Senator Clinton on Letterman-- Video

Here is part of the interview from Senator Clinton's appearance on Letterman for those who missed it.

Walgreens Breaks Ground Next Month

Walgreens will break ground next month at the old bus garage on Broadway, Mayor James Sottile has been instrumental in cleaning up that site and addressing the hazardous conditions that held up the project. So, not only is the community going to have a new drug store that will make it more convenient for senior citizens who live in the area but a major environmental hazard has been corrected.

Senator Clinton on Letterman Tonight

Senator Hillary Clinton will be on the Late Show w/ David Letterman tonight on CBS. If you have a chance tune in to watch our next President at 1130pm. On a side note, Mayor James Sottile has been appointed to serve on Hillary Clinton's Mayoral task force, more on that later........

Random Photo Blog

Here is a random photo blog that I put together of pictures that I have taken on the campaign trail. For some reason these have not made the blog and I finally have run out of room in my digital camera and I'm starting to clear it out.

Popular Fourth Ward Alderman Clint Brown at Kingston's Make a Difference Day
Supervisor Woerner and Blaber
Bad picture I took of Alderman-at-Large Noble and myself
A picture I took at Governor Spitzer's swearing-in ceremony on "Day One"
An autographed set of tires that I won at auction from our Assemblyman Kevin Cahill

Jody Edinger, Senator Bill Larkin and Blaber
Alderman Mike Madsen and Mary Williams

Cahill Calls For Six Debates... Are You Kidding Me?

GOP Candidate Richard Cahill has challenged Democratic Mayor James Sottile to six debates according to an article in the Daily Freeman today. Six debates, are you kidding me? Mayor Sottile has agreed to do three, which is more then generous. After all, in the 2004 race for President of the United States there were only three, Cahill wants six for a Kingston mayoral election. Not for nothing but Mayor Sottile has a city to run and simply does not have the time to host six debates. I wonder if Cahill really understands what he is running for and the amount of time and energy it takes to be mayor of the city of Kingston. Hey, I wish there were 10 debates, the more Cahill opens his mouth the better Mayor Sottile looks.

Blaber News Person of the Week : Sheriff Paul J. Van Blarcum

As I was riding down Broadway today, I noticed a few deputy sheriff's riding around on ATVs patrolling mid-town Kingston, I thought that it's very refreshing to see such a strong police presence. I then was waiting for the light by my cousin's bar (Brodway Joes's) yeah, the one with the statues on the building, as I waited at the light I noticed that one of the ATVs was being driven by none other than Sheriff Van Blarcum himself! That really says it all as to the type of guy Sheriff Van Blarcum is, and the type of involvement that he has for the community. How many former county Sheriff's were that involved and how many current Sheriff's outside of Ulster County actually go on regular patrols and are out riding around in 85 degree weather in mid town Kingston? Kudos to our Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum.

Noble Signs Now Available

As you all know James Noble is running for reelection for another 4-year term as Alderman-at-Large and is involved in a primary for the Democratic and Conservative lines. The election is less then a month away so, you can show your support for Alderman Noble by putting a lawn sign outside your house or maybe volunteering with the campaign. If you would like to put out a lawn sign please call James Noble at 845-339-4696 or send me an e-mail at jeremyblaber@yahoo.com with your home address and I'll get a sign to you, thanks.

Gilpatric Wins Straw Poll

Judge James Gilpatric won a recent poll that was conducted over a week in a half period for city court Judge. The poll was probably one of the better polls I have conducted as far as participation goes, with well over 500 people participating. I think poll while non- scientific is a true reflection of what will probably be the most competitive race in the city of Kingston this November. Judge Gilpatric is running against J. Michael Bruhn Jr., both men come from good families and are highly respected in the legal community.

