MISS HIM YET?What more can we take?
Under Julian : Two county wide election loses, the Katz convention fiasco, the bylaws fiasco last night, loss of the county legislature. We can not afford anymore of Chairman Schreibman..enough is enough!
I attended the bylaws vote at Kingston city hall last night before heading back to the city and what a circus it was.
Julian Schreibman called the meeting at 715ish and said a quorum was present, I thought that 40 % was the required number for a quorum to be present so I went up to Kathy Mihm who was taking attendance and asked her if we had the 40% needed for a quorum, she informed me that we did and only 30 % was needed.
I did a head count and there were 75 people in that room, 93 would have been required to have the 30% needed so there was no quorum at that meeting and business was conducted illegally!
Besides that, the meeting was chaos, Brian Shapiro asked very pointed and well thought out questions and Terry Rosenblum did not have answers to those questions it was just a joke.
Attorney Andy Zweeben (no friend of mine) also asked relevant questions which were not answered and people gave him different answers...we voted on a document last night that we were not clear on.
And while Andy Zweben is not my favorite person, I thought it was out of line for Mike Harkavey the chair of the Saugerties committee to heckle him as he spoke, that's completely unacceptable to do to anyone.
How ironic that the Ulster County Democratic committee or I should say the Saugerties Democratic committee and it's ring leader Julian Schreibman passed new bylaws heavily focusing on ethics, in the most unethical manner.
More importantly I am extremly upset that I was lied to directly by the secretary of the meeting when I asked about the quorum, this person also happens to be the Democratic elections commissioner..how can we have faith in the elections process.
I'm not 100% against the new bylaws, two of my friends worked very hard on them and I know at least their intentions during that process last year were genuine but the meeting last night and how it went down was illegal and wrong on many levels.
34 comments:
Jeremy,
Are you calling Kathy Mihm a liar? She, Jay & Linda were checking off (on the master UCDC list) the names of committee members as they entered the room. When asked if there was a quorum, she emphatically replied "yes". The vote was not illegal.
Julian's a joke, someone needs to write a letter to the New York State board of elections and f.o.i.l. the attendence record of last nights meeting. Quickly followed by an article 78. It's bullshit, I agree with you JB, the bylaws may well be a good document, I have not seen them but do it the right way.
Julian just did not want to be embarassed in front of the people that attended last night.
So they amended the bylaws in violation of the bylaws. Classic.
By the way, I assume you did the head count before you left, so subtract at least one. No way there was a quorum, but that didn't seem to occur to or bother our chair.
You forgot to mention how vibrant Julian is before a crowd. It was overwhelming.
No wonder we lost control of the legislature and lost the two county wide races.
Hopefully, the opposition does not put up anyone with a pulse in November or the Sheriff and the Comptroller might have races on their hands.
Lest you forget . . . John Parete chose not to run for the chairmanship of the UCDC. Julian Schreibman & Roy Hochburg stepped up to the plate. Julian was elected chair by a considerable margin.
Re 5:33 - Why are you even entering this conversation if you have not seen the bylaws? Are you a Democrat? Were you in attendance last evening? If the answer to both is "yes", then shame on you for NOT familiarizing yourself with the former and the revised bylaws.
Leadership and respect come from work. Julian has not earned either of them and that explains why no one showed up. If what you say is true, shame on Kathy Mihm and all the others on the executive committee for taking part in this charade.
As for the idiots from Saugerties, they are all talk and no action. Assholes one and all. They shoved piss poor candidates down everyone's throat, didn't support them or work for them, and wondered why they lost.
The County committee is in very bad shape. Auerbach, VanBlarcum, Cahill and Hinchey would do well to run their own campaigns or join forces excluding the county committee altogether.
you can't article 78 in state supreme court against a political organization. Article 78 are legal proceedings against a political subdivision.
Jeremy,
To your credit you don’t hide behind anonymity. My response will do the same.
I could only hope that the Saugerties Democratic Committee had the influence and power you seem to give us. The Bylaws Committee was formed from committee members from all over the county. It arose out of a response to the open opposition of our candidate for District Attorney by elected Democratic officials.
