Showing posts with label veterans. Show all posts
Showing posts with label veterans. Show all posts
Thursday, November 7, 2019
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Thanking Our Veterans
On
the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 an armistice
between Germany and the Allied nations came into effect. On November 11,
1919, Armistice Day was commemorated for the first time. In 1919,
President Wilson proclaimed the day should be “filled with solemn pride
in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with
gratitude for the victory”. There were plans for parades, public
meetings and a brief suspension of business activities at 11am.
In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving. The Congress also requested that the president should “issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.”
In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving. The Congress also requested that the president should “issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.”
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Veterans Eligible For Free Trip to DC
Hudson Valley Honor Flight has announced its Fall 2015 Washington, D.C. flight schedule and is inviting Greenburgh veterans to participate.
Two flights will take veterans to visit the nation’s war memorials on daylong trips scheduled forSaturday, Oct.10 from Stewart International Airport in Newburgh and Saturday, Nov. 7 from Westchester County Airport in White Plains.
Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) is a nonprofit organization honoring American veterans for all their sacrifices by bringing them to Washington, D.C. to visit their respective war memorials at no cost to them. Each veteran is accompanied by a volunteer, personal “guardian” who is responsible for ensuring that veteran’s trip is a memorable one. Guardians are responsible for covering the cost of their trip.
Applications for veterans can be found on its website: www.hvhonorflight.com and veterans are encouraged to apply quickly as applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis.
To learn more, or apply to participate, call 845-391-0076 or visit: http://hvhonorflight.com.
About Hudson Valley Honor Flight
Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization which “Honors American Veterans” for all their sacrifices. HVHF transports these heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials at no cost to them. Top priority is given to those of the Greatest Generation, that of World War II, and terminally ill veterans from other wars. HVHF plans to take ALL veterans from other wars on future flights. Applications are kept on file. For more information, visit http://hvhonorflight.com
Two flights will take veterans to visit the nation’s war memorials on daylong trips scheduled forSaturday, Oct.10 from Stewart International Airport in Newburgh and Saturday, Nov. 7 from Westchester County Airport in White Plains.
Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) is a nonprofit organization honoring American veterans for all their sacrifices by bringing them to Washington, D.C. to visit their respective war memorials at no cost to them. Each veteran is accompanied by a volunteer, personal “guardian” who is responsible for ensuring that veteran’s trip is a memorable one. Guardians are responsible for covering the cost of their trip.
Applications for veterans can be found on its website: www.hvhonorflight.com and veterans are encouraged to apply quickly as applications will be processed on a first come, first served basis.
To learn more, or apply to participate, call 845-391-0076 or visit: http://hvhonorflight.com.
About Hudson Valley Honor Flight
Hudson Valley Honor Flight (HVHF) is a 501c3 nonprofit organization which “Honors American Veterans” for all their sacrifices. HVHF transports these heroes to Washington, D.C. to visit their memorials at no cost to them. Top priority is given to those of the Greatest Generation, that of World War II, and terminally ill veterans from other wars. HVHF plans to take ALL veterans from other wars on future flights. Applications are kept on file. For more information, visit http://hvhonorflight.com
Monday, May 25, 2015
The Ultimate Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the theme of Memorial Day. The sacrifice of
individuals. The sacrifice of families. The sacrifice of communities. The
sacrifice of a nation. Memorial Day is a time when America’s war heroes reminds
us of the price for freedom. John Quincy Adams once said, “You will never know
how much it has cost my generation to preserve your freedom. I hope you make
good use of it.”
Memorial Day was originally called Decoration Day. It is a
day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of
America. It is often said to be the ultimate sacrifice. Waterloo N.Y. was
officially declared the birthplace of Memorial Day by President Lyndon Johnson
in May 1966. Although, it’s
difficult to prove conclusively the origins of this day.
Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to
honor the dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John
Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The
30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or
otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their
country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every
city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of
Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary
of any particular battle.
