Opinion Exchange » Tracey Princiotta

Juggling Balls

Tracey Princiotta — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:22:03 +0000

News that Assemblyman Greg Ball, R-Carmel, has decided to seek Sen. Vincent Leibell’s state Senate seat rather than challenge U.S. Rep. John Hall, D-19, has readers dissecting Ball’s record, his campaigning practices and political maneuvering in Putnam County in general.
Here’s some chatter from LoHud.com.
One reader, writing under the username “FedUp10509,” summed up what many others are expressing:

So many of us voted for Greg Ball the first time around because he promised that, unlike all the other politicians before him, he was actually going to something about school property taxes and illegal aliens in Brewster. The latter being among the top reasons why I gave him my vote. Ball’s been in office for a little over 3 years and all he has done is jockey around running for higher office and getting in fights with other politicians. ... If you make promises and don’t deliver, you should be held accountable. You shouldn’t seek a promotion. You should continue working until you achieve success. I don’t know about you, but I’ve had enough. I should have listened to 84-year-old neighbor who warned me of Ball back when I had my sign on his lawn and all that. ‘Them politicians are all the same” he said. Sad to say he was right.

Several readers were talking about the political jockeying that is going on in Albany and spilling over to Putnam County:

These people are the reason New York is in such bad shape. ... Please go away.

Another said:

This is all about Putnam politics, pure and simple. It’s about who will control the county, nothing more.

A third wrote:

We just can’t seem to find any truly honest and ethical people who are willing to run for office. Very very sad.

New York loses another business

Tracey Princiotta — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:54:44 +0000

Readers aren’t at all surprised by the announcement that Starwood Hotels global headquarters is relocating a few miles away to Stamford, CT, after New York failed to match the level of financial and tax incentives being offered by Connecticut. Many are citing New York’s high-tax status and its non-business-friendly atmosphere, as well as the high cost of living in New York as a disincentive to staying.
Here are some more comments about the move:

Soon all of the companies and large wage earners will be forced out of New York. Businesses will go where their cost to profit margin is least, and high earners will go to where they can keep the greatest percentage of their earnings. A few miles can make a big difference for both. The governor and state legislature had better wake up soon.

Another wrote:

A civil service workforce that exceeds 200,000 requires a lot of tax money to pay its salaries and benefits. This is what we have in New York, a bloated bureaucracy, which feeds off the taxpayers, including corporate taxpayers. Corporations know that New York is sinking, and that Albany will continue to gouge them with higher and higher taxes to feed the bureaucracy. That’s why they are leaving New York. Now homeowners are following suit. Who can blame them?

One reader shared a personal experience doing business in both states, writing:

I moved my business and my residence from New York (Larchmont) to Connecticut (Greenwich) a few years ago. I save a bundle in property tax and income tax every year. I also find the services are much better here. I was born in Westchester and lived most of my life there, but the taxes and arrogant politicians were just too much to take.

Finally, one reader predicted that this isn’t the end of the bad news for New York:

This is what happens when your state treats businesses and the working-class people as “revenue” generators. … In a few years or less this will be one of the poorest states in the U.S., diminished in population and political power.

Schuler case still captivates

Tracey Princiotta — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:48:12 +0000

Video surveillance tape of Diane Schuler taken at a gas station in Liberty and audio clips of the calls to state police from her family that were posted on LoHud.com has ignited among readers the discussions about the deaths, medical examiner’s report and continuing coverage of this accident. They are also picking apart the video, which doesn’t have sound, and trying to analyze it.
One reader wrote:

Crazy how many of you can come up with so much from that video. I see nothing that would say she was drunk, stoned, etc. She walked into a store, seemed to look around for something, ask the clerk and walked out. I have done that a hundred times.

Another wrote:

I’ll concede that her exit from the lot is rather sketchy, but I see (presumably sober) people drive like that everyday. I still don’t think we know the whole story.

A third dismissed all the reader speculation this way:

You can barely ID the person in them so how in the world could you tell if they are drunk or stoned. She could be wasted or sober, no way to tell.

Some have already wearied of the story, such as this reader, who wrote:

Is all of this really necessary? What does it prove? We all know that they tried to locate her and the children. We all know the tragic outcome. What purpose does posting the calls and the videos serve?

