Monday, May 12, 2008

Exec Race Over, Comptroller Taking Shape


The race for Executive is almost over and it's just early May. Hein may walk into the Democratic convention unopposed and will have his huge campaign fund intact to spread his campaign message forward this November. On the Republican side you have two candidates, Len Bernardo and Glenn Noonan fighting it out. The party leaders want Bernardo, I expect Noonan to fight the hard fight and walk away with the party's nomination in September. Either way it's Hein in a landslide this November.




The race for Comptroller is a little more interesting, David Donaldson, a veteran politician who has a pretty solid track record and Elliott Auerbach, the manager for the Village of Ellenville are facing off in a primary for the Democratic nomination this September. While no GOP challenger has stepped up yet, I expect one will this week. Smart money says Tom Turco or Jim Quigley will be the GOP candidate.

40 comments:

Anonymous said...

Both races are over. Hein wins by 9500 votes in the general election, and Donaldson wins by 5000+

The Republican Party is finished in NY and Ulster County forever.

McCain might be our next President, but that's about the only Republican we'll have to worry about around here.

Demmy Demmson

Anonymous said...

Auerbach is the clear choice here. What Ulster County needs is a charismatic go-getter like Elliott who will bring a fresh face to county politics. He has the qualification without any of the strings and will set the bar for what a County Comptroller should be.

Anonymous said...

Hey, Auerbach did such an outstanding job as Manager of Ellenville - ofcourse, he should step up!! This is beyond the principal of people rising to the level of their incompetance! After all, he did such a great job in Ellenville, we shold elect him President! Why not bankrupt the whole country!!

Anonymous said...

You have a time machine Jeremy?

Anonymous said...

Let’s set the record straight right here and right now about the Village of Ellenville. First of all, the village is FAR from bankrupt as the uninformed Anonymous would have you believe above. Case-in-point, this article which ran in the FREEMAN last week: Land sale still benefiting village (follow the link below to see how the shrewd Auerbach negotiated the deal).

http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19670482&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74958&rfi=6

Auerbach did not cause a deficit in the village. That charge falls squarely on the backs of the delinquent tax payers who failed their community by shirking their civic responsibilities.

Maybe the Village would have been able to collect the taxes if Ulster County was obligated to enforce village tax-collection like it is for town and school taxes. Only 5 counties in the state, including Ulster, put Villages in this inferior position.

Maybe that is something Mr. Auerbach will remedy when he is our Comptroller!

Another root cause of the deficit was the inability to sell some municipal buildings. I guess Anonymous blames Auerbach for the paltry state of the real estate market as well...

Blaming Auerbach for the deficit would be akin to blaming Anonymous for global warming (reference to all the hot air he is blowing in this blog).

Finally… Faced with a deficit outside of his control, what did Auerbach do?

Average tax bill in Ellenville rising by $116
http://www.dailyfreeman.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19659125&BRD=1769&PAG=461&dept_id=74958&rfi=6

A modest increase by anyone’s account…

So if nothing else, Anonymous, thanks for helping prove up my point that Auerbach is not only qualified, but best suited for the job. The case study of Ellenville’s deficit demonstrates that that when faced with a problem out of his control Auerbach stepped up to the plate, and made lemonade…. Thanks to Anonymous for the lemons…

Anonymous said...

Quigley & beradi - the two CPAS? Are they chicken or lazy?

Anonymous said...

Demmy Demmson
Congratulations on having all of these democrats in power.
Now maybe we can feed more welfare cases, let the infrastructure fall into more despair.
Give more free food and housing to people who dont want to contribute to society and raise taxes even higher...
What a great idea you and the rest of them have.
Ulster county is the 72nd highest taxed county in the nation and you think its a republican/democrat problem?
You are as ridiculous as the officials.

Anonymous said...

Demmy Demmson aka Dave Bell.... you can't hide Dave.

Quigley and Berardi will not run because as much as they piss and moan, they are not willing to sacrifice their own personal income to run. To them, it is important to criticize everyone who is elected, but is isn't important enough for them to run themselves.

Anonymous said...

I think the republicans are finished and it shows by the lack of finding any candidates.

Anonymous said...

The Republican party will return. As county political history is recorded, this period is only a part of the the cycle. With Holley (Carnright) in the powerful DA's spot, the Republican's now have 19 months to convince Harry VanVliet to run for Sheriff.

Anonymous said...

9:19: Carnright is a dud as DA. Van Blarcum won't be voted out.

Anonymous said...

Van Blarcum is the best Sheriff this County has ever seen. No one stands a chance.

Anonymous said...

>Demmy Demmson
>Congratulations on having all of >these democrats in power.

The 39% Tax increase, the Jail mess, and years of bad Republican government had most to do with that.