Your assertion that people were voting on something they didn’t understand does not stand up to the facts. A written draft was mailed to every committeeperson. Requests for changes were encouraged and the few that came back were incorporated into the bylaw revision. Last week the updated bylaws were sent out again and a hard copy was available at the meeting. Committeepersons had every opportunity to review the document. It was deemed that a quorum was present.
We will remain a divided party, walking on quick sand, if we don’t have a foundation in our bylaws that insures our support for Democratic candidates. I remain amazed that some feel it necessary to stall that process. To Mr. Zweben, I apologize for calling out the word nonsense.
Well 444 I was there and his number of 74 is not off. If it is maybe by a few but if 93 were needed, there was no quorum. Shame on Julian, Shame on Kathy.
Did you not learn your lesson on not to trust Kathy when she screwed you out of a job with the boe to suck up to Julian?
Mike you're wrong on so many different levels, not sure where to start.
One, election law requires something to the effect that any change or amendment that is made would have to be sent out in writing with a copy of the notice of the vote within 5 days of that vote. Nothing was sent out.
Two, they flat out lied that a quorum of 30% was present, even though they were challenged and conducted business illegally.
I also believe that if you are filling vacancies to vacant committee spots (nomination of someone for office)40% would of been needed for a quorum.
And really while I said I probably would of supported the bylaws, it's bullshit for you to say that it was in response to the da's race, you gave the highest elected official that went against Jon a standing ovation the other night at the same meeting you voted for the new bylaws..how hypocritical.
The bylaws and the ethics law that you guys pushed through the legislature all has to do with your hatred of Jon Parete. You Zimet and the rest of the ultra Liberals, used Jon Sennett's da's race as a way to push that agenda. Which has cost us probably a dozen or so other races that we didn't have to lose.
Jeremy:
I have to say Julian did such a great job running and controling that meeting last night. It was Obamasic as he talked to the adduance like a young John F. Kennedy.
Julian really inspres people and draws crowds.......................................................................................................sorry that's where my head hit as I was puking! Thr guy is such a loser, go back to Stone Ridge and stay there!
I am a committee member and I never received a copy of the current by-laws or the proposed changes. I got an email saying they were on the website. That is not the same and would not hold up in court. I am very disappointed in the leadership of this party for not stepping up and taking action against a person who is so obviously in over his head,just doesn't give a crap or is simply incompetent. No matter the reason, the results are the same, Democrats lose. I will never go to another Committee meeting as long as he is Chairman. I am still trying to figure out why they worked so hard at pushing John Parete out. John was not perfect, but he ran the party and didn't neglect his responsibilities like this clown does.
Isn't politics a big joke in NY and Ulster County? Office holders and candidates who say what they want and do as they please. political prostitution for the purpose of getting support, sex scandals, broken promises etc.
In the political realm, nothing has really changed over the years in running political campaigns over the past 150 years. Its either spend your own money to run your campaign or have others do it for you.For that service, you will pay a steep price.
Now you become obligated to them [the big power broker] or they will pull the rug from under you the next time you run if elected in the first place.
It will be a tough election year for the Democrats with things going sour on a national and state level. This will trickle down to county and local races as well. You'll see.
And haven't you learned anything from your own personal foray into the wonderful world of Ulster County Politics, JB? Promises for positions made to you out of political expediency but were never kept. Some of these people you "supported" in the past laugh at you behind your back. And those you thrashed on this blog in the past dislike you with a passion and view you as an enigma. I know.
I can only surmise you continue with this endeavor in the fervent hope that one day you will run for public office. In the meantime, you may balk in the sea of notoriety knowing that at the very least you are spoken about.
Harkavey is a pussy. Can't get Democrats elected in Saugerties and he thinks he can do it on the county level.
I think Julian, Rosenbloom, and Harkavey are Republicans. They do a much better job getting them elected than Democrats.
End the experiment and get pros back.
Mike, if you and your committee want influence why don't you use it in constructive ways.
