TROLLEY TRAX CLEAN-UP SATURDAY!

This Saturday April 30th, The City of Kingston will experience the third annual Clean Sweep throughout the central part of the city. One of the chosen focus areas this year is the abandoned trolley tracks behind the Rondout Bank on Broadway.
My reason for highlighting this task on the Blog is to give those of us who will participate in the clean-up a quick look at just how much work is ahead of us this Saturday. Clear bags will help distinguish the recyclables from the trash.
 

For decades, people living on either side of the old railbed, have thrown their household trash and yard waste down in the channel. This of course puzzles all of us because the City collects trash, recycling and yard waste at the curb weekly.
 
In years past, tire companies had thrown truck loads of old tires by the tunnel opening. With help from friends, I have been dragging up piles and taking them to the City Transfer Station. There are still about 50 left.
  

The fence post below, is one of 10 that came from the back yard of a neighboring property. It had just been thrown on the tracks before I wandered down last fall. The holes were still visible in the yard. The owner said he had no idea where they came from. He was still holding the shovel. 
 

The owner of this tree below, told me she didn't know where the tree came from. She was standing on the trunk when she said this. 
 

This massive pile of brush below, wasn't hear last year. I had actually gotten this far up from the tunnel collecting recyclables around November so there has been property clean up this spring. Can someone tell me how a neighbor just arbitrarily throws this down here knowing the City Sweep is heading this way? 
 

This last shot is the other end of the tunnel. The tracks head west at an incline from here so the drain to the lower left needs constant attention. The piles of debris through the whole railbed have made it a soggy mess so be prepared for tough, wet and smelly work Saturday morning. Meet-up is 9am at the bank parking lot. 
 

THE REALITY OF HYDROFRACKING

In recent weeks, there has been a resurgence in attention to HydroFracking in New York State. Long awaited studies are concluding and reports are showing that there is no good way to spin the reality that Fracking is detrimental to the communities and regions where it is perpetrated.
 

In the New York Times, we saw the most aggressive approach to the dangers and the ruthless tactics used by the oil & gas companies. Lets not forget how, until recently, the chemicals used in the process were an industry secret that, as it turns out, contains compounds that are highly carcinogenic and cause multiple health hazards including birth defects. I understand why they didn't want the ingredients of the injection slurry exposed.

 

Back in 2010, under the leadership of Henry Waxman, the House Energy & Commerce Committee, made the initial inquiry which revealed that 14 of the nation’s most active hydraulic fracturing companies used 866 million gallons of hydraulic fracturing products. This of course was before we include water into the equation. 

  

 

This issue has come up numerous times in the Ulster County Legislature because of the possibility that companies in neighboring counties are threatening to use the same process to get less accessible natural gas out of the subsurface shale beds that permeate much of the Delaware & Hudson Valleys.

 

 For those who may not know, HydroFracking is the process of using liquids under high pressure into deep rock formations where current gas pockets are difficult to reach. The liquid chases the gas out of the fissures and permeable shale beds. Fracking yields the best result when pursued horizontally, just below the surface. The process, which is being used to tap into large reserves of natural gas  around the country, opens fissures in the rock to stimulate the release of oil and gas.  

NY AG Eric Schneiderman vowed last week that he would file a lawsuit against the federal government unless officials commit to a comprehensive safety review of hydrofracking. He is giving officials a month to agree to the study that would focus on the impact of hydrofracking in the Delaware River basin,  including portions of Broome, Chenango, Delaware, Schoharie, Green, Ulster, Orange and Sullivan counties.

Of course our own state DEC is stepping up with their own study, expected out in August. Those who would grant permits claim they'll wait until the state study is concluded. I'd urge them to wait until the Fed review or insist that the process be included under the scrutiny of the Clean Air & Water Act. 

 

If the chemicals used in Fracking were expected to stay deep below the surface, there would be less of a controversy. Unfortunately, they do not. There are numerous accounts of communities across the country that have been evacuated and rendered toxic brownfield status because the pressurized slurry reached the wells and waterways. In some cases, flammable gas and mysterious liquids leak out from back yards. These property owners had no recourse because the companies are not held accountable. They were simply ordered to leave permanently.  

