There is a new-found calm in Woodbury.
The streets of Brigadoon are strangely quiet.
No unexpected visitors in Highland Lakes Estates.
Nothing new has turned up on the garbage cans of Valley Forge.
The Greens, Timber Ridge and Country Crossing have nothing to report.
No one is standing outside the post office, forcing flyers into unwilling hands or rumors into unwilling ears.
Even the general election, still three days off, seems merely an after-thought.
The fever has broken, and the only immediate reminders of what we've been through are the "Thank You"s posted on the Community Party's signs.
You're welcome.
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67 comments:
what a boring village!!!
And thats the way we like it.
How interesting that the minute the election was over, Swiller left town.
Maybe he went on a well needed vacation. He is allowed to do that.
Amen on the peace bit. I haven't slept this well in six months. :P
Given Swiller's past record of sleep-deprived activism, I don't blame him either.
The COMMUNITY team should also thank Donna Colombo for her unselfish decision to bow out of the race.She felt it was better for the village to narrow the field.We won't forget.
tell your mom to go make some yogurt
Um... anyway.
I repeat, along with many in the past my appreciation for Donna's tough decision. I'm sure there will be many ways thoughtful concerned residents like her can make a difference for Woodbury, now and in the days to come.
YOGURT!!!!!! Donna & family,thank you.You can see how LOSERS react to spoiled milk.
Wow, The CommUNITY team hasn't even put a toe in the water and the attacks occured. Are you people who lost so blinded to "even the score" that you can't see maybe, maybe we can fix our future. The vote says they want to go in that direction. Give them that chance.Stop with your egos.If you really care. Show it. I would of voted for the Persavation team,but I wanted answers.When OCEAN stepped up to make that possible(thank God,some one did)And Caruso said no, even though OCEAN & the Record said that it would be hands off,only ques. from people from the village. That is when Caruso lost my vote.He is afraid to go public debut.I believe we made the right choice. I pray that Weeks & team have clear vision & stay to the commitment to community. And thank you to OCEAN( I just found out you were SOCA, who when we were told after the Ace farm sale we were losing that end of town,you again stepped in and said NO).Thank you. This our village. For our kids and thier kids. An old timer
Watch the watchers, and be vigilant in supporting our current boards. We cannot just rest on our laurels, as there is much still left to do. Be ever mindful of the history that has brought us here, and remember that when a hydra loses it's head, two grow back.
To the old timer, the battle of Ace farms is not over.To annex the land is the next step.The pipeline, the village,the mayor & trustees all stepping stones, all good, but stepping stones.We have done well, but now ,the big one. ANNEXATION We cannot lose that land to K.J. The 6000 reg. voters of the area better get off thier soft,easy behinds and fight for thier future. Wake your neighbors up.Get involved.They don,t have to go to the streets to protest( but 1:vote
get LARKIN out, he's given millions to KJ for thier bloc vote.
2:watch for false & illegal campaining by K.J.
1: again vote & get involved. K.J. does it. they are told who to vote for. the bloc vote. it works. Don't whine if you do not vote.
Amen to involvement and vigilance... but it bears repeating that we must also be so vigilant of any discussion of these issues. We must not let our public discourse create risks for our town's legal standing, as comments which can be linked to anti-semitic/religious discrimination have hurt other communities in the past.
We know that's not what its about. But we must be certain our words and stances cannot be distorted or used against us. This is not about political correctness, but an awareness that we as a community will face the scrutiny of many, many lawyers... Woodbury's defense will rest in all of our hands, ultimately, through our votes and our words.
pay attention
kj doesn't have a bloc vote
they split their vote between the incumbent republicans and the democratic challengers just like the rest of us
just read the statistics from last november's town of monroe election
the "bloc vote" accusation doesn't hold
but it makes a good soundbite for the uninformed
even chris mckenna mistakenly uses it while acknowledging that they split their votes
To the last poster. KJ did bloc vote in the last LOCAL election! Maybe your memory isn't that good (only a year ago) but Sandy Leonard and Co. recieved ALL KJ votes.
Some other politicians also get ALL KJ votes like:
Senator Larkin
Governer Pataki
Hillary Clinton
Michael Amo
Annie Rabbitt
The only time they split is when the Dissents get a little restless and want to show the government they have some power. But for the most part they all vote together.
November 05, 2006
The zoning that most towns and many environmentalists love will destroy our region.
Five-acre zoning — or most any large-lot zoning — will gobble up our precious farmland. It will deplete our water. It will raise real estate prices so high that our sons and daughters, firefighters and teachers won't be able to afford to live here.
