Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 18

Thread: This was in the Buffalo News

  1. #1
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Posts
    64,935

    This was in the Buffalo News

    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Clarification

    1/16/2005

    Some lines were inadvertently dropped from an article in Saturday's editions on County Comptroller Nancy A. Naples and Sheriff Patrick M. Gallivan being likely to seek re-election this year. Naples plans an official announcement this spring. And Amherst Council Member Daniel Ward, a 2003 candidate for county executive, is a possible candidate for comptroller.
    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    Comptroller? I thought Dan ward was a lawyer?

  2. #2
    Member CaRaisin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    In a Sunny Place
    Posts
    64
    This was posted on another website today. I thought it was pretty funny & it stirred quite an image in my head:

    "...Did you hear about the tantrum that Danny Boy Ward threw at the Rath Building the other day when he heard that there were 3 other possible contenders for Comptroller? I was told he first ran to Lenny and then to his brother SCREAMING and YELLING, "THAT POSITION BELONGS TO ME, I EARNED IT FOR RUNNING AGAINST JOEL!"
    Well now, lets see....Town Board...nope........... EC Legislator.......nope...........Comptroller......n ope.........DOPE..........
    yes?"


  3. #3
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Posts
    64,935
    3 other possible contenders for Comptroller

    The position belongs to someone who is qualified for the job. I'd say someone with a business degree in the correct courses for being a comptroller... Or someone who is will to step up from thier "business" company to serve the tax payer.

    Frankly i'm tired of people who think they deserve a position because they know someone or are owed a favor.

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    89
    The 3 other people mentioned, if I've got it right, are Andy SanFilippo who's the City Comptroller right now, who is qualified without a doubt; Sheila Kee, who was Dennis Gorski's Budget Director & then whipped the Medical Center into shape until Giambra & Fisher got rid of her & she is an absolute financial genius; & Mark Poloncarz who is a breath of fresh air on the political scene. Although he's an attorney like Ward, his practice of law is different from Ward's & makes him more suited for Comptroller. Also, he is a newcomer w/fresh ideas who doesn't run for some office just for the sake of running & earning some type of living every year. Poloncarz has proven during the Kerry campaign that he has brains, integrity, is mature, treats people well & with the respect that everyone deserves, and is just an all 'round class act. It's nice to see that the Democrats may actually have a choice & not be stuck with someone who for some reason thinks that he is owed something.
    And then there's Nancy Naples. Another class act & qualified beyond reproach!
    [URL=http://www.erie.gov/depts/government/comptroller/biography.phtml]

  5. #5
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    God's Own Country ... the Southern Tier
    Posts
    8,222
    I've heard that SanFilippo is Giambra's boy. If that's so, then that should automatically disqualify him; it would be like selling your watch dog and setting the fox to watch the henhouse!

    I think what you need for comptroller is a bean-counter with a strong sense of integrity since the comproller is the county's CFO and is responsible for auditing the county's books. He or she needs to be a bean-counter to understand all the nuances of accounting rules and governmental regulations concerning (fed, state, and local) how government handles money, contracts, purchases, etc, etc, and a willingness to pay attention to minute detail. He or she also needs integrity to withstand the pressure from powerful politicians "overlook minor irregularities" as well as the temptation to "cook the books".

  6. #6
    Member citymouse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    South Buffalo
    Posts
    6,705
    I don't know about Sanflipo being Giambras boy. He did challange the control board more than once, and Joel sits on it.
    True Joel endorsed him, but Sanflipo worked under him, infact probably was the reason Joel was able to get credit for the way the department ran.
    The democrats shot themselves in the foot with Pitts. Sanflipo was the best candidate. He would make a good county comptroller, but I would be surprized if he pursued it.
    He is one of those guys who loves his job , is good at it, but hates campaigning.
    Anybody, evan Ward, would be better than asleep at the wheel Naples.
    "If you want to know what God thinks of money just look at the people he gave it to."

    By the way, what happened to biker? I miss the old coot.

