Throw The Bums Out! Again And Again!

Way back in the distant past (about 6 years ago???) Sue Kelly was our Congresswoman. Then she decided that KJ's votes were more important than those from the rest of us. We bounced her out of office and voted in John Hall.

Then Hall made the same mistake as Kelly so we bounced him out of office and voted in Nan Hayworth.

Hayworth decided that voting with her party was more important than voting for her distrrict. After Irene she voted against FEMA funds that we desperately needed.

On taxes, jobs, equal pay and most other issues she's ignored the district and looked to her caucus instead. 
It's time to bounce her.

Does that mean that Sean Patrick Maloney will do a better job? Dunno. But we do know that if he doesn't we can bounce him too.

We have to make the point that we demand accountability and that we will bounce every single Congressman we get unless and until the message gets through.

Incumbency only means that you have a record that we can grade.

And we plan to grade harshly!

Ralph Of The Living Dead

Ralph Walks.

And talks.  And lies.

Yay!

Welcome back Ralph.

For those of you who have missed Ralph's last minute lie,  it's back!!!!

Here it is:

It's truly lovely.  At least one lie per paragraph.  Let's take a closer look:

Don't be fooled by James Skoufis‘ color brochures and commercials. He can afford them because he accepted $72,000 from Sheldon Silver for his campaign. So if he is elected to the Assembly, what do you think he is going to vote for  . Whatever Sheldon Silver tells him to. He is just using Woodbury as his stepping stone to Albany

So, James has the support of the Democrats.  How'd that happen?  Is Ralph claiming that Roddey doesn't have the support of his own party?  But that's the small one,  the wonderful point here is Ralph has figured (all by himself?) that James is running for the Assembly as part of a secret plan to get to Albany.  Holy Hambones!

Most importantly, over the last three years, Skoufis has voted for a resolution to dissolve the Village of Woodbury. The Village is our sole protection that prevents the hasids or any other groups from establishing their own village within the town. If elected, he will continue to try to dissolve the village.

Actually, James, along with Ralph's own buddies on the Town Board, asked Albany to make the Town and Village a single political unit.  This would still pervent any new villages in Woodbury.

Skoufis also forced the lnitiative Law on the town. Briefly, in order to bring an issue to the town board for a second time, you need to collect hundreds of signatures and petition the board in order for them  to consider for a second time. This useless and senseless law was introduced by Skoufis as a payback to the independence Party for listing his name on their ballot line duringa previous election.

OK, this one is sooooooooooo stupid it proves this letter came from Ralph.  The Town Board has always had the right to introduce  any resolution it likes once, twice, seventeen times.  But the public has only been able to beg the Board to consider its issues.  What the Initiative law does is give the public the power to demand (by petition) that the board consider something the public wants.  It gives the public a way to get the Board's attention.  Or as Ralph calls it "useless and senseless."

Skoufis has preached increasing the hourly wage, decreasing taxes, but has no plan as to who will pay for the cost. You will pay for the shortfall in higher taxes and prices.  

I love the idea that you will pay for tax cuts by paying high taxes.

While taking credit for helping victims of Hurricane Irene, it actually was the the Woodbury Community Association that raised most of the money.

How dare more than one group help people in need!?!

Skoufis claims to scrutinize the town budget line-by-line, but the town budget is actually prepared by the Town Supervisor and his department heads. He has little, if any, input on the budget.  

Ralph was actually once on the Town Board (quite briefly), but why assume he paid any attention to what his job was.  Yes, the budget is PREPARED by the Supervisor.  The Supervisor then must submit the budget to the members Town Board, who look at it (line by line if they're doing their job responsibly) and then vote whether or not to accept it.  Sleep through that part, Ralphie?

Finally, in desperation, he continues to bash Assemblywoman Calhoun and Senator Larkin over collecting.their salaries and pensions which the law entitles them to. But on August.16, 2012Skoufis voted to authorize the Supervisor to submit a Section  211 waiver to the NYS Civil Service Commission so that the new Woodbury Police Chief could double-dip as well collecting his NYC pension and his salary as chief.

