Julian resigns as dem chair to launch run for congress

Julian Schreibman resigned last week as Chair of the Ulster County Democratic Committee to launch is campaign for Congress. Karen Markasinis is now acting chair of the committee.  I don't really no what I could add to this...

End of an Era

Congressman Hinchey's announcement that he would not run for another term is no surprise, he told me he was retiring early in January so I knew it was coming but still when his office made it official, I could not help but get knots in my stomach, it's sad. Congressman Hinchey is someone that never was afraid to stand up and do the right thing regardless of how unpopular it was in the court of public opinion. Congressman Hinchey is a hero to many and a man that served his constituents proudly, he will be missed in Congress. I wish him the very best in the future and hope he is able to enjoy his golden years with his family and friends...he deserves it.

On a side note: Allison Lee Hinchey's treatment by the local media has been disgusting and despicable. How dare they treat her the way they have because of issues they have with our distinguished Congressman. Mrs. Hinchey is a woman of class and does not deserve to be treated in the manner in which she has. I'm not saying to hide things or push them under the rug but putting it on the front page of the paper  with a picture that is not flattering is very disrespectful. I wish Mrs. Hinchey the very best and hope people and the press will respect her privacy.

What now with the 22nd?

Well there are several different things that may happen. I think most people are waiting for the state legislature to go through the redistricting process to see what is going to happen. Two congressional districts will be lost and with Hinchey retiring it would be easy to chop up the distirct. Ulster County could end up being lumped into Congressman Gibson's district or Congresswoman Hayworth's district.


For arguments sake lets assume that the 22nd stays intact, if that is the case who are the top contenders for the seat?

Kevin Cahill: Assemblyman Cahill is arguable the most qualified and best candidate that Democrats can put up. Kevin is smart, charismatic and has the experience as a legislator in both Ulster county were he served as Minority Leader and as state legislator where he has been in positions of leadership. Cahill a former chair of the state Assembly's ethics committee currently heads the Assembly's very influential energy committee. Congressman Cahill is a good fit.


Mike Hein: County Executive Hein is a great guy and someone that is very likable, even when I disagree with him (which is very rare) you can't help but like him. Mike Hein is committed to making Ulster County the best place ever to live work and raise a family and has been a breath of fresh air leading our county government.  Hein is sharp, a great speaker and damn impressive. Hein would also be an excellent choice for Congress.


Dan Ahouse: As a long time Chief of staff to Congressman Hinchey, Ahouse has the connections needed to run a congressional campaign. Dan Ahouse knows that district and the players like no other candidate could. Ahouse has helped a lot of people and has a lot of friends. Whether or not he is interested is another story but Ahouse is a serious contender if he wanted to make the plunge.

Juilan Schreibman: We hear the Democratic county Chairman is indeed interested in a run for congress. 



Binghamton Mayor Matt Ryan also has been rumored as a possible candidate for Congress. Ryan a popular Democrat will do really well in a Democratic primary. I do not know enough about Mayor Ryan to give an accurate assessment but he's in the mix.

George Phillips: The two time loser did really well last time he ran. Phillips who took money from Karl Rove hit the district with his campaign full of lies and deception. The smear campaign almost was successful, he certainly is going to try and make a run at it.

There will be both Democratic and Republican primaries for this race..it should be interesting and it's gonna swing into high gear pretty quickly.

It's Newt

Newt Gingrich destroys Romney to win South Carolina primary. If Rick Santorum gets out of the way, Newt Gingrich has a good shot to carry Florida and win the GOP nomination.

