THE "PORK" IN NEW YORK, Thoughts of an older American on Constitutional Government in the USA Options

[Livyjr]

"Day 183: Has anything changed?"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 1:23 p.m., Sunday, July 1, 2007

ALBANY -- Robert Evans of Pulaski has seen another two big employers in central New York close so far this year.

His 24-year-old son, with a new computer degree from Morrisville State College, is still talking about moving out of state for a job he figures will pay him two or three times what he makes in Oswego County.

But the 50-year-old bus driver said turning around the upstate economy and keeping young educated New Yorkers here -- two of freshman Gov. Eliot Spitzer's biggest campaign pledges -- won't be a quick fix even for the Democrat who promised to change everything on Day One.

"That's being idealistic," said Evans, an independent who voted for Spitzer and supports Republican President Bush.

"There's nothing that changes overnight."

Evans reflects polls continuing to show Spitzer's high popularity, although the success of his hard-charging with the Legislature is now questioned by most voters in a Quinnipiac University poll a week ago.

Six months into the Spitzer administration -- 183 days to be exact -- comes with mixed results that have disappointed even Spitzer supporters.

It adds up to an uncertain future for what was supposed to be an uncommon time for state government and New Yorkers.

"The public doesn't watch with a scorecard like insiders do."

"But I think there is a general sense he didn't accomplish what he set out to do," said pollster Lee Miringoff, head of Marist College's Institute for Public Opinion.

But he added: "He's trying a different way ..."

"That jury is still out."

"The first six months aren't telling the future as much as they are saying there was a little bit more of a learning curve than expected."

The message was delivered in bold face: A recent New York Post headline put it: "Eliot a `loser' since Day 1," referring to legislative leaders' wins over Spitzer in a "disastrously unproductive legislative session."

A Glens Falls Post Star editorial stated: "New Gov. Eliot Spitzer's promising first semester recessed with a surprising lack of accomplishment."

Grumpy Albany insiders can eventually affect even a governor more focused on popular support outside the capital.

As Republican Gov. George Pataki and Democratic Gov. Mario Cuomo learned, the general public tends to eventually listen to the negative and blame the governor for gridlock.

Certainly Spitzer, the gang-busting attorney general whose campaign soundtrack was Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down," set high expectations.

He targeted Albany for reform and promised to reinvigorate the Empire State.

"No opponent of Spitzer was able to get a toe hold," said Erika Rosenberg of the independent Center for Governmental Research in Rochester.

"Certainly he set that as a high bar for himself, to be a very strong force right the beginning."

She said business leaders who supported Spitzer are now divided because although he drove property taxes down, the business breaks he promised have met compromise or gridlock.

Government reform groups are disappointed in the ethics reform law and lack of change in campaign finance law, but still consider him their best hope.

Schools, however, are ecstatic that Spitzer helped break the logjam for billions more in aid.

Spitzer maintains everything did change Day One, because the "thing" most important was not playing Albany's game, but breaking it.

That included calling the Legislature cowardly, prisoners of special interests, and lazy -- and facing the backlash.

"We have made dramatic progress," he said last week, acknowledging there are "other issues where we have yards to go, maybe football fields to go."

Spitzer said his top priorities, including reviving the upstate economy, depend on reform of Albany.

"Changing the ethical construct of our government is an objective that we must rise to," Spitzer said.

"Until we do that, the public won't have the necessary confidence in our decision making."

In his first month, Spitzer brought legislative leaders together for agreements on long-standing reforms of lobbying, ethics, and budget crafting.

But in February, he lost a nasty standoff with the Senate and Assembly over selection of a state comptroller.

And in June, he lost another name-calling showdown with Republican Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno when Spitzer's campaign finance reform was blocked in the Senate.

"What did he do in six months?" asked Bruno, Spitzer's most vocal opponent.

"Nothing."

Bruno accuses Spitzer of plotting to flip the Senate majority to Democrats and has called the governor a rich kid too used to getting his own way, a bully, and dictatorial.

The feud appears to have strengthened Bruno in his conference after early 2007 included talk of a challenge to his leadership and a continuing FBI investigation into his relationship with a businessman who is a Republican donor.

"Obviously," said Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, a Spitzer ally, "there is a difference between being attorney general and governor."

"I think he had a great transitional year and he'll do bigger and better things."

"There are cuts and bruises," Silver of Spitzer's learning curve.

But now, "I think he understands who he's dealing with."

State Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long, who has sided with Spitzer on a few issues, called the Democrat's first six months "a failure."

"The issues were very similar when Pataki came in: Tax cuts were needed, spending cuts were needed."

"To Gov. Pataki's credit, he really did an excellent job in doing that the first year."

"But it wasn't Pataki who rode into Albany and did that all by himself."

"He had a lot of institutional people who knew how to get it accomplished."

Pataki's first six months in 1995 included: A three-year, 25-percent cut in the income tax worth $4 billion; a state budget two months late with a 2.2 percent increase in spending; movement on a death penalty (ultimately adopted in September).

Spitzer's first six months included: $1.3 billion in property tax relief; changes in worker's compensation that cut employer costs and increased benefits; civil confinement of the most dangerous sex offenders after their sentences; tighter ethics; a budget that was a half-day late with an 8.2 percent increase.

"I think he regained his balance," said Gerald Benjamin, a political scientist at the State University of New York at New Paltz.

"I'm not willing to say this guy isn't an effective governor."

"I'm going to wait and see."

"I think he needs to fight," said Evans, the Pulaski bus driver.

"I haven't given up on him.

[Livyjr]

"N.Y. Senate leader accused of using state aircraft on fundraisers"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 5:04 p.m., Sunday, July 1, 2007

ALBANY -- State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno is accused of using state aircraft to attend Republican fundraisers, a possible violation of state ethics codes and of state law, according to a newspaper's report.

The case will likely be referred to the state Inspector General's Office or state Attorney General's Office on Monday, according to a state source who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the referral hadn't yet been ordered.

Bruno, Albany's top Republican, was accused of misuse of taxpayer-paid aircraft to fly to Manhattan fundraisers while certifying that he was on official state business, according to a report in Sunday's Albany Times Union citing state records.

Bruno has a state Senate office in Manhattan.

Bruno also used state cars with a state driver to get from heliports in Manhattan to fundraisers and elsewhere, according to the newspaper.

In detailed accounts, the newspaper reported three occasions in May when Bruno used state aircraft on trips to Manhattan that included fundraisers.

In all, documents showed Bruno and his top aides used state aircraft 11 times in the first five months of this year, according to the newspaper.

"On those days, we met with government officials and did legislative business," Bruno spokesman John McArdle said Sunday.

"The notion that he uses the helicopter for personal use is nonsense."

McArdle said that on the three trips Bruno spoke with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, officials in the New York Racing Association and toured Aqueduct race track.

In general, he said Bruno routinely also meets with civic groups, newspaper editorial boards and others related to state business.

McArdle wouldn't release details of the government business done on each of the three days that were the basis of the article in the biggest circulation newspaper in his district.

He said Bruno won't release that detail because Gov. Eliot Spitzer doesn't.

The Rensselaer County Republican's spokesman told the newspaper that the senator has received numerous death threats and so is provided state police security details.

If the trips are proven to be for political fundraisers rather than authorized state business, Bruno could have violated the Code of Ethics of State Public Officers Law and could face a fine or removal from office.

Any violation could also break state laws against defrauding government, the kind of case that was brought against Democratic state Comptroller Alan Hevesi last year.

Hevesi resigned in December following a scandal in which he used state employees as drivers and companionship for his wife for years.

Hevesi pleaded guilty to a felony in an agreement that allowed him to avoid prison time but pay a $5,000 fine.

Hevesi also agreed not to take office Jan. 1 for the second term he won in the November election despite the scandal.

In October, Bruno said Hevesi should resign before conviction or state action because his failure to reimburse the state for the use of the staffer represents "a serious breach of the public trust."

Bruno and Spitzer have been in conflict this year, clashing over spending and legislation since February.

Bruno also is contending with a continuing FBI investigation into his relationship with a businessman who is a Republican donor.

The newspaper also examined the travel records of other statewide officials.

It found Spitzer used state aircraft 19 times in the first five months of the year alone, and at least part of one trip was political, according to the Times Union.

A portion of the seven flights by Democratic Lt. Gov. David Paterson included a brief political stop, but neither used the trips to raise money for their own campaigns.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver didn't use state aircraft, according to the records.

------

Information from: Times Union, http://www.timesunion.com

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK POST

"GOV PLAYS DIRTY POOL VS. BRUNO"

July 2, 2007 -- GOV. Spitzer's repeated attacks last week against Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno were filled with distortions, half-truths and, in one case, an outright falsehood, a review of his claims shows.

Spitzer, in a mocking PowerPoint presentation delivered to audiences around the state, claimed Bruno (R-Rensselaer) and the Senate Republicans had voted to raise their own pay even while refusing to undertake official business, had approved the building of "dirty coal" power plants, and had prematurely ended the legislative session in order to begin their summer vacations.

