I didn't Know The Jail Was Gunna Cost That Much!

Fawn Tantillo, former Chair of the jail Oversight Committee

2010 Primaries

The following is who we like for the 2010 primaries...it does not reflect who we support in the general elections.. specifically the Governor's race, I strongly support Andrew Cuomo for Governor. Make sure you all go out and vote...especially for Kingston City Judge Larry Ball and Eric Dinallo for AG!!!

Republican Governor : Carl Paladino

Democrat US Senate: Kirsten Gilibrand

Republican US Senate: Joe DioGuardi

Republican US Senate: Jay Townsend

Democrat NYS Attorney General: Eric Dinallo

Independence City of Kingston Judge: Larry Ball

Conservative City of Kingston Judge: Larry Ball

Democrat New Paltz district 7 Committee : Dan Torres and Toni Hokenson

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1.02.28

Hein Looks To Prevent Job Cuts in 2011 Budget

Counties across the region are preparing their 2011 budgets to be presented in the next several weeks. The financial problems facing all of them in the last few years, including fewer revenues, more charges and fees and unfunded mandates from Albany, have left counties in rough times.

In Ulster County last year, county officials enacted employee layoffs to help balance the spending plan.

County Executive Michael Hein said he does not want to place anymore of a burden on county residents.

“Taxpayers simply cannot afford major tax increases. We need to make significant transformations in government,” he said. “Government can’t just whittle around the edges. Government has to actually make significant changes. The American family, they know that tough decisions are needed because they make them every single day and that’s something government has to learn to do.”

Hein said he hopes there will be no need for layoffs this year. He will present his proposed budget to the county legislature in about a month.

Assemblyman Cahill's Picnic In The Park!!!

This Sunday!!! September 12th, 2010 1:00- 5:00 PM Upper Hasbrouck Park , Overlooking the Majestic Hudson River! This is always a really great event and I encourage everyone to attend.

Here and There

Wow, the RRA report Elliott Auerbach released sure has got him a lot of great press, except from certain members of the legislature, well as they say the truth hurts. These are some of the benefits of having a watch dog that is not afraid to ruffle a few feathers to protect Ulster taxpayers. Bravo, Comptroller Auerbach.

Sorry to see Kingston Public Access is off the air, again! It was only a matter of time though. That commission is a complete mess with a clear agenda. Whether I agree with certain shows on that station, throwing away a 6 municipality live tv station is a huge blow to free speech.

So Mario has decided to pull out of the race for Chair for a second time. Rumor has it Robin Yess was not backing out for him and has secured the support of Al Spada. The era of good ol' boy politics ended with Mike Hein, Elliott Auerbach and other great electeds that stood up and said, you know, we are here to serve the people not ourselves. There are a few people that apparently have not gotten that message.

County Exec Hein Takes Wadnola To Task On RRA

Fred Wadnola is doing a disservice to his constituents and the entire legislature by willfully misrepresenting the facts.

- County Executive Mike Hein

Ulster Legislative Chairman Fred Wadnola was taking to task by County Executive Mike Hein today after Wadnola falsely misrepresenting the facts of Auerbach's latest audit that was critical of the county legislature's handling of the RRA. Here is a link to the Freeman Article: Freeman





Here is some of the exchange between Comptroller Auerbach, Executive Hein and Leg. Chairman Wadnola:





Wadnola contended that Auerbach issued the report after taking “marching orders” from County Executive Michael Hein, who, like Auerbach, is a Democrat.





Auerbach responded that the report was intended to “look out for the interest of the taxpayers in Ulster County.





“So that’s who I take my ‘marching orders’ from, and there must be a disconnect because the (county) charter specifically talks to the role of the comptroller in the new county form of government and addressing its efficiency and effectiveness — that is really our charge.”





Hein said it was “very sad” that Wadnola, a former Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency board member, has “decided to play politics when there are so many incredibly important issues” that have not by addressed by the Legislature.





“This is an attempt by Wadnola to deflect from his involvement in the RRA as well as cover up the fact that under his leadership in the Legislature, they have accomplished virtually nothing,” Hein said.





“Fred Wadnola is doing a disservice to his constituents and the entire Legislature by willfully misrepresenting the facts,” Hein said. “That’s unfortunate because he knows well as a former board member of the RRA that the direct (comptroller’s) report is to the Legislature.”

Catalano Endorses Paladino for Governor

Ulster County Republican Chair Mario Catalano and the Ulster County Republican committee have officially endorsed Carl Paladino for Governor over party favorite Rick Lazio. Wow!

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1.02.28

2011 DA POLL: Sennett Would Crush Carnright

According to our recent poll if an election for DA were held between Jon Sennett and Holly Carnright next year, the current DA would go back to handling divorce cases, getting crushed by Jonathan Sennett who took in 60% of the vote.

