Sheldon Silver and my representative.

[citymouse]

Not only does it seem silver is going to control what comes in and out of WNY from Albany, he is also going to dictate who and how effective my representative will be.
Mark Schroder promised he would not vote for Silver as speaker if Shelly didn't support a amendment for a timley budget.
Silver wouldn't so Schroder didn't. In fact he was the only Democrat that didn't.
Good for Mark.
Showing the integrety that we knew he had when we overwhelmingly voted him in.
Unfortunatley, Silver has decided to Question the way Schroder runs his local office, accused him of conflicts of intrest, such as using a private business line as an office phone (which Scroder was forced to do because Albany would not release the money funded to run the local assembly office.)
Mark is a high road kind of guy who does not compromise himself by such goings on. It is more of a slap to him to assult his character then to with hold his office funds.
Silver is way out of line and showing the kind of shennanigans that exsist in Albany and are crying out to be reformed and Mark is the kind of guy they need in Albany to do it.


I would not hesitate to contribute to a private fund to help maintain his office and he can tell Silver what to do with his money.

[WNYresident]

What else is running in that building? Why would there be a businessline in a government office?

[citymouse]

local representatives are given a stipen to run thier district office.
They are not in a goverment building, they usually lease a storefront or office somewhere in the district.
When Mark was county rep he rented an office on Seneca street, He also started a South Buffalo Chamber of commerce, and a adult education or GED program for the area and they share the same facility.
Both programs are in different parts of the building. I might also add that both programs are highly succesful. The GED program has educated many dropouts who would never have done it with out this program.
The chamber of commerce has helped to revitalize the seneca street business district ( Kennedy wants to move on to try to revitalize South Park Avenue as well) and has instituted shop in your niehboorhood programs and a nieghboor hood business expo and fair each summer in caz park so people can become more familiar with what small business in thier area has to offer.
Silver feels this is a conflict to share realestate with these people. He has said he is concerned that the assemblyman's staff may be working for these organizations at the same time so he has insrtructed the assembly staff to withhold any payments.
Because the county rep job was considered part time Schroder also had a private line at his office for his work as a business consultant.
The line is still there and he has been using it as his primary phone for conducting state business. He was forced to do this because Silver froze funding for his NY stae line. Silver feels the use of the line is unethical, even though his action forced the situation.
This is what I have been getting from the newspaper, how acurate the information is I really don't know.
But the bottom line seems to be, don't mess with Shelly Silver.

[Night Owl]

Unfortunatley, Silver has decided to Question the way Schroder runs his local office, accused him of conflicts of intrest, such as using a private business line as an office phone (which Scroder was forced to do because Albany would not release the money funded to run the local assembly office.)

Currently Mark is using a private phone and fax line to run his office because “the State” has concerns about business and civic organizations running from the same location.

From the Assembly Press: they (the state) want to make sure the money given to lease an office building and phone services are only used for the office of the Assemblyman and his staff thereof.

The ‘hold up’ in getting phone, fax lines and rent to the building owner is part of the process in making sure money for the assemblyman doesn’t go towards anything that is running in the same office. Nothing was mentioned from the Assembly Press about retaliation because Schroeder did not support Silver in any way, shape or form.

Silver is way out of line and showing the kind of shennanigans that exsist in Albany and are crying out to be reformed and Mark is the kind of guy they need in Albany to do it.

This is untrue. The funds being withheld are not due to mischief on Albany’s part, the state only wants to make sure specific guidelines to the office of the Assemblyman are met.

What else is running in that building? Why would there be a businessline in a government office?

The Greater South Buffalo Chamber of Commerce for one has been in the same building, as well as other civic organizations. Mark said he would maintain the same office space as he did when he was Erie County Legislator, the same office space that has concerns of the state.

When Mark was county rep he rented an office on Seneca street, He also started a South Buffalo Chamber of commerce, and a adult education or GED program for the area and they share the same facility.

Well most is correct, he is renting the same office on Seneca, he also began the Chamber of Commerce (in his office building) and the GED/training program, which is in a building across the street from his office; but the GED/training program is not a conflict of interest.

Both programs are in different parts of the building. I might also add that both programs are highly succesful. The GED program has educated many dropouts who would never have done it with out this program.

The GED program graduated more than 100 persons seeking an equivalency diploma in less than 2 years time and is not being run in the same building as his office.

The chamber of commerce has helped to revitalize the seneca street business district

This is untrue. No such “revitalization” has occurred except for the money Jimmy Griffin acquired from the City to replace broken sidewalks last year. Other than that… nothing has come about in transforming Seneca Street except a few ‘fluff’ meetings with the BERC who were pitching their block grand funding to area businesses. The potholes are getting bigger and bigger on Seneca Street. There is no progress of serious revitalization. Give credit where credit is due… to the city council representative for just replacing sidewalks - exactly what Griffin said he would do.

and has instituted shop in your niehboorhood programs and a nieghboor hood business expo and fair each summer in caz park so people can become more familiar with what small business in thier area has to offer.

