More Civility At Board Meeting

Click on the pictures above to view meeting.

Last night's Town Board meeting was another exercise in civility. None of the backstabbing moves that characterized the February meeting were anywhere to be found.

Perhaps the most interesting discussion revolved around what to do about the incompetent refusal of the Rensselaer County Civil Service Commission's decision not to fix and update an absurd and ridiculous job description they continue to impose on all of the towns in Rensselaer County for the position of Town Engineer.

The description is so ambiguous and deficient that the State representative responded to an inquiry by a county bureaucrat with clear and concise advice to change the 35 year old, out dated document. The advice was ignored. The Commission then used the job description to give former Supervisor Evers the ability to fire the PE the town just hired the week before saying he did not meet the minimum qualifications. Apparently a Bachelors Degree in Engineering from the US Naval Academy, a Masters Degree and PE License from the State were not sufficient for the folks downtown. He left his employer in good faith and got booted less than two weeks later. How the folks downtown sleep is anyone's guess.

The town is now trying to advertise for another engineer to run the Building Department. Trouble is that job description is so poorly written that its impossible to know what the qualifications are. They can't even spell professional correctly!

Al Spain apparently wrote the Commission last year asking them to address it. They declined and here we sit crippled by the incompetence of those in charge at the RCCSC.

We'll let you read the job description here and the State Civil Service response here. You might also be interested in reading more about this incredible screw up here which includes a bizarre court decision here.

Cuomo Enters Political Minefield

There is a concern being expressed that Attorney General Andrew Cuomo may be entering a political minefield at a Troy fundraiser today on his behalf. Republicans have already used the event in an effort to embarrass Cuomo. Today's Record details some of the issues along with concerns expressed by the Democratic Chair of Troy who asks anyone connected with the voter fraud investigation being conducted by a Special Prosecutor, to stay away from the event being held at 9AM this morning.

The Democratic City Chairman worries that anyone involved in the scandal might hurt Cuomo or give Republicans fodder to use against him later in the campaign. A picture of Cuomo with anyone who might in the coming weeks be part of a Grand Jury indictment could be used by the GOP to try and damage Cuomo. There might also be a future call to return campaign cash from anyone who is later connected to the potential scandal via an indictment arising from the ongoing investigation.

You can read about it here.