I still think that Kosiur is going to be sorry for ever introducing the sex offender law to the council as many of the rural townships are dead set against the law and Kosiur.
The only people who care about the roofs over our head and food on our table is us and it's high time we do something about it as far as the uncaring politicians go.
So if you ask me if I prefer Kosiur or Amedore, I say all that counts in the system that has evolved in the state Legislature is who can get his hands on more of the money that is apportioned to individual legislators for special projects in his district — so-called member items. That’s what those guys do that really matters: They bring home some bacon, which was of course our bacon to begin with, and in exchange they get those little projects named for themselves: the Jim Tedisco Fitness Trail, the Joseph L. Bruno Stadium, to their greater glory.
Why do we send our $$ there only to have them waste time, energy and more $$ to bring home some skinny piece of bacon.....keep it home.....THAT IS WHY WE HAVE NO SEWERS......that talk of consolidation that Mr.Spitzer is talking is already here and in existance......the problem that needs delving into-- who the referree is in the ring and who writes the rule book for the game..........
The tit for tat conversation between Bruno and Spitzer IS a red herring........I think Mr. Amedore will be more than shocked......even if he is not elected for the long haul in November.......he will be 'fresh' eyes and ears for the rest of us........he cant put food(or more food) on our tables(this is America, let's not forget).....but he can expose.........he can be our scout......so to speak.......ALL PARTIES ASIDE...
...you are a product of your environment, your environment is a product of your priorities, your priorities are a product of you......
The replacement of morality and conscience with law produces a deadly paradox.
STOP BEING GOOD DEMOCRATS---STOP BEING GOOD REPUBLICANS--START BEING GOOD AMERICANS
Yes that's true he can be our eyes and ears and tell us what's really being done with our tax money, if we only knew how much PORK is being funded with our hard earned tax money.
But don't lose sight of the fact that 'all' political parties put their own spin on things!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
I have three questions for Mssrs. [George] Amedore and [Ed] Kosiur, who are running for the 105th Assembly seat vacated by Paul Tonko. Are you both for equality for all New Yorkers? Remember, gay marriage is unequal, but not for heterosexuals throughout the state. Is that equality? When is Route 5 in Amsterdam going to be rehabbed? It’s looked like a Third World country for awhile now. No thanks to Mr. Tonko for all those years in the Assembly. And when can the Assembly expect to tackle the issue of illegal handguns that remains a growing threat to every community and school throughout New York? GERALD PLANTE Schenectady
Amedore, Kosiur vie to replace Tonko By RICHARD NILSEN, The Leader-Herald Published on Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Peter Capobianco, center, past-chair of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce introduces Assembly candidates George Amedore, left, and Ed Kosiur during an event at the Winner’s Circle in Fonda Monday.
View additional photos and order prints online at cu.leaderherald.com
Both Republican George Amedore Jr. and Democrat Ed Kosiur, who are running against each other in a special election July 31 for the 105th Assembly District, are trying to ease the fears of Montgomery County voters.
After the departure of longtime Assemblyman Paul Tonko, an Amsterdam Democrat who left to head the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, both candidates to replace him are from Schenectady.
“The rumor is that we are both from Schenectady and will forget about Montgomery County, and that just isn’t true,” Kosiur said.
His opponent agreed with the importance of Amsterdam and Montgomery County.
“While I’m a lifelong resident of Rotterdam, I have Amsterdam in my blood,” Amedore said. “My mother was born and raised in Amsterdam.”
Kosiur is running on the Democratic, Independence and Working Families slates while Amedore is the Republican and Conservative candidate.
Montgomery County residents had a glimpse of the candidates’ views at “Coffee with the Candidates” sponsored by the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce Monday at the Winner’s Circle in Fonda.
In comments to listeners Monday, the two candidates outlined some of their positions and plans for the 105th district.
Kosiur, a Schenectady County legislator, said he has helped turn the Schenectady economy around from a $10 million deficit to a $3 million surplus in his time in the county government. He listed consolidation of services, a one-stop economic-opportunity program through the Schenectady Metroplex Development Authority (down from 31 different programs) as one of his accomplishments in office.
“We made it a one-stop shop at the Metroplex,” Kosiur said. “With sales tax revenues up, property taxes are down to $6.71 per $1,000 assessed full value.”
