Uncle Billy Cleans Up

OK, over-reaching for a pun.

Senator Larkin wasn't the only politician who funneled our tax dollars (perhaps as much as $12 Million) into what is, at least partially, a religious use.

We suspect that US Senator Schumer smiled on the largess as well.

More on all that as we dig deeper.

But for now, here's McKenna's story:


'Therapeutic pool' in Kiryas Joel draws scrutiny. Critics claim it's a mikvah

By Chris Mckenna
Times Herald-Record
December 15, 2008 6:00 AM
KIRYAS JOEL— The mothers' rest home this village has labored for years to complete, securing one government grant after another to cover its ballooning construction cost, has begun admitting its first wave of recuperating mothers and their newborns.

But Kiryas Joel officials appear to have concealed one of the building's secondary purposes as the host of a religious bath known as a mikvah, a potentially illegal use of the public funds that were poured into the $11.4 million project.
Village officials insist they're building a fitness center and spa in the basement, not a mikvah. The Kiryas Joel man chosen to run the 55-bed home, known as Aishes Chayil, has rebuffed repeated requests by the Times Herald-Record to tour the building.

Architectural plans for the three-story, 50,000-square-foot structure show little in the basement except mechanical and electrical rooms and open space, plus the outline of what is described as a "future pool" — large enough to be used for swimming.

But Orange County public works employees, touring Aishes Chayil (pronounced EYE-shiss hile) during construction in April 2007 to calculate the building's sewer charges, discovered the beginnings of 22 bathrooms and a "small wading pool" in the basement, none of which was reflected in the 2003 drawings by the firm of Long Island architect John Baumgarten.

'Cleanliness is next to godliness'
Their account was later filed in court as part of a lawsuit challenging sewer bills for Aishes Chayil and two other Kiryas Joel buildings. When the Times Herald-Record asked if the basement work meant that a mikvah was being built with public funds, Village Attorney Donald Nichol initially replied: "I don't see how it differs from any other washing facilities."

"When I grew up," he added, "I was taught that cleanliness is next to godliness."

Minutes later, after making a phone call to gather further information, Nichol called back and explained more emphatically that the basement would hold a fitness center and spa with what he alternately described as a jacuzzi or "therapeutic pool" — no longer a "washing facility."
"You can categorically say that it's not a mikvah," he said.
What makes the "jacuzzi" explanation dubious is a subsequent account about the pool's unusual water supply.

One visitor who has seen the basement observed an interior, concrete duct descending from the roof to a tall, concrete holding tank beside the pool — a conduit for rain water. Such a design is typical for a mikvah, which, under Jewish law, must draw naturally occurring water, such as rain or a spring, and channel it through non-metal pipes.

Ancient Jewish tradition dictates that a married woman visit a mikvah each month after menstruation to purify herself for sexual relations. The ritual — intensely private and conducted at night — concludes with complete immersion in a small pool.

Spiraling costs, more grants
Nichol described the basement's 22 bathrooms as "changing rooms." But they sound more like mikvah "preparation rooms," where women meticulously clean themselves for as long as two hours before entering the pool.

Aishes Chayil's main purpose is to offer mothers a quiet place to recuperate with their babies after giving birth in a hospital. Three similar facilities — each known in Yiddish as a "kimpeturin heim" — already cater to Orthodox Jewish women in the New York-New Jersey region, including one in the Rockland County Village of New Square.

Kiryas Joel officials estimated theirs would cost $3.5 million when they sought their first state grant for it in 2001. But the estimate kept rising as they repeatedly asked elected officials in Albany and Washington for more money, eventually securing $10.5 million in grants. Former Gov. George Pataki and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver were the chief benefactors.

The village's lengthy solicitations briefly mention plans for a "physical therapy/fitness room" on an upper floor, with no elaboration. The architectural plans show none.
Nichol said in July the fitness center would cost about $300,000. But payment forms submitted by the contractor — obtained by the Times Herald-Record obtained through the state Freedom of Information Law — put the cost of the unanticipated "basement development" higher, at $397,500.
That would be a bargain for a mikvah, if that is indeed the cost. The lavish West Side Mikvah in Manhattan, which has four immersion pools and 13 preparation rooms on two floors, cost $10 million to $14 million by the time it opened two years ago, according to its staff.

Aishes Chayil a sight to behold
Construction costs at Aishes Chayil over the last two years, including the basement work, have been reimbursed in two installments through a $3 million state Dormitory Authority grant that Silver secured in 2007. The grant agreement prohibits using any of the funds for "religious worship, instruction or proselytizing."

"If they're making an effort to bill us for a mikvah, we're not going to reimburse them for that," authority spokesman Marc Violette said last week.

But Kiryas Joel has already drawn all but $296,000 of the grant. Contractor payment forms appear to indicate that $147,681 in Dormitory Authority funds have reimbursed the village for basement work done between December 2006 and March 2008.

Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin, who no longer returns calls from the Times Herald-Record, ignored written questions about the basement construction and other cost overruns at Aishes Chayil, sent to him by e-mail and regular mail.
The home finally began taking in mothers and newborns some time in November, although its administrator, Naftuli Oppenheim, couldn't specify which week it opened or how many women were staying there; his head count used the numbers 19, 20, 25, 30 and 35 in a single, brief conversation. The village says in court papers that Aishes Chayil opened Nov. 2.

According to a recorded phone message, beds are going for up to $185 a night — comparable to the top rates at mothers' homes in New Square and Freehold, N.J. That price for a private room has come down from the $200 rate village officials had planned.

Oppenheim never responded to the Times Herald-Record's tour request. One visitor has called Aishes Chayil a sight to behold, fitted with such opulent touches as marble floors and a giant chandelier.

rising costs
The $7.4 million contract signed in October 2003 to build Aishes Chayil incurred $2.2 million in cost overruns through March 2008, according to payment forms submitted by the Kiryas Joel contractor who built the mothers' home.

Some $340,000 in savings slightly offset those additional expenses, leaving the total construction cost as of March at $9.3 million - or $1.9 million above the original contract price.

Among the biggest overruns listed by A.R. Construction Co. of Kiryas Joel:
• $485,000 for additional rooms
• $397,500 for basement development
• $230,000 for tile upgrades
• $135,000 for moldings

Village officials have placed the total project cost, including road construction and consultants' fees, at $11.4 million, or more than triple the $3.5 million they estimated in 2001.

In September, state Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun of Blooming Grove asked Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli to investigate the inflated cost, much as authorities did when construction of the Ulster County Jail went awry.

DiNapoli has since declined to investigate. A Cuomo spokesman says his office is reviewing Calhoun's complaint.

The Fututre of the Past

OK, so this year Woodbury elects a Mayor, two Village Trustees, a Supervisor and two Town Board Members.

To coin a phrase: OY!

Who's going to run?

Who do you want to run?

Who don't you want to run?

and

Why?

Does Hall Know Where The Money Went?

