There should have been absentee ballots sent to those who were unable to vote because of physical disability or being out of town. The poles should have stayed open as long as there were people there to vote and in my opinion it's un american to deny anyone from voting.

Quoted from TippyCanoe

reinvent the boot with a credit card swiper and supply a receipt  - i hear REMS is in good with the IRS

LOL

Quoted from Shadow

There should have been absentee ballots sent to those who were unable to vote because of physical disability or being out of town. The poles should have stayed open as long as there were people there to vote and in my opinion it's un american to deny anyone from voting.

I agree, and I thought that they did keep the ballots open until all that had arrived at town hall until the stated time of closing of the polls did get the chance to vote.  Did they not?  If not, then how many people were "disenfranchised," and would it have been enough people to make a difference?  

I still say that there should have been multiple voting locations across town, which would have given many more access to votng, along with making it easier to get in and out of polling places.  

I still say that the vote should not have happened at this time of year with all of the issues that did and/or could have occurred, but at the same time, the people that were allowed to speak did speak and they voted against it.

Quoted Text

The fallout from Rotterdam’s referendums

    Voter turnout for the referendum over Rotterdam’s ambulance service Tuesday was pretty impressive, and the results — 2,473 against to 1,386 in favor — made it pretty clear how town residents feel about making a commitment to spend more money for a vital service than they have to. No, thank you — which is also what a much-smaller group of them in the Mohonasen school district said the day before, in response to a building referendum that would have added roughly $40 per year to the tax bill of a $100,000 home owner.
    That referendums on two admittedly unrelated but equally significant issues were held on successive days in separate places (town hall and the high school) was fairly remarkable, and typical of how little regard municipalities and schools have for their taxpayers. Voting is inconvenient any time of year, but in December there are more likely to be weather (snow) and traffic (holiday shopping) issues involved. Holding a referendum is also costly, so why couldn’t the school district and town have made more of an effort to hold their votes on the same day and in the same place?
    The school district at least gave voters the option of casting absentee ballots (as long as they were received by Monday), but for the ambulance taxing district proposal, the town insisted that people come to town hall in the fl esh if they wanted to weigh in. (Was this a sneaky way for opponents of the plan, which included the town’s political leaders, to discourage seniors, who were probably most likely to approve the plan, from exercising their franchise? Everyone knows retirees are more likely to head south at this time of year, or at least less willing to go out in the cold.)
    Not surprisingly, there were lines (of cars in the tiny town hall parking lot and people inside) for much of the day........................>>>>......................>>>>...................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00902&AppName=1

From what people have said some voters waited in line and then got annoyed with the long lines and left without voting. I don't believe that their votes would have made a difference. I agree that more than one voting location should have been provided as there were plenty of election officials there that could have covered a couple more locations and eased the long lines and made things flow much smoother. The article in the paper makes one wonder the real motive of holding the referendum vote the way they did and not allowing absentee ballots. I think we need to make some changes at next years election in Nov.

My work hours are about 14-16 hours per day this time of year but wild horses couldn't have kept me from taking some time to vote in BOTH elections. However, it was ridiculous to hold these votes at this time of year.

Wasn't there a vote in all or most fire districts for Commissioners?  Why wasn't this referendum added to that vote?  We already had poll tenders and certainly fire districts are handicapped accessible and located close for voters to their homes.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I was over 80% correct with my predictions in the November election.  
And I was correct -- to some extent -- on the tax district -- a large number of persons did vote YES ...
funny most of you folks were saying that NO ONE would support the tax district.

As for whether I would work for you on a campaign -- I have a strong hunch about who you are -- and lets
just say that I would rather be stripped naked, covered in honey and forced to lay on a hill of fire ants
-- before I would ever have anything do with you.

Wow that sure is a sight i dont want to see

Quoted from 147

Wow great work detective

"No-thank you" is the exact same thing we would say about the Metrograft/sales tax. Since the Gazetto editors have rediscovered democracy when can we expect an editorial calling for a vote on whether the struggling sheeple want $500 a year taken at County sales register for Metrograft gin mills and tax giveaways to connected millionaires?

     The people have spoken. The NO! was deafening. Hopefully, the fossils on the County Library Bored, various party committees and Metrograft Bored will listen.

Quoted from TippyCanoe

so if REMS is non-profit isn't the donation tax deductible on April 15th?

reinvent the boot with a credit card swiper and supply a receipt  - i hear REMS is in good with the IRS

pre-program a donation of 24.99, then no signature required, swip and go

Yes, REMS is a non-profit org and donations are tax deductible.  And the idea of a swipe and go is very good.    There were many people who are not property owners but they really wanted to "save REMS" and this is a perfect solution for them!!