The governor made the pay-raise claim based on the Senate's approving a measure its leaders said was submitted by Court of Appeals Chief Judge Judith Kaye, seen as a Spitzer ally.

The measure, which has not been approved by the Democratic-controlled Assembly, would provide an immediate pay raise for all state judges and set up a commission that could recommend pay raises for all other state officials, including lawmakers, whose pay was last raised in 1999.

Spitzer also claimed that the Republicans "called it quits before the full work week was over" last month when they ended the Senate's regular session.

However, the Senate was sticking to the Legislature's official calendar when it ended its regular session last month, which the Assembly did a day later.

And at the time of the recess, Bruno said he would have kept the Senate at the Capitol if agreements had been reached with Spitzer on important issues.

Spitzer has also repeatedly claimed that Bruno and Senate Republicans favored the building of "dirty coal"-fired electrical generating plants that would belch disease-causing and global-warming-inducing gases across the state.

But the measure backed by Bruno requires any new coal plant built in New York to meet all existing state and federal emission standards and to use the best available pollution-control technology.

In addition, the Natural Resources Defense Council, a leading environmental group, backed the measure when it was first introduced.

fredric.dicker@nypost.com

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07022007/news/...c_u__dicker.htm

[Livyjr]

"Bruno, Spitzer fight takes another step"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 5:12 p.m., Monday, July 2, 2007

ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Monday said investigators will review records cited in a published report that show Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno used state aircraft to attend Republican fundraisers in Manhattan.

Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp said investigators from the state Attorney General's Office and for the Albany County District Attorney's Office, both headed by Democrats, asked for the documents that are stored with the executive branch.

Dopp said investigators will review the records to see if Bruno's stated reason for use of the state helicopter -- "legislative business meetings" -- was valid.

Spitzer also ordered a risk assessment on Bruno, who has defended his use of state police transportation and security while in New York City because of numerous death threats over several years.

The Democratic governor said no threat assessment had been done for Bruno, Albany's top Republican.

Bruno has, in turn, accused Spitzer of using state aircraft for political trips.

Spitzer said he will turn over his itineraries for those days, showing the state work during those trips even if visits to political fundraisers for others were included.

Bruno, calling Spitzer a "rich, spoiled brat," said he will also provide the information to "appropriate" authorities.

Bruno said it will show he was on state business in full compliance with the law even through he attended political events afterward.

Bruno said that way he avoids an overnight stay and loss of productivity.

"I'm not concerned about anything," Bruno told reporters.

"We have not done anything illegal, we have not done anything improper."

Asked if he'd ever used state aircraft only for political events, Bruno said: "Of course not."

"That would be just plain stupid.

"It's against the law."

"It would be criminal," Bruno said.

"It would be dumb for anyone (to be) stupid enough to advance that somebody would do that ..."

"I don't care if it was the governor himself."

The latest in an escalating conflict between Bruno and Spitzer surrounds three specific trips identified in Sunday's Times Union of Albany.

If the trips are proven to be for political fundraisers rather than authorized state business, Bruno may have violated the Code of Ethics of State Public Officers Law and could face a fine or removal from office.

Any violation could also break state laws against defrauding government.

He said Monday that although he'll meet with the governor any time, he's not going to give in during the most contentious political battle in Albany in recent memory.

"He started it," Bruno said.

Spitzer, in his New York City office, didn't directly respond to Bruno.

"I don't think it does either of them any good," said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute and a former New York political reporter.

"When people see snipe, snipe, snipe, I think it sort of turns them off overall -- on both the target and the arrow."

The squabbling threatens to stall several initiatives left undone when the Legislature adjourned June 21.

The list starts with Bruno's opposition to Spitzer's campaign finance package that Bruno said would strike at the heart of support for his dwindling GOP majority in the Senate.

Bruno accused Spitzer of failing to negotiate any of a dozen or more major measures without first accepting the Spitzer campaign finance plan.

Spitzer countered that Bruno had gone "on vacation" with major issues left undone.

Other issues left unsettled are a single strategy to revive the upstate economy; a death penalty for cop killers; a $200 million property tax for seniors; and a capital construction budget that provides nearly $1 billion in borrowing for public projects at colleges and elsewhere.

Most immediate is a New York City plan to create tolls in much of Manhattan to reduce traffic and air pollution as part of a national pilot program that could bring $500 million in federal funds to New York.

Bruno said he has "penciled in" July 16 to vote on needed legislation by the federal deadline, but negotiations have all but stopped.

"I think I can get along with anybody," Bruno said.

"But ... if he or anyone else thinks that they are going to 'knock me out so that I can't get up' and I can't function, well, they're wrong," Bruno said.

"I told the governor directly, I have dealt with bullies, and rogues and thugs most of my life," Bruno said, calling Spitzer an elitist.

"I grew up in the toughest part of Glens Falls next to the boxcars, where kids would come up to you when you weighed 90 pounds and they weighed 120 and just punch you right in the mouth, just because you were Italian, or just because you lived next to the boxcars, or just because they felt like it."

"That's how I grew up."

"So swing away."

[Livyjr]

"Bruno, Spitzer fight takes another step"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 5:12 p.m., Monday, July 2, 2007

ALBANY -- Gov. Eliot Spitzer on Monday said investigators will review records cited in a published report that show Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno used state aircraft to attend Republican fundraisers in Manhattan.

"I told the governor directly, I have dealt with bullies, and rogues and thugs most of my life," Bruno said, calling Spitzer an elitist.

"I grew up in the toughest part of Glens Falls next to the boxcars, where kids would come up to you when you weighed 90 pounds and they weighed 120 and just punch you right in the mouth, just because you were Italian, or just because you lived next to the boxcars, or just because they felt like it."

"That's how I grew up."

"So swing away."

"Interest grows in Bruno's travels - Soares, Cuomo seek documents on senator's flights; Spitzer orders review of alleged threats"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, July 3, 2007

ALBANY -- The flap surrounding Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno's use of state aircraft widened Monday, with Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Albany County District Attorney David Soares requesting documents related to the Brunswick Republican's flights to New York City on state aircraft.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer's office also ordered State Police to conduct a formal "threat assessment," which could clarify whether Bruno was entitled to State Police drivers who transported him from New York City airports and helipads to his destinations in the city.

Bruno in a press conference Monday said he has received threats over the years, an assertion with which State Police spokesman Glenn Miner agreed.

But there had never been a formal assessment, Miner said.

Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp said Bruno's requests for police escorts were in New York City, not the Capitol Region.

Dopp also said Bruno has a "standing request" that police be allowed to use their sirens and emergency lights when they drive him in New York City to speed his progress through traffic.

"Numerous times he requests lights and sirens and we say no," Dopp said, explaining that even the governor doesn't get such escorts.

"He wanted to get around New York City as quickly as possible," Dopp said of the police requests, even though the Senate majority has its own cars and drivers based in the Big Apple.

Bruno, the state's top Republican, and Spitzer, a Democrat, have been locked in combat for weeks, with Spitzer calling for campaign finance overhaul and Bruno charging that the governor has held up a raft of legislation on that one point.

Bruno contends the changes would undercut his thin majority in the Senate.

The Times Union on Sunday reported that Bruno used state aircraft to travel to Republican fundraisers in Manhattan on three occasions this year.

State planes and helicopters are available to top officials like Spitzer or Bruno for state business but not for fundraisers or other purely political trips.

Bruno on Monday accused the Spitzer administration of leaking the flight records, and said the trips were made for official state business as well as fundraisers.

But he continued to refuse to release detailed itineraries of those trips.

Soares' investigation would focus on whether there was a violation of the law, while Cuomo's office would look to see if taxpayer funds should be recovered.

"Public integrity is a priority for this office and obviously we will review any materials that are forwarded to us," said Cuomo spokesman John Milgrim.

Soares spokeswoman Heather Orth said the DA's office requested "whatever (documents) they would have to support the claims that are being made."

It remains to be seen whether Inspector General Kristine Hamman will also look into the Bruno matter.

Normally the inspector general does not investigate lawmakers, but officials are discussing whether Hamman could investigate the issue because state resources and personnel are involved.

For now, Bruno will continue to have access to the state air fleet, although Spitzer's office mulled the possibility of grounding the senate leader.

"If a request was made tomorrow for something that was related to his official duties, we wouldn't refuse it," Dopp said.

How much Bruno could be liable for if he is found to have misused the state's Bell 430S helicopter is unclear, but Dopp said a privately chartered, multi-passenger day trip to New York City would run about $20,000.

Elected officials frequently tap their campaign funds for political travel expenses.

Bruno's fund is at nearly $1.9 million as of his latest public disclosure filing in January.

That doesn't count fundraisers during the legislative session.

Meanwhile, Republican state Chairman Joseph Mondello is seeking records from 14 flights the governor made since January.

"There were political events on all of those dates," said state GOP spokesman Matt Walter.

Spitzer had earlier given itineraries to the Times Union of his plane trips, including one to Monroe County where he attended a dinner that raised money for the local Democratic party but not himself.

Bruno fired back against Spitzer during a Monday news conference, suggesting that he and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, could govern the state largely without Spitzer, passing laws and overriding vetoes that the governor may make.

