Town Board – January 18, 2012

THE VACANCY MEETING

 

Bob Cinque – the independent.  All the Republicans who spoke at Bob-O’s show meeting were telling us that he is an independent.  They seem to think we are all stupid.

Mr. Cinque is registered as a member of the Independence Party.  I don’t know how long he has been registered with that party.  When he was working at the Sayegh law firm, where Ms. Annabi works (she is Bill Sayegh’s sister), Mr. Sayegh was the Chair of the Independence Party.  Mr. Cinque was very involved with the Gallingers, when they were running the town Independence party, untilthey weren’t .  Mr. Cinque worked at the Sayegh law firm, when he represented the Cabots against the Town of Putnam Valley in the matter of Cimarron Ranch.  He worked at the Sayegh law firm when he represented the Cornus, after they were jailed for alleged  zoning violations.  He worked at the Sayegh law firm when he interviewed with the Democratic committee for the Town council.  He was still working for the Cabots at that time.  The Democrats did not endorse him.  So he interviewed with the Republicans.  They endorsed him and they got the Independence endorsement. I wish I could find a copy of the letter to the editor in PCNR that he wrote slamming the Hudson Highlands Land Trust for trying to trust the land that the Cabots and Kaspar owned/managed.  Now there’s a good FOIL – Kaspar litigation and stewardship.  How much has that cost us?

Now he works in John Zarcone’s office, partnering with the former Putnam Valley tax cert attorney, Goldsand.  That is where Ms. Annabi’s husband works. (Mr. Annabi has made the point that Mr. Zarcone’s office is a satellite office for him.  It might be also for Mr. Cinque.)

So much for independent.   

So Bob trotted out all his Republicans.   And the Dems were there too.

Common sense is supposed to tell us to put Cinque in there.  So if I voted for Steve and Wendy, they should vote for someone who I would never vote for (and they would never vote for) because that is what the Republicans want.  I’m not sure why it is so tough for them to understand that neither of these guys was elected.  It was a failure to elect.  One more person did not show up.  They lost.  Bob’s tribe has always been sore losers. 

Jackie says they are not listening to the voters if they don’t appoint the one the voters didn’t elect. Huh?

Bob went to the podium to be…well….”a regular guy”.  He told us that the  very first time he voted, his vote didn’t count because he didn’t know how to use the levers….This time  he voted for Gene and Bob.  He wants one of them.  (I didn’t.  I don’t.) He was his usual pompous, angry self. He tells us that Steve is naïve.  The Democrats are political.  He’s not.  He just wants his guy. He thinks the Democrats should compromise and do it his way.  He even went so far as to say that it was disgraceful that the two proposed TB members were offering to serve without pay because they were buying votes with the $13K that they wouldn’t be taking??? He was really angry about that buying votes thing.  His vote is not for sale.  They are supposed to do what he knows is right.  At one point he said that 2400 people pulled the lever for Bob and Gene.  I think he knows that is not the case.

Sam O got up and spoke for an independent voice on the board, which he believes to be Priscilla, although he would be happy with Sal.  He and Bob yelled.  I told you that Bob’s in a foul mood.  He’s used to getting his way.

The building inspector, John Landi, got up to support Bob-O’s point of view.  Now that’s an independent voice.   

Dario Gristina got up.  He is running against Sandy Galef, is or was on the Republican committee, another independent voice.  “I sense there is a lot of animosity.” “I’m not as openly irritated.” “Taking the party issue aside….” Yeah right.  “I just go by the common sense approach.” “We got a tie.  We gotta pick one of them.”  There’s one guy left standing, so that’s the guy.” “I too casted my ballot.”

Dario says he doesn’t know all those rules.  Yet, he wants us to vote for him for State Assembly.  I think Sandy knows all the rules.

He’s just an everyday voter.  “Can we all get along please?”

Then, Sal got up….. Sal Santamorena.  He’s a registered Conservative, used to be the Chair of the Conservative Party, spent 8 years on the Town Board.  “I don’t really want to serve, but I want to serve.”

 

Bob is mad at Sal.  He blames him for losing the conservative endorsement.  Bob had it last time, along with Jackie and Wendy.  Bob doesn’t mention that Wendy had it.  I don’t find his spending, hiring, land use, or social values to be conservative, but he was anxious to see Patty defeated, so as long as it worked for him politically….. and after all 6 people showed up at the well publicized conservative caucus to endorse Bob and friends.

 

Unlike the other parties, the Conservative nomination goes to the person chosen by voters registered in that party, who show up to the caucus.  If the caucuses are well publicized, it is direct democracy.

