The Priority of Addressing “Downtown Copake

Bob:

As one of the other attendees at Copake’s June 4 Planning Meeting, I want to completely agree with your assessment: a Town Hall full of smart people, appreciative of being heard and eager to learn, congenial and productive.  I and what I guess are my 3,614 Copake neighbors cannot thank chair Jeanne Mettler, her committee, and the self-effacing consultant from River Street Planning enough.

I—and clearly the majority of the others at Town Hall—agree with your suggestion about the priority of addressing “Downtown Copake,” where, as another speaker put it, some remedial work on three sites may have a huge impact on attracting businesses and investment.  I am also a fan of your thinking on the power of a mixed-use theater (+coffee shop+Internet café+gallery…) as an anchor and your budget idea of more entertainment in the park.

I hope the Town Board and Supervisor can move this plan toward swift approval.  And that sufficient citizenry can rise to the challenge of populating the dozen committees that will start turning the plan into the future.

Will Maitland Weiss

Executive Director, Arts & Business Council of NY

The Great Story on the Vets’ Ceremonies

Bob-

Thank you for that great story on the Vets’ ceremonies around the County on Memorial Day. We should remember all those who served, past and present, every day because we would not have a country without Vets.

I would have been in Copake at the ceremonies too, but  I had already committed to marching in the Memorial Day Parade in DC.

Steve Savarese

Copake Has a History That goes Back to the 1600's

Copake has a history that goes back to the 1600's and no one seems to think it is important.  There is no marker for the Grist Mill Unity that ground flour for troops during the Revolution and no marker for the part played in the Anti-Rent Movement. Nothing about being part of Livingston Manor or the boundary dispute that started the Anti Rent Movement. The iron works offers an excellent opportunity for development of the  tourist industry.


If you want to appeal to the better healed you need a  historic  building  where they can experience fine dinning.  Copake needs young people to take over and new housing, such as town houses, that might help attract  them.  I note Copake has a faction that is opposed to any change  and especially new housing.


To bad they are not on board.


Grant Langdon

“Ethics Reform, Albany Style”

To the Editor:

“Ethics Reform, Albany Style” (editorial, June 7) is a sad example of half a loaf of stale bread possibly being better than none.

The Democrats in Albany, copying their timid colleagues in Washington, have allowed the Republicans (with the Joint Commission on Public Ethics) to ensure that any bill that passes is, at best, only half effective.

By crippling the enforcement parts of the bill, our “representatives” in Albany have voted for business as usual with a very thin coat of ethics. This thin coat is less than a “good first step.” It is another illustration that using ethics and Albany in the same sentence remains an oxymoron.

THEODORE S. VOELKER
Copake, June 7, 2011 

Dear Mr. Wheeler - What about The Elephant in the Room

Dear Mr. Wheeler, supervisors, other,

Thank you Mr. Wheeler for the explanation about the resolutions (below). The typo seems to refer to the wrong town in a resolution, a section of road, 7A I believe. I offered the case of the typo as an example of why the resolutions should be online, which they now are and I think it's a positive step forward. Next time, the community, who knows who, might catch something more important.

Anyway, the resolutions are not online now, so I guess they won't be on the website before the vote on the resolutions. I just assumed the purpose of putting the resolutions online in advance would be to give the public a chance to look them over, find typos, mistakes and see what's coming down the pike, to organize resistance to bad measures and come out to support things they like.

You never know what kind of expertise and knowledge there is out there in the world and keeping things open seems like the best way to tap into our talented community. Just putting the resolutions online 3 weeks before the vote and letting folks have at them will probably save the county money. Putting them online AFTER the vote is better than nothing at all but not as effective as putting them online well in advance, I would think.

At least consider putting the resolutions online in advance... and thanks for getting back to me. I appreciate the response.

On another note, since it is the elephant in the room, folks, I do have a standing request for an ethics hearing to remove Valerie Bertram from the county ethics board. No one ever said peep about it so far. I didn't say remove her. I never said resign. I said let's have a hearing. I never heard why that might not be a good idea to clear the air or stop unethical behavior, depending on what we find.

In federal court this summer, I hope to make an argument that there is systematic break down in local ethics enforcement in New York and Columbia County. I would hope we start to change that systematic failure by court order if not voluntarily.

Where is Columbia County in the morass of ethical failure we call New York? Not leading. Right now, i would submit I don't see any reason for anyone to have any faith in your ethics board. Your ethics policy is posted on the website. Aren't you also supposed to actually use it?

Again, I say I was issued a false criminal violation charge followed by the illegal hiring of a special prosecutor to pursue said charge. A citation based on pre-arranged, coordinated false charge which Valerie Bertram was likely aware of in advance was filed in retaliation for bringing an ethics violation to the attention of the chair of the ethics board days prior to the issue of the court appearance. If true, as I have just alleged, this would not be how the chair of the ethics board should react to such an allegation that someone acted unethically, or at least appeared to act in such a way.

I never said that Tal Rappleyea's possible violation was criminal. I said there was the strong appearance of a violation and asked that it be looked into. it was not. Instead, I was targeted.

If the county is unable to police itself, then the courts are the only remedy.

It is clearly a county issue. Ms. Bertram is your chair of your ethics board. She is your chair of your public safety committee. She is your (some of you) deputy majority leader.

Doesn't it bother anyone that I found a problem, $10,000 missing, brought the issue to the attention of the person who is supposed to look into this stuff, and ended up in court against a special prosecutor with me as the defendant as my thanks?

It bothers me. I think it stinks. You guys are supposed to do something about it and you're not. That stinks too.

it is illegal to report financial mismanagement in Columbia County? All of you supervisors think this is fine?

Sorry, but I'm just not pleased about it. There is no way this is supposed to happen. You seem to hope I will just go away.

You know, I pay you guys a lot of taxes. You are not supposed to stand there and watch me get abused by the chair of the ethics board. Its totally outrageous and I'm pretty disgusted.

Is this all okay with you guys? Police harassment, like that business with Martin Roby? Lying to police that you have budgetary control over? False criminal charges? Special prosecutor? Pressuring cops to lean on political opponents? No accountability? What country is this?

Do you ever draw the line with one of your own?

Are you going to make me sue the county in Federal Court? Don't make me. Do something about this.

Open government, accountability, seriousness in ethics, honest invoices: seems like this stuff should be rather clear. But do get back to me and let me know where I may have missed something. Or let me know when my hearing will occur.

Thanks again for putting the resolutions online. Thanks for putting the ethics policy online.

A couple of positive steps...

Best,

Will Pflaum