The Peoples Republic of NXIVM Springs?

In an explosive and carefully written story in today’s Times Union writer James Odato quotes that in a deposition given by local resident Barbara J. Bouchey of Asset Management, Inc. which specializes in financial planning, estate conservation and tax reduction strategies for affluent individuals, families and businesses. Bouchey testified that NXIVM founder Keith Raniere, who members call "Vanguard," and is regarded by supporters as an inspirational, empowering mentor, wanted to “Have his own country ,his own currency, our own way of doing things” and that is only one of the more outrageous claims laid bare in this expose.

NXIVM as any well informed reader of local blogs will tell you is a locally based cult that has many prominent followers. Led by Keith Raniere who is described in this article as a compulsive gambler on the commodities market who lost 1.7 million of Bouchey’s funds before turning to his zombie like followers the Seagram sisters Clair and Sara Bronfman’s who are now said to have been tapped according to the TU for up to 100 MILLION dollars. Bouchey who was also described as one of Raniere’s many ex lovers had a falling out with her Guru, and had previously been in Raniere’s inner circle before breaking with the group last year over her lost funds.

The article goes on to describe in carefully worded detail a complicated California real estate deal that went south and is now the subject of multiple lawsuits involving Frank Parlato in a $26 million dispute with Yuri Plyam over a West Coast real estate deal gone bad. Parlato's claims that the heirs, Clare and Sara Bronfman, were cheated out of millions of dollars. The Plyams, in turn, claim Parlato drove the project into the ground. "They're blaming us for stealing millions when, in fact, they owe us $300,000," Natasha Plyam told The Buffalo News. "They also claim my husband confessed to Parlato, which is preposterous. That's a total fabrication." Plyam had been Raniere’s commodities trader who claims that Raniere has lost millions but had boasted that he was one of the world’s greatest mathematicians and had developed a perfect system for beating the commodities market. Instead the “worlds smartest man” lost “tens of million of dollars”.Plyam’s attorney Green Ford asserts that Raniere access to funds started to dry up and that he bailed on the west coast real estate deal. Raniere of course took no responsibility claiming that “negative forces” were out to get him. He was concerned that if news of him gambling away millions and millions of dollars became public knowledge, he would look like a fool and even his most devoted followers would question his competence. It is believed that in the end Vanguard [Raniere] has lost over 65 million dollars in bad commodities and real estate deals in the last few years. Not very good for the smartest man in the world. Plyam’s attorney presents a rather sympathetic portrait of the Seagram sisters, Clair and Sara Bronfman’s who he describes as “naïve rather unsophisticated girls completely under the control of Raniere.

So what does all of this have to do with Saratoga Spring you ask? Well I’ll tell you. The membership in NXIVM is almost a who’s who of local business people and politicians. Many have taken Vanguards week long ESP or executive training program courses which are taught locally They [Clair and Sara Bronfman] are well know contributors to local politicians both Republican and Democrat. They have long sought to build a new world headquarters in Saratoga which in all probability would apply for tax exempt status as an educational facility. As I reported here first and was condemned by Andrew Bernstein, {who I suspect has ties to the group} an LLC as cover for NXIVM is in negotiations to buy the Adelphi Hotel. The Bronfman’s who already own 27 local properties and have access to hundreds of millions of dollars want it badly. Just as they paid millions to drag the Dali Lama here they crave acceptance and respectability, something I will never give them. Local Politicians with strong ties to the group and their millions include all the usual suspects. Val Keehn, Ron Kim [I can just see him tooling around in the Bronfman’s jet} Eileen Finneran, Brucie Rosch and many other members of Democrats for Change. They also have a great propensity for lawsuits. Even with the fairness of the TU article I would not be surprised by a NXIVM lawsuit. The last time I wrote about NXIVM, I suddenly found myself a subject of anonymous death threats. In other words folks these are not nice people and all I can say is bring it on. Remember folks they are among us. Before you sign that contact, or pull the level for a Politician or bed that hot chick/guy you have a right to full disclosure.

Ask, are you an intelligent self assured and emotionally stable individual who believes in free will or are you an emotionally bankrupt sorry sack of shit who needs to cling to a self help Guru-compulsive gambler to give you any sense of worth? You have a right to know

*Legal disclaimer; these are my opinions and no ones else’s. Don’t like them? Bite Me! The stakes are too high and your hometown is to important not to fight for.

BREAKING NEWS. Times Union to run expose on NXIVM, Saratoga and Local people’s involvement Sunday. Look for In-Depth analysis here as well.