 

Then John Landi went to the podium to tell us that he is just one of the voters.  “Correct me if I am wrong.”  “That is what the townspeople want.” “Your jobs could be in danger.”  Maybe it’s his job that is in danger.  The only ones who won’t vote for Wendy or Steve over this, didn’t vote for them anyway.

 

Bob-O wants to respect the almost 1200 people. 

 

The reality is that there is no tie.  There is a failure to elect that has resulted in a vacancy.

 

Sal got up again to address the insults from Bob-O about the buying votes thing.  Bob said, “I’m not criticizing you.” Well, yeah he was.  He wasn’t just criticizing. He was insulting and accusing.  That is the most ridiculous argument he has ever come up with.  Oh, perhaps that’s hyberbole.  Perhaps he has come up with other equally ridiculous arguments.

 

About the money, I don’t think one board member can serve without compensation.  As with Bob’s plan to pay Patty a lower salary, I think that the salary is for all of them.  Back when they were talking about health insurance for Bob Cinque, Gene brought up the issue of one board member getting a benefit that the others were not receiving.  I never heard a follow-up on it.

 

Another thing that made Bob-O mad was that Priscilla hadn’t sent him a letter of intent.  If you have noticed during the Tendy regime, he believes that everything in the world should go through his office.  It is disrespectful to go to a Town Board member.  After all, he is the supervisor of Putnam Valley.   I have blogged about the new supervisor in Southeast, Tony Hay, recently of the County Legislature, calling for resumes for the position vacated by newly elected Town Councilman Gross on his appointment to Mr. Hay’s legislative seat.  Bob never calls for resumes, not for jobs or Boards or volunteer positions.  He prefers the backroom process, all the while decrying the politics of other people.  He even brought up his own appointment to the Town Board. His appointment was decided before Peter Kennedy resigned, but there was a resume and interview process anyway.  At least they pretended.  Bob doesn’t even do that.

 

Shouldn’t there have been a discussion at the reorganization meeting?  Shouldn’t the Town Board members have set up a procedure for moving forward?  Resumes, interviews, discussions?  This all seems unruly.  Not that it matters.  I think there were more important issues to be discussed, and they weren’t either.

 

Dan Ricci got up, another Republican who isn’t being political, but endorsing Cinque nonetheless. “If there had only been one more vote…”   But there wasn’t.

 

Monica from Roaring Brook, a longtime supporter of Bob’s said that Gene’s endorsement of Cinque was one more vote….  I haven’t looked at the voter list, but I bet Gene voted.  We only get one, even here in Putnam Valley. She also says that Cinque is an independent…

 

Peter Eliopoulos says we’re all Americans and we can’t end up like Southeast?? and do the right thing.

 

Priscilla spoke well and forcefully.  Bob was insulting, and she responded to it.  She says she is an independent  thinker, (that seems to mean that she doesn’t represent anyone) but she is a hopelessly political choice.  She did make the point that, “If you’re not elected, you’re not elected.”  She is right.

 

I loved some of Bob’s lines.  He actually said that, “The issues of the town should not be decided by a political party.”   Bob says he can connect dots.

 

Kevin Byrne got up.  He works for Nan Hayworth, was one of Bob-O’s picks for the Planning Board.  The best line was that he has been a resident for 27 years…He is 27.  I think there should be more young people involved, but let’s retire the concept that being here longer makes you more important.  He thinks that the Democrats are “taking advantage of a loophole.”  There is no loophole here, just a vacancy.  “It only adds more politics to this mess.”  Unlike what he was doing.  Priscilla’s sin, according to him, was being registered in a major party.  It doesn’t have to make sense. That logic would make Sal preferable too, another hopelessly political choice.  Kevin, our 27 year resident actually said, “you can say this was a tie.  You can spin this any way you want.”  And then he said something about all the effort to appoint someone “except for the person that was elected.” He even repeated it.

 

“Forget about the politics.  Don’t ignore common sense.” 

 

Not an independent, not common sense, failure to elect, nothing but politics.

 

Mr. Cinque – “It’s not about me.  It’s about this town.”  “…healing the rifts.” “I talk to everybody.” Gee, Bob, I feel left out.

 

He says that nobody voted for an empty seat.  But people might have voted a bullet, voting for only one candidate.  The fact is that they don’t care about what the voters want, only themselves.   I am most disappointed in Jackie’s party line.

 

Wendy said that the board agrees on 80%.  She’s right.  That’s my problem with them.  She said that they could always appoint someone if there is a reason in the future.  But even there, why would someone vote for someone to vote against them? She did a good job though.