Here we have the palm-card handed out by Anash (the ruling party in KJ) on election day.

Here are the interesting things to note:

1 - Their recommendations are signalled by showing the lever being down.

2- They don't make any recommendations for President/Vice President.

3 - For all other offices they recommend the Independence Party's candidates.

4 - The Independence candidates are Democrat John Hall (Congress) and all the others are Republicans (Larkin, Rabbit, etc.)

5 - Most interesting of all is the little line at the very bottom which says: "PAID FOR BY JOHN HALL FOR CONGRESS."

So, was it, and did Hall know?

If not, what's his reaction?

Inquiring nieces and nephews want to know.

Et Tu Caruso

We heard from the Pieman who was out today distributing fliers for Nancy Calhoun (he had a letter in the Record on Friday endorsing Calhoun, Delarose, Hall and Obama).

He took a ride down De Palma to check out the lawn of Woodbury Republican Committee Chairman Ralph Caruso and here's what he saw:

Just in case you can't make them out, there are signs for Onofry, Larkin, McCain/Palin and Lalor.

Missing? Republican candidate for re-election to the Assembly, Nancy Calhoun.

Bear in mind that: a) Caruso voted against endorsing Calhoun.

b) Calhoun is the loudest voice calling the bosses of KJ to task

c) Larkin never speaks against the actions of KJ's bosses and has been against Calhoun ever since she pissed off those bosses

d) Caruso is Larkin's lapdog

e) Randazzo and Caruso teamed up to sue Woodbury

Any guesses who KJ's newest lapdog would be if Randazzo is elected?

The Right Way, The Wrong Way, The Kiryas Joel Way

County shuts Rte. 44 beside sidewalk, saying road’s stability is undermined

By Chris Mckenna

October 16, 2008

KIRYAS JOEL - Part of a thoroughfare that wends through Woodbury and Monroe has been temporarily closed after the Village of Kiryas Joel built a wooden sidewalk beside it without permission, Orange County officials announced Wednesday.

The county shut Route 44 between Seven Springs Road and Mountain Road after discovering the sidewalk and deciding it had undermined the stability of the guardrail next to a 30-foot slope, officials said. Village officials couldn’t be reached for comment.

Midhudson News

Diana tells KJ to restore road to previous condition

MONROE – Orange County Executive Edward Diana Thursday told officials of the Village of Kiryas Joel to return a section of County Route 44 to its previous condition in three days or pay a $1,000 per day fine.
The village built a stretch of wooden sidewalk along the county road without permission and that sidewalk negatively impacts the integrity of the guard rails, said Diana.
“We have asked the Village of Kiryas Joel to go in, in the next three days and remove anything they did – the sidewalk – and to go back to preexisting conditions before they started any kind of excavating on that roadway and to bring the integrity of that guiderail back to where it was,” he said.
Diana send village officials a stop work order instructing them to stop all work on the project. He told officials the village must obtain a valid work permit from the county Public Works Department with acceptable plans for any future work on the county road prior to commencing any work.

Orange County, Kiryas Joel at odds again

Officials say village built walkway without permission

By Chris Mckenna

Times Herald-Record October 17, 2008

KIRYAS JOEL — For families in the new condos on a hillside above County Route 44, the wooden walkway just erected beside the busy thoroughfare offered a safe path they had long craved.
But the new sidewalk has ignited yet another conflict with Orange County officials and struck critics of Kiryas Joel's leaders as the latest instance of their acting first and seeking permission later, even when county property is involved.
The issue erupted Wednesday when county officials discovered the elevated boardwalk and immediately shut down the road, declaring that the work had been done without county approval and had destabilized the guardrail. Concrete barriers now block off that section, forcing drivers to detour through Kiryas Joel as they head between Monroe and Woodbury. On Thursday, county officials ordered Kiryas Joel to remove the walkway and shore up 500 feet of the guardrail before Monday, or face $1,000 a day in fines.
"It's very loose; it's very wobbly," County Executive Ed Diana said of the metal railing on Thursday. "If a vehicle were to hit that, it would go well into that walkway."
The reaction in Kiryas Joel was one of dismay. Moses Witriol, the village's public safety director, fumed that village officials had gotten no warning about the closing and now had to contend with navigating ambulances and fire trucks around a blocked artery.
Why, he and others in the Hasidic community asked, was the county suddenly concerned about Route 44 safety when their leaders have complained for years about the need for sidewalks? One young couple, stopped at the barriers with 2-year-old twin boys and a 4-month-old baby in their minivan, voiced exasperation with the perils of pushing a double stroller along the narrow shoulder as vehicles whizz past.
"What should my wife do when a truck is coming from one side and a bus is coming from the other?" asked the father, who declined to give his name. "Call the EMTs right away, or wait to see what happens?"
Several years ago, village officials began pushing to take possession of their section of the county-owned road and use grant money to widen the road and install sidewalks. County lawmakers ultimately refused to cede ownership but supported the project and offered Kiryas Joel an easement to do the work.
It was unclear Thursday what became of that offer. Witriol said the boardwalk was temporary — built in the midst of a pedestrian-heavy holiday season — and was on private property, not the county's right-of-way.
"Even if that's true, there are certain guidelines that have to be met," Diana replied, adding that the village would likely have gotten a county permit if it had sought one.

Larkin and DeProspo Play With Guns

The story as we understand it (corrections and clarifications welcome).

Orange County Republican Chairman Bill DeProspo pops up at an unrelated political event one year ago and announces that the Newburgh police and the County Sheriff's Deprtment will start using PistolCams (gun mounted cameras) and that State Senator Bill Larkin has gotten the funds to pay for them.

Within hours crack reporter Sean Hannity has gotten hold of the story and it makes nationwide news.

Only problems are-

The Newburgh police aren't qite that ready to sign on -
The Sheriff had only expressed a possible interest in a very limited test of a few of the rifle versions-
Larkin's grant was written in such a way that only one, single manufacturer could qualify-
and
-Surprise-
Bill DeProspo is being paid by that one, single manufacturer.

The County Leg has now said no to the pistolCam Grant to Nowhere, but DeProspo still got what he wanted -
Nationwide press claiming (erroneously) that the Orange County Sheriff's Deopartment has, in effect, endorsed the contraption.

Clear As Mud

"Ultimately, what the bailout does is help those who are concerned about the healthcare reform that is needed to help shore up our economy. Um, helping, oh—it's got to be all about job creation too. "
Sarah Palin in CBS interview

Questionable Election In KJ? You're Kidding!

Surrogate Court judge candidates file lawsuits
By Oliver Mackson
September 20, 2008 6:00 AM
GOSHEN — The race for Orange County Surrogate Court is taking a detour into state Supreme Court, with the two candidates each filing suit over the result of last week’s Independence Party primary.
Republican Robert Onofry won the right to appear on the crucial small-party ballot line. But Democrat Stephen Hunter sued Thursday, asking Supreme Court Justice Joseph G. Owen to throw out the results because polls closed 15 to 20 minutes early in the Village of Kiryas Joel on primary night. Hunter also contends that there were “obvious irregularities” at other polling stations.
Onofry fired back on Friday with a countersuit, asking Owen to order three disputed absentee ballots to be opened and counted.