And the Oscar for best performance by a Liar goes to Fidel Ullman

In a great article today in The Schenectady Gazette ace reporter Tatiana Zarnowski nailed down Thilo Ullmann the new chairman of the Saratoga Democratic Committee to try to explain the sudden and unexpected resignation of Al Turkheimer as Committee chair. In a series of lies that can only be described as breathtaking in there depravity and scope Ullman said;
“We tried to persuade him to stay {Turkheimer}, and he was adamant that he didn’t want to do it anymore.”
He went on to say;
“I’m terribly sorry that Al resigned,” Ullmann said. “I think he was a very effective chair.

I really don’t know were Fidel Ullman can find the Chutzpah to lie in such a blatant manner. Everyone including Tatiana has read the explosive e-mails of behind the scenes back stabbing.
Then in the state of the city rebuttal you again had the Chutzpah to complain that the Republicans weren’t open enough for you. GIVE ME A BREAK!!!!!!!!

You don’t have the first clue what honest or open is. You have created an old boys and girls back room club that Stalin would approve. You bully, harass and threaten anyone who complains about your motives and your tactics. You have no I repeat no credibility at all.
As Tatiana said;
“In a flurry of accusatory e-mails that were quickly forwarded far beyond their intended recipients earlier this week, some committee members blamed him for the party’s losses in November and others took his side.”

I can only hope she read those e-mails on this blog. We will continue to expose you as the lying cretins that you are. And just remember this blog gets 1000 hits a day and is listed both state wide and nationally on Craig’s list. Your fascist antics are on view for the world to see. Keep that in mind when you dream of running for higher office.

“Open Government now that’s funny” Thilo Ullman

Well the dust is starting to settle in the Democratic Committee catastrophe. In a triumph of dictatorial rule over democracy the leaders of the coup are tightening there death grip on the committee. A series of secret meeting has been taking place around the city. The most famous of these took place at Val Keehn’s house last night were enemies list were draw up, terror tactics planned and varies bounties were placed on leading opposition leaders. A few things have become clear. Al Turkheimer along with his cozy relationship with Joanne Yepsen is out. He is to be sent to a reeducation camp in the Adirondacks to chop wood for 5 years. This is seen as a recurring theme in the power play.

Joanne Yepsen the popular and attractive third term supervisor is seen as not politically reliable enough for the hard core believers. Her relationships with prominent members of the opposition have made her an object of scorn and jealousy. Brucie “Butch” Rosch is said to particularly harbor a great deal of resentment against Yepsen but I’m sure there have been a few sensual fantasies mixed in as well. It appears that the primary goal of the coup is to isolate people like Yepsen who have any kind of an independent power base or who might pose a challenge to the committees hand picked chosen candidates.

The first of these races would appear to be for Jim Tedisco’s seat in New York State Assembly District 110. No one knows at this point what Tedisco is going to do. Either he goes for a rematch against Murphy for Congressional district 20 or fights to keep his old seat. The coup leaders smell Jimmy’s blood and they can’t tolerate a person like Yepsen starting her own petition drive when one of their own might be interested. Enter Thilo Ullman

Thilo a native of Spain is said to be channeling {the DFCers are big on stuff like that} the spirit of Generalissimo Franco to silence dissent and to force unbelievers to resign from the committee. He is said to carry a Franco coin in his pocket for inspiration and has Spanish Fascism in his blood. Wasting no time and not waiting for his ex-buddies body { Turkheimer} to grow cold he has ruthlessly belittled anyone who would dare question his chairmanship. Calling for a series of secret meeting to plan the destruction of opposition Democrats he has promised a Spanish style Civil War against critics.

A secret meeting has been planned in Ullman's home for Sunday with strict orders that no one is to know. Curtains will be drawn candles lit and a blood oath sworn that each disciple present will do everything in their power to prepare the way for the groups most immediate goal. The nomination of RON KIM the disgraced former Mayoral Candidate the bully of the library, terrorizer of women and small pets to run for Tedisco’s seat in the 110 Assembly District. And I plan to do everything in my power to stop him. I welcome his threats, temper tantrums and his general bad hygiene {really Ron if your going to get that close to threaten people at least brush your teeth}. Your anger your wrath mean nothing to me. The opposition will not be silenced Democracy and rule by majority will always prevail. No amounts of your scare Tactics will ever change that

Inside the working of a Palace Coup

Brucie you two faced back stabbing Bitch.
AL wanted me to pass this along

To: "Nancy Montagnino" "Ron Kim" "Valerie Keehn" "Al Ormsby" "Bob McTague" "Jim Montagnino" "Charley Brown" >, "Peter Martin" , "Roger Wyatt" Jennie Kim" "Georgana Hanson" "Eileen Finneran"
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 2010, 10:44 AM

PLEASE NOTE THAT I'M SENDING THIS TO A LIMITED GROUP TO KEEP IT CONTAINED. I'm not including Al Turkheimer for obvious reasons. I would appreciate if this is not discussed outside the few people I am emailing this to.

