450,000 payday. Also being circulated at the meeting was a list of the properties that Ryan currently owes tens of thousands of dollars in back property taxes to the City on. After the vote to decline the proposal, Ryan was overheard muttering that he is just going to let his properties go to waste and let the city take them over. How redundant! The City was going to sell several of his properties for being in default a few years ago, but agreed to payment plans once Ryan took them to court. After making a few payments, Ryan stopped making payments and again is in default. If nothing else, Ryan is consistent and entertaining.

And so, like sands in an hour glass, these are the Days of Our Lives.

DEMOCRATS MASTER PLAN IN FULL SWING

Democratus is back after a nice, relaxing vacation. After reviewing the comments from last week it looks like everyone stayed on their medication. Bravo!

Jim Franco, of The Record, has been busy writing about the recent moves made by the Democratic Party. However, Franco is missing the big picture.

The Democratic Party has stepped it up and their master plan has now been activated. As best as we can piece things together, the Democratic Party, finally tired of getting it's ass kicked, is lulling the GOP into a false sense of security. By allowing the GOP and it's operatives to take control of the Working Families Party, the Democrats now have the GOP in their sights.

The minor party takeover is merely the penultimate phase of the plan. Ultimately, the Democrats plan on having the GOP take over the Democratic Line. Then, while the GOP is brimming with hubris, the Democrats will strike.

As for the Premo debacle, all this may be the best thing for him. Premo, in all likelihood, really wants the nod to run for District Attorney in '07. If he can't run against Bruno, Premo can't lose. He can't be accused of running a half-hearted campaign. He'll be fresh as a daisy for a run against Trish.

And people say the local Democrats are disorganized, lazy and leaderless.

If you don't believe us, just ask Troy City Chair.....ummm....you know....what's his/her name...just ask them, they'll tell ya'.

One item in last Sunday's TU did catch our attention. According to the Legal Notices for Rensselaer County, John Hedley officially transferred ownership to 433 River St LLC (Hedley Place address is 433 River). The properties included Hedley Place, Flanigan Square and the parking lots associated with them. The purchase price, you ask? Most people might say 5,6 7,8 million......As Bob Barker likes to say..."the price is" $88,470. That's right, 88k for all that property. Not a bad deal! Is it a misprint or is it some complex shell game? For a second, we thought DPW workers might have purchased the property in order to sell it to Father Young.

WHERE'S OUR FAUX LIGHTHOUSE

Tim O'Brien, over at the Times Union, had this to say about all the empty promises we get from our leaders. It's a good piece.

We still like the idea of the faux lighthouse. It's rather emlematic of this entire administration. It's fake, useless and spherical.

Maybe the "in-house" people should be working on something real instead of working on Harry's dreams. Sure, every mayor dreams of lighthouses, unicorns and sweet candies but maybe they can get that 'Hoosick Street as another Wolf Road" thing going. Or perhaps they can make Lansingburgh a 'destination.'

Guys, Troy is like a crackwhore. You don't just throw a fancy dress, heels and pearls on her. You have to clean her up, get her some medical attention, send her to school. Then you can start to get fancy.

No one has a true, cohesive vision for Troy. No one wants to do the necessary job of rebuilding our tired infrastructure before slapping all that finery on the crackwhore . Everyone wants to skip to lighthouses and unicorns.

We need to start rejecting politicians that have risen through the ranks of the local politicial parties and bring in some new blood. We need people who can set forth a vision of what Troy should be in the 21st Century.

CARIGNAN, AGAIN

It's day 9 of Carignanpalooza. We haven't yet explored any possible procurement policy violations. That's mainly due to watching the Yankees sweep Chicago (and the Playboy Channel). But Hestia Republicus is on the case.

PROCUREMENT POLICIES FOR DUMMIES
By Politicus Ebonus Abyssus

Issues around the Carignan insurance bid continues to dominant this blog, although I would have loved to have seen the Gary Coleman interview. One issue that has been discussed though not in depth is to what extent did the City followed its own procurement policies in issuing the insurance contract. In short, the City is required to follow certain procedures in procuring services or commodities, in this case insurance.

Based on the level of the contract, the insurance bid process required competitive sealed bidding (Section 3-101.F of the City’s procurement law). While I don’t want to bore readers with the entire content of the procurement law, competitive sealed bids require a purchase description and all contractual terms and conditions (section 3-102.b), must be opened in a public place at a time and place designated in the invitation for bid (section 3-102.g), and that the invitation for bid must include the criteria under which all submitted all bids will be evaluated (section 3-102.h).