On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a
speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the
graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New
York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The
South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days
until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who
died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any
war).
Memorial Day is now observed in almost every state on the last Monday
in May with Congressional passage of the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90
– 363). Sadly, while there were many parades to honor our past heroes, few homes and businesses displayed the American Flag. Let’s hope patriotism is still alive and flourishing in our great country and take pause during the barbecues, beach-going, shopping and relaxation to remember those who have fallen for us so that we can have so much. May God bless them.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Celebrating Our Service Members This Memorial Day
You may find one or more of these charities listed below appealing to you and worthy of your participation. Not sure what you can do? We've highlighted two worthy charities below. Regardless of your choice, you can make a difference either financially or in person.
Please click on a link and follow your heart with your wallet. If you lack funds to donate, many will welcome your time and energy if you can. We have the ability to do so much for so many right here in our own backyard as we celebrate this and every Memorial Day. God bless our troops, their families and America.
Two charities that help our veterans:
Soldier Socks
1127 High Ridge Road, 124 Stamford, Connecticut 06905; Tel - 203-832-2005
Fisher House
Fisher House Foundation, Inc., 111 Rockville Pike, Suite 420, Rockville, Maryland 20850; (888) 294-8560 or (301) 294-8560; Fax: (301) 294-8562
info@fisherhouse.org
info@fisherhouse.org
Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment.
During our research for a list of charities that help our military personnel, we found this page with an incredibly long list of charities for the military:
If the links below do not work, please go directly to the link above and link to the charity of your choice from there.
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Saturday, December 7, 2013
Westhab Retirement
There was a newspaper article in the only daily newspaper left in Westchester that announced the retirement of Robert Miller, the President of Westhab. Frankly, we’re happy to see him and his “backwards” newsboy cap go. His replacement doesn’t promise to be much better. Given Mr Feiner’s desire to further Westhab’s presence in the Town, we wonder if he isn’t the heir apparent as his political career becomes more and more mired in corruption, deals and guilty verdicts?
The article about his retirement quoted Miller saying the Tarrytown Road project was the greatest success of his Westhab career. “It replaced a homeless shelter on that site that we ran for 15 years. Just to replace an emergency housing site with permanent, affordable housing is poetic justice.” Poetic justice? Really? It smacks more of arrogance and neighborhood contempt as they continually ignored or dismissed the residents’ concerns. During all of the public hearings, meetings where Mr Feiner and his Town Board routinely said the decision hasn’t been made yet and they haven’t voted yet. But the decision had been made and they were just placating the residents until they felt the time was right to move forward with their project. Oops, did we say their project? We meant the project.
The article about his retirement quoted Miller saying the Tarrytown Road project was the greatest success of his Westhab career. “It replaced a homeless shelter on that site that we ran for 15 years. Just to replace an emergency housing site with permanent, affordable housing is poetic justice.” Poetic justice? Really? It smacks more of arrogance and neighborhood contempt as they continually ignored or dismissed the residents’ concerns. During all of the public hearings, meetings where Mr Feiner and his Town Board routinely said the decision hasn’t been made yet and they haven’t voted yet. But the decision had been made and they were just placating the residents until they felt the time was right to move forward with their project. Oops, did we say their project? We meant the project.
Fulton Park did resist the
Westhab project, although the majority of who would be their residents were of lesser concern. The only real objection was to not have sex offenders and child molesters living there as they are unwelcome in most neighborhoods for obvious reasons. They are a client staple of Westhab. The proposed
7-story apartment building on .7 acres of land had no flood mitigation considerations. In fact, while they may have installed water cisterns under the facility, they will quickly fill with almost any rainfall. To ensure their building doesn’t flood, they raised the overall height of the building, forcing water to run off into the already flood-ridden neighborhood. The
spot-zoning by the Town Board, the cornucopia of variances requested, a
building design that does not blend with the neighborhood, among other issues, were of similar concern.