"I don't know why we can't govern with the speaker," Bruno said, adding "I never got a real answer from the speaker," on that point.

Bruno also said Spitzer threatened to give him a political knockout punch, warning that "I am going to hit you so hard you're going to go down."

"You're never going to get up."

Dopp said the conversation "never happened."

"Eliot never speaks in such a manner," he said.

"The concept of Eliot saying, 'I'm going to knock you down' or 'knock you out' is ridiculous."

Rick Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.

Jay Jochnowitz and James M. Odato contributed to this story

[Livyjr]

"Judge blasts greedy auditor - Letters charging ex-state employee is unrepentant nearly derail sentencing"

By JORDAN CARLEO-EVANGELIST, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, July 3, 2007

ALBANY -- A disgusted county court judge dressed-down a 50-year-old former state auditor, who bilked taxpayers out of more than $1.2 million to bankroll his lavish lifestyle, before sentencing him Monday to up to 10 years in prison.

"Five Corvettes?" Judge Thomas A. Breslin practically shouted to James Leggiero, a former senior auditor for the Office of Mental Health who pleaded guilty in April to grand larceny.

"That's just absolutely bald-faced greed."

Breslin was referring to the cars that Leggiero, of Kennewyck Circle in Guilderland, amassed in more than eight years of fraud -- during which he stole more than four times that taken by former Comptroller Alan Hevesi, who resigned in disgrace in December 2006 after pleading guilty to defrauding the government.

As part of his plea deal, Leggiero has agreed to pay back the money.

But the sentencing was nearly derailed Monday when Breslin was angered by letters he received from two of the man's neighbors, who claimed Leggiero appeared even now to maintain a cavalier attitude about his crimes.

The letters, copies of which were not immediately available, claimed Leggiero's two sons are attending a $6,000 soccer camp this summer paid for with stolen taxpayer money.

The claims clearly infuriated Breslin, who called for a 10-minute recess after a spirited discussion with attorneys from both sides at his bench.

Leggiero's lawyer, Stephen Coffey, later acknowledged that the camp had been paid for with state money but said the payments were made months ago --before his client was even arrested -- and despite his best efforts, the camp's organizers refused to refund the money.

"That was not money that was spent after the charges," Coffey told the judge.

Of the letters, he later told reporters outside court: "I think there is a fair degree of jealousy in those statements."

Coffey declined to identify the camp and denied yet another claim that Leggiero had recently bought one of his sons a new Volkswagen sedan.

The car is not new, Coffey said, and was paid for out of a trust established by the boys' grandmother.

Leggiero's voice trembled as he read from brief prepared remarks, speaking of missing his school-aged sons' scholastic and sporting events.

He said he took full responsibility for the thefts and apologized to the state, to his former agency and to the mentally ill people it served.

Breslin was not impressed.

Citing the "extent and the nature of your disdain for the system and the oath that you took," Breslin told Leggiero he was "exceedingly lucky" before sentencing him to 3 /3 to 10 years in prison.

"If I'd comment further, I'd regret my comments," Breslin said.

Leggiero, who worked for the state for 27 years, was earning $79,000 when the state attorney general's office made its investigation public in March.

His wife, Kathleen, also formerly worked in OMH's budget division but has since been reassigned within the agency, said OMH spokeswoman Jill Daniels.

Kathleen Leggiero was never charged with a crime and Lee Park, a spokesman for Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, on Monday said "the culpability" lies with James Leggiero alone.

Prosecutors say Leggiero established a bogus company -- Very Important Properties -- that was supposed to make reports on possible locations for OMH-sponsored facilities.

Leggiero allegedly hid his association with the company, using it to bill OMH for as much as $99,000 at a time -- ultimately stealing $1,232,072 -- for work that was never done on properties that were either unsuitable or non-existent, prosecutors have said.

He has since repaid more than $700,000 and, as part of the plea deal, is banned from ever seeking public employment again.

Breslin ordered him turned over to the state prison system.

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@ timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

David Soares
District Attorney
Albany County
Albany County Judicial Building
6 Lodge Street
Albany, NY 12207

July 3, 2007

Dear Mr. Soares:

I write to ask for your office to investigate an attempt at extortion of the New York State Senate and in particular the Majority Leader Joseph Bruno by one Gary Labelle, the National Advertising Manager of the Albany Times Union on July 3, 2007 in a phone call to the Communications Office of the Senate.

I am sure you are aware of the sense that Senator Bruno has made it clear that he believes that the press coverage by the Times Union of him and his Majority Conference has been biased.

He has been quoted by the newspaper and other media outlets as stating his belief.

Against that background, the phone call of July 3, 2007 is an attempt to shake down the Senate and the Senator and would be an attempt to extort both public and private money.

Mr. Labelle called the Communications Office in the morning of July 3, 2007.

He identified himself as a member of the Times Union Advertising Department.

He indicated that he was someone very sympathetic to the Senate and agreed with the Senate.

He was connected to Mark Hansen of the Communications Office.

Mr. Labelle proceeded to state to Mr. Hansen that the Senator and the Senate should consider buying ad space in the Times Union, indicated that in contrast with the news coverage it might be a good way for the Senator to let people know the Senate and Senator Bruno's positions and that it would get our side out and our points across.

Mr. Hansen believed that the call was an attempt to obtain monies from the Senator or the Senate otherwise the negative and biased coverage would continue.

When he confronted Mr. Labelle with his belief, Mr. Labelle stated that was not what he was saying but he did want to meet with someone anyway to discuss the possibility of advertising placement.

The acts of the Times Union employee appear to be an attempt at extortion under state law Penal Law 155.05 (e)(ix).

We respectfully request that your office begin an investigation into the Times Union and its National Advertising Manager Gary Labelle for Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree Penal Law 155.30 (6), a E felony.

We will make available to you or your investigators Mr.Hansen for an interview.

If you need any other information we will fully co operate with your inquiry.

I looking forward to your reply.

VTY

John McArdle

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...nd_ends_50.html

[Livyjr]

"Businessmen say Bruno's contested flights were on state business"

By MICHAEL GORMLEY, Associated Press

Last updated: 7:14 p.m., Tuesday, July 3, 2007

ALBANY -- Spokesmen for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Shell Oil Co., the New York City mayor and a major Manhattan developer on Tuesday said Senate leader Joseph Bruno met with them on official state business on days when Bruno's use of a state helicopter is being challenged.

Bruno's use of state aircraft for three recent trips to Manhattan on days that political fundraisers were scheduled has caused a furor this week in Albany, where politics often mix with policy and ethics laws are notoriously weak.

The issue was first raised Sunday by the Times Union of Albany, which also reported that state records show Bruno used the aircraft on those days and a state police detail to drive him around Manhattan.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer has ordered a state police threat assessment to see if Bruno was eligible for the detail; Bruno has said it is needed because of documented death threats over the years.

If the trips were purely for politics, Bruno could have run up against the state public officers' law that prohibits a public official from using his official position to gain unwarranted privileges for himself or others.

A violation could result in a fine or removal from office.

State penal law might also apply, the newspaper reported.

A state Ethics Commission opinion obtained Tuesday and dating to 1995 appears to authorize the use of state aircraft for trips even if they include political events and fundraising as long as there is some legitimate state meeting or other purpose.

Former governors Mario Cuomo and George Pataki both used the Ethics Commission rationale for using state aircraft.

Corporate officials told The Associated Press they met with the senator on May 3, May 17 and May 24, providing the first details of the trips Bruno listed on a form requesting state aircraft as "legislative business meetings."

Bruno is expected to be questioned by the state Attorney General's Office and the Albany County District Attorney's Office about the trips.

"It was lunch," said Bill Miller, senior vice president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, about his meeting with Bruno on May 17.

"We talked about taxes."

He said U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue also attended the meeting.

Miller said the meeting was at CV Star & Co. on Park Avenue, the address where state police records say Bruno was taken at 12:30 p.m. that day.

That is also the company headed by insurance magnate Maurice Greenberg, a Republican donor who had conflicts with Spitzer when he was attorney general.

Another meeting that day involved oil company executives and Bruno, said a spokesman for one of the companies.

"It was a substantive meeting," said Bruce Gyory, a lobbyist.

He said he arranged a May 17 meeting between executives of TransCanada and Shell Oil Co. with Bruno.

"It was on energy and the Broadwater issue."

Broadwater Energy -- a consortium of Shell Oil and TransCanada -- is seeking federal permission to build a $700 million terminal in Long Island Sound.

Some Long Islanders are lobbying to block the project.

On May 3, Bruno stated in the records, he was in "legislative business meetings" in New York City.

"I was there," said lobbyist Patricia Lynch, the former top adviser to Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver until 2000.

"I was with my clients from Tishman Speyer concerning legislation."

Tishman Speyer, owner of New York's Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler building, is among Manhattan's biggest developers.

On the night of May 3, Bruno hosted the $1,000-per-person annual spring meeting of the Senate Republican Campaign Committee at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan.