Show Me The Money

Audit requested for Kiryas Joel’s $10.5M center
By Chris Mckenna
September 11, 2008 6:00 AM
BLOOMING GROVE — Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun announced Wednesday that she has asked the state comptroller and attorney general to investigate a Kiryas Joel building project that has gotten $10.5 million in state and federal grants.
The Blooming Grove Republican wants the two Democratic officials to audit the project to see if the funds were properly spent. She released copies of her identical letters to Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli and Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, both dated Aug. 25. Her request follows a Times Herald-Record story July 20 that reported on the project that got no-strings-attached state grants. Village officials estimated the project would cost $3.5 million and be finished by 2004 when they applied for their first state grant in 2001. The cost has since ballooned to $11.4 million, paid for largely with discretionary grants from then-Gov. Pataki and other allies.

Sarah Palin, An Early Scorecard

With the choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Veep candidate, McCain has certainly shaken up the race.

Here are some early thoughts on the possible pluses and minuses of the pick:

STEALING THE THUNDER GRADE: A+
The announcement, coming only half a day after Barack Obama’s night at the Dem’s convention, grabbed the headlines and the political chatter away from what most commentators are calling a brilliant speech.

A SECRET OR A SWITCH? GRADE: Incomplete
Was Gov. Palin McCain’s choice all along (or at least all week) or did he make a last minute switch in reaction to Obama’s performance? The answer is sure to emerge within the next few weeks.
If it was the choice all along, McCain gets A+ for keeping secrets.
If it was a switch, McCain gets an F for allowing the Dem’s to scare him into making what will be seen as a desperation play.

VETTED? GRADE: Incomplete
If Gov. Palin was a late choice, was she fully vetted?
The purpose for vetting process is to find out any possible embarrassments in the candidates past – did he duck the draft, did she write an outrageous book, what about drugs, drunk driving, membership in the Communist Party?
If she was vetted (or not vetted, but squeaky clean), no problem. If not, rut roh.

POSITIONS GRADE: Mixed
Governor Palin’s conservative positions on abortion and other social issues and her NRA membership will help McCain with his base (and probably won’t have much effect on moderates).
Her support for a Windfall Profits Tax on oil companies may give McCain a bit of agita.
Her environmental record is somewhat mixed - pro-drilling in protected areas, anti-polar bear protection, but on most other environmental issues (and as an out-doors-woman and hunter) has a green record.

IMAGE GRADE: A+ (but final grade isn’t in)
Reformer, young, attractive, son headed for Iraq. May have an ethics problem back in Juneau, but could prove minor.

ONE HEART BEAT FACTOR GRADE: F
Mayor of a small town, less than two years as Governor – this throws the “Obama is inexperienced argument” out the window. No national or foreign affairs bona fides.
Vice-Presidential inexperience is not usually a giant factor, but McCain’s age and health make the “one heart beat away from the Presidency” factor extremely important.
If she survives the debate with Biden (even if she loses on points) this will be a victory. If she gets blown out of the water the pain will come.

THE GENDER FACTOR GRADE B
McCain will get points for the novelty of the choice. Some female independents (and perhaps some number of unhappy Hillary Dem’s) will be won over. However, if the choice ends up being framed as a desperation move or as pandering, it will hurt. Pandering is the heart of politics, but you’re not allowed to be seen doing it.
McCain may lose some anti-female Neanderthals to Bob Barr or “None-of-the-above.”

OVERVIEW
The choice was a definite short term gain, but may be a negative in the long term. What we learn over the next few weeks will decide. Was she a last-minute switch, will it be seen as a fresh idea or a desperation move, did the vetting miss any land mines, is she ready to have every part of her life scrutinized, can she present herself as ready to take over the Presidency?

Anybody think this election isn’t interesting?

See Below

There's a new post about the Cornwall lawsuit against Woodbury, but for some reason it appeared below the one on Sprinkles.

The Uncle knows how to do this blog and for now we are just muddling through.

Apologies

Spinkles

The Pieman has sent the following and since A) the Pieman has juice with the Uncle and B) the Uncle has made known to us all that he has a deep love for his kittycat and C) it's the right thing to do, here it is (please help):

"Sprinkles" is a Whippet, he is all white with tan and black markings on his head, he is probably pretty thin at his point, he did have on a collar with tags. Sprinkles is also tattooed and has a micro-chip.

He was visiting in the Walden area when he ran off two weeks ago. He may have been spotted recently on Route 300 in Newburgh.

If anyone sees him , especially if they know that he is hanging out in a specific area, please call the Newburgh animal control officer, Mary Meyers, at 845 561-3344.

Congrats Ralph and Randazzo

News
Lawsuit filed in hopes of halting Legacy Ridge
By Michael Randall
Times Herald-Record
August 17, 2008 6:00 AM
GOSHEN — A lawsuit filed in state Supreme Court seeks to derail the current version of the proposed Legacy Ridge housing development in the Village of Woodbury.

The plaintiffs are a quartet of Cornwall-based public and private entities: the school board, the Town Board, the Village of Cornwall-on-Hudson's board and the Black Rock Fish & Game Club, a private conservation group.

They're suing the Village of Woodbury and its board, the developers of Legacy Ridge and the owners of the property where the development would be built.

Legacy Ridge would put 287 four-bedroom homes on a 749-acre site in the vicinity of Route 32 and Mineral Springs and Trout Brook roads. The homes would be clustered and more than 400 acres would remain green.

That area of Woodbury is in the Cornwall School District.

Cornwall school officials dispute the developers' claim that Legacy Ridge would produce less than one public school-age child per unit.

The district fears the actual impact on its already-crowded schools will be much larger.

But while it was damage to the school district that first prompted the suit, the plaintiffs also claim the project will pollute Woodbury Creek and Moodna Creek, into which the Woodbury flows. Both are popular sites for fishing and other recreational pursuits.

The plaintiffs are asking a state Supreme Court justice to overturn two Woodbury village local laws adopted earlier this year that changed the zoning to allow 287 units. Previous zoning allowed only 155 units.

The suit charges the changes amounted to "illegal spot zoning" to benefit one developer.

They're also asking the judge to overturn the project's final environmental impact statement and the findings statement that supported it.

They claim state environmental law procedures, as well as state general municipal law and even the Village of Woodbury's own codes, were not followed in assessing the plan.

Gerald Jacobowitz, the lawyer for Legacy Ridge, said he couldn't comment because his client has not been served with a copy of the lawsuit yet.

Richard Golden, the lawyer for the Village of Woodbury, was on vacation and couldn't be reached, and a message left for village Mayor Stephanie Berean-Weeks was not returned.


And let us not forget Ralph's front man, Anthony No-Taxation-Without-Representation Incanno, who isn't even registered to vote.