  7. #7
    Member CaRaisin's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    In a Sunny Place
    Posts
    64
    Nancy Naples hasn't been asleep at all. The Buffalo News has been asleep & has ignored every warning, every letter, every memorandum, etc. that she has issued over the years. For to acknowledge the Comptroller would have been to go against their boy Joel & we know the News would never do that. Joe Public did the same thing in WNY with regard to anything that Comptroller Naples had to say. But now when times are tough & everything is really out there in the public spotlight & the public is feeling the heat, suddenly people are paying attention to the Comptroller & wondering where she was before. She was there, it is all of you who weren't there with her. Since she is an elected public official, you should feel free to make a request to her office pursuant to the Freedom of Information Law & you'll be able to obtain copies of everything she's ever written to both Joel & the Legislature & see for yourself that she's been there all along working for you. The only publication that I have ever seen cover all that Naples has to say & actually pay attention to it is PoliticsWNY.com.

  8. #8
    Member citymouse's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    South Buffalo
    Posts
    6,705
    She publicly endorsed Giambra's budget plans and fiscal policies
    The first three years. It's public record.
    She started to point out inconsitancies with her "audits" after the furniture and Highway department issues were common knowledge and pointed out by the media.
    She became more vocal when it became obvioud that ship Joel was headed for an iceburg.
    She became a critic when Jack Quinn's seat opened up.
    So maybe she wasn't asleep at all, just lounging around untill circumstances caused her to react.
    Thank God she didn't get to Washington.
    "If you want to know what God thinks of money just look at the people he gave it to."

    By the way, what happened to biker? I miss the old coot.

  9. #9
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Posts
    64,935
    Originally posted by citymouse
    She publicly endorsed Giambra's budget plans and fiscal policies
    The first three years. It's public record.
    She started to point out inconsitancies with her "audits" after the furniture and Highway department issues were common knowledge and pointed out by the media.
    She became more vocal when it became obvioud that ship Joel was headed for an iceburg.
    She became a critic when Jack Quinn's seat opened up.
    So maybe she wasn't asleep at all, just lounging around untill circumstances caused her to react.
    Thank God she didn't get to Washington.

    We were all talking about those items here. Then after rumors you would see a response after the fact.

    Has anyone heard if we got hte 500,000 back for the furniture and is the furniture truely still in rooms unboxed?

  10. #10
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    God's Own Country ... the Southern Tier
    Posts
    8,222
    I don't know that Naples was asleep at the wheel or not because first off, it takes a while for situations (Aurora highway garage, overpriced furniture, etc) to develop to the point that they merit attention. Then, the claims or complaints have to be investigated, so this all takes time, particularly if the parties being investigated are less than cooperative.

    I read both the Comptroller's and the DA's reports on the Aurora garage problems, and it was definitely Mrs Naples' work that enabled them to get 2 of the offenders out. Apparently attempts were made by the head of the department that controlled the Aurora garage and by the Comptroller's office to get the problems solved but these failed, so a formal investigation by the Comptroller was instituted and the evidence turned over to the DA for criminal investigation. This may very well be why there were rumors first and then apparent action afterward.

    The DA's report was on the Erie County website, and it was only there because the Erie County Republicans insisted that it be put up there. (I will see if it's still there.) I think that when they realized the kind of bull manure that King Joel's boys were shoveling in the Aurora garage -- and elsewhere -- they decided to distance themselves from the King. That's when Giambra's political kingdom really started unravelling.

  11. #11
    Member dtwarren's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Location
    West Seneca, New York, United States
    Posts
    4,636
    If you are referring to the Special Grand Jury Report a link to it is on the DA's page but hosted on a different site http://www.frankclark-ecda.org/
    “We in America do not have government by the majority. We have government by the majority who participate.” ― Thomas Jefferson

  12. #12
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    God's Own Country ... the Southern Tier
    Posts
    8,222
    Originally posted by dtwarren
    If you are referring to the Special Grand Jury Report a link to it is on the DA's page but hosted on a different site http://www.frankclark-ecda.org/
    Thanks, Dtwarren, that's the one. It's well buried in the web site.

    If you read just the table of contents, you'll get the gist of the problems. If you actually read the sections on the labor relations, you'll get a good picture of how vindictive and punitive King Joel and his Court are, which is why lots of county politicians didn't criticize Giambra until they had enough "ammo" and enough allies. I'm sure that's why a lot of county personnel won't say anything against him either -- on the record.