In one town in Pennsylvania, levels of benzene are roughly 28 times the federal drinking water standard in wastewater as it was discharged, after treatment, into the Allegheny River in May 2008. In some cases, the contaminants were radioactive. I can assure you, our treatment plant cannot handle the removal of radioactive elements. 

If that wasn't enough of red flag, there was an explosion in Bradford County PA last week. The well exploded close to the surface so it spewed tons of fracking liquid over containment walls, through fields, personal property and livestock farms. They've found traces in the Susquehanna River.

The push to find new sources of energy, tremendous profits and feed the American addiction on fossil fuels has put out drinking water at risk. 

The question is how many wells need to blow out, how many people need to get sick and how many communities need to be devastated before elected leaders say enough is enough, the risk is too great? 

As my friend Legislator Zimet said "The gas has been there for millions of years, it can stay there a little longer until we figure how to extract it safely.”

HEARD OF THE PEOPLE'S BUDGET?

As we all know, the house Republicans voted in favor of the Ryan Budget this week. If it were ever get through the Senate and signed by the President, it would increase the national debt by 4 Trillion and eliminate Medicare as we know it. As you can tell, I just mimicked most of the news programs since it happened.

There is however, an alternative offered by the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) which was offered on the floor but failed. Naturally. 
The bill was named the "People's Budget" and deserved much more attention than what the corporate news channels dared to expose. Understand that regardless of the source, those organizations want the status-quo just like the rest of the top 2%. Dont kid yourself.

The "People's Budget" actually demonstrates what a progressive agenda should look like. While salvaging what's left of our social contracts, it paves the way for a progressive tax policy that makes millionaires, billionaires, and big corporations pay a fair share of the tax burden. Watch out GE.

Here is a link to the actual 12 page document: 
 The People's Budget (PDF)

I took a look at it and thought it worth posting about. Just the fact that it includes serious cuts to Pentagon spending while considering our country's security intact impressed me. But I'm easily impressed.

Arizona Representative Raul Grijalva is cochair of the CPC. Although we have different views on illegal immigration and border security, I agree with him of this progressive budget proposal. Speaking on CNN & MSNBC, he explained how the budget generates a surplus by 2021 by closing tax loopholes, ending corporate giveaways to oil, gas and nuclear entities and bringing our troops home. Obviously he hasn't been bought by those industries like the Democrats & Republicans he serves with.

With Obama acting like a ConservaDem during this past year, it was quite a surprize to hear him beat down the Ryan Budget the other day. I was expecting more of the same collusion with the House leadership disguised as compassionate waterboarding. Understand he still wasnt promoting the People's Budget, but it sure sounded like he's fed up with the nonsense coming out of the House majority.

If you skim through the document you'll see new potential revenue sources: 

• Closing overseas tax havens.
• Adding new tax brackets for households with more than $1 million in annual income.
• Instituting a modest financial transaction tax.

Some of the top earners in the US are urging our Congressional leadership to consider these progressive changes. Changes that would tax their income from their investment portfolios be taxed at the same rate as work income. That was done in the late 1980s under Presidents Reagan and Bush, and according to Newsweek, would raise $84 billion in 2011 alone. 
I know some folks will be upset at the thought, but with Capital Gaines and dividend income taxes at a mere 15%, you perpetuate the class warfare that so many of my colleagues fail to recognize. I say that because the rest of the working population is paying 36%.

Now about Obama's speech, I'll repeat, it was nice to hear echoes of candidate Obama, but with the debt ceiling fight right around the corner, I fear that he may give away some more of our country's soul to the opposition as they hold our economy hostage once more.

WOERNER FUNDRAISER SPEECH

With attendees reaching as high as 67, the first of several fundraisers for Nick Woerner was an expected success. Sure, a number of contributors didn't make personal appearances, but their financial donations are appreciated. 

It was a pleasant surprize to see Gary Bischoff, Vince Bradley and John Heitzman mixing it up with so many of my other friends and colleagues. 

