We have Lost the AAA Rating on our Bonds that Will Cost Us All

In the local area there is a problem of how the Republican Party plays polices.  It is a bigger National problem. Mr. McConnell has publicly vowed to make Obama a one term President. It is fair to call him anti-Obama because the Republican has not even settled on a presidential candidate. The two most powerful Republican politicians are anti-Obama. I believe it is fair to say both are from an area of the country that has a history of racial tension.  Mr. Boehner lunched an attack on the health insurance care reform labeling it Obama Care. They refuse to allow the government to bargain with the drug makers and keep pushing for the repeal of “Obama Care.”   Their continued attack on our President, that they do not respect, has resulted in the election of many anti-Obama Tea Party Representatives. They demanded no new taxes. Their song is we don’t have a taxing problem we have a spending problem. Now we have lost the AAA rating on our bonds that will cost us all.  The problem given for the drop in the rating is the loss of a clear path forward. Washington is broken and if we are to fix thing we need a President that is allowed to lead. The Republicans should respect our President. Obama is well educated, dedicated, and very able. He is black and has been a unifying force for much, but not all, of the County.

Grant Langdon

We need a County Manager

I am cheered by a possible good thing happening at the County level. Yes, that's Columbia County, the Republican-run County you live in. Next week the County Board of Supervisors may vote (full BOS Board Meeting on Aug 10th) on a recommendation from the County Government Committee to move forward to establish an appointed County Manager as the executive officer. This move will set up a central management for the cumbersome County government which should assure some efficiencies and coherence to county operations. Columbia County is currently one of only 9 counties in NY State that have no centralized management, most of them, recently including Greene and Ulster Counties, having made the change. Here, management by multi-committee works slowly and often to cross purposes. The part-time Supervisors are hard pressed to oversee the details of daily management of departments. Germantown Supervisor, Roy Brown, has led a combined group of Supervisors and community leaders who have done the research on the issue, discussed the pros & cons and have come up with the recommendation. You can see their findings on the County website : www.columbiacountyny.com

If you want more information, work your way through the findings. It's a little redundant in their effort to cover all bases and opinions, but their conclusion is that "We need a County Manager."

Those proposing the change are optimistic about the vote next week. The most often asked question is "won't it just be an increased cost that results in no savings?". The study says no, the savings and efficiencies will more than make up for the cost of a manager and any staff. They have set up a list of qualifications for the office that are encouraging, but the change, if voted for, will need constant attention by the public to see that its promise is achieved. This is a step into the 21st Century for the county. One question still to be asked: "Will it be possible for someone to get a County job without changing his/her voter registration to the Republican Party?" This is the state of things right now. Will it change? Keep tuned.

Kay Abraham 

Happy to See a Revaluation of my Home

I would be happy to see a revaluation of my home. It's been a while since I saw the appraisal on my house as my husband takes care of the paperwork here, but I do remember whenever the appraisal was done it added about 600 SF to my house and called my one car detached garage a two car attached.

Terrie Schmearer

An Affront to the American People

The debt ceiling compromise is an affront to the American people who overwhelmingly supported a balanced approach of both tax cuts andtax increases to bring the federal budget into balance. But Gibson and the GOPparty have vigorously protected the assets of the top 2% of the wealthiestpeople in our country rather than bring federal budgets into balance byresponsibly increasing tax revenues along with spending cuts. The cost of theBush cuts to the federal treasury has been estimated to be $1.3 trillion, $1.3trillion of which could have been a significant down payment to reduce thenational debt and pay for 2 unfunded wars. The only way the Obamaadministration felt that they could prevent a catastrophic default was to agreeto a deal that contains no tax increases. But without tax increases, the cuts to essential governmental programsthat protect the American dream will be far more drastic than would otherwisebe necessary.

As Thom Hartmann has said, “Lost amid all the demagogue andarguing regarding the debt/deficit, what's lost is the fact is it's really anargument that pits tax cuts and wars vs. the social safety net.  And it's tax cuts and wars that havegotten us into this mess, not Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security.” 

ShirleyRipullone

Instead Being of Assistance – A Ticket

Instead Being of Assistance – A Ticket
A few weeks ago my niece and a friend were driving to our home in Copake from Great Barrington at approximately 11 pm at night. The GPS in their car was directing them. The GPS guided them a bit off track as they were looking for our road.

