In a sweeping expose of Saratoga Springs Housing Authority director Ed Spychalski today on the front page of the Albany Times Union HERE staff writer Dennis Yusko reports that Spychalski made $152,000 last year, not including benefits. They also reported about the Authority becoming a family affair with Spychalsk allegedly violating Civil Service law by hiring his son and daughter for Authority jobs.
He also writes about my confrontation with Spychalski that led me to be banned from Authority property and subject to arrest for even visiting a tenant on Authority grounds. So what was I doing to incur the wrath of Spychalski? Selling drugs maybe? No,I was taking pictures of Authority vehicles and talking to residents.
See Spychalski takes his $40,000 truck to his half a million dollar home in Halfmoon as these pictures show
This is the truck at work
At his house
This is his newly purchased home, not too shabby.
| Owners | Property Information | Assessment Information | ||
| Spychalski Edward | Roll Section: | 1 | Full Market Value: | $533,387.00 |
| Spychalski Katherine 12 Foxhound Cir Mechanicville, NY 12118 | Property Class: | 1 Family Res | Total Assessed Value: | $330,700.00 |
| Lot Size: | 0.84 | Uniform %: | 62.00 | |
| Description | Tax Levy | Percent Change | Taxable Value | Rate | Tax Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GENERAL COUNTY | 50774998 | 3.6 | 323500.000 | 3.67139200 | $1,187.70 |
| C. park hm fire | 779583 | -0.3 | 330700.000 | 0.66249300 | $219.09 |
| Library | 3651139 | 2.9 | 330700.000 | 1.00544100 | $332.50 |
| Partial collector | 0.0 | 1.000 Units | 50.00000000 | $50.00 | |
| Sewer | 0.0 | 1.000 Units | 194.00000000 | $194.00 | |
| Conso wt dist zone 3 | 0.0 | 1.000 Units | 199.00000000 | $199.00 |
| Total Taxes: $2,182.29 |
In an odd twist Spychalski lived less than a mile from NXIVM cult leader Keith Raniere.
All in all a great story by the TU that hopefully will lead to some real changes at the Housing Authority
These are the original videos
And part 2
19 comments:
I take perseonal offense at the BLAME put on me, (roundly by Mr Spychalski)My situation in coming to Stonequist is that I came from Miami to NY to live & care for my dad, got him on his feet & after 2 yrs he told me he was moving to Embury apts, & I was not of the age to live there; I was basically on Disability & had no money or no place to go. I came here with CLEAN FURNITURE that has always been MY OWN & for 4 1/2 years I have lived bug free! I take SUCH umbrage at his fliipant manner, grouping everyone in the same boat, dumpster-divers!! I am always dressed nicely, my apt as you saw on Channel 13's coverage, is clean, neat, minimal.In my yrs living here every maintenance man who has EVER come into mhy apt...and even 5 pokice officers who came to take a statement on an unrelated issue last August has lauded me on how lovely I keep my place & how nice it smells; it's ALWAYS been my brightly colored little piece of tranquility! THAT was intgerrupted due to the lack of empathy on the part of the Office; when I reported MY bedbug situation,I brought my jar of bugs to the Office & nothing was done, in fact I was told if I left my mattress outside for ickup (my dad had JUST spent $600 on it last March!! Throwing it away was not an option) Kathy Peterson (hmmm same last name as the Housing Authority lawyer) told me, I would STILL be charged the $100 "dumping fee" but I could pay it off in installments monthly.WHEN is Mr. Spychalski going to assume some responsibilty & stop bloaming residents? It's NOT a time for blame; Maintenance is the ONLY sector dialoguing with me about preventative ways to rid my unit of bugs...or stave them off. If the Office would have dialogued with me frm the start...this would never have been a City-wide issue! I am insulted by comments made at City Council meetings making some of the cleaner residents out to be 2nd hand Roses...Not only did I have my face plastereed all over the tv & newspapers, I now have this stigma placed on me as having bedbugs. I didn't look for this "fame" as some residents are saying about me...for this is NOT the kind of fame someone looks for! As for my personal case, I have managed finally to keep the bugs away from my unit - for the moment. I will continue to hold my head up high; I will try to erase the embarrassment I have and I know in my heart I was not looking for any "war" with Ed, but he seems to have taken this personally...well, maybe if he acted in accordance with the NY State Tenants Rights book, he'd have taken responsibility for extermination of the building from the start, we wouldn't be in the mess we are today. I have the right to a safe clean environment & I am doing MY PART in keeping my place nice. But...appasrently...if anyone else comes to see me & take photos...are THEY going to be banned by Mr. Spychalski by Police order also??? Security has put a new rule into effect: everyone has to show their ID at the door...am I living in a "police state"? or amm I living in a private apt. with the right to have ANYONE of MY choosing come to visit me? Hmmmm. By the way, nice house, eh?
Note to John: You failed to mention that today's story cited the fact that you were the first one to go public about the bed bug problem and the first one to expose Spychalski for the slimeball that he is. Nice job, John!
This creep needs to be removed from this job immediately. One more day is too many. How can the taxpayers and residents of Saratoga put up with this incompetency and total regard for the taxpayers money. First remove him, and then send him to State Prison!
And every honest working citizen of the County --- remember that name. When he shows up looking for work flipping burgers or cleaning bathrooms, tell him NO THANKS!!!
