AUGUST 1, 2011
The Town of Rotterdam Democratic Committee, pursuant to its By-Laws and Rules, conducted an open and transparent process to endorse candidates for public office. That process resulted in an OVERWHELMING MAJORITY of the elected democratic committee members endorsing the following individuals for the offices stated:
HARRY BUFFARDI – Rotterdam Town Supervisor
WAYNE CALDER – Rotterdam Town Board
MIKE VISCUSI - Rotterdam Town Board
JUDGE KEVIN MERCOGLAN – Rotterdam Town Justice
VINCE ROMANO – Rotterdam Highway Superintendent
ANGELO SANTABARBARA – Schenectady County Legislature
TONY JASENSKI – Schenectady County Legislature
JUDGE MARK POWERS – Schenectady County Family Court Judge
Our candidates also received endorsements from the Conservative, Independent, and Working Families Parties, who also recognized the experience and leadership abilities our endorsed candidates would offer in the Town of Rotterdam.
In making these endorsements, the Rotterdam Democratic Party in essence rejected the platform of the incumbent SUPERVISOR, his hand-picked DEPUTY SUPERVISOR, the resigned former TOWN DEMOCRATIC CHAIRMAN, and others by saying "NO THANK YOU !!" to two more years of the dysfunction and infighting that permeates Rotterdam Town Hall today.
The residents of this community deserve better leadership than a Supervisor and Deputy Supervisor whose administration:
- Proposed a DOUBLE DIGIT TAX INCREASE in 2010 for 2011 after excluding town board members from any budget deliberations or discussions, and
- Indiscriminately MOVED TOWN EMPLOYEES out of the Supervisor’s Office, Senior Citizens Center, Town Justice Court, and Department of Public Works; with no regard for the impact those moves would have on government services simply “BECAUSE I CAN”; and then totally DISREGARDED the legal resolutions passed by the Rotterdam Town Board that would have reinstated these employees to their rightful positions, and
- Concocted a SCHEME that would have allowed the Supervisor’s “confidential secretary” to retire from her position, and then be rehired to the same position at a salary whereby she would MAKE MORE working part-time than she did full-time, and
- Disregards the Open Meetings Law by not providing notice to the press and keeping DOORS LOCKED at town hall during Town Board Agenda Meetings, and
- Allowed the Town Clerk’s office to CLOSE by FAILING to maintain and schedule adequate coverage, and
- COLLECTED and KEPT sewer payments from the Highbridge Sewer District and withheld them from the City of Schenectady until threatened with a LAWSUIT, and
- Eliminated the position of full-time Assessor thereby restricting resident's access to this position to evening hours only, and
- Allows over $100,000 in Paramedic Ins. Billing Revenue to remain UNCOLLECTED, while FAILING to provide the town's approved ambulance service provider with a contract to provide us with vital emergency ambulance service, and
- Allowed CSEA and PBA employment contracts to EXPIRE with no meaningful discussions on how to partner with our employees to seek new and innovative ways to provide services, protect jobs and save taxpayer money, and
- RESTRICTS ACCESS for Attorneys on Staff, while Paying EXCESSIVE LEGAL FEES to a Labor Attorney for non-labor related issues, and then recommended the hiring of yet another attorney to resolve Time Warner Franchise Agreement, and
- REFUSED ACCESS to Town Hall for meetings of the Town's PARK COMMISSION, and
- Has NO LONG RANGE FINANCIAL PLAN to deal with the impact the 2% tax cap will have on our town, NO PLAN to deal with a delapidated JUSTICE COURT AND POLICE FACILITY BUILDING, NO PLAN for economic development, NO PLAN for infrastructure, and the list goes on and on and on.
The BOTTOM LINE is that the current administration is out of touch with the needs of this community, and remains unable to articulate a clear, concise and cohesive path that will lead us into the future.
While we respect the right of every citizen to avail themselves of the democratic election process and to seek public office, one needs to look at the motivational factors behind such individuals desire to run and discern for themselves the real facts before making a decision on whom to support. They have even called in the infamous Brendan Quinn to represent their interests against our own local Democratic Party. Brendan Quinn orchestrated the "Brooks Brothers Riot" in 2000 that shut down the Florida recount on behalf of George W. Bush. He literally stood outside the canvassing board and gave the order "Shut It Down".
Meanwhile as our endorsed candidates go door to door listening to resident’s concerns, we have the opportunity to speak with them first-hand about our proposed solutions to the problems our town faces. We remain EXTREMELY CONFIDENT in the quality and abilities of our endorsed candidates to withstand the challenges that lay ahead and to provide the real leadership, direction and unity that will once again...
Re-Unite Rotterdam.
Cathy Gatta
Thomas Constantine
Cathy Bern-Smith
Supervisor Joe Landry
Town Justice Steven Swinton
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