 

Bob-O and his Republicans did put on a good show.  Like the bad performances in a cult movie, you don’t really like to like it, but you do.  It is great entertainment.  Everything that is wrong with politics in Putnam Valley.  It has been quite awhile since Bob has been this much fun.

 

He said, “It’s arrogant, it’s self-aggrandizing, and it’s not democratic.”  And if anyone knows, Bob knows.

 

I resent the pretense that they are working in the public good, when they are taking care of themselves.

Jackie said, “We have to listen to everyone” (and appoint Bob Cinque).  Give me a break.

 

The meeting:

Bob has made himself school liaison, which is unfortunate.  It means he is talking more. He’s now a big supporter of changing the funding for schools to income taxes.  Hey, he sounds like Sam Davis – solar photovoltaics and school taxes! 

Sam O said that George will be out of his garage on March 18.  Both he and Bob-O said that they have received calls from angry customers who George could not accommodate.  He said that the state is going to take over Medicaid.  Now there’s a good idea. The county is hoping to start the destruction of Peekskill Hollow Road earlier than the scheduled 2014 with infrastructure money.

It’s January and they are taking past longevity overtime pay out of fund balance.

Both Lake Peekskill and Roaring Brook will be doing NYS CSLAP lake quality testing this year. 

What is a fish receiver?

The generator for the sewer district will cost $10,600.

 

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels.  Save sea turtles.

DP

 

Bob still didn’t want to talk about the vacancy.  He has posted a letter from Gene saying that it should go to Cinque.  He asked in that post that his supporters in this nonsense come to the “regular” town board meeting next Wednesday.  He wants a show!

What’s the big deal?  There has been no controversy or discussion at all.  All four board members seem to agree on everything, so who cares?

It’s a dull meeting.  Bob was a little under the weather.  John Landi is replacing the generator for the sewer district, and he will put the existing generator at Town Hall for emergencies, both propane.  It’s about time.  John said that his guy was giving us a good price, but there was no mention of price or contractor.  The sewer contract goes to 2014.

Bill proposed a resolution that will give retroactive assessment decreases to homeowners who have damage from Hurricane Irene equal to or more than 50% of the home’s value. 

Penalties for building without a permit must be in legislation, not fee schedule.  They are still working on the fee schedule.

Bob wants a list of the court cases pending from the building department.

From the reorganization meeting, I am wondering if the new contract with HydroEnvironmental Solutions to test discharge from the stormwater filters is forever, or a limited time.  I mean, the contract is for this year, but will this be something that goes on forever.

That’s about it.

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels.  Save sea turtles.

 

DP

Bob is in a bad mood.  He says he’s not political, but he seems to be all political.  Isn’t that why he appointed Jackie as Deputy Supe?  Isn’t that why he appointed her as liaison to Lake Peekskill?   Politics right now not going his way.

But even so, after the entertaining start, the rest of the meeting was the same old, same old.  In the beginning, Wendy moved to appoint someone to the vacancy.  Bob said it was not appropriate for a reorganization meeting.  Huh??????  Huh?????

The county legislature has dealt with this twice now.  Southeast has dealt with it.  Not appropriate for a reorganization meeting?  Bob Freeman, the director of the Committee on Open Government has said that a meeting is a meeting.  The Town Board can take action in a public meeting.

Not appropriate for a reorganization meeting?

So Bob made a motion to table.  Wendy told him he needed a second to table.  Bob said he did not.  But he did.  So Jackie seconded it. Wouldn’t you think he’d know how to do this by now? 

So one of the reasons that the vacancy should be left open.  It’s a waste of time and energy.  The Dems could have negotiated some of the appointments to change government, but the vacancy was the focal point….

People falling over themselves to fill the vacancy.  Louis was looking very interested in the November and December meetings.  Sam O was selling his psychic girlfriend.  No conflicts of interest with those two.  And head of the conservative party.  Yikes!  There are important things to do. I guess we have to get over believing in government.

The Town Board only needs a quorum of three to function.  This vacancy is not the same as the County Executive vacancy created by Leibell’s duplicity.  There was a charter to set the Personnel Director as the interim county exec, and he was a neutral person.

The town is divided.  There was no mandate.  Let it go, and work with each other.

Jackie is right up there with Val Santucci for searches on my blog, and both have  surpassed AAA Carting.  She is more political now, not to her advantage, but she at least communicates with people, and brings issues to the board.  I am hopeful that as liaison for Lake Peekskill, she will be more responsive than Bob or Gene.  Let me put it differently, I am hopeful that she will be responsive. 

More important than the same old – the Homeland Towers project on Piano Mountain is on for a public hearing on Monday night.  This is not a popular project with the public, and the meeting might prove interesting.