So say the new preservationists, an unlikely, mostly unorganized group of suit-and-tie folks like planners and politicians, and jeans types like farmers and real estate agents.
"Big-lot zoning just absolutely eats the land," says real estate executive Dave Smith of Pine Bush. "It makes homes more expensive and land more expensive."
Dairy farmer Harold Russell, supervisor of the fast-growing Sullivan County Town of Bethel, agrees. His town, home to the new Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, is debating whether to go with minimum two-acre or one-acre zoning. The reason he supports one acre is simple.
"You eat up the land twice as fast with two acres, compared to one acre," he says.
But while Russell and Smith agree that the large-lot zoning favored by so many will gobble up the open spaces that lure so many, the men who both make money off that land disagree on how to preserve it.
Smith favors cluster zoning, which, in its most simplified form, essentially works like this:
With traditional five-acre zoning, a 100-acre farm would be carved into 20 five-acre lots. That means 100 acres of open space is gone.
With cluster zoning, you would cluster those homes on, say, 50 acres, perhaps varying lot size, price and even the number of homes. Thus, you would save 50 acres of open space and maybe even provide affordable housing.
Russell is suspicious of cluster zoning. He's wary that, as time passes, new politicians would change the laws to build on the open space. Plus, he says, clustering homes in one area could stress water sources.
But while many of the planning players struggle to find a balance between development and preservation, most everyone agrees what's at stake — the places we live, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the services we use.
If we don't act soon, it could be too late.
While the population of our region has increased by 15 percent over the past 15 years, the amount of open space that's been developed has risen by 35 percent, says Mike DiTullo, president and CEO of the Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress. It's a trend that shows no sign of reversing.
"For 50 years, the Hudson Valley has been growing out, says DiTullo. "It's time we grew up."
Here, according to many of the new preservationists, is what's at stake and how to accomplish it.
Steve Israel is a reporter for the Times Herald-Record. Reach him at sisrael@th-record.com.
There goes the neighborhood
The larger the minimum lot size, the more expensive the land. So the only people who can afford to buy that land are the wealthy, who then build large, pricey homes. This leaves young people, who were raised in these towns with large-lot zoning, out of luck - and out of town. Higher housing costs also means that the workers who must maintain the roads, teach the children and protect the town can't afford to move in.
So up go the taxes
Large-lot developments stress services. Longer roads must be built, plowed and paved. Sewer systems must be built, maintained and connected. Buses must deliver kids to schools. Residents must drive miles for a quart of milk. "It's an inefficiency in providing services," says Orange County Planning Commissioner David Church.
And they stay up
Town hall politics are driven by a fear of development; the fewer people the better, says Church. This is why many local planning boards and town boards want bigger lots. This often smacks of elitism, says Goshen real estate agent Dave Hawkins, who adds that this is why poorer people often settle in places like Middletown and Monticello - and not in leafy, more rural towns.
Unless we think out of the box
Warwick is one place that's figured out how to preserve open spaces and create affordable housing. The southern Orange town of stately Victorians, a bustling Main Street and rolling fields has four-acre zoning. But if a developer agrees to cluster homes, he can build more houses on lots of three acres. To keep the middle class in town, 10 percent of the homes must be affordable to most people. They must be priced so that someone earning 80 percent of the average Orange County yearly income can afford them. And financing can't comprise more than 30 percent of the buyer's yearly income.
Out of the box and into sprawl?
Here's where that cluster development doesn't really help. Even if you cluster 20 homes on 100 acres, you still must drive miles and miles to schools and shopping.
Thinking really out of the box
New preservationists like DiTullo, Church and Hawkins want something almost unheard of in these parts: zoning that allows and encourages both housing and business in the same development, like the unplanned neighborhoods of old. This way, you could walk to the store for that quart of milk instead of getting in your car and creating pollution and traffic. Real estate agent Hawkins wants towns to allow developers to build more houses if they're built in or near the village, where there are services.
Please everyone read this. Especially the new Village Mayor and Trustees. We need to continue to think out of the box and you guys should find out what Warwick is doing. The town board in woodbury started the ball rolling for clustering to preserve open space, but the cluster law only applies to a few parcels. We need more affordable housing and a continuation of preserving open space.
The zoning that most towns and many environmentalists love will destroy our region.
Five-acre zoning — or most any large-lot zoning — will gobble up our precious farmland. It will deplete our water. It will raise real estate prices so high that our sons and daughters, firefighters and teachers won't be able to afford to live here.
