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Here’s something everybody can agree on, regardless of party. Our government should be more open, more transparent, and more effective at every level. Websites are great place to provide information and access to services. As the D&C revealed today, some local governments do a great job with their websites, and some are lousy.

In the Democrat and Chronicle’s review, most of the expected basics were available across the spectrum, although many sites - including those of the town of Farmington in Ontario County, towns of Riga, Rush, Sweden, Webster and villages of Scottsville and Spencerport in Monroe County - were given low marks because some information was difficult to find. Reporters approached their review as if they were local residents looking for information on the sites.

Only the towns of Chili and Penfield received high scores for their ease of use and wealth of available information.

This is not Republican vs. Democrat, it’s Open vs. Closed. Republicans control the towns cited as both best and worst.

Welcome to this week’s edition  of In Case You Missed It .    Lot’s going on here in Rochester, NY, Monroe County and New York State as listed on last week’s pages of Rochesterturning.

So, let’s get started

RenSquare foolishness.

County Executive Maggie Brook does her Mrs Hyacinth Bucket imitation (Hyacinth pronounces her last name  of "Bucket" as "Bouquet") by announcing RenSquare is ready to go .  She holds a Press Conference to put up a sign to reinforce this false perception.  Her union friends are looking for a short term payday and closed to different ideas .  Of course,  part of joining Maggies’ bucket brigade is having Maggie writing their press releases  and calling opponents of RenSquare "Political Opportunists ".   yeah bucket brigade.

Finally in the "they believe we are stupid department" the Arts Center is still on the table .

Yeah, same water carriers, same bucket of BS

Changes at RT -

Welcome to RT 2.0. Yeah we changed our format immediately updated it (freaking computers) , add your comments to those posts if you  have any suggestions.  Meanwhile, we added turningpoints where others will provide quick hits.  We added Campaign Corner where we draw in RSS feeds or posts.  Congressman Maffei’s office is on line (for a while) and you can read his on-line Press Releases.   Of course we are still tweaking it with others so bear with us.  Our tech intern will help but we need to find them first - interested?

Congress -

Senator Gillibrand is still waiting to move .  Looks like High Speed Rail is moving quickly.  Congressman Dan Maffei meets the President where they discussed High Speed rail.  A camera crew follows Congressman Massa for a day.  Meanwhile, Massa led a protest on Health Care .  HR 676 people!  that is where it is at.

Murphy is closing on Tedisco in the NY-20 to fill former Congresswomen Gillibrand’s seat.

2010th Avenue Freeze Out, Massa is a targeted Dem and trying raising money , lots of it, is important to freeze out opponents.

The State -

There was a proposed GOP Budget that amounted to more of the same.  Politicians are getting death threats (no room in America for this nonsense).

Governor continued to raise salaries of some, scrapped the proposed nickel and dime taxes.   The Governor came to Rochester to face the music.  Here is the WFP’s take on the governor .   Here is Ladkiddo’s take on the governors visit.

Quick Clicks

Wednesday Wingnuts is back .  Always a fun read.

Howard Dean for Surgeon General ?  Decide already.

There was a great article in City news about Public Defenders.  Read it!

Does Prop 8 in California get overturned? Hope so the Constitution is important.

Corfu GOP candidate charged with Murder.

The War in Iraq passes 6 years on Thursday .  Come show how you feel.

Mark Assini is running for Gates Town Supervisor.  Interesting.

The off road biking controvery?  Yes, there is one .

See you next week.

At least, that’s the buzz at theHill.com :

Democrats have picked up 54 House seats in the last two cycles – 30 in 2006 and 24 in 2008 – leading Republicans to believe their status in the House can’t get much worse

Because of that, Republicans believe that if GOP members made it through the last two cycles, they should be safe in 2010, allowing the National Republican Congressional Committee to turn its focus from defending incumbents to trying to pick off Democrats.

[snip]

Democrats recognize their vulnerabilities, and have put more of their own into the party’s growing Frontline Program , which is meant to protect members in danger of losing their seats. The program is designed to help junior members in marginal districts get a jump on fundraising and outreach to their districts.

Part of the Democrats’ mindset with the program is that the best defense is a good offense. By ramping up fundraising and organizing early, Democrats hope to dissuade GOP candidates from running.