This is no surprise, Carnright won due to a three way race which split the vote between Sennett and Vince Bradley. Since Carnright has been in office there have been countless blunders and an overall failure by Holly to establish himself as the DA, and not the guy that sits behind Don Williams' old desk.

The Next NYS AG Eric Dinallo!

Schneider Man!!! Click video and watch on youtube..I cant fit video in blog

Catalano Changes Mind?

BREAKING NEWS: We hear there was a secret meeting of Republican top brass in Ulster County Tuesday night and Mario Catalano has reconsidered and will be running another term as chair of the Ulster GOP due to fear that there is no one that can really step up and do the job.

Come Celebrate Ulster County and Support Our Executive Mike Hein!!!

Come out and support Ulster County Executive Mike Hein. I know there are a ton of fundraisers and times are tough but it's really important that we reelect our Democratic County Executive Mike Hein next year. Unfortunitly running countywide is very costly and it takes a lot of money to win these campaigns. So if you can make it please try to attend.

- Jeremy Blaber


Time: September 21 · 5:00pm - 7:00pm

Location: Hillside Manor, Route 32 South of Kingston

We will be keeping it local with farm fresh fare from Ulster County.

Donation $75.00 per person.

Checks made payable to:...Friends of Mike Hein
PO Box 3005Kingston, NY 12402

Please contact Mikeheinforexec@gmail.com to reserve your ticket

poll results

Quigley wins GOP chair poll with 40% of the vote!

Here and There

With the tea party candidate's upset victory in Alaska could we see Carl Palidino win the GOP primary for Governor? He certainly deserves it over Rick Lazio who has just dropped the ball. What a coward Lazio is by the way for refusing to debate Carl Palidino. I firmly support Andrew Cuomo but would love to see Carl Palidino win the GOP primary over Lazio.

Eric Dinallo was very impressive in his debate in Albany yesterday on WAMC, he was clearly head and shoulders above the other candidates, I really hope Democrats come out and support Eric Dinallo who has all the right qualifications and experience to be our next AG. I will say before the debate Assemblyman Richard Brodsky got up unexpectedly and started playing the piano at the theater where the debate was held, I must say he was good, I like Brodsky he is a good guy.

Alderwoman Jen Fuentes and CSEA put on a great community event last weekend, it was really well attended and they both deserve a lot of credit and kudos.

Mr. Chartock and I at the Attorney General's Debate Today in Albany--a true legend!

Could Ron Polacco Be The Next Mayor Of The City Of Kingston?

Alderman Ron Polacco is looking better and better at becoming Kingston's next chief executive and would be the first Republican to hold the office in over a dozen years.

While many under estimate the young two term Alderman, I don't and anyone that does is really mistaken. Ron Polacco has very similar qualities to T.R. Gallo as a young charismatic Alderman that came out of no where and took over a city that was desperate for new fresh leadership.

Ron Polacco is gaining support, he recently assisted KPD in a huge drug sweep that netted more than 18 arrests and has been active and about at all city functions and events throughout the city. In my opinion he easily will be the Republican nominee for mayor and I have it on top sources he's in the race and in it to win. He will likely have to face a primary from former Alderman Rich Cahill and possibly from Minority Leader Andi Turco Levin, both he will defeat.

In a general election it gets tricky, Polacco has to overcome a huge Democratic enrollment advantage in the city but the 6th Ward Alderman has been a fairly moderate voice which will appeal to independent voters and some Democrats that are feed up with Jim Sottile. Put it this way if Jim Sottile is the nominee for mayor, Polacco will win by almost 1000 votes.

Can he beat someone like Jim Noble or Hayes Clement, well that remains to be seen. Lets not forget that he did beat the very popular Elisa Ball last year, who's a great lady and would have been a terrific Alderman..so he has proven he is not to be underestimated and in this political climate Mayor Ron Polacco is at the very least a good possibility.

Auerbach Watching Our Backs!

The Ulster County Legislature is supposed to closely monitor the spending and operations of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, but it hasn’t, costing county taxpayers almost $32 million over the last decade, County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach said Monday.

Auerbach released a report on what he calls a “laissez faire approach” to the UCRRA by lawmakers even though the county has been paying net service fees as a result of a 1992 agreement.

“We think it is an opportunity for the legislature to look back at the initial agreement and amend it,” he said. “We are also concerned of what the future is going to hold and we see there may be some dramatic changes to the industry going forward and how is that going to impact the county and the cost they are providing to Ulster Resource Recovery Agency to make up the shortfall?”

Legislature Chairman Fred Wadnola was surprised at the report, saying he thought the RRA was functioning well.

