MsKreed

40 minutes ago, Rod said:

has he ever taken a public stand on anything 

Now that you mention it - not since joining the Legislature.

I never paid attention to his stances as a City Council member....but he's quietly said almost nothing except "yea" or "nay" in any committee or Legislative meeting so far. 

As a whole, other than Morse and Saglibene, most of the new legislators have been pretty quiet.

I liked that Saglibene pointed out that these resolutions will be presented to the "pesky voters" (that Smith said should be allowed to decide).

20 minutes ago, Chris said:

Meanwhile, the county had no tangible plans for the building, at least not that the public was aware of. 

The comments and discussion from numerous department heads and legislators indicated that it's not just the public who isn't aware of tangible plans.

As far as I can tell, no one has articulated any valid reason for the County to buy it other than basically "it's for sale now, so we should grab it now and decide on some use for it later". 

The five legislators who voted "Nay" were:

Sweet, Brennan, Chalk, Stermer and Smith.

Sweet, Brennan and Smith's votes were consistent with their past public opposition, and I don't believe I'd ever heard Stermer state a position before this. 

But I was surprised that Chalk seemed to reverse from what he'd said back in the Multi Services Committee in January 2020 when it was discussed before. 

3 hours ago, Chris said:

Unions have their role, and have certainly been a benefit to the working American.

I agree. If we give them credit for supporting policies that have since been codified in law (**OT, child labor, fair wages, OSHA, etc), they had their place in history.

But those purposes had been mostly "finished" by the time guys like Jimmy Hoffa figured out how lucrative it could be for those that were running the Unions (by collecting dues from every paycheck they could).....then the whole purpose became convincing more workers from more industries to unionize (and keeping even the worst of them employed). 

Now that their purpose is self-perpetuation, they need to walk the fine line that any parasite's survival depends on: feed as much as possible...... without killing the host.

Like the Starbucks locations in Ithaca closing because of that concept (unionization forcing management to deal with chronic absenteeism among union staff).

**I will dispute the common union talking point that these things only exist because of unions. That's false, or exaggerated at best. The UAW was formed in 1935, Ford Motors unionized in 1941. Ford had established 40 hr work weeks for $5 back in 1926.

Both Resolutions passed 10-5

🙂

1 hour ago, KarenK said:

Oh yea, I would agree with that.  I wasn't aware of the striking.  In that case, I really don't blame Starbucks for pulling out.

I know it’s a broad generalization......but my gut impression (from peripherally following the news) is that it’s quite likely that a good portion of the unionized Ithaca baristas are spoiled millennials with inflated sense of self-importance from growing up in the participation trophy generation.

Add in high-pressure sales tactics from the Union and many may have developed misguided perceptions of “union power”. Then have unrealistic expectations that, once unionized, they’d suddenly get a Utopian dream of more money for less work and zero job stress.

And be empowered to assume they can demand whatever they want by threatening to strike at every trivial complaint....and cry and accuse Starbuck’s of being “anti-union” when their tantrum gets results that they didn’t expect.

I agree that the consumer demand has to be at least as big in Ithaca as Horseheads, if not more.

On the other hand......I listen to the Ithaca radio station and regularly catch their local news.  It seems like the Ithaca locations have barely been unionized a year and have already been on strike at least three times.  With various reasons: a grease trap that employees demanded needed repair; dissatisfaction with available/desirable shifts; and “solidarity” with union concerns about shops in other cities.

A lot of customers in a hurry will quickly find alternatives with less drama and/or uncertainty whether a strike will prevent or delay getting their caffeine fix.

So, if frequent strikes have been adversely affecting business at every store on a regular basis, it could make sense that the stores have had “operational and financial reasons” that corporate cited.  

I'm very interested to see how tonight's vote goes.....if all the legislators are consistent with past public statements, it will be a narrow margin.  

Whatever the outcome, there is a good chance for lively discussion.  

If you are unable to attend, you can tune into the Live Stream (HERE).

I fully support the right of employees in private industry to unionize (public unions are a whole different dynamic that often feeds corruption that taxpayers are victims of).

But I also think there’s a risk of the unions themselves exploiting private sector employees’ lack of understanding of what unionization means.