The next day, state police records show Bruno was driven to Aqueduct race track, where the New York Racing Association operates under the state's thoroughbred racing franchise.

The franchise ends Dec. 31 and the governor and Legislature are considering how to continue racing.

The night of May 24, Bruno attended a fundraiser for himself, after being dropped off by state police at City Hall where he met with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

"It was about the city's legislative agenda in Albany," said Stu Loeser, a spokesman for Bloomberg, a Bruno ally and campaign contributor.

"The meeting happened."

Bruno has defended the trips, saying the fundraisers were at the end of a day of legislative business and use of a state helicopter allowed him to avoid an overnight stay in Manhattan which he said wouldn't be productive.

Most of those he met with, however, are also political donors, often to Republicans and Democrats in a common approach in Albany for people and companies doing or seeking to do business with the state.

For example, Tishman Speyer contributed $85,000 to various candidates since 2000, including $25,000 last year to the Republicans state committee.

And the billionaire mayor donated $750,000 to the state Republican committee and senators since October, according to state elections records.

Bruno, however, has refused to say who he met those days, but said he would cooperate with authorities.

Bruno and his spokesman, John McArdle, insist that releasing who they met with would have a chilling effect on people providing information about the need for legislation or regulatory enforcement.

A documented headed "Aviation Procedures" appears to allow for limited use of state aircraft for "other than state business," but establishes a reimbursement based on Internal Revenue Service formulas.

An opinion issued in 1995 by the state Ethics Commission appears to also approve the use of state aircraft for travel that includes "political functions" as long as there was some legitimate state purpose, as Bruno maintains.

"As long as the trip included a bona fide public purpose, the ethics laws did not require reimbursement for those portions of the trip that were political in nature," the ethics opinion stated.

State Ethics Commission spokesman Walter Ayres said the policy remains in effect.

[Livyjr]

"For Bruno, a display of offense and defense - As lawmaker jabs paper, some vouch for official business side of flights"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, July 4, 2007

TROY -- As Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno continued to defend his use of state aircraft to travel to Manhattan fundraisers, several people with business before state government said they met with the Republican lawmaker during those trips.

Also Tuesday, Bruno lashed out at the Times Union for reporting the story and accused the paper of a "shakedown" attempt, which the paper called "preposterous."

Bruno has refused to release details of his trips to Manhattan on state aircraft, saying he is trying to protect the privacy of people he met.

"There are other people, business people, who don't necessarily want to see their names in headlines in disparaging ways," the Brunswick Republican said Tuesday afternoon.

However, the Associated Press reported that spokesmen for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Shell Oil Co., New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and a major Manhattan developer said Bruno met with them on days when he used a state helicopter to fly to New York City.

Those meetings occurred on trips that also included political fundraisers.

Bruno's travel, first reported Sunday by the Times Union, is under the scrutiny of Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Albany County District Attorney David Soares.

At issue is whether the trips were purely political, which would violate state law that prohibits personal use of state resources.

Past governors, however, had been allowed to use aircraft when there is a mix of political and government activity, although they sometimes reimbursed the state for part of the cost.

The trips, according the Associated Press, included:

A May 3 meeting with lobbyist Patricia Lynch, the former top adviser to Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and her client, Tishman Speyer, one of Manhattan's biggest developers.

That night, Bruno hosted a Senate GOP fundraiser at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to $5,000.

A May 17 meeting with TransCanada and Shell Oil Co., who comprise Broadwater Energy, which is proposing a controversial liquefied natural gas terminal in Long Island Sound.

The meeting was at the office of a Republican contributor.

That evening was a state Republican Party fundraiser, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to as high as $10,000 a couple.

A May 24 meeting at New York City Hall with Mayor Bloomberg.

Bruno later attended a fundraiser held in his honor.

On Tuesday, Bruno attacked the paper, with his office alleging that an ad salesman attempted to "shake down" the Senate and calling for an investigation by Soares.

Times Union Publisher Mark Aldam called the allegation "preposterous."

Bruno aide Mark Hansen said he spoke with an advertising salesman who was "apologetic of his paper's news coverage of Senator Bruno and distanced himself from the views of the news and editorial departments prior to giving his sales pitch that buying ads in the Times Union would enable Senator Bruno 'to let people know about all the good things the senator is doing.' "

Hansen's statement did not assert that the salesman suggested that news coverage of the senator would be influenced by the purchase of ads.

In a letter to Soares, however, Bruno aide John McArdle characterized the sales call as "an attempt to shake down the Senate and the senator and would be an attempt to extort both public and private money."

In his letter, McArdle noted that the salesman denied he was suggesting that buying ads would affect coverage, but said Hansen took it that way.

Aldam said, "These assertions are preposterous and absolutely baseless."

Aldam said his understanding was that the salesman approached Bruno's office about placing issue ads that might respond to ads the state Democratic Committee has been running on timesunion.com and other Web sites.

Aldam said the paper does not believe the salesman suggested such purchases would affect news coverage.

In a prepared statement, Aldam said the paper has a clear wall between advertising and news coverage, "and we zealously guard against breaches in the wall that separates our commercial and our journalistic goals."

Aldam added that "To imply any breach of integrity by the Times Union strikes me as an unfair attempt by Senator Bruno's office to redirect attention from recent public reports toward the media company responsible for the initial reporting."

Bruno also said he has canceled his subscription to the paper.

Bruno and Gov. Eliot Spitzer have been at odds for several weeks, with the Senate leader refusing to go along with the Democratic governor's call for campaign finance reform.

Bruno says tighter contribution limits would unduly favor wealthy self-funded candidates like Spitzer.

The dispute has held up progress on a number of issues such as capital spending for economic development, expanding the state's DNA database for criminal investigations and streamlining laws that govern public construction projects, and the death penalty for cop killers.

Despite the acrimony, Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp said the leaders' staffs continue to discuss outstanding issues on a daily basis.

The Legislature is slated to return July 16 to at least take up a controversial congestion pricing plan to charge drivers to enter midtown Manhattan during the work week.

Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"Report details racing bidders - State inspector general raises questions about each of four groups seeking track contract"

By BRENDAN J. LYONS, Senior writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, July 3, 2007

ALBANY -- The integrity of four bidders vying to run the state's top horse racing tracks was called into question in a sobering background report released Monday by the state inspector general's office.

The 145-page report neither disqualified any of the groups nor made recommendations as to which of them should be granted the job of running the Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga race tracks.

But the detailed document outlined potential problems with all of the bidders as it unveiled a tapestry of shady business figures with questionable backgrounds, politically connected investors, organized crime syndicates and instances of arguably privileged access to key elected leaders by people in the hunt for the lucrative contract.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer ordered the background investigation in February ahead of a year-end decision, along with the Legislature, on whether to renew the New York Racing Association's contract to manage the three tracks.

NYRA's contract expires Dec. 31.

The groups bidding for a 20-year franchise are: NYRA, which is seeking to recover from criminal wrongdoing by employees and indebtedness; Empire Racing Associates, a group of horse racing and gaming enthusiasts with ties to Saratoga Springs and Kentucky; Excelsior Racing Associates, which is backed by Las Vegas casino developer Steve Wynn; and Capital Play Ltd. which was involved with efforts to improve horse racing in Australia.

The report "illustrates why racing is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the nation," Spitzer said in a statement.

"History has shown that the large amounts of cash at stake in racing pose risks for illegal activities including money laundering ... tax schemes and race fixing."

"... Indeed, this is why I required an integrity review in the first place."

Among the report's highlights:

"Numerous individuals associated with bidding entities have relationships with, or have made sizable contributions to, political leaders in New York State, including the Governor and Senate Majority Leader ..."

An FBI check revealed one key person in a bidding franchise has pending criminal charges.

Two others disclosed prior criminal convictions.

The individuals were not identified.

New York's horse racing industry, and some of the current bidders, have connections to so-called rebate shops outside the United States where bettors view video simulcasts of races or wager through telephone and Internet connections.

Such shops, which are banned at some tracks, give bettors a rebate for bulk gambling but are vulnerable to corruption.

Timothy Smith, a national figure in horse racing, and Jared Abbruzzese, a Loudonville businessman and friend of Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno, helped form Empire Racing Associates and allegedly teamed up to influence Bruno.

Oleg Deripaska, who is suspected of having ties to Russian organized crime and is prohibited from entering the United States, is seeking to buy a $1.54 billion stake in Magna Entertainment Corp, a Canadian-based investor in Empire Racing.

Four investors with Empire Racing, including Saratoga-based socialite Marylou Whitney, abruptly divested shares of Empire in March as an apparent effort to prevent having to undergo background checks, which include financial disclosures.

Karl O'Farrell of Capital Play Ltd., is majority owner of Capital Play Pty. Ltd., of Australia, which is banned from doing business at New York tracks.

Richard Fields of Excelsior Racing has made significant campaign contributions and provided campaign-related jet flights to then-Attorney General Spitzer and to then-Senate Minority Leader David Paterson.

Fields paid $9,000 in penalties to the state Lobbying Commission for Paterson's flights; Spitzer's gubernatorial campaign committee repaid Fields' companies more than $100,000 for catering and transportation.

