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National Democratic Chair, Dr Howard Dean will be coming to Rochester for a reception to support our favorite Democratic candidate for the 29th congressional district, Eric Massa!

Here’s the scoop:

When: Thursday, May 15th, 2008

Where: The Inn on Broadway

26 Broadway, Rochester, NY

How Much: VIP Reception: 5:00-5:30 PM $1000.00

Reception: 5:30-7:00 AM $250.00

RSVP: Maryanne Hamilton email:

mhamilton@massaforcongress.com

Seats for sale! Get your red-hot federal seats heah! A

former Republican and buddy of Bush (who nearly got the appointment of Manufacturing Czar in this adminstration) who decided it’d be easier to buy the Senate seat being vacated by Hagel as a Democrat than a Republican. So that’s what he’s doing.

The New Nebraska Network puts it this way:

One campaign has the grassroots. One campaign has the organization. One campaign has the excitement level to take on Mike Johanns.

And one campaign has a checkbook.

Change the names to New York, Jack Davis, and Jon Powers, and you’re describing the NY-26 race.

The real-estate market tanked, and we emerged relatively unscathed. In fact, the market contraction is so severe that Rochester, with a projected 2.7% growth over the next 12 months, is number two of the “Ten Fastest Growing Real Estate Markets”, according to Money Magazine. Thoughts?

Here’s a report from MetroJustice on how their trip to Albany went. Fundamentally, reforming NY will not take root until we get full public financing of elections. Otherwise, votes on legislation go to the highest bidder. And that ain’t you and me.

Perhaps you heard Governor Paterson saying on WXXI 1370am that he doesn’t think NY State can’t afford full publicly financed campaigns right now.

Argh!!!

He said that right after our press conference in which we announced the results of the Zogby poll (79% support for Clean Elections).

Of course, the Governor is being disingenuous. The reality is that New Yorkers will save money by taking big money out of politics (if politicians aren’t beholden to special interests they are less likely to support costly boondoggles and tax breaks for special interests). In fact the poll showed that New Yorkers think that Clean Elections will save them money.

On Tuesday activists gathered from around the state in Albany for Reform NY Day. We heard advocates talk about various necessary good government reforms (including Clean Elections) and split up into groups to lobby our legislators.

After lobbying, the Metro Justice crew joined the Citizen Action crowd on the second floor of the Capital to confront the Governor about his announcement.

We read a letter to the Governor explaining how clean elections will create savings and pointed out that the costs wouldn’t be incurred until 2012 anyway (and we don’t know what the state’s budget situation will be then).

The Governor said that he still supports the goal of full publicly financed elections (he didn’t mince his words either). But what he went on to say that he was going to ask the Legislature to go back and trim the budget and he’d be undermining himself by asking for new spending on elections (Clean Elections would cost $30 million a year- that’s $1.50 per New Yorker).

We got him to agree to “talk to Speaker Silver” about it. I think he budged several steps toward us on this issue. I think it was a good action, with a good outcome.

Pic courtesy of MetroJustice.

I appreciate Gov. Patterson’s situation. He knows better, but he’s in the thick of a bunch of bad stuff economically, etc. But I expect a lot from my electeds, since I’m paying their salary. $1.50/New Yorker seems a small price to pay for having unbought, unbossed
representation that actually represents me and the rest of us ordinary people.

Hey all, here’s another opportunity to check out the voting machines, tonight at the Fairport Public Library, courtesy of the Perinton Dems:

Please join the Perinton Democratic Committee in welcoming Monroe County Board of Elections Commissioner Thomas Ferrarese as he gives a presentation about the new voting ballot marking devices and optical scanners. The presentation is a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with and learn more about the new machines and how they were selected.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 7:00 PM
Fairport Public Library in the Elma Gaffney Meeting Room
This presentation is free and open to the public.

Fun nuggets of news, gently browned and served in a white wine sauce for our elitist RT readers:

• WXXI reports that a Siena College poll shows McSame gaining on Clinton & Obama.
  

  In a sign that the long, and increasingly negative campaign between Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton is hurting their standing among New York democrats, the Siena poll finds that neither could win over 50% of voters against Republican John McCain. Siena’s Steve Greenberg says if the election were held today, 46% would vote for Clinton to 42% for McCain, and 45% would prefer Obama over 40% for McCain.

  “Right now it looks like New York could be in play this Presidential election,” Greenberg said. “Which is bad news for Democrats.”

  Yawn. Oh- wait, should I be scared? Sorry. Sadly for McSame and NY GOPers, this is as good as it’s gonna get– once the Dem candidate is set, and McSame’s fake Maverick Mask is removed, watch those numbers tumble back into bluer than blue.

