Perks For Public Authorities Are Illegal

The Rochester blogosphere has been abuzz lately with outrage over the salaries and benefits doled out to Monroe County Water Authority Board members. Such perks have included lifetime health insurance for board members and their families.

Today, through the expression of a formal judgement and letter to two New York state Public Authorities, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo has determined that the payment of such benefits is illegal and those receiving such incentives are not eligible for them:

". . . we conclude that the Agencies lack legal authority to pay for health insurance for current and retired board members . . . we conclude that (1) the Agencies may not pay for health insurance benefits for their current or former board members and (2) the contracts the Agencies signed with board members to provide post-retirement health insurance benefits are void."

Basically, Cuomo has agreed with points many in the Rochester community have been making since the break of the Water Board scandal. Does this judgement apply to Monroe County? Cuomo's aides say the statement applies to ALL public authorities.

Monroe County Loses Again

Toyota Not Interested

In a February 4th D&C Editorial special, which we covered previously here, Dennis Mullen of the GRE and Maggie Brooks took credit for economic development in which they had no part. They also highlighted a project which was supposedly drawing the bulk of their attention:

"Looking ahead, GRE is gathering data about this region to pursue a new Toyota plant. Competition is stiff, but it's worth going after the world's largest automaker."

And how did the economic policies of the GRE and the County Administration, which includes COMIDA tax breaks, MCIDC tax incentives, Empire Zone benefits and various incubator programs fare in their efforts to woo Toyota?

From the Detroit Free Press:

"Toyota Motor Corp. announced plans Tuesday to build a $1.3-billion assembly plant in northern Mississippi . . . Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour called the Toyota plant the 'crown jewel of economic development.' At least 25 states courted the plant, according to Toyota."

This War Isn't About Oil

Oh, Wait, Maybe It Is

Those opposed to the invasion of Iraq cried "No war for oil," and they were answered by the Bush administration: "Iraq was involved in 9/11! What's that? Saudi Arabia? Never mind them, we're going to Iraq!"

Then the American public learned that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, even the President admitted it, and again those opposed to the war cried "No war for oil!" This time the administration said: "They have WMDs that could attack Americans, look, Colin says so and he's black; we're staying in Iraq!"

But no one ever found any WMDs and certain UN inspectors said they never existed.

Again, those opposed to the conflict cried "No war for oil!" The answer then came: "This isn't about oil, it is about freedom and democracy and thinking we can in five years stabilize a region that has been torn apart by cultural and religious infighting over centuries!"

Well, not so much. It is pretty easy to read between the lines on this one from the New York Times -

The Iraqi cabinet approved a draft of a law on Monday that would set guidelines for nationwide distribution of oil revenues and foreign investment in the immense oil industry.
-snip-
The law also grants regional oil companies or governments the power to sign contracts with foreign companies for exploration and development of fields, opening the door for investment by foreign companies in a country whose oil reserves rank among the world’s three largest.
Iraqi officials say dozens of major foreign companies, including ones based in the United States, Russia and China, have expressed strong interest in developing fields or have done some work with the Iraqi industry. The national oil law would allow regions to enter into production-sharing agreements with foreign companies, which some Iraqis say could lead to foreigners reaping too much of the country’s oil wealth.
-snip-
Since last year, senior Bush administration officials and top American commanders here have said a new oil law is crucial to the country’s political and economic development, and they have pressured Iraqi leaders relentlessly to make passage of the law a priority.

The State of Our County Is . . .

She put it out there, time to break it down.

"And tonight I can stand before you and safely say the state of our County continues to grow stronger every day."

Harrah!

"Monroe County’s unemployment rate is now at its lowest point in five years."

True. But according to the Department of Labor fewer people are employed in Monroe now then when Brooks took office. All the unemployment rate means is that people are leaving.

"Visitors are traveling to our region in rapidly-growing numbers, and tourism continues to serve as an important economic engine...generating more than $800 million dollars for our County’s economy."

Really? Where is this money and how is it being used?

"And, despite a few snow flurries, our quality of life continues to be second to none."

dear lord . . .

"In 1980 there were 330,000 jobs in Monroe County . . . the job count today for this County is 382,000."

Twenty years of economic growth that took place before she was in office. As stated earlier, number of people employed actually down since 2003.

". . . companies are creating 6,900 new jobs, retaining over 28,000 jobs"

Hell, we'll eventually employ 213 people here at the WBP, give us some tax breaks and praise us for nothing. And, again, number of jobs, down; how is that a retention of 28,000 jobs?

"Last December, the Monroe County IDA pledged a $300,000 investment to Greater Rochester Enterprise."

GRE and the County's involvement just bothers me, read more here and here. Essentially this organization takes Monroe County tax dollars to invest in so-called economic development in surrounding counties.

". . . we must do everything in our power to give our young talent the tools they need to become the innovators and entrepreneurs of tomorrow. That is why I am pleased to announce that Monroe County is working with Frontier to develop a wireless internet network that will serve significant portions of Greece, Pittsford and the City of Rochester...as well as portions of the surrounding towns by the end of the year.
-snip-
. . . I will be working with our Juvenile Justice Council to convene a summit of parents, students, teachers, school administrators and law enforcement professionals this summer to address the growing epidemic of cyber-bullying . . . our County has created an on-line guide for parents to help their children navigate the information superhighway safely and securely."

If the internet is so dangerous why are we putting wireless networks everywhere? Ooooh . . . so we can have more grandstanding, preelection, stir up the base debates about whether to filter and/or ban them.

"Monroe County continues to struggle with an annual budget shortfall of $45-million dollars. The reason is simple. 79% of our budget is controlled by Washington and Albany. 79% of our revenue is used to pay for programs required by the federal and state government, but with little or no local authority to control their rising cost . . . upstate counties will go bankrupt under the burden of unfunded mandates...and the continued growth of the Medicaid program."

So she was right once. Read more here.

"We are known for our entertainment and culture and names like Chuck and Gap Mangione"

Did Chuck give the okay for this? Did the Mega-Lo checks stop coming?

"For as President Reagan wisely said...we are the showcase of the future...and it can be as grand...and as great as we make it."

Amen sister, I feel trickled upon -

Clinton Outlines Greenprint

Program First of its Kind in Nation

Senator Clinton was in town today carpetbagging her way across the country. While in East Rochester, she highlighted the Greenprint program which is the first in the country to be announced.

This is not an anti-environmentalist wacko post (we like the environment and we like wackos), or even an anti-Hillary post. Rather, there was one section of the D&C's article about Clinton's visit that we found alarming:

"The steps include adopting USGBC Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards for public buildings, achieving LEED certification for Renaissance Square . . ."

Did I miss something? Is Renaissance Square a forgone conclusion despite the lack of widespread public support by taxpayers who will foot the bill for the project? Does a new-era environmental program really tie-in with a proposed bus terminal centered around the use of antiquated fossil fuels?

