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Our district-District Four, is made up of three
towns: Duanesburg, Princetown and Rotterdam. I believe that
our three towns are the most productive and most self-sufficient
part of our county. Why? Because we are made up of the stuff
that makes America GREAT! The middle class working people who
pay our bills, taxes, take care of our properties and raise
our children to be law-abiding citizens. As a whole our district
generates the lions-share of the County sales tax dollar but
proportionally we receive the smallest bang for the buck. For
too long the City of Schenectady has engaged in fiscally and
socially irresponsible practices, and the towns have paid for
it.
The City is more and more becoming a haven for welfare-seekers
from out of town. I call them down and out- out of towners.
They arrive here for drug and alcohol counseling, therapy, welfare,
and taxpayer-subsidized housing. There are even programs here
for sex-offenders. The results are obvious. Just read the paper
and see who commits the murders, who deals drugs, who is involved
in gang violence, and you get an idea. People with addresses
in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens. They break the law with impunity.
And the liberal mindset we keep applying to our county continues.
Sadly enough we institute "Alternatives to Incarceration"
programs, idealistically believing that when a criminal gets
caught the first time, it is the first time they broke the law.
It is naive, and it is the equivalent of coming to a bazooka-fight
with a butter knife. But this is Schenectady County and we continue
to make the same mistakes and think if we apply old solutions
to new problems, we can magically fix things.
The bail-out continues in other ways as well.
Sometimes the County Government just throws cold, hard cash
at a problem. The County Legislature for the last few years
gives the City $150,000 of your money to the Schenectady Police
department for staffing, and $400,000 to the Fire department.
The later is supposed to pay for "Hazardous Materials"
calls which last year totaled eleven. I voted against those
things, and when I did, the local branch of the Independence
Party refused to endorse me saying that I wouldn't "do
what they wanted." The Independence party is run by the
Schenectady Firefighter's Union, and is headed by one of the
Union bosses. They chose to endorse all Democrats this year
as well. Government for sale to the highest bidder is what I
call it.
So now that I highlighted some of the issues, or at least the
main ones here is what I propose:
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I think Schenectady County needs to cut welfare spending
to the state minimum, to institute the toughest welfare fraud program
in the state, to sell off unused and unwanted property to get it
back to the tax rolls, to cut all unnecessary patronage jobs like
the $40,000 per year PART-TIME special events coordinator, to determine
management salaries based on performance, to encourage the Cooperative
extension to merge with another county (Fulton-Montgomery is an
example) and to institute rigorous bidding procedures on all purchases.
Of course we need to get the City OFF "municipal welfare"
as welll and end the practice of throwing money at them so they
can buy votes.
This is a start. The Schenectady County GOP will be unveiling it's
"promise to Schenectady" shortly to highlight in detail
ways in which we can make our county more vibrant economically and
socially. I will shortly post it here when it is unveiled!
As far as the future of our District my one overriding concern for
the next four years is seeing to it that we get a modern park built
in western Schenectady County. One that offers the Little League
a place to play for eternity, one that offers soccer, tennis, and
other recreation as well. We could share it between the 3 towns
if the County will fund a bond issue for the land purchase. I am
sure it would add immensely to the quality of life here for generations!
I also want to strengthen our sex-offender laws. I initiated a plan
last April to crack down on these monsters, and it was initially
rejected by the democrat majority. They then watered it down and
took my name off of it, putting instead my opponents name on it!
But we need to make it harder for these individuals to move here
and raise havoc with our children.
I would like to see the sales tax re-distributed to the municipalities
who produce it as well. Instead of the old way of using it as a
plum for the politically powerful democrat machine in the city,
distribute it fairly.
I also will state my unbridled opposition to any county-wide water
authority scheme which would be tantamount to criminality. The PEOPLE
own the water and we should never give it up to an unaccountable
authority whose bosses are appointed by the Downtown Schenectady
Democrat Machine. It would drive people from their homes. Don't
believe the rhetoric when they try to tell you it would be cheaper.
It is fine the way it is.
All and all I hope I have illustrated some of my views to you here.
I plan on adding to this some more later. My cell phone is 376-5161
if you care to reach me about any specific concerns you might have.
I am always available for my constituents! |
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