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Friday, December 31, 2010

A Familiar Photo



If you use Wikpedia as so many millions do around the world, you might just stumble on this image located in real life on Main Avenue in Wynantskill. The link on the photo takes you to the page explaining the picture, but the picture itself is part of the main page of the United States of America which is a common search to say the least.

The strip mall photo is a bit outdated, taken in June of 2009, and is found by scrolling down to the section on "Food". You'll notice a lot has changed since the photo was taken with the Movie Gallery closed and the old dollar store. Work continues on the structure as new tenants prepare to move in but we thought it a bit mind boggling that a search of the United States would include a shot of an obscure strip mall in little Wynantskill NY.

Special Meeting Called

The Town Supervisor has called a special meeting of the town board just ahead of the already scheduled Organizational Meeting on January 4th. The purpose is to give the board majority another chance to do the right thing and correct the clerical error which reduced the Highway Superintendent's salary by $1,700 annually.

The majority could have avoided this embarrassment had they simply acted at their last meeting to schedule a Public Hearing on a Local Law that would fix the mistake, but they were far more interested in playing politics and punishing the Highway Superintendent for his criticisms of their budget changes.

As a result they tabled the Supervisor's first effort to correct the mistake and she has now responded by scheduling a special meeting which puts them all on the old hot seat.

It is noteworthy that this majority gave sizable pay raises to certain friends which were never disclosed at the meeting in which they sprung their changes without any advanced discussion with the Supervisor who prepared the budget. One clerk in the Building Department managed a $3000 raise on top of her union negotiated salary increase that was part of a new contract negotiated by Lou Desso, again, behind the back of the Supervisor.

So what's the point of a union contract when Mr. Desso and his majority, ignore the pay raises it provides and dole out additional pay raises with funds taken from the Highway Department's PILOT revenue? And think of the absurdity of giving a clerk a $3000 raise on top of a contractual raise while cutting the salary of the Highway Superintendent who can get no overtime despite putting in many additional hours covering snow storms and emergencies at all hours of the day and night, weekends included.

Maybe Mr. Desso would explain why he allowed the raises on top of the union contract's raises but we hear that's how they do things where he works at St Peter's Hospital in Albany. Rumor has it a quiet inquiry is under way at the U.S. Office of Special Council to determine whether any Federal funds are used to pay a percentage of the salary of Mr. Desso. If so, Mr. Desso and his employer would be in violation of the Hatch Act which forbids one so funded from engaging in partisan political activity or holding any elective political office.

We'll keep you posted and hope you can attend both the Special Meeting of the Town Board on January 4th at 6:50PM and the Organizational Meeting at 7PM.

Happy New Year to all our readers!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wynantskill, for all its political craziness, is as fine an example of modern day America as any town. Just wish the wikipedia caption noted its location