If someone can catch us up please feel free to leave your comments.

Water Authority: Pay to Play

Board Members Know Who Put Them There

Here at the WBP we had a sneaking suspicion about the Monroe County Water Authority Board Members and how they were named to the posts they now occupy. After all, what would the retired chairman of Rochester Telephone, a retired insurance broker and a McDonald's owner know about water? Each knows where to mail the check.

Every board member has made at least a three figure donation to the Monroe County Republican Committee or Friends of Maggie Brooks Campaign Committee over the past two years.

What about the other Authorities? The WBP searched donation histories for some of the top-level authority members.

Mark Aesch of the Rochester-Genesee Regional Transportation Authority has donated $1,000 to the two aforementioned committees from 2006 to 2007. Steve Hendershott, COO of the RGRTA, has also contributed $1,000 to the committees over the past two years. Robert Frye, CFO, and Harold Carter, VP of Legal Affairs, each made contributions of $600 in 2006.

Beginning to see the pattern?

States Denouncing Iraq Policy

Online Activism Motivates Legislatures

If fed representatives won't listen, maybe state reps will.

Twenty states have either passed or are considering some form of resolution that opposes troop escalation in Iraq or calls for outright withdrawal of U.S. forces. New York is one of the states currently considering a resolution.

What has motivated these legislatures to weigh in on an issue they have no direct control over? This particular campaign was spearheaded by the Progressive States Network and is an example of the digital media's grassroots 50 state focus. The strategy is widely attributed with the success of the Democrats in the most recent elections and, as a recent article from the Christian Science Monitor suggests, is now poised to overturn the Bush administration's war policy:

The current push at the state level was spurred largely by a mid-January initiative by liberal advocacy groups, including the Progressive States Network and MoveOn.org, with support from US Sen. Edward Kennedy (D) of Massachusetts. Launched as Congress wrangled over whether to debate Mr. Bush's new Iraq strategy, the online campaign urged war critics to bombard their local as well as national elected representatives with calls for action.

"The Internet is making the 50-state campaigns easier and cheaper," says Christopher Cooper, a political scientist at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C. "This has led to an increasing nationalization of state politics."
-snip-

"State legislatures are the representative bodies that are closest to the people, and they have been hearing from constituents who are frustrated with the war," says Aubrey Jewett, a political scientist at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, in an e-mail. "As more state legislatures take up resolutions on Iraq, it will add to the mounting pressure for the president and Congress to change strategies."

Votes and debates in state legislatures break along party lines, with Republicans saying lawmakers should not waste energy on actions that carry little weight. They also contend that these types of resolutions send the wrong message to US troops. But their clout has waned since last fall's elections, when the GOP lost majorities in five state legislatures. They now control 15 legislatures to the Democrats' 23.

While the politics remain contentious, the technological take-away is simpler: Online activism is pushing national issues to the states.

"The Internet helps decentralize political activism," says John Horrigan of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "You no longer have to organize a protest in Washington, D.C." to get your point across.
-snip-

The growth in Internet-based grass-roots groups doesn't mean more activists are out there, but it does mean people have found a faster way to reach large number of supporters, Mr. Horrigan says. So far, liberal Democrats have the edge. A Pew study has shown them to be the most likely online activists. "At least [for] now, the Internet is a space where Democrats are slightly busier with online tools," he adds.

In the case of the Iraq resolutions in the states, activism helped give a national debate some local flavor, Mr. Barkin says. The aim remains to make Washington pay attention, but the means of doing so are changing.

"You put in 500 calls to a [legislator in Washington] and you will send a message," says Barkin. "But you put 500 calls to a state legislator and it shakes the whole building."

Do state legislators have a leg to stand on in demanding the Feds take notice? When one looks at the costs to the states and local communities the answer is yes. According to the National Priorities Project, the war in Iraq has cost Monroe County $1,600,000,000 - yes that is billion. This same organization estimates the war has cost New Yorkers $33.9 billion as of September of 2006.

Close Gitmo

The WBP had trouble with post content today, I mean, there is so little going on in the world. We thought about doing a weather editorial, then we thought about doing an editorial about how we hate weather editorials, but both those ideas had been taken. So here is our third idea.

On this day in 1903, the United States purchased the real estate for Club Gitmo. Today, it is the site for one of the world's most egregious human rights violations and the shining example of the Bush Administration's hypocrisy. Join Amnesty International's campaign to close the facility by clicking on the link.



At the Amnesty International website you can also read the latest about the Egyptian blogger who was sentenced to four years in prison for his posts.

Democrat & Chronicle Responds to Ethics Complaint

I do not know how the WBP missed this, sorry for slacking.

Michael Kane, Publisher of the Democrat & Chronicle, responded to a letter from leaders of the Rochester Newspaper Guild by claiming that the D&C has not suffered from diminished ethical standards in its changeover to the more digitally focused RochesterInformation Center.

Guild members disagree, however, from a February 13th Editor & Publisher report:

"As newsroom and multimedia employees of the Democrat and Chronicle we are growing increasingly concerned with what seems to be the newspaper's -- and Gannett's -- shifting ethical lines," the letter, which E&P wrote about Monday, said in part. "At a time when we are trying to restructure ourselves within a new media environment, our ethical foundation should be more firmly grounded than ever. To be flexible and nimble as a newspaper and multimedia company should not mean our ethics are also flexible."

The guild members went on to cite two recent incidents that they believed had crossed ethical lines. Among them was the apparent byline of the editorial page editor on a news story. "This could give the impression that favorable opinion can be garnered for government projects or programs by approaching the editorial board with news tips, as happened here," the letter stated.

The other was the paper's political blog offering "no distinction between the opinionated musings of editorial writers and the reporting of news staff."

The 39 members of the Newspaper Guild of Rochester Local 17 represent 85 staffers at the Gannett Co. Inc. What is D&C Editor Karen Magnuson saying? No surprise:

"I don't have any problem with anything we are doing here," she said. "I think our newsroom conducts itself with the highest ethical standards."

We should expect this from Ms. Magnuson. As we highlighted in a story about the D&C Editorial Board and the Greater Rochester Enterprise, the investment in certain organizations by the D&C produces coverage of those entities with a blatant agenda.

Leave the blogging to the professionals, D&C, we'll handle it -

WBP Poll: Who is in Charge of Albany?

The results of the WBP poll are in, sadly, New Yorkers lose.

Half of those who replied said lobbyists and they are probably right. Coming in second with 30% was Shelly Silver, strongly supported by recent the comptroller bitch slap. Eliot Spitzer received 10% of the vote, which means New Yorkers love him but they don't know how much he can accomplish, and 10% said it is plain anarchy at the state's capital.

Maggie, Porn & the ACLU

I realize that is not a very impressive header, but I am just so happy that I can use those words together.

As we posted yesterday, Brooks decided to take on libraries, the sex trade, perverts, the Supreme Court and free speech all at the time. That would a big bite to chew for most people.