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels. Save sea turtles.

DP

And they reached down deep into the bottom of their souls, and came up with Priscilla Keresey and Sal Santamorena?  Huh?  Have you really outdone Bob-O in shameless politics?  I did know that SamO was pushing for his psychic girlfriend at the December meeting.  She was too busy with her psychic business to run two years ago.  Is business bad and she needs a few extra bucks? Or you serve up the head of the Conservative party?  Yeah, I know that he’s changing his party affiliation, but that’s the best you can come up with. 

Not to be outdone by the dim Dem choices, the R’s announced Dario Gristina, to run against Sandy Galef.  You know Dario – he wants to take down the side of the mountain on Posey Lane, for what ever will work – romaine lettuce, solar panels.  We have to find out if the corporate welfare handed out was to him.  So I’ve got to vote for Sandy, who doesn’t support my view on closing Indian Point, or my view of income tax taking over property taxes.

I started out supporting the vacancy, but now that they have given me Gene, Dan, Bob, Priscilla and Sal, the vacancy definitely has my vote.

C’mon guys.  It’s the beginning of the year.  Let’s take this a little seriously.

Bob’s hysterical historical last meeting of 2011 – December 14, 2011

 When the holiday stress gets to you, Bob-O has provided great comic relief.  Just turn on the beginning or the end of the Town Board meeting.  Really, it’s great.  Bob explains to you (completely deadpan) how appointing one of his boys is the apolitical thing for the board to do.  Let’s keep politics out of this, but give me my Republican majority on the board.  He says it a few times, a few ways.  “I’m gonna put aside party issues.” “Let’s take the politics out of this.”  I’m not being political.  I wish we didn’t have politics.  It’s hysterical.  He even tried a little holiday guilt.  It’s what the voters would want.  Nah…it’s what Bob wants.

 We don’t really know what the voters would want.  The circumstances have now changed.  There was a “failure to elect,” like when a motion fails, it fails.  This failed, and now we should do something new.

 Bob C. sang for his supper and quoted Ed Koch, “The voters have spoken, and now the people must suffer.”  Something about the “vagaries of election law.”  It didn’t seem so vague to me.   He said,“It’s not about me.”  No, then why not just step aside?

 To make it even funnier, there were a few choreographed Republicans in sheeps’ clothing to reiterate the point.  We should all do what Bob wants.  There was no disclosure.  They didn’t say that they were on the Republican committee, or that they were Bob-O supporters, and that protecting the status quo was the point.

 Dan Ricci made a rare appearance, and pontificated about choosing one of the two Republicans who ran, or him, that is Dan, whichever came first.  Now that wouldn’t be a political choice, would it?

 The ever charming Republican, Dario Gristina, with all that land off Barger Street, where he wanted to put a solar farm on the north facing slopes – he thinks that everyone should do what Bob wants.  I am wondering these days if that $150K gift from the state for hydroponics is for Dario.  Is Hudson Valley Produce Farms, formed in April of this year, his corporation?  For an acre greenhouse on that beautiful hill and the steep road? Or ten of them on 10 acres.  Hmmmmm……

 Were their comments scripted and rehearsed or just the result of an email discussion?  FOIL those emails! 

 There wasn’t equal time for Democrats or other people.  There never is.   But SamO added his two cents.  He thinks they should do what the county did, and appoint someone who “has experience” and will not run in November.  I think that appointing Paul as CE without a possibility of running was quite political.  Perhaps SamO wants Priscilla?  He didn’t say.

 Bob thinks that the choice should be made between his two choices with a coin toss.  Perhaps he was the anonymous source for the lohud coin toss rumor.  Bob C. suggested paint ball at Dawn.  Another prominent resident suggested a duel.  Bill Zutt was going to talk to them in the backroom about why he believes that the position should be filled with one of Bob’s boys, in yet another improperly announced executive session about some unspecified litigation.  Just who are we suing?

 Okay, Bob-O, I’ll take you at your word.  Do the apolitical thing, and choose either Patty or me!  It would certainly be exciting.  Otherwise it will seem like a political machination, albeit smoothly delivered.  Or choose Sam D!  He has experience.

 Leaving the vacancy until the voters decide does not mean a stalemate.  It means working with the other board members.  Bob-O, for his many positive qualities, does not do much of that, but perhaps he can learn.

 A good place to start working with others would be to advertise the positions open for the reorganization meeting in January.  Of course, it is a bit late.  And we could, of course, start posting all job openings on the website, and have a real process for employment. 

