“I’ve been covering these things for 35 years,” [closer to 20 in Kingston], fumed veteran Freeman City Hall reporter Paul Kirby, “and these are the two dullest guys I’ve ever seen.”
“I’ve been doing it for 45 years, and these are two of the dullest guys I’ve ever seen,” I told him. “And I hired you.”
Parallel campaigns
The great debate between Ulster County executive candidates Mike Hein and Terry Bernardo will be joined at Kingston’s George Washington School at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. League of Women Voters sponsors expect this event to be over — as some see the election — in plenty of time to catch either football or baseball telecasts. Just over an hour has been scheduled.
In many ways, this election is a non-event, what with Hein running on his record — seven years running now — while virtually ignoring his opponent. This leaves Bernardo to poke around the edges on such non-starters as electric-car fueling stations and Hein’s propensity for plastering his visage on anything connected to county government.
Given these parallel campaigns (Bernardo’s largely on Facebook, Hein’s from his bully pulpit) it’s no wonder public interest is near nil. As evidence, I cite selective leaks from pollsters that speak to minimal name recognition on both sides. For incumbent Hein, that’s surprising, less so for Bernardo, gone to ground after losing her seat in the legislature (by 22 votes) two years ago.
Republican Bernardo is the first woman to hold the office of chairman of the Ulster County Legislature (2012-13), more than 40 years after the legislature was formed. Democrat Hein is the first county executive (2009 to present). Other than that, they don’t have a lot in common.
Unlike Hein, Bernardo does not approach this fray from a position of strength. Elected legislative leader in 2012 by a narrow majority of less-than-loyal Republicans, Bernardo, with only two years in office, faced stiff opposition as chair from a resentful minority in league with a less-than-cooperative executive. Think of House Speaker John Boehner, except he won’t be running for president. Bernardo’s resume as a legislative leader is thin, similar to other chairmen.
Hein can point to a record of organizing and leading a fundamentally different branch of government, consolidating executive power under his direct control — the “accountability” stressed in the 2006 charter reform. Firmly in charge, Hein launched a series of initiatives that directly affected a broad range of carefully considered constituents ranging from animals to veterans. By selling off the cash-draining county infirmary, Hein freed up millions to pay for programs, hold the line on property taxes, and funnel millions back to localities — few of which acknowledge it at budget time. Tough to beat a guy like that.
What will Hein’s winning margin be?
So why is Bernardo taking on this juggernaut, giving up almost half a year to campaign, when she could have been touring the states in a Winnebago? She says it’s to give people a choice — I’m all for that — and that she can do a better job as county executive. Absent credible proof to date, that will be one heavy lift.
In terms of debate strategy — and this is not really a debate — Bernardo will have to be aggressive. Hein can rest on his record. Bernardo is not particularly aggressive by nature, but if her barbs do get under the executive’s thin skin he could overreact. And that’s something his ever-present handlers pray doesn’t happen.
While most pundits see Hein as an easy winner, they shouldn’t count their chickens just yet. Bernardo’s message of “choice” will resonate in many quarters, even as her less-than-specific platform raises doubts. She’s the other contender in the ring. For her, a close loss in the mid-40-percent range would be something of an achievement. Like the late Bill Buckley, in the event of a win she might even demand a recount.
Hein, who expresses amazement if not resentment that anyone would challenge him, needs to kill, for reasons of ego and ambition. Landslides are usually defined as between 10 and 20 percentage points. Hein, like the ’98 Yankees (.703), would be disappointed with less than 70 percent. With Bernardo’s scalp hanging at his belt, he can look to greener pastures next year.
I can’t predict what tactics the candidates will employ, but I suspect that if Bernardo gets too annoying, Hein will air some soiled linen, like the hiring of an Orange County lawyer as county attorney during her tenure and that unsettled business about employment levels at the roller rink Bernardo and husband Len operate in Accord.
Langdon Chapman, once a close aide to state Sen. John Bonacic, was retained as county attorney under Bernardo, to howls of protest from Democrats. Her response to that, incidentally, is that Hein frequently hires out-of-county consultants and lawyers, not to mention — which she didn’t — Suffolk County’s Ken Crannell as deputy executive. The difference between the crafty Crannell and the equally devious Chapman, I would submit, is that at least Crannell bought a house in New Paltz.
