Better Late Than Never

Earlier this evening, the Ulster County Conservative Party endorsed Terry Bernardo for County Executive.

Apparently, the County GOP met last night and endorsed Bernardo as well.  No word on whether permission was obtained from her husband before nominating her.

Jokes like that last one will continue to plague the County GOP for some time to come.

City GOP Convention

The GOP met earlier this evening.  They nominated Ron Polacco for Mayor.  Scott DiMicco was nominated for Alderman-at-Large though he was not in attendance.

Debbie Brown was nominated for ward 9 and Joe Corcoran was nominated for Ward 6.

They had one more candidate.  In Ward 1, they nominated a person named Sean.  I do not have his last name or any information about him.  However, in the interest of fairness, once I get that information, I will post it.

The races for Alderman were left blank in wards 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, and 8.  Basically, the Republicans not only conceded the majority, they conceded a 2/3 majority of the council.

Based on convention results, I think I justified in considering the City Conservative Committee to have taken the 2nd slot from the GOP.  The Democrats still remain in the #1 slot, though they are in full civil war.

City Conservative Committee Endorsements for 2015

Through endorsements, Wilson-Pakula waivers, and recommendations, we have put together a FULL TICKET for the City of Kingston.  As the second most influential party in city politics (behind only the Democrats), we felt it important to offer a full ticket.

City Conservative Committee Candidate Decisions

The City of Kingston Conservative Executive Committee interviewed candidates and offer endorsements, Wilson-Pakula waivers, or recommendations for all city positions, i.e. Mayor, Alderman-at-Large, and 9 Alderman.

“Endorsement” refers to a candidate who sought our line and gained our full support.

“Wilson-Pakula Waiver” refers to either: (a) a candidate who is running for office that we are willing to support but who has not actively sought our endorsement; OR, (b) is offered to more than 1 candidate in a race to signify our intent to grant permission for a primary.

“Recommendation” refers to a situation where no candidate is running or where we cannot support the declared candidates.  In such a situation, we recommend a man or a woman in the ward or district of honor and integrity who we think would serve the public well.

After careful consideration, the City Committee has made the following decisions:

Mayor -- We have granted Wilson-Pakulas to authorize a primary between SHAYNE GALLO and RON POLACCO.

Alderman-at-Large  -- A Wilson-Pakula was granted to JEANETTE PROVENZANO should she decide to seek our line.  Currently, she is not seeking our line.

Ward 1 Alderman Recommendation:  We do not support either declared candidate.  AL TEETSEL served previously as 1st Ward Alderman.  We consider him a man of integrity and would be willing to offer our full endorsement should he choose to run.

Ward 2 Alderman Endorsement given to BRIAN SECHE.  Brian has been a good Alderman and a voice of reason on the Council.

Ward 3 Alderman Recommendation.  We do not support either declared candidate..  Mr. Champ-Doran is a man of integrity but his philosophy is not conservative.  Thus, while we respect him, we cannot endorse his candidacy.  NATE HOROWITZ was a very good Alderman of this ward. Should he decide to run again, we would openly support his candidacy

Ward 4 Alderman Wilson-Pakula granted to NINA DAWSON.  Nina has not approached us for an endorsement.  We believe she has done a good job as Alderman and we offer her a Wilson-Pakula waiver

Ward 5 Alderman Wilson-Pakula granted to BILL CAREY.  Bill has not approached us for an endorsement.  We believe he has done a good job as Alderman and we offer him a Wilson-Pakula waiver.

Ward 6 Alderman Endorsement given to JOE CORCORAN.  Joe is a retired police officer and a successful small business man.  He just missed last time and we believe he would be a solid addition to the Council.

Ward 7 Alderman Endorsement given to MARY ANN MILLS.  Alderwoman Mills impressed our committee with her answers.  We believe she is a conservative Democrat similar to Lew Kirshcner, John Dwyer, TR Gallo, and other conservative Democrats who have carried our banner over the years.