I had thought we were going to move forward with the leadership change scenario. I feel strongly that this needs to happen for a lot of reasons. But again, I thought we had agreed about this.

At any rate, my personal bottom line is that, with some regret, I'll leave the committee if this doesn't come about, or at least be put on a firm and deliberate schedule, very very soon. I can't give you an exact date, but from what I understand, important actions are falling through the cracks right now, and obviously some on the committee want to see some positive steps. Hence the email from Nancy Goldberg re: the meeting Jan 23rd.

I'm certainly not comfortable with this coming meeting because we have not yet taken what are, in my opinion, critically important priority steps, that is: leadership change.

Sorry to give ultimatums but that's how I feel about this. I don't really want to discuss this (should it happen? shouldn't it? shouldn't we be patient?). I just want to know if we're on the same page or not so I can make my decision. And of course, what's next, and WHEN.

Depending on how you all feel, you might want to line up a replacement for me soon...

Best to you all,
Brucie Rosch

The demented plans of Val Keehn

First I owe my faithful readers an apology. Ron Kim was unable to complete his coup d'état. As the following e-mail shows the plotters had hoped to remove the whole Executive Committee to pave the way for Ron Kim although Al Turkheimer, the Chairman resigned the rest of the committee refused. Under committee rules the First Vice Chair moves up. Seems Spaniard Thilo Ullman had his luckiest day since he scored his green card as he was named the new Chairman of the Democratic committee. But don’t turn your back Theo the long knives are still out and your head might be next.

Next up I am presenting a look into the demented mind of Val Keehn seems the disgraced and unstable Keehn still feels the need to play a part on the political stage.

So here is her e-mail uncut. Read into it what you will

Dear Democratic Committee members,

In light of the recent events, e-mails, phone conversations and the emotional reactions to such, I feel it is time for me to weigh in on all of this. Let me start by saying, that, while there has been some inner damage, the building has not yet collapsed, and the core of it is still very much worth saving. And, at the core are our collective democratic principles and values, and our desire to work for the betterment of the whole. Unfortunately, some have lost sight of the latter.

While I am not on the committee and I was not in attendance at last Saturday’s meeting, I have attended most of the committee meetings over that past 12 months, and, more recently, have been involved with a smaller group of committee members, whose goal was to bring to the entire committee an organized and rational resolution that addressed the November election disaster. It is obvious to me that there are people on the committee who actively worked against our candidates and will continue to try to sabotage any positive momentum. What is occurring right now, is playing right into their hands. That will be an ongoing issue and a discussion for another time.

After the sweeping victory for the Democrats for Change in 2008, there was finally a sense of hope for progressive politics and the door of opportunity was swinging our way. From the very beginning, there were discussions about the type of leadership needed to move our group forward in a proactive, positive way; one that would distinguish us from the Republicans and from those who were more content to live in the past than look toward the future. Those discussions have been ongoing. I do not need to spell out the obvious. Leadership can look like many things. But the bottom line is, people who are volunteering their time and energy (no matter how much or little) need to feel appreciated and inspired. Ask yourself if you have felt either of those things over the course of the past 13 months.

Last Sunday, I was involved in a meeting with four other members of the Democratic committee. This meeting was, in effect, a culmination of a series of meetings of a larger group of committee members where a change of leadership was the major focus (and not just a change of the chair, but of the entire executive board). Al Turkheimer has been present at every meeting in which leadership change was discussed. No meetings, to my knowledge, have taken place behind his back. In fact, meetings to discuss moving forward and presenting an organized and concise message and plan to the entire committee took place at Al’s house. There was no coup and there was no conspiracy. That the entire committee was not involved in those discussions was a decision of logic and logistics, not one of secrecy.

Feelings have clearly been hurt, relationships have been damaged, and runaway egos have impaired the heart of our core. All of this is very unfortunate, but not totally unpredictable. We are human, after all. I still have a vision and the desire to see good things come to and from the Saratoga Springs Democratic Committee, and I am willing to continue with the hard (and sometimes nasty) work that needs to be done to develop and cultivate the identity of our committee. But, in order for that to happen, changes need to occur. Life is fluid, and organizations, like families, need to always be reacting to and addressing problems and issues as they occur. There are some problems here, and there was a sincere effort to address those problems with a smaller group before coming to the entire committee. Sadly, the results of that effort are what we see now. What has happened in recent days is very telling and extremely disappointing. And while it may not have been clean or immediately clear at this point, the intent was only to move this committee to a better place.