“The net service fee has been reduced, I believe, over the last three or four years and I think everything was going well there,” he said. “The executive director meets with the Environmental Committee on a monthly basis, and since January, he’s been doing it on a quarterly basis. I have to investigate the report and review what the comptroller has stated.”

Auerbach’s report found that since 1992, the county has covered between 10 percent and 50 percent of UCRRA’s annual operating expenses; the county has not employed its contractual powers to monitor the fees; the county has not practiced due diligence to ensure the UCRRA complies with its contractual obligations; and under the status quo the agency will not be able to meet its obligations in the future without continued, annual net service fees from the county.

Primary Vote

DO NOT FORGET IN KINGSTON THERE ARE TWO VERY IMPORTANT PRIMARIES FOR THE INDY AND CONSERVATIVE LINES FOR CITY COURT JUDGE!!! VOTE FOR JUDGE LARRY BALL!!!!

FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL THERE IS A DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY VOTE FOR ERIC DINALLO

Why not a woman? Why not Robin Yess??

Why not Robin Yess?

Why would Republicans not support a woman that was the right hand to current chair Mario Catalano.

Why not support a woman that has been involved in every single major Republican event for the last two years including the sold out event honoring America's Mayor Rudy Guiliani?

Why not support a woman that has volunteered countless hours to the party and been part of several successful Republican victories over the last two years?

Why not support a woman that took one for team and went on a suicide mission for her party challenging the virtually unbeatable Assemblyman Kevin Cahill?

Do you think maybe cuz she's a woman?

The fact of the matter is there is no reason not to elect Robin Yess, she is capable, qualified and has done everything right. However if you look at my poll or ask the average Republican committeeman you are given a sneer...why is that? Do you think if Robin Yess were a man there would be any question as to who would replace Mario? Why dont Republicans just admit they are sexist and don't want to see a woman in a position of power??

I hope the GOP proves me wrong, Ulster Republicans are in a position to elect their first female chair, something not even Ulster Democrats have been able to do...Why not make history by doing the right thing; elect Robin Yess chair of the Ulster County GOP and finally start to head toward the 21st century.

Please Join Robert Parete, Nicole Tucker,
And the Marbletown Democratic Committee
For An Afternoon BBQ
In Support Of
Elliott Auerbach
for Ulster County Comptroller
Saturday, August 28th
226 Rickey Road, Stone Ridge, NY
4 – 7 P.M.
Suggested Donation $30
For directions and to RSVP call Nicole Tucker @ 845-594-4600 or Judy Hakam @ 845-255-4166

See attached document for more ticket information.

Directions..

From Rte 209 in Stone Ridge,
Turn EAST at NY-213 E towards HIGH FALLS (by Jack Luna's)
Take the first right onto Rickey Rd
5th house on right

DEMOGRAPHICS POLL: Please participate in our demographics poll, just curious where our readership comes from.

Here and There

So it's official Mario Catalano is stepping down as chair of the Ulster County Republican committee, it's a loss for the Republicans Mario is a good chairman and put a little bit of life back into a once dead party. Rumors for his replacement include: Robin Yess, Roger Rascoe, and David O'Halleran. If the Republicans are smart they will elect David O'Halleran to replace Mario. I obviously have no horse in this race and I hope I don't hurt Dave's chances but I guess as a partisan Democrat, it would be good if they did not elect O'Halleran.

Speaking of Republicans in Ulster County they are up to their old tricks, doing whatever they can to undermine County Executive Mike Hein. First with his appointment of Mrs. Caffo and now with the 2011 budget. Give me a break, Mike Hein could say the sky is blue and Kevin Roberts, Paul Hansit and the gang would say no it's yellow. The Republican party needs to get their act together and stop attacking Hein on every single issue. Hein's a good executive and they know it and so does the public. The Republican majority attacking Mike in the press will not change that, what it will do is ensure they lose their slim majority in 2011.

I was the first to break the story about Sottile not seeking reelection, we now hear he may not even finish his current term. If this is true (and I do not know it is), James Noble would elevate to become Mayor and the common council would vote to appoint an Alderman at Large to replace Noble, smart money on Majority Leader Bill Reynolds, who represents Kingston's 7th Ward. Again do not know if this is true but I have it on reliable sources.

The Ulster County Legislature wants to shift funds from the county comptroller’s budget for accounting and auditing over to its own budget to cover the annual county audit. UMM? Is that like the fox watching the hen house?

The charter is very clear that the audit should be an independent one, the legislature proved it is incompetent in handling these matters..do we forget the jail? Comptroller Auerbach is fighting back as he should, it is his job to be the people's watch dog. This is a matter of principal, it does not matter who is the comptroller is or what party has the majority in the legislature, the legislature is dead wrong on this. They need to back off and let the elected Comptroller do his job.

