Quoted from Shadow

How about taking that walk from Albany St to Bridge St about midnite if you're so brave.

I am not afraid to walk in the city.

The defenses are more and more idiotic. It would be one thing to pay high taxes for the best services/schools. It's quite another to have the worst schools in Upstate NY and graft filled, unresponsive City government.

      Pat has every right to sound off. The problem is that no one on the other side of the rail is listening. Same problem for decades. The reassessment debacle woke up some people. The pension padding scandal has awoken more. The constant revelations of political pigs stuffing themselves on the taxpayers dime has taken its toll. Now the defenders are under attack. New Mayor/5 new council people!

The Mayor and the Council have to listen to PatZ when she whines and rants and drools  ... but that is
because they were elected to serve.
The rest of us folks tuned her out years ago ... or just listen long enough to get a good laugh.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I am not afraid to walk in the city.

True story...

I went to Appertivo for dinner last week - met a friend at the hotel she was staying at (Hampton Inn), and walked down to the restaurant.

I went to Mont Pleasant back when it was a high school - and I live in the central state street region.  I don't get truly "afraid" of my surroundings easily.  And that night, while walking back to the hotel parking lot, while I was not afraid of the passers by...  I was keenly aware that one of them might just try something - whether it was stealing my friends purse, or harassing us for money.  The streets were pretty barren, which with the absence of others walking with deliberate purpose...  (E.g, they didn't seem like they were going anywhere very fast...)  

It wasn't a real feeling of safety for me.

Quoted from JackBauer

True story...

I went to Appertivo for dinner last week - met a friend at the hotel she was staying at (Hampton Inn), and walked down to the restaurant.

I went to Mont Pleasant back when it was a high school - and I live in the central state street region.  I don't get truly "afraid" of my surroundings easily.  And that night, while walking back to the hotel parking lot, while I was not afraid of the passers by...  I was keenly aware that one of them might just try something - whether it was stealing my friends purse, or harassing us for money.  The streets were pretty barren, which with the absence of others walking with deliberate purpose...  (E.g, they didn't seem like they were going anywhere very fast...)  

It wasn't a real feeling of safety for me.

One must be keenly aware of his or her surrounding no matter where he or she is.   I have lived in Detroit
and Baltimore ... never felt unsafe in either city nor was I ever the victim of a crime in either of those
cities.    When I lived up near Lake Ontario - in a very small community ... lets just say it is even smaller
than small  ... very small ... most of the neighbors were "middle class"  .. that was the only
time in my life that I was ever robbed --- in that case my place was broken into.

They were elected to serve? Who? Themselves. It's kind of hard to lose when running unopposed. Like everyone currently "serving" on the pathetic City Council. When residents speak the DEMS routinely text, joke and doodle. They could care less. They are working together!

     Thankfully, this whole charade is ending in November. Expect more new parties than Hull's Alliance Party. The opposition vacuum must be filled.

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The Mayor and the Council have to listen to PatZ when she whines and rants and drools  ... but that is
because they were elected to serve.
The rest of us folks tuned her out years ago ... or just listen long enough to get a good laugh.

So, DV, you think it was funny when she found out the mayor was SECRETLY sneaking through a raise without the taxpayers approval or knowledge?

SO, you think a request to appropriate powers to have ILLEGAL, SECRET pension padding looked into is not a good idea?

DV, do you believe that elected officials should never be investigated if they violate laws?

DV, do you believe that all the tax exemptions for the well heeled downtown should be kept private and never made public even though it's taxpayers money?

You think people are merely "whining" when they vocally state opposition to mis-using their tax dollars?

Of course, because YOU DON'T PAY TAXES....you have the good llife sponging off a couple reasonably well-off, one who gets paid a very generous pension at the expense of the taxpayers.  Try being an adult, working a real job, trying to support a family, and pay the high taxes in the city on a total household income of $30,000.  Let's see you do that.  You don't have a wife and children that depend on you, you don't have hungry mouths to feed, you don't have children with medical expenses, you don't have a mortgage to pay nor rent to pay, you don't have to pay for day care, you don't have to try to foot the bill for college and pay Schenectady's taxes at the same time.  

When you become and adult and try to support even yourself and pay mortgage and taxes (or high rent because of high taxes), and suffer in this economy without other family members where you have a guaranteed roof of your head, never having to worry about a landlord who is going to cancel your lease, never having to worry about paying a mortgage, etc. then you might be justified saying that people like Pat are merely whining.....however, at that point, you would be saying the same thing as Pat, YOU would be wondering why you're paying high taxes and still struggling while those businessmen don't have a care in the world with their millions and taxpayer paid taxes.

