Democratic County Convention
As expected, County Dems nominated the Mighty Heiny for re-election and Jonathon Sennett for DA. Legislative endorsements held some surprises. A major factor in the change from multi-member to single-member districts is that incumbents are more "touchable." That is, it is now much easier for someone with a beef to take out a Legislator. This appears to be the case for the non-endorsements of Dem Legislators Hector Rodriguez (H-Rod) and Richard Parete as they both appear to have gotten on the bad side of their respective town Dem Chairwomen. Both have pledged to primary. Looks like there will be at least four Democratic primaries this September.
Nooooonan Comeback?
Glenn Noonan recently interviewed with the Gardiner Republican Committee to battle for the GOP endorsement for Legislature with incumbent Conservative Jack Hayes. Noonan proceeded to insult every person in the room and then demanded an endorsement vote in his presence. After he failed to secure a single vote, Noonan declared, "I decided not to run two weeks ago, I just came here to see what you'd do." Glenn Nooooonan, still crazy after all these years!!!
DA Carnright Gets a Big Boost
Holley Carnright received the Independence Party endorsement this past week. This may be the difference in a race that political insiders expect to be razor close.
Kingston Democrats Convention
In a mild surprise, Kingston Dems endorsed Hayes Clement over Shayne Gallo. Word has it that Gallo hasn't performed well and is losing momentum. But, Gallo still has the endorsement of the Independence & Working Families parties. Look for a nasty primary fight to the finish. Give Kingston Dems credit for rejecting Nick Woerner's bid for an Alderman seat. Two years ago, Woerner's unpopularity sank Town of Ulster Dems and contributed greatly to the Republican takeover of the Legislature.
Look at the "backers" of Gallo...Reynolds, Blaber, Madsen,..I'll take the high road and vote for Hayes Clement. This will be a nasty primary because of the "nasties" involved.... Madsen will have to get a job when this is over. Clement owes no one in this city anything. He owes no favors because they were friends of his brother, he pays a good chunk of taxes on his property, (Gallo not a taxpayer) and he has class. Look at the condition of this city under this administration.. There will just be continued politics, favors, and failures under a Gallo administration.
ReplyDelete9:22 - renters pay taxes, goofball. Do you think a landlord doesn't pass the tax burden on to the tenants? In Massachusetts, renters get to deduct a portion of their rent from their state income tax. Why should the landlord get the tax credit when it's paid by the tenant?
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, Hayes Clement, born with a silver spoon in his mouth, doesn't represent me. He lives in a half-million dollar mansion overlooking the Hudson River. Maybe that's your lifestyle too; but it's certainly not mine nor most of the rest of the city. So, while Gallo works three jobs, Clement is retired at a very early age because he's had every advantage in life. I don't begrudge anyone who's worked hard, but his family had money and sent him to elite schools. Hayes has certainly worked hard as well, but given his resources, his success is no surprise.
Hayes has lied to the rank and file of the city ("I promise no layoffs") and reneged on a deal with a town supervisor.
Finally...if you think Hayes doesn't owe anyone anything, why is he courting Steve Aaron? Hayes is going to ruin this city by cavorting with an unethical developer who has owed this city millions of dollars in reduced taxes and failure to pay his PILOT. Hayes' relationship with Aaron has already proven to the world that he has no integrity.
It's interesting that you state that you're going to take the high road, and then go on to trash Gallo. If that's your version of taking the high road, then I'll stick with the "low road" and support Gallo. The next time you take the high road, practice what you preach and refrain from the nastiness and negativity that permeates your post - that's what taking the high road means.
While I do agree with some of 9:22s claims about Gallo, Hayes Clement isnt much better. Hayes Clement is a rich elitist who is playing footsie with nutty asshole Steve Aaron who played a big role behind the scenes with Town of Ulster going down tubes econimically. Aaron used cousin Nicky Woerner to advance his projects in Town of U and then abandoned asshole Woerner when he lost reelection. Word on the street is that Aaron is backing Clement along with dysfunctional degenerate Tom Hoffay pushing hard as well. Never thought Id say this but perhaps giving republican Andi Turco Levin a shot at Mayor may be the way to go. Andi has more than a few Dems behind her and deserves some consideration.