Others disagreed, as shown by this comment:

How is it that you can’t grasp that there is obviously a lot yet to learn about what happened that day, and that the Journal News is providing a service by continuing to pursue the story?

One reader took an entirely different view, focusing instead on the police response:

Listening to the calls—the first of which came in after the crash had already occurred—it’s clearer than ever that the state police need to review and improve their procedures for handling calls about an impaired driver. They’d been getting multiple calls over the course of 90 minutes about a weaving, tailgating red Windstar being driven by a woman, then all these calls from relatives, and they couldn’t even connect two dots? Pretty scary, unacceptable stuff.

Tracey Princiotta — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:39:19 +0000

A federal drug sweep by the FBI and local and county police netted 33 gang members in Westchester County and lots of discussion by readers on drug problems in the Lower Hudson Valley and beyond. Here’s what people are saying about the raid, which was carried out last night and this morning.

One reader had this to say about the raid:

Outstanding. Keep up the good work. Drugs are the No. 1 menace to society, regardless of where you live, or your income level.

Another added:

Really what it all comes down to is money. There is so much money in this stuff that it’s hard to get to the root of it. If this puts a crimp in (criminal activity) and takes 33 gang members off the street, not a bad thing. Let’s remember that the gang members do more than deal drugs so other criminal activities are affected.

A third added:

OK, that’s the first step. The next one is to get them tried, convicted and sentenced quickly. No bail, no technicalities, and please, if any are here illegally, let’s put them on an airplane back to where they came from. It’s a start.

A few readers had praise for the law enforcement agencies involved, such as this comment:

Wow! Nice job everyone!

Another person wrote:

Kudos to law enforcement for doing their job, now the justice system must do it’s job and put these guys away for good.

One reader, who saw the sweep in progress, had this to say:

Thanks for informing LoHud. I work across the street from the building and all of my co-workers were wondering what was going on!

And a few readers, like this one, wondered how things might be different if drugs were legal:

The so-called war on drugs is a joke. If drugs weren’t illegal the black market opportunities that they present wouldn’t exist. There would be far less violence and gang activity if drugs weren’t illegal and therefore worth so much money. Of course, then we wouldn’t need half of the policemen, corrections officers and court workers that we have now. We wouldn’t need to build as many jails, etc. I guess a lot of people’s livelihoods are tied to drugs on both sides of the law.

Seth Harrison/The Journal News

A van carrying prisoners leaves a processing center in Elmsford today. Federal and local law enforcement agencies arrested more than 40 people starting late Monday night throughout Westchester County after a months-long drug dealing investigation. Those arrested were processed at a warehouse used by Westchester County and then transported to U.S. courthouse in White Plains.

‘Ugly’ plates, fees panned by residents

Tracey Princiotta — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:56:58 +0000

Despite Albany lawmakers assurances that higher fees for new license plates likely won’t come to pass, New York residents aren’t feeling reassured. In actuality, nothing about the proposal to change the license plates is finding much favor among LoHud readers—from the fees to the aesthetics of the plates to the elected officials spin on the situation. Here’s what some had to say about the license plates and the possible higher fees.

One wrote:

This is indicative of the reason that people are leaving New York. Albany is simply a vacuum cleaner set on super high power and aimed at our wallets sucking them dry. And what do we get for it—a crumbling infrastructure (bridges, highways and roads) diminished services, etc.

Another reader countered:

While I don’t want to pay any more in taxes than I already do, I hardly think $25 is outrageous. If the purpose of these plates is to help determine the illegal plates that are currently on our roads, then $25 is a small price to pay. Perhaps fining these illegally registered cars will help close the budget deficit, and maybe at the same time makes our roads safer. I know it’s a long shot but $25 is better than a 1 percent tax increase to our properties or our incomes.

Someone questioned:

How much taxpayer money has been wasted by the state on this stupid idea already?

One reader mused on how to best respond to the manuevering in Albany, writing:

If they go through with this, we should make them as miserable as we can, legally. I intend to pay the $25 in pennies! They want to nickel and dime us, I’ll give them pennies for my thoughts!

However, someone else noted:

That only hurts the clerks at DMV, who have been fighting this tax.

While another reader looked at the situation this way:

Vote in the county clerks. They are far more effective, winning three battles. ... Senators = self-serving and ineffective, all talk and no action. County clerks = Get things done for the taxpayers.

