Keep taking money from the homeowners in the city for giveaways to downtown. I remember the phrase in that awesome revision, local creation, of the song "Downtown" that has a phrase in it, "....taxpayers lose...." and is the TRUTH.
First, a short reminder, back a little while under the early days of the reign of Mayor McTHIEF.
Quoted Text
Madison Handbags’ Schenectady operations will bring 40 new jobs Oct 14, 2011, 3:07pm EDT
Trish Rost plans to add 40 more employees within a year when her design-it-yourself purse company, Madison Handbags, opens its second location—this one in Schenectady—in 2012.
The company based in Troy, New York, purchased 131 State. St. and plans to convert the former headquarters for the Girls Scouts Mohawk Pathways Council into a production facility with 20-25 sewing machines, cutting tables and other assembly equipment, and office space.
Madison Handbags currently employs 64 people locally and 500 independent sales consultants around the country, and is growing at a quick clip, Rost says.
…
The nonprofit Girl Scouts paid $460,000 for the building in 2005. The property is assessed at $625,000. Rost, who declined to release the purchase price, said the lender is First Niagara Bank. The new deed for the property, which will list the purchase price, has not been filed with the Schenectady County Clerk’s Office yet.
The Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority is giving Madison Handbags a $40,000 grant toward the cost of improving the facade of the circa-1970 building. The company plans to start operations there in summer 2012.
Remember, that would be "...Metroplex .....a taxpayer paid HANDOUT...."
And by the way, FYI, the sale price according to the deed was $365,000.
So let's look at the TRUTH, the FACTS, with EVIDENCE of the rip off of the taxpayers:
POLITICAL CRONYISM and CORRUPTION BETWEEN THE MAYOR AND METROPLEX!
The Final, 2011 Assessment Roll has the building assessed for $625,000 which is the assessment value at the time of sale. (taxable value = 0 because it is owned by a legitimate non-profit, the Girl Scouts). EVIDENCE:
So this Rost purchases on January 31, 2012, AND just a mere four months later, the date of the TENTATIVE 2012 Assessment Roll, the assessment has ALREADY BEEN REDUCED to $394,420 !!!!! The mayor and his cronies merely handed out a HUGE assessment reduction and the owner (7ultimately a beneficiary of taxpayer handouts) did NOT have to file a grievance !!!!!!!!!!!
Be aware, that the average homeowner taxpayers in the city, under McTHIEF and the previous BS have ALWAYS been turned away for an “informal review” which is the ONLY way that an assessment can be lowered by an assessor BEFORE the tentative assessment roll.
In the city, the common people, the homeowner taxpayers do NOT have that luxury, they have to go through filing grievances, sitting in front of McCarthy’s crony Mary D’A-G and the rest of the cronies on the board of assessment and even if owners provide EVIDENCE via 50, 100, actual sale prices (substantially below the assessed value) of comps, McCarthy’s crony board says “denied, insufficient data.”
EVIDENCE:
Then Metroplex and McCarthy go and STEAL money from the homeowners, giving THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of dollars from the financially struggling homeowner to make improvements to her building.
When homeowners make improvements to their homes, they very well will have their assessment increased. Consider this likely scenario in the city. House assessed for $150,000. Sits for sale for two years, finally sells for $90,000, i.e, market value. Owner puts a new façade on the house, e.g., a new porch, paints the house, maybe puts in new storm windows. House is only worth $90,000, but the city will jack up the assessment to, perhaps $160,000. Owner grieves, Mary and her cronies on the board deny the grievance.
But look what happened with the corruption between McCarthy, his assessment office, and Metroplex. Despite the THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS of improvements to the building NOT ONE PENNY INCREASE in the assessment!!!!
THE EVIDENCE:
And now, 2015, with the corruption in the city and metroplex, what has happened?????? Yep, STEAL money from the homeowners, give handouts to companies to downtown, and what happens?
THE EVIDENCE:
From today's newspaper:
Quoted Text
SCHENECTADY Handbag maker files for bankruptcy BY BETHANY BUMP Gazette Reporter Reach Gazette
A Schenectady handbag company that closed up shop at the end of 2014 has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
Monet Handbags, a design-your-ownhandbag company that manufactured its bags in Schenectady, had $2,743 in assets and $901,228 in liabilities when it closed in December, according to a March 27 filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York.
