A Response to Cotrona

We received this email from Robert Price of the North Greenbush Democrats Club which answers Lou Cotrona's letter to the Troy Record linked in yesterday's post from the Troy Record. Mr. Cotrona is likely to be a candidate sponsored by James Germano for a Democratic Committee seat. As in 2006, he is likely to again be defeated or rejected as he was at a recent Democratic Commitee meeting in which the county committee refused to vote on a Jeff Spain nomination to fill a non existant vacancy in a North Greenbush Election District 6,DeFreestville.

Cotrona Manipulates Findings in State Water Audit

It should surprise no one that lobbyist Louis Cotrona is again misleading people for political gain. Like his effort to keep an East Greenbush School Board seat arising from his 1991 lawless act of running while residing in a different school district, Cotrona is now trying to blame the citizens who exposed the mismanagement in Water District 14 as responsible for the mess.

Mr. Cotrona’s habit of playing fast and loose with the truth was again demonstrated in last week’s Advertiser. His revisionist account of the State Comptroller’s Audit and findings of malfeasance in Water District 14 lays the blame on his political adversaries who exposed the corruption and called for the audit rather than his allies in the Conservative Party. This is obviously done in an effort to maintain control of the Democratic Committee which through his alliance with the Conservative Party contractor and the County GOP, endorsed the Republican slate in last year’s town election. This sell out of the Democratic Party to the Republicans, the Conservatives and the development interests they represent will be challenged in a primary election for party committee seats this September. We are sure to see Mr. Cotrona seek one of those seats with his allies Jeff Spain and Kathryn Connolly.

In June of 1992 the State Commissioner of Education removed Cotrona from the East Greenbush School Board after issuing a stinging decision in which he was found to have made contradictory sworn statements regarding his residency on a Federal loan application. In that document, he applied for a loan by declaring his North Greenbush home as his primary residence. The Commissioner of Education noted language in the form declaring it a “federal crime to knowingly make false statements” on the application. Cotrona also made sworn statements in his petition that his separation from his wife was “temporary” while swearing on his federal loan application that he was “UNMARRIED”.

I invite every town resident to read the State audit at www.osc.state.ny.us/localgov/audits/towns/2008/northgreenbushpdf.
No where will you find any mention of CB Smith or Dan Ashley who Cotrona incredibly blames for the fiasco. You will find his Conservative ally the Supervisor, mentioned many times, however. While on the web, read the Commissioner of Education’s findings removing Cotrona from a school board seat for misleading the district and the Commissioner about his residency at http://www.counsel.nysed.gov/Decisions/volume31/d12713.htm.

Robert Price
NG Democrats Club