Thursday, August 27, 2009

Random Photo Blog

me thinking it would be funny to write a poem for the person writting poems in Union Square (notice I am sporting the Auerbach for Comptroller tee)
Quigley's NY Grill?!?!?! East 18th and !st ave NYC
Deo and I working for future Manhattan DA Richard Aborn
Comptroller Auerbach at the sold out Fundraiser for Majority Leader Reynolds
Comptroller Auerbach with future Alderwoman Jen Fuentes and Alderman Tom Hoffay

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Bernardo's First Blunder

Nina Postupack.

Len Bernardo's first blunder as chair of the Independence party has to be trusting and endorsing Nina Postupack!

REWIND: Nina claims she was under no obligation to support Len when he ran for Executive because he was an independent not a Republican.

Well, if she didn't value Len as an Independence party candidate, than, why did she seek the line in her race.

Gilda Riccardi clearly is the more qualified candidate and had more respect for the Independence chair and the platform of their party.


Proof of that us what took place at Rotary park in Kingston on Sunday.

We hear Len and his dog Sunday attended Nina's event, and the co chair of team Nina, Beth Hanigan was quoted as saying how much she dislikes Len Bernardo.

Really...Nina??

It's unfortunate that Ms. Postupack used Len to get the Independence line because she couldn't care less about it's Chair or the values the party represents.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Auerbach Presents Warwarsing with $$61,486.90 Check

Comptroller Auerbach personally delivering a check for $61,486.90 which represents monies owed to the Town from a 2007 Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) from the Nevele Hotel. The money was discovered by Elliott during an examination of payments made to Ulster County.

Aborn Challanges Crocker Snyder on Death Penalty Flip Flop

Hotel Unions Back Aborn

Aborn DA rival, Cy Vance, Under Heat for backing anti Abortion, Pro Gun candidate


Manhattan district attorney candidate Cy Vance Jr. - who lived in Seattle for 16 years - donated money to a Republican there who fought against gun control.

An examination of Vance's time in Seattle showed he gave $1,000 in 1998 to Christopher Bayley, a GOP Senate candidate who attacked the incumbent Democrat for supporting mandatory trigger locks and a ban on semiautomatic firearms.

Bayley, a former prosecutor in the Seattle area, sent gun owners across the state literature backing a proposal to let visitors to Washington state carry a concealed pistol if they had an out-of-state license.

Bayley also opposed abortion rights and supported a measure that would roll back state affirmative action programs.

Richard Aborn, one of Vance's opponents in the Democratic primary, jumped on Vance's support of Bayley, calling it wrongheaded.

"Manhattan residents can be assured that anti-choice, anti-gun control, anti-affirmative action zealots running for office will never have my support," Aborn said.

"We are significantly better off with the Democrat having won that election, and Mr. Vance and I simply have an honest disagreement about that," Aborn said.

Vance defended his support for Bayley as "appropriate." He called him a "very well-regarded" lawyer.

"If you look at my giving record, I think you will find that I am an active and repeat, almost recidivist, donor to Democratic candidates around the country," Vance said.

Aides said Bayley is the only Republican to ever received Vance's support. He has supported a slew of Democrats, including President Obama.

Vance, who is counting on Manhattan's liberal-leaning Democrats who typically vote in the primary to support him, moved to Seattle in 1988 to build a name for himself outside the shadow of his famous dad.

His father, Cy Vance Sr., was secretary of state in the Carter administration.

The winner of the Democratic primary on Sept. 15 is likely to win November's general election to replace longtime DA Robert Morgenthau.

msaul@nydailynews.com

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

David Blaine to Make Magic for Aborn!!!!

Magician David Blaine will be delving into the dangerous world of New York politics for the first time next week when he hosts a fundraiser for Manhattan DA hopeful Richard Aborn.

*Sep 21 - 00:05*

Tickets to the event range from $125 (just to get in the door) to $5,000 (for hosts).

Here's the e-mail from Aborn campaign manager Mike Rabinowitz announcing the event; the subject line is "making crime disappear":

"Dear xxxxxx,


We are delighted to announce that next Wednesday, August 26th, David Blaine will work his magic for Richard at a special event to support our campaign.

A remarkable and unique entertainer, the famed endurance artist has spent hours encased in ice, upside down, and underground...but this is his first foray into politics. (Richard can identify).

We would be thrilled if you would join us and support this special event, which will be held at at RDV, 409 W. 13th Street, from 7 - 9 p.m. It promises to be a really enjoyable evening and a great way for us to raise critical funds for these final weeks.

Space is limited. For more information, please contact Michael O’Regan at (212) xxx-xxxx or moregan@xxxxxx - or you can RSVP online.