So say the new preservationists, an unlikely, mostly unorganized group of suit-and-tie folks like planners and politicians, and jeans types like farmers and real estate agents.
"Big-lot zoning just absolutely eats the land," says real estate executive Dave Smith of Pine Bush. "It makes homes more expensive and land more expensive."
Dairy farmer Harold Russell, supervisor of the fast-growing Sullivan County Town of Bethel, agrees. His town, home to the new Bethel Woods Center for the Arts, is debating whether to go with minimum two-acre or one-acre zoning. The reason he supports one acre is simple.
"You eat up the land twice as fast with two acres, compared to one acre," he says.
But while Russell and Smith agree that the large-lot zoning favored by so many will gobble up the open spaces that lure so many, the men who both make money off that land disagree on how to preserve it.
Smith favors cluster zoning, which, in its most simplified form, essentially works like this:
With traditional five-acre zoning, a 100-acre farm would be carved into 20 five-acre lots. That means 100 acres of open space is gone.
With cluster zoning, you would cluster those homes on, say, 50 acres, perhaps varying lot size, price and even the number of homes. Thus, you would save 50 acres of open space and maybe even provide affordable housing.
Russell is suspicious of cluster zoning. He's wary that, as time passes, new politicians would change the laws to build on the open space. Plus, he says, clustering homes in one area could stress water sources.
But while many of the planning players struggle to find a balance between development and preservation, most everyone agrees what's at stake — the places we live, the air we breathe, the water we drink and the services we use.
If we don't act soon, it could be too late.
While the population of our region has increased by 15 percent over the past 15 years, the amount of open space that's been developed has risen by 35 percent, says Mike DiTullo, president and CEO of the Mid-Hudson Pattern for Progress. It's a trend that shows no sign of reversing.
"For 50 years, the Hudson Valley has been growing out, says DiTullo. "It's time we grew up."
Here, according to many of the new preservationists, is what's at stake and how to accomplish it.
Steve Israel is a reporter for the Times Herald-Record. Reach him at sisrael@th-record.com.
sorry to post FACTS but kj DID split their vote between democrats and republicans pretty much like every other community in last year's town vote
the kj "bloc vote" was SPLIT between republicans (2691) and democrats (1545)
but why look at FACTS when you can post bulls#it that furthers your mistaken version of reality?
BOTH the Town and Village Boards need to sit down and really LISTEN and do their homework. NO MORE "it's my way or else". KEEP people like Ralph Caruso, who believes only HE knows the right way, OUT of government and OFF the Zoning and Planning Boards. Thinking out of the box takes compromise and expertise. We really do need to LISTEN with open-minds to protect what is so very precious to us. Our world is constantly changing, and to think that Woodbury isn't or shouldn't is just one more HUGE reason that Ralph and his followers should not be given the power to make decisions for Woodbury...Town or Village. He has not been, and will never be a man who wishes to cooperate or think out of the box (for goodness sakes, his dress and demeanor are evidence of that). He is of the mind that he's here, and it worked then, so keep everyone else out, and don't change a damn thing. Well, just in case the message that IT DOESN'T WORK hasn't gotten through to you Ralph, IT DOESN'T WORK. The Boards must move forward in a spirit of cooperation and SMART planning. They must look at different ways of developing (as it is an inevitable part of life) and see what will fit best for Woodbury. Rte. 32 is quickly becoming an area of town where residents don't want to live, but have no problem in conducting business. And so, to keep that quaint environment, while bolstering the tax base, and not giving in to the BOX stores, we MUST allow businesses along the corridor who meet strict ARB requirements. Businesses that we can use, and support and grow. We need ZBA's and Planning people who have NO agendas and are only interested in strengthening Woodbury, for the good of ALL, and not just a few. And lastly, we must remember that Ralph NEVER goes away, only sends new recruits to do his bidding. You know who the "players" are, and unfortunately, their agendas must be scrutinized. Address ulterior motives from the start, be honest and do not be afraid. Good luck to all of you on both the Town and Village Boards! Our future is in your hands.
November 30, 2005
County summit report overlooks Kiryas Joel
By Chris McKenna
Times Herald-Record
cmckenna@th-record.com
Goshen – When Orange County leaders held a summit on human rights May 31, they deliberately kept the county's most obvious cultural conflict from even coming up during a day-long discussion about diversity and discrimination.