     

OK Ralph, listen closely (or ask the Ankle Biter to explain):  Your boss, State Sen. Bill Larkin, is collecting his State Senate salary and his State Senate pension at the same time.  He's getting paid for the same job twice.  Legal?  Yes.  Ethical?   Less certain.  The Chief worked for the NYPD for decades.  He retired.  He gets a pension.  He took a new job here.  He gets paid.  Follow?  Two different jobs.

l strongly urge you to vote for Kyle Roddy for the NYS Assembly on the Republican line. He has real municipal experience in public administration and will diligently represent our Town in Albany. 

 

Geez Ralph, at least learn how to spell Roddey's name!

The Clam Before The Storm

Caruso Denounces Larkin

Ralph Caruso, in a daring break from his meal ticket, has made a pursuasive argument for kicking State Senator, and reknowned double-dipper, Bill Larkin, out of office.

In this week's Woodbury Gazette Caruso argues that we must judge candidates by the endorsements they accept.  For years the political leaders of Kiryas Joel have endorsed Larkin.  Caruso himself has denounced those same KJ leaders.

The implication is unavoidable.

Kudos Ralph!

Assembling A Split Ticket

So, here are the first two of the Uncle’s endorsements (fat lot of good it will do the candidates).

For the Assembly in the 97th AD we’re going with Annie Rabbitt. She actually has been available to constituents and actually listens (or does a damn fine job of faking it). This matters. Of even greater importance this time around, she’s not Gerry McQuade – if you have any difficulty understanding the import of that, listen to the recording in the post below.

In the 99th AD, the Uncle smiles upon Woodbury’s own James Skoufis. He’s been a terrific member of the town board (to the degree that that board allows terrificness to flourish). His newsletters have actually been informative (as well as being a wonderful substitute for our actually writing something original for this blog). From the start he understood that constituent services meant actually doing stuff for townspeople. Wow, now that’s a concept!

If we want to encourage responsive office holders and discourage the other sort, voting for these two folks seems like a good idea.

Assemblers Dissemble!

Gerry McQuade, Democratic candidate in the 98th Assembly District, promises the Kiryas Joel community that he is with them on all their issues and will be their voice in Albany:

In The Public Interest?

The Monroe Town Board is about to vote to accept KJ's and Ziggy Brach's annexation petition.

And why shouldn't they, you might ask.  After all, it minutely increases Monroe's tax base.

Well, for starters the petition is legally deficient.  It makes no case for the annexation to go forward. 

And there is a good case to be made that, by claiming that there is no environmental impact, it is an example of segmentation, which is illegal under SEQRA.*

Further, Monroe's board (and Woodbury Town and Village Boards) must consider if the annexation is in the general public interest, not merely Monroe's.

So why does the Uncle expect the Monroe Town Board to vote yes?   Any guesses?

*Segemnation occurs when you deliberately break an action down into smaller parts in order to evade SEQRA (State Environmental Quality  Review Act).

Woodbury rejects annexation request

HIGHLAND MILLS — A request by the Village of Kiryas Joel and a member of the orthodox Satmar Jewish community to annex land from the town of Woodbury failed last week to win approval from the Woodbury Town Board.


Board members rejected the request to carve out more than a dozen acres of land from Woodbury, citing a lack of evidence that the annexation would result in a “unity of purposes and facilities,” according to the minutes.

The board also pointed to a suspicion that the proposed annexation was designed to bypass local laws and zoning rules of Woodbury in making their decision.

“We did tremendous due diligence and our conclusion was that annexation was not in the best interest of Woodbury,” Supervisor John Burke said. “We just felt we had a number of excellent reasons for the decision. One doesn’t stand out more than another.”

Of the five members on the Woodbury council, four voted against the request.