I got to share a table with my future Ninth Ward Alderman John Simek as well. I think he will work well with Shirley, Charlie and who ever is left on the Council next year. 

As expected, Frank Guido served up some terrific food for the event and noone left hungry.

KINGSTON SIDEWALK REPAIR

This was the scene a few weeks ago along Broadway in the Midtown West portion of the city.  Yes, it's a stump grinder and a city crew finally getting to that Locust Tree stump across from Perry Motors.

Like most of the Locust Trees planted in sidewalk lines, the bluestone or cement slabs get pushed up in a dangerous position leading to occasional harm to pedestrians and financial threat to the city.

 

This is the last portion of Broadway to see streetscape attention. The overgrown trees, heaved sidewalks and dissolved brick pavers from the 80's have outlived their use. The residents and merchants patiently await action in their Midtown West Commercial District. When will the Community Development Committee see fit to shift Streetscpae CDBG money to this area?

This is how it looks today. Better, but not great. The tree and it's unbridled root base, made it impossible to install the last dual parking meter at this location. I no longer see any obstruction. Let's see if the meter crew get out there this year.

COMPLETELY HONEST VETERINARIAN

TEAR DOWN THE UPTOWN CANOPY

I still cant believe we are throwing "good money after bad" in this economic environment. The 35 year old wooden canopy over the Wall & N Front Street sidewalks is attached to historic buildings uptown. They are rotten and should be removed.

 

It's well known that this is the last structure of this kind of the five thousand that were erected in the 70's. The others are gone for the same reasons. Rotten, expensive to maintain and yield no evidence of attracting additional business for merchants.

 

The trees that were in the "Bump Outs" occupies 30+ much needed parking spaces. My opnion? The streetscape would be better off with trees planted in the main sidewalk path like everywhere else in Kingston and across the country. 

Ask yourself this question; If the canopy helped business so much, why aren't they everywhere? 

Fair Street? Broadway? West Strand?  

Advocates for the repair are good people, don't get me wrong, but they're misguided. Hanging onto something that pretty much deters business in an homage to late 20th century nostalgia. It's almost some kind of religion. What I mean by that: there is no room for open dialog regarding it's extinct charm and purpose.

 

With most of the property owners begging authorities to take it down permanently, you'd think we'd get right on it. But this is Government. We leave logic at the door.

SEAN'S WALKING AGAIN

Below is a two part video following Sean Carter as he gains leg muscle control and starts walking. 

His accelerated advancement is due to the remarkable apparatus, the PacerXL Gait Trainer designed and manufactured by our Bruderhof friends in Rifton, NY.

HEALTH OF GOLDEN HILL COMMITTEE

Anyone who passed the Ulster County office Building on Fair Street Tuesday evening, would have seen quite the gathering of people along the sidewalk. Those people were the tireless supporters of Golden Hill Nursing Home and advocates of keeping the facility county operated.

 

Numbers reaching up to 150 according to authorities, they held signs and banners while chanting the expected "Save Our Nursing Home" and "Seniors Are Not For Sale" slogans. Everyone was smiling and the sun was holding back the chill on that not-so-spring day.

Inside however, Ulster County legislators assembled for the committee meeting scheduled for just this issue. Its no secret that many legislators are beginning to line up in favor of "Build New-Keep It County" for the nursing home. 
 
As noted in the Freeman: Mary Sheeley (D-Ellenville) said "The county has “a moral obligation to take care of those who can no longer care for themselves.” Followed by Frank Fellicello (R-Marlboro) who said: “I firmly believe we should own (a) facility, and we should make it better than what exists now." I couldn't have said it better myself. 

 
Let me say that I have seen a different side of some of my colleagues as this issue has developed. To see members who I suspected in opposition come forward and advocate for the continued stellar service the County provides at Golden Hill actually alters the broad strokes we create when painting the political opposition. I think it's a good thing. 
It reminds us that we all come from our life experiences through different paths and the labels we share are merely generalities. Each issue that comes our way, brings a new window to how each of us thinks. 