Ron - have a wife and children?? Don't make me ROTFLMAO.  They haven't legalized that in NY yet.

Quoted Text

City Council bars pension abuse
By Lauren Stanforth Staff Writer
Published: 12:00 a.m., Tuesday, December 7, 2010

SCHENECTADY --- The City Council wants to protect itself against future bumps in administrative salaries before employees retire by requiring that Council members approve all overtime and other payments before checks are cut.

The proposed legislation is in response to Fire Chief Robert Farstad previously being allowed by Mayor Brian U. Stratton to collect up to $126,000 in overtime between this year and next to reimburse him for being left out of an enhance retirement system all other firefighters enjoy.

Stratton has said he gave Farstad the deal without Council's approval because it was cheaper for the city than spending an estimated $160,000 to enroll Farstad in the other pension plan, and it was the right thing to do. Farstad is planning to retire in 2011.

City Council President Gary McCarthy proposed a resolution at Monday night's City Council committee meeting that would require Council members to approve all contracts with non-unionized employees, and that the city finance commissioner can not pay employees more than their contracted salaries without a "yes" vote from council members. The Council is expected to vote on the resolution at its regular meeting next week.

"I would call this an interesting progression that brought us to this point," said McCarthy, referring to the controversy surrounding Farstad's payment agreement with Stratton. Stratton recently halted any future overtime for the fire chief after the Times Union and other local media outlets reported about the deal, which had already netted Farstad $47,000 in overtime over the last two years.....................>>>>................>>>>....................http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/City-Council-bars-pension-abuse-864786.php

So let me get this straight...Farstad received $47,000 in illegal overtime for the past 2 years. Now he and the Mayor are caught in this "hidden agenda" budget item and all the council does is say "Don't do it anymore"?!?!? Seriously?!?

If any person takes an $47,000 item out of a store without paying for it, they will be arrested! They don't get to go back into the store and say, "I'll never do this again and this is my plan how I won't do it anymore."

Then the Mayor says that there is no need to look back into past deals?!?!

The reason this City is turning into a toilet is because no one has a backbone and all the petrified s*it is staying afloat. Sad ...totally pathetic!!

So where are the residents with pitchfork storming city hall? And more than that......where is the vocal outrage from the reps?? They just sit back idly. No wonder why they never get elected?

It's too hilarious. Now Mayor SOS is stating that the City Council approved his pension padding because they rubber stamped his budget without objecting. Talk about closing the barn door after the horse left. The finger pointing has begun!

      They all went along. This is exactly why we need the Attorney General to find out what they knew and when they knew it. Working together works! Nobody saw anything and everyone is shocked by the Mayor's actions! Shocked! Resignations?

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

I am not afraid to walk in the city.

You should be. Someone on the Hill might mistake you for the pillsbury dough boy and try to punch your tummy in. Got a watch? Got any kind of jewelry? The 12 year olds would have you face down in an instant, long before any cops would show up to save your sorry a**.

Anyone who makes such a blanket statement is a fool. Even in the GE Realty Plot, burglaries are commonplace. Meanwhile, instead of solutions we get more crapola from Mayor SOS and his useless rubber stamps. Now they have a brand new 10 point plan to stop pension padding! Gee, I thought DEM stooge Della Sala analyzed every line for taxpayer savings?-lol-

     Either the City Council failed to read the budget or was in the bag for this illegal contract which Lauren Stanforth uncovered by actually reading the budget. It's funny to read how the Gazetto foiled for this information. Yeah, by buying a Times Union? The corruption is blatant-it's in full view. We don't need any more transparency. It could not be more obvious or transparent. But the follow up is sorely lacking.

Lots of good people live in Hamilton Hill and Mont Pleasant .... and the other neighborhoods of the city.
I don't let the few "bad apples" spoil my positive attitude ...and as I have said, I have lived in 2 major cities
in my lifetime - Detroit and Baltimore -  if you think Schenectady has problems then you need to check out
those cities.   Is Schenectady perfect no --- is it 100$ safe .. no -- but then neither is Delanson 100% safe.

Bottomline -- I am NOT afraid to walk in the city.

Now ... for those of you folks who seem to have the marshmallow fetish ... you better seek the assistance
of a mental health professional.