I am writing simply to confirm that I will be a candidate for mayor of the Village of New Paltz. Village elections are traditionally non political and I respect that. This blog is very political and I intend to keep it separate from my campaign. I plan to run a very aggressive race to become the Village's next mayor.

Village residents, feel free to call me anytime 718-662-9748 or e-mail me @ jeremyblaber@yahoo.com

I look forward to meeting with all of you over the next 7-8 months and hope that you will agree that I am the best choice to be your next mayor.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Blaber
Candidate for New Paltz Mayor

photo blog

me, NYS Comptroller Tom DiNapoli and Kayla at the Onondaga Dem dinner
Rochester Mayor and Dem Lt. Gov candidate Robert Duffy, Kayla and I

I've decided I will be running for Mayor of the Village of New Paltz. Full details to follow early next week.

Kingston Democratic Picnic

Former City Chairman Bob Gillon at the Grill.

It was a warm but fun day at Hasbrouck Park yesterday. The City of Kingston Democratic Committee hosted a family fun day. Special thanks to Mark Halwick who organized the event. attending the event were...

City of Kingston Democratic Chairman Bob Golnick
Alderman Tom Hoffay
Alderman Charles Landi
Alderwoman Shirley Whitlock
Alderwoman Jen Fuentes
Alderman Hayes Clement

U.C. Legislator Mike Madsen provided musical entertainment.


City of Kingston Judge Larry Ball
Ulster County Sheriff Paul VanBlarcum
Ulster County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach
Ulster County Executive Mike Hein

Also in attendance were two former City of Kingston Democratic Committee members...

Former Alderman Clint Brown and Former City Committee Vice-Chair/Former Town of Ulster Supervisor Nick Woerner

Indy Party Pay To Play????

Fawn Tantillo the Independence, Republican and Conservative candidate for Comptroller sure does not know how to make friends. In this last week she has upset the entire Republican committee by endorsing Democrat Andrew Cuomo for Governor..(if you remember from my earlier post, Tantillo has no allegiance to the GOP, she left them along time ago and came back when she needed them and they foolishly gave her their line) I hear Chairman Catalano, who I respect a great deal, is not too happy about all of this and let his feelings be known to Fawn..good for him. Expect a lot of Republicans to sit on their hands and let Tantillo self destruct.

On a bigger level Fawn Tantillo, who is the newly minted 101st state committeewoman for the Independence party (how convenient) went and overturned the will of her own committee by using her weighted votes to vote for Peter Ronney over the Indy's endorsed candidate Kevin Cahill. She then blocked an effort to allow Assemblyman Cahill the opportunity to be in a primary. Here is Fawn Tantillo, a member of the Independence party, saying that her fellow Independence party members should not be allowed to have a choice. Are you kidding me??? It should be noted that Fawn Tantillo ran against Kevin Cahill for Assembly and was destroyed by more than ten thousand votes.

Why did Fawn do this? Well I'm not saying it was pay to play but.....

Two weeks before she went and stabbed her fellow party members in the back she received a $500 check from Peter Rooney. So will that be the going rate of doing business in the Comptroller's office under Tantillo? Tantillo needs to return that money or drop out of the race. You can't have corruption or any sort of pay to play in county government, especially in the Comptroller's office, Elliott Auerbach is the People's Watchdog..all Fawn watches out for is herself.

Contributor	Amt	Contr. Date	Recipient	Report	Sched	Office	Dist
HUDSON VALLEY ADVERTISING, INC. PO BOX 3723 KINGSTON, NY 12402	150.00	02-JUL-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	B	Comptroller	N/A
P & G'S RESTAURANT 91 MAIN STREET NEW PALTZ, NY 12561	100.00	05-JUL-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	B	Comptroller	N/A
TOWN OF SHAWANGUNK REPUBLICAN COMMITTEE 174 LONG LANE WALLKILL, NY 12589	500.00	05-JUL-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	C	Comptroller	N/A
CORDOVANO, PETER M 280 RT 299 SUITE 4 HIGHLAND, NY 12528	250.00	30-JUN-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
CROCE, RICHARD PO BOC 249 NEW PALTZ, NY 12561	500.00	24-JUN-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
DEVINE, GEORGE 214 DUBOIS ROAD NEW PALTZ, NY 12561	500.00	29-JUN-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
GALM, PATRICIA 20 PENNY LANE HIGHLAND, NY 12528	100.00	29-JUN-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
HORNBECK, CONSTANCE 2660 NEW PROSPECT ROAD PINE BUSH, NY 12561	1,000.00	10-JUL-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
MUMPER, ROBERT 5 ULSTER AVENUE NEW PALTZ, NY 12561	100.00	28-JUN-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
ROONEY, PETER E PO BOX 758 PORT EWEN, NY 12466	500.00	07-JUL-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
SMITH, THOMAS 184 GROVE STREET TILLSON, NY 12486	50.00	19-JUN-10	FRIENDS OF FAWN TANTILLO	2010 July Periodic	A	Comptroller	N/A
Total Contributions:	3,750.00

