Next year, they'll HIRE 3 firefighters and 2 police officers - and say "Look how good we're doing" - and the sheeple will believe them.  

Remember this thread next year.

The worst part is that they want to layoff 3 fire trainees. Here we go again-Schenectady pays to train police/fire who then leave to another Department. The new Comptroller Harry Wilson should do a criminal audit of the City of Schenectady. Highest taxes, streets failing apart, no money for police and fire, home invasions, a golf pro pulling down $314,00. A city of 53,000 with a budget of $77 MILLION that can't fund the Fire Department. Militant disregard for the taxpayers.

     Meanwhile they POSTPONE approving a $193,000 cold weather shed. Nobody can say we shouldn't be building anything now. We do not need a cold weather shed. There isn't room in the $21 MILLION new City Garage for this equipment? We have other priorities. After the election, when the masses leave the cold weather shed will be approved 7-0. They are not fooling anyone. We don't think it's funny no more.

Quoted from benny salami

The worst part is that they want to layoff 3 fire trainees. Here we go again-Schenectady pays to train police/fire who then leave to another Department. The new Comptroller Harry Wilson should do a criminal audit of the City of Schenectady. Highest taxes, streets failing apart, no money for police and fire, home invasions, a golf pro pulling down $314,00. A city of 53,000 with a budget of $77 MILLION that can't fund the Fire Department. Militant disregard for the taxpayers.

     Meanwhile they POSTPONE approving a $193,000 cold weather shed. Nobody can say we shouldn't be building anything now. We do not need a cold weather shed. There isn't room in the $21 MILLION new City Garage for this equipment? We have other priorities. After the election, when the masses leave the cold weather shed will be approved 7-0. They are not fooling anyone. We don't think it's funny no more.

And let's not forget that the city just took a HANDOUT of $40K from a NON-PROFIT!!! It really doesn't get any worse than that folks!!!!!

As far as abolishing the metroplex by referendum.........oh YES it can be done!!! There is ONE FULL YEAR to get the corrupt information out to the sheople before next november. Of course other media means would have to be used since the daily rag is clearly out of touch and incompetent. Fliers, mailers and the other media outlets that are hungry for 'news'!!

To repeat another campaign slogan..........YES WE CAN!!

I was happy to see that the city is keeping 2 of the pools open  --- many of the young people who
use those pools would have no other place to go during the summer.   I have long believed that because
most of the city council  --- and this goes back years and includes folks from both parties -- most of the
council comes from the more affluent neighborhoods of the city  .. they either have pools or camps or
can afford a membership at the Y or swim club --- they don't realize that there are a LOT of residents
who can't afford those luxuries  ... it isn't too much to ask for them to be able to have access to a
community pool for a couple of months each summer.

and not happy with cutting the firefighters

there are a lot of other parts of the budget that could be cut before cutting firefighters  and the city
pools.

They are keeping ALL 4 pools open. The City will pay 2-Ellis will pay two. The DEMS need to come up with cuts instead of laying off vital police and fire services. Pools are nice-police and fire are vital.

Great -- all four pools need to be kept open.

Another DEM that proposes no cuts and wants to hike record taxes 6%. Wait until next year-New Mayor-All New City Council. The fact that an opposition candidate on Row G got 35% of the vote should wake the DEM machine up. The jig is coming to an end.

     Schenectady is a bankrupt City that does not need 4 public pools. Fund pools after police and fire. The Stockade pool is underused and unwanted by the neighbors. 2 polls one in Hamilton Hill-one in Bellevue are enough. I had a sit down with the Fire Chief the other day. The DEMS will not be laying off 12 fire fighters. The Union will make sacrifices and more savings in City Hall must be found. End the City Free Car Fleet and fire the golf pro. Putting people and property at risk is not a viable option.

Quoted from benny salami

Another DEM that proposes no cuts and wants to hike record taxes 6%. Wait until next year-New Mayor-All New City Council. The fact that an opposition candidate on Row G got 35% of the vote should wake the DEM machine up. The jig is coming to an end.

