Political Poker

The Appointing Minority
Last week’s town board meeting included a showdown of sorts on Mark Evers habit of unilaterally appointing people to the town payroll without a required vote of the town board. For more than a year the town board majority did nothing to remove a senior clerk Evers placed on the payroll without a required board vote. Since the board did nothing but complain behind the scenes, Evers did it again, twice more, appointing two secretaries to the payroll.

Thursday night’s meeting included a resolution rescinding his most recent appointments. It was modified after an executive session so that the board failed to exert its lawful appointing authority. They spanked Evers and said all future appointments would require a board vote. Evers actually voted for the resolution.

But the board failed to remove the illegal appointments. Appeasement is the obvious sign of weakness in the face of an abuse of power. It is clear that this board majority lacks the intestinal fortitude to face down a ruthless adversary.

In a side note, Evers voted to approve a resolution forced by an appeal of a denial of access to records regarding the lack of authority by the Supervisor to make unilateral appointments to the payroll. When the town clerk refused to affirm that the town possessed no records demonstrating the Supervisor’s authority to make unilateral appointments, C.B. Smith filed an appeal with the town board. The board, with Evers voting in the majority, denied the appeal by affirming the town had no record that showed the Supervisor had authority to make unilateral appointments. This is what Smith was attempting to force the town to admit. They not only admitted it, but Evers vote agreed with the denial. In effect his vote was an admission he lacked the legal authority to make the three appointments he made over the past 18 months without a vote of the town board.

Game, set, match. Too bad the majority still lost the game, even though they had all the cards.

Late Financial Disclosure

Kyran Devery
Today is Day 73 for the North Greenbush Democratic Committee violation of State Election Law requiring the on line filing of a Financial Disclosure Report due July 15, 2007. Laws apparently don’t apply to the “reformed” democrats under Jeff Spain and his Treasurer, Tax Collector Kyran Devery.
Hint, we're told a lawsuit will be filed very shortly to force the filing of this report. Way to go Kyran!