ReplyDeleteI would hope Noonan does come back. What has Hayes done? Come to think of it what has the Republican majority done but get a check. Oh I forgot they took vacation.
ReplyDeleteWish Noonan would run again,, it was soooo much fun kicking his dysfunctional & drunk ass back to Sand Hill !!!
ReplyDeleteRude People & Liars like Noonan,, Jeff Logan ( NP ), Zimet, & Waddy Wadnola have NO business in Government.
Andi Turco-Levin IS the future of Kingston!
ReplyDeleteShe has the brains & the gravitas to do this difficult job, correctly.
She has the ability to strengthen the Kingston GOP & help Tony Sinagra right his ship !!
Getting rid of the nasty liars, the DiFalcos, was a good start, for Sinagra, but he has a hard row to hoe.
Turco-Levin will help everyone & everything be better.
BRAINS !! VISION ! BALLS !! Vote Turco-Levin !!
Rich Cahill?
ReplyDeleteThe point is it's not about momentum that hurt Gallo, Gallo has momentum. The committee was NEVER Shayne's, Cardinale (city Dem chairman) has been behind Clement from day one. If Gallo wants to win than he has to work hard in the primary. Trust me, it's Gallo's to lose.
ReplyDeleteListen up 2:43, 8:06, and 7:46, or should I say Bob G: GET A LIFE. Clement's never gotten a penny from Steve Aaron. Nor will he. Aaron knows that Hayes is too smart to go near him so why bother. He's just injecting himself in the 5th ward because of Nicky.
ReplyDeleteIs being a real estate salesperson enough of a qualification for mayor of Kingston?
ReplyDeleteRich Cahill will not win against either Gallo or Clement.
ReplyDeleteThe high road would be where you would fine the taxpayer, the working man, someone living in the twenty-first century, and one who has pride in himself. You are correct, this is not the lifestlye of most in this city....exactly the problem. I personally like the lifestyle of Mr. Clement. It is clean, upbeat, fresh, intelligent, and has a vision of the future. I just can't imagine that he would continue to allow this city to stay in the rut that it has been in for many years. I would imagine that he will create codes and enforce them on how properites, especially along the business routes, should be maintained. There should be "cuts". It should begin right up there in City Hall. There are many that owe this city money for loans that they were given to start businesses. That was allowed under this administration. Whether you like it or not, this city is in dire straits. People have lost their sense of pride. We currently have a mayor that no longer shows his face. We need a role model. We need someone who is proud of who he is with a contagious smile. We need someone with enthusiasm and creativity. I just get that feeling from Hayes Clement. Gallo just does not have the enthusiasm needed to lift us up....
ReplyDeleteNina watcb out .Some one is about to stab you in tbe back and run against you next time
ReplyDeleteI think on the resume it will say failed ex mayor of tbe city of kongston.
YESSSSSS !!! ANDI beat Rich
ReplyDeleteTRUE JUSTICE AND A shot @ winning Kingston City Hall !
Go ANDI !!!
Hayes Clement is a rich,out of touch,business man that will coddle the elite and not give a rats ass about the working people of Kingston. Shane Gallo is part of the good old boys and will not make a good mayor either. Andi Turco Levin is a sensible, smart,atractive woman that I would like to support and give a chance at Mayor. Why not? She has had some good ideas over the last two yrs. as alderwoman and has not been afraid to speak out during our budget hearings on the finance committee making common sense with some proposed cuts. She wants to improve our streets, and especially our parks that improve quality of life here in Kingston. She deserves a shot.
ReplyDeleteWhen is hein gonna create some new jobs. Not hiring his buddies.
ReplyDeleteAndi Turco-Levin has to be the shallowest person I know. She is uneducated and inexperienced. She's worked on one budget cycle and suddenly she thinks she can run a city.