>Now maybe we can feed more welfare >cases,

After 8 years of Bush, and a farce War bankrupting our econmomy, sadly, we are going to have alot more people on welfare. We owe those less fortunate a helping hand, and Democrats are there to do it.

>> let the infrastructure fall into more despair.

8 Years of Bush has alot to do with that. We are building new bridges in Iraq, because we needlessly destroyed them with our bombs. Those killed in Minnesota last year died in vein.

>Give more free food and housing to >people who dont want to contribute >to society and raise taxes even >higher...

They would contribute, if you and your corporate thug pals like George Bush didn't move your factories to China for explotation wages. Shame on you!!!

>.What a great idea you and the >rest of them have.
>Ulster county is the 72nd highest >taxed county in the nation and you >think its a republican/democrat >problem?

I'd rather pay taxes than live in excess. We all can live a good middle class life, if we work hard, and care for one another, and a Democratic Government accomplishes that mission. Republicans only look out for the uber-Wealthy. The 1% who control 99% of the wealth.

>You are as ridiculous as the >officials.

One in the same. Have a nice Day.

Demmy D.

Anonymous said...

>Demmy Demmson aka Dave Bell.... you >can't hide Dave.

I can run, but I'm not Dave. ;)

Quigley and Berardi will not run because as much as they piss and moan, they are not willing to sacrifice their own personal income to run. To them, it is important to criticize everyone who is elected, but is isn't important enough for them to run themselves.

Great Point. An inevitable Democratic thumping would serve to
deflate their large egos.

Demmy D aka Patty Olives ;)

Anonymous said...

>The Republican party will return. As >county political history is >recorded, this period is only a part >of the the cycle. With Holley >(Carnright) in the powerful DA's >spot, the Republican's now have 19 >months to convince Harry VanVliet to >run for Sheriff.

Carnright is an example of how Republicans can only win anymore, by having a split Democratic ticket. A unified Democratic ticket wins by landslides. This year appears to be very good for the Dems.

As for our Sheriff, Paul has done an incredible job. Harry Van Vliet
is a credible candidate and would make a good Sheriff. I will vote for Paul again and again. In a race for Sheriff, I vote more for the person, party affiliation means less, qualifications mean more.

Demmy D.

Anonymous said...

Most Democrats in Kingston will vote for Auerbach. David Donaldson is out of his league thinking he should be Comptroller. Can Dave add 2 plus 2together?

Anonymous said...

VanVliet won't run he works for Bernie Gray, Nickie Woerner's former boss and major suporter!

BudgetNY said...

This is Dave Bell and I am NOT Demmy Demson who EVER that is..Stop dragging me into this stuff..You know my name ..You know my sign on name..I am not shy about my opinion and I don't hide behind anonymous..Ok..got it??

Anonymous said...

Demmy D aka Patty Olives:

I have sacrificed current and future income by volunteering my stock in trade - "my time" to several organizations in the past. I cannot speak for Mr. Quigley but I would literally volunteer again (serve without any pay and benefits)if I believed I could make a difference in the behavioer of our taxpayer funded spending lawmakers - but in my opinion the Charter was designed to keep things where they are and have been.

Anonymous said...

Latest story Reynolds goes to work at Republican Headquarters. Bonacic picks up part of the tab. Catalano must be in real trouble, his ego needs to be recharged

Anonymous said...

News Flash...

Those in the know are aware that "Lou s." is actually "Lou Saphir" -- a long-time pseudonym of Elliott Auerbach!

Yep, Elliott is so desperate and unethical that he would stoop to using his own sock-puppet to toot his own horn.

Notice that nobody else has had a positive thing to say about him here.

So much for "setting the bar"! Go-getter? Get lost already.

Anonymous said...

Quoting VanBlarcum in Reynolds column Oct. 3, 2007, "He (VanVliet) actually knows some administrative procedures better than I (VanBlarcum) do". VanVliet holds much more experience as a law enforcement administrator. If you vote based on qualifications, VanVliet excels over any candidate out there, including the current Sheriff.

Anonymous said...

Do your homework:
Bernie Gray is not a "major supporter" of Woerner.

If he is anything, he is VanVliet's. These two guys from Esopus are a popular and powerful force in both Kingston and Esopus. Think about it, the hundreds of people through their business.

Anonymous said...

No one is beating VanBlarcum. He is locked as long as he wants it. VanVliet then, and any other current Sheriff employee lost their chance last time out. Paul is doing a great job and won by a landslide. How could he lose?

Anonymous said...

Now it's Donaldson.....

When will we ever get someone who will actually DO something for the county, rather than take credit for doing things he NEVER did? What a bunch of winners in Ulster County...
As for Demmy, guess again. Soon the democratic party will be finished ALL OVER THE COUNTRY, not just in Ulster County.

