Guest Post - Progress in the Town of Nassau

by Nassau Town Chairman Mark Berger 

For the last six years, Democrats have contributed greatly to Nassau. With Ray Seney leading, he and Michael Roland and Sue Hains spurred the development of the comprehensive plan and updated zoning laws, initiated open government policies, took the junk yard to court and won, helped move the cleanup of the Dewey Loeffel Toxic Waste Site from the DEC to the EPA, worked with CEO to bring a comprehensive day care center to our area, oversaw the budget, and opened town government to all civic minded individuals.

Democrats and independents came forward and joined with Republicans to create and serve on the Natural Resources Committee, the Comprehensive Planning and Zoning Committee, the Website and Broadband Committee and presently many of those citizens still serve on these committees as well as the Zoning Board and Planning Board.

If you want this forward thinking representation to continue, electing our candidates is essential. Ray Seney has given his all to our town -- first as Supervisor and now as Councilman; he comes to meetings prepared and asks the questions that need to be asked. Ray is running for re-election, we have to keep him on the Town Council.

Guy Forte has stepped forward and is wants to move ahead with the initiatives outlined in the 2011 Comprehensive Plan and to work with both the Town and the Village of Nassau to figure out ways that mutual cooperation will work to save money and still provide quality services for all townspeople. Let’s get Guy elected to the board.

Along with Donna Ortgies, our town clerk candidates, and Marcelle Gadreault, our candidate for tax collector, all of our candidates are completely independent. They have no other overlapping loyalties. Decisions of our office holders are theirs alone. They are seeking office in order to serve the town and for no other reason.

Remind your friends that on Tuesday, November 8, the future of Nassau will be decided. The progress we have made is because we have had our candidates serve on the Town Council. A five-to-nothing Republican Town Council will be at best a status quo council.

We need your support. Send us a contribution. Help us stuff envelopes. Anything you do, allows us to do more.

Thanks for listening,

Mark

Town of Nassau Democratic Committee, PO Box 237, East Nassau, 12062: Where your donations lead to good government.

Gibson's fake jobs vote ~ a Guest Post by Mark Berger, Nassau Democratic Chairman

Last week my wife received a mailer, sent at taxpayer’s expense, from Congressman Chris Gibson. I guess he doesn’t consider male Democrats as part of his constituency.

Since jobs are issue number one in our country, Gibson leads off by saying he voted for “creating jobs by removing impediments to growth.” Did he vote for a jobs bill? No, he did not. After 4 months control of the House of Representatives, the Republicans have yet to put forth a single jobs bill.

The phrase “impediments to growth” is Republican code for regulation. In this case, the Republicans want to require a job impact study before the EPA adopts any environmental regulation. Their goal is to stifle the EPA by pitting employment against environmental protection. This is not a jobs bill, because it will not have any impact on the level of unemployment we are experiencing.

Gibson’s vote has nothing really to do with jobs, and, from my perspective, it has everything to do with making the Koch Brothers and Carl Rove happy. Rove and the Koch’s are absolutely opposed to the EPA. Remember, they poured over $600,000 into campaign ads that attacked Scott Murphy, which helped Gibson win. Might he owe them one?

If the Republicans were interested in keeping America competitive in the world economy they would be supporting the president’s green economy and education initiatives. But they are not.

Gibson and his fellow Republicans keep marching out their bogus claim that regulation is what’s hurting American businesses. The truth is some regulations work and others don’t. But one thing is certain: without regulation, we get toxic waste sites, unsafe work places, and unsavory financial products. Think Dewey Loeffel, think black lung disease, think climate change, think the financial meltdown of 2008, the savings and loan collapse of the 80’s, and the Great Depression.

After the worldwide financial collapse in 2008, free market guru and Bush’s fed chair, Alan Greenspan admitted he was wrong to believe that the directors and managers of the large banks and investment houses would honor their fiduciary responsibilities and, thus, would never back worthless securities nor push marginal mortgages. His philosophical position of free trade did not work in the real world where organized greed and a hands-off policy on regulation nearly brought on the second great depression. Did the real world conform to Greenspan’s philosophical viewpoint, no, it did not and we are still picking up the pieces of this misguided political philosophy.

Back to Gibson. In his mailing, he points to his vote against the use of “un-elected” agency czars as if that is something that matters. As he knows and so do we, we do not elect agency heads, we elect the president and he makes appointments with the advice and consent of congress. Bush appointed so-call czars for homeland security and drug enforcement and so has Obama. With all the serious problems that confront our country why waste time on this?

Ironically, the one place where Mr. Gibson can control federal spending is in the running of his office. Here I expected big cuts, just like the Republicans are calling for all over the place. Yet all Gibson was able to cut was 5% of his office budget. Is Congressman Gibson realizing that running an efficient and responsive government office costs money? Does he realize that making across the board cuts often creates more problems than it solves?