And look who the republicans are trying to pick off: (bold mine)

Those Democrats are: John Boccieri (Ohio), Bobby Bright (Ala.), Travis Childers (Miss.), Kathy Dahlkemper (Pa.), Gabrielle Giffords (Ariz.), Parker Griffith (Ala.), Frank Kratovil (Md.), Eric Massa (N.Y.) , Walt Minnick (Idaho), Harry Mitchell (Ariz.) and Tom Perriello (Va.).

So, I’m thinking that Eric’s acceptance of corporate PAC money is going to be key in keeping him in congress. Remember what Stlo7 said:

So, now that the election is over - the next step is to remain in office. Sure, the system sucks, no Clean Money / Clean Election (which Massa supports), and he’s immediately going on the re-election trail. About 20 months to raise a war chest starting off 90K in debt. Basically, start over AND be a Congressman who delivers to his constituents.

He’s started out showing us that he intends to deliver . Let’s do our best to keep him where he can.

The last 2 years, when we were on the lookout for a progressive blogging intern, the intern we selected each year (Sahar in 2007, and airbare8 in 2008) went above and beyond our expectations.  Once we get the RT 2.0 rollout wrapped up,  we’ll again be looking for a writing intern.

In the meantime, let’s say you’re a progressive, and not a writer, but a geek (like me).  We’re looking for a technical intern that has at least some of the following skills:

• php
• mysql
• WordPress
• general website stuff (.htaccess, RSS feeds, etc.)
• social networking stuff (FaceBook, Twitter, etc.)

The ideal candidate will be progressive, have fun collaborating, and able to help implement and troubleshoot RT updates.  Ability to research and justify new features a plus.

This is a 1-3 hour/week commitment.  

Help RT fulfil its promise!  Email btp (at) rochesterturning.com if you’re interested.

We have to at this point give a phat shout out to our man Tom over at DragonFlyEye.net, he has been a great help over the last 2 years or so when we’ve had tech questions.

Found this article , by Jack Spula at RocBike.com. Jack is concerned about a Master Plan, in the works, which may open some of the foot trails, in various county parks, to off-road bikers. (That’s bicycles, not motorcycles) He has written a letter to county executive, Maggie Brooks and I will share a bit with you here:

The thirteen undersigned organizations find the draft Master Plan for parkland around Irondequoit Bay to be unacceptable. The proposed Master Plan does not represent the interests of the residents and park users of Monroe County, but instead, the interests of a small, vocal user group. It does not meet its stated goals of conservation and sustainability. In short: mountain biking does not belong on existing, often narrow and winding, park trails.

Please consider:

• A ban on off-road bicycles was written into our park code for good reasons that remain valid today. It was based on concerns for the safety of the public, and the care of our environment. Political winds should not compromise proper park stewardship.
• Safety is a major concern. Trail walkers must not be placed in harm’s way by cyclists traveling on the same narrow dirt trail. The experience of walkers is greatly diminished if they must be looking over their shoulders for oncoming cyclists. “Shared use” is a myth on existing, narrow park trails.

The squeaky wheel gets the grease, they say, but this mountain biking group is looking out for their own best interest and not taking into consideration the greater good for the population of Monroe County, or the environment.

One of the reasons suggested for opening the trails to mountain bikes is to combat childhood obesity. A flawed argument, for sure-those who ride mountain bikes will find a place to ride regardless of whether the parks have been opened up to them. Those who sit on the couch and channel surf will continue to do so, again, regardless of whether the parks have been opened up to mountain bikes. If you want to talk about childhood obesity-have I ever mentioned breastfeeding ?

The letter concludes:

We urge our County Executive and our Legislators to continue to be proper park stewards and to resist the political pressures so that we, our children and grandchildren will be able to have access to safe, environmentally sound, park trails. We urge you to reject this draft Master Plan at this time – there are too many important issues that must first be addressed.

So, a thank-you is in order for Jack Spula who has shouldered this cause. Is the county listening?

Earlier this week, btp wrote about UNICOM not wanting to consider new work and issuing a Press Advisory calling opponents of RenSquare "political opportunists" .  btp continues the analysis as it relates to the upcoming election.  This post was a flush with back and forth about RenSquare.

Now comes a D&C article saying Renaissance Square planners are STILL pushing for a downtown theater.  A downtown theater that is projected to cost $1 million dollar annually - covered nicely in the series the more you spend the more you spend (Parts I , II , III )

via today’s D&C -

Renaissance Square planners on Friday continued to press their case for a performing arts center, while the city of Rochester asked for specifics on its deadlines associated with the project.

