Then came the so-called “sales-tax crisis,” whereby Assemblyman Cahill blocked passage in the state Assembly’s of the county biannual 1 percent sales tax extension by demanding that the county legislature formally enact legislation guaranteeing the Safety Net takeover.
Kevin Cahill. (Photo by Dan Barton)
Cahill called for the codifying of what had been heretofore a handshake agreement between the executive and the legislature, subject to change. Cahill appreciated from his almost 20 years in the legislature that, in the words of the late Louis B. Mayer, a verbal contract isn’t worth the paper it is written on. That the legislature, the “policymaking branch” of county government, didn’t collectively figure that truism out long ago speaks volumes.
End of the Rainbow
Legislature Chairwoman Terry Bernardo won her petition signature battle with challenger Jack Dawson in the Town of Rochester, but it appears the newcomer may have scored a march on the hearts and minds of town residents.
For the record, Bernardo, a three-term incumbent, secured 425 signatures on her Republican nominating petitions, while Dawson gathered just 128. About 1,800 registered Republicans are eligible to vote in the Sept. 10 primary. Dawson has been endorsed by the town Republican committee.
Their second battleground (after petitions last month) might be the fire-ravaged Rainbow Diner in Kerhonkson, since last year a pile of ugly burnt rubble. As the eyesore sat on the roadside next to busy Route 209, residents, after a reasonable grace period, grew agitated by officialdom’s failure to force a cleanup.
Enter Dawson, a 62-year-old retired contractor leading the fight. Bernardo has been nowhere on this one, because, according to her husband, Len Bernardo, the Independence chairman, “it’s a town issue.”
Maybe, but townsfolk, may see challenger Dawson as just the kind of activist they’re looking for.
Legislative notes
Ways and Means Chairman Rich Gerentine might have uttered the understatement of the year when he said “We were a little remiss in making policy” regarding the sales-tax extension. Did he mean only on that issue?
“I might as well stay home and watch Wally World,” fumed Bob Aiello after having his pension legislation (above) sent back to committee. Is that where Aiello gets his ideas? I thought it was Looney Tunes.
Chairman Bernardo, attempting to keep order, drew only snickers when she admonished kibitzers, “If you’re going to talk among yourselves, please be quiet.” She said she meant “whisper.”
In the eyes of most elected officials, hyperbolic Jeannette Provenzano wasn’t far off when she called Cahill’s refusal to speak to the legislature on the sales-tax extension “a terrible abuse of power.” But he wasn’t the only one, as Heinophile Jenny P. failed to point out. Gerentine revealed a few minutes later that as finance chairman (Provenzano sits on that committee) he sent certified letters to both Hein and Cahill inviting them to appear before his committee. No response from either, he said.
Did somebody say “ego freaks?”
Majority Leader Ken Ronk can be forgiven for wearing the most garish tie of the season. The red, white and blue patriotic number was in memory of his grandfather, he said. William Conklin died last month at age 81.
There really is no reason to pay $700K… what does it get us? 100 to 150K ought to get enough talent and love for the job to get a masters degree or better and a really hard worker to boot. Enough of this shopping at the Abercrombie and Fitch store/catalog, Sharper Image…
Shopping local doesn’t mean just bread and T shirts… find the talent locally, look hard… use the local executive talent in Kingston to interview and select… we have some powerful people in this town that can surely vet good talent.
I remember telling my math professor at U of M “teachers needed to be paid much much more money to get good ones…” “Nop”, he said. “You’ll just get people that want money, not necessarily the ones who love to teach, want to teach, and those are the good ones. Just pay them a reasonable salary.”