Woerner for Ward 5

U.C. Legislator Rich "No Holds Barred" Parete Comes Out of Retirement

Ulster County Legislator Rich Parete, a former wrestler, who coaches and is involved with wrestling leagues decided to come out of retirement after 20 years and enter a wrestling tournament. He did pretty good winning 2-3 contests, one going into triple overtime and Rich won by escape. His wife Colleen, said on facebook she was very proud.

Rumor is Rich will be facing off against fellow legislators Hansut, Ronk and Roberts in an upcoming County sponsored pay-per view event in a steel cage match....smart money on Parete.

I have pictures below (I think if you click the four squares below they should pop up..will work on fixing this when I figure it out.)

RIP Geraldine Ferraro

Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to be on a major-party presidential ticket, has died at age 75 according to The New York Times.



Ferraro, a former congresswoman from New York City, was the Democratic candidate for vice president in 1984, running with presidential candidate Walter Mondale.

Some stories on the race for Kingston Mayor

Some stories this week on the Kingston Mayor Race, worth checking out :

Kingston Times Story

Kingston Times Editorial

Daily Freeman Redux

Daily Freeman

YNN Story

The Olivia Rose Belfiglio -- Memorial Scholarship

Friends and family of Olivia Rose Belfiglio, announce The Olivia Rose Belfiglio Memorial Scholarship for Kingston and Saugerties High School Seniors. Olivia was the Daughter of Ulster County Legislator Carl Belfiglio (R) Port Ewen and Dale Winchester of Saugerties.


Olivia lost her life June 4th 2010 while hiking in the Devils Kitchen area of Greene County. The Scholarship was organized by friends of Olivia, Amy Buono, Katie Ehmann and Grace Schneller and many more.

The 2011 Olivia Rose Belfiglio Memorial scholarship is the result of the proceeds and donations from the 2010 LIVI-LOVE 4K race in memory of Olivia Belfiglio. Friends and family with the support of the Onteora Runner’s Club offered this race in August 2010 to celebrate Olivia’s life. Thanks to nearly 400 participants, volunteers, and generous sponsors, significant scholarship money was raised in Olivia’s memory.

Up to six $700 scholarships will be offered to Kingston or Saugerties High School seniors planning to attend a two or four year college in the Fall of 2011. Applicants need to demonstrate interest and participation in athletics, the arts, community activities, and academics.


The Scholarship will have six awards of $ 700.00 each. To apply see the Saugerties and Kingston High School guidance offices for an application.


Deadline for submission is May 12th 2011.

Contact :

Mike Schneller at (845) 706-1381

Carl Belfiglio 845-331-4137

Turco Levin Announces for Mayor

Andi Turco Levin is announcing that she will be a candidate for Mayor in Kingston, seeking the Republican nomination. Rich Cahill, Jean Jacobs and Ron Polacco have all announced their intentions as well. So it looks like there could be a 4 way primary this September..wow!

Rich Cahill announced on his blog that the search committee unanimously recommended him to be the candidate this November. The full committee will have to vote. Cahill also seems to be a lock for the Conservative line.

Will be fun to watch the GOP fight it out.

Kingston Times

I encourage everyone to go out and buy a copy of this weeks Kingston Times, has some great stories on the race for Kingston Mayor in there.

Here is an excerpt on an editorial written by Dan Barton that gives an interesting prospective on the Gallo v. Clement race :


"Look at it another way, Clement, like your new friend, emphasizes the great things about you and focuses on where you’re going from here. Gallo, like the friend you’ve known all your life, acknowledges the great, but knows all about your buried bodies and has the moral authority to call you on your BS."

Read full editorial by clicking here

Mayor Sottile Restores 50k for Carnegie Project

Mayor Jim Sottile restored the 50k in funding to go toward the restoration of the Carnegie library. Mayor Sottile did the right thing, for more than 30 years this building has sat dormant. Thanks to Mayor Sottile, and members of the board of education, the buildings restoration is finally becoming a reality.

Shayne Gallo had more than 50 people tough it out in the rain to come and listen to his vision for Kingston. Above is one of his younger supporters.