The city’s commitment to the project has been questionable during the last week as Mayor Robert Duffy has suggested that resources might be better spent on an upgraded train station.

Is Mayor Duffy finally realizing that he is being taken for a ride given his support of this project?  Anyway about that union support.

The project planners continued their public push for the project during the meeting, when they heard from their Albany lobbyist, Patricia Lynch Associates, a representative from the building trades, Frank Wirt, and their consultant on the economic impact of the theater, the Strategic Advisory Group.

So looks like the union’s support this idea and frankly support by Frank Wirt - (I’m guessing UNICOM isn’t far behind) is understandable - construction costs are independent of the sustaining expenses needed maintain a finished building.  That is someone else’s problem to manage.

The union is only concerned with the temporary constructions jobs  a large project will create.    So, they don’t care if they build a golden calf or, dare I say, white elephant.  Their support is understandable.  They are have a vested, short-term self-interest.  Of course, if they took a longer view they probably could create more jobs and build more things but that means taking a longer view.

All this reminds me of a wall street broker - the stock broker makes money whether or not the stocks you sell are at a profit or loss.

In view of Governor Paterson’s response when questioned about a bill in support of same sex marriage, I was encouraged to see that Prop 8 is being challenged in the California Supreme Court . From the ACLU’s website:

AN FRANCISCO - Attorneys for same-sex couples, civil rights organizations and the state Attorney General’s office appeared before the California Supreme Court today to urge the court to strike down Proposition 8, which took away the right of same-sex couples the right to marry. At issue in the case is whether the ballot initiative process can be used to take away a fundamental right only for one group of Californians based on a trait – in this case sexual orientation – that has no relevance to the group’s ability to participate in or contribute to society. Because the case has serious implications for the constitutional rights of all Californians, it has generated unprecedented support from many national and state civil rights groups as well as California legislators, local governments, bar associations, business interests, labor unions, and religious groups. The California Supreme Court, which has struck down several other initiatives in the past, is expected to issue a decision within 90 days.

Let’s hope that Prop 8 becomes a minor blip in the struggle for equal rights for all Americans. Let Sean Penn’s admonishment to the voters of California, who allowed this to pass, be a harbinger of change and hope:

In wrapping up his own speech, Penn mentioned the protesters who lined the streets of Hollywood near the Oscar festivities, holding anti-gay signs: "We’ve got to have equal rights for everyone," he said.

Backstage, when asked what he would tell those protesters if he could speak to them, Penn responded: "I’d tell them to turn in their hate card and find their better self."

We’re talking about people’s lives, here. Harvey Milk got it. Governor Paterson gets it. We can only hope that California’s Supreme Court will get it too.

This Thursday, RAW will be holding a rally downtown. Here are the particulars:

End the War(s) Now! 6th Anniversary of Iraq Invasion
Please join MoveOn/PIA, RAW, IVAW, & PDAGV* for an area-wide march and rally to raise public awareness over the continuing war in Iraq and Afghanistan and other military conflicts.

THURSDAY, 19 MARCH 2009
Parade Assemble between 3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Corn Hill Landing, Exchange Street, Rochester, NY
March north on Exchange St. and State St. to the Genesee River Crossroads Park

*Progressives In Action, Rochester Against War, Iraq Veterans Against the War, and Progressive Democrats of Genesee Valley.

Can you believe it’s been six years since W started his pre-emptive war?

I looked back to see what was happening at RT 1 year ago at the 5 year anniversary and I found this . Grievous Angel covered last year’s event with the help of the monkey man who’s photos inspired a plethora of comments. Our commenters are nothing if not masters in the fine art of debate. Go back and have a peek.  (I had to take a nap)

Then mark Thursday on your calender and hope for nice weather.

We don’t get to write about Genesee County very often, but this is noteworthy. Scott Doll is the Republican candidate for Mayor of Cofu, but there’s a problem... he is in jail as a murder suspect. 

Doll, who entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday, remains on the ballot because it was too late for the Republican party to take him of the ticket. Doll’s family owned a supermarket in the village for years and he had only recently moved back to Corfu. He has no prior experience in government.

The election is Wednesday, and Doll can expect to make the news twice that day. His bail hearing is also on Wednesday.

Governor Paterson agreed to scrap the so-called “nuisance taxes” on haircuts, cable TV, health club memberships, soda pop, music downloads and a zillion other little things. The unfair budget just got a smidgen fairer, with slightly less falling on the shoulders of average Joes. 

