Stratton will be able to tell the world that Schdy is now number 10 in the highest taxed counties in the country up from number 8. What an accomplishment.

http://www.dailygazette.com
SCHENECTADY
Mayor says no tax increase in budget
Spending plan also has ‘pleasant surprises’
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

   There will be no tax increase in Mayor Brian U. Stratton’s 2008 budget proposal, which he will present to the Schenectady City Council on Thursday.
   The spending plan is being kept under tight wraps until the presentation, set for 5 p.m. in Room 110 at City Hall.
   But Stratton has repeatedly said he wants to offer a tax cut this year, and confirmed Tuesday that taxes will, at the very least, not go up.
   “That has been my goal, wherever it is responsible,” he said. “I am very pleased with the way the budget is coming together. I can say there will not be a tax increase and there are some other surprises — pleasant surprises.”
   He set aside $2.2 million of the city’s $8.1 million surplus for property tax relief in 2008. He also used $1.1 million of that surplus to reduce taxes this year. Taxes went down 1 percent but were offset by a rise in water costs.
   Residents expect another tax cut but Stratton has refused to promise one.
   Early this year, he warned that if expenses rose sharply or emergencies occurred, the tax relief fund might not reduce taxes enough to create a tax cut.
   Tax cuts are popular in election years, but Stratton said he would not propose an irresponsible budget just to get votes. He is running against Republican Michael Cuevas for mayor this November.
   “It is not an election year budget,” Stratton said. “The worst thing I could do is cut taxes irresponsibly and only have it bounce back in a year or two years. We’re building and continuing a course for longterm financial recovery.”
   He added that if he had wanted to impress voters with a big tax cut, he would have held back the 1 percent tax cut that was widely panned as too little this year.
   “I could have not had a tax cut in 2007 and saved it all for this year. That’s not my goal,” he said.
   While he considers tax relief to be one of the city’s most critical needs, his spending plan must also address the city’s mounting debt. Schenectady now owes $59 million, three times as much as similar cities in the state.
   Of all the financial problems Schenectady once had, its high debt load is the only issue that still needs to be addressed, according to Moody’s Investors Service, which raised the city’s credit rating anyway.
   Moody’s analysts said the city is paying down its debt rapidly but must continue to do so. The average city with Schenectady’s assessed value owes just $18.8 million, according to Moody’s.
   To avoid more debt, Finance Commissioner Ismat Alam said the city’s budgets also have to slowly replenish savings accounts that were drained during the city’s financial downturn.
   But Stratton has been

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preparing for that. He poured most of the city’s surplus into those accounts, with the biggest portion going toward a capital project for the Bureau of Service.
   The city is saving $2.5 million of the surplus to help consolidate city services at the Foster Avenue Bureau of Service. Trash collection and other departments are expected to move to a jointly operated site across the street, where city officials believe they can achieve an economy of scale. This year, the city began purchasing property in preparation for the move.
   Residents have asked Stratton to include increased code enforcement and police patrols in the budget, but Stratton already added five enforcers in the 2007 budget and police still haven’t filled the six new positions funded in their department.
   Commissioner of Public Safety Wayne Bennett said he hopes to hire six officers by the end of the year so they can enter the police academy in January. Ten other officers are already at the academy after being hired this summer.  

  
  
  

I think old Brian is worried about the upcoming election.

We need to start thinking ahead people, I know that the race has not started and nobody is thinking about it yet, but I think it's about time that we get someone to represent this area of New York State that actually supports lowering our tax burden, supporting our troops, keeping jobs in the United States and taking care of the illegal immigration issues that we have throughout this country.  

The county states that so much of their costs are due to the Medicaid system.  Is there some reason that we can't get this funding from the federal level?  Could this be decreased, the amount that is spent on it or the amount of people that are bleeding the system?  

I say yes, and we need to start bringing a new face to our government.  We started that on July 31st of this year with sending Mr. George Amedore to the NYS Assembly to change things at the State level.  Next, we need to look at keeping him there and changing the other people who are representing us, starting with the possibilities in 2008.  Both Mr. McNulty and Mr. Schumer will be up for reelection in 2008 and I say we find someone and push to show why the change in necessary.

Just look at what pork Mr. McNulty got just during August.  Anything for the residents of any part of Schenectady County besides the Schenectady High $1.5M? Nope, but he did get $18.189M for different projects.  He also is talking out of both sides of his mouth.  His most recent release condemns President Bush for having the troops in Iraq and that they need to get pulled out.  At the same time, during August, he received $16.189M out of this $18.189M for projects actually dealing with the military to improve things, bringing all this money to different projects at the Watervliet Arsenal?