A huge issue for the Fulton Park neighborhood was the loss of Fulton Avenue, a two-way roadway adjacent to the property. It has been illegally taken over and used by Westhab as a private parking lot, eliminating a viable exit from Fulton Park. It is viable because the traffic light at Old Kensico Road and Rt 119 only allows three-cars to exit once it turns green. Another major concern was Mr Feiner and the Town Board’s misdirection that this entire project was going to be workforce housing for Greenburgh Municipal employees and Greenburgh residents. Mr Feiner and the Town Board never intended to be and knew so even while they were trying to convince residents otherwise. The Civic Association and its residents constantly unearthed new information, cumulatively proving Mr Feiner and his minions lies. The Fulton park Civic Association was in favor of Greenburgh municipal employees, veterans, teachers and such living there. To date, no Greenburgh residents, Greenburgh municipal employees or veterans have moved into the facility as promised.
A huge issue for the Fulton Park neighborhood was the loss of Fulton Avenue, a two-way roadway adjacent to the property. It has been illegally taken over and used by Westhab as a private parking lot, eliminating a viable exit from Fulton Park. It is viable because the traffic light at Old Kensico Road and Rt 119 only allows three-cars to exit once it turns green. Another major concern was Mr Feiner and the Town Board’s misdirection that this entire project was going to be workforce housing for Greenburgh Municipal employees and Greenburgh residents. Mr Feiner and the Town Board never intended to be and knew so even while they were trying to convince residents otherwise. The Civic Association and its residents constantly unearthed new information, cumulatively proving Mr Feiner and his minions lies. The Fulton park Civic Association was in favor of Greenburgh municipal employees, veterans, teachers and such living there. To date, no Greenburgh residents, Greenburgh municipal employees or veterans have moved into the facility as promised.
During the entire time Westhab and Mr Feiner tried to “railroad” this project down everyone’s throat, Mr Miller fired and replaced Robert Sanborn, his condescending Vice President of Real Estate. He had failed to get the Westhab project going after
two years and was jettisoned when he couldn’t deliver! The Town’s building and zoning codes were the real heroes with this
project. Fulton Park neighbors as well as others in the Town worked diligently to utilize the Town’s building and zoning codes to prevent this debacle from happening. In fact, when claims were made that residents were simply practicing NIMBY-ism, it was often pointed out that many Fulton Park residents previously worked hand-in-hand to help better the lives of the King’s Inn Motel residents, all managed by Westhab. Regardless of the resident’s circumstances, they were invited to celebrate holidays with Fulton Park residents, were coached by them and more. What was the payback for Fulton Park? Toward the end of Westhab’s tenure of “managing” the facility, they housed transitional
prison-released men. The violence from those residents escalated, with County and Greenburgh police having a daily presence there. The noise
and debris increased as well as drug use and illegal sex in cars in the immediate area. Ultimately, Westhab ceased to “police” the location as promised and let it degrade, violating their commitment to the neighborhood and Town.
Mr Miller will enjoy a very handsome retirement paid for by those who believe as a not-for-profit he is doing noble work. Hardly. Management is
well paid and make sure they do not show a profit at the end of the year to be
considered a tax-exempt not-for-profit. If there is a profit, bonuses abound, balancing their profit/loss statements to be -0- dollars. The story the newspaper should have highlighted was
various Fulton Park neighbors’ work performed at no-charge while helping the Westhab’s original clients and how that was thrown back in their faces. Our leadership relies on their warped perspectives to treat our residents with disregard and contempt. Conversely, they treat developers in the highest high regard. Could it be because of donations? When this changes, we may start seeing A Better Greenburgh.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Thank A Veteran
In 1926, the United States Congress officially recognized the end of World War I and declared that the anniversary of the armistice should be commemorated with prayer and thanksgiving. The Congress also requested that the president should “issue a proclamation calling upon the officials to display the flag of the United States on all Government buildings on November 11 and inviting the people of the United States to observe the day in schools and churches, or other suitable places, with appropriate ceremonies of friendly relations with all other peoples.”