Councilman Frank Palermo, who was absent due to a personal matter, sent an e-mail to the council stating his opposition to the request for annexation, Burke said.

Zigmund Brach joined with the Village of Kiryas Joel this summer to try and annex some 12 to 14 acres of Brach’s land on the western side of a ridge occupied mostly by the citizens of Kiryas Joel.

Two large water towers serving Kiryas Joel sit on a half-acre portion of the property.

The petition requests the entire tract be annexed to the Town of Monroe, of which the village of Kiryas Joel is a part.

Members of the Monroe’s council have not yet voted on the request.

The 90-day window for the towns to decide on the request will lapse in the coming week, Burke said.

Should Monroe’s council vote in favor of the request, Brach and the Village of Kiryas Joel may appeal the Woodbury’s denial, Burke said.

“The two petitioners have a right to appeal if they are not happy with the vote,” Burke said. “If it’s appealed then we’ll decide how we want to be involved.”


By Joshua Rosenau - Photo News

Wake Up, There's Politics Goin On

Anybody Watching?
Any opinions?

Got any popcorn?

Not Quite A Done Deal Yet

KJ, DEC spar over aqueduct tap
Backup wells' use holding up permit talks

By Chris Mckenna
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 08/29/12

Kiryas Joel's long quest to tap the Catskill Aqueduct now hinges on the state's approval of new wells the village wants to activate to assemble an adequate backup water supply.

With money bonded for the $29 million water project and no further legal obstacles in its way, Kiryas Joel has been pressing state environmental officials for a key permit it needs to connect a bountiful well in Mountainville to the 13.5-mile pipeline it plans to bury beside roads from the village to New Windsor.

The same permit would allow the village to tap a new well within its borders and make greater use of two existing wells in Kiryas Joel.

Village officials expect to qualify to buy up to 2.5 million gallons per day of New York City's aqueduct water, based on their community's 2010 population, and have been trying to cobble together an equivalent backup supply, as the city requires upstate aqueduct users to do in case it must shut down one of its water tunnels for repairs.

Representatives of Kiryas Joel and the state Department of Environment Conservation met at the department's New Paltz office on Aug. 7 to review a draft permit and iron out remaining issues.

One sticking point is the state's proposal to restrict future use of the village's wells by labeling them backup sources once the aqueduct connection is made. In a follow-up letter last week to the DEC's Region 3 director, William Janeway, a lawyer for Kiryas Joel protested that the village should have the option to continue using its wells and might need them to supplement aqueduct water during peak-demand times.

"The Village is entitled to that flexibility," lawyer Michael Sterthous wrote.

According to documents submitted to the DEC, water use in Kiryas Joel averaged 1.6 million gallons per day in 2011, but reached 2.2 million gallons at peak times. Those surges exceeded the 1.9 million daily gallons the village is allowed to draw from its well network.

Water use is especially high before Passover, when residents of the Hasidic Jewish community scrub their homes to prepare for the weeklong holiday. The village brought in 70,000 gallons in water tankers to augment its supply for the most recent Passover in April, Mayor Abe Wieder told Janeway in a May 8 letter.

The village has been planning since 1999 to tap the Catskill Aqueduct to meet the long-term water demands of its growing population, counted at 20,175 in the 2010 census. Orange County sued twice to challenge the environmental review for the project, but dropped the case in 2010 as part of a legal settlement with the village.

Installation of the 24-inch-wide pipeline is expected to take place it two phases. The first would stretch 6.5 miles from Kiryas Joel to an undeveloped parcel beside Route 32 in Mountainville, where the village plans to build a pump station and connect an unused well it says could produce more than 600,000 gallons per day. The path would follow Seven Springs Road, Ridge Road and Route 32 in Woodbury.

Woodboring

Woodbury is, at least for the moment, rather boring.

You want the Uncle to come up with the energy to post something? Then do something!

Rob a bank.

Stage a nude sit-in at Town Hall.

