Mike Hein's First 100 Days

Coming tonight we will have an update on the first 100 days of the Hein administration.

I will say I think Mike has done a fantastic job and is working hard to bring real reform to the people of Ulster County.

Living in Brooklyn, I have not had the time to focus enough on Mike and will try and change that in the future...stay tuned for a full feature coming tonight.

Kavanagh Jr. Fightin' Hard To Save Campaign For County Court

Well it looks like former Ulster DA Don Williams has the lock on the GOP nod for County Court but don't underestimate Mike Kavanagh Jr. Who certianly has the name recognition and the drive to win.

This week Kavanagh took that drive to the streets, visiting every GOP committeeman in the city of Kingston, at their home to personally introduce himself....pretty impressive and a tactic that may work.

The city committee will be meeting on Tuesday to make their endorsement and it would be a big blow to Williams' candidacy if Kavanagh walked away with the backing of the former DA's home committee.

Here and There

Scott Murphy wins the Congressional race in the 20th over Republican Jim Tedisco. It was a close race and the right man won but I also congratulate Assemblyman Tedisco on a race well run. I have been part of a losing campaign before and the time, sweat and investment in the candidate you support becomes part of you and you can't help but get emotionaly involved. The Tedisco supporters should be proud of their candidate who rolled the dice and put his entire career on the line...not many people have the stomach or guts to do that. Mr.Tedisco also did the right thing for the people of the 20th by stepping aside and allowing Congressman Murphy to transition into Congress without a continued fight in court that could of went on for months.


Alderman Mike Madsen had a successful fundraiser for his reelection bid, I hear about 50+ were in attendence, the event was hosted by Independence chairman Len Bernardo and Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach.


Speaking of Scott Murphy Democrats in Ulster County should take a good hard look at that race and see how a guy with zero name recognition beat the guy that was considered to be unbeatable in the solidly GOP district. Nina should also take notice.... A Democrat with the Indy and WFP line will defeat her this November...period, end of story. It is disappointing that Chairman Donaldson has not yet stepped up to the plate. Its time for someone to run and they need to step up to the plate fast.

MURPHY WINS CONGRESSIONAL RACE!!!

Congrats to Congressman elect Scott Murphy

Fred Dicker of the NY Post Comments on Blaber Blog

Dear Jeremy,

I often check BlaberNews for the latest on the NY political scene in your neck of the woods. I was offended not to be able to read about what an ass the Governor made this past weekend where he mocked a sick person in a wheelchair who was portrayed in a TV commercial against his policies by the local 1199 SEIU union.

If you are going to report on the news, you need to cover all the news, Mr. Blaber! Not just what makes your political friends look good. Such a callow approach is sure to let the majority of your readership believe that your efforts are disingenuous at best.

All in all, you have a nice website, but please remember that it's not what you cover, it what you leave out that really stakes you to your bias. It was a pleasure to meet you a few weeks ago. Best of luck to you.

Cordially,

Fred Dicker

fredric.dicker@nypost.com

my response :

I respect the Dean of Albany politics and am honored that you read my blog. I did not purposely leave out anything, I have not had the time to view the video yet and give my opinion, I am not a well funded columnist like yourself :) I will watch the video and give an opinion in the next day or so...to be fair I have heard that the video is a little harsh. Maybe someday, you will be reporting on me in the Capitol.

All the best,

Jeremy Blaber

Murphy Looking Good...Up 89 All Districts In!

So it looks like Jim Tedisco's transition to Congress may be short lived, with all districts reporting, democrat Scott Murphy leads republican Jim Tedisco by 89 votes!!!

There are about 1500 objectional ballots but most came from the Tedisco campaign...so those ballots are likely Democratic ballots, Senator Gillibrand's amoung them.


Obviously after working on Scott's campaign I am happy that he will probably pull this out. But I take a personal satisfaction out of this because of the extreme arrogance of tedisco! First he claims he is giving up his minority post to prepare for his transition to Congress, meanwhile he was trailing Murphy and no absentee ballots had been counted...now in all reality he was forced to give up that post but still.... Than, today we find out that he is objecting and trying to deny the right of US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand to vote in the 20th election! Really Jim? What's next repealing a woman's right to vote all together?

I think maybe you should enjoy yourself back in the assembly,starting from square one. Can you imagine what it's going to be like giving up that minority office for a little cubicle somewhere? And, what will your constituents think when you know longer have the pull to bring home the bacon to your district?