A heartfelt, “Thank you!” to all our Veterans.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Beware: Six Constitutional Amendments in November 5th Election
There are six (6) constitutional amendments being presented to New York State voters in the upcoming November 5th elections. Many people we speak to are unaware that there are any constitutional amendments being offered for a vote, let alone six of them. These are not referendums as often referred to by Mr Feiner regarding the 715 Dobbs Ferry Road property that are conveniently worded for a predestined outcome. These are literal changes that will be made to the NYS Constitution and as such, we hope that voters and the electorate in general take these very seriously. They are listed below.
1) Whether to allow up to seven casinos to be built in New York. Currently, non-Native American casinos are unconstitutional, and this amendment would permit the Legislature to approve up to seven new casinos. Currently, the NYS Constitution prohibits gambling, except for (1) parimutuel wagering and horse racing; (2) State lotteries; (3) bingo conducted by certain charitable, non-profit and religious organizations; and (4) games of chance conducted by these same charitable, non-profit, and religious organizations. This proposal would amend the constitution to authorize casino gambling within the state, allowing for no more than seven casinos.
Pros: Upstate economic infusion of jobs, tourism, taxes, limit of 7 casinos in the amendment.
Cons: Increased crime/prostitution/flimflams/loan sharking/drugs, gambling addiction, police costs, little or no real estate improvements as witnessed in the decline of Atlantic City’s blight. There is no legislation, proposals or information other than what the casino industry has presented. There are no details of what would be done and where. The dollar amounts of revenue being proposed include Indian casinos revenue. Nor are the costs to develop these casinos included which would reduce the income projections.
2) Additional Civil Service Credit for Veterans with Disabilities Certified Post-Appointment. The proposed amendment basically allows veterans who serve in civil service positions additional civil service credit for subsequent appointments or promotions.
Pros: It would benefit individuals who, through no fault of their own, were not classified as a veteran with disabilities at the time of their first civil service appointment.
Cons: While we appreciate our veterans, this will increase the cost to taxpayers in civil service salaries. It retroactively removes restrictions to apply for special credits that may have expired or not been applied for.
3) Exclusion of Indebtedness Contracted for Sewage Facilities. The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 5 of the Constitution would extend for ten years, until January 1, 2024, the authority of counties, cities, towns, and villages to exclude from their constitutional debt limits indebtedness contracted for the construction or reconstruction of sewage facilities. Basically, it allows counties, cities, towns, and villages the ability to exclude sewage facility work from being counted as debt.
Pros: The concerns expressed in 1963 when this was initiated with a ten-year cap are still the same today.
Cons: Continue to allow politicians to kick the can down the road for another 10 years, as they have done for the last 40 years. The concerns may be the same but perhaps 40 years was enough time to deal with it.
4) Settling Disputed Title in the Forest Preserve. The proposed amendment to section 1 of article J4 of the Constitution would authorize the Legislature to settle longstanding disputes between the State and private entities over certain parcels of land within the forest preserve in the town of Long Lake, Hamilton County.
Pros: The “Forever Wild” clause of the NYS Constitution forbids the lease, sale, exchange or taking of any forest preserve land. The proposed amendment would allow the legislature to settle 100-year-old disputes between the State and private parties over ownership of certain parcels of land located in the forest preserve, in the town of Long Lake, Hamilton County, by giving up the State's claim to disputed parcels. In exchange for giving up its claim to disputed parcels, the State would get land to be incorporated into the forest preserves that would benefit the forest preserve more than the disputed parcels currently do.
Cons: The statewide vote is violating Home Rule for Long Lake, Hamilton County, by having the entire state decide the fate of one region. We question whether this needs to be a constitutional change or can be addressed by a law from the legislature or a decision from the judicial system.