They saw no police car or any other cars on the road and they had no cell phone service to call us for directions.

As they made the left hand turn onto what they thought was our road the police car followed the young women’s car with no headlights on or flashing lights for approximately  ½ a mile.  The police then put on their lights and stopped my niece and friend on the dark dirt road.  The first policemen approached the car and said they were speeding.  The two college age young woman said they were lost and looking for our house. Then a second officer got out of the car with his flashlight and started shining it on everything in the back seat as well as the two young women. 

When they asked why they didn't put on their lights - the officers said they were going too fast and couldn’t catch them - as far as I know police cars can drive fast when they need to  especially going down Rt 7 and turning left onto what is consider by the Town of Copake to be a private road.

Instead of helping them to find their way or lend any assistance  they gave the driver a speeding ticket for going 47 in a 30. It is not possible to be going that speed in the dark to make a left turn.

Why would they follow them with no lights on? How would the girls know it was the police? Why would they not assist these two young women to find our home? They were so scared and confused.

 In further research these officers were not even from our area. 

Copake promotes itself as the land of rural charm and wants people to visit and enjoy the area. This is not a way to promote our community.

I hope that in the future the police that patrol our area will be more helpful.

Linda Senk
Copake, New York

Place the Local Police on the Ballot

Mr. Sachs:

I read the last issue of your blog and had to write a letter to the editor. The incompetence of the local Republican administration in Copake never fails to amaze me.  Each day they show two important things. They came into office with no experience and have proven that they don’t know how to learn from their mistakes. I find it strange that this town never had any money trouble till Crowley took over?  And we have had nothing but bankruptcy problems since these guys took office. Placing an electrician in charge of the budget turned out to be a brilliant idea. Keeping him there was equally brilliant.

I am begging anyone who is willing to listen to reason to place the local police on the ballot this November. It is one of the only ways we can get out of this financial corner that incompetence has placed on us.

John Decker 

Extended Blackouts In Copake and Elsewhere

Hi Bob
Before moving Columbia Country full time, I had an opportunity to travel around the globe for business...including several trips to India.
While there I noticed that there were power outages due, I was told, to a poorly developed infrastructure. Well, here we am years later in America and it is happening  to our town of Copake and the areas around us as regularly as in some emerging nations.

It is, I believe, the result of the large Spanish energy conglomerate Iberdrola, its services reach 16 million customers, over nine million in Spain.  In September 2008, Iberdrola bought Energy East, a utilities company that serves 2.9 million customers in the Northeast United States.
They took over NYSEG and that is when the extended blackouts began and they disassembled the service teams in our area.

What do you or your readers know about it?  How can we get to the bottom of this and halt the deterioration of our local energy service.

Maj Kalfus

GOALS FOR COPAKE

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

DEMOCRATIC PARTY SUPPORTED CANDIDATE'S GOALS FOR COPAKE

I've been observing the actions of the Republican-controlled Town Board in Copake for the past three and a half years, and I find that the Republican majority has lost sight of the needs of the residents of the Town.  We need change in Copake.  We need to avoid large tax increases and an inability to pay for unexpected expenses.  Copake now faces another financial crisis with no plan in place to resolve the issues.   We need long range financial planning as well as sound planning for the future of Copake as proposed in the recently released final draft of the Comprehensive Plan.  We do not need to act in panic and plug the holes with stopgap financial measures as they arise.

The Democratic Party supported candidates are the ones who are best capable of the kind of forward-thinking  leadership Copake so desperately needs.  They are running on a ten point platform to bring change to Copake.  Look at their plans and see for yourself:

1. Develop a five year financial plan to avoid large future tax increases;

2. Modernize our Town Hall systems and record keeping to achieve savings in money,

     time and space, and improve service to residents;

3. Assure fair and equitable assessments for all;

4. Encourage community and business participation in community revitalization;

5. Support development of Copake as a sustainable, environmentally protected community

6. Help to make alternate energy available to all residents;

7. Preserve farmland as part of our community heritage;

8. Conserve the former Copake Green property as open space;

9. Assure open meetings and community dialog, and increase public participation in town government;

10.Develop initiatives to keep our seniors and veterans active within the Town.

Say no with your votes, to the Republican approach toward governing.  Let's not repeat the mistakes of the recent past with borrowed funds and deficits in our budget.  Vote for the Democratic Party supported candidates for the Town in the November election and bring needed change and improvement to Town government.