Today, the ACLU decided to hop on. From the D&C:

Scott Forsyth, local counsel for ACLU, said today that Brooks shouldn't try to arbitrate what information the public at the library should be able to see.

No one wants the children of our community to walk into the library and be exposed to a (insert witty perv joke here) playing with his (insert innuendo-laden computer peripheral here). Is that happening? No. I did not even realize so many people used the downtown library. And $7.5 million in taxpayer money, I should have access to more than porn for that price tag.

Take a note from the Mayor on this one, Maggie; sit back, keep your mouth shut and work out a compromise with the parties involved. What's that? Oh, it's an election year . . .

Brooks to Library: No Porn

Maggie Threatens to Pull Funding

Following a story broken by Channel 10 and highlighted yesterday by Bob Lonsberry, County Executive Maggie Brooks issued a stern and pointed ultimatum to the Central Library: stop the porn or I stop the money.

Brooks voiced her disgust after the Channel 10 expose which filmed a probationary sex offender viewing child pornography in close proximity to the children's' section of the library. In her letter, Brooks stated:

“I am demanding that our Central Library take immediate action to halt the public viewing of pornography and other graphic materials. And should the library chose to ignore this reasonable demand to protect our community’s children, I am prepared to exit the annual agreement with the City of Rochester, and defund library operations at the earliest possible date under the terms of the agreement. Simply put, I refuse to allow any further County tax dollars to flow to a facility that has failed to protect our children.”

Statements from library administration, or at least their assistants (why are there so many assistants in the library system?), can be found in the Channel 10 story. No statements have been given in response to Brooks' letter.

COMIDA Announces Projects

Latest Round of Incentives

COMIDA has announced the latest incentives approved:

Linden Properties /Magnetics Technologies Corp. - Magnetic Technologies is a custom manufacturer of precision magnetic tools. It expects to create 50 new jobs with its $2 million project that includes the renovation of its 70,000 square-foot facility. It will receive sales and mortgage tax exemptions of $72,000.

Getinge Sourcing - A global provider of infection control equipment, the company is proposing a $4.2 million renovation at its Henrietta site. It will receive sales tax exemptions of $200,000.

Eastside Medical Urgent Care - offers after-hours medical services and is proposing an expansion of its Penfield site that would create 12 jobs. It will receive a tax exemption on equipment purchases of $113,000.

Silt Fencing - installation services for site developers. It will be purchasing $50,000 in new equipment and will get a sales tax exemption of $4,000.

AeroEd Inspection Services - inspection and reporting services for commercial aviation customers and is purchasing $91,000 in new equipment. It will receive a sales tax exemption of $7,280.

Durant Associates - asbestos abatement and will be purchasing new equipment totaling $200,000. It is creating two more jobs and will get a sales tax abatement of $16,000.

Durant Associates received incentives from COMIDA and the MCIDC in December of 2005. The incentives were also for a $200,000 equipment purchase of a crane. It is not clear whether any specific equipment was listed in the most recent application as information available to the public has yet to be updated. More as soon as meeting minutes are posted -

Dr. Gonzo: The Essence of Blog

"Anything that gets the adrenalin moving like a 440 volt blast in a copper bathtub is good for the reflexes and keeps the veins free of cholesterol....but too many adrenaline rushes in any given time span has the same effect on the nervous system as too many electro-shock treatments are said to have on the brain: after a while you start burning out the circuits. When a jackrabbit gets addicted to road-running, its only a matter of time before he gets smashed--and when a journalist turns into a politics junkie he will sooner or later start raving and babbling in print about things that only a person who has Been There can possibly understand.

-

So much for Objective Journalism. Don’t bother to look for it here—not under any byline of mine; or anyone else I can think of. With the possible exception of things like box scores, race results, and stock market tabulations, there is no such thing as Objective Journalism. The phrase itself is a pompous contradiction in terms."

Still Plenty of Fear & Loathing

"The Edge... there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over."


It is amazing how relevant this is today. Not the whole part about the drugs, acid is a horrible drug and I don't recommend it for anyone. Substitute Bush for Nixon - how far have we really come in thirty years?

Maybe that is why Hunter decided it was time to leave. Maybe he had enough. The same military industrial complex that dictated world events then still does so now. The Republicans of today make Nixon era elephants look like hippies. Maybe he didn't want to stick around to see his mountain compound become beachfront property.

Here's to you Doctor, you were a real heavyweight water buffalo type. Forecast is for "bad craziness." -

NYS Thruway: Taking its Toll

The New York state Thruway opened in sections starting in 1950. The first section was actually laid down between Lowell and Rochester. The bonds used to build the toll road were paid off in 1997 and all tolls along the stretch of road were to be abolished. Then our legislature stepped in and voted to maintain the tolls.

Are the tolls necessary? The abolition of tolls along a six mile stretch outside of Buffalo would seem to indicate that they are not. The Thruway Authority maintains these tolls are necessary to repair and maintain the route, that is great except for one detail: it is not true.

In fact, according to a FOIL request filed by the No Grand Island Tolls website, the majority of tolls go to salaries and benefits for Authority employees.

The nogitolls.com FOIL report pertains mostly to the Niagara Falls/Grand Island area, but there are some interesting points which effect all New Yorkers:

- Fringe benefits total 36.75% of their salary.

- The employee non-revenue pass program gives every employee with five years in a free EZ Pass for life, for his or her private vehicle.

- Tollbooth managers receive about $68,000.00/year and toll takers receive approximately $20.00/hour. When the Niagara Section tollbooths were closed the Authority announced that they were not laying off any permanent toll collectors.

- Benefits include a health insurance plan, vision care, dental insurance, free EZ Pass, 401k, long term care insurance, flexible spending accounts and life insurance.

- Senior executives compensation ranges from $115,000.00 for a network affairs acting director to Mr. Fleischer’s compensation of $164,000.00.

- All employees get a tuition assistance program that pays 90% of the tuition advance of the course beginning date. Employees can take up to 15 credit hours/semester.

- Employees get 12 holidays a year, 4 of which are floating holidays, which may be used whenever.

- The vacation leave policy allows (after 7 years of employment) 13.5 days of vacation. They can turn in 10 of those day’s for payment.

- After 5 years of service employees get 12 sick days.

- Employees get 5 personal leave days/year.

Governor Spitzer stated on the campaign trail that, if elected, he would abolish all tolls along the Thruway. Unfortunately Spitzer's proposed Executive Budget, which increases spending at more than double the rate of inflation, does no such thing.

Governor: As I Say, Not As I Do (Updated 2/21)

Spitzer's Special Slush

When Eliot Spitzer ran on a platform of reform we all cheered. When he lambasted legislators for divvying up member item monies (read: pork) in secret with no regard for the public we cheered again.