Name a dog something other than Bailey.

There's lots going on in the world. Missouri senate candidates scaring the bejeebers out of the Republican party. Congressman skinny dipping in holy water. Joe Biden talking. Donald Trump being Donald Trump.

BUT YOU FOLKS DON'T WANT TO KNOW ABOUT THAT!

So don't blame your Uncle!

Annexation, Segmentation, Aggravation

The property in question, more or less.

So, Woodbury assembled at the IBEW and denounced the idea of annexing town land into Monroe (by the way, if the annexation went through, the land would end up as being in the Town of Monroe, but would remain in the Village of Woodbury, aint New York State municipal law fun?).

The most compelling argument against the annexation petition had to do with SEQRA (the State Environmental Quality Review Act).

Under SEQRA a small action that has little or no environmental impact can be granted a “Neg Dec” (a negative declaration), meaning that a full SEQRA review is not needed. Since Brach’s petition claims that there are no plans to develop the land, he has requested a Neg Dec.

However, if he has no plans to develop the land, he has no reason to seek annexation. It is obvious that he wishes to build there.

By claiming that there will be no development now, while in fact planning to develop after annexation, he is breaking his overall plan into smaller parts, so as to avoid a full SEQRA review.

This is called “segmentation” and is a definite no-no under NYS law.

If a court looks at this, and IF they are honest, that should put an end to this annexation.

As to the meeting itself, some highlights.

The meeting was overseen by the Woodbury Town and Village Boards and the Town of Monroe Board. Every denunciation of the annexation was loudly applauded, but it seemed that the loudest applause followed each of the many attacks on the Monroe Board, with Sandy Leonard and Harley Doles the targets of choice.

That old gang of Ralph’s reassembled. It did the Uncle’s heart good to see Ralphie, the Ankle Biter, the Rump Roast and others.

Our personal favorite moment came when Ralphling Amy Fitzgerald spoke and then thanked “My Board and the Village Board.” A moment of honesty, Amy?

The prize for least persuasive argument probably goes to Brach’s attorney who spoke about ridge lines and “the Queen.” He did not make clear which particular queen he had in mind. He also said that town and village borders are not carved in stone. In that most old borders are in fact marked by stones, he might have gone for a more apt metaphor.

Doin's

It goes without saying (it went, nothing was said) that yesterday was Dominion Day up there in Canadaland.

Today (Monday, the Twoth of July) the Town Board will vote on Chief Kwiatkowski's successor. If you've been reading the comments posted here, you know this might be a somewhat contentious issue.

Wednesday is Independence Day. No extraterrestrial invasions, please.

Thursday there will be a public hearing at the IBEW on Ziggy Brach's petition to annex land he owns on CR 44 into Monroe. Contention also a possibility.

Friday is free play. Do as you wish (or go to work)

Saturday we celebrate the Chinese invention of fireworks. All day long. Mostly at the Middle School.

Enjoy!

City Mouse, Country Mouse

There's a five way battle for the chance to go against Nan Haywort, who holds the seat in the 19th Congressional District, which is about to become the 18th Congressional District (is that a promotion?).

There's Duane Jackson of Buchanan; Thomas Wilson, Mayor of Tuxedo Park; Matt Alexander, Mayor of Wappingers Falls; Cortlandt Councilman Richard Becker and former White House aide under President Bill Clinton, Sean Patrick Maloney, until recently of New York City, but now of Cold Spring.

Maloney seems to have a lot of money - enough to pay for endless robo-calls featuring his heavy hitter friends (and three names to his opponents two apiece). He also, according to a few local Democratic officials, seems to have absolutely no knowledge of, or interest in, local problems.

Those same local folks have been lining up behind Becker, who, they say would acdtually represent the district and not simply the party. He would also make the November contest Doctor vs Doctor.

As to Jackson, Wilson, and Alexander, go know?

Any of you have any ideas?

Whadya Think: Brookside Grill?