I hope Chris Gibson takes the time to learn history’s lessons rather than becoming a victim of a philosophy which fails in the world in which we live

Guest Post from Nassau Democratic Town Chairman Mark Berger

            March 10, 2011 was an historic day for Nassau. On that day, two separate, but very important and portentous decisions were rendered. We experienced a loss and a win, but the real victory will be a long time coming.

            Let’s start with the loss that is unquestionably a loss. On March 10, a unanimous ruling by the Appellate Court upheld Judge Lynch’s decision which declared the 2008 Comprehensive Plan and its supporting legislation null and void. Nassau has another appeal pending, but our record so far is 0 for 3.

            The terse ruling is available at this link: http://townofnassau.org/content/News/View/27:field=documents;/content/Documents/File/979.PDF.

            Practically speaking, the Appellate Court’s decision means that no recently passed zoning laws apply to the TS&G mining application. If the Town adopts a new Plan and new laws this year or in the future, Troy Sand and Gravel will not be bound by the terms. To underscore this point, in June of 2010, the Town entered into a Stipulation Agreement which said, in part, that if the nullification of the 2008 laws were upheld TS&G “shall be exempt from any subsequent land use regulation that may or will be adopted by the Town Board of Nassau from this date forward.”

            Also on March 10, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region 2, added Dewey Loeffel Landfill to the Federal Superfund List. At an information meeting last spring, EPA officials explained the process and heard from the public. According to their news release, which I have attached, adding the toxic waste site to the Superfund List “enables the EPA to initiate and oversee the cleanup of the site.”

            The EPA was “unable to reach agreement on a settlement with General Electric, Bendix Corporation and Schenectady Chemicals” (the so-called Potentially Responsible Parties) and so it will proceed on its own to investigate the landfill and the resultant contamination.

            This coming Thursday, March 24, from 7pm – 9 pm at St. Mary’s Church Parish Hall, another EPA public information meeting will be held to explain and answer questions about what happens next.

            Although I am relieved that the EPA is looking to move forward where the DEC has treaded water for so many years, I am cautiously optimistic about what the EPA will be able to accomplish. Now, Nassau is officially the home of one of the 1200 most toxic waste sites in all the United States and Puerto Rico. For those who still believe that “people should be able to do what they want with their land” and for those who put up signs about “property rights,” I say “Pitch a tent on Dewey Loeffel’s former land and drink a glass or two of the water there as a toast to that outdated idea.”

            I hope we have a good turnout on Thursday with residents of Nassau and Schodack joining together again to hear what is being said and to say what is on their minds. Good government begins with us.

Thanks for listening,

Mark

Town of Nassau Democratic Committee, PO Box 237, East Nassau, 12062: Where your donations lead to good government.

Bagels and politics go well together

In Southern Rensselaer County, the Nassau and Schodack Town Democratic Committees have forged an alliance that is working to inform and motivate Democrats in both towns.

Their second co-sponsored event (the first being a victory celebration a couple of years ago) was a Bagel Breakfast held Saturday, March 5, in Nassau.

About 60 people showed up to chat and discuss local politics as well as hear Rensselaer County Legislator Peter Grimm and Linda Underwood, former Schodack school board member and two-time political candidate, speak about community and grassroots activism. 

The uplifting message was: being active in the community will lead to wins at the polls. Peter Grimm arrived at running for office after years of helping in numerous community projects in Troy.  Linda Underwood arrived at the same conclusion after years of grassroots activism and community involvement in Schodack.  

“We can’t just come out from under a rock before elections and expect to win,” Underwood said. “We have to be out in the community, supporting the fund-raising breakfasts and pizza nights. We have to pick up trash on the side of the road and collect food for the local food pantries. We have to be visible all year if we want to be taken seriously.”

Several others spoke about community projects that Democrats are involved in - Rain Worthington explained how the Nassau Sunshine Fund works (mini-loans to Nassau residents in need), Sam Whaley told the group about the Nassau Food Compact (devoted to providing a local market for food from local farms), and Tony Kirby from Schodack spoke about commercial design standards, not only for the Town of Schodack, but also the entire area.

Besides Grimm, elected officials in attendance included Nassau Town Board Members Sue Hains and Ray Seney and Castleton Mayor Joe Keegan. Former county legislator Brian Zweig was also there.
 

Town chairs Mark Berger and Elizabeth Gable were pleased with the turnout and the enthusiasm of the group. 

“I like the simpatico our committees are developing,” Berger said. 

We like it, too. And hope it spreads throughout the county.

Mark Berger and Rain Worthington welcome the group and discuss current events in Nassau.

Peter Grimm and Linda Underwood listen to other speakers at the Bagel Breakfast.

Tony  Kirby speaks about commercial design standards for Schodack and the Southern Rensselaer County area.