Get ready to cheer again as Spitzer has . . . created . . . wait, what? According to an article from the New York Sun:

Governor Spitzer is planning to funnel millions of dollars in borrowed state money to Senate Democrats, who have been secretly asked by the administration to submit their wish lists for local capital projects, according to lawmakers.

Backroom deals, secret pots of money, sounds a lot like business as usual in the state Capitol. It's unfortunate that it only took Spitzer two months in office as the Great Reformer to realize that if he wants to get his legislative agenda passed he is going to have to pay.

It is also unfortunate that the main obstacle that has caused Spitzer to undertake such dealings, Shelly Silver, is a member of his own party.

(2/21/07) From newsday.com -

The Spitzer line on this, from press secretary Christine Anderson: The administration hasn't invited any particular conference to submit a wish list, but it has told whoever may have asked that any legislator is welcome to submit economic development ideas for their districts.
That may have included Malcolm Smith, and he may have passed that along to his conference, but in any event no proposal is going to get favored consideration for political reasons, like making sure the Senate Democratic conference continues to vote Spitzer's way. "We'll judge each and every one on its merits," says Anderson.

The American Dream Really is Fu#!@%

We're taking a little break from inane county press releases, carpetbagging administrators and health care spending. No worries - there's plenty more to come on COMIDA and questionable investments (that's right, there's lawsuits) - but this week we're honoring the original blogger amongst our normal run of posts. I defy anyone to read Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 and say otherwise.

The Dr. was ultimately, by his own admission, about free speech; the right to say what one thinks and feels and any moment, the right to question.

He was also a junkie; a political one at that which may be the worst kind, as I'm sure many of my fellow bloggers can attest.

Tomorrow is the anniversary of the Dr.'s death. Below is a little gem from his run for Sheriff -

New York Overpays on Medicaid

According to a new report from the Empire Center for New York State Policy, Medicaid spending on the elderly in New York between 1999 and 2004 rose 55 percent. The rate of increase in other states was just 9 percent.

At the end of the five year period, "New York's spending of $27,200 per elderly recipient was 142 percent more than the average for other states."

The report is part one of the ECNYSP's Medicaid In Depth series which states that New York could save nearly $5 billion by making elderly payouts comparable to those of other states. The elderly portion, which accounts for 7% of the state's medicaid population, currently receives 25% of all Medicaid benefits paid out.

Snow in the Sahara

Can We Stop Global Warming?

On this day in 1979 snow fell in the Sahara desert. I wonder if people talked about global cooling?

Global warming cannot be stopped. Let me follow us this up by saying I support any effort to improve our environment and cut down on greenhouse emissions. My wife and I share one car, a Honda Civic, between the two of us to cut down on our own fuel usage. I believe the United States should never have backed out of Kyoto, but Kyoto won't help.

I believe the scientific data. According to the U.S. Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program, 11 of the 12 hottest days on record have occurred since 1995.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that by 2100, temperatures will have risen between 1.1 and 6.4 degrees. OK, so what now?

Kyoto policies can be enacted but the global community as a whole is not cutting down on use of fossil fuels. One needs only look at population growth in countries like India and auto sales trends in China to see that the consumptions of crude fuel will only escalate in the coming years.

Why the lack of true effort on a widespread scale to change to readily available alternative fuel sources? Programs like Kyoto make us complacent. We are handed programs that are the result of government lip service to make it appear as though they are addressing the problem, and we accept these token limits, caps and restrictions.

The reality is that these gases have built up over centuries and even the stoppage of all fossil fuel use now will not stop warming as a result of that build-up. It is time for the discussion to change from how do we stop global warming to how can it be lived with.

It is difficult for that discussion to even begin, however, as the scientific community is still at odds about just what is happening.

Recent reports have highlighted man made causes, but reports exist that say otherwise. Of course there are those that say global warming is not happening, some studies indicate that while the northern polar cap is shrinking, the southern cap may actually be growing, those that say the earth is cooling; there are even some who say it is caused by solar cycles and point to a September 20th, 2006 release from NASA which states, "for three Mars summers in a row, deposits of frozen carbon dioxide near Mars' south pole have shrunk from the previous year's size, suggesting a climate change in progress." This is the equivalent of 6 years on Earth.

The shrinking is substantial. According to Michael Malin, principal investigator for the Mars Orbiter Camera, the polar ice cap is shrinking at "a prodigious rate." Certainly this is isn't caused by man.

Duke research scientists have concluded that the sun may have minimally contributed about 10 to 30 percent of global surface warming.

Regardless of what theory you accept the only solution is a massive overhaul of our global culture and society that currently rest on a foundation of crude oil. Oh boy . . .

Albany Times Union Drops the Ball

Shelly's Fingerprints Everywhere

On February 13th Capitol Confidential, political blog at the Albany Times Union, ran a post by Elizabeth Benjamin under the heading Ball Drops the Ball. Catchy. The WBP commented on the story and followed up by acquiring the list of the 500 delinquent filers from the New York state Board of Elections.

After a review of the list it is the opinion of the WBP that the Albany Times Union and Capitol Confidential, either accidentally or knowingly, reported inaccurate and false information.

In her most recent article regarding the issue, Ms. Benjamin acknowledges that she has not even seen the list of delinquent committees. Why then, Ms. Benjamin, would you file a story regarding a report you have not seen, and where then did you attain this information? Were the parties involved in giving you this story Dem party leaders with an axe to grind following Ball's outburst at the comptroller vote?

A review of the list of delinquent filers, attained on February 14th, shows no listing for Assemblyman Ball or his committee, New Yorkers on the Ball. This supports Ball's statements that he did not knowingly usurp the law and that the BoE was aware of his filing situation. It also makes the Capitol Confidential post a complete fabrication.

However, the Albany Times Union had help in misconstruing the facts. The post also drew attention to the "fact" that of the 500 delinquents, Ball was the only state level legislator. They even had a statement from BoE spokesman Lee Daghlian that "he was aware of no other state-level elected officials whose names are on that list."

Mr. Daghlian did not review the list very closely either, or he has a giant D next to his name and he's helping Shelly's goons who started spreading this in the first place.

The list actually does contain a number of state level legislators. For example, Carmen Arroyo, state Assembly representative for the Bronx. Why was she conveniently overlooked by Mr. Daghlian and the Albany Times Union in multiple posts? I am sure it is because the Times Union and Ms. Benjamin do not check facts before they report something and has nothing to do with Arroyo being a Democrat.

The Times Union also conveniently omits some other groups who missed the filing deadline: Town of Carmel Democratic Committee (Carmel is represented by Assemblyman Ball), Citizens for Fiscal Integrity, Healthy New York PAC and the New York Democracy Project.

The list is too large to post in entirety here, if anyone would like a copy please leave a comment with your email address and I will forward you an electronic copy. This includes you Ms. Benjamin.