     Schenectady is a bankrupt City that does not need 4 public pools. Fund pools after police and fire. The Stockade pool is underused and unwanted by the neighbors. 2 polls one in Hamilton Hill-one in Bellevue are enough. I had a sit down with the Fire Chief the other day. The DEMS will not be laying off 12 fire fighters. The Union will make sacrifices and more savings in City Hall must be found. End the City Free Car Fleet and fire the golf pro. Putting people and property at risk is not a viable option.

Only half of the council is up for election .. so it can't be a whole new council --- and the GOP would have to
"rise from the dead" to win even 1 seat on the City Council.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I was happy to see that the city is keeping 2 of the pools open  --- many of the young people who
use those pools would have no other place to go during the summer.   I have long believed that because
most of the city council  --- and this goes back years and includes folks from both parties -- most of the
council comes from the more affluent neighborhoods of the city  .. they either have pools or camps or
can afford a membership at the Y or swim club --- they don't realize that there are a LOT of residents
who can't afford those luxuries  ... it isn't too much to ask for them to be able to have access to a
community pool for a couple of months each summer.

and not happy with cutting the firefighters

there are a lot of other parts of the budget that could be cut before cutting firefighters  and the city
pools.

Uh, DV, keeping these services costs money.  Guess you don't know that employees need to be paid, and it costs money to even keep a fire house open.   DV, in order to have these, a certain amount of money must be raised from property taxes.  And, since you are not a homeowner, you don't see your escrow go up for the tax portion of your house payment, or you don't have to write out that check for  the tax bill.

You see, DV, you also do not understand that people in Schenctady are struggling to get buy.  They cannot afford to have their taxes increased.

Now, I trust, DV, that you DO know that the well heeled businesses downtown do not pay property taxes.     Isn't it nice to be rich, make money from your business and not have to pay property taxes.....isn't it nice to be very rich and have the struggling homeowners cover your tax bills.

DV, see, you obviously don't understand.  Services to city residents are constantly being cut, and now it's cuttting life saving services.  

All these services could be provided AND the struggling homeowners would NOT have their taxes raised......IF, IF, IF, the those rich businesses paid their taxes.

Don't you agree it would be far better to lower the taxes on the struggling low income people and make the millionaires pay their taxes?   Or do you think it's better to take from the poor and give to the rich.  That is a highly intelligent question if you only want to have intelligent discussions.      And remember, the businesses do NOT pay sales tax, the city peopel pay their property taxes AND then they pay sales tax on top of that when they shop in the city.  The business people do NOT pay the sales tax out of their pocket, not one penny whatsoever.  And the sales tax from these businesses has done NOTHING at all to lowering property taxes.

When are you going to understand that the average city residents abaolutely cannot afford to pay higher property taxes????    Why do you believe that the lower income people should shoulder the burden for the rich?  

DV, can you provide an answer to HOW the typical household in the city, with an income of $30,000 will be able to pay for those taxes?      What should they give up in their household budget in order to pay the tax bill?   Should they turn the thermostat down to 60?   Should they take only half the medication they might need to take?  Yeah, perhaps a diabetic should cut the insulin in half to make it last longer?  Should they forgo getting a new roof on their house?  Maybe they should eat only two meals a day instead of three?   See, you don't know what it's like, you aren't a homeowner and taxpayer, you don't get the bill in your name, you don't have to worry about your municipal government sending you a tax foreclosure notice.  You don't have to worry about the ramifications of failing to repair your sidewalk and having the government citing you for code violations---then what do you do, DV?  Pay your tax bill and get penalized for code violations?   Or do you replace your sidewalk and then the government takes your house for not paying taxes.    This is what Schenectady people are facing, and that's all on top of the possibility that their house could burn to the ground because of cutting fire protection.

The simple answer is to ask your buddy Savage to take back all those tax exemptions from the well heeled.  Listen, tell her, if she takes away all those exemptions, tell her not to worry, they won't wind up in the poorhouse, they can pay their tax bills in the city and they will still have more money than is  needed, they will still live like royals.  But the average Schenectady families are going to wind up in the poorhouse

Well said and dead on, as usual MC1.