Finally, one reader observed:

Maybe we’ll save on license plates, but we’ll still (have) come up with the $129 million.

Is the honeymoon over?

Tracey Princiotta — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:11:50 +0000

It appears that the honeymoon is over for County Executive-elect Rob Astorino, who announced that Republican Kevin Plunkett will head his transition team. Plunkett is a partner with DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr law firm. The choice has some readers fearful that by choosing a politically connected person like Plunkett, Astorino is already losing his credibility as a person who can clean up government.
Here’s what one reader had to say about the appointment:

The ‘machine’ is alive and well! Do the right thing, Rob, or you will be a one-term wonder.

Another wrote:

Hello, it’s politics. Anyone who thinks the Westchester County government will change is having a bad dream. It’s just politics.

While a third said:

Only three days in and the ride is already beginning. Don’t believe me? Wait and see. As bad as (County Executive Andrew) Spano was, it unfortunately is going to get a lot worse. Good luck fellow residents. We’ll need it.

Several supporters are still holding out hope, with a little advice thrown in:

Mr. Astorino, I truly had high hopes for you in your new position, but I feel you just made your first mistake. You might want to reconsider, just sayin.

One reader urged caution on who Astorino surrounds himself with:

Rob, Please don’t let us down. We voted for you and are supporters with great hopes for your future. Please do your homework before making decisions in the future on who you will sleep with.

At least one supporter is holding firm, writing:

You are all nuts! The county exec-elect picked the non-paid head of his transition team to look at staffing. How can you complain already? If the transition team puts forth unqualified candidates for position in Astorino’s administration, and Astorino goes along with the recommendations, then have it.

Hit the ground running

Tracey Princiotta — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:23:30 +0000

Westchester residents had been expressing their displeasure with the status quo for months as they read story after story about what they perceived as gross fiscal mismanagement, especially in light of municipal salaries data that revealed generous salaries and benefits for many civil servants.
Well, Tuesday they got their chance to express their ire a little more concretely—and County Executive Andrew Spano found himself out of a job come January as a result.
Here is what some of you had to say about Republican challenger Rob Astorino’s win in the county executive race, the results of which came as a surprise to many who assumed that incumbency would cushion Spano from the ire of voters as it had in previous elections:

Surprise? Not for me. I could not wait to get in that booth and vote him out!

Another said:

Thank you, voters, for waking up and doing what should have been done years ago.

One person doubts that Astorino will be able to deliver on his promise to lower taxes, noting:

Astorino will not be able to lower our taxes in any significant way, as the county portion of our tax bill is small. School districts are responsible for most of the taxes. I voted for Astorino anyway. ... What Astorino giveth, the local school districts taketh away.

Another said that if Astorino doesn’t keep his promises, he’ll suffer the same fate as Spano:

As a new voter in the county, reading this newspaper’s coverage of Mr. Spano’s private security detail expenses was shocking enough to never vote for the man. Now, I expect to be reading in this same newspaper, by February, how Astorino has reduced budgets by 70 percent or more across the board. If not, I won’t be flipping his dilly switch in the booth come next election.

At least one reader hopes that the seeming anti-incumbent sentiment lasts into May, writing:

Great job everyone! Let’s keep it going, let’s vote ALL incumbents out and try some fresh faces. The madness has gone way out of control. Glad people finally stopped voting down party lines. Now let’s get the message out to the school boards, that’s where the real taxes are. No more using kids as an excuse to accept high taxes.

The candidates — in their own words

Tracey Princiotta — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 20:02:02 +0000

It’s all elections all the time as we hit the one-week mark before voters head to the polls Nov. 3. In case you need to brush up on your candidates, here’s a quick run-down of where you can find the latest information about the races and candidates.

Visit our elections page as a jumping off point to find the races that are important to you and get basic information about who’s running, why and what they plan to bring to their community. There you will also find our candidate database where each candidate writes in their own words about the issues and their experience.

To see a replay of the endorsement interviews with The Journal News and LoHud.com’s Editorial Board, go to Editorial Spotlight, click “on demand” at the bottom of the video player and select a session from the list on the right.

Endorsement interview schedule — updated

Tracey Princiotta — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:06:18 +0000

Here’s the latest interview schedule updated to reflect the Putnam and Rockland sessions.