Kosiur said the reports of his raising taxes since 2003 were inaccurate since he had only had a chance to get programs in place since 2005.
“Our shared governmental services have saved millions and the $2 million in private-sector investments in Schenectady have produced 2,000 new jobs,” Kosiur said.
Kosiur said he hoped to do the same type of thing for Montgomery County and the city of Amsterdam if elected.
“We need to revitalize Amsterdam, because it is the heart of the county and as the city goes, so goes the county,” Kosiur said.
Kosiur released a 10-point jobs plan Monday that says the state should continue funding for the Restore New York Program for communities with poor economies, create more “shovel ready” building sites and start an upstate film and TV production office.
In Amedore’s speech, he said he was born and raised in Rotterdam and as a family businessman has been frustrated at the changes needed in government. He said he wants to see more senior housing for the aged population, more jobs and lower property taxes for the area.
“We need to have the educational opportunities and jobs to offer our youth,” Amedore said. “We used to lead the country in manufacturing and now we lead the country in taxes.”
Amedore said there was a need to strengthen the private sector and help small businesses. He said he had encountered too many layers of government when he applied for permits to do building projects, and that was an indicator of governmental bureaucracy and waste.
“I’m not a politician,” Amedore said. “I want to help people.”
Leader-Herald Publisher Pat Beck asked how the candidates would enact legislation when the seniority of Tonko was lost. She also asked how the candidates would be able to get state money for their constituents and how they felt about term limits.
“Being elected to office shouldn’t be a career,” Amedore said. “I will sponsor a bill to limit terms of office.”
Kosiur said his being majority would help him in office. Amedore said he didn’t think it would make that much of a difference. He said many minority members are senior committee members in key positions.
Both candidates said they would support term limits. They each agreed there needed to be more transparency in government spending, with Kosiur saying “member items should be public documents so we know where the money is going.”
Amedore said transparency was needed due to “frivolous waste with a government which has gotten too fat.”
“Spending is out of control,” Amedore said.
Tonko was appointed to lead the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. He started July 1.
I have three questions for Mssrs. [George] Amedore and [Ed] Kosiur, who are running for the 105th Assembly seat vacated by Paul Tonko. Are you both for equality for all New Yorkers? Remember, gay marriage is unequal, but not for heterosexuals throughout the state. Is that equality? When is Route 5 in Amsterdam going to be rehabbed? It’s looked like a Third World country for awhile now. No thanks to Mr. Tonko for all those years in the Assembly. And when can the Assembly expect to tackle the issue of illegal handguns that remains a growing threat to every community and school throughout New York? GERALD PLANTE Schenectady
And to think...this is what happens when the person in the Assembly for the past 30 years WAS FROM Amsterdam!
Laws put on the people won't affect ILLEGAL handguns... THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED ILLEGAL!!! HELLO!?!?!?! Here's how you take care of things like that. You make restrictive gun laws LESS restrictive, that way, the criminals don't know what might be coming at them from an armed populous that they are attacking!
