Quoted Text

City-county sales tax deal needs renegotiation

    I was shocked after reading that Mayor Gary McCarthy and his City Council colleagues voted in support of the county’s eight-year sales tax agreement [Sept. 12 Gazette].
    As the city’s legislature, I would think they would have voted against the sales tax proposal based on what Councilman Vince Riggi said, “The city is being shortchanged.” Councilman Carl Erikson said, “Our city received 44 percent of the sales tax in 1998. Getting the same percentage today would give $20 million instead of $11 million.
    To help our hard-pressed city taxpayers, I am asking the mayor and City Council to renegotiate the county’s eight-year sales tax agreement.
    Also, I am asking the mayor to put [former budget analyst] Jason Cuthbert back on his city job. Jason was right on target when he said, “The city-county sales tax agreement is the worst in the state.”
    Finally, if the county legislators and Mayor McCarthy do not renegotiate the recently approved sales tax agreement to provide much-needed revenue for our city’s hard-pressed taxpayers, then I am asking the people to vote out of offi ce all the city and county legislators who are seeking re-election in November.

    FRANK DUCI
    Schenectady The writer is the former mayor.

Quoted from A Better Rotterdam

Inoideathatduciwasstillalive,fyimyspacebarjustbroke.Hastobethemostannoyingcomputermalfunctionever.