Ward 8 Alderman Wilson-Pakula granted to STEVE SCHABOT.  Steve has not approached us for an endorsement.  We believe he has done a good job as Alderman and we offer him a Wilson-Pakula waiver.

Ward 9 Alderman Endorsement given to DEBBIE BROWN.  Alderwoman Brown has been a stellar member of the Council and we are honored to support her re-election efforts.  We feel the Council needs Debbie back for another 2 years.

If you need tickets, let me know.

County Republican Fiasco

Last night, the County Republican Convention was nothing more than an embarrassment.

First, 10 Legislative seats were left blank!!  TEN!!  To win a majority, Republicans have to almost run the table.   But, it gets worse ...

In 2 of the legislative districts, there were 2 candidates nominated.  However, no vote was permitted.  No endorsement.  They just said there will be a primary.  No vote.  Commiteemen got no vote or say.

But, it gets worse ...

Holley Carnright got nominated.  However, the County Chairman, for reasons I am about to discuss, adjourned the meeting so quickly, that Holley never got to give his acceptance speech.

But, it gets worse ...

Prior to the meeting, 2 candidates, Don Wise and Terry Bernardo, announced that they wished to run against Mike Hein for County Executive.  Both had a nomination and a second ready.  However, County Republican Chairman, Roger Rascoe, did not want anyone nominated against Mike Hein.  So, he ran up, and asked for a motion to adjourn.  A person yelled out their intention to nominate a candidate, but was ignored.  An adjournment was moved and seconded.

Basically, the Republican Chairman refused the committee members right to make nominations from the floor.  Though he denies any deal being made to not run a candidate against Hein, Rascoe said the party was still looking for a candidate.

Both Bernardo and Wise each said they spoke with Rascoe prior to the meeting, but he kept telling them they should not run.  Makes one wonder if they really want a candidate.

But, it gets worse ...

A reporter from the Freeman asked County Chair Rascoe why he would not allow Bernardo to be nominated.  Here is what the Freeman reported:

"He said although he had heard Terry Bernardo was interested in running, he didn’t approach her because her husband, who chairs the county Independence Party, told Rascoe he didn’t want her to run.

'Out of respect to him, I didn’t ask her,' Rascoe said."

Let me see if I understand this statement.  Chairman Rascoe would not allow a married woman to be nominated because her husband did not give his permission?  Really??  I wonder what married women think about that?  Can married men run if their wives are against it?

The Democrats will have a field day with that comment.  They will likely demand that every Republican candidate respond to the comment.  They will use the comment to support their foolish argument that Republicans are anti-woman.

This statement needs to be retracted immediately and Rascoe must apologize for it.  

In short, it is hard to imagine how the convention could have gone any worse.  Ten vacancies, no votes on anything, Incumbent County DA not allowed to give acceptance speech, no nominations from the floor, committeemen offered no real involvement, and to top it off a comment that Democrats will hang on the Republicans' necks.

Resigning not Resigned?

Although most Republican Committeemen I have spoken with say Sinagra resigned, a growing number are now saying that Tony claims he is resigning but has not resigned yet.

So, to be as precise as I can, Tony has either resigned, is in the process of resigning, is contemplating resigning, has foreseen his resignation, is planning to resign soon, or has resigned in some alternate universe.

Breaking News. -- Sinagra Resigns.

Apparently, right after postponing the GOP convention in an effort to get more (some?) candidates, Tony Sinagra resigned as City Chair.

No official reason has been made public nor has it even been publicly confirmed.  My information comes from GOP Committeemen.

A few months ago, Sinagra engineered a coup and deposed Bruce McLean.  One assumed he had a plan.  Guess not.

My belief is that he resigned rather than be the Chair of record when the City GOP leaves as many as 12 positions blank.

The City Republicans were on the verge of becoming a force in city politics until 2 major blunders by Sinagra crippled the party for the foreseeable future.