Terrorist Bear Hug?

The Media Is Being Unfair To John McCain

1. It is being reported that McCain joked at the Saddleback Forum that to be rich you have to have $5,000,000. Be fair to McCain. What he really said was that to be rich you need an annual income of $5,000,000.

2. McCain is being slammed for not knowing how many houses he has. That isn't his fault. It's very easy to be confused on this. His own campaign mistakenly thought the number was four. Obama thought it was seven. The Washington Post said eight.

The fact is that they are hard to count. For example, the Sidonna property has 5 or 6 separate full size houses. Do you count that as one home, five, six? And are the three condos houses? They may be million dollar (and more) multi-floor, luxury residences, but they aren't free standing buildings. So do they count?

Give the guy a break.

3. McCain is being attacked for changing his position on the draft.

At a Town Hall type meeting in New Mexico yesterday, McCain was asked:

"Senator McCain I truly hope you get the opportunity to chase Bin Laden right to the gates of hell and push him in as you stated on your forum. I do have a question though. Disabled veterans, especially in this state, have horrible conditions.... I think it is a sad state of affairs when we have illegal aliens having a Medicaid card that can access specialist top physicians, the best of medical and our vets can't even get to a doctor. These are the people that we tied yellow ribbons for and Bush patted on the back. If we don't reenact the draft I don't think we will have anyone to chase Bin Laden to the gates of hell."

McCain replied: "Ma'am, let me say that I don't disagree with anything you said and thank you and I am grateful for your support of all of our veterans."

Sure, the very last thing that she said was that we needed to reinstate the draft and McCain agreed, but c'mon, she'd been talking for minutes and it was late and McCain kind of drifts off, so there's every chance in the world that he had no idea what she had just said.

Scoring the Scoring

The Rielle Thing?

Sure they all do it (OK, almost all), but it's the little extras that set apart the true over-achievers in adultery (and if you're too young to remember 1969, Google "Chappaquidick").

In John Edwards' case you have to give extra credit for the fact that while he was cheating, his wife was sick with inoperable cancer and that if he'd won the Democratic nomination, the race would now be in a very interesting place.

He earns extra, extra credit for using the phrase "stripped bare" in his public mea culpa.

So plain old adultary won't get you on the list, but if you can come up with just that little bit more you deserve to be mentioned below:

Bill Clinton Adultery, Lying
Extra Credit:
C’mon, you know.
Extra, Extra Credit:
Creative use of tobacco products.


Newt Gingrich Adultery, Lying, Abandonment Of Sick Wife
Extra credit:
Led the House in Clinton's impeachment while continuing to do exactly the same thing Clinton had done.
Cheated on his first wife with the woman who became his second wife, cheated on her with the future number three.
Extra, Extra Credit:
Is reported to have used the same good-old-boy rationalization as Clinton (and many high school juniors): b.j.’s ain’t sex.
Extra, Extra, Extra Credit:
Cheated on, then divorced his first wife while she was ill with cancer (and then refused to pay alimony and child support).

Larry Craig Arrested in men’s room gay sex solicitation sting
Extra Credit:
Anti-gay rights voting record.
Voted to convict in Clinton’s impeachment.
Extra, Extra Credit:
Had his wife and family stand next to him as he denied everything.
Extra, Extra, Extra Credit:
Pled guilty, then tried to withdraw his guilty plea.
Announced his resignation from the senate, then withdrew his resignation.
Began his “I am not gay” statement with the phrase “Thank you very much for coming out today.”
Extra, Extra, Extra, Extra Credit:
Said: “The American people already know that Bill Clinton is a bad boy, a naughty boy.”

Mark Foley Sent lewd Instant Messages to Under-Age Senate Pages
Extra Credit
He made fighting pedophilia and child exploitation central issues in his Congressional career.

David Vitter Prostitution
Extra Credit
Strong backer of abstinence only sex education and denounced same-sex marriage as a threat to marriage which he called “the most important social institution in human history.”
Extra, Extra Credit
Had his wife stand next to him as he admitted he cheated on her.

Eliot Spitzer Prostitution
Extra Credit
Ethics was a central theme in his run for governor.
As Attorney General he prosecuted prostitution cases.
Extra, Extra Credit
Had his wife stand next to him as he admitted he cheated on her.

Gary Hart Adultery, Lying
Extra Credit
Denied that he was having an affair and dared the press to follow him – they did, he was.

John McCain Adultery, Lying, Abandonment Of Crippled Wife
While he was a prisoner in North Vietnam, his first wife Carol, a former model, suffered a crippling and disfiguring auto accident. After he was freed, McCain entered into a series of affairs leading up to his affair with Cindy Hensley, then 25 (18 years younger then McCain) and daughter of a multi-millionaire. A year later he divorced Carol and married Cindy.
Extra Credit
In his book "Worth the Fighting For," McCain lied about when he started seeing Cindy. In the book he claimed that he began seeing Cindy after his 1980 divorce was finalized. In fact, he started the affair in April of 1979, while he still lived with Carol.
Extra, Extra Credit
He applied for a marriage license to Cindy while he was still legally married to Carol.

Priceless

While the Uncle is away on a secret mission, a few of us neices and nephews have stolen the keys to the blog so that we can bring you this:

Your Tax Dollars At Work

News
Kiryas Joel gets $10.5M in grants for women's center
Pataki, Silver secured bulk of state monies

By Chris Mckenna
Times Herald-Record
July 20, 2008

It was March 2001, and leaders of the fast-growing Hasidic community Kiryas Joel were making their first appeal for state funds for construction of a cherished project: a convalescence home for postpartum mothers.

A letter signed by Mayor Abraham Wieder explained that the work would cost $3.5 million and that the village would pay three-quarters of the bill if the Governor's Office for Small Cities would supply $750,000.

The village later won that grant — then another and another in the ensuing years. As the project cost soared, village leaders repeatedly turned to powerful friends in Albany to tap a host of discretionary funding pots in the state budget — and absorb an ever greater share of the rising tab.

Today, with the center said to be almost ready to open, the total cost has ballooned to $11.4 million, more than three times its initial estimate. Ten state and federal grants have been awarded so far, for a total of $10.5 million. The work has taken four years longer than village leaders predicted.

Three stories high and encompassing almost 50,000 square feet, the women's services center stands as a testament to the grant-seeking ingenuity and political savvy of the leaders of this community of 21,000 people.

Every grant except the first came through discretionary funds — distributed by elected officials — rather than competitive programs. And most of the nearly $10 million in state funds involved can be traced to two politicians from opposite sides of the aisle: former Gov. George Pataki, a Republican, and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Democrat.

Pataki alone steered five grants totaling $5.6 million to Kiryas Joel for the project, according to grant documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Law and officials at the funding agencies.

Once it opens, the 56-bed home will offer mothers a quiet place to relax with their newborns for a week or longer before returning home — a common practice in certain Orthodox Jewish communities. The stay will cost mothers up to $200 a night, according to the village's grant documents.