At the meeting, the voices joining the chorus for "Keeping it County" were not only Sheeley & Fellicello, but Provenzano, Parete, Harris, Maloney, Wadnola, Belfiglio and Briggs. Both Ronk and Mayo were present. Neither indicated any similar support that I heard. Gregorius stated he felt rushed and didn't feel satisfied with the process or the limited amount of information we've been offered. I think Hayes feels the same way.  
 

As noted: The Health and Human Services Committee, which will make a final recommendation to the full Legislature about the future of the 280-bed nursing home, is giving other lawmakers until April 15 to weigh in on the issue. I will be lending my support to "Keep It County" as well. 
Building new could offer the option of splitting the facility into two locations to better serve the county. Rob Parete's outline to include rehab enhancing services within any future campus is genious. 
 
The committee expects to vote on its final recommendation by its July meeting.
Building a new facility would cost about $71 million and take about two years to complete. With a restructured state reimbursement, added revenues on-site and possibly shedding other vacated buildings, a new Golden Hill just might operate in the black. Either way, it still befuddles me that the Legislature of the past was more than willing to spend what they did on criminals and now we hesitate to do even less for the elderly. 

Note: There will be a Tea Party rally at the same location April 4th at 4:30 in favor of selling the Licence to a private firm.

WOERNER FOR ALDERMAN

Former town of Ulster Supervisor Nicky Woerner comes back to his home town with tremendous name recognition. People who don't like him, cant help but talk about him at their dinner tables nightly. Those who like him, find themselves going to work everyday, minding their own affairs and struggling to raise families in the Hudson Valley. 

Either way, he has moved back and announced Wednesday that he plans to run for the Fifth Ward Council seat in November.
 
Woerner was successfully replaced Fred Wadnola as Supervisor back in 2006. Fred has since run for and won a place on the County Legislature. He is our Chairman. Woerner served two terms as one of the youngest town executives in the state and did a quality job of it. He has since been replaced in one of the most expensive Supervisor races within the state by Jim Quigley.

Having worked with Mr Woerner in recent months, I have to agree with his statement in the Freeman: “For some time now, I have been considering a way to help out, and now that I am back in the city, I think that this is an appropriate place for me to do some work and run for Alderman of the Fifth Ward.” From my perspective, the job he has at TechCity in Ulster must seem limited in that it doesn't perform a civic service. Something Nick is addicted to. I can identify with that.

I was present when Jen Fuentes told Woerner that she will not run for reelection this November. She has since told the rest of the world. She told the paper: “It has been a great honor to serve, but I never went into this to be a lifelong politician.”
 
During this early political atmosphere, it seems strange that we would be talking about aldermanic positions in March, but considering the same people who were pushing Nick to primary Alderman-At-Large Noble are now seeking a challenger for the Ward seat, is perplexing at the onset.  They confuse me.

 

Woerner, a Kingston native, wants to have a place in City government where he can offer what he's learned while in office. Being Supervisor is no easy task. Ask Jim since taking office and you'll hear the same. 

I think Jim suffers from "buyer's remorse" now that he's been there a while. But he's doing the job none the less.

 
We've seen Town of Ulster grow during the Wadnola & Woerner years. If Nick can bring any of what he's acquired in contacts to the City of Kingston, I think we'd all benefit. 

Woerner does talk about the family history and has said part of his reason for running is that he wants to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Larry Woerner. But I think Nick sells himself short. He's no slouch and follows a rigid work and social ethic. Once in office, he's liable to fit in well with a Council that has suddenly discovered they have to act. 

WHAT COSTS MORE THAN GAS?

There are so many non-essential liquids that cost a whole lot more than gasoline. Feel free to add your own to the list.

MANILOW: LET FREEDOM RING

ARPA-E FUNDS & ODYSSEY DAWN SPENDING

You may remember, last April, President Obama launched the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) as part of the initiative to boost federal investment in research and development and science education. 

