Re June 3 Carl Strock column: I would like to comment on the fact that Mr. Strock feels so strongly about giving sex offenders a second chance at life and a good place to live that he has completely lost sight of what happens to the victims of these sex offenders. He, and others who feel sorry for the offender, show absolutely no concern or compassion for the victim. They are never mentioned in any of the articles or when they speak. Carl Strock specifically mentions Richard Matthews, the Level 3 sex offender who has been taken in by former Scotia Mayor Will Seyse and his wife, Lois. Richard Matthews sexually abused three children who are related to him. While Richard is getting a second chance at his life, is a second chance at innocence and childhood being given to Richard’s victims? Is there a second chance for any victim of a six offender? Has any thought been given to the victims and how they must go through life with the memory of these horrific attacks on them? Get real, Mr. Strock. If Richard, or any other sex offender, was living across the street from your young children or grandchildren, or sexually attacked them — would you still feel so strongly about giving him a second chance? GAIL ELLIOTT Scotia
By PAUL NELSON, Staff writer Thursday, June 21, 2007
SCHENECTADY - Several Schenectady County town leaders, upset that the county's new sex offender law will steer predators their way, may come up with their own version.
So far, however, town leaders haven't detailed what their specific approach might be.
Glenville Supervisor Frank X. Quinn, said officials in Rotterdam, Duanesburg, Niskayuna and Princetown are among those concerned with two measures the County Legislature approved earlier this month.
Under one law, sex offenders at every level would have to leave their homes starting Oct. 1 if they live within 2,000 feet of public parks, pools and playgrounds, schools, day care and youth facilities. A second law says offenders cannot move within 2,000 feet of such areas.
Because the city is more densely populated, sex offenders living closer to public sites would have more housing options in the suburbs and rural areas. Some may be forced into hiding, a prospect that worries Niskayuna Supervisor Luke Smith.
Town officials also want answers about how the law came together and want county officials to explain their exclusion from the debate.
County Legislator Edward Kosiur defended the bill.
``The bottom line is that we need to protect our children, no matter where they live,'' said Kosiur, adding that the public needs to demand state judges give maximum sentences to defendants convicted of sex crimes.
County Legislator Edward Kosiur defended the bill.
``The bottom line is that we need to protect our children, no matter where they live,'' said Kosiur, adding that the public needs to demand state judges give maximum sentences to defendants convicted of sex crimes.
He must be from Hillary's village.....nope,,dont buy it....because here is the thing,,,now it looks like they are protecting the "predators" from the parents...
...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
It is unfortunate for the public that the Schenectady County Legislature chose to pander to the political aspirations of Messers. [Bob] Farley and [county Legislator Edward] Kosiur rather than properly weigh the impact these simpleminded laws will have on the actual safety of the children they purportedly intend to protect. Mr. Farley’s rejection of the “management” of sex offenders because he believes he can stop any sexual abuse of children by banishing anyone with a criminal history of any type of sexual misconduct suggests that he would rather reject the recommendations of those with the professional experience in treatment and criminal justice areas and enhance his political aspirations on the backs of the fear-ridden public and ex-offenders. KARL H. GOHLKE Slingerlands
If one of the defenders of rights like the ACLU challenges this new sex offender residency law I wonder if it will be upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional or not.
So here are my 'personal' thoughts here.... Do I have any sympathy for the 'sex offenders'? NONE! Do sex offenders have rights? BY LAW, YES THEY DO! Do I think Kosier used this issue for his political ambition? YES!(SHAME ON HIM) Do I think this new sex offender law will make a difference? NO!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Residency restrictions won't protect children First published: Saturday, June 23, 2007
It is appalling that Schenectady County has decided the only way to protect their children is to prohibit ex-offenders who must register as sex offenders from living anywhere in the county that is within 2,000 feet of where children gather. Do residency restrictions protect children? I believe they do not. Society needs to protect children from the sex offenders who have not been caught. The Troy Police Department Web site reminds us that "many sex crimes (and especially those against children) go unreported." Not reported means not convicted and not registered.
Since I am not the expert, I suggest you read what the experts say: "Twenty Findings of Research on Residential Restrictions for Sex Offenders and the Iowa Experience with Similar Policies" at http://www.dc.state.ks.us/publications/ sex-offender-housing-restrictions.
What happens to these human beings who have served their time and paid their debt to society? In Miami, sex offenders are living under a bridge. That's where the parole officer visits to make spot checks on them. It is not acceptable to force persons to become homeless. Instead of successful re-entry into society, we are forcing ex-offenders away from affordable housing and public transportation to rely further on social services supported by tax dollars.
