So we all saw NBC news last night and read the Freeman headlines about the Federal lawsuit that has been filed in Ulster County, involving female correction officers at the jail.
I think obviously the allegations are serious and need to be handled as such. While other blogs have attacked County Exec Mike Hein for failing to talk to the press yesterday, hour did the right thing, as county executive, Mike should not be talking to the press about an ongoing legal matter.
However, Mike Hein and Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum need to handle this swiftly and send a message that Ulster County takes these matters seriously and its not something that will be tolerated.
Sheriff Van Blarcum specificly needs to do this and show to everyone that he is in charge of his department and quickly restore public confidence.
From my personal experience with the Sheriff, I know him to be a straight shooter and a public servant dedicated to his job, I am more than confident in his ability moving forward.
Sorry, NBC news and the Freeman didn't top my list. There are federal lawsuits filed all the time. If the good 'ole boy atmosphere is an issue, then we should refrain from electing conservatives. Van Blarcum ran as a Democrat and he needs to hold to his party affiliation. We could have had much worse with a Cheney-ite.
ReplyDeleteINNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY !!!!!
ReplyDeleteThese hard working public servants watch over the scum of our society - GIVE 'EM THE BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT !!
It's highly inappropriate for a lesbian to be strip searching female inmates. Men are prohibited from doing it for the same reason. Why isn't that the issue? It's pretty hard to exclude sexual inuendo from the workplace with that kind of blatant failure of policy.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Hein shouldn't comment directly on the lawsuit, but what he and his mouthpiece Vinny could have said is that we condemn any sexual harassment of an Ulster County employee. He should also have told the Legislators who now all look like assholes because they knew nothing of this. Hein did.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the truth and justice will win out in this situation.
ReplyDeleteHow do you deal with a federal lawsuit quickly. This will take years to resolve. Van Blarcu, will be long gone before we see any movement on this thing. Be realistic
ReplyDeleteWRONG. Hein should have said....
ReplyDelete"This is an on-going legal matter and I cannot comment on the specifics. However, the allegations are serious in nature and need to be investigated swiftly and thoroughly to determine the facts."
That shows he is fair and plugged into how employees in the county are treated and respected (or not respected.)
you are all dreaming. Hein only cares about Hein, no matter how hard you try Jeremy to make him look good. He hung the democratice legislators out to dry, and they all look like fools. Time to get rid of the whole bunch of morons, and you can throw any Republicans that let him get away with this out also.
ReplyDeleteHein is proving to be surrounded by protectionist, yes men and women. He made a big mistake by choosing to say nothing.
ReplyDeleteCan you believe how Susan Zimet grandstanded this issue in the Freeman? Like, "I'm a woman, so I understand sexual harassment."
ReplyDeleteZimet, please.
So taxpayers are footing a $600,000 a year bill for yes men and women to boost our mighty heiny's spirits?
ReplyDeleteNext he will want to hire a court jester. Maybe that is the new role of the legislature.
Executive Hein's job is to act in a professional manner. That would entail not simply ignoring the calls of the press but explaining that he cannot comment.
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, neither Executive Hein nor Sheriff Van Blarcum should be sending any messages to anyone about taking "these matters" seriously until and unless a thorough investigation proves that there was actual wrongdoing. Simply because litigation has been initiated is not nearly reason enough to assume that the allegations of the complainants are valid and accurate.
The County needs to do an indepth examination of the case and decide how to proceed once the facts are in. Jumping the gun about "sending messages" does a disservice to the entire Sheriff's Office as well as the people of this County.
Hey 8:45, Innocent until proven guilty applies to those you call scum too. Until convicted, those arrested deserve the presumption of innocence, not the humiliation of being strip searched by a homosexual. I hope you get arrested one day and enjoy a thorough cavity search. I know the guard will enjoy it.
ReplyDeleteThe Freeman gets "bigfooted" by NBC?