Anonymous said...

Never ever, take anything for granted in the political realm as unforeseen events can and do happen.

Anonymous said...

For an ongoing forum discussion that elaborates the increasing likelihood that the "Lou S." who praised and justified Elliott Auerbach here actually IS Elliott Auerbach himself hyping himself, go to the Ellenville Journal at:

http://www.ellenvillejournal.com/comment/0805083.html

Included are now some revelations coming to light about questionable real estate dealings that suggest, at least, potential conflict of interest, but may be even more damaging to someone seeking to be the county's "ethical watchdog."

Anonymous said...

It is obvious that the person spitting this venom about Auerbach is Steve Krulick, a disgruntled hack from Ellenville who has nothing better to do.

Jeremy Blaber said...

Dave and Elliott are both good people. I hope the race comptroller does nasty and bitter. It's counter-productive and only helps the GOP.

Anonymous said...

Someone (possibly pretending very hard NOT to be Auerbach) seems to have had a nerve hit.

Of course, who the actual whistle-blower is hardly matters (and would simply be a distraction used to take the attention off the original culprit) IF the charges are true (the REAL issue here). And there's compelling evidence already that the charges of sock-puppet posting are true.

Indeed, the lack of an unequivocal denial or clarification from "Lou S." or Auerbach is almost deafening.

The tone of this most recent anonymous comment strongly suggests that it too is from Auerbach, even more desperate and "disgruntled" than before.

Perhaps Mr. Blaber can trace the IP address of the suspect "Lou S." posts and determine where they came from to resolve this? Inquiring citizens and voters want to know!

Anonymous said...

Krulick, give a rest. I am not Auerbach,and I am not even sure I will support him. This crap is old already. We get it, you don't like Eliot.

Anonymous said...

Let's just focus on the original issue, which stands on its own, and not get distracted with table-turning, side-stepping, and personalizing.

Compelling evidence exists that a candidate for office posted a self-praising and self-justifying set of posts using a pseudonym suggesting a known moniker that matches an LLC name which that person had set up for local real estate deals. (See the Journal forum for details.)

It's either so or not so; and if it IS so, that is summary cause to question the integrity and character of that candidate, if not raising more serious concerns.

Should the ultimate identity of the whistle-blower be revealed, that won't change the FACTS of the above concern one whit, so harping on it as a distraction suggests continued desperation.

But the ultimate identity of "Lou S.," and perhaps one or more of subsequent "anonymous" posts on this topic, IS a matter of utmost consequence IF it is indeed the person being praised in the third-person. No ongoing attempts at obfuscation and distraction can change that. Focus.

Anonymous said...

to 12:19

You mean a candidate is promoting himself in anyway he can? That is utterly shocking! You seem to be the only one that cares, that should tell you something.

Yaaaaaaaaaawwwwwwwwwwwnnnnnnnnnnnnn!

Anonymous said...

ANY way he can? Is that what you are rationalizing? That's why there are LAWS that say you CAN'T promote yourself "any way" you CAN!

Focus. It's unseemly, unethical, deceitful, and laughably desperate that a candidate is so bereft of sincere endorsers, that he'd have to hide behind his own sock-puppet to PRAISE HIMSELF as if he WERE someone else.

YOU seem to be the only one here who thinks that is OK (well, actually you're just side-stepping the issue, as if ad hominem hand-waving substitutes for refutation), but whistling in the dark past the graveyard doesn't make it go away.

Focus. What does it say about a candidate who poses as a third-party objective endorser, when he's really just pretending, and is actually talking about himself in the third person? Prevarication? Schizoid behavior? Desperation?

It seems, according to Mid-Hudson News, that the Wawarsing Democratic Committee endorsed Hein for executive the other night, but there was no mention of any endorsement of Auerbach for comptroller! Isn't that telling?!! Maybe because the folks down in Wawarsing, familiar with Auerbach, know what the rest of the county hasn't yet found out.

I suggest the county Democratic leaders check in with knowledgeable and credible persons down here to get the FACTS before making a big mistake and selecting as their flagbearer someone who may be looking at a forced resignation after the buried dirt begins to surface, as it surely will.

Anonymous said...

I'm going to make a deal. Unbidden, I am going to identify myself on my next post, and reveal which posts I was responsible for to date.

I have proven my point. My original posting was not identified because I didn't want that to be a distraction from what I was blowing the whistle on; the revelation of the likely gaff by "Lou S." could stand on its own.

Now, as I see that Elliott (or someone so much like him that it might as well be his "evil twin") has decided to make MY identity an issue, THAT has become a distraction, and so it is time to reveal all.

Indeed, as I said, MY identity becoming known does no harm to me, but neither does it change the original facts or the charges. And, at that point I will let my reputation and credibility stand behind my comments; I am not known as a frivolous or disingenuous person, and will stack up my credibility against EA's any day.

