There's going to be a fight tonight and it won't be pretty. But I think that County Legislator Joe Meyers and his group "Ramapo Democrats for Change" will be victorious if Rockland Democratic Committee members do their job and abstain from voting to seat any Ramapo committee appointments.
I'm going to make a long story short to the best of my ability. We have a reorganization meeting for the county party tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Clarkstown Town Hall. Yours truly is a committee member and will be there.
Along with submitting and approving names for new committee members, we are also reorganizing. We were supposed to do all this in in the fall, but things went horribly wrong.
Here's how the process is supposed to work: after people are appointed committee members, their names are included on the ballot during the next Democratic Primary.
What happened in Ramapo was this: A group called "Ramapo Democrats for Change" sought to usurp the Democrats in that committee that support Christopher St. Lawrence, the Ramapo Town Supervisor. This insurgent group, led by County Legislator Joseph Meyers, won about 162 committee seats; St. Lawrence's slate won some 130 seats. There are 32 seats that remain vacant and the Committee can appoint new committee members to those posts.
It is evident that St. Lawrence has refused to accept the results of this election, as he's trying to appoint even people that lost their committee seats to the 32 vacant posts. This would give them a virtual tie and possibly would keep St. Lawrence's group in power.
The County Chair, Vince Monte, has worked hard for St. Lawrence's group, doing his best to keep them in power. Monte is allowed St. Lawrence's group (chaired at the time by St. Lawrence's brother-in-law Laurence O. Toole) to hold their own town reorganization meeting and make appointments to the 32 seats. However, O. Toole, who lost his committee seat, refused to hold this meeting before the County convention in the fall, making the Rockland Dems tardy in submitting the names of their committee members and officers to the Board of Elections. When the County meeting was held this fall, it was cancelled right from the floor because there was a power struggle between Meyers and Toole to seat these 32 vacancies.
With the meeting cancelled, the a quorum of elected Ramapo committee members held their meeting that night and filled the vacant seats. Told that this was illegal to hold a meeting without due notice, the group held this meeting again a few days later with proper notice.
In the meantime, St. Lawrence's group held their own meeting and filled the vacant seats. The meeting, by St. Lawrence's outgoing group was approved by Vincent Monte. Now lawsuits are being filed and it's become quite a legal quagmire.
Vince Monte showed his true colors when he chose sides and recognized St. Lawrence's meeting and refused to recognize the Democrats for Change meeting. It can be reasonably argued that this was an attempt by St. Lawrence, Toole, and Monte to steal the election.
So you have two groups who say that they're the real Democratic committee members, a group that won well more than half of the seats in an election and another which was made up of many committee members who were voted out and their terms expiring.
All this begat another power struggle as many committee members in other towns (most notably Orangetown and Ramapo, the two biggest towns) want to vote Vincent Monte out as chair and vote in Greg Julian.
I support Legislator Joe Meyers and the Ramapo Democrats for change. Meyers is calling for the County committee not to seat any appointed committee members at tonight's meeting. I happen to agree with Meyers on two levels: First, if we abstain from voting for Ramapo committee appointees we're letting democracy win. The Democrats for Change will keep the majority they won during the primaries. Second, this will allow the Court to make its ruling in the matter.
And last, as Joe Meyers says so eloquently in a letter sent to all committee members:If we do not protect the basic democratic principle that the results of an election must be respected, our failure will haunt the Rockland Democratic Committee and embarrass us in the eyes of the public for years.
I couldn't agree more.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Rockland Democrats: Don't appoint Ramapo vacancies tonight
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Memo to Gov. Paterson: Choose RFK Jr. for Senate
There is a lot of speculation about who New York Governor David Paterson will select as Hillary Clinton's replacement in the Senate. However, there are even more opinions about who the Governor should select.
I've read every argument out there, and there are compelling and strategic reasons to appoint Rep. Nydia Velazquez (woman, Hispanic), Rep. Kristen Gillibrand (woman, upstate), Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi (reformer), Rep. Brian Higgins (upstate), Attorney General Andrew Cuomo (legal reformer, son of a popular governor), and Byron Brown (upstate, black). But I believe there's only one person that Paterson can select that would bring change to the Senate. There's only one person that has the passion and the courage to work for change. And that person is Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
I'm a big fan of RFK Jr. and have followed his career through the pages of Rolling Stone, on his radio show "Ring of Fire" and through his environmental advocacy for Riverkeeper and the Waterkeeper Alliance. he joined Riverkeeper in 1984 to satisfy the community service to which he was sentence after his infamous arrest for heroin possession.