 So the openings for volunteer positions:  Every year, there is one position open for the Planning Board, Zoning Board, Ethics Board, Parks and Rec Commission, Board of Assessment Review as well as the ad hocs on the Planning and Zoning Boards, and all Chairs.  In addition, Bob-O doesn’t do so well with volunteerism, so there are lots of openings. There has been no ad hoc on the zoning board for a long time, no full compliment for the Board of Assessment Review.  There is room on the arts commission, on the conservation commission, on the architectural review board. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities if you are interested.  Send a letter of intent to the board members if you are.

 Regarding Lake Peekskill, the community center roof is going to cost $13,900.  They asked several contractors for prices.  I’m pretty sure that’s not the same as going out to bid.  The LP district pays for that, although none of the events held there are for LP residents, and none of the other groups who use the center bother to kick in any revenue.  It’s a lousy deal for the community.  The lake is being lowered now and no one is sure why.  Ted says he does not understand the CSLAP reports on the lake testing.  We would be happy to explain them to you.

 And in the same theme of not going out to bid, they are going to pay for an emergency repair at the highway garage without bids.  They hired 2 new men.

 The Town Board has appointed Larry Cobb as Highway Superintendent at the work session and authorized paying him at this meeting, but he is not being sworn in until after the 1^st, and it is a public office,…… huh? Isn’t the swearing in supposed to come before payment with a public office?

 SamO says the county is going to auction the property at the sensitive juncture of the Oscawana and Peekskill Hollow Creek in May.  Will there be restrictions, or will we be in the same mess $1million later?  Will we be surprised by the buyer? Someone asked me what was the difference between that parcel and the Ingersoll house.  I don’t have an answer.

 The TB passed a cost of living increase for the children’s center employees.  They hired personnel for Parks and Rec without reading any of it publicly.  They renewed a BAN (loan) for highway department equipment for $143k.

 They talked about the Nathan property the wetlands and cemetery.  We have been through this before.  There’s a whole body of law that covers cemeteries.

 Bob assured Wendy that he will find a place for solar panels.

 They have the dam emergency plans for Roaring Brook and Lake Peekskill.  The town owns the LP dam, but they will shaft the district for the fee.  They probably already have. 

 They will pay $300/month for a water operator for Mill Ponds.

 Tom Lannon explained how to sign in to the NY Alert system at www.nyalert.org.  Jackie is going to help people do it at the senior center and the library.  Well played politics and public service, unlike the vacancy politicking.

 Adopt cats.  Buy bagels.  Save sea turtles.

DP

Irregular Town Board Meeting

December 7, 2011

Putnam Valley

“ The weather outside is……”   I thought he would say frightful.  How many opportunities like that do you get?  But he didn’t.

The irregular Town Board meeting for December, a week early so that they can run out of town early for the Christmas holiday.  The architect for Bob’s big office was late ‘cause the weather was so bad.

So Bob’s big office is gonna cost more money than the $250K he got from Leibell.  But that comes later.  Since the architect wasn’t there for his presentation, they just authorized all the stuff without it.  Louis Luongo said that Bob – O never talked to the fire department about his plans.  Bob –O gave his my door is always open spiel.  That’s always his response to his complete lack of transparency. The fire department uses the back yard for training.  Bob –O wants to fill that up with his building.

Bob has found a new stumbling block for solar photovoltaics, so don’t count on that happening.  He can’t get much done, so no surprise.

The TB appointed Larry Cobb early.  Remember when I commented that they had not appointed Gary to Earl’s unexpired term? Hmmmm….

On Evergreen Road, there is a house in the road right of way, and the owner wants to convey land across the street to the town and have the land that his house is on swapped. 

On White Rock Road, everyone is saying that the infrastructure is done.  The people who live there are saying that they are still getting flooding from the project.  This project has gone on for a very long time, and the residents have been through a lot.  Bob says the flooding is not from the project.

Mrs. Nathan wants to convey open space on Barger Street to the town.  Part of it is wetlands and there is a cemetery either on it or adjacent.  There was a gas station there at one time, so Mr. Zutt and Bruce Barber want to check out all of that.

Parks and Rec wants to put a ball field there.  At this moment, they are going to put additional irrigation in the park.

On Wood Glen Street, there were some deficiencies in the drainage basins, but those have been corrected. 

Mr. Wax made it through the frightful weather and gave his presentation on Bob’s big office.  In case you don’t remember, Bob cut his office in half, then started to complain about the size of it.  He called Vinnie Leibell, told him his office was too small, and Vinnie came up with $250K from the dormitory authority.  Or so we’ve been told.  Then Bob went about looking for a way to spend the money.  There were 3 architects submitting ideas about this, and Bob and Jackie selected Mr. Wax.

