Gillen gets a huge salary at taxpayer expense as a reward for ignoring the residents of the city and their neighborhoods.
A highly intelligent budgeting analyst who tells the truth, providing facts and evidence gets fired by the mayor.
One intelligent dem council person with a background in finances looks to be gettinig ousted by his own party---because he won't tow the party line (the party line meaning ignore your constituents but all praise to your rich political cronies)
The city has an over abundance of EXISTING vacant houses and an over abundance of EXISTING vacant apartments (yet the dems want to hike the taxes on the financially struggling homeowners in order to build more apartments and then exempt the owners of those apartment from paying taxes).
The CEO of Proctors get's paid almost a quarter of a million dollars in salary from the taxpayers, refuses to pay any taxes, lies to government about having residential homeownership and tax exemptions, and then makes volunteers pay to volunteer?
While tax money is spent on Erie Blvd, the city can't even keep up with maintaining the houses it owns because people have lost their homes due to the increases in taxes to fund downtown.
The tax base in the city is in free fall
Home values are dropping by the moment and the mayor won't allow a reassessment.
Homes, especially those in the desirable neighborhoods, sit on the market for a year or more---proof that NO ONE wants to buy a house IN the city
Taxes are almost the highest in the whole country.
This mayor has rung in the new year with the great news that the median sale price in the city has fallen to $57,000.
A renaissance? ROFL
If the city is ever going to improve, these facts need to be made to each and every homeowner and resident in the city. I'd guess a control board will be in the city very soon
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Those apartments down on Union Street are an eyesore. If they had just faced them toward the main street, it wouldn't be so bad, but you get a nice view of the backyards of commercial buildings, trash, parking, and utility meters. Look at some of the lovely facades people have gone to the trouble of maintaining along that corridor, and then that mess. They should've just cleaned up the buildings that were there. They displaced a tax paying business for that also. Can't have businesses downtown.
the corporate welfare is gigantic and it comes from the feds/the state/the county.....as long as schenectady is producing 1/2 valued human jobs supported by government subsidies everyone is 'richly happy'......
raising the minimum wage will result in the SAME system with a perceived good outcome
...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
Gillen gets a huge salary at taxpayer expense as a reward for ignoring the residents of the city and their neighborhoods.
A highly intelligent budgeting analyst who tells the truth, providing facts and evidence gets fired by the mayor.
One intelligent dem council person with a background in finances looks to be gettinig ousted by his own party---because he won't tow the party line (the party line meaning ignore your constituents but all praise to your rich political cronies)
The city has an over abundance of EXISTING vacant houses and an over abundance of EXISTING vacant apartments (yet the dems want to hike the taxes on the financially struggling homeowners in order to build more apartments and then exempt the owners of those apartment from paying taxes).
The CEO of Proctors get's paid almost a quarter of a million dollars in salary from the taxpayers, refuses to pay any taxes, lies to government about having residential homeownership and tax exemptions, and then makes volunteers pay to volunteer?
While tax money is spent on Erie Blvd, the city can't even keep up with maintaining the houses it owns because people have lost their homes due to the increases in taxes to fund downtown.
The tax base in the city is in free fall
Home values are dropping by the moment and the mayor won't allow a reassessment.
Homes, especially those in the desirable neighborhoods, sit on the market for a year or more---proof that NO ONE wants to buy a house IN the city
Taxes are almost the highest in the whole country.
This mayor has rung in the new year with the great news that the median sale price in the city has fallen to $57,000.
A renaissance? ROFL
If the city is ever going to improve, these facts need to be made to each and every homeowner and resident in the city. I'd guess a control board will be in the city very soon
This should be on every flier for the people running for City Council in the fall. Would be nice if the homeowners were actually aware of the corruption and nonsense which is crippling their checkbooks every quarter.
I went by those apartments on Union Street during the daytime yesterday. Now they face a parking lot, what luxury. Who paved that lot? Did they pay for the demolition of that building that "had to be taken down" after that mysterious fire in the building next door? What amazing planning. A parking lot. The market, I noticed, moved to the other side of Union Street. I also noticed that the other corner on the same block as the 'high end' (that doesn't mean luxury, btw, it means "overpriced") apartments, is some kind of institution or other, with some rather destitute looking men hanging around on the street in front. Yeah, "empty-nesters" with bucks can't wait to move back into the city with such desirable living quarters on offer.
I went by those apartments on Union Street during the daytime yesterday. Now they face a parking lot, what luxury. Who paved that lot? Did they pay for the demolition of that building that "had to be taken down" after that mysterious fire in the building next door? What amazing planning. A parking lot. The market, I noticed, moved to the other side of Union Street. I also noticed that the other corner on the same block as the 'high end' (that doesn't mean luxury, btw, it means "overpriced") apartments, is some kind of institution or other, with some rather destitute looking men hanging around on the street in front. Yeah, "empty-nesters" with bucks can't wait to move back into the city with such desirable living quarters on offer.