The Blaber App

I was at a coffee shop this morning, and a guy came up to me and showed me an app that he has on his iPhone for my blog. Have to say that person completely made my day..haha

Dozens of Local Businesses Show their Overwhelming Support for Gallo at Parade

Shayne at the parade, he has assured everyone this is the last time he wears the transition glasses outdoors ;~)

 The St. Patrick's Day parade this weekend and it was a blast. A lot of hometown pride, Brian Cahill said it best on his facebook, the AOH sure knows how to bring the community together.

I also saw a lot of support from local businesses along the parade route for Shayne Gallo, businesses starting from the Academy Green to the end of the route downtown, were displaying signs in their windows supporting Gallo's candidacy. I did see a few people wearing stickers for Cahill and Polacco but the support for Gallo was overwhelming.

Wadnola Defends $800 Dinner: "They Drank More Than They Ate" ??

Interesting Article in the Shawangunk Journal this week.


FROM SHAWANGUNK JOURNAL

ULSTER COUNTY DISPATCH

Chairman Defends Dinner

By Paula Sirc

KINGSTON – Of the receipts reflecting the thousands of dollars spent annually by former director of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency Mike Bemis on hotels, conferences and dinners, one bill, in particular, nags at Ulster County Chairman Fred Wadnola, R-Lake Katrine. The item in question is a receipt for an $800 agency staff dinner at his wife's restaurant, Fred's Place.

"I didn't even know about the party and she didn't remember it until they brought the receipt over," he said.

Memory refreshed, Wadnola said that the party was attended by all of the agency's staff, who "drank more than they ate," and was a celebration of the DEC permit that the agency had received. "That was in 2007, when I had nothing to do with the RRA," the county chairman said. "They keep crucifying Fred's Place, yet the agency had a Christmas party at another local place and spent over $900 and no one said a word."

The receipt for the dinner is dated Jan. 25, 2008, which, as reported in the Daily Freeman, was eleven days after the county's environmental committee floated the idea of Wadnola serving on the agency's board.

Nominated to the board by former Minority Leader, Glenn Noonan, Wadnola's appointment was confirmed in February 2008. It was during his tenure on the trash agency's board, he said, that they passed a resolution banning alcohol consumption.


The chairman also defended Legislator Kevin Roberts, R-Wallkill, who he appointed to chair the Government Services Committee that oversees the trash agency. The Freeman reported that in August 2009, while he was on the legislative board that oversees the agency, Roberts asked for and received a $14-per ton discount from the agency for 8.5 tons of debris from his contracting company.


Wadnola said that while he wouldn't have done what Roberts did, it was an innocent misstep and that the legislator was only "doing what contractors do — when they go to different landfills, they try to get the best price they can."

The chairman said that the focus on the RRA has been far too political and that attention should be drawn to the work that's being done right now to make the agency financially viable.

The UCRRA has been under financial scrutiny since August when Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach issued a report criticizing the lack of legislative oversight involved in the operations of the agency. The report examined some $32 million in fees, known as Net Service Fees, NSF, that the county has paid the trash agency since 1992, per an agreement between the county and the UCRRA.

The net service fee — the difference between RRA expenses and revenues — reduces the cost of services to taxpayers and keeps the agency competitive. A 1992 contract with the county requires taxpayers to pay the fee.

Wadnola believes that the agency would "wipe out" the net service fee entirely and begin to repay county taxpayers by siting a county landfill in one of the towns.

"We'd save anywhere from $4-7 million in fuel from trucking everything up to Syracuse," he said.

Noting the improvements in landfill technology since the UCRRA initially tried to site one in the early 1990's, including environmentally-friendly synthetic liners, Wadnola said, "I wouldn't have a problem with siting a landfill in the Town of Ulster — it would produce revenue for the town in terms of a community benefit and for the county and would save taxpayers millions of dollars."

Open Thread

What's going on out there, what are you hearing?

Slideshow of Shayne Gallo at Butch Guido's 30th Anniversary of Mariner's Harbor

Dutchess County Executive Molinaro? Sounds Good To Me.

I talked to the Assemblyman who sounds to me like he is running. Marc is a friend that I think would be a great County Executive and I wish him the best.

Chief Keller Retiring

Chief Jerry Keller announced on Saturday that he was retiring as Kingston Police Chief at the end of the year. I wish Chief Keller the best of luck and thank him for his service to Kingston, he's a great chief that served with integrity and kept Kingstonians safe.

I think you will see  a lot of department heads retiring at the end of the year, that's the way it goes when a new administration starts. The new Chief of police whomever it be will have big shoes to fill.