Bob has complained that the clerk’s office in Town Hall is sinking, and there have been proposals at times to update the structure.  This plan, however, does not address any deficiencies in the existing structure.  It adds a new structure attached by a hallway, that is supposed to house the building department, the Planning and Zoning department, and the assessor’s office.  Any changes in the old building have not been addressed.

And that old trailer out in the back for files….there will be attic filing space.  So they can cart all those old files up the steps.

Mr. Yetter seemed to think that the aesthetic integrity of the main Town Hall building should be maintained.

When Bob started out with his big office, the $9 million ($11 million??) fire department plan was on the table.  Presumably it is no longer.  Bob had said at that time, that when the Town expanded into that building, they could bond out the rest of the project.  He didn’t seem to think that Vinnie’s $250K would be enough.

I know that there are some of us who don’t think that there has been adequate planning in all of this, and that perhaps there should be other priorities.  It all seems a little backward.

While politics seems to take out some players, this whole process of money appearing for dubious projects never seems to change.  The whole process remains hopelessly intact, and incarcerations seem to be a matter of politics

There is a list of projects for “economic development” in Putnam County. One of those is $150 K for a hydroponic greenhouse project for Hudson Valley Produce Farms? Where do these things come from?  Where did Bob’s Big Office project come from? And why isn’t this a public and transparent process?

And while we are on the topic of projects, there is a comment period on the Peekskill Hollow Road project which remains unchanged and is slated for 2014 funds.  Yet the project that the citizens actually want at Pudding Street has been changed to a grade level barrier.  Why doesn’t it ever matter what the community wants?  Tax cuts for rich folks.  Projects to transfer tax money into private hands.  There must be a better way.

Adopt cats. Buy bagels. Save sea turtles (it is cold stun season).

 

DP

 

 

 

 

Planning Board Meeting – Putnam Valley

November 21, 2011 

Tom was only 10 minutes late for the meeting, and it was almost over.

 Extensions for the soccer camp (3^rd), the project on Woods End Road, and Maple Leaf (2^nd)  – the truck dispatch and lot for the landscaping vehicles at the entrance to Lake Peekskill.

 Two changes described as minor field changes.  If driveway topcoat is on the site plan, I can see the omission of the topcoat as a minor field change.  For the Kisslinger project, it looks like a change to the resolution instead of a field change.  The applicant wants to install the pipe to the drainage basin at the same time as the curtain drain, so that they won’t have to go into the wetlands again.  The DOH is requiring the curtain drain before they will grant approval.  Approval is not assured.  It will depend on the conditions after the curtain drain is installed.

A project on Oscawana Lake Road is discontinued.

 They will approve sketch for Homeland Towers at tomorrow night’s meeting.

 Unrelated to this meeting, the post office project started.  I don’t remember what the color scheme is for the overhang that they are constructing.  The building is planned for yellow and red.  In Peekskill, there is a building that uses two different colors on two sections of the building, and another section is brick.  The Bean Runner Café is in the building.  You can see the concept executed, and have a cup of coffee.  In Peekskill, it looks quite good, though it is a different color scheme.

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels. Save sea turtles.

News in the Valley – TB 11/2011

Where did all that coin toss talk come from?

Gene Yetter has filed a court motion for a recount.  No news on his attorney.  Since the new machines have been used, recounting isn’t necessarily a fruitful endeavor.  The machine tells you if there is a problem with your ballot, and the numbers are checked.  Ballot counts are compared to voter counts.

Then, if you have voted by absentee or you have written in, your ballots are separated, and will be counted by hand.  The officials of the Board of Elections are present, candidates and their representatives.  Ballots can be challenged then.

These machines have improved the accuracy of the process significantly, and I am grateful for that.

Republican Commissioner Anthony Scannapieco said he had gone through the ballots repeatedly, and it was a tie.

The time line is very tight in elections.  Motions have to be filed quickly.  I thought the time was expired.  We shall see.

We can reasonably assume that no new ballots will be found.

We can also assume that the voter list has been examined thoroughly.

So a recount can ichange because a ballot that was excluded for being defective can be included, or they can exclude a ballot that was included.  That person’s right to vote can be defended.

If Mr. Yetter has indeed made the deadline, then we will see if there is any change, or if the tie stands.

Gene gave the quote of the evening at the regular Town Board meeting, “In this town, being ignorant seems to be a popular thing to do.” 

The tie has not improved Mr. Tendy’s demeanor, but it has had a positive impact on the budget.  Jackie and Wendy stood their ground, and the Board listened, even though we were treated to another one of Bob’s – it’s everyone else’s fault- diatribes.  BTW, it’s not.