UPDATE: (2/19/07 - 7:17am) 44 minutes after we logged this post, Capitol Confidential posted this

RCSD: Big Staff, Big Bucks

In connection with a Freedom of Information Request, 13 WHAM makes a pointed comparison between Manny Rivera's administration and that of former sup Dr. Clifford Janney who was forced out of office in 2002. The FOIL request revealed the salaries for Rivera's staff, the largest since Janney.


The cabinet-level positions are part of the Superintendent Employee Group, a non-unionized category of workers that includes confidential secretaries and high-level officials. The superintendent negotiates their salaries, which are then approved by the school board.

Among the highest paid SEG members:

• James R. Cooney, Chief Financial Officer $162,000
• C. Michael Robinson, Chief of Operations $147,250
• Michael J. Looby Chief Legal Counsel $146,250
• Ford C. Greene, Chief Information Officer $145,750
• David S. Silver, Associate Chief of Program Management $144,500
• Joanne Giuffrida, Chief Human Resources Officer, $139,250
• Marilyn P. Grant, Chief of Small School Partnerships $135,000

Dr. Rivera earns $230,000.


There is also a great statement from Mayor Bob Duffy that sums this up as well as anything I could write:

“I don't care about programs, projects, efforts, speeches, or anything. I care about results. And the one thing I know is that half our kids graduate,” Duffy said.


Editor's Note: Frankly, Mayor Duffy, you need to hustle after throwing away $250,000. - Col. R.S., II

A Kick in the Ball

Assemblyman Can't Stay Out of News

Last week we reported on Assemblyman Greg Ball and his strong statements to the New York state legislative body during the recent comptroller vote.

Assemblyman Ball (R-99) is back in the news as the state Board of Elections has reported that he failed to file campaign committee financial reports by the January 15th deadline.

Ball is one of 500 to miss the deadline, but he is apparently the only state level legislator. Ball could be subject to a $500 fine and court fees.

The Ball campaign, New Yorkers on the Ball, are saying it is all just a paperwork mix up. From the Albany Times Union:

Ball’s Chief of Staff Rob DiFrancesco called to say the assemblyman is aware of the problem, which was caused by a paperwork snafu not a deliberate desire to flout the law.

The Ball campaign has switched treasurers (Ball’s father, Robert, had the title, but didn’t want it anymore), and maintains it filed the necessary paperwork to do so.

However, it was unclear, DiFrancesco said, whether the BoE would accept the Jan. 15 filing from the new treasurer, Evelyn Perrault.

Editor's Note: In our previous story regarding Ball we stated that Silver called Ball to thank him for his comments. It has been brought to our attention that it was Spitzer, not Silver, who called to thank Ball. A link to a story about the call can be found here.

COMIDA Strikes Again

Allworx: 5Linx Redux?

Three things we can safely assume:
1. Maggie likes to smile and have her picture taken with giant ribbons
2. COMIDA simply subsidizes existing businesses in the area rather than attracting new ones
3. Telecom companies like to spell their names with an X

COMIDA announced today more tax incentives for an area business. This time the recipient is Allworx, and what do they sell? . . . oh lord . . . that's right . . . VoIP! And what do they see as their target market to spur growth . . . yep, small to midsized businesses. Sound familiar?

This is almost the exact same line we heard regarding the 5Linx benefits a month ago and, like the 5Linx situation, the site developer also receives benefits under the guise of the achievements of the telecom provider. What did Techniplex do to warrant multiple incentives for the same site? Like LeFrois Development, this seems like an instance of one company piggybacking on another for tax breaks. Essentially, Monroe County has now subsidized two companies offering the same product to the same market section.

The County has changed its tune slightly, however, and we would like to think that the comments of the WBP (along with its comrades like RochesterTurning in the local progressive blogosphere) made the County realize that we will not be misled.

Whereas the 5Linx release promised the creation of "high-paying jobs," this release states the Allworx expansion "has resulted in more good paying jobs in our community." This quote is a grammatical atrocity, but that aside notice that there is no allusion to job creation. Are we to assume then that COMIDA is now helping businesses without any projection of additional job creation? At the least Maggie has realized she can't make promises which she cannot deliver on, such as the promise of 133 high-paying jobs that will never materialize.

Fortunately, Allworx is no 5Linx; they operate under a traditional business model that uses compensated, salaried employees and their founders do not have questionable backgrounds like Craig Jerabeck of 5Linx, or suspect government ties like William Faucette of the 5Linx Millionaires Club. Additionally, Allworx does not target private consumers and its consulting branch, InSciTek, is well-recognized within the Rochester business community.

It cannot be forgotten though that, despite the apparent success of this business, the tax breaks will eliminate any growth in our commercial tax base that would benefit Monroe County residents by helping to ease their tax burden.

Maybe Maggie needs to go back to her high school economics textbook and review the definition of laissez-faire. Being a Republican, it's a concept to which she supposedly subscribes.

Note: All 5Linx articles can be found in the January archives

Evolution vs. Creation

What Do Americans Believe?

Today being Charles Darwin's birthday, the WBP thought this would be a good opportunity to examine a polarizing issue in our society. Anytime faith-based beliefs are challenged by the scientific community, and those whose thought patterns support theories from this sector,there are bound to be adamant individuals on both sides.

Syracuse University actually offers a course on the debate and the SU website offers a good example of the common arguments, an evolutionist's thoughts can be read here and a creationist's views can be seen here.

Each side offers convincing arguments, though a third page refutes the claims of the evolutionist, but certainly the majority of American society accepts the scientific principles of evolution? The answer may surprise you.

From the National Science Foundation (nsf.gov):

An ongoing Gallup survey, conducted most recently in 2004, found that only about a third of Americans agreed that Darwin's theory of evolution has been well supported by evidence. The same percentage agreed with the alternative statement that Darwin's theory was not supported by the evidence, and an additional 29% said they didn't know enough to say . . . In response to another group of questions on evolution asked by Gallup in 2004, about half (51%) of those surveyed agreed with either of two statements compatible with evolution: that human beings developed over millions of years either with or without God's guidance in the process. However, 45% agreed with a third statement, that "God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so." These views on the origin of human beings have remained virtually unchanged (in six surveys) since the questions were first asked in 1982.

Hence, if you think Darwin's theory is thoroughly supported by science you are in the minority and have been since 1982. At the least this information may help explain how Bush could have been elected to a second term.

COMIDA Public Hearing

Project: Urban Focus, LP

COMIDA is holding a public hearing on Monday the 12th, at 9:00am when so much of the public is available to attend, at the Ebenezer Watts Conference Center on South Fitzhugh St. As we understand it, the County would lease the property to the developer but the release regarding the hearing contains the following paragraph:

The Agency proposes to finance the Facility by using its tax-exempt revenue bonds in an aggregate principal amount of up to $12,000,000 to pay a portion of the cost of purchasing and renovating the Facility (the "Bonds"). It is intended that interest on the Bonds will not be include as gross income for Federal income tax purposes pursuant to Section 103 of the Internal Revenue Code. The Bonds will be special obligations of the Agency payable solely from certain amounts payable under an agreement with the Company and certain other assets of the Issuer pledged to the repayment of the Bonds. THE BONDS SHALL NOT BE A DEBT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK OR ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION THEREOF, INCLUDING MONROE COUNTY, AND NEITHER THE STATE OF NEW YORK NOR ANY POLITICAL SUBDIVISION THEREOF, INCLUDING MONROE COUNTY, SHALL BE LIABLE THEREON.