Thanks again for all you are doing.

I hope to see you next Wednesday!

Mike Rabinowitz
Campaign Manager
Aborn for DA

Monday, August 17, 2009

Blaber News Endorses Richard Aborn for Manhattan District Attorney



PRIMARY SEPTEMBER 15TH

As Manhattan DA, Richard will enact progressive crime-fighting policies that keep our city safe — while building hope in every community. We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to transform the way we fight crime, by using proven prevention methods. Richard Aborn will seize that opportunity.


Violent Crime



Today, New York enjoys the lowest levels of crime seen in decades. This has been achieved through a variety of means. But, we cannot take it for granted that crime levels will remain at these historic lows. We must constantly rededicate ourselves to fighting violent crime by moving swiftly and vigorously to incarcerate those that commit violent acts against our community. The message to violent criminals must be crystal clear: when you commit a violent act you will be arrested, tried, and when convicted, sent to prison.
Modernizing the Office



The next District Attorney of Manhattan has a unique opportunity to modernize the office and accelerate the use of technology as a tool to not only prosecute offenders, but to prevent crime from occurring in the first place. Technology can also be used to increase efficiencies in the office and save taxpayers money. I will conduct a bottom-to-top review of the office, implement a new program - PreventStat - to track which programs work and implement a paperless office.
PreventStat: Building a Modern District Attorney's Office


Drug Law Reform



It's time to stop ruining young people's lives because of a single mistake. It's time to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws and replace them with a sensible policy grounded in public health and common sense. Drug kingpins deserve prison. First and second-time non-violent offenders deserve an opportunity to rebuild their lives. And the families of offenders unfairly caught up in the draconian Rockefeller laws deserve to be reunited.


Domestic Violence


All domestic violence cases that come before the DA's office should be vigorously investigated. The DAs office should also vigorously respond to violations of "restraining orders." In addition, victims of domestic violence and their children should be linked to existing treatment programs, as well as programs that provide housing and jobs, so they can break the cycle of violence. Active partnerships with domestic violence organizations and local community organizations can help encourage people who do not necessarily trust the criminal justice system to come forward to report these terrible crimes.


Juvinial Crime



No matter how limited budgets must be, we cannot abandon our kids. Juvenile justice is a complex area but one where there is much learning taking place and we must dedicate ourselves to developing programs and policies that will help us to steer kids away from crime, before it becomes too late. The DA is in a unique position to give kids a chance; to give them a chance by intervening when they are young in order to eliminate the need to incarcerate them when they are older. Working cooperatively with other agencies, the DA's office can have a positive impact on kids lives - before it is too late.
Before It's Too Late: A New Strategy for Preventing Juvenile Crime


LGBT Rights



Equality of treatment, based on mutual respect, is the bedrock foundation upon which any free society must be built. Until we are all equal, none of us are equal. The LGBT community needs a strong voice and direct representation in the DA's office. We must use New York's Hate Crime laws to fully protect members of the LGBT community who are signaled out for bias crimes, and make sure that vulnerable gay youths and others have a Safe Harbor where they can seek protection of the law. And just as racial profiling by law enforcement is wrong, so is profiling based on sexual orientation.


White Collar Crime


Manhattan sits at the epicenter of the world financial markets and as a result, crimes that undermine the integrity of the financial markets can have a disproportionate and significant impact on New York and New Yorkers. But white collar crime does not begin and end on Wall Street. Scams against the elderly, immigrant groups and others that prey on the most vulnerable will not be tolerated and will receive a swift response.


Terrorism


We must not let ourselves be lulled into a false sense of security that because New York has not been attacked since 9/11 that we are safe. Safety does not flow from the passage of time, but from the constant, creative, cooperative and consistent use of law enforcement strategies and resources. The DA's office must be an active and integral participant in the fight against terrorism. Working cooperatively with other agencies, the DA must leverage advanced technology to look for anomalies, connect the dots and move quickly when necessary to stop terrorists before they act. We need a dedicated Counter-Terrorism Bureau — staffed not only by assistant district attorneys, but also by experienced analysts, researchers and investigators. This Bureau must develop close and cooperative liaisons with other law enforcement agencies. In addition, to be truly effective, all assistant district attorneys and investigative staff must be trained in how to spot anomalies in cases that warrant further investigation. The early detection and disruption of preparatory steps by terrorists can be an important way to stop terrorist activity in its tracks.


