Not So Sweet on Caroline

The appointment of Caroline Kennedy to the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton has become an unfortunate fait accompli for New Yorkers, and especially New York’s democrats who are about to get a Senator whose sole qualification for the job is a surname. Don’t get me wrong, American history is full of famous political dynasties. Even in today’s U.S. Senate, names like Bayh, Casey, Clinton, Kennedy, Murkowski and Udall stand out as a testament to America’s deep and abiding love of nepotism.

However, in most cases, these office seekers actually work their way up the ladder before going for the big seats and are usually careful not to offend voters with their presumptuousness. Caroline Kennedy on the other hand, has zero political experience but so much hubris I doubt her head would fit under the Capitol dome. Without ever having served in public office or having done much at all on the public stage, Kennedy now expects, almost as a matter of entitlement to be handed a U.S. Senate seat, as if they were hereditary titles reserved for America’s political royalty.

This should bother democrats, especially after having laughed Sarah Palin off the national stage (and rightfully so) for not having sufficient experience. I would say Caroline Kennedy is in the same league as Palin, but that would be giving credit where credit isn’t due, I’m afraid. And let us not forget that we have just suffered through eight long years of incompetent administration by a patently unfit product of nepotism. One would think that Democrats especially would be tired of seeing the wrong people pushed up the political ladder for the wrong reasons.

Instead, Democrats seem unphased that Caroline Kennedy is about to be anointed Senator, largely as payback for her and her Uncle Teddy’s early support for Barack Obama. That the most unsavory kind of horse-trading and influence peddling went on behind the scenes to help elect the candidate of “change” and “hope” doesn’t leave me feeling too optimistic that the next four years will bring much of either.

The real losers in all of this are the countless New York democrats who are far more deserving of this Senate seat than Caroline Kennedy. New York is full of creative, bright, innovative political talent slogging it out in the real world trying to find solutions to the problems that plague this state. It is a slap in the face to them and a loss to us that they should be brushed aside because Caroline Kennedy woke up and decided she wanted to be a U.S. Senator.

It also wouldn’t hurt to bring some balance to the state by appointing an Upstate democrat to the seat. Think about it, all the top political positions in New York are currently held by Downstaters: Paterson, Smith, Silver, Skelos, Cuomo, DiNapoli, and our Senior Senator Charles Schumer. All of these guys are either from New York City or Long Island.

If ever there was a devastated region in desperate need of a voice it is Upstate NY. Why not put in somebody like Rochester’s congresswoman Louise McIntosh Slaughter, a progressive Democrat who has spent over 20 years in Congress as an advocate for labor, the environment, civil rights, women’s rights and economic justice? The same can be said for Representative Maurice Hinchey of Saugerties, who would be my second choice.

Since Upstate NY’s metropolitan regions have been hit hardest by global economic shifts over the past 30 years, cities like Buffalo, Rochester and Binghamton ought to be tapped as political farm teams for people who know Upstate’s problems and have thought long and hard about how to begin addressing them. Buffalo’s Byron Brown and Binghamton’s Matt Ryan are two examples of progressive Democratic mayors who have tried innovative approaches to solve their cities’ ongoing economic problems.

This is the real tragedy behind Caroline Kennedy’s likely appointment: The loss to our state of a voice who has the experience, the understanding and the will to make a difference where it matters most.

In the coming years, we are going to desperately need leaders who understand the problems that face our communities and, more importantly, understand what is needed to tackle them. It is for this reason that our state and our country simply can not afford to indulge the Park Avenue socialite who wants to play Senator.

Government Positions in Village of Cobleskill to Bring New Residents to Area

Whoever said Schoharie County did not have the economic base to attract residents from outside the region, obviously hasn’t met Bob LaPietra. LaPietra is a part-time resident of Morris, NY and Punta Gorda, Florida. Yet due to a recent job offering he received from the voters of the Village of Cobleskill, LaPietra may soon become a full-time County and Village resident.

All too often, you hear about people packing up and leaving small towns like Cobleskill. It is a rare occasion indeed when you hear about people actually moving in to take jobs. But that is just what Bob LaPietra is doing. Although his dubious residency may have brought him a few legal headaches since allegedly filing false petitions to place his name on the ballot, he remains optimistic about all the possibilities that this new job will offer him.

While some in the Village have sought to prevent Mr. LaPietra from assuming office, due to the questions surrounding his legal residency, Village officials and Schoharie County officials should be looking at this as a potential growth opportunity. Many more jobs in the public sector could be created as a way to bring new people into the area and rejuvenate the local economic base.

In the spirit of the times, I have decided to put my name in the running for Cobleskill Mayor in 2009. That I am legally a resident of the Town of Richmondville shouldn’t really matter. Perhaps I’ll simply squat in the Newberry Square building or rent out a dog kennel at K-9 Cosmetician (Bob LaPietra owns the building) while obtaining the necessary signatures. If anyone has a problem, I’ll just tell ‘em to come on over and sniff my bed linens.

Respect Voters Wishes, No Matter How Dumb

As much as I lament the election results that put Bob LaPietra on the Cobleskill Village Board of Trustees, attempting to enjoin LaPietra from assuming office, as the existing Board members tried, was a foolish maneuver. For the time being, we must accept that the people have spoken (however foolishly) and as a result LaPietra’s service on the Board of Trustees ought to begin when scheduled and continue uninterrupted until the criminal charges against him are proven in a court of law or until he loses an election.