If Monroe County assumes no debt through the issue of the bonds then the County Leg is nothing more than a pass through entity for the purpose of giving the purchasing entity tax breaks. Is this really the best use of this governing body and these incentives?

The release makes no mention of job creation, it is a simple private entity to private entity transfer with the interjection of the County. Would this transfer not otherwise occur without the COMIDA incentives? Doubtful.

Detailed financial information regarding the project is available at the public hearing, unfortunately a 9-5 job will prevent me from attending. Thus far WBP requests for copies of this info have gone unanswered. If there is anyone who can update, or who can translate the paragraph cited above, feel free to leave your comments.

Ultimately, what type of project is benefiting from COMIDA this time? Drum roll please . . . low income housing. That's right, low income housing - a development sector which already benefits from tax breaks and investment incentives at the town, state and national level.

Make Your Nomination

Since meaningless polls that will actually have no impact on anything and are merely meant to drive up site hits are all the rage today, we thought the WBP would join in the fun.

We are taking your nominations for two positions: Monroe County Executive and Editor of the Democrat & Chronicle. You can read more about our reasoning here and here, but it is obvious that the person who currently occupies each post has now engaged in an inappropriate relationship through common investment in a private entity using taxpayer funds.

Ms. Brooks cannot invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in the futile efforts of the GRE only to have Ms. Magnuson turn around and tell the public how great the GRE is in the tone of an unbiased third party reporting agency; when in fact the D&C is a GRE investment partner and it is in their own interest to portray the GRE as successful. The D&C's actions are especially egregious when it prescribes to be one of the few alternatives to an otherwise conservative and right-leaning media market. We don't need the D&C to start telling us how great our local Republicans are, we have Lonsberry for that.

A Life & Lotto Situation

Wayne Schenk of Naples, NY has terminal lung cancer. Schenk's treatments could incur upfront costs of $130,000 along with a requirement for insured follow-up care. As a veteran of the U.S. Marines, Schenk's insurance only covers treatment at a Veteran's Hospital.

Hoping for a bit of luck Mr. Schenk purchased a New York state lottery ticket and scratched off a $1 million winner; one catch - the million dollars will be payed out in $50,000 increments, roughly $34,000 after taxes, over the next 20 years.

Schenk made an appeal to the NYS Lotto commission for upfront payment of his winnings only to be answered with "no exceptions."

Assemblyman Joe Errigo (R-130) flew off the handle and charged to Albany with big dreams of special legislation for Schenk but days later his tune has changed. The Assemblyman now says that he doesn't believe legislation could be passed in time to help Schenk. Thanks for the big ray of sunshine Joe.

The matter really at hand here is the NYS Lotto itself. If Joe would have thought things through maybe he would have seen the Lotto for what it really is: a regressive form of double taxation on the lower wage earners in our state; and, as illustrated in Schenk's case, is a system not designed to provide people with their dreams that their dollar could supposedly provide them.

In all actuality those purchasing the most lottery tickets are not those paying the most taxes. As most never win, this essentially equates to a lower class tax. In the event that someone does win, a large portion of the money is returned to the state in the form of income tax (as we see above, 50,000 becomes 34,000), making the actual payouts a fraction of what is payed into the system.

Let's look at how the funds are divided. It is not that the lottery commissioners are heartless, certainly most people would want to help a dying man, but the funds and the flow of them in and out of the Lotto system are not such to provide Schenk with his winnings all at once.

The distribution is seen in the dollar bill illustration above: 32% is passed on as aid to education, 56% is paid out in prizes and the remaining 12% goes to commissions, fees and operating costs. Of course there is the fine print. The 32% that supposedly goes to education is deposited into the general fund and can legally be spent in any manner and, as previously mentioned, a large portion of the 56% in prizes is returned in tax.

What the state legislation is left with is a large stream of double taxed money which they would otherwise be at a loss to account for if those monies were eliminated from the budget. So the system, actually established by the New York City mafia before the government took control, goes untouched by passive legislators incapable of tackling reform issues. If an exception was made for Schenk the whole structure would crumble as others receiving periodic payments would come out of the woodwork with expenses that needed immediate funding.

Lotto money also supports area businesses but this may be indicative of a larger problem. The New York State Council on Problem Gambling found that 40% of calls to their help hot line were because of lottery games.

On top of everything else the enormous costs of operating a lottery are apparent as the state's take has been below expectations for the last 10 fiscal years.

Hevesi Sentenced

Hevesi's lawyer mentions that this was about accepting responsibility. Let's see - he paid back $200,000, a fraction of what authorities believe he swindled from the taxpayers, and then received another $5,000 fine for commiting a felony. To top it all off he paid these fees with funds from his campaign commitee.

How Do I Vote For This Guy?

Standing Up to Shelly

His name is Assemblyman Greg Ball. He represents the 99th district and he has GIANT balls. He's also a Republican, that's right some of us here at the WBP are registered Republicans - EGAD! - and we need more in our party and in our government like him. Assemblyman Ball is only 29 years old and if the voters of New York are smart he will have a long career. At the vote for comptroller he decided to speak up.

The saddest part is that his colleagues actualy boo him for pointing out what everyone else already knows.



Governor Spitzer later called Assemblyman Ball to thank him for his comments.

Economic Snapshot

There has been plenty of talk from Rochester political and economic groups stating that the way to revitalize the area economy is to capitalize on our vast educational and high-technology resources. Let's take a look at some recent economic news:

- Xerox sold their headquarters in Connecticut and promptly announced that it had no plans to establish headquarters in Rochester.

- Kodak made an announcement that it will begin manufacturing and selling a new printer aimed at the home and small business market. The machines will not be made in Rochester, they will be made in Asia. But the announcement was made in Rochester, right? Nope, New York City. Then job cuts in the thousands were announced.

- Bausch & Lomb has finally filed its earnings reports . . . for 2005 - and at over $10 million less than previously reported. Overseas legal troubles have supposedly hindered the accounting process and there is no word on when 2006 figures will be released. Think the IRS would be so understanding if you filed your taxes two years late?

- After shelling out $250,000 to keep open its option to purchase the Midtown property, and a jaunt by Mayor Duffy to Italy, the City announced that . . . nothing is happening.

- We still own the Farce Ferry and it is has cost us more to move and store the boat north of the border than if we had left it where it was. I guess with the good Mayor out of sight is truly out if mind.

- Maggie and the GRE announced they would build on achivements from 2006. Acheivements like . . . the agreement to build a new Barilla Pasta plant in Livingston County? Wait a minute . . .