The roller-rink controversy, involving unproven charges of whether Len Bernardo hired as many workers as he had promised on his IDA application, was cooked up by Hein to discredit Bernardo in their 2008 race for county executive. Obviously it worked.
Bernardo could respond by raising Hein’s bullying tactics with the railroad, a misguided policy that has cost taxpayers at least $100,000, and probably a lot more.
Bernardo has comitted to serving the full 4 years where as Hein has not. So when Hein runs for Gibsons seat next year. guess who gets to select his replacement as Ulster coutnty Executive. It’s not the voters of uslter county. It will be Mike Hein himself making the call. So Hugh, any speculation on who that might be?
I’ve been reading these columns for 50 years and this is the DULLEST Hugh Reynolds column I’VE ever seen–PLUS the very STUPIDEST AND MOST BIASED!! WOO HOO OOO!
The Bernardo’s IDA flap was absolutely NOT “cooked up” by Hein. The IDA leadership found out that, in fact, the Bernardos did not hire anywhere near the number of jobs as was provided in their application (something like 24 jobs on the application but actually created only 2 full time and several part-part time jobs).
However, when the Barnardos claim that they upheld every requirement of the contract (as far as job creation numbers go) they’re not lying. It was the IDA’s responsibility to create a contract that placed a contingency on job creation numbers provided in the application. Sadly, the UCIDA contract had no such linkage of tax benefit to job creation numbers.
Unfortunately, most IDAs in NYS have done the same thereby handing over $50 some million dollars via PILOTs in the Hudson Valley for less than 20 percent of the promised jobs.
Also, your comment re Hein bullying CMRR…C’mon, Hugh. The UC County Executive FINALLY decided to enforce the lease agreement that CMRR has ignored for 24 years. That’s called leadership. Throughout this entire publicity onslaught conducted by the CMRR supporters, there has been a singular resistance to facts of cost to taxpayers. CMRR has not been truthful as to its breaches of the lease agreement. CMRR has not been truthful with the true costs for repair to washouts and bridges that’ll have to be picked up by the taxpayer even as this private, for-profit company will then pocket the profits. CMRR refuses to accept the reality that it came woefully short of track rehabilitation requirements of the lease. CMRR’s excuse that the lease agreement requirements are far too onerous is bogus as obviously a CMRR official or official(s) freely signed that agreement. And when finally held to those requirements, CMRR refused to abide and sued the county.
As far as Ms. Bernardo’s performance in the Times Herald Record “debate” it was embarrassing. She used inappropriate data sets to make a case and was called on it by Mike Hein. She made charges such as the Mental Health program instituted under Hein’s watch was poorly run. When questioned and asked to be specific, she said she heard from people (pressed by the reporters) she guessed, “20…30” and when asked who these people might be she said she couldn’t divulge their names as the people feared retribution at the hands of Mike Hein. Then she stated that the callers had said, the old program was better. All in all Ms. Bernardo displayed a pretty bizarre debating style; at least for local level election shenanigans (as opposed to national Republican Trump style Presidential ridiculousness).
Looks like Hugh Reynolds has likewise fallen for the scam of CMRR having huge sway in the upcoming elections. As Mike Hein pointed out, Ulster County’s tourism sector is a $515 Million dollar sector of which CMRR operations are but a fraction of one percent.
Also, Hein has actually offered a compromise to CMRR allowing for more track to cross Rt 209 into Hurley. But neither side of the aisle has decided to act on a new resolution to alter #275 which called for trail only EXCEPT for current train operations. Resolution 275 also states that said CMRR operations would be promoted by Ulster County.
The Times Herald Interview was hugely telling. Hein came off as a serious executive with a grip on the facts and the ability to have turned Ulster County around during seven years on the job.
Ms. Bernardo often times used suspect facts to support charges which defied logic vis-a-vis the figures given by Hein (who also offered citations for those stats).
In the Freeman “debate,” Ms. Bernardo admitted that she hadn’t really delved into the budget comparing it to “common core math…It might be right. I could be wrong. Who knows?” That was a stunning admission seeing as understanding a $330 Million budget is one of the main responsibilities of a county executive.
I’m afraid Ms. Bernardo hitched her wagon to the CMRR which hopes to use her as its savior; to resurrect its business after decades of neglect. This was a most unfortunate calculation by Ms. Bernardo.