First, after deciding to support Alderman Turco-Levin as Minority Leader, he went on the attack against Ron Polacco for absolutely no reason.  He should have made a statement complimenting Ron and saying something like he knew Ron might be interested in seeking Alderman at Large and thus might not have time to be leader.

Instead, he attacked him for no reason.  This made Ron an enemy.  Ron thereafter had no reason to make any deals with him and guaranteed a primary.

Second, he privately promised me support For Mayor.  Then, at the last minute, turned on me the night before the convention.  By then, I had received the endorsement of the Conservative Party and had given my word to them that I would run.

Had he come to me a few weeks before like a man and told me he was backing Andi, I would have gotten out and ran for Alderman at Large.  Andi and I would have made a good ticket.  Campaigning together, we would have beaten Ron and had a real chance in the general.

Instead, he knifed me at the last minute and left me in a position to either walk away with my tail between my legs and break my word to the Conservatives or fight back.  I chose to fight.

The result was that Ron won the primary, and my supporters and Andi's supporters were all upset and felt robbed.  Ron never got the full support of the City Committee and felt gipped.

Numerous committeemen resigned and the committee was never the same.  A few months later, Sinagra resigned.

Now, after coming back with promises of great things, he resigns on the eve of the convention and leaves Joe Ingarra and Jerry Brown (his Vice Chairs and 2 good men) holding the bag.

Meanwhile, the Conservative Party will interview candidates on Tuesday, June 9th, at 7 pm.  I cannot promise a full ticket, but we will be close.

City GOP Convention Postponed?

I have been informed that the Kingston City GOP has postponed its city convention.

I have not heard the official reason why.  Some are saying it is to allow for more committeemen to attend because of concerns over getting a quorum.  Others say it is because of a lack of candidates.

If anything official is announced, I will advise.

*******

UPDATE

Gop convention has been moved until 6/10, the day after the City Conservatives meet.

I have also been informed that the reason for the delay is an attempt to get more candidates.

I have been asked if the Conservatives will delay our meeting on 12/9. The answer is no.  We will go forward and lead the way.

Insubordination?

As recently reported on this blog, Mayor Gallo issued an order on 5/11/15 requiring Steve Noble to turn over all documents, expenditures, vouchers, etc concerning the various grants he was working on.  This was to be done by uploading same to the S-drive and by turning over copies to the City Comptroller, City Purchasing Agent, and Corporation Counsel.

I have recently uncovered another memorandum issued by the Mayor on 5/28/15 that was sent to Kevin Gilfeather, who is Steve Noble's direct supervisor.  In this memorandum, the Mayor advised Mr. Gilfeather that while an order had been given to Mr. Noble, he had largely failed to respond to it.  The documents were not loaded on the S-drive or submitted to the three people directed.

A review was made of the department's computer folders and, in the memorandum, it is noted that "shockingly little" information was there,

Steve Noble has now been directed to submit ALL hard copy documents no later than the close of business today (June 1st).  I do not know yet if he did so.

Let's be clear about something.  Steve Noble has the right to run for Mayor.  BUT, he is a city employee and Mayor Gallo is his boss.  If the boss gives a directive of this nature, failure to follow it constitutes insubordination.  You may seek the job of the boss, but unless and until you get said job, you have to follow the orders of the boss.  That is the rule we taxpayers have to follow in our jobs.  We all have bosses and have to follow their orders.  That's a simple fact of life.

Now, to be fair, I do not know if Steve is being insubordinate or if the documents requested do not exist because the work that was supposed to be done was never done.  Once all of the hard copies are turned over, we will know which is the case.

It is beginning to look like the story I released as an exclusive may very well have legs.  People are beginning to talk about it all over the city.  Recent attempts were made by 2 former elected Democrat officials who are decidedly anti-Gallo to blame the Junior League and a Democrat committeewoman.  This has infuriated many people.

The insurgent candidacy of Steve Noble is perhaps in real jeopardy of collapse.