Saturday, March 10, 2007

On Consistency

As we mentioned, John Burke seems to have altered his view of the appropriateness of questioning the Town Supervisor.

Back when Sheila held that job, John would get up week after week and harangue her endlessly.

He would demand explanations for any given board action and, in response, Sheila, would explain in detail (and you know how deeply into the details Sheila can travel).

Then, at the very next session , Burke would pop back up and repeat the same question as if it had never been answered.

It was one of the things that made the televised Town Board Meetings a superb cure for insomnia.

But, now that the Supervisor is Burke, he doesn’t seem to take kindly to questioning.

As we mentioned, Swiller asked him to explain why he would vote against the extension of the Highland Lakes Estates sewer district.

A yes vote means that Brodsky will build a new sewage treatment plant for HLE (and Country Crossing) that will also handle Brodsky’s new development. Brodsky pays for it all, HLE and Country Crossing get a better plant than the one they keep paying to fix and the folks that live in HLE and CC have slightly lower sewer bills.

So, where’s the downside? That’s what Swiller asked Burke. Burke didn’t know - or rather - he seemed to think that he was voting against Brodsky’s WP3 project. Burke talked about the schools being crowded and the roads being clogged - important subjects, but THEY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE SEWER DISTRICT.

When Swiller tried to explain that to Burke, the Supervisor shut him down.

So, is Burke’s motto "I don’t know what I’m doing and don’t you dare try to change that!"

But getting back to consistency.

Newt Gingrich just admitted what was widely known anyway - that throughout the Clinton Impeachment he, Gingrich, was carrying on an affair with an aide.

Gingrich explains why this isn’t hypocrisy - it wasn’t Clinton’s affair that mattered, it was the fact that he lied about it under oath.

O.K., point taken, lying under oath, even about your personal matters, is a bad enough thing that we should bring the entire U.S. Government to a halt for an impeachment. The Uncle doesn’t buy it, but it’s a defensible position.

So, Riddle me this Batman - if it wasn’t the sex, but the lie - why are all these "We Gotta Impeach Clinton" folk - Lindsey Graham, Bill Kristol, the National Review, Kate O’Beirne, Laura Ingram, etc. - all telling us that when Scooter Libby lied under oath, it didn’t really matter all that much and Bush should pardon him?

Maybe Swiller should ask Burke to explain that one next week.

42 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh please! Isn't Big John confused enough!!!

Anonymous said...

Do you think anyone cares. John is John and he won because the people got tired of Conroy. The real question is who will step up and make a run for that seat? Mike A and Mike Q both at one point wanted it, will they try for it now? Or Maybe McNeil I heard she is looking for a new job.

Anonymous said...

In the words of Lindsay Graham, Scooter Libby "is a good candidate for a pardon, I‘ll put it that way."

Don't you love Republican reasoning sometimes? At the very least, you get a chuckle out of it.

Anonymous said...

Sounds alot like our current administration...perhaps the office of Supervisor with Big John will be backed by BOTH the Dems and Reps AGAIN!!! Ralph seems to have a soft spot for Johnny boy!

Anonymous said...

Hey Unk,

Be you Dem or Rep?? Or is it like your moniker? Be you he, she ...or it?

Anonymous said...

Aren't they one and the same in this town/village??

Anonymous said...

Who on the board is up for election this year and who is expected to be their challengers?

Anonymous said...

Lorraine & Mike A, as well as Burke. Since Burke is backed by both the Dems (as he is one) and by Ralph Caruso, Republican committee chairman, chances are the committee will go another election without backing a Republican...which is absolutely disgusting. However, maybe Jimmy Booth, Geri Gianzero and Mike Q can convince the rest of the committee that it's at least a two-horse town, and we need CHOICES!!!! It still remains to be seen if Mike A has totally cut the apron strings with Ralph and Don...one would like to think that he has, but then, only time will tell. Lorraine, well she's gonna be out there on her own. As far as opponents, the Dems will be hard-pressed to get Bo & Darlene to run again, so their pickins seem to be mighty slim! Stay tuned- it should be fun!

Anonymous said...

Buddy M from the ZBA and the other guy who ran for village trustee on the ralph caruso line...Ben Myers.
That's who is going to run against Mike A and Lorraine. They are two republicans, so there will be a primary. But they will lose.

Anonymous said...

Didn't Meyers get the least amount of votes of all of Ralph's mates? Maybe the Dems will get John's daughter to run???

Anonymous said...