ReplyDeleteI can't beleive I agree with Irme Beke.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious that the Bankrupt Newsrag in our town was protecting their Democratic cronies, whom they endorsed.
ReplyDeleteKingston will be set Free, man, when the bankrupt rag finally ceases publication.
Retired Sheriff Bockleman should be installed as interim Sheriff until this case is solved.
Suspend Van Blarcum!!
Impeach HEIN!!!!!
People, especially 4 of them, don't go public with such charges and subject themselves to embarrassment if there is "nothing to it". SOMETHING happened-- it's just a matter of degree and whether it can be proved in court. Memo to Sheriff vB: Call them in. Tell them you cant give money, but if what they really want is for it to stop, then make it stop. Fast, hard and public. And see that it is never allowed to occur again. And did I mention?.. Do it FAST. Like in 2 days or less.
ReplyDeleteZimet is unbelievable. Who cares what she thinks. That women is getting to the point that she will comment on just about anything as long as it gets in the paper. She is despicable.
ReplyDeleteMost of the problems occured under Bocklemans tenure. Ask the victims. Ask how many Bockleman fired and how many Van Blarcum fired.
ReplyDelete5:14- The retired pug sherrif is also named in the lawsuit, moron. I guess he started the policies we're getting sued for. Nice try.
ReplyDelete5:14 - The "bankrupt news rag in our town" isn't bankrupt. Same with the local "bankrupt GM or Chrysler dealers in our town." The problems are with corporations.
ReplyDelete5:11, yes they are bankrupt. They don't pay their bills. Local business are suffering because they provided them services and they are not fufulling their economic obligations, thus damaging the community they so have a PRIVILEDGE to represent. They need to go.
ReplyDeleteRonald Dymond
High Falls, NY
Here's another example of why we need to eliminate wasteful services that cost us taxpayers lots of money, that serves a very few, mostly those who are burdens on our County and if we eliminated these gravy programs, those such mentioned ca$h drainers would simply up an move away from here.
ReplyDeleteUCAT used fares to pay for tolls, comptroller finds
From MHNN.COM
KINGSTON – An audit of last year’s operations by Ulster County Area Transit (UCAT) has turned up deficiencies that County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach wants corrected.
Chief among the faux pas is the agency’s use of fare box money to pay for tolls when E-ZPass ran out of money. Auerbach is now looking at other county departments that use the toll paying system.
“This has opened up a door to give us a broader look at E-ZPass usage in Ulster county; who is using the E-ZPasses, what vehicles are they assigned to, and most importantly, how those tolls are being replenished through county funds,” he said.
Auerbach also found with UCAT that cash vaults on the buses were not sequentially marked and that UCAT drivers' daily reports listed non-existent vaults between 14 percent and 29 percent of the time for tested months.
On the good side, Auerbach said the audit was free of any indication of theft, misconduct or fraud
Oh, thank heavens there isn't any fraud!! Excuse me?? The entire UCAT program is a fraud!!!! Get rid if it. If you can't afford a car, then walk, ride a bike, or better yet, pay for a taxi. Nobody subsidizes my car payment, my insurance, or my gas.
"Cal the Conservative"
Firghting the fight against overtaxation and wasteful spending...Everyday!!!!!
LIVE FREE or DIE!!!!!
..we are dying...but we ain't dead yet... so FIGHT ON!!!
ps: Bet you won't read this in the Freeman!
PUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteFUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ed Sanders
Cal the federal government subsidizes your car payment, your insurance, and your gas. I think we should eliminate those subsidies and increase funding for public transportation so people like you can't afford to drive and rely on public buses. That way, only the thinking class, the responsible citizens, would drive. I'm tired of you slowminded cranks clogging up our roads. You're dangerous to the public at large driving under the influence of Rush and so many medications.
ReplyDelete"Pugs" is short for pugnacious. It's a common Republican trait. They resort to violence and here on the internet they quickly start name-calling in frustration. Small minds with little capacity to reason through problems. Often accompanied with extreme bias and prejudice. Hence the love of torture.