In hopes of providing a forum for informing the entire committee of discussions and meetings that have taken place recently and in the more distant past, and as a way of coming face to face with our difficulties and differences, I will open up my house to anyone brave enough to enter tomorrow night (Wednesday) at 7:30. Don’t expect to be fed and please bring your own drink. No glass containers will be allowed. Leave your personal issues behind, but be prepared for some conflict, and, hopefully, some conflict resolution. As you all know, I am a fighter, and I have taken on far bigger battles than this. Let’s all get in a room together and either work it out, or duke it out. Now’s the time.

Sincerely, Val

P.S. Please park on Ash street.

So much for open Goverment

Saturday morning the Democratic Committee conducted their usual bullshit public meeting at the Saratoga Springs Public Library. Unable to muster a quorum the meeting consisted of discussions on how to raise funds for there pathetically low treasury. But there was more to it than met the eye.

Later that evening at the Unitarian Universalist Church on North Broadway a select group of Democratic zealots and crazies high on drinking their own hallucinogenic cocktails plotted a coup d'etat against one of their own. Reminiscent of Hitler’s “Night of the Long Knives” one of there own would have to fall on his sword to make way for the new Emperor. Who among their click was missing from the secret meeting? The answer was Saratoga Springs City Democratic Committee chairman Al Turkheimer. Turk as he is called is a carpetbagger from downstate where he was instrumental in driving his last home the City of Yonkers into the ground. He had long been a faithful DFC card carrying member who had done his share of dirty work in the name of the “cause”. But now the group planned the symbolic execution of their own comrade in arms.

The group was

Ron kim

Val Keehn

Lou Benton

Linda Benton

Eileen Finneran

Brucie Rosch

Nancy Goldberg

John Goldberg

Lots were drawn to see who would make the phone call to their old friend and Keehn’s name was drawn.

Val gave Turk the news who slowly started to sob saying he had done the best he could but would make the sacrifice in the name of world socialism and agreed to draft his letter of resignation as chairman of Saratoga Springs City Democratic Committee,

RON KIM WILL NOW BE NAMED CHAIRMAN OF THE SARATOGA DEMOCRATIC COMMITTEE.

Their you have it folks in the dark of night in a secret meeting the failed and most radical members of the Democratic party plotted and planned to control a committee that they had promised to keep open and transparent. All I can say is good luck and I’m sure Jasper Nolan and the whole Republican party thanks you too.

Saratoga's Highway of Death

On a cold dark night Oct. 9, 2005 Phillip Eckstein was killed while crossing Route 50 North when he was hit by a Saratoga County Sheriff's deputy ,it was his 21st birthday. That stretch of Route 50 North has been the scene of two other serious accidents involving pedestrians. Twenty-eight-year-old Melvin Jones was injured there in February 2006. In September 2006, Michael Thompson, 40, was hit and killed. The lights on the intersection had not been on when Eckstein was killed while crossing Route 50 north. The deputy was later cleared of any wrongdoing. Since Eckstein's death, his family had sued the city, county and the state on her son's behalf for the lack of lighting. I believe that case is still winding through the courts.

After these three shocking accidents the city and the state recognized the deplorable condition of this “Highway in a City”. Designed in the heyday of the countries infatuation with urban renewal and revisionist urban planning when the car was king it was purposely designed to discourage its crossing by pedestrians. It also had the effect of cutting North Broadway off from the East side of the city while putting a major highway in close proximity of Loughberry Lake. The cities only source of drinking water.

Soon the state launched the usual investigation and money was set aside for pedestrian friendly improvements along with better lighting. The problem at that time was that the money that had been set aside to make the improvements was diverted to exit 12' roundabout fiasco by the DOT Regional director T.Werner. Who was replaced by B. Rowback in 1/08 at DOT. Scuttlebutt was that Werner left over the (his) decision to transfer Route 50 development funds away from this city's exit 15 entrance to exit 12's traffic circles. Little if anything was reported regarding these disgraceful actions by the local rag the Saratogian. And like so many other problems in this city it was ignored and forgotten about, yet any mention of trails and the South Broadway entrance development has always been newsworthy.

WERE DO WE STAND TODAY?

So today, we have 32 lights out and no apparent concern? There still are no safe crosswalks and North Broadway and Skidmore is still cut off for East Side residents who don’t want to drive. It would seem that at least burnt out light bulbs could be replaced? That would be at least a low cost improvement. But remember this is Saratoga, so not so fast. There is a debate going on between DOT and DPW and National Grid as to who had the responsibility in changing light bulbs. I believe it falls onto National Grid or at the very least DOT but the DPW whose charge it is to maintain the roads (properties and buildings) has some responsibility to notify if not the proper authorities or at least, the public that "It's dangerous out there folks". But alas Skip is still pissed his new man cave in DPW Headquarters at City Hall is still short it’s “Personal Executive Assistant” and can’t be bothered to pick up the phone to call National Grid. Even if it would result in a safer city at no cost to the taxpayer. So start a paper trail Scirocco, so at least Marilyn Rivers will have something to point to because if there were to be another accident of any kind let alone a fatality, no one can claim being in the dark. It is your job Skip.