Both Ben and Buddy will lose! Mike A has a lot of new friends these days since he has stated voting for the people not Ralph! Lorraine may have some trouble but in the end she will win. People have grown tried of listening to Don, Ralph, Bob, BO, Bubbles, Carol, Charlie, Mary and the rest of their bunch how bad Woodbury will become if we keep these people in office. Take a look around and see that all is well in Woodbury and things are getting done! The board and Village gets along great and even John works well with everyone so why would anyone want to stop what’s going on. All of them should pack up and move to a retirement village in Florida and drive the condo boards crazy! People of Woodbury remember that group would rather we close all the parks, fire all the town workers, get rid of the police, not allows anymore homes to be built, not allow any hotels or business on RT 32, shall I say more. Please everyone lets not forget their agenda is not ours!!!!! Please all support Mike and Lorraine because if they lose we all lose.

Anonymous said...

IS Lorraine running? When will she decide? Is Mike A still on the Republican committee?

Anonymous said...

Does Swiller run The Town / Village ?

Anonymous said...

To the recent long winded anonymous sender: You must be in bed with Swiller. You state maybe one word that, if it were in the proper context, be true. Then you add a whole bunch of other statements around that have absolutely no connection to the main word at all. THENNNN you call it Truth. It's politely called propoganda and not politely a LIE. Why can't you see that the people of this town are fed up with this overly transparent tactic and give it up.

Anonymous said...

What the heck is the last poster talking about? Why so cryptic? What are you saying is a lie, and what are you saying is true? What does Swiller have to do with it?

Anonymous said...

The only thing I see is that the people of Woodbury have spoken in the last three elections. When will you see the light and understand no one wants to go back to 1970! We like strip malls, restaurants, hotels, the police, town employees, clustering, new sewers, commercial development and parks. Thats why they have lost every time and so will anyone they back. Remember this group also told us it will only cost 250k to run the Village and we all know now that was not true.
HD

Anonymous said...

A portion of this Woodbury thriller,
Is a part played by the Swiller,
He has helped out,
when not bothered by his gout,
and SOMETIMES is a community pillar!

Anonymous said...

Look, Swiller is most often good,
As any intelligent person should,
But when he does misbehave,
It is very grave,
And does NOONE any good!

Anonymous said...

Odd.

Anonymous said...

Look we all know that when a republican sends a letter to the Rep. Committee this year stating he/she wants to run for the Supervisors position, Ralph will undoubtedly find something wrong with the person of persons, since hes already backing John Burke. It won't matter who it is! I guarantee, Ralph will not endorse a Republican candidate, (again). I hope the rest of the Committee gets a pair, (for once)and says "tough crap Ralph".

Anonymous said...

The Republican committee has a history of turning their backs on their own people. Some have been left out to dry after serving years only because the executives don’t agree with some of the decisions the elected officials make. Stay tuned more to come…..
H.D.

Anonymous said...

Both the Republican Committee and the Democratic committees are jokes. The Dems can't even field an entire committee, and Reps had their heads up Ralph's butt!! The Conservative Party has been taken over by Ralph, via Pedersen, now that Sosa is gone, so.....The Community Party RULES!!!

Anonymous said...

Who are the leaders of The Community Party?

Anonymous said...

Here's a list of Community Party officials: http://www.communityparty.net

Who's going to run again Diana?

Anonymous said...

OFFICERS OF THE

Community PARTY


MARIA HUNTER - Chair

CLIFFORD WEEKS, Jr. - Vice Chair

Clifford Weeks, Jr. is a 31 year Town of Woodbury resident. Cliff has served Woodbury in many capacities over the years. Cliff resides in Woodbury with his wife Stephanie and their 27-month-old daughter.

JAMES BOOTH - Secretary

James Patrick Booth, Secretary of the Woodbury Community Party has been a resident of Woodbury for 21 years residing in Woodbury. Jim has been very active in Woodbury and Orange County politics for 13 years.

CAROL HERB - Treasurer

Anonymous said...

This was in the Photo news, I thought Lorraine McNeill and Michael Aronowitz have threw their hats in the rink, did they back out or is the committee not backing them?

Woodbury GOP Nominating Committee seeks candidates





Highland Mills — Jim Booth and Sheila Beadle are looking for a few good men and women, provided they are residents of the Town of Woodbury and Republicans.

Booth and Beadle are Woodbury Republican Committee members charged with finding candidates for supervisor, highway superintendent and two seats on the town board for town elections in November.

Letters have been sent to the Republican incumbents to gauge their interest in re-election. Those incumbents are Town Board members Lorraine McNeill and Michael Aronowitz, as well as Highway Superintendent Peter Stabile.

Town Supervisor John Burke is a Democrat - the only Democrat on the current town board.



“The Woodbury Republican Committee is very interested in finding a suitable Republican candidate for Town Supervisor,” Booth said. That candidate, he said, should have experience and knowledge of local issues and who can work closely with the current town board as well as the new Village of Woodbury leaders.

Woodbury has a tradition of electing GOP town supervisors. According to Booth, all but four of the 18 supervisors elected since Woodbury became a town in 1889 have been Republicans.