• The D&C gives Brooks’ State of the County speech a mixed review:
  

  Brooks’ speech underplays county problems

  State of County skimmed over big fiscal woes ahead

  Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks presented a typically upbeat — perhaps too much so — assessment of community life in her State of the County address Tuesday.

  No one expected her to drench her audience in gloom, but this is a county with a serious private-job-growth problem, taxes in the stratosphere, urban crime woes and a national recession and credit crisis moving in.

  (snip)

  A speech is one thing. But as Brooks said Tuesday, actions matter more.

  A-freakin-men.

• How about this pro-worker LTE to the D&C?
  

  Private employers must follow suit

  The Democrat and Chronicle editorial staff missed the mark with the editorial “State workers’ jackpot” (April 16). Why are the media so quick to attack people who have successfully defended their benefits and managed to negotiate a modest wage increase in keeping with the rising cost of living?

  It is truly unfortunate that many in the private sector are losing their health benefits and, in many cases, their jobs. But the answer isn’t to attack those who have managed to keep theirs. The answer is to make private employers answer to the American public.

  Many private corporations take our tax money in the form of multimillion-dollar government contracts, then launder it into huge bonuses and salaries for their CEOs and other top management. This seems to be an elaborate white-collar criminal scheme that the taxpayers are just beginning to recognize. When they eventually realize the full extent of these acts, I believe that many corporate officers will do a “perp walk” into federal court, which is long overdue.

• Local wineries in the Finger Lakes are seeing the effects of global warming firsthand:
  

  Twenty-five years ago, few considered growing Merlot in a cool climate like ours.

  But they do now.

  One local Merlot grower, Tom Prejean of Prejean Winery on Seneca Lake, cautiously believes that something is going on outside. “We see an increase in growing days in our vineyards,” he says, “and we are experiencing droughts as well as more and more extended harvest seasons.”

  Hear that, Kevin Williams? How’s that global warming denial working for ya?

• Hey! There’s a candidate for Supreme Court Judge for the 7th Judicial District. The 7th Judicial District includes Monroe, Ontario, Cayuga, Livingston, Seneca, Steuben, Wayne and Yates Counties:
  

  [Joanne] Winslow, a Democrat, is a 20-year career prosecutor and Chief of the Major Felony Bureau of the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, working directly with District Attorney Howard Relin and District
  Attorney Mike Green. The Monroe County Bar Association has recognized Winslow as “Highly Qualified” - a rating rarely awarded to
  non-incumbent judges — and she has been rated both Qualified and
  Commended by the Greater Rochester Association of Women Attorneys.

  Awesome. It leads me to wonder…is there a candidate for County Clerk? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller?

• Go to The Albany Project and just start reading. There’s a number of good things on there, too many to single out here.
• The frequently-handsome, often-Swedish HandsomeSwede over at WaterBuffaloPress sums up Brooks’ state of the county address nicely:

2008 MonCo State of the County Address breakdown

Public: “Hey Maggie, how are you going to fix that $29 million budget gap?”

Maggie: “I don’t know, what ya got?”

Brooks is still holding fast to the prospect of her FAIR plan being ruled legal on its appeal before the NYS Supreme Court.

Frankly, the fact that Brooks offered no so-called ‘Plan B’ should surprise no one as the current administration has not been big on contingency plans.

Funny.

• And over at Ye Olde DragonFlyEye, Dr. Belknap continues his double-barreled commentary on issues of the day, while contributor Carla Palumbo sees the county trying to take money from the city, now that the FAIR plan has been shot down in court:
  

  Majority Leader Dan Quattro already aiming his loaded water gun — at of course the evil culprits — the CITY. Yes lets be a good Republican county and go back on yet another agreement! I am referring to the fact that the County by their own choice and now by operation of law is responsible for DSS. So now the county says, wait we can;t get the schools, we will “get” the next best thing, the city— Let’s charge the city for Safety Net. A potential 15 million. Instead of foisting their problems on others, why don’t they sit down with the Democrats and come up with a freaking plan already, one that doesn’ t steal from another municipality and one that isn’t lame.

  It seems like the GOP listened– Maggie Brooks is now soliciting input from “the community”. Let’s hope it’s not just an attempt to share the blame, or just more window dressing, like those fake FAIR plan townhall meetings. Then she proceeds to poke holes in the local GOP’s typical anti-Dem rhetoric:

  And I swear, I hope whoever says A) “this is all politics by the Democrats” or B) “Why don’ t the Democrats come up with anything” gets struck by lightening or a banana cream pie or something -because this is Republican politics at its worse and the Democrats have a plan that was rejected because Democrats thought of it.