The more I read and hear you it has become obvious your main interest is power, not getting Democrats elected. The voters of Saugerties have rejected your tone. All you have to do is look at this years election results.
I was at the meeting Monday evening and there was no quorum. Julian and Kathy Mihm lied to everyone that was there.
11:45 PM wrote, in part:
Did you not learn your lesson on not to trust Kathy when she screwed you out of a job with the boe to suck up to Julian?
I don't know who you think I am, but I never sought a position with the BOE. Or were you referring to Jeremy?
Sounds like a rep meeting except we have Bernardo running it for Catalano and together they can't count that high
I agree I dislike Andy but yelling out at him while he's speaking, what a disgrace for a town chair. Can you see John Parete or any other town chair doing that? I doubt it.
Cathy Mihn did not tell the truth,there were at best,74 committee people at the meeting including several who did not want to be signed in,but were anyway.Ask Jay and Linda how many committee people were there and they will probably be honest if it doesn't cost them their job.
More seriously,this incident reflects on the competence and the confidence of the Democrats in the Board of Elections.
Will they process documents honestly and fairly and accurately or will they do what Julian and Harkavy tell them to do.Those people never should have been put in such an exposed position.Little wonder why the Dems are losing it
Cathy mihn's job is on the line.She will say what ever Harkavey and Schreibman order her to say
Just to be clear. . .
I am also a member of the committee and I never received a copy of the amended bylaws. I attended the meeting merely because I was concerned that there would be no quorum. Clearly a waste of my time because our chairman did not care whether he had the necessary seats in the chairs.
I also counted heads, and JB is being generous. Also, a number of people left before the vote and Kathy was not crossing people off the list as they left. My guess is that there were less than seventy committee-members in the room when the vote was actually taken, but who really cares. After all, why follow the rules when passing new rules?
At this point, it should be clear that it was all pointless. Absent a quorum, the amendments are unenforceable and if the committee tries to discipline anyone for violating the "loyalty" oath, the amendments will be declared unenforceable. Really that simple.
As to the "leadership" and the bylaws committee, Ms. Rosenblum did not understand the difference between a provision that says that an office holder has to SUPPORT a candidate from a provision that says an office-holder cannot OPPOSE a candidate. Legally, a very significant difference and she had to be corrected from the floor after she based her entire presentation on the belief that the amendments required the former rather than precluding the later. She then replied "well we can do it either way".
The entire evening was sad.
From 603
I'm a committeeperson. I NEVER received a copy of the revised bylaws. I recieved notice of the meeting only a week or so ahead (legit but not convenient).
I'm not wasting my time. I'll work hard for Paul and Kevin and Mike and Maurice- on my own.
The extremist dirtbags who have taken over the dem party forced out a better than competent chairman when they screwed John Parete. There is not a single democrat in Ulster County who can come close to being as good a leader as John.
Schreibman is a hack, a pawn of the cityots. Those commie morons have no idea what a rural county is all about. They don't understand our politics or our people.
Get the hell out and go back where you came from, you cockroaches. You have turned political competition between the dems and the reps into a civil war.
People here don't need you. We don't want you. You screw up everything you touch. You don't belong here and you never will. You're not our neighbors, you're condescending peabrains who think you know better than the poor schmucks who grew up in the sticks.
So, how come you guys are abandoning New York city and places like Long Island, Rockland and Westchester like rats off a sinking ship? Because your brand of political b.s. has destroyed those places.
Throw the downstate baggage out of Ulster and bring back John Parete.
Che Guevara shirt wearing idiots.
I saw this, and it ain't a half bad idea.
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=141926911649&ref=ts#!/?sk=2361831622
What a terrible, terrible mess these zealots have made. When Parete was running things, we won, we had record attendance, we had organization and we had some pride. We have none of those things now thank to the zealots.
Hey, I am a republican.I switched. Saw the light. Why not come over to our side? Give us a try. Sounds like you are unhappy with the current ruling party in your democratic committee. And you must be so proud of our NYS governor!!!and his staff.
Sottile is one cockroach that no one can blame for not being someone raised here in the sticks.