The village also proposes to use the building for a litany of other women's services, including OB-GYN offices, Lamaze classes, a fitness room and the revival of a county-funded senior-citizen dining program that it canceled six years ago.

Village Administrator Gedalye Szegedin didn't return calls for this story. In May, he argued that it was unfair to focus on the rising cost and duration of the project, rather than on the dogged achievement of an ambitious task.
"We try to have a vision first — a big dream," he said.

From the ashes
Plans for a postpartum care home in Kiryas Joel began soon after the destruction of a similar facility there in 1996, during a rash of violent clashes between the village's majority faction and its dissidents.

A fire, later determined to have been intentionally set, swept through the dissident-run home one night as 34 mothers and their 35 babies slept. All of the occupants escaped without harm, thanks partly to the maid and nurses who passed babies out of windows.

Within three years, leaders of the majority congregation had formed an organization called Aishes Chayil D'Kiryas Joel ("Women of Valor of Kiryas Joel") Mother's Relief Center. And by 2001, the hunt for state and federal money for the center had begun.

Their appeals stressed the high birth rate and low incomes in Kiryas Joel, the growing demand for OB-GYN care and the wide range of services being planned.

Grant administrators in Albany were impressed. Kiryas Joel's application for a Small Cities grant in 2001 ranked the highest of 210 requests for funding that year, earning the village the only competitive grant it would get for the project.
Notification of the award came that September, signed by their old friend, George Pataki.

Village leaders had maintained a rapport with the governor since his eight years as a state assemblyman, when his district included Kiryas Joel. Soon, their powerful friend would become a generous patron of their planned convalescence center.

In 2002 and 2003, Pataki steered two $750,000 Health Department grants to Kiryas Joel for its project, drawing from an account so loosely regulated that the village didn't even have to apply, the Health Department acknowledged in response to a Freedom of Information Law request.

Next, he distributed two grants totaling $3 million through the Empire State Development Corp. He also tapped $1.1 million in Department of Transportation funds to reimburse the village for the cost of building a road to the home.

When applying for $4 million in Empire State Development funds, community leaders had called it "the final financial support necessary for the project." But in a span of weeks, the cost — estimated at $9 million in October 2006 — leaped by another $2.4 million, and the village turned to another funding source.

A $3 million grant
In December 2006, two Democratic state assemblymen from New York City — Joseph Lentol of Brooklyn and Jeffrey Dinowitz of the Bronx — sent virtually identical letters to Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, expressing support for Kiryas Joel's project.

"This monumental and unprecedented undertaking by a financially strapped village for the health betterment of its residents and those of its neighbors should be applauded and supported," Dinowitz wrote.

By March 2007, a $3 million grant application — again, "the final financial support necessary" — had passed from the Assembly to the state Dormitory Authority, the funding agency. And a little over a year later, an oversight board on which Silver sits signed off on the grant — a mere formality by then.
A spokeswoman for the Assembly speaker said on Wednesday that Silver, Lentol and Dinowitz sponsored that grant.

The new budget totaled $11.4 million. A spending line that included kitchen, heating and air conditioning equipment had risen by $500,000, according to grant documents. The cost of interior finishing had gone from $700,000 to $1.5 million. There was now a $250,000 line for "overhead and profit."

When it opens, the postpartum center will have been completed at virtually no cost to village taxpayers. There has been robust fundraising within the Satmar Hasidic community to defray remaining costs — generating more than $390,000 in private donations as of last year, according to the village's latest budget.

That and previous plans showed the village contributing $190,000 in land costs. That referred to the appraised value of the project site — property that had been donated to Kiryas Joel for free years earlier.

Over time, village officials had decided that should be their taxpayers' only share of the cost. In their application to the Dormitory Authority, they cited the village's 92 percent low- and moderate-income levels and said they could afford to borrow money only as a stop-gap measure, while awaiting their grant.
"Any long-term financing by the Village will place an undue hardship on the tax burden that Village residents would bear," they wrote.

cmckenna@th-record.com
Grants at a glance
• Date: Sept. 17, 2001
Amount: $750,000
Agency: Governor's Office for Small Cities
Sponsor: N/A
• Date: Jan. 10, 2002
Amount: $492,243
Agency: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Sponsors: Sen. Charles Schumer, Rep. Ben Gilman
• Date: Dec. 11, 2002
Amount: $750,000
Agency: State Department of Health
Sponsor: Gov. George Pataki
• Date: Feb. 7, 2003
Amount: $750,000
Agency: State Department of Health
Sponsor: Gov. George Pataki
• Date: April 2, 2004
Amount: $1,116,595
Agency: State Department of Transportation
Sponsor: Gov. George Pataki
• Date: April 27, 2006
Amount: $500,000
Agency: Empire State
Development Corp.
Sponsor: Gov. George Pataki
• Date: Dec. 29, 2006
Amount: $2.5 million
Agency: Empire State
Development Corp.
Sponsor: Gov. George Pataki
• Date: Dec. 26, 2007
Amount: $146,000
Agency: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
Sponsor: Sens. Charles Schumer, Hillary Clinton
• Date: April 16, 2008
Amount: $3 million
Agency: State Dormitory Authority
Sponsors: Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan; Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, D-Brooklyn; Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, D-Bronx
• Date: May 12, 2008
Amount: $500,000
Agency: State Senate
Sponsor: Senate Republicans
Sources: Grant documents; spokesmen from the Empire State Development Corp., the state Department of Transportation and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver

Grading

So, the school year is over.

What marks do you give?

Townsend Outside The City Limits

The Uncle has received a flash news report from the Chester Forum on the Future of Camp LaGuardia. Our report may be slightly less creative than the Times Herald Record’s in that our staffer attended the entire meeting, while the Record’s John Sullivan showed up late and left early.

Greg Townsend (County Legislator from Monroe) chaired, which gave him the perfect opportunity to prove that he can’t speak English (“I’d like to introduce Charlie Bohan, which is the Supervisor of Blooming Grove”), can’t read (mispronouncing or otherwise mangling the name of almost every speaker) and, after almost two years in the legislature, doesn’t know the names of his twenty colleagues (inventing a legislator named “Tom Paduch”).

Everyone present expressed disgust with the idea of selling Camp LaGuardia to Easy Equities (that’s NYC slumlord Jacob Selechnik). Flipping was on many minds.

Last week the sale was OK’d by the County Legislature’s Physical Services Committee by a vote of 4 to 1 (the minutes are not yet available online, as far as we can determine Committee Chairman Mike Paduch voted yes, James Kulisek voted no, Alan Seidman and one other member were absent and so the other yes votes came from three of the following four: Mike Pillmeier, Dan Depew, Wayne Decker and Tom Pahucki).

By the way, Mike Paduch (Committee Chairman, remember) was asked who the members of his committee were. The only one that he could remember was Noel Spencer, who isn’t.