ReplyDeleteHey Cal, Californi is the place to, so load up yer truck and head fer Beverly! Ahhnuld has failed to pump up the economy. They're going for all the cuts you love so much.
ReplyDeleteEd Sanders RULES !!!
ReplyDeleteDoesn't this editorial in the Times Herald Record speak volumes?
ReplyDeleteOpinion
Officials in Ulster fail again to get it
May 21, 2009 6:00 AM
Here's what we are hearing about the scandal inside the Ulster County Jail:
From the county executive — No comment because of pending litigation, no comment on whether there is an internal investigation or not.
From some Republican county legislators, members of the Criminal Justice and Safety Committee — How come nobody told us when the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said last August it was investigating and gave the county a deadline to respond? We are, after all, on the relevant committee.
From the Democrat who chairs that committee — How come those Republicans are trying to make this political?
Here's what we should be hearing:
From the county executive — We are committed to making sure that all our employees are treated with respect in accordance with the law. We do not tolerate sexual harassment, abusive treatment or retribution by supervisors. Although I cannot comment on specific pending litigation, I can assure the people of Ulster County that we always have and always will take any allegations of impropriety seriously and that we will conduct our own investigation no matter what actions may be taken by outside authorities.
From the Democratic committee chairman — I was negligent in not informing other committee members about these matters and will make sure that all are informed in the future.
From the Republicans on the committee — We accept the chairman's apology and look forward to the meeting we have requested to discuss the matter. We respectfully request that the meeting be open to the public so that the county can see that all of us are committed to open and clear communication on this important matter.
From a joint news release issued by the county executive and legislators — We promise in the future to take these matters seriously and keep the public informed. This is at least as important as saving money on office furniture, office renovations and renegotiating office leases, all of which have been the subject of self-congratulatory news releases in the past few months.
If we had elected Sonny Hughes Sheriff back in 1986, we wouldn't be in this mess today!
ReplyDeleteTrent Lott
CLICK HERE to read the Times Herald record story.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that the paper that endorsed Hein now thinks they should help him out and tell him what to say.
Shouldn't Vinny know better?
Hein... maybe your people should call the people at the TH Record and work this out.
Looks like they threw Legislator Frank Dart, the Chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee under a bus as well. Wake up District 6 City of Kingston voters.
The TH-Record is a pretty nice paper. I'll be reading it more when the Freeman ceases publication.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous Firefighter
11:19
ReplyDeletewell thank you for bring to light what the "politically correct" response would have been for Mike Hine, maybe you can apply to do speech writing for him, so he can be as monotoned as all the rest of the politicians out here. Frankly, anyone with any sort of political sense would hear that, know somebody else wrote it for "politically correct reasons" and would be more disappointed than hearing the honest answer. So Hein didn't have the best come back, at least it was honest and not scripted, which we have all been trained to accept so readily.
I agree that 4 people do not come forth without grounds AND that we don't know the magnitude.
I also agree that Innocent til proven guilty is not something you "claim" when it benefits you the most, but dismiss when you are talking about those people currently in jail awaiting trial.
Also, not for NOTHING, the PRESS KNOWS he cannot comment, why is it he needs to constantly take calls to morons calling to ask him the same question knowing they will get the same response.
FOR THE RECORD: MIKE HEIN CANNOT COMMENT ON THE JAIL ACCUSATIONS ALL YOU half-witted Journalists and columnists. Why are people still talking about this? Do you really have nothing better to talk about than "I don't know if I really like how Mike Hein did or didnt tell the press that he cant tell them anything"
And not for nothing, they got the million dollar over-budget jail fiasco to go away, what makes any of you think that this corrupt town wont make this go away too??
A month from now not a single person will care, which is why this area has gone to shit for so many years.
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ReplyDelete