LEGISLATORS FORCED TO PLAY SHRINKY DINK

We feel a memorializing resolution coming on from the Ulster County Legislature next month naming SHRINKY DINKS as the new symbol for the 2011 legislative year.

The charter driven, new and reduced legislature (23 from 33) has many of the multi-member district representatives squirming in their seats as they get ready to play musical chairs and hope that the music does not stop while they are standing.

Expect some interesting lines being drawn in the districts where there are currently three or four legislators. Expect some major head butting in Saugerties, Kingston, Marlborough and Wawarsing.

Look for Auerbach to do another attendance audit before the year is out.

Can’t wait to see who is sitting when the music stops! We may even see them take on some of the more difficult issues.

WHACKING THE WAD

Seems like the former Chairman of the Ulster County Legislature wants to chime in on Fred Wadnola's laughable letter about the UCRRA. Dave Donaldson, once a candidate for comptroller and from what we hear no fan of Auerbach felt compelled to "whack the wad" with the following letter appearing in the Kingston Times.

Donaldson on RRA

I have attempted to stay out of the fray in regard to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency and the County Comptroller’s report.

Comptroller Auerbach claimed in his report that the Legislature has been lacking in their oversight with the UCRRA since its inception. Although there is validity to the report it certainly doesn’t tell the whole truth.

It doesn’t seem likely the UCRRA will ever be self-sufficient simply because there is no county facility that takes the trash; it is shipped to other counties and that cost (net service fee) is charged to the County. That fact, along with the reality that the agency lacks the power to control the flow of trash generated within the County, makes it impossible to turn a profit, hence higher net service fees. But, as the comptroller points out, the Legislature is charged to monitor the UCRRA’s budget closely to assure the taxpayers pay the lowest net service fees possible.

During the ’90s the Republican controlled Legislature had a laissez-faire oversight. People like former Democrat Legislature Gary Bischoff from Saugerties constantly poured through the UCRRA budget with a fine-tooth comb and attempted to keep the agency on its toes. One such thing Gary pointed out was that the agency’s attorney fees were nothing short of staggering compared to other counties. Charlie Shaw, the head of the agency at that time, would repeatedly cry it was politics and that the Democrat minority was just attempting to discredit the agency. Rather than admitting there may be a problem, the Republican Legislature defended the UCRRA, ignored Gary’s call for better oversight, and kept handing over higher and higher net service fees.

In January 2006-December 2009 when the Democrats controlled the Legislature, I had the honor of serving as the Chairman. We worked with the Republicans as much as they were willing to work with us to make changes that would create what I called “Better Government at a Better Price.” The UCRRA was one of the agencies and departments that were considered in need of better oversight. One of my first acts as Chairman was to appoint Democrat Brain Shapiro from Woodstock to chair the Environmental Committee. One of the committee’s charges was to oversee the UCRRA. Brian worked with Gary Bischoff, the Agency’s Director Mike Bemis, and the UCRRA board to assure all spending was needed while constantly looking for more efficient ways to deliver the service. That diligence brought about the lowest net service fees in the history of the agency, which in turn proves the Comptroller’s point that better oversight of the UCRRA can save money. The Comptroller could have drew attention in his report that the net service fees were the lowest under the Democrat controlled Legislature but instead he attempted to not have an appearance of politics and issued a blanket report to warn what a lack of oversight could do.

The response from the present chairman of the legislature, Republican Fred Wadnola of Ulster, along with various members of the new Republican-controlled Legislature, was nothing more than a resort to the same old tactics of screaming politics and claiming the comptroller is just attempting to discredit the legislature. This was the same argument used when the cost of the jail was being questioned, as it was when the UCRRA was running up staggering bills. It is amazing how things never seem to change.

David B. Donaldson

Kingston

FREDDY'S DEAD

Provenzano Bitch Slaps The Wad By Stating TAXPAYER'S WANT ACTION

We heard that both sides of the aisle were somewhat disappointed in the Wad's hit and run attack after the UCRRA report came out. Seems that the Chairman swallowed twice as hard when it was discovered that he also sat on the UCRRA Board for several years.
Here is what the Minority Leader had to say in the FREEMAN

I read with incredible disbelief the letter (Sept. 14) by Fred Wadnola, R-Ulster, chairman of the Ulster County Legislature. The reason I am shocked is because I received a call from him to discuss the comptroller’s report and have the leadership, both Republicans and Democrats, examine the criticism and jointly respond.

It seems as though old habits are hard to break. Wadnola, rather than meet with the leadership and discuss the report, resorted to the blame game and cried politics aimed at the comptroller, the county executive/county administrator and all Democratic legislators who served in the majority from 2005 through 2009.

By the way, it was in those years that net service fees to the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency were the lowest they have ever been.