Intent of sex offender residency misguided First published: Saturday, June 23, 2007
I am troubled by the change in residential requirements for sex offenders residing in Schenectady County. This is a complex issue and, unfortunately, it seems there was an overly simplistic solution. First, not all sex offenders are pedophiles, so it does not make sense to bar all sex offenders from residing near locations children frequent.
Second, it is unfortunate that all levels of sex offenders are subject to these requirements. Ostensibly, they are ranked into levels because there are differences in their likelihood of re-offending. One wonders why they are separated into different levels if they will all be subject to the same residential requirements.
Finally, it is too bad Schenectady County legislators did not look at the problems occurring in Rensselaer County because of its residential requirements. Many sex offenders have been relegated to rural areas of the county where they lack access to jobs, transportation and other services they can only access in Troy.
These new requirements are going to make re-entry into society more difficult, impeding offenders' abilities to support themselves and displacing these security issues to another locale.
Supervisors say county legislation is shortsighted By JESSICA HARDING hardingj@spotlightnews.com
Schenectady County’s five town supervisors have all spoken against the county’s new local law restricting where convicted sex offenders can live, saying the law will negatively impact the communities they serve.
Glenville’s Supervisor Frank Quinn spoke on behalf of the county’s five town supervisors at the Schenectady County Legislature’s meeting Tuesday, June 12. He said he was opposed to the law that would restrict convicted sex offenders at any level from living within 2,000 feet of any place where children congregate.
The Legislature passed two local laws at the meeting. One restricted where offenders can live, and the second will force offenders currently living in restricted zones out of their homes by Oct. 1.
“The supervisors are in total agreement about what’s going on here,” Quinn said in a telephone interview. “We are steering sex offenders from the city into the towns. We are not addressing the problem and not dealing with the real issues.”
The elected local officials whom Quinn said were closest to the 84,000 plus residents living in the county’s towns opposed the legislation because they feared it would have many negative impacts on their municipalities.
Furthermore, Quinn said, none of the county’s supervisors were involved in discussion regarding the issue and neither were other stakeholders such as local police chiefs, probation officers and the county’s district attorney.
Quinn said the town supervisors meet with members of the County Legislature once a month during meetings of the Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee, and the issue of restricting sex offenders was never brought up at those meetings.
“All of a sudden, there it is on the docket, and I had to go and get the information out myself,” Quinn said.
Quinn presented the Legislature with a list of nine concerns and urged the legislature not to vote at Tuesday’s meeting but wait until answers were available.
The town supervisors said both laws are an attempt to steer sex offenders into the five towns, and lack the necessary data that show these laws work. They added that the legislation will force offenders underground.
Rotterdam Supervisor Steven Tommasone said one of his biggest concerns is the constitutionality of the law.
“The county should know whether the law is constitutional. The DA and the county attorney need to be sure of that,” Tommasone said.
He added that, as supervisor, his role is to create laws that won’t be challenged in court because that only costs the taxpayers.
Tommasone said he was also worried that this law would force offenders into rural areas of the county where they wouldn’t be easily monitored.
“Supervisors in particular are charged with ensuring the safety of our communities,” he said. Niskayuna Supervisor Luke Smith said he doesn’t think this law will work to protect children. He said the law will force offenders underground and give people a false sense of security.
Smith was also disappointed that he was not involved in discussions.
“The county pushes the idea that we are working on intergovernmental cooperation, but they don’t include us in this matter,” Smith said. “I think this law in an unfortunate way to deal with this issue, and I would have liked to voice my opinion before the vote.”
Smith said many residents assume offenders wouldn’t move into Niskayuna because of the town’s lack of two-family housing.
“Pedophiles are not just poor people; they have resources and they already live in Niskayuna,” Smith said.
The Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee met again Tuesday, June 19, and Quinn said Ed Kosiur, D-Schenectady, and architect of the legislation had promised to get answers to the supervisors’ concerns.
In a telephone interview, Kosiur said the county planners were still working on a map outlining where offenders can and cannot live, and more answers would be available once the map is completed.
Kosiur said one reason why this legislation was so quickly passed was because the city of Schenectady and the village of Scotia were going to pass their own residency restrictions and the county didn’t want to have a “hodgepodge of local laws.”
“We took the heat, and we are going to continue to take the heat to protect our children,” Kosiur said.