And to the fine Citizens groups trying to do something about the equally dangerous route 50 South. I applaud your work.
But all I can really say is “Good luck with that”

Insurance rates set to spike for the City

In further bad economic news for the City, Trident insurance the cities primary fleet ins. provider has announced a yet to be decided but substantial rate increase for the City of Saratoga Springs. Sighting the flaunting of the cities Risk and Safety Management Program by DPW employees who continue to rack up DWI’s at an alarming rate along with the 35 accidents by Public Works vehicles that resulted in property damage of at least 1000 dollars or more from each occurrence there is little the city can do except to pay up. While clowns like Demroc{Mark Scirocco} continues to claim only Marilyn Rivers can discipline drivers for vehicle infractions, nothing could be father from the truth .Ms Rivers can only take drivers that have had their licenses suspended or revoked off the road and then only when someone informs her of the arrest. There have been cases when she has learned of an arrest only through reading the paper and then finding the city vehicle being operated by an unlicensed driver. Any disciplining besides removing his driving privileges is the in the realm of Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco. One would assume this would be a serious matter in a professionally run Department but not in Sciroccos world, where drivers keep their pay and avoid suspensions if they know the right people. In other words as long as they are on the right side of Scirocco and "Big Deal"O'Neal” So as you can see Insurance costs will skyrocket this year.

In other dismal news Scirocco is showing little interest in continuing the cities once award winning Flower program. I guess as long as he is denied his “Personal Executive Assistant” the rest of the cities programs will have to wait.

A plug for a new blog

Here's another big fan of Skippy.
http://thetruthcriesout.blogspot.com/

Emergency!!!! Don’t even think of calling DPW

So you’re driving down Tamarack Trail in Geyser Crest and you see what looks to be raw sewage running down the road what do you do? Call DPW, not anymore. Large tree down across North Broadway no problem? In your dreams. Fire truck needs gas Sunday morning, hope you brought your charge card? Since Jan 1 the phones at DPW have been unmanned from 11pm Friday till 6am Monday morning and every night from 11pm till 6am do to the total incompetence and mismanagement of Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco. All Departments have faced cutbacks especially the Dept of Public Safety. But in that case Commissioner of Public Safety Richard Wirth has proven himself to be flexible and resourceful in cutting useless programs such as D.A.R.E and the popular police dogs {don’t worry I hear Michele Riggi adopted them just kidding} that were man hour intensive but greatly under utilized to focus on Public Safety’s core mission, protecting Saratoga. Wirth’s first priority was to bring back Patrol officers and at this he was remarkably successful after only three weeks. In a vote Tuesday night at the City Council meeting, Wirth restored an animal control and parking enforcement officer, along with a traffic control maintainer who had been cut from the budget and put care for the two police horses back in the budget. Four police officers are being brought back because of new retirements within the department. That means that no Police officers are without a job. The remaining laid-off officers have found employment in other area Police Depts. All of the changes are budget-neutral, remarkable!

That brings us to Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco, at the same City Council meeting Scirocco, proposed for his Dept the rehiring of nonunion accounting clerk Lois Scarangello and executive assistant Donna Buckley. When the suggestion was made by the Council that his first priority should be the rehiring of dispatchers or the restructuring of his Dept to have a least some open hours on the weekend Scirocco only fumed “I think I know how to run my department as well as anybody here.”

Well Commissioner the truth is you don’t and you have become a menace to the City. Your stubborn pig-headedness is leaving city residents in a dangerous and unnecessary situation in which people are put at risk do to your mismanagement.

So if knowing that your City will just have to hope for the best on weekends isn’t bad enough wait till you go to Chowderfest and find the Cities much ballyhooed public bathrooms are closed indefinitely. Seems until Scirocco can get his office girls back the people will be made to suffer. Here’s a question for you Commissioner. Just what are your men doing Monday through Friday 7 till 3? We haven’t had snow in weeks. Have you ever thought of being creative and arrange their schedules to cover weekends and Bathrooms? I know abstract thoughts are a little hard for you. Maybe you could ask one of your fellow Commissioners for help.

OR MAYBE YOU SHOULD JUST RESIGN.

Ho has a good take on D.A.R.E.

http://isaratoga.blogspot.com/

After being accused of being soft on drugs I'm presenting my own public service announcement.

D.A.R.E. Dare to Drop D.A.R.E

Created in 1983 under the direction of former Los Angeles Police chief Daryl Gates, D.A.R.E. exploded, when it first latched on to Nancy Reagan’s relentlessly sunny and perversely simplistic "Just say No" campaign, it promised to be the answer to the nations teenage drug program.