I don’t believe most workers are fully aware that “Unions” themselves are businesses that are making money through union dues to provide wages and benefits for their own staff and management hierarchy. Their primary goal is to recruit & retain members who will surrender a chunk of their wages to the Union.

That requires two elements:

1)      that the workers believe they will benefit from the Union’s ‘services’ and

2)      that the workers accept terms that don’t create untenable hardships for employers’ bottom line

When a Union "sells themselves" too successfully (point #1), workers' expectations can be so high that they screw up point #2 

You’re right, these happen so often that we hadn’t even had a chance to add Wednesday’s   the Atlanta shooting in this discussion.

Quote

Deion Patterson had sought treatment around noon Wednesday at the Northside Medical Midtown facility because he was dissatisfied with care he was getting from the Department of Veterans Affairs, his mother told investigators, according to a high-level source with the Atlanta Police Department.

But when doctors wouldn’t give him the anti-anxiety drug Ativan, Patterson got angry, his mother told CNN affiliate WSB. The suspect pulled a handgun and started firing, the Atlanta police source told CNN.

The blanket “mental health” concern is frequently brought up in broad terms that “something” needs to be done.....but we never hear specifics.  I feel that traditional treatments that rely on counseling, supervision and in-depth therapy (in patient or not), have largely been replaced with drugs that often list dangerous behavior as side effects.....yet they are still heavily prescribed to troubled young adults. 

I don’t know if the HIPAA excuse plays a role, but one factor that seems to be brushed under the rug with all kinds of issues.....from gun violence to homelessness. What's conspicuously missing is an honest report of how many of these offenders have been treated with pharmaceutical combinations to address depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc.

I sort of wonder if there could be a huge class-action suit if some lawyer ever got ahold of the data that shows how many mass shooters were taking these drugs (many of which are heavily restricted or even banned in other countries).

Legally.....I guess Elmira now. 

Although I thought someone had said they only have to become a legal residence in the location IF/WHEN they take office. Not sure if that's accurate, but seems illogical and crazy enough to be true -- LOL

I think he lived in Elmira and has property in Veteran that he claimed as his residence last year. I know for a fact that he was not on the 1st district voter rolls before petitions started in February last year, but suddenly "qualified" for the Dem line by the time petitions were filed in April. 

On 5/4/2023 at 10:27 AM, Chris said:

Any word on what's happening with the health clinic that the legislature approved like, a year ago?

Members of the Legislature have been asking the Executive for status updates since they passed the Resolution last June.....(June 13, 2022 Minutes)

Still no indication of when it will happen.....or if he's stalled too long and some window for federal approvals has killed it. 🤬

26 minutes ago, Chris said:

although it looks like the website's not live yet

I get an error saying the certificate is expired. 

The "forcc1" leads me to believe he had that domain when he ran for legislature claiming to live in the first district. I'm not sure he ever had any content when running for that office either. His FB candidate page was empty......not a single post.

If someone doesn't even think it's worth trying to reach voters during a campaign, it speaks very poorly of how they'd represent once in office. 

Pathetic. And frankly, not having any webpage or social media is arguably better than presenting them with zero effort to share information with the public.  

11 hours ago, Adam said:

waiting for reply, i think, if i only signed petition as witness, that i can carry the Independent petition without a witness doing it...makes it much easier

When I called the local BOE, they had good clear answers for every question. 

And considering the confusing and constantly changing regulations the state throws at them, I can't believe how they can say so awesome and pleasant. 

Quote

In court Tuesday morning, Kitching pleaded not guilty. The judge also granted an adjournment for May 9th, where he will re-appear on the charges at 9 A.M. Both Kitching and his attorney declined to comment, when asked about the incident by WENY News.

Source: WENY

Quote

 

First District City Councilman Nick Grasso was scheduled to be in court, but it was rescheduled.

Grasso was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and Moving From Lane Unsafely, after an accident around 1:30AM on March 16th on West Water Street in Elmira. According to the Elmira city court clerk, Grasso allegedly refused a breathalyzer test. He later appeared in court on March 30th, and has pleaded not guilty. 

His next court appearance is scheduled for June 13th at 9:30 A.M. 