Bloomberg‎ - 7025 related articles

Results for South Carolina Republican Primary (U.S. Presidential Primary)

Jan 21, 2012 (100% of precincts reporting)

Newt Gingrich	243,153	40.4%
Mitt Romney	167,279	27.8%
Rick Santorum	102,055	17%
Ron Paul	77,993	13%
Rick Perry	2,494	0.4%
Other	8,192	1.4%

Watch Fendi at New World Stages

Please take a minute to watch this video. My friend the very talanted Fendi Munoz performed at New World Stages..someone like you. She's really a great singer who's extremely talented. Look for her to be a household name in a few years. :)

BREAKING NEWS CONGRESSMAN HINCHEY TO RETIRE

As first reported here on Blaber News last week: Congressman Hinchey will not seek another term for Congress..more later. This is a huge loss to the 22nd district.

Will we lose the district or will a long list of politicos now start running for his seat? Full details later.

2012 Predictions

Mayor Gallo Leads Kingston to become one of Money Magazine's 10 best places to live

The Kingston Common Council works with their new Mayor, reform of City government is easier than expected  when the new Alderman team up in a bipartisan manner and control the Majority.

Assembly and Senate Districts redistricting will yield new Ulster County players in state politics

Skartodos returns to Assembly


Kevin Cahill runs and is reelected in the new 101st

The legislature and Executive will be at odds on a scale we have not yet witnessed since the adoption of  the Charter form of government.

Congressman Hinchey retires-- a lot of local pols line up to replace..none anywhere near as good as Hinchey.

Dan Ahouse X Factor in that race, a bright guy with the connections and brains.

An elder party attorney will be elected Chair of the Ulster County Democratic Committee in a three way race.

Barack Obama is reelected President of the United States of America

Blaber becomes Chairman of City of Kingston Democratic Committee (I really hope this one is accurate!)

Congratulations to Chairman Bernardo; Terry first Woman to hold Top Post

  "The Charter set up a balance of power between this body, the executive and the comptroller, the vast overhaul proposed by some to make this legislature less effective is not welcomed from this chair today.”
                                         -Chairman Terry Bernardo,  Ulster County Legislature

Congratulations to Terry Bernardo who became the first woman to become Chairman of the Ulster County Legislature. Terry has been an unfair target by some of her political adversaries and she played it just right, she killed them with kindness and they underestimated her.

Terry Bernardo who holds a Master's degree from Drexel University will be a great Chair, in her first term as a legislator she fought hard for the residents of Warwarsing that have been suffering with flooding due to an unresponsive agency in NYC. If not for Terry Bernardo this issue would never of come to light. Bernardo is a go getter and will get results.


Personally, Terry and her husband Len are two of the nicest and caring people I have ever met and I love them both a great deal. I am not sure you can be proud of someone older than you are but I am very proud of Terry, this was well deserved.

Gallo Takes Charge

The Gallo Era Begins:

 His supporters are called Gallonista's according to Political Columnist Hugh Reynolds, and after more than a year of fighting the political establishment Shayne Gallo was able to break down their back door and  is now officially in charge; as Kingston's 33rd Mayor.

At the swearing in on New Year's day, well over 400 people packed City Hall to watch Shayne get sworn in. Most has to do with the tremendous outreach Gallo's team had during the election and a lot had to do with the hope that Kingstonians have in another Gallo being Mayor. You could just  feel that the people in that room and around the city have a restored sense of pride and hope that they had lost after death of T.R. Gallo. 
With insiders describing Shayne as T.R. on steroids, we are going to see a lot of positive changes in the next year. The closing of a boarding house on O'Reilly house was already a positive start by the new mayor.

Noticeably absent from Gallo's swearing in was Kingston Democratic Chairman Frank Cardinale, who has been at odds with Shayne. Cardinale who didn't support Gallo's bid for Mayor during the primary is showing that nothing much has really changed.

Blaber News Person of the Week Brian Woltman

For 2012 I resolve to update this blog on a regular basis and I also plan to bring back some of the great regular spots I used to have like pin heads and patriots (which I took from O'Reilly) but it was fun to do on a local level. I also would like to bring back the Blaber News Person of the week.. I used to write something nice about someone ever week and post it on the blog. Usually this person is someone that is a local official, volunteer or someone that is newsworthy or was newsworthy for that specific week.