But what happened next is truly inspiring. After his 1,500 hours were complete, Kennedy was hired by Riverkeeper as its chief prosecuting attorney and he has remained a true champion of the Hudson River and one of the most important and fragile ecosystems in our nation.
Kennedy further showed his dedication to the environment by founding the Waterkeeper Alliance, a umbrella group of many waterkeeper groups across the nation. Under Kennedy's watch, there are now about 180 waterkeeper programs worldwide operating under the trademarked names of "Riverkeeper", "Lakekeeper", "Baykeeper", or "Coastkeeper."
Kennedy also serves as a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, a non-profit which works to expand environmental laws and restrict land use.
As an environmentalist, Kennedy advocates the use of wind power to generate electricity. Along with his sister, Rory Kennedy, he has educated the public about the dangers of nuclear power, especially the old and decrepit Indian Point II power plant, which sits on the Hudson River.
Last year, Kennedy jumped onstage at the Live Earth concert in New Jersey. There he gave an impassioned speech and challenged those in the audience to take a cold, discerning look at the energy industry and to question the economic and environmental impact of continuing to use coal, oil, and nuclear energy as primary sources of energy.
There are few public figures that are as passionate about progressive causes as Robert F. Kennedy, Jr; there are fewer walking the corridors of the Capitol. Barack Obama is one of those figures. He transcends partisan politics, relies on logic without losing his passion, and he appeals directly to the human decency in all of us. President-elect Obama is a unique person, a gift to us all and is truly a Washington outsider in spirit.
And despite his past transgressions—for which he has more than atoned for—I see the qualities in Mr. Kennedy that I see in our future President. And that's why I'm calling on Governor Paterson to appoint him to the Senate seat once occupied by his father.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Panel says US has been in recession since Dec. 2007
The U.S. economy has been in a recession since December 2007, the National Bureau of Economic Research said Monday. So, all the denials by Bush and McCain really mean squat; they tried to cover up and ignore the nation's economic peril to further their own political agenda only a few short months back. They knew the economy was tanking and they fiddled while Rome burned.
And to top it off, the Bush administration used a bailout scheme to secure a big payday for its banking buddies. If there was ever a reason to regulate the banking industry, you've found it. And if there was ever a time to investigate the machinations of the multinational corporate jet set, this is that time.
read more | digg story
Fresh Rockland County Legislators want budget cuts
Two newly elected Democratic Rockland County Legislators and one new Republican Legislator have broken ranks with C. Scott Vanderhoef and the County Executive's nonsensical budget.
The three, Democrats Joe Meyers and Jaques Michael and Republican Frank Sparaco are being quite critical, dismissing the accuracy of the Rockland County budget and questioning the budget review process. And the three legislators have come to the same conclusion: that strategic spending cuts are needed before they'll put their stamp of approval on the 2009 budget, which comes up for a vote tomorrow.
The three are talking about merging departments in order to reduce administrative costs, which is one measure that this blog has advocated in the past. For example, they're reviewing the possibility of merging the Tourism, Human Rights, and General Services department with the County Executive's Office. They say that taxpayers can save $2.5 million from the annual budget by doing so. In a county that runs a $700 million annual budget, this may seem like a small tail on a big dog. But this is the type of scrutiny that budgets need. This is what Barack Obama was talking about doing on a national level—going through the budget line-by-line and cutting waste where it is found.
While we can't comment on the specifics or the feasibility of the plan by the three County Legislators, LEFT of the HUDSON believes that it is crucial for all levels of local government to look at reducing overhead costs. We do not subscribe to the Reaganesque adage that "government does not solve problems; it subsidizes them," but we do believe in responsible government at all levels. And we've come to a point where the many layers of local government are starting to put a stranglehold on the families living in Rockland County. The County, most towns and villages in the county, and many other taxing authorities are increasing their rates well past the level of inflation. And Vanderhoef, on the County level, is guilty of overestimating tax revenue for the past several years, which has put the county finances in shambles.
Let the actions of the three legislators be a warning to other local authorities: Be wise with our tax dollars. There's a lot of waste at all levels and the residents are starting to take notice. Further, we're going to be looking for politicians at all levels that will find creative ways to reduce costs while maintaining quality services. Those elected officials that are towing the company line will soon find strong challengers for their jobs. And voters won't care if there's a (D) or an (R) behind the name; they'll support the candidates that want to shake up the system.
