Saddleback Civil Forum: EXCELLENT

The perfect model for a discussion on issues was televised last night. The Saddleback Civil Forum was a two hour forum with Barack Obama and John McCain discussing issues in separate one hour segments. One candidate was on stage while the other was secluded and unable to listen.

The forum was displayed as a relaxed casual conversational dialogue with the Pastor of Saddleback Church, Dr. Rick Warren, who did an excellent job probing each candidate on various issues broken down into categories; Stewardship, Leadership, Worldview, and What Role America Plays in the World.

The program in the church is a series of discussions designed to present civil discourse on various issues.

This would be a good format for the upcoming elections in the 118th Assembly and 48th Senate district seats. It is no secret the candidates disagree on policy and approach, and it serves little purpose for candidates to debate each other when they will not agree, so let the candidates explain directly to the voters how they will view and handle issues that affect them.

Memo, What Memo?

This issue, like many others that involve Senator Darrel Aubertine, on the home rule legislation in regards to the YMCA in Watertown and in Oswego County with the Towns of Parish and Granby, just keep taking various twist and turns. If Senator Aubertine and his staff would not attempt to cover up inaction on their part, then some of these issues that always swirl around him would clear up a lot quicker.

In all cases of the home rule legislation; it appears Senator Aubertine failed to fill out Senate Form 63, which moves legislation through the chamber, in all cases it appears he failed to pick up the phone and contact the Senator who chairs the specific committee where the bill is lodged. And in all cases Aubertine's spokesman Drew Mangione claimed they sent memos, and each time they are requested to produce the memos, they can not produce them.

Here is a clip from a July 26, 2008 article in the Valley News of Fulton.

Mangione said Aubertine did not file the Form No. 63 but instead issued a memo to the Rules Committee, which he said does not require the Form No. 63.

Mangione said the memo is dated June 4, which is 20 days prior to the passage of the bill in the assembly.

OOPS! No Memos!
The Valley News did some good reporting and submitted a FoIL request (Freedom of Information Law) for the memos and they found NO memos exist. The article also points out Drew Mangione, who appears to be running around in a circular office, is having a difficult time deciding who sent the non existent memo, first it was the Senator, then the Minority counsel, but still NO memo.

A link to today's article, or continue to read the entire article below, it is cut, pasted and highlighted.

Granby Water District: Senate claims no memo exists, Aubertine maintains it does

by Carol Thompson In response to a request made under the Freedom of Information Law, The Valley News has been advised in writing by the secretary of the N.Y. State Senate that no memo exists in regard to a bill pertaining to the Town of Granby’s No. 3 water district. The bill never made it to the floor of the senate prior to its summer recess and area State Senator Darrell Aubertine is blaming the majority Republicans, while the Republicans blame Aubertine for failing to file the appropriate paperwork necessary to move a proposed bill to the floor. The bill in question would amend the public-authorities law to allow the Onondaga County Water Authority to operate and maintain the Town of Granby’s water system, simply by adding the town to the list of towns already authorized to contract with the authority. The failure of the bill to reach the floor of the senate had no impact on the town. The bill has been described as one that would satisfy a quirk in the law. At the senate’s committee level, in order for a bill to be considered, a Form No. 63 must be filed and that was not done on behalf of Granby. Aubertine said he filed the memo in lieu of the Form No. 63. Aubertine spokesperson Andrew Mangione said Wednesday, “We did what we were told.” When asked who had told him to file the memo rather than the form, he responded that the majority and the minority counsel had given the advice. The senate majority denies Aubertine’s claim and further maintains that they never learned of the memo until it was referenced in a newspaper article. There is some uncertainty as to who sent the memo and what it contained. During a July 24 interview, Mangione said Aubertine issued a memo to the Senate Rules Committee dated June 4 to ask that his priority bill list be added to the priority bill list of the minority. When told Wednesday of the Senate’s response to the Freedom of Information request, Mangione said the memo was sent from the minority counsel to the majority counsel, and not from Aubertine himself. The bill passed in the state Assembly by a 139-1 vote June 24 and was referred to the Senate’s Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions Committee, chaired by Senator John Flanagan. According to the Senate Chamber Procedure Manual, “To request a bill out of Committee, the Member must complete and sign Form No. 63, which may be obtained from Senate Desk Operations.” It continues, “Attached to the form should be a copy of the bill and a copy of the sponsor’s memo. Since many of the Standing Committees require two sets of this package, it is suggested that three copies of Form No. 63 be obtained for each bill, with one copy being retained on file in the Member’s office.” For Assembly members, Form No. 99 is used for the same purpose. “We have a practice and protocol for moving bills in the senate that we always adhere to,” Flanagan said. “Senator Aubertine has never asked to have a request moved through committee.” While Aubertine is citing political motivation for the failure of the bill to be entertained on the senate floor, one Albany GOP source questioned why Aubertine did not check the status of his priority bills to be sure they were included on the senate calendar. The senate manual states, “It is vital that those involved with keeping track of the legislation pick up a copy of the active bill list prior to session.” Copies of the calendar are available at several locations and are placed on the desk of each senate member daily, preceding session. An Aubertine press release, issued several hours after The Valley News spoke with Mangione, stated, “The senator added that he will also continue pushing for several pieces of home-rule legislation that the Senate Majority has to this point blocked for political reasons. He called on the Senate Republicans to allow his home-rule bills to the floor for a vote.” “They cannot say they’re working for the people of New York when they let their partisan dysfunction get in the way of bills that would benefit our communities in Watertown, Parish, and Granby,” Sen. Aubertine said. “I have made it clear to the majority the importance of these bills and I hope they set party aside and step up to do what is right.” Mangione said Aubertine did file the Form No. 63 so that the bills can be considered in session. Mangione said he could not release the memo, citing confidentiality.