ReplyDeleteNo one has said that Clement has taken any money from Aaron. But anyone who thinks Clement is going to kick ass and take names is seriously mistaken. He is all for the status quo as far as government goes. He'll try his best to bring responsible development (which is great), but don't look for any heads to roll. He thinks things are wonderful at City Hall and DPW. He won't make any efforts to reduce the personnel budget. 9:38 is mostly right, but Clement is so pro-business, he won't make any demands on them (or the landlords) to fix up their properties. More importantly, he won't put pressure on the Buildingfire Department (one word intentionally) to inspect and fine properties that are not to code. How'd that block-by-block work out? Does Kingston look any better? I've seen houses with boarded up windows. The fine should be so heavy ($$$ per day) that the owners are forced to fix it or sell. Right now, it's easy for them to leave things as they are. There is no incentive to force them to maintain their investments.
If Hayes Clement promises to run the slumlords out of town (and fix what's broken at City Hall and DPW), he'll have my vote.
I am glaf Hein dix not get cross endorsed by the Ulster GOP at least they can see he is not doing that great of a job. Plus he is only going to be around for awhile anyway. They are going to promote him to congress anyway when Hinchey retires soon.
ReplyDelete8:02 - Pay close attention to a few things on Clement's campaign going forward, you'll be pleasently surprised. His stump speech hits on all that stuff you said, especially the block-by-block and the landlord issues.
ReplyDeletePer "Mike Hein For Exec" webpage: [He grew up on a farm in Esopus and was educated in the New Paltz school system. After graduating from college, he returned to Ulster County where he has resided ever since, with his wife of 21 years, Christine, and their son.]
ReplyDeleteWho DOESN'T include their alma mater? Smells fishy to me..
352: Gallo has been talking about block by block and landlord issues since his announcement 3 months ago..where have you been?
ReplyDelete8:02 Maybe between talking about stuff with the campaign, Clemente could spend some time in Ward 9 and actually do something? Have you seen some of the properties falling apart, like the place on Oreilly with the whole front of the house collapsed? You don't need block by block to tell you that is a code violation.
ReplyDelete8:02, what is "broken at Cityhall and Dpw" is the fact that Cityhall has positions that are not needed and that Mike Schupp has too many chiefs and not enough indians at Public Works. Schupp is not that good either by the way, some of his "policies" leave something to be desired...He wanted our yardwaste picked up once in the summer months? Why, so his job could be made easier while we the taxpayer pay for his raise? Also, why the hell did he come up with the stupid idea of spreading stonedust with salt during winter?? It has NEVER been done before his arrival and that dumb practice needs to STOP in future!! Also next Mayor needs to reconsider why Schupp has TWO assistant superintendents and several office assists. when his dept. is literally half the size of when the assist. positions were created yrs. ago? And, lets revisit the fact that you essentially have THREE GUYS doing the same job at the wastewater treatment plant( a paid consultant being one of them) with a $100,000 dollar overtime budget? If Hayes Clement is such a good businessman why has he allowed this foolish business to continue?
ReplyDeleteAndi Turco Levin is the only candidate other than Cahill that had the balls to talk about personnel cuts during budget process, and Im talking about the positions that are TOP HEAVY, not the regular worker. She was emphatically opposed to the "consultants" we have hanging around, especially at the treatment plant which has a bloated overtime budget of 110,000 dollars this year. Hayes Clement went down to treatment plant and didnt have the brains to look at the time cards to see if the "consultant" and the Mayor's neighbor (Plant operator Alan Winchell) was telling truth about the personnel actually WORKING for the 3 hours they were supposed to be. Clement has his head up the department head's asses and that is a problem when change is being called for from all ends. I will support Andi Turco Levin for Mayor because she has the backbone to do what must be done.
ReplyDeleteIf experience in city government is the most important criteria, Shayne Gallo is the best mayoral candidate.
ReplyDeleteIf selling real estate is the best criteria, go with Turco-Levin.
If being wealthy and new to the scene is where it's at, Clement is the man.
If having an out of touch right winger running the show is the answer, it's all about Cahill.