But village officials, including all five current members of the Board of Trustees and Village Attorney Meredith Savitt, claim that if Bob LaPietra is convicted of the numerous felony counts he has been charged with, it will threaten the validity of Board actions undertaken while he was a member. Yes this reasoning seems to reverse the concept of being held innocent until proven guilty. However, it actually is a semi-legitimate reason for keeping LaPietra off the board, in case you think its purely politics.

Having said that, however, the voters of Cobleskill must bear some accountability for electing the man fully knowing what he’s been charged with. I can understand the appeal of laPietra to the average voter. Surely it must have been very psychologically satisfying pulling the lever for LaPietra. Village morale has been low for a long time and any new blood was viewed as a good thing.

LaPietra also very likely benefited from the widespread perception that he was being railroaded for his vocal criticism of Village Board members. The Times-Journal only fueled the fire when it editorialized that the charges against LaPietra were in part attributable to his “lightning rod personality”.

It is understandable that voters want to stand up for the underdog. However, when voters elect a man indicted on over a dozen felony counts, they must bear the responsibility for what happens when and if he is convicted. For that reason, current trustees have no business attempting to spare the village any inconvenience or embarrassment that might arise from LaPietra’s being convicted of the charges against him. He is the now the Village’s cross to bear.

I do hope Cobleskill residents enjoy the press coverage they’re going to get if and when LaPietra is convicted and must be removed from office. I’m sure it will be quite a story on the nightly news. I know I’ll get a kick out of it.

Zoning Out

There are two ways to respond to Governor Paterson’s new cost-benefit requirements for the Empire Zone program. One would be to point out that the Governor is simply cutting funding for economic development under the guise of making the program more efficient and how this will be a tragic loss to Upstate’s struggling economies. Another way to respond, and this would be a lot easier, would be to simply not worry about it, because, at least for Schoharie County anyway, the Empire Zone program has been a big waste of time that has brought nothing but false hopes and some extra paper work.

Statewide, the Empire Zone program has been a mixed bag. It has undoubtedly helped to plug some of the holes on the sinking Titanic that is Upstate NY’s economy. On the other hand, it has also used taxpayers money to lure businesses to communities even though, in many cases, they would have located there anyway.

However, in Schoharie County, the program’s impact has been minimal at best. Sure there has been talk of various projects: a mystery manufacturer in shad point, a water park at Howe Caverns, and a multi-million dollar renovation of Sharon Springs’ old hotels. Some of this might eventually come to fruition, but I wouldn’t hold your breath.

One of the few success stories is along Route 7 near the high school where the Town of Richmondville seems to be on the verge of poaching two companies (Maranatha Fitness and Mill Services) from nearby Cobleskill.

Why has Schoharie County not benefited from its Empire Zones? In part, this is probably because Empire Zone benefits represent a drop in the bucket compared to the incentives that businesses have for leaving Upstate NY, which are many. Another reason is that local officials didn’t do a very good job at determining which land to include in the zones. Empire Zone benefits are a finite resource and are meant for targeted areas. However, in some cases, the Empire Zone-designated areas in Schoharie County included huge swaths of land owned by people with absolutely no interest in selling to developers. $100,000 in zone capital credits for community development projects can be a very beneficial tool for communities. However, Joe the farmer probably isn’t going to have much use for them, especially if he has absolutely no intentions of selling his land.

Perhaps it is time to realize that the Empire Zone is not the best way to solve our state’s economic development problems. All it does is pit communities against each other. In the end, instead of leading to net gains for the state it is likely to lead to net losses as these communities give up more and more concessions to attract companies. In the end, it is a race to the bottom.

This state of affairs can not be laid entirely at the doorstep of the Empire Zone program, although it has arguably exacerbated the problem. The best hope Upstate NY’s communities have right now is making bold and dramatic investments in our infrastructure. This is the only way we can hope to compete with the cheaper labor and weak regulatory environments found in other regions and other countries. A national trade policy that stops making it so easy for American companies to move overseas wouldn’t hurt either.

Capital District Sprawl Spreads its Tentacles

For residents of the remote corner of the Capital District that includes the communities of Duanesburg, Central Bridge, Esperance and southeastern Montgomery County, the proposed Hannaford Grocery store may come as exciting news. Less exciting however is the possibility that one of the few remaining undeveloped areas in the Capital District is about to be paved over to make way for more strip mall banality.

Long neglected by grocery chains due to its low population density, this area has never before had to contend with the effects of big-box commercial development on its communities. But this current proposal is a sign that things are changing and residents really ought to begin thinking about what they want their communities to look like after all this is said and done.

The proposed 35,000 square foot store and accompanying shopping center will be located at the intersection of U.S. Highway 20 and State Route 30, just outside the Village of Esperance. There is currently a Stewarts Shop gas station and a tavern at the intersection. If the Hannaford’s is built, more commercial development near this intersection would be a safe bet.

Unfortunately, since this area is so eager for a local grocery store, you can bet that the Duanesburg Planning Board won’t hold out for a more tasteful site plan or higher architectural standards which might complement the historic Village of Esperance and add more to the area than just another big ugly box.

Instead this will likely be an early sign of what is to come: poorly planned exurban Capital District sprawl. Let me say that I sympathize with area residents who must drive 20 minutes to buy a roll of toilet paper. But how long will it be until Highway 20 in Duanesburg looks like Highway 20 in Guilderland?