5) In Relation to a Land Exchange in the State Forest Preserve with NYCO Minerals. Inc. The proposed amendment to section 1 of article 14 of the Constitution would authorize the Legislature to convey forest preserve land located in the town of Lewis, Essex County, to NYCO Minerals, a private company that plans on mining the land. In exchange, the NYCO Minerals would give the State at least the same amount of land of at least the same value, with a minimum assessed value of $1 million to be added to the forest preserve. When NYCO Minerals finishes mining. it would restore the condition of the land and return it to the forest preserve. The back story here is that NYCO Minerals is a producer and supplier of wollastonite (calcium metasilicate), which is a rare, white mineral having commercial application as a reinforcement or additive in ceramics, paints, plastics, friction products and various building products. The Lewis mine produces 60,000 tons of wollastonite annually. NYCO Minerals has indicated that its mine is approaching the end of its pit life because the remainder of the wollastonite vein extends onto adjacent forest preserve land.
Pros: The land swap would preserve jobs in, and preserve a large company/employer in Essex County; provide new access to mountain peaks and trout streams; allow the state to acquire a higher quality of land than it would be trading to NYCO Minerals.
Cons: It is not vital to NYCO Minerals survival; it would diminish the “Forever Wild” clause of the NYS Constitution; it would be giving up forest preserve land to a commercial company. There are also no contracts and only talk of a 1500 acre parcel swap.
6) Increasing Age until which Certain State Judges Can Serve. The proposed amendment to the Constitution, amending sections 2 and 25 of article 6, would increase the maximum age until which certain state judges may serve as follows: (a) a Justice of the Supreme Court would be eligible for five additional two-year terms after the present retirement age of 70, instead of the three such terms currently authorized; and (b) a Judge of the Court of Appeals who reaches the age of 70 in order to complete the term to which that Judge was appointed. Basically, a judge could sit on the bench until age 80 depending on their competency.
Pros: The State Judiciary system would benefit from the experienced judges otherwise lost to mandatory retirement; longer and healthier lifespans enable us to have older and equally capable performance from older judges. The retirement age was adopted when living longer wasn’t as viable.
Cons: Keeping older judges blocks newer judges from moving into those positions at the higher levels. Not passing this forces retirement under the guise of enhancing diversity. Age should not be a penalizing factor of employment for judgeships.
ABG is not telling you how to vote but will detail our thoughts for each issue. 1) At first glance the construction of casinos upstate may seem like a good thing and we’re pretty sure it will pass. However, there are too many questions and bad examples of what happens to casino-laden areas. And, this is New York – predestined to experience the worst of what can go wrong with any project. While many will say it doesn’t affect us because its an upstate issue, we know from experience that it will affect us financially if no other way. We suggest voting no. 2) Additional civil service credits may be a reasonable idea, however, we cannot complain about increased spending and out of control salaries and and pensions and then say yes to this. We suggest voting no. 3) Exclusion of indebtedness is part of what’s wrong with how we as an electorate, and our representatives with our blessing (votes), continue to kick the can down the road. It’s time to stop doing this. Forty years should have been enough time to address any water issues we may have. We suggest voting no. 4 & 5) While we disagree with the state cavalierly making constitutional changes to address land use and land use rights, we particularly disagree with constitutional changes to benefit a commercial entity. We suggest voting no. 6) We believe in and appreciate our seniors, their abilities and knowledge and think it may be wasteful to force their retirement. This change to extend the age limit makes sense and we can support it assuming measures are put in place to evaluate the competency of aging judges.
In the end, our votes will all add up. As we have seen in Town of Greenburgh’s Democratic Primary election, turnout is typically low and voters tend to vote with whomever has the loudest voice. The loudest voice is not necessarily the most honest or sincerest voice. Mr Feiner has proven this to us time and again. But since most voters only read the headline and not the entire story, or tend to believe what they hear, these changes will probably go through. It would be nice if we had representatives who held regular town hall meetings and explained in detail the pros and cons of an issue and listened to our input. New York state doesn’t have that. We used to have three men in a room, which has grown to four men in a room, whose personal interests trump the public’s interests.