The report comes as Spitzer is said to be considering a plan to grant the embattled NYRA a 20-year extension to run horse racing at Belmont and Saratoga while selling off Aqueduct to pay NYRA's estimated $400 million in debt.

Part of that plan calls for giving the rights to run a track-based video slot machine casino to Excelsior Racing, according to a published report last month.

Bruno told The Associated Press on Monday that Spitzer needs to make a recommendation rather than turn over the integrity report.

J. Lyons can be reached at 454-5547 or by e-mail at blyons@timesunion.com.

Previously:

Aides to Gov. Eliot Spitzer have suggested the state could sell its Aqueduct racetrack to settle debts and restructure the New York Racing Association to keep its horse racing franchise.

The latest:

A background report unearths questions and doubts about some franchise bidders.

What's next:

Before the year ends, Spitzer and lawmakers must decide who will run racing in New York.

[Livyjr]

"State flights raise ruckus - Aircraft use by Bruno, Spitzer comes under scrutiny along party lines"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Monday, July 2, 2007

ALBANY -- Revelations that Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno and Gov. Eliot Spitzer may have used the state air fleet for fundraising or political purposes have triggered a firestorm on both sides of the aisle.

The Times Union on Sunday reported that Bruno, the state's top Republican, used state aircraft on three occasions to travel to fundraisers in Manhattan, while Spitzer used an aircraft for one trip that was partly political.

Bruno's flights will likely be referred to the inspector general's office or attorney general's office on Monday, according to a state source who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the referral hadn't yet been ordered.

Another source who spoke anonymously because the affair has not been thoroughly examined told the Times Union the case is more likely to be referred to the inspector general.

However, that office appears to have no power over legislators.

State aircraft aren't supposed to be used for fundraising or political purposes.

Bruno certified that he was on official state business during the Manhattan trips, although records show fundraisers had been scheduled during those periods.

That prompted an attack from Democrats.

"Air Bruno must be grounded, and the senator forced to repay the people of the state of New York," state Democratic Chairwoman June O'Neill and Co-Chairman Dave Pollak said in a prepared statement.

They also called for an investigation.

Likewise, Joseph Mondello, chairman of the Republican State Committee, said they would be seeking Spitzer's travel records under the Freedom of Information Law.

He suggested that the governor's recent appearances across the state, where he condemned Senate Republicans with whom he is feuding, constituted political trips.

"During this past week, Governor Spitzer misused thousands of taxpayer dollars by using state aircraft to travel to various locations for the sole purpose of continuing his endless political crusade against duly-elected Senate Republicans," Mondello said in a prepared statement.

Spitzer used state aircraft 19 times in the first five months of the year, and at least part of one trip was political.

A portion of the seven flights by Democratic Lt. Gov. David Paterson included a brief political stop, but neither used the trips to raise money for their own campaigns.

Spitzer spokesman Paul Larrabee said they would turn over travel schedules if asked.

"We routinely provide the schedules for public review," he said.

Bruno spokesman John McArdle told The Associated Press that his boss's trips constituted state business.

"On those days, we met with government officials and did legislative business," McArdle said Sunday.

"The notion that he uses the helicopter for personal use is nonsense."

Records showed Bruno and his top aides used state aircraft 11 times in the first five months of this year.

McArdle said that on the three trips in question, Bruno spoke with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and officials with the New York Racing Association and toured Aqueduct racetrack.

In general, he said Bruno routinely also meets with civic groups, newspaper editorial boards and others related to state business.

McArdle wouldn't release details of the government business conducted on each of the three days, explaining that Bruno won't release that detail because Gov. Eliot Spitzer doesn't.

He added that Bruno has received numerous death threats and is therefore provided State Police security details.

The senator also has received rides from State Police on the fundraising trips.

Democrats, though, said they doubted the extent of the threats.

"The senator's contention that security concerns provide a rationale for such misconduct is nonsense," said O'Neill and Pollak.

An aviation expert consulted by the Times Union estimated that the type of helicopters used by the State Police fleet can cost $3,000 per hour to operate.

In addition to the inspector general or the attorney general, other agencies could become involved.

The Legislative Ethics Committee, which oversees the Senate and Assembly, could investigate, another source who spoke to the Times Union under condition of anonymity because of the matter's sensitivity, although it's uncertain who, if anyone, from those bodies would bring a complaint.

Another investigating agency is the Albany County district attorney's office, but there was no immediate indication it would become involved.

District Attorney David Soares was unavailable late Sunday.

If the trips turned out to be for political fundraisers rather than authorized state business, Bruno could be found in violation of the Code of Ethics of State Public Officers Law and face a fine or removal from office.

Any violation could also break state laws against defrauding government, the kind of case that was brought against Democratic state Comptroller Alan Hevesi last year.

Hevesi resigned in December following a scandal in which he used state employees as drivers and servants for his ailing wife.

He later pleaded guilty to a felony in an agreement that allowed him to avoid prison time but pay a $5,000 fine.

Bruno had criticized Hevesi in that affair, saying he was guilty of a "a serious breach of the public trust."

Bruno and Spitzer have been locked in political combat for the past several weeks, clashing over spending and legislation since February.

Bruno also is contending with a continuing FBI investigation into his relationship with a businessman and Republican donor.

Democratic Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver didn't use state aircraft, according to the records.

Rick Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.

Associated Press contributed to this story.

[Livyjr]

"Upstate fares poorly in the battle for brains - Spitzer aide faces hurdles revitalizing economy as many educated young people are lured elsewhere"

By MICHAEL HILL, Associated Press

First published: Tuesday, January 23, 2007

ALBANY -- Take a job in Albany or Boston?

Jason Hnatko didn't think twice.

The 2005 Cornell University graduate picked Malcolm Pirnie's Boston office over the environmental firm's Latham branch.

While the 23-year-old Ivy Leaguer grew up near Albany, the pull of a big city by the ocean was too much to pass up.

The exodus of educated young people like Hnatko is one of many big problems in upstate New York.

Daniel Gundersen, Gov. Eliot Spitzer's new economic development czar for the upstate areas, will face a daunting mix of issues from housing to taxes to business costs to the perception that the area is falling behind other parts of the country.

Upstate New York's largest cities have all posted population losses since 1990.

Who wants to live in a state without adequate public health protection is my thought this morning ....

Who wants to live in a state that has the public health protection of a third-world country like IRAQINAM, where sewage flows in the streets?

"Sewage flooding hits neighborhood - Residents of Albany's Melrose Avenue angry after overflow comes into basements again"

By TIM O'BRIEN, Staff writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Friday, June 29, 2007

ALBANY -- A year after they thought their problem was finally solved, Melrose Avenue residents again found their basements flooded with city sewage.

In August 2005, about a dozen homes in the Melrose Avenue neighborhood reported that sewage-contaminated water soaked their basements during heavy rainstorms.

The city said last May it believed it had traced the problem and removed a massive tree root in a 36-inch sewer.

For a year, it seemed as if it had worked.

But Wednesday night's rainstorms brought back the same tea-colored, foul-smelling water.

"This has been an ongoing problem, and the city has been on notice," said Katina Mavodones, secretary to the Melrose Neighborhood Association and one of the affected homeowners.

"We had about 8 to 10 inches of not only water but sewage."

"We erroneously thought the problem was solved."

"The city's unresponsiveness is amazing."

Mavodones, who has a 3-year-old, is concerned about the health impact.

Bill Campfield, another homeowner, is also upset.

"They keep saying it's an act of God," he said.

"The city should be going around and surveying how many people were affected by this problem."

William Simcoe, assistant commissioner of the city's Department of Water and Water Supply, said the city is trying to determine why the problem recurred.

"It was a horrendous storm."

"We had quite a deluge last night," he said.

"We're still out talking to people who have called with problems."

Simcoe said 60 percent of the city has combined storm and sewer drainage systems, rather than separate ones.

"There is a potential for backups," he said.

His department has added large storage systems into the area near Melrose to try to curtail the sewage overflows, he said.

He also recommends homeowners install a check valve that would prevent backups.

But Campfield said a check valve can be an expensive solution, costing as much as $5,000 to have installed.

"It's not like going out to Home Depot to get a smoke detector," he said.

The price can vary depending on the layout of a home's plumbing, Simcoe said.

The city is also participating in a $5 million study to see what can be done about overflows in combined sewer and water systems.

Troy, Green Island, Cohoes and Watervliet are also participating, he said.

"The problem of combined sewers and overflows is something that is going to have to be addressed over a long period of time and at a cost of several million dollars," Simcoe said.

If a large road project is done, the city makes replacing the combined systems with separate ones part of that work, Simcoe said.

But a major road project is not planned for the Melrose Avenue neighborhood.

"Some of the problems have to do with the locations of people's housing and plumbing."

"Melrose is in a valley," he said.

"That's where you tend to have the problems."

"We're trying to respond and talk to people."