Founded in 2005 by Trish Rost as Madison Handbags, the company changed its name last summer as part of a rebranding effort. But it was too little, too late for the company, which relied on direct selling through home parties.
The company relocated from Troy to the former Girl Scouts building in downtown Schenectady in the summer of 2012. Rost purchased the property at 131 State St. for $365,000. With about 40 employees in Schenectady producing anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 handbags a week and about two dozen independent contractors sewing bags at home, the company was producing more than 80,000 bags a year in 2012.
But by 2014, the previously multimillion-dollar company had just $1.2 million in income, down from $1.98 million the year before, according to court documents.
The company ended operations Dec. 31, and Rost sold the property to Tony Hynes, who said he would move a small woodworking shop called Halfmoon Works into the building. The shop employs young adults with special needs.
As of March 27, Monet Handbags had upward of 50 creditors. A creditors’ meeting has been scheduled for May 4 at 9:30 a.m. in the Leo W. O’Brien Federal Building in Albany.
Will the McTHIEF and Metroplex attend the meeting and demand repayment of money to the taxpayers? (Sidenote, what about the higher taxes that homeowners had to pay because McC had his assessor grant a HUGE reduction to the owner without a grievance, thus lowering HER taxes but causing an increase on the homeowners who grieve, provide tons of documentation, and yet are denied? Will the homeowners be compensated for that? ROFL)
Remember how the dems and metroplex TWICE bailed out that Parker Inn with taxpayer money. Has McCarthy and metroplex given THAT money back to the taxpayers?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Madison Handbags to open office in Schenectady October 13, 2011 11:19 AM CBS6 Staff
SCHENECTADY -- Madison Handbags will open an office and production facility at 131 State Street in downtown Schenectady, and is expected to create 40 new jobs through 2013.
"We welcome Madison Handbags and its great success story to Schenectady. The company will make new products here and ship them around the country from their Schenectady address. We are grateful for their decision to open to a facility in our community," said Acting Mayor Gary McCarthy.
The company, founded in 2005, has operated an eco-friendly production facility in Troy for the past three years. The Troy location will continue to produce more than 75,000 handbags each year.
Metroplex will provide $40,000 in grant funding to help with the cost of improving the existing building façade and other building improvements.
Now, more than ever American made products and manufacturing are the key to economic growth. Our company mission has always been to provide opportunities for women, professionally, financially, and socially, and we are honored to be working toward that vision here in Schenectady," said Trish Rost, President and Founder of Madison Handbags
OK.........so a month before the election, the gazetto prints an article about this business moving to schenectady. There have-been crickets chirping ever since. Did it in fact actually move to schenectady? Where was the big ribbon cutting via the Chamber? The business was suppose to receive taxpayer's money aka METROPLEX/GILLEN.........did it happen or no????? The taxpayers have a right to know.....yes?
Quoted Text
...but the two-story facility needed renovations and some new equipment. Schenectady County’s Metroplex Development Authority board members approved a $50,000 grant to the company in June to put toward renovations, happy to have the successful company in the city’s backyard.
Does Metroplex have any grants for the homeowners who are paying for all of this? Any grants for the homeowners to fix up their own homes?
Why must homeowners forgo fixing up their own homes in favor of giving handouts to a business that can afford to pay their own way?
All these grants of taxpayer money given to downtown, what effect has it had on the city?
What effect has it had on the tax base? What effect has it had on the home values? What effect has it had on the property and school taxes? What effect has it had on the quality of life in the neighborhoods? What effect has it had on the desirability of the city to be a place that people want to buy a home in and live in? What effect has it had on people who, for whatever unrelated reason, need to sell their house and move (job transfer, need for smaller house, need for bigger house, deceased parent, going into a nursing home, etc) Any answers from the cheerleaders for the city (I trust you can provide the proof from reliable and official websites)?
More businesses in the city -- like Madison Handbags -- means a bigger tax base and more revenue to fund the necessary services provided by the city.
Really? Care to provide the numbers? The evidence? I've provided the evidence that has proven otherwise.
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
unfortunately at this place in time, all cities like Schenectady are dealing with new technology and jobs.....creating venues does NOT equate to sustainable jobs at this point...the singularity is here......
a casino will need VERY FEW humans to work it......
the technology WILL have and exponentiation effect on rich/poor.....there WILL only be the few in charge of the 'railroad junctions'.....
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
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