But, apparently, we are still not permitted to know what the plan is for the fire department, or what they are spending their money on.  Bob doesn’t even see it as relevant.  The discussion was of the 2012 fire department budget, not the fire house, not what the fire department spends, not what is in their fund balance.  You really should hear this guy.  Sign the contract.  Let them do what they will.

Remember that the buck stops with the town board.

The rumor is that the firehouse is not moving forward, but there has been no official word from anyone, and no one has said whether the yearlong environmental review is continuing.  And if the project does not move forward, no one has talked about how we will pay for repairs to the existing building, or what will be done to alleviate the crowding issues, or whether there will be an attempt to secure other funds.

Don’t we have a right to know?  According to Bob, we don’t even have the right to ask the questions. 

And another thing, we have heard often that having a million dollars in the fund balance is not a misuse of the taxpayers’ money, that it has to be there because one fire truck costs $560,000, and then the fund balance is wiped out.  Do they pay cash?? Nobody will give them credit?  What’s that about?

Also raised as a collateral issue, the transfer station.  It is for garbage.  The lease was $30K, then there is a compaction fee.  In all, there are 4 lines in the budget related to this.  The cost used to be borne by all the districts, but one of Bob’s innovations has been to push all of this onto the Lake Peekskill district. 

I have been told that school taxes are 63% of our taxes, but that only applies if you are out of districts.  You town, highway, fire protection, county and district taxes will be a much higher bite of your total tax bill if you are in Lake Peekskill, and probably if you are in Lake Oscawana.  I am hoping that if the ties stands Lake Peekskill will have either Steve or Jackie as its liaison, so that the districts tax burden can be reduce, so that the district can make some progress, and so that there will be someone who is listening to the district residents again.

I have also been told that most people don’t live in districts, but there are 900 some odd houses in LP alone and that is a lot of taxpayers.

Is that lake really being lowered?

Back to the garbage issue, the Court of Appeals upheld AAA’s case as low bidder in Southeast, so they will be providing garbage removal for that town.  AAA is our carter too.

Sam O is very angry about spikes put into live trees for campaign signs, and he will pass a law.  He seems angry that a viable candidate ran against him when he and Priscilla had it all planned.  And he seems angry that he won by only 51 votes.  You would think it was humbling. 

Speaking of the environment, what about the SEQRA neg dec that was issued for Peekskill Hollow Road before the plan was done?  Is Sam O going to to see to it that they do an actual environmental review? And it does appear that the tacky post on Politics on the Hudson was Sam’s.  Hmmm….

He brought up the garage at Oregon Corners, which will have another day in court.  And he brought up the back taxes, but not Bob’s contribution to those back taxes.  And Bob has promised to do that again, since the county makes the town whole when the Town Board decides to piss away taxpayer money, and then pass it on to the county.  $300K! plus the DEC costs.  Is the county going to take the stream out of the culvert, and restore the riparian buffer?  Or are they going with Sam O’s next best plan, and put in a Dunkin Donut?  Time will tell.

The Town Board waived a fee for building without a permit.  The estate for which the fee was waived is represented by Bill Zutt’s partner,Harold  Hinz.  Hmmm….

Power outages and storms came up a few times.  Louis Luongo and Jackie have been talking about sending  text messages about opening of warming stations and shelters.  That sounds like a great idea.  There was virtually no communication in the last storm, and the outage was long.  I thought the ambulance corps was equipped as an emergency shelter, plus it is on the main road, and has a generator.  The senior center was not well located for access in storms. I am grateful that Jackie is addressing some of these issues that have been neglected. 

Someone from the public, not at the meeting, suggested charging stations, so that people can communicate.

Five years later, they are going to accept the grant that Sam D. got from NYSERDA for solar photovoltaics.  They are a little slow.  $44,200.  Is that the amount that Sam got?

Bob C. announced the building department report for “fees collected.”  Boy, we get to hear less and less. 

The highway department is buying the Lake Peekskill pickup truck for $1500.  Thank you to Jackie for asking why.  I appreciate that she asks what is going on.  The reason – the truck was in continuous use for LP, but will be a spare for the highway, so it makes sense.

Priscilla was back, glowing from Sam O’s slim win, talking about cats, and about the traffic on her road. 

 

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels.  Save sea turtles  - it is cold stun season.

DP

November 15, 2011 – counting the absentee ballots

See how wrong you can be?  I thought we would know who our Town Board was for tonight’s meeting.  Congratulations to Steve MacKay!  It will be wonderful to see him on the Board, and to be able to talk to a Board member.  Yay!!!!

And the other seat – a tie.  How exciting!