Over 11,000 Tickets have been sold for polar express in December. 2 years in a row. Looks like a total sell out by Thanksgiving. Uptown Kingston — They are coming back. Get ready…. Maybe Hugh knows a little more about the Railroad than Steven. Maybe Bernardo is on to something in her support. Either way, if 15,000+ people show up to Uptown kingston. Kingston and Ulster county wins.
Well Mr. Fornal, I would also say that responsibly overseeing what the county DOES is one of the main aspects of the job of county executive also–and what has this county executive DONE?
I oversaw the life of a very elderly man in this county, Mr. Fornal, and I got no appropriate action from the office of county executive in my attempts to protect him from himself. I got no response from mental health, an inappropriate response from APS, and a withdrawal of services from OFA–along with a bunch of other inappropriate acts neglectful of minimal ethics in the situation. My reasonable concerns were not appropriately addressed and one suspects since I was the one putting them forth there was some dynamic against addressing them appropriately, and the man wound up wandering next door to an abandoned building and falling 12 to fifteen feet through the rotted stairs, breaking his leg, cracking ribs, and that led to his death. So YOU tell ME if that is a minimally appropriate or good performance in the office of county exec–and I’ll tell you to “turn off the Fawcett” of that stupid analysis. The only good outcome there was the fact the family decided suing was not worth their time or effort–which is more protective of the taxpayer and doing a deferential job right there in a situation where most would not refrain from suing everyone on earth involved in that boondoggle than this self-important permasmile useless twerp in that office now. I’d bet a woman–almost any woman–would have had far better sensibilities in such a situation than the people hired in that office by the permasmile young monkey–or those other shills running the departments that neglected that situation. At $130,000 per annum I have the guts to suggest the PEOPLE have a RIGHT to EXPECT something BETTER–or ANYTHING BETTER. Just anything.
So your argument to support this self-important little twerp, the permasmile twerp, is rather weak. It’s like saying that since Sottile could work with numbers he could be a great Mayor–or was one– worthy of all worship from the people. It’s a lot like saying that since Johnny can work with Play-Doh he should be hired as an architect.
I won’t hold my breath, because Hein has the Catholic vote locked in, and all the votes from the knee-jerk voters from NYC. That’s quite enough to keep His Unholiness in power. The only question really is whether this professional ass will be allowed to go “from Bishop to Cardinal”(as a hierarchichical analogy), and Hugh will of course keep reading the tea leaves on that prospect.
Did you FOIL the follow up re the tragic situation of which you wrote? If you FOIL for ANY documentation re your call to the Exec about the man with mental issue you will either receive some documentation or a notice that none exist. THEN, if none exist, you can make the argument you made. Not that I agree that would be the County Exec’s issue to handle. But, until you absolutely ascertain that Hein didn’t send a memo along the way to appropriate party, you really can’t be making the argument you did.
And, as per your story of neglect re the unfortunate gentleman, that the family didn’t sue speaks loudly; adding much skepticism re your version of what happened.
Your dislike of Hein is palpable. But, all the stats show that under his leadership this county has improved itself significantly.
As I’ve stated before, I personally like Terry Bernardo but I just think she’s latched onto groups like Second Amendment Rights or those opposed to the SAFE ACT, and CMRR, and of late against the bike lane inclusion in Mid-Town Kingston, etc etc in order to get votes.
I can’t support such obvious political machinations. Especially when, for instance, the CMRR has no leg to stand on vis-a-vis its failed “business plan” and its failure to uphold the lease agreements by which it has been bound. Nor can I see ANY threat whatsoever to the Second Amendment via passage of the SAFE ACT which, by the way, won on appeal ergo the question of Constitutional violation has been clearly answered by the courts. And, the bike lane “controversy” was immediately dealt with by adjusting it so crucial parking spaces would not be eliminated yet Ms. Bernardo and supporters keep harping on the bike lane “problem” when none now exists.
Plus, her admission that she hadn’t parsed the budget proposed by the county exec did NOT put her in a good light. That’s a HUGE part of the County Exec’s job.
Plus her less than impressive use of suspect data was beneath her. Hein quickly and quite easily cut through the haze of accusation with facts including citations (proffered to the reporters moderating the TH-R debate.)
Ulster County has a very good county executive. People should stop with the Republican v Democrat dichotomy and see the reality for what it is. Ulster County under Mike Hein has prospered with much more that can, and will, get done.