Hein is going to get promoted soon so why vote for him if are Republican or Hate him. The CSEA labor rank and file hate him. Maybe the Ulster County Labor Execs (CSEA) love him since them may be saved. I think Danny Donnahue should talk to Mr. Hein about the jobs in Ulster County Also. I thought if they are paying big money dues maybe Mr. Hein needs to know what he is up against.
ReplyDeleteThe city is a mess I would love to see someone else for that job than Mr. Cahill. We on the Ulster County leval need Mr. Cahill to run for Ulster County Executive. Then we would have an executive who has passed the NYS Bar where by Mr. Heins staff of Lawyers have not maybe one or two and that is it.
ReplyDeleteYour kidding me? Cahill for executive he probably never left Kingston. This is a big county with many issues if Hein leaves see Quigley and Bernardo spend big $ to get it Quigley has done nothing in Ulster and Bernardo is just a wannabe both him and his wife. He will probably push his wife since so many people hate him now that they know him. Rascoe gets bought off and puts Bernardo up and a Dem wins As a lifetime Republican thats where my vote goes
ReplyDeleteExperience in City Government? HAHA. His only experience in city government is holding a do nothing friends and family position in the most dysfunctional ass backwards city government in the Hudson Valley. Oh, and he is the brother of the guys whose policies started the downward spiral into a garbage filled ghetto from which no self respecting homeowner can escape only to be accelerated by TR's partner in crime and Shayne's current boss Jim Sottile.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think I will skip the experience in city government guy.
1:15, if you are referring to Shayne Gallo having "the most experience in city govt" means he is the right candidate, that means he has been working closely with this totally fucked up administration that has been in place for YEARS called the SOTTILE/NOBLE ADMINISTRATION!!! I would be a little concerned about pulling the lever for ANYONE that has been doing so. Turco Levin has been a critic respectfully, of some of the policies of current administration and rightly so. Clement is a front office asskisser so he will not get my vote. I will have to wait and see but so far Andi Turco is getting my vote.
ReplyDeleteGreat some guy just stole over a hundred grand from the city with no one noticing, and we are supposed elect a the city lawyer mayor. RIIIGGGHHHTTT!!!
ReplyDeleteBig question is... Why does Gallo have Blaber "working" for him and paying him under the table. Especially when Blaber is rumored to be collecting State Unemployment Benefits.
ReplyDelete2:18 - how on god's earth would the city's attorney or common council know if someone was embezzling? The accused's supervisors didn't even know. Nor did the comptroller. That's how embezzlers often work. They steal for years unnoticed. You're going to lay blame on Gallo, Clement, Polacco, Turco-Levin, Cahill and everyone else in City Hall? The mayor should've known? Alderman-at-Large? I guess that leaves the only candidate we should trust for mayor to be Jean Jacobs. She's the only one who hasn't been elected or worked for the city. You have an odd way of determining a candidate's qualifications and competence.
ReplyDeleteThe state comptroller should investigate Blaber. It would not surprise me in the least if he were collecting unemployment while working under the table for the politicos. Blaber has the morals of a gutter rat.
ReplyDeleteShame on Gallo for hiring Blaber. I will not vote for anyone who uses Blaber to run their dirty campaign.
Gladys Kravitz (aka 4:40) - a bigger question is...how is that any of your business? Why do you care? Why would anyone care? You're a busybody. A tattletale. A rat. I bet you got your ass kicked a lot on the playground and it was well-deserved.
ReplyDeleteIt amuses me to think that those who are critical of Gallo for being the former mayor's brother are the same schlubs who would vote for Jeb Bush for president. Be honest. You don't like him because he's a Democrat.
ReplyDeleteBlaber is nnot being paid by Gallo. Gallo has a smooth operation going on. He has two lines, I hear a poll that shows him way ahead and probably will be our next Mayor. If you think Blaber could of helped with any of that you are nuts. He is a supporter. As I have said from day one, Blaber won't be hired by Gallo and I know that for a fact. Tom Hoffay and Steve Aaron are in Hayes' pocket and they carry weight. Sorry I'm with Gallo.
