The Democrat & Chronicle reported on the City Council's "informal" decision to use the Special Election process to select a replacement for departing Mayor, Bob Duffy. The Council met in a closed door "caucus" and took a vote intended to express intentions until formal action could be taken. Apparently, though, this "informal" vote is something the Council members intend to "stand by" until the formal vote
This situation is fascinating on many levels.
First, it's quite remarkable that the Democrats are so unconcerned about public opinion that they would openly defy the clear majority of Rochester voters who favor the primary option. I guess the saying "once burned, twice shy" really applies to our local Democratic party. The last two Democratic Mayors were not the choice of the party apparatus. It appears that the Democrats are not going to make the mistake of letting "the people" thwart their choice this time around.
Second, the fairly muted reaction of the D&C to this clear Open Meetings Law violation is quite telling. Unless James Lawrence does a critical editorial in the next day or two, nobody is going to bother reading the next big story he writes about the need for "openness in government". If the D&C only calls for "sunshine" when GOP controlled bodies are involved, its hypocrisy regarding local politics will be quite out in the open (pun intended).
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Mr. Gantt Saves Taxpayers Money!
Today's Democrat & Chronicle contained this story about Assemblyman David Gantt and other New York lawmakers filing to receive their pensions despite the fact that they will continue to serve in the State Legislature.
This is the infamous practice known as "double dipping", which was allegedly one of the things that Governor-elect Cuomo vowed to take if elected. (I'll not hold my breath). The practice is legal and both Republican and Democrat members have taken advantage of the opportunity.
I won't bore you with my criticism of Gantt and his fellow crooks. Radio, TV, blogs and water cooler commentary have all uniformly excoriated this practice. I simply wanted to remark on Gantt's comment that he was actually saving taxpayers money by taking the pension now rather than allowing it to continue to accrue. He's right that his annual pension amount will be bigger in five years if he doesn't start taking it now. But is this move saving us money?
Sorry, Dave, you're math is off. If you take the lower annual amount now, plus your annual salary, you will be taking more total dollars out of the system than if you waited and took only the "larger" pension later. I guess you applied the same math skills when casting your budget votes all these years. It all makes sense to me now.
This is the infamous practice known as "double dipping", which was allegedly one of the things that Governor-elect Cuomo vowed to take if elected. (I'll not hold my breath). The practice is legal and both Republican and Democrat members have taken advantage of the opportunity.
I won't bore you with my criticism of Gantt and his fellow crooks. Radio, TV, blogs and water cooler commentary have all uniformly excoriated this practice. I simply wanted to remark on Gantt's comment that he was actually saving taxpayers money by taking the pension now rather than allowing it to continue to accrue. He's right that his annual pension amount will be bigger in five years if he doesn't start taking it now. But is this move saving us money?
Sorry, Dave, you're math is off. If you take the lower annual amount now, plus your annual salary, you will be taking more total dollars out of the system than if you waited and took only the "larger" pension later. I guess you applied the same math skills when casting your budget votes all these years. It all makes sense to me now.
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Sign of the Apocalypse
I know I'm getting old, but I really don't get Facebook, Twitter, etc. The whole world of texting, social networking, reality TV and the like, seem to be the realm of the young (but often, in my view, the inane).
In any event, this post by Crabbylami, pretty much sums up my view on the topic. The author has the same "mature" (read: older person's) take on the state of celebrity worship, reality TV and social networking. It's a smart and humorous piece and an enjoyable read. It will remind you of Erma Bombeck (if you're old enough to remember her columns).
In any event, this post by Crabbylami, pretty much sums up my view on the topic. The author has the same "mature" (read: older person's) take on the state of celebrity worship, reality TV and social networking. It's a smart and humorous piece and an enjoyable read. It will remind you of Erma Bombeck (if you're old enough to remember her columns).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