-Valley News

Senator, (or Drew) you can not continue to blame others, use excuses and not accept responsibility. Another common thread here...YMCA, Towns of Granby and Parish along with misccomunications with JCC regarding the timing of submitting their capital budget.

How is this everyone else's fault?

Dysfunctional, Partisan Politics: Assembly Democrat's Style

Senator Darrel Aubertine has made quite a fuss over supposedly being mistreated by the Republican majority in the Senate, a lot of which is in question as to his ability to follow proper procedure. There is very little doubt that his campaign message will focus on his version of partisan politics.

So, meet the New York State Democratic majority in the Assembly, which he was an active participant for 5 years and that is 5 years without calling for any reform in the way they do business.

The Governor has called a special session for next Tuesday and the Democrat majority of the Assembly has been huddled in New York City deciding what they will do next week. Not a single Republican present and decisions regarding New York's fiscal dilemma and public's property taxes being made behind closed doors.

Would this be former Democrat Assemblyman and now State Senator Darrel Aubertine's definition of democracy; close doors partisan meetings, absent of any public input or disclosure, decisions made in advance of any formal session? 

It would be shallow and naive thinking on the part of Aubertine to think he can possibly run a campaign based on reform when he participated in such a mockery of the democratic process, such as that of Sheldon Silver and his Assembly Democrats.

Reform?  

Voter's should ask him his position on the way the Assembly has done business while he has been there for 5 years.

The Apple Doesn't Fall....

The Democrats often want to claim they are the victims of negative attacks, but reality is their leader is one of the best when it comes to negative campaigning. State and St. Lawrence County Chair June O'Neill is known to be rude, crude and negative when it comes to politics.

The apples do not fall far from the tree, the recent special election in the 48th Senate district saw Aubertine's campaign as negative, showing pictures of personal residents, resurrecting issues that were not pertinent to New York State government and dealt with Barclay's father.

It would be nice if the Democrats could stay positive this campaign season and debate the issues. Yes, debating issues can sometimes appear negative, but issues are fair game. By the tone of a New York Times article it does not appear that will be the case this year either.

Here is an example: this is the Congressional race in the 13th district, Staten Island, and O'Neill attacks the Republican candidate about a 1982 lawsuit where there was no guilt. The Democrats call this leadership?

O'Neill's attack

“It is impossible to believe that Mr. Straniere, whose behavior has led him to be fired from numerous positions, is qualified to serve as a member of the United States Congress,” Ms. O’Neill said, in a statement. “New Yorkers in the 13th district deserve a leader with more integrity someone they can trust to stand up for them.”

Candidate Response

“Law partners have disagreements from time to time and this was simply one such disagreement,” Mr. Straniere said. “And there was no finding of guilt in that case.”

Mr. Straniere said that the Democratic chairwoman’s statement was “an obvious sign that the McMahon campaign is in a panic mode.” He added “I served with distinction as an effective member of the New York State Assembly for 24 years. And I’m not going to be sidetracked by this kind of nonsense.”

Renzi asks for debates

Renzi wants the people to hear from each candidate on their positions without the typical conditioned, scripted statements.  Real questions from real people.

What do you think?







Video courtesy of Steve Weed Productions

The Heat Is On

The 48th Senate seat race is heating up and pressure from candidate to candidate along with some miscues highlighted yesterday.

In a press release on Newzjunky candidate David Renzi challenged Darrel Aubertine to a series of debates, unscripted, free flowing conversations on the issues without bussed in extras like props in a movie production as witnessed the last election. The debates were to begin in September when the campaigns go into full swing.