 I first met Brian back in 2006 when I was doing my tv show, I had to pay a parking ticket at city hall. Brian introduced himself and said he had saw the show, after that I would run into him from time to time and we became friends.

I did a story about Brian's help back when city court had to be moved for renovations, Brian had done a lot of work on the mechanics of the move, far and above his duties as the city purchaser for the City of Kingston. That's not unusual for Brian, Brain takes his work at City Hall very seriously and many times will go above and beyond what is expected of him in his role in city government. However Brian has the same  seriousness and dedication about most things.

This past year Brian helped a lot in Shayne Gallo's race for Mayor. Woltman was one of the original five people that were on Gallo's committee from day one and was a loyal supporter in good times and bad. Woltman was a loyal solider, he nominated Gallo with his infamous: Gallo gets it speech and put himself out there as a city employee to some extent and it's very honorable, to pick a life long friendship over the possibility of losing your job, if you back the wrong horse.

There is some talk Brian may run for a seat on the legislature when his current legislator retires, and some would say he is the heir apparent to that seat. He has my vote and is this weeks person of the week.

Coming next few days 2012 Predictions

 In the next few days, I will do my 2012 predictions, I thought it would be fun to go down memory lane and look at the predictions I made last year.

On December 28th 2010, I did a blog post on 2011 predictions, and some I was pretty good on and some I was way off on..but actually for writing these in Decemeber of last year, I think I did ok..I was dead on about the Kingston races and this was way before any of the candidates had announced, some had not even thought of running yet.


http://blabernews.blogspot.com/search?q=2011+predictions   <~~~~~ post from December 2010

Kingston Mayor Jim Sottile will not run for reelection or finish his full term in office.

I was right on the money on Sottile not running, he is finishing his term.

Kingston will see primaries on both the Democratic and Republican sides for the office of mayor.

Was accurate on prediction number 2, which was a good call being I made it in December

The winner of the Kingston Mayor's race will be a Kingston native and established politico, although considered some what of an underdog in the primary, his huge primary win gives him great momentum and an easy win in November..a few Aldermen may be tapped to serve in the administration, leaving some open seats and special elections in key areas of Kingston.

For the most part with the exception of only the special election part, this predication came true.

Kingston's Ward 6 will continue to have solid representation and the Ball will start moving forward bringing Kingston on the right track, another candidate will make some noise about running but he will quickly and swiftly be shut down

four for four!

The common council will remain solidly Democratic..two former Aldermen will make a run for the council again...one will be successful, one will not.

half right on this one

Kingston will elect it's first female Alderman at Large; in fact the election in 2011 will guarantee that a female holds the post

dead wrong...at the time I was thinking Provanzano vs. Levin

-----------------------------------------------

A bright charismatic former prosecutor and Kingston trial lawyer will be elected Ulster County District Attorney. The new Democratic D.A. will quickly transform the Ulster D.A.'s office in similar ways Spitzer transformed the NYS AG's office and will eventually go on to hold statewide office.

ok...I was wrong on that one too...ah, what could have been.

A Democrat will run on the Republican, Conservative and Independence lines for County Executive; Mike Hein fighting on the Democratic and working families lines will be reelected by an Andrew Cuomo type margin.

Wrong on that end..at the time I was think Zimet may run

Incumbent legislators that will not be returning to the county legislature after 2011 : T.J. Briggs, Donald Gregorius, Richard Parete, Mike Sweeney, Robert Aeillo, Fred Wadnola, Jim Maloney, Jeanettee Provanzano, Al Lomita, Jack Hayes, Frank Fellicello, Sue Zimet, David Donaldson, Marybeth Maio

(note only two of these incumbents will lose their reelection bids, the rest may chose to retire with the redistricting, others (3) may run for higher offices.)