As a result, an eight-page conference summary just released by the county Human Rights Commission fails to mention that the Hasidic community of Kiryas Joel and its neighbors have been fighting for almost two years over the village's potential expansion and its plans for a 13-mile water pipeline.
Not a word about the resulting accusations and denials of anti-Semitism or anti-Hasidic bigotry, nor about the tangle of development and ballot-box issues that often put Kiryas Joel and its critics at loggerheads.
Instead, the summit report blandly summarized a session on "The Diverse Communities of Orange County" by saying: "It was evident that there are many in our county who are interested in hearing about each other's cultures, suggesting that other venues for this cultural exchange might be possible."
Michael Amo, the county lawmaker who represents Kiryas Joel, unloaded last week when the report was presented to a legislative committee.
"We have, obviously, major issues regarding the relationship" between Kiryas Joel and neighboring towns, he said. "And I was surprised to see that no one was on the advisory committee from Kiryas Joel, nor was any of the panelists."
Christine Sadowski, a vice-chairwoman of the Human Rights Commission, replied: "We very intentionally, actually, did not include them on the panel for the fear that it would become the only issue discussed. And the thought was that in this very first summit, to try to have the discussion and range of issues to be as broad as possible."
She later added that summit planners worried that discussing Kiryas Joel would stir up election-year politics.
Jeffrey Berkman, a county legislator from Middletown, joined Amo in criticizing the conference report, saying it ignored not only Kiryas Joel but the larger issue of "religious intolerance."
Both lawmakers recommended the report be amended to at least explain why the summit sidestepped such a controversial topic. Sadowski promised to take their request to Diana and Alan Seidman, the county Legislature chairman.
Wrong information!Listen to what this idiot said:
sorry to post FACTS but kj DID split their vote between democrats and republicans pretty much like every other community in last year's town vote
the kj "bloc vote" was SPLIT between republicans (2691) and democrats (1545)
but why look at FACTS when you can post bulls#it that furthers your mistaken version of reality?
What this person fails to address who the votes went to. Sandy and her gang recieved ALL the votes. Could you be talking about local judges or what. Give us some names!!
you are mistaken
kj DID split the vote between dems & reps
it was the 3rd party savemonroe that received only one vote from kj
and anyone who has read their anti-kj platform can understand why
"the kj "bloc vote" was SPLIT between republicans (2691) and democrats (1545)"
this was the town board vote
it was indeed split just like every other community
the bloc vote theory is erroneous and perpetuated by the media (i.e. the chris mckenna "kelly-hall-kj" story last week)
I must correct the Uncle. On Saturday I saw none other than the traitor, former town board member Holly Gubernick Borzechello standing at the Highland Mills post office handing out Senator Larkin palm cards.
Why don't she stand in front of the Cornwall post office. And why is she on the Woodbury Republican Committee? Can she do that. Another Ralphling bending the rules.
The public opinion continues to plummett.
From what I understand, as long as you live anywhere in the county and are registered in the party for whom you want to represent, then you don't have to live in the Town in which you reside. In otherwords, you CAN live in Cornwall, but be on the Woodbury Republican Committee...is it ethical, well that's another story, and one that I'm not to sure Holly was taught while atteneding the Ralph Caruso School of Politics! Holly rode into office on the coat tails of Sheila Conroy, and once there, put several daggers firmly in Sheila's back. She has remained ever-loyal to Ralph Caruso and the so-called "Republican" party of Woodbury, although lately, they are better known as the Republicrats. For that reason alone, DeProspo and his henchman should be calling for Ralph's resignation!
Holly is nothing more than a Ralph Brown Nose. She'd follow that turd no matter who he hurt or lied to. Hell, she stabbed her own friends in the back.
Just to correct, residency in the county is not what puts Holly on the Woodbury Committee, one must be a resident of the Assembly District that the election district you represent is located in. Since Cornwall and Woodbury are both wholly contained in the 96th AD, she can serve. Residents of Highlands, Crawford, Montgomery, New Windsor, Chester, and Blooming Grove can serve in addition to Cornwall. And a Woodbury resident can also serve on any other of those town commitees as well. Before returning to the Woodbury Committee i served for a time on the Tuxedo Committee when Tuxedo and Woodbury were in the same AD. When the boundaries changed i ran in Cornwall but was not elected.
Hi Mom, I'm home.
There are two very different, large factions within Kiryas Joel.
The KJA (the Kiryas Joel Alliance) is made up of members of over 50 congregations who object to the policies of the current leadership of the village.