Wrongful Convictions


Clearly, nobody is served by wrongful convictions. While prosecutors strive every day to convict the guilty and protect the innocent, errors still occur. My District Attorney's office will provide every prosecutor with more tools and training to minimize wrongful convictions, and Assistant DAs will be encouraged to come forward if they think they have the wrong person. Every case will start with the question – do I have the right person? All cases of prosecutorial misconduct (which, although rare, are incredibly serious) will be investigated quickly and fully.
A New Strategy for Preventing Wrongful Convictions


Community Partnerships


Creating an effective, trusted partnership between the DA's office and the community is a critical crime-fighting tool. We will have a two part strategy designed to create a close working partnership between the DA's office and the community: First, we must not only create close working relationships with the community, but we must also work with trusted community groups to create safe harbors to protect those who are afraid to seek the protection of the law. We can never allow anyone to be beyond the protection of the law: battered women, immigrants, members of the LGBT community, youth, the elderly and others, will all need the protection of the law at one time or another, but for many different reasons be reluctant to contact law enforcement. The DA's office can overcome that reluctance by working closely with trusted community-based organizations so that those who need protection have a place to go where they will feel -- and be -- safe and secure. Second, it is essential for the DA's office to recognize that different communities and different individuals have different crime prevention needs.


Transportation Safety


Almost everyone in New York knows that the homicide rate in New York, thanks to effective policing and prosecution, has declined to around 500 homicides a year from a peak of more than 2200 homicides in 1990. And yet few people know that, shockingly, the traffic fatality rate in New York is almost as high -almost 300 lost lives a year. As District Attorney, I commit to dedicating appropriate resources to ensure that traffic fatalities become as rare as bike lanes used to be.


Gun Control


We must build on the success that has been achieved by expanding on proven interventions against illegal guns. Over 90 percent of illegal guns in New York have been brought in from other areas. Unlike politics, gun crime is not local. We must accept the fact that a regional, interstate approach to gun trafficking is required and set about to build that network. We must also share data with other prosecutors throughout the five boroughs of NYC as well as the surrounding region in order to cast a wide net over gun trafficking - and stop the guns from ever reaching Manhattan. We must also have a strong and clear voice on national and state legislation that is designed to fight illegal gun trafficking.
Aborn Unveils Five-Point Plan to Combat Gun Violence in Manhattan


Capital Punishment


Capital punishment is contrary to our values as New Yorkers. It is immoral and it is wrong. I have always opposed capital punishment, and will lead the effort against any attempt to revive it in New York.


Technology


Technology is an essential and integral weapon in fighting crime and keeping the public safe. Technology can - and should - be used to extend the reach and effectiveness of police department, criminal justice departments and the DA's office. In a time of diminished resources, increased use of technology can build greater efficiencies in administrative operations while also greatly aiding the fight against crime. One of the enduring lessons of 9/11 is that we must "connect the dots," and not just for terrorism cases. Advanced technology is a core component of doing so.

Wednesday, August 05, 2009

Really Noble?

I can't believe all this news coverage about a traffic light.

The common council was one vote shy of getting the traffic light back uptown and getting rid of the stop sign that has been there all of 10 minutes.

Council Prez, Jim Noble broke the tie vote siding to send it back to committee.

Really, Jimmy? I love you to death but you couldn't help DiBella out on this one? She is retiring has NO reason to play politcs with this legislation, she is clearly doing it in the best interests of the residents. Not to mention, it's always been a light, so when the engineers did their original study, they clearly thought it should be a blinking light and not a stop sign.

I'm just saying, DiBella has been a loyal solider, has defended your running mate on several occasions, you should of sided with her on this one.

Sunday, August 02, 2009

Here and There

***UPDATE***

In response to Rich Cahill's dog whistling campaign, against Alderman Hoffay;

I’ve often been asked why I chose to leave the priesthood and it is a difficult thing to explain. First let me state that it was my choice and mine alone. Even five years later I was asked to reconsider and return. As happy and rewarding as school had been, even the seminary had its good moments, I was not prepared to live the life of a priest. I know that now, at the time all I knew was that I was increasingly unhappy. There are personal rewards for being involved in the lives of so many people, whether in a parish or school, but at the core there must be a strong center of personal belief and happiness or at least serenity. Mine was challenged in ways I was not prepared for.

My parents both died in December of 1979, after five years of suffering and pain. It was the great test of family and faith. I was away and alone and unforgiving for their suffering. At the same time there was a strike of the lay faculty association at the school and my sympathies were with the lay teachers and not the Archdiocese. With divided loyalties and personal tragedy, the situation was untenable and I decided to leave. I do not regret that decision.