I was wrong on eight of these..but I was right Sue did run for higher office. When I did this Rich and Rob where going to be in the same district, I thought Jeannette was running for Alderman at Large...I did my best.

Two ulster co. legislators will be investigated and their reputations "trashed" for unethical relationships with a county agency

...nothing to this one...

A high ranking county political appointment will be "encouraged" to take early retirement rather than face termination

was wrong on this one

With the Democratic ranks swelling, and the Republicans shrinking, Julian Schrieman will be challenged from within the party to act more like the Majority Chairman and less like a casual observer

this may still happen..

A new local, middle of the road political party will be talked about to take advantage of the huge number of non enrolled voters

to be fair, I didnt write this one haha

Reapportionment will be the battle of the year in the County Legislature. The Republicans will not accept fair districts and force court action....again.

pretty accurate...this ended up being a huge issue

In the end it does not matter, Mike Hein's coattails and a Cahill returning to the legislature (and we don't mean Kevin, Mr. Malloney) bring Democrats back to the majority party, although it will be close.

Oh I wish Brian would of ran..he would of been that one vote I was talking about that would of given Dems the Majority :(

Not my back, not your back...it's Auerbach

 Auerbach and I in June of 2008 after his big convention win! I was much bigger than :(

I was looking on Facebook and came across some great pictures, this picture was taken moments after Auerbach won the Democratic convention in 2008 in his bid for County Comptroller, he went on to win the general election over Republican Jim Quigley. Elliott's race was the first serious race I was involved with and the beginning of a great friendship.

It may seem like a dumb post about a picture that was taken three years ago but when I look at it, it brings back a lot of memories. That was a big night for me, I felt accomplished, I was part of his team and I was proud of him and I looked up to him, I still do. Elliott was the first person that ever gave me a chance and took me seriously in politics and I am very grateful to him for that and he remains someone that has serves as a political mentor to me. He's a great guy and doing a great job as our county comptroller.

Congrats Majority Leader Hoffay

Alderman Hoffay will become Majority Leader Hoffay on January 1st. I was hoping for Robert Senor for no other reason than that Bob was a loyal Gallo supporter but I wish Hoffay the best. Tom will be a good Majority Leader, he is very bright and very savvy.


Hoffay who is retiered said he would make sure the office of Majority Leader has regular hours for new Dem Alderman (there is 4 of them) and that is a really good thing. I think everyone has full confidence in Hoffay's ability moving forward.

Can Kingston Dem Boss Cardinale Hang On?

Traditionally, The chief executive is the titular head of his party, so if the Mayor has differences with the chairman...Oh Well, there's only one boss.

                                                  -Hugh Reynolds, regarding Kingston Dem Boss Frank Cardinale

More Election Night Pictures

Love this pic: Chairman Gartenstein, me, Mayor Gallo and mama Gallo

Photo credit: Dan Barton, Kingston Times

Bernardo Secures Votes For Chair

Monday night it became official: Legislator Bernardo secures votes to be first female chair of Ulster County Legislature. Very good news!

Here and There

 Carl Belfiglio sent me this picture from election night, Mayor elect Gallo, Kayla and I..def the three coolest people there that night :)

 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.

Donaldson New Minority Leader, Rob Parete Whip

Donaldson to be New Ulster County Minority Leader

Dave Donaldson was elected by the Minority caucus to serve as their leader. Rob Parete was elected Minority whip. Congratulations to Dave Donaldson, I would of preferred someone like Rich Parete but Dave is a former Chairman and will do a good job I wish him the best.


It will be interesting to see who County Executive Mike Hein has a better relationship with; incoming Minority Leader Dave Donladson or likely legislative Chairwoman Terry Bernardo...Ironically, I think smart money says Bernardo.

Here and There

Election 2011 has come to a close and overall it was a good year. I am very happy that Shayne Gallo won the Mayor's race in Kingston and that Jim Noble was reelected to another term as Alderman at Large. I know the Gallo/Noble team will bring good things to Kingston. Kingston will move forward, crime will decease and economic development will start to happen.