OK, so the Savory Grill is no more. In its place is the Brookside Grill.

Early word is not very enthusiastic.

Any opinions?

The Uncle Wakes

Now, this is my kind of weather. It reminds me of home.

So now that winter is over and I have resumed consciousness, let's get this moving again.

This week Neil Crouse and David Sutz faced off with nobody and achieved a fine victory.

Next week Dems pick a congressional candidate and Reps pick a Senatorial candidate. And the Uncle, Uncharacteristically, is interested in your opinions on that and other stuff.

We'll start, above, with food.

Vox Populi

Anonymous said...
Can the Uncle start a new comment on the M-W School Audit? The school board according to the state audit has been hiding millions of dollars in slush funds which are illegal for schools to do. They should have used this money to lower our school taxes. We need to vote all these people out of office.

Did The Earth Move For You?

KJ set to start Aqueduct pipeline dig
13.5-mile-long pipe would tap NYC water
By Chris Mckenna
Times Herald-Record
Published: 2:00 AM - 03/16/12

Kiryas Joel is preparing to start construction of the first phase of a 13.5-mile pipeline to the Catskill Aqueduct, a $29 million project the village has planned for more than a decade to solve its ever-increasing demand for drinking water.

For this initial work, the village plans to bury a 24-inch-wide pipe under state and county roads from Kiryas Joel to Cornwall, a 6.5-mile stretch that takes in all of Seven Springs Road and Ridge Road and the northern half of Route 32 in Woodbury, according to papers submitted to the state Department of Environmental Conservation in October.

A project engineer met with Woodbury officials in February and told them construction might begin in May. Woodbury Supervisor John Burke responded last week with a long list of questions and demands intended to minimize the traffic disruption and potential property damage.

Kiryas Joel still needs permits for the work, according to various permitting agencies.
As of Wednesday, the DEC had yet to grant permits to cross wetlands and disturb streams, an agency spokeswoman said.

The stream permit is needed because the water main would burrow under the Woodbury Creek.

NYC permission on hold
Meanwhile, the agency that oversees New York City's vast, upstate water supply and must grant Kiryas Joel permission to tap the Catskill Aqueduct says it hasn't finalized a water-supply agreement.

They also said they have had no contact with Kiryas Joel about its water project for at least a year.

If true, that lack of communication is surprising because representatives of the village and the city's Department of Environmental Protection agreed they were on the verge of finalizing a deal when they met to discuss the project in mid-February 2011, according to notes from that meeting that the Times Herald-Record obtained last year.

In response to a Freedom of Information Law request for any meeting notes, email exchanges or other documents concerning the project since April 1, 2011, department spokesman Mike Saucier said there were none.

The first stage of construction will end at a property on Route 32 in Cornwall where Kiryas Joel plans to build a pump station and connect a new well it needs to boost its backup water supply, according to the village's paperwork.

Upstate communities that use the city's water are required to maintain adequate backup sources they can use when the city's massive water tunnels are shut off for repairs. Kiryas Joel still had to prove it could meet that requirement when its lawyers met with the Department of Environmental Protection in February 2011.

Kiryas Joel's engineers told the state in October that its new Cornwall well can produce 600,000 gallons of water a day, which is a gusher. Drawings submitted with its permit application suggest the well is on a vacant, 9.7-acre parcel Kiryas Joel bought for $264,000 in November 2010.

Backup wells required
Farther north on Route 32, Kiryas Joel also hopes to connect an abandoned water system once used by the Star Expansion factory. Kiryas Joel officials told the city last year that the Star Expansion wells can produce 1.5 million gallons of water per day.

Ultimately, Kiryas Joel plans to extend its pipe to New Windsor and share that town's tap into the Catskill Aqueduct. It also plans to build a treatment plan on Seven Springs Road in Woodbury to filter the aqueduct water.

As Requested: Pipeline Update

In response to a posting by our most active reader, Anonymous, we turn our attention away from our attempt to come up with a new Jeremy Lin pun and look to the pipeline.