John-just to be clear-the truck is not "his" truck although Ed treats it as if it were his-the truck he commutes to work in every day belongs to the Authority meaning we the taxpayers. Another nice little perk for the guy. Also visitors to Stonequist now must show the security guy-Ed's son-not just any ID but according to the building newsletter, visitors must show a drivers license. So what happens if someone who doesn't have a drivers license wants to visit a friend or relative at Stonequist now? Are all children too young to drive now barred from the building for instance????? I also learned today the residents
must pay $100 dollars if they forget their key and get locked out and an Authority employee has to come and let them in! Another way of raising
money to support Ed's lifestyle and board member junkets? Heck, for all the
money big Ed makes, he should personally drive that little ole pick up truck up to Stoneguist and let locked out residents in!
Well, whaddya know, John is in the Times Union this week wearing an orange hue that flatters him, which many including Steve Coffee might wish to see him in. But it looks much better on John than it will on their client, Vanfraud, I'm sure. Sallow just brings down reds and pinks too much into that dreadful, muddy brown.
SSHA’s Two Cents
SSHA will not be accepting any work
I.D.’s from anyone entering the building.
Only state issued drivers licenses will be
accepted. Please inform all your visitors
of this. Anyone not carrying correct
identification will not be allowed up to
any apartment. Anyone who refuses to
follow the procedures set by the
Executive Director will be barred from
the property.
Mind boggling that living in those apartments now equates to living in a police state. This is so un-American. It has to be illegal to prevent invited visitors from entering. What say the city attorney?
IRS Speaks:
The fact that Ed is driving a truck to and from home, a truck that is owned by the Authority, makes those trips taxable trips. Look it up in the tax code book.
The truck is meant to be used on the job only. Transportation to his home, and back, is not work use, it is personal use, and is taxable.
Where is Alan Hevesi these days? I have the feeling the same fate awaits Ed and his little family band of thieves.
I am very upset about this story. There is something so evil about taking advantage of the elderly to create your own little fiefdom. Ed is a little man with a lot of, apparently, unsupervised power. This never goes well. This is, primarily, Ed's fault but the board is equally to blame. They are there to supervise Ed, to supervise his budget line by line, to question expenditures like vehicles, junkets to Vegas, family members mysteriously appearing on the pay roll and a boatload of complaints about bedbugs. The board members need attorneys-fast. This is malfeasance. They were, apparently, just "signing off" on everything this guy did as he stole from the elderly (by using funds intended for them for his and his family's use, extracting exorbidant fees for everyday courtesies-like letting some poor old person into their own apartment, and things I'm sure we don't even know about). Too many people accept board memberships (they are flattered, honored, looks so good on the old CV) and are never willing to actually do the due diligence involved. They must have just signed off on all these things, including the budget, no questions asked. did they even go to Board Meetings, did they even have Board meetings? I would live to FOIL those minutes. Who is the head of the board?
The ID requirement may be less about this issue and may be in response to the poor man beaten to death in the retirement community in Cohoes.
How can Patsy Berrigan & Civil Service claim they didn't know Ed's son was promoted to head of security? I thought Civil Service had to sign off on their payroll.
Saratoga Civil Service is another dept. that needs to be investigated. You have a chair of Civil Service voting on the Reservation Job & now his niece has the job?
That was a terrible tragedy what happened in Cohoes. I guess it makes sense to check all ID's. Got to give credit where credit is due. Is it at all possible that this Grocki person should be out searching for employment instead of dwelling on a bug problem. What's her disability she claims to have? Questions. Questions.
I don't think it is necessary or appropriate to attack the poor lady who just doesn't want her apartment infested with the bed bugs. The fact that there are bed bugs in her apartment and several other units has never been in dispute. The issue is why can't this over paid, sanctimonious basterd hire an exterminator rather than giving his himself and his kids, jobs, free vehicles and jaunts to Vegas.
The ID policy I believe pre-dates the Cohoes incident. In any case, why only drivers licenses and who checks anything when Ed's son is not on duty nights and week ends??
Good job exposing another scumbag JT.
Do you think Eddie has taken some ethics classes from vanturd? Sure seems like her has been personally coached by the smelly one
Dose anyone wonder who pays for the gas from work to home in Eddie's personal work truck?
Aeems an abuse of federal and state funding and another tax issue for Eddie
Eddie must be coached by the nasty nurse. The smelly one would of taught him how to hide behind a woman who would take the fall for him. Eddie has directly exposed himself just like the nasty nurse will take the fall for vantrud.
Maybe Eddie boy should hire Coffey Pot to defend him. Stevie is use to the stench of dealing with vanturd and his mindless followers already. It's like working at a slaughter house, you get used to the smell after awhile.
Just remember Stevie, you already have some explaining to do when you meet God so your plate is pretty full already. WTF, the money will help ease your conscious.... for awhile at least.
Eddie, Stevie's number is 1-800-GOT-SMELL
Well Stevie another thing to cry on the radio station about - someone call the whambulance
Wasn't Ed appointed executive director when Valerie Keehn was mayor and after he campaigned for her for mayor. Given that the mayor appoints the board it seems likely that she had some input into who got that job. Is this another gift that keeps on giving from the Keehniacs and the Saratoga Dems
Another big question is why can't (or why won't) the Saratogian stay on top of this story? It's less than 5 minutes away - walking. The paper is as useless as Spychalski. To bad we have to go to the Albany Times Union to find out whats happening in our own community. This city is an incompetent joke.
Let me clarify my comment from 6:02. By asking 'another' big question about why the Saratogian can't get off its collective ass and write a decent story that's right outside its window, I did NOT intend support the idea that there were ANY questions about Ms. Grocki as alluded to by 4:33. I do not know Ms. Grocki, but have immense respect for her taking on this issue. The comments by 4:33 were probably posted by Spychalski or one of his minions on the take.
BTW - How about a petition for Ed's removal. How many signatures are needed on a petition outlining all of his incompetence for HUD to act? And remember, the Housing Authority board meeting is coming up.
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