They may well make up a majority of the voters in the village. Tainted elections have so far prevented a true count.
Criticism of the leadership of the village should never be confused with attacks on the people of the village. This serves the people in power, who can then hide behind their own citizens and is unfair to those citizens who are, in fact, the first victims of the men in power.
Whoever keeps posting that all the votes in the village went to Sandy Leonard last year is either a fool, beyond the reach of facts, or a liar, beyond the reach of ethics.
In either case, he attempts to use the same technique that the Preservation Party employed: repeat the lie endlessly and never respond to any contradictory information.
The Preservation Party failed and this blogger will fail as well.
I hope that the people of Woodbury will realize that their neighbors, the people of Kiryas Joel, are not their enemies, rather it is the dishonest men in both our villages who are the threat.
AMEN.
Who does Manny Manguel, the new Woodbury Democratic Committee Chairman work for in KJ?
When did Bob step down?
What Who does Manny Manguel, the new Woodbury Democratic Committee Chairman work for in KJ?
It will not be Buddy and deChuna it will be Mike & Mike, Mike Q will run for Supervisor because he has nothing to lose and Aranowitz for his board seat. Look for Hunter to join Aranowitz which would be a great ticket and almost guarantee them a clean sweep. All three have a very solid base and putting them on one line will crush Manny, Bob, John and Ralph’s puppet candidates they will try to elect. Stay Tuned
As far as the Republican Committee goes, don't hold all members in the same catagory as Ralph, his wife, Don, Holly, her mother, Hanks wife, and one or two more. Most of the members would like nothing more than to see that whole group disappear, have open meetings and actually listen to the residents views. And soon enough they will disappear. Say bye bye Don and Ralph.
Please tell me you didn't just say that Maria Hunter should run for a seat? Over the past 10 years, I have been on a few committees with her. She is very difficult to work with. She has a problem with each and every issue that arises. Take a look at her history, and speak to people who've worked along side her.
Although defeated now 3 times, Caruso will be back. It is always someone else's fault, not his own attitude or method of treating people. People who have had Caruso walk up their backside know this only too well. He will always have a few hanger ons who will do whatever he says and beleive all he says, unquestionably. He will simply go back to working behind the scenes to find more surrogates to be fronts for the Town election next year.
Rembember, the Super Click of Caruso and Burke control both the Repubican and DEmocractic Committees in Town. They may try to shield Burke by offering a weak or no candidate on the Republican line. More Likely they will do the the former, since opposition can get petitions signed and get on the ballot--like Conroy did last year--but without the support of the Committee (actually Caruso's portion of the Committee worked against her and supported Burke) or their support for the Democratic candidate, it does get harder.
Caruso has made inroads with the Conservatives through his pal Pedersen who is on the Zoning Board. Hank Sousa saw through RAlph, but it has been said that Pedersen did not want to walk Conservative petitions for Roxanne, his party's endorsed candidate last election, because that would go against Caruso. So watch out that the Conservatives, who have always stayed clear of Caruso, may be brought into his camp in the next election.
As for Town Board seats, both parties may run strong candidates, backed behind the scenes by the Burke and Caruso Super Click, so that they win whichever way the election goes. They will try to keep out anyone who does not agree with them.
This may seem unimportant with the Village government taking the lead. But remember, if the Village leaves the services with The town, as they have stated, the Village must negoiate with the Town for these services. And having a Town Board that wants to make the Village Board look bad so as to set things up for the next village election (the very next year) could spell disaster for both the Town and Village of Woodbury.
For the uninitiated, this is the behind-the-scenes- wheeling and dealing that goes on. It was no accident that Burke was out getting village petitions signed and illegal referendum petitions signed, and all the prepared speeches attacking the Town Board--it set him up to be known and seen before his run for Supervisor. That is how it is done--get yourself seen then use that as a launching pad to run for office. He had planned to run in the previous election, but C. Serra ran instead. And remember, for a long time Burke and Serra were partners in atttacking the Town Board.
People need to remain vigilant. Caruso is not going away, but will reappear in other forms and behind other fronts. Be prepared that, as the new Village prepares a real budget, instead of the sham he offered, for his criticizm of them. This is a political operative through and through. Remember who wants to "settle scores"
To the posters who belitted Donna Columbo--shame on you. She made a big sacrifice for the Town and should be complimented for putting her community before herself. She is a real lady and a citizen of Woodbury of whom we should be proud. Thank you, Donna Columbo, for being a bigger person than those who posted derogatory comments. Hold your head up high!!