The People's Lawyer - Eric Dinallo

So I took the time to watch the New York State Attorney General debate this morning. First let me start by saying that I had an opinion about a candidate in this race previously which over the past month or so has changed. Today however, I have decided that former State Insurance Superintendent Eric R. Dinallo is the right person to succeed Attorney General/Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo.

Eric Dinallo has a proven record of protecting New Yorkers, standing up to dangerous criminals, Wall Street, and powerful interests. As a former Assistant District Attorney, Assistant Attorney General, and head of the New York State Insurance Department, Eric has the experience and independence to watch over our safety, our rights, and our pocketbooks.

Keeping New Yorkers Safe

Eric’s commitment to keeping New Yorkers safe and pursuing justice led him to a career in public service. He began as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan D.A.’s office under Robert Morgenthau. He went after repeat felony offenders and put violent criminals behind bars. He took on enterprise corruption and aggressively prosecuted some of the state’s first insider trading cases.

Standing up to Wall Street

As an Assistant Attorney General, Eric led the Investor Protection Bureau and prosecuted fraud and abuse on Wall Street. He resurrected the decades-old Martin Act to investigate conflicts of interest that took advantage of average investors. The groundbreaking casework resulted in the $1.4 billion settlement from the nation’s largest financial firms, including Merrill Lynch, Citigroup and Bear Sterns. The case also secured important reforms to protect consumers and prevent the abuses from happening again.

The Martin Act cases helped to transform the Attorney General’s office into the powerhouse it is today. Eric’s work kept the life savings and pensions of ordinary New Yorkers safe, putting the people’s interest ahead of powerful interests.

Working as an Internal Watchdog

Eric applied his ability to route out waste and fraud to the private sector, where he worked as an internal watchdog to ensure that companies played by the rules and treated their customers fairly. As Managing Director of Global Regulatory Affairs at Morgan Stanley, and the General Counsel at Willis Group Holdings, Eric led internal reviews and audits to certify that the firms complied with regulations to protect customers and make sure businesses operated with honesty.

Holding Insurance Companies Accountable 



Most recently, as the New York State Superintendent of Insurance, Eric developed a reputation for being what the New York Times called a “regulator not stymied by red tape.” He was responsible for regulating and investigating insurance companies – from auto to life to health – and took his watchdog approach to examine how they treated policyholders. He co-chaired New York’s Universal Health Insurance Task Force, provided access to health insurance for 400,000 uninsured New Yorkers and extended insurance benefits to same-sex couples.

Eric also stood up to insurance companies to protect consumers. When Oxford Health illegally overcharged customers, Eric recovered $50 million owed to policyholders. When gas prices spiked and people drove less, Eric made sure car insurance companies lowered their rates accordingly – saving Empire State drivers over half a billion dollars. When Allstate and Liberty Mutual used unethical sales tactics to alter or cancel the homeowner policies, Eric forced the companies to stop exploiting homeowners’ fears.

And when the nation faced its biggest economic challenge in a generation, Eric played a key role in addressing the global financial crisis by making sure that AIG’s policyholders were protected.

Living in New York

Eric now teaches ethics at New York University’s Stern School of Business as the Henry Kaufman Visiting Professor of Finance. He serves on the board of the American Institute for Stuttering, an organization that supports individuals who stutter – a speaking disorder that Eric has had to overcome to practice law and become a public servant. He lives in New York City with his wife Priscilla Almodovar and their two young children.

Breaking News: Solid Sources Say Sottile is Calling it Quits

Mayor Jim Sottile will NOT be running for reelection next year according to very reliable sources close to Kingston's Chief Executive. Sottile has made too many enemies and he knows he cant win and does not care anymore said the source.

Mayor Sottile held his annual boat ride that usually is two full trips of about 300 people a ride, last nights ride had just one trip with a mere 150 people, barely filling half the boat. We hear Jimmy was calling people Wednesday afternoon giving tix away to fill seats.

Mayor Sottile has become an embarrassment for the Democratic party and no one with a future in politics wants to be tied to him. Only one Alderman, Charles Landi, attended Sottile's cruise last night...( the council is 7-2 Dems), no county legislators from Kingston were there either.

