366 Days

Yes it has been that long.
366 Days.
Dayum!!!!
What was I doin with meself?
What was David Bass Dancy up to?
All I can say is: "I have thought of this day for a long time"
During my hours long travels throughout Upstate New York I would often think about what My next post would be about.
But you need to understand
I have been a participant in the chaotic maelstrom that I routinely ducumented while living and surviving as a Freelance Journalist.
Have you ever seen a House with Deerskin siding?
I have.
Have you seen rural poverty up close?
Fuedal Lords in the Backcountry?
I have.
The choice between Gas and diapers is daunting when the closest Wal-Mart is eight miles away.
You Get it right?
This pliable, manipulatable populace is the backbone.
The Law?
To many, the courts and law enforcement are just simple symbols of Government. The sheriff doesn't bring by Deermeat or preserves, firewood, bullets...no ...he brings trouble.
I have been able to see, up close, rural poverty and, of course, Urban Poverty.
I have seen Hoarders on an epic scale.
America is Strange.
I am a Witness.
A humble observer.

Asbestos Claim at New Census Building

An area man who previously worked at The Doyle Hardware Building, new home to the Utica branch of The U.S. Census Bureau, claims Asbestos was removed from the building improperly possibly endangering workers and the new tenants.
These bombshell allegations are being made by a man who says he witnessed firsthand, the illegal removal and possible dumping of dangerous toxic substances from the historic Doyle Hardware Building across from Utica's historic Union Station.
Dan Olah, a local contractor and the ex-owner of Elwoods's- a popular eatery located at 614 Columbia St. that burned down in a death related arson on Dec 20 2007- stands behind his claims and said he has also brought the situation to City Hall's attention.
"I personally went down to City Hall on two occasions" he said. "I spoke with Angelo Roefaro, the mayor's secretary and Robert Sullivan." Shrugging his shoulders, he continued. "Nothing has been done." he said
Olah did not stop at City Hall, he also went to the Labor Department's office at the State Building. "I spoke with a guy named Robert, he told me personally they found asbestos in there"
Olah was referring to Robert Varano a state worker in the Labor Department that deals with asbestos. At press time GCN was unable get a quote from him.

Why Speak Now?

Olah worked at the building for three months and says he walked off the job because he felt his health was at risk.
"I was actually working on a restaurant (remodelling) that was going in another part of the building. I have been a certified Asbestos Abatement Contractor so I know when you are dealing with dangerous substances and the proper way of removing them...they were loading up U-Hauls and taking them somewhere to dump" he said.
Olah had enough when he realized what was allegedly going on. "C'mon man, you got these young guys who need money to feed their families and this guy has them doing stuff for $15.00 an hour that can make not only them sick but it can get their kids too" he said, showing obvious emotion.
The guy he was referring to is Stewart Banntyne, a developer and the current owner of The Doyle Hardware building. Since Bantyne purchased the building he has put his money where his mouth is as an advocate of Downtown Utica and its financial potential. Banntyne's sizeable investment and the fact he made it in an area that has been ignored for decades during hard economic times is exactly why, Olah says: "no one has done a damn thing."
Robert Sullivan, head of revitalization for Utica said Olah has an ax to grind. "From what I know he has a few claims against the city already and he is frustrated" he said.
Sullivan made it clear he passed Olah's complaints to the proper people and it was all handled. "This thing all went above me, beyond my authority" Sullivan said.
Regarding Sullivan's assertions Olah admits his frustration with Utica and his treatment after his building burned down. "My building, business which I invested $500,000 in was damaged by arsonists...damaged" he emphasized "then they (City of Utica) go and raze my property within a week without proper notification...I mean, you tell me what is going on."
Olah likens his treatment to being chased out of town. "I helped turn around that block (600 Columbia) a lot of other businesses were happy with me there...one little incident and everything changed."
That incident was a fight and subsequent beating that started inside Elwood's. "These guys beat the crap out of some kid...I stopped it and they said they were going to burn me down." Apparently they did ( burn him down) and that is where Olah's complaints begin. "They ignored me then and they are ignoring me now" he said.
At press time we were unable to obtain a response from Stewart Banntyne but there will be lot more on this in future postings. As far as Angelo Roefaro is concerned he denied ever speaking with Dan Olah and does not recollect any conversations regarding Asbestos at The Doyle Hardware building.