  Nice to see someone calling them on their B.S. She also weighs in on GOP County Chair Steve Minarik’s disbanding the Mendon town GOP committee, wondering if Minarik:

  should resign for his loss of the Greece County Lej seat to newcomer Dick Beebee or the entire Greece Republican Committee needs to resign — oh wait those are his buds…..I know maybe all the Mendon people can just change parties, that’ s right up Steve alley too.

Anything else out in them thar local internets I missed?

I did this training last year and found it very comprehensive. If you have been volunteering for local campaigns and would like to sharpen your skills and learn what goes into the organizing of a campaign, don’t miss this opportunity…

Become a political animal:

You have the power, now learn the skills! The Democracy for America Training Academy is coming to Rochester, NY for two days of exciting campaign training.

How many votes will it take to win in November? How do you find the perfect message and get it out to voters in your district? How will you raise enough money to pay for it all?

The DFA Training Academy will help you answer these questions and more.

At the DFA Training Academy, top campaign consultants with decades of experience give you the skills to run a winning campaign. Topics include: field planning, voter contact, fundraising, communications, volunteer recruitment and more.

Training takes place:

Saturday, May 3 & Sunday, May 4, 2008
9 AM - 6 PM each day

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 86

2300 E. River Road

Rochester, NY 14623

$60 for general attendees (prepaid online)

$70 pay at door

$30 for students

$30 for attendees on a low income

For full details and to RSVP, please go to: http://www.dfalink.com/event.php?id=26467

Register soon, it is filling up fast.

Unbelievable. I expect this kind of corporations-over-people lameness from Republicans, but Schumer?  Come on.  From The Hill:

 Congressional Democrats are backing away from healthcare reform promises made by their two presidential candidates, saying that even if their party controls the White House and Congress, sweeping change will be difficult…Sen. Charles Schumer (N.Y.), a member of Senate Democratic leadership and a key Hillary Clinton ally who also sits on the Finance Committee, said he is ‘not sure we have the big plan on healthcare.’…’Healthcare I feel strongly about, but I am not sure that we’re ready for a major national healthcare plan,’ Schumer said.

Sirota over on OpenLeft observes:

…notice the right-wing arguments being made by Democrats in this piece. Schumer, like a reliable Fox News anchor, tells us that America isn’t “ready” for national health care plan, despite polls over the last decade showing strong support for such a concept.

More and better Dems, please.  Call Schumer’s office to tell him how much you love paying high health insurance premiums and co-pays so insurance & big pharma can reap record profits and pay huge executive bonuses.  Or, if you want a healthcare plan that looks more like what he enjoys, tell him that.

Phone:

585-263-5866 (Rochester)

202-224-6542 (D.C.)

E-mail:

To send him email, use his on-line form here.

Write back with what his office tells you.  I’m curious.

Before I write anything else, can you legal eagles who read RT tell me: did Smith break the law by screwing Cornell CCE to benefit MCC when he was in the County Leg?

Smith recently spoke in a Q&A session. Like Brooks and other GOP leaders in Monroe County, he’s very good with words. We didn’t name him “Tapdancin’ Bill Smith” for nothing. The money quote:

he tried to make the case that his connections, coupled with his experience, would be a plus for the future of MCC.

Connections? Ya think? It was connections rather than credentials that kept forcing the all-GOP board of trustees to add him back onto the finalist list, a couple times, like a trick birthday candle you can’t blow out.

Looking beyond his fancy city lawyer words to the comments of someone who was at the Q&A session:

His lack of knowledge about issues in education today was appalling. He was unctious and close to arrogant in his references to “studies he’d read” that were apparently supposed to provide that knowledge. I was very tempted to ask him whether he’d hire me, without a legal degree, as a partner in Harris Beach if I went out and read a few legal studies.

The whole D&C comments section for this article is a great read, for a change. Note the couple of pro-Smith commenters trying to frame this as a “MCC sucks, Bill is a nice man who will save it!” argument.

We’ve been discussing equal rights in Monroe County, and how Maggie Brooks’ administration has been pandering to the religious right by denying equal rights to folks in a committed gay marriage. This Saturday there’s a fun way to support equal rights (but get yer tickets while they’re still $18, they go up to $25 on Wednesday):

Wow. You know you’ve messed up when the normally right-leaning RBJ takes our GOP county “leadership” to task for poor management. Ren Square is about to lose $30 M in federal funding due to “ongoing delays and inaction”. The article doesn’t tip-toe around the question of “whodunit”, either:

Decision-making primarily has come from a team led by Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks and project manager Mark Ballerstein, manager of the county’s division of engineering.

Local architect asdf Pospula weighed in on Ren Square’s mis-management:

“To get to this stage of the project and be so grossly out of touch with the budget says a lot of bad things about the architectural profession, ” Pospula said. “It equally says a lot of bad things about how the proect was managed by the county.”