Tim O'Brien can be reached at 454-5092 or by e-mail at tobrien@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"Plan for massive retail center spurs concerns - Some Greene County residents wary of proposal for 330-acre site backed by local development agency"

By ALAN WECHSLER, Business writer, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Wednesday, July 4, 2007

NEW BALTIMORE -- It's too early to call it an opposition group, but organizers hope to bring together community members concerned about a giant retail project proposed near Thruway Exit 21B in Greene County.

Meredith Downs has scheduled a meeting of the group, Citizens for Alternatives to the Multi-use Park, or CAMP, on Friday.

While CAMP doesn't have any alternatives in mind -- at least not yet -- Downs, 33, wants to give residents more opportunities for a say in the project, which could include 2.2 million square feet of commercial and residential space.

The CAMP meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Coxsackie Village Hall.

"Considering the magnitude ... you really need to be careful about how thoroughly you allow the public to be heard," Downs said Tuesday.

The Greene County Industrial Development Agency wants to spend as much as $110 million to prepare 330 acres for a master developer to build a retail, office, hotel and resort complex on the scale of Woodbury Common Premium Outlets.

The site is just north of Kalkberg Commerce Park on Route 9W in Coxsackie.

The IDA's costs include the expense of moving Thruway Exit 21B so it lead cars to the project.

Work will not take place until a master developer is found, officials have said.

Construction could start as soon as next summer.

The proposed development would mean millions in tax revenue for the county and the Coxsackie-Athens School District.

Downs said she and other residents were unsatisfied with the opportunities for public comment on the project.

During a public hearing last week at a local firehouse, a number of residents were turned away for lack of space -- including two members of the local planning board, Downs said.

Others left during a 90-minute presentation by project backers. '

The comment period itself lasted another 90 minutes, she said.

A second meeting was held to accommodate the overflow, but Downs dismissed it as an event where public comment was not officially recorded.

"The process was pretty poorly done," she said.

Downs wants the comment time on the project extended -- the IDA is accepting written response to its draft generic environmental impact statement through July 13.

And she wants another public hearing held, this time in a larger venue.

Downs also hopes to get volunteers to help read the 4-inch-thick IDA review document.

Some locals are concerned the project could forever alter the character of the rural community.

In particular, Downs said, neighbors are worried about how traffic on back roads would increase and also about a second wave of new businesses and homes that could come into town as a result of the project.

Backers say they've taken traffic into account and that it would be would mitigated by the new Thruway ramp and roundabouts on Route 9W.

Alexander "Sandy" Mathes Jr., executive director of the IDA, said Tuesday he was aware of the group and had been providing them with more details on the project.

He said the community has been fairly supportive of the complex.

At the hearing last week, many of those who spoke were impressed with the way the project has been handled so far.

But others said the plan was out of character for the community.

Mathes said he would be open to talking about changing the project's size, but only to a certain extent.

"There still has to be a certain level of economics for the site to work," he said.

"But everything's on the table."

Alan Wechsler can be reached at 454-5469 or by e-mail at awechsler@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

"Company to repay state grant - Flow Management Technologies failed to meet job-creation goal"

By ERIC ANDERSON, Deputy business editor, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Tuesday, July 3, 2007

SARATOGA SPRINGS -- Flow Management Technologies Inc. has agreed to repay a grant received from Empire State Development Corp. after it didn't meet job-creation targets.

Flow, which provides Web sites and online services for physicians and an "Interaction Center" that can field the majority of phone calls to a doctor's office, received a $400,000 capital grant in January 2001, said Empire State spokesman A.J. Carter.

In return, Flow officials agreed to create 520 jobs at the company's headquarters on High Rock Avenue in Saratoga Springs.

"Obviously, they didn't," Carter said Monday.

In 2004, Empire State extended the terms of the grant for a year, and in 2005, it demanded loan repayment.

The terms called for Flow to repay $320,000 if it didn't meet targets.

The company began payments in January 2006, but then stopped when it ran into financial problems, Carter said.

New terms were worked out, with payments of $1,500 a month and a balloon payment of $213,333.32 in May 2012.

Flow has been making the new payments, and a filing Monday in state Supreme Court in Saratoga County was basically an agreement by Flow that it defaulted and owes the money.

Calls to Flow's president and CEO, Craig Skevington, on Monday were not returned.

[Livyjr]

Who wants to live in a state without adequate public health protection is my thought this morning ....

Who wants to live in a state that has the public health protection of a third-world country like IRAQINAM, where sewage flows in the streets?

"Region faces looming jobs gap"

Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Sunday, July 1, 2007

The aging population of the Capital Region -- we rank 12th nationwide in the share of residents 65 and older -- is posing a challenge for employers.

Many have begun planning for the day when workers will be hard to find.

They've surveyed their employees, determining where the most critical shortages will arise, and have already begun recruiting and training replacements.

Elsewhere, organizations such as CSX Transportation turn to the Internet, recruiting online for engineers and conductors to operate their freight trains.

"Half our work force is eligible to retire in the next decade," said a spokeswoman for the railroad, which maintains its largest switching facility in Selkirk.

The company has nearly 1,400 employees in the region.

While every region of the country faces the dilemma of replacing retiring baby boomers with job candidates from the much smaller Generation X, the problem is especially acute upstate, with younger adults moving elsewhere.

"It's likely to be a factor limiting our ability to grow," said Richard Deitz, senior economist at the Buffalo branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, who compiled the data on the Capital Region's aging population.

The retirements will hit health care and government and education particularly hard.

In health care especially, the number of job candidates is expected to decline even as an aging population boosts demand for health services.

At Troy-based Northeast Health, which operates both Samaritan and Albany Memorial hospitals, younger nurses and other medical staff are being trained in such critical areas as emergency room and intensive care unit duties.

Management has surveyed staffing throughout the organization and come up with a list of the areas where retirements could cause a labor squeeze.

"Younger staff go into a one-year mentoring program to develop the judgment and skill to work in the specialty area," said Barbara McCandless, vice president of human resources at Northeast Health.

"It's like taking three years of experience and concentrating it in one year."

At Albany Memorial, 40-year-old Lorinda Brown is learning the skills needed to staff the emergency room.

Brown has been a nurse for seven years, after a 10-year career with the Rensselaer Fire Department, where she was an emergency medical technician.

"I wanted to see what happened in the other half of the treatment" after EMTs delivered patients to the hospital, she said, explaining her career switch.

"Nursing is becoming more of a second career" and a source of new job candidates, said Nancy Harris, director of Albany Memorial's emergency room.

The ER often draws more candidates because the work is not routine and therefore more interesting.

Filling nursing positions on some of the medical surgical floors, she said, can be "a little bit tougher."

Convincing older nurses to continue working is one tactic in coping with the shortage.

Many nurses are able to begin working shorter, flexible schedules by the time they're 58, moving to a schedule where they work an occasional day here and there, by the age of 62 or 63, McCandless said.

State agencies, are facing their own crunch.

"Twenty-five percent of our (local) work force is government-related," said Rocco Ferraro, who heads the Capital District Regional Planning Commission in Colonie.

"A large number was hired during the 1970s."

"It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize 30 years is the magic number."

Indeed, nearly a quarter of the employees enrolled in the state retirement system are 55 or older.

They can retire at any time, although only those with 30 years of service would get the maximum retirement benefits.

Half the state employees in the Capital Region are 48 or older.

Erin Barlow, director of the public information office at the state Department of Civil Service, said New York's fiscal retrenchment and hiring freezes following the 1970s employment increases have left the state with fewer younger employees.

Now, the department is attempting to convince younger adults that working for the state doesn't mean they'll be "stuck in a cubicle performing one mundane job."

"We want people, especially the younger work force, to know that there are a variety of opportunities in government, from working as a production manager at a TV studio operated by SUNY to patrolling the state parks as a forest ranger," Barlow said.

It's an issue other established businesses also face.

"We're not well known among young people and we need to make sure they understand we're a modern industry with a great future," said Gary Sease, a spokesman for CSX.

Traffic has been growing strongly, and with so many people eligible for retirement, the railroad is recruiting heavily, and say the Capital Region has some advantages over other cities with rapidly aging populations.

State labor markets analyst James Ross said the area actually has seen a net gain in population since 2000, even as other upstate cities continued to lose people.

And Ferraro, of the regional planning commission, said local employers have a large number of college students from which to recruit.

"We have a captive group," he said.

"Can we retain them?"

In the past, they've tended to leave the Capital Region for larger metropolitan areas, particularly New York City and Boston, as soon as they graduate, Ferraro said.

But he said when they're ready to have families and put down roots, usually by the time they hit 30, the Capital Region may be more appealing.

Ferraro said Albany often is compared to Austin, but that Texas city has a big advantage in holding on to young students after college graduation that Albany lacks.

Austin is relatively exciting compared with the small towns in Texas from which many of its young people come.

In Albany, students often come from New York City and its suburbs, or from other larger metropolitan areas along the East Coast.

The Capital Region loses younger people, leaving it with a disproportionate number of baby boomers and older adults.

But many of those baby boomers may want, or need, to keep on working.

"Not everyone wants to retire, not everyone can retire," said Gail Breen, executive director of the Fulton/Montgomery/ Schoharie Counties Workforce Development Board in Amsterdam.