The Senator initially deflected the notion of letting people hear what the  candidates have to say on the issues in a side by side setting by saying he was focused on doing his job and passing home heating assistance, which the only session they have scheduled at this point is next week, not September.

The flip flop: today it is reported he is accepting the debates. Then Aubertine makes the comment that Renzi should have picked up the phone.

"I've not yet seen his invitation," he said. "I think it's regrettable that rather than picking up the phone to call me, he's made it a political issue through the press.

Is this the same Senator who could not pick up the phone to call a colleague, Senator Betty Little to move the YMCA home legislation through?  Who, as an Assemblyman, allowed partisan mistreatment of Republican members in the Assembly (compare his staff to Dede Scozzafava's staff and she was even senior to him) and is now, (see clip art above) about supposedly being mistreated by partisan politics in the Senate instead of picking up the phone and calling Sen Little to move important legislation for a community organization through the channels.

Heads are spinning watching his inconsistencies. 

Senator, you are all over the board;

• no phone calls, then you demand phone calls
• partisan dysfunctional politics played when it suited you in the Assembly, now crying partisanship politics is hurting you
  
• no debates, now debates ok
• I was offered the NYPA job, it was a misunderstanding
• more to come on the memo's, then oops no memo's
• I voted for the ethics law, then I hired my sister

Then of course, the reminder on how our government operates in general. 

Your press release on Newzjunky calls for the Senate to address the home rule legislation. Minor detail as it may be, but the State Constitution mandates that the Legislature may take up NO OTHER ISSUE in an extraordinary session except for the specific bills that the Governor places on the agenda. The legislation for the Watertown YMCA is important, but it has not risen to the crisis level of the state's looming $6 billion budget gap, it's unlikely that Gov. Paterson will include it in the list of emergency bills.

Art IV

§  3.  The  governor  shall  be commander-in-chief of the military and
naval forces of the state. The governor shall have power to convene  the
 legislature,   or  the  senate  only,  on  extraordinary  occasions.  At
 extraordinary sessions convened  pursuant  to  the  provisions  of  this
 section  no subject shall be acted upon, except such as the governor may
 recommend for consideration.

Union Endorsements

The NYSUT is poised to "suspend" their endorsements from candidates who supported the tax cap and indications from AFL-CIO President Denis Hughes that they will possibly "withhold" endorsements from the 38 Senators (including Darrel Aubertine) who supported the tax cap proposal.

To begin with, what does withhold or suspend mean in an election, are they going to get it back after the election, win or lose?  Withhold or suspend implies it is temporary but, how can it be temporary when they either endorse or do not endorse every election, so essentially their endorsements or no endorsements are always temporary.

The candidates should take this cue from the unions and advance it one step further. The candidates for the 118th Assembly and 48th Senate district races should sit down at a public venue and sign an accord not to accept ANY union endorsement or campaign contribution. Call for a campaign free from all special interest, an agreement that every voter should be treated equally and individually.

How about it? If an incumbent is truly interested in reform, this would be a step in the right direction!

Working Families Party Ad

The Working Families Party supports increasing taxes and more spending, and that is evident if you read their platform. They along with Alliance for Quality Education, have released a new commercial in the Albany, Buffalo, Long Island, New York City, Rochester and Syracuse markets attacking the tax cap.

These are the type of ads you would typically see in the spring around budget time. The tax cap and the budget cuts debate occurring at the same time are accentuating the strength of the grip that special interest holds on Albany. Can the incumbent legislators escape the grip to benefit the voters or do they walk the tight rope during an election?

Renzi Office Opening Today

Dave Renzi For Senate Campaign Office Opening At Noon Today

Hizzoner vs. DANC

The Mayor and members of Watertown City Council quizzed their representatives from the Development Authority of the North Country, DANC Board of Directors.

According to the City Council Minutes via Newzjunky , the city sent their representatives on the board away with a very specific message.

... it would be nice to pass the revenues on to the residents of the City and the County by reducing the tipping fees

Frankly, the Mayor and City Council has it right! The revenue from the landfill and any affiliated operations should be utilized to reduce tipping fees. Unless DANC lacks management capabilities it should not need to hire a "consultant" to tell it what to do with revenue generated from operations.

Mrs. Fipps commented that using the revenues to lower tipping fees might not be the best option. She advised that DANC has hired a consultant to determine what should be done with this revenue.

What in name of... was DANC created for? To specialize in these exact types of operations as so called "experts." Is Juravich, Sauter and crew not capable of doing their job? A consultant and any subsequent study will only be used to justify more of their runaway bloated operation at taxpayer's expense.

The only thing the landfill has more of than seagulls, is money, use it to benefit the public.