Matter of fact the only two elected officials that attended were County Exec Mike Hein and Ulster Supervisor James E. Quigley...( which could be the exec's race next year...how ironic)

With Mayor Sottile being forced out of the race, the field of Democrats will widen. James Noble, Bill Reynolds, Mike Madsen, Hayes Clement, David Donaldson...it will be a huge field. Alderman at Large Noble and Majority Leader Reynolds are both in good positions to take the Dem nomination but it's really anyones race and anyone can do a better job than Sottile.

Kingston residents should be happy to know that Hiz Honor is on another two week vacation...we all know he deserves it, that graffiti does not clean itself up.

Legislator Susan Zimet W Langon Chapman Plotting Against Hein

Rumor has it Ulster County Legislator Susan Zimet was spotted on Ulster Ave at a local diner with Bonacic boy toy and the real chair of the Ulster Independence party, plotting against County Executive Mike Hein

KUDOS REDUX TO LEGISLATOR SWEENEY

Below is a recent post from Legislator Mike Sweeney (C,R,I,-Saugerties)

Party Politics

I'm probably about to step in a pile of junk by getting into this topic, but what the heck... how is that any different from anything I've done in the past?

Coming up, voters will have the opportunity to vote in Ulster County for a new County Comptroller and a new County Sheriff. I don't really understand why we need a choice. In other words, why do parties feel like they have to put a candidate up for a position no matter what--why don't political parties do more cross endorsing? Those 2 positions should be "non political", in my opinion.

While it's VERY early in the election season, and there's lots of time for news to come up to refute this, I personally find both Ulster County Comptroller Elliot Auerbach and Ulster County Sheriff Paul Van Blarcum to be decent men that are handling their job well.

It's not that I want to discourage anyone from running. If there are candidates that think they can run an office more efficiently, etc, then go for it. But sometimes I think we should recognize elected officials that are doing a good job and let them stay without putting up candidates against them, just to put up candidates against them.

Along the same lines, why do parties endorse people just for the sake of endorsing them? I think it'll be interesting to see which candidates the Conservative Party endorses in the coming years. I would personally rather see the party, which I belong to, endorse candidates that behave like Conservatives. In the Legislature, I've seen a host of elected officials that have been endorsed by the Conservative Party that, so far, haven't been voting like fiscal Conservatives. And if there's something this county needs, its TRUE fiscal Conservatives.

Random Photo Blog

Here and There

Mayor Jim Sottile just could care less about reelection these days, he has managed to make enemies of his majority caucus, the firefighters, police, CSEA and is acting completely reckless example: The Maxwells Pizza situation. WTF is this guy thinking?!?!?! Alderman Reynolds, Clement or any other competent Democrat could take him out in a primary in a walk. Mark my words if Sottile is the nominee for the Democratic party Ron Polocco will be the next Mayor of the city of Kingston and I can't say that's a bad thing, I think if Polocco decided to run he would be a good leader much better than what we have now.

Looks like Judge Larry Ball who know has the Democratic and Independence line is well on his way to a landslide victory over the very awkward Mike Bruhn Jr. have you ever tried having a conversation with the guy? It's painful..Ball will destroy him in November.

The race for Ulster County Comptroller has been set, Elliott Auerbach will face of against Fawn Tantillo who has three lines. Tantillo has the Independence line because she is a member of the party and the bylaws of the party call that they support their own. Which is fine but make no mistake about it if Linda McDonough would have won the GOP caucus, Ellliott would have the I.

The one benefit Elliott has in not getting the Independence line is that it will be a constant reminder to the old guard Republicans that Fawn Tantillo is a turncoat. Fawn left the Republican party with her tail between her legs when times were tough for the party but asks for their support when it's convenient. Fawn may have the Republican line but plenty of prominent Republicans will be supporting the very likable and qualified Elliott Auerbach. Republicans are under no obligation to support Fawn she is not a Republican.

On a side note at the GOP convention, Butch Dener nominated Linda McDonough over Fawn and he made mention of my blog and what was written about his candidate like 3 or 4 times during the speech...I'm glad the Ulster County GOP is reading. ;)

I would like to thank Mario Catalano for allowing me to observe, Chairman Catalano is always very gracious and while we are members of different parties and share really no similar views, I respect the guy and he's a friend.

I also ran into Ulster Mojo author MoJoe Roberti at the convention, he gave a lack luster speech nominating Goodwin for Sheriif (let's not forget Roberti has a crush on Frank Falutico) and when I confronted him about the untrue and nasty postings he writes about me and everyone else he grinned and ran away as fast as possible...what was that you called Ken Ronk a few weeks back MoJoe Roberti?...I think the word began with a p? Yeah that's definitely the way MoJoe was acting that night.

Arkansas Lt. Governor Bill Halter Takes Lead Over Lincoln!!!

