I got a call tonight from former Ulster County D.A. Don Williams today and he had left a message about coming on my show to discuss the social host law that he has spearheaded. I give Mr. Williams a lot of credit for that, I had some concerns and he has reached out to me to address them. I'm working to set up a date to have Mr. Williams on my show in the near future. I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Williams, he is a person who has dedicated his life to public service, I'm confident that his appearance on my show will inform the public as well as myself on this new law. More details as they develop.
5 comments:
REPOST from February 7th
Anonymous said...
This Social Host Law is flawed and unenforceable. I cannot understand why the legislature is even considering its passage. Some of the legislators have said they are supporting it out of respect for Don Williams. Don Williams put this local law forward to appease the parents of a young man killed in an after prom party late last year. His reasoning is that he cannot prosecute the attorney whom hosted the party with our current laws. I disagree.
I am wondering out loud who anonymously donated the $7000 for Don's salary? What happened to investigating the attorney that hosted this party? I spoke with the limo bus driver that brought all the kids to the attorney's house for the prom party that night. He was an off duty NYPD officer named Chris. I was adamant that NO alcohol be allowed on the limo bus. There was about 40 kids on the limo bus. I called Chris the Sunday after the accident, telling him there had been a fatality and he said that no kids brought alcohol on the limo bus when he picked them up and dropped them at the attorney's house that Saturday night. I actually scoured the limo bus myself to make sure there was NO alcohol hidden on board when they first left at 7 PM. How did all the alcohol get to the attorney's house? Why did the attorney take all the kids car keys and block his driveway? Why did the attorney coach the kids what to say before police arrived early that morning? Why didn't the Grand Jury hear testimony from all the kids? Did the attorney donate the $7000? Why did the attorney leave the country abruptly on that Sunday morning after the party in an unscheduled trip to Mexico?
It seems that Don wants to make the teenage driver a scapegoat for this incident and not spread the blame across the board to all responsible parties. My opinion is that Don is to close to the parents in this case personally and should recuse himself from prosecuting the case. We have an agreement with Dutchess County DA Grady to handle these types of cases and it would not cost the taxpayers any $$$ Don is being paid a per diem price of $565 a day or thereabouts. Something does not smell right about this whole incident and it is carrying over to the steam rolling passage of this social host law.
Here Here!! Mr. Williams must answer to WHO IS PAYING HIS SALARY??? Why does he get special treatment in the form of anonymous donorship for his GOVERNMENT SALARY? How is this legal??? How do we know it is not drug money or landlords who dont want their slum/ drug dens raided by Urgent? How does this not have "the appearance of impropriety"??? It sure looks improper from outside 1818!! Why are the new DA and "Donnie" paying their friends to prosecute cases when Dutchess would do it for free????? This is rediculous!!
The Sherrif looks just as corrupt... Too bad there is no media to look into this for the people...
Everyone agrees with the concept of proposing and passing a Social Host Law for our community. What cannot be understood is the passage of Laws for political purpose.
This was very clear after last Tuesdays Legislative meeting during the theatrical performance produced and directed by Former DA Don Williams and staring the Lipsons, family of the boy killed in the after prom party last May 19th. Attention was turned from the matter at hand to the accident that occurred last May. That accident should have nothing to do with passage of the Social Host Law. Not one person in the Legislative Chamber was opposed to adopting a Social Host Law. The item in question was if there should be an educational component included or not. Legislators decided they would possibly add it at a later date so they can spend your tax dollars to try and reinvent the wheel and come up with their own educational program. This because the Former DA is adamant that NO county agency should work with Marie Shultis, the woman who conceived the Alcohol Awareness Program for Ulster County at no cost to taxpayers. Shultis is using teens that made life changing mistakes to try and send a strong message to other teens not to make these same bad decisions. Shultis' thinking "outside the box" is having profound impacts on the teens in her group and she should be applauded for caring so much! Instead Williams is covertly trying to ruin her program single handedly with his political influence and county contacts.
It was stated by Lipson that had the Social Host Law been in place their son would be alive today. I am confused by this statement...
How can this law be effective in saving a life when prosecutors across the country cannot get a conviction?
Our Social Host Law needs to get to the root of this problem. Enabling parents that think their kid and friends are mature enough to handle drinking and continue to host these parties.
In the instance of the May 19th party and subsequent death, the hosting parents Alan & Gail Zwiebel
allegedly played drinking games with the kids. An incident occurred, as they always will when alcohol is involved, and after 2 hours of relentless badgering by one of the teens for a ride home the driver caved to peer pressure and made a really bad life changing mistake and drove the other teen home. Where were the host parents during this conflict??? Why did the teen have his keys if the Zwiebels said they took all the keys and blocked their driveway???
Could they have stopped the dispute and settled the teens down so that no one left in a 4000 lb missile? These enabling parents deserve as much responsibility for the death that night as the driver of the car! Our new Social Host Law will do little to stop these types of incidents from happening...until we educate enabling parents.
Poor Donny seems to be losing control of his morals...suck it up son your Golden Parachute is only a month away!!!
2/29/08 Freeman Reports on(4)DWI
repeat offender!
(To read copy & paste in browser)
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/index.cfm?newsid=19344480&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74969&rfi=8
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