-Yesterday, a diverse group of community leaders cut the ribbon on 122 TenEyck Street, a single family home built by public agencies on a vacant city-owned lot in what is a very nice neighborhood.
Some years back the same "in-fill" project fizzled over design disputes and I kept beating the drum for it. Neighbors of Watertown came up with a great design and the notion of filling in vacant spots in neighborhoods can continue.
-Sticking up for patients and employees prevailed as a plan has been hatched to keep Mercy Health Care open for the time being while Samaritan Medical Center builds a new nursing home with the help of a state grant. Again, many people helped avert a crisis, although much work remains as the propsoed scenario of just walking away from the physical plant on Stone Street is to put it politely, poor urban planning.
-Senator Darrel Aubertine's campaign was rattled this week by poll numbers showing him trailing Patty Ritchie. Mr. Aubertine's office performed well on the Mercy issue and is using his role as his party's 32nd vote to gain favors for NNY.
The issue comes down to whether voters are comfortable with a continuation of a Democrat controlled state legislature and an election framed in those terms is vexing for Mr. Aubertine.
-The battle was joined for Congress and Rep. Bill Owens hit the air first touting his own folksy persona, while ripping opponent Matt Doheny as a Wall Street snake....The debut of the new Michael Douglas movie on the subject was coincidental but beneficial to Mr. Owens.
Mr. Doheny needs to be blunt in taking on Mr. Owens support of key Obama Administration policies.
-Meanwhile a preliminary Census report shows NY may lose two seats, so the duration of any GOP seat upstate is in question.
-The Assembly campaign in the 122nd chugs along. Ken Blankenbush seems to have found a footing with a well organized campaign staff and numerous personal appearances. Opponent Brian McGrath launched his first TV ad this week.
-Sheriff John Burns and GOP foe Chuck Ruggiero both did a good job on the HOTLINE this week.
28 comments:
Blankenbush is toast in the 122.
Mayor you said, "Sheriff John Burns and GOP foe Chuck Ruggiero both did a good job on the HOTLINE this week." I thought the exception was my question on each show which focused on privatizing corrections in our area. You poisoned the well on two separate shows by saying some crazy person in Ariz escaped from one, the implication being that the folks out there in AZ. didn't know how to run a jail. Mr. Burns said my people are trained better, and Mr. Ruggiero implied that no real rehabilitating work was done with prisoners at privately run facilities.
My thought, is these private correction businesses (Jails) do great work in different parts of the country. We need a cost comparison study done and it should include how the corrections resources, State, Local or Privately owned are rated by the State and Federal govt. I'll take a guess here and say Privately owned correction centers are safe, efficient and cheaper in comparison to our out of control spending on corrections and cell space. A privately run correction facility might save us serious dollars on a budget line that according to the Republican is out of control. Mr. Ruggiero (Rep), if your Republican party is going to talk about cutting spending get your fact i place and hopefully the Mayor will have you back soon. You owe it to us to check it out privatizing jail space, as a cost cutting option. in a serious well informed manner.
As for you Mayo, it will be had to take you talk about union costs running amok with schools and teachers, when you won't even consider cutting costs tat are ot o control, 10 percent a year according to Republican Candidate Ruggiero!
Middle-Class Mike
sorry about typos here, keyboard is wireless and acting up
mmm
First of all Middle Class Mike is Michael Powers of Ogdensburg Correctional facility. The rest speaks for itself.
I really was suprised to see Pat Rithcie was ahead in the polls. I personally never pay polls attention but they do give you some guideline. Ms. Ritchie is remaing mum... Ha... Instead of providing her money the Long Island GOP has been investing in a Va. firm to print lies and distortions of fact about Mr. Aubertine. She may win but remember this. You will regret your vote within six months.
I noticed all the insinuations about Mr. Doheny and his coverup of the Cable Co. issue... Everyone for him is denying and everyone against him believes it...
Put this into the picture... Why were so many laid off then some thirty million dollars in bonuss paid to Doheny and friends.. Thats the part thats totally wrong.. They become wealthy on the blood and sweat of AMerican workers and their familys.
1:32,
Do you have an alternative system in mind? The system in Cuba perhaps? Doheny would have never made all his money in Cuba. That's why Cubans have it better than American workers and their families.
anon 12:40, Michael Powers o Odensburg :) Get well soon. You really need to jut have something to say and we're all be glad to read it. MMM is not Michael Powers and has never hidden who he is to responsible politicians in either party.
And that's the wayit is,
Middle-Class Mike
1:29,
Surprised Ritchie was ahead? YOu obviously havent been paying attention to what's been going on in Albany. I was actually surprised she wasnt further ahead. The Senate Dems have been a complete catastrophe and nearly every tax, fee, and program has expanded.
Instead of being upset about the Common Sense mailers- which are not lies- perhaps you should be upset about Aubertine's constituent mailers- paid for by our tax dollars.
