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Kosiur, currently a city councilman, said his first order of business is to "establish cooperation and communication between the city and the county. It's important to get that sense of leadership and cooperation going."

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Kosiur has never been elected to any of the positions that he has held in government.

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I had confused Jasenski's history with Kosiur's.

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Republican Councilwoman Holly C. Vellano and Democrat and former police chief Anthony Jasenski ran away in the races for two open seats on the Town Board. Vellano received 5,554 votes and Jasenski received 5,145.

A Republican and a Democrat were both on the losing side of the Town Board race. Democrat Anthony Martin and Republican Louis D. Cancelliere both came up short in their campaigns to win their first public office. Martin received 3,604 votes and Cancelliere came away with 3,179.

Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com.
Edition:  Schenectady Albany; Final
Section:  Local News
Page:  B-01
Index Terms: Elections
Copyright 2001, 2006 The Daily Gazette Co. All Rights Reserved.

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They had been the top party for the last six months, with an 8-7 plurality, but that was due only to the defection of Republican Judith Dagostino of Rotterdam.

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Well from what I read Mr Kosiur said one of his primary goals was to establish better communication and cooperation between the city and the county and in my opinion he failed miserably.

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Municipalities expect to save

SCHENECTADY -- The Schenectady County Legislature on Tuesday night approved a first-ever agreement that allows the county and other municipalities to share highway material, machines and equipment.

The agreement is another in a series of efforts undertaken by the Legislature to share and conserve the costs of government services.

Other agreements already in effect include a consortium to bargain for a new cable franchise, and shared vehicle maintenance agreements between the county and Rotterdam and the city.

The shared-services five-year agreement takes effect immediately. It gives authority to highway superintendents and the county's director of public works to operate jointly without having to seek legislative approval each time.

"It reduces the amount of legal impediments to sharing," said County Attorney Chris Gardner.

The cost to use services may be reimbursed through a soon-to-be-developed payment schedule or with in-kind contributions. Each municipality will cover the cost of its employees when they are sent on a shared-services assignment.

The county would also repair and maintain machinery and equipment for any municipality that is part of the agreement.

County Legislator Ed Kosiur said the agreement is the result of several meetings between political leaders and highway superintendents.

"From what we understand, we will have 100 percent support for this agreement," he said.

Kosiur is chairman of the Legislature's Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, which proposed the agreement.

Each municipality must approve the agreement through its own legislative process before it takes effect, he said.

Niskayuna and the city are "100 percent supportive of it," Kosiur said. Kosiur's committee plans follow-up meetings with the other towns and villages.

The amount of money saved through the agreement is difficult to estimate, he said. "But it will make the work force more efficient."

Michael Griesemer, director of public works for Rotterdam, said the agreement will maximize equipment use and save money in the long run.

"The whole idea of the program is to save taxes," he said.

"There might be a time when the highway department wants to use the county paver and the county wants to use the highway sweeper. One hand washes the other," Griesemer said.

Rotterdam does not own a large paver; the cost of the machine is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. For large paving jobs, it contracts the work. Now, it can borrow the paver for these jobs, Griesemer said.

The agreement also covers snow plowing.

"There are some roads we travel over to get to our streets and vice versa," Griesemer said. "We would come to agreement to plow this road in return for their plowing our road. It saves time, wear and tear," he said.

He said the town does not share equipment with the county, except in cases of emergencies.

"It's not part of our planning but it will be now. It will play a part in how we schedule our work," he said.
Edition:  Schenectady Albany; Final
Section:  Regional
Page:  A-01

Copyright 2005, 2006 The Daily Gazette Co. All Rights Reserved.
Record Number:  110F9DF0D97D40A1

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Municipalities eye savings on utilities

SCHENECTADY - Seven municipalities expect to save more than $72,000 during the next year in energy costs after joining together to purchase natural gas and electricity.

Contracts that guarantee fixed electric and natural gas rates through April 2005 were awarded Friday morning to Select Energy of Albany and Advantage Energy of Buffalo.

The deal was brokered by the county Legislature's Committee on Intergovernmental Cooperation, which was formed this year to promote cooperation among the county, city, towns and villages.

"We've got some great savings for taxpayers here, which is very exciting," said county Legislator Edward Kosiur, D-Schenectady, chair of the committee.

Participating in this first-ever cooperative purchase are Glenville, Niskayuna, Scotia, Rotterdam, Princetown and both the city and county. Electricity savings among them will range from $157 for Princetown to $27,808 for the city.

Natural gas savings breakdowns were not available.

"Their savings are based on their average use over the last three years," Kosiur said.

Advantage Energy's electricity bid was 15 percent lower than of the next competitor. It plans to buy electricity from the New York Independent System Operator. The municipalities had been using Niagara Mohawk.

Select Energy's bid was 20 percent lower than that of the next bidder. It will buy gas from the New York Mercantile Exchange.

"Competition assures that taxpayers get the best value when purchasing goods and services. Joint bidding maximizes the buyer power of each municipality," Kosiur said. "Combining the two points the way toward greater governmental cooperation and improved efficiency."