Poll Results : Judge Poll

Sennett House Party Tomorrow

Please join Tricia Kakalec and Jen Fuentes for a fundraiser in honor of Jonathan R. Sennett for District Attorney. The event is this Sunday, 2-4 pm at 27 Linderman Avenue, in Kingston. You can RSVP at 255-4166 with Judy Hakam. There is a $ 30.00 suggested donation. For more information go to www.sennettforda.com

The Real Problem in Mid Town

The press conference to "save our city" was held in front of Henry St., just 24 hours after a major raid by Sottile and Urgent that netted about 34 arrests. Webb, Cahill, Walker and the rest of the usual suspects attended, grandstanding, at an event that was designed to take back Henry street. However, not many people were there and only a few from mid-town Kingston, it seems from the lack of participation the majority of people are happy with the current administration's already aggressive approach in making Kingston safe. And, while, the grandstander's were standing on the streets with signs and no solutions, Kingston's finest and the Sheriff's department patrolled up and down mid-town doing the real work in making sure that Kingston and it's residents are safe.





Notice the police car behind Phil Cosme, there was a very strong presence of police in mid-town on Friday afternoon. Is it me or is there something wrong with Cosme.

BREAKING NEWS : SOTTILE AND URGENT SHUT DOWN CRIME IN MID TOWN

"I have a message to the drug dealers and people who participate in illegal activity," Sottile said. "When you think we don't know what you are doing, we do. When you think we are not watching, we are, and when you think we are not acting, we will every single time."
- Mayor James M. Sottile


A large drug raid swept mid town Kingston this morning which lead to over 30 arrests and the complete shut down of 29 Henry, 55 Henry, 69 Henry, which where know homes that dealt in the sale of narcotics, these buildings have all been CONDEMNED. The arrest came after a two month investigation that included the URGENT Drug Task Force, the DEA, FBI and the ATF. Mayor Sottile was on the scene this morning when the raid went down, Sottile worked closely with law enforcement throughout the process.This was a long investigation that took several months and for obvious reasons we could not talk about it said Kingston Police Chief Gerald Keller. More details to follow... a 1pm press conference is scheduled.

This is a significant blow to the drug dealers in Kingston, I think that Mayor Sottile and local law enforcement have sent a clear message that this type of crime will not be tolerated in the city and if it happens arrests will be made. I applaud the Mayor and the police for their efforts, it's clear that they are doing everything that they can to improve the quality of life in Kingston.

NOTE : The press conference at 1 pm is being held by Mayor James Sottile ;Supervisor Nick Woerner;Police Chief Keller;Under Sheriff Faluotico; Lt. Tim Matthews; D.A. Don Williams; as well as a representative from the DEA,


UPDATE : The search warrants yielded three rifles, a shotgun, and a .380 caliber handgun as well as quantity if crack cocaine in excess of 1/2 an ounce, a quantity of pills and approximately $7000.00 in cash. According to Sherriff Paul Van Blarcum 31 arrests have been executed.

The following agencies participated in the raid:

Kingston Police
Ulster County Sheriff's Dept.
Ulster County D.A.'s office
Town of Ulster Police
Ulster County Probation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Drug Enforcement Agency
Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms
Town of Lloyd PD
Town of New Paltz PD
Town of Shandaken PD
Town of Saugerties PD
New York State Parole
New York State Police

Arrests made during raid :

Jonathan Jones 36, Kingston

Melvin Meeks 52, Port Ewen

Steffon Johnson 37, Kingston

Stephano Valles 23, Kingston

Heidi Tyrell 22, Kingston

Rhonda Gray 39, Kingston

Andre Paul 32, NYC

Derick Jones 25, Kingston ( buy and sell sting operation in Mayor's driveway)

Charles Smith 40, Kingston

Jerry Carpino 49, Kingston

James Bryant 64, Kingston

Richard Bullock 38, Kingston

Carlos Wood 34, Kingston

John Holloway Jr, 48, Kingston

David Roberts 44, Kingston

Mary Bullock 46, Saugerties

Anthoney Brodhead 34, Kingston

Gene Broadhead 28, Kingston

Christina Pinto 21, Kingston

Laura Cressey 54, Kingston

James London 79, Kingston

Katie London 65, Kingston

Samona Davis 30, Kingston

Noel Martinez 27, Kingston

Re-Elect Supervisor Supervisor Nicky B. Woerner, Fundraiser aboard the Rip Van Winkle

Please join Supervisor Nick Woerner, for a night of fun aboard the Rip Van Winkle in support of his reelection bid. The boat ride is at 7 pm this Thursday, August 23rd. There is a donation of $ 30. Tickets can be purchased at the door.