Naah.. I hate liars especially ones from Virginia thats paid for by Rithcies sponsors.
Aubertine has done more good for this area than Wright ever did. Pataki and Wright paved the way for the trend the state has taken and it will take years to mend it.
You say Ruggerio did a good job. What do you mean? The entire issue with Ruggerio is what he stated from the begining. I want to leave my footprint on the Sheriffs dept. What he wants is one term only. He wants to defeat Sheriff Burns in order to pave the way for the GOP to get somebody else back to power on that job... Anyway after the first of the year when I see john Burns I will say Hello Sheriff.. Actually Ruggerio needs someones footprint on his behind.
I will agree with the last post. When the Repubs held this office there was more back door dealings, but then again I've read a Sheriff has his DWI Dismissed, A Turnkey at the jail lets 2 others push a 4 wheeler outside, The changing of the hours without approval of the County Administrator. Also have to wonder how many more "Toys" the current dept. needs, I know it's FREE money. but you have to wonder if we need them.
Let's get past the politics, and discuss the real issue on who should be Sheriff; who is more competent in terms of skill,knowledge,and vision. If I had to make a choice, based upon the Hotline interviews, I will give the nod to Mr. Ruggerio. Mr. Burns' answers were not very clear nor conscise, some humming/hawing; Mr. Ruggerio was very clear, conscise, without misunderstanding. Mr. Burns seems to like political appearances, Mr. Ruggerio,stated that he does not.I am a Demo. voter, but I will cross the line on this one.Jefferson County needs to awaken to the fact that Ft Drum, is more that just a major employer, but a key player on both county and federal law enforcement. I think Mr. Ruggerio brings that additional qualification to the job.
Someone sure ask Mr. Ruggerio why he had to leave Fort Drum for his final two years to make retirement? Pretty sure cause he couldn't work with his boss Joe and was forced to leave. If he couldn't work with them how will he be as a boss. Not very good if you ask me. It show by how anger he go with callers that asked questions he didn't have answers to.
No competition on the Hotline interviews - Ruggiero nailed it. He sounds like he has all the right solutions and ideas, and gets the big picture on grants.
I like both candidates, but I think Ruggiero has a better plan for the future, and a lot of experience to back it up. I don't know the deal 8:09 is talking about, and don't really care. People come and go from Drum all of the time, and if you had a question on that you should have called the show and asked him, instead of spreading inuendos.
And, in case you're wondering, I've never met either person, just going on hearing them speak in a couple of different venues.
A Turnkey at the jail lets 2 others push a 4 wheeler outside.
This is a false statement.
The purpose of jail is punnishment. Rehabilitation comes after punnishment. The focus should be on punnishment. The inmates focus should be on rehabilitation.
Tong
Why does Ruggiero not mention the Red Cross in anything he talks about? Why did he leave the Red Cross position he held? more to come.
Why didn't you call the show and ask him about Red Cross? They weren't screening calls by the sounds of it.
By the way, there is no such thing as FREE money. And do you think they pass out more FREE money to maintain the equipment?
Aubertine delivered again with mercy, just like he saved the Fulton Hospital from closing in 2009......oh, I forgot, Lee Memorial actually did close after Darrell "saved it". Beware Mercy after the election....
Mr. Ruggiero is a proven leader with his volunteer work. I should know. I was one of of his volunteers on the Red Cross. He turned the committee of 1 or 2 people into a group of over 50 volunteers ready to assist in a disaster. He couldn't stand the fact that paid employees wanted to use donated funds to pay for overseas trips to conferences and so on - a waste of money that was donated by local folks thinking the money was going to help someone who lost their home in a fire. Abuse of funds with the director was the problem. People should really get their facts straight.
So 10:35 a four wheeler wasn't pushed outside the storage building by a jail inmate serving weekend time? Paper must be wrong. What about the dismissed DWI?
8:09, i know very well how politics works in the federal civil service,(where it should not) ,and I can say even the "good" elect other avenues to go to retirement; because you have suck-ups who do not like telling the truth, nor do they like hearing it. I am talking about management, top to bottom. This does exist, and it's too bad that there are managers who do act like this. Civil Service can be cut-throat.
"It show by how anger he go with callers that asked questions he didn't have answers to."
Heard the whole show and didn't hear any questions Ruggiero didn't have a good answer to. Might have been answers that the caller didn't want to hear. Didn't sound angry to me, more frustrated probably when a couple of callers went on with diatribes and didn't stop talking when he was attempting to answer.
Right you are Rick, civil service has its drawbacks, but still a good career choice.
Civil Service on a State Level should be done away with it's a waste of tax dollars and time.
You don't really think the Michael Douglas movie release was a coincidence, do you?
I don't know how it works on the federal level, but at the state level it is extremely corrupt. It allows for choosing the politically connected, protects the incompetent, rewards run of the mill, wastes money and resists change that would serve the taxpayer. But I thought that was what it was designed to do.
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