The DARE program simply is not about education, I doubt that anyone could seriously defend the content of the DARE program in a scientific fashion and I don't feel it serves any other purpose other than simple indoctrination. The DARE Program presents a grossly oversimplified and pretty much inaccurate picture of the causes and cures of drug abuse. For too long Saratoga Springs Police policies have been driven by mindless adherence to a wasteful, ineffective, feel-good programs. However,Saratogians are no longer gullible.

The cities local rag the Saratogian might have blasted the banner headline today “Budget cuts kill D.A.R.E.”

But what really killed D.A.R.E. was common sense. No longer will the citizens of Saratoga fall for the fear mongering of the likes of RON KIM. This shows that Commissioner of Public Safety Richard Wirth is serious about cutting wasteful spending. After the disastrous four years of the Ron Kim administration the whole Dept needs a top to bottom restructuring and Wirth is just the man to do it. And to all the whiney liberals who have moved here and feel we need Police Dogs, SWAT teams, helicopters and a new Police Station all to protect you from the great unwashed masses that you have living in you community I suggest you buy one of these to protect yourself and your beautiful white children with perfect teeth from the drug addicted preteens of Saratoga Spring Public Schools.

Seems little Mark Scirocco [DEMROC] is upset.

Well something says I hit a nerve in Camp Scirocco with our allegations of abuse of funds in the local unit of the CSEA. One of this blogs most active Lurkers has been CSEA headquarters in Albany. Seems all this bad press in a period of statewide union strife is a little more than the bigwigs in Albany can take as the Saratoga Local of the CSEA has been eating up resources’ and is rapidly becoming an embarrassment in Union HQ.

Much as been made over the retirement of long time DPW employee John Rich and the lack of available Union funds to pay for a slice of Pizza. Causing Mark Scirocco [DEMROC] to become hysterical to the point he now uses photo shop to enhance pictures of me.
Really DEMROC I’m flattered but maybe you should use your technological expertise to improve the looks of your latest breeding partner. Hopefully you found someone a little more stable than the last one, but I digress. When it became apparent the Union was broke, Rich’s friends all pitched in and a decent party was held.
I should be more sympathetic to Mark Scirocco [DEMROC] he is just sticking up for Daddy after all, and Daddy ain’t got many friends. First Scirocco lost his chief cheerleader at the Saratogian when Andrew Bernstein was demoted to covering little league. Now he has the entire Council lined up against him. I know Mark Scirocco [DEMROC] likes to lie and claim there is a split in the Republican Party but the only split is between Scirocco and the party. He does still have his friends in the DFC who sometimes whine on his blog but they are about as relevant as the Senates heath care bill right about now. Mark Scirocco [DEMROC] continues to extol his fabrication from everything from Marilyn Rivers role as Risk & Safety Director in disciplining personal{she doesn’t, she only pulls unsafe drivers off the roads} to the extensive renovations that Skippy carried out to make his office more comfortable for his little back scratcher Donna A Buckley and we all know how that turned out. But I think what brothers Mark Scirocco [DEMROC] the most is the popularity of this blog and I owe that to you my readers.I really thought after the election my figures would slow but it looks like 2010 will be a bang up year. So steal some of your ex-wife’s Prozac Mark you’re goner have a rough year.
Project Name Today Yesterday This Month
Saratoga politics 568 620 11,082

With Unions like this to screw the workers who need management.

There was a time in this country when unions looked out for the working class in the private sector. A type of buffer between the needs of the factory owners to maximize profits against the workers rights to a living wage. Some unions today still carry out that role. 1199seiu is a good example in there struggles to unionize service workers and then there is CSEA. This is a place where thieves and pimps run free, using enforced employee contributions to provide vacations, trips and cars for “UNION business” this along with a commitment to political activity in recent elections that saw there boss Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco win reelection. A boss who just threw the laborers of his department under the bus in favor of confidential non-union office staff. A boss whose campaign manager was none other than President of local CSEA before he stepped down Joe "Big Deal"O'Neal”

And how do the rank and file feel about CSEA? Let’s see

“Anonymous said...

Here's a beautiful story out of DPW,John Rich retired after 30 plus years,the union wanted to have a special retirement party for him,but after looking into the treasury they barely had enough for a pizza,it seems former president joe "Big Deal"O'neal and his vice president Thomas Mcgraw had emptied the bank on some lavish hotel rooms,rental cars etc,etc,etc,......business as usual at the CSEA.”

Well like I said with Union leaders willing to fuck the worker who needs management.

LOCAL CSEA A BIG PILE OF GARBAGE.

I am giving this story my solid endorsement.