But wait, not all the nickel ‘n dime stuff is gone.

Even with some of the new taxes eliminated, Mr. Paterson’s budget plan for next year would include 119 new taxes and fees totaling about $2.8 billion. The announcement on Wednesday leaves about $4 billion in the flexible stimulus money available for other purposes, including eliminating taxes or restoring spending cuts.

And the millionaire’s tax? Guv still says no, Assembly says yes, Senate who knows. Stay tuned.

(photo courtesy of Michael Parks)

The governor came to Rochester yesterday and did his best to explain the state’s budget situation as he sees it (no pun intended).

The 14 billion dollar deficit is 3X larger than what we have ever experienced other than following 911, but at that time,the economy was growing. New York State has consistently spent more than it was taking in. Revenue has been less than expenses. 25% of our budget comes from the taxing of Wall Street. So, now that Wall Street is broke, (broken) where will that money come from?

The governor says that everyone has to share sacrifice.

“Today, 1.3 billion in taxes will be pulled thanks to the stimulus plan courtesy of our new president, Barack Obama. Those taxes include the tax on haircuts, downloads, clothing > $110.” (paraphrased) Ever trying to add levity, Governor Paterson quipped, “After I get done here, I’m going to get my hair cut.”

Questions asked:

1.) Why are we not taxing the wealthy?
Last time we raised taxes, temporarily, on the wealthiest New yorkers was
six years ago. In 2003, we had the wind at our back. Our economy was
growing. In recession times, however, we know that wealth is portable. The
wealthy leave and take jobs with them.

140,000 are leaving NY every year. We can’t afford to let the wealthiest
NYers leave and take their employees with them.

I promise you this. Over the coming years, by the time we finish paying our
48 billion dollar deficit, everybody will be asked to pay towards it.

(To read more about the governor’s Town Hall Meeting, check below the fold)

2.) What about Health Care cuts?

Stimulus money will defer some of these cuts

3.) Will drop out rates increase with the cuts proposed to youth services?

Revenues have been overspent for years. The state has an addiction to spending. Cuts have to be made. It is mandated to balance the budget by April 1st.

4.) If a bill is put in front of you to legalize gay marriage, will you sign it?

Yes, I will.

5.) Will a reduction of state employees be part of the plan to balance the budget?

There is a freeze on hiring, therefore, by natural attrition, the number will be reduced.

6.) What is being done to help students with college tuition now that TAP is being reduced and state college tuition is increasing?

350 million is going into a college loan program to assist those students who need to procure loans. The cuts to TAP will be looked at in regards to the stimulus money.

7.) NYS worker’s compensation-what reforms can we expect?

In 2007, Eliot Spitzer actually decreased rates and increased coverage.

8.) How do we get new, qualified teachers into the school system?

There is specific education money in the stimulus package to decrease the proposed cuts. Where we have to start cutting is administrative costs.

9.) Can we please make sure that Medicaid money goes to Medicaid?

Too much of our money is going to acute care and not enough to preventative (primary) care. The proposed budget increases the amount to primary care.

10.) Childcare subsidies-why the cuts?

“The people who caused this budget deficit were long gone by the time I got here.”

Repeats the point of shared sacrifice, but states that money in the budget has increased for welfare, food stamps, and HEAP.

The Governor’s bottom line:

We have never faced a deficit like this!

I came out of this town hall meeting with a renewed respect for this man who, like our president, was handed a no-win predicament and told to “FIX IT!”

He’s not going to be able to please everybody. He may not be able to please anybody with these cuts, but he is trying to save us from the fate of the state on the west coast. He has my support.

Any way you slice it right now, it sucks to be the governor of New York.

Mark Assini will be the Republican candidate for Gates Town Supervisor. He served 10 years in the County legislature, and in 2004 lost to  Randy Kuhl in a primary fight for nomination as Republican  candidate in the 29th District Congressional seat. 

Current Supervisor Ralph Esposito, the man who left the room to avoid cameras duringa  ”public” access TV meeting last year, and also delivered his “state of the town” address with TV cameras locked out,  is not seeking re-election. The Republican party leader in Gates stepped down after being charged with corruption in the Robutrad Scandal. 

Until recently Assini wrote a blog. Scroll through to see his remarks against same sex marraige, opposing PLA’s (fair pay agreements on public projects — he voted AGAINST labor unions as a county legislator) , pooh-pohhing global climate change, and much more.