SENNETT, SOTTILE, and NOBLE TOP STRAW POLLS

The blog Kingston Truth held a few polls on some local races in Kingston and the results are in, after five days of voting Sennett, Sottile, and Noble emerged victorious in their individual races for office, respectively. If the polls are accurate Noble is a pretty strong candidate trouncing Walker with over 70% of the vote! Sottile also did well, easily beating out Cahill by a more then 2 to 1. The race for D.A. was even more interesting with Sennett emerging victorious in a 3-way race where the Independence candidate did better then the Republican! You can look at the full results at Abe's Website----> Kingston Truth

The poll is not scientific but it was conducted in a fair manner and people were given several days to vote for their choice. Apparently, the choice is clear : Sennett, Sottile, and Noble.

Assemblyman Cahill to Co-Chair Ethics Panel

Assemblyman Kevin Cahill has been appointed by Speaker Shelly Silver to serve as co-chair of the nine-member Legislative Ethics Commission. The commission was created in response of the Ethics Reform Act of 2007. This particular committee may not be a committee that will bring money to the 101st district but it's a committee that deals with a very important issue, one that means a lot to our Assemblyman. Cahill has continually fought for ethics reform and continues to make us proud in Albany.

"As chair of the Assembly Committee on Ethics and Guidance for the past two years, Kevin Cahill has shown his dedication to integrity and his commitment to the highest standards of ethics," Silver said

GOP CANDIDATE USES "N" WORD ON LIVE TV

Phil Cosme who has used his tv show to raise money, attack and harass the Mayor and other elected officials, unwarrantably, has sunk to a new low. Mr.Cosme apparently feels it is appropriate to utter racial obscenities on his tv show, which he did multiple times on his Wednesday show. When confronted by a concerned African American, who called into his show, Mr. Cosme tried to justify the unjustifiable comment by saying the word is in the dictionary. The question is how will the KPA commission handle the situation, thus far the KPA has done nothing to him becasue if they take action against him he threatens and intimidates the members.

At this point it has gone too far, Mr. Cosme has crossed the line and the commission needs to take immediate action. The KPA must suspend Mr.Cosme's program and in it's place they should hold some sort of program on tolerance and diversity. I encourage all people to contact your elected officials listed below, and ask that action be taken on this matter or that the plug be pulled on the cable commission. If the cable commission refuses to do it's job then it's time to hand the operation back to Time Warner.

Mayor James Sottile - mayor@ci.kingston.ny.us

KPA Chair, Lisa Alt - lisalalt@hotmail.com

The e-mail addresses for Kingston Aldermen are as follows:
ward + the number they represent @ci.kingston.ny.us, for example Alderman Teetsel who represents Ward 1, would be ward1@ci.kingston.ny.us

More disturbing, Mr.Cosme is running for Alderman. Can you imagine this guy as a public servant? The last thing we need is a bigot on the council. Also the last thing the GOP needs is a bigot running on their ticket, an unfair stereotype often associated with the party. I call upon Mr.Cahill, Mr.Walker, and all other Republican candidates to denounce Mr.Cosme's actions. How can they allow someone like this to associated with them.

BLABER'S NEWS REACHES FORTY THOUSAND HITS!!

Blaber's News and Commentary has hit yet another milestone, 40,000 hits. I'm honored that I have built up a blog that has such a large following said Blaber, who started his blog a short 18 months ago. When I started, I had an average hit count of about 20 people per day, now it's well over 300. While Blaber is quick to admit that his blog tends to lean to a liberal slant, he points out the wide popularity of GOP viewers that come to his website. Mario Catalano, ( the Ulster County GOP Chair) tells me he loves the blog, and I get that from Republicans all the time. At the end of the day this is a good community blog, that keeps people up to date on local issues as well as provide them a voice by expressing their own comments and that's something that attracts both Democrats and Republicans alike.