(the picture above is a  Ga ball-Si crystal-SiOx Nanowire Octapus)

 

That sparked outrage from the Republicans and their TeaParty spokespersons. They disagreed with the $150M allocated in the Recovery Act for research leaning toward renewable alternative energy sources.  

 Well, first example of advancement due to this funding, is the Liquid Metal Battery under development at MIT. Another is the Symbiotic Bio-Reactor being developed at UMinn that could create synthetic gasoline. Lastly, we are intimately aware of the Crystal Growth Technology that if successful, drastically advance the LED light manufacturing possibilities. We saw LED examples displayed at the TechCity facility in Ulster, NY. 

 

So why do I bring funding like this up now? Well, while we had the two year national throwdown over the spending in the "stimulus", this particular funding was singled out because it threatened the companies that backed the opposition (oil & coal) which is understandable. That's how our government works. What is troublesome is how we compartmentalize the priorities facing this country. 

 With the current military operation in Libya, we are spending millions of dollars a day. The F-15 that crashed cost $100M. It is going to be replaced with a $150M F-35. 

 

In one day, this operation cost the US more than was spent for Alternative Energy Research in 2009. True, $400M was set aside for the ARPA-E initially, but only 36 teams met the criteria last year. The funding is intended to fund high-risk, high-reward research that might not otherwise be pursued because there is a relatively high risk of failure. Almost the same attempt we are making in Libya.

 

The Pentagon has placed an arbitrary limit on Odyssey Dawn at $1Billion before approaching Congress for more money. They have a contingency fund that could float the operation for a short time. It's been done before, it will happen again. 

  As noted in the National Journal: These unanticipated costs come at a time when the Pentagon is putting pressure on Capitol Hill to pass its fiscal 2011 budget. Continuing to operate under a stopgap continuing resolution through September, senior Defense officials argue, would amount to a $23B cut to the military’s request for the current fiscal year, which began on October 1. The Pentagon wants $708B for this year, including $159B for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For the U.S. military, the highest costs of the operations over Libya come in the form of munitions, fuel for aircraft, and combat pay for deployed troops -- all factors that will pile up each day U.S. forces remain at the helm of the operation.

One week in, U.S.-led forces launched 162 long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles, which cost about $1M to $1.5M each, from ships stationed off the Libyan coast. The total to replace those missiles comes to between $162M to $243M. It is unclear how many of those Tomahawks came from the U.S. inventory, but it is believed the vast majority did.

So why then, do we consistently fight over the inconsequential spending in Energy Alternative Research when our government regurgitates Billions in war ventures? And shockingly enough, not a single peep from the Tea Party Overspending Alarmists?  

Truth is, you wont hear a word from these folks. Why? Because the industries poised to reap the benefits of a prolonged engagement in Libya and other oil rich countries are the very same funding sources that mobilized much of the TeaParty movement. If these folks were thinking more about our country's long term health and diminished dependency on foreign oil, they'd be in the streets screaming for increased spending in the ARPA-E and other agencies. But they're not. 

 

ARPA-E utilizes many of the same organizational elements that fostered the successful culture of innovation of DARPA at the Department of Defense. The program managers are given extraordinary autonomy and resources to pursue high-risk technological pathways, quickly assemble research teams and start and stop projects based on performance and relevance. 

While I don't oppose the efforts of this Administration to invest American blood and treasure to aid in the removal of a deranged despot, I do reject the notion by some that the pittance of funding for ARPA-E and other research agencies was wasteful. It should be multiplied by 100 in the hopes that we someday wean ourselves off fossil & nuclear energy.

BONACIC ON LEGISLATIVE REPORT

INTERNATIONAL EQUALITY & PROTECTION

Here is something startling that I never saw coming. President Obama's administration is expected to introduce a declaration to the United Nations calling for better treatment and protections for LGBT people internationally. 
It's a little bit of a surprize since we've been watching certain State Governors at home resemble foreign dictators in recent months. 

The big day is Tuesday. The declaration will be announced at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The AP has done a head count and it looks like it has the support of more than 80 countries. 
Whodda thunk? 