ReplyDeleteJeb Bush?? No I think we have had enough retards in the White House thank you. I don't like Gallo because he has done nothing but run a campaign based on his brother's name. A brother who despite being a nice guy, played a hand in where the city is now. And would have gone down in history as one of the worst mayors in Kingston's history had he not passed away. The people that are supporting Shayne Gallo are supporting a fantasy.
ReplyDeleteMaybe my real problem is that there are too many incompetent lawyers like Gallo, Sennett and Hinchey who become politicians because they aren't smart enough to get a real job. Just like there are a bunch Republican "businessmen" who go into politics because they are too stupid to get a real job. There was once a saying that those who can't do, teach. Well if that is the case, those that can't teach become politicians.
Blah. Blah, Blah.. We heard it all before. Blaber isn't working for Gallo, just like he isn't working for Auerbach, Sennet, Hein, and a list of others who pay him to do their dirty work so that they can stand back and say "it wasn't me it was Blaber." I am waiting for Blaber's post to see who this year's opposition candidates have conspired to kill.
ReplyDeleteBlabber can't work under the table. He doesn't fit under the table,
ReplyDelete7:58 - Gallo's dirty campaign? On this blog, the majority of the mud-slinging has been done by Hayes' campaign. From the first post (9:22 p.m.) through to the more recent ones (6:32 p.m., 2:18 p.m., 4:40 p.m., 7:58 a.m.) are all negative posts by Hayes' supporters. But I have to say, the 2:18 post is my favorite - blaming the corp council for Matthews' ability to steal. Like Gallo gave the nod, right?
ReplyDeleteBTW...who the hell is Brian Woltman, and why was he nominating anyone?!
ReplyDeleteThe Blaber connection to Gallo or the Hoffay connection to Clement are so tiresome. Do people realize that the average voter that will be voting in a primary knows very little about either Hoffay or Blaber and really will not make their vote based on either of them?
ReplyDeleteIt's almost amusing because it's so silly. Who cares, who supports who, you are wasting your time. Only the insiders pay attention to this. There is no traction.
I can't vote for either but attacking Shayne Gallo for Matthews is crazy. Why not blame Clement, he was a sitting Alderman? It had nothing to do with either of them. News flash: It was Tim Matthews' fault.
2:27 - what's your definition of a "real job". You trash Dem lawyers for not getting a real job and Rep businessmen as well. Dem lawyers are incompetent and Rep businessmen are too stupid. Gallo is not running on his brother's name, though I'd love your proof otherwise. Nowhere has he used his brother's name in his campaign. Gallo is smart enough to know that his brother ran this city into the ground financially. And for you to denigrate 3 Democratic lawyers and say that they're not smart enough to get a real job? Gallo is in law and so is Sennett. Apparently, they are smart enough to get a "real job". Would you prefer your politicians to be like Mark Foley and Randy "Duke" Cunningham? Or Twitter expert Anthony Weiner? You're very quick to call people stupid and incompetent. What's your "real job"? You don't like teachers, lawyers, businessmen, or politicians. I guess you'd be impressed if Sennett, Gallo or Hinchey worked at Walmart. Is that a "real job"?
ReplyDeleteBlaber gets around. He was in court today to help defend Mathews.
ReplyDelete8:21, You want to see decent politicians again? Do away with the high salaries. Pay your state and federal rep's a stipend to cover costs like states like New Hampshire do. Then you will only get the smart lawyers and businessmen that truly want to make a difference. Not professional politicians that are in it for the money. Look at Hinchey, he can't get enough. He has collected a state assembly pension for 20 years while serving as Congressman.
ReplyDeleteIf Shayne makes a public statement that his brother was the start of bankrupting this city financially then he has my vote. He may not be outwardly using his brother's name, but he is perfectly happy to allow it to happen. Try telling one of his supporters that TR ran this city into the ground and see if you make it out with the clothes on your back. They are supporting the Gallo campaign based on a fantasy and Shayne is perfectly happy to let it happen.