The entire Democratic Party in Ulster County is a mess, and the people to blame are the lawyers and Ivy League idiots who think they know everything and insist they do in fact. Sottile's elitist mentality fits in very well with them(BTW--was the Emperor in attendance to wave his Caesar-crown and have the crowd bow to him?). The key is to throw all of the above out and start over or at least kick 'em hard enough in the balls so that they can't crap anymore on the process.
That takes "growing a pair." I think all the available testosterone has been drained by all this "Mihm-ery" and similar situations.
Julian is a fool and if he thinks he is getting away with this he is crazy. You just sealed your fate with me buddy. No way I will vote for you for reelection. Don't lie or shove things down our throat. You said you would be diferent when you ran and from what I gather you are worse! John Parete love him or hate him, he won elections.
9:00, Parente, as you say, "won" elections. Perhaps these victories were due to a large part of the anti-Bush sentiment and the cost overruns of the Law Enforcement Center. The 37% increase in county property tax didn't help matters either but contributed towards an anti-Republican backlash locally.
No such luxury this election cycle around WHOEVER is the Democratic Party County Chair.Have you noticed Democrats were swept out of office in Westchester and Nassau counties last November? Does the Massachusetts US Senate race echo the frustration of the voters?
While the Democrats in Ulster are divided, the local Republicans are very much united and energized. They know they can't capture the Congressional or NYS 101st assembly seat, but stand a very good chance of winning the comptrollers and sheriffs race this year.
I agree with the last few opinions. Although Julian may not be a dynamo, very few elections are won by the party chair. Secondly, we won the executive and comptroller races, and LOST the DA race when Parete screwed up that deal by causing a 3 way race. So lets be fair. When one party controls the federal, state and local governments, its impossible to win, because the voters only have one party to blame. Julian has only been chairman for a year, so lets give him a fair shake. Just one womans opinion, for what its worth.
7:32. don't count us out on congressional and assembly race. Not everybody loves Hinchey & Cahill. They need to look over their shoulders.Notice all of the grandstanding going on with them??. Desperate measures? Hinchey is doing what he was elected to do. He didn't part the waters. and Cahill's call in investigating the delays in getting power restored with Central Hudson; It is called "A Major Snow storm"!!! So please Kevin Cahill, no more snow jobs!! There are more pressing issues on the state level. Corruption, ethical issues, high taxes and etc...Enough to pick from.
ETHICS???? Mayor Sottile plows for a contractor on City time. The Saety officer is using her DPW office as a kennal. Kingston is a mess and the dems have done nothing.
We won the comptrollers race in large part to the foundation that John Parete layed out and the work of this blogmaster who never gets the credit owed to him. Same with the executives race Mike Hein ran hard and we also had Obama. Julian was no where to be seen.
7:32, I think after all this time those 2 guys know what their responsibilities are. It isn't like EVERY Congressman and Assemblyman are responsible for everything in Government. They are carrying out their assignments just fine. If they piped up on every controversy you would call them grandstanders.
Cahill just delivered 100 (maybe more) jobs. That is huge for this area. Hinchey has been feeding money into TSEC from the begining. This seed money is starting to show dividends. The Solar industry is taking root here.
Cahill is chair of the Energy committee, so it IS his job to call for hearings. Do you know for a fact that Central Hudson and the other utilities are NOT responsible for the level of power loss? I am not so sure.
The biggest question I have is why was their only seventy some people in attendance? There are well over 200 committeepeople and all he could conger up was 70 and change? That is indicative of something that should be very clear to everyone...this guy could not lead a horse to water. If this was so important, how could he not even get a majority of the committee to show up. That is the biggest problem Democrats have in Ulster County. This guy engenders no participation by the leaders of the party. He alienates people very quickly and they have now become apathetic. He has set back the democratic party in Ulster County ten years all by himself. And blame the 2009 election loses on the anti-democratic wave all you want and maybe it is true. But ask yourself how many of those Ulster elections were even close? I cannot think of one. That is a problem in a county with a 10,000 vote majority....we would of lost no matter what the senitiment and he has to take some blame for it, it happened when he took over.
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