Therefore, at that point, I will challenge "Lou S." to unveil himself, and prove he is NOT Auerbach, and I'd ask the recent anonymous poster to also unveil himself, to see if who HE is explains the anger and personal hatred he's expressed, and why he is so eager to rationalize and justify behavior even HE now doesn't deny as having happened! ("Yeah, what IS wrong with a candidate LYING or HIDING? Everyone does it, so what?")

If I was wrong, I'll apologize; if I'm right and Auerbach admits it and does the honorable thing and lays himself before the mercy of the Democratic caucus, so be it.

If there is silence, or more obfuscation, I'll let you readers draw your own conclusion.

Anonymous said...

Just don't take credit for any of my posts.

CBLC#2 amongst others ;)

Steve Krulick said...

Well, I'd hoped that by standing back and giving Elliott Auerbach or "Lou S." (or whoever was behind the "Lou S." and, perhaps, subsequent anonymous posts) the time to come up with a plausible explanation that addressed my claims of sock-puppetry, that the "shrewd" and "charismatic go-getter," or his sycophant or evil twin, would "step up to the plate" and explain it all.

Alas, it seems that that isn't lemonade running down his pants.

Yes, I AM Steve Krulick, as was inferred. AS noted, I first went on anonymously, which I am loathe to do on principle, but in this case so as not to let ME become the distraction. As it were, after two posts, Elliott, or someone very like him, figured it out, which proves my second point. People can be tagged by their writing style, the words and terms they use, and how they use them. I guess I didn't try too hard to fool anyone.

And neither, I claim, did Auerbach. After years of reading his writing, I recognize the words and the style. Even had it been anonymous, I would have suspected it. But the "Lou S." handle was the clincher. If you go to the Ellenville Journal forum linked to above, you will see proof linking Auerbach to one of several dummy corporations used for local real estate deals; one is LOU SAPHIER LLC, and the PO Box matches that of several others traceable to him.

I could find no other Lou S. in Ulster who would have reason to write an ode to Auerbach, nor would be intimate with the details of the second post. That NO Lou S. has appeared to prove he IS a separate person, and as Auerbach has not made any denial, I suggest that they ARE one and the same, and THIS is the person who would seek to be the ETHICAL bar-setter for Ulster!

AS a former Ellenville trustee and current columnist and more, I have years of experience watching Auerbach in action, and what I've seen disqualifies him, personally and professionally, from this office.

I urge county Democrats who will attend the caucus to contact trusted local officials down here, and those with knowledge of this person, to get more details (and read the Journal forum for some tip of the iceberg concerns that should give pause before pinning your hopes on this particular horse).

I know many of the elected officials and community leaders, including most in the legislature, and am known to them. Contrary to the mischaracterization above, I may be the most "gruntled" person around, leading a charmed and debt-free life, serving my community for years in many capacities, and hardly a "hack" (someone who does mediocre work, and only because he's paid for it) as many can attest to the caliber of my output over the years, and that much of it was done gratis, and NOT for filthy lucre.

My interest is in the future of our village, town, and county, period. So, though I MAY have some better things to do, blowing the whistle on an unqualified candidate is one thing worth doing.

Some down here half-jokingly have said to let Auerbach run for comptroller as it would rid us of him as village manager! That would be a cruel trick, and it would still bite us, only at a higher level. Let us deal with him in time down here, but please don't buy the hype and flash; it's not whether I "like or dislike" Auerbach, as he might frame it, but that he has demonstrated here (as I contend) and elsewhere that he is unfit for this particular position of public trust.

That's about all I need to say, and unless it's proven that I am in error, for which I would apologize, I will conclude with this post and await any last-chance post from "Lou S." or Auerbach that refutes or negates this one and my previous ones.

(Oh, and I did not write the post immediately after the first Lou S. post, though I can't disagree with the sentiment; mine are the rest of the erudite ones from "News Flash" on down that addressed this issue.)

Thank You.

Anonymous said...

I hope people see the light and see that Donaldson is nothing more than a deal maker to get power and give committees to his pals. They don't have to do anything but support him and they are fit for the job. Lets put some real people in the important jobs. Qualified people not just more cronies and photo opp experts.

Anonymous said...

C'mon, Elliot is far from qualified, what degrees does he hold?

Anonymous said...

Lou Saphier, LLC. Check it out:

http://appsext8.dos.state.ny.us/corp_public/CORPSEARCH.ENTITY_INFORMATION?p_nameid=3026019&p_corpid=3014622&p_entity_name=%53%61%70%68%69%65%72&p_name_type=%25&p_search_type=%43%4F%4E%54%41%49%4E%53&p_srch_results_page=0