Morris Ordover

Copake NY

An open letter to the Taxpayers & Town Board of Copake

An open letter to the Taxpayers & Town Board of Copake

At the Thursday July 14th meeting of the town board a question was asked about placing a referendum about the Copake Police Department on this November’s Ballot. This has been an ongoing request of many voters for years.  We, the Republican candidates for the Town Board of Copake strongly support our local Police Department, but we also believe it is time for the voters of our town to finally have a say in the decision of our Police Department. We are asking the town board to enact a resolution to place a referendum on this November’s ballot about the future of our Police Department. It is time for the voters to decide on this.

We only ask that if a referendum is placed on this Novembers ballot, that the voters will take the time to get all the facts about what a local Police Department means to our Town.

Jeff Nayer (candidate for Town Supervisor)

Stephen Hoppe (candidate for Town Council)

Kelly Miller-Simmons(candidate for Town Council)

What's going on in this town? I am truly baffled.

It was just a short time ago that the little pond behind the municipal parking lot was granted as a water source for the Fire Department, and otherwise left undisturbed. What a brilliant, generous, and conscientious idea. Now, I am hearing that it may be turned into a park? How about putting a couple of benches along the road and see how that goes first. What's going on in this town? I am truly baffled.

Steve "KotL" Rosenzweig

A Grand Jury Would Indict a Ham Sandwich

I congratulate Senator Saland on the legislative program he put forth. His bill requiring DNA testing should help the police solve crimes. Frank Sterling served 18 years in prison for a murder that DNA later proved was committed by Mark Christie. Frank Sterling is on of the 27 in the state wrongly convicted that was freed by The Innocents’ Project. Had a Preliminary Hearing with cross examination been held instead of having the Grand Jury indict, Christie, the other suspect in the murder, might have been indicted. The cross examination is the big difference. With a Preliminary Hearing the judge decides if a trial will take place. Chief Judge Wachtler of the Court Of Appeals said a Grand Jury would indict a ham Sandwich. That is because it is controlled by the District Attorney with no cross examination.  Keeping what went on secret originally served the purpose of protecting the reputation of people not indicted. Now the police do a prep walk for the press so it serves no purpose.  The Supreme Court has ruled the Grand Jury is not needed in State Court, but it is required by the New York State Constitution. I would like to see Senator Saland introduce a Constitutional Amendment allowing the Legislature to replace the Grand Jury. Britain, Canada, New Zeeland, Australia have all done away with the Grand Jury. New York State should do the same


Grant Langdon

It is refreshing to read about that magic in Copake

It is refreshing to read about that magic during a time when Catskill wants to be Saratoga Springs, Athens wants to be Hudson…Copake wants to be Copake.

Brad 

Where is the Road Work on 7A?

letter to the editor-


 I don't know about anyone else but it seems to me that the only indication of work on 7A,other than the demolition of the bridge, are the signs stating that there's work being done. It has been over a month, makes you wonder, does't it. 
Bruce Kuty

The Best of Times in Copake Government

To the Editor,

The best times in government occur when a great idea which has been long in its planning finally comes to fruition. We are extremely fortunate in Copake to be experiencing two such moments. Not only is the Town Board ready to consider the Comprehensive Plan, which has been three plus years in the making, but this past week saw the start of the placement of the solar panels on the Parks and Recreation Building. First of all I wish to thank Jeanne Mettler who took what began as a somewhat contentious Town Board process and brought together a wonderful composite of people. To all of you who served on the Comprehensive Planning Committee, who diligently met a minimum of twice monthly for three plus years, the reward of your labors is in our hands and I wish to express gratitude for all your efforts.  I am also excited at the prospect of being involved in implementing this vision for Copake in the coming years; a vision for which you have built the framework. It doesn't get much better than this.

The other moment of note also began in 2008 when I returned from a grant seminar at the Roosevelt Library and committed with Councilman Tompkins to diligently working to make solar panels on the Park Building and Town Hall a reality.  Throughout the process there have been many phone calls, ups and downs, grant writing sessions, and meetings. Never once did either of us believe we would fail, and one of the nice things about working so closely with a colleague is that at any given point in time one or the other can step forward to keep things moving.  Over this extended period of time both Dan and I alternately shouldered the burden of keeping things on track, whether it be making certain we hit deadlines or finding the answers to any question which might possibly be asked by those who had concerns about this project. While the journey has been long, the process was always a pleasure and to have been a participant in making something happen which will benefit the entire town is quite rewarding.

