Landlord group chief says critic won't force her out
By Paul Nelson
Published 9:56 pm, Thursday, October 9, 2014
Schenectady
The director of a landlords group is fighting a call from the head of the group's executive committee for her to resign for signing a letter related to a proposed casino that is part of a $300 million waterfront project.
Mohamed Hafez, head of the executive committee for Schenectady Landlords Influencing Change, or SLIC, accused Chris Morris on Tuesday of caving in to pressure from Mayor Gary McCarthy and an executive of the development company behind the project by signing a letter saying that SLIC hasn't come out for or against the casino proposal.
Hafez, a vocal critic of the plan by Rotterdam-based Galesi Group to build on 60 acres on Erie Boulevard, spoke out against the casino at a public hearing in Albany held by the state Gaming Facility Location Board on Sept. 22.
He worries that a casino would ruin neighborhoods and make it more difficult for landlords to collect rent from tenants who squander money at the casino.
Within days, Morris said she received phone calls from McCarthy and David Buicko, Galesi's chief operating officer, asking her about SLIC's position on the casino.
"As a group, SLIC has not taken a stance on the casinos, that's a fact, and the mayor asked me if I would sign a letter to that effect, and I said 'yes,'" said Morris who co-founded SLIC in 2010.
"The main point of the letter is that SLIC has not taken a position on the Schenectady casino."
The two-sentence letter, dated Sept. 25, was taken to her home by a Galesi marketing representative, said Morris.
She requested some minor revisions, which were made, and then signed the document before it was submitted to the state board.
In June, about a dozen members of SLIC had signed a petition against the casino, said Hafez.
Buicko said Tuesday that he had spoken with Morris to find out SLIC's position on the casino. He declined further comment.
McCarthy said he called Morris because he felt Hafez's "representation was incorrect" regarding the number of SLIC members opposed to the casino and that the letter was a way to "clarify the position of the group."
Hafez said Tuesday that Morris should have conferred with the executive committee before signing the letter.
"She's acting on her own and never even called the executive committee to discuss it," said Hafez.
Hafez says Morris' actions are threatening to tear SLIC apart.
"The group is in limbo, emails are going back and forth, but there are still a few people supporting her," he said.
Morris said she plans to stay put. "This is one man standing up, making accusations that are false," she said.
As a director of Schenectady Landlords Influencing Change (SLIC), I am writing the board to address a statement made during the Sept. 22 public comment event. Contrary to public comment made at the event, SLIC has not taken a position on the proposed Schenectady casino, Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor.
Mayor McCarthy has managed to divide and conquer this landlord group called SLIC. McCarthy will do anything he can to destroy landlords. McCarthy doesn't care if the neighborhoods rotten to death as long as he gets the CASINO in Schenectady for his rich billionare political donor friends. Who is Mayor McCarthy? A rich man's Mayor for a poor city!
Hafez, a vocal critic of the plan by Rotterdam-based Galesi Group ... worries that a casino would ruin neighborhoods and make it more difficult for landlords to collect rent from tenants who squander money at the casino.
Lol.
Someone trying to move in on the landlord mafia's territory.
Maybe the casino will have a good effect by forcing people use use less drugs and alcohol, because they lost all their money.
They won't have to worry about property taxes anymore either when they lose their homes gambling.
If McCarthy is getting 500 repossessions a year now, that should double when the casino opens and people start gambling their tax money.
a casino will require the city to increase it's police force/firefighters/city oversight dumb a$$ worker positions/garbage pickup etc etc...
who pays for that? THE TAXPAYERS WITH A TAX INCREASE.....you'll see.....it's what italy has done with the mofiosa
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Italy to Include Prostitution and Illegal Drugs in GDP FREAKONOMICS 06/10/2014 | 9:02 am PRINT SHARE
We have blogged before about the world’s shadow economy, and its estimated worth. Turkish economists Ceyhun Elgin and Oguz Oztunali estimate that off-the-books transactions account for roughly 23 percent of world GDP (short version, full paper). Bloomberg reports that Italy will now begin including its shadow economy in the country’s GDP, in an effort to reduce the national deficit: Italy will include prostitution and illegal drug sales in the gross domestic product calculation this year, a boost for its chronically stagnant economy and Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s effort to meet deficit targets. Drugs, prostitution and smuggling will be part of GDP as of 2014 and prior-year figures will be adjusted to reflect the change in methodology, the Istat national statistics office said today. The revision was made to comply with European Union rules, it said. Renzi, 39, is committed to narrowing Italy’s deficit to 2.6 percent of GDP this year, a task that’s easier if output is boosted by portions of the underground economy that previously went uncounted. Four recessions in the last 13 years left Italy’s GDP at 1.56 trillion euros ($2.13 trillion) last year, 2 percent lower than in 2001 after adjusting for inflation.