Listen to the drum roll as the suspense heightens. The City’s insurance bid violated at least these sections of the procurement policy. The City sent a two-page bid for quotes to seven different insurance companies, rather than a request for bid. While we could debate the semantics of quote versus bid, requests for bids generally have much more detail than the City provided. The request for quote also did not list the time and place for the bid opening and did not include the evaluation criteria as required for by procurement law. The bid for quote, however, did allow potential bidders to send in a letter if they could not provide quotations on the coverage.

As has been discussed, Carignan sent in a bid and Nicoll & MacChesney sent in a letter stating that they could not respond to the request for bid but could match Carignan’s bid. This begs a major question. If bids were sealed, how did Nicoll & MacChesney know they could match the Carignan bid? Oh well, that is a question for the lawyers.

Once the contract is approved by the City council, the mayor then issues a Broker of Record letter which is sent to all parties recognizing who the agent representing the city in insurance matters is. And as we know, the City Council did not vote on the contract at all and a Broker of Record letter was issued indicating that Nicoll & MacChesney held the City’s insurance.

Responses to this blog and comments from the City administration have rationalized the process by stating that it saved the City $65,000. But as we now know, the savings was less then $10,000. Talking about savings is a red herring, however. In the bid for quote, the City gave potential bidders multiple options (four for liability, three for self insured retention, and three for city buildings) to develop quotes for. Based on these options, there are 36 possible combinations. The only way to determine any savings would be to match the specific combination from the two different insurance companies. After reading Harry’s sworn testimony, I doubt that level of analysis was undertaken. And even if it was, Harry’s poor grasp of detail make it highly unlikely he would have understood the differences or been able to articulate them.

This is how the administration works. And now it is costing taxpayers more money because of the time and cost of defending the lawsuit. I wonder how that stacks up with whatever savings actually occurred?

* A ritual blood sacrifice and specific Druidic Incantations are also required

METROLAND GOING DOWNHILL

Metroland, the region's alternative newspaper, has sunk to new lows.

They recently named The Troy Polloi....

Best Blog on Local Politics

Troy Polloi

The Troy Polloi is exactly what you want from a blog about local politics: A place where rumors are swapped, dirt is dished and a small but dedicated readership leaves regular comments. Although this routinely updated blog often trends toward the cheesy, with its Photoshopped swipes at officials and ham-fisted humor, we have to give it its props. Democratus, the blog’s author, has demonstrated a doggedness with certain issues that can only be called admirable. Plus, we think the Gillibrand banner ad is just plain funny.

I hope that all the teachers that told me being a smartass wouldn't payoff could see me now. This is also my option year. Now I'll be able to up my asking price.

So, while we here thank Metroland we do have a bone to pick. We don't appreciate the description of our artwork as cheesy or our humor as ham-fisted. Our professional photographers work hard on those photos and pride themselves on producing shitty photos, not cheesy photos.

I'd like to thank Albany Eye and Democracy in Albany for alerting us to our selection. We never would have known about this honor without them.

Finally, I'd like to thank my former wives for allowing me the time to write.

Because things are slow, very slow, we'll be taking some time off next week to shut down and perform maintenance on the presses. We may post once or twice. Maybe not. We will be back the week of July 29th.

Be safe and have fun.

FROM THE X-FILES

By F. Mulder

Democratus took the day off to testify in front of a Grand Jury. I'm filling in until he returns. If he returns.

According to sources at the Capital, the Budget Bill contains a tasty, little morsel for building contractor U.W. Marx. Marx will not have to pay any taxes on their City of Rensselaer project. Marx is building the city a new school and will then be acquiring the old school, located on prime, Hudson River front land. It's not known who introduced the provision. Alien involvement is suspected.

In a completely unrelated matter, does anyone know who built Ken Bruno's estate?

H&V Collision Center in Troy had a grand re-opening recently. Senator Bruno was there. Coincidentally, so was the Action Team, cleaning and scrubbing the street prior to the arrival of the VIP's. The Action Team's uncanny ability to scrub down the precise area where Senator Bruno will be arriving is well documented in literature. The coincidence is spooky.

Finally, has anyone ever seen Mary Donohue and Kathy Jimino in the same room together? I didn't think so.

MORE FROM THE TRANSCRIPTS

The Carignan issue has struck a nerve. Visits are skyrocketing. Therefore, we've cancelled the Gary Coleman interview in order to bring you more of the Administration's Greatest Hits from the Carignan lawsuit.




We've already delved into the fleshy, meaty part of the case. Now we'll focus on a few side issues, just for kicks. Or maybe they're not side issues. Who knows.

For instance, who knew how the $64,000 in question would be saved? Where did that number come from? In the State of the City, Harry said $100,000, in the press release it was 64 G's. How many stories does the Administration have about the savings?