$2 million for the NanoSensor StageGate Accelerator (NSSA) project at the Watervliet Arsenal Partnership
$2 million for a 76mm Super Rapid Medium Caliber Gun System Explosive Safety Review at the Watervliet Arsenal
$3.189 million for the Arsenal Support Program Initiative at the Watervliet Arsenal Partnership
$4 million for the C9 Corporation for Hybrid Electric Combat Vehicle development project
$2 million for Thermal imaging equipment upgrades for NY Army National Guard helicopters
$3 million for a Smart Machine Platform Initiative at the Benet Laboratories

So, Mr. McNulty, do you support the military, or just as much pork as you can get for your district?

All the above information was taken directly from Mr. McNulty's own website. http://www.house.gov/mcnulty/press.html

also, this is from his Wikipedia page...

Positions
McNulty has become much more liberal since his earlier days in the House, when he favored more of Newt Gingrich's Contract with America than any other Northeastern Democrat. He remains moderate on social issues (for instance, he is pro-life on abortion), but very liberal on economic issues.

McNulty voted for the War in Iraq, but since has come to regret that vote and has cosponsored Representative John Murtha's resolution for a phased withdrawal from the region[1].

McNulty is known for being one of the less prolific members of the house; he has said he does not plan to run for any higher offices or leadership posts within the house. Additionally, he is known for being relatively quiet and not saying much on the floor. Congressional Quarterly once jokingly named him Chair of the Obscurity Caucus.

However, he was a vocal critic of President George W. Bush's Social Security reform plan, and, now that he is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Social Security, will probably have his profile boosted should it surface again during the 110th Congress.

Rankings/Endorsements
McNulty is generally ranked one of the worst members of the House by National Taxpayers Union (which is conservative on economic issues), while also getting very poor rankings from NARAL Pro-Choice America.

He is consistently endorsed by both the Conservative Party and the Working Families Party, third parties in New York.

I agree BK, it's time for Mike to be replaced as he has lost sight of his original goals and is no longer a conservative with his votes.

I hope that you are correct shadow. Frankly 'Scarlet, I don't think he gives a damn'!

Good then lets make Brian unemployed.

Alot of folks jump on the money making jobs, contracts etc that war/military movement brings......

My dad was a very politically minded person. Being a WWII vet and fighting in the Battle of the Bulge under Patton, he was also a person who loved his country. He also believed that people needed to be active in the political process and that it was not only a necessity, but also a freedom.

My dad had many conversations with Mr. McNulty. I swear he would call Mr. McNulty every week. Write him letters. And talk face to face with him at his office. When my dad died, Mr. McNulty sent a personal letter to us sending his condolences and remembering the great conversations they had together. I thank Mr. McNulty for letting us know that he did not only remember my dad, but also remembered all of the conversations they shared and the issues that concerned him.

So even though I or my family will never forget Mr. McNulty's sincere sentiments, I too believe we need a political change.

I agree that Mr. McNulty is a very nice man just like Mr. Tonko was. But Mr. McNulty should be replaced too. Just like Mr. Tonko was.

I think there are some in the city that is trying their best to just make that happen!

http://www.dailygazette.com

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Stratton offers small tax cut Budget plan leaves residents unimpressed
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter

   Mayor Brian U. Stratton cut taxes another 1.2 percent in his proposed 2008 budget, but he got only polite applause when he announced the news Thursday.
   The proposal should be considered better than last year, when Stratton’s 1 percent tax cut was offset by an equal rise in water costs. In the 2008 proposal, sewer and water fees would not change.
SCHENECTADY
   For the average homeowner with a house assessed at $80,000, the 2008 city tax bill would be $1,668, a savings of about $20 from this year’s tax bill. The average homeowner also paid $728 in county taxes and $2,529 in school taxes this year.
   In 2008 city taxes, property owners would pay $20.85 for every $1,000 of assessed property.
   By way of comparison, just six years ago the city’s tax rate was $14.59 per $1,000 assessed, before the 26 percent tax hike that signaled the beginning of the city’s desperate financial straits. Since then, the city has recovered but the rate has ballooned to $21.10 while assessments have gone up.
   Small wonder, then, that residents were unimpressed with the 1 percent cut this year.
   Stratton said he knows residents want more property tax relief, but argued that he would have to cut back on services residents need. Instead, he increased the paving budget by 40 percent for next year, funded the next step of the reassessment project and added several new employees, including two fi refighters and a third property nuisance code offi cer.
   “It would be very easy to try to cut it by larger numbers, but it wouldn’t be the responsible thing to do,” Stratton said.
   Stratton increased spending by $4 million in the proposal, but all of the new expenditures were covered by increases in revenue. The same technique was used to increase spending while decreasing taxes last year.
   The city’s revenues other than from property taxes have increased to more than $16 million annually in Stratton’s four years in office, primarily from state aid ($6.1 million more per year) and the unpopular waste collection fee ($2.6 million). The biggest new revenues for 2008 are $1.9 million in additional state aid, $356,000 in state and federal police grants, and $200,000 in expected Medicare Part D reimbursements.
   Stratton also plans to use $2 million of the 2006 surplus, which was set aside for tax relief. Last year, the city used $1.2 million of its surplus savings.
   The biggest new proposal in Stratton’s spending plan is a 40 percent increase in the paving budget.
   That budget will go from $1.8 million to $2.7 million. It’s a big increase — but $900,000 is just a drop in the bucket in comparison to the city’s need, Commissioner of General Services Carl Olsen said.
   He estimated that it would cost $22 million just to replace the city’s worst streets.
   “And that’s based on a review we did four years ago,” he said. “You could spend that $900,000 on a lot of things. I commend the mayor for recognizing the roads need it — he’s investing that money in a very needy place.”
   It costs roughly $300,000 to pave one city block, including sidewalks, but Olsen hopes to spread the money out so that the city gets more than three blocks paved with the infusion of funds.
   In the past, he has cut costs by “sharing” the expense of repaving with the sewer or water fund. After a road is ripped up for pipe maintenance, he uses the sewer and water road-repair funds to reduce the cost of redoing the entire road.
   Stratton’s budget proposal also calls for two new firefighters, a third SNAP officer to issue property nuisance tickets, an assistant city engineer and a plumber. He put aside $372,000 for the reassessment as well, which would pay for workers to quantify the data collected for every property this year.
   Assessor Patrick Mastro hopes to have all the new data cards available to the public by May so owners can point out mistakes before he determines the new assessments.
   Stratton’s political opponent, Republican mayoral candidate Michael Cuevas, was critical of many of the mayor’s spending choices, from the tax cut to the new paving budget.
   The tax cut, he said, was all but worthless.
   “I don’t think there are too many people who are going to be too excited by getting $20 back,” Cuevas said after hearing about the budget. He did not attend Stratton’s presentation.
   But based on the information he had, Cuevas said, the mayor had put together an irresponsible budget by increasing spending nearly 6 percent. The tax levy would fall from $29.9 million to $29.8 million, but the budget would grow from $68.6 million to $72.7 million.
   “I don’t think we should be increasing the city’s spending above the rate of inflation. Perhaps the urgent need in the city is not so much to have an additional SNAP person and additional paving,” Cuevas said. “Crime has to be the first priority.”
   He said Stratton should have either saved much of the $4 million in new revenue, setting it aside for poorer years, or used the entire amount to cut taxes. But he wouldn’t have focused on the property tax.
   “If we were going to cut taxes, we should start with the garbage tax. It is a regressive tax,” he said.
   To replace that waste collection fee, he would have to find some way to bring in $2.6 million in revenue every year.
   The budget also includes several items approved by the council earlier this year. Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett’s $59,800 salary is in the budget, as is the $36,000 mayoral raise and the $4,293 raise for half of the council members. The four politicians who win election this November will see their salaries rise from $9,800 to $14,093; the rest must wait until they face re-election.MEREDITH L. KAISER/GAZETTE PHOTOGRAPHER Schenectady Mayor Brian U. Stratton presents his 2008 budget to the City Council at City Hall on Thursday.

http://www.dailygazette.com

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No reason to drag Stratton’s stutter into debate analysis

   Re the ept. 21 article “Candidates for mayor agree to debate at Proctors”: Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore should be hauled off to the woodshed for her tasteless article, wherein she reported that Mayor Brian Stratton and Republican challenger Michael Cuevas had agreed to a public debate at Proctors on Oct. 24.
   To go beyond that point and infuse into her article suggestions that Mayor Stratton may be unwilling to conduct debates in every neighborhood because he stutters at times is as insensitive and irresponsible as it was when originally stated by Republican mayoral candidate Peter Guidarelli during the 2003 mayoral campaign.
   Mayor Stratton has been on the local public scene for a dozen or so years, and throughout this public service, has faced many challenges and has adequately demonstrated that he is articulate, as well as extremely astute as to what is best for him and the public he serves. Unlike Mr. Cuevas, Mr. Stratton cannot devote an inordinate amount of time on the campaign trail since he is responsible for carrying on the daily affairs of the city, as well as dealing with emergencies and coping with societal changes that are seriously eroding the quality of life in some neighborhoods.
   The mayor is further hampered by the mandate he is under to submit his 2008 budget proposal to the council by Oct. 1, and to defend or revise the proposal by Nov. 1 — just a few days short of Election Day.
   I do not take pleasure in having to comment on this matter. “Less said, the better” does not prevail in this situation. The article was so offensive and intrusive that it deserves condemnation and hopefully a review of your editorial standards.
   ANTHONY B. DELUCCIA
   Schenectady  

  
  
  

http://www.timesunion.com

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$25 savings in the Electric City
September 27, 2007 at 8:50 pm by Lauren Stanforth, Staff writer
Mayor Brian Stratton has proposed a 1.2 percent tax decrease in his 2008 budget, which works out to about $25 in savings for a person who has a house assessed at $100,000.

The budget slide presentation Thursday afternoon had cute graphics, such as a train riding down the bar graph showing the city’s previous credit history, animated sprinkling water next to information about the water department, and a picture of boxing gloves next to a chart showing how the city is fighting for state aid.