No Bid Contracts
The Obamacare Website construction contract was a No Bid contract that was granted to a company that contributed 47 million dollars to Barack Obama’s election campaign. The contract cost the American taxpayer 637 million dollars. That company, CGI Federal, was run by a school mate of Mrs. Obama and it employed Obama Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett’s daughter and son in law. But that is dirty Washington DC dealings and that doesn’t happen in Ulster County. Does it?
As a matter of fact there are quite a few no bid contracts let out by Ulster County government and I dare say for similar reasons; Payback for political contributions. And why is it you never hear about these no bid contracts? Wouldn’t it be wise for an astute County Comptroller to look into such “arrangements?” Well, maybe, unless you are in the same political party as the person letting out no bid contracts and of the same mind as that person and as politically ambitious as that person, then you may not look too closely at saving the People’s Money in this area. And that my friend is what is going on in Ulster County.
If you would like an honest, competent person watching how your money is spent by politicians, elect Linda McDonough Ulster County Comptroller. Linda only answers to the people of Ulster County. Her sole purpose in seeking this office is to insure You, The Taxpayer, get what you are paying for at the best possible price. Linda McDonough is very familiar with the various departments of Ulster County government and what it costs to run them. She has a focus on maintaining financial integrity and a clear vision of the scope of the Comptroller’s Office mission. Unlike some people who build the office into their private empire, Linda is a hands on administrator who rolls up her sleeves and does her share of the work. Let’s clean up the Ulster County BID process. Let’s give everyone an opportunity to participate in a fair and open competition for products and services. Let’s support Linda McDonough for Clean Honest Financial Practices in our County Government.
Jack Hayes
Gardiner
Myth Vs. Fact
It’s that wonderful time of year again when reason and fact are sacrificed to opinion and myth. Falsehoods are recycled and expanded. Interpretations should be subjected to thought and analysis but in our little town the myth is at these times more comfortable than the search for truth.
All individuals who are seeking a chance to serve on the Town Board are to be commended but in my humble opinion it is the voters obligation to seek the facts and not be swayed by rumors or innuendo.
Jeremy Wilber, Cathy Magarelli, and Bill McKenna have served this town well and after separating the wheat from the chaff so to speak they are the ones I will be voting for this November 5.
Nationally we have had a government shut down, debt ceiling freak-out, and Americans shudder at what will be the next crisis. At home we have a Town Board who are civil, open, responsible, trustworthy and forward thinking problem solvers.
I’m voting with my pocket book in mind- keep the money working, keep the taxes low, make decisions based on fact not a wish list and be mindful of what is necessary for our economy to remain stable and sustainable. Vote to keep Wilber, Magarelli, and McKenna working for us.
This is the right course with the right people to preserve our town with sound financial smarts and decision making skills.
L Barra
Woodstock
Best Functioning One
Jeremy Wilber, Cathy Magarelli and Bill McKenna have all been open and helpful to me and with each other during these last two years, making this Town Board the best functioning one I’ve experienced. At this late date, you’ve all seen and heard our positive accomplishments, so I urge you to re-elect them for Woodstock’s future.
Proposition 2 on the ballot must be voted for. It gives Disabled Veterans additional Civil Service credits. PTSD will be officially acknowledged by this endeavor. I call it Post Traumatic Stress Daemons.
Ken Panza wrote a dark letter about security cameras at the Town Hall. Here is the light. Two cameras have been in place there for a long time; one has been monitoring the main entry hallway, the other will be moved from it’s focus on the previous PD entrance to the new PD entrance. A new camera will be at the entrance to the Justice Court at the request of the Court, another will be in the processing room, where prisoners and Police will be protected against allegations of wrongdoing by its presence, and a third will monitor the Emergency Dispatch lobby. If we had real gun control, we wouldn’t need this protection. Ken’s accusations against the Town Board are wrong because security cameras have been there for a long time, wrong because he doesn’t understand the difference between what NSA and other agencies do and the purpose of these cameras, wrong because he’s making a political issue about this, and wrong because he’s insulting every homeowner who has a security system.