Anyway, without further ado:

Mayor Tutunjian

Q. And did you suggest to the administration
any particular way in which to get the best
cost for the coverage?

A. Any way that they could to get more --
different prices from different agents, if need be.

Q. And it would do that by approaching many
different agents and asking for really the
best offer they could get for the City?

A. Correct.

Q. And do you know approximately how many
different insurance agencies were
approached and asked to provide quotations
for the City to provide coverage for the
City for 2005?

A. No.

Q. And do you know how many agents responded
to the Request For Quotations that provided
quotations to the City?

A. Not exactly, no.

Q. Do you know approximately how many?

A. No. A handful, I'm guessing. I don't
know.

So, Mayor Tutunjian puts the word out: Get more quotes from more agents. Get the best price possible. So far, makes sense.

Witkowski:*

Q. So how many responses did the City receive
to its Requests For Quotations?

A. Responses like this?

Q. How many quotes -- how many agents
submitted any quotes in response to the
RFQ?

A. The only thing that I know was that
Carignan submitted quotes and that Nicoll &
MacChesney wrote -- it wasn't a quote, but
wrote a letter, I guess, stating that -- I
don't know -- my recollection of what it
states is that there would be -- they would
be able to use the same insurance companies
at lesser amounts or something to that effect.

So, Carignan secures the insurance and N&M writes a letter. But, does the letter guarentee a $64,000 savings?

Q. Is there anything in Exhibit 12 that
indicates that Nicoll & MacChesney would
save the City $64,000 below the quotes that
were submitted by R. J. Carignan?

A. Not in the letter, but there was a meeting
by which they came to -- there was actually
two meetings, one where Carignan came and
kind of ran through their quotes, Dave
Mitchell who is one of the City attorneys
and myself, Matt was there, and somebody
else from his organization, I can't
remember who it was --

A. And then there was another
meeting, myself, Dave Mitchell, and again
unfortunately, I can't remember -- I know
Marty Keary was there and there might have
been one or two other gentlemen from Nicoll
& MacChesney or Marshall & Sterling, and at
that meeting, they verbally agreed that
they could save the City at least -- I
don't remember if it was $64,000, but it
was at least in the sixty-something
thousand dollars range.

Q. And was Nicoll & MacChesney provided an
opportunity to give the City a written
quotation in response to the RFQ like R. J.
Carignan did?

A. Yes.

Q. And were they able to provide a written
quotation?

A. I don't know if they were able to or not.

Q. Did they provide a written quotation?

A. They didn't provide it, no, except for this
letter.

So, we go from a letter, to a verbal promise. And who's at both meetings? Dave Mitchell. Who failed to show for his deposition? Three guesses. Here's a clue: his initials are David Mitchell. Witkowski goes on to state that there was a big saving but that saving was because of the new policy (the one secured by Carignan).

Will bring you more later this week. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this, just ask. After all, we seem to know more about it than the mayor.


*Keep in mind, we are in no way poking fun at Ms. Witkowski. In fact, we feel she's probably the only credible source the city has in this case. She is just not an insurance expert and cannot be expected to know all the nuances of that world.

SUMMER HOURS

Summer is here. Things are quiet and posting will be reduced.

It does look like the Carignan issue is gaining traction. We received a response to our hissy fit and would like to thank the editor for, at the very least, exploring the issues we've set forth. We don't expect that the paper in question will run the story. We hope it does. We do appreciate that someone is at least willing to make an informed decision on whether to cover the issue.

It also looks as if the Administration is making some desperate counter-attacks. They're worried now. You can see it whenever this issue comes up. They drop their usual 'no-comment' and begin to rant and rave. It's very humorous.

The administration has even threatened legal action against the three Democratic councilmen who want an investigation into possible violations of the city's procurement policies. That's right, some type of suit against people acting in their capacity as elected representative on an issue of public concern. Our legal analyst described the very idea of suing the councilmen as "the zenith of Mongoloid thought."

It is also suspected that the have reached out to area papers for a favorable story on the issue. We love good fiction, so a story like that would be fun.

What's on tap for next week?

1) We'll explore the possible procurement policy violations involved in the Carignan matter;
2) More highlights from the deposition transcripts;
3) Sit down for a heart-to-heart interview with former child star Gary Coleman;

LAMONT, YOU BIG DUMMY

Fred and his son Lamont just made a bundle by selling their junkyard to the City of Troy for $400,000. But don't worry, it's not actual money. It's 'taxpayer money.'

The city plans to build a municipal park on the 3 acre plot and the Cinema Art marquee will be incorporated into the park entrance. The city plans to use the park for special events including, The Crack Whore regatta and the Level Three Sex Offender Jamboree.