In a complete reversal of how the past administrations treated gays & lesbians, this document demands that countries end such persecution. It makes sense in that we should expect all of our trading partners to respect equality amongst their citizens as much as we expect humane working conditions. 

Some of you may not realize that in some countries, It's illegal just to look gay. You would be hauled off and executed if suspected of having a relationship with the same gender and sometimes, they punish the families as well. A concern many people have with Qatar as the location of World Cup in 2022.
Considering their history on this subject. 
 
I find it remarkable that there are still countries living in the 15th century  when it comes to Human Rights. Only three years ago, the French government offered a similar proposal. Russia, China, several Islamic countries, and the Vatican were among some of the other opposing nations. With this shift in opinion by the United States, how will those countries respond this time?

Also reported by the AP; The new resolution now has support from Thailand, Rwanda, 
El Salvador, Honduras, and the Dominican Republic, which did not support the 2008 document. 

A quick search online reveals Homosexuality is still punishable as a crime in at least 85 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, and Ghana. 
As we witness regime change in Tunisia, Egypt and now Libya...who knows what support or opposition the declaration will face.

Either way, I'm impressed.

THE GALLO ANNOUNCEMENT

Even as the drizzle dampened the spectators, a good size crowd gathered at the Shayne Gallo Mayoral announcement Monday evening. I have posted the speech below:

Good afternoon. Thank you for coming out today.

 

I don’t have to remind all of you what distinguishes Kingston from other upstate communities; a beautiful waterfront, rich historical heritage and architectural infrastructure that rivals many other river cities throughout the region. You have to look no further than the Stockade district and the Senate House as well as the trading port of the Rondout to realize that Kingston is truly an historic gem that we should be proud of.

 

However, the building you see behind me is NOT one of the historical structures we should be proud of.

I chose this location to announce my candidacy for Mayor, because I wanted to focus attention on putting the interests of our residents, business owners and professionals first. This property represents one of the roadblocks facing us as we attempt to better our community.

 

As Corporation Counsel of the city, I worked with the current administration to shut down this eyesore; the former King’s Inn. It was a welfare hotel whose owners had no vested interest in our community and while reaping the benefits of a lucrative contract with DSS, let their clients inhabit substandard, unsafe, unhealthy and potentially life threatening conditions. Working with our city agencies and administration, we were successful in closing a near tragic situation.

 

The fact that we address the King’s Inn issue as we step forward is because we can learn so many lessons from mistakes made in the past. Some day in the near future, this building will be raised. As Mayor, I intend to swing the first sledgehammer as the crews begin demolition. What a great day that will be.

I believe Mayor Sottile has contacted the Army Corps of Engineers to see if the demolition can be done as an exercise so that the city is burdened with just the tipping fees. This avenue has been taken before, saving the city serious amounts of money.

 

Another location, just around the corner, is UPAC. A grand theatre and performance arts venue managed by the Bardavon. It serves as a year round entertainment destination. Serving the City of Kingston since 1927, has hosted three U.S. Presidents and some of the best musical and theatrical performers in the country. We are truly fortunate that past boards had the vision and tenacity to renovate this grand theatre for it has become the anchor for the revitalization of midtown. In order for UPAC to BE that anchor, we have to be diligent in our efforts to clean up the immediate neighborhood. That means working with residents, business & professionals to curtail the neglect along the Broadway corridor.

 

But let’s not forget the rest of our city.

I have talked with Kingston residents, taxpayers and business owners from uptown to downtown, and there is a strong consensus that the next Mayor of the City of Kingston must improve the “quality of life” for ALL Kingstonians. Therefore, the next Mayor must continually listen to the concerns of business owners, professionals and residents alike.

As Mayor, I will utilize city agencies to their fullest extent; assisting them to communicate & coordinate information with each other for laying the groundwork for vigilant building, zoning & solid waste code enforcement. I shall recommend to the future council to provide the necessary resources for implementing a "quality of life" task force.

Mayor Sottile has initiated the ‘Block By Block’ inspection program;

The neighborhoods we inspected proved to serve as a reality check as we discovered violations stemming from neglect and illegal housing modifications. In addition, the program had an unexpected positive effect on the rest of the city in that landlords now suspect that authorities would visit their streets at any time. I plan to continue this approach to fixing our stressed neighborhoods.