According enrollment figures from April 2006, 2,369 town residents are registered as Republicans; 2,107 as Democrats; 244 as Independents; 130 as Conservatives; and 1,458 as non-affiliated or blank.

Any enrolled Republican residing in Woodbury interested in seeking any of the town offices up for election this year should submit a letter to the nominating committee by Wednesday, May 16.

Booth and Beadle will then forward the names of qualified persons to the full Republican Committee for consideration. The entire GOP committee plans to interview candidates in the spring.

Anonymous said...

Did you read the article???..."Letters have been sent to the Republican incumbents to gauge their interest in re-election. Those incumbents are Town Board members Lorraine McNeill and Michael Aronowitz, as well as Highway Superintendent Peter Stabile."

It can't just be assumed that they are running for re-election...supposedly they stick to a procedure, although past history shows that Ralph will do it anyway he wants....

Anonymous said...

I hear Ralph blasted Mr. Booth over this statement...

“The Woodbury Republican Committee is very interested in finding a suitable Republican candidate for Town Supervisor,” Booth said. That candidate, he said, should have experience and knowledge of local issues and who can work closely with the current town board as well as the new Village of Woodbury leaders.

Ralph's boy John Burke must have had a fit over that. I guess Ralph and is cronies on the Republican Committee will be supporting Mr. Burke again.

Anonymous said...

Ralphs cronies are dwindling on the Rep. Committee. Aronowitz and Stabile have sent letters to the Republican Committee seeking reelection. McNeill is still on the fence whether to run or not. As for the previous blogger who said that Ralph won't support a Repiblican Supervisor, well thats a very good bet.

Anonymous said...

For the life of me, I don't understand why this has been kept "Woodbury's Dirty Little Secret". By "this", I mean this Ralph Caruso person. Who the hell does he think he is?? Sounds like he has cemented his own shoes to the top of the pedastal that he calls his thrown, and expects everyone to do as he says. Why doesn't the Republican committee, at least those who don't kiss his butt, rebel and publicly state what seems to have been going on for years and years?? You ALL can't "owe" his something, can you??? He seems to have been cut-off at the knees at least a half dozen times over the past few elections...I think it's time to put the pressure on and take his chairmanship away for GOOD!!!

Anonymous said...

I hear he's still contesting the Village elections. He must be deaf, dumb & blind!

Anonymous said...

Woodbury is all warm and wooly,
except when it comes to the bully,
Get elected, he thinks he can,
but don't forget Roxanne,
She defeated him soundly and fully!

Anonymous said...

If I had my head handed to me as many times as Ralph Caruso, i'd be running from this Town because of the embarrassment. Not only for myself, but for my family. He dont even realize what a joke he is. I don't know how he has any supporters at all, considering everything he touches turns to shit. He got booted from the Planning Board, he got booted from the Town Board, he got slaughtered in the Supervisor election, and he got slaughtered in the run for Village Mayor. (A Village I might add that was spear headed by him), and still he got slaughted by a someone no one ever heard of. Talk about humiliation! Do you have any shame at all?

Anonymous said...

Lets not forget that Roxanne wiped her butt with him, not once but twice in his runs for County Legislator.

Anonymous said...

This is what makes him SOOOOO dangerous. He's a relentless fool, and will NEVER stop. We MUST remain vigilant in our quest to keep him and his supporters defeated!!

Anonymous said...

Agreed, previous poster. People should not make the mistake of applying rules, that normal people follow, to a person such as Ralph. He marches to the tune of a different drummer than you and I.

Ralph will rear his ugly head yet again! After all, wasn't he just appointed to the Memorial Day parade committee?

Anonymous said...

Who would appoint him to anything?If this is true, it's a slam dunk that he and Uncle Billy bob Larkin will be the Grand Marshall's at the head of the line in that stupid antique car...or since Ralph is such a male chauvinist, he'll probably start off the parade by having his poor wife sweep the roadway first!

Anonymous said...

Who did appoint Ralph and why? When so many talk about kicking him out of everything, why let him get his foot back in the door? Just let him keep it in his mouth where it belongs!

Anonymous said...

Ralph bullied his way in and made promises like he usually does.
And most people don't have the balls to stand up to him.
This town is full of chicken shits/

Anonymous said...

Are you kidding?? Plenty of people have stood up to him, and have risked their reputations, jobs, etc as we all know what a vindictive, spiteful person he is. Of course you'll never see or hear him do it directly, for he never lets his own hands get dirty. He just makes sure to have a lengthy list of gophers to do the dirtywork for him (Don, Carol, John, Bob, etc).But his day will come, and when it does, he'll have no one to blame but himself.

Anonymous said...

Please tell me, who did appoint him?

Anonymous said...

chicken shits and woodchucks!