BINGO!!!!!!!
...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
Contact: Ray Gillen, Metroplex (51 377-1109 (51 461-7137 (cell)
More Development Headed to Lower State Street in Downtown Schenectady
Former Spencer Business School Building to Be Converted to Loft Apartments
Schenectady, N.Y., February 8, 2013 -- The Schenectady County Metroplex Development Authority today announced that the 14,000 square foot former Spencer Business School Building at 202 State Street in Downtown Schenectady will be converted into 11 loft style apartments as a result of a $1 million private investment. The project will be reviewed by the Schenectady Planning Commission later this month with work scheduled to begin in the spring.
The project will be undertaken by Chris Maddalone and Charles Rosenstein. The development team recently completed the renovation of 12 apartments on Lafayette Street in downtown Schenectady and 8 new town homes on the corner of Union and Barrett Street also in downtown Schenectady. All 20 units are leased up.
“This project adds to the momentum that is building on lower State Street,” said Ray Gillen Metroplex Chair. “We appreciate this latest project by the Maddalone/Rosenstein team as they have an excellent track record in building and renovating downtown residential units.”
The two partners have also completed 23 residential units in the City of Albany.
“I am very excited about this project and the continuing improvement of the downtown area. As Schenectady County continues to attract new business it drives the need for new high quality housing,” said Chris Maddalone.
“This is another great win for our unified economic development team and our efforts to continue the revitalization of downtown across Erie Boulevard and onto Lower State Street,” said Marty Finn, Schenectady County Legislator and Chair of the Committee on Economic Development and Planning."
Chuck Rosenstein said, “We look forward to continuing the success that we have had with our project at the Town Homes of Union Square. We believe the need continues to grow for downtown residential living and this project at 200 State Street will continue to meet that need.”
The latest project involves a major renovation of 200 State Street creating 11 loft apartments in the three story building which is now vacant. The first floor will be renovated as retail space. The former WGY Stamp building at 142 State Street which is in very poor condition will be torn down. The building is an eyesore and hurts redevelopment efforts on lower State Street. Once demolition is complete, the lot will be used for parking and will be landscaped to create an attractive green space at the corner of South Ferry and State Street.
Metroplex will provide an $85,000 grant toward the $1 million project costs. In addition, a façade matching grant will assist with exterior improvements planned at 200 State Street.
The 200 State Street project is the latest in a series of new investments in lower State Street as the third stage of downtown development efforts gets underway.
Phase I involved the Broadway entrance to downtown, the Proctors Block, moving down Jay Street to the new Golub Corporation headquarters. Phase II is the renovated Erie Boulevard from an expanding GE Energy Campus to a rejuvenated Alco site. Lower State is Phase III.
A major façade improvement project by Metroplex and the building owner has been completed at the Stockade View Apartments, one of the largest buildings on lower State Street immediately adjacent to the former WGY Stamp building at 145 State Street. Madison Handbags has renovated the vacant Girl Scouts building at 131 State Street also with an assist from Metroplex. Schenectady County Community College (SCCC) is renovating 201 State Street. Transfinder plans to purchase and renovate 263 State Street using a recently awarded Regional Council Economic Development grant. The bus station on lower State is undergoing a renovation, the former state Armory is being redeveloped and Liberty Park will be expanded and renovated. The former YMCA Building at 13 State Street will be renovated once the renovation of 845 Broadway is completed allowing the residential program operated by the Capital District YMCA to be relocated. A new $11 million student residence complex is also part of the resurgence taking place in lower State Street.
Additional projects in the area will be announced by Metroplex in coming months.
Yeah, Metroplex has an obligation to the taxpayers to report the occupancy rate of the apartments that the taxpayers already paid to have created downtown and Metroplex has an obligation to the taxpayers to explain why the millionaire developer/owners of such apartments who would be taking in revenue, do not have to pay taxes on that revenue.
Gillen would probably think that since not all apartments are occupied, the owner is exempt.
A typical (good) landlord in the city does NOT get a tax exemption when one or more of their apartments is vacant. Think of a couple who might own a two family house and they live in one flat, but the other is vacant, does that couple get an exemption from paying taxes because they are not getting revenue from the other flat? Of course NOT ! And many such couples probably only have incomes of about $40,000 per year. And without the rent, the couple might have a hard time paying the taxes, and if they pay late, they pay penalties an interest on top of the principal.
But McC and Gillen exempt millionaires from paying taxes when they are causing home values to plummet.
Somthing wrong with this picture?
Optimists close their eyes and pretend problems are non existent. Better to have open eyes, see the truths, acknowledge the negatives, and speak up for the people rather than the politicos and their rich cronies.
Logged
377-1109 
