OK, Legislator Peter Kraft has resigned at the end of this year. Who cares. The reality is if the
It is NOT ok that government officials get elected to a term of office, don’t bother showing up, but continue to take our hard earned dollars.
Where is Josh Koplovitz, the erstwhile
Once again, taxpayers get fleeced and our government officials do nothing. By the way, and not for nothing, where are the Republican minority members? Come on folks, we know Mr. Kraft is one of your own – that special part of the insiders club that is the County Legislature, but if a Republican walked away months ago, you can bet the Democrats, who are much better politicians than the GOP, would have the political brain power to be calling for his immediate resignation . . . and if that did not work trying to recover the salary wrongfully paid to him.
Independent Ulster has hired people before. You wouldn’t pay an employee not to show up, so why should we the people pay a public official not to show up. One more taxpayer outrage in
PS - INDEPENDENT ULSTER PROPOSES THAT MARCH GALLAGHER INVESTIGATE THIS . . . oh yeah, sorry, we forgot, she only investigates allegations of wrongdoing when it comes to Republicans, not her fellow Democrats.
14 comments:
Frank Felicello has missed 80% of meetings the past 15 years. Bob Aiello won't go to meetings because he can't pay for gas.
Be fair.
Maybe March Gallager can go under cover again.
Does ANY Legislator have to show up to any meeting? I have heard that once they get elected, they never have to show up for another meeting after they are sworn in. Nothing illegal about it. Immoral? yes, Illegal, no. Kraft is not the only one who misses meetings. Check the attendance records.
Aiello, although recovering from cancer surgery now, has had an abysmal attendance record for his entire tenure. He would owe tens of thousands if they tried to recoup his salary based on his attendance. Joan Every was another one. She missed all of her committee meetings and 50% of the legislative meeting. Then there was Ms. Hyatt from Ellenville who never came either. The late Pete Nacarato would go to Florida for the winter months. Phil Sinagra and Pete Savago did too. Joe Roberti would deserve an incomplete if he were being graded based on attendance. Kraft did not break new ground. There was a well worn and well traveled path before he got here.
Is he the only one who took a job outside the state and remained in the UC Legislature?
Look - if a legislator misses a meeting once in a while I have no problem with that.
When a person MOVES though, as Kraft did, you are dead on - he needs to give the $ back for his salary and health benefits.
If Felicello and Aiello are always absent (health problems excepted naturally), then they should pay their salary back also.
I guess Felicello is too busy teaching gym - probably shooting some lay ups and teaching the kids how to play soccer to make the meetings if he is missing them.
But even if they miss some of the meetings, that is a far different cry than Kraft - who moved!
Frank Fellicello never misses meetings! He did a few times last year when he was sick with cancer. Joan Every the long standing GOP legislator from Esopus missed almost every meeting when an important vote was coming up. They called her Joanie Ducks. Her record was the worst of any legislator, including Kraft.
On Felicello, I call Bullsh*t, check the records or ask Noonan. He misses a lot.
There are occasions when personal problems such as family, illness or other circumstances that inhibit a Legislator from filling his or her obligation. I don't know of many elected officials that miss meeting for the hell of it. Every two years voters have an opportunity to re-elect their representative or send them packing. If a particular Legislator is sent back to represent their district regarless of how many meetings they might have missed, than I beleive voters in that district are happy with their elected official.
The voting public does not pay attention to how many meetings Legislators go to or do not go to.
Most of the time, the voting public does not even know the names of their elected County Legislators.
The voting public has no idea how the Legislators vote and how the taxpayer money is spent. Most voters do not have the time or inclination to follow this information.
The only people who follow who shows up to meetings and how things are voted on are the political insiders.
Therefore, we must rely on the "press" to spoonfeed this information to the voting public.
That's why things are so screwed up in this country. Our elected officials are not held accountable by the voters. The press has their own agenda.
Our elected officials are usually not the most competent, but rather are usually the most popular or politically correct.
you are forgetting the charter, you know that little thing that voters approved, there is NO attendance requirement for elected office.
Which means if I get elected legislator and I never show up for a single meeting, I am fine, as long as voters continue to elect me to serve them.
There are no ethics in Ulster County. Everything needs to be spelled out for our politicians.
For the average citizen, common sense would tell you that if you can't do a job (and for Legislators, that means showing up for meetings... what the hell else do they do anyway?) then you should resign.