Holy frijoles.  Here’s a trend line for ya:

(Note: my projections are merely following Murphy’s current trend, and assume that some voters tighten back up into the GOP camp.)  But what’s funny is, looking back at news coverage of that 2/25 Siena poll:

Democrat Scott Murphy’s … campaign is pleased by the fact that he’s gone from “Huh?” to 12-point underdog in a month

And in the comments of that CapCon article, check out the sputtering, uber-confident Tedisco staffers trying to spin it as a positive.   From the latest poll results, it looks like independents are swinging to Murphy, and that his media has been more effective than Tedisco’s.  Being aligned with Obama’s attempts to push the economy back onto the cliff can’t hurt either.

But they also show 10% undecideds in the race.  Give the Monroe County Dem HQ a call if you want to help phonebank on this (I assume Monroe County’s pitching in, right?) Their number: (585) 232-2410.

Update: The phone bank has started as I type this– it’s from 5 to 8 this evening (Thursday).  For details call the number above or click here.

From Working Families Party:

Wherever he goes, Gov. Paterson hears it from New Yorkers enraged over a budget that asks the most from those hit hardest by the economic downturn while letting the wealthy off the hook. The Democrat and Chronicle reports the Gov. faced another tough crowd last night at his budget town hall in Rochester:

The crowd offered a standing ovation when the governor arrived but shouted over him at times, mostly in response to Paterson’s hesitancy to raise taxes on the rich.

“Tax the rich, not the poor,” they shouted….

A group advocating raising taxes on state residents who report taxable income more than $250,000 for married couples filing jointly, the so-called “Fair Share Tax,” turned out in force at Wednesday’s forum. The group included union members, Working Families Party and Metro Justice members, social justice advocates and ministers.

WHEC News 10 caught Ronieka Burns, a Strong Memorial Hospital Patient Care Technician asking the Governor:

“I go to school full-time, and also I work full-time and to go to work to not knowing if my job is going to be cut is difficult,” …She asked the Governor to stop the cuts to healthcare.

His answer wasn’t what she wanted to hear.

Outside, WHAM News 13 interviewed protestors who arranged a quarter mile-long ribbon of signed postcards from over 1,500 New Yorkers calling on Albany to do the right thing by passing Fair Share Tax Reform.

Back in Albany, lawmakers announced yesterday a deal to eliminate $1.3 billion in nuisance taxes and fees Governor Paterson had proposed, but left hanging the real challenge of closing the state’s $14 billion deficit.

The announcement led to more speculation that asking the wealthy to pay their fair share could be part of the final budget deal. Billy Easton, director of the Alliance for Quality Education told the AP:

“I don’t think there’s anyone in Albany that, at the end of the day, thinks we can resolve the budget problem without asking people making over $250,000 to pay their share.”

For the sake of millions of students, patients, the elderly and disabled facing billions in devastating cuts, let’s hope he’s right.

The fact that Maggie Brooks has chosen to go nuclear over any further discussion of RenSquare possibilites says this to me: the 2009 Monroe County Election Season is now open. 

Think about it– it’s really quite clever of the Monroe County GOP to grandstand on this issue.  By drawing a line in the sand, she forces the local unions to side with her for short-term gain (instead of short-term and long-term, sustainable gain).  

This neatly divides the traditionally Democratic community in two, with unions siding with the GOP.   And as a media narrative, politicizing the recession could work well for her as long as voters don’t see through it.  

Could it stop what seems like an inevitable Dem takeover of the County Leg this fall?

Why else would Maggie Brooks be going nuclear on this issue? 

Why am I so cynical about this?    Simply because of this:  on Monday of this week she sent out a letter to everyone and their brother saying this  (emphasis mine):

Brooks called for a meeting with leading stakeholders about a potential conflict between the two projects.

 

“I hope you will agree that the time has come to end discussion of these important issues through the news media,” Brooks wrote, in letters delivered Monday to Schumer, Slaughter, Duffy, former Monroe Community College President R. Thomas Flynn and Rochester Genesee Regional Transportation Authority President Mark Aesch. No meeting date has been set.

Three days later, a huge media event on the topic is announced with Brooks headlining, using highly-charged, traditional GOP language like “political opportunists”.

I hope the media see this for what it is: the county GOP’s opening salvo of election season.  And that they will do what they did to Tom Hasman last year, starting almost every story about him with “Well, it is political season…”