Shirley Whitlock Holds Fundraiser Tonight at 7pm

Shirley Whitlock, Democratic candidate for Ward 4, is holding a fundraiser tonight at 7 pm at the Puporusio (sp?) restaurant. The restaurant is located directly across the street from the UPAC. Please come for a night of good food and to support the only candidate running in the ward, that cares about the fourth ward and not their own personal interests.

Noble Reminds voters that the Alderman-at-Large is Essentially Kingston's Vice President

Council President James Noble reminded voters today to remember when voting, that the Alderman-at-Large is essentially the Vice-president of the city of Kingston and that if something were to happen to the mayor that the Alderman-at-Large automatically would get sworn in as mayor. So the question really is does Lenny have what it takes to fulfill the duties of mayor if something happened to Mayor Sottile? The simple answer, no. I like Lenny but I think that as mayor you must posses certian leadership skills and discipline that Walker lacks. James Noble has consistently demonstrated that he has what it takes to be mayor, the alderman-at-large assumes the duties of mayor anytime the mayor is out of town, James Noble is currently acting Mayor as we speak, while Mayor James Sottile is on vacation.

If Walker was alderman-at-large you would see an extreme abuse of power in the Mayor's absence. And, while many will say that it is very unlikely that something would happen in a short period of time and that the alderman-at-large's executive powers are limited even when the Mayor is on vacation or just out of town. What if there was an emergency? Some sort of crisis and Sottile was out of town, who do you really want leading the city and making the tough decisions? Let's go a step further what if the Mayor had an illness or worse who do you want to lead the city through such a crisis? I'm going with Noble.

There's also the question over whether Lenny would give up his 115k per year job to become mayor if he had to, Noble has made it pretty clear that he would hold up to his commitment while Lenny has not. Walker has stated on numerous occasions that the reason that he is running for the number two spot is because he did not want to take the large pay cut that comes with the number one spot. So if he does not want to take the pay cut now, why would he want to take one say two years from now?

"I would stand by my commitment, but I think Lenny is committed to himself and that makes me a little nervous."
- James Noble, Alderman-at-Large

Vote: Kingston City Judge Race

The poll is now closed, thanks to all who voted.

Winner : James P. Gilpatric

Results : Poll Results

Kingston Truth Polls

There is another local blog Kingston Truth that has a variety of different web polls going on now that deal with the Kingston Mayoral race, Ulster D.A. race, Ulster Supervisor race, best blogger, ect. I encourage people to go and vote for their candidate in each race. You can visit the website by clicking ----> Kingston Truth or by entering www.kingtsontruth.blogspot.com in your web browser. Note : Kingston is spelled with the t before the s. The polls are located on the left side of the blog. I'm disappointed to see that the Kingston city Judge race was not uploaded...maybe I'll do that one.

I have got a lot of e-mails about who is behind the blog, I have no idea. The blogger does the blog anonymously, which is his right. He calls himself ''Honest Abe", and for the most part the blog postings seem to be fair.

Jonathan Sennett Speaks At Democratic Headquarters

Jon Sennett speaks about his recent endorsement from the Central Labor Council, Sennett was endorsed by the C.L.C. after all three candidates for D.A. were interviewed. Labor Federation President Tim Riley said Sennett has “a solid track record as a prosecutor and a defense attorney.”

Mr. Sennett also talks about the recent report that Kingston Police Chief Keller has brought fourth which involves a proactive approach to crime that deals with the root causes. Mr. Sennett unlike his Republican opponent has campaigned on this premise since the start of his campaign.

Sennett to Appear at Ulster County Dem Women Meeting Tonight

Jon Sennett is going to be at the Ulster County Dem Women meeting tonight, it's an open meeting and all are welcome to attend. Please come and talk to Jon and listen to his ideas and maybe share your thoughts. The meeting is held at 7 pm U.C. Dem Headquarters across from the Uptown Cigar Shop in Kingston.