But common sense is not so common, particularly among the politicians in Ulster County.
Guest viewpoint: State should cut spending, not raise taxes
By Jeff Matolka
"And with that," he exclaimed, "to all a Merry Christmas" as he strolled out of the press conference with his tax and fee proposals held tight.
Although, it would be nice to find some joy and humor in this time of year, it is near impossible to understand, or even to comprehend as to what stand-in Gov. Paterson is trying to correct with these proposed tax increases. Does he not see the writing on the economic wall?
Driving up the gasoline tax, bringing back a clothing tax, and taxing soda will only lead to less consumer confidence and spending. You don't have to travel far to see gas prices 10-20 cents lower or to find tax-free clothing. And how did soda become the usurper of healthy living, transcending Americans into slobbering jelly molds?
Then there are the taxes that reach into the sublime. Eight percent iPod tax, cable and satellite radio tax. What is next, a toilet tax?
The recession is here, folks, and dare I say, going to get worse. Yet, Paterson thinks the cure to this is to burden over-taxed New Yorkers even more. Have us pay more for skyrocketing health care while raising the welfare grant and eliminating safeguards on an already-inept and defunct welfare system.
Have we all not seen what higher gas prices mean; $2-plus loaves of bread, $3-plus for orange juice? Raising the gas tax is immediately transferred to the consumer as a recessive tax -- meaning the economic burden hits the middle and lower classes harder than the upper class.
A 18 percent obesity tax on soda and sugary drinks? This is the type of pandering tax that falls right into the "it is not my fault" category. Being fat is not an epidemic. It is a condition promulgated as one, where a lack of exercise, genetics and diet are what need to be viewed as a solution, not "let's tax away the problem." People still smoke, and I never knew anyone who caught obesity from drinking out of the same glass.
New York and Paterson have a chance right here and right now to forge a change, new thinking, to return to the ideals of democracy and responsibility.
Welfare and food stamps in this state are abused to great severity. There are so many instances of illegal selling of stamps, as well as improper. And where does it proclaim that welfare should be a lifelong grant, or obligation to the state for the duration of one's life? Sure, there are exceptions to every rule, but can one honestly say welfare is even close to a cure-all?
There are no perfect solutions, but to every argument there is a counterpoint.
How do single parents, or "disadvantaged" parents, find work and someone to take care of the kids? How about reinvesting the money for welfare into job training like day care teachers, cooks, nannies or general custodial services? Not only is there somebody to take care of the kids while Mom and Dad are pounding the pavement, but it creates jobs. It creates an atmosphere of learning and progress, not apathy and sloth. It allows one to return something to the community and to keep the children under an adult eye -- discipline.
Taxing the wealthy cannot always be the answer, though tax loopholes need to be closed to balance out the "tax field." Additionally, it is much easier for the wealthy to pick up and move to any of the neighboring states if they are sick of being stuck with the state's fiscal problems. Also, we all know how we hate to be taxed; why should we think the upper class do not loathe them as well?
Here is a radical solution: How about asking our public servants to cut their salaries, since their primary job is to protect the welfare of the public? The Web site seethroughny.net gives the salaries of all in state government. Since there are 60 senators, and if they each make a base salary of $79,000 a 10 percent cut would mean $474,000 back into the budget. And you still have staff members, some of whom make $20 per hour, and there are the 150 Assembly members and staff, as well as our tax-touting governor and his staff. And why is a pension cut going to new hires only -- why not implement this across the board?
Sure these are superficial suggestions, but nonetheless offer different ideas to the old tax to death the common man that has gotten us nowhere. Different thinking warrants thought and discussion.
There are more pertinent resolutions and solutions out there, if our elected officials are really there to serve the good of the people and uphold the ideals forged by the Declaration of Independence. They will not vote for these ridiculous fees and taxes, but seek other changes.
Gov. Paterson should stop being the Grinch, for we all want a Happy Holiday -- and we all yearn for a Happy New Year.
WHY DON'T HOLLEY CARNRIGHT LOOK INTO THIS? DOES HE DO ANYTHING FOR THE 134K THAT WE PAY HIM EACH YEAR?
to 5:59 am, I checked the county website. Roberti missed 3 committee meetings in 2008, 2 regular meetings of the legislature and 1 special meeting. That's hardly incomplete--in fact--it's above average for this legislature. Get your facts straight before you post. There is another word for this--libel.
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