Quoted Text

'House for sale' big sign in Schenectady

By MARV CERMAK COVERING SCHENECTADY
First published in print: Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Pat Zollinger, a regular at Schenectady City Council meetings for years, said even though the election season is in full bloom, the streets are not cluttered with campaign signs.
"Rotterdam has political signs all over the place,'' Zollinger said. ``But in Schenectady the 'house for sale' signs outnumber the campaign signs.''
Rotterdam is like one gigantic political billboard because of fiercely contested races. Conversely, Schenectady is less of a placard jungle because there is no Republican opposition for a half-dozen incumbent Democrats.

Zollinger said the public can protest the lack of competition. "All voters should write in their own name for City Council. Votes for about 5,000 different candidates would have to be counted,'' she said.

Her observation about the home-for-sale sign proliferation is accurate, albeit a bit exaggerated. Most signs are in the failing neighborhoods where block-by-block spreading blight is driving out longtime residents.

Also at the meeting, a couple of residents, frustrated over city issues, berated council members, saying they won't vote for any of them. In the past, that type of declaration had some clout, but this time around it's hollow.



Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspS.....0/2009#ixzz0UTwjOsPE

Good idea in schenectady since almost all are running unopposed. Good idea ANYWHERE, where there are no viable candidates to elect. Everyone just write in your own name....or someone elses. That would make a statement.

Write in Vaedur, imo

Bring a pen to the polls in the City! Here vote NO NEW TAX PARTY. Click onto the entire Cermak column.

  Another bomb at Proctor's! Color Purple can't even fill half the huge theatre? Only 1,200 on Friday night. These idiots still don't get it. People aren't buying $100 theatre tickets in a recession. Especially for this fare.

  Bring back The Rat Pack Live At the Sands. Mercury Morris and Karen "Sign Girl" Johnson should have been fired years ago.

Wicked will do better.

It can't possibly do worse. Proctor's lost big bucks On Color Purple. Keep up the "work"?

  So much for a 365 day Downtown. Fire Karen Johnson.

Never mind--fire Craig Surprise.

Quoted from 466

Never mind--fire Craig Surprise.

I suppose you think K.J. is doing a great job with the residents tax dollars too, huh?  My God! And this folks is why schenectady has become the laughing stock of the state!

KJ who???

Did you hear the latest joke about Karen Johnson's signs? Another classic.

  She's running unopposed {because of the suicide of the REPS} and is running around like a fool putting up illegal signs. Nobody wants them. There should be a law if unopposed no signs allowed. Enough eyesores.

Quoted from Vaedur

Write in Vaedur, imo

Well I have to admit that you've got a cute name there, but the Elections commission wouldn't have to record it as a legitimate vote.

But if every voter wrote in their OWN name, each such vote would be legitimate and would have to be recorded and sent on to the state.

It would be a HUGE amount of work for this do nothing elections commission. And it would send a powerful statement to politicians all over.

Kind of like a petition but much stronger.

Gotta agree with PatZ on this one - they're doing nothing 10 months out of the year - may as well keep them busy

10 months? What's the 2 months they work?

  It's a great idea but the City voters aren't ready for a write in. It needs to be coordinated and organized. They will just stay home and throw up looking at the record tax bills. And putting up more For Sale signs.

Quoted from 8

Well I have to admit that you've got a cute name there, but the Elections commission wouldn't have to record it as a legitimate vote.

But if every voter wrote in their OWN name, each such vote would be legitimate and would have to be recorded and sent on to the state.

It would be a HUGE amount of work for this do nothing elections commission. And it would send a powerful statement to politicians all over.

Kind of like a petition but much stronger.

Aye it's really not a horrible idea

Quoted from benny salami

10 months? What's the 2 months they work?

Just look at these forums - they spend 2 months trying to convince us, through their respective stooges, that the other candidate sucks and you shouldn't vote for me (ie. mud slinging).