Cahill and Walker's Honeymoon Period Appartently Over

Richard Cahill and Lenny Walker's arranged political marriage by convenience seems to be having it's troubles. Cahill and Walker brought together by their dislike for Mayor Jim Sottile and both of them desperately wanting to seek higher office, it was only a matter of time before things came to a boiling point. Apparently, Alderman Walker did not take to kindly to a $25 contribution from Clifford Miller, the bank president that was caught last year allegedly soliciting a prostitute on Broadway. When Mr. Cahill heard that someone was making an issue of this completely legitimate contribution, from a person that despite this small mistake is a stand-up guy, he responded "What imbecile would make an issue out of this?" Only to find out it was his running mate. Alderman Walker, who shares a campaign account with Cahill, went further to say that if the contribution was not returned that he could not have anything more to do with Cahill's campaign.

The funny thing is that we all could see this coming, and trust me this is not the end of the antics that we will see from the Cahill/Walker duo. The fact of the matter is that the contribution is not that big of a deal, but Cahill is teamed up with a person that craves attention and can't help but spout his mouth off. As someone looking at this in an impartial manner, I would say the best thing Richard Cahill can do from is keep the contribution and let Walker part ways with the campaign. There is no question that Walker has already done damage and will continue to do damage to a campaign that most say was doomed from day one. However, as a Democrat, and Sottile supporter, I think Cahill should stay with Walker so we can watch their campaign self destruct. Not for nothing, it's pretty humorous to watch them together, they were made for one another.

UPDATED :Jonathan Sennett KCR Interview Part 1

Here is part one of the Kingston Community Radio Interview, I will have more on later. This is more in depth from what I had on originally.

SOTTILE STEPS UP PATROLS AFTER CRIME SPURT

Kingston Mayor James Sottile and the Kingston Police department are stepping up patrols in mid town Kingston in the wake of a recent crime spurt, that included a stabbing and a shots fired on Henry Street. Chief Keller promised to put more cars in mid town and to create a heavy police presence. Mayor Sottile praised the efforts of the KPD and vowed to make sure residents feel safe. My top priority is to make residents of this city feel safe, the police and myself are doing everything we can to achieve that, said Sottile.

Council President James Noble sets up re-election Website

Council President James Noble has set up a website for Kingston Residents to go to to find out about his candidacy and information on the campaign trail. The website will be updated frequently and provide a lot of good information about his work as Alderman-at-Large and his plan to continue to move Kingston forward in a positive direction. Check often!

The Website is : www.nobleforkingston.blogspot.com You can visit the website by clicking here -> Alderman Noble's Website

CSEA makes endorsements for Kingston council races

Ward 2- Jennifer Ringwood

Ward 3- Charles Landi

Ward 4- Shirley Whitlock

Ward 5- Anne Marie DiBella

Ward 6- Robert Gillon

Ward 7- Bill Reynolds

A special congratulations to all those who received their endorsement.

Photo Blog: Night Out at Block Park

‘National Night Out' is a great opportunity for citizens, law enforcement and other public safety officials to join forces. Events are planned to promote crime prevention and drug prevention awareness and to strengthen the police - community partnership. National Night Out' is designed to: Heighten crime and drug prevention awareness, Generate support and participation in crime efforts, Strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community relations,Send the message that your neighborhood is a safe place to live.

Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum stops by with his mobile command unit
Jonathan R. Sennett with Ron Wade
Patrick Carroll on the campaign trail
Jon Sennett talks with one of the volunteers from Night Out

Jonathan Sennett on WGHQ with Sue Wittig

Jon Sennett appeared on WPDH this morning with Sue Wittig, the show went very well and I will have video of the event up soon.

BREAKING NEWS : CAHILL VOWS TO VOTE AGAINST 300 JOBS IN KINGSTON!!!!

Alderman Richard Cahill has vowed to vote against a proposal that Colony Liquor has brought fourth to expand their business, and bring 300 additional high paying jobs into the city of Kingston. Mr.Cahill's reasoning for voting against the expansion of this private sector business, you know one of the private sector businesses that Cahill always talks about it's despite need to grow in the area, is because it will bring in too much noise for residents in the area and that the diesel smell from the trucks will be too much. Are you kidding me? This guy wants to be the mayor of the city of Kingston and he is voting against a proposal that will bring in industry for the city of Kingston.