It appears that the middle class in schenectady county are becoming extinct due to high taxes. And all in the name of 'tax breaks' allowed by Savage and Gillen and crew to the 'friends and family business club AND to support the liberal socialist lucrative 'hand out programs' AND paying lucrative salaries and life long benefits to county/union employees!!!

THIS HAS TO STOP before the middle class, or what is left of it, makes the endangered species list!!! IMHO

First -  and I will only say this ONCE MORE -  I am a taxpayer because I do give financial support to my aunts
with whom I live.    The property may be in their name but I share espenses ... PLUS I own property in my
name in other states.    I also pay taxes on gas, income, sales etc like anyone else .. so I am a taxpayer.

So this lie that you keep reiterating about me not being a taxpayer MUST stop.

Second - to say that it costs money to run city pools or firehouses IS STATING THE OBVIOUS ...  I am NOT
stupid .. and that is why I do NOT generally respond to MikeChristine because he treats anyone who disagrees with him as stupid.

The fact is that many families in the city can NOT afford a poll at home .. or a camp by a lake -- I grew up
living in Mont Pleasant and as kids my 6 siblings and I used to go swimming at Quackenbush Pool and
Steinmetz Park.  We appreciated this service and I am sure that it kept us out of mischief on those hot
summer days.

I will NOT apologize to anyone for my support of keeping the city pools open.    I fully support Rotterdam
developing a town pool sometime in the next decade.    And I am more than willing to support it with the
taxes that I pay --- and I do pay taxes.

First of all 5 of the 7 City Council seats are up next year. The 4 scheduled and 1 that Mark B left for City Court Judge. The majority of the Council and a new Mayor will be elected next year.

     Great post as usual by MC1 but its a two pronged problem-no one Downtown paying any property taxes AND fat cat nonprofits gaming the system tax free. Union College has flatly refused to pay a Payment In Lien of Taxes. RPI does it, Cornell does it, Colgate does it, SUNY-Binghampton does it. This is because weak kneed fossil DEMS in City Hall to timid to present a bill of $500,000 for police and fire protection.

     It's disgusting that these pathetic City DEMS can't get a nickle out of Union and Proctor's. Proctor's pays $7 and won't disclose Mercury Morris' salary. Where's the Gazetto editorial demanding that Proctor's pony up? Ellis which is in horrible financial straights could find $40,000. That money should have gone to the general fund-not pool fund. Mayor SOS, who is busy with exit plans, fails to demand anything from these nonprofits and refuses to say anything negative about Death Ray/Savage's implosion of Downtown revenue.

Quoted Text

The fact is that many families in the city can NOT afford a poll at home

so the govt should provide pools for everyone???


that is the mentality that many disagree with -

for your information - we never had a pool - we had a hose, a sprinkler, and one day the old man brought home a small plastic tarp that we made into a slide.  Then we got smacked when we stole moms dish soap to make it even faster.  ahhhhhh the good old days.

Enough with the pool disinformation. If you want 4 pools great find $100,000 in cuts elsewhere in the budget. No one is saying close all City pools. A City of 55,000 cannot afford 4 pools. San Jose which has 20X Schenectady's population and is home to many computer makes-has one City pool. The Front St pool must be closed-its underutilized and the neighbors don't want it.

     This is typical DEM inaction. The usual okey-doke from DEM dopes. Denise Brucker is doing the same fronting about the fire fighters. She is against any fire cuts but when you ask her for alternative cuts she gets a deer in the highlights look. The City will lose another $8 million when Obama stimulus money runs out. They must, like the City School, start cutting programs, laying off nonessential employees, clean out lobs infesting City Hall. They refuse to do anything. The DEMS keep kicking the can down the road while planning exit strategies. They think $40,000 from Ellis and 6% tax hike in a recession is "great work".

The 'luxuries' (pools) are a 'benefit' to a community that has it's financial house in order! Which obviously is not the case in the city.

Here are just a few suggestions......................

privatize the garage/body shop.
privatize trash collections.
sell/privatize the county home.
tax the businesses on the miracle mile