David Donaldson played a good game of chess and was able to become Minority Leader of the Ulster County Legislature yesterday. It's a shocker being that the race was set to be beteen Rich Parete and Hector Rodriguez, from what I hear, I am giving limeted details becasue I was told in confidence, an outgoing legislator tried to influence the vote and it backfired..one of the contenders dropped out and their votes swung to Donaldson. I'll give more details when I can..I'm not part of the caucus and it's not appropriate for me to devulge the information.
It is interesting Jeanette Provanzano did not seek another term as leader, many had speculated she had unfairly lost support for bucking Hein on Golden Hill, Dave Donaldson has also been a very outspoken critic of privatization, has a complicated relationship with the executive to say the least. I can't imagine Hein is happy with Dave leading the caucus and their relationship may come to a boiling point during the new 2012 legislative session. Again, I would have prefered Rich Parete but Im glad Dave is Minority Leader, the leader should be from Kingston, Kingston is the county seat and Dave knows his stuff, I wish him the best.
In Kingston, I first reported that Bob Senor would probably be the new Majority Leader in Kingston, however, I hear that Alderman Tom Hoffay may have the votes for the post. Democrats hold a solid majority on the council with 7-9 seats in Dem hands
The breakdown as I see it:
Hoffay: Dunn, Hoffay, Carey, Ball
Senor : Mills, Senor
Up in the air is Shirley Whitlock... I say that becasue there is a rumor floating that she may go for the post but the support is probably not there at this point and if she decided not to run, I see her voting for Hoffay over Senor.
Note: The breakdown is just an educated guess on my part and may not be 100% accurate.
Mayor elect Shayne Gallo held a meeting at Little Italy as part of his listening tour to address residents concerns and to give the public an oppertunity to talk with him. I think this is great and really sends a loud and clear message that the Gallo administration will be open, transparent and have a high level of accountability. Kudos to Mayor Gallo.
There will be two more listening sessions if anyone is interested in talking with Shayne :
Dec. 19: Everette Hodge Midtown Community Center, 15-21 Franklin St., 7 to 9 p.m. Topic: “Community voices,” intended for community advocates, the faith community and other concerned citizens.
• Dec. 20: Seven21 Media Center, 721 Broadway, 7 to 9 p.m. Topic: Needs of the business, real estate and non-profit sectors, with focus on a Business Advisory Task Force to be developed in the city.
16 comments:
Tom Hoffay ??? really ???
THIS is who YOU FOLKS want to determine Kingston's Future ???
Please say I am wrong,,
He is scary bad,,,
I know !!!
If we want to do things the old fashioned way, then go with Hoffay or Senor, not much of a difference although with Senor, you at least know that he is upfront most of the time. Hoffay we can assume is lying and manipulating each and every time he opens his mouth.
If we want to start doing things differently, how about Majority Leader Dunn. A bright and honest attorney who understands what needs to change to right this ship.
And don't start with the "we need someone who has experience with the process". The process as it stands is the biggest part of the problem.
Lets change it so that things work the way they should. The best first step is to put someone in the position who is not indoctrinated in the same old same old.
Lets start the Dunn for leader campaign. One vote at a time can make it happen.
What about Ball?
I agree 6:56. The good ole' boys no longer need to rule. Get some new blood in there. Hoffay... wiley as a fox. Does not invite confidence in moving this new council forward. Hoffay does what benefits Hoffay. Tired of all his lengthy preachy dissertations. Senor...oh please.....Get real!
Lets be honest, Dunn and Ball are the only new additions to the council who are capable of doing a good job as majority leader. The others are nice people and will do a fine job as alderman but when it comes to leadership positions we really need to be picky.
Ball has too many potential conflicts with her husband presiding in city court. The smartest move would be Dunn.
I don't see any conflicts with Ball but I really think it should be Senor or Hoffay. You need someone that knows the process and the procedure..the first two years is really a learning experience for any new Alderman. The majority leader should be someone that has been there for a few terms.
You have to be joking with Hoffay. No one wants him in a position where he can do more damage.
Don't think Dunn is the right man for the job either. He has ties to orgnaized labor and might not be tough on labor contracts. We need a council that can be tough on unions and Dunn isn't the man for that job.
It is of interest yet not surprising that that a lack of knowledge or an act of deceit allows one to perpetrate the axiom "conflict of interest."Alderman elect Ball is legislative not judicial and her authority and limitations stem from the U.S. Constitution as does those of the Honorable Judge Lawerence Ball . Spousal relationship is of no significance in this instance.The judge serves for love of the law and she for love of community.
In closing it is difficult to comprehend that knowledge of and participation in a failed system is a requirement of leadership.
Yes agreed, there is no conflict. Larry Ball and Elisa Ball are both ELECTED officials and both elected in their own right.
Hoffay? Are you serious? He is an absolute joke and will promote his self-interest before that of the Council or the City as he has done his entire career. And lets be serious here, it isn't like they are performing brain surgery here. The last term they were arguing about stray cats and smoking in parks. I am quite sure any of the new people are more than capable of figuring out the "process" very quickly especially with the help of Noble. Hoffay is one of the problems of this City..the less influence he has the better. He is also clearly not a consensus builder. Many in his own party can't stand the guy. And the election results prove the point. He lost significant support from his last race in a Ward that clearly favors Dem's and it will continue to erode. I am all for new blood. They are eager, ambitious, bright eyed and bushey tailed and will put the time in that is necessary.
Who did E.Ball run against? Elected?
She won, she ran unopposed, no one could beat her. She's a great asset to the council.
whose the hottie?
Don't worry about Kayla..she is gorgeous and sorta perfect though, I agree. ;)
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