I am giving this story my solid endorsement.

http://thetechvalleytimes.blogspot.com/2010/01/saratoga-miracle-or-missing.html

The best-laid plans of mice and Scirocco oft go astray*

Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco is rapidly finding himself a man without a council as his ill conceived plan to bring back personal executive assistant Donna A Buckley and an unnamed clerk back to the DPW office was shot down in flames Tuesday night at the regularly scheduled City Council meeting. The evening got off to an ominous start for Scirocco as the first speaker in the public comment period make an eloquent plea to save a highway laborers position in favor of a political hacks position. Later as the scheme was unveiled in the agenda of the Commissioner of Finance Ken Ivins, Scirocco found himself taken to task for the hypocrisy of crying to the council that he needs critical Plow drivers and Laborers while at the first opportunity he replaces two office girls to fetch him coffee, and tosses aside the so called critical street workers. The motion failed by a vote of 4 to 1 leaving Scirocco unable to utter more than twenty or so “you know” and a few “Uh-oh”
Well I’ll explain it to you Skippy in terms you can understand. You know, you are like you know, an ass you know, in a boat you know, kind of like all by yourself you know?

Look around that table Skippy you don’t have a friend left. They know how incompetent you are. They understand you don’t have the first clue how to manage your office staff or highways and water.
Skippy did prove he is a big proponent of second amendment rights as he argued for the rights of his employees to have loaded weapons in there pickups while on city property.
He also took exception to the rules of the Risk and Safety Management Program that requires drivers to report DWI arrests. Scirocco claimed many of his drivers though charged have been able to beat the rap, some using quite unorthodox methods .


In other Council news, Mayor Scott Johnson again proved himself a friend of City preservation when he extended a moratorium on the demolition of historic structures to further thwart Michele Riggi’s plans to demolish 23 Greenfield Ave. Many people complain that Republicans look out for their rich friends and I find Mayor Johnson’s action a refreshing change from the stereotype fat cat Republican Politician. Since you probably weren’t on Michele’s Christmas card mailing list this year Mayor here’s a picture of her ghastly card. Needless to say you didn’t miss much.

* My apologies to the fans of Robert Burns for butchering his fine poetry to take a shot at an imbecile Politician

Amber alert issued for Saratoga Springs

An Amber alert has been issued for Saratoga Springs after a child was reported missing from the North Broadway area of the city. The child was last seen near a large pothole in the left side of North Broadway. A State Police dive team has been called in to aid in the search. There have been additional reports of several other disappearances in the same area including a Skidmore student and her car.


To the brain dead this is a fictitious story no children are missing yet.

Contemplating two more years of Skip Scirocco

I was thinking today that unless Scirocco succumbs to an undiagnosed cranial subdural hematoma from a blow to the back of the head from a manila envelope, he will be Commissioner of Public Works for two more years. What does that mean for Saratoga Springs? Well as I walked down the dirty sidewalks of Broadway today noticing that although this has been a cold but rather snowless winter, even the most rudimentary snow removal efforts haven’t even been attempted. So what does this say about the next two years? Well first Scirocco has stopped trying.

He doesn’t give a dam about the public, the rank and file or the city he’s called home. What does he care about? Himself, Donna Buckleys return, “Big Deal” O’Neill and getting son Mark a job. We haven’t had snow for weeks DPW trucks roam our city streets in a seemingly endless parade of highly expensive trucks searching for the cities last discarded CHRISTMAS TREE. Our infrastructure deteriorates and Scirocco doesn’t care. I will go a step further and say he wants it to deteriorate. Yes that’s correct so I will repeat it.

SCIROCCO WANTS OUR CITIES INFRASTRUCTURE TO DETERIORATE.

All in a ill planned attempt to embarrass the Council, shifting all blame to them and offering no solution except for massive infusions of cash and hiring new personal. I did not say rehiring of laid off personal purposely. Scirocco will want to hire his own hand picked politically reliable toadies and extended family members. His protests to the Council that the layoffs and budget cuts will lead to a massive reduction in services is becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. There is no reason for Scirocco to even try to manage his department. He wants the public and Broadway businesses to suffer. That’s the only way to teach those cheap bastards along with the public a fucking lesson.

The Scirocco way or the potholed highway.

Tim Cogan will do what he can but Scirocco will use him as a scapegoat. Timmy will quickly grow tired of being the new whipping boy; no amount of money is worth that. This will open the door for some political hack to move in and use the position to lobby for more funding. What Scirocco doesn’t understand is, there is no money and its going to get worse not better. This will undoubtedly be Scirocco last two years in office and lets hope we can minimize the amount of damage he can do.

And what about the laid off family men of DPW? As far as Scirocco concerned they can take up subsistence hunting.

Hey you MARK SCIROCCO, yea you DEMROC

KISS MY ASS

ABRACADABRA Donna Buckley reappears.

Commissioner of Public Works Skip Scirocco pulls a fast one.