 

Source: WENY

30 minutes ago, Chris said:

I'd REALLY like to see this go to a public referendum. 

I think there's a fair chance of that happening.....now that the Legislative Attorney has acknowledged that it is not "forbidden" by NYS Home Rule Law. 

If the previous Legislature had not been flatly told a referendum was prohibited, it may have happened in 2020.

I'm very glad Margeson chose to bring the topic back this session. 

29 minutes ago, Adam said:

im going out on a limb(and hope im wrong) to say it going this quickly to full Legislature gives me a feeling its going to be voted down. the less its discussed the less likelihood the "press" gets a hold of it to help it gain any traction

Actually, since the Advisory Committee recommends to have it put out for public vote as a permissive referendum in November, they wanted to move quickly purely for the purpose of meeting the BOE timeline requirements.

While Chairing the Committee, Burin expressed a possibility of writing a Your Turn piece to inform the Public that the matter has been introduced. So he's certainly not afraid of the press knowing about it. 

As it stands, it will “probably” pass with a close vote. 

Sweet and Brennan are hard “NAYS”....and Smith had voiced support back in 2018, but seemed to reverse his position when he was on the 2019-20 Advisory Committee.

Six previously elected legislators will likely support it:  Margeson, Drake, McCarthy, Burin, Strange and Chalk all have voiced support for the Public Referendum back then and have seemed to remain supportive this time around.

Of those newly elected, Morse and Saglibene have voiced strong support. There's no clear idea where Donovan, Palmer, Pickering or Stermer stand on the issue.  

So that’s  likely 8 'Yea' and 3 'Nay' votes.....

So anyone in the 6th, 7th, 8th or 11th districts should reach out to those guys.

On 4/21/2023 at 11:14 AM, MsKreed said:

the Agenda for this Monday (4/24/23) has the issue going to the Personnel Committee (with separate resolutions to amend the Charter for Executive and Legislative Term Limits).

That means these members will be voting whether to move it to the Full Legislature:

Martin Chalk (Chairman), Lawana Morse, L. Thomas Sweet, Steven Pickering, John Burin, William McCarthy, Scott Drake

The resolutions to move the Term Limits to the (May 8th) Full Legislature Meeting passed 6-1 by the Personnel Committee.

If passed by the Full Legislature, they will be subject to "permissive referendum" once signed by the Executive.  This means the proposed laws amending the Charter would go to the voters in November if there is either a public petition or a Legislative resolution filed after passage......or be effective 45 days after passage if no resolution or petition is offered. 

5 minutes ago, KarenK said:

I still feel that these people need to mind their own business. 

Agreed.  I haven't seen where this is playing out on social media, but the only valid reason someone would have for contacting the broker is if they have a sincere interest as a tenant or buyer.

If that were the case, further queries and negotiation with the broker are far more reasonable (and professional) approaches than complaining on social media. 

19 minutes ago, Rod said:

moved here in february and now running for mayor right

Yeah....looks like Mandell is the only established Elmira resident running so far. 

Elmira resident Grace Merrell, also known as Grace Galactica, announced Sunday evening she is running for mayor as a Libertarian.

I am guessing she will have to meet “Independent” petition rules, since the two-party political machine has created prohibitive hurdles that effectively exclude organized third party participation in New York State.

Week to week releases doesn't bother me too much. Broadcast media has always done it that way.....and often it's up to viewers to record new episodes if they won't be watching at air time. Whereas, with a streaming series, it's automatically 'on demand' once it's released. 

When there are years-long waiting and gaps between seasons...that's what aggravates me.  They think making me wait that long will encourage me to binge previous seasons to "refresh" the details?  Nah....I'm just as likely to have lost interest completely than feel obligated to catch up on something from a year or two ago. 

I'm not sure about the emblem part....maybe the initials AGP or some generic line drawing emoji type thing?

But I know the name is indeed pretty much whatever (non-copy righted) name or slogan you want to call yourself. 

Here are the Independent "party names" for Legislature last November:

Lawanna For Ag22

Middle Party

Freedom Party (6th Dist)

End Inequality

Common Sense

Greenhouse

We The People

New Vision

Blue Line

America

And these creative and inspired names.....

4th District United

9th District United

14th District United

15Th District United