Regardless of how you vote, get the facts, read, learn, listen and be critical of what’s presented before you go to your polling location and vote in our 1800’s-style “progressive” voting booth – another example of NYS control gone bad. Please, at least go vote!
1) Whether to allow up to seven casinos to be built in New York. Currently, non-Native American casinos are unconstitutional, and this amendment would permit the Legislature to approve up to seven new casinos. Currently, the NYS Constitution prohibits gambling, except for (1) parimutuel wagering and horse racing; (2) State lotteries; (3) bingo conducted by certain charitable, non-profit and religious organizations; and (4) games of chance conducted by these same charitable, non-profit, and religious organizations. This proposal would amend the constitution to authorize casino gambling within the state, allowing for no more than seven casinos.
Pros: Upstate economic infusion of jobs, tourism, taxes, limit of 7 casinos in the amendment.
Cons: Increased crime/prostitution/flimflams/loan sharking/drugs, gambling addiction, police costs, little or no real estate improvements as witnessed in the decline of Atlantic City’s blight. There is no legislation, proposals or information other than what the casino industry has presented. There are no details of what would be done and where. The dollar amounts of revenue being proposed include Indian casinos revenue. Nor are the costs to develop these casinos included which would reduce the income projections.
2) Additional Civil Service Credit for Veterans with Disabilities Certified Post-Appointment. The proposed amendment basically allows veterans who serve in civil service positions additional civil service credit for subsequent appointments or promotions.
Pros: It would benefit individuals who, through no fault of their own, were not classified as a veteran with disabilities at the time of their first civil service appointment.
Cons: While we appreciate our veterans, this will increase the cost to taxpayers in civil service salaries. It retroactively removes restrictions to apply for special credits that may have expired or not been applied for.
3) Exclusion of Indebtedness Contracted for Sewage Facilities. The proposed amendment to Article 8, section 5 of the Constitution would extend for ten years, until January 1, 2024, the authority of counties, cities, towns, and villages to exclude from their constitutional debt limits indebtedness contracted for the construction or reconstruction of sewage facilities. Basically, it allows counties, cities, towns, and villages the ability to exclude sewage facility work from being counted as debt.
Pros: The concerns expressed in 1963 when this was initiated with a ten-year cap are still the same today.
Cons: Continue to allow politicians to kick the can down the road for another 10 years, as they have done for the last 40 years. The concerns may be the same but perhaps 40 years was enough time to deal with it.
4) Settling Disputed Title in the Forest Preserve. The proposed amendment to section 1 of article J4 of the Constitution would authorize the Legislature to settle longstanding disputes between the State and private entities over certain parcels of land within the forest preserve in the town of Long Lake, Hamilton County.
Pros: The “Forever Wild” clause of the NYS Constitution forbids the lease, sale, exchange or taking of any forest preserve land. The proposed amendment would allow the legislature to settle 100-year-old disputes between the State and private parties over ownership of certain parcels of land located in the forest preserve, in the town of Long Lake, Hamilton County, by giving up the State's claim to disputed parcels. In exchange for giving up its claim to disputed parcels, the State would get land to be incorporated into the forest preserves that would benefit the forest preserve more than the disputed parcels currently do.
Cons: The statewide vote is violating Home Rule for Long Lake, Hamilton County, by having the entire state decide the fate of one region. We question whether this needs to be a constitutional change or can be addressed by a law from the legislature or a decision from the judicial system.