  13. #13
    Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    89
    Originally posted by CaRaisin:
    "...Did you hear about the tantrum that Danny Boy Ward threw at the Rath Building the other day when he heard that there were 3 other possible contenders for Comptroller? I was told he first ran to Lenny and then to his brother SCREAMING and YELLING, "THAT POSITION BELONGS TO ME, I EARNED IT FOR RUNNING AGAINST JOEL!"
    With the crisis that Erie County finds itself in now, I understand that some new bumper stickers will be hitting the streets in another week or two that will read:

    "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Dan Ward"

    Maybe it's true, but maybe it's not. The County's financial mess didn't happen overnight. Ward would have inherited the mess & maybe a Democratic County Exec & a Democratic majority in the Legislature would have made things worse - remember, he raised taxes in Amherst as Supervisor & was not re-elected to more than his one term. He voted for more than a 20% tax hike when he was appointed to a seat in the Legislature back in the 70's & couldn't win the election, in then a Democratic District, to hold on to the seat that he was appointed to. He would have gotten rid of all the Giambra patronage immediately, but those couple of million$ are a drop in the bucket in a billion$ plus overall budget. Ward would have had some of his own patronage & pork to deal with in its place - it never goes away - Joel just took it to a whole new level! Maybe there should be bumper stickers that read, "Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Dennis Gorski" - the nightmare after all really began in 2000. Bottom line, the tantrum in the Rath Building about being owed the right to run as the endorsed Democratic candidate for the Comproller's position & now this bumper sticker seem to indicate that someone is a poor loser & just can't let go & move on already. Every time one of our elected officials screws up, and they're going to screw up, should we print bumper stickers, t-shirts, signs, etc. about whomever their last opponent was? Al Gore & our Country seemed to have had an easier time letting go & moving on, or at least the class to do so.

  14. #14
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    God's Own Country ... the Southern Tier
    Posts
    8,222
    Interesting post WB. I think the bumper stickers are really a joke kind of thing -- and a way for the public to show their displeasure.

    I think Erie County would still have budget problems if Ward had been elected. All the upstate counties are having budget problems. However, I think that the problems in Erie County would not be of the magnitude that they are now simply because I doubt that Dan Ward has anything like the ego/attitude/personality of Joel Giambra.

    There's a reason Giambra has long been referred to as King Joel. He is autocratic to the extreme; it's his way or the highway, and he's not shy about using manipulation and/or bullying to get his way.

    Giambra decided on a scorched-earth policy (red budget) and has refused to compromise. His arrogance in refusing to cut any patronage, pork or perks is what has created the situation in which 5 of 7 Republicans in the County Legislature refused to support the Republican County Executive. His decision to determine which employees in which departments get cut has sent all the independent elected county officials -- Sheriff, DA, and Comptroller -- into court against layoffs or layoff notices to their personnel. CSEA and other employee unions will probably challenge the CE's right to make cuts in light of the language in the county charter that gives that right to the legislature.

    Giambra decided to play chicken with the County legislature over the budget, counting on the public to accept a higher sales tax over threats of drastic service cuts. Six legislators called his bluff, and it looks like they have the public's support for now.

    Personally, I think the legislature should craft a reduced budget that's sensible -- cuts in county vehicles, cell phones, special pork projects, travel expensives, equipment purchases, etc. Add to that a hiring freeze, a 100% cut of all unfilled positions, a cut of 25% in all non-Civil Service positions, plus a layoff of all employees in temporary Civil service positions. If there needs to be a tax cut, then maybe it should be split between a small property tax increase and a smaller sales tax increase (sales tax increases drive shoppers to shop elsewhere!). There might need to be additional layoffs, but these should be spread out among departments so that departments could continue to function.

    Put the ball back in Giambra's court and let him explain how his budget plan is better.

  15. #15
    Member Linda_D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    God's Own Country ... the Southern Tier
    Posts
    8,222
    "If there needs to be a tax cut, then maybe it should be split between a small property tax increase and a smaller sales tax increase (sales tax increases drive shoppers to shop elsewhere!). There might need to be additional layoffs, but these should be spread out among departments so that departments could continue to function."

    This should be tax increase!

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 2 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 2 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •