Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity need to be reminded that under the GOP mayors Schenectady ended up with a 10 million structural budget deficit --- downtown was a ghost town --- jobs were leaving the city at record pace ------>>>>   and it seems that they want to go back to those days.      There must be something funny in the tea that they are drinking.

This is akin to an argument that says "Lincoln got us into a civil war so lets not go back to having a Republican president!"


That crap only works for so long. Al J and Duci are not even involved in the GOP anymore. Their circle is well dispersed. Tom Buchanan was in high school when Duci was mayor, it is all so predictable when you have no record but a bad one to run on!

Quoted from DemocraticVoiceOfReason

The Nattering Nayboobs of Negativity need to be reminded that under the GOP mayors Schenectady ended up with a 10 million structural budget deficit --- downtown was a ghost town --- jobs were leaving the city at record pace ------>>>>   and it seems that they want to go back to those days.      There must be something funny in the tea that they are drinking.

I guess you don't remember that it was GE's adios to schenectady that actually killed the city. No more jobs, no more money....hence, no more buying from the downtown businesses. Only a dimwit would blame downtown's downfall on a political party.

IT WAS GE!!!

When both GE and ALCO were operating at full strength Schenectady was a booming city.

Quoted from Shadow

When both GE and ALCO were operating at full strength Schenectady was a booming city.

because that's how it works.....a city isn't built on waiting tables...oh Waite, maybe it is,,,Waite for it,,,,Waite for it....Waite......

we are still waiting.....Waite-ing

The circle remains unbroken. The City still has a $10 million deficit. After 7 years of Stratton's "team" they will still have to borrow to meet operating expenses. Just like under Al. Blame it on State mandates.

     Downtown has nice facades but no jobs-no taxes generated-no one on the sidewalks lunchtime. Of course taxes and crime are 75% higher. But why complain? Ain't the new curbs grand?

Quoted from Shadow

When both GE and ALCO were operating at full strength Schenectady was a booming city.

And then New York and Schenectady began strangling industry with their pro union anti business policies.  GE is making more money than ever...Just not in NYS.

Quoted from CICERO

And then New York and Schenectady began strangling industry with their pro union anti business policies.  GE is making more money than ever...Just not in NYS.

TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quoted from CICERO

And then New York and Schenectady began strangling industry with their pro union anti business policies.  GE is making more money than ever...Just not in NYS.

And paying less taxes. Under Obama their corporate tax rate is the lowest of any major US corporation.

I don't think that any business can make any money in NYS with the anti-business laws that are in this state. GE pulled out most of it's business and moved it south or overseas for cheaper labor and better tax breaks.

Any dimwit can figure out that when GE left....they left tens of thousands of people unemployed. Families with less or no income and no jobs! There was a deficit because schenectady lost it's major tax base! People had no money to spend. This would have resulted no matter what political party was in office.

Now into the present time......there still are families with less or no income or jobs. Short of a few gin mills and restaurants, there is nothing...nadda....zippo....zero!!

What we do have now is the highest taxed county in the state!! Roads that are a mess. Vacant homes and buildings evey where.Snow removal is inadequate. A corrupt and impotent police department. Drug dealers, prostitutes and panhandlers on street corners. Shooters still at large. An overflowing DSS building. A school system that cant graduate half of their kids.  And to add insult to injury, arrogant, disrespectful, self serving elected officials!! Things are sure better now...eh?

Agreed that after GE left, downtown was a ghost town. THERE WERE NO JOBS OR MONEY TO SPEND! But people outside of downtown felt safe and had a better life and lower taxes. Today, 2 blocks of downtown 'look pretty' but for the people that are still here....their way of life has been nothing but declining.

But hey.....at least Proctors is showing Lion King!!!
TAXPAYERS, TAKE A BOW!! YOU MADE IT ALL HAPPEN!!! >

I drove through downtown this evening and it really struck me....

That WOW it did look great, such phenomenal progress.

And it was all over after three traffic lights.

Really though I was struck by the completely different look versus 10 years ago, but then amazed when you think of all that "progress" is confined to two blocks, and there were 10's of millions of dollars spent for that, while the rest of the city falls apart.

Reminded me of "The Royale"  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royale

An artificial bubble of life created on a planet with a poisonous, ultra cold gaseous atmosphere.

Quoted from JackBauer

I drove through downtown this evening and it really struck me....

That WOW it did look great, such phenomenal progress.

And it was all over after three traffic lights.

Really though I was struck by the completely different look versus 10 years ago, but then amazed when you think of all that "progress" is confined to two blocks, and there were 10's of millions of dollars spent for that, while the rest of the city falls apart.

Reminded me of "The Royale"  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Royale

An artificial bubble of life created on a planet with a poisonous, ultra cold gaseous atmosphere.

good description....my brain took a picture of it

Quoted Text

Stratton bails on Sch’dy for cushy patronage job

    Re Feb. 10 article, “Stratton to quit as mayor”: Well, citizens, it just won’t go away. The big, ugly head of closed-door political cronyism is alive and well.
    You’ve got [Mayor] Brian Stratton dumping the mayoral job [for] the city of Schenectady because he knows they are in dire financial trouble. He wants to get out before the pot boils over.
    He jumps into the soothing arms of the state taxpayers. He lands a cushy, high-paying job as head of the Canal Corp. — a job he knows little or nothing about.
    He will be in charge of, um … water. He will oversee the operation of the locks, where they push a button to raise the water level or push a button to lower the water level. He will retire with many handshakes and thanks for his public service and take a big fat state pension with him. Ugh!

    GEORGE LYMAN
    Halfmoon

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00707&AppName=1

Quoted Text

As mayor, Stratton was a government accountant’s model

    Re Feb. 13 article, “Stratton faced down police force, shored up city’s fi nances”: Gazette reporter Kathleen Moore did a very good piece on Brian Stratton’s tenure as mayor of Schenectady. You could probably dedicate several pages to his accomplishments over these last seven years.
    In 2008 the New York Capital Chapter of the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) recognized the mayor’s efforts and awarded him its highest acknowledgment, the Outstanding Achievements in Government Accountability Award.
    The following year, national AGA, which boosts over 15,000 members nationwide and the Pacific Rim, presented the mayor with its Distinguished Local Government Leadership Award to formally recognize “Mayor Stratton’s efforts to revitalize Schenectady, which was on the brink of fi nancial collapse with a projected $10.2 million deficit and the lowest credit rating in the state when he took over as the city’s chief executive; for his dedication to city residents and improving their quality of life; for bringing accountability and transparency back into government fi nancial management; and for restoring integrity and pride in the city.”
    Recently, we began working with the mayor on an initiative to produce a public document that the AGA calls its Citizen Centric Report. This initiative is intended to foster innovative means of communication between governments and their citizenry. AGA believes that government fi nancial information should be provided to citizens in forms that are clear and understandable, updated regularly and often, delivered to all, easy to locate, honest in breadth and technically accurate in detail.
    In fact, as the owners of government, citizens have a right to this information. Traditionally, financial information has been presented in forms accessible only to trained accountants — reams of information, which, though vital, has little meaning for the average person.
    We wish the mayor continued success in his next endeavor at the state Canal Corporation. We also hope to continue the dialogue with City Hall on developing a Citizen Centric Report that details government finances and performance in a visually appealing, clear and understandable four-page document.

RAYMOND HARRIS
Glenville
The writer is director of Chapter Operations for AGA.

http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r00903&AppName=1