Remember that video Tedisco made a few months back search my blog to view it.... I wonder Mr. Tedisco is it still a wonderful life?

New Paltz GOP Backs Williams and Postupack

The New Paltz GOP has endorsed Don Williams for UC Court judge, which is up this year after Bruhn announced his retirement last month. They also have backed Nina Postupack for UC Clerk....see I'm fair and balanced!

Support the Working Families Party

Mid-Hudson Valley Working Families Party

1st Annual International Workers’ Day

Celebration with Special Guests Dan Cantor, Executive Director of the Working Families Party and Assemblyman Frank Skartados

May 1, 2009

The Aegean

33 Academy Street

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

VIP Reception - 5:00pm until 6:00pm

$125 per person

Cocktail Party - 6:00pm until 8:00pm $65 per person

Back with the Poughkeepsie Journal

Our blog is now back listed with the Poughkeepsie Journal! I would like to welcome back our readers from Poughkeepsie and beyond!

Starting next week all of our old features including Blaber News Person of the week and our weekly polls will be back as well!

MURPHY TAKES LEAD IN 20th

After the first day of the recount Murphy has regained a 34 vote lead over republican Jim Tedisco. It's still any man's race but I wonder how confident the FORMER Minority Leader is now?!?!

More tomorrow!

Fundraiser For Alderman Mike Madsen

Please join U.C. Comptroller Elliott Auerbach and Independence Chair Len Bernardo


for a kick-off re-election fundraiser in support of
9th Ward AldermanMike Madsen
Wednesday, April 22, 20096 pm until 8 pm

Frank Guido’s Little Italy
14 Thomas St.
Kingston, NY 12401
www.frankguidoslittleitaly.com
Light fare and cash bar upstairs.----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please RSVP by Thursday, April 16, 2009 to:
Mike Madsen
61 Brewster St.
Kingston, NY 12401
(845) 399-9644
madsenmike@aol.com

Special Note: I will be providing a 50/50 where the kitty will be added to the donations collected locally for AIDSWalk2009 in NYC May 17th. This is an annual journey for me and have been proud to deliver hundreds of dollars each year from City employees, friends and neighbors for over a decade.

Shawangunk Back Williams for County Court

The Town of Shawangunk Republican Committee is pleased to announce its endorsement of Donald Williams for Ulster County Court Judge. Chairman Roger Rascoe stated that after hearing presentations by four candidates,(Marsha Weiss, Michael Kavanah, Thomas Petro and Donald Williams), the committee voted unanimously to support Williams.

“Don Williams served Ulster County in the District Attorney’s office for over 29 years and has proven himself to be a competent and dedicated public servant who has earned the respect of everyone. While the other candidates interviewed are qualified, our committee felt strongly that Williams stood above them in his overall experience in the judicial system” said Rascoe.

Rascoe added that he was pleased the committee stepped forward to take the lead and hoped that the Town of Shawangunk was the first in the County toendorse any candidate for this position. The Republican Committees from the Towns of Gardiner and New Paltz were also present to listen to the candidates at the meeting.Rascoe also reported that the Shawangunk Republican Committee also unanimously endorsed Incumbent County Clerk Nina Postupack and District 8Incumbent Legislators Glenn Noonan, Cathy Terrizzi and Ken Ronk for re-election.

DONALDSON FOR CLERK---- THE TIME IS NOW

ALREADY REPUBLICANS ARE LINING BEHIND DONALDSON

So it looks as if Ulster County Chairman David Donaldson is seriously considering throwing in his hat for county clerk and I couldn't be happier. We as Democrats need to strongly support David Donaldson and get behind him 100%. There can be no divide amongst the liberals and moderates, or the old guard v. the new guard. We as Democrats need to be united as one party and support David Donaldson in his quest to become the first Democratic Clerk in living memory.

As I wrote last week, as the former chief executive of Ulster County, Donaldson has more than enough experience to do the job and Dave is a Progressive Democrat and an honest public servant. Under County Clerk Donaldson, there will be no shady deals or favor for friends...the pay to play politics that has tarnished the image of Ulster County will be erased.

In addition to probably receiving the Democratic, Independence, and Working Families Party lines, Donaldson will get a number of Republicans to support him as well. There is already a blog that has surfaced, http://www.republicansfordonaldson.blogspot.com/ ...there are more than a few Republicans that are not so happy that Nina did not support the party's nominee for County Executive.

