Desso Raises Taxes

We'll it didn't take long for that pompous primadonna who expoused the sanctity of not raising taxes to raise taxes! In fact, it took only about a week for Town Councilman Lou Desso to disagree with County Legislator Lou Desso and raises taxes 2.5% on our town as a county legislator. This after criticizing a proposal to by the Supevisor to raises taxes in the town about 1% ($3.00 per household) to pay for increased state pension costs amounting to $17,000.

Better yet, Desso congratulated himself and his party for all the hard work they did in voting 12-7, (One Republican had some brains!) to raise county taxes and all 13 Republicans voted against a Democratic resolution that would have prevented any tax hike. It would have use some of the unappropriated fund balance the county has instead of raising taxes a penny.

So now we have the spectacle of a Councilman insisting there be no tax hikes at the town level but it's no problem at the county level. In fact he insisted on it after voting against the Democratic no tax increase resolution, preferring to raise taxes instead.

One other Republican Legislator was challenging Desso for the honor of being the biggest looser last night. That would be Michael Cristo who ate a dish of crow rivaling the entree eaten by Desso. Cristo proudly proclaimed before the November town election where he was running for a conflicting town council seat, that he would oppose the proposed county tax hike. Sucking up to voters didn't work as he was crushed in his bid to be re-elected to the town council, finishing last in a four way contest. Last night Cristo sounded foolish as he tried to explain why he was not keeping his pre election promise.

The pressure on Desso to conform to the demands of his GOP colleagues must have been too much for Super Lou as he crumbled from his Town Council position to join Cristo at the dinner table. It's the same pressure he applies to his allies on the town board who have no ability to stand up to Desso's demands, even when it comes to voting on a budget without ever having seen the document.

So now Super Lou is not looking so super. In a matter of weeks, he's voted for and against a tax hike while insisting he would not approve a tax hike. He abstained from a budget vote in the county citing a conflict of interest holding an office here in the town then weeks later, "lost" his conflict by voting for a budget tax increase. Yep, his conflict causing him to abstain just plain disappeared in a matter of weeks and Lou has been speechless trying to explain it! Add to that his vote to increase general fund spending in North Greenbush, restoring all the spending cuts proposed by the Supervisor and dishing out a bunch of raises he didn't mention at the budget vote, and you've got a super hero with an image problem.

As the music plays and the announcer chimes in, there will have to be a change in the script. "It's a bird, it's a train, no it's a politician! Here's the Troy Record's account of the vote last night. And here is a letter from Highway Superintendent Mark Premo on the town budget.