Tougher Questions are Coming

This is a link to the latest video. It is me at The Common Council meeting. The excellent production was done by Larry T. Jr. who is in charge at Acumen Media check em out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjzTCkll6Ow

Common Council Meets about Investigation

Mayor Roefaro's secret investigation that has attracted so much attention lately may not be so secret after all. During the common council caucus on Monday (4/26) Bill Morehouse, common council president, opted to go to executive session so sensitive details about the investigation would not be leaked.
Without the Mayor in attendance (or J.K. Hage III) one has to wonder how any questions were going to be answered. And, if the council is unaware of the nature of the investigation then why call the Executive Session? These questions and many more were raised by two of the six reporters in attendance.
"It seems everytime you want to avoid the public you use these broad interpretations of the law" said one, reffering to judge Garramone's interpretation of executive session guidelines. "I want this on the record that I object to the Executive Session" said another.
Garramone countered "these guidelines are specific...it's in the law".
A prolonged debate between the local press and Garramone ensued leaving neither side satisfied. Bill Morehouse took it as a sign to adjourn and made his first unsuccessful attempt. But not before letting each person know where he stood on the issue. "The people were not served today" he said.
There were a lot of people on the council who wanted answers; among them, Lorraine Arcuri. She openly questioned Ed Bucciero's blind support when he gave a yes vote during the Board of Estimations meeting. She wondered aloud how much can be spent. "Does he (J.K.HageIII) have a blank check?"
Zecca cleared the air with his extensive knowledge of budget protocol. "There is a $15,000 cap on spending" he said, adding, anything additional would have to be re-approved.
The caucus was briefly interrupted again when a reporter who just received breaking news asked the Council about Gro West and their possible involvement in the probe. no one on the council was aware of any connections with Gro-West. But one need not look to far to see the connections.
It is conceivable that Gro West, a non-profit based on State St. in West Utica is involved. The group has been dealing with the city for over a decade. They have been involved with many revitalization projects and have figured prominently in the effort to turn around urban blight.
Today (4/26) the O-D reported a source within city government admitting as much but no one wants to talk about who in the city may be affected by the probe.
Some early frontrunners are former czar of economic development Bob Sullivan.
Why Bob?
His sister, Linda Sullivan-Fatata, is the missing link. We all need to ask ourselves why she is not handling the internal probe. After all, she is corporation council for the city of Utica.
Perhaps there is a conflict of interest.
Michael Cerminaro is another frontrunner. His many gaffes as comptroller could have potentially cost us millions. The most recent are unnerving because he seemed totally unaware of the mistakes until the mayor enlightened him.
The plot thickens.

check http://www.gothamcitynews.com/ for more

Not So Secret Investigation Reeks

There are lot of things in Utica that, to a casual observer, may seem strange. Boy Brown, Crazy Richard (RIP), The Lady with the Doll and Rainbow Young are usual suspects. Now enter politics into the equation and it gets downright weird.
Just like Chicago, another machine politics town, Utica has a unique balance of power that shifts from time to time, causing multiple ripples throughout the community. Sometimes those ripples resonate far beyond Utica. Other times no one feels a thing but something major still happened. Think plate tectonics. In California we call it Earthquake.
Such is the mystery of Utica politics and the uncertainty sorrounding the ‘Not So Secret’ investigation at City Hall. There are rumblings everywhere. Speculation, rumor and all manner of misinformation.
What stinks here is the fact that tax payer money (out of a budget stretched thin) is being used to conduct an internal probe of a nature that is only known to the Mayor and the Lawyer that is doing the billing.
$150.00 per hour is nothing to sneeze at. Especially when the scope and breadth of the investigation is unknown. Is there a cap on spending?
I’ll go out on a limb and answer that myself: yes. It would be absurd to think the acquired council could run up an unlimited bill. Right?
The city Comptroller, Michael Cerminaro, bravely vowed not to pay for this -’Not So secret ‘- investigation until he is brought up to speed. After all, it is possible his opinion could matter. But we need to be aware of the fact that Cerminaro was not in attendance during the vote for approval at the Board of Estimations meeting. This particular vote, he said , was not on the agenda for the meeting, which he also claimed he looked at.
Bold statement, considering anyone at City Hall is a possible target of the probe. History has taught us cynical citizens: if you dig in any department of the city, any city, you will more than likely find something out of whack, a mistake. Not just Utica but America as a whole, the world even.