5:35 - few people can afford to take a job that doesn't pay enough to pay the bills unless they've previously made their fortune. Take the city of Kingston's Common Council, for example. They make $8000/each. For all the work they do (and I'm not saying they do a good job), it's less than minimum wage. It's more than the meetings; there's a lot of reading (I would hope) and a bazillion phone calls from constituents. A former alderwoman told me she got a phone call from a woman who complained that her neighbor's underwear was hanging from her clothesline, and she didn't want to look at it. For $8000/year? Would you take the job? Probably not. I wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteIt's difficult to find candidates who would have to give up so much time for such little compensation. It truly is public service. Now take a NYS Senator or Assemblyperson, or a US Senator or Congressman. Larger districts, more time, more constituent phone calls, etc. And you want to pay them less than what they're earning now? How much do they make? I thought an assemblyman (not being a chair of a committee) earns $80K/year. As much as I would like to be earning that much, it's not a lot of money for all the knowledge and stress that accompanies it - campaigning every other year to start.
If you think we have a poor selection of candidates now, reduce the pay and perks and see who steps up.
A smart lawyer or businessman makes too much money to "want to make a difference". It takes years for an attorney or businessman to make their fortune. By that time, most don't want to make a difference. There are exceptions such as Quigley and Rooney, but mostly, those who are wealthy just want to spread their money around to buy influence and favors. Elected officials don't get rich from their position unless they're taking kickbacks, bribes, etc.
So now we have the likes of Cahill, Bonacic, and Larkin representing this area. I don't feel like investigating their biographies at this time, but I'm sure all of them didn't run for office right after they graduated college. Because the pay truly is meager, they really are in it for public service. Making the salaries lower would make it more difficult to get competent people to run.
And, your example of NH is a poor one. I went on the state's website, and found this tidbit:
Did you know the NH House of Representatives is the third-largest parliamentary body in the English speaking world? Only the U.S. Congress and Britain’s Parliament are larger.
They have 397 in the House, and 23 in the Senate. They're way over-represented, which means they have much less work than our state representatives. They have less traveling to do as the state is a fraction (square miles) of NY. Theirs is a more part-time legislative body than ours. And, depending upon what the stipend is, it could very well be a larger percentage of their state's budget than ours.
BTW, how would you expect Shayne to react if someone says "oh...you're TR's brother"? Should he deny it? Would you deny your brother? How should he not allow it (i.e., using his brother's name) to happen? "Psst....don't tell anybody he's my brother. I don't want anyone to know." Really? Seriously?
The NH stipend is $800 a year so all of their reps make about as much as two of ours when you include their committee assignments benefits and pensions (which they don't seem to be taking away from themselves like they have public workers.) The smaller districts exist to make sure the representatives are much closer to the people they represent. The only people our state reps are close to are lobbyists and their party leadership who tell them how to vote. And a part time legislature is definitely a good thing. Ours sits around all day thinking of more laws to pass to justify their jobs. Ever wonder why NY is number 50 in the list of states with the most freedom. Don't tell me it can't be done until you prove it can't be done, because our state legislature proves everyday it can't be done their way.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Gallo goes, he should be out there telling the world exactly how we got to where we are in the city, including the mistakes his brother made and the magnification of those mistakes by Sottile. I stand by what I said, most Gallo supporters support him because they have a love affair with his dead brother. TR was a great guy and I am glad people remember him so fondly, but he bankrupted this city.
Prediction...Gallo v. Turco-Levin and Gallo wins.
ReplyDelete221: I think Cahill will win the primary. Although yeah I see a Gallo win becasue you know what mojo is right, Andi is the most electable citywide but Cahill has an edge in the primary. Weird stuff.
ReplyDelete1:52 - when you talked to Gallo, what did he say to you about his brother? Did he rave about how good his brother was?
ReplyDeleteBlaber is an idiot and obviously a paid operative of Gallo. He loses my vote. Clement is in bed with the likes of Hoffay and Joe Fitzgerald--2 big losers. He loses my vote as well. I'm voting Turco-Levin.
ReplyDeleteJust a point: Hinchey is not, and never was, a lawyer.
ReplyDeleteHe has never held a job in the private sector -- except maybe -- just maybe, when he was in high school he might have had a job bagging groceries.
Oh no, wait, that's when he was a wannabe Hell's Angel in black leather riding a motorcycle.......