Polacco, a relentless door-knocker, may not be done yet. Cutting his margin of loss from 2011 of around 1,700 to less than 600 should be encouraging. But as Assemblyman Kevin Cahill observed election night, “Four years ago, we were running T.R.’s brother. This time it was Shayne Gallo.”
For those who worried that Noble might be dominated by his uncle, Alderman-at-Large Jim Noble, consider this: Young Noble polled only about 200 votes fewer votes than perennial ticket-leader Old Noble. Jeanette Provenzano, 82, in what will probably be her last hurrah, polled 1,462, a nice showing on a minor party line.
Give Polacco credit for the best campaign ad in a banal season. Written and directed by she-must-be-heard party stalwart Diana Spada, the radio spot featured Polacco in a creative baseball scenario. Alas, “He’s outta here!” proved prophetic.
Insiders expect the estimated 30 absentee ballots to be counted to save Brad Will’s seat in the Third Ward. Reason: those ballots were cast before Will’s ethics issues hit the fan. Will voted against a resolution that called for an independent inspection of work he had overseen as architect on the Uptown Pike Plan. As alderman he could have and should have recused himself.
The vote on the water referendum was to me surprising. Drawing more votes than anything else on the city ballot, it passed by a four-to-one margin. The charter amendment will now allow elected officials the final say on sale of water to out-of-town entities.
I doubt if we’ve heard the last of this issue. Politicians, being predatory, will be tempted to mess with the day-to-day operations of the department, now that they have toes in the water.
Silver lining
The Manhattan corruption trial against former Assembly speaker Sheldon Silver will take place without his once-and-forever ally Kevin Cahill. “I’m not on the witness list,” Cahill said before leaving on vacation early Wednesday morning. He left no doubt that if called he would testify for Shelly.
Silver’s defense team will try to make the case that federal prosecutors just don’t understand Albany culture, that the kind of favor-swapping-for-cash pay-to-play system was simply business as usual. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also under federal scrutiny for some of those Buffalo Billion transactions, put it more succinctly. “We’ve been doing that for a hundred years,” he told reporters.
Silver’s “crime” may have been by degree. He’s accused of accepting some $4 million in exchange for favorable legislation. Other legislators, some of them in jail, dealt only in six figures.
I think the 42% that voted for Berardi were clueless… that number is scary. And then the same for those that voted for Polacco…
These people really have no idea how government functions. These are the same people that want the government to keep their hands off their social security.
I think 45% of the voters are sick and tired of Mike Hein and Shayne Gall and how they bully their way through everything. Gallo tired to bully Noble and Noble kicked his ass and put him into retirement. Hein tried to bully Kevin Cahill and Cahill won the fight and went on to win his next election by his biggest margin ever. Hein tried to bully Rich Parete off the ballot and very publicly supporting his opponent during the primary and in the general and Rich won by a very large margin. Hein is in trouble and he had better take notice to what happened to Gallo. People are on to him and one thing most people dislike or even hate, is a bully.
It’s not that 42% were for Bernardo, it’s that 42% were against Hein. That is the # hein should be worried about. in his quest for Gibsons seat.
There was never a need to allow the elected officials the final say over the water board, except for lingering NIMBY-ism winning the day over the proposal to save the IBM buildings from the bulldozer. Seasoned pros know what will follow…more Hooliganism of course, to create an additional inlet of Hooliganism in the usual ocean of Hooliganism. But everyone will cry “democracy in action” and then we can all await the results.
We need to bring back Hinchey, or run Kevin as “the only real Cahill here who is not the other one’s cousin.” As the line might be from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”:”Whoah!!! ‘Hein-ous,’ Michael duuuuu-uuuuude!!! You barely escaped The Grim Reaper, duuuu uuude!!”
With corrupt Shayne Gallo out of office, there is one less strike against the struggling Catskill Mountain Railroad. It is hoped that Mayor-elect Steve Noble will right the many wrongs Gallo has created by keeping Hein as far away from the railroad as possible. Without the Gallo/Hein Axis of Evil slaughtering the railroad every chance they get, Hein’s power will be diminished. Unfortunately, their trail folly came at the cost of many taxpayers, 55% who refused to see Hein for the charlatan he is.