I have three questions for Mssrs. [George] Amedore and [Ed] Kosiur, who are running for the 105th Assembly seat vacated by Paul Tonko. Are you both for equality for all New Yorkers? Remember, gay marriage is unequal, but not for heterosexuals throughout the state. Is that equality? When is Route 5 in Amsterdam going to be rehabbed? It’s looked like a Third World country for awhile now. No thanks to Mr. Tonko for all those years in the Assembly. And when can the Assembly expect to tackle the issue of illegal handguns that remains a growing threat to every community and school throughout New York? GERALD PLANTE Schenectady
Okay there Gerry....did you pose these questions to the 25 year veteran Mr. Tonko? What did HE do about them? Where was Mr. Tonko all of these years while Rt 5 in Amsterdam looked like a third world country? So my dear Gerry I would suggest you ask Mr. Tonko that question and then perhaps you could also ask Kosiur. They will be both in the same! At least that is what they are telling us!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
105TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT Candidates fight to the end Similar plans but different approaches BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter
For the last month, candidates George Amedore Jr. and Edward Kosiur have walked up and down streets, knocked on doors and shaken hands across the sprawling 105th state Assembly District. They went from relative unknowns to household names during the course of a grueling four-week campaign that ends with Tuesday’s special election. Kosiur’s gone through two pairs of shoes and has the blisters to prove it, all the while “maintaining” his 250-pound frame, he says with a laugh. Amedore even got a kiss out of the deal during a campaign visit to a Schenectady home. “She knew who I was and said, ‘If you want my vote, you have to give me a kiss.’ I gave her a kiss and I got a vote,” he said. Republican Amedore, 38, of Rotterdam, and Democrat Kosiur, 51, of Schenectady, are vying for the seat held for 24 years by Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, who left the Assembly to head the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority. The campaign goes to the voters Tuesday, and by all accounts the race could be determined by a few hundred votes. Special elections typically draw a small percentage of voters, ranging from 6 percent to 10 percent. Its final outcome could well rest on the approximately 650 absentee ballots — evenly split between Democrats and Republicans — that will have to be tallied. The race, for the most part, has moved along the high road. But there have been some lows: namecalling, bickering and anger over perceived distortions of candidates’ records or achievements. SIMILAR ISSUES On the issues, the candidates have emphasized similar themes, developed they said through voter surveys and other methods. Both are pledging to reduce property taxes, spur economic development and create jobs. The messages, repeated in mailings and news releases, target the “working families” of the 105th District. Republicans have also made a campaign issue out of Kosiur’s legislation, passed June 12 by the Schenectady County Legislature, to place residency restrictions on convicted sex offenders. Kosiur is promising to introduce similar legislation should he win a seat in the Assembly. Amedore on Friday released his own plan for state legislation that he said is “better and more effective” than the county’s law. The race has generated heat in other ways as well. It is seen as a test of leadership for state Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco, R-Schenectady. Tedisco recruited Amedore and has committed the resources of the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee to the race. Republicans see the race as a chance to capture an Assembly seat that was held by a Democrat for 24 years. They control 41 of the 150 seats; Democrats hold the remaining 109. Kosiur said as a member of the Assembly majority, as was Tonko, he would have more clout for the 105th District. “Absolutely, being in the majority is a major plus,” he said. Amedore said being in the minority would be a challenge but one he is prepared to tackle. “Am I going to change Albany overnight? No. Rome wasn’t changed in a day. It takes time. I will work with both sides and balance my family, my church and my work with the job,” Amedore said. GETTING THE WORD OUT Republicans have spent freely on TV and radio ads and have flooded the district with mass mailers and phone calls. Democrats, through their Assembly campaign committee, have matched them. The July fi nancial filings with the state Board of Elections put expenditures at about even, $108,000 for Democrats versus $105,000 for Republicans. One Republican offi cial said the final total spent by both parties may reach $1 million. Each side has called out their big guns: U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton and Tonko are making calls for Kosiur; state Sen. Hugh Farley, R-Niskayuna, Tedisco and former New York City mayor Rudolph Giuliani are calling for Amedore. The volume of mail and phone calls has angered voters like Gloria Noto of Amsterdam, who can’t wait for Tuesday’s election, not because she wants to vote but because the mail and phone calls will stop. In fact, she may not even vote, she said, out of protest. Amedore said the mailings and calls are necessary to get out the vote and also because Democrats are doing the same thing. On the issue of taxes, Amedore pledges to vote against all new increases in sales, income or property taxes and would move to drive down gas taxes by at least 13 cents per gallon. Kosiur, meanwhile, has not promised to vote against state budgets that raise taxes but would reduce taxes through alternative methods. They include changing the state education funding formula, expanding the STAR tax relief program, tax credits for children and having the state take over all local Medicaid costs. ECONOMY PLANS Both candidates say expanding the