Cahill also stated on his television program that if he were mayor maybe he could stop it....so folks, vote for Cahill and you will be preventing a profitable business from expanding and providing 300 good paying jobs. Cahill reiterated on his show several times, that he has went out of his way to try to find some common ground on how to rectify the noise issue, so that he could vote in favor of this project, yet he skipped out on the public hearing that dealt with the noise issue among other concerns with this project, to go campaigning! This from a guy who attacked Anne Marie DiBella for missing a committee meeting to hold a fundraiser, yet he misses a public hearing that seriously impacts his ward? What a hypocrite!

BTW- Mayor James Sottile is firmly in support of this proposal, as is every other elected official in Kingston. Folks, in politics this is what we call a no-brainer....

Blaber withdraws support for Eric Kitchen

In an earlier post I had announced my support for Eric Kitchen and Charlie Thomas for town of Ulster board . However, I no longer feel Mr. Kitchen will be a good fit to the board. Not to say I'm backing the other Democrat that is running, I do not know anything about him. The only candidate that I will be supporting for town of Ulster council is Charles Thomas. Mr. Thomas has consistently demonstrated that he has the leadership capabilities to be an effective leader and an asset to the town board. A lifelong resident of the town, Thomas has been actively involved in town activities for over 30 years and currently serves as Deputy Supervisor.

Charlie is a good friend even if he's misguided in his support for Bradley, who is his nephew. I ran into Charlie tonight and he was discussing how great Vince would make as a public Servant. Maybe so, I have nothing against Bradley Jr., I think he could have a good career as a public servant..maybe as a state legislator or maybe follow in his father's footsteps as a Judge.......just not D.A., Sennett is the better and more quilified candidate.

U.C.D.W. Support Sennett for D.A.

The following is an endorsement from the U.C.D.W.

From prosecutor on the toughest streets in the nation (the Bronx), to one of the lead defense attorneys for the UC Public Defender's Office, to private practice, no other candidate in the race for UC District Attorney can match Democrat Jonathan Sennett's insight and depth of experience!

It is the District Attorney's job to lead. The many dedicated people in the law enforcement community, criminal justice system, and community at large deserve a D.A. who will provide them with the motivation, direction and support they need. In an era of increasing violence and offenses against special victims, Jonathan's progressive and innovative ideas for improving the criminal justice system are long overdue: from devoting more resources to child victims and those afflicted by domestic violence and sex crimes, to ending the draconian Rockefeller drug laws that waste precious resources

Jon is ready to put his vast experience to work for all of us, but he can only do it with our support. Join UCDW in supporting Jon and all our talented candidates.

Blaber on Radio Free Kingston this Sunday at 12:30

Jeremy Blaber has been invited to be a guest on '' Radio Free Kingston", hosted by Legislator Gary Bischoff and Art Richter. I look forward to going on and hope that people tune in, said Blaber. Radio Free Kingston airs Sunday from 12:30-1:30 on 1490 AM on WKNY.

Berardi continues to needlessly attack Supervisor Woerner

It seems that Mike Berardi for some reason is attacking Supervisor Nick Woerner every chance he gets. There was a comment Berardi made a few weeks go, in a local publication, that I ignored, and wrote off as tongue and cheek. However, after the article that appeared in this weeks Kingston Times I feel compelled to respond. In the article Legislator Berardi, said that he is unhappy with the way the town of Ulster is being run and if his situation was different and he didn't have a full time job he may of run for town Sup., now part of the reason may be that Berardi has a full time job but the other main reason is that he couldn't win in a primary against Woerner. Mr. Berardi's chief complaint seemed to be that he felt that Supervisor Woerner does not return his phone calls, hardly a reason to primary an incumbent supervisor. Furthermore, I find Mr. Berardi's claim very funny, even when Mr. Woerner and I are not getting along, which occasionally happens, he always returns my calls and I'm not even a constituant. Call me crazy but I think this is nothing more then Berardi wanting Woerner's job. It's a shame Berardi must unnecessarily add to all the infighting that already exists within the Democratic party.

More from the U.C. Fair

Jon Sennett talking with supporters
Rosendale Councilman, and Supervisor candidate Patrick McDonough with Alderman Madsen
Blaber stands inside the empty GOP tent
Blaber stands inside the empty Bradley tent
Blaber in the mobile office of NYS Attorney General Andrew Cuomo