So we applaud Legislators Meyers, Michael, and Sparaco for being brave enough to question this budget and we hope that they'll continue to find ways to save taxpayers money, while not cutting vital services.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Real solutions to ease Tappan Zee backups
It’s been a little more than a month since several thick metal plates were placed on the main span of the Tappan Zee Bridge. They've been the culprit behind huge morning commuting problems, with many cars crossing them gingerly, creating traffic back ups on the Thruway and near entrance points in the Nyacks. And even a solution to open up five Westchester-bound lanes by adjusting the bridge’s movable center barrier hardly makes the commute bearable. Now, the plates have appeared on the the Rockland bound side, making evening commutes downright hellish.
God forbid there be a fender-bender near Exit 11 or at the Westchester tolls. And with the completion of bridge repairs many months away, commuters need relief right now.
Personally, I’ve been late for work about a dozen times. My co-workers who live in the city or in Westchester are getting slightly miffed at my unanticipated tardiness. I make up for this by working an hour or so later than I typically would. Even then, I’m not immune to traffic jams, and then I miss eating dinner with my family and sometimes I barely get to see my children off to bed.
Just think of all the tens of thousands of hours wasted worker productivity sitting on the bridge each day. Think of the wasted fuel as the vehicles stuck in traffic are getting zero miles per gallon when their engines are idling they’re not moving. Think of the appointments missed and think of the lost revenue to businesses in nearby villages and hamlets when potential visitors aren’t willing to cross the bridge and enjoy an afternoon of shopping or an evening dining out.
It was during one of those evening traffic jams that I came to this conclusion: Why doesn’t the Thruway Authority appeal to commuters' sense of thrift to help lessen the traffic burden on the bridge. And I came up with several solutions that I think are feasible, can be implemented within days, and might prove popular with weary travelers:
Take the tolls off the Bear Mountain Bridge. There are a lot of commuters, especially those in Orange County, Haverstraw, Stony Point and parts of Clarkstown that have the viable option of using the Bear Mountain Bridge. While taking this alternative route might take them some miles out of their way, dropping the tolls on the Bridge might help loosen the grip on its sister bridge to the south.
Free rides for car poolers. Convert one or two of the cash lanes to a carpooling lane and make that lane toll free. A criticism of this plan would be that some commuters would not understand that this was a car-pooling lane. This isn’t a problem. Toll collectors can charge those vehicles a toll and then wave by vehicles with two or more passengers. I’m certain that many commuters will bend to their sense of thrift and double up. Other pluses for this idea is that it lessens the traffic load for both the morning and evening commutes, saves fuel, and lessens the pollution problem in Rockland County.
Educate commuters about traffic patterns. The Thruway Authority must reach out to commuters and tell them how to avoid traffic delays. A lot of workplaces have flexible work schedules and the Thruway Authority has data to educate employees of these companies on how to avoid traffic delays by altering their work schedule. All this would take is for the Authority to create an informational Web site and to reach out to businesses in Westchester, The Bronx, Fairfield Counties and Long Island, where many commuters work.
Promote the Red and Tan/Rockland Coaches bus lines. Many commuters take the Metro North Hudson and Harlem lines to Grand Central. When I worked in Manhattan, my total commute time—under the best of conditions—was 1 hour, 20 minutes. Delayed and missed Tappan Zee Bus connections could increase this commute time an extra hour or more. In talking with friends and acquaintances about their commutes recently, 2-hour commutes into the city are again commonplace as they were six years ago before the Thruway interchanges were rebuilt. In addition, there are hundreds of commuters that drive to and park at the Tarrytown and White Plains train stations, these are cars we can take off the road. The Red and Tan lines travel to the Port Authority Bus Terminal and commute times are typically a little longer (about 10-20 more minutes) by bus, but with traffic as bad as it is on the TZ, that commute may be faster for many. Again, a little advertising and perhaps a financial incentive in the form of a fare subsidy would be enough to sway commuters to take the bus.
The New York Thruway Authority has acted shamefully by not effectively addressing inevitable commuting problems, and those of us who commute across the Hudson River have paid the price monetarily, professionally, and personally. It’s time that the Authority tried some real solutions to the commuting crisis; opening up an extra lane on the TZ just wasn’t enough. These fixes can be implemented with what is the equivalent of pocket change in to a agency with a $1 billion annual budget.
Friday, November 21, 2008
G20 leaders refuse to shake Bush's hand
What would inspire the leaders of the Free World to be so dismissive of the sitting American President? Do they feel they were lied to? Do they believe this global recession is mostly his doing? Do they have tales to tell of Bush once he leaves office?