I hate to use this picture, it was taken last year and I was about 95 pounds heavier than I am now but Lt. Governor Bill Haulter has taken the lead in the race for US Senate in Arkansas over incumbent Blanch Lincoln. I wish the Lt. Governor the best. He is a real great guy and showed me great hospitality when I visited his state.



Thu May 27, 2010 at 10:58:22 AM PDT
Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 5/24-26. Likely Democratic primar voters. MoE 5% (5/10-12 results)
Democratic primary
Blanche Lincoln (D) 44
Bill Halter (D) 47
Undecided 9

Favorable/Unfavorable
Lincoln 59/36 (61/35)
Halter 63/21 (65/17)

Lincoln seems stuck in the mid 40s, as she has for weeks. Halter scooped up all the undecideds during the first round primary, and continues that trend in the runoff period. All the negative ads from all sides continue to do little to dent both candidates' favorability ratings.
There is a huge gender gap, with Halter winning women 51-39, while Lincoln wins men 49-43. African Americans continue to poll strongly for Halter, and he wins this key demographic 58-28. Lincoln has a slight edge among white voters, 47-45.
Same poll, but general election sample, among likely voters, MoE 4%:

Blanche Lincoln (D) 38 (40)
John Boozman (R) 58 (54)
Bill Halter (D) 42 (41)
John Boozman (R) 53 (50)

Favorable/Unfavorable
Lincoln 37/58 (39/55)
Halter 47/37 (47/34)
Boozman 52/34 (45/34)

State Senator Eric Schniderman with future Attorney General Jonathan Sennett ;~)

Convention 2010

Comptroller Auerbach nominated for a second term, congratulations my friend!
Jonathan Sennett (since when do you wear glasses?)

Ulster County Executive and possiably Lt. Gov. Mike P. Hein

New Paltz Supervisor Toni Hokenson, Jon Sennett and County Exec Mike Hein

The Ulster convention went well with Elliott Auerbach, Kevin Cahill, Maurice Hinchey, Kathy Mihm and all our local candidates were nominated for reelection and are well on their way to huge victories in November...with the exception of Kathy Mihm of course who will be confirmed by the legislature at it's next session.

The thugs in the Saugerties committee pushed through their candidate Sager to challenge John Bonacic this November, expect Senator Bonacic to win by a huge margin. Sue Zimet may have given the Senator a run for his money but this Sager guy will go down in flames. However, as a committeeman I will be supporting the party nominee.

Harley Doles also won pretty handily over Larry Delarose, Harley who hired the Shacters to run his campaign had some help. It really is unethical for Phil and Trisha Shacter to charge candidates for support. It's also a violation of the new bylaws which states that a committeeman may not use their office for profit, they break that rule year after year, and the new bylaws they pushed for pretty heavily may actually get them thrown off the Democratic committee.

Former Supervisor Nick Woerner made no secret that he will be running for chairman against Julian Schreibman this September, which should be a pretty intresting race. There is no way Julian will retain his chairmanship and I wish Nick the best of luck.

Cuomo Pick Hein or Miner!!!

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner
Ulster Executive Mike Hein

Below is Andrew Cuomo's short list for Lt. Governor while all the candidates are impressive, we urger Andrew Cuomo to pick reformer Mike Hein or the great Mayor of Syracuse Stephanie Miner. I know Stephanie Miner, worked on her campaign last year and she is tough and would be a breath of fresh air and really shake up Albany. Mike Hein is our home town boy and would serve us proudly in Albany. If Cuomo picks Stephanie or Mike, NY will be well served.


Cuomo's Short List:


With his announcement today that he will run for governor, the question befuddling New York politicos is exactly who Andrew Cuomo will pick as his lieutenant governor. A campaign spokesman declined to discuss the question, but here’s a short list based on conversations with a number of Democratic sources.

Denise O’Donnell. A former federal prosecutor and U.S. attorney from Buffalo, O’Donnell had served until this year as head of the Division of Criminal Justice Services. She resigned amid reports that Gov. David Paterson contacted a woman pursuing domestic violence charges against his aide. Several sources were puzzled when O’Donnell opted not to run for attorney general after her exit from the administration, and a prospective LG nod is one explanation. In addition to bona fides as a prosecutor and administrator, O’Donnell would bring gender and regional balance to the ticket.
A business or academic executive. Cuomo is making separation from the legislature to be a major theme of his campaign, and one source close to him said the search encompasses business and academic leaders. The thinking here is to find a proven administrator, someone who would be able to lead the state. I haven’t heard many specific names bandied about, and the thinking is that this kind of person would not have a very high public profile at the time of their nomination.

Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings. That’s right, our very own mayor’s name has been floating around this week, but sources close to both him and Cuomo pop the trial balloon as quickly as it is inflated. Still, Jennings and Cuomo are long-time friends, and Jennings backed Cuomo in his failed 2002 gubernatorial run.

Rochester Mayor Robert Duffy. Duffy would bring regional balance to the ticket, and his name has long circulated as a possible pick by Cuomo. However, a source indicated the two have not had contact in some time. He announced in March he would not seek re-election. (Update: I misread something. Sorry about that.)

Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown. Brown previously served in the state Senate, and was elected mayor in 2005. Several Democrats said that Cuomo had favored Brown earlier this year, but his star had fallen as he came under scrutiny for his distribution of development funds.

Christopher St. Lawrence. Not likely, but the Ramapo Town Supervisor has been out on the trail seeking the nomination for months. He’s under no illusions, though.
Bill Thompson. The former New York City comptroller and stronger-than-expected mayoral candidate has been mentioned for a spot on the ticket, but a source close to him said it’s highly unlikely. At one point, Thompson was mentioned as a natural pick for comptroller, given Cuomo’s lack of love for incumbent Tom DiNapoli.

Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins. The legislator from Westchester County won a hard-fought election in 2006, and has been mentioned. But she is an incumbent state senator — not the best resume point right now — and her seat would be competitive were she to leave it.

Syracuse Mayor Stephanie Miner. Several Democrats mentioned Miner’s name, but just as quickly dismissed her because of a lack of experience. They said Cuomo was interested in her initially because of her background (again, a woman from Onondaga County would provide gender and regional balance) and her previous work for Gov. Mario Cuomo, but felt that she couldn’t be plucked so soon after her November 2009 election.

Ulster County Executive Michael Hein. I heard Hein’s name mentioned a few times, with Democrats noting that his record as an executive dovetails well with Cuomo’s platform.

$500 To Whoever Challenges Schriebman!

Julian Schreibman is just a disaster, at the Democratic convention that takes place Monday evening he will be hosting a reception for AG candidate Eric Schniederman... I like Eric Schniderman and think he would make a fine Attorney General but he is not the candidate of the party at this time and it is inappropriate for Julian to have a reception for this guy without allowing Kathleen Rice, Eric Dinallo, Richard Broadsky and all the other candidate's running the same opportunity.

Furthermore, it's a slap in the face to Kevin Cahill and Maurice Hinchey who are supporting Richar Boradsky and our next Governor Andrew Cuomo who is supporting Kathleen Rice.

What is Schriebman thinking????

The simple answer is he is not. Julian has no clue what he is doing or how to run the party. If Julian is reelected in September he will be the top Democrat in 2011 when our Executive Mike Hein is up, when we have the opportunity to take back the office of District Attorney, numerous local elections including Mayor of the City of Kingston and an opportunity to take back the Ulster County legislature, which we lost under his watch.

We as Democrats simply can not afford Julian Schriebman to be Chair during these important elections, we need new fresh leadership from someone that actually knows what they are doing or we will continue to lose elections.

I personally today am offering to donate $500.00 to a serious Democrat that steps up to the plate and challenges Julian Schriebman.

Harkavey On His High Horse

Mike Harkavey and his gang are apparently supporting newly minted Democrat and soon to be former Republican David Sager over Democrat Seth Goldman for NYS Senate. WTF? Is this not the same committee that launched a jihad (and rightfully so) over Vincent Bradley for running as a non Dem, when we had a great qualified Democrat running??? Be consistent Mike! Mike Harkevey should get off that high horse of his and out of the Democratic party.

Why is MoJoe Roberti Attacking Fawn Tantillo, Ken Ronk, Rich Gerentine and Frank Fellicello??

Crazy MoJoe Roberti is at it again.. Joe Roberti launched a really nasty attack on Ken Ronk on his blog UC Mojo yesterday calling him a very derogatory name that's more a fit for himself than Minority Whip Ronk. The not so anonymous blogger and former Legislator Joe Roberti accused Frank Fellicello and Rich Gerintine of pumping up Ken Ronk to run against Fred Wadnola next year for chair of the County legislature. No clue if that is true but it would be an interesting race.

MoJoe Roberti also continues to crush like a school girl over Comptroller Elliott Auerbach with his stupid childlike attacks on him. Fact is, Roberit has nothing else. Auerbach is doing a good job and there really is nothing to criticize. Roberti did however go after one of Elliott's potential opponents, Fawn Tantillo who is running in a GOP primary against new comer Linda McDonough, who despite the hype has no financial background or even a college degree but we can discuss the Comptroller race at another time.

How does the NYS DOT allow it's employee, Joe Roberti to use such disgusting language and rude remarks about elected officials that are at times outright slanderous??