Susan Savage, chair of the Legislature, said the deal "is a small but significant step" in cooperation.

"By working together, we can save money," she said.

Kosiur said the committee is already working on its next money-saving project. It is working with the municipalities toward the purchase of office supplies.

Reach Gazette reporter Michael Lamendola at 395-3114 or lamend@dailygazette.com.
Edition:  Schenectady Albany; Final
Section:  Schenectady
Page:  B-02
Copyright 2004, 2006 The Daily Gazette Co. All Rights Reserved.
Record Number:  110F9F4D493ADDDE

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SCHENECTADY
County’s top brass granted raises
Salary hikes worth nearly $250,000
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    In one of its last acts of the year, the Schenectady County Legislature Thursday night granted retroactive raises to dozens of managementconfidential employees.
    Employees received the raises, worth approximately $250,000, under clauses linking them to raises received by unionized staff. They will not receive raises in 2008, however, as per a directive from the Legislature.
    County Legislator Karen Johnson, D-Schenectady, said the raises are going to staff who “have jobs that keep the county running. They are critical employees.”
    She said the Legislature “cannot unfairly treat these people when our unionized employees receive 3 percent raises.”
    Minority Leader Robert Farley, R-Glenville, voted against the raises. “This is not an issue about their performance, but it’s that taxes in the county are too high. We cannot afford to move forward with these raises,” he said.
    The county this month finalized a three-year contract with its largest union, the Civil Service Employees Association, offering 3 percent raises each year in return for savings in health-care benefits.
    The raises for the 800 members of the CSEA local will cost the county approximately $1.2 million the first year, $2.4 million the second year and $3.7 million the third year, for a total of $7.4 million.
    The contract also adds a new step at the 30th year of the wage scale. The step will cost approximately $40,000 annually. The county already has longevity steps at 10, 15, 20 and 25 years.
    The county also is negotiating with four other unions, whose contracts expired last December: The 200-member Service Employees International Union Local 1199, the 25-member SEIU Local 721, the 150-member Sheriff’s Benevolent Association and a smaller unit of correction officers. The CSEA contract generally serves as a template for these contracts, county officials said.
   In other business, the Legislature approved the creation of a new position, special assistant to the commissioner of social services for youth development. The position carries a salary range of $59,000 to $85,000.
    Republicans said majority Democrats created the new position, which takes effect Jan. 1, for outgoing county Legislator Ed Kosiur. Kosiur’s four-year term ends Dec. 31, and he has already given two weeks’ notice to his current employer, the Schenectady Boys & Girls Clubs.
    Democrats said the new position is part of their restructuring of county government and it will help increase efficiency and improve services. They plan to announce a series of initiatives in January to assist the county’s youths.
    The Legislature approved contracts with nine outside agencies for 2008. The county has maintained many of the contracts for years.
    Recipients are:
    Law, Order and Justice for mediation other legal services, $115,538 ; Schenectady County Conservation District for soil and water conservation services, $197,443; Cooperative Extension Association of Schenectady County for educational programs, $142,583; Proctors for promotion of the arts, $200,000; Tri-County Fair Association for promotion of agriculture services, $4,500; Empire State Aerosciences Museum, $28,000; World Team Tennis, $22,500; Central Park Music Theatre, $13,500; Schenectady County chamber of Commerce, to promote tourism, $94,500.

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But mcainfan either has an in with the gazette.
Or they are paying 2 bucks for each archived article?
A KOSIUR HACK!

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Kosiur has new job with county Critic says $80K post a slap to taxpayers
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