Candidates in most contested elections for mayor, supervisor, council members and trustees in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties are invited to discuss the issues and their campaigns in endorsement interviews with Editorial Board. As in the past, these discussions will form the basis of news articles and serve as fodder for the Editorial Board’s recommendations. Because of the vast number of races — and the impossibility of crafting a schedule that meets everyone’s family, work and campaign needs — we appreciate efforts by candidates to make their scheduled interview hour. Look here for additional interview times and updates for Lower Hudson Valley races.
Contact us: If you are running for office on the November ballot, we want to hear from you. Please send your full name, home address, contact phone numbers and an active e-mail address to Brenda Ross, editorial assistant, at bross@lohud.com, with a copy to letters@lohud.com. In both the subject line and body of the e-mail, be sure to indicate what office you are vying for. The information will be used by our news and editorial staff to contact and correspond with candidates. Additionally, the e-mail address will be used to send candidates a questionnaire that will form the basis of an online guide for voters.
Watch online: Voters can watch our endorsement interviews LIVE online by going to Editorial Spotlight; use the live blogging feature to submit questions to the candidates. If you miss a session, watch it On Demand later; go to EditorialSpotlight, click “On Demand” and select the video from the list at the right.

The following interviews will be held at our White Plains office, 1 Gannett Drive; directions are online under Election Alert. Please advise Interactivity Editor Tracey Princiotta, at tprinciot@lohud.com, if you will attend a Westchester or Putnam session.

Wednesday, Oct. 7
1 p.m. — Westchester County Board of Legislators (Districts 1, 4 & 9)
2:30 p.m. — Westchester County Board of Legislators (Districts 5, 8, 13 & 17)

Thursday, Oct. 8
2 p.m. — Ossining Town & Village
3:15 p.m. — Mamaroneck Village
4:30 p.m. — Pound Ridge

Monday, Oct. 12
2 p.m. — Eastchester

Tuesday, Oct. 13
2 p.m. — Cortlandt
3:15 p.m. — North Salem
4:30 p.m. — Bedford

Thursday, Oct. 15
3:15 p.m. — Harrison
4:30 p.m. — White Plains

Monday, Oct. 19
2 p.m. — North Castle
3:15 p.m. — Somers
4:30 p.m. — Putnam County Sheriff

Tuesday, Oct. 20
2 p.m. — Yonkers
3:15 p.m. — Yorktown
4:30 p.m. — Carmel

Wednesday, Oct. 21
2 p.m. — Rye City
3:15 p.m. — Putnam Valley

Thursday, Oct. 22
2 p.m. — Peekskill
3:15 p.m. — Lewisboro

The following interviews will be held at our Rockland office, 1 Crosfield Ave. (off Route 59), West Nyack; directions are online under Election Alert. Please advise Rockland Opinion Editor Nancy Cutler, at ncutler@lohud.com, if you will attend.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
1 p.m. — Rockland County Legislature District 14
2:30 p.m. — Clarkstown Town Board
3:30 p.m. — Nyack Village mayor
4:30 p.m. — Nyack Village Trustees

Thursday, Oct. 8
11 a.m. — Spring Valley mayor
12 p.m. — Spring Valley trustees

Monday, Oct. 12
11 a.m. — Suffern mayor
12 p.m. — Suffern trustees

Wednesday, Oct. 14
1 p.m. — Orangetown Supervisor
2:30 p.m. — Orangetown Town Board
3:30 p.m. — Ramapo Supervisor
4:30 pm — Ramapo Town Board

Thursday, Oct. 15
11 a.m. — Stony Point Supervisor
12 p.m. — Stony Point Town Board

Wednesday, Oct. 21
11 a.m. — Rockland County Executive

A mobile message

Tracey Princiotta — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:13:11 +0000

The recent spate of drunk-driving accidents and fatalities in the Lower Hudson Valley have served to focus reader debate on drinking and driving. Many residents support measures that would help curb DWI such as stricter enforcement of laws on the books, as well as strenthening penalties for those convicted of the crime.

Readers’ outspokenness on the issue is a given on the forums and in the story chats. However, while driving to work this morning, I found one motorist who has taken the fight even further. The vehicle’s license plate read “DONT DUI.” Now that’s making a statement.