Jay Wenk
Woodstock
Grateful Paws
Folks at the Woodstock Dog Park, both four-legged and two-legged, offer a hearty PAWS UP to our great friend Lorin Rose.
Whether hauling in wood chips for the paths, clearing fallen trees, or rebuilding fences brought down by major storms, Lorin’s constant support — often unheralded but invariably prompt, efficient, and wise — has been an invaluable help in maintaining the park’s basic infrastructure. In 2012, members of the Dog Park task force designated Lorin the ‘Dog Park’s Best Friend’; we’re glad to acknowledge that throughout 2013 he’s continued to offer our dogs his ‘unconditional’ love and assistance.
Harry Kirn, Woodstock Dog Park
Woodstock
Why You Should Vote For Howard Harris
Howard Harris is both a great friend as well as my neighbor and I served with him on the ZBA along with many excellent volunteer members for nine years. Although I knew Howard for many years prior to be appointed to the ZBA, he was at first reluctant to my considering applying for the open position as he wanted to be absolutely certain that I had the time available and wanted to be on the Board for the right reasons and not for social purposes or status. He always put the community’s needs before his own.
Howard took me and many other volunteer members under his wing as he had an extensive knowledge of our zoning law and the rest of us were novices at the time. He was patient, caring and never lost his temper (almost never) as we were all new members and he was already well into his second term on the ZBA. I have never experienced a volunteer member of any board, anywhere, who worked as tirelessly as he did running the ZBA. He brought great dedication, integrity, honestly, openness, creativity, caring, compassion and an exhaustive knowledge of our zoning law to the ZBA and even some fun thrown into the mix. Howard would undoubtedly bring the same passion to the Town Board as a new councilperson and we desperately need him. Howard constantly re-invented the workings of the ZBA over a long period of time serving 15 years as a volunteer and raised the level of the bar for the other members time and time again. He was always open in his dealings and spent endless hours researching every aspect of every case which came before us and even cases which we never ultimately heard. He believed in what he did on the Board and ultimately paid the price for not bowing to the popular opinion at the time. What else do you really have at the end of the day if you do not have your integrity?
Howard is running on a platform of ideas including emergency basis cellular service in Western Woodstock which does not entail the construction of cell tower(s). He proposes the installation of non-descript, strategically placed call boxes and nearly invisible repeaters along roads to allow stranded people to call for help. Solving the emergency cell service issue effectively and inexpensively without the construction of unsightly cell towers is just one of the many reasons why you should vote for Howard Harris on November 5th.
Tony Padalino
Wittenberg
Another Dem For Howard
As a life long Democrat I’m not in the habit of voting for Republicans, but in the case of Howard Harris, who is running for a seat on the town council, I am making an exception. Having volunteered on the zoning board of appeals when Harris was chairman, I know one thing: He gets things done. He made sure he knew the zoning law inside and out, a skill that will translate well to the town board. He also has an uncanny ability to deal with people, another skill that will serve him — and the town — well.
Claudette Covey
Bearsville
Needed: Energy And Ideas
On November 5 I will cross party lines to vote for Lorin Rose, Howard Harris and Gary Kutcher…I think the incumbents have done a serviceable job, but over time the Town Board has become ingrown and reluctant to even hear new or opposing ideas. We have had grand rhetoric on many issues, but where is the execution?
All boards need to turn over periodically, otherwise they “fossilize.” The time for Woodstock is now. I believe that Lorin, Harris and Kutcher are highly qualified and will
bring new energy to ongoing projects and a fresh perspective overall.
Cornelia H. Rosenblum
Woodstock
Do Not Be Complacent, Vote For The Best
Jeremy Wilber has been a uniquely gifted supervisor for the town of Woodstock during his terms in office. He has made our town a fiscal oasis in a desert of economic woes. He engages and is engaged by his constituents. As a thinker and a longtime Woodstock resident, his persona truly represents the spirit of our town as “The Colony Of The Arts.” I can happily say I have known Jeremy to be an impeccably honest man for these past 50 years, and I urge you to vote for him in November. He is, like our cherished Mountains, Streams, and Forests, a treasure.
Frank Spinelli
Glenford