"They may want shorter hours."

"They may be taking care of an aging parent."

"You get a lot of people from the state, teachers, police forces, retiring young," said Dan Gentile, who heads the Capital Regional Workforce Investment Board in Albany.

"They're in their 50s."

They could be "retooled," he said, learning new skills and continuing to work.

Organizations such as International Sematech likely will bring many workers with them.

Other companies may move here to be near Sematech or other large technology employers.

The labor crunch could also lead to a wage gain as employers compete for candidates.

"Companies ... can offer higher wages, up to a point where they still remain competitive," said Deitz, the Federal Reserve economist.

Wages in Capital Region counties are below the statewide average, and only Albany County's average weekly wage of $801 topped the U.S. average of $784, according to a U.S. Department of Labor survey released last week.

The higher wages could encourage older adults to continue working, while keeping younger people after they graduate.

Or they may not.

"You go to Boston, New York, Colorado or Seattle, and you realize the average age is 25 years or less."

"That's when it really strikes you how much more mature" the Capital Region is, said McCandless, the Northeast Health official.

"How do we retain that talent and make the community dynamic enough that (younger adults) want to stay here?"

Anderson can be reached at 454-5323 or by e-mail at eanderson@timesunion.com.

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK POST

"GOV'S TROOPER SNOOP JOB ON BRUNO - ORDERED POLICE TO TRACK GOP FOE'S MOVEMENTS"

July 5, 2007 -- ALBANY - Gov. Spitzer targeted state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno for an unprecedented State Police surveillance program that led to allegations Bruno improperly used a state helicopter for political purposes, an investigation by The Post has found.

No other state official, including Spitzer and Lt. Gov. David Paterson, was singled out for the type of detailed record-keeping the State Police maintained on Bruno, the state's most powerful Republican, official records show.

Part of the Spitzer administration's justification for homing in on Bruno - the governor's leading political adversary - is a claim that state Conservative Party leader Michael Long raised objections to Bruno's use of the State Police.

Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp told The Post that the records on Bruno began to be assembled because "there was an incident late last year in which Mike Long called to complain about Joe bringing armed troopers to [Long's] fund-raising event."

"Long thought it was highly inappropriate, and it probably was."

"Recalling that incident, the [State Police] made some changes . . . and, yes, [started] keeping basic records, i.e. logs," Dopp said.

But Long insisted yesterday that he never complained about Bruno and the State Police, and that no such incident had occurred.

"That is a baldfaced lie," said Long, who has been at odds with Bruno in recent years.

"I never made a complaint to the State Police or the governor's office, and if Bruno had shown up with armed troopers I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it."

A senior state official familiar with the surveillance program told The Post that he believed the governor and his aides had sought to "set up" Bruno by having the State Police keep track of his travels.

"Why else would they do it if not to set up Bruno - by getting on him something they thought was incriminating - when they weren't doing it to anyone else?" said the official.

Bruno himself said "it appears" Spitzer and his staff used the State Police to try to obtain negative information on him in an effort to "set up an officeholder" with whom the governor disagrees.

"I would like not to believe that the governor and the people who work for him would purposely set up an officeholder of the opposing party, but it certainly appears that way," said Bruno.

"This is like something you'd expect in a Third World country, where some dictator has his enemies followed to see how they could either do something to them or disgrace them."

"This is dangerous in a free country."

A Bruno aide contended Spitzer's actions "are reminiscent of Richard Nixon with his 'enemies list.' "

The State Police, which are under the control of the governor, routinely chauffeur Spitzer and Paterson, who they also protect, during their travels throughout the state.

Bruno has regularly requested and received State Police drivers during his visits to New York City because, he has said, he's been the subject of numerous death threats.

Earlier this week, Spitzer said he would forward State Police records of Bruno's travels in New York City to at least two investigative agencies after published reports suggested Bruno, who lives in upstate Rensselaer County, improperly flew on a state-owned helicopter from Albany to the city for political events.

The records - of State Police escort runs around the city - were kept because of Long's complaint and a desire to avoid the misuse of state personnel, said Dopp.

But Dopp also said the record-keeping only started in early April, around the time that Spitzer, a freshman governor, began having major disputes with Bruno.

The Post filed a Freedom of Information Act request seeking all State Police driving records for Bruno, Spitzer, Paterson and other senior officials.

Dopp responded with State Police "transportation assignment" records detailing Bruno's travels during several recent trips to the city.

The records contain such entries as, "May 3, 7 p.m., dinner at Italian restaurant on Eastside (unknown name, located between 1st Ave. and 2nd Ave. in upper 40s.)"

And on May 4, "7 a.m. transported all subjects from Sheraton to Aqueduct Racetrack."

"11a.m. Depart from Aqueduct to La Guardia Airport."

Dopp said no such detailed, start-and-stop records were kept for Spitzer and Paterson because, he insisted, both officials make available their official schedules in advance of their travels.

But those schedules do not contain such detailed information as hour-by-hour stops and the restaurants and hotels that are visited.

Bruno has repeatedly insisted that all his trips on the state helicopter involve official business.

An Associated Press report yesterday quoted business leaders as saying they had met with Bruno to discuss state issues on the dates of the flights.

fredric.dicker@nypost.com

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07052007/news/...cker.htm?page=0

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK POST

"AN ABUSE OF POWER?"

July 5, 2007 -- So now comes word that the New York State Police, at the direction of Gov. Spitzer's office, undertook a detailed surveillance of Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno.

The surveillance appears to have culminated in a selectively leaked story published in an upstate newspaper meant clearly to undermine Bruno in his on-going battles with Spitzer.

Which it clearly has done.

Post State Editor Fredric U. Dicker reports this morning that detailed State Police records have been kept of Bruno's travels around the city.

It was those records that apparently served as the basis for the newspaper story - which appeared last Sunday in the Albany Times-Union.

No such records have been kept on the travels of Spitzer and Lt. Gov. David Paterson.

It hardly needs to be said that the application of police powers to serve political ends is antithetical to American traditions, values and law.

If, in fact, Spitzer sicced troopers on Bruno, the governor's effectiveness will be significantly constrained.

As it is, the boorishness that has characterized his administration almost from the beginning has all but hamstrung state government, rendering the governor's ambitious reform agenda moot.

In May, at the height of the governor's battles with Bruno, troopers began keeping records of the majority leader's use of a state helicopter and ground transportation for a number of trips he made - but not that of any other state officials.

The cops say they have no separate documentation of any trips by Paterson or Spitzer himself - although Spitzer acknowledges having used state aircraft and vehicles.

Yesterday, gubernatorial spokesman Darren Dopp said Bruno got special attention after Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long - often at ideological loggerheads with Bruno - said that the lawmaker was bringing armed troopers to fund-raising events.

Long flatly denied that.

Obviously, somebody is not telling the truth.

Where the story goes from here is anybody's guess.

To term the entire matter bizarre would be to understate the case.

What seems clear, however, is that Spitzer & Co. ordered the police to track Bruno's travel methods and compile records - and then suggested that the Times-Union request those records, which it did under the Freedom of Information Law - resulting in the paper's story Sunday.

If Bruno did nothing wrong - and from what's on the record now, it appears that he did not - then the dust-up over the trips pales before the larger question:

Did Eliot Spitzer, or someone acting at his direction, in fact order state troopers to undertake a surveillance of Joe Bruno in an effort to gain political advantage?

Parallels with other abuses of police power by politicians spring to mind.

If Spitzer wants to avoid spending the coming months - if not years - attempting to govern under such a cloud, he would do well to commission an independent investigation of the facts already on the record, and of those which might come later.

This is an extraordinarily serious matter.

It must be attended to forthwith.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07052007/posto...editorials_.htm

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS DAILY POLITICS BLOG:

And as an aside, Mr. Ravi Batra, it would appear from the editorial in the NY Post this morning that Eliot Spitzer's alleged abuse and misuse of the police power of NYS is once again becoming an issue here in NYS, just as it was in this case under discussion between us in this thread .....

And so ....

Posted by: John Galt | July 5, 2007 7:47 PM

http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypoli...lyn.html?page=4

[Livyjr]

THE NEW YORK POST

"OPENING GATES OF 'EL' - BRUNO RETALIATES WITH CALL FOR 'CRIMINAL' PROBE OF SPITZER"

By FREDRIC U. DICKER, State Editor

July 6, 2007 -- ALBANY - Furious state Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno yesterday accused Gov. Spitzer of ordering the State Police to track him for "political espionage" - and called for special grand juries to investigate the governor's possible "criminal liability."

Bruno, reacting to yesterday's bombshell report in The Post disclosing that Spitzer had targeted Bruno for an unprecedented State Police surveillance program, also announced that he was "activating" the Senate Investigations Committee to look into whether Spitzer abused the powers of his office.

A source said the committee may soon subpoena "internal e-mails and other documents" from the governor's office dealing with the circumstances under which the State Police were instructed to keep records of Bruno's travels.

"When the governor abuses his power, it not only works against his political enemies, it undermines the entire fabric of democracy," said Bruno, who asked the state Attorney General and Albany County DA to empanel grand juries.