    Former Schenectady County Legislator Ed Kosiur started a highly paid county job Tuesday, a position one critic called “a consolation prize” after Kosiur lost his bid as the Democratic candidate for state Assembly last summer.
    Kosiur became the county’s fi rstever assistant to the commissioner of social services for youth development. He will be paid $80,000, close to the job classification’s top salary range of $85,000.
    County Manager Kathleen Rooney appointed Kosiur to the position Tuesday after his fouryear term on the county Legislature ended Dec. 31 and as soon as the job became available at the start of the county’s 2008 fi scal year.
    Rooney’s action did not require legislative approval, but it was done with full support of the Legislature’s Democratic majority. Kosiur will report to Rooney, and he currently has no supervisory responsibilities.
    Democrats created the executive-level position at their endof-year meeting in December. At the time, they refused to say who would get the job, but Republicans and others said it was intended for Kosiur. Kosiur was not available for comment Wednesday.
    Longtime friend Legislator Gary Hughes, D-Schenectady, said Kosiur is “going to be excellent” for the job. “Ed will bring a different perspective to this. He has a broad view of what is possible and has some clear direction from the Legislature.”
    Hughes said Kosiur’s job is to make the county’s youth program “more robust,” helping to create an “environment in the county that people want to move to. It’s a quality-of-life issue.”
    Kosiur also is expected to use available resources to accomplish his goals, Hughes said. “The resources that were there already are still there. In Ed’s situation, it is the energy and contacts he has among not-for-profits and sport leagues that are important.”
    Kosiur will work with the towns to expand their various sports programs and to develop further the county’s summer youth em- ployment program, Hughes said. He also will work with the city to maintain its youth-directed efforts, he said.
    “We will look to him for leadership. The summer youth employment program will be maintained, and we would love to see more activities for kids in the towns,” Hughes said.
POSITION TAILORED
    Majority Democrats paved the way for the new position by eliminating the civil service-protected position of director of the Youth Bureau, held by Shane Bargy for five years. They did that in October when adopting the 2008 budget.
    County officials then moved Bargy to the newly created position of director of temporary assistance and employment services, also exempt from civil service. The position carries a $6,000 increase over his current salary of $55,941. Bargy has no prior experience in this field and is expected to learn the job on the go.
    Legislator Joe Suhrada, R-Rotterdam, said Kosiur’s appointment is a “brazen slap on the face to taxpayers. This is an unnecessary partisan job. They shuffled a couple of jobs around to give Ed a golden parachute when he left the Legislature in his bid for state Assembly.”
    Kosiur gambled his political career in a special election in August for the 105th District Assembly seat, losing to Republican George Amedore Jr.; he chose not to seek re-election to a second four-year term on the county Legislature.
    Suhrada said Democrats “thought they could give him a consolation prize, but it is a booby prize for the taxpayers.”
    Hughes said even if Democrats “did what critics are suggesting, are the youths of this county not well served by Ed’s appointment? Give him a year and let’s see what he does in a year.”
    Hughes said county officials moved Bargy to capitalize on his strong administrative skills. Bargy has a college degree and more than five years experience working in youth development; he took a civil service test to become county youth bureau director.
    Kosiur, up until two weeks ago when he gave notice, was director of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Schenectady after-school program at the city high school. He worked for the Boys and Girls Clubs for several years. He has no college degree and is a former master plumber and plumbing supply sales manager.
    Kosiur started his political career in 2002 when he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the City Council when now-Mayor Brian Stratton became a county legislator. Kosiur ran in 2003 to complete Stratton’s term, and in 2004 he ran for the county Legislature in District 2. He chaired the Legislature’s committee on children and families.

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Failed run nets $80,000 new job
Democratic Assembly race loser lands in new post as GOP complains

By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer
First published: Thursday, January 3, 2008

SCHENECTADY -- Six months after a failed state Assembly bid, Democrat Edward Kosiur has landed a county job in what some local Republicans call a "brazen" political patronage move.
The former Legislature vice chairman on Tuesday started his new $80,000-a-year job as special assistant to the Commissioner of Social Services for Youth Development. He was appointed by County Manager Kathleen Rooney to the newly created post on Monday.
     
The salary has already been earmarked in the 2008 budget approved by the Democratic majority in October.
Some of Kosiur's former GOP colleagues say the county needs to be more fiscally prudent in the face of its combined property tax rate ranking, the region's highest.
"I think it's totally brazen, but when you have an 11-4 power balance, they can be brazen," said Republican County Legislator Joseph Suhrada.
Kosiur's longtime friend, Democratic Legislator Gary Hughes, thinks Kosiur -- a former director of teen employment for the Boys & Girls Club of Schenectady -- will quiet his naysayers.
"He'll do an excellent job, and people who are saying it's political patronage really ought to wait for a period of time, and see what the man is able to accomplish in that position," Hughes said.
Kosiur, 51, reached on his cellphone early Wednesday evening, said he was driving and would call back later. He failed to respond as of deadline. Legislature Chairwoman Susan Savage did not return a call Wednesday left on her phones. In his new post, Kosiur will focus on youth employment and have oversight over youth development programs, county officials said.
He also will manage the youth bureau, a job similar to one held by Shane Bargy, until the youth bureau director position was abolished by the Legislature on Monday. Bargy is now director of Temporary Assistance and Employment, earning a salary in the neighborhood of $60,000, about the same he made in his old job.
"They played musical chairs and the taxpayers get to sing the blues to pay for Kosiur's $80,000 fat cat job," Suhrada said of the reorganization.
"It's a reward for his past political service rather than a need to be filled in Schenectady County, and I think that's unfortunate," said Minority Leader Robert Farley, adding he expressed his concerns to Savage.
Kosiur began his political career in 2002 when he was named to fill a vacancy on the City Council when now-Mayor Brian U. Stratton became a county legislator. He ran in 2003 to finish Stratton's term, and in 2004 he ran for the Legislature.
He chaired the legislature's committee on children and families. He earned $14,200 as a legislator, with another $1,000 as vice chairman.
Over the summer, Kosiur lost to political newcomer George Amedore Jr. in the 105th Assembly race after incumbent Paul Tonko left to join Gov. Eliot Spitzer's administration.
Nelson can be reached at 454-5347 or by e-mail at pnelson@timesunion.com.

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  Where is the outrage??