We as a party made that mistake just a few years ago and can't afford to have it repeat itself. I encourage Democrats, town chairs, the County Exec, the County Comptroller and other leaders of our party to encourage and support Donaldson's bid for County Clerk.

Rank and file Democrats can also call and support Dave and ask him to run, call him, e-mail him, and tell him how you feel. His number is in the book and located on the county's website.

Blaber shows independence and goes against Obama

I hate to do it but I am going to have to respectfully disagree with president Obama on his pick for tomorrow nights game and go with Michigan over UNC....

Really Tedisco?

In a race that is literally a dead heat, Jim tedisco the asembly minority leader is giving up his post and preparing for his transition for congress...are you serious? Do you expect the general public to believe that you are so confident, as you claim that you are just giving up your leadership post?


In a district that has 70k more republicans than dems, the race is tied with 6,000 absentee ballots to be open...the race is wide open... Tedisco knows this, he can spin it anyway he wants he was told to give up that leadership post.

If Jimmy Tedisco is so confident that he will be the next congressman, than I think it behooves him to resign his seat in the NYS Assembly...this way he can fully prepare for his transition. I'm willing to bet that won't happen.

I encourage people to go to the NYS DEMS website and make a contribution to help pay the long legal battle to protect every vote in the 20th.

GO SCOTT, GO!

THE POSTUPACK BLUNDER....Resignation Should Follow

Below is a story from the Ulster County Press about a woman who lost everything she owned, her home and over a million dollars in priceless possessions because of incompetence on the part of the office of the Ulster County Clerk.

Pretty much while this poor woman in Stone Ridge was away taking care of her dying husband, the county clerk's office kept sending the tax bills and foreclosure notices to the wrong address and that mail was returned to the County Clerk's office.

The County Clerk's office didn't acknowledge that the mail was being returned to them and let the house be foreclosed and sold.

When the woman returned to her home after her husbands death, she found it had been sold and her contents sold.

After it was all sorted out, it was found that the mail was being returned to the County Clerk's office because they had the WRONG address.

The woman has prevailed in Court and the court has "given" her the house back, but all of her possessions and antiques are gone. She has tracked many of them down through some not so reputable dealers.

Although she has prevailed in court, she still doesn't have her house back because the County doesn't have a mechanism to give it back to her. It was sold to someone else.

Depositions have been taken in court and certain people in the County Clerk's office and Treasurer's office are saying that they "don't know" certain people that we all know that they know because their spouses are in business with them.

It is a huge mess and this poor woman in Stone Ridge is getting screwed left and right by everyone in the County. She is rightly really really upset and is suing the County and is NOT interested in settling.

Mrs. Postupack needs to publicly address this and resign her office immediately.

UC PRESS STORY CLICK HERE

ANTIQUE DIGEST STORY CLICK HERE

Mayor Sottile Right on

I am no fan of Kingston Mayor Jim Sottile but he is correct in pulling funding for the July 4th celebration this year. I think his quote was right on, how can I justify spending 40k when I am cutting jobs?

EXACTLY.

There is nothing to celebrate when people are losing their jobs, you don't put city employees out of work because the city needs to cut back and than throw in 40k for fireworks. It does not make any sense.

I strongly support that the July 4th celebration move forward, it's an important event that generates revenue to local downtown businesses but those businesses and other member of the community need to step up and fund it.

CONGRESSMAN MURPHY....hopefully

Sorry the pictures are a little blurry, I took them on my blackberry.


Senator Gillibrand, Gov. Patterson and Congressman elect Scott Murphy
Gov patterson
Senator Gillibrand with Scott
more
me and NYS Dem Chair june O'Neill


I had a great time tonight at the Scott Murphy victory party. I got to hang with the Governor, Senator Gillibrand and my facebook friend, NYS Dem Chair June O'Niell! I have great pictures which I will upload on the blog tomorrow....for my facebook friends, I have already loaded them on Facebook.

Scott Murphy is leading Republican Jim Tedisco by only 59 votes, withmore than 150 thousand cast, it's unbelievable! I had a conversation with June O'Neill and I told her that this was a flashback to the Ulster County Comptroller race of last year.

I really am excited for Scott and let's hope his lead holds up, there are about 5000 absentee ballots that need to be counted.

Much more tomorrow.