A greater challenge was the personal acceptance of who I was, a decision I easily put off for years in the seminary and clergy. Slowly and with difficulty I came to accept that I was gay, would not marry and raise a family as my siblings had done. My family’s reaction to all this tumult in my life was the same, steady, love and acceptance I have always found there.

My active participation in a recovery program has helped me to accept who I am, find the serenity that I have always looked for in my life and take life one day at a time. This is the strong foundation that also allows me to contribute my talents and gifts in public and political life.

Politics:

I did find that clergy life had unexpectedly prepared me for politics, perhaps it was a keener appreciation of human nature or an increased sense of institutional dynamics. Shortly after returning to Kingston in 1982, I joined the City Democratic Committee, becoming the Chair, then the Ulster County Democratic Committee Chair in 1990. I found I really liked the political life and had some success working on campaigns I believed in, including Bill Clinton’s Presidential campaign, Maurice Hinchey’s Congressional campaign, Kevin Cahill’s Assembly campaign, Judge Karen Peter’s Supreme Court campaign and Judge Mary Work’s campaign for Family Court.

I served as County Chair for nine years and worked on numerous campaigns and issues. My love for Kingston found a perfect expression in Mayor TR Gallo’s campaigns and I served on various boards as part of his administration, including the Kingston Housing Authority and the Kingston Local Development Corporation. I also met an impressive young attorney from New York, Eliot Spitzer, worked on his campaign and then spent eight years working in the Attorney General’s Office.

My relationship with the Kingston Common Council started during my time as City Chair. I was fascinated by the interplay of personality, issue and institution and regularly attended the Council caucuses and meetings. Later on I discovered that one of my grandmother’s uncles had served on the Council and I was hooked. The Council position is unusual as there is an informal administrative relationship between the Alderman and the Ward as well as a more formal legislative role, more hands on than the County Legislature, for example. I can honestly say this is the only elected position I have ever really wanted, in-spite of my long association with the elective process.

After years away, my life has come full circle, returning to the Kingston I always loved and doing a job I prepared for through life experience more than education. Hopefully there are a few more chapters to come in this bio and I can make the case that the people of Ward Two are well served by my representation on the Common Council.



Enough is Enough-

The attacks on Alderman Cahill's blog against Second Ward Alderman Tom Hoffay are unacceptable and disgusting and enough is enough.

Tom Hoffay is a man of integrity and great moral character, he lead my party with distinction for 10 years and is a leader in this community, working under Attorney General and Governor Eliot Spitzer, a former Chair of the Kingston Housing Authority he is someone that I admire.

For Rich Cahill to allow, and I'll say it because we all know its true, to write those comments on his blog talking about Tom in the manner that he did is just disgraceful.

I publicly am calling upon Rich Cahill to delete those comments and apoligize.

Furthermore, the comments about Jenifer Fuentes not being from the area are laughable at best, maybe people forget Jen Ringwood, who came from Long Island and served Ward 2 very well.

The fact of the matter is Mrs. Fuentes, chose Kingston to be her home and has lived in the Ward for many years and is raising her family here. And, anyone that knows Jen, knows she is civic minded and will be a great Alderman and stand up for the residents of Ward 5.

County Executive Mike Hein is holding a fundraiser, tickets range from $ 100- $1000 and a portion of the fundraiser will benifit Our Democratic candidates Debra Schneer and Gilda Riccardi. More details to follow....

Alderman Anne Marie DiBella is retiring at the end of the year and I think it would be nice if the City Of Kingston Democratic committee would host a dinner in her honor, recognizing the hard work and achievements she was able to accomplish under her tenure as Alderman in Ward 5.

Julian Schriebman, chair of the UC Democratic committee wrote a letter in this weeks Kingston Times that was very on point in regards to the race for UC Court Judge and I think it behooves everyone to take a look.

Our sources in Ulster say an independent poll conducted, show incumbent Supervisor Nick Woerner trailing challenger Jim Quigley's by 8 points. It's early so who knows if that number will hold.

Rochester town board member Manuela, did not resign her office despite swearing under oath that she is a resident of Queens County.

Another funny tid bit, Manuela has claimed she is the victim of an attack launched by Len and Terry Bernardo in an effort to keep her off the ballot.

Fact of the matter is, it was Manuela who (unsuccessfully) challenged and tried to throw Terry Bernardo off the ballot during the petition process. Terry, nor anyone else challenged or tried to knock Manuela off the ballot, there will be a primary in September and may the best person (Terry Bernardo) win. :~)

Rumor has it we may see a very young legislator as Minority leader in the County Legislature next year....we will see.

Auerbach's got our back with his blog


Elliott Auerbach's got our back covered with his blog.

Check it out!

http://www.ulstercountycomptroller.blogspot.com/