People like Columbo and Cirigliano should stay invloved by getting on the new boards. It's time to clean house of Ralph and his tactics. As far as Pedersen goes, that story is true. The first time Roxanne beat Caruso, Pedersen was on her side...but the next time, Caruso made sure he got his hooks into him , and he did a 180. Now that Sosa is gone, I agree, look for Pedersen to lead the charge in having the local conservatives get in bed with Ralph. It would be great if both the Rep and Dem Committees could be overturned...see how long John and Ralph would stick around then. Too bad this NO to Ralph couldn't be mirrored tomorrow against Larkin!
Re: Manny as the new Chairman, Bob stepped down be the reorganizational meeting, and in what was a pre-conceived power switch, Manny got the votes to be tapped the new chairman. Remember, Manny's relatives that don't come to the meetings and John's relatives that don't come to the mettings all have proxies that the two of them can use any time they see fit. That is why is is most important that registered Democrats get out to the "open" meetings and demand answers and get involved. Every committee member should be attending those meetings, and yet it's the same bunch all the time. People should call the Goshen Board of Elections and question if it is right that people are on the committee that haven't shown up to a single meeting in years!!
So much for "Alls quiet on the western front"!!
Now that Ralph has been defeated, people are more apt to speak their minds!
Ok so now I am very confused; did Bob step down or was he voted out?
Who is John supporting Bob or Manny?
When are the Republican meetings?
Who is on these committees?
Do any elected officials sit on them and if so who?
My own question is why don't the honest and responsible members of both parties expend the small amount of time needed to take back their committees?
The Republicans have begun moving in that direction and are getting close to success. The Democrats seem not to made any credible effort.
Please, invest in your town and in your party. Take the time to attend meetings.
Uncle, please find out and post the meeting times for the committees.
The Republican Committee has not had a meeting since 5/23/06. Every scheduled meeting after that was canceled.
John Burke sits on the Democratic Committee. I believe Geri Gianzero, Mike Queenan, Mike Aronowitz (?) and the Stabiles sit on the Republican committee. Also, fyi, Ralph Caruso, Buddy Mickolajczyk and Don Siebold of the ZBA are on the Republican committee, and George Pedersen of the ZBA is on the Conservative comittee. The Republican committee appointments (thanks to Ralph Caruso)far exceed the Dems or Cons, but with a population of 10,000 in our town, these appointments should come from the public at large- NOT comittee members, don't ya think???
Bob stepped down (supposedly) and Manny got voted in by the committee, and it was NOT unanimous. John seems to back whatever either Bob or Manny says, but since Bob has no people skills, they needed to get someone else in there. Manny was at the helm a while back. Their recent recruits, the Revielles and the Gerards have resigned from the committee. Look for Fuchs and Burke's son to be "used" now.
Please read this statement and tell me what is wrong.
This may seem unimportant with the Village government taking the lead. But remember, if the Village leaves the services with The town, as they have stated, the Village must negoiate with the Town for these services. And having a Town Board that wants to make the Village Board look bad so as to set things up for the next village election (the very next year) could spell disaster for both the Town and Village of Woodbury.
Why would the town board minus the supervisor support the Community Party only to see them fail? I think you are dead wrong on this one.
I think the argument being made was that if the Town Board fell in to Ralph's hands HIS people would want to make the current CommUNITY Party leadership on the Village Board look bad.
Back to the zoning stuff, I was VERY happy to see the Record publishing such an in depth article on this issue which has confused so many.
I very much agree about thinking out of the box, and seeing what can be done to creatively help our Town's future. The cluster plan is a great step, but obviously won't fix everything (and was specfically geared towards larger lots). But we do have to make sure that everything we do is rock-solid legally given all the scrutiny we'll be facing in coming months and years.
Its my understanding that, at least to a large degree Woodbury is a VERY different ballgame from places like Warwick, simply due to the INSANE land prices created by certain well-known pressures. And the fact that much of their open space is farmland, which can have other potentially lucrative uses while remaining "open." It seems intuitive that its alot harder to get a developer to hang onto a stand of trees (much as I love them!) while paying taxes on it.
The idea of making "mini-communities" is really exciting, assuming there are places it could apply to here. "Walking to town to get milk" literally took me half the day growing up, not making it very practical (if good exercise). I think it could be a very good thing, esspecially in this age of rising gas prices and global warming. Bind neighborhoods together more tightly, and cut down on traffic and long lines at the walmart.
