TRUTH VS FICTION

As the political calendar winds down we are faced with both rumor,innuendo and some modicum of truth that has underscored this campaign season.

Who could have predicted that Town of Ulster Supervisor Jim Quigley (not up for election) would have blown his proverbial cork by leaving an acerbic message on the voicemail of former pal and on again-off again-on again friend of Nick Woerner, blogger Jeremy Blaber.

It seems that Blaber is setting himself up to star in his own reality television show.

Next we have the George Phillips team in the guise of Butch Dener who blew his proverbial cork and stormed out of a meeting with fifty seniors after they got a little frisky when Butch attacked their favorite Congressman Maurice Hinchey.

Seems Butch may be joining Blaber for a cameo appearance on that reality show.

We then find Fawn Tantillo, desperately looking for any job (she took on Kevin Cahill and lost) making a backroom deal with one of the Bernardos and offering either Len or Terry the deputy comptroller’s job if she is successful on beating back Elliott (it’s not my back, it’s not your back) Auerbach on Tuesday.

She too will be doing a walk on with Butch on the Blaber show.

BUTCH BATTERING

FROM THE PUMPKIN PATCH….Scary campaign stories continue to surface this week as we close in on election day 2010.

The first one occurred earlier this week when the senior residents of Woodland Pond shouted down Republican operative Butch Dener, a George (“had enough”)Phillips proponent, at a meet the candidates night. Seems that the group, with canes in hand and wheel chairs revved up, went into attack mode when Dener began his anti Mo rant.

ATTACKING AUERBACH

I HATE THAT ELLIOTT AUERBACH FOR DOING HIS JOB

Fawn Tantillo launched an all out assault on incumbent Comptroller Elliott Auerbach at Saturday’s LWV forum in an effort to try and goad Auerbach in a down and dirty back and forth.

To Auerbach’s credit, he simply allowed Fawn’s caustic rhetoric to simply roll of his (AUER) back and present a fact filled, in depth review of his accomplishments during his first two years as the County’s first comptroller.

It appeared that members of the audience as well as the members of the League of Women Voters were embarrassed by Fawn’s over the top baseless rant.

She blamed Auerbach, for among other things, not attacking the (0% property tax increase for Ulster Co. residents) Executive Mike Hein and accused Auerbach of embarrassing departments including, her own former legislative buddies, by bringing issues of fraud, waste and abuse public. She after all, would want to give each department an opportunity to “duck and cover”. She reminded us that she was the Chairperson of the Jail Efficiency Committee and took a patronage county job a week after quitting the legislature.

Auerbach simply pointed out the successes of his first term including cleaning up the Ulster County Health Department, the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency and the County’s Central Auto Division.

It was almost as comical as the gubernatorial debates with Fawn playing the fool and Auerbach coming off as the consummate political figure.

FREDDY,FAWN and KEVIN, What say you?

08/31/2010-KINGSTON – The Ulster County Legislature is supposed to closely monitor the spending and operations of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency, but it hasn’t, costing county taxpayers almost $32 million over the last decade, County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach said Monday.
10/14/2010-KINGSTON – The board of the Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency has fired director Michael Bemis amid allegations of sexual harassment and falsifying business records.
Bemis’ termination comes weeks after County Comptroller Elliott Auerbach’s report that said the county legislature had not provided sufficient oversight over the agency.

What does Chairman Wadnola , Legislator Roberts and Fawn Tantillo have to say now?
OUR ASTUTE LEGISLATIVE CHAIRMAN:
In response to the Comptroller, I believe the Legislature has exercised oversight of the RRA
This superficial piece of election year drivel offers no solution at all.

HERE YOU GO KEVIN:
Legislator Kevin Roberts, R-Wallkill, who is chairman of the county Government Operations and Efficiency Committee, called the report election year “posturing” and a waste of Auerbach’s annual salary.
Roberts described the Resource Recovery Agency as one of the “best-run departments in the county” and disputed contentions that it is supposed to be self-sufficient.
AND NOW YOU FAWN (You did chair the Jail Oversight Committee):
Tantillo, a former member of the Legislature, said the report “could have been useful, but not when you hit the legislators over the head with it.” “I probably would have taken it to the Oversight Committee and presented it there, but you don’t get headlines if you do that,” she said.