As Bausch & Lomb, Xerox and Kodak flounder who is stepping up to supply these supposed high-paying, hi-tech jobs? Sutherland, Unisys and 5Linx - somehow I doubt the average income levels and required employee skillsets from these three compare to those seen in the heydays of the Big 3.

Take A Deep Breath

It's been a busy day around New York state -

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver told Eliot Spitzer and New York voters to f@!# off as he chose one of his own, rather than one of the three reccomended by Spitzer's panel, to replace Alan Hevesi as comptroller following a closed door session between Dem leaders.

Craig Johnson won in his bid for state Senate but it has thus far failed to have the ripple effect that some hoped for, despite blogosphere speculation indicating the possibility, no Senate Republicans have announced a change in party. Rochester progressives have been holding out for an announcement from Joe Robach but Senate leader Joe Bruno has stated that Robach will be a Republican for life.

Mayor Bob Duffy was expected to announce his decision regarding Midtown but - no such luck. The City has already payed property owners $250,000 just to keep its options open, Duffy has stated that any additional costs incurred by delays will be covered by private parties. We'll hold him to that.

Economic Success in Rochester

With No Help from Government

As reported in the D&C today, "Retail, apartments, offices planned for former Genesee Hospital site - Developer to spend as much as $100M on 'Alexander Park'"

Wow, no COMIDA abatements or public subsidization? A big WBP congrats to Larry Glazer for proving that laissez faire economics still work, maybe certain Republicans who supposedly subscribe to these economic principles should take notice. Let business worry about business, it will straighten itself out, anyone who passed the 10th grade and received a basic education on supply and demand principles can understand marketplaces. "That government is best . . ."

Sinclair Lewis: Tales of the Times

1920's Social Commentary Rings True Today

Greetings to all of our loyal readers, we appreciate your support and the traffic we have received in three short weeks of publication has been overwhelming. As Editor-in-Chief I oversee the daily operations of the Water Buffalo Press and have the duty of compiling various highlight pieces as well as our daily quote which is culled from an individual born on the respective day. Yesterday we highlighted Bob Marley, a social commentator and reformer whose work still speaks to masses in today's society.

Today we highlight another commentator who came before Marley and is likely less well-known: Sinclair Lewis. One of the most revered and controversial authors during the 1900's, Lewis' most famous work is Babbitt, the story of a real estate salesman who begins to question the trappings of modern American life. When the work was released it was hailed as genius by some and skewered by others as an unfair potrait of the working man. Lewis was the first American to win a Nobel Prize for literature, however, most of his works were at one time or another banned in the U.S. In his acceptance of the Nobel Prize Lewis stated that "in America most of us — not readers alone but even writers — are still afraid of any literature which is not a glorification of everything American, a glory hole of our faults as well as our virtues," and that America is "the most contradictory, the most depressing, the most stirring, of any land in the world today."


His novels examine politics, religion, conservatism versus liberalism (in the true, original sense of the terms), marriage, children - and each page could easily be transferred from the 20's to the 2000's. In his work It Can't Happen Here Lewis wrote "When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross."

Again, thank you all for reading. There is much more in store for the WBP in the months to come. I will leave you with a passage from Babbitt, we are not ones to call for outright violent revolution but . . .

"THE strike which turned Zenith into two belligerent camps; white and red, began late in September with a walk-out of telephone girls and linemen, in protest against a reduction of wages. The newly formed union of dairy-products workers went out, partly in sympathy and partly in demand for a forty-four hour week. They were followed by the truck-drivers' union. Industry was tied up, and the whole city was nervous with talk of a trolley strike, a printers' strike, a general strike. Furious citizens, trying to get telephone calls through strike-breaking girls, danced helplessly. Every truck that made its way from the factories to the freight-stations was guarded by a policeman,trying to look stoical beside the scab driver. A line of fifty trucks from the Zenith Steel and Machinery Company was attacked by strikers-rushing out from the sidewalk, pulling drivers from the seats,smashing carburetors and commutators, while telephone girls cheered from the walk, and small boys heaved bricks."

Today is also James Spader's birthday. We would like to take this opportunity to begin a public outcry for the return of Rhona Mitra to the Boston Legal cast.

-Col. Rusty Shackleford, II
Publisher, Editor-in-Chief

Par for the Course: Yes, We're STILL Paying Manny

Who Didn't See This One Coming?

The Rochester City School Board has announced that Manny Rivera's last day with the district will be April 30th but purely in the physical sense, the district will continue to employ and pay Rivera until his original end date in July.

Yes, you read that correctly. Manny is no fool, the salary he will receive in his state position is nearly a third of what he receives from the district and the additional three months will allow his pension package to fully mature. What remains to be seen is how he is compensated at the state level beginning on that April date.

I doubt I am alone in thinking it is flat out ridiculous to pay Manny for a job he isn't doing but, given his activities over the past two years, it is something we've been doing for quite awile.

Credit Where Credit Isn't Due

The LoveFest Continues

It started on Friday. A three day Democrat & Chronicle Re-Elect Maggie campaign has culminated in yet another entry on the D&C's Editorial page proclaiming the success and vision of Brooks and Dennis "Rochestarians Just Don't Understand" Mullen of the Greater Rochester Enterprise.

If the D&C wants to pat Maggie and Dennis on the back for doing . . . well, whatever it is they have done up to this point, then go right ahead but do not credit them for achievements in which they had no part.

The editorial states, "Mullen and Brooks . . . provided strong arguments that they are prepared to build on some notable accomplishments in 2006. Attracting a $90 million pasta plant to nearby Livingston County was among them." Of those so-called notable accomplishments this is the only one given in the article.

When Barilla Pasta announced it would build a new facility in Avon, NY there was a long list of politicos jumping on the "yep, I did that!" express. The Lakeville-Avon Railroad announced they were an integral part of the negotiations, even Assemblyman Joe Errigo who hasn't represented Avon since the last redistricting issued a release saying what a fine job he did in convincing Barilla to operate in the town.

There is just one small problem with the aforementioned crowning achievement, for those not familiar with the Genesee Valley geography, Avon is located in Livingston County and neither Brooks nor Mullen had any part in securing the Barilla project.

The first mention of the GRE having major involvement in securing the Barilla deal came in a D&C article on January 21st of this year. Until this article the GRE had simply been mentioned as one of many partners in passing quotes, the release from Barilla does not even note the GRE or any Monroe County official:

Barilla and Jacobson worked closely with local and state elected officials to secure government grants and loans needed to build the facility. Officials included Avon Mayor Tom Vonglis, New York State Senator Dale Volker, and New York State Assemblyman Daniel Burling, as well as Patrick Rountree of the Livingston County Development Group and Jim Jacob from Empire State Development.