You would have thought that before this legislation was even voted on, that they would have had some thought of the impact on the surrounding communities and would have met with each supervisor of each municipality for their imput. NOPE...And this started because first and foremost it is an election year and Mr.Kosier wants votes. Second...he saw an opportunity with the issue in Scotia. So because of ONE incident of a sex offender living in Scotia, combined with an election year....BINGO...A new law is born! Something to add to the resume! PANDERING NONSENSE!
Amedore will get my vote!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Kosiur said one reason why this legislation was so quickly passed was because the city of Schenectady and the village of Scotia were going to pass their own residency restrictions and the county didn’t want to have a “hodgepodge of local laws.”
Good thing we don't have a government for the people and by the people, huh? Who elected the Schenectady Conty Legislators as Big Brother over all of the City, Towns and Villages? If they're going to make sure all the laws throughout the county are the same, why do we need to have a town board? Why not just go to the county legislator with everything, begging and pleading. But hey, at least Guilderland got a new set of baseball fields from the legislature. Oh, wait, that's the SCHENECTADY COUNTY legislature, right? Supposed to give things to places in the county?
We are like living in the land of OZ (over the rainbow movie). And the county legislature (the wizard), is pulling all of the strings. That's why I think we may all think of going to the country legislature meetings, or bombarding them with our emails. I don't really know a ton about politics, but what actually is the purpose of this County Legislature anyways?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
CONSOLIDATION.....pretty soon the feds will just do it for us.....
shame shame shame on them all who were involved....fear mongering would make our greatest historical figures roll over in their graves.....the dark ages are marching on America........
...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
David beat Goliath in the great debate over sex offenders Two very passionate sides of an issue had a chance to exercise their rights [at the Schenectady County Legislature’s June 12 hearing on sex offenders]; the pros lost and the amateurs won! For decades in Schenectady County, a well-paid, well-rehearsed “lobby for the deviant” has had victory after victory. Program after program has been financed for this group. They all failed, yet they just kept bringing new programs and getting funding. Rehab should be renamed “relapse,” since that is what is most likely to occur. The pro-deviant lobby had all the necessary components for victory at the county’s public hearing. They had home court advantage, having worked this arena for decades. Heck! Most of them have the county legislators’ phone numbers on speed dial. They had a priest and a Quaker. They had a state expert who worked in the field of sex offenders with dire predictions should the law pass. They knew the name of every judge in the county. They had an attorney willing to return from retirement should these laws pass, so he can fight them. The pro-deviant lobby even imported a minister-sex offender all the way from Rochester, for a personal “coming out,” in front of the gathered body. After a long church-appropriate soliloquy he said, “all of you would be happy to have me as a neighbor!” I did not see a lot of hands raised in invitation. A group of rank amateurs — mothers, fathers, grandparents — took on the powerful, well-financed pro-deviant lobby. Afterward, they went home to raise their families, go to their jobs and mow their lawns. They were motivated by a unique special-interest group — children, women and families! What both sides need to do now, rather than start a prolonged, legal battle, is to begin a national discussion on how the states and national govern-Sex law backers made noise, not sense The self-serving grandstanding while the county Legislature took up the sex offender law was a good example of political theater, but little else. Much was said on how vitally important it is to protect our little ones from these skulking, despicable, evil sexual predators. Absolutely nothing was said about actions that would actually deliver such protection. The result was ineffective legislation whose sole consequence was to praise virtue and excoriate sin. The proponents of the sex offender law fail to understand that where these shameful miscreants spend the night is of no consequence. What is important is what they might do during the day, regardless of where they live. When the more level-headed members of the Legislature tried to argue that this is a complicated problem requiring both sound research and discerning judgment, they were hooted down by their more vocal opponents. It has been long said that empty barrels make the most noise. What was actually going on was that some legislators had the smarts to realize that to restrict where sex offenders might live would have a red-hot, votegetting issue to boost their political careers. They jumped on this bandwagon for that reason. At the same time, these worthies had to also deny the existence of such a motive. This transparent duplicity was obvious for all to see. ALMY D. COGGESHALL Niskayuna
We need to applaud this Almy D. Coggeshall person from Niskayuna. Sex offenders (aka: criminals) are a threat to society, along with other criminals. To preform any illegal act only strenghthens that fact that their 'moral compass' is off. Any moron will agree with that one. But this legislation was built on the backs of political bandstanding with a political personal agenda at the helm. Fear based, emotional, factless, stupid, nonsense laws that will accomplish absolutely nothing except possibly a 'vote' for a future political race. This justice system needs to be changed, not residency!
'Pro-deviant lobby'! Couldn't have said it better myself.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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