Bruno charged that Spitzer's "pattern of behavior over the years, his repeated physical threats to state officials and others, his complete and total disregard for the truth, and now his willingness to use the State Police for surveillance in hopes of gaining some type of political advantage should send shivers up the spine of every New Yorker and raise serious questions about his fitness to serve in the state's highest office."

Spitzer announced that Kristine Hamann, whom he appointed as inspector general in February, would investigate.

Darren Dopp, Spitzer's communications director, insisted that nothing illegal or improper had occurred, contending, "We are confident that proper procedures were followed at all times."

He called The Post's report "grossly inaccurate and false," insisting, "There has never been any surveillance of Majority Leader Bruno by the State Police."

"When they have been asked to drive the majority leader, the State Police work from schedules supplied by the majority leader's office."

"No special records are kept beyond a simple accounting of a state police vehicle's use," Dopp insisted.

However, Dopp has repeatedly claimed in recent days to The Post that a special monitoring program to track Bruno's whereabouts was put into effect in early April.

The surveillance program produced detailed stop-by-stop records of Bruno's travel in New York City as he was driven by a state trooper in a state-owned vehicle.

The Post report noted that Dopp admitted that no such records were kept when state troopers drove Spitzer and Lt. Gov. David Paterson.

Dopp changed his story twice yesterday, first insisting in the morning that the same records kept on Bruno were kept on Spitzer and Paterson, and asserting they would be made publicly available.

But by the afternoon, Dopp referred questions to State Police spokesman Lt. Glenn Miner, who told a different story.

Miner said Bruno's detailed travel records were created only after the senator had completed his travels and only after Dopp asked the State Police to do so to respond to a media inquiry about Bruno's travels on state aircraft.

Dopp, meanwhile, contended the record-keeping resulted in part from a complaint by Conservative Party Chairman Michael Long that Bruno had shown up at a party fund-raising event with an escort of armed troopers.

Long, however, strenuously denied Dopp's claim and yesterday called on Spitzer, whom he spoke with privately on the telephone, to publicly apologize for making the charge.

Long later said Spitzer refused.

For his part, Dopp insisted that he had been "cavalier" in referencing a "hearsay" account of Long's alleged complaint and insisted he never claimed it had served as "some kind of rationale for some kind of policy change by the State Police."

But in a Tuesday e-mail to The Post, Dopp wrote, "There was an incident late last year in which Mike Long called to complain about Joe bringing armed troopers into his fund-raising event."

"Long thought it was highly inappropriate and it probably was."

"Recalling that incident, the SP made some changes, keeping their people in the background, going unmarked, and, yes, keeping basic records, i.e. logs."

"I maintain that all of this was the right response," Dopp continued.

Long made public a letter to Spitzer in which he urged the governor to "find the fabricator" who claimed he had made a complaint against Bruno.

"It appears that someone in your office, someone who would fabricate such a bald-faced lie, is not suited for government work," Long declared.

fredric.dicker@nypost.com

Different day, different story

Darren Dopp, director of communications for Gov. Spitzer, wrote in an e-mail message to The Post earlier this week that the State Police began keeping special travel records on state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno after a complaint from Conservative Party boss Mike Long, but Dopp changed his story yesterday and said in a statement that no special records on Bruno were kept.

TUESDAY, JULY 3

Excerpt from Dopp's e-mail to Post state editor Fredric U. Dicker:

Date: Tue, July 3, 2007 5:34 PM

From: Darren.Dopp@chamber.state.ny.us

To: fdicker@nypost.com

Subject: re: followup

I'm told that the logs were kept in part to protect the SP [State Police] who were driving him.

There was an incident late last year in which Mike Long called to complain about Joe bringing armed troopers into his fundraising event.

Long thought it was highly inappropriate and it probably was.

Recalling that incident, the SP made some changes, keeping their people in the background, going unmarked, and, yes, keeping basic records, ie logs.

I maintain that all of this was the right response.

YESTERDAY

Dopp's statement yesterday:

A story suggesting that the State Police were asked to do anything other than follow standard operating procedure is grossly inaccurate and false.

There has never been any surveillance of Majority Leader Bruno by the State Police.

When they have been asked to drive the Majority Leader, the State Police work from schedules supplied by the Majority Leader's office.

No special records are kept beyond a simple accounting of a State Police vehicle's use.

Letter to Gov. Spitzer from Long after a report in yesterday's Post quoted an aide to Spitzer saying Long had complained about Bruno bringing armed state troopers to an event:

Dear Governor Spitzer:

People in government are charged with many responsibilities and being honest is certainly one of them.

I am personally asking you to find out who fabricated the story that appeared in today's New York Post that I called to complain about state troopers being brought to a fund-raising event with Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno.

Many serious issues face New Yorkers and we need to know that those charged with solving these issues are above reproach, honest and can be relied on to be completely trustworthy at all times.

It appears that someone in your office, someone who would fabricate such a bald-faced lie, is not suited for government work.

Very truly yours,

Michael R. Long

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07062007/news/...itor.htm?page=0

[Livyjr]

"Bruno: I'm watched - Top Republican accuses governor over State Police keeping track of his travels"

By RICK KARLIN, Capitol bureau, Albany, New York Times Union

First published: Friday, July 6, 2007

ALBANY -- The battle between Gov. Eliot Spitzer and Senate Majority Leader Joseph L. Bruno escalated once again on Thursday with Bruno charging the governor put him under State Police surveillance in an act of political "espionage," and likening him to a "Third World dictator."

"I've been in government 31 years and I've never experienced anything like this," said Bruno.

"I was stunned to learn Governor Spitzer is using the fine men and women of the New York State Police to conduct surveillance on me," Bruno said.

"This should send shivers up the spine of every New Yorker."

Spitzer spokesman Darren Dopp, however, said State Police did nothing more than fill out and keep itineraries on days when they were assigned to drive Bruno to meetings in New York City.

Officers routinely do that to account for their time and use of state vehicles.

"No special records are kept beyond a simple accounting of a State Police vehicle's time," Dopp said.

Shortly after Bruno's criticism, which included a public declaration that he would not meet privately with the governor, Spitzer telephoned him and the two politicians spoke for several minutes, Dopp said.

Bruno, he said, turned down Spitzer's offer for a one-on-one meeting.

"Gov. Spitzer called him, asked if he'd like to get together ... he said no," Dopp said of Bruno.

"The governor reached out today from his (Columbia County) vacation home ... and Bruno said 'no, I'm working,' " Bruno spokesman John McArdle said of the conversation.

It was the first discussion the politicians have had since the legislative session ended in June and Spitzer began traveling the state to criticize Republicans.

Bruno's complaint about surveillance came after the New York Post reported State Police kept a log when they were escorting the senator around New York City.

This past Sunday, the Times Union reported that Bruno on three occasions may have improperly used State Police helicopters to fly to Manhattan fundraisers.

Bruno said the trips were combined with state legislative business and were therefore a legitimate use of state aircraft.

He so far has refused to release details of those trips, on May 3, 17 and 24.

But earlier this week, representatives of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Tishman Speyer real estate and proponents of the Broadwater Energy liquefied natural gas facility proposed for Long Island Sound stepped forward to say they had met with the senator on those dates.

Using state aircraft solely for political purposes or for a fundraiser would be a violation of the state Public Officers Law.

Calling the maintaining of the police logs "thuggish," Bruno asked Inspector General Kristine Hamann, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Albany County District Attorney David Soares, as well as the Senate Investigations Committee, to look into the matter.

Both Spitzer and Bruno maintain travel itineraries, although they are different in style.

A stack of itineraries for Spitzer, for instance, appeared to be a bit more detailed than those obtained from Bruno's schedules.

Until recently, State Police discarded Bruno's schedules after they were done with them.

But in April, they started retaining the logs.

The change in practice came shortly after interim Superintendent Preston Felton, who had been appointed by Spitzer in late February, called the governor's office to make sure providing the travel to Bruno was OK, Dopp said.

"We had called and said, 'follow your standard procedure,' " explained Dopp.

Itineraries, he said, had "always been done," but after April, "they started retaining them."

The battle over the use of state aircraft also prompted several reform groups to call for tougher rules.

Common Cause, the League of Women Voters, Citizens Union and the New York Public Interest Research Group said state officials should have to reimburse the state for aircraft use if even part of their trips involve fundraising or political activity.

Currently, if officials do any public business on such trips, they don't have to pay for the use of taxpayer-supported state aircraft.

The groups also called for detailed public disclosure of itineraries when public officials use state aircraft.

"While public officials may be reluctant to disclose their private meetings with potential donors or party officials, they are free to pick up the tab for such travel if they choose privacy over disclosure," read part of the letter.

"We want it to be clear what you can or can't do," said Rachel Leon of Common Cause.

Existing laws, she said, are too vague.

Bruno said the Senate still plans to return July 16 to take up Bloomberg's plan to reduce traffic congestion by charging a fee for driving to midtown Manhattan during the work week.

Karlin can be reached at 454-5758 or by e-mail at rkarlin@timesunion.com.