Last week pipeline engineers, under the watchful eyes of KJ attorneys, presented a somewhat brief overview of their plans to the Woodbury town and village boards.

As we already know, their plan is to put the pipe alongside (for the most part) routes 32 and 44. They'll be coming down from Cornwall, turning west at Ridge Rd and again at 7 Springs Mountain Rd.

They intend to start work in May and continue for 1 or 2 years.

What effect this will have on traffic access to those roads is not yet known.

Meanwhile, back at Route 105, the County is supposed to be working on reopening that road "in the Spring." We will attempt to get a more precise set of dates.

Left unanswered is where all the money for the pipeline is coming from.

Stay tuned.

H.T. to Anonymous.

Yes, I Repeat, No!

In Virginia a bill, HB825, was just introduced which would prohibited judges and state administrators from using any legal code esstablished outside the US in making decisions.

Meanwhile, in New Hampshire, HB1580 would require “All members of the general court proposing bills and resolutions addressing individual rights or liberties shall include a direct quote from the Magna Carta which sets forth the article from which the individual right or liberty is derived.”

Last time I checked, Runnymede was outside the borders of the USA.

The Uncle can appreciate that the Tea Party folks are made as hell, but shouldn't they try to figure out what it is they're angry about?

Action!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Coumcilman James Skoufis; Action Alert!

Dear Friends & Neighbors,

We in Woodbury are continuing our strong push to make the Route 32/Thruway improvement project happen and happen on time but we need your help. It is critical that our state and federal representatives hear from as many residents as possible about just how important this is to our quality of life here in town so please call the elected officials below and spread the word to your friends to do the same.

When you're done, please fill out this quick response form so I know how many people called and what the response you got was: Survey

When federal and state reps hear from many local residents, it makes a *huge* difference - so, if you're fed up with the traffic on Route 32, please call the list below. And thank you very much for fighting for a better Woodbury for us all.***

Senator Chuck Schumer: 914-734-1532Thank the senator for coming to Woodbury yesterday and fighting on our behalf and encourage him to do everything he can to pass Senate Bill 1813, also known as MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century) and get Albany the funding to begin our improvement project in 2013, not 2017.

Congresswoman Nan Hayworth: 845-206-4600Encourage the congresswoman to introduce a version of Senate Bill 1813 in the House. It's believed that passage in the House will be difficult so it's important you explain to the congresswoman's staff how important this project is to you and Woodbury.

Senator Bill Larkin: 518-455-2770Encourage the senator to do everything he can to lobby the Department of Transportation to put Woodbury's improvement project back on the 2013 schedule and make it a priority.

Assemblywoman Nancy Calhoun: 518-455-5441

In today's news, we found out that Assemblywoman Calhoun is working against our interests and is pushing for an alternate improvement plan that a) would start us back at ground zero in a process that has taken us a decade to get to where we are and b) has already been looked at by the Department of Transportation and deemed unfeasible. Tell her to back the plan that every local official is supporting and not go on a renegade mission that stands no chance of becoming a reality.***

If you need some background information when calling these offices: After about a decade of work, the Department of Transportation approved a plan that would construct a ribbon loop out of Woodbury Common directly onto the Thruway, eliminating the need for Common traffic to exit onto Route 32, eliminating the need for those left hand turns, and eliminating a number of traffic lights. This work had long been planned to start in 2013 until, just recently, we found out that the DOT has slated to push it back to 2017 due to lack of federal funding. Given the tremendous amount of sales tax both the Town of Woodbury and Woodbury Common generates for the state, this is simply unacceptable and we residents deserve better.

Again, when you're done, please take the very quick time to fill out the survey so we can track how many people have called and what kind of responses we are getting: Survey

Yours,

James

Unle Betty Presents...

ASAP's Fables

A fox wanted some grapes, but because they were unavailable he disparaged their quality.