Eddie Diana bet his life (then hedged) that when the vote comes before the full legislature on Wednesday, the sale to Easy Equities will be shot down. Eddie then called on the Leg. to immediately accept the offer from one of the other two bidders – Mountco and Aristotelian University. In other words, the Physical Services Committee was wrong to rush into accepting Easy Equities’ bid, so let’s cancel that and accept some other bid as fast as possible. Eddie then assured the crowd that after going to contract we would have lots of time to do due diligence. Oy! (As we say in Latin America)

One argument in favor of Eddie’s rush to sell off Camp LaGuardia is the Town of Chester’s decision to put the property back on the tax rolls, meaning that it will cost the County $500,000 a year until a sale goes through.

Chester Supervisor Steve Neuhaus and two other Town Board Members (sorry, we didn’t get the names) all claimed ignorance of this.

In that three quarters of the property is in Chester, and so they had the greatest reason to want the County to buy it from NYC and the greatest reason to want the County to get it right when they pick a buyer, it would seem to be in Chester’s interest to work out a deal with the County along the lines of Blooming Grove’s deal which defers taxes until the property is sold (and only if the County sells it for a profit).

Other highlights included Rich Randazzo getting up and making a campaign speech that had little or nothing to do with the subject at hand. This prompted Nancy Calhoun to take the podium to get in her own licks.

We regret to report that Bob Lawrence did not show up and so no one was denounced as a Nazi.

Maybe It's A Plot To Get The Homeless Back

Camp La Guardia concerns spur Chester forum
By Chris Mckenna
Times Herald-Record
June 28, 2008 6:00 AM


CHESTER — County and local officials will hold a public forum Monday night to discuss the proposed sale of Camp La Guardia and let residents air their concerns.


Controversy has rippled through Chester and Blooming Grove since an Orange County Legislature committee voted Tuesday to sell the former homeless shelter and its 258 acres to Easy Equities, one of four entities bidding for the property.


That man behind that corporate name has since been revealed to be Jacob Selechnik, an apartment mogul with a history of thousands of housing-code violations in his New York City properties. He's offering $10.5 million up front with no building approvals in place — an unusual risk that has stoked suspicion among residents.


The Legislature is supposed to vote on the proposal Wednesday. But elected leaders involved with the upcoming forum said they'll urge lawmakers to postpone a decision until getting more information about the prospective buyers.


"We should not hastily make any decision to move forward until we have all the answers," said Legislator Greg Townsend, R-Monroe, who initiated the forum.
The gathering will take place at 8 p.m. Monday at the Chester Academy at 64 Hambletonian Avenue.


Chester Supervisor Steve Neuhaus said he plans to urge legislators to vote against the Easy Equities offer — which he opposes — and to extend deliberations over the sale, this time enlisting county Planning Commissioner David Church as a participant.


"My residents are very concerned," he said.


He said he wants to use the forum to correct misinformation that has gotten out and explain how the intended sale of the tract has been handled since the county bought it off New York City last year.


Philip Valastro, mayor of the Village of Chester, had been an enthusiastic supporter of a proposed development that would include a 5,000-student university. But he said Thursday he now wants more information about all of the projects.


"We've got to make sure we're picking the right one," Valastro said.


The Village Voice
NYC's 10 Worst Landlords
Jacob Selechnik


'Sometimes they don't open the windows and let the walls breathe'
by Ryan Vu and Joanna Raccuglia

When the Voice got Jacob Selechnik on the phone recently, the 62-year-old landlord with 15,260 housing-code violations on 110 properties immediately announced that he was retiring. He said he would do it "any day now." Asked why, Selechnik, who has been sued five times by HPD since 2004 and probed by the Department of Investigations, said simply: "I'm too old." In any event, his daughter Ellen and son-in-law Michael Goldberg have been increasingly involved in the vast, Bronx-based family business for years.

As astronomically high as Selechnik's current 2.2 violations per unit is, he had an even more shocking 23,127 violations, or 3.6 per apartment, until he was forced in the past two years by one court order after another to try to correct them. A printout of these violations could wallpaper an entire apartment. He also owes HPD $91,428 for emergency repairs made on 68 of his buildings.

Selechnik's other specialty is stealth. The Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation blacklisted him a few years ago, refusing to sell any of its foreclosed properties to him. So other landlords who were not on the "exclusionary list" bought properties Selechnik coveted and then flipped them to him. Similarly, when the family of an infant allegedly damaged by lead paint in one of his buildings sued him, he tried to get the case tossed by distancing himself from the ownership of the property. Bronx Supreme Court Judge Patricia Williams said his deposition was "rife with statements of ignorance" about the building, but she found enough evidence of ownership to sustain the suit.

Mold is still another specialty. Maria Fonseca is suing him for the chronic asthma and dermatitis she's suffering from stachybotrys, a toxic mold caused by excessive moisture that was described by an expert witness in the case as "highly allergic" and that has apparently contaminated the bedrooms and bathrooms in her Bronx apartment. Selechnik's response? "Sometimes they don't open the windows and let the walls breathe," he told the Post. Meeka Bhattacharya, an organizer with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, connected the Voice with tenants in other buildings whose kids got sick, allegedly because of mold. "Northwest and HPD have done building-wide inspections" in specific Selechnik properties, Bhattacharya said, "and found multiple violations, years of violations. We have been trying to work with Selechnik but he never responds." The history is also bleak: HPD sued him 20 years ago for a failure to provide heat and hot water and had to buy heat in 40 of his buildings.

Nicknamed Jake the Snake by the Coalition, Selechnik was described in an article in The Bronx County Historical Society Journal in 2002 as having "an alleged 20-year history of tax foreclosures" and "poor management and inadequate services to tenants," a one-man wrecking crew who's left his mark on the city's most blighted borough for decades on 110 properties")

Who's Really Who

Orange Magazine, a publication with which the Uncle is unfamiliar, is compiling a list of "Who's Who in Orange County" ( orangemagazineNY.com ).

The Uncle has always taken issue with "Wh0's Who" lists. It should be "Who's Whom."

But, more to the point, it generally seems that the real powers are the very one's who don't end up on the list, because they generally operate from behind the scenes.

So here is the Uncle's list of Who's Really Who (or Whom).

Ralph Caruso - pulling the strings on Anthony Incanno and Rich Randazzo from the shadows.

Bill Larkin - pulling the strings on Ralph Caruso from deep in the shadows.

Gedalye Szegedin - certainly "guiding" Bill Larkin, if not exerting absolute control.

Aron Teitelbaum - the Mad Rebbe behind Gedalye Szegedin.

Meir Hirsch - the real power pulling the strings on KJ and beyond.

The Rules (Woodbury Edition via Ralph Caruso)

Woodbury is a wonderful place to live as long as you understand the rules.

There are various types of rules.

There are the rules which only apply in certain places. For example:
"Two acre zoning is high density, but my 1/3 of an acre lot isn't."