As assistant Corp Counsel, I recommended the Nuisance Abatement Laws and the amendment to this local law to include all code provisions pertaining to quality of life for our city. Working together with then retired D.A. Donald Williams & Don Ryan from the Sheriff’s Dept, the tools were created to rebuild those areas in our city that are plagued by indifference & neglect with no accountability by absentee landlords and DSS agencies thus resulting in a disservice to the public & substantial waste of taxpayers dollars.

 

I am truly thankful that the Council at the time saw fit to embrace a potent tool in shutting down unsafe substandard housing.

As Mayor, I intend to require more accountability from social service agencies who provide income to absentee landlords reaping the benefit of taxpayer dollars & leaving a plague in neighborhoods throughout our great city.

Now let me speak about our hard working men and women in our police department. My administration will have a strong police presence in midtown. I intend to bring back the mobile police precinct and put beat cops on the streets. We will continue to work with other police agencies such as the Sheriff’s office and the New York State police. We will also look at utilizing funds such as “operation impact” dollars, tapping into a program that has been very successful in areas like the City of Rochester in decreasing crime. Our Blue & Gray shared beat program yielded terrific results; I intend to continue that tradition & will work to expand the scope of "Operation Impact". Our neighborhoods deserve no less.

 

I am a firm believer that our youth should have the same sense of safety around their homes no matter where in our great city they reside. Parents should expect those of us in position of authority to be working toward that goal with every decision we make. If there is one reason I announce my candidacy for Mayor, it would have to be for the betterment of our city for generations to come.

 

My experience in both the private and public sector make me uniquely qualified to tackle the tasks that lie ahead and I am proud to announce my candidacy for Mayor here in midtown.

 

Let me remind you, as assistant corporation counsel in the current administration, I am familiar with all City departments, the inner workings of City government and have worked hard to make sure that Kingston’s resident & professional interests come first.

 

When addressing our local economy, the reality is; before we can bring more jobs to Kingston we must first focus on keeping the jobs and business that are currently here.

 

I plan to hold a series of meetings over the next few months with business leaders, where I will listen to their concerns and get their input on what they feel are the priorities of making Kingston more business friendly. Including the creation of a quality of life task force.

In these tough economic times, every business owner and resident has had to tighten their belt. The City of Kingston needs to look at ways where we can do the same. A prime example would be assisting the Mayor and County Executive’s office to help implement the merger with the UC Emergency Communications division. This merger has an annual savings to taxpayers of over $80K per year.

 

Having navigated that venture, I see no reason not to seek future inter-municipal mergers to better serve the taxpayer. Reducing taxes though the consolidation of services can only help.

 

I encourage employees and residents of the City of Kingston to contact me with any cost saving ideas that you may have, and I will continue to foster the dialogue with the state and county & other local officials to continue to look at ways of saving even more taxpayer dollars.

 

As the Mayor, I will use my professional background of almost 20 years experience in the collective bargaining process to foster a dialogue of cooperation with our dedicated City employees and make them stakeholders in our city. Our administration will negotiate fair contracts that are in the best interest of the Kingston taxpayers and our hard working employees.

Let me address the legacy issue. Some have questioned that I am running on the name of my brother, the late TR Gallo. Let me stress that my name is Shayne Gallo and while both he and I shared a deep love & passion for the City of Kingston, I am not looking to merely succeed his term. I should be so lucky to achieve the accomplishments of his administration. I am however, my own man. I will serve the citizens of Kingston following my own vision for the future.

 

I want to stress again, this campaign will be about putting people first. I was born, raised & work in the city of Kingston and I do not want to see us lose anymore of our residents. As the election season continues, you and your families will make your decision as to who should be the next leader of this great city.

 

Consider my experience, willingness to work with our citizenry and my desire to make Kingston the best place to raise a family.

 

Citizens and members of the business community have indicated that without serious changes, they will be leaving for better environments to raise their families and commercial opportunities.

