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Thursday, May 14, 2009

Political Poker has NG Water Attorney Fold


Today's Troy Record reports that Troy Corporation Council and North Greenbush Water Attorney Charles Sarris is set to resign from his conflicting position in North Greenbush in order to gain needed support from the Troy City Council to be confirmed as Corporation Council.The story can be read here.

North Greenbush Democratic Chairman Dan Ashley had called for his resignation as North Greenbush Attorney on May 8th in a press release we are posting below. The assumption is that Mr. Sarris will also withdraw as a Republican candidate for Town Justice so that he can devote himself to the position as Troy's attorney.

That still leaves unresolved the vacancy on the town court after the Board met last evening and interviewed several candidates including the other GOP nominee Stephanie Piel. She remains the GOP town committee's choice for the vacancy and as of yet, the town board has not voted on the vacancy and is not expected to do so at tonight's meeting even though the item was on the agenda for consideration.

At this time sources indicate another Special Meeting is likely to be called, perhaps as early as next week, to vote on the matter. Perhaps more interviews are forthcoming as we wait to see if the Conservative majority on the Board bows to GOP pressure to vote for their candidate who has no trial experience whatsoever. Speculation continues that the town GOP committee with held their endorsements for Supervisor and Council until after these Board members deliver their votes to appoint Piel.

That should make Monday's scheduled GOP committee meeting interesting since that is the date they were supposed to vote to endorse their slate. With the prize of the judgeship still not delivered due to the delay, will the Republicans vote and hope that Evers, Kern and Desso deliver the political ransom at their next board meeting or will they continue to hold their hand and wait?

Troy Corporation Council Should Resign as North Greenbush Water Attorney

North Greenbush Democratic Chairman Dan Ashley today called on Charles Sarris, who is also Troy’s Corporation Council, to immediately resign from his conflicting position as Special Districts Attorney in North Greenbush.

Ashley made the request after reading in today’s papers that Sarris refused to submit his resignation from the North Greenbush position as a condition of his confirmation as Troy’s full time attorney while at the same time pledging to the Troy Council that pledged that “his position with the city would always come first”.

“North Greenbush residents need an attorney who can effectively represent and negotiate water contracts and rates with the City of Troy which benefit our community to the highest degree possible. We cannot afford an attorney who is negotiating these costs with himself because he wants an extra pay check from North Greenbush”.

Ashley called on Sarris to resign from one job or the other immediately and to disclose all work he has done so far on a new water contract with the city of Troy for both North Greenbush and the City of Troy. Who got shortchanged here, asked Ashley? Mr. Sarris’s answer affirming his job with Troy will “always come first”, does nothing to instill confidence in North Greenbush residents who have a right to expect that their town attorney will always put their interests first.

I am also concerned that Mr. Sarris is planning yet another public paycheck by running for Town Justice in North Greenbush where he serves on the town Republican Committee and was apparently endorsed by that committee to run for a town justice position this November. If this is the kind of judgment he has, we are rightfully concerned about his capacity to serve as a judge.

Ashley went on to call upon the North Greenbush Town Board to place this issue on its next agenda for the meeting of May 14th. If by that time, Mr. Sarris has not resigned from one of these positions, I believe it is appropriate for the Town Board to remove him from the position in North Greenbush.

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