Quoted Text
UK To Include $17 Billion Prostitution Industry And Illegal Drugs Trade In GDP Estimates By Philip Ross @ThisIsPRop.ross@ibtimes.com on May 30 2014 4:29 PM
debt A truck illuminated with the amount of Britain's debt passes the Houses of Parliament in London June 2010. Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne promised to bring a record budget deficit of 11 percent of GDP down to 1 percent in 5 years. Reuters For the first time, Britain will consider illegal enterprises, including drugs and prostitution, in its economic measurements, the Office of National Statistics announced Friday.
The statistics office estimates that paying for illegal drugs and sex adds about £10 billion, or $16.7 billion, a year to the UK economy. That’s about 0.7 percent of Britain’s GDP.
Officials say approximately £5.3 billion is attributed to prostitution and £4.4 billion pertains to the import, manufacture and consumption of illegal drugs like heroin and crack cocaine.
Because some of these activities, such as prostitution, are legal in other European Union member states, the move is seen as a way to better assess the UK’s contribution to the EU budget.
In the UK, where prostitution and many narcotics are still legal, the government is using data from police seizures and other sources to estimate how much money these activities are adding to the economy. The government is also considering including other areas of illegal activities, such as illegal gambling and illegally copying software, games, movies and music.
"As economies develop and evolve, so do the statistics we use to measure them," Joe Grice, the chief economic adviser to the Office of National Statistics, told the Associated Press. "These improvements are going on across the world and we are working with our partners in Europe and the wider world on the same agenda."
The UK will join a handful of other European countries whose economic growth estimates include prostitution and illegal drug use. They are Estonia, Austria, Slovenia, Finland, Sweden and Norway.
Britain already counts illegal alcohol and tobacco smuggling in its GDP estimates.
Italy made a similar announcement last week that the country would tally narcotics and sex work into its GDP calculations.
Nevada, the only U.S. state (in some counties) where prostitution is legal, does measure legal prostitution as part of its GDP.
europe IS stagnant......service jobs lead to NO WHERE.....NO WHERE AT ALL......there is no upward mobility.....stagnation...even the rich are stuck with what they have....it has no more value....we could all be trading in buttons/sex/cans/plants/guns etc etc......
FIAT HAS NO VALUE!!!!!!
barter has value
...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
Within days, Morris said she received phone calls from McCarthy and David Buicko, Galesi's chief operating officer...
The two-sentence letter, dated Sept. 25, was taken to her home by a Galesi marketing representative, said Morris.
So the government (mayor) and his super rich political crony basically type a letter, then send someone to this woman's home and make her sign the letter?
So, the city of Schenectady has the socialism: the government appliance store, the government bakery, the government theaters, the government restaurants, the government gin mills, the government hotels, the government hair salons, the government wedding hall.
Now the city has Hitler and his crony, or is it Stalin and his crony, making a private entity speak the goverment's official line?
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.
Mayor McCarthy has managed to divide and conquer this landlord group called SLIC. McCarthy will do anything he can to destroy landlords. McCarthy doesn't care if the neighborhoods rotten to death as long as he gets the CASINO in Schenectady for his rich billionare political donor friends. Who is Mayor McCarthy? A rich man's Mayor for a poor city!
Bravo to Hafetz for speaking the truth. A casino will only further implode the City crushed by 40 years of DEM fiscal incompetence and patronage hiring. Lumpy Kosiur for what? This idiot could barely win a school bored seat and now runs for City Council where he already served up the taxpayers. Lumpy and the undertaker bury the City is Style! Mayor McCheese is finished next year as Roger Hull will be re-elected.
Bravo to Hafetz for speaking the truth. A casino will only further implode the City crushed by 40 years of DEM fiscal incompetence and patronage hiring. Lumpy Kosiur for what? This idiot could barely win a school bored seat and now runs for City Council where he already served up the taxpayers. Lumpy and the undertaker bury the City is Style! Mayor McCheese is finished next year as Roger Hull will be re-elected.
When will Roger "The Ground Hog" Hull raise his head and make an appearance again? If he cared he would be down at the Council Meetings more than never.
Life is tough, but it's tougher when you're stupid - John Wayne
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McCarthy is the worst Mayor in the history of Schenectady and that is a fact. We have not seen a Mayor like McCarthy that panders to billionaires( RUSH CASINO/ GALESI) like how McCarthy has done and in doing so he has turned a blind eye on the city poor community especially the black community. Has anyone gone to Hamilton Hill lately? Summit Ave is like a third world country and a few blocks down downtown is a rich man's paradise! McCarthy represents the rich billionaire donors just like cecilia tkaczyk who's campaign is fully funded by billionaire George Soros. McCarthy doesn't give a rats a$$ about the poor people of schenectady. Remember when McCarthy called a resident retarted at a city council meeting?#out of touch Mayor
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Bravo to Hafetz for speaking the truth. A casino will only further implode the City crushed by 40 years of DEM fiscal incompetence and patronage hiring. Lumpy Kosiur for what?