Quoted Text

Mohawk Ambulance didn’t deserve attacks by REMS backers

    Rotterdam just voted down the creation of a new tax district to support REMS [Rotterdam Emergency Medical Services], the municipal ambulance company. In the days leading up to this, several Rotterdam paramedics set about publicly attacking Mohawk Ambulance, particularly on the popular Internet site, Facebook. The attacks were juvenile, unwarranted and, for the most part, fi lled with half-truths and misinformation.
    I am an EMT with Mohawk, and I have never had any problem working alongside any member of REMS, or the town’s paramedics. They have been knowledgeable in their work, and I continue to hold that belief. These attacks, however, are not acceptable behavior for people who are supposed to be among the most respectable in the community.
    Besides, there was no reason for it! This was not a hostile takeover by Mohawk Ambulance. There is no grassy knoll here, folks! REMS is in fi nancial trouble. They owe several hundred thousand dollars to the IRS and can most likely not sustain their ambulance company without a new tax district. The residents of Rotterdam — or at least the many who voted — rejected a new tax district, with approximately two-thirds of the voters voting no. I don’t think anyone — including those of us at Mohawk — believe this vote means that the taxpayers do not like REMS, but rather that during these hard economic times, a new tax district makes no sense.
    Mohawk is not attempting to force REMS out. Should REMS manage a way out of its financial troubles, Mohawk has no plans to make some form of medieval coup. However, if REMS is unable to continue, Mohawk is offering the town an alternative to having no ambulance at all. Since Mohawk is a private ambulance company, there would be no tax increase for residents. Rather than paying for the ambulance through their taxes, they would only pay for the services they actually use, as individuals, and only when they use them.
    Contrary to the infl ammatory posts on Facebook, response time would not be delayed. A station would be placed in the town, with its own Mohawk basic life support ambulances and crews.
    The town’s paramedic program is not in jeopardy — it will still be the fi rst response team, as now. Mohawk having a station in Rotterdam will have an added benefit to the town: Mohawk would be required to pay property taxes as a business, generating revenue for the town.
    There have also been posts stating that Mohawk has horrible response times in the regions it already covers. This is simply false. Mohawk consistently averages well under the accepted response times for emergency calls. It is true that there are occasions when it takes slightly longer for an ambulance to arrive. As the posters — all paramedics and/or fi refighters — are well aware, there are times when many emergencies go out at once and all ambulances in one zone are required for calls at the same time. At this point, “zone coverage” is called for, bringing in ambulances from other zones, and although they get there as quickly as possible, they cannot put others in jeopardy by exceeding safe speeds. These instances are rare, however.
    Implications that Mohawk employees “don’t know the area,” or won’t be as compassionate as REMS, are ridiculous. We treat all patients the same, no matter who they are, where they live or what uniform we are wearing. Most employees of Mohawk who work in Schenectady are familiar with Rotterdam, and even if they aren’t, every ambulance is equipped with a GPS [global positioning system] and contains a map book.
    The public attacks need to stop. We’re supposed to be grown-ups that the community can look up to. Playground name-calling should be beneath us. I have always looked to my fellow EMTs and paramedics with respect and camaraderie.
    Please note that although I work for Mohawk, this letter represents my personal beliefs and is not endorsed by the company. Also rest assured that, regardless of whether Mohawk goes into Rotterdam, I will continue to provide the best possible emergency service I can, as I am certain all the EMTs and paramedics will, regardless of their employers.

    SEAN MEARNS
    Glenville

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r03002&AppName=1

Excellent letter Sean

Sean's letter IS an exact reflection of what rotterdam is......sadly!

I probably have alot more knowledge of EMS services then the average citizen.  I have a few questions about how thiswill all work out if Mohawk takes over.

I really do not have a preference either way as long as the services provided are as good or better then what REMS was providing...

- How many ambulances will be stationed INSIDE the Town of Rotterdam on a day to day basis by Mohawk... 1?  2?  3?
Will it be 1 or 2 ambulances which would possibly be called out to Glenville or Schenectady or will they be dedicated to the the town?

- The paramedics are currently employed through the Police Department and were not apart of the taxing district voted on for the Ambulance service.  Will they be removed?  If the Rotterdam medics were removed that would be a savings of $280k per year using the 2011 budget.