The whole article’s worth reading, and it gives more detail to exactly how the mismanagement has been happening, but here’s the final money quote, from Laurence Heininger, past president of the Rochester chapter of the Project Management Institute and a certified project manager for 14 years:

“I know guys that have done work for Bausch & Lomb in India, and for Kodak in Europe and China. If Renaissance Sqare was a Kodak or Bausch product, all those people would be fired.”

“A-ha!” I can hear gleeful conservatives say. “This just proves that government can’t do anything right!!!” Um, wrong. How about: “A corrupt government that puts party and cronies over promoting the general welfare can’t do anything right.”

Remember, this is business as usual for the Brooks administration, and the local/national GOP leadership. Closed-door, back-room, sweetheart deals. Fiscal mis-management through crony capitalism, pay-to-play, one-shot deals, and financial shell games (like the FAIR plan).

Remember how Mayor Duffy had the guts to pull the plug on the Fast Ferry? Can we impeach Maggie Brooks and then spend the Ren Square $230 M for developing local alternative energy infrastructure?

Man, is it nice to see folks out there in Rochester land seeing the whole picture:

County’s appeal is plummeting

Monroe County is MINE. ALL MINE.

Maggie Brooks’ April 2 essay (”Wise for trustees to weigh local talent”) reinforces my opinion that she is a politician who consistently puts her own agenda ahead of the best interests of this community. The recent actions of the Monroe Community College trustees are indefensible, and Brooks’ attempt to justify them is unconscionable.

Let’s not forget either her threat to withhold funding from our libraries, her attempt to take funds away from our schools and her fight against the acknowledgement of same-sex unions in this community. She sure makes Rochester appear as a welcoming place where civil liberties and education are paramount concerns! Is this how we want those outside the area to view us?

MCC is a jewel in Rochester’s crown, and Brooks’ support of the MCC trustees’ transparent attempt to turn this selection to political advantage allows us to see once again that her partisan loyalty and personal views come way ahead of her commitment to the people of Monroe County.

Yup. Party over people, party over county. Note how Brooks was silent through the whole Public Defender selection process (though she was lurking in the wings), and now that she’s speaking out, she’s trying to provide cover for the bad behavior.

I think she learned the wrong lesson from the PD debacle.

An excellent catch by Joe Spector in the D&C political blogs:

Record Spending On State Lobbying

The state Commission on Public Integrity released its annual report today that shows record spending within the lobbying industry.

A record $171 million was spent on lobbying in 2007, up from $151 million in 2006, according to the commission. The money covers 3,271 clients, represented by 5,357 lobbyists and 57 public corporations.

For the 11th straight year, the firm of Wilson, Elser, Moskowitz, Edelman & Dicker reported the highest lobbying compensation at $9.6 million. That is followed by Patricia Lynch and Associates at $6.7 million, then Bolton St. Johns, Inc. at $5.7 million.

The highest expenditure was by Verizon at $3.2 million, followed by the Trustees of Columbia University of the City of New York at $2.2 million and the New York State United Teachers at $2.1 million.

It’s curious, though, that the highly criticized commission handed its annual report today — when most of the media is focused on the state budget and the report, which usually garners headlines, will be overshadowed.

Not all lobbying is bad. But when you’ve got lobbyists for poor defenseless corporations like Verizon shouting in your ear, it would sure be nice to have the support of publicly financed elections so you can vote your conscience and not for whomever fills your re-election coffers the fastest.

Got an old computer that you need to unload? Not sure what to do with it? Saturday is computer recycling day here in Monroe County. WHEC has the story here.

Continuing her successful efforts to promote a cleaner, greener environment, Monroe County Executive Maggie Brooks today announced that the County will host a computer recycling event on April 19.

I question the phrase, “successful efforts” in regards to Brooks. Anyone know of other efforts that she has made, successful, or otherwise?

Still, this is an effort and to be commended.

Make an appointment - call 753-7600 (option #3)

I received this announcement via an email (thank you PIA) and felt it was important to post as health-care is my baby. Want to know more? Here’s your chance:

UNDERSTANDING UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE

Be an Educated Voter

Many Proposals, What is the cost…and How Do We Pay For Them?

Presented by:
Timothy Engstrom, Ph.D. Professor of Philosophy, RIT

Sarah Trafton J.D.-Associate Executive Director for Finger Lakes

Health Systems Agency

Place: Brighton Library Learning Center , 2300 Elmwood Ave

When: April 24, 2008 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM

Sponsored by: League of Women Voters/Rochester Metro Area

Interfaith Health Care Coalition

Greater Rochester Community of Churches

Downtown Community Forum

Meeting is Free and Open to the Public