After a surprise City Council meeting Friday that was basically an Executive session in which Scirocco appears to have made a trade. Drop the bullshit lawsuit for his brushed ego from being nailed in the back of the head by City Attorney Joseph Scala in exchange for glorified gofer Donna A Buckleys return as Skippy’s chief bottle washer and all round fun single office girl. It appears an arrangement was reached in which some voodoo economics along with some line item slight of hand will take place at Tuesdays City council meeting in which with the wave of a magic wand and the repeating of the word ABRACADABRA the money for Donna’s or as she likes to call herself Mamie on the blogs will suddenly or should I say miraculously appear.

Now if Scirocco had used this manila envelope assault with a deadly letter incident to save a Plow driving family man’s job I could overlook it, but to save the job of the office party girl bullshit. In the meantime Tatiana Zarnowski the capable Gazette Reporter is reporting the Congress Park bathrooms won’t reopen till summer if at all. This after Scirocco spent $250,000 to build them and then the city received a $24,000 government grant to add a handicap ramp and Scirocco hasn’t even started that work yet. What happened Skippy spend that money on your mancave?

In the meantime the city hasn’t received a decent snowfall this year while City workers tool around in circles without instructions of what to do. Broadway snow has yet to cleaned and potholes have cropped up all over town, but not to worry City residents soon Skippy with have his favorite coffee girl back to figure all that out. Where is the local paper The Saratogian in all this you might ask? Nowhere to be found, so when they call you this weekend in their Circulation Blitz as they like to call it, ask them this question. Who is your City political reporter?

Note to the City Council you still have time to kill this nonsense Tuesday. There is an economic tsunami coming and no amount of wishful thinking will make it go away.

Blog for Sale

Seems I have some big fans over at Journal Register Co. Journal Register owns The Record in Troy, The Saratogian in Saratoga Springs, the Community News in Clifton Park.
9th January 2010 07:12:51
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11th January 2010 14:54:17
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13th January 2010 09:17:19
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14th January 2010 09:18:12
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Well I see you must have a full time employee just to monitor my blog. That seems awfully strange when you local webmaster Stephen Shoemaker wrote.
“Well, let's be fair: We in the office here at 20 Lake Ave. are all wearing multiple hats and tending to many things at any given time. Those of use who are less-prolific bloggers than our former city reporter (now sports editor) don't check for new blog comments on a regular basis -- myself included.

So let me get this straight ,you are to busy to monitor your blogs on a regular basis’s at the local Saratogian but someone down at corporate headquarters has nothing to do, but lurk on my blog all day?

Now I don’t pretend to know the newspaper business but I do know that Journal Register Company Filed for Chapter 11 on 21 February 2009 you listed $596 million in assets as of Nov. 30 and $692 million in debt, including unpaid interest. You also reported that revenue has fallen more than 20 percent since 2006.
I have noticed a serious decline in your classified ads.


JRC’s share price has fallen by 99% from a high of $21.84 in 2004 to $0.265 New York Stock Exchange before it was delisted on Wednesday, April 16, 2008.I see you are now a penny stock listed as JOURNAL REGISTER CO (Other OTC: JRCO.PK) at 0.0150. So why would a company in so much fiscal trouble spend so much time on my blog? Frankly I have no idea? Well here’s a proposal for you BUY ME. Hell you’ve got a long tradition of making bad fiscal choices why not make one more. Think about it, for a few bucks you free up one employee at HQ. You know the guy who stares at my blog all day. Then you can shut it down or keep it going as a mouth piece of the DFC. Anyway sent all offers to our corporate Headquarters at
BB Thaihouse
Massage Parlor and Tea house
6/8 Soi Sukkumvit 14
across the road from Robinsons Department store & Asoke BTS Station
Bangkok Thailand
E-mail bitemtass@hellmail.com

May the Lord in His Mercy be Kind to Haiti.

Sometimes in our petty little world of local politics we forget the larger less affluent world around us. Haiti the poorest nation in the western hemisphere has been struck with an earthquake of biblical proportions. The death toll and the human suffering taking place as I write this is unfathomable. I have traveled to Haiti and have spent a fair amount of time in her island neighbor The Dominican Republic and am planning to go again in April. I always found the Haitian people to be a hardscrabble lot who despite their poverty were a remarkably upbeat friendly and at times shy people.

For those unfamiliar with the living conditions in Haiti before the earthquake these are some personal pictures I took. Again I have no idea of the people in these photos are dead or alive.

Uruguayan UN peacekeepers that befriended me when they found out I had visited their beautiful county.

A local Market

Local woman

My 14 year old body guard. That is a pistol tucked in his pants.

Market day in a country with so little.

Again I hope these people have survived and let this remind you to be thankful for what you have.