5) In Relation to a Land Exchange in the State Forest Preserve with NYCO Minerals. Inc. The proposed amendment to section 1 of article 14 of the Constitution would authorize the Legislature to convey forest preserve land located in the town of Lewis, Essex County, to NYCO Minerals, a private company that plans on mining the land. In exchange, the NYCO Minerals would give the State at least the same amount of land of at least the same value, with a minimum assessed value of $1 million to be added to the forest preserve. When NYCO Minerals finishes mining. it would restore the condition of the land and return it to the forest preserve. The back story here is that NYCO Minerals is a producer and supplier of wollastonite (calcium metasilicate), which is a rare, white mineral having commercial application as a reinforcement or additive in ceramics, paints, plastics, friction products and various building products. The Lewis mine produces 60,000 tons of wollastonite annually. NYCO Minerals has indicated that its mine is approaching the end of its pit life because the remainder of the wollastonite vein extends onto adjacent forest preserve land.
Pros: The land swap would preserve jobs in, and preserve a large company/employer in Essex County; provide new access to mountain peaks and trout streams; allow the state to acquire a higher quality of land than it would be trading to NYCO Minerals.
Cons: It is not vital to NYCO Minerals survival; it would diminish the “Forever Wild” clause of the NYS Constitution; it would be giving up forest preserve land to a commercial company. There are also no contracts and only talk of a 1500 acre parcel swap.
6) Increasing Age until which Certain State Judges Can Serve. The proposed amendment to the Constitution, amending sections 2 and 25 of article 6, would increase the maximum age until which certain state judges may serve as follows: (a) a Justice of the Supreme Court would be eligible for five additional two-year terms after the present retirement age of 70, instead of the three such terms currently authorized; and (b) a Judge of the Court of Appeals who reaches the age of 70 in order to complete the term to which that Judge was appointed. Basically, a judge could sit on the bench until age 80 depending on their competency.
Pros: The State Judiciary system would benefit from the experienced judges otherwise lost to mandatory retirement; longer and healthier lifespans enable us to have older and equally capable performance from older judges. The retirement age was adopted when living longer wasn’t as viable.
Cons: Keeping older judges blocks newer judges from moving into those positions at the higher levels. Not passing this forces retirement under the guise of enhancing diversity. Age should not be a penalizing factor of employment for judgeships.
ABG is not telling you how to vote but will detail our thoughts for each issue. 1) At first glance the construction of casinos upstate may seem like a good thing and we’re pretty sure it will pass. However, there are too many questions and bad examples of what happens to casino-laden areas. And, this is New York – predestined to experience the worst of what can go wrong with any project. While many will say it doesn’t affect us because its an upstate issue, we know from experience that it will affect us financially if no other way. We suggest voting no. 2) Additional civil service credits may be a reasonable idea, however, we cannot complain about increased spending and out of control salaries and and pensions and then say yes to this. We suggest voting no. 3) Exclusion of indebtedness is part of what’s wrong with how we as an electorate, and our representatives with our blessing (votes), continue to kick the can down the road. It’s time to stop doing this. Forty years should have been enough time to address any water issues we may have. We suggest voting no. 4 & 5) While we disagree with the state cavalierly making constitutional changes to address land use and land use rights, we particularly disagree with constitutional changes to benefit a commercial entity. We suggest voting no. 6) We believe in and appreciate our seniors, their abilities and knowledge and think it may be wasteful to force their retirement. This change to extend the age limit makes sense and we can support it assuming measures are put in place to evaluate the competency of aging judges.
In the end, our votes will all add up. As we have seen in Town of Greenburgh’s Democratic Primary election, turnout is typically low and voters tend to vote with whomever has the loudest voice. The loudest voice is not necessarily the most honest or sincerest voice. Mr Feiner has proven this to us time and again. But since most voters only read the headline and not the entire story, or tend to believe what they hear, these changes will probably go through. It would be nice if we had representatives who held regular town hall meetings and explained in detail the pros and cons of an issue and listened to our input. New York state doesn’t have that. We used to have three men in a room, which has grown to four men in a room, whose personal interests trump the public’s interests.
Regardless of how you vote, get the facts, read, learn, listen and be critical of what’s presented before you go to your polling location and vote in our 1800’s-style “progressive” voting booth – another example of NYS control gone bad. Please, at least go vote!
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