Questions Remain!

It’s nice to see the newly elected supervisor believes in keeping his campaign promises, it would not be such a surprise except that it is unusual in politics today. It might have something to do with the fact that Mr. Quigley is not a professional politician. Credibility seems to be a quality of his character rather than a character flaw.

The Freeman carried a front page article regarding the original PILOT agreement with the Birches at Chambers senior housing complex off Lawrenceville in the Town.

Questions need to be answered as to the whether or not the developer, Steve Aaron, met all filing requirements and deadlines as suggested in comments made by Town of Ulster Tax Assessor, Jim Maloney, is not the entire story.

Senior Housing is an admirable endeavor for any developer to address, for the Town of Ulster it is as much a necessity as the East Kingston Water District. Under any other circumstances Mr. Aaron would be commended for his contribution to the community and town as a whole.

In fact if you read articles in the Freeman’s archives as far back as 2002 such was the sentiment in the town toward Mr. Aaron and the initial Phase of the Lawrenceville Project.

Questions regarding zoning law changes, expanded development, (Phase 2), and additional PILOTS have cast the project in a negative light. These, in addition to the manner in which some of its occupants have been selected to be residents reinforce the need to have such questions answered.  Moreover, the manner in which many of these actions and changes have been approved and enacted have damaged the image of the project and some town officials and make it difficult for additional such projects to be considered by the town and accepted by its residents.

Why these questions have arisen is no longer important, we have elected a new administration so that such issues will not again arise. The fact is that they have not been addressed.  Mr. Quigley’s earlier attempt to have the courts decide whether the agreement was in violation was dismissed not on its merits but as to Mr. Quigley’s legal standing in bringing such action.

As long as question remain an investigation is justified, it may not have been possible under the last administration. Let’s hope that once this is behind us all parties can come to the table to consider new projects that will enhance the quality of life for all of our residents. 

The Hudson River, Leave it Alone!

I don't want to get off target so I encourage the followers of this blog to continue the prior discussion regarding local development, however after reading todays page A3 Freeman Article re: "RELEASE OF PCB'S WORSE THAN EXPECTED", I feel some comment is necessary as this pertains to the stretch of the Hudson River that borders the Town of Ulster and neighboring towns north and south.

'You can't fool mother nature' and it is awfully egotistical of us to think we can do things better.

Since GE has ceased introducing PCB"S into the Hudson River nature in it's own time and without the assistance of man has deposited layer upon layer of fresh silt, born from waters and shores well to the north, on top of contaminated river bottom in and south of the proposed dredging zone.

This was the plan:  Hudson River PCBs Site Reassessment Main Page

OH REALLY!

While it is true that only time will breakdown the contaminant, this silt layer has provided quite a successful buffer.

The River has seen a remarkable rebirth of wildlife, flora and fauna. Shad and recently re-introduced sturgeon have flourished, great blue heron and even the American Bald Eagle can now be enjoyed by Riverwatchers as far south as the Tappen Zee Bridge, most species have returned without the assistance of man.

I enjoy the river, my family and friends frequently visit the local parks or fish and boat from the Esopus Creek down to Kingston Point, when we feel extraordinarily brave we  might venture further north or south to enjoy a favorite fishing spot or habitat site.

It has always been my contention, (remember I am not as educated in Conservation as

the experts at the EPA), that nature will take its course and without saying I told you so, I TOLD YOU SO!

Ok so here comes man loaded with $300,000,000.00 set aside to tell nature how to do it's job. Oh how confident, we think we know so much, we know nothing.

  

Disturbing the layer of clean silt barrier and revealing the contaminated layers below to the running waters of the Hudson never sounded like a promising idea to me. 

Again, remember the river is the cleanest it has been in 80 years. But we have all this money to spend, and we have a purpose. Man, money and purpose, the three most volatile components on earth, when you mix them together watch out, disaster will soon follow.

So let me ask you this: you have a big dredging crane, you sink it, sometimes more than 75 feet below the surface of fast moving water, did you really think that while raising it to the surface it's contents would remain intact?

Furthermore, once the layer of silt is disturbed, the contaminated deposits below are now free to flow with the river current and get redeposited down stream. Since the life of the active carcinogen in PCB is quite long, well it doesn't take a scientist to see that it isn't very promising.

But we have all this money to spend! And if you don't spend it, you can't hide it, steal it or waste it, all of which man does very well.

So the contaminated runoff is 25x's greater than expected, I'd like to know who in their infinite wisdom expected less?

Stop the madness before we kill the Hudson River a second time!

Use the money to enhance the quality of life along its shores!