An additional reward of the solar panel process was the role it served in bringing the Town Board together.  Much as Jeanne brought together a disparate group of people to produce a cohesive and unified final document, Dan and I were able to find the common ground needed to move things forward. Bi-partisanship is a reward in and of itself, and so I would particularly like to take this point in time to thank my colleague Dan Tompkins for reaching out. Together we discovered that in reality our commonalities far exceeded our differences and that once a dialogue is begun about one subject then other discussions about other topics will soon follow. By discovering not only that we worked well together, but that we actually enjoyed working together, it became possible to accomplish much more than would have otherwise been possible in what was once a divided Town Board. So I thank my colleague, my friend Dan Tompkins for the positive experience working with him has been and for working with me to bring positive change to Copake. Your presence on the Town Board will be missed next year, Dan.

It truly takes people willing to come together, to listen to each other and to compromise to make things happen. I am grateful to have been able to be a part of this dynamic and am looking forward to all that we the people of Copake will accomplish in the coming years. It's an exciting time to be a part of local government and I am thankful for the six years of experience on the Town Board which I can now utilize in continuing this process of setting and reaching positive goals for Copake.  As I said before, it doesn't get much better than this.

Linda Gabaccia

I Stand a Luddite....Proudly

For every cell tower that goes up, light industry that constructs a new building, or historic, old train station that
gets bulldozed to make way for Lord knows what, I  become more and
more steadfast in my opposition to change, at least some kinds of change.
I am more interested in re-invogorating the existing infrastructure of downtown.
Empty existing storefronts should be filled.
Sidewalks should be maintained and maybe even lengthened.
The clock being restored is terrific.
We should, as stewards of this rural town, be steadfast in preserving what we have,
maintaining the self-sufficiency of our strong, supportive community, and taking the bolder and braver steps
to holding firm to what we already have and vehemently denying the ru-burbanization of Copake.
I have to wonder:
Does a cell tower pose any risk whatsoever to our health?
The phones themselves possibly do.
So, perhaps a giant magnet for a bunch of transmissions might too. But, I dunno. Do you?
If the EMS, Fire, and Police crews need stronger communication systems, I think that's paramount, and we should focus on that very seriously.
I have spoken to a couple of members of both the EMS and Police departments,
and I have been told that their system is independent of any cell tower that might go up.
Is there any way to boost the existing Emergency Services communication system so
they can obtain life-saving signals in a wider range of areas and not have to switch to their personal cellphones to make
possible life-saving calls?
I like the idea of the best technology for what's truly important.
Do we know what's going to be built on the south entrance from Rt. 22 after the great old train station is gone?
A storage facility that we really don't need?
An open space of simply grass and trees?
I dunno.
Are we going to start to fill-in the long stretch between downtown Hillsdale and the new library in Copake?
Probably...eventually.
None of this new stuff will ever come down again. Clearing open space for new construction allows for a domino-effect of
"since one tower is up, we might need another because I still cannot make a call from such-and-such road".
Or, "well, there's already a couple of light-industries here, and they're doing well, so we might want a couple more".
Or, "well, nobody seems to want to restore the general store and open something up in the same space, so we might want to consider
encouraging an entrepreneur to build a new store on the flats, or somewhere else".
And, so on.
I say we care for and support what we already have, fill-up the empty buildings and
explore other solutions before we crap-up another hilltop, or build out and beyond, into open space.
Let's research how to help the Emergency Services folks obtain the best possible system of communication and learn to live with some dead zones
when we are trying to Twitter our BFFs.
If someone gets stuck in a ditch and cannot get a signal, maybe someone one will stop and help them. I know I would.
I smell the signs of sprawl.
It may not happen today, or tomorrow, but it feels like it's coming and when it does, it won't stop.
If the majority of the town wants new, better, bigger and faster, so be it.
But, my fears of what might begin to happen here do make me want to stand firmer and clearer on my stance
about preserving, supporting, and maximizing what we already have.
Perhaps I stand alone.
So I shall.
Truly,
Steve Rosenzweig, King of the Luddites.

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