Opps, that was me, btw. Gotta get around to an actual account here, heh. Heck, I may have one buried beneath months of disuse.
On a related note, I would like to bring attention to the Pilagio family, who recently started a vinyard on the Seaman Sweet-Clover lot, and have been having weekend grape-picking last month in exchange for free wine. Its wonderful to see one of our town's oldest farms being put to new use, and their wine is quite tasty. Definately recommend people check them out (though the picking's done for the season) in the spirit of supporting Woodbury's farmlands. :)
To the anonymous poster that served on the same committees as Hunter for the past 10 years:
How about naming the committees?
How about signing your name?
How about stepping forward with solid information?
Why don't you just grow up?
the kj "bloc vote" was SPLIT between republicans (2691) and democrats (1545)
this was the town board vote
it was indeed split just like every other community
the bloc vote theory is erroneous and perpetuated by the media (i.e. the chris mckenna "kelly-hall-kj" story last week)
and sure enough, chris mckenna perpetuates the "bloc vote" myth once again in today's record
EVERY community has two bloc votes
they are called "republicans" and "democrats"
but only kj makes headlines for voting within the two-party system
one would think that mckenna's livelihood depaneds on there being news from kj
oh yeah, it does
who needs journalistic integrity and equal standards when you need a story and a paycheck?
We'll 3 things....
1. I dont see in any other community the Mayor or Town Supervisor informing the media how his community will vote today, nor does the government instruct its citizens how to vote in an election.
2. When every single election district in a town votes for one set of candidates and then KJ comes in and votes in bloc for another set of candidates and those candidates just happen to win it is discrimination. If that happened in a primarily black neighborhood and a single white community was block voting and elected a slate of white candidates, there would be calls for a ward system or some way to dilute that white voting block.
3. This is a perfect oppurtunity for Monroe's Republican leadership to prove their independence from KJ. Abe Weider is a Member of the Republican Committee. By publicly supporting a democrat in todays elections which he has done before, he has committed party disloyalty which is punishable under the laws of the State of New York and the Orange County Republican Committee by removal; from ones seat. I would like to see Mr. Donald Weeks, Chair of the Monroe GOP Committee commences those proceedings. But, I am sure they will be ice skating in hell on that day.
Literature being passed out near the polls today say that John Hall agreed to support the KJ pipeline in return for their endorsement.
Hmmm, stranger things have happened.
If you don't sign your name, why should I Ms. Hunter?
Dear Anonymous:
Its ARONOWITZ
It will not be Buddy and deChuna it will be Mike & Mike, Mike Q will run for Supervisor because he has nothing to lose and Aranowitz for his board seat. Look for Hunter to join Aranowitz which would be a great ticket and almost guarantee them a clean sweep. All three have a very solid base and putting them on one line will crush Manny, Bob, John and Ralph’s puppet candidates they will try to elect. Stay Tuned
It appears that once again, something fishy is happening on election day...if Chris McKenna's article just hit the papers this a.m., who was able to get those flyers printed that quickly, and have strangers hand them out at the polling places? Shame on the Kelly campaign and whoever else was involved. These last minute dirty political tactics are annoying at best...and just for the record, it pissed me off so much that I CHANGED my vote and cast it FOR JOHN HALL just to make my own statement! Hall should take Kelly to court as those strangers in front of Town Hall were only about 50ft away!!!
Why did they use a picture with Carl McCall in it?
Kiryas Joel, Monroe, NY - NYC Mayor Bloomberg did a mighty big favor for Republican Rep. Sue Kelly, who faces a tough re-election battle, by setting aside time to meet with some of her Rockland County constituents.
"Sue Kelly made a personal request of the mayor," said one insider.
So Bloomberg agreed to chat with leaders of the Satmar Hasidic sect in Kiryas Joel who want to build a yeshiva in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn on a site zoned for industrial use.
During the sit-down, Bloomberg said "nice things about Sue Kelly," according to the insider.
The Satmars are one of the most important voting blocs in Kelly's district.
And so...who is worse? That paper being handed out FAILS to mention that Sue Kelly went after the VERY SAME voting bloc, and DID NOT get it...does that make John Hall a worse candidate??? If you're going to smear someone Mrs. Kelly, at least make sure that the same trail doesn't lead to your own doorstep!!
Supposedly, as reported on several blog sites, KJ decided to let the rumors roll about endorsing Hall, and then tell their bloc to vote for Kelly. That way, if Kelly does lose, they won't be embarrassed. If Kelly wins, then secretly they will have gotten what they wanted! Nice, ah?