Putnam Valley was ready for a little change.  Good for us.  Your vote counts.

And congratulations to Allen Beals for running such a close race with an entrenched incumbent.  51 votes separating them.  Very impressive.  Now if you can save those turkeys…

I have heard that our county legislator is a defendant in this new lawsuit.  So what happens there?

We shall hear soon what we will do for the Town Board.  It should be fun!

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels.  Save Sea Turtles.

DP

Town Board – irregular and budget public hearing, November 9, 2011

In an election where we have known most of the winners for months, it is odd not to know some of the winners for an extra week.  There were no competitors in the Town Justice race and the Town Clerk race.   None for District Attorney – A surprise, considering the Ray Maquire stuff.  Even though Bob’s negatives were higher than usual, Wendy was never competitive.  That had already been proven.  We don’t know why it had to be proven yet again.  So we already knew what that outcome would be.  And we knew what the outcome would be for the highway department.  It was pretty obvious. And Mary Ellen was known.  Alan Schneider was not. 

But we are waiting for the absentee ballot count on Tuesday to find out who is on our Town Board, and it is odd not to know either seat.  And waiting to know who our County Legislator will be.  On that one we probably do know.  The lead would have to be overcome and maintained in a small number of votes.  I’m impressed that Allen came close.  A few more campaign actions on his part and he would have made it.    Sam has lived in this town for years.  His father was a councilmember.  He works in the schools, gets to know the kids and their parents in a setting very unlike politics.  It is very hard to overcome that.  None of that makes you a better candidate or representative, but it makes you better known, and more popular for things that have nothing to do with the office you are seeking.  So Allen did something that was a big deal.  He came very close, close enough that we won’t know for sure until Tuesday.

Anything can happen in the 3 way Steve MacKay, Bob Cinque, and Gene Yetter.  Steve will probably stay out in front.  One can’t assume that for 2 who are separated by only 3 votes.  I would have like to see Jay on the Board.  He would have brought intelligence and experience that the Board needs, but I recognize that even with two solid debate performances, voters didn’t know him well enough.

A real life nail biter.

They held their budget public hearing and work session on Wed. after their unclear election night.  Bob-O wasn’t there, so Gene announced the executive session properly.  They were talking about highway employee work records.  He runs a cleaner meeting.

The building fund of 180K was cut from the fd budget.  It is the line for repair, not the new building.  They have budgeted $736,475.  I don’t have last year’s budget amount in front of me.  I know the request last year was much higher.

Jackie said something about not knowing what they have in their general fund.  But the PFVFD is a non-profit corporation that contracts with the town, considered a public authority.  They are audited, and their finances are public record and FOIL’able.  I have to find the letter from Robert Freeman.  It is all knowable.  All who want to know it should know that.

Gene talked about the tax cap.  There was almost a special meeting to set the public hearing to override the tax cap.  But that was cancelled.  Did they decide somewhere out in the ether to not override?  They reappear having already decided, but that public discussion should have occurred. 

But magicallly, out of public view, they are not overriding.  The 2% tax cap stands, though called ridiculous, and arbitrary and capricious.

They cut 2 town planner and engineer “things” – would be nice to know what “things” they were.  And the highway fund balance will still be over 10% after they take $25K from it.

On to the work session,

There was a discussion of hiring “the best qualified” for the job.  Gene described himself as a “hiring manager.”  The issue raised was of hiring from the community.  The last employee hired for LP was from out of Putnam Valley.  I’m all for hiring from Putnam Valley first if that works, but I am all for posting all jobs on the internet, gathering resumes, interviewing, and hiring legitimately.  How was the new part time hire last week hired?  At least that job was announced at a public meeting.  But jobs should be posted on the website.  Most people look for jobs there these days, and every effort should be made to recruit beyond a circle of friends.  There is nothing on the website.  There is no way to hire the “best qualified” when you have not invited a pool of applicants and interviewed.

We are hiring the tax cert attorney to go to the hearings with Sheryl.  Her husband brought up the fact that she had been threatened by a PV attorney.  I am under some threat myself, so it was of concern to me.

Long discussion of Mill Ponds.  What a mess.  What happens if we drill wells?  Can you shop around for water suppliers?

Bob-O won’t stay for the whole meeting on Wednesday.

The Town Board will waive a civil fee for someone who built without a permit.  350 Church Street.

And they will authorize the Supervisor to sign the contract for the photovoltaics that we could have had years ago.

You can comment on the budget on Wednesday night.  They won’t listen to you, but you can comment.

And we will know who the Board will be.

 

Adopt cats.  Buy bagels.  Save the sea turtles.

And pardon the turkeys.

 

DP