 

We are at a critical point. Without addressing the quality of life issues that plague our city, we shall not move forward. The time is now. Please join my campaign to become part of the "Quality of Life" task force to make Kingston a better place to live & work.

 

Thank you and God Bless the City of Kingston.

GREENKILL ROUNDABOUT?

This past Tuesday afternoon, there was another serious accident at the corner of Wall/Fair/Greenkill/32 in Kingston. Did I miss any streets? Oh yeah, South Wall. Anyway, I saw the drivers hauled away with neck braces. 

I dont know any of the fault, but what was striking, is how many people approached me and said, although this is one of the craziest intersections in the city, not too many accidents occur here. I replied" That's because everyone pulls up and looks around in great fear". Can we agree on that?

The witnesses ended up chatting about remedies for the traffic flow here which brought up the inevitable suggestion of "Roundabout". So I dug up some pictures I took of the one I found in Poughkeepsie on Raymond Avenue. It's close to Vassar College. 

As you can see, they can be quite small. I'm sure this example would fit at the accident site above, but one would have to wonder about the truck traffic since Rt 32 is fed into this intersection. Could the dimension for the Roundabout by Thruway Exit 19 be the right size? 
Didn't we have neighborhood meetings in Ward 5 on just this subject?   
 

If you would like to see this little island for yourself, Cross the bridge into Poughkeepsie, follow until Raymond and turn right toward the College. It's one of 4 "roundabouts" on that street.

HOMELESS YOUTH CENTERS ON THE CUT

It has come to my attention that New York State is about to lose it's moral center. I say this because while we sound the alarm about the looming budget crisis, we are pulling funding from programs that actually secure the health and safety of those who are most vulnerable.

 

Let me point out just one of the programs here. 

The Cuomo administration is looking to pull all funding for homeless youth centers. These would be the agencies that serve as our front line in defense to curtail the inevitable demise of what would otherwise be productive people. Whether they turn to a life of crime and/or government subsidy or worse yet, death by freezing, murder or suicide.

 

I bring this up because the recurring factor that reveals itself in most statistics regarding homeless youth is their sexual orientation. With numbers like 40% of the kids on the street either ran from a bad home situation or they tossed out like garbage by a guardian who deemed them unworthy for simply being born gay or lesbian.

 

The Ali Forney Center, located in New York City relies heavily on state funding to keep their doors open. It is just one of many centers in cities across the nation that are experiencing hard times. AFC however deals primarily with homeless gay & lesbian youth for the same reasons I pointed out above.

 

One of the clients, Raciel Castillo (pictured left) wrote a letter to the Governor to inform him of the impact such a cut would have on him and the others:

Governor Cuomo, I understand that you intend to end the funding from New York State to support youth shelter beds. This means that on July 1st, many of us will be put out of our shelter beds and be thrown out to the streets. I want you to understand that this will put our lives at risk.
 
It is hard to be a homeless kid, having nowhere to stay and feeling alone and unwanted. For me the worst part was feeling hopeless. I know a bunch of homeless gay kids who have told me that they considered suicide. People think it is just because of bullying in schools, but it is also because of being rejected by our families and forced to make it on the streets. One of my friends tried to throw herself in front of a subway. She said she was tired of being invisible. Thank god some of my friends were able to hold her back.
   
Governor Cuomo, I want you to understand how terrible things are for homeless kids. I want you to understand how mean and reckless it is to cut support for kids out on the streets. I have lots of friends who have nowhere safe to sleep. I know some who have to prostitute themselves just to have a place to sleep. Kids get beat up and hurt on the streets. The Ali Forney Center is named after a kid who was murdered on the streets. Too many of us were thrown out by parents who refuse to care about us. Please Governor Cuomo, don't throw us away also.

With much thanks to fellow Blogger JOEMYGOD for much of this background, I would like to also offer this link: 

Please consider adding your name to this letter urging Cuomo to maintain this funding. You need not be a New York resident to raise your voice, because so many of New York City's homeless kids flee here from other states.