GE has a responsibility to every town and village along the river, of this there is no doubt, but leaving that much money in the hands of greedy government agencies can only serve the agencies themselves, not river, not the residents that populate it's shores and certainly not nature.

One last note: When the shores of the Hudson were lined with wood piers essentially along the West side of Manhattan, they frequently fell into disrepair due the eating habits of a specific worm, (I can't recall it's name), the PCB contamination was thought to have lead to it's extinction, 'NOT SO FAST', over the last 20 years it has had a vibrant resurgence and once again has proven to be a problem for waterfront marinas all along the mighty Hudson. It did this without the help of man.

Nature seems to do alright without our help, why can't we just: 'Let Nature Take It's Course'!

Off & Running

Local elections well behind us, the installation ceremonies complete and the New Administration in place, it’s time to move away from campaign politics and provide our readers and participants with a venue that informs and advises residents of the actions and accomplishments of their ‘New Administration’, its policies and its performance.

This platform can serve residents by offering them a forum for discussion and debate within their own community.

Town Agendas readily available on the county website will be published and highlighted so that residents can comment on issues before the Town Board.

Granted, governing by public opinion is not always in the best interest of the entire community, elected officials can govern better when they are familiar with the general sentiment of their constituents and the electorate as a whole.

No government body can satisfy everyone, but it can be held accountable to do what is in the best interest of the community as a whole. This can best be accomplished with active input from all residents, we urge you to visit Town Hall and communicate with your councilmen. The open door policies being promoted by Jim Quigley & Company welcome everyone from Rte 32 to Rte 28 an equal voice in debating the issues and policies which affect the entire Town.

 

In the meantime, there are issues confronting us on a broader level, the governing practices of County, State and Federal governments have far reaching effects on the quality of life of everyone in the Town of Ulster.

From time to time we will post regarding issues on the political and social landscape of the county, state and nation. We also intend to demonstrate the advantages and beauty of life in the Town of Ulster and the Mid Hudson Valley.

 

On a final note:

On behalf of the entire town we’d like to thank Mr. Woerner for finally allowing the New Administration to take on the tasks before them without his premature criticism and sour grape attitude. It’s best for him and best for the town, It is time for us to look forward, the challenges we face are many, the current economic landscape complicates them further.

Once again we wish Mr. Woerner good luck in his endeavors and thank him for his years of service as Supervisor.

'Moving Forward'

It's a week into the New Administration, someone should tell 'former' Supervisor Woerner that the campaign and election are 'over'! His attempt to whitewash his 4 year tenure as Supervisor through various media outlets without rebuttal is only reiterating the failed practices and policies of his administration. 

Telling the public he served that after 4 years of wasting hundreds of thousands of their tax dollars on the town's insurance alone before finally negotiating, (he claims to have done so), a $90K savings is a slap in the face of all residents.

It no longer matters why he lost his bid for re-election, the fact is he 'lost'!

Supervisor Quigley's intention is to move forward: "for the benefit of the town and 'all' it's residents", and is supported by his actions since installation.

His appointment of board and committee members based on ability and regardless of party affiliation is just one more step in that direction.

Critics will continue to second guess his motives, it goes with the territory. The truth is the town's finances are not in the best shape and it will be no small task restoring it to prosperity. 

Economic development and infrastructure are two areas which will continue to be an issue. The obstacles are real and will be difficult to overcome. New York State and Ulster County have not been the most inviting to business as evident in the continued flight of existing business and the development of new business to surrounding counties and states. Renewed efforts by the Ulster County Legislature geared to support business development might prove invaluable.

It appears that Mr. Quigley has the experience and talent necessary to bring our town back to prosperity in the new decade. If his first week in office is any indication of what residents can expect, his tenure as town supervisor should be a success. Only time will tell!

 

Installation Ceremony Success!

Having been at the 2006 Installation Ceremonies for former Supervisor Woerner I can happily report that 2010 is without a doubt a positive start for the New Year & more importantly for the Town of Ulster.

Displaying humor and humility, newly sworn in Supervisor, James Quigley III conducted the Towns business in a truly dignified and bipartisan manner.

Absent for the first time in 4 long years was the derisive arrogance toward residents which was so obvious from day one of the prior administration.

As appointments were announced by newly elected Councilwoman, Chris Hendrick, it became obvious that party lines would disappear as only the most qualified person was put before the Town Board for consideration and vote. All appointments were unanimous further confirming a new direction for the Town of Ulster.

With resounding applause, Supervisor Quigley adjourned his first Town Meeting and with his first official tap of the gavel invited all in attendance to a reception at Christina's Restaurant on Ulster Ave.

We at Ulster is Your Town Too congratulate the voters for having the intelligence and insight in choosing new leadership and a brighter future for all our residents.