Mayor shouldn’t be proud of home values In speaking to landlords, Schenectady Mayor Gary McCarthy, as quoted in the Jan. 9 Gazette, said: “We all know taxes are high here, but it has driven down property values. So your total cost of home ownership in Schenectady is lower than some of our sister communities, even though their tax rates may be lower.” I do not know where, if anywhere, the mayor studied economics or finance. I suspect, though, there are not many Schenectadians who are comforted about either their taxes or the fact their property values have fallen by roughly 20 percent in the past five years as a result of his policies as mayor and votes while on the City Council. Maybe that is why our tax equalization rate is 123 percent and why the mayor opposes a reassessment. And, by the way,“our sister communities” not only have lower taxes, but rising property values. ROGER HULL Schenectady The writer founded the Alliance Party and was its unsuccessful candidate for mayor in 2011.
And what FACTS, what TRUTHS, have I and my better half been stating for years on here? And these FACTS, these TRUTHS have been provided with OVERHELMING EVIDENCE, yet certain cheerleaders of the mayor and the wild uncontrolled handouts of the taxpayers' money to the millionaire political cronies claim that we tell lies. But NEVER provides one teeny weeny shred of EVIDENCE of proof that what we say is a lie.
Virtually every month we provide the FACTS, the numbers showing that the city home sales AND home sale prices are falling while in other local cities at least one and in MOST cases BOTH sales AND prices are rising. And this is true not just for cities but also for the towns around the city--both in the county and outside the county. Homeowner IN the CITY of Schenectady are suffering BIG TIME LOSSES. But some claim that falling property values, falling home sales, falling tax base, falling home sale prices and increase in taxes mean the city is improving
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.
Here is what is most wrong with the Mayor's mentality (aside from EVERYTHING): He's assuming that your cost of home ownership is some kind of balance between WHAT HE WANTS TO CHARGE YOU AND WHAT IT COSTS YOU ELSEWHERE. The HOUSES IN SCHENECTADY DO NOT BELONG TO MCCHEESE. He wants to look at your income, look at what he thinks you can afford, and TAKE THE DIFFERENCE FOR HIMSELF AND HIS CRONIES. He has NO RIGHT to do this. IT IS STEALING. The houses in our neighboring communities are taxed too high.
HOME VALUES ARE FALLING BECAUSE OF THE HIGH TAXES! NO ONE WANTS TO BUY A HOUSE IN SCHENECTADY! HENCE THE STOCK PILE OF CITY OWNED HOMES AND REGULAR HOMES ON THE MARKET! # DON'T RE-ELECT MCCARTHY