The park will be situated along the Hudson River, at 25 President Street. Just one more piece of real estate off the tax rolls. The lesson? Be a sloppy land owner and a thorn in the side of the city and you'll get paid off.

One can only hope that Cox will fail to clean the site up so at least we'll take it for free.

"Lamont, you big dummy. I just made$400,000.

PLEA TO THE MEDIA

PRETTY PLEASE!

We perused the areas two papers Sunday morning to find stories on:

1) Library satisfaction (we sincerely hope you're not stuck in a loveless library relationship):

2) Exit 12 (Northway) construction ahead of schedule;

3) Albany's salt-readiness for the upcoming winter.

These are all worthwhile stories and we're not criticizing the reporters. There are good reporters in this area even if they do not always focus on what we might want them to focus on. Puff-pieces in newspapers and on television news are part and parcel of today's media (and, if you look at old editions of newspapers, you discover that puff-pieces are hardly new).

What we cannot understand is the lack of coverage on the Carignan lawsuit. One would think that a reporter, or an editor, might find the time and space to publish a few columns on the issue.

It's a good story just waiting to be told to a wider audience. Why is it good:

1) Two sides tell two different stories;

2) The actual facts are verifiable;

3) It's a matter of public concern.

Did a mayor lie (wittingly or unwittingly) when he told the taxpayers how thier money was saved? This story will write itself. Both sides have made statements and both sides have been deposed. It's now more than just a 'he said/he said' type story.

It doesn't matter where you come down on this and we don't expect a journalist to take sides. What we do expect is that some responsible reporter will look into this issue with a critical eye. It's a story and if the local media can't or won't investigate a possible lie concerning the fiscal matters of an area city, exactly what are they doing?

Please, cover this story. Hell, we've set forth the issues in numerous posts. Copy them, use them, whatever. We'll e-mail you the transcripts from the depositions. The story may just be a bit more important that youngsters and seniors taking a boat trip on the canal.

PORCO

The trial of Christopher Porco resumes today. Since we're not on the jury, we are free to voice our opinion on this matter. Yes, Porco is innocent until proven guilty and a jury will make that determination. Others are free to speculate.

If the prosecution's evidence is as damning in the courtroom as it sounds in the Times Union coverage, this guy is going away for a very long time. Of course, the defense hasn't even started so things may change but we'd lay down good money that a) He's guilty and b) He'll be convicted.

Kindlon's line about the murders being a "mob hit" just screams "Hail Mary" pass to us.

MAYOR CRANKYPANTS

With the pressure mounting, Mayor Harry has turned into a regular Mr. Crankypants.

The Democratic City Council minority submitted a resolution calling for an investigation into the city's procurement practices. Typically, the City will respond with a "we can't talk about pending litigation."

Not this time.

"The resolution is riddled with errors. That's what happens when you rely on rumor and innuendo," he said. "As always, we welcome any questions. I only wish these three people had taken time to ask the questions before taking this foolish step." The statement fairly bristles with panic.


Mayor Crankypants



He sounds pissed. But, lets look at what he actually said.

1- Riddled with errors. What errors? Aren't resolutions submitted to Corporation Counsel first to work on any "errors". After all, the three Council members are not attorneys.

2- Rumor and innuendo? Actually, the minority was relying upon Harry's deposition transcript as well as Witkowski's. Then again, using Harry's own words may in fact be relying upon rumor and innuendo as he was "out of the loop" on just about everything. Must have been a fire that day. We guess his pledge to personally review procurements for more than $500 has fallen by the wayside.

3- Ask questions? Harry, read your own transcript. The only thing you could answer was a question about your favorite color (it's plaid).

Buell must be on vacation because they let Harry off the leash and, as usual, his statements were nonsensical. Unfortunately, reporters, on both the national and local scene, never follow-up after they get nonsense answers. Why is that?

But it gets better. The resolution was kept off the agenda last Thursday night and not addressed. The procedure has always been to submit the proposed resolution for inclusion on the agenda. The Democrats did that. Why wasn't the resolution put on the agenda? After all, they "welcome any questions."

Then, Harry, safely ensconced in his office, calls Dunne, Ryan and Campana ( a real class move seeing as Camapana's brother died that day) cowards for not raising the issue. If they had, Mr. Mitchell would have assuredly told them that the item was not on the agenda.

Mayor Harry's feeling the heat and he's really not the kind of guy you want in a pressure situation.

If the administration truly has nothing to hide, they'll make copies of the transcripts from the Carignan depositions and make them available to the citizens of Troy. If, they have nothing to hide. Looks like Fredo is in charge of The Family.

Now, to the opposite extreme. A genuine hero from nearby Catskill has passed away.

And, if you're interested in the Porco Saga, this is the blog for you.