A lot of credit should be given to Mayor Jim Sottile, he served Kingston proudly for 10 years and did a lot to get Kingston on firm financial footing. He has a lot of critics, some deserved, some not so much. Like him or hate him, he served with his heart on his sleeve and did a lot of great things for Kingston. File me as a supporter of Mayor Jim Sottile.

I agree with Alderwoman Jen Fuentes, override Cuomo's 2% tax cap this year. Local municipalities have the right this year to override the Governor's two percent mandated tax cap. Overriding the cap this year will help protect the City's fund balance and not completely handicap Mayor elect Shayne Gallo next year. Speaking of Jen, I am sorry to see her go, she is a great Alderwoman. I am glad this year I have gotten an opportunity to get to know her better, even if I drive her crazy sometimes. :~) Jen is a true believer in good government and an asset to this community.

The new Kingston Common Council is going to do well. I'm excited about new faces like Matt Dunn, Elisa Ball and MaryAnn Mills. The new council is made up of a lot of great bright people that will serve Kingston proudly.

The race for Majority Leader appears to be between Alderman Bob Senor and Alderman Tom Hoffay. The race for Minority Leader could end up being decided by Chairman Tony Sinagra..smart money says Debbie Brown has an edge but I honestly have no idea.

Speaking of political party officials, rumor is Tony Sinagra is going to be asked to resign at the next City GOP meeting.. there are a lot of possible replacements...maybe even Ron Polacco. I also hear rumors that Frank Cardinale may throw in the towel but those rumors are unconfirmed. With the possibility of two new political leaders, a new Mayor and a majority of freshman common council members, Kingston may finally get the change they have been asking for. You can almost smell the fresh air being released into city government.


Holly Carnright was reelected Ulster County District Attorney, his opponent Jonathan Sennett is one of the brightest and greatest people I know. I am proud to have voted for him and proud to call him my friend and that is all I have to say on that subject.

Republicans have held onto control of the Ulster County legislature by one seat. Fred Wadnola the current chairman of the legislature did not run for reelection and a new chair will be elected by the legislature come January. The Republicans are taking an informal vote for leadership next week but with their slim one vote lead, Democrats will also have a say in who will be chairman.  Right now the race is shaping up between Legislator Terry Bernardo and Legislator Jim Maloney. I hear there are some concerns at the number of government positions Maloney currently holds. You could see another candidate emerge at the last minute. Terry Bernardo is currently the odds on favorite to be the next chair of the legislature and the first woman to hold that position. Terry Bernardo is one of the brightest members of that body and will serve Ulster County well, I hope she is successful.

For Majority Leader, Ken Ronk seems to have it locked up. Several people tell me that Ronk has the votes and will be the next Majority leader..good for him, not a bad choice.

There is some talk that Jeanette Provanzano will face a challenge because of her vocal opposition to the privatization of Golden Hill. Jeannette Provanzano is a good Democrat and represents the party well as the leader. There will be big issues from Kingston Democrats if Jeannette Provanzano is messed with as some sort of political payback. Jeanette Provanzano will be protected and I think it would be wise for some people to think twice before trying to flex their political muscle on a legislator for standing up for what she believes in...just sayin'

Disappointed with the Kingston School Board for not hiring Elizabeth Ten Dyke as Superintendent of Schools. Ms. Ten Dyke was by far the most qualified candidate with the most diverse experience and the only finalist with an actual idea of the current issues facing the district. People should remember this when they vote in the next school board election...vote out the incumbents.

Mayor Elect

Shayne Robert Gallo

Daily Freeman Endorses Gallo for Mayor

Daily Freeman: Gallo stands out as having the most potential to be effective. He’s smart, knows the city well and has experience in the nuts-and-bolts issues of managing a municipal workforce. We endorse Shayne Gallo for mayor."