There are rules which only apply at certain times. For example:
"Creating a village will prevent annexation and will not change the fire company until everyone finds out that that isn't true at which time I, retroactively, never said it."

And then there are the unchanging rules: development is bad and so is selling your house. This is most clearly stated as:
"If you don't live here you can't come and if you do live here you can't leave."

Just follow the rules and all will be well.

Until Ralph changes them again.

Camp Cramp

We'll start with the second story first, because a) it's shorter, b) it's important and c) you folks have short attention spans and may never get to it.

Officials schedule forum Monday on Camp La Guardia sale

By Chris MckennaTimes Herald-RecordJune 27, 2008

Elected officials have organized a public forum at the Chester Academy Monday night to let residents air their concerns about the proposed sale of the Orange County-owned Camp La Guardia property.

County Legislator Greg Townsend, R-Monroe, initiated the gathering and will conduct it with the Chester and Blooming Grove town supervisors and the Village of Chester mayor – the leaders of the three host municipalities.

Controversy has erupted since a county Legislature committee voted Tuesday to support an unusual offer to buy the property for $10.5 million – all paid up front. The bidder is a New York City apartment mogul with a shady reputation.


The full Legislature is supposed to vote on the offer Wednesday. But Townsend and Chester Supervisor Steve Neuhaus both say they will urge lawmakers to postpone the sale. Neuhaus opposes the offer endorsed this week.

NewsCamp bidder has bad rep

Mogul made Voice's list of 10 worst landlords

By Chris MckennaTimes Herald-RecordJune 27, 2008

The mysterious bidder with a stunning offer to pay Orange County $10.5 million up front for Camp La Guardia is an apartment mogul with a huge empire and a tarnished reputation.

County officials Thursday identified the man behind the recently incorporated Easy Equities as Jacob Selechnik, who was described in June 2006 in an annual Village Voice feature as one of the 10 worst landlords in New York City.

At the time, Selechnik had 15,260 housing-code violations on 110 properties, according to the newspaper. And that was an improvement over the 23,127 violations tallied two years earlier, the article stated.

Selechnik couldn't be reached Thursday at two Bronx offices with phone numbers listed in his name. His Long Island attorney, Mark Matiash, didn't return a call for comment.

His bid for the former homeless shelter and its 258 acres leaped to the front of the pack when a committee of county lawmakers voted 4-1 Tuesday to send Easy Equities' proposal to the full Legislature for approval next week.

What made Easy Equities' offer unique was its willingness to pay the full price up front, without waiting for building approvals — something unheard-of in commercial development. The three rival offers would have been paid off over a number of years.

But whether it can muster the necessary 14 out of 21 votes next week is far from clear. At least one lawmaker from the project area had turned decisively against the proposal Thursday after reading articles about Selechnik.

"I'd vote 'No,'" said Frank Fornario, R-Blooming Grove.

John McCarey, the county's real property director, said he couldn't comment on Selechnik's credibility as a landlord but could vouch for his financial security. He said he'd been told Selechnik owned 2,500 apartment buildings throughout the New York City metropolitan area.

"His financial statement is extremely solid," he said.

Meanwhile, a previous front-runner — the first of three in what has been a topsy-turvy competition for the property — pressed its case to the public Thursday with a half-page ad in the Times Herald-Record.

That developer is Mountco Construction and Development Corp. of Scarsdale. Its president, Joel Mounty, said in an interview that the company has raised its price to $12 million from $10.5 million and linked up with Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh to propose continuing education classes at the site.


The college addition was an effort to eclipse the second front-runner — a proposed 5,000-student university that had proved popular among legislators and local officials.

Show Him The Money

SWILLER ANNOUNCES THAT HE'S FOR SALE

The Pieman has announced that he is willing to sell out.

In fact, he says, he was always willing to sell out but no one has made any offers.

The asking price is $5,000,000 and if Szegedin, Caruso, Hirsch, Larkin or anyone else is willing to chip in to meet that figure he is prepared to retire completely from politics.

Cash only.

Can We Talk?

The Uncle actually has a practical matter to discuss.

What is your cell phone company?

What reception or other problems do you have?

What do you like about it?

Shangri-La? Really? Wow!

From the N Y Times Escapes section, Friday. June 20, 2008

Day Trip Monroe, N.Y.
A Spirit-Friendly Retreat in the Catskills
By Tammy La Gorce

FOR those whose ideal day trip hinges on the possibility of returning home aglow with a lingering sense of tranquillity, Monroe, N.Y., which sits in the foothills of the Catskills, can feel like a small Shangri-La.

A little over an hour north of Manhattan, Monroe is child-friendly, adult-friendly and, perhaps most important, spirit-friendly.

Life Beyond Woodbury

There exist - honest - places beyond Woodbury and, even, beyond Orange County.

And whenever the Uncle or anyone else posting here mentions it, half of you go ape-shit!

SO

When the urge to speak of that dreaded outer zone becomes irresistable, the Uncle will go somewhere else.

Where else?

Here: http://ubwv.blogspot.com/

There's also a link button over there in the left hand column (Uncle Betty's World View)

That way those folks who refuse to believe such foreign lands exist will remain untroubled in their deep Woodbury-centric slumber and spared the heebie-jeebies by any mention of that other stuff.

Oh, So That's Why.

OK, so now we know why the Pieman was looking for tough women. Here's his email:

Tomorrow, Wednesday, there is an election in Kiryas Joel for two seats on the Village Board.

In past there have been a great many concerns about the honesty of the voting. There were reports of young men being sent in again and again to vote under different names. Further, they were sent in in waves, pushing and shouting, in order to fluster the local women who worked as poll watchers.

This year OCEAN asked the dissidents for the right to supply the poll watchers. We have assembled a group of strong women who will be able to handle whatever comes at them.

Our goal is for KJ to have as honest an election as we can help provide. We're trying to even the playing field so that the challengers have a fair shot at getting their candidates elected.

Tomorrow night we'll know how it went.

Jonathan Swiller

By the way, we can still use some more men and women, so if you can give us any time at all, up til 9 PM, call me - 845-325-0561

Memorial Day

The Uncle never served in the US armed forces, and the uniform that I wore in my last job was covered with medals which I bestowed upon myself, yet I offer an opinion.

I have heard a great many speeches speaking of sacrifice, bravery, patriotism and honor and all of these things need to be said and repeated, but they are nowhere near enough.

When we should honor those who died in battle - instead we hide their coffins as they return to this country as though we were ashamed of them.

When we should give all possible care to those who served and who still live among us, instead we do far too little, far too slowly.

When we should be doing everything possible for those who are still in harm's way we have denied them body armor, we have denied them protective vehicles, we have denied them the psychological care they must have and, some of us, would deny them the fullest possible benefits.

The speeches are necessary, but if that is all we have to offer then we have failed those who never failed us.

A Conspiracy Theory

Uncle Billy Larkin doesn't much like Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun.