Yep, the Shop Your Neighborhood Expo is looking to plan its 4th year in Cazenovia Park, and has increased business attendances more and more each year.

Silver feels this is a conflict to share realestate with these people. He has said he is concerned that the assemblyman's staff may be working for these organizations at the same time so he has insrtructed the assembly staff to withhold any payments.

For the past 3-4 years that the chamber has been running, the current director is also a paid staff member to (at that time) the Legislator. That was no secret, and he made it known at his Inauguration as State Assembly in January. I do not know if this is still the same situation as a state representative; but it certainly would explain the concerns of Albany and taxpayers’ money funding staff for both. While the Chamber appears to be a good community organization, I should say that this is the only chamber of commerce I have even known that is completely “politically connected”.

The line is still there and he has been using it as his primary phone for conducting state business. He was forced to do this because Silver froze funding for his NY stae line. Silver feels the use of the line is unethical, even though his action forced the situation.

The use of his private phone and fax lines are not the problem with the state. It is the concerns of other entities operation within the same building.

This is what I have been getting from the newspaper, how acurate the information is I really don't know.
But the bottom line seems to be, don't mess with Shelly Silver.

What you read in the paper was probably what was in a press release from Schroeder’s office. But when talking to the Assembly Press, I am under the impression that the statements you’ve read are only half of the story.

The bottom line to me is that the State is cracking down on where money is being spent. And where there are concerns it should be examined through and through. But the Assembly Press said Albany is currently looking for ways in coming to an agreement with the Assemblyman.

[Night Owl]

But Silver says Schroeder wants the state government to pay part of the cost of running his chamber organization and a private business. Schroeder does consulting work out of his Seneca Street office in South Buffalo for Cliffstar, a Dunkirk fruit juice firm.

From the Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/editorial...04/1023786.asp

[300miles]

What made me mad about this news was nothing to do with the office, but THIS statement:

"Schroeder was the lone Democrat not to support Silver's re-election as speaker. "

With all the *talk* about change in Albany, and breaking the 3-men-in-a-room way of dictating state policy... WHY was there a unanamous vote (except 1) to keep Silver as speaker???? And that was just recently!

Unbelievable BS.

[Night Owl]

Well, I don't know much more about the protest boycot and not supporting Silver. I am just giving information about the lease money and phone services that have not been given to Schroeder.

[300miles]

oh I know. I was off-topic. I just saw the article today in the news and was surprised there was a unanimous vote to keep Sheldon. Very disappointing.

[Night Owl]

oh I know. I was off-topic.

Not really, Schroeder not supporting Silver is the whole 'claim' behind not giving phone and leasing to the office.

[moonshine]

Is ticketmaster selling tickets to this little throwdown by the lake? I'd love to be front row in watching two worthless politicians bloody each other! Maybe we need to start a "not for profit" group that equips every albany jackass with a crowbar and chain so they can inflict some real damage to each other.

[citymouse]

I stand corrected on some of what I belived, but no one can convince me that his refusal to support Silver because Shelly won't support a timley state budget is not the reason that 's behind Albany's concern.
I think his not supporting Silver speaks volumes on his character.

[Night Owl]

but no one can convince me that his refusal to support Silver because Shelly won't support a timley state budget is not the reason that 's behind Albany's concern.

The telephone lines and the property lease are really not related to the disbute between the two, it's an inflated rumor around the neighborhood creating things to be more than what they really are.

Albany wants to make sure taxpayers' money isn't going towards anything that is unrelated to the office of Assembly, and according to the Buffalo News Schroeder was conducting business calls during times when he was in his office supposed to be working for the people of the County.

[WNYresident]

How can you not have a few business calls during all hours anyhow? AND not have local political calls during business times. Wouldn't the two over lap anyhow? Or is that not a part time job but more of a full time?

[Night Owl]

The state wants to make sure calls made about (private busines/second jobs) are not being done so on the taxpayers' dime.

Like County computers being used for other organizations, private business being conducted on a County telephone. Sharing a building with organizations while the County pays the full bill for the lease. It's stuff like that that the State wants to avoid.

Please tell me you understand this? I mean, do you see how that State would like to avoid wasteful spending???

[jbinbny]

Originally posted by 300miles
What made me mad about this news was nothing to do with the office, but THIS statement:

"Schroeder was the lone Democrat not to support Silver's re-election as speaker. "

With all the *talk* about change in Albany, and breaking the 3-men-in-a-room way of dictating state policy... WHY was there a unanamous vote (except 1) to keep Silver as speaker???? And that was just recently!

Unbelievable BS.

An excellent question!!

And the answer is: Because when push comes to shove in Albany, your elected rep will choose his/her own political survival over what's best for his/her constituents! Sheldon Silver will see to that! Play ball with Silver and he will throw you a bone every now and then.

Make waves with all this talk of reforming state and local politics and he will cut you off, as he apparently did to Mark Schroeder!

It's sickening!!!! Only way to change this is to get this cancer named Shelly Silver out of office. An open revolt is what's needed.