What this quote equates to is Barilla saying, "We were going to choose South Carolina but the state finally smartened up and gave us a damn Empire Zone in Livingston County," an Empire Zone that Patrick Rountree has been lobbying state officials for since the program's inception.

Let's make believe with the D&C for a moment, though, and pretend the GRE was responsible for landing Barilla. Avon and Livingston County are not outside the bounds of the GRE, as indicated in the map from their website, it is disheartening that the only real achievement by the organization was outside Monroe County and the economically depressed City despite being headed by the Monroe County Executive, two Rochester natives and businessmen and the support of Monroe County tax dollars. Why is Ms. Brooks even spending time focusing on an area other than Monroe County?

All right, let's come back to reality now. The GRE and this claim by Mr. Mullen is a mirror of the Monroe County economic landscape. Gradually Monroe and Rochester have grown in the eyes of our leaders and business people to include Livingston, Wayne, Ontario, even Seneca county as illustrated by the GRE's own map and the businesses have left the City for the suburbs. Our politicians came up with incentives to reinvigorate the City and Monroe County, programs like the Empire Zone, but the lobbyists and businesses said "we want those incentives where we're moving our businesses" - so the politicians and their re-election campaigns gave in and the incentives spread out to the suburbs as well.

The D&C itself highlighted this trend with a feature article on Henrietta this week. However, it took the D&C's Henrietta blog and Supervisor Jim Breese to show the D&C that the success in Henrietta and Livingston County is not because of Mullen, the GRE, Maggie or anyone else who is interested in being re-elected or having their picture taken:

Several of the points mentioned in the article by Town Supervisor Jim Breese are "low taxes, good public schools and a local university" and that "people want to live near work".

These are exactly the reasons my wife I and pondered when we looked at moving here. In our case, I've mentioned previously that I'm 4 minutes from work even with a couple of stoplights. 4 minutes?!?! You can't beat that with a stick.

Wow, no publicly funded thinktanks, no outsourced studies, no conferences or public hearings or press conferences, just sound political and economical fundamentals involving tax structure, education and employment. You see Karen, it's not the pessimism, stupid; it's the stupid, stupid. (note: The Democrat & Chronicle is listed as a GRE Investment Partner on the rochesterbiz.com website)

Sympathy for the GRE

Pictured L-R (Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks, Dennis M. Mullen, President and CEO of GRE, Wayne LeChase, Chairman of GRE, Theresa Mazzullo, Chairman of COMIDA)

The Democrat & Chronicle ran a series this past week that started in their Editorial blog and ended in their editorial page on February 2nd. Essentially the D&C's message was "Hey guys, don't pick on Maggie and entities like the Greater Rochester Enterprise . . . c'mon ease up." Karen loves Maggie jokes aside, the Water Buffalo Press Oh My God I Can't Believe He Actually Said That, Just Shoot Me in The Face Now Award goes to GRE Chairman Dennis Mullen who was quoted in the D&C editorial as saying "he doesn't really get questions about setbacks like the recent closing of businesses in the High Falls District."

. . . Hold on . . . sorry, I just blacked out a little there. Now Dennis - you're dumbfounded by the existence of questions regarding the closure of a privately owned, publically subsidized entity that was receiving tax dollars to operate an establishment which was shut down by state entities for serving alcohol to minors and then pulled out of its contract with the City the very next day by email? Really? This really surprises you?

You'll have to forgive us, Ms. Magnuson and Mr. Mullen, if we don't have the utmost confidence in the entities charged with invigorating our area's economy. Let's list some of these groups: there's Mr. Mullen's Greater Rochester Enterprise, the Rochester Downtown Development Corporation, the always popular County of Monroe Industrial Development Association, the Monroe County Industrial Development Corporation, apparently the Lakefront Properties branch of the Trillium group, The Entrepeneurs Network and of course the Mayor, County Executive, City Board members and County Legislators; yet they still need to outsource a study to a third party group with little connection to Rochester to figure out what they should do with High Falls.

No one is bashing Rochester, Ms. Magnuson, we're simply trying to defend it and our tax dollars from politicians, lobbyists, misguided government, socialists and lazy media.

How They Spend Our Money

About As Useful As . . .

A new year brings with it new budgets and new purchases and our government is no different. In our newest feature the Water Buffalo Press will spotlight recent governmental purchases through public bids, the figures we will list will be numbers from the lowest bidder - although the contract does not always go to the lowest bidder.

Our first highlight comes from the City of Rochester and is about as valuable as an extra head. Bid number 106680 was for annual plants and an 'Apparent Low' (the City's term, not mine) of $10,481 was received from Fernecchia Farms. There was only one problem: Fernecchia Farms was the only group to bid. A rebid, number 106685, was conducted two weeks later and at least three bids were received. This time Fernecchia received the contract because they were the low bidder, right? Nope - Fernecchia did not even appear to bid this time as they were not listed in the 'Apparent Lows.' But the winning bidder was around $10,000, right? Nope - the lowest bidder this time around was Blue Heron at $23,097. That's right - taxpayers will shell out at least $23,000 this year for some flowers and a spider plant.

Spitzer Making Changes

For Better or For Worse

Despite the fact that he makes a Whitman quote as exciting as watching actual leaves of grass grow, Governor Eliot Spitzer's 75% approval rating indicates the voters of New York are pleased with what they have seen in his very busy first month in office. Spitzer has championed accountability, reform and transparency but is this really a new political era or simply rephrased political speak?

The release of the Governor's budget was highlighted by increases in school funding accompanied by harsh penalties for districts that under perform. While accountability sounds good we've seen the efforts of throwing money at the education problem - Campaign for Fiscal Equity - and efforts for increased accountability - No Child Left Behind - fall short of politicians' promises. I also find it discouraging that the individual Spitzer chose as his education leader has made more turns in his career than William Shatner; and as for accountability, this same individual who has overseen one of the worst graduation rates in the country, one of the highest dropout rates and claims of rampant prejudice and racism has been rewarded with one of the most powerful positions in the state - where's the accountability? As if to drive home the point that money does not fix education an examination of funding levels for the district overseen by the aforementioned individual (read:Manny) reveal failings when compared with neighboring Buffalo whose rates of success are much higher despite receiving half the funding.

Spitzer has said that he will increase education funding while slashing property taxes and increasing the STAR rebates, the two main sources of education monies in the state; it will take some fancy math to increase education spending while damming its primary revenue streams but my guess is that it will all add up to increased borrowing and debt for future New Yorkers.

The new Governor has certainly been a reformer in one regard: Spitzer has been very active in the races for open state positions, he was probably the largest reason why no one from the Assembly made the final list of comptroller candidates, and the Governor has been very active in the battle over a Long Island Senate seat. This is the bulldog on attack that we all voted for but slapping the hands of those on Wall Street is much different than battling the legislative bodies who must approve the legislation you want passed as governor. You're alright with us Eliot but, unfortunately, Shelly and Hollywood Joe Bruno are the ones who will make or break you and neither one seems to be in your corner.