Woodbury Republican Committee Chairman Ralph Caruso, Uncle Billy's left-hand-man, tried to keep the Committee from endorsing Nancy.

Ralph and former Cornwall Supervisor Richard Randazzo worked together to sue Woodbury over the WP3 (Woodbury Junction) project.

Randazzo is running against Nancy for her Assembly seat.

Anthony Incanno is fronting for the current push to get the Town of Cornwall, the Village of Cornwall On Hudson and the Cornwall Central School District Board of Education to sue Woodbury over the Legacy Ridge project.

Incanno cannot form a coherent sentence so it is obvious that someone is writing his letters to the Cornwall Local.

That letter writer has repeatedly referred to and quoted the obscure writings of Ralph Caruso.

Randazzo and Caruso are nowhere to be seen.

Anyone smell something fishy?

The Pieman Is Looking For A Few Tough Women

At least that what he tells us.

Why?

Go know. He's not saying.

All that he does say is that if you are female and are interested in bringing honest elections to Orange County you should email him at jswiller@optonline.net or call 845-928-9273.

The Uncle thinks he's just looking for a date, but when asked that very question, the Pieman says no.

On second thought, it's sort of hard picturing him on a date, what would he talk about? Petitions and pipelines? Annexation and lying politicians?

Neh. Sweet talk doesn't seem to be his style.

Give him a call and find out.

Ye Gads. That Evil Pieman

Anthony Incanno, the Honest Abe of Cornwall, has certainly put it to the Pieman.

Here's what he wrote to the Cornwall Lowball:

We have read with amusement Mr. Jonathan Swiller's letters to The Cornwall Local. Mr. Swiller knows a lot more than he would have us believe! Quite frankly, sir, we have no interest in your 2004 agitation as SOCA leader. That sir is a personal matter between you and Kiryas Joel. Cornwall schools and taxation without representation of the district population is our business.

"I am agitating for an honest debate" you wrote. Please tell us how many meetings of the Cornwall Town Board and BOE did you attend to participate in an honest debate? Fear mongering, you say. Please read the Times Herald-Record My View, dated 7/29/05. The story headline reads "Who's fooling whom on Woodbury housing projects?" The article describes threats and hints of blackmailings if housing projects are derailed but you, sir, are very familiar with that article, are you not?

He certainly did his research and he knows that's there was an article in the Record that accused the Pieman of making threats and hinting at blackmail (or blackmailings). Wow.

Let's take a look at this expose he found:

Who's fooling whom on Woodbury housing projects?
By Ralph Caruso
In an article printed June 19, two large proposed housing developments for the Town of Woodbury are discussed. The developer, Bill Brodsky, believes the town should ensure that he turns a profit for his private business venture of developing property and building homes. He also wants a zoning change to high density housing to make his property more valuable, so it will command a higher selling price.
Just think, he purchased the 178 acres for $3.5 million, or almost $20,000 per acre, and has a contract for an additional 220 acres to be added to the 178 to make up the entire parcel to be built on. Based on the purchase price of the 178 acres, if the 220 acres sells for $20,000 per acre then the 220 acres would cost $4.3 million dollars. The total cost of both properties would be about $7.8 million. If the zoning change is approved, it would add 276 homes to be built on the combined properties across from the Monroe Woodbury High School. It seems easy enough to estimate the increased value of this property, based on the increased number of proposed home sites, from 175 to 451, which relates to at least a 157 percent increase above the purchase price of about $7.8 million and about a $12.3 million profit. Add the profit to the purchase price and the property would be worth at least $20.1 million. Not a bad profit for what Mr. Brodsky calls a simple zoning change.
Mr. Brodsky is responsible to make his own business profitable, but the Town of Woodbury should not be assuring Mr. Brodsky and his business a larger profit. If so, they would be called promoters and/or business agents and it would be wrong. Elected officials are representatives of the residents of our community first and must not blur the line that separates private enterprise from government. Mr. Brodsky says he wants to develop the property, and at the same time threatens us with consequences if this project is derailed, followed by an insult to our intelligence by saying, "This is not blackmailing." There are no guarantees Mr. Brodsky will follow through with his proposals. Keep in mind, after the property is rezoned to high-density housing, Mr. Brodsky would realize at the least a $12.3 million profit by selling. Keep in mind Ace Farm, 140 acres, which abuts the property Mr. Brodsky has proposed for a zoning change, sold last year for $12.7 million, or about $90,700 per acre.
The numbers point to potentially a great deal of money to be made by Mr. Brodsky if he gets the zoning change he is demanding. No one can predict the actual selling price at this time; however, it's clear it would be significant.
Mr. Brodsky purchased this property knowing that it is only zoned to build, at the most, 175 homes. It takes a lot of nerve for this developer to attempt to intimidate the officials and residents of our community because he wants to build more homes than are permitted.
Mr. Brodsky must not be allowed to tell our town officials and residents how our town should grow so that he can make a bigger profit.


Um, uh, wait a sec.

What does this have to do with Swiller?

Caruso (that paragon of honor) is attacking Brodsky (yet another paragon of honor).

But Swiller isn't mentioned anywhere.

No matter.

The readers of the Cornwall Lowball will obviously hunt through the archives of the Record and find that out for themselves, just as Mr. Incanno, no doubt, intends.

After all, it's not like he wants to fool anyone.

Uncle Billy Rides Again

Here he comes to save the day!

Uncle Bill has agreed to run for his 10th term as our NY State Senator.

Bless his heart!

Something That Actually Matters

Diesel is a three year old white German Shepard whose family's circumstances have changed and they no longer have the time to give him the attention he deserves.

He is a sweet, friendly dog who loves children. He lives with very young children and loves the attention.

Diesel is fully housebroken and extremely friendly, he rarely barks, and has no destructive behaviors.

He is good with other dogs, but has not been exposed to cats.

Diesel is epileptic and is on medication to control his seizures.

He has seizures 1 time every 4 months or so. He will need someone who is committed to making sure he gets his medication on schedule. He has been seizure free for months.

Diesel would like a family who is home to spend time with him and take him for walks or just throw his ball.

Contact: Gina Olivieri

gochef@optonline.net

Uncle Billy, Why Do You Hate Us?

Hey now Uncle Betty, isn't this a bit unfair?

Nope.

As the headline says, Larkin's Aide's fingerprints are all over the lawsuit.

Ralph Caruso was the driving force behind the last Article 78 law suit that the good folks of Cornwall brought against Woodbury. Ralph, Donnelly, Siebold and their new pal Dick Randazzo stirred up the folks north of the border and ran the fund raisers to pay for the law suit.

Only, Ralph found out that their were a fair number of folks here in Woodbury unhappy with his rabble rousing.

So this time the spider is staying in the shadows and sending out his crew to do the dirty work.

But it's the same old game run by the same old spider (right down to the Committee for the Perversion of Woodbury popping up again to cheer the whole thing on).

And there is no way that Ralph is going to do all this without the blessings of his boss, State Senator William Larkin.