Wadnola takes no responsibility or places responsibility on his Republican colleagues who designed and implemented the contract with the RRA without support of one single Democrat in 1982. He takes no responsibility or places responsibility on his Republican colleagues who have been in the majority for 27 of the last 31 years of Ulster County government and currently are in control of the Legislature.

Wadnola had an opportunity to show some leadership by calling on the Governmental Services, Environmental and Administrative Services Committee to review the report and determine what action, if any, the Legislature should adopt and provide the report to the full Legislature for consideration.

The comptroller requested legislators step up to the plate and provide the oversight called for in the agreement. Taxpayers want action, not political rhetoric. It’s my understanding the RRA does not report on a monthly basis to the oversight committee. Monthly reports are a must and should be on file and available.

It’s ironic after all his bellowing, calling upon the comptroller to “study the history of a situation before you speak and always do your homework so that you don’t look like a fool.” Wadnola did not take his own advice.

JEANETTE PROVENZANO

Kingston

jp2209@earthlink.net

CONGRATULATIONS ROBIN

Our SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER prediction #1 comes true as the Republicans select Robin Yess as the first woman to chair a major political party in Ulster County. She is a welcomed replacement for "MEATBALL MARIO". The Republicans will be stronger under the Yess leadership once they put the election behind them and start fielding candidates with greater appeal (not like Paladino, Goodwin and Tantillo).

We kind of thought that it would be the more open minded, liberal thinking Dems that made this move. After all their leadership leaves much to be desired under the Julian reign.

SH*T OUR LEGISLATURE DOES

This just pulled from the Th-RECORD website
- Members of the Ulster County legislature will vote next Tuesday (9/21/2010) on a resolution opposing the controversial mosque project near ground zero.

This is known as a memorializing resolution...something our thirty-three, ($10,000.00 per year plus mileage and in some cases $8,000+ health insurance) legislators seem to be good at.

I am not quite sure what else the 2010 Legislature has accomplished besides attempting to derail the charter, obstruct the executive and battle with the comptroller, but it would be nice if they spent less time memorializing and more time monetizing ( free for other uses moneys that would have been devoted to debt service).

WADNOLA LAUNCHES ATTACK

It didn't take long for one of my predictions (#5) to come to fruition when Ulster County Legislative Chairman Fred "THE WAD" Wadnola, former Navy man launched a Rosh Hashonnah (Jewish New Year) missile attack on Comptroller Elliott Auerbach and his UCRRA report while Auerbach was out of his office observing a two day religious holiday.

Auerbach, the self proclaimed people's watchdog, once again brought forward the legislature's inability to monitor the operation, costing the taxpayers $32 million dollars over the past decade.

The FREEMAN'S front page article was mild compared to retired rotund school administrator Wadnola's acerbic letter to the editor that skewered Auerbach and gave the comptroller a public school principle reprimand when the WAD said
as a former educator I have two lessons for Mr. Auerbach. The first is that you need to study the history of a situation before you speak. The second is always do your homework so you don't look like a fool, as you do now.

Fred, who looks like he had one to many meals at FRED'S PLACE, continued his political hail storm as he released the next mortar attack on Auerbach by saying
this superficial piece of election year drivel offers no solution at all. In the future, before you speak, do your homework, identify the problem and offer solutions with team spirit.

Wadnola, however, did acquiesce, when he conceded by saying
we must investigate the means to make the Agency self-sufficient and eliminate the Net Service Fee.

I think Auerbach made his point.
He is not the solution guy nor is he the problem guy, he is the people's guy who basically said to the legislature "get off your duffs and do something about this before it costs the taxpayers another dime."

I predict that this will not be the last we hear about this.

SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER

Hello all of you Ulster County political watchers...readers of the multitude of blogs that paint the political landscape in the county. Here is what we expect to see coming this month. Nine thoughts for the ninth month:

1) An energetic, youthful woman taking the helm of the Republican Party and realizing that her predecessor put two poorly qualified candidates in the county race for sheriff and comptroller.

2) The Democratic Party realizing that they have only one (poorly qualified) candidate for their leadership position.

3) The County Exec's September fund raiser causing some hard feelings among Democratic candidates and party faithfuls.

4) The Independence Party continuing to lose its independence as supporters from both the Republican and Democratic Parties begin to distance themselves from the leadership.

5) The Republican led legislature trying to defend both themselves and the UCRRA from wasting millions of taxpayers' dollars.

6) The Democratic legislative minority realizing that the Republican leadership does not have a clue when it comes to charter government.

7) The District Attorney race taking shape with a Democratic candidate or two jockeying for position.

8) A couple of former political heavyweights, from both sides of the aisle, stepping up their game before the November election.

9) A Cuomo showing up in Ulster County.