So are you saying that when KJ needs to get the word out, rumor or not, they pick up the hotline phone to Chris McKenna and he prints whatever they want? That's what it sure sounds like. Hope that Mr. McKenna is reading this so he can see how he's being used.
To the person who wonders how flyers were made up so quickly. KJ made the choice to endorse Hall before today. I had heard yesterday evening thats who they were going with. I heard directly through campaign sources cited from one of the two congressional candidates campaigns. So, apparently they were notified in advance.
Sounds like McKenna was played like a fiddle.
The K.J. leadership knew that their reported support for Hall would cause a stampede of folks voting for Kelly. Just as they influenced the Monroe elections, they're using their bad rep to help Kelly, in a roundabout way.
Slick folks, those leadership fellers.
Seems like McKenna would have seen this coming but perhaps he didn't care, as long as his friends, the KJ leadership got what the wanted.
While I'm fairly unhappy with Kelly's hypocrisy, I suppose that's what both candidates get for trying to court the KJ vote. I happen to support Hall for national issues, but looks like both sides made themselves look like arses on this one.
Can someone tell me what the heck McKenna has to do with this? He is just reporting on the news of the day, and its that once again KJ leadership has given the marching orders to its people on whom to vote for. If they did not want that out there they shouldnt have put it out there. The real news story should be will the KJ Republican committeemembers who are legally bound by both election law and OCRC by-laws to support the Republican nominee in public be put up for disloylaty charges or will the Monroe Republicans turn their heads for their KJ bosses once again.
Anyone get the recorded call this afternoon that was paid for and approved by Sue Kelly, talking about KJ's endorsement of Hall? OK, so this morning there is unsigned literature, and this afternoon there's a phone call that states that it is paid for and approved by the Kelly camp. Does she think we're morons? Did Kelly & Caruso happen to discuss campaign strategies?
Come now, do you really think that it's "news" when KJ announces who they will vote for?? I mean really, isn't that why they're bloc vote has become so powerful...because it is announced? If we weren't told, would it matter then? Of course not!! So, just like the supposed KJ letter backing Caruso, why did McKenna find it news worthy? Everyone with half a brain knows that just before any important election, KJ will make an announcement. If we would stop letting it impact our thinking, then it wouldn't matter anymore.
On the topic of kicking people off the committee, ALL rules should be followed and inforced. Perhaps John Burke & Ralph Caruso should also be scrutinized for last year's election and this year's Village votes....but, with the way the county committees look at things, they'll get a slap on the wrists, if that.
I would like to take a moment of your time if you have not voted yet in today's election. I know there is alot of talk about KJ supporting John Hall. That information came from a public statement made by Abe Wieder to his people to support John hall. They do this in every election, it's called an endorsement. KJ do support John Hall in this election and I can only wonder what John Hall will give them.
More importantly do not forget to support Nancy Calhoun. She has fought for Woodbury for many years. She questions EVERY move KJ makes that does not benefit OUR community and for that I say thank you Nancy. Please support her tonight.
Randazzo is bad for Woodbury. I do not believe he will have our best interests if he's elected to the Assembly. His actions towards our town speaks a thousand words!
From the NY Observer....
KJ For Who?
Isac is getting us into trouble today.
The mayor's office says that the only time the Mayor met with the KJ leaders was at a governmental meeting where he in no way made or lobbied for a Congressional endorsement.
Stu Loeser sent us over this exchange from City Hall today.
Reporter: One of the tight congressional races in New York involves Sue Kelly. Have you campaigned for her?
Mayor: It involves who?
Reporter: Sue Kelly.
Mayor: Yes, I've campaigned for Sue Kelly. She's been there when we've needed her and I think she's been a good congressperson and deserves to get reelected. I thought she's done a good job. She'd been there a number of times when this city has had issues in Washington and she's tried to come through as much as she can. Yes, sir?
Some readers have had other interesting reactioins to the KJ item I posted earlier.
Here's one email:
"You report today from Isac that KJ has endorsed Hall is not 100% accurate, what KJ plans to do is let a rumor roll that they endorsed Hall, and on the day of election tell all there voters to vote for Sue Kelly. They are playing a trick here, to avoid embarrassment in case Hall wins."
And another:
"You have the wrong Eliot delivering the KJ vote to Hall. It was Congressman Eliot Engel. Check with your sources inside KJ."
If anybody has more information on what really happened, let us know.
--Jason Horowitz
November 06 05:47 PM | Comments (2) | Permalink
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