economies of both Schenectady and Montgomery counties and creating jobs would also help reduce the overall property tax burden. Once again, their approaches differ. “Montgomery and Schenectady counties used to lead the world in manufacturing. Today, we lead the nation in high taxes. It’s a sad commentary, and it needs to be turned around,” Amedore said. Amedore’s five-point plan to stimulate the local economy includes: Improving the state’s brownfields program; aggressively marketing cleaned-up former industrial sites for high-tech manufacturing, alternative energy production and distribution warehouses; eliminating the corporate franchise tax for manufacturers; lowering small business taxes; and strengthening the Empire Zone program. He also wants to create a local ethanol refinery that would use crops from Montgomery and Schenectady county farms and supply ethanol fuel pumps as more come on line in the region. In addition, he would eliminate tolls along Interstate 90 between exits 23 and 29. Kosiur’s economic plan would: Consolidate economic development programs in Montgomery County, similar to what occurred in Schenectady County; redirect state brownfield credits to upstate communities and impose stricter job-creation requirements for downstate projects; and offer businesses incentives to those who immediately buy or lease vacated buildings. Both candidates, however, offered their economic development and job-creation proposals without first consulting with Ken Rose, Montgomery County’s top economic development coordinator. Kosiur developed his plan with help from fellow county Legislator Gary Hughes, D-Schenectady, chairman of the county Legislature’s economic development committee. Amedore spoke with members of the Amsterdam Industrial Development Agency in drafting his ideas. Their plans “don’t jibe with the reality,” Rose said. “I’ve reached out to them. We do have a focused economic development program here; things are happening.” Rose said Montgomery County has witnessed a 6 percent growth in employment between 2003 and 2006, with unemployment steady at 5 percent. It also saw $60 million in capital investment between January 2006 and this April, which created 440 jobs. In the past four months, the county has announced another $200 million in capital investment — a total similar to that which has occurred in Schenectady County in the last 3 1 /2 years. “Our local businesses have rebounded from the flood [of last year], and we have closed on more than $1 million in loans,” Rose said. He said he works well with the city IDA, the only other economic agency in the county, and often uses state and federal programs for development programs. Montgomery County also has more shovel-ready sites for new businesses than Schenectady County, said Ray Gillen, chairman of the Metroplex Development Authority and county commissioner of economic development and planning. “We are way behind Montgomery County; we’re catching up with them,” Gillen said. Kosiur met with Rose on Thursday and has since revised his 10-point proposal. He is now advocating for the creation of a Metroplex for Montgomery County, an entity that would funnel additional money to economic development through a portion of the local sales tax. He also is proposing to make the city of Amsterdam the focus of economic development in the county, similar to Metroplex’s approach in Schenectady County. Another proposal is to develop job programs matching youths in Montgomery County with hard-hit dairy farmers in need of help. SUPPORT, OPPOSITION Both Amedore and Kosiur oppose a proposal by Amsterdam Materials Recycling to locate a construction and demolition debris landfill in the city’s Edson Street Industrial Park. They have opposite views on school vouchers. Amedore supports vouchers or an education tax credit, which he said is more accountable. Kosiur opposes school vouchers and charter schools. Both men oppose gay marriage, saying marriage should be between a man and a woman. Kosiur, however, supports civil unions between the same sex. New York is among 12 states without laws explicitly defining marriage as between a man and a woman. Both Amedore and Kosiur said they would devote as much time as necessary to the Assembly, which is a part-time position. Tonko devoted full time to the job, becoming known for attending almost every event in the sprawling district. The base salary for legislators is $79,500, but most get additional stipends for leadership roles. Both Amedore and Koisur attend the same church, Calvary Tabernacle Assembly of God Church in Schenectady. Amedore also does missionary work for the church in Texas and Mexico each year, helping with an orphanage there.
It has been years since I felt the need to write a letter to the editor, but the antics of the upcoming special election have gotten to me. I have been a lifelong Democrat, but I was so annoyed about the sex offender legislation that I thought I would deliver a message by voting for [George] Amedore. However, a pox on both of them. The amount of money spent on this election is obscene for both parties. I cannot figure out why this election is worth so much to Amedore. In reality, as a minority freshman, George Amedore hasn’t a chance to effect any changes — even though changes are needed. Today I was outraged by the contempt George Amedore has for the electorate when he stated in his latest mailing that he has never raised taxes. How stupid does he think we are? Of course, he never raised taxes — he was never a public official. I am still in a quandary: Do I vote for the man who panders with barelythought-out sex offender legislation or do I vote for the man who thinks I am stupid? SONIA RUBENSTEIN Schenectady
Poor Sonia she knows that her party has a very poor candidate so she's trying to rationalize a minute fact against Amedore so she she can justify voting for Kosiur. At least Amedore told the truth in that he's never voted to raise taxes and yes we all know he's never been involved in politics b4.
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