What’s Goin’ On - RT Roundup 7/21/08
Some nuggets of newsitude for y’all’s:
- Wow, do Monroe County Republicans know how to double-dip or what? We reported previously on Greece’s electeds holding dual jobs at the county. Check out this “business-as-usual” appointment by new GOP chair Reilich:
Andy Moore, a Penfield councilman and a former chief of staff to Assemblyman Bill Reilich, R-Greece, will serve as executive director of the Monroe County Republican Committee, Moore said today.
Reilich, the newly elected chairman of the party, appointed Moore.
Moore, 37, will remain on the Penfield council but resign his post as deputy director of the Greater Rochester International Airport, he said.
- File under “Signs that our local economy is awesome“:
According to a national survey, Rochester is number two to Milwaukee in coupon-clipping communities.
- Folks are up in arms in Chili about a proposed Microtel in a tiny lot near residences. (Chili’s last movement opposing development, the “No Mall On Paul” folks, helped Manchurian Candidate Dave Dunning into the limelight, and the town Supervisor position, before abruptly turning Republican to further advance his career.) Based on the size of the lot (aerial shot here), I don’t blame them. Funniest quote:
John Nowicki said he was not convinced of the project’s viability, calling it “10 pounds of something in a five-pound area.” He also expressed worries about the building’s height and drainage issues.
- Years of GOP leadership, married with a lack of vision, has caused rising fuel prices, the effects of which are trickling down to local businesses, big and small. Including Wegmans and Xerox. What if Reagan hadn’t ripped those solar panels off the White House roof and gutted alternative energy investment? What if former Governor Pataki had aggressively pursued alternative energy incubation in NY state for his 12 years in office? What if Monroe county had been pursuing it (albeit on a smaller scale), for these last few years instead of the GOP-led County Legislature constantly voting down green initiatives?
- Why is my spidey sense tingling everytime I hear about problems with NY’s new-fangled voting machines? Is it because of the way these machines seem to “Help America Vote”? As in, “Don’t worry about learning the issues or candidates, we’ll save you time and make your selection for you!” Talk about your labor saving devices? It is comforting that Bo Lipari, head of Verified Voting in NY, is ok with it so far:
Bo Lipari, head of New Yorkers for Verified Voting, said he believes the quality of voting machines being produced around the country is “questionable” and New York has a rigorous quality-control process that is catching problems.
But I’m still feeling what this D&C commenter said:
I fail to see why the federal government forced New York State to abandoned voting machines that have worked perfectly for many years. I understand lever machines were difficult for those individuals who are wheelchair bound, or blind, but in those cases a few new computerized machines could be used to make it easier for those folks to vote. Either that or encourage absentee ballots to individuals with disabilities. This way they don’t have the hassles of trying to get to the polls, but still can participate in the electoral process.
If you think the 2000 Florida election count was a disaster, wait and see what happens next year when these new fangled voting machines break down and votes are being disputed. it’s going to be a mess.
Will the federal government pick up the cost for this debacle? No! It will be New York taxpayers. - From the D&C: “Rochester-area soldiers volunteer to extend Afghanistan tours“. Anyone who votes against fully funding our servicemen and women who are going truly above and beyond the call of duty is being hateful & selfish. Or being politically expedient. (*cough* Randy Kuhl *cough* John McCain *cough*)
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[...] my buddy BTP’s RochesterTurning post this afternoon, it turns out that Rochester has made a top-ten list that doesn’t include [...]
btp, you and I almost always agree, but I think NY is actually on the right track with the type of electronic voting machines they selected (thanks in large part to the diligence of our Democratic Party election commissioners).
I’ve seen Tom Ferrarese (Monroe Cty’s Democratic Election Commissioner) talk about the new voting machines, and why we had to change, and why the specific type of new machines were selected.
Ferrarese said our Monroe County lever machines are in good shape because Monroe County has taken exceptional care of them (keeping them in a central location when not in use, and performing adaquate maintenance).
Apparently, this hasn’t been the case across much of New York, where local municipalities stored the voting machines in janitor closets and DPW garages with the plows and salt trucks. Many of the lever machines across the state are in bad shape.
Mr Ferrarese struck me as a very diligent guy, and did a great job explaining why he thought the selected new machines were the best choice. They are only electronic in the sense that they scan a form the the voter fills in by hand. The original forms are maintained in the machine for validation, and a percent of them will be randomly hand-counted. If the counting machine breaks down, the hand-written ballot forms can still be collected and manually counted.
I have to admit after hearing Ferrarese talk about the machines, I was comfortable with them. It sounds like the main problem is the manufacturer is having difficulty keeping on schedule with a sufficient level of quality.
Agreed. Tom’s a great asset to the democratic process in Monroe County - he should be commended for his work.
The hand-auditable paper trail is extremely important.