So what gives?
Is this a witchhunt?
Subterfuge to keep critics on their heels?

It is possible that in some strange way we are transforming into an era of integrity. The slow march towards accountability is one we have been on for a long time. Transparency in government is at the foundation. There is not much of that in this case.
To his credit, the Mayor has not shied away from any of his controversial decisions. High on the growing complaint list, were the multiple appointments and raises he liberally doled out to those closest to him. And more recently: his handling of public safety. He has not wavered in the face of his critics. Why should he? Being elected means you have power; but the culture of nepotism and ‘the good old boy’ network is starting to retard our growth and hasten our decline.This investigation simply adds more salt to a palpably lower morale around City Hall.

And couldn’t it be possible the Mayor is using this as some sort of political leverage at the taxpayers expense?

In a perfect world, with a robust economy, no one cares about City Hall. No one questions who the Mayor hires or gives raises to. In a perfect world the Mayor does not have to take a full page ad to tell his side of the story in a fair manner, in his words.
We all need to grow up.

Maybe he (The Mayor) has a plan B?

Perhaps the newly drafted Masterplan, which will be revealed on 4/22 at the Utica Library, holds the keys to success that will change the odor sorrounding City Hall to an aroma. Maybe Bill Morehouse, Common Council President, who has planned a future meeting-or Executive Session- with the Mayor, will inform the public. No date has been set. We are all at the edge of our seats.
Until then we collectively hold our noses

see my thoroughly self-edited version of this article at http://www.gothamcitynews.com/

Gregory Johnson Announces his run for 116th Assembly

On Thursday April 15, 2010 the politically quiet 116th New York State Assembly district just got interesting with the announcement of a Republican challenge to the firmly entrenched Democrat incumbent, Ro-Ann Destito, who has held the office for 20 years.
Gregory Johnson, a first year Councilman in Marcy, made his announcement in the midst of a turbulent political climate that has ignited a lot of different grassroot movements in the Mohawk Valley and abroad.
With historic Ft. Stanwix in the background, serving as the perfect patriotic prop, Johnson made his announcement in front of 1,500 supporters. With a blustery wind beating at his back he outlined a list of issues that have angered many people in the 116th to a chorus of cheers and whistles. He proudly stated his affiliation with the Tea Party and his frustration with the status quo.
Johnson says he will bring a 'sky is the limit' approach to this campaign. The retired airline pilot graduated from Whitesboro High in 1969 (same year as good friend, 24th congressional candidate Richard Hanna). He started his career in the airline industry with Mohawk Airlines in 1970. By 1979 he was a pilot with empire Airlines and would eventually retire with US Airways as a Captain.
"The moment I got the job (Mohawk Airlines ticket counter) the goal was always to be a pilot."
Johnson aimed high then and he is aiming high now.
Johnson also knows his connection to any type of reformist or populist movements will attract all kinds of rhetoric. "There are two words I never want to be associated with" he said, holding up his index finger. "Those words are: fight and change" adding clarity, he continued. "I would rather use: work(with) and overhaul"
It is set, there will be a Republican challenge for the 116th Assembly. It will help shape the future political landscape that is surely going to go through some changes.
"I am not running against Ro-Ann Destito" Johnson said "I am running for the 116th"
At press time Ro-Ann Destitio has not announced a decision to run or not.

A Hearty Welcome to New England's Chris King

Chris king is truly a Brotha from anotha Mutha. He has exposed a number of cover-ups and continues to shed light in some of the darker corners of New England Politics.
I hope the Readers of Dancys's Corner are inspired and do your part to keep integrity and transparency in the forefront of local and National politics.


No matter where you are.
Get involved, go to the occasional City Council meeting.
These elected officials work for you.

check Chris out at http://www.kingcast.net/ and tap in.

This is an excerpt from Chris's latest entry:


KingCast to Senator Letourneau on SB 154 being properly tabled: "I told you so.... a year ago!"
Blam.

Then I told Senator D'Alessandro and the Public Works Committee the same thing. At the risk of being redundant (said redundancy being occasioned by your hegemonic attempts to shove this ill-founded legislation down the throats of North Country residents) maybe you get the message now.


I think they get the message Chris.