New Board To Settle Scores

Well it's a new year and somewhat of a new town board will start it off by settling a political score.

The Pipeline has learned that one of its first official acts will be to fire the young man currently holding a part time court security position, a job he  has held for the past 6 years. His hours willl go to  GOP loyalist and committeeman Charlie Rockwell, who holds the other pasrt time position in the courts.

Trouble is, it just looks bad to fire someone when all they did was offer themselves for public service as a candidate for the town board in the last election. Put another way, the majority is engaging in stark political retribution by firing a town employee who ran against members of their majority.

Newly elected Council Member Michael Massone, who is clearly a Lou Desso  loyalist, will get the distinction of firing his recent opponent in the election from his town job. Now that's a great way to start a political career. But the sight of Lou Desso engaging in this vote at the Organizational Meeting has it's own  inescapable irony.  It was Desso who led the charge against a former Board majority when it reorganized town hall and eliminated some town employee positions.

Desso even became part of a so called "Citizens Club" where he became its self appointed "Vice Chairman", all apparently forgotten as he engages in the same game he thought was so awful before he was elected to the town board.

One thing stands out as very different in this firing. All this employee did to get the ax from this board majority was to exercise his civil rights and engage in the political process. That's the very same right board members exercise when they choose to offer themselves as political candidates. It's hardly something they should loose their jobs for doing and it's at best a poor reflection on their judgement and belongs somewhere other than town government.

The show begins tomorrow, Thursday January 9th at 6:30 PM. But hey let's be thankful. They may be able to fire good people for political retribution